Even the biggest of closets can’t hold all the clothing and accessories that are thrown a celebrity’s way. Plus, let’s be honest, when your life is in the public eye, wearing the same dress to more than one party won’t earn you points with the paparazzi. A celebrity’s wardrobe is continuously evolving and there are always things that need to be tossed, or in the case of Paris Hilton, sold to new owners in the name of charity.

Kathy Hilton, along with friend Tracy North, owns a consignment store in Los Angeles called Designer Archives. Upstairs is Paris Hilton’s Closet – a store full of clothing and accessories, which Paris personally selects from her home closet and brings into the store. These items are sold to the public – many of them worn once or twice by Paris herself in photo shoots or around town. One hundred percent of the proceeds from sales at Paris Hilton’s Closet go to charity.

“We’ve just always been really big into giving back and I just thought it was the perfect opportunity to give back to charity. Also I have so many things so it’s nice to be able to get rid of them in this way,” says Paris

Paris and Kathy team up and select a different charity each month to donate the store’s proceeds to. This month’s charity is the Union Rescue Mission, a downtown homeless shelter that Paris recently visited in person to drop off a check to. Previous charities, according to Paris, have included places like the Starlight Children’s Foundation, Make-A-Wish, The National MS Society, and Breast Cancer Research.

Paris explains that she’s been doing charity work since she was a little girl but finds Paris Hilton’s Closet to be one of the more rewarding of her philanthropic endeavors as it’s nice to be able to give away her clothes for people to purchase and enjoy. “I have so many clothes and so many things. I do so many photo shoots and so many designers send me things that I don’t even have enough room in my house so its nice to be able to give it away and then have people donate for it.”

Paris Hilton’s Closet features an array of clothing, which encompasses a variety of designers at a wide range of price points. Shoppers will find anything from French Connection and Tommy Hilfiger to clothing by Nicky Hilton, items from Paris’s own line, and designer attire worn at parties and in prestigious photo shoots. The store is reminiscent of a large walk-in closet and decorated by artwork that Paris has acquired over the years, including a large screen print, which is autographed by many celebrities and was presented to Paris as a birthday gift. There are mirror-lined walls, racks of clothes, shoes, purses, framed photographs of the Hilton sisters, figurines from the Hilton home, and bottles of Paris perfume.

Designer Archives sells a variety of high-end threads and accessories – many of them vintage (vintage Chanel clip on earrings, Alexis Kirk silver belts, Escada shirts, vintage Pucci skirts, etc.) which are consigned from various clients. The furniture inside the store is a variety of exquisite antique pieces that were previously in Kathy’s house and are also for sale. Although Designer Archives is not a charitable endeavor, like Paris Hilton’s Closet, Kathy and Tracy do occasionally host special events in the store and donate a percentage of the profits to specific causes.

According to Kathy, Designer Archives/Paris Hiltons Closet is a family endeavor. “It’s fun and I love being able to really have a good time and to be able to do something nice. It’s all family. Tracy is our partner but she’s like family and my nieces work here and close friends and it’s kind of like the little hub.” During our visit, Kathy’s sister and Real Housewife of Beverly Hills, Kyle Richards popped into the store, almost on cue to illustrate Kathy’s point.

Tracey says the store opened in October and was originally planned as a pop up. “We said, let’s see how it goes and the response was great. We had a great response from customers. We started with a handful of consigners and Paris’s stuff and now we get dozens of consigners,” explains Tracey who says that Designer Archives literally gets new things in the store every single weekday. “Amazing things too! – Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, vintage things that I’ve never seen before! Name a designer and we have it in here pretty much.”

Kathy jokes that they were so quick to get into the new space that they haven’t even had time to fully decorate and arrange merchandise the way they’d like to. “We have plans to refurbish and renovate but we were so excited with the idea and we were like, ‘Let’s get in here.’ This space became available and it was right before Christmas.”

The store attracts a clientele of all ages says Tracey. “It’s everything. We get teenage girls here. We get tweens in here, women my age, older than us, women Paris’s age and everything in between.” Paris Hilton’s Closet is also popular with the loyal Paris fans. “Everyone loves it and people fly in from all over the world to see it,” Paris says.

Paris shared a heartfelt story about a young girl finding out about the store on Twitter and saving up her money to travel from New York to come in to buy a t-shirt. Being so touched by this, Tracy called Paris to have her speak to the girl on the phone. Paris immediately jumped in her car and drove over to spend a half an hour with her fan. “She was sweet. She got a bunch of stuff,” says Paris.

While snapping some photos of Tracy, Kathy, and Paris sitting on a tiny pink couch that was in her bedroom as a child, Paris showed off some of her favorite pieces inside the store including a beautiful sequin dress and a turquoise skirt with flowers. When asked if it was ever hard to part with items of clothing, she replied, “There are so many things that I love and I get new things all the time so once I’ve worn it, it’s nice to make someone else happy with it.”

Before Paris politely excused herself to head out to another interview, dodging her usual crowd of paparazzi on the way, she told us a little bit about her current show, The World According to Paris. The Simple Life was me playing a character and this show is who I really am. People are really going to get to see my life and not me living someone else’s life. This is my world and everything that happens in it.” The show airs on Wednesdays at 10pm ET/PT on Oxygen (check your local listings), and according to Kathy, shows an insider look at the real and honest lives of the Hilton’s. “It’s like being a fly on the wall with everything,” she says.

Designer Archives/Paris Hilton’s Closet
The Glen Center
2934 Beverly Glen Circle
Los Angeles, CA 90077
(310) 410-3388

Hours: Mon – Wed: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Thurs – Sat: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sun: 12 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Words by Nicole Pajer. Photos by Dustin Downing.

High-fashion thrusts tattoo art onto the runway and into the spotlight

First it was Ari Marcopoulos’s short film “No Way Back” for Yves Saint Laurent men’s spring/summer ‘11 collection, featuring famed tattoo artist Mark Mahoney in action.  Then – or perhaps simultaneously – it was tattooist-to-the-fashion-elite Scott Campbell’s SS’11 collaboration with Louis Vuitton, and the accompanying “video diptych” part one and part two.

Tattoo art, fashion, and commerce have always been linked (and I’m not talking Ed Hardy or Kat Von D’s Sephora collaboration). Chanel – as well as Rodarte and John Paul Gaultier – sent models parading down their spring ‘10 runway adorned with delicate temporary tattoos; Chanel’s are now sold for $75.00 per sheet. Marc Jacobs enlisted Campbell again to apply temporary work on his models for the men’s SS’11 Louis Vuitton show.  And totally tattooed “Skullface” Rick Genest recently walked the runway for Thierry Mugler during Paris fashion week.  Daily Candy sings the praises of Friday Jones, who advertises “tattoo couture” and holds personal “fittings” in a spa on NYC’s upscale Fifth Avenue. She even offers topical anesthetic, which makes the majority of tattoo purists shudder.  Let’s not get started of the dude with the full sleeve of Louis Vuitton logos – an ultimate statement of consumerism.

Tattooing even extends to the world of high-end liquor. William Grant & Sons (Hendrick’s, Hudson, Lillet) recently launched a rum with purveyor of old-school tattoo art, Sailor Jerry, and the documentary Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry: the Life and Times of Norman Keith Collins and a limited-edition companion coffee-table book Homeward Bound (also available for $75.00) were released this year.

So what gives? We all know that high fashion houses have done things like brand a trash bag, call it a trend, and have a waiting list before you say, “Omigod, that trash bag is $2,000?” For many aficionados, tattoos are not a passing trend, but high-end services like Jones’ have dragged tattooing out from under its slightly subversive rock and made it even more mainstream-friendly.  Whether this is good or bad depends on your perspective, and if you were one of those kids who got super bummed when their favorite band made the move from van to tour bus.

“Over the past ten years the popularity of tattoos has risen. The reality shows like Miami Ink provided people who may have never walked into a tattoo shop a chance to see what it was all about,” says Adam Korothy of Brooklyn’s Asylum Tattoo.  “These days a lot more people in the fashion industry are drawing inspiration from tattoo art, and also getting tattooed themselves. I recently was asked to tattoo a Chanel logo. I also did a first tattoo on a woman who works for a major fashion magazine.” The parallels do make sense. Like fashion designers, tattoo artists have a vision, but it comes with great responsibility – after all, their work won’t rip or fall apart, and good work will never need to be repaired or recycled.

Our picks for good shops, should you find yourself in need of a pretty little swallow or even, sigh, your favorite designer’s logo? Erich Weiss, director of Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry, recommends “Bert Krak at Smith Street Tattoo, Topper at Philadelphia Eddie’s in Philly, and really anyone at Olde City Tattoo in Philly.” Korothy at Asylum gave me one of my favorite tattoos ever, and Saved Tattoo in Williamsburg is home of the aforementioned Scott Campbell (good luck getting an appointment!), along with Michelle Tarantelli and Anderson Luna.  Mark Mahoney, whose career spans three decades, is the force behind L.A.’s Shamrock Social Club.  As a matter of fact, Shamrock’s tagline “Where the elite and underworld meet” is the perfect way to sum up the current wave of tattoo popularity.  Just remember, darling: internet stardom is fleeting – your full-sleeve of Louis Vuitton logos will be around forever.

MORE INFO:

Asylum Tattoo

Smith Street Tattoo

Phildelphia Eddie’s

Olde City Tattoo

Saved Tattoo

Shamrock Social Club

Friday Jones’ Tattoo Couture

Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry film and Homeward Bound book available at www.sailorjerry.com

Words by Carrie Tucker. Lead image via Fashion Copious

Karl Lagerfeld is many things: a German living in France, a white-headed wonder, a style icon, obsessive curator & head designer of Chanel, Fendi & his own line.  The movie Lagerfeld Confidential, released in 2007, followed the prolific designer & gave an insight into his daily life, & in 2006 he starred in Signé Chanel, a reality show about the creation of one of his collections.  He is also a photographer, illustrator & world traveler.  But it’s as if the man never sleeps, because on Tuesday May 11th of 2010, Karl Lagerfeld makes his directorial debut!

Remember Now is a short film which ties in to Chanel’s Cruise collection, & will be shown as part of the presentation.  It looks to be a veritable who’s who of top models, & features Freja Beha, Magdalena Frackowiak, Baptiste Giabiconi (Lagerfeld’s muse), Karolina Kurkova, Abbey Lee & Heidi Mount, among others.  The trailer is fabulous, frothy & over-the-top — there are scantily-clad beautiful people, sequins, feathers & glimpses of life in St. Tropez.  Pure confectionery for the cerebrum.

That’s not the only interesting thing about the Cruise show.  It was recently confirmed that Georgia May Jagger & Crystal Renn have been booked to walk it!  These two women have been at the forefront of the push for more inclusion of plus-sized models, & the fact that they will be walking in a Chanel show gives us serious hope that this marks a change for the better.  Lagerfeld, who once lost almost 100lbs over 13 months, has often intimated that his designs were only for the few people who could fit into them, so you have to wonder when he changed his mind, & why!

The Cruise collection will stream live online at http://www.chanel-news.com on Tuesday at 7.30pm CET, but for those of you who want a glimpse behind the scenes of Remember Now, here are http://www.chanel-news.com/en/by-karl/film-karl-lagerfeld-pascal-greggor Pascal Greggory’s photographs of the shoot.

Words by Gala Darling with photos courtesy of Chanel

Every season, there are trends which come to the fore & cause us to crinkle our foreheads in confusion.  Why is this in fashion?  Who is really going to wear it, & if so, why?  So many things seem to be designed with the intention of being “interesting” as opposed to flattering.  While this certainly happens in high fashion, it seems to be even more prevalent within the realms of young indie designers.  Sometimes I look at what’s on sale & wonder, really wonder, why? 
 
With that, I present to you some trends which I have mixed feelings about.

Clogs. Karl Lagerfeld, head evil genius at Chanel, sent clogs down the catwalk late last year.  Since then, they have popped up on the tootsies of both Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen as well as countless other celebrities.  Since fashions usually trickle down from celebrities to the high street, it’s a fair bet that we’ll soon be seeing only the backs of our friends feet for a while.

I remember being in primary school when black studded clogs worn with white ankle socks were all the rage.  I didn’t do it then and I definitely won’t be doing it now!  This new incarnation is a little less clunky, more streamlined & mostly designed to give you serious height.  Take your currently fashionable wedge bootie and lop off the back, and you have the modern clog.

So, what do you think?  The perfect shoe for summer or an unfortunate trend?

If clogs are a-callin’ to you, Teen Vogue has a list of “must have” clogs for Spring.  Also, may I suggest exfoliating your heels thoroughly?

The Poncho

The poncho 
I really think this is Clint’s game, & Clint’s game alone.  Who could make a poncho look better than this?

Game, set, match.

Harem Pants.
Okay, I admit, when the harem trend kicked off, I was all over it. When I was in Paris in 2008, black harem pants were all I wore.  It’s hard to see in the picture above, but I wore them with a studded belt, a leather jacket & either motorcycle boots or black stilettos. I thought it was pretty cute at the time & I still think a pair of plain black harem pants look fab when worn with the right proportions.  (This is definitely an item which needs to be paired with the right pieces.)

My friend Gilda makes sequinned harem pants which I think are absolutely incredible.  But recently I have seen high-waisted harem pants with polka dots.  Floral drop-crotch trousers.  One-shoulder harem jumpsuits.  Drop-crotch pants made with fabric that has clearly been floating around a warehouse since 1963.  What do you think of harem pants?  Fabulous or vomitous?

Via Pixie Market.

Crochet.
I recently saw for sale a pair of crocheted shoes.  That is all.

Jumpsuits.
Tricky, tricky, tricky.  Getting your hands on the perfect jumpsuit can be a fool’s errand, simply because of all the factors you need to take into account.  Is your torso too long or short?  Are the straps (if any) adjustable?  Does your butt fit into it & if so, how about your thighs?  Are the pant legs too long?  Can they be cuffed?  ET CETERA.

Jumpsuits, onesies, rompers, playsuits — they’re all variations on the same thing & they’ve been making the fashion rounds since 2008. This is the evolution of a trend: firstly, introduce it in a way which isn’t too difficult for the average punter. Then, wear it to death. Finally, start switching it up. Come out with some radical adjustments to the original style & see how it takes off.  When it comes to jumpsuits, you can now get pretty much anything imaginable. Patterns? Long sleeves? Cut-out sections?  You name it, you got it. 


ASOS and Net-A-Porter have some great options. Look!  A questionable trend combo! Worn with a pair of killer open-toed stilettos or rad sandals, they make almost the perfect outfit.  Except for when you need to go to the restroom, of course.

Words by Gala Darling

For most of us, the day of the first Spring blossoms is one of the best days of the year. It signifies an end to the bone-chilling temperatures & incessant layering-up, & beckons with a finger full of promise. The end of dumpling-wear! Rejoice! 
With this, of course, come the questions. What can we expect to see ourselves in this season? After all, no matter how little you like fashion, what is in style dictates what is available for purchase. 
The recent Spring 2010 collections shown in Paris are the best indication of where the industry is at. So, where is it at?

Chanel
Karl Lagerfeld’s “neon baroque” collection for Chanel will surely be a huge influence. He has taken what was already mid-revival — say, studded footwear & oversized hair-bows — & simply done it better than everyone else. While most of us have just been wearing a big floppy bow on the side of our heads, he has made them ornate & frothy, & placed them smack in the middle of a heart-shaped bouffant. He has combined a high-heeled bootie with a studded platform (two huge trends in & of themselves), but made the shoe entirely silver with an extravagant heel & jewel-encrusted buckles. While Chanel’s immaculate & easily identifiable cuts are still there, they’re in frosting hues: pastel pink & sweet lavender, with glittery silver & shimmering grey-blue.  Just like a couture cupcake.

Valentino
Valentino went for candy colors too. From violet powder smudged around the eyes to multi-hued pink chiffon dresses, the collection described as “a Garden of Eden in cyberworld” was truly youthful, adventurous & chic. Influenced by Avatar & obviously following the scent of Rodarte’s recent tribal-infused style, Valentino’s new creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri & Pier Paolo Piccioli are clearly looking towards a bright new future.

Armani
There was more silver over at Armani Privé. Influenced by the moon, Giorgio Armani said, “I always need a hook to get into a collection, & that was it — thinking about something romantic & dreamy, far away from our everyday life. Something less harsh.”  No recessionista chic here. From crescent moon-shaped belt buckles to delicious, scalloped jackets, Armani returned true to form doing what he does best — essential glamour.  His beautiful, long gowns were so perfect that you could practically see them on the red carpet — their obvious destination. 
How do these things add up to impact you & your wardrobe?  My vision is of bright eye make-up & very colorful dresses.  Tulip-shaped shorts, as seen at Karl Lagerfeld, might make it through, too. High heels & platforms, feminine to the hilt. Handbags will be bright, too — Balenciaga has already rolled out their their iconic City & Work bags in sorbet (hot pink), outremer (outrageously royal blue), palm tree (bright green) & sang (lipstick red). When it comes to silver, think psychedelic, futuristic & bold. It will be all over your accessories, so learn to love it! Finally, expect to see a lot of pastel — they’re going to be big. 
Donna Karan once said, “Pastel shades flatter any skin tone.  Let your personality be the color.” It’s a timely lesson for all of us. 
What do you envision yourself in once the temperature picks up? Will you embrace color or stick to your tried-&-true Summer uniform?

Words by Gala Darling, 
Photos courtesy of style.com

What do you do when you feel that your work has been ripped off — not by another artist, or even another store, but by one of fashion’s most influential houses?
If you’re Carmen Colle, you file a $3.7 million lawsuit. The social-worker-turned-seamstress started her business, World Tricot, in 1987, with nothing but a crochet hook. Her vision? To employ & establish a sense of pride in some of the illiterate female refugees in the small town in eastern France where she lived. Like a fairytale, it all came true. World Tricot is one of the many suppliers that the large couture houses use to provide them with the intricate handiwork they use in their garments. Called petites mains, these suppliers work with feathers, beads, lace & crochet which are then used by the likes of Dior, Givenchy & Chanel. In 2005, World Tricot’s profits exceeded almost 3 million dollars.

But it all came crashing down four years ago in 2005, when Colle alleged that a design she had shown to Chanel — and that they had turned down — had gone into production. Mediation between Chanel & World Tricot proved fruitless, & the case is now in court.
The legal proceedings have taken their toll on the small business. The enormous costs and strain caused World Tricot to go into receivership in 2007 — and now only employs twelve people, down from 90 in 2001. Banks have refused to help her & former clients have taken their work elsewhere.
“You cannot imagine what it is like,” Colle said. “You are faced with an enormous machine. You become the guilty party.”
World Tricot’s lawyer, Paul Crehange, said, “Madame Colle is the first woman with the courage to stand up to a major fashion house & say ‘this work is mine’. Chanel does not do knitting.”
Unfortunately, it’s nothing new. Colle is not the only woman that feels her work has been imitated by the couture giant. In 2007, Jessica Kagan Cushman, a jewelery designer from the East Coast, made headlines throughout the blogosphere when Chanel put into production a collection of bracelets which looked eerily like her own.

Cushman’s bangles, made of ivory & featuring hand-inked phrases, are in the style of traditional scrimshaw bracelets, & sell for $2,000 a pop in stores like Barneys. When Fashionista.com spotted a Condé Nast editor wearing a $600 version by Chanel, Cushman’s fans flocked the site, decrying Chanel. Cushman, too, was furious, & sent a letter to the fashion house asking if they would hire her, since they evidently liked her work so much! She even went so far as to make a “Ripped off by Chanel” bracelet, which was a huge hit, but no legal proceedings were undertaken. While the court battle drags on, Carmen Colle is keeping busy. As well as overseeing the day-to-day at World Tricot, her new line, Angèle Batist, opened its first boutique in Paris earlier this year. She said, “I will try to carry on. Whether they find me right or wrong, I have done all I can. Now it’s for them to decide.”
Who will win in this case of David versus Goliath? Only time will tell, but you cannot help but admire Carmen Colle’s bravery.
Words by Gala Darling