In a particularly intriguing turn of events for the fashion industry, the established fashion house of Balenciaga has opted to hire Alexander Wang as their new creative director. The news comes on the heels of recent creative director- Nicolas Ghesquiere’s immediate departure as of yesterday. Intensive rumors that London-based designer, Christopher Kane was a suitor for the position have been decisively quashed by the surprising announcement. Alexander Wang’s meteoric rise to success and stardom from his wildly successful self-titled label and subsequent T by Alexander Wang is certainly an indication of the designer’s immense capability and vision. However, the new project of revamping the Balenciaga label will prove to be an interesting and delicate task for Wang. Initiated in 1918 by Spanish designer, Cristobal Balenciaga, early Balenciaga collections were quite opulent and referenced fanciful historical fashion. Ghesquiere’s insertion as head designer into the newly revived label in 1997 brought a new attention to Balenciaga classics. Ghesquiere’s penchant for fascinating new design elements kept the brand evolving through his years there. With Ghesquiere’s guidance, Balenciaga has moved into a future that seems distanced from the Balenciaga of the Christobal Balenciaga days but the metamorphosis is not a negative one. Ghesquiere has transformed Balenciaga into an ultramodern yet constantly well-respected label. It is due to Ghesquiere’s aesthetic transitions that the label is comfortable hiring Alexander Wang, the king of minimal-chic, for such an integral position. No doubt, Alexander Wang’s presence as creative director will be an extraordinarily different experience than his presence in his current labels. And yet, Balenciaga may prove to be a wonderful outlet for Alexander Wang to express a different creative aesthetic than that of his brand. Only time will tell what the infusion of Alexander Wang will be at Balenciaga as we can expect the fruit of this fashion union to be on the runway at future fashion week presentations. Women

By: Sarah Humphries

Photo source: PurpleDiary

In wake of the backlash to his S/S 2012 couture collection show, a self-professed tribute to the late Amy Winehouse, it’s nice to see Jean Paul Gaultier getting some positive press. Diet Coke, which has come to be the most fashionable brand of sodapop, has hailed Gaultier as the new Creative Director to work his magic on a variety of projects this year. Picking up where Karl Lagerfeld left off, Gaultier will design a series of Diet Coke bottles and cans, which we suspect will harness the same sexy and risqué aesthetic which has made him an icon. Wouldn’t it be just to awesome to bare if the designs incorporated his most famous signature, the infamous cone-shaped bra from Madonna’s Blonde Ambition tour?

To celebrate the launch of the partnership, Gaultier has starred in three short films all entitled “The Night & Day Serial Designer”. The Serial Designer Series features a guest appearance in each film where he styles a Diet Coke puppet girl (yes, seriously) in his designs. Each film heroes one of the Diet Coke girls and brings to life their personality in a humorously-Gaultier fashion. The first two videos have launched and can be watched below, the third will be released tomorrow. Have a look!

As we gear up for New York Fashion Week here at MyFDB, we are ecstatic to announce that we are teaming up with Nolcha Fashion Week! Nolcha Fashion Week is a leading award winning event for independent fashion designers to showcase their collections to a global audience of press, retailers, stylists and industry influencers.

“We are excited to support the independent fashion designers showcasing at Nolcha Fashion Week and to take our readers behind the scenes at the runway shows and after parties.” Reginald Flanagan, COO MyFDB.

Over the past five years Nolcha Fashion Week has established itself as a platform of discovery promoting innovative fashion designers through runway shows and exhibition during New York Fashion Week. The event is officially listed with Mercedes Benz as the two recognized Fashion Weeks by New York City Economic Development Corporation; offering a range of cost effective options to increase designers recognition and develop their business.

“I am thrilled to have MyFDB working with us to place the spotlight on our fashion professionals.” says Kerry Bannigan, CEO of Nolcha Fashion Week.

For more information, check out  www.nolchafashionweek.com and follow @MissNolcha on Twitter. To request a press pass or schedule interviews, please contact Alyson@amp3pr.com.

Ultra-modern, refined and mysterious, Alice Della is the latest in the line of  CHANEL muses, each boasting their own inimitable allure.

If don’t know her by name, you’ll at least recognize Alice Dellal’s signature partially-shaven head, piercing blue eyes, tattoo collection and androgynous punk-rock ensembles. Karl Lagerfeld has not only admitted to crushing on the non-conformist British model/muscian, but chosen her to star in their new ‘Boyfriend’ handbag collection campaign.

“[Karl Lagerfeld] had a crush on this unique, charismatic young lady, who is both a model and musician, during a photo shoot several months ago,” Chanel told WWD.

Dellal is a drummer for all-girl punk band Thrush Metal,  with fellow models Emma Chitty and Laura Fraser, along with niece of the Earl of Dalhousie, Isabella Ramsey. Dellal has previously cited both style and musical inspiration from lead singer of American punk-band The Plasmatics, Wendy O Williams, who also has an affinity for anti-athoritarian garments, hardcore music, and bleach.

Some see Dellal as odd choice to be face of Chanel, but anyone who knows the Uncle Karl knows that he always have a few tricks up his leather-studded, fingerless gloves. “Alice Dellal represents the perfect incarnation of all that is unique about the Boy Chanel handbag collection which strives far from conformist notions of femininity.” explains Chanel. The campaign, shot by Lagerfeld himself, will be revealed in March 2012.

Lauren Valenti is founder of fashion and music website, TheVogueVibes.com , as well as a Contributing Editor to the My Fashion Database.

Imagine having Cindy Crawford’s past 1987 Vogue cover at your fingertips or what about a 1954 Revlon ad? After teasing you about it for months, we’re proud to announce the debut of MyFDB Vintage!

Time travel with us to experience vintage images from fashion publications dating as far back as the 1930s. In this new section of our database you’ll find a unique collection of magazine covers, editorials, and ad campaigns.

MyFDB Vintage is perfect for inspiration, historical reference, or simply to discover incredible images and the people who have contributed to the evolution of fashion. Are you ready? Flashback now!

PS – That’s Janice Dickinson below… (crazy, right?)

MyFDB is thrilled to unveil our newly redesigned site! All updates were made with you in mind as we strive to Give Credit Where Credit is Due. Take a peek at our easy-to-navigate homepage and profile pages; with just a click you’ll be able to quickly reference industry professionals, ad campaigns, editorials, and more. The entire fashion industry is truly at your fingertips.

Plus, with our revamped look you can easily turn your MyFDB profile into a proud portfolio to share by adding images of your work with our Portfolio Manager. If you don’t have a profile request one within your dashboard after signing up for free!

We know companies are making hiring decisions from our platform, so we want to make sure you are Getting Credit Where Credit is Due. Companies have to manage their online portfolio too, take a look at some that claimed their profile and manage their online presence including Baron & Baron and Traction Artist Management to see the possibilities.

Enjoy using the new MyFDB!

I know we all love to use MyFDB for business and pleasure to research images of our favorite celebrities, models, brands or to find model and company representation info. Well, now things on MyFDB are about to get even more exciting for you, because Pro and Corporate Account members can now add images to their profile with the beta release of our Portfolio Manager.

This initial version of Portfolio Manager allows people and companies to add work to their MyFDB portfolio. We encourage Pro and Corporate account users log in and add images to their page or build their personal portfolio on MyFDB.

Don’t have a profile? Register now and request a profile within your dashboard. Already an member? You have to go “Pro” to get access to MyFDB’s new Portfolio Manager.

If you’ve been browsing MyFDB the past few days then you’ve probably noticed some new eye-shot imagery on our homepage. These vivid photos are coming to us thanks to a partnership with licensing agency, Trunk Archive. The company holds an impressive roster of photographers including Inez  van Lamsweerde, Vinoodh Matadin, Nick Knight, Greg Kadel, David Slijper (he shot the above image) and Phil Poynter to name a few.

To see images and learn more about Trunk Archive visit their page on MyFDB. Looking to browse their full photographer roster? Simply sign up for a MyFDB Pro Account to have access to the list.

Not to mention, how adorable is this shot by Miles Aldridge with a model wrapped in fur and noshing on a croissant in bed? Coming up, MyFDB will be showing more images from Trunk Archive on our homepage…I can’t wait to see what we’ll dig up next!

Exciting changes continue to happen over at My Fashion Database headquarters and love rolling out new features for our valued users. Best of all to take advantage of these features you don’t necessarily have to shell out any dough. We offer free fashion enthusiast accounts to anyone interested in registering with MyFDB.com. With a free account you receive ad free browsing, the ability to manage your profile, and you can bookmark and follow your favorite brands, celebs, models and more site-wide!

If you want to take your MyFDB experience to the next level, then we suggest purchasing a Pro Account. The advantages of going Pro include having access to contact and representation details site-wide, along with employment info, expedited credit submissions, and impeccable service from a MyFDB account representative.

Also, do you work for a fashion company? Or maybe you own your own? If so, then an Organizational level membership could be right up your alley. With an account you’ll have the ability to manage your company’s MyFDB presence to a T!

Psst.…not to mention, rumor from our development team is that MyFDB will be rolling out our image upload feature in the next few months!

Visit MyFDB to sign up for an account of your choosing today!

A statement was just released from former Christian Dior Couture designer, John Galliano by his law firm Harbottle & Lewis explaining the accusations he’s facing and apologizing for the anti-semetic words he uttered. Due to these events Galliano was ousted by the fashion house.

“Since the events of last Thursday evening I have not been able to make any public comment on what took place based upon advice from my French lawyer. However, given the continuing delays at the French Prosecutor’s Office I should make my position clear.

I completely deny the claims made against me and have fully co-operated with the Police investigation.

A number of independent witnesses have given evidence and have told the Police that I was subjected to verbal harassment and an unprovoked assault when an individual tried to hit me with a chair having taken violent exception to my look and my clothing. For these reasons I have commenced proceedings for defamation and the threats made against me.

However, I fully accept that the accusations made against me have greatly shocked and upset people.

I must take responsibility for the circumstances in which I found myself and for allowing myself to be seen to be behaving in the worst possible light. I only have myself to blame and

I know that I must face up to my own failures and that I must work hard to gain people’s understanding and compassion. To start this process I am seeking help and all I can hope for in time is to address the personal failure which led to these circumstances and try and earn people’s forgiveness.

I have fought my entire life against prejudice, intolerance and discrimination having been subjected to it myself. In all my work my inspiration has been to unite people of every race, creed, religion and sexuality by celebrating their cultural and ethnic diversity through fashion. That remains my guiding light.

Anti-Semitism and racism have no part in our society. I unreservedly apologise for my behaviour in causing any offence.”

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