My CHIC! womenswear collection were photographed by Chris Q for a big photoshoot for the upcoming British magazine of ZINK!. Makeup artist Nello done an amzing job bring the word Chic! into my designs. Rita looked marvelous in the first shoot with the hat customed made for me by Timothy Roth. I have worked with Rita like a zillion time when I first met her at Bob Mackie Design Studio. She brought the classic drama of striking poses. Brought, Attitude & Edge into my Chic! designs, is no one and the only Yvonne. I love working with her for nearly every photoshoot and several appearances in my fashion show.
Since I had to be at the Fashion Institute of Technology, bringing my expertise of designing and industry philosphy into the classroom and to the amazing young design students, the photoshoot successfully done in the the loft in the Meat Packing District. And you will see alot of my CHIC! womeswear line very soon on the runway to my premiere website this Fall of 2011!
An aging former star of silent movies, Desmond (Gloria Swanson) has withdrawn to her Gothic Beverly Hills mansion, off Sunset Boulevard, nursing dreams of a return to stardom while her grip on reality grows ever more tenuous over the years. Her one companion is Max her butler, former director, and first husband, who serves as her protector and shields her from the outside world. Because he is still in love with her, he tells her she is still a star, and cuts her off from the news media, and writes daily fan letters to keep her from realizing that she has been completely forgotten by her beloved public.
They took the Idols and smashed them! The Fairbankses, the Gilberts, the Valentinos! and Who've we got now? Nobodies?!
I know you. You're Norma Desmond! You used to be in silent pictures. You used to be big!"
I am Big...it's the Picture that got small!
One day Joe Gillis (William Holden), a young, unemployed screenwriter arrives at Desmond's with a flat tire on his 1946 Plymouth after being chased by two repo men. He parks the car inside the garage of the mansion and is summoned by Norma to the front door. She confuses him for an undertaker for her just deceased pet chimpanzee.
Norma finds out that Joe Gillis is in fact a writer and asks him to take a look at a manuscript she has been working for a while.
All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up.
It is the story of Salome, and she plans to star in it, though she is long past her prime.
Joe quickly sees a chance to milk money out of the delusional star; he promises to fix her a script for a star vehicle, and Norma agrees as she wants to send the manuscript to Paramount Pictures' famed director Cecil B. DeMille, with whom Desmond once worked. Desmond is elated; she sees in Gillis the chance to regain her youthful promise, and sets him up in style, buying his clothes and paying all his expenses. Max sees through Gillis immediately, but puts up with the charade because it makes his beloved "madame" happy. As time passes, however, Desmond becomes increasingly unstable when it becomes clear that there is no hit movie for her in the works, and increasingly jealous of and dependent upon Gillis. She professes her love for him at a New Year's Eve party, but he rejects her and leaves. Norma (to newsreel cameras): "And I promise you I'll never desert you again because after 'Salome' we'll make another picture and another picture. You see, this is my life! It always will be! Nothing else! Just us, the cameras, and those wonderful people out there in the dark!... All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up."
He attends another party, where he first flirts with screen writer Betty and makes plans to move out of Norma's mansion. Norma makes a suicide attempt, and when Joe returns to comfort her, she seduces him.
Meanwhile, Paramount Studios calls repeatedly for Norma. She believes DeMille wants to produce her script. In actuality, Paramount just wants to use her vintage Isotta-Fraschini landaulet limousine in a Bing Crosby film set in the 1920s. While Norma visits DeMille on the set, Max learns that the calls were about the car. He tells Gillis but hides this from Norma. DeMille himself takes pity on her and tells her what she wants to hear.
We didn't need dialogue. We had faces!
Gillis begins writing a screenplay with Betty in secret, and Betty tells him she has fallen in love with him. When he hears Norma having a phone conversation with Betty, in an attempt to scare her away, he invites Betty to the mansion and confesses the situation, euphemistically "an older woman who's well-to-do" and a "young man who's not doing too well."
After driving away Betty, Gillis tells Norma he's leaving for good. Desmond snaps and shoots him to death, leaving his body floating in her pool and going into shock. When the police arrive, she thinks they are merely her adoring fans and the production crew for her movie. Elegantly striding toward a news camera, she utters the iconic line, "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up."
Norma Desmond was played on screen by Gloria Swanson. The actresses who were considered for the role of Norma Desmond in the 1950 screen version, but declined, were:
Founders and fashion designers for Dolce & Gabbana, 1985—; launched Dolce & Gabbana women's collection, 1986; launched beachwear line, 1988; launched lingerie line, 1989; opened first boutique in Japan, 1989; launched Dolce & Gabbana men's collection, 1990; opened first boutique in Milan, 1990; released Dolce & Gabbana perfume, 1992; launched D&G men's collection, D&G women's collection, home collection, and Dolce & Gabbana for men cologne, 1994; launched jeans and eye wear lines, 1996; released By for women and By for men fragrances, 1997; released DG Feminine and DG Masculine fragrances, 1998; released Light Blue for women fragrance, 2001; released Sicily for women fragrance, 2003; opened first stand-alone store, London, England, 2004.
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana rose from obscurity to form a partnership that would have them becoming two of the best known designers Domenico and Gabbana, Stefano Dolce
in the fashion world. They have dressed women like Madonna and Nicole Kidman and men like Tom Cruise. People vie to wear their clothing at public events and to revel in the attention such clothing affords them. According to the Dolce & Gabbana website, their clothes are for a certain type of woman: "The Dolce & Gabbana woman is strong: she likes herself and knows she is liked. A cosmopolitan woman who has toured the world but who doesn't forget her roots." And the same, they say, is true for the man who wears their clothes. "At his ease, he dresses for himself; a little hedonistic, he pays considerable attention to details." Dolce was born in Polizzi Generosa, a small village near Palermo, Sicily on August 13, 1958. He grew up in fashion, since his father was a tailor. He has always credited this with the reason fashion became his medium of choice for expressing himself, something he felt a deep desire to do from an early age. He studied fashion when he was young and worked in his family's small clothing factory as he was growing up. Deciding to go off and pursue his own career in fashion design, Dolce moved to Milan and got a job there at one of its famous design studios. He knew immediately that he had done the right thing, that he had found the best way to express himself. He told Bruce Weber in Interview magazine, "[Design] was the way I was able to do the things I was dreaming about. As a designer, I see dreams as my job. It's like being a psychologist. I have to capture what people are feeling and translate that into fashion and even provide what people want before they consciously know they want it."
Gabbana, on the other hand, was born in Milan, Italy, on November 14, 1962. Gabbana, unlike his future partner, had never thought about fashion as a child. He grew up away from it and it was not until he was about 15 years old that he became interested in fashion in general for himself, particularly such designers as Fiorucci. Instead, Gabbana studied graphic design at the university because he wanted to go into advertising. He worked in that field for a short time after graduation before he quit, realizing that his heart just was not in it. It was at that time that he turned to fashion. He told Weber in Interview, "I was lucky because a designer took me under his wing and helped me understand the world of fashion. But it was ultimately Domenico who taught me the most about fashion. As time went on while I was learning about it, I fell in love with it—with designing, with making clothes, with dressing people."
he pair met in 1980 when they were both assistants at an atelier in Milan. They started their partnership in 1982, although they still did freelance designing for other companies until they had officially started their own company. Fame and fortune, however, did not come immediately to the pair. They struggled to come to the attention of the fashion scene and did everything in their power to show off their designs to bring that about. "I remember our first show," Dolce reminisced to Susannah Frankel of the Guardian. "We did it in a small apartment in Milan. We organized it ourselves, me and Stefano, without PR, [with] nothing. My sister and my brother were on the door." According to Allison Adato of People, "Using friends as models, they held shows wherever they could—even in a fast-food restaurant. (The invites looked like hamburgers.) The unconventional approach stirred enough buzz to land them a spot in Milan's 1984 fashion week." They made their real world debut at the "New Talent" fashion shows at the Milan collections in October of 1985. They received such acclaim that they launched the Dolce & Gabbana women's collection the very next year, in March of 1986. Not long after, in 1989 they opened their first boutique in Japan.
Their style is a mix of traditionally male and female clothing, as they are known to say that fashion and dressing have nothing to do with being straight or gay, but rather that everyone has a part of the opposite sex inside them and that everyone needs to get in touch with that opposite side of their gender to be whole. They point out that it is only modern fashion that has made men and women so different dress-wise. In the 16th century men wore high heels, make-up, and dandy clothes and they were no less masculine than today's men, and women were seen wearing more manly suit tops and flat shoes. When asked why the two of them collaborated and how it worked, Dolce told Weber in Interview, "We have different tastes, which means that together we tap a combination of desires. Sometimes we might create something that is more Gabbana; sometimes it might be more Dolce. But what we create always has to arrive at some kind of agreement." They both love the style and feel of southern Italy and most of their designs pull heavily on that tradition. "We prefer southern people," Gabbana told Frankel of the Guardian. "They have more passion. What we hate is when people put up a barrier and try and hide what they feel."
Whatever their likes or dislikes, it became increasingly apparent that the two designers struck a chord with people around the world as their clothing lines became more and more popular. They launched the Dolce & Gabbana men's collection in January of 1990. Then, in that same year they opened their first boutique in Milan. Also in 1990 the pair won the Woolmark Award. They launched the D&G men's collection in January of 1994 and the D&G women's collection in March of that same year. (D&G is their less expensive line of clothing.) Every year their collections change, although each designer has his favorite pieces that remain in the collection each season. Their concern has never been with what is trendy, but what feels right at that moment. Gabbana was quoted by Frankel in the Guardian as having said, "We sketch everything from new each season, and it doesn't come out the same, but it has the same feeling. This is better in the end because I have one taste. The customer comes to my shop to buy one taste, not another taste, not what is trendy. Sometimes what's in fashion is good for Dolce & Gabbana, sometimes it's not. But it's better to stay a little outside. Not to try and keep up with it all. It's better to stick with your own style, otherwise, e la morte [death]."
The one thing that really made the designers' career, however, was when their clothes came to the attention of pop sensation Madonna. She has become one of the duo's biggest fans, and the feelings are definitely mutual. There are very few people from whom the two designers will take orders and design clothing specifically for, but for Madonna they will drop everything to help. In 1993, the duo created 1,500 costumes for Madonna's world tour, "The Girlie Show." They expected this to bring them into the eyes of fashion critics and aficionados around the world, but they received even more recognition than they expected. Then, for Madonna's Music album, the designers went even further for their favorite pop star; not only did they dress Madonna and her entire ensemble, but they designed and created an entire backdrop for the tour. It was a big success.
In 1995 the book 10 Years of Dolce and Gabbana was published. The book, which commemorated the first decade of the designers' fashions in photographs had an introduction by Isabella Rossellini, the Italian actress who has been wearing their clothes almost since the pair started designing them. Frankel in the Guardian said of the duo's fashions, "There's nothing self-consciously cool about the label. What's more, it suits women (of means, of course) of all shapes and sizes—in many cases, the stick-thin would be hard pushed to fill it. Instead, Dolce & Gabbana's designs are overtly romantic, unashamedly voluptuous, and women the world over love them for it." And their popularity has spread like wildfire. Their clothing has been worn by such famous people as Brian Ferry, Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Victoria Beckham, Kylie Minogue, Beyonce Knowles, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Salma Hayek, and Angelina Jolie, just to name a few.
Although the pair became lovers when they set up their fashion house in 1985, they only announced their relationship publicly in 2000. They bought the Villa Volpe, a 19th-century palazzo in the center of Milan and moved in together. It was a much-talked about house, covered with animal prints, red sofas, and church candles, reflecting the pair's eclectic tastes. In 2003 the pair, who love the glamour and glitz of Hollywood and professedly love it when stars wear their fashions, came out with their second book of photos called Hollywood.
In 2004 Dolce and Gabbana opened their first stand-alone store anywhere in the world on Bond Street in London, England, the D&G emporium, which stocked the duos less-expensive designer collection. Not everyone was excited about the fact, though, just as not everyone was a fan of the duo's styles. A writer for the Daily Mail called the Dolce & Gabbana style cheap. "That's not to say D&G clothes can't look good—you just have to be 18 and have a 12-year-old boy's body to wear them. And of course they're fun, but that's usually because the joke's on the person wearing them. One of D&G's few strengths is that they know who they're appealing to and play on that." Although not all felt that way. Lisa Armstrong for the Times of London said, "Gabbana's knack for creating just the right degree of theatrical gorgeousness stops the average shopper dead in her tracks, while Dolce's eye for cut and detail seduces her in a quieter way, usually after she has tried the clothes on. It's a formidable combination."
After 19 years, in February of 2005 Dolce and Gabbana announced that they had split up their personal relationship. They moved into separate apartments, although they both lived in the same block in Milan, and they have said that they will probably still go on vacation together. The break up, they hastened to assure the world, would not affect their famous label. Richard Edwards in the Evening Standard quoted Dolce as having said that the separation was friendly. "On a professional level we are still together. We work together wonderfully well, we have a very strong understanding. We have a very strong love which ties us to each other."
Dolce & Gabbana (spelled without spaces, unlike the name of the company) specializes in luxury items influenced more by designers and is more formal and 'timeless', responding to long-term trends rather than seasonal changes[citation needed]. It also sells sunglasses and corrective eyewear, purses, and watches. D & G is a slightly more casual line that follows an urban inspiration and attempts to set trends rather than follow them. It is the younger, more flamboyant line of the brand. Like Dolce& Gabbana, D& G sells watches as well as clothing, and have been voted the U.K's best luxury brand. In 2005–2006, a limited line of 1000 golden D& G Motorola RAZR V3i mobile phones was distributed by D& G boutiques and major Motorollas.
DRESSED to KILT! What an amazing evening I had, these pictures are from 2010 in April . Myself and my dearest friend Marilyn Hefferen attended our first event of the Dressed to Kilt fashion show and the afterparty. Superstars and hooting stars. Super Models to Super Jocks. Broadway Stars to film stars seen on the runway. Lots of Plaids,, Bold, Beautiful, Glamour, and kilts were seen everywhere. Austin Power fame; Mike Meyers! Super Male Model, Marcus Schenkenberg, Broadway star Alan Cummings, Rock Star Pat Benatar, Film star, Matthew Modine were among on the runways. And everywhere u see are fulls of beautiful women and men in kilts. Donald Trump. Nigel Barker. Joan Jett. to name a few. The Dressed to Kilt was the largest event fashion I ever seen, I have attended many shows in Paris to Milan to New York. But the Scottish fashion show was not just, tall beautiful men and women that are runway models. These models are comes in all forms of shapes and have a good time. It was certainly the Life of the Party! And I gotten to meet two new friends from Scotland, Fiona McLaughlin, a beauty with great Scottish accent. and Sandra Murray, a magnificent talented designer from London I love her! I look forward to attending 2011 of the event I won't wanna miss! !
The theme of Dressed to Kilt were MadHatters and various colors of Plaids! Supermodels were flown in to New York from Scotland. ANd even famous athletics arrived from London, Ireland and Scotland for the premiere event that became a tradition with superstars including Gerard Butler! And the magnificent world famous musicians from Scotland, Bowfish with their beautiful violins!
The photoshoot with Steve Bass was amazing. The Shoot was taken place in his studion in Chelsea near the Fashion Institute of Technology, right in the Garment District on 31st Street on 7th Avenue. Steve and I known and worked together for nearly six years, I met him during Fashion Week at the show of the amazing and sassy icon Betsy Johnson.
Steve Bass brought his makeup artist and hairstylist, Nella Blackman and she created such incredible work onto one of my favorite model when she worked as a Bob Mackie fitting models; Gracie. I brought her along since she knows how to bring the edgy, glamour pose into my designs. Deep red lipstick, dark black eye shadows and some white powder to have a vamp look of the old Hollywood.
my design of Monkey Heiress will be in in the Zink Magazine.Yes, the designs inspiring the unique of Monkey hair! What you see are faux Monkey hair! I inspired those hair when I first saw my favorite icon designer of the early 90's Thierry Mulger of his the Phantom Collection. Velvet, Satin Crepe, Velveteen, Leather. and faux Monkey hair...
I inspire from the music of Free Your Mind song from the 90's icon EnVogue, Tango style of dark, edhy, gothic and drama into the collection; Inspire the movie of another 90's icon of Johnny Depp's Edward Scisscorhands and a touch of the classic Addam's Family of Morticia. More edgy pictures of my Monkey Heiress will be seen in my new website opening in the Fall of 2011!
Behind the Menswear photoshoot in my incredible designs inspiring the Tango. Joseph Sinclair flew in from London to use my designs for his upcoming Coffeetable book and him and I have been working together for nearly three years. His work have been seen in every premiere fashion magazines in Europe to New York.
Behind the scenes, working with makeup artist Julianne Scalley and three male models of Don Hood, Daniel Woods (a professional hockey player) and Kevin Weiss (professor ballet dancer).
