Fashion aide succeeds late British designer McQueen

A long-time collaborator of the late British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, Sarah Burton, has been appointed creative director of his label, owners Gucci announced on Thursday.

Burton has worked with McQueen since 1996 and was appointed head of design for the label's women's wear in 2000.

"The creation of modern, beautifully crafted clothes was at the heart of Lee's vision. I intend to stay true to his legacy," she said.

Jonathan Akeroyd, president and chief executive of Alexander McQueen, said Burton had a "deep understanding of (McQueen's) vision".

McQueen, who rose from a modest background to become one of the world's most flamboyant and high-profile designers, committed suicide in February on the day before his mother's funeral.

The body of the 40-year-old, who felt under pressure as he raced to put together a new collection, was found hanged in a wardrobe in his central London flat.

Robert Polet, the president of Gucci Group, said it remained "absolutely committed" to the Alexander McQueen company "which has proven to have strong customer loyalty and has shown to be a resilient brand in the aftermath of the tragic loss of its founder."

Doutzen Kroes: a model making her own mold

Doutzen Kroes might not fit the mold of a top model.

She's a jeans-and-T-shirt girl. She likes — and eats — bread. She wasn't discovered in a remote place by a famous scout or photographer. And at 25, she has curves that have kept her off a lot of high fashion runways.

But somehow, none of that matters.

Kroes ranked No. 5 this year on the Forbes list of top-earning models. She's most recognized as a Victoria's Secret Angel, the brand's top tier of models, a spokeswoman for L'Oreal and the former face of Calvin Klein Eternity.

"My life has always been like I'm in a bubble and it's floating and it goes in the right direction," Kroes says. "I don't want to interrupt it."

It was Kroes, a Dutch native, who got the ball — or bubble — rolling. As a teenager, she saw a magazine photo of a model and she thought to herself, "She has beautiful hair, beautiful makeup, a beautiful dress, and I thought I'd like to look like that one day."

Her sister took photos and Kroes sent them off to a modeling agency in Amsterdam, a place she rarely visited as a self-described "country girl." Kroes' passion until then had been competitive speed skating.

Other than her sister, no one knew about her new high-fashion ambition.

"I didn't tell anybody that I sent the pictures because I'd be embarrassed if I didn't get the job," she says.

Apparently she didn't need to worry with her long blond hair, blue eyes and Brigitte Bardot look. She relocated to New York within a year.

Kroes has a "modern style," describes L'Oreal's international general manager Vianney Derville, who also says the model is "blessed with an excellent sense of professionalism and a natural elegance."

On most days, you'll still find her in jeans, T-shirt and flat shoes, but she likes stepping it up for a night out. At last month's Costume Institute Gala Benefit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Kroes was the date of designer Zac Posen, wearing a princess-worthy blue gown that they collaborated on. For the Cannes Film Festival a few days later, she wore a glamorous Grecian-style gown with a plunging neckline by Roberto Cavalli.

Next week, she'll present the popular-vote award at the Council of Fashion Designers of America Hollywood-style awards show.

Kroes is outspoken about her feminine, curvy figure and how it's cost her jobs. She was a panelist for the CFDA's round-table discussion about too-skinny models and says she hasn't done as much runway work as she'd like because she doesn't always fit the sample size.

"I have to work really hard. My body — I have a voluptuous body. I am not one of those skinny girls. I like to enjoy life," she says.

Her shape has served her well when it comes to Victoria's Secret. Still, in the lead up to the big Victoria's Secret runway show she'll temporarily give up the bread, cheese and chocolate that she loves.

"I am a totally healthy girl that eats but eats in moderation and I take care of myself."

Get Fancy for Fall: Accessory Trends from Neiman Marcus

When Neiman Marcus compiles their list of the season's best trends, it's time to sit up and take some style notes. Whether or not your fall budget can accommodate a new pair of leopard print Louboutin stilettos, the key is knowing to buy animal print-anything. It's as essential in your wardrobe as a little black dress.

Here's a few more important Fall 2010 trends highlighted at Neiman Marcus' latest accessories preview on Thursday, May 13 in New York:

Military influences. From army green to epaulettes, brass buttons and chunky boots with camouflage prints, tough military details are still going strong.

Fur. A controversial material, yet designers can't seem to get enough of it. Go for the faux if your conscience and your wallet preclude purchasing the real thing. Look for fur-trimmed booties, curly astrakhan-style fur purses and "Nanook of the North" fur vests.

Lace. Leave it to the European designers to give us the best takes on lace, whether it's a spectacular lace print rubber rain boot by Valentino (could soggy weather be more fashionable?) or a delicate Victorian-esque lace bootie by Dior.

Feathers. Manolo Blahnik's sophisticated d'Orsay sandals flutter with feathers, while ostrich plumes look luxe on everything from a Lanvin handbag to an exclusive-to-Neiman's feather stole by Ilana Wolf.

A wardrobe of boots. That's right, not a pair, but a full wardrobe of boots are necessary for fall. Why? Because there are too many fantastic pairs to choose from, from tall wedge boots by Chanel and Marni to Alexander Wang's anything-but-boring flat boots with a killer sculptured heel. And Givenchy is still making splurge-worthy buckled booties that are guaranteed to be on every fashion editor's must-have list for fall.

The structured handbag. Bulky hobo bags are banished and sleek is chic with these proper purses.

Pearls. Conservative, boring pearls are a thing of the past with chunky, layered designs by Vera Wang, Alexis Bittar and Lanvin. But the best pearls, mixing edgy black chain links with the pale glossy baubles, are Roxanne Assoulin for Lee Angel, though any mixed-media pearl concoction can work, too.

Yves Saint Laurent Cruise Sails to New York

Chanel just jetted to St. Tropez and Dior landed in Shanghai, but for the Yves Saint Laurent Cruise 2011 collection show, designer Stefano Pilati staged it in New York for the first time on Thursday morning, June 3.

Though the address couldn't have been more New York, on Fifth Avenue in the Upper East Side with Central Park just outside the door, the building itself, the French Consulate, lent the clothes a refined air far from the hustle and bustle of the city.

"For me, the French Identity was important," said Pilati after the show. "It's the house, and it's where I come from."

Shown in three sections, Pilati started with the most tailored pieces first, like an all-white pantsuit that called to mind 1970s YSL, a belted denim trench coat and a tailored jacket paired with surprisingly sophisticated bloomers, which turned out to be the defining piece of the collection.

A navy dress with a high waist and an M.C. Escher-like print of butterflies was particularly charming, and later in the show there were prints created from cutout shapes from '70s YSL ads that Pilati used as pendants in his Fall 2010 collection.

There were more echoes of Fall 2010 in the tailoring, like an elegantly constructed blazer-meets-cape that gives the visual effect of draping a man's jacket over your shoulders on an unseasonably cool evening, or the long and lean trousers.

Pilati experimented with volume at the shoulders again, as well. Whereas for Fall, he added strips of fringe to the shoulders, reminiscent of a Native American style leather jacket, here the volume was softer, in the form of ruffles outlined with contrasting piping, almost like comic book sketches.

But if Fall was dark, tough and nearly exclusively black, in the second section, "literally resort," said Pilati, with crisp cotton bras paired with belted maxi skirts and more bloomers, Pilati gave free reign to a lush tropical color palette worthy of Carmen Miranda, with coral, fuchsia, orange and purple.

For, the third and final section, Pilati circled back to the beginning, with more elegant cocktail fare, with belted printed dresses, a very '70s disco jumpsuit and the final look, a version of Yves Saint Laurent's infamous "le smoking" jacket in black paired with the up-to-the-moment bloomers. Worn with a bathing beauty turban (all the models wore them), it was a pointed lesson on sleek French chic.

Getting Tanked at "The A-Team" Premiere

Helicopter, ramped-up van and even a tank: that's the way the reincarnation of "The A-Team" rolls into Hollywood. The big-screen version of the 1980s television show of the same name premiered with a bang at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on Thursday, June 3, as stars Bradley Cooper and Sharlto Copley rolled up in the tank while the show's original theme song blared onto the street.

Copley, the South African actor who was so amazing in "District 9" last year, has now taken over as "Howling Mad" Murdock, in the role Dwight Schultz made famous earlier. He and Cooper saluted, then hopped off the tank and headed to the screaming crowd to sign autographs.

Liam Neeson, who assays the George Peppard lead of John "Hannibal" Smith, was a bit more sedate as he arrived via van. In his first public appearance since the death of his wife Natasha Richardson last year, Neeson seemed upbeat, and told assembled reporters that the premiere was one for the ages. "It's Hollywood," he said. "This is one to tell the kids, the grandkids."

Rounding out the cast on hand for the premiere were Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, the UFC fighter who takes over for Mr. T, along with Jessica Biel, Patrick Wilson and Gerald McRainey, who have new characters in the updated story, that posits "The A-Team" as Iraq War veterans accused of a crime they did not commit.

Plenty of Tinseltown's biggest names came to check out the hoped-for summer blockbuster that opens on June 11. Oscar winner Adrien Brody joined "Mad Men" star Jon Hamm and his girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt, along with Kristen Bell, Neil McDonough, Minnie Driver, Kathleen Robertson and Stephanie Pratt to check out director Joe Carnahan's big-screen take on the beloved small-screen show.

Jason Wu Resort: French New Wave Refresher

"Resort should be like candy, it should be like dessert," said Jason Wu after his Resort 2011 show in New York on Friday, June 4, as he motioned to the petite boxes of lavender scented "Jason Wu Gray" macarons by Alain Ducasse that were placed on each chair. And, indeed, Wu's show delivered confectionary on all fronts, starting with the posh yet peaceful setting at the St. Regis Hotel with its glittering chandeliers, heavy silk drapes and sweeping midtown Manhattan views.

The opulent, traditional setting provided a counterpoint to his collection, inspired by French '60s mod muse Anna Karina, the model-slash-actress-slash-singer best known for her work in Jean-Luc Godard's French New Wave films such as "A Woman Is a Woman" and "Vivre Sa Vie," and the '60s genre of music Ye-Ye, featuring dreamy vocals in French and candy colored vinyl record singles with chic Pop Art covers.

"It's French gamine style mixed with the lightness and airiness that I think Resort should have," said Wu, of the collection that was heavy on sportswear with a youthful kick, emphasis on leggy, but with a very ladylike sensibility, as though daughters were reinventing their more conservative mother's clothes.

Wu's biggest resort collection to date, it featured crisp rolled khaki shorts, breezy leopard print chiffon dresses, ascots tied into oversized bows and a painted daffodil print motif on everything from short shifts to A-line swing coats that were cheerful, polished and effervescent.

For those with more mature tastes - Wu is still a favorite designer of first lady Michelle Obama - there were tweedy skirt suits with delicate trims and demure A-line dresses with a spray of tiny floral embroidery.

Wu also demonstrated his keen eye for hidden details, from a parka lined in leopard print chiffon to an organiza lined trench coat with a gingham sleeve.

"Everything should be as beautiful inside as out," said Wu. "I think that's an important philosophy. That's why I wanted to show (the collection) here, which would be my bedroom, in my fantasy. I wouldn't mind waking up here everyday, would you?"

Donna Karan Holiday: Night Music

When Donna Karan does resort wear, it's not so much about a mid-winter vacation in St. Tropez as a sultry evening on the town in her favorite city. Thus, her in-between season collection, which she presented in a runway show in her New York showroom on Friday, June 4, was dubbed Holiday 2010, rather than "Resort" or "Cruise."

With slinky silhouettes inspired by "the sensuality of a tuxedo," said her program notes, she opened with a "platinum" chainmail plunging v-neck halter paired with a graphic black and silver wrap skirt and lean tuxedo jacket.

Later, the tuxedo look was softened into a pajama-like suit of white semi-transparent trousers and silky wrap jacket with strong shoulders and extra-long sleeves, an idea she repeated elsewhere, perhaps her interpretation of the oversized look of a borrowed men's jacket.

The disco slumber party gave way to more feminine frills in the form of sleeveless wrap tops with pleated ruffled collars and a "celestial" star print jacket, which was a surprising twist in a color parade of mostly solid navy, white, black and silver.

Jersey goddess gowns twisted and seductively draped sauntered down the runway at the close of the show, moving like liquid metal and guaranteed to disappear noiselessly into the night like silvery apparitions.