Diane Von Furstenberg Loves her Louboutin

“I have more of his shoes than in the exhibition.” So joked Diane von Furstenberg in introducing her close friend Christian Louboutin at a talk he gave last Wednesday evening at FIT, which is currently holding an exhibit of his footwear. She wasn’t the only Louboutin enthusiast in the crowd. In a charming anecdotal manner, the designer ran through his 16-year career, starting at the beginning with his years as a teen interning at the Folies Bergère in Paris. (Fun fact: the ladies would stuff veal carpaccio into their soles for padded comfort.) When he began talking about his 1994 “Trash” shoes, which were covered in a collage of dreck like train stubs and gum wrappers, a brunette called out that she was wearing a pair and proceeded to pass one around.

DVF RTW Fall 2008: From Berlin, to Shanghai, to New York, with Love

Diane von Furstenberg may be famous for her effortless dresses, but there’s more to her repertoire than fab frocks. And she proved it with the stylish fall collection she showed on Sunday, which centered on a vagabond heroine in polished, Marlene Dietrich-influenced looks. Here, a combination of the sporty and the feminine: a twinset belted over soft layers of chiffon.

Feminine with a hint of retro — that’s what triumphed on the fall runways, with smart blazers, full skirts and some drop-dead dresses.

Diane von Furstenberg: “She always knew she would find her way through the raindrops.” So Diane von Furstenberg mused in her program notes of this season’s heroine, a mysterious sort whose travels take her from Berlin to New York by way of Shanghai with a Forties attitude and plenty of style.

Of course, the real heroine of any von Furstenberg saga is DVF herself, whose innate survival instinct has always informed her when it’s time to adjust course. Having carved out a well-known place for herself as the go-to goddess of modern, sexy dresses, von Furstenberg typically celebrates that angle on her runway, as was the case with last season’s oh-so-tropical romp. Yet life, as they say, is not always a beach, and so, for fall, she made it very clear that she’s got those more serious moments covered, too.

Courtesy: WWD

Smokey Eyes Dominate DVF RTW Fall 2008

 

 

Backstage at Diane von Furstenberg Sunday afternoon, hairstylist Orlando Pita succeeded Frédéric Fekkai, who had styled hair at von Furstenberg’s shows going back to 2002. “It’s my first time doing Diane von Furstenberg,” said Pita. “I’ve admired her as a woman and what she’s achieved. I saw her in fashion magazines in the Seventies and looked up to her. It’s great to be here.”

Pita, who cited Marlene Dietrich as his inspiration, created a wavy, voluminous do — “There’s a lot of volume, curls and texture,” he said. “It’s softer, easier, not-so-stiff.” After smoothing the hair, then ironing and backcombing, Pita liberally applied Kerastase hair spray. “There’s a lot of hairspray and curling iron,” he noted, adding, “It shouldn’t be too perfect.”

Discussing her inspiration for the makeup look, including a smoky eye, at von Furstenberg, makeup artist Gucci Westman described “a Twenties, refined woman.” Westman, who was using items from the DVF Beauty line, added, “I wanted it to be a not-so-traditional smoky eye. It’s younger.” The eyes had a gunmetal shade, while the lips and cheeks were the same color, a “sheer brick red” hue called Foreign Affair, which is due out with the fashion collection in fall, noted Westman. “It’s refined but at the same time easy to create,” she said of the overall appearance.