Team Galliano Is Go

John Galliano has wasted no time in assembling his dream team at Maison Martin Margiela, reportedly enlisting favoured collaborators from his time at Christian Dior and at his own label.

Dior muse and confidant Vanessa Bellanger, Alexandre Roux from John Galliano, Jean-Yves Mustiere, most recently at Roberto Cavalli, and Galliano's former studio manager Rafaele Hardy are all said to be Margiela bound, although - in line with the house's penchant for anonymity - none of the appointments have been confirmed.

Galliano

The house declined to comment on the names being linked to Galliano's arrival, saying only that Margiela "still considers itself a collective under the guidance of a creative director". A spokesperson told  WWD that the design team under Galliano will be a mix of current employees and new members.

John Galliano's move to Oscar de la Renta was never completed and rumours at the time suggested that it may have been because he was unable to bring the team he needed to New York with him, so his Margiela start - surrounded by those who have worked with him for years - should be a more comfortable fit.

Amber: How The Supermodels Treated Me

When Amber Valleta burst on to the fashion scene in the early Nineties she was seen as one of the new wave of supermodels, following in the footsteps of the girls for whom the name was invented. Contrary to stories of rivalry between the old and new model guard, Valletta asserts that the relationship was more than friendly.

Amber

¨Shalom (Harlow) and I were living together then, and one day she brought Kate Moss over to the apartment and was like 'I just met this cute little girl, we fell in love on this shoot, we're friends.' Kate didn't even have Calvin Klein yet!" she revealed. "The three of us would just kind of skulk around everywhere. Then the big girls - Linda, Christy, and Naomi - started being nice to us and showing us the ropes. It was so different - we probably weren't treated as well as models are now, but I don't think they have as much fun as we did."

The model-turned-actress also reflected on the pivotal moment of her career which, much like her predecessor Linda Evangelista, was when she cut her hair.

"When I was 18, I told [studio hair stylist] Yannick d'Is that I wanted to cut my hair short and he was like, 'No, no, no!' But he didn't realise how young I was," she told  Into The Gloss. "At the time, I had this bob and it curled under, I looked like a woman! Once he realised, he was like 'You're right, we have to chop it off.' So one day, we left a shoot, cut my hair off in my bathroom, and the rest is history. I was on the cover of Vogue a few months later."

De La Renta Confirms Copping

Oscar De La Renta has confirmed that he has appointed  Peter Copping as creative director. The news comes after weeks of speculation that Copping would assume the role, following confirmation of his exit from Nina Ricci, where he has held the position of artistic director for five years.

It marks the first time that De la Renta has brought somebody on board in this capacity, in a move that the veteran designer hopes will help him achieve longevity for his brand through his own vision.

"Our industry has not always done the best job when it comes to changes in design leadership," he told  WWD. "My hope is that, in leading this selection, and actively participating in the transition, I can ensure the right design future for our company and brand… I'm very happy that Peter has agreed to join us. He is a great talent and along with our shared design sensibilities, we both have a deep curiosity about the wider world, from music and art to architecture and gardens."

Peter Copping

While Copping will oversee all categories, he will continue to report directly to De la Renta - who will remain actively involved in the brand's design aesthetic - and CEO Alex Bolen when he starts on November 3. His first collection will be unveiled at the fashion house's autumn/winter 2015 show in New York next February.

"After a career of 20 years in Paris, this is an important next step for me," said Copping of the move. "Oscar de la Renta has defined American elegance for generations of women, and the opportunity to work with him and help ensure the future of the brand is very exciting."

Copping was replaced by Guillaume Henry, formely creative director at Carven, at Nina Ricci earlier this month.

The Hackney Fashion Lab

Hackney is increasing its fashion-hub status by the day: tomorrow sees the launch of The Fashion Lab, a collaborative effort between Hackney Council, the Design-Manufacturer Innovation Support Centre (DISC) and the  Centre for Fashion Enterprise (CFE) to facilitate young designers and graduates with equipment and studio space as they begin their careers.

"London has always been renowned for creativity in fashion. We expect this new facility will drive London forward as the heart of unlocking creativity and supporting fashion designers through technical innovation," said Wendy Malem, director of CFE and DISC.

Hackney Fashion Lab

Located at London Fields' social enterprise site The Trampery (another designer studio hub), the work space will be available to be booked online for two-hour slots at affordable rates - this money will then be reinvested back into the Lab for additional equipment, training for designers and other business support. Designers will have their pick of equipment: industrial sewing and overlocking machines, ironing stations and pattern-cutting tables.

"The collaboration behind The Fashion Lab has been crucial in enabling this project and once again shows how, by coming together, we can create opportunities for the next generation of small start-up businesses in Hackney's expanding economy," said Guy Nicholson, cabinet member for regeneration.

For further information, visit Thetrampery.com

Lagerfeld Remakes Vuitton's Monogram

When six masters of modern design - Karl Lagerfeld, Christian Louboutin, Frank Gehry, Rei Kawakubo, Marc Newson and Cindy Sherman - were called upon to reinterprate the famous Louis Vuitton monogram, we were prepared for something pretty special. From studded clutches and fur-covered rucksacks, to boxing gloves and a matching punchbag, the capsule collection delivers plenty of surprises. In this exclusive film, designer Chanel favourite Saskia de Brauw sports Lagerfeld's monogram, reinvented to pack a punch.

Inside The V&A´s McQueen

Since the news that Savage Beauty - the exhibition on the work of  Alexander McQueen would be arriving at London´s Victoria & Albert Museum after a sell-out run at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2011, where it became the Costume Institute´s most popular exhibition ever, fashion lovers have wondered what the British version will feature. What might be included that is specific to London? What pieces might have been unearthed or become available since the NY show? How will the changes in curation alter visitors' experiences? And now we know.

Typical Alexander McQueen

A room dedicated to McQueen´s years as a fledgling London designer will indeed be added to the original Met line-up, exploring the years that shaped his talent and interests as he honed his skills as a pattern cutter in the city where he was born and raised. Also new for London is an homage to one of McQueen's dearest friends: Kate Moss. The hologram of the British supermodel - a spectacular feat of technology that closed McQueen's Widows of Culloden catwalk show (autumn/winter 2006-7) in a billowing organza gown - will be restored to almost life size, having appeared Tinkerbell-sized in New York.

More than 30 new garments will be displayed, including several pieces that couldn't be transported to New York - the breathtaking red ballet dress from The Girl Who Lived in the Tree (autumn/winter 2008-9) and a white feathered dress from The Horn of Plenty (autumn/winter 2009-10). Gainsbury and Whiting, the production company that collaborated with Alexander McQueen in staging his catwalk shows, has also come on board to work with the V&A on the exhibition - helping create an atmosphere very much like his shows within the museum´s large exhibition space.

Alexander The Great

"I am thrilled that this magnificent show is coming to London and feel passionately that the V&A is its natural home," Martin Roth, Director of the V&A, said. "Lee Alexander McQueen presented his work here during his lifetime and studied the museum's wide-ranging public collections of tailoring, painting, art, photography and books as inspiration for his visionary designs, yet remained vigorously anti-establishment and a true provocateur."

The popular Cabinet of Curiosities section will be expanded by the V&A, with help from key McQueen collaborators including jeweller Shaun Leane and milliner Philip Treacy, and will boast more than 40 new pieces, displayed in a double-height gallery interspersed with footage of almost all of McQueen's shows.

McQueen - A Talent Greater Than Fashion

Curated by Claire Wilcox - senior curator of fashion at the V&A and professor in fashion curation at London College of Fashion - the exhibition will present concepts and themes central to McQueen's work throughout his career. From heritage and ancestry, and nature and the natural world, to the obsession with technology and handcraft that is still central to the McQueen brand today.

"Savage Beauty is a celebration of the most imaginative and talented designer of our time," Sarah Burton, creative director of Alexander McQueen, said today. "Lee was a genius and a true visionary who pushed boundaries, challenged and inspired. He believed in creativity and innovation and his talent was limitless."

Best Friends: Lee & Kate

The finale of the exhibit will centre on McQueen's last fully realised collection, Plato´s Atlantis (spring/summer 2010) Fusing the designer's interest in nature and technology, it was widely considered to be his greatest achievement.

"The Savage Beauty exhibition at the Met was one of the most successful fashion exhibits of all time and it's terrific that the V&A are mounting their version which is going to add to what has already been shown," Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman said today. "The imagination and creativity of Lee McQueen was exceptional and the house of Alexander McQueen continues to excel not only in fashion but also in the sense of drama and visual excitement which will make this exhibition so exciting."

Kate Moss Laid Bare

Kate Moss was laid bare - and then filled with champagne - at the launch of the 34 Kate Moss coupe.

 

Kate Moss

Hot London restaurant 34, off Grosvenor Square, hosted a private lunch to show off its new champagne coupes designed from a mould of Kate Moss's breasts to celebrate the model's fortieth birthday and her 25 years in the fashion business.

 

Fashion Friends

The glasses were created by British artist Jane McAdam Freud, daughter of the late Lucian Freud, who famously painted Kate in 2002.

"The plaster felt quite heavy," said Kate, drawing Kate's silhouette in the air as she explained the process of the modelling of her body shape.

Phillip Green

Kate was wearing a taut tail coat by Bella Freud, mannish trousers by Saint Laurent, high heels from Christian Louboutin, and a glamorous shoulder bag by Bulgari.

The coupe designer explained the process: the original mould was made from the malleable pink gummy material used by dentists, before the basic shape was created in glass with a lacy Thirties decorative pattern added.

The End Result

The idea came from the early invention of the champagne coupe, or cup, supposedly modelled around Marie Antoinette's left breast.

Over a first course of salmon and salad, Kate and friends seemed to have no problem emptying the champagne glasses to look at the handiwork inside.

Keeping A-Breast Of The Party

The Kate coupes will be used in the 34 restaurant and its private upstairs Tracey Emin room, where drawings by the British artist offer more bared breasts on which to build a glass - or two.