Lesley Scott's Blog
Posted by Lesley Scott
For the 20 or so minutes that the average fashion show lasts, it’s pure glamour: thumping music drowns out the chatter of the excited fashion crowd as the house darkens and gorgeous creatures glide down the runway in quick succession, hair and makeup fixed just so, and the audience riveted by outfit after outfit striding by.
However, the months leading up to that half hour of theatre are stress-ridden and anything but glamourous. And Refinery29, an indie fashion-centric website, captures all the delicious mayhem on their newly-launched series The Countdown which runs through the start of New York Fashionweek (Wednesday, September 5th), with the final installment going live at the end of the week. "We wanted to work with designers who'd let us be a fly on the wall,” of Refinery29 creative director, Philippe von Borries, recently told WWD about following young, mostly underfunded designers including Alexander Wang, Jeremy Laing, Vena Cava, Rag & Bone, Karen Walker & Ruffian – following them on camera as they do everything from model castings to location scouting for the runway show. "Because they're independent, they don't have the same resources as more established designers. They're producing the best show they can on a shoestring."
Designed to provide an intimate, realistic perspective of what it takes to be a part of New York Fashionweek, participants were chosen for reasons other than having Project Runway-style larger-than-life personalities. "We wanted to capture different components of fashion week," explains Christine Barberich, Refinery29's editorial director. While capturing a meltdown on tape wasn’t ostensibly the purpose of the exercise, a little stress always makes for good marketing, in this case, the jittery tagline: "Six designers. Six studios. One feverish race to fashion week."
- via WWD
Posted by Lesley Scott
Yes the traditional big four fashionweek cities – New York, London, Milan, Paris – are hotbeds of indie (and not so) design, but increasingly, the most interesting new talent is to be found elsewhere. One of the best places is Gen Art, a tour de force for emerging visual artists, filmmakers, musicians, and upcoming fashion stars. Before they went mainstream, Zac Posen, Rebecca Taylor & Chaiken all had their fashionable roots nurtured by Gen Art. “Gen Art strives to provide access to the film, fashion, art and music worlds for those that are interested in these areas, but often are intimidated and made to feel unwelcomed by the exclusive nature of these art / entertainment realms,” they explain. As one of the leading arts & entertainment organizations devoted to showcasing emerging talent, they produce over 100 events annually – including a week-long film festival, DJ competitions, art exhibitions, multi-media events, and massive star-studded fashion shows.
At the 13th annual Fresh Faces in Fashion – the fourth held in San Francisco – eight new fashion and accessories designers will showcase their looks to a packed house at the Regency Center on Wednesday, August 22.
This year’s fashion designers include:
Accessories designers:
The Gen Art Fresh Faces in Fashion San Francisco kicks off a series of national Fresh Faces in Fashion shows that take place during the official fashionweeks in:
- New York (September 5)
- Chicago (October 9)
- Los Angeles (October 12).
As a whole, they are the largest set of emerging designer shows in the United States.
To stay abreast of what’s new, check out GenArt.com.
Posted by Lesley Scott
It’s good to be a member of the Chelsea Football Club in London – especially if you’re a fashionable fellow. After redoing the club’s director’s lounge with Armani Casa, the designer recently overhauled their off-field uniforms. "Chelsea F.C. has become known the world over for the quality of its game and the internationalism of its players who have become sporting icons," Armani recently told WWD (Armani’s Luxe Spin on Soccer, Monday, August 6, 2007).
Lucky fans in the UK can pick up the suits at Emporio Armani for just over $1,200, and know they’re wearing part of the new uniform, which includes:
- a single-breasted suit in navy
- Chelsea club tie
- blue cotton shirt
- polo shirt
- mock croc belt
- brown suede half boots
- matching knee-length cashmere formal coat
- nylon rain coat
This latest endeavor only adds to an ever-expanding empire that now boasts more than $2 billion in sales and includes a couture house, ready to wear, sportswear, shoes, denim, menswear & accessories, home furnishings, cosmetics, and more than 20 licensees (including Luxtottica-produced eyewear) and 250 stores worldwide selling products bearing the Armani name.
After dropping out of medical school and selling his Volkswagen to raise money, Armani launched his menswear line in 1974, followed the next year by womenswear. However, it wasn’t until 1980 that he bubbled up pop culture foodchain with American Gigolo, outfitting a dashing Richard Gere in his sleekly sexy suits. Designing the wedding attire for the TomKat circus last year also provided a huge PR bonanza, as do his periodic spats with Valentino and Donatella Versace.
- via WWD
Posted by Lesley Scott
No, believe it or not that’s not the phone book clogging up your mail box…it’s actually the brick-sized behemoth aka the September issue of your fave fashion magazine. With popular books such as American Vogue setting a new record for the most pages ever printed for a monthly, including a jaw-dropping 727 ad pages – part of an annual 16 percent increase to a record-breaking 2,297 ad pages which more than topped In Style’s 2,216 pages (representing a 7 percent decline annually) – supersizing is the hot new trend in print publishing.
Although Men's Health, Elle, W and Harper's Bazaar will all be showing off their biggest issues ever, titles like Lucky, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, Teen Vogue, and Maxim are all posting fewer pages – the flipside of the trend identified by Publishers Information Bureau. "That's all from one word — automotive," Rob Gregory, Maxim's group publisher, recently told WWD (September Fashion Issues Go Plus Sized, Friday, July 20, 2007).
Here’s how the print magazine field fared in terms of September ad pages:
SEPT 07: % CHANGE, YEAR-TO-DATE, % CHANGE
- Allure 209.3 ,12.3 ,1225, 13
- Cosmopolitan 191, -9, 1359, 4
- Elle 398, 8.4, 1734, 10
- Essence 136.9 ,0.6, 1004,.1, -0.1
- Glamour 285.5, 3.7, 1443, 13.5
- Harper's Bazaar 360, 16, 1316.1, 14
- In Style 396.4, 4.9, 2216.2, -6.8
- Lucky 279.3, -7.7, 1289, 1
- Marie Claire 168, -1.8, 974, 5.8
- Self 157, 2.6, 970, 7
- Vanity Fair 349.8, 5, 1466, 15.9
- Vogue 727, 16.2, 2296.6, 7.4
- W 477, 22, 1540, 12
- Women's Health 83.4, 54.5, 454.9, 49.1
- Seventeen 118.7, -10.4, 671.2, -8.5
- Teen Vogue 243.6, -10.3, 853.7, -5
- Best Life 93.7, 46.6, 369.1, 44.2
- Details 258.8, 1.6, 860.8, 6.3
- Esquire 154.5, 2.1, 725, -6.1
- GQ 331, 3.4, 1171, 2.4
- Maxim 102, -7, 609, -9
- Men's Health 155.4, 7.1, 791.6, 17.2
- Men's Journal 118.2, 22.4, 831.1, 16.5
- Men's Vogue 179.6, 9.8, 470.5, 72.7
- Stuff 65.1, -8, 456.9, -4
- via WWD
Posted by Lesley Scott
As president of Chloé, Mounir Moufarrige ousted A-list designer Karl Lagerfeld – a known quantity with a proven track record – and replaced him in 1997 with the highly controversial choice of Stella McCartney…a 25 year old upstart then known only for being the daughter of a Beatle. Now as president & CEO of Emanual Ungaro, his most recent housecleaning efforts have cost designer Peter Dundas his job.
Since Asim Abdullah, an entrepreneur in the high-tech business purchased the house from the Ferragamo Group in 2005, the same year Ungaro himself retired from the design house he founded in 1965, the top design job has yet to find its long-term match. And insider gossip revealed a rift between management and Dundas on the creative direction of Ungaro. His most recent Fall 2007 collection was a sparkly Studio 54-ready collection, replete with a white Bianca Jagger pantsuit, a single-shouldered sparkly mini, sexily short puffer jackets and completely luscious white hooded fur. (CLICK HERE for photos of the show & the Fashiontribes runway review.)
Undeniably hip and modern, yes, but true to the spirit of the impeccable, elegant Ungaro? Questionable.
Both sides issued the usual bland press statements – Ungaro: "We thank him for his contribution and we remain fully committed to continuing the legacy of the house." Dundas: "I want to thank the House of Ungaro and say I am proud to have worked alongside the wonderfully talented people there and wish the company continued success.” – and it may be some time before the replacement is named, as Moufarriage has a reputation for remaining unruffled & unhurried. In the mean time, the in-house team will continue to prepare for the upcoming Spring 2007 shows in September. "There's a great team in the studio working," noted Moufarriage.
- via WWD
