Doutzen Kroes jets to Milan Fashion Week after leaving her job as a Victoria's Secret Angel

The day after Victoria's Secret confirmed that Angel Doutzen Kroes had handed in her wings, the Dutch model was spotted arriving in Italy for Milan Fashion Week.

The 30-year-old was dressed all in black and wheeled her own luggage through the arrivals hall with one hand while clutching a gold-colored cell phone and black designer purse in the other.

She was wrapped up well against the chill of the Northern Italian winter with black skinny jeans, biker boots and a warm leather jacket over a hoodie.

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The Italian Job: Doutzen Kroes jets into Milan for fashion week after ending her contract with Victoria's Secret in December

Kroes apparently quietly quit the underwear giant at the end of last year, ending her contract with the company after 10 years modeling for the brand.

She joined Victoria's Secret in 2004 and earned her Angel wings in 2008.The confirmation of her departure comes one day after it was announced that Karlie Kross is also leaving the lingerie line.

Kloss from Chicago became an Angel in 2011 at 18 and her contract expires this year. 

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Ready for new horizons: The Dutch model started modeling for the lingerie giant in 2008 and got her Angel wings in 2008. Now she's pursuing other 'business opportunities' in Europe

On Tuesday the New York Post's Page Six claimed both Angels quit because they're not getting paid enough. 

It is thought the beauties' pay packets are much smaller than those of older VS stars including Brazilian-born Alessandra Ambrosio, 33.

The newspaper quoted an insider who explained: 'The money isn't what it used to be. Older contracts like Alessandra Ambrosio were in the millions, now they're like $100,000.'

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Swapped wings for leather: The 30-year-old wrapped her biker jacket and shawl close around her and put her hood up to protect her from the winter chill in Milan and checked her messages as she waited for her ride from the airport on Wednesday

However, the Angels' senior creative director ed Razek pooh-poohed any suggestion that the parting of ways between the company and the model was anything other than amicable.

Razek posted a message on Instagram saying 'Doutzen had a lucrative opportunity in Europe and it would have conflicted with her VS obligations. So, at her agencies request, we released her from contract. There was no conflict. No animosity.'

As for Kloss, Razek said: ' Karlie and I met several months ago to discuss the many things she hoped to do in her life and career. As we talked, it became clear that she would not have the time to fulfil her myriad commitments. Reluctantly, we agreed she would leave the brand at the end of her contract.'

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Getting ready to fly solo: Angel Karlie Kloss, 22, is also leaving Victoria's Secret when her contract expires this year. the American walked the red carpet at the2015 Brit Awards in London on Wednesday night

Doutzen Kroes shows off amazing figure in VS shoot

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No longer an Angel: Kroes handed in her Angel wings after 10 years modeling for Victoria's Secret and after six years as an iconic VS Angel

1970s fashions billow back on to red carpet at Baftas 2015

For many, the 1970s will always be the decade that style forgot. But at the Baftas, the era was the common thread among A-listers.

Many of the celebrities on the red carpet could have been heading to a night out in Studio 54. Julianne Moore wore a tomato-red Tom Ford column with a deep plunging neckline that felt pure Bianca Jagger.

The louche, 70s deep V neckline was seen, too: on Kristin Scott Thomas, in a jet black vintage gown; on Reese Witherspoon, in purple Stella McCartney; and on Anne-Marie Duff, who wore a long-sleeved white maxidress by Temperley with transparent mesh panels to the navel.

There were other 70s throwbacks on show, too: Holliday Grainger and The Lunchbox star Nimrat Kaur wore batwing sleeves; the black flowing column dress worn by Rosamund Pike had a cross-neckline that recalled Halston in its heyday; Monica Bellucci was covered from head to toe in a black maxi gown by Alaia with bell sleeves and a ruffled hem.

The men stopped short of wearing flares, but did pile on the velvet – seen on best actor winner Eddie Redmayne, in midnight blue Armani, and on Douglas Booth, whose strokeable jacket was a suitably retro shade of pea green.

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The 70s has been hugely popular in catwalk fashion in recent seasons, notably at Louis Vuitton, where creative director Nicolas Ghesquière showed burgundy leather tank tops and wide car-salesman collars at the presentation of his first collection for the house in March. That mood has since been captured by the rest of the industry, with Prada’s current men’s campaign centring on tasteful tank tops styled with stiff, retro denim and designers from Gucci to JW Anderson to Topman conspiring to bring flares back into fashion.

The red carpet is usually slow on the uptake when it comes to trends. Wary of choosing a dress that does anything other than demonstrate how gobsmackingly beautiful its wearer is, A-listers tend to stick to the same formula. Waists are cinched, curves are accentuated and hands are placed stiffly on hips. At its most glamorous, let-it-all-hang-out 1970s fashion is the antithesis of all this: it is louche, its fabric is billowing and it is decidedly corset free. As far as red carpet dressing goes, it all sounds rather relaxed.

The biggest Grammy fashion hits — and misses — in history

FREDERICK M. BROWN/GETTY IMAGESAlicia Keys attempted comfort couture on the carpet, but critics say it’s more of a fashion identity crisis.Enlarge

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Music’s biggest night is also a Fashion Police feeding frenzy.

LARRY BUSACCA/WIREIMAGEPharrell Williams turned heads when he showed up at the 56th Grammy Awards wearing a Smoky-the-bear look alike hat by Vivienne Westwood.

Unlike the strict dress codes at the Oscars and Emmys, the Grammys are more relaxed, so A-listers are free to turn heads — or raise eye brows — on the red carpet.

Just about anything goes. And it has. Think Pharrell’s Vivienne Westwood hat, Jennifer Lopez’s iconic belly-button-baring Versace gown, Lady Gaga’s eggcellent entrance, and Katy Perry’s white feather angel wings. And leave it to Missy Elliot to work it in a fuzzy pink Adidas tracksuit and sneakers.

“It’s a fashion circus,” says Billboard associate editor Brooke Mazurek.

“Musicians are characters. Think back to Cher in the ’70s, Grace Jones in the ’80s and up through today and you can see how high fashion and couture has made its way onto the carpet more and more.”

Here are the good, the bad and the ugly.

STEVE GRANITZ/WIREIMAGE“Rude Girl” Rihanna looked regal in her red Azzedine Alaia dress at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards.

BEST:

Ranking: No. 1

Showstopper: Jennifer Lopez (2001)

J. Lo took low to a new level when she dared to bare in a plunging sheer Versace dress. She showed her wild side with a jungle print pattern and vogued next to then-boyfriend Diddy.

Expert says: “This dress went down in fashion history,” says Mazurek.

C FLANIGAN/FILMMAGICLeave it to Lady Gaga to make an eggcellent entrance at the 2011 Grammy Awards.

Ranking: No. 2

Showstopper: Rihanna (2013)

The “Rude Boy” singer is known for her wild style, but RiRi looked regal in a sheer, red Azzedine Alaia gown and blinged out Neil Lane jewelry.

Expert says: “Rihanna is someone who bares a lot of skin pretty frequently, but something like this with a subtle open back was an elegant look,” says Mazurek.

Ranking: No. 3

Showstopper: Lady Gaga (2011)

The “Born This Way” singer knows how to make an entrance. She arrived in a giant egg and then hatched as part of her performance.

Expert says: "Definitely the most memorable red carpet entrance,” says Mazurek.

JASON MERRITT/GETTY IMAGESMadonna thinks like a man in a Ralph Lauren tux complete with top hat and cane.

Ranking: No. 4

Showstopper: Madonna (2014)

Madge wore a sexy fitted Ralph Lauren tuxedo to match her son David Banda. The Material Girl completed the sassy look with a tie, top hat, cane and gold grills.

Expert says: “It’s like Rock ‘N Roll Annie Hall,” says Mazurek. “It takes a lot of guts to do. It’s multiple pieces and the fit has to be immaculate.”

Ranking: No. 5

Showstopper: Beyonce (2014)

Fashion critics were crazy in love with Queen Bey’s stunning Michael Costello dress. The white lace and nude mesh underlay and fish-netting was entirely hand sewn with delicate flowers on the sleeves and an A-symmetrical mermaid silhouette bottom.

Expert says: “Flawless.”

JASON MERRITT/GETTY IMAGESSinger Katy Perry hit a high note in Valentiono during the 56th Grammy Awards.

Ranking: No. 6

Showstopper: Katy Perry (2014)

The California girl stunned in a sheer Valentino dress adorned with whimsical music notes. “Mr. Valentino knows me really well,” she said on the red carpet.

Expert says: “It was unexpected to see her covered up, but there’s a playful element [with the music notes] that’s done tastefully,” says Mazurek.

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WORST:

STRINGER/AFP/GETTY IMAGESSinger Cher’s chrome colored dress was a trainwreck at the 50th Grammy Awards making it our No. 1 worst dress in Grammy history.

Ranking: No. 1

Showstopper: Cher (2008)

Cher’s torn gray frock was fifty shades of unflattering.

Expert says: “Where does it end?” asks Mazurek. “It’s just too much material. Nothing was tailored right.”

Ranking: No.2

Showstopper: Cyndi Lauper (1984)

BARRY KING/WIREIMAGECyndi Lauper showed her true colors with a little too much Technicolor in 1984.

Lauper isn’t afraid to show her true colors, but she went too far when she sported technicolor hair, bright orange stockings and a fruit necklace .

Expert says: “Too much Technicolor for one red carpet,” says Mazurek.

GREGG DEGUIRESheryl Crow said it herself, “The first cut is the deepest.” We say this cutout went off the deep end.

Ranking: No. 3

Showstopper: Christina Aguilera (2001)

The pop princess looked like she was channeling “Pirates of the Caribbean” with braided golden locks, a high slit and cleavage.

Expert says: “ It’s a lot to look at,” Mazurek says.

Ranking: No. 4

Showstopper: Alicia Keys (2004)

The 15-time Grammy award winner appeared to be having an identity crisis when she paired blue jeans with an over-the-shoulder blue and white gown complete with a denim bracelet. Someone should have told Keys it was a red carpet, not casual Friday.

Expert says: “It was confusing, and a lot to look at. If you’re going to wear pants, go for a tux,” says Mazurek.

Ranking: No. 5

Showstopper: Sheryl Crow (2005)

If it makes you happy, it can’t be that bad — unless you’re Sheryl Crow in a yellow halter dress with a half-moon shaped cut out revealing your torso. Crow has killer abs, but the unflattering exposure looked more like a hungry paparazzo took a bite out of her couture.

Expert says: “Sew it back!” says Mazurek. “The cut of the dress, even though her body is so toned, didn’t accentuate the right places.”

Fashion designer Valentino takes Victorian artist's work to catwalk

From her studio in Daylesford, Stewart has spent many months working on abstract forms using solid and bold blocks of colour.

After building up strong interest in the Melbourne design community, her work has been eyed off by other labels in the past.

But Stewart waited for an opportunity that felt right.

Valentino was it.

A member of the label's menswear team stumbled upon her work in an online review and asked if she was interested in collaborating.

"Of course I was enormously excited," she said.

"The design and production team at Valentino have exceptional design skills and superb craftsmanship."

Valentino spent six months working the forms onto fabric for the men's fall/winter 2015-16 collection.

Last month Stewart was flown to Paris Fashion Week, where she saw the paintings transformed by masters of couture.

The 26-year-old who has always had an eye for fashion was stunned with the final result.

"The attention to detail with which they applied my paintings to the carpets, clothes and accessories was remarkable," she said.

"As a painter it was fantastic to see my works transformed in that context, to see how the painted image translated when given texture and form."

Esther grew up on a semi-rural property at Daylesford; a childhood she says continues to influence her creative mind.

"I spent a lot of time outside, climbing trees, riding horses and adventuring," she said.

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"Living away from the city has shaped the way that I experience space and my surroundings and continues to influence the way I think."

Her love of creating flourished while going to high school in Ballarat, where teachers opened her eyes to different and interesting forms of art.

"It was probably not until I started art school that I fully understood what it was to be an artist and developed my own sense of artistic practice," she said.

Along with meeting the Valentino team, seeing the retrospective exhibition of Jewish-French artist Sonia Delaunay was a highlight of the trip.

"She applied her abstract designs to paintings, clothing, architecture and furniture.

"Her skill, passion and determination was remarkable and is so present in her vibrant works.

"Her quote "abstract art is only important if it is the endless rhythm where the very ancient and the distant future meet" inspires me enormously."

While she has no major projects in the pipeline at this stage, she would like to create large-scale outdoor sculptures that relate to the buildings that surround them.

Three cheers for the ‘Fashion Police’

Kathy Griffin, gay news, Washington Blade

Fellow lovers of glam, glitz and celeb couture faux pas, rejoice! E!’s weekly dish fest “Fashion Police” is back with a new host — comedian and LGBT rights supporter Kathy Griffin — and returning co-hosts Giuliana Rancic and Kelly Osbourne, along with newcomer Brad Goreski. Griffin took over as host after Joan Rivers died in September.
Why do I, a poet and lesbian, unlikely to ever afford Versace, Tom Ford or any other haute couture, enjoy FP? Because, I’m my mother’s daughter. Growing up in southern New Jersey, I learned that fashion, celebs and gossip were entertaining. My Mom and I would leaf through Vogue, admiring the perfect dress or wonder why a star on a TV awards show was wearing that gown. After my time in the wilderness of dreary flannel shirts and drab jeans, I returned to the fold. In a world filled with poverty, war, bigotry and other horrors, “Fashion Police” is fun.
You don’t need to know about fabrics, hems or necklines to be a “Fashion Police” fan. But a campy sense of humor is a must to relish the show’s no-holds-barred barbs on celebrity style choices. Take human rights attorney and George Clooney’s wife Amal Clooney. Griffin pounced on the gloves she wore at the Golden Globes.
“I thought it was weird she had those gloves that remind me of, like, a porn scene, where the guy goes home and there’s the naughty dishwasher and she only has the gloves,” she said of Clooney. “I’ve been a fashion don’t for years,” Griffin joked about herself.
The “Fashion Police” gang loved “Orange is the New Black” star Laverne Cox, but described the Johanna Johnson dress she wore at the SAG awards as a “fail.”

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Sometimes, FP shows some un-snarky love. Joan Collins, 81, wowed them. Goreski told of once seeing Collins at a party. Wearing a cream suit, he said, Collins went into a car “which matched her dress.” And, Jennifer Aniston’s “real boobs in Gucci” were a hit.
Fashion is more than buzz and “boobs.”  The clothes in our closets often trigger poignant memories of our lives and times. “Worn Stories” by Emily Spivak is a compilation of writers, artists and fashion moguls reflecting on their clothes from jackets to skirts. Barney’s creative ambassador-at-large Simon Doonan, a contributor to the volume, told NPR what the “mirror-printed, fluorescent Lycra bicycle shorts” that he wore in the early 1980s meant to him.  “I used to wear them to Jane Fonda’s aerobics classes…when the AIDS epidemic was just really gathering terrifying momentum,” he said. “This piece of clothing holds both frivolity…and also an incredible reminder of this terrible dark period in the ‘80s.”
Celebs, “these living, walking sculptures,” don’t wear anything we’d ever shop for, Grace Cavalieri, host of the radio show “The Poet and the Poem from the Library of Congress,” emailed the Blade. “Clothes are an art form! They are works of the imagination,” Cavalieri, a “Fashion Police” fan, said. “Dreams spun into material … celebrities get to wear boxes on their heads and clothes made of soap bubbles.”
What do poets do on Mount Olympus? We obsess about love, sex, death and clothes. “I don’t wear brown and grey suits all the time/do, I?,” poet Frank O’Hara writes in his poem “My Heart,” “No. I wear workshirts to the opera/often.”
In her poem “What I Wore,” Cavalieri remembers a dress. “The sack dress was in style then/with a single strand of pearls … That’s why I wore it to my first poetry/contest in Philly.”
For the poetic 411 on hats, I turned to poet Clarinda Harriss. In her poem “The Tragedy of Hats,” she writes, “you can never see the one you’re wearing/no one believes the lies they tell/they grow to be more famous than you.”
Next week, I’ll be watching “Fashion Police,” wearing my tiara.

Designer Makes Paul McCarthy-Inspired Butt Plug Brooches for Fashion Week

Just when you thought fashion statements at Paris runway shows couldn't get more ridiculous (see Rick Owens's Penis-Out Runway Show Nods to Classical Sculpture and Van Gogh-Inspired Dresses at Viktor & Rolf Paris Show), Belgian designer Walter Van Beirdendonck unleashes his massive butt-plug brooches.

Known for making political statements on the catwalk, last year he sent headdresses adorned with the phrase "Stop Racism," Van Beirdendonch opted to put in his two cents about the recent Paris attacks (see 12 Killed at Magazine Previously Attacked for Satirical Cartoons) and the on-going debate on artistic censorship, touching upon the dialogue surrounding Paul McCarthy's enormous sculpture Tree (2014) that caused an uproar when it was installed in Paris's Place Vendôme because it resembled a butt-plug sex toy more than it did a Christmas tree. The sculpture was vandalized and subsequently taken down (see Vandalized Paul McCarthy Butt Plug Pulled from Paris Square).

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During Van Beirdendonck's Fall 2015 men's ready-to-wear presentation, the first look he sent down the runway was a sleeveless plastic tunic top that had the words "Stop Terrorising Our World." Shortly afterwards an array of orange, pink, yellow, and white variations of the butt-plug brooche appeared on the lapels of various models.

Interesting. But let's just hope this fashion statement won't inspire people to wear anal beads as necklaces.