When we saw Kanye West’s debut womenswear collection for the spring/summer 2012 season, we personally thought it was a solid first effort. Unfortunately for Mr West, not all the fashion critics agreed with us. Still, we’re glad to hear that Kanye isn’t the kind of person to let a little bit of criticism get in his way… 

If you thought the rapper-turned-designer wanted to put his debut catwalk outing behind him and quietly move on without anyone noticing, then you’re sorely mistaken. Kanye West is determined to make another go of fashion designing, and is going ahead with showing the sophomore womenswear collection for his eponymous label during Paris Fashion Week on March 6th at 9:30 pm.

We can’t wait to see it, and hope for his sake the critics enjoy it more the second time around.

Don’t forget – today marks the start of New York Fashion Week – and a whole new season – so make sure you come back later for a catwalk catchup!

[Telegraph]  

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We’ve been talking about it for months, speculating about who will be in and who will be out, but the time for the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion show finally came last night – and it was bigger and better than ever! 

Beyonce and Orlando Bloom were among the star-studded guests that turned up to witness the magic from the front row, and from what we can see from all the pictures, they can’t have been disappointed with it.

38 models had the honour of appearing in the show and with the exception of Rosie Huntington Whiteley who was absent as she had other work commitments, all of our favourite Angels were there and showed that all of their hard work and prepping for the show paid off. As we reported last week, Karlie Kloss did indeed make her Victoria’s Secret debut, as did Joan Smalls, but they looked like true pros – as if they had been doing it for years!

The models weren’t the only ones to set a glamorous stiletto on the runway – Nicki Minaj rocked out in a bright ensemble and got the party started, as did Kanye West and surprise guest Jay Z (now we understand why Beyonce was there!), as well as Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine.

It looked like a truly spectacular show (we didn’t expect any less) and we have no doubt that the VS bosses are already planning how to make the next one just as, if not more, fabulous!

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Kanye West is making another fashion show appearance, but this time, instead of designing, he will be sticking to what he does best – singing.

He will be performing at the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show along with Maroon 5. Kanye doesn’t have it that easy though; he has some very big (and sparkly, probably latexy) shoes to fill, as the one and only Katy Perry did the honours last year with Akon.

Not only does Kanye have to live up to Katy Perry and Akon, but he has to pull his performance out the bag while trying to not get distracted by the bikini-clad models strutting their stuff on the catwalk. And when those models are Alessandra Ambrosio, Miranda Kerr, Rosie Huntington Whiteley, Doutzen Kroes, Adriana Lima and his rumoured girlfriend Chanel Iman (among others), that’s easier said than done.

We look forward to seeing how he and Maroon 5 get on; the show will be televised on American TV (CBS) on November 29th. 

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Anna Dello Russo is probably Kanye West’s biggest fan. Or at least, the biggest fan of his debut womenswear line. The Vogue Japan editor decided to cut the rapper some slack and encourage critics to give his collection a second chance by stepping out head-to-toe in pieces from his debut line.

Dello Russo donned Kanye’s designs to attend the Alexander McQueen presentation in Paris yesterday, in a bid to help him get some positive coverage for his line – or just grab some headlines for herself; we’ll never be entirely sure.

She paired her low-cut and (very) revealing black dress with those furry Giuseppe Zanotti booties and accessorised with the gold Yeezy necklace that adorned the necks of his catwalk models.

Although Kanye’s collection was criticised for not fitting his models properly, they seem to fit Anna quite snugly, so maybe she is the perfect person to attract positive feedback.

We like how she chose to cover up with her long hair – very resourceful, Anna!

[The Cut] 

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Poor Kanye West – his collection was never really going to make Victoria Beckham quake in her six-inch stilettos, was it? The rapper has blasted his critics who slammed his debut womenswear collection in what was essentially an angry rant.

The singer began his tirade by addressing the naysayers:

“Thank you for anybody that didn’t believe, because they motivated us to break our boundaries … we don’t know what the reviews will be, we don’t know what they will say, but I got a chance to go to Italy and feel those fabrics.”

Kanye then ensured that everyone knew the background of the collection, explaining that he “begged Louis Vuitton to let me do more shoes after my shoes sold out in two weeks, and they did not. I begged Nike, I begged this company to let me do it.”

Even though he is a world-renowned singer, Kanye claimed to have put a lot on the line for the collection, going to great lengths to guarantee he had the funds to make his debut into a womenswear line perfect.

“I took out m*****f****** loans to get the best models, to get the best designers, to get the best venue,” he said. “I gave you everything that I had.”

Oh dear. We can’t decide whether or not to feel sorry for him. Thoughts?

[Grazia] 

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I must admit that, perhaps unlike others, when I first heard Kanye West was launching a womenswear line, I was rather excited. Not excited in the way that Miu Miu’s glitter boots send me into total sartorial meltdown, or in the same way that the fashion world is waiting to hear who’s replacing Galliano, but in a way that I’m utterly intrigued and entertained by the idea that a jumped-up hip hop star who likes floor-length fur coats and excessive bling could make a go of it in another competitive creative industry.

Of course I had my doubts – one only has to look at Lindsay Lohan’s disastrous streak at Emanuel Ungaro to see that celebrity lines are ill-fated – but I also had hopes of having another Victoria Beckham surprise that sent the industry spinning on the very tables it turns on.

And so it was that Kanye West presented his first fashion collection at Paris Fashion Week on Saturday. He chose Lycée Henri IV, the prestigious public secondary school in the capital’s Latin quarter, to debut his designs, and invited an impressive list of no more than 100 guests who would sit on two single rows either side of the runway.

For all Kanye’s egotistical ways, it was a humble beginning to his career in fashion, and had his collection lived up to the calibre of its high-profile audience – Anna Wintour, Carine Roitfeld, Alexander Wang, Ciara and the Olsen twins all sat front row – this could have been quite the fashion moment.

Unfortunately, Kanye’s collection was everything it shouldn’t have been, but it wasn’t without effort. The hip-hop star – a regular fashion front-rower and fan, let’s not forget – seeked advice from London designer Louise Goldin after his attempt to enrole at Central Saint Martins was rejected earlier this year.

Despite his discipline, though, he presented a mis-matched collection of ill-fitting separates, inappropriately slashed dresses, jackets that swamped models’ small proportions and far too much fur for even the coolest kids.

Some pieces, like the slim-fit trousers or even the long-sleeved camel dress, were fine, but for the most part, items felt awkward. It wasn’t just that the tailoring was off, it’s that there lacked consistency and theme – apparent, perhaps, in Kanye’s post-show interviews where he fumbled through his inspirations with nerves and anxiety.

But that’s not to say he deserves a hounding. In fact, if his nerves show anything, it’s that he’s serious about his career in fashion – but hard-work and passion does not a designer make.

I dare say Kanye will be back next season, and that the intense criticism over his first foray into design won’t deter him any more than the haters will continue to hate, but I do hope he takes heed of his downfalls. He needs knuckle down, not on his publicity and promotion, but with a trained tailor to learn about cut and fit.

You never know, a moment out of the limelight might just do him good.

Images via Style.com.

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Lindsay Lohan has had a rough ride in the fashion press the past couple of years. Being ceremoniously dropped by fashion label Emanuel Ungaro after a disastrous collaboration was not her finest moment.

Surprisingly, LiLo does have it in her to make some good style choices – it’s just a shame she doesn’t choose to do so all that often. And so it goes that at Kanye West’s debut fashion show this weekend, she looked a mess.

The pale ecru shade of her dress drained every ounce of colour from the actress and clashed with her champagne locks. And then there’s the fit. The dress looks stretched across the chest and is too long in the sleeves – and we dare say a bra, of any sort, at least, would have helped conceal her protruding nipples.

Don’t even get us started on the crumpled fabric, which just looks like Lindsay’s stylist forgot to iron. Lindsay, you’re not doing yourself any favours with this one, girl!

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