Archive for September 2010

VIKKA F. FORD
Fashion Week

Six Breakout Models of Spring 2011

Model castings can be a black hole in the minds of the fashion press, since most occur very privately, behind closed doors. Luckily enough for us, however, casting director Andrew Weir of ACW Worldwide invited us to observe a massive casting for the Spring 2011 season.

Hopping at the chance to see models in their natural habitat, I made sure not to miss this event. Hundreds of girls lined the hallways of the Hudson Hotel, books and heels in hand. Inside the gorgeous Husdon Library, girls were photographed, walked, “scored,” and entered into ACW’s database in a flurry of business and buzz. To the untrained eye it was tough to distinguish which models were the best and which were the worst, until they walked. The best girls had strides long and fast, their hair flying in a self-generated breeze, among them Fashionista faves Ashley Smith, Ann Kenny, and Kirby Kenny.

Andrew Weir found six gems at his casting, sure to be the big stars of Spring 2011. It’s all about that je ne sais quoi for Mr. Weir, as well as finding “strong, beautiful, healthy, magnificent women.”

Click through to see the modeling superstars in the making.

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Carine Roitfeld, Suzy Menkes Celebrate Fashion’s Night Out Paris

PARIS–The prospect of a Parisian fashion block party is an appealing thought.

The city’s Fashion’s Night Out took place last night in “the golden triangle,” France’s glossiest stretch of land between Avenue Montaigne, Avenue François Premier and Avenue George V.

Wonders had been promised: fortune tellers, lotteries, makeup stands–what more to ask for?

The caveat: invitations were given out in this month’s Vogue–which means that, in a city possessed by fashion, the entire Parisian population was present. If not for the clothes, they came for the free champagne, macaroons, and Carine-spotting.

By 7pm, the streets looked like a giant mosh pit: crowds of fashion students were pushing and pulling in every direction, like elegant headless chickens.

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Get Your iPads Ready: Style.com’s App Launches Today

The genius of Style.com‘s iPhone application is undeniable. For anyone who considers the site a resource–a sort of modern fashion library, if you will–the app has made searching for a specific look, a front row image, or a show date as easy as a flick of the thumb. That’s why over 750,000 people have downloaded it over the last couple of years.

The Conde Nast site’s new application for the iPad, which launches today, is similar in its function–just bigger and better.

“Some around the office are calling it fall’s must-have accessory,” editor-in-chief Dirk Standen jokes, kind of. In reality, it’s got all the “core elements” of Style.com’s iPhone app, but with the advantage of a much larger, clearer screen. Which means videos play a bigger role in the overall content strategy. In fact, Style.com has teamed up with Nowness on a co-produced video series. There will also be interactive shopping videos–bringing the site’s market stories to life–as well as Tim Blank’s classic runway videos. (Great news for those of us who were huge fans of his E! show Fashion File.)

Maybe most important, though, is the fact that all Style.com runway content will be available–all the way back to 2000. And the images are big and beautiful. They’re more saturated and alive than any other device–even my 27-inch iMac computer screen.

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Naomi
Events

Fashion’s Night Out: The Show

Last night, I got a taste of what New York Fashion Week would be like if it was produced by Anna Wintour. Every show would begin on time. Only the best of the best designers would be invited to participate. And the music would be very, very good.

That pretty much sums up Fashion’s Night Out: The Show, which took place last night at the courtyard in Lincoln Center. Over a 1,000 looks–styled by Tabitha Simmons and Edward Enninful–stomped down a twisting runway that must have been a quarter of a mile long in total. Everyone–from Alex Wang to Balenciaga–was featured. Simmons and Enninful chose to style the models as they were originally styled, meaning Prada‘s girls got boufants, and Balenciaga’s wore pastel eyebrows. It was unoriginal, but with so many looks, understandable. Pretty much every model working today walked, including favorites of mine like Dree Hemingway and Ashley Smith. Gisele even made an appearance near the end, shortly after NERD performed in the center of the venue.

The paper program was masterful, save for a weirdly photo-shopped Lara Stone on the cover. (A friend said that her waist “looked tinier than Karly’s–creepy.”) Every single clothing credit was included, which is a two day-long job on its own.

All in all, it was a successful event. Especially for those who hadn’t seen these looks come down the runway last February.

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Andrew Mukamal Tells Us the Story Behind His Styling For Kimberly Taylor’s SS2011 Collection

After watching Andrew Mukamal on Kell On Earth, young designer Kimberly Taylor decided that he was her “soul mate,” and that they needed to work together. So they have.

Tomorrow, Taylor presents her first full collection for Spring/Summer 2011, styled by Andrew Mukamal. It’s his first major gig after leaving People’s Revolution just over a month ago. We knew from watching Mukamal alongside Kelly Cutrone on Kell on Earth that he was chatty and hilarious. So we asked him to walk us through the story behind three of his favorite looks that he styled for Taylor. Because, Mukamal told us, “Each girl has a story.”

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Fashion Is Fun

Pre-Fashion Week Mad-Libs: Wes Gordon

By Dhani Mau Tuesday, Sep 7, 2010 / 7:00 PM

Wes Gordon, a promising Central St. Martin’s grad, will be showing his second collection at New York Fashion Week. Wes, we too love of Florence & the Machine, Toms and Mad Men. Let’s be friends.

First Impressions on America’s Next Top Model’s Super High Fashion Cycle 15

America’s Next Top Model Cycle 15 premiers Wednesday but we got a chance to preview the first two episodes and we will tell you this: It is good.

All the ANTM hallmarks are there: The screaming girls, the “she doesn’t really want to be here” girls, the Jays, and Tyra with all her glorious Tyra-isms. But this season is being marketed as the “high fashion” season. The season in which the “bar has been raised.” We might have scoffed at this when we first heard it, since most ANTM winners do not actually go on to be top models, but there’s no denying that this cycle has got some serious fashion clout.

The winner gets a spread (not the cover) of Vogue Italia and the cover of their “Beauty in Vogue” issue. And the guest list this season is just as impressive as the grand prize: In addition to Vogue Italia’s EIC Franca Sozzani, Diane Von Furstenberg, Zac Posen, Roberto Cavalli, Patrick Demarchelier, Matthew Rolston and Karolina Kurkova will all make appearances. DVF is a guest judge on the first elimination and we wouldn’t mind seeing more of her on small screen. She’s so regal.

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Fashion GPS: The Company That Has Made Going to Fashion Shows As Easy As Checking In For a Flight

When it comes to technology, the fashion industry is resistant to change. For fashion shows, publicists use unwieldy seating charts, using stickies to seat and reseat editors and buyers up until the last minute. Editors at big glossies arrange their books so they’re spread out, page by page, along a wall or table (you remember that room in The September Issue where Vogue’s book was laid out right? The one Grace Coddington kept popping into to see how many pages of her spreads had been cut?) Designers send out thick glossy lookbooks after their shows so editors and buyers can request the looks they saw on the runway. Invitations to shows are bulky (though their heft and shape is part of the fun) and sent via snail mail or hand delivered.

But the industry has slowly but surely begun to embrace technology wholeheartedly (without losing the glamor, of course). A lot of the credit is due to a small startup called Fashion GPS. This year, Fashion GPS is managing 80% of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week’s shows, and 184 shows total during New York Fashion Week. That means they’re providing the tech systems that manage contact lists, provide online invitations, handle RSVPs, and seating. Last season, they managed just 40 shows.

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Fashion Is Fun

Match the Designer to Their iPod Playlist!

Last week, we asked psychic Roxanne Hulderman to predict the future for five New York designers. This week, we want you to predict what their Spring 2011 runway soundtracks will sound like based on their iPods. Oh, and you also have to match the designer to his or her playlist! Click through to play. Everyone from Max Osterweis of SUNO to Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai of Vena Cava has participated–have fun!

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  • Becky Michaels and Steff Yotka
  • Tuesday, Sep 7, 2010 / 4:33 PM
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Mad Men Style Recap, Episode 7

Mad Men, a show whose motto could be “subtlety is the best policy,” traded in their whispers for screams this episode. Taking place over one day, Don and Peggy’s relationship hit a wall and broke through to the other side. Starting with bet placing on the fight between Cassius Clay and Sonny Liston, the episode explored strength & toughness in a very literal way. Who is stronger Clay or Liston, Samsonite or American Traveler, Don or Peggy’s will? In the end everyone broke down, got back up, and continued fighting, well, everyone except Liston that is.

This episode pitted Don’s slimmest-ever grey suit, grey striped tie with a thin, black triple stripe, and a teeny grey fedora against Peggy’s full skirted, patterned, brown dress and slingback shoes. Not to say all patterned, full skirted brown dresses are equal, but Trudy wore a similar style a couple episodes ago when she told Pete she was pregnant. A subtle allusion or nothing at all? (Sidenote: Trudy’s teal pregnancy ensemble was pure brilliance. And her little white gloves to finish the look added just the patrician touch of elegance to her conversation about bloodsport and raw meat.) Either way, Peggy was celebrating her birthday in style, with her hair flipped at a 180 degree angle and her sparkliest earrings on, later adding her cyan coat and white hat though they never really made it outside.

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Fashion Week

Sneak Peek: Leifsdottir Spring 2011

You’ve probably seen Leifsdottir at department stores like Bloomingdale’s and Bergdorf–you’ve probably also spotted it at your local Anthropologie. That’s because the label–like its other standalone Free People–is owned and operated by Urban Outfitters, Inc.

The contemporary consumer’s love for the collection has made it a standout for the Anthropologie brand. In fact, it’s so well received that the label decided to host its presentation at Lincoln Center this season. I recently caught up with Leifsdottir designer Johanna Uurasjarvi, who gave me a few hints about what to expect from the label’s first big show, as well as details on its new shoe collection.

Fashionista: Can you give me an idea of the theme of the season?
Johanna Uurasjarvi: The collection is inspired by my trip to the Amazon last spring and serpent photography by Guido Mocafico. It is a study of nature–contrasting the amazingly beautiful and the darker side.

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Streetwalker

Street Style: Kelty Rocks One Earring

Name: Kelty

Age: 30

Occupation: Works for an international education company

How would you describe your style? Whimsical and fun

What are the most prominent colors in your wardrobe? Bright yellows, reds and greens

What is your current favorite song? I love the new Arcade Fire album.

What is your favorite dessert? I love a good Cannoli!

Where is your skirt from? It’s from a thrift store in Pennsylvania.

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