Pejic Undergoes Gender Surgery

Andrej Pejic has undergone sex reassignment surgery, the model has revealed.

The surgery, which Pejic has often spoken about having in the past,  took place earlier this year in America, and has made the celebrated androgynous model "more comfortable than ever".

"About a year-and-a-half ago, I re-evaluated things. I was proud of my gender non-conforming career, but my biggest dream was to be comfortable in my own body," Pejic told People. "I was happy the moment had come - as happy as you can be before a surgery. It was about three months before I felt like myself again."

Pejic has made history on the catwalk and in countless campaigns, including having been the first male model to have fronted a womenswear underwear campaign, being Jean Paul Gaultier´s couture bride, and being slated to star in Sofia Coppola's forthcoming adaptation of The Little Mermaid.

Andrej For John Paul Gaultier

The model, who will now be known as Andreja, also revealed the first time that surgery became a possibility, at the age of 13 while still in school.

"I went into the library and typed 'sex change' into Google and my life changed. The search results for the now-antiquated term yielded a flood of information and relief. The internet gave me the sense that there were words to describe my feelings and medical terms."

"Every day is like a new revelation," the model concluded. "I'm more comfortable than ever. I feel 100 per cent."

Another Armani Cultural Offering

Hot off the heels of  financing an exhibition dedicated to the life and works of Renaissance artist and architect Donato Bramante in Milan,Giorgio Armani is about to embark on the creation of a new gallery located in front of his company's headquarters in the city.

It comes as no surprise that it will offer a platform for the promotion of new and emerging fashion designers, with learning spaces including classes and a library. Armani is a well-known supporter of young Italian talent, offering an up and coming designer his Armani Teatro space to show their collection during Milan Fashion Week each season. The gallery - a former Nestlé factory - will also host a permanent exhibition of Armani's archive designs and sketches.

Giorgio Armani

"Milan is the city where I decided to live and work, and which has been a tough, loyal teacher to me. It taught me that you don't obtain anything by chance, but that you reach the most difficult goals with daily involvement," Armani told WWD. 

"That's why I've decided to put the fruits of my work, which doesn't include only clothes, but also textile explorations and experience, at the disposal of my city. I thought it could be interesting for everybody, in particular for the young generations approaching the fashion and design worlds. They will be able to find inspirations to mature new ideas and create the companies of the future. That future which we have to learn to build day by day."

DVF Wastes No Time

Diane Von Furstenberg has wasted no time since her term as president of the CFDA was extended earlier this week. The organisation announced today that it has acquired the Fashion Calendar that it hopes will streamline the running of New York Fashion Week.

Founded by Ruth Finley in 1945, the calendar has been responsible for organising all of the shows and events at NYFW (as well as events throughout the year) for more than 60 years, and with one of the most dense schedules of all four fashion capitals that is no easy feat. With the integration, von Furstenberg hopes to create one single destination for all enquiries, making the planning of diaries more streamlined for all involved - and ensuring that minimal clashes occur.

"The Fashion Calendar has been one of the foundations of our industry, ensuring that the press, retailers and designers are able to come together in an efficient manner," von Furstenberg told WWD. "Now that it is part of the CFDA, we are prepared and excited to take it into the new world."

CFDA President

For Finley, she is happy that her life's work is being continued. "Years back, my original thought was to keep my business in my family, but it turned out I didn't have any granddaughters who were interested in doing it, therefore, as a family business, it wasn't going to work," she said. "That basically changed the whole approach. I felt the CFDA was the ideal solution for keeping it going and I hope it goes on for another 65 years."

The changes are slated to come into play in full for the autumn/winter 2015 shows in February, so as to not disrupt any planning that has already taken place for this coming September.

Pirelli 2015: The Supermodels Revealed

The Pirelli calendar is much talked about, rarely seen - you can't buy it in a shop, or order it online, it is "sent" to the select few, no one knows who. The mystery behind the annual 12-page celebration of the female form creates anticipation and hype that most marketers could only dream of; and the whispers have started for 2015's already.

Shot by Steven Meisel and styled by Carine Roitfeld, the calendar eschews previous representations of what is sexy - from Dematchelier and Lindbergh´s trouserless supermodels to Karl Lagerfeld´s monochrome goddesses - in favour of some good old-fashioned fetishism. Appropriately in the year that Fifty Shades of Grey is being made, Meisel and Roitfeld rounded up some of the world's most beautiful women and strapped them into some latex bustiers. What else?

With inspirations ranging from Brigitte Bardot to Jerry Hall to Catwoman, the shoot featured models including Adriana Lima, Isabeli Fontana, Raquel Zimmermann, Joan Smalls, Sasha Luss, Karen Elson, newcomer and Tom Ford face Gigi Hadid, and plus-size model Candice Huffine. "My presence on this set - the most glamorous in the world - is a sign that things are really changing," she said.

Pirelli Calendar

"I'm becoming Raquel Welch, with the whip and cowgirl pants," Isabeli Fontana, who appears in the calendar for the eighth time, told Italian Vanity Fair.Meanwhile, Natalia Vodianova left the confines of new motherhood for the unmissable shoot in May.

"I gave birth a few days ago to Maxim, my fourth child," Vodianova added. "I left him at home, in Paris, and I flew here to New York - even if only for a few hours - because I know what it means to work with Steven. It's a magical experience.

The Must Have You Never Knew You Needed

Although the very antithesis of a look-at-me dress or glossy It-bag, Rails's slouchy plaid shirts are spotted on fashion's favourite girls as often as any brand could hope to be. Super-soft and uniquely colourful, the shirts have been pictured on everyone from  Gisele Budchen to Taylor Swift, Kate Moss to Olivia Palmero and - while you may not be able to put your finger on what's covetable about that image - chances are you'll want to be that girl.

Jeff  Abrams

"Since the beginning we have had a strong following among celebrities and fashion trendsetters," founder Jeff Abrams explained. "I remember shortly after I began designing the shirts, Kate Moss was spotted wearing one, and I really felt like I had arrived! Now I get more enjoyment from seeing more anonymous girls wear them in their everyday life. Whether they are just passing me on the street or enjoying their weekend out with friends, it's exciting to see the Rails brand connecting with so many people."

Celebrity  Following

Born, like Abrams, in LA, Rails has grown from a small label - started with just one style of hat - into a fully fledged womenswear offering with a wealth of international stockists, including Harvey Nichols, Harrods and Liberty in the UK. And the global expansion certainly doesn't stop there.

Rails

"Each season we are expanding the women's collection and introducing new categories, silhouettes, and fabrics," Abrams told us. "We have some great design collaborations in the works for 2015 and will be expanding our distribution throughout Europe, Asia, and South America. Next month we are launching our menswear collection and childrenswear line, Little Rails, and are planning to open our first retail store at the end of next year."

Baldwin's Sisley Love Triangle

Tasked with the relaunch of contemporary Italian brand Sisley in 2013, creative director Pier Davoli hasn't wasted any time. In the past two years, the former Cerruti 1881 and CK by Calvin Klein employee has attempted to turn the Italian fashion house from a high-end denim label into a premium bridge brand, redefining it as an edgy destination by way of campaigns featuring the likes of Georgia May Jagger and Julia Restoin-Roitfeld.

"I'm not a fan of choosing models just because of their great looks," Davoli told us. "What is really important for us is who they are: they need to have great, strong personalities and be real people. We choose them because they perfectly represent the Sisley woman: sensual, unconventional, modern, confident and cosmopolitan."

He has certainly filled that quota for autumn/winter 2014, tapping best friends Ireland Baldwin and Tom Ford favourite Gigi Hadid to front a risqué campaign that tells the story of two girlfriends on a road trip who encounter a sexy cowboy - Simon Nessman - before a debaucherous love triangle ensues. Demanding a strong female lead, it was a role that secret karate-brown-belt Baldwin relished.

"This was the first job where I truly had a blast," Baldwin told us. "To work with your best friend made everything easier, comfortable and more fun. We laughed, we joked around, and we gave each other advice. I love what the brand represents and stands for. It is very much in line with my personal style which made it totally easy for me."

So what is said style? "No matter what the fashion trends are, you will always see me in great boots, a motorcycle jacket, and a pair of jeans or leather trousers - I'm a true Californian girl who loves to be laid back."

One can see why Davoli, who describes his vision for Sisley as "affordable, luxurious, well-designed pieces made with refined fabrics, paying great attention to the cut and details" - picked the young starlet.

Diane von Furstenberg Keeps CFDA Presidency

Diane Von Furstenberg has had her term at the helm of the Council of Fashion Designers of America extended for another year. The CFDA's members unanimously voted to retain her in the role of president through to 2016, which will be her 10th year at the top.

"The board's unanimous decision to ask Diane to stay on as president is a testament to the great growth the CFDA has had under her leadership," CFDA chief executive officer Steven Kolb told WWD. "An additional two years will make it a decade of Diane with the time spent on strengthening the board and organisational development."

Diane Von Furstenberg

As well as Von Furstenberg's extended tenure, 30 other designers were added to the organisation's membership, including  model Liya Kebede for her label Lemlem. The other 29 are: Tim Coppens; Carlos Campos; Jonathan Simkhai; Marc Alary; Paige Novick; Johnny Talbot of Talbot Runhof; Edun's Danielle Sherman; Veronica Beard's Veronica Miele Beard and Veronica Swanson Beard; Kristy Caylor of Maiyet; Whit's Whitney Pozgay; Linda Balti of Amour Vert; Arielle Shapiro of Ari Dein; Raan Parton and Shea Parton of Apolis; Ashley Pittman; Ben Burkman and Doug Burkman of Burkman Bros; Selima Design's Virginie Promeyrat; Clare Vivier; Barbara McReynolds and Gai Gherardi of LA Eyeworks; Ernest Sabine of Ernest Alexander; Eva Fehren's Eva Zuckerman; Jussara Lee; Ulla Johnson; Ruthie Davis; Cynthia Sakai of Vita Fede, and Sharon Khazzam.