Your morning fashion and beauty report: Gwyneth Paltrow, Orlando Bloom and Maria Bello celebrate opening of 'Balenciaga and Spain' in San Francisco

Reese Witherspoon wore a custom Monique Lhuillier gown for her wedding to Jim Toth on Saturday. [Us magazine]

Rodarte's Kate and Laura Mulleavy have been invited to be guest designers for Pitti W, the women's wear counterpart to Pitti Immagine Uomo, Europe's largest men's trade show. [WWD] (Subscription required.)

The Mulleavys were among the guests last week at San Francisco's M.H. de Young Museum opening celebration for "Balenciaga and Spain," a 120-piece fashion retrospective of the couturier's career. The exhibit, curated by Vogue's European editor, Hamish Bowles, will be open through July 4. [ArtDaily] Other guests at the opening party included Gwyneth Paltrow, Orlando Bloom, Miranda Kerr, Maria Bello and Mia Wasikowska. [WWD] 

The Jane Pratt-Tavi Gevinson magazine and website for teenage girls is expected to launch this summer. The collaboration between the former Sassy and Jane editor and the now 14-year-old fashion blogger will be produced under the umbrella of JanePratt.com, a site Pratt is building to try to reach an audience that falls somewhere between Jezebel and Cosmopolitan. [WWD]

India's fashion industry is booming, with its top designers enjoying success in Europe and the United States, while local fashion shows have grown in importance. But now some of the country's top models are complaining of discrimination, saying designers want women with lighter complexions to show off their clothes. They say it's a holdover from the era of British dominion. [Telegraph] 

Shape magazine's April issue marks the debut of a redesign under new editor in chief Tara Kraft. Henceforth, the mag will incorporate more beauty and lifestyle stories along with its fitness material. The issue's cover girl is Vanessa Hudgens, looking quite fit in a teeny bikini. [WWD] 

Colombian designer Silvia Tcherassi has a capsule collection of bags and shoes in the works for Payless ShoeSource. [WWD] (Subscription required.)

Pringle of Scotland has named Alistair Carr of Balenciaga as its new design director. [WWD] (Subscription required.)

-- Susan Denley

Photo: Kate, left, and Laura Mulleavy in 2009. Credit: Evan Agostini / Associated Press

Spring Forward: A gift of time

Most of us in the U.S. turn our clocks forward at 2 a.m. Sunday. For the next few days we're offering up some gift ideas inspired by the switch to daylight saving time. 

 

 
Talk about watching the clock…We’ve obsessively had our eyes fixed on this chic new Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquière cuff watch — the fashion house’s first-ever timepiece. Like most things Ghesquière does, it’s just so right. It comes with a black calfskin band, but python and lizard swap-ins can be purchased separately for $365 each.   What better way to remind someone you love to reset the time than to add this to his or her wrist? And we think the “one for you, one for me” adage should apply in this case. But it’s a limited edition — there are only 1,500 worldwide—so don’t dawdle.  ($1,375 at Balenciaga; Call [310] 854-0557). 

Another timely one-of-a-kind gift idea — Charmco’s too-cute custom bracelets with a personalized combination of new and vintage charms. Shown here, the Diana bracelet ($1,995) is decked out with a cuckoo clock featuring a movable pendulum ($240), a Parisian clock that can be engraved on the back ($165), an hourglass filled with crystals ($240), a sun with face detailing ($110) and Big Ben’s famous clock tower ($210). All pieces are 14-karat gold. (Bracelets from $250 and charms from $65 at charmco.com )

-- Ingrid Schmidt

Photos: Top, Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquière watch. Courtesy of Balenciaga. Left, Charmco bracelet. Courtesy of Charmco.

Saturday: The gift of sleep

Paris Fashion Week: Balenciaga's garden of delights

Innovative, modern and thoroughly wearable. Nicolas Ghesquiere's Balenciaga collection was fashion gold, and a 180 degree turn from his foray into punk for spring.

Working a long, lanky, feminine silhouette, poised atop sexy, strappy heels, Ghesquiere used broad strokes of color (red, blue, purple) and the unusual materials that have become a house signature.

Right away, he succeeded in making the skirt a covetable item, showing several versions of paneled, knee-length styles with asymmetrical hems--all of them effortless.

The first few were in silk garden prints described by Ghesquiere as "hallucinogenic." You could just make out a tropical bloom here, and a lizard tail there.

One was paired with an chunky vest knitted from thick cords of fake leather, a fresh alternative to the now-ubiquitous bushy fur vests.

Other skirts in navy or black silk were trimmed in leather trim, and topped with crewneck sweaters--a look that, I dare say, could work in the office.

And in a season where we've seen dresses over pants from nearly every designer, Ghesquiere's take was bar none. Draped and colorblocked silk chemise dresses were the height of cool over slim-fitting, foam wool pants with small slits in the back, letting them rest easily over the high heels.

When the next show had started an hour later, editors were still talking about how much there was to wear--and how they needed to start saving up now. It was quite a turnaround for Ghesquiere, whose last few runway collections have been wonderfully conceptual, but not necessarily accessible.

--Booth Moore in Paris

PHOTOS:

Balenciaga fall-winter 2011 runway collection photo gallery

RELATED:

Paris Fashion Week: At Mugler, Lady Gaga steals the show

Paris Fashion Week: At Rochas, quirky chic continues its forward march

Paris Fashion Week: Hakaan Yildirimn is a new designer to know

Photos: Looks from the Balenciaga fall-winter 2011 runway collection shown during Paris Fashion Week. Credit: Jonas Gustavsson and Peter Stigter / For The Times.

Frugal Fashion: Gwyneth Paltrow bundles up

Still can't get Gwyneth Paltrow's performance of Cee-Lo's "Forget You" on "Glee" out of your head? Neither can I! The 38-year-old actress is making it impossible to forget her as she seems to be everywhere, doing everything at once. Let's see if I can do this in one breath -- she has an Academy Award (for 1998's "Shakespeare in Love"), has been in ad campaigns for Estee Lauder and TOD'S, is a personal shopper/lifestyle guru on her website Goop, is the new brand ambassador for Swiss watchmaker Baume and Mercier, performed at the Country Music Awards, is a guest star on "Glee," and is hosting "Saturday Night Live" this weekend. "Coming Home," a song she sings in her new film, "Country Strong," is in contention for best song at Sunday's Golden Globe Awards too. Whew.  Leave something for the rest of us! Not only is she one busy lady, but whether she's on the red carpet or on her way to an interview, she looks great doing all of it.

While promoting "Country Strong" recently, Paltrow braved the New York weather for a "Good Morning America" appearance in an anorak with a face-framing warm fur collar, simple black tights and leather wedge booties by Balenciaga. Paltrow keeps her modelesque look even under the hefty jacket by revealing her long legs and adding some height with her booties.

We may live in sunny Southern California but we've been experiencing some seriously chilly winter weather and while it may seem hard to look sleek when layering is a must to stay warm, Paltrow shows just how to do it.

Warmer coats tend to be on the more expensive side but a London Fog Coat with faux fur hood from Macy's is only $69.99. This quilted down jacket is definitely heavy duty enough to keep you from freezing and the slightly fitted waist and removable faux fur hood will keep you stylishly warm. 

To keep your toes from turning blue, booties are the perfect way to keep your feet warm while satisifying your inner shoe diva.

Paltrow's wedge booties are genius for two reasons: One, they are warm and two, the wedge heel adds height without killing your feet. If you're more conservative with your shoe styles, try the Suedette wedge booties from Forever 21 for $27.80. If you're a little more adventurous, go for the Bamboo Liberate boots from Tilly's for $29.97 with a lace-up style and fur cuff.

These frugally priced warmer finds almost have me excited about the cold weather. Ah, who am I kidding? SoCal girls love the sun, but if we have to brave the winter chill we might as well look amazing doing it.

Happy shopping.

Have an outfit you're dying to buy but need a frugal alternative? E-mail us a picture. We're up for the challenge.

-- Jenn Harris

Upper photo: Actress Gwyneth Paltrow visits the "Good Morning America" taping at the ABC Times Square Studio in New York City. Credit: Ray Tamarra / Getty Images.

Middle photo: London Fog faux fur hooded jacket from Macy's. Credit: Macy's.

Lower photo, from left: Suedette booties from Forever 21. Credit: Forever 21. Boots from Tilly's. Credit: Tilly's.

Paris Fashion Week: Rebel yells at Balenciaga and Balmain

The runway met the street at Paris Fashion Week when Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquiere brought punk rock into the mix for spring.

Presented in the gilded ballroom of the Hotel de Crillon, the same place debutantes are presented to society every year, Ghesquiere's desmoiselles had a baroque grandeur all their own, right down to the silver studs on the soles of their shoes.

Ghesquiere said backstage that he had wanted to explore different ideals of beauty, so he cast a wider net for models than usual, recruiting thirtysomethings (what passes for older in this business), including Stella Tennant, and even a few unknowns from the street. All wore their hair swept into short styles, which practically rendered them genderless.

The collection was a clashing of masculine and feminine, real and faux, old and new. Soft lavender, bubblegum pink, lemon yellow and cornflower blue shared the runway with rebel-rousing red, white and black.

And as always, the fabrics were unreal, including laces that looked as if they had been singed, or embroidered with Silly String.

Opening the show were cocoon coats after Cristobal Balenciaga's originals, except that these were plasticky-looking with supersized red-and-black houndstooth checks. They morphed into zip-front vests with Peter Pan collars in the same pattern, and matching miniskirts with zigzag hems.

Then came the menswear -- a black tailcoat with satin lapels worn with red bubble shorts and a white button-down with silver metal collar tips. (That's right, we're really going back there.)

But the sleeveless button-down shirts were the biggest hit -- assemblages of pastel patterns and prints (modern art, really), worn with black pants that fastened at the side with silver hardware. Of course, there were biker jackets too, in both real and fake leather -- sometimes on the same piece.

Digitized metallic houndstooth tops were paired with see-through knit jersey lace skirts that had printed underskirts to give them structure. And one-shouldered dresses covered with sequins sewn inside out, glinted like fireworks.

After two weeks of soft and 1970s-inspired on the runways in Milan and New York, it was time for something with a harder edge. Ghesquiere delivered without relying on all the safety-pinned, Sex Pistols cliches that made Christophe Decarnin's punk rock-themed Balmain collection, shown just hours later, so forgettable.

--Booth Moore in Paris

Balenciaga spring-summer 2011 runway collection photo gallery

Balmain spring-summer 2011 runway collection photo gallery

Photos: Looks from the Balenciaga spring-summer 2011 runway collection shown during Paris Fashion Week. Credit: Jonas Gustavsson & Peter Stigter.

Your morning fashion and beauty report: Michelle Obama joins Disney to promote health, Orlando Bloom watches wife Miranda Kerr at Paris Fashion Week, Sean Jean to expand to Europe

-- First Lady Michelle Obama and singing sensation Nick Jonas will help launch Disney Magic of Healthy Living, a nutrition initiative aimed at kids that fits in with Mrs. Obama's fitness and health campaigns. [People]

-- Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, above, plans to expand his Sean Jean clothing line to Europe, starting in London. [WWD]

-- "Bones" star Emily Deschanel wed actor-writer David Hornsby Saturday in a quiet ceremony. The bride wore a chiffon-y, creamy, goddess gown, with 10-carat drop earrings and diamond-and-platinum hairpins by Neil Lane. [People]

-- Orlando Bloom was in the front row at Balenciaga's Paris show to watch his wife Miranda Kerr (who is five months pregnant, by the way) take a turn on the catwalk. Also attending were Salma Hayek and Charlotte Gainsbourg. [WWD]

-- Fashion stylist and TV star Rachel Zoe has split with assistant Brad Goreski in what may or may not have been an amiable parting. [People] and [Racked]

-- After Mariah Carey twisted an ankle onstage in Singapore Sunday, she was seen arriving back at LAX in a wheelchair. She didn't have any sensible shoes, a friend says. Ah, the burdens of divadom. [People]

-- Susan Denley

Photo: Sean "P.Diddy" Combs. Credit: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

Your morning fashion and beauty report: George Clooney testifies in fashion case. Jennifer Aniston stars in racy fragrance ads. Balenciaga's Ghesquiere to be honored

Among the latest designer-retailer collaborations, Norma Kamali will launch a line of sleepwear at Wal-Mart this fall. [WWD] (Subscription required)

Times fashion critic Booth Moore wrote about Burberry's makeover on Sunday, and it's continuing with a big push into China, where the design firm just completed a $107.8-million deal to purchase retail operations. [WWD] (Subscription required)

Now even mannequins are entering the size wars: Those used at Club Monaco look "emaciated," some observers say. [Huffington Post]

The Fashion Group International plans to honor Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquiere with its Superstar Award at its annual gala this fall. [WWD]  

Jennifer Aniston's new perfume, Lolavie, will launch exclusively at Harrod's in London this week, and she's starring in a racy ad campaign to promote the fragrance. [Daily Mail]

We just love weddings (it's the dresses!) here at All the Rage, and we love the strapless Ines Di Santo gown that Julie Landrum wore Saturday at her Newport Beach wedding to Boston Celtics player Paul Pierce. [People]

And some girls really know how to maximize the wedding gown opportunity: Carrie Underwood wore two Monique Lhuillier dresses for her marriage: one for the ceremony, and one for dancing at the reception. [People] 

George Clooney testified in an Italian court in a case involving clothing forgers who fraudulently put his name on a fashion line. [The Cut]

-- Susan Denley

Photo: Nicolas Ghesquiere  Credit: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times 

Thinking 'trout loud' at Issey Miyake Menswear

Are you ready for a fish story? Just flick your wrist and cast your line into the babbling brook of Issey Miyake's trout-inspired spring-summer 2011 collection, which came downstream -- excuse me -- down the runway -- on the first day of Paris Men's Fashion Week.

Although that meant the obligatory fish motif -- here it was a series of orange trout on a white V-neck sweater and the hint of an all-over flyfishing fly print peeking from the collar of a button-front shirt -- the collection had a deeper current, referencing what the show notes called the noble trout's abilities as "a master of disguise."

"Cautious and patient, he waits, and he watches," the notes explain. "Suddenly, when the chance arises, he reveals himself -- the flash of a beautifully dappled figure in the water -- and he takes his prey."

Part of that inspiration came in the colors; vivid oranges and bright blues (both signature stand-out color trends in both Milan and Paris this season) mixed with a palette of utilitarian beige.

But most of it had to do with the pescatory Peter Sellers' skill set; navy blue and steel gray pinstripe suits had stripes that briefly dart away and reappear, some pieces with hidden "trout pockets,"  and others with bold abstract plaid patterns that resembled river's edge camouflage.

While the whole collection keyed in on the sense of fun that's been leaping off the runways of both cities,  over the last week, my favorite piece here was the woven red double dot "dappling" pattern (at far left in the above photo), apparently inspired by the actual markings on the trout.

That's the kind of back story that fishes me in every time -- hook, line and sinker.

-- Adam Tschorn, in Paris

Issey Miyake spring-summer 2011 menswear runway collection photo gallery

More All The Rage coverage of Paris Fashion Week

Photos: Looks from the trout-inspired Issey Miyake spring-summer 2011 menswear collection that was shown on the runway during Paris Men's Fashion Week on June 24.

Paris Fashion Week: For Balenciaga, Balmain and Rick Owens, it's all in the packaging

It's probably no coincidence that for his first runway collection since the launch of the Balenciaga Paris fragrance last month, house designer Nicolas Ghesquiere let his imagination run wild with the concept of packaging. Packaging is of paramount importance in the competitive perfume industry and was reflected in the collection he showed on the Paris runways last week.

Because really, what is fashion, if not packaging in every sense of the word?

Ghesquiere worked with a combination of natural and synthetic materials, including nylon, polyamide, cashmere, silk and camel hair, mixing the ordinary and the extraordinary.

The result was like a trip to the 99 Cents Only Store and Andy Warhol's Factory rolled into one. The boxy, mixed-media jackets and dresses that opened the show were incredibly tactile, as if they had been constructed using packing materials such as cardboard, tape and paper. Plasticky striped tops in sorbet colors, cinching models' waists like wrappers cinch pieces of hard candy, were paired with cropped pants and sandals with modular-looking block heels.

Paris Fashion Week: At Balenciaga, a burst of Modernism

At Balenciaga, a burst of Modernism. Nicolas Ghesquiere was ahead of the curve last season with his feminine print dresses, lace bandeaus, and swagged silk skirts in boudoir pales. So now that everyone else is feeling romantic for spring, naturally he's moved on.

"I wanted something urban and graphic," the designer said backstage. "Collages of natural and synthetic materials, almost like toys."

Ghesquiere combined leather and coarse linen with synthetic plastics, blurring the lines between real and fake, new and old, couture and mass. I like to imagine him in art class with a pair of scissors, colored paper and glue, cutting and pasting the clothes. And indeed, there was a two dimensionality to this collection, as if Ghesquiere had put it together on paper dolls.

Motocross-inspired looks were the first to come out--hooded vests pieced together from leather, textured jersey and chain mail, worn with skin tight leather leggings tucked into what are sure to be the extreme footwear of the season--short booties with shafts covered in metal hardware.

Next up were skirts with haphazardly placed sheer and pleated panels, and a handful of snug-fitting, extremely covetable leather jackets. Short dresses appeared as collages of shiny, matte and transparent pieces. But the highlight was a group of Naugahyde-like miniskirts painted in broad strokes, worn with crisp white sleeveless shirts slit open to reveal flashes of color, that made you sit back and wonder, how did he do that?

-- Booth Moore

Photos: Balenciaga's Spring-Summer 2010 runway

All the Rage: More from Paris Fashion Week

Follow the Image section on Twitter.

Follow fashion critic Booth Moore on Twitter.

Photo: Balenciaga Spring-Summer 2010 runway. Photo credit: Peter Stigter and Jonas Gustavsson / For The Times