Gucci Group, the owners of the late designer Alexander McQueen’s eponomous clothing line, announced the label’s new creative designer today and her name is……..drumroll, please………………..Sarah Burton! The word around town is that she’s basically the only one who could truly take over McQueen’s line. Having studied at Central Saint Martins and McQueen’s first assistant from 1996 to the day he died, Burton was the woman responsible for turning McQueen’s runway vision into successful commercial collections.

She’s been an intergral part of the McQueen brand for over a decade - and not some superstar designer Gucci Group picked out of hat. And I think that is truly where Alexander McQueen’s legacy lies. He was such a gift and and a talent to the fashion world, only someone who knew him so intimately could follow in his footsteps.

We’re on the eve of a scandal! We are self-proclaimed Francophiles (among a host of other ‘philes) and the purest form of art lovers (and by that, I mean we love art - pure and simple). So, when we see something that infringes on an artist’s copyrights, we cannot protest enough. Over at Le Blog De Betty, the ever so lovely Betty found something strange going on at the popular clothing shop Zara - specifically, one of their shirts had her face on it! And, it was not just a mere resemblance - it was almost identical to a picture she posted on her blog a while back. We at IN*TANDEM call foul!!!! We are artists, freedom fighters, weirdos, and lovers. And the internet is supposed to be a place where our voices are heard, not where a bunch of corporate f*ckers can come and steal our work, uncredited and unrepentant. Vous devez lutter pour vos droits!!!

Here are advance photos by notable Norwegian contemporary fashion photographer Solve Sundsbo for the upcoming V MAGAZINE (issue #63): “The Size Issue,” featuring five plus-size models. The spread is titled “Curves Ahead.” V63 does not hit newsstands until January 14, 2010.

Styled by Nicola Formichetti, the models (Candice Huffine, Marquita Pring, Michelle Olson, Tara Lynn, Kasia P.) showcase everything from bustiers and bodysuits to nothing at all.

After shooting for V, Sundsbo later said: “I loved the opportunity to show that you can be beautiful and sexy outside the narrow interpretations that normally define us.”

-Colette Prosper

Notice how superheroes and villains are a constant theme in fashion? I recently did a presentation on how bad guys/extraterrestrials/freaks are influencing everything runnin’ down the runway this season. Last season. Every season. I am also writing a paper on how violence on TV relates to what direction fashion trends are taking. Let me draw some parallels. First an obvious one, one of the shows getting the most attention this season, Alex McQueen. All underwater creatures and aliens. If that ain’t ET fashion I don’t know what is.

Did anyone see Lady CaCa’s latest video? Duh. “Bad Romance”; full of it. Alien, that is.

Read more…