Marion Cotillard Jumps on a Trampoline for New Lady Dior Ads

Remember that America's Next Top Model episode where Tyra makes the contestants strike poses while jumping on a trampoline? (No? Okay, well I do.) Anyway, it turns out that inane challenge might actually have some real life practicality, if Marion Cotillard's newest Lady Dior campaign is any indication.

The campaign, WWD reports, features the French actress suspended mid-air, in between trampoline jumps. We think it's a gorgeous way to add something fresh to the ads, which Cotillard's fronted since 2008:

We also think Tyra would give her an A+ for all that smize-ing and fierceness. (And that awesome, mermaid-y floaty hair, and the perfectly pointed toes.)

Plus, the trampoline seems like it would actually make the whole thing more fun and less challenging than having to just jump up and down from the floor using, like, her own two feet and energy right? (Coco Rocha, you should probably ask for one in your next Target shoot:)

CFDA Deems RiRi Bona Fide Fashion Icon

News broke this morning that the CFDA’s 2014 fashion icon award will be going to none other than the sartorial chameleon who is Rihanna. As we’re sure you’ll remember, RiRi shook up the Paris fashion week scene in a kaleidoscope of ensembles—from a prim-and-proper look by Lanvin to a see-through body stocking to a bold Prada fur coat to a mash-up of wares by up-and-coming designers Melitta Baumeister, Hyein Seo, and Adam Selman. Indeed, some credit must be given to Rihanna’s stylist, Mel Ottenberg, who has expertly curated her wardrobe for high impact both on the stage and the street. Rihanna joins the ranks of previous winners such as Kate Moss, Johnny Depp, Lady Gaga, and Iman, and will be honored alongside the likes of Raf Simons and Tom Ford at the CFDA Awards on June 2.

Steve Madden Partners With Brian Atwood

Brian Atwood’s burgeoning shoe empire is in the headlines this morning, as WWD reports that Steven Madden, Ltd. has entered into a partnership with Atwood so they could jointly buy back the brand from Atwood’s former parent company, The Jones Group. The move will mark a first foray into the luxury market for Madden, which also holds Betsey Johnson’s IP. This comes on the heels of the sudden closure of Atwood’s Madison Avenue flagship. The boutique reportedly shuttered because the space is owned by The Jones Group. Madden, who now serves as a creative consultant to his namesake brand, is nothing if not optimistic, saying that he plans on tripling Atwood’s $20 million value in the first year.

Area Enters the Market

It takes a lot of balls to leave a gig at Calvin Klein Collection to start your own brand—especially when you’re a 25-year-old fresh out of grad school. But that’s precisely what Beckett Fogg, one half of new line Area, did. And if the innovative first collection that she and design partner Piotrek Panszczyk whipped up is any indication, she made the right move.

Fogg, a Kentucky native, and Panszczyk, a Polish-born 28-year-old who previously worked at Chloé, met at Parsons the New School for Design while pursuing their MFAs in fashion. “We started talking about teaming up a year before I graduated, but it was really just for LOLs,” offered Panszczyk. However, a pair of ribbon-trimmed shorts he stitched up, which, worn by Fogg, got rave reviews in the Hamptons, pushed the designers to make their pipe dream a reality. “Every single person was like, ‘I have to have them!’ So we thought, Maybe this is something we should actually consider doing,” recalled Fogg.

While their backgrounds differ drastically (Panszczyk is a die-hard fashion head, while Fogg studied architecture before heading to Parsons), the talents share a unique, unified vision. Inspired by fragments, transformation, and mind-boggling experiments with texture, their debut lineup expands upon unexpected techniques we saw in each of their graduate collections. For instance, while at Parsons, Fogg used a method of embossing that’s usually reserved for car interiors. Area employed it to bring new dimension to the sleeves of a metallic silver velvet tunic, the body of a handsome steel coat, and the skirt of a burgundy silk lamé slipdress. Meanwhile, the studied pleating Panszczyk featured in his graduate outing provided a sculptural edge to creased trousers and elegant coats.

Hollywood’s A-list Stylists Get a Moment in the Spotlight

Now that awards season is over and all of the prestigious statues have been doled out, the unsung heroes behind the stars can get some shine of their own. At Soho House in Los Angeles yesterday, The Hollywood Reporter hosted a lunch celebrating its annual Power Stylists issue.

Topping the list of honorees are Elizabeth Stewart, who dressed Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock, and Julia Roberts for their countless appearances; Petra Flannery, the mastermind behind Amy Adams’ American Hustle promotional parade; and newbie Micaela Erlanger, who is featured on the cover of the issue alongside clients Michelle Dockery and Lupita Nyong’o.

“It’s really exciting to know that you can have this kind of impact, that you can help shape and coif someone’s image and brand and know that what you’re doing really is powerful beyond just picking out a pretty dress,” Erlanger enthused, calling her work with Nyong’o a true collaboration.

Nicholas Kirkwood Steps to It

Now that he’s had a few months to settle into his new home at LVMH, Nicholas Kirkwood is poised to rocket into new directions with a fresh range of silhouettes and categories. Despite an irresistible jewel-tone palette, Fall ’14 is less about whimsical color combinations (like we saw last season) than it is about shape, structure, and updated signatures.

One of Kirkwood’s latest obsessions, furniture by Constructivist artist Naum Gabo, provided ample fodder for a sculptural metal heel, a motif the designer magnifies and works in negative space as cutouts on black leather boots.

Not only is he bringing extra flourishes to his cocktail shoes with buckles or a slice of metal at the base of a heel, Kirkwood is also ramping up his red-carpet fare. “We’re thinking about metallics—they go with everything—crystals, and more true evening shoes as separate from cocktail shoes,” he explained. As for that much-awaited bag, Kirkwood offered, “A truly iconic bag will run for fifty years, but it takes time to find The One.”

Thomsen Explores the Art of Dressing

Alix Thomsen likes going her own arty, eclectic way, opting for street casting and contemporary galleries over models and catwalks. She’s also recently dipped into an opera collaboration and signed on to do the decor of the Hôtel du Temps in the ninth arrondissement.

For Fall, the Thomsen collection took over the sprawling Emmanuel Perrotin art gallery in the Marais, where the designer presented living tableaux based on an ever-so-slightly-twisted art school theme. “They’ve had a really strict, theoretical education and they’ve been shut off from the world for a long time,” she explained of models who drifted dreamily among the installations, speaking to themselves or maybe no one in particular. In just five short years, Thomsen has grown from a capsule of shirts and jackets into a full-blown line. This season, the line gave us such unconventional options as a Perfecto dipped in pink paint, tie motifs recast onto a wrap dress, and a pinstripe suit turned into a coatdress. The hand behind the prints belongs to the Parisian artist Rafael Alterio, whom Thomsen met while working on the hotel. Colorful and graphic knits round out a pretty, feminine collection that’s still in close touch with its masculine side.