The Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles presents The Total Look: The Creative Collaboration Between Rudi Gernreich, Peggy Moffitt, and William Claxton, on view from February 26 through May 20, 2012, at MOCA Pacific Design Center. The exhibition will celebrate the remarkable collaboration between the great fashion designer Rudi Gernreich, his model and muse Peggy Moffitt, and Moffitt’s late husband, the photographer William Claxton, who created the distinctive images of Moffitt activating Gernreich’s designs. The exhibition will feature selected looks from Moffitt’s definitive collection, with films and photographs by Claxton of Moffitt modeling the clothes.

In the summer of 2010, a particularly dapper Yale sophomore, wearing a pair of distinctive, gold-crested Stubbs and Wootton slippers, encountered Kanye West while shopping at Barney’s in New York. As the story goes, West complimented Cassius Clay (no relation to Muhammad Ali—but Clay is, in fact, a descendent of the renowned abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay) on said slippers, introductions were made, a conversation ensued and email addresses were exchanged. One thing lead to another, and by the end of the summer Clay had taken a leave of absence from Yale at West’s request and moved to New York to become the rapper’s personal full-time confidant and right-hand man (he eschews the term “stylist” for its unsavory connotations; a more detailed explanation can be found in the interview below). Once the news got out, some were dumbfounded by what they perceived as an abrupt trajectory from diehard academic to celebrity stylist— envy, resentment and incredulity arose with fervor (one has only to peruse the anonymous commentary under any online article published in late 2010 about the Cassius/Kanye partnership to surmise this), yet the always-resourceful young aesthete seized the opportunity to help shape the rapper’s professional and sartorial choices, bringing his unique, quirky perspective to the table and turning the coveted job into an artistic and intellectual experience that furthered his education just as much as his missed year at Yale would have (though in a very different way!). If that’s not enough to convince the aforementioned internet haters of his academic seriousness, Cassius is now back at Yale and currently in the process of completing a simultaneous bachelor’s and master’s degree, both in Art History—a hefty task for any college student, especially one with the unspoken responsibility of remaining impeccably dressed! I hadn’t seen Cassius since we attended Phillips Academy Andover together (I remember quite clearly the feather bowties, pocket watches and other striking accoutrements he sported—I don’t think I spotted him wearing sweatpants once during those three years, not even during finals week—as well as the memorization skills and admirable command of the English language he showcased during the art history class we shared). I spent a beautiful October afternoon walking around New York’s Nolita and Lower East Side with the poised, and drily witty Cassius as he shed some light on “the whole Kanye thing,” his plans for the future, his sources of aesthetic inspiration and his illustrious taste. Read interview after the jump. [CONTINUE...]

Pas Un Autre tees ready to ship.

Barcelona hosts the first-ever Spanish edition of A Shaded View on Fashion Film (ASVOFF) created by Diane Pernet. A Shaded View on Fashion Film (ASVOFF) is an event that gathers together celebrated personalities from the worlds of fashion, art and cinema. The Barcelona edition will be innovative in launching the world’s first MOBILE FASHION FILM COMPETITION where two prizes will be awarded to the best short films produced on a mobile phone. ASVOFF Barcelona will be held at CaixaForum Barcelona from 24-27, January 2012.

Amuse is a fashion film by Berlin based Nicolai Niermann and Phillip Humm, and styled by Augustin Teboul, for ASVOFF (A Shaded View On Fashion Film) Festival. For the first time, Barcelona will hold the 1st edition of ASVOFF from January 24th until the 27th at CaixaForum Barcelona. View film after the jump. [SEE MORE...]

Paz de la Huerta stars in a fashion film by Nicole Nodland entitled Entering the Void for the current Friday issue of the London Evening Standard Magazine.

Reed and Rader collaborate with Verrier for their Spring 2012 Collection

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Olympia Le Tan presented her new line at Pitti Milan inspired by classic Italian cinema and iconic cultural figures.