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
Posted by Lesley Scott
Miuccia Prada recently designed two special cyber-punk costumes for one lucky Japanese anime character, Deunan Knute, the heroine of Shinji Aramaki’s animated Appleseed: Ex Machina. Based on Masamune Shirow’s comic series, it depicts a future where humans are warring with their clones, the bioroids. "Watching the previous Appleseed,'I thought that the expression of contrast in man and machine, violence and love was wonderful," the designer recently said at a press conference about the prequel, Appleseed, known for its innovative use of 3D Live Animation –a cutting edge blend of conventional cell- and computer-animation. "I designed something contemporary that matches the movie's feelings."
Interestingly, as WWD pointed out, the movie appeared connected to her Fall 2006 Metropolitan Armor collection in which discarded the prim look she helped usher in a few seasons prior. Replacing her perfectly groomed 50s lady was an intellectual-looking student type, off to a graduate seminar in politics clad in short sweater dresses made from somber gray chunky knits. “There was no mistaking the new attitude that was unleashed at Prada for fall,” Style.com wrote about the collection. “It charged out of the gate, looking young, angry, sexy, and serious—and dressed to tackle real life. 'I'm tired of being so sweet,' declared Miuccia Prada. 'We women should go back to strength—and the sober side. Stop trying to appeal to everyone, and go out into the world.'"
After Toei Co. releases the Appleseed: Ex Machina in Japan on October 20, Warner Home Video will be distributing the movie in 90 countries.
- via WWD
Posted by Lesley Scott
The Rule Breakers is the theme of the next Night of Stars gala on October 25th in NYC, for which the Fashion Group International has anointed Jean Paul Gaultier as the belle of the ball. At NYC’s swanky Cipriani 42nd Street, Gaultier will receive the Superstar Award in honor of his many decades of challenging the fashion mainstream…a typically all-black clad cabal (literally & figuratively) which could really use a healthy challenge every now and then.
Gaultier established and cemented his reputation as the “bad boy” of the fashion world with his eponymous design house which turned 30 this year, sticking men in skirts for one collection, in another sending fabulously politically incorrect Hasidic Chic down the runway complete with sidelocks attached to the models’ temples. He has also outfitted eyebrow-raising rocker Marilyn Manson, designed the wardrobe for Peter Greenaway’s shocking & surreal The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, and of course, put Madonna into the infamous cone bra costume for her 1990 Blonde Ambition tour. "Jean Paul Gaultier embodies the spirit of this year's event," Margaret Hayes, FGI's president, told WWD. "His rule-breaking design philosophy has secured him a unique place in fashion and identifies him as a true superstar." (Previous recipients have included Burt Tansky, Valentino, Giorgio Armani, Donna Karan, Suzy Menkes, Tom Ford and the Lauder family.)
Even Gaultier’s training was less than orthodox; the self-taught 18-year old sent sketches to Pierre Cardin who hired him as an assistant in 1970, later noting: "From your first collection in 1976, you have challenged the criteria of taste and bad taste.You have shocked, troubled and irritated while enjoying yourself clouding the issue with an ambivalent and interchangeable wardrobe." (SAWF News) Or, as Time Magazine more succinctly put it way back in 1984: “clothes for yucks and clothes for bucks”.
- via WWD
Posted by Lesley Scott
The typical Oscar de la Renta fashion client is awash in old money and inherited jewelry, and the rest of us will probably never (realistically) be able to afford much of anything Oscar. However, starting in August, fashionistas from all walks of the economic spectrum will be able to drape themselves in some de la Renta, courtesy of the new budget-friendly O Oscar line of fashion jewelry lauching at Macy's in the affordable $35 to $250 range. "We see jewelry as another way for a woman to [express] herself," said Eliza Bolen, creative director of licensing for Oscar de la Renta recently told WWD about the new line, produced by NYC’s Haskell Jewels Ltd., the NYC firm behind Jennifer Lopez’s justsweet line and Betsey Johnson jewelry. "We all like to accessorize. It's another dimension, another fashion item you can put on." Agrees Haskell’s COO, Gabrielle Fialkoff, "It seems to be a trend. You're seeing costume on the runway. With statement jewelry, nothing gets more attention."
An extension of the trend transforming mere fashion designers into arbiters of the stylish life – where fashion clients can now dress in, live with & accessorize with items designed by their fave designers - the new line of O Oscar costume jewelry mirrors the Oscar de la Renta aesthetic: extremely feminine and sophisticated.
First year sales of the line are projected at an estimated $2 million (wholesale), and looks will include a multi-chain necklace dripping with branches of black coral, a bracelet made from links of resin with gray and white pearls inset, quilted fabric, and the letter “O” in script.
- via WWD
Posted by Lesley Scott
Bitten by Sarah Jessica Parker for the American discount chain Steve & Barry’s, Sweetface by Jennifer Lopez, handbags & shoes by Jessica Simpson, Madonna for H&M, Chick by Nicky Hilton, Kate Moss for Top Shop, Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen at Walmart. “These celebrity clothing lines are being done for publicity. It’s all about how much hype can be got from the launch,” George Davis – the man behind George at Asda, Per Una (Marks & Spencer), and Next – recently noted in a speech at De Montfort University in Leicester, mirroring the opinion of many in the fashion business (including those who enjoy blogging about it) that celebs playing designer shortchanges the fashion-buying public. “If you look at the past instances of celebrity designs, they don’t create anything that survives the test of time.”
But is the celeb-as-designer trend really as harmful as many fashion insiders seem to feel?
While the actual design value of much what these celebs are promoting is – without question – questionable, the intense focus on the products themselves misses the broader context: making the market for fashion more democratic & accessible. Instead of it being too expensive or too intimidating for the unwashed masses, and limited only to an elite group of well-heeled fashionistas, using celebrities to attract the attention and purchasing power of the public at large actually opens up the market to a wider array of opinions, consumers, and pricepoints. People who would be priced out of the end of the market created by legitimate designers – marked by $1200 handbags and $5000 ensembles – can afford to play when they are encouraged to participate and nothing is priced over $20 (Bitten).
The result is that the fashion industry can grow and become more lucrative. As more consumers pay attention to fashion and start spending, the more robust the fashion industry as a whole becomes. Myriad players benefit from the designers themselves – there are now a lot more jobs available so they can pay their bills as designers rather than waiting tables – all the way up (down?) to the fashion editors and writers; because there are now so many more readers with different interests, there is not only a much broader readership to serve, which means additional revenue from advertising, but there are more opportunities for niche publications and new, unique, and individual editorial voices.
Posted by Lesley Scott
If you’ve ever wondered just who can afford those pricey threads, $800 sandals, and bags with four-figure pricetags in glossy fashion mags – well, they’re reading W magazine and enjoying an annual household income in excess of $100,000 (which is up 26 percent compared with last spring). Mediamark Research recently reported that the W reader’s median household income of $104,057 is the highest for female readers, followed by $87,013 for readers of Lucky magazine. "If you don't have a lot of money, you won't be happy reading this magazine," Sandy Golinkin, Lucky's vice president and publisher recently told WWD, explaining that their own research indicated their readers wanted more-more-more goodies with luxury pricetags. "We've always said we have more affluent readers than most people expect."
And the rest of the pack? Here’s how they stacked up in terms of the median household incomes of their women readers:
- W $104,057 (up 26 percent from spring ’06)
- Lucky $87, 013
- Harper’s Bazaar $76,873 (up 33 percent)
- InStyle $75,922
- Elle $70,509 (up almost 11 percent)
- Jane $69,519
- Vogue $65,074 (up 11 percent)
- Allure $63,768
- Glamour $61,327
- Marie Claire $59,673
- Cosmopolitan $55,401
- Town & Country $54,406 (less than 1 percent)
What’s surprising is how handily breezy Lucky trumped “serious” fashion book Vogue. However, according to a study they recently conducted, a shift is taking place culturally. The results will be released as “Feminine Model of Influence”.
- via WWD
Posted by Lesley Scott
While her ascent to indie movie goddess may have seriously stalled after Ghost World and Lost in Translation, Scarlett Johansson seems to be following in the footsteps of Chloe Sevigny as a well-paid fashion personality. In addition to helping design & shill a line of “glamourous sporty leisurewear” for Reebok (no, it’s not designed to actually be exercised in), she is once again the face of Louis Vuitton.
While the spring print ads had her festooned with floral hair adornments and coquettishly – and somewhat unrecognizably – frolicking a swing, fall has her in more believable movie star mode a la Grace Kelly & Marilyn Monroe, luxuriating on divans against a lush background of curtains. "In this one, she's much more recognizable," explains Antoine Arnault, head of PR for Louis Vuitton – and son of Bernard Arnault, chairman of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton – about the campaign which was shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. (Notably absent from the shoot was the label’s designer, Marc Jacobs, thanks to a repeat stint in rehab.) "It's probably one of the most beautiful campaigns Mert and Marcus have ever shot. It's a very iconic campaign,” noting that Jacobs “adores” the actress and produced a fall collection replete with “rich, earthy palette and feminine glamour” inspired by her role in as a 17th century Dutch peasant in Girl With a Pearl Earring about the most famous painting of artist Johannes Vermeer.
However, the most interesting aspect of the Vuitton campaign is the breathtaking amount of money insiders guestimate Vuitton drops each year on advertising: $250+ million.
- via WWD
Posted by Lesley Scott
By sponsoring the recent Poiret exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, “Poiret: King of Fashion”, Balenciaga is paying back a lifelong design debt to the French master. "It's known in psychiatry circles that people who are bipolar see affinities where they don't exist,” exhibition co-curator, Harold Koda, recently told WWD. “I had my bipolar moment when I was looking at Myra Walker's Balenciaga exhibition in Dallas and I kept seeing Poiret."
Koda noted that both designers were enamored with a variety of the same silhouettes – cocoon coats, trousers, boots and dresses – and contends that it wasn’t Cristóbal Balenciaga but Poiret who was actually responsible for inventing the sackdress, the chemise and the sheath. And even today, Poiret continues to influence the house of Balenciaga through its creative director, Nicolas Ghesquière. "I will definitely be [influenced] and I'm sure I won't be the only one. You look at this incredible work he did. It's a real luxury to see the fabric. It was really fascinating to go through the collection.”
In total, the 50 looks on display cover the years 1905 to 1925, exploring the oriental influences on the designer and his artistic talent, collaborating with Georges Lepape, Raoul Dufy and Paul Iribe. "Poiret saw himself as more of an artist than a designer, and throughout his career, he positioned himself as an artist whose medium of expression was fashion, and he would often collaborate with artists," says Bolton. As one of the first to launch a line of fragrance – dubbed Rosine after his beloved daughter who was, in turn, named for his favorite bloom, the rose – he was also famed for his party-throwing skills. At the legendary “Thousand and Second Night” costume bash in 1911 for 300 people…who were turned away at the door or made to change into one of Poiret’s exotic costumes deemed in keeping with the Arabian Nights theme.
Sadly, though, for the giant size of his artistic legacy, he hit upon tough financial times, dying penniless in 1944, outshone by “it” designers of the day Chanel and Patou.
Posted by Lesley Scott
"My look is about an appreciation of teenage angst without actually having the angst," offbeat fashion designer Rick Owens recently told WWD about his signature “glamour-meets-Goth” design aesthetic. As the newest winner of the Target-sponsored National Design Award, Owens was chosen over Phillip Lim & Narciso Rodriguez for this year’s prize; past winners of the eight-year old award include Tom Ford (the first recipient in the category of fashion), fashion indie Maria Cornejo, Yeohlee Teng, and the team of Isabel and Ruben Toledo (respectively a well-respected “designer’s designer” & a renowned illustrator, known for his quirky style & his work on the Daily Candy website).
The purpose of the NDA is to reward innovative design, and Owens is in esteemed company:
- Communications Design: Chip Kidd – book jacket design
- Architecture Design: Office dA of Boston
- Interior Design: Lewis.Tsurumaki.Lewis
- Landscape Design: Peter Walker
- Product Design: Apple Inc.'s Jonathan Ive
- Corporate Achievement: Adobe Systems Inc.
- Design mind: Venturi, Scott and Brown Assoc.
The architect Antoine Predock will be presented with a lifetime achievement award, and author Francis D.K. Ching will receive a special jury commendation.
Interestingly, this year’s NDA jury – which included Yeohlee Teng & Tim Gunn, (formerly of Project Runway & now creative director at Liz Claiborne) – recently even held a roundtable to discuss the process they went through to select the winners. The NDA ceremony will occur during National Design Week (October 14-20) at the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum’s annual gala on October 18.
- via WWD
Posted by Lesley Scott
"The idea for 'Gothic & Lolita' came about after many years of visiting Japan and seeing firsthand the incredible energy of street fashion in both Tokyo and Osaka," Mark Sanders, a consulting editor at Phaidon, recently told WWD about their latest streetfashion book. "What often seemed on an immediate level 'bizarre' cultural excess has in fact its own internal set of rules and logic."
From lacy Victoriana, to wigs, voluminous tulle skirts, and merry widows, “Gothic & Lolita” depicts the slavish devotion of young Tokyo and Osaka fashionistas to the modern medieval look. "The Gothic and Lolita scene first came in existence in the late Nineties with the explosion of visual kei bands, Japanese rock bands who were characterized by their New Romantic clothing and makeup. But in the decade since then, the scene has taken on a life of its own. Gothic fashion fuses with Lolita style to create this interesting hybrid, which is so Japanese. They take Western culture and put their own personalized spin on it. It is as if you are looking at codes of your own culture regurgitated back at you, a new form of global pop culture for the masses."
Interestingly, the book of photos by Masayuki Yoshinaga features scant explanatory text, other than what the subject is into and how they describe their fashion viewpoint. “And these prove to be as arbitrary as the emergence of the trend itself. For instance, Yuka, age 18, teams crochet tights with a dress of graffiti patchwork motifs, and lists her own funeral as a fashion inspiration, and fermented beans as her current obsession.” Other creative types rock the “Byronic Goth” look, such as Rose and Giggles, 26 & 32 respectively, one rocking a lacy gown replete with ruffles, and the other a corseted Victorian shirt. "They look so great, a mixture of fantasy with a literary edge," he said. "The girl even has the melting clock face painted on the side of her head, [with] memories of Dali. There are not many other youth cultures in the world that are alive to the past. It reminds you of the Punk attitude of the Seventies in London, a time when bands could reference Dostoyevsky and get away with it."
Available at Amazon.com.
- via WWD
Posted by Lesley Scott
In the upcoming May 4 issue, Time will release their third annual list of the most influential group of actors, politicians, writers, scientists and designers. While it’s sometimes mistaken for an honor, the list is compiled based on how someone is effecting change in the world & their influence – for better or worse. The 20 people (or pairs or small groups) within each of five categories - Leaders & Revolutionaries, Builders & Titans, Artists & Entertainers, Scientists & Thinkers, and Heroes & Icons – wielding the most influence are selected. As a sign of the times, the magazine has included a heavyweight fashion component in their choices, including the Lanvin designer, models-turned-entrepreneurs Kate Moss & Tyra Banks, and LVMH bigwig Bernard Arnault.
A-listers like Natalie Portman, Naomi Wolf, and Harvey Weinstein were all drafted to pen profiles of those being honored. Regarding Arnault, Weinstein has this to say: "He appreciates the power of art to improve and shape every area of our culture, including fashion, business, real estate and politics….I once innocently asked Bernard why he was skipping a formal reception after [John] Galliano's Dior show in Paris. He responded that he had other priorities, the first of which was rushing home to cheer on France in the World Cup.”
While the Time editors ostensibly choose the list based on talent, power, and contribution to the world, what we, the people have to say is a different matter; it’s interesting to note that the Top 5 most influential people, in order, are currently Stephen Colbert, Shigeru Miyamoto, J.K. Rowling, Sidney Crosby, and Bono - a testament to the alluring power of pop culture if ever there was one.
- via WWD
Posted by Lesley Scott
Monkey Queen, the founder of Freewill Fashions, is producing her first solo fashion exhibition featuring a wide array of vintage garments worn in unusual ways - nightgowns as eveningwear, lingerie as daywear, tops worn as pants and skirts, vintage aprons & retro dresses worn backwards. Guests will be treated to fun looks, along with a dose of goodwill. "The goal is to stimulate viewers, young and old, to want to create their own fashions in their own creative way. This is the sole purpose of the program, and I would like to see this trend, hopefully using old garments and accessories, spread around the world---in order to reverse this destructive "buy and discard" mentality," explains her simian highness. "First, I would like to save women from spiritual, cultural, and financial bankruptcy. Second, I would like to restore environmental integrity to stop the demise of wonderful species that share this planet with us. When we stop consumption of all things, we will see the quality of our life improves instead of decreases."
* WHAT: Live and Dress Inside Out, Upside Down and Backward New Age fashion exhibition
* WHEN: April 19th - Sunday, April 29th 7-9 pm
* WHERE: Chashama, 217 East 42nd Street
* COST: $20 opening night; $5 all other days from 12-6pm
Posted by Lesley Scott
It’s a brave new Internet world and the traditional fashion press machine seems either to not have grasped that concept, or would simply prefer to ignore it.
US budget chain Steve & Barry's recently launched the press blitz for the new "Bitten Sarah Jessica Parker" line, promising an exclusive preview of the line to Oprah and other traditional long-line media outlets. However, the new Fashionista blog (edited by Elizabeth Spiers, the founding editor of Gawker.com) published photos intended for print publications, and a fashion tempest erupted. Steve & Barry’s legal eagles contacted Fashionista to remove the pix, which they did - but by that time other blogs had already begun reposting them, making them widely reposted & easily accessible. One such blog, the widely read & influential The Budget Fashionista obtained the pix circulating in the public domain, and ran them with a less than glowing review.
Steve & Barry's attorneys contact TBF, explaining the photos were "wrongfully obtained" from a password protected area of the Bitten site not open to the public, and they need to be taken down. Not only did TBF not sneak photos off a site illegally, but it’s time for the traditional media to wake up: this is the age of the Internet, and once the fashionable cat is out of the bag, it's out. Times have changed. If exclusivity was that important, they should never have put them on the web, sending them instead as a CD or DVD-ROM instead of being so clueless.
Interestingly, fashion firms crave coverage of their products from the blogs because they are so widely & enthusiastically read by a loyal readership; however, they tend to forget that unlike traditional magazines with a specific "voice" and a faceless masthead, bloggers are real people - with real opinions (which companies could probably benefit from) – as are their readers, who love to share their opinions and comments. "I always thought SJP had great personal style, now I see she had a great personal stylist!" reads one comment on the Fashionista blog, reports WWD. "They look a lot like those clothes she modeled for those Gap ads she did a while back, especially those cuffed jeans!" As a prominent fashion blogger, it’s particularly irksome when certain large & influential PR firms (who shall remain nameless to protect the guilty) send bloggers hard-sell pitches, but then refuse to give any of us a decent seat at one of their fashion shows during Fashionweek, or even invite any of us to fancy product launches or events, limiting the invite list to (dinosaur) print editors only.
Unlike the blogs, long-line media is beholden to their roster of advertisers; it's specious (on their part) to talk about their "editorial" content, when in truth, it should probably come with an "advertorial" warning label.
Posted by Lesley Scott
Ever since WWD reported more than two years ago about the possibility, the designer has yet to either deny or act on the rumors. "With [a contemporary line], you can really design for a wider demographic,” Posen recently told WWD. Although a fave of indie actresses and downtown scenesters (much like party-boy Posen), his market is somewhat limited to the Hollywood A-list types like Demi Moore, Rebecca Gayheart and Rachel Bilson in the front row at his recent presentation of an exclusive 15 look collection for 2007 at Chateau Marmont. “You can build your top line up, and I feel that I can be even more creative. It's faster turnover. It's like MTV. No, it's like YouTube."
The president of Zac Posen, Barry Miguel, added fuel to the rumor fire, adding: "It won't be simply a level down from the collection. It will have its own look and identity. L.A. is becoming a bigger market for us, but it's still been slower to grow here, I think because it's so casual and our clothes are more dressy. But we want to reach that contemporary customer, too."
Posted by Lesley Scott
If it seems to free to be true, it is.
Fashion designer Helmut Lang saved the myriad thankyou notes - for freebies! - sent to him over the years, from his high profile circle of friends & acquaintances, and then decided to publish them as a miniature “art” book. The letters appear as tiny copies the size of a postage stamp in an art-project book supplement to Purple, an avant garde French fashion mag.
Quentin Tarantino raves about Lang's threads, while Anna Wintour is grateful for his friendship. Cate Blanchett praises his brilliance, while Ellen Degeneres & Marc Jacobs both thank him for invites to his show...and decline. And Carine Roitfeld gives gratitude for her handcuff!
It's odd, but still cool in a weird way.
Posted by Lesley Scott
Submit your fave salad recipe in Wish-Bone's What's Your Salad Style? contest by April 9th for a chance to win a trip for two to NYC to see it appear in a salad fashion show, where models clad in crisp couture will make a splash in "fabrics" that include lettuce for lace, tomatoes for taffeta, and carrots for cashmere!
Two lucky winners will also receive a $500 shopping spree and have their creations featured in People Magazine's Best Dressed issue in September. Entries will be based on the following criteria:
1. creativity of written statement (50%)
2. originality of recipe ingredients (30%)
3. suitability of ingredients for an actual fashion design (20%).
"Not only is salad the star of on the runway of our fashion show but it's also the star of a nutritious and balanced diet," says Dana Emery, Marketing Director of Wish-Bone dressings, about the contest which celebrates their newest Salad Spritzers spray-on vinaigrette dressings. "Our newest flavors of Salad Spritzers offer even more delicious ways for people to enjoy their vegetables every day. With just one or two calories per spray, they are the perfect portion-control tool." (Tasty new flavors include Caesar Delight, French Flair, Raspberry Bliss and Asian Silk.)
2nd Annual What's Your Salad Style? Contest:
- ENTRY DEADLINE: April 9th
- REQUIREMENTS: Completed online entry form; your salad recipe; your fave flavor of Wish-Bone Salad Spritzers Vinaigrette Dressing; 100 words or less about how your salad recipe reflects your personal style
- 2 WINNERS RECEIVE: their ensemble on the runway & a trip to NYC May 16-19, 2007 to cheer it on in person; a $500 style shopping spree; an appearance of the fabulous outfit in People Magazine's Best Dressed issue in September
- FASHION SHOW IN NYC: May 17th
- FOR MORE INFO & TO ENTER: http://www.wish-bone.com/
Posted by Lesley Scott
The Grays return to St. John has insiders wondering for how long. Marie is consulting on the more technically-based issues of fit ("We already have a great design team. I'm just fine-tuning and adding some 45 years of 'Done that' and 'Tried that.'"), Kelly is doling out styling advice. Kelly is probably best known – and much missed! – as the willowy blonde star of the company’s delightfully cheesy print ad campaign that ran for years, featuring her living the good life, lounging on speed boats in exotic locales surrounded by a bevy of buff shirtless beefcake, walking a jaguar-type exotic big cat, or lounging languorously (again, with beefcake).
According to the senior Gray, her return to St. John will end once they find a CEO. "The search still continues, but I'm not ready to talk a lot about that. I can say that I am consulting in a lot of areas and spending a significant amount of time doing that — hopefully, less time in the future, as my golf game is suffering," she recently told WWD. "I want to continue to do that as well because I enjoy it, as much as the creative work at St. John and the technical parts of the creative work that are involved in the product. I also have a home life and a charity life, so it's definitely a challenge, but it keeps me out of trouble."
Posted by Lesley Scott
3.1 Phillip Lim is officially this season’s New York fash “it” designer. Almost as soon as his ¾ sleeve white tunic with tone-on-tone fabric roses made its way down the Spring 2007 runway, fashionistas were preordering it from Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Barneys New York. According to WWD, the dress was sold out both times it was ordered, and now it’s finally arriving in the flesh (fabric?) this week.
Although a tank variation is planned for summer, fashionistas with a trigger can finger can preorder one, before the preorder lists close…so act fast!
Posted by Lesley Scott
The multi-talented Jovovich half behind the fashion cult dress line Jovovich-Hawk recently performed at Bobin’o in Paris to celebrate the launch of the capsule collection of dresses Jovovich-Hawk is doing for the Euro fast-fashion chain, Mango.
The line will be in stores on U.S. tax day, April 15, and everyone’s fave Parisian hipster Lou Doillon will be starring in the advertising campaigns.
And come fall, WWD also reports that Jovovich-Hawk will be doing a line accessories for Mango.
Posted by Lesley Scott
When the New York post cleverly dubbed the "Tribute" a "High Fashion Frankenbag" - they were tapping into a vein of increasing headscratching & outrage at the escalation of prices and commensurate decrease in design quality in the market for ritzy bags.
Many fashionistas no long blink an eye at increasingly common $1,500+ (!) pricetags, but charging more than $40,000 for something that resembles a child's afternoon spent cutting up old LV bags & piecing them back together just because - well that seems almost like a deliberate thumb in the eye of loyal customers. Apparently the bag was designed by a team of LV execs and Creative Director, Marc Jacobs...who recently went back into rehab (again), meaning the "Tribute" was designed pre-rehab...which could go a long way to explaining things.
Posted by Lesley Scott
Even though bright colors and cheery florals are a big story for spring & summer, many fashionistas from the big city continue to cling to black-black-black.
However, a good first step to hopping on the trend is an accessory. Try some dangly earrings with a flower design, or perhaps a charm- or chunky-bead bracelet, or ring for an easy was to bring on the color. Fabric covered wedges or flats are another easy method of injecting color...without the physical recoiling that so much concentrated color has been known to induce in black clad hipsters. (Fortunately, extended exposure to colors & prints helps the condition to lessen & eventually disappear.)
Eventually, work your way up to a breezy floral tunic over skinny jeans or slouchy-chic shorts, and then eventually a sweet sundress in a garden print. And enjoy being an all-out (& unapologetic) girlie girl.
Posted by Lesley Scott
Now that Mother Earth is becoming a hot topic, fashionistas everywhere have surfaced as eco do-gooders. Lancôme recently teamed up Carbonfund.org – a non-profit dedicated to reducing our carbon footprint – in the launch of its new Primordiale Cell Defense & Skin Perfecting Serum (in stores in June). Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann, a spokesperson for Lancôme – and daughter of Isabella Rossellini – was responsible for the unlikely matchup. "Lancôme has given me an incredible opportunity to share my interest and passion for the environment," Rossellini Wiedemann recently told WWD. "And Carbonfund.org is such an amazing organization, which is doing so much good." Lancôme plans to plant 10,000 trees for each of the first 10,000 bottles sold stateside. "It's easy to feel overwhelmed when you think about global warming," says model/actress Shalom Harlow, who is also a Lancôme spokesperson. "Something like this makes you realize every individual can make a difference."
On the fashion front, designer Linda Loudermilk is doing her bit to make eco chic. Her recent Fall 2007 show in New York was sponsored in part by Lexus Hybrid Living, and inspired by the "rock starts of nature" – icebergs. "Life on this planet is changing, humanity is morphing to a new age," notes Loudermilk about her collection. "The ice bodies in the artic, where few humans go, are silently coming apart, floating aimlessly, melting. Things are almost too hot to handle. But through this crisis of global warming, hope emerges."
Translated into fashion, that means a stunning collection of winter white & icy blue dresses with faceted, watermelon-sized sleeves; shiny fringe trim crafted from (of all things) human hair; tailored, of-the-moment neck-to-floor length skirt suits made from organic wool jersey, bamboo wool & rice paper wool; wood pulp stitching details; and sexy rockstar-worthy ensembles in paper wool tweed with recycled silver accessories. Obviously making a statement about fashion & business with her choice of materials, Loudermilk adds: "Fashion changes the way one feels. Even better when it changes the way we treat our environment. Trees are treated kindly, icebergs are revered, not melted, seaweed is used en masse to heal, milk knit is a healthy ingredient, we cover our carbon footprint. Nature is reinventing itself. We morph. Change is inevitable."
Posted by Lesley Scott
Using sophisticated visual search technology, the site combs through millions of blouses, dresses, jackets, footwear, maternity, sunglasses and accessories from 350 affiliate merchants – including lizclaiborne.com, Bloomingdale's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, A|X Armani Exchange and eBay - and provides a range of alternatives. "You can fully dress yourself now, on Like," Munjal Shah, the CEO recently told WWD. Part of the way the site earns its 10 to 15 percent commission on the purchase price, or, alternatively, 40 to 50 cents per click, is the high quality of the search results. Unlike typical text-based search, Like.com’s image recognition creates a "visual signature" for each of their celeb photos from Getty Image made up of 10,000 data points. Search can easily be modified to focus on specific details of an outfit such as color, shape or trim.
In the future, Like.com plans to let people upload their own photos, a feature which David Polinchock , CEO of New York thinktank Brand Experience Lab - which studies how new technologies affect consumers’ perceptions about brands – predicts will be phenomenally successful. "I see someone walk down the street and I say, 'I like those glasses.' We all do this." Now, with a simple snap of a digital camera, it will be easy to find a similar pair online. Unlike many new technologies which expect users to conform to it – what Polinchock dubs a "hammer looking for a nail" approach – Like.com will be taking advantage of behavior we already do in the real world: people watching & product lust. "It's a democratization of fashion," notes Polinchock, about this user content generated approach. "One of the fascinating things to me is that this didn't come from retail. You would have thought that some fashion-forward retailer would have thought of it."
Posted by Lesley Scott
Fashion insider fave Roland Mouret is launching RM, a high-end collection that will show at the same time as the Fall 2007 couture shows in Paris in July. A partnership with Simon Fuller of 19 Entertainment – the one to blame for "Pop Idol" and the Spice Girls, the line doesn’t bear Mouret’s name because it’s still owned by Mouret’s former partners, Sharai and Andre Meyers. The RM capsule collection will be aimed at the market that buys Lanvin, Balenciaga and Chanel.
"This collection of no more than 21 looks will focus on signature silhouettes and key pieces that I believe women demand. I want to celebrate women with this collection – they are my greatest source of inspiration," Mouret recently told WWD about the line of seasonless tailored dresses, jackets, coats, skirts, tops and pants.
"The idea of this satellite collection is for me to be able to express the most concentrated vision of my ideas of dressing women, and to deliver that vision to them in the shortest time possible." During New York’s Fashionweek in February, Bergdorf Goodman will be selling a special limited edition wool dress by the designer – there are only 36 frocks total – and every one of the labels bears the designer’s signature.
Following a successful partnership designing a capsule collection for GAP’s European market, Mouret’s star appears to be on the rise again. "The world is our oyster," he notes about his new partnership. "We have no limits, and we'll be looking at fashion from a new angle."
Posted by Lesley Scott
Just as her JLO by Jennifer Lopez is being yanked from department and specialty stores amid ongoing questions about whether she actually wears – or is even involved – in the brand she launched in 2001, Lopez is now launching its replacement: justsweet (and yes, it’s a single word – according to Lopez, "I am aware that it is supposed to be two words. But I like the sound of it as one word. It just flows").
The diffusion line of sportswear and dresses – ritzier big sister brand Sweetface is sold in department stores and speciality boutiques – will also include a fragrance (by Coty), shoes (Titan Industries has the licence), eyewear (the Safilo Group), outerwear (Herman Kay), timepieces (E. Gluck), and jewelry (Haskell Jewels).
To ensure maximum press coverage, print ads are scheduled for Vogue and Glamour, as well as a back-to-school fashion show so XXL, it won’t be held in New York’s Bryant Park along with the other Fashionweek shows.
"Oh, it will be big," Andrea Scoli, president of Sweetface Fashions Inc., recently told WWD. (The company makes brings in about $250 million at retail with JLO, three fragrances including Glow by JLO, and Lopez’s higher-end Sweetface brand. Currently, they have 17 freestanding stores, with another 20 planned to open this year.) "And if we have a different venue, we can really make the impact that we are looking to make."
With a lineup of sexy and ladylike dresses, tops, leather jackets, wool coats, printed hoodies and cropped cardigans with interesting buttons, justsweet is positioned to rake in more than $10 million at wholesale the first year. Priced between $11 to $89 at wholesale, it will be positioned as a high end junior sportswear line with a denim-centric focus.
"We really worked hard to get the fit right," says Lopez. "I know I drove the girls crazy, but everything had to fit perfectly. I think we were successful. These are jeans that you would pay a lot of money for from another company – these are $59 retail."
At a time when celeb brands like Jessica Simpson and House of Deréon by Beyoncé Knowles are not faring well at retail, Lopez is confident. "Five years ago, I had a lot to learn about this business," she notes. "And as I learned, I became more involved in the day-to-day. Now I am in the office all the time, and I have been since we did the fashion show [in February 2005]. I was there every single day, going over every tiny detail. As I got through the learning curve, I became more involved and will continue to be…I have a great team in place, and personally, I have learned a lot. I've learned to say no to some things so that I am freed up to do the things that I love to do," she notes. "Everyone has to learn and to grow, and I really believe that we are getting better while we are doing it." (via WWD)
Posted by Lesley Scott
Following the lead set last season by fashion officials in Madrid – where excessively skinny models were banned from their catwalk – the Italian Chamber of Fashion has decreed that in order to walk the Milan runways, a model will need a license. Issued by an impressive tag-team of dignitaries: a committee of city officials, the Chamber of Fashion, the Association of Fashion Services, ASSEM and a scientific committee, the license will vouch for the fact that the model is at least 16 and in good health – defined as a World Health Organization Body Mass Index of 18.5.
Unlike Spain, the Italians intend to incorporate differences in body size that arise because of ethnicity and geography. "This is a code of self-regulation," Letizia Moratti, the mayor of Milan, recently told WWD, "and it is connected to those lifestyles that lead to social diseases. The risk is that we are not protecting the health of the models and the impact on the young adolescents who see models as a reference point to achieve beauty."
However, many in the heart of the fashion business disagree. "I don't think the code will change fashion, and fashion is not the cause of juvenile problems," opines designer Roberto Cavalli. "There are other ways to take care of our young generation: stop showing half-naked starlets on television, ban silicone implants if one is not at least 25, for example," said Cavalli. As for the models' age limit, the designer agreed with the code. "I never have models who are too young, in fact, I would even raise the age to 18."
Despite the fact the new code was unveiled without bothering to invite fashion designers and their PR reps to attend, many have an opinion. What some of the other fashion types had to say about the code:
ANNA MOLINARI "Given the fact that the runways have become a model of beauty and elegance for young adolescents who are still looking for their identity...the fashion world should take responsibility for its role, dismissing those 'excesses' that can become dangerous for the youngest. I firmly believe we should recover the concept of beauty and balance, harmony, proportions and health, elegance and seduction that don't necessarily match with sizes."
BEPPE MODENESE (Fashion insider) "The weight problem has always existed and it's right to talk about it, but in the end, it's an issue for the modeling agencies."
ISABEL MARANT (French designer) "It's a mixed debate. It's an agency's responsibility to monitor their girls closely, but to weigh models and enforce restrictions based on weight alone is not realistic." (Models Erin O'Connor, Kristen McNemany and Audrey Marnay are rumored to be big eaters despite their deceptively small frames.)
DIDIER GRUMBACH (Head of the Chambre Syndicale in Paris) "We work with two unions in Paris [to oversee models] and up to now that arrangement has worked. If one day any agency is unprofessional we will do something. But at this point that is not the case. There have been no breeches of conduct. I don't see why we should regulate something that functions."
DIANE VON FURSTENBERG (Current president of the CFDA) "I am very interested in finding a way designers can really help this issue. I cannot speak in the name of the CFDA until I speak to my fellow designers who I represent. I am very sensitive to this matter and will address it. Right now, I am assembling information so that we can really be effective."
STEVEN KOLB (Executive director of the CFDA) "Initiatives that address healthier models are a positive thing. To what degree do you enforce or regulate it is the question. I think that as we in the States contemplate or consider our own action, there are a number of suggested recommendations that we can put forward to the fashion community in terms of portraying beauty and health on the runway, but I don't know if you would ever be in a position to regulate them in a way that is so strict." (via WWD)
Posted by Lesley Scott
Considered to be cutting edge in terms of its subject matter, The L Word has also been garnering praise in the fashion department. Starting on January 3 and lasting only until February 28, the Showtime series will briefly spawn an extremely limited edition line of clothing, accessories and jewelry. Specialty stores slated to carry "L"elements of Style include Manhattan's Atruim, San Francisco's Brown Eyed Girl, Ultimo in Chicago, Duets in Nashville will carry the line, which will also be available on Showtime's website.
"I love the show and I was intrigued by the concept of a collection inspired by the characters," Sam Ben-Avraham, owner of Atrium, recently told WWD. "The women of 'The L Word' convey such a strong sense of style and each has her own unique and very wearable look." Other designers participating in "L"elements include former model Honey Labrador, the first lesbian featured on Queer Eye for the Straight Girl, and designer Udi Behr of Love and Pride, a company featuring same-sex wedding bands and commitment rings. Some of the designs include a $30 bracelet made from stainless steel and rubber, and a $700 ring with 18k gold and black enamel. Laura Dahl of Wife-beader will supply sportswear for the line, and jackets and detailed jeans will be provided by Blue Cult. Desperate Housewives costume designer Cate Adair will design bags.
The Showtime website currently has a section that focuses on the characters’ wardrobe pieces and purchasing info, as well as tanks, briefs, bags, and belt buckles; in another section, it is reported that Bette (Jennifer Beals) – widely seen as the character with the best threads – apparently loves her black Max Mara ruched dress paired with an Alexander McQueen coat and Gucci pumps. With this much interest in fashion surrounding the show, its not surprising that Ben-Avraham anticipates doing about $50,000 minimum in sales during the two-month period. "The designers have committed to quick replenishment, so I'm optimistic that we can do more." (via WWD)