Gwyneth Approves of Prabal Gurung

She may have hated the Met Ball, but Gwyneth Paltrow loves Prabal Gurung. The actress stepped out in a frock from NYC-based designer Prabal Gurung's Fall 2013 collection in London tonight to celebrate the launch of her website Goop's summer series. The dress she chose: Gurung's Ivory Baroque Print Silk Charmeuse Shirt Dress with Chiffon Sleeves and Hand Draped Skirt Detail. Now its official. Just about everyone has worn something from this young designer's collection (which is made in New York)! 

John Galliano: Another Update

You may have noticed that we are quite captured by the idea of a John Galliano comeback. Which is why the offered (and quickly rescinded) position at Parsons The New School for Design offered such hope. After a lot of opposition to the designer guest teaching, the Parsons administration sent a letter to students stating that “an agreement could not be reached with Mr. Galliano regarding the details of [a scheduled] forum, and so the program will not move forward.” We weren’t quite sure what to make of it. Was the comeback too soon or was Parsons just not interested in the controversy surrounding the designer’s impending stint at the school? Well, for those of you still searching for answers, two upcoming events may shed some light on what the future holds for John Galliano.

image courtesy of the examiner

Some Thoughts From Raf Simons

As promised in last week's post, Some Thoughts from Hedi Slimane, we are following up with a post about Raf Simons. The two took their places as creative directors at Saint Laurent and Christian Dior, respectively, at roughly the same time, which made for the most anticipated Paris Fashion Week in quite awhile. Thus, it only seems fitting to feature some thoughts from Raf this week.

image courtesy of kootation

Apparel Company Files Countersuit Against Lohan

image courtesy of terry richardson

Troubled actress Lindsay Lohan has another legal drama to add to her resume. D.N.A.M. Apparel, a Los Angeles clothing company, has filed counterclaims against Lohan, stemming from the star's 6126 leggings collection. Early this year, Lohan and her 6126 business partner, Kristi Kaylor, filed a $1.1 million lawsuit against D.N.A.M. in a federal District Court in California, alleging that the company failed to pay her what she is owed from sales of the leggings. D.N.A.M. has fired back with some claims of its own. In a $5 million breach of contract counterclaim, D.N.A.M. claims that Lohan's hard-partying image devalued the brand. In its answer, which was filed on Friday, company says that while the 6126 collection was initially successful, buyers began canceling appointments and orders, and Lohan, who was the face of the company, was in rehab at the time and unable to endorse the brand. D.N.A.M is seeking $5 million in damages. 

DVF Talks Safety, Fairness in the Workplace

Following the recent tragedies in Bangladesh garment factories, Diane von Furstenberg, designer and president of the CFDA, has issued a note regarding safety and fairness in the workplace, as well as a recommended Supplier Code of Conduct (which requires suppliers to sign off that they will not employ discriminatory practices or use child labor, will abide by relevant health and safety standards, and more) and Certification document. See DVF's note below. We commend her and the CFDA for doing its part to prevent garmnet-related injustices. Do yours. Shop smart. Know where your clothes are coming from.  

image courtesy of zimbio

Ugg Australia's Parent Company Files Suits

Ugg Australia's parent company, Deckers Outdoor Corp., filed a couple of lawsuits this week targeting online sellers of fake Ugg boots. One suit was filed in the Central District of California this week. The defendants: Comfy Fluffy, Inc. and nine other companies that Deckers alleges are infringing the famous boot company's trademarks by selling lookalike footwear bearing the Ugg Australia name. Comfy Fluffy, Inc., for instance, purports to sell "100% authentic Ugg Boots for less." The other: a suit against 100 web domains, which are selling counterfeit Ugg boots. Deckers filed this suit in the Northern District Court in Illinois.

Deckers filed similar lawsuits last year, winning upwards of $686 million in its suit against over 3,000 Chinese websites selling counterfeit Ugg boots. According to a spokesman for Deckers, its legal strategy does not necessarily center on the monetary awards, but rather, Deckers' goal is to shut down the sites selling counterfeit. In addition to being able to access funds from the PayPal accounts of the companies offering the counterfeit boots (which often only amount to a small fraction of the damages amount), if the court rules in Deckers' favors, the company will win control of the domains. As for why Ugg boots are such hot commodities for counterfeiters, they are reportedly quite easy to copy and rarely go on sale, making them a profitable item.  

image courtesy of jimmy choo