Anne Hathaway Apologizes to Valentino: Fashion news continues to roll out of the Oscars, and the newest bit has Anne Hathaway apologizing to the house of Valentino. On Sunday afternoon the brand sent out a pre-red carpet press release announcing that they were slated to dress Hathaway at the awards. But when the Best Actress nominee appeared on the carpet hours later, Hathway was dressed in Prada, not Valentino. Hathaway, who has remained close friends with Valentino Garavani since meeting him on the set of The Devil Wears Prada, has issued a formal apology saying, “It came to my attention late Saturday night that there would be a dress worn to the Oscars that is remarkably similar to the Valentino I had intended to wear, and so I decided it was best for all involved to change my plans.” It’s reported that the similar dress belonged to Hathaway’s Les Mis co-star Amanda Seyfried (detailed above), whose halter Alexander McQueen gown shared many overlapping qualities with the Valentino couture gown Hathaway had chosen. [Fashionista]
Buhbye FNO: Organizers for Fashion’s Night Out have announced that the event will not go on to stage its fifth iteration in New York this September. FNO, as it’s been dubbed over the last four years, will go on hiatus in the United States, while continuing in select countries overseas. Initiated in 2009 at the height of the recession, the event was intended to re-instill consumer confidence and mend the relationship between retailers and shopper—giving them a fun and no-pressure opportunity to visit stores. However, it’s consistently been debated if FNO actually brought stores any additional sales. “I don’t think the success of it was measured only by numbers or money, but was really about engagement,” explained CFDA CEO Steven Kolb. “Everyone feels we had a great four years.” [WWD]
Tilda Swinton for Chanel: Eccentric actress Tilda Swinton has been cast to star in Chanel’s newest ad campaign. Karl Lagerfeld hand-picked Swinton to hawk his Paris-Edinburgh pre-fall collection in ads that will debut in June magazines. Of the Scottish actress Lagerfeld said, “[she is] a modern woman, a timeless icon of elegance.” [WWD]
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Wang Time: Alexander Wang will debut his first collection for Balenciaga in Paris on Thursday morning, and the International Herald Tribune’s Suzy Menkes has the pre-show exclusive. “I’m extremely excited. I am high on life. It’s a dream come true,” Wang told the fashion critic of his new job. In addition to discussing his new position Wang also dispelled many rumors about his background, including that he’s fluent in Mandarin and that his parents are Chinese garment makers. “It’s a false background. My family has no experience in garment production…” he explained. [IHT]
Fashion MBA: The world’s first fashion MBA will be offered to students beginning this September at the University of Arts London. “Fashion has characteristics that other industries don’t have. It is a trillion dollar industry, far ahead of the music industry in earnings, yet there is a shortage of high-caliber executives,” explained George Bouvier, the course’s director. It’s expected that 90% of program applicants will come from overseas. [Vogue UK]
