It's Never Too Late ..

.. to be what you might have been. So told by manong George Eliot. (You don't know him? No? No. Me too.)

Here's another from the author of The Little Prince:

Never too late it is so for the new Hollywood name being pulled into the fashion sphere:

Antonio Banderas.

Wait, who? No less than the lead actor in action films such as Zorro and Desperado, Mr. Banderas has enrolled in a bespoke course in Business of Fashion-voted 2015 'best school for an undergraduate fashion degree', Central St. Martins.

Even NYT's Vanessa Friedman has her attention caught:

This makes Mr. Banderas, as far as I can tell, the only celebrity wannabe designer to seek some formal training before starting … well, whatever he ends up starting. (He hasn’t said where all this is leading.) In other words, he would be the only celebrity not to simply assume that if he wears clothes well, or chooses them well, or even personalizes them well, he will design them well.

You could argue that the enrollment is because, out of all the famous names that have made the leap from television and film and music to fashion, Mr. Banderas is one who has never really achieved the rank of (sorry to use the term) “style icon,” and therefore needs an extra boost. But, still, I think it’s commendable.

It acknowledges, for perhaps the first time in pop culture, that fashion is a complicated and difficult discipline that needs to be learned. It’s about time. It also points to the increasingly competitive nature of the celebrity clothing sector, as pioneers such as Ms. Beckham break down former negative stereotypes and pave the way for peers.

For persons caught up with the indecision to be or not to be more of themselves, this is inspiring, very inspiring. As for Antonio, we've got our eyes on you.

Best Collab of the Year 2015: Uniqlo and Lemaire -- Complete Lookbook (!!!)

Every piece. With pricing.

First comes the teaser last July. 

Finally, Uniqlo debuted a page -- complete with the campaign, a look book 

plus the price of each clothing item (which starts from $ 40) -- featuring its collaboration with Lemaire -- done, naturellement, in the brand's known clean and sleek styling.

The collection will be sold starting October 2nd.

Be still, our quivering loins

DETAILS assembles the world's top male models for its September issue.

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The magazine highlights male modeling industry icons like Matthias Lauridsen, the mainstays namely Clement Chabernaud and Sean O'Pry, as well as up-and-coming ones i.e. Jackson Hale, as they feature 2015 fall fashion styles.

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Out-N-In

We know who's Out at Balen-chaka-khan, but who will be In?

Dazed Digital pulled out a list of top 5 contenders for Balenciaga's creative chief post -- and Simon Porte Jacquemus is not in it doe.

5. An Unknown Designer. Umm.

4. Julian Dossena. Dossena has a wide experience: prior to founding a new label called ATTO, he was in Balenciaga for four years (he is an in-the-know) until Nicolas Ghesquiere's abrupt departure. Other than he is a known Ghesquiere groupie and dear friend, he is on a radical rebranding roll as Creative Director of Paco Rabanne's millenial revival and that is why it will be unlikely.

3. Sebastien Piegné. Another Balenciaga alum (he was there for nine years from 2001 to 2010 a.k.a. Balenciaga's transformative years under Ghesquiere), before he decamped to assist Nicola Formichetti on his tenure at Mugler. The odds may be on his favor.

2. Thomas Tait. A wunderkind, but .. 

"his ties to Kering-rival LVMH might make him a slightly less likely option."

(He was the first winner of the LVMH Prize.)

1. Christopher Kane. The Scot designer who sometime proclaimed, "I love science," is our top pick. He only has to learn from Balenciaga's brand bible ("articulate," 'ultra-modern" are a few obvious clichés) and put his abiding themes of science and known strongly feminine vision into the equation and he shall do leaps of high inventiveness. 

In case of doubt, see his Spring 2014 collection. The London-Paris-London shifts (the bi-country commute can be taxing) should be Phoebe Philo-ed (read: non-negotiable clause/s). 

Promising.

It's Official: Wang-lenciaga Is Over

After 5 runway collections, 10 over-all, on his 3-year term as Creative Director of the Kering-owned brand, amidst the musical chair rumor mill and the brand's growth, the luxury power-player has given its official word of Alexander Wang's exit as artistic head of the storied brand. It was a "joint decision".

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Vanessa Friedman of The New York Times, after her dismay on 'leaving / relocating' designer leak reports, insighted on this "interregnum":

For Balenciaga, the shock of the appointment of a young New York kid known for T-shirts at the hallowed house that Cristobal built, and his subsequent not-terribleness, helped consumers make the break from the 15 years of the celebrated creative director Nicolas Ghesquière’s vision for the brand, and their obsession therewith.

I like her brutal honesty:

Mr. Wang was effectively a design version of the bridge boyfriend. Now Balenciaga, and its parent company, Kering, are free to find someone else without the same expectations attached.

On that note, as  “a new Creative Director for the brand will be announced in due course,” let the speculation about who will be the next @Balenciaga creative director begin. I hear Simon Porte Jacquemus is high on the list. (But having won the LVMH Prize from Kering's luxury rival, it may be unlikely.)

Wang's last hurrah will be in October for the Spring/Summer 2016 season in Paris Fashion Week.