The Buzz: Aussie Kiosk sets up in LA, and the style standouts at the Venice Film Festival

The Buzz: Australian designers take on Los Angeles, Hedi Slimane make first changes at Celine, and red carpet standouts at the Venice Film Festival

Claire Foy’s pink and red ensemble.

It’s our last day to breathe easy before fashion month starts up once again, with New York Fashion Week kicking off the spring show schedule tomorrow. Even when desk-bound and not on the ground, Buzz is in need of extra caffeine (and eyeballs) to take in everything from the fashion capitals.

But also launching tomorrow, this time in Los Angeles, is a month-long celebration of Australian fashion. The Aussie Kiosk is testing the warm LA waters for the first time, with a focus on 14 brands that best embody the lifestyle of the sun-drenched US city. That covers athleisure (We Are Handsome), sunglasses (Pared), wellness (WelleCo), swim and resort (Double Rainbouu, Fella Swim), as well as unique accessories (State of Escape, Holly Ryan, Buck Palmer) and fashion (Acler, Mathys Sinclair). The initiative is an extension of the Designers Abroad program established by the Australian Fashion Council, which previously has set up showrooms during Paris and New York fashion weeks.

AFC international director Courtney Miller says there are great alignments between Australia and LA in terms of lifestyles and design. “Australian fashion is flourishing with a unique take on design which incorporates our lifestyle, landscape and cosmopolitan perspective,” she adds. “It’s such an exciting time to be able to bring this to LA and reach out directly to Californian consumers who have a similar style.” The event is based at the Platform LA in Culver City, between West Hollywood and Venice Beach.

The biggest news ahead of the shows is the October debut in Paris of Hedi Slimane as creative director at Celine. Buzz is not the only one concerned at what the house will become, having been a very female-focused brand under his predecessor, Phoebe Philo, who left in December to take some time out from the industry.

Slimane’s first missile, this week, is to redesign the Celine logo — dropping the acute accent on the first “e” and bringing it more in line with the logo from the 1960s. It’s the same ploy he used when he took over at Yves Saint Laurent, quickly dropping the “Yves” and aligning the brand name with its ready-to-wear segment from the 60s as Saint Laurent.

He has previously declared that “fashion = music + youth + sex”, and the classic Saint Laurent vibe was quickly replaced with an 80s-inspired aesthetic that was heavy on the latter. After Philo’s chic, female-centric aesthetic at Celine, here’s hoping Slimane doesn’t do the same to this house. Lady Gaga is said to have unveiled his first piece for the brand, a rather restrained black leather handbag, at the Venice film festival last week (she was also the first to wear his designs for Saint Laurent), so perhaps not all hope is lost. But the proof will be on the catwalk.

Speaking of Venice, let’s finish up with a look at some of the winners on the red carpet at the festival. La Gaga was triumphant in a spectacular explosion of pink feathers from Valentino, and Armani Prive has been busy dressing Cate Blanchett (below left) and more in Old Hollywood glamour. Buzz favourite Tilda Swinton has been another standout, especially in a ruff-necked red gown, and her Schiaparelli leopard-print ensemble that included matching gloves and heels. Another Buzz pick was Claire Foy (below right) in a pink-and-red Valentino pairing — not only a favourite colour combination but, should the evening air get chilly, that overlay can double as a wrap.