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Alexander McQueen: The book

The first biography on the late Alexander McQueen is set to be released next month

The designer committed suicide in February and fashion journalist Kristin Knox has already penned a book in tribute to him, entitled ‘Alexander McQueen, Genius of a Generation’.

The biography – to be produced by publishers A+C Black – will take a look back at the 40-year-old star’s glittering career, including 120 images of his most memorable creations as well his final, unfinished Autumn/Winter 2010 collection.

McQueen was born in London’s East End and was named British Designer of the Year on four occasions between 1996 and 2003 and made clothes for a whole range of high-profile stars, including Britain’s Prince Charles.

He was also awarded a CBE as well as being named International Designer of the Year at the Council of Fashion Designer Awards.

McQueen – real name Lee – was discovered hanged in a wardrobe at his London home by his cleaner on the eve of his beloved mother’s funeral on 11 February.

An inquest into his death was told he left a suicide note for his loved ones, which is believed to have been found at the scene.

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Zoe Saldana’s ‘aggressive’ clothes

Zoe Saldana has a ‘harsh’ and ‘aggressive’ wardrobe.

The ‘Avatar‘ actress admits to being a bit of a tomboy and her clothing choices veers toward that side of her.

She told Self magazine: ‘I’ve never really been that feminine. Look in my closet and you’ll see things that are elegant, sexy, tomboyish, sophisticated, beautiful, aggressive.

‘It’s harsh. It’s a lot of black. Pretty is the last word you would think of.’

Zoe - who also starred in ‘Star Trek‘ – said her take on fashion stood out against the bright Caribbean fashions of her native Dominican Republic.

She said: ‘The Caribbean is the most floral-happy culture in the world, and my sisters and I were like three little Jackie O’s with big sunglasses, reading all these sophisticated magazines and dressed in black at all times.’

Zoe does, however, occasionally wear bright colours and on a recent shoot picked out a floral dress which brought back fond memories for her.

She explained: ‘These florals tell a story. I was channelling that South Beach-looking-for-a-millionaire-husband-from-Switzerland kind of thing. I live in constant storytelling mode.

‘Sometimes, I have to give myself permission to be pretty.’

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Sarah Jessica Parker’s Halston offer

Sarah Jessica Parker admits she couldn’t turn down her role with Halston.

The ‘Sex and the City‘ actress – who is regarded as one of the most stylish women of her generation – became a fashion executive at Halston Heritage, the archive-inspired secondary line of the label, earlier this year and says it was an offer she had no choice but to accept.

She said: ‘There was every reason to say no, and there were very compelling reasons to say yes. It’s an exciting time at that company. It has a wonderful legacy, and I couldn’t say no, and I’m figuring it out.’

Sarah says she has been in awe of the fashion house ever since her first visit to New York in 1977.

The 45-year-old star – who now lives in the fashion-conscious city -   said: ‘It was 1977 in New York City, and you couldn’t be alive and not know the name Halston.’

The mother-of-three – who is married to actor Matthew Broderick – admits her new role means it will be a struggle to balance work and motherhood but is sure she will cope.

She told America’s Vogue magazine: ‘Does it scare me? Am I intimidated? Am I challenged? That’s kind of the way I’ve always made decisions ‘Luckily, the Halston offices are about a 10 minute walk from my house.’

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Drew Barrymore’s Gucci apology

Drew Barrymore felt she ‘tarnished’ Gucci‘s reputation when she wore one of the fashion house’s creations on the red carpet.

The actress donned a high-necked green dress to the 2006 Golden Globes and admits it was a huge fashion faux-pas as it made her breasts look too big and unsupported.

She said: ‘My worst red carpet moment is the Gucci green dress where my boobs look like watermelons, it’s the worst. Never wear a high neck dress with a high belt. It makes your t*ts look like they are at your waist. It was the Golden Globes. I felt so bad. I was like, ‘I’m so sorry, Gucci. I have tarnished your name.’

Although the 35-year-old star admits to making fashion mistakes in the past, Drew says she’s happy with the way she looks and recently vowed never to have plastic surgery.

She said: ‘F**k surgery! I’m so curious as to what’s going to happen naturally that I can’t imagine wanting to alter things just yet.

‘And to all those women putting botulism in their faces – we don’t know what the long-term effects are, so stop! I’d rather look like a basset hound than do that to my face!’

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Gucci’s children plans

Gucci is to launch a children’s wear line.

The Italian fashion house’s creative director, Frida Giannini, wants to branch out into kids clothes with a range being available from June.

The first line will be unveiled in Italy and then hit around 40 stores worldwide.

Frida is currently in Singapore – where she announced her future plans – and was honoured to have an orchid named after her, the Paravanda Frida.

She said: ‘It was very touching and I loved the thought that the orchid will still be there a few hundred years from now. I have never experienced such an honour before.’

The orchid, a white flower with fuchsia tips, was also the inspiration for 88 limited edition Boston bags which Frida exclusively designed for Singapore to benefit children’s charity Mainly I Love Kids (MILK).

The white-and-pink Paravanda Frida bags sold out within a month of their launch in February, which left Frida stunned.

Speaking at the opening of the revamped Gucci flagship at the Paragon mall on Orchard Road, Frida told WWD: ‘I always feel surprised in a very positive way at how customers really relate to the brand.’

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Milan has full Fashion Week

Italy’s biggest designers are spreading their shows out over seven days at the next Milan Fashion Week to ensure press and buyers stay in the city.

Some of the world’s largest and most influential fashion labels including Giorgio Armani and Prada have united to distribute their shows evenly across a full week, meaning the biggest shows aren’t condensed into three days and smaller labels will have a chance of being seen.

Armani said: ‘I am happy that my call for responsibility has been agreed to and I don’t think I was the only one hoping for it: the moment had come to reconsider in earnest the issue of the fashion calendar, because a whole industrial system revolves around it.’

He added the agreement was reached with the Camera della Moda, Italy’s governing fashion body.

He said: ‘The agreement by the major designers, which protects the emerging ones as well, has been reached with the mediation of Camera della Moda and demonstrates we Italians, if we really want it, are perfectly able to assert ourselves without fear in order to enhance what the world acknowledges to be a rich and inimitable creative heritage.’

Prada‘s chief executive Patrizio Bertelli added: ‘Milan Fashion Week is an event of fundamental importance.

‘Today we have made a significant step forward which goes in the right direction: in fact, it underlines a sense of belonging we have been afraid of losing because of recent controversies.’

Vogue editor Anna Wintour caused huge controversy at this year’s Fashion Week in March when the show was increased to five days, but she opted to attend only for her originally planned three days, prompting many designers to change their show dates in order to accommodate her.

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Non-designing Gisele Bundchen

Gisele Bundchen could never be a fashion designer.

The supermodel - who gave birth to her first child in December – admits she wouldn’t have the skills or the patience to create clothes and accessories full-time, but did enjoy working on her flip-flop collection, Ipamema, with Brazil’s largest shoe company Grendene.

Speaking at the launch in Paris yesterday (08.04.10), Gisele said: ‘I am very inspired by nature and like to use that for my ideas, but actually designing them – no way. I would be a disaster.’

The Brazilian beauty says she is more focused on her creations being environmentally-friendly rather than how much she helped design them.

She told WWD: ‘Nature is very close to my heart, and it is important for me that people who buy my flip-flops are made aware of the environment.’

Despite being one of the world’s most successful supermodels, Gisele recently admitted she was initially terrified when she entered the fashion industry so invented a second persona.

She said: ‘I was in the fashion shows in Milan, I was 17, I was doing like 100 shows. People were asking, ‘How does it feel to be the model of the moment?’ It was hard for me to answer as myself. I barely spoke English. I thought, I have to give my best because they trust me with that. I invented this other person, and she could do everything. She wasn’t afraid; she was able to be ballsy and risky and sexy or androgynous. She was bold. I had to believe in myself as this person that was strong, up-front, invincible, and positive, who knew what she was doing, even though I really didn’t.’

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Eva Herzigova’s Etam range

Eva Herzigova has created a fashion line for Etam.

The supermodel has teamed up with the French label to design a ready-to-wear label, entitled Eva Herzigova Pour 1.2.3, and admits she had a lot of fun doing it.

Speaking about her range, Eva said: ‘It has been totally hands-on, no one telling me what to do and designing whatever crossed my mind.

‘Having done my own clothes from when I was young in the Czech Republic, I know how things are assembled and think of each detail. I am a perfectionist and I demand a lot, and I wanted something that is affordable but also luxurious.’

Laurent Milchior, co-managing director of the Etam Group, added to WWD: ‘Eva is a real woman, always elegant, and will bring a bit more warmth to the brand.’

The collection features jeans, trench coats and gypsy skirts, as well as smarter outfits including long silk evening dresses.

She has also designed a range of accessories to complement the clothes.

A website is set to be launched in July to make the collection more accessible.

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Olivia Palermo’s fashion graduation

Olivia Palermo felt she had joined a ‘fashion clique’ when she got her first Hermes Birkin bag.

The New York-based socialite was thrilled when she received the prestigious handbag – which is favourite of Victoria Beckham - as she knew she had made it.

She said: ‘It’s a cliche, but I remember when I got my first Hermes Birkin. It was such a pivotal moment – especially living in New York – to have received it. It was like joining a fashion clique and finally becoming one of the tribe. While I use it now occasionally, it always reminds me of how I’ve progressed stylistically and how cyclical fashion is.’

The 24-year-old beauty   – who has launched her own jewellery line with Roberta Freymann – is a huge accessories fan as she believes they are what make an outfit.

She told vogue.com: ‘I can’t live without my YSL Tribute heels and my Ray-Ban Wayfarers. Everybody thinks it’s the clothing that makes an outfit, but more often than not it’s the accessories.’

Olivia is very into her fashion and likes a variety of designers because they all bring something different.

She said: ‘There are so many, but several have impacted me directly or shown me how to think about fashion in different ways. Emerging brand Bensoni really captures my feminine and playful side, while Victoria Beckham’s collection is elegant for cocktails or evening events. When Mr. Valentino was still designing he truly understood what makes a woman look beautiful. I feel that Rachel Roy and Matthew Williamson get that too with their proper and bohemian looks, respectively.’

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Clothes hoarder Yasmin Le Bon

Yasmin Le Bon is a ‘hoarder’ when it comes to clothes.

The stunning model - who has three daughters, Amber, Saffron and Tallulah, with husband Simon Le Bon – admits she now hangs on to most of her outfits as she wants to give them to her girls because she has never got over making the mistake of selling one of her beloved designer gowns.

Talking about her collection, she said: ‘Like, the girls love the history. They only try to pinch the stuff I’ve had for years. Everything is going to be theirs eventually, anyway. Clothes are to be used: why would you not wear them again and again? That’s why I’m such a hoarder.

‘I made a very silly mistake once. In a moment of madness – I’d probably just had a baby – I sold an Azzedine Alaia dress. I went back the next day to get it back and it had gone. That’s my great fashion loss and it taught me a lesson.’

Yasmin, 45, is a huge fan of many up-and-coming designers and recommends investing in their creations now.

She told Britain’s Elle magazine: ‘I love the young designers coming through. I would give my right arm for everything that Christopher Kane comes up with. Now those are investment pieces. If you spend money on something extraordinary, you’ll keep it forever.’