The Spring 2012 exhibit at the Costume Institute will showcase the work of two fashion icons, Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada.  Set to open to the public from May 10th through August 19th, 2012 the exhibit will explore the lives of these two Italian designers from different eras.

Elsa Schiaparelli (1890–1973) was an Italian fashion designer. Along with Coco Chanel, her greatest rival, she is regarded as one of the most prominent figures in fashion between the two World Wars.[1] Starting with knitwear, Schiaparelli’s designs were heavily influenced by Surrealists like her collaborators Salvador Dalí and Alberto Giacometti. Her clients included the heiress Daisy Fellowes and actress Mae West.

Miuccia Prada was born on May 10, 1949 in Milan, Italy. After graduating with a PhD in Political Science, Miuccia attended Teatro Picco to study and perform as a mime for five years. She was known to be a member of the Communist party and a champion for women’s rights during the seventies in Milan. In 1978 she entered into her family’s business of manufacturing luxury leather bags, a company established by her grandfather in 1913. Around the same time Miuccia met her now husband and business partner, Patrizio Bertelli. In 1985, Miuccia had her first hit when she designed a line of black, finely woven nylon handbags that instantly became a hit. By 1989, Miuccia designed and introduced her first women’s ready-to-wear collection that was critically acclaimed; men’s wear followed in 1995. Miu Miu was introduced in 1992 as a less expensive women’s wear line that was inspired by Miuccia’s personal wardrobe and nickname. Miuccia was honored with the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of American International Award in 1993. The following year she showed her collections in both New York’s and London’s fashion week, although she had already become a staple of Milan’s fashion week. Muiccia’s husband, Patrizio Bertelli, is still the predominant business force in the company who is responsible for the commercial side of products and Prada’s retail strategy. The design house has grown into an international conglomerate that added labels such as Fendi, Helmut Lang, Jill Sander, and Azzedine Alaia to its portfolio of brands. Muiccia Prada is known for her understated, minimalist, classic, cool, and comfortable luxury. The company has expanded into leather goods, shoes, fragrances, and apparel for both men and women. Prada currently has about 250 stores in 65 countries.

The title, Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada: On Fashion, is based on Umberto Eco’s books On Beauty and On Ugliness, which explore the philosophy of aesthetics that have informed our sensibilities from the classical world to modern times. Videos in the galleries of simulated conversations between Schiaparelli and Prada will follow the book’s paradigm, and will be organized by topics such as On Art, On Politics, On Women, On Creativity, and more.

“Given the role Surrealism and other art movements play in the designs of both Schiaparelli and Prada, it seems only fitting that their inventive creations be explored here at the Met,” said Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Schiaparelli’s collaborations with Dalí and Cocteau as well as Prada’s current Fondazione Prada push art and fashion ever closer, in a direct, synergistic, and culturally redefining relationship.”

The exhibition will feature 80 designs from Elsa Schiaparelli from the late 1920s to the early 1950s and Miuccia Prada from the late 1980s to the present.  The exhibit will highlight how the past has impacted the present and how the present interprets the past. Masterworks from both designers will explore the relationship between fashion and culture.  A book by Harold Koda and Andrew Bolton will accompany the exhibition.

This year’s exhibit will open with a gala benefit taking place on May 7th.  The benefit committee will include honorary Chair Jeff Bezos (Founder and CEO of Amazon, lead sponsor) and co-chairs Carey Mulligan, Miuccia Prada, and Vogue’s Anna Wintour.

Further information can be found at the Met Museum’s website.

Bananas!!  I Die!!  The celebrity stylist to the stars, Rachel Zoe, is returning to Bravo TV for a third season of THE RACHEL ZOE PROJECT premiering on Tuesday, August 3rd at 11pm ET.

Rachel’s current celebrity client list includes Jennifer Garner, Kate Hudson, Kate Beckinsale, Debra Messing, Demi Moore, Joy Bryant, Molly Sims, Eva Mendes, and Anne Hathaway.

In addition to styling editorial and advertising campaigns using her unique flair for glamour, Zoe has penned a style book called Style A to Zoe: The Art of Fashion, Beauty, and Everything Glamour. She recently joined forces with QVC selling a line of affordable accessories and faux fur.

Rachel has lent her keen eye to highlight her favorites at Piperlime.com (Gap’s online destination for shoes and handbags) where she works as an Editorial Consultant.

Now the force behind glam fashion is returning for another season of The Rachel Zoe Project.  The cast of characters will change when Brad Goreski steps up from Styling Associate to Styling Director as the announcement comes that former director, Taylor Jacobson, has left the company.  Rachel’s husband, Rodger Berman, will take over as President of Rachel Zoe, Inc.

As Rachel’s star power continues to grow expect to see guest appearances this season from Gwen Stefani, Demi Moore, Molly Sims, and Johnny Weir.

Follow Rachel on Twitter and sign up for the Daily Zoe Report.

Here is a sneak peek at the upcoming third season as we follow Team Zoe to NY Fashion Week and beyond:

Fast of the heels on the wildly popular companion to Sex and the City 2: The Movie comes this equally sexy and stylish must have companion to the sequel.

Sex and the City 2: The Stories. The Fashion. The Adventure is 176 pages. Written by Eric Cyphers this hardcover book is available for purchase on Amazon and at most booksellers.

Sex and the City 2 picks up two years after the first movie left off, and finds our four favorite friends embarking on the trip of a lifetime to the exotic world of the Middle East. The book gives readers an all-access tour of the movie-making process, with juicy behind-the-scenes stories from writer and director Michael Patrick King and writer and star Sarah Jessica Parker, as well as Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, and the movie’s other key cast members and special guest stars; a look at the challenges of filming in both New York and the Middle East and the work that went into choosing the locations and building the sets; and even the never-before-told story of “The Movie That Wasn’t.” Fans will also savor the book’s comprehensive fashion section, with page after page of mouth-watering photographs showing every look worn by the four stars—along with detailed label information for every piece of clothing, from dresses to shoes to bags.

Every outfit worn by Carrie Bradshaw is shown totaling over 60 pages of photos.  Patricia Field, wardrobe stylist, says “There was so much clothing. We had a shoe room with just shoes and a room with shelves and shelves of bags. We had racks of clothing in a huge space like a gymnasium, really. We had two rooms for jewelry — fine jewelry and costume jewelry. The whole world of fashion was in those rooms. It was like going into a department store.”

Full of exclusive stories and images readers won’t find anywhere else, this luxurious volume is a must-have for fans who simply can’t get enough Sex and the City.

SPOTTED—

GOSSIP GIRL COSTUME DESIGNER, ERIC DAMAN, ASKS:

“WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE TODAY?”

Your classic sheath is charming; your sweetest frock is disarming. Are you an international woman of mystery or the girl next door? Sometimes all it takes to transform your style is a pair of ballet flats and a raffia tote, and suddenly, the downtown hipster becomes a mademoiselle from Marseilles.

The key to style is confidence. And the secret to being confident is being prepared.

Eric Daman believes that style is fluid—and that it should be fun. In You Know You Want It, he’ll teach you to be unforgettable.

You’ll learn how to:

Stop wearing it and start owning it.  Enjoy snappy trends while staying true to your signature style.  Indulge your mood today and change your look tomorrow.

With hundreds of chic photos, ingenious ideas, insider tips, and above all, gorgeous clothes for every budget, You Know You Want It will grant you your fashion happily ever after.

XOXO