Eye: Central Saint Martin's Paolina Russo Is Poised For Mega Rise With Sexy, Fresh, Upcycled Fashion Vision

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Recent Central Saint Martins grad Paolina Russo won the school’s prestigious L’Oréal Professionnel Young Talent Award for a BA collection very timely in the #MeToo era. Russo imagines her sexy woman in up-cycled corsets made from deconstructed soccer cleats and balls, hockey helmets, and other gym-class staples. Russo won the prize for her ‘I Forgot Home’ in stiff competition that included 100 other students at Central Saint Martins, a school with an acceptance rate of 7%.

In 2016 Paolina Russo assumed the prestigious couture internship at Maison Martin Margiela under the creative direction of John Galliano. The designer was inspired by Russo's work and aesthetic citing her as a major inspiration in a conversation with Tim Blanks at the BOF "Voices" conference.

Redtracker | Julia Haart Named LaPerla Creative Director | Internet Uncorks Topic of Women Drinking

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Women's News Headlines August 25, 2016

One of the world's most luxurious lingerie brands as a new creative director. La Perla remains best known for its glamorous bras, panties, corsets and slip dresses, but Julia Haart wants to reformulate the brand's ready-to-wear offering.

Haart's vision has elements of Donna Karan's original philosophy -- granted not the perfect white shirt -- but a sense that women can be sensual in a suit. AOC calls her a "smart sensuality woman". 

“I love that La Perla has this sexy, sensual kind of image, and I certainly would never want to change La Perla’s DNA. My idea is that you can embrace your femininity and it doesn’t have to be only in your undergarments. If you’re wearing a suit, a dress, it should be molded to a female form while still being professional, beautiful, chic, elegant—one does not negate the other,” she said.

More headlines:

Sexism is over, according to most men @ Washington Post

The Overlooked Consumer Group (Asian Americans) With Billions to Spend @ The Atlantic

Domestic Abuse Victims Suffer the Same Brain Injuries as Football Players @ New York Magazine

Read on: Women's News Headlines August 25, 2016

Bouchra Jarrar Takes Helm of Lanvin As Artistic Director Of Women's Collections

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Lanvin, the oldest couture house to continually exist in Paris, confirmed Bouchra Jarrar as its new artistic director, following the October 2016 departure of Alber Elbaz. Jarrar has worked at Jean Paul Gaultier, been studio director for Nicolas Ghesquiere at Balenciaga and served as head of couture at Christian Lacroix, along with launching her own house in 2010. Jarrar will start on Monday. The designer is known for putting "quality and technical finesse ahead of razzmatazz", along with her love of minimal, streamlined sportswear.

"Her timeless style is in keeping with the style and values of our company," Lanvin chief executive officer Michèle Huiban said in a statement today. "Her talent, her high standards and her mastery of cuts and fabrics will bring a breath of freshness and modernity into the house, while respecting its soul as the oldest Paris couture house, a symbol of French elegance."

According to Ms. Huiban, who spoke to the New York Times from Paris: “Bouchra seemed a natural for our house, founded by a woman. I felt an immediate and very true connection when we met.”

In a phone call, Ms. Jarrar said, “I am honored to be part of the extraordinary history of the house, and all the great creators who came before me.” Jarrar will close her own brand to "devote herself to Lanvin." In an internal memo seen by the New York Times, the new head of Lanvin said: “My wish is to bring to Lanvin harmony and coherence of a world for women, a world of our time. I rejoice in being part of this beautiful chapter in the life of the house with all its teams.”

Eye | Happy Chinese New Year | Monsanto's Travails | Gods and Kings: McQueen & Galliano

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ArtTracker

Happy Chinese New Year

Chinese Warrior Lanterns By Artist Xia Nan Comes Celebrate Chinese New Year in Sydney AOC Global View

Sydney, Australia welcomes Chinese New Year with 90 colorful lantern sculptures created by Chinese artist Xia Nanfor the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.The sculptures are made of fabric and wire and can be viewed from February 13-February 22 in Dawes Point.

Is it the Year of the Sheep, Goat or Ram? CNN

Unable to make up its mind, Hong Kong’s store windows are filled with “cartoon-like sheep, cheeky goats and curly-horned rams in a spending bonanza some say is bigger than Christmas in the West. “

Chinese couples shun Year of the Sheep Babies CNN

Duan Chengrong, a professor of demography at Renmin University, analyzed population data from 1954 to 2002 and says that the avoidance of childbirth in sheep years is a “myth” that does not stand up to analysis.

He calls it a “social phenomenon” that’s more common in northern China than the south. A native of Chongqing, he said he’d never heard of it when he was a child.

Scholars say that the year of the Sheep has an honorable history with positive qualities of compassion and filial piety, qualities out of favor in modern life. Chinese government officials are so concerned about the possibility of couples taking the mythology seriously, that they’ve promoted people like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Twain, Jay Chou and Zhang Ziyi as sheep.

Shedding Light On Foods We Eat

Photographer Radu Zaciu Snaps Illuminated Fruits & Veggies Global View

Monsanto’s Complex World

A woman participates in a protest against transgenic corn last year in Mexico City, Mexico. Monsanto announced that its first-quarter earnings dropped on lower sales to South American farmers. Photograph: Xinhua/Landov/Barcroft Media

Monsanto earnings fall 34% after a year of global protests The Guardian

Monsanto reported in January that its earnings fell 34% in its first fiscal quarter. The reasons were several. American farmers cut back on corn production, reducing demand for biotech-enhanced seeds. Record crops in the US sent food prices plummeting, resulting in South American and elsewhere farmers reducing their own corn plantings. Cotton production in Australia was also affected.

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