Blue Feelings...

Balmain Spring 2009

pic from Style.com

Recently in denim silhouettes we had the skinny leg and then the extreme skinny leg (sometimes so skinny there would be the zipper on the ankle just to get them on). These silhouettes were very minimalist in color and detail. Dark indigo washes, black, and grey were the most popular colors with back pockets free of embellishment. One of the most popular jean brand to emerge during this time was J Brand, which perfectly reflected this trend (http://www.jbrandjeans.com/). As the fashion industry likes to mix things up to keep consumers interested and buying the wide leg jean emerged. As the wide leg jean was not accepted at the commercial level it quickly disappeared. The skinny jean came up for air again before another silhouette emerged; the boyfriend jean. The boyfriend jean was adopted by numerous celebs who would roll up the hem and pair the relaxed masculine style with overtly sexy high heels.

Now, with the economy in a recession, designers are gravitating towards something a bit more nostalgic with vintage looks. These vintage looks are heavy in details with Seventies inspiration and strong used patina*(see below). These details can include distressed and faded color, rips, and fringe. Rigid denim is also starting to become more popular then the cotton/spandex blends as rigid denim is said to hold onto some of the vintage washes better then denim blends.

One designer really making a statement in denim is Balmain’s Christophe Decarnin. His distressed washes and vintage details, while taking inspiration from the past, look like the newest thing out there.

Another look from Balmain's Spring 2009 show

pic from Style.com

Katie Homes in the boyfriend jean with heels

“I’m Gonna be a Supermodel”

Linda Evangelista in Prada's Fall'08 campaign

Claudia Schiffer, Eva Herzigova, Christy Turlington, and Amber Valletta

In the current fall and winter 2008 ad campaigns we have seen the powerful supermodels of the 90s return with a vengeance. It makes sense for supermodels to reemerge now. We have gone though a period where the actress was dominating fashion ad campaigns and magazine covers. As we all know, Hollywood starlets are not always the most dependable people and consumers have been bombarded with their over exposure due to the tabloids and the web. In a time of economic uncertainty, people want to see something beautiful, yet familiar. Hense, the return of the supermodel. The supermodels who have made their return in fall-winter campaigns include…

- Linda Evangelista: Prada

- Claudia Schiffer: Chanel & Salvatore Ferragamo

- Eva Herzigova: Louis Vuitton

- Christy Turlington: Escada & Bally
- Stephanie Seymour: Loewe

- Amber Valletta: Dsquared & David Yurman fragrance
- Naomi Campbell: Yves Saint Laurent
- Kate Moss: Longchamp (and too many more to remember)

But, as the fashion industry likes to jump from extremes (skinny jean, to wide leg, to the boyfriend or purple and black in Fall/Winter ’08 to the bight outlook of yellow in Spring ’09), it seems the next modeling trend will move from the very familiar faces to the unfamiliar, which in this case in the fashion industry (sad, but true) would involve diversity. The white model has dominated runways for a long time now and the fresh crop of rising stars are as uniquely different as they are beautiful. The models currently rising the ranks to become the next household names are Jordan Dunn, Arlenis Sosa, Liya Kebede, and Chanel Iman.

These new faces will help to bring some new life and change to the runways and fashion. Change being the element everyone is looking for now.

Arelenis Sosa

Chanel Iman and Jordun in American Vogue

Liya Kebede in Italian Vogue

A Bright Spring 2009

Everyday we have been bombarded with more gloomy news on the state of the economy. People want to escape and what better way then through fashion. Spring 2009 is looking very optimistic with yellow billed as the color of the season. As there are numerous different yellows the Pantone Inc. has specifically named the Mimosa pantone, 14-0848, as the standard.

See the full article on Yahoo! News…
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081203/ap_on_re_us/color_of_the_year

Taking a Risk with Gareth Pugh

Beyonce wearing Gareth Pugh in Elle Magazine.

Photographed by Alexei Hay.

Now, in a time of large corporations dominating the fashion industry, it is refreshing and almost surprising to see any boundary-pushing, avant-garde designers emerge. When a designer has to appease a corporation, along with the daunting sales plans that follow, it is extremely difficult to take an avant-garde stance in design. Taking such stance puts a designer at risk of not being considered commercially viable in these trying times. But, how else can a young designer stand out today with out a suit in the background financing the dream? At the same time, would any designer want to take the risk of creating an avant-garde line, which is typically more costly and possible less profitable? And then how can such a designer under a corporate umbrella do something extremely creative and risk-taking that still appeases the sales figures that need to meet? This will be the challenge of designers now and in the future as we have more conglomerates dominating the fashion industry than ever before.

With this in mind, it is refreshing to see the avant-garde designer Gareth Pugh take the risk to do his first line in Paris, without a corporate backer, that was focused more on creativity and less on the commercial aspect, and receive such great press. Check out some of his designs from his Spring 2009 show. One cool aspect of his designs was that they were two-toned; white on the front and black on the back. I am looking forward to seeing more from this original and unique designer.

Looks from Gareth Pugh's Spring 2009 RTW line on Style.com

Come All Ye Faithful Fashionistas!

Ladies who Brunch but can't Lunch

I am sure working in NYC you find yourself eating your lunch at your desk while working away more likely then not. So, if you can't make it out at lunch why not steal a glamourous moment for yourself and have breakfast with fellow fashionistas at Bendel's. A fashion fix before 10am sounds pretty good to me!

Montreal and Toronto store windows

I took a trip recently to Canada for work and saw several store windows I really liked. I thought I would share two...

"Je veux" is French for "I want". I wish my arms could hold that many shirts at one time. It would make shopping so much easier...


Check out the Barbies' heads! How original!

As everyone knows, I love Karl Lagerfeld. A recent issue of WWD had some great quotes from his introduction at Harold Koda at the Fashion Group International's Night of Stars. I have posted some of the best below...

• "There is a strange and invisible borderline when fashion is not only fashion, but becomes the most evident and most easily visible expression of an area."


• "Fashion as history is beyond fashion, and it is not only limited to clothes."


• "The face of fashion is now in the hands of a small group of big companies and they often own several important and influential fashion brands. They also help to make is possible for museums to stage important shows."


• "Fashion is today also about big shows like Hollywood productions. In the past, designers made fashion history by dressing people who had a real life in those clothes. We should learn a lot from that. Red carpet (another invention of our times) helps to distort fashion by giving it a fake and too glamorous face."


• "A new fashion can appear having the same origins in inspiration and admiration in the past of fashion. The danger is for us designers to be too exposed to the seduction of the past."


• "It is difficult to work our your own vision of fashion without being haunted by the beauty of the work of the people before us -even if they were also not immune to all kinds of influences and inspirations to achieve a strong vision and unique style."

Andre Leon Talley

Andre Leon Talley and Anna Wintour

photo by Greg Kessler on Style.com

Vogue editor-at-large, Andre Leon Talley, recently talked to fashion students of the Art Institute of Philadelphia about his career. He made 6 points that students as well as current professionals can learn from…

1) “Remember where you came from and how important that is, and that will sustain you.”

2) “Always be curious and do your research.”

3) “Travel and find beauty and style where you go.”

4) “Practice good manners.”

5) “Fetch coffee if you have to.” (This is referring to the time he worked for Andy Warhol and only made $50 a week, lived at the YMCA, and was introduced to the world through that job.)

6) “Find a mentor.” Talley counts Diana Vreeland as his first big mentor and Anna Wintour as his current mentor.

Fashion and Salsa

LIM College will now be sponsoring free monthly salsa lessons for anyone in the fashion industry. There will be FREE wine, food, salsa, and men (yes, free men). Come meet and reconnect with others in the fashion industry. Check out pics from the last event...

The Black Issue

After visiting 4 international magazine stores, 1 reprint, and $15.95 later, I finally got my hands on the most wanted fashion magazine ever. Italian Vogue's Black Issue. Editor Franca Sozzani and photographer Steven Meisel capture some of the world's hottest models; such as Naomi Campbell, Jourdan Dunn, and Liya Kebede in this powerful issue.

The 4 different covers...

More pics from the issue...

Yves Saint Laurent

Yves Saint Laurent photographed by Irving Penn

"I have said before that the most beautiful makeup of a woman is passion. But cosmetics are easier to buy" -Yves Saint Laurent 1978

Purple Haze

Versace

Versace Resort 2009

Christian Dior

There is a purple obsession for this fall.

The color purple has been associated with royalty since the Roman times when the Roman Emperors and Imperial family wore purple to symbolize the god Jupiter. The color is also associated with wealth since purple dye was one of the most expensive dyes to make. It was made by squeezing shellfish that produced a dye called Tyrian Purple.

Purple today is still associated with wealth and power but also with passion, sophistication, luxury, magic, and mystery. A perfect characterization of the fall season.

Forward Thinking with Promostyl

The jazziest trend forecaster of them all, Andrea Praet, from Promostyl, gave a Fall/Winter 2009 trend presentation on Tuesday, June 24th, at LIM College’s Fashionopolis. The presentation showcased the four themes of the fall 2009 season: Collector, Bionic, Big Bang, and Care. The four themes were further highlighted by the 10 Influences (lifestyle trends) and Shapes (general trends for all markets) of the season. Andrea shares with us here the Style Guide that Promostyl sends exclusively to their clients.

Andrea Praet

Trend Consultant
Promostyl
1375 Broadway, 3rd Fl
NY, NY 10018

T. 646-201-4850

Andrea@promostylamericas.com

Lessons of a Lipstick Queen

Interesting Read...

Poppy King’s, “Lessons of a Lipstick Queen: Finding and Developing the Great Ideas that Can Change Your Life” is a how-to book on running a small company. King successfully started her own lipstick company at 18 when she realized that the perfect matte lipstick did not exist. This realization turned into a multi-million dollar company. King shows the reader how one’s wishes can create some of the best and most motivating ideas. Her successes, trials, tribulations are shared in this book along with pointers for the entrepreneurially inclined.

http://www.lipstickqueen.com/

Is fashion getting too fast?

Chanel Resort
Oscar de la Renta Resort

Prada Resort

I was reading the WWD today and the issue was filled with articles on the recent resort collections. Resort, which use to be a small infusion of sunny cruise wear at retail stores, is now becoming a major season in its own. Designers have now staged several large scale fashion shows for this season; Karl Lagerfield having shown Chanel’s resort collection at NYC’s Grand Central, Santa Monica California in an airport hanger, and just recently at the Raleigh hotel in Miami. Oscar de la Renta has done 3 extremely formal (i.e. expensive) shows at the Park Avenue church. Whether designers are presenting cruise in different cities they have a market in, or their home city, designers are more cramped for time with exhaustive production schedules then ever before. We no longer just have the fall and spring shows anymore. We have pre-fall, fall, and spring resort. Not to mention that many designer lines now have diffusion lines and some designers still maintain their couture lines. How is it all done? With such a demanding turnaround time, how do designers ensure the best representation of their line is shown? The best quality, ideas, image, and uniquely innovative designs wear their labels. I do not understand how creativity can flourish under a timer. How does one put so many deadlines on the creative process?

One can also argue that the additional shows and the amount of new designers entering the industry each year are raising the creative bar. It is forcing designers and brands to truly define their image and the niche they fill in the oversaturated market place to make a statement. This increased amount of shows and competition is also pushing companies to increase the amount of marketing and production dollars that go into a show. With the amount of money some conglomerate fashion houses have to spend on fashion show productions, new designers without financial backers can not compete.

What are your thoughts on this? Is fashion becoming too fast and hurting creativity? Or is it raising the creative bar?