Author

Hayley Phelan

Posts by Hayley Phelan

Reviews

Gucci Fall 2012: Velvet Underground

By Hayley Phelan Wednesday, Feb 22, 2012 / 5:38 PM

MILAN–I can think of no better introduction to Milan Fashion Week than with Gucci’s show. Set at a storied building on the Piazza Oberdan, a 15 minute walk from my hotel, it was the perfect antidote to my case of jet lag.

Inside the venue guests were treated to flutes of champagne beneath a canopy of flowers. The catwalk’s floor was done up in a thick, plushy purple carpet and the walls were, of course, mirrored. The lighting was dim so that the whole vibe was more swank night club than runway show.

The carpet, it turns out, was a promise of what was to come–a moody purpley/maroon featured heavily in the collection as did plushy textures like fur, velvet, velvet and more velvet. Did we mention velvet? There was so much of the stuff, we couldn’t help but think how much George Costanza, who famously said he would drape himself in the fabric, would’ve loved the collection. Read more »

Models

Is the CFDA’s New 16-and-Over Model Initiative All Talk and No Action?

By Hayley Phelan Tuesday, Feb 21, 2012 / 5:42 PM

Photo: Getty

With their new health initiative guideline that models be ID’d to prove they are above the age of 16, the CFDA is making an effort to create a healthier and fairer work environment for models. But is the fashion industry even listening? We asked designers, models and casting agents during New York Fashion Week, and the answer seems to be: Wellll, not really.

We already know that two of the industry’s biggest players–Ford and Marc Jacobs–have come out against the CFDA’s new rules about underage models. Ford said that while they take a model’s age and maturity “very seriously”, they will continue to use girls under the age of 16, who they deem to be ready for the catwalk on a “case by case” basis.

Jacobs, on the other hand, seemed to think it was really none of his business how old the models were in the first place: “If their parents are willing to let them do a show, I don’t see any reason that it should be me who tells them that they can’t.”

Casting Director Julia Samesova told us that Ford and Jacobs are certainly not the only ones using underage models. “Absolutely, [other agencies are working with under-16 girls and not disclosing it,]” she wrote to us in an email. “No question.” Coco Rocha told us that she knew “for a fact” that models lie about their age.

We spoke with a model post-Marc by Marc, who wished to go unnamed, to ask if she had been ID’d at any of the multiple castings she went on (she was 21). The answer? Nope. Actually, she said, she hadn’t noticed a single difference between this season and previous seasons, when the recommended guidelines were less strict.

That’s not particularly surprising, given that some designers we spoke to didn’t even seem aware that there were guideline’s concerning a minimum age for models. Jill Stuart seemed a little confused when we asked her if she had been ID’ing models, before assuring us that “most” of the models she used were 16 and over. Hmm…

Kimberly Ovitz also seemed caught off guard when we asked her what she thought of the CFDA’s new guidelines. “I wasn’t really paying attention…I don’t know,” she said. “I really, honestly, worry about other things.”

To be fair, this was right before Ovitz’s Fall 2012 show, when the designer admitted she hadn’t had more than two hours sleep the past few nights. Still, when pressed, Ovitz seemed to fall more into Jacobs’ camp. “I don’t think it matters [if a model is over the age of 16 or not,]” she said. “I mean if they’re just walking down the runway, with clothes on and they’re treated well…”

Model Hailey Clauson who walked DVF last season at age 15

Ovitz certainly isn’t alone. “The recommended guidelines are known by many but perhaps could be known by more,” CFDA president Steven Kolb wrote to us in an email.

“And they are recommendations and not requirements,” he added. “Some people will follow the recommendations and some people will not. Everyone has to make their own decision.”

True, but leaving the fates of 14-year-old and 15-year-old girls up to agents and designers doesn’t seem quite right. Especially when, particularly in the case of modeling agencies, they have a lot to gain from using an underage model if she’s the “hot” look of the season, and have very little incentive to make an unbiased decision about whether she’s ready or not. “From my own experience, being 17 years old, that’s young enough,” Shalom Harlow told us. “I just think there’s already an imbalance of power [between models and those that work with models], so then when you factor models being even younger, on top of [the imbalance that's already there] it gets exponentially more challenging.”

If there’s one thing we’re sure of, it’s that the modeling industry will have to change. And while organizations like the CFDA and The Model Alliance have made some serious strides in the right direction, this fashion week proved we still have a long ways to go before everyone catches on.

News

Sneaker Fanatics Camp Out for a Week To Score Nike’s New Shoe

By Hayley Phelan Tuesday, Feb 21, 2012 / 1:45 PM

Would you sleep on the street for a week to score one of these shoes? Well, about 80 sneaker fanatics plan to do just that, setting up camp outside a Manhattan Foot Locker on W. 33, reports the New York Daily News.

Apparently, the motley crew of sneaker freaks arrived on Saturday, and have been waiting outside ever since, in order to snap up one of Nike‘s new Foamposite Galaxy shoe. To be clear, the shoe does not arrive stores until Friday. Yep, as in almost a week away from when they began camping out. Whoa.

In all fairness, these aren’t your regular sneaks: The Foamposite Galaxy costs $220, is made out of high tech ultra-durable foamposite material and has a sole that glows in the dark. According to the paper, “the waxed canvas upper allegedly simulates an astronaut’s training suit.” Okay. But are they really worth a week of camping out on NYC’s streets. Apparently so.

“I’m losing a whole paycheck to come here cause I got off work for a week,” 19-year-old Henry Albarez told the paper.

“I’m missing out on tests,” City Tech College student Andrew Poveda, 18, similarly confessed.

“We tried to put up tents but the police shut us down,” he added. And what do these clear examples of mature human beings plan on subsisting on for the week?

“We have peanut butter, beef jerky and like, five liters of water,” Albarez said. Yep, sounds about right.

Fashion Shows

Watch: Lana Del Rey Perform at Mulberry–Does it Merit Having a Bag Named After Her?

By Hayley Phelan Tuesday, Feb 21, 2012 / 1:00 PM


Despite her album getting almost universally panned, Lana Del Rey continues to conquer the hearts of the fashion industry’s biggest players. She’s already scored a Vogue cover, had a Mulberry bag named after her, and whether we understand it or not, the obsession shows no sign of abating.

Case in point: Here is a video of Del Rey performing at one of London Fashion Week’s hottest parties, the Mulberry dinner, courtesy of Grazia. Read more »

Fashion Is Fun

Vogue Italia Creates Mesmerizing ‘Haute Mess’ Gifs of Abbey Lee and Coco Rocha

By Hayley Phelan Tuesday, Feb 21, 2012 / 9:03 AM

Vogue Italia and Steven Meisel have hopped on the fashion gif bandwagon, and of course, the results are amazing.

The gifs are up on Vogue Italia’s website as a preview for the mag’s March spring fashion issue, called “Haute Mess,” featuring Coco Rocha and Abbey Lee Kershaw. Rocha with her covered in Twix wrappers, or Abbey Lee sporting a serious wig and pencil thin brows, the two supermodels are nearly unrecognizable. Abbey especially looks like a hot mess–so much so that we’re not even sure about the “haute” part just yet. Needless to say, though, if this is a promise of what’s to come, we’re now even more excited for the March issue to drop.

Read more »

Streetwalker

Street Style: Dani Stahl’s Sage Sartorial Advice Regarding Your Ex

By Ashley Jahncke Friday, Feb 17, 2012 / 4:00 PM

Name: Dani Stahl

Occupation: Editor at Large at NYLON Magazine

What would you never wear? Well, I have a rule that you shouldn’t wear something you wouldn’t want to run into your ex wearing. But, all bets are off during fashion week!

What’s the most random thing in your bag right now? New Karen Walker sunglasses.

What’s your favorite lip color? Right now I’m loving “Tulipe” by Chantecaille.

If you were any nail color which would you be? Ador-a-ball by Essie because the name’s so cute.

What was the last song you listened to? House of Jealous Lovers by The Rapture.

Photos by Ashley Jahncke

Fashion Is Fun

Watch: Sh*t Fashion Girls Say During Fashion Week with Derek Blasberg

By Hayley Phelan Friday, Feb 17, 2012 / 11:15 AM


Need a post-fashion week giggle? Well here you go.

Presenting, Sh*t Fashion Girls Say During Fashion Week–a hilarious portrayal of all the stuff that comes out of fashion people’s mouths during NYFW. And from, “Ugh, I can never get a cab!” to “Oo, Are you going to the after party tonight?” the new video totally nails it. Plus, Derek Blasberg is in it, so it’s kind of like the essence of fashion week all bottled up in less than three minutes.

And, as much as we hate to admit it, we’re completely guilty of uttering some of these things. (What, sometimes, we really can’t get a cab!) Although we’d also like to nominate “Hey lady!” and, “How are you surviving fashion week?” for the next installment.

Watch the full video after the jump. Read more »

Models

UK Modeling Agencies Ban The Use of Tanning Beds–Should U.S. Agencies Follow Suit?

By Hayley Phelan Friday, Feb 17, 2012 / 9:51 AM

Photo: Getty

The modeling industry may have a ways to go in terms of promoting healthy working conditions, but they’re certainly taking steps in the right direction. Case in point: The leading UK model agencies have all banned the use of tanning beds by their models, reports The Daily Mail.

The 11 agencies, including big-names like Elite, Premier Model Management Storm and Next, have signed up for a no tolerance policy on tanning beds, in support of Cancer Research UK’s R UV UGLY campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the health risks associated with tanning salons.

“Supporting this campaign makes perfect sense as the well-being of our models is of paramount importance and we take a serious approach to their health,” Sarah Doukas, Managing Director of Storm Model Management said.

“We hope that this will help to send out a strong message to young girls and guys that sunbeds will have a negative impact on their appearance,” Michelangelo Chiacchio, the CEO of Elite Model Management London, added. Indeed, creating healthier practices and standards for models helps to promote awareness among the general population, who look to models as the ideal in beauty and health.

And besides, you know, causing cancer, it’s no secret that the use of tanning beds can seriously speed up the aging process–something models and their agencies no doubt want to avoid. “Using sunbeds can make your skin coarse, leathery and wrinkly,” Chris Lunn, SunSmart campaign manager at Cancer Research UK said.

The UK has already made strides in creating a healthier working environment for models–ensuring models are above the age of 16, and promoting greater awareness of eating disorders–and this is certainly another positive development. However, the U.S. has not been as successful so far, and in the recent buzz surrounding the CFDA’s health initiative guidelines, the use of tanning beds was not mentioned. Do you think American modeling agencies should ban the use of tanning beds?

Celebrity

The Most Unexpected Celebrity Appearances at New York Fashion Week

By Hayley Phelan and Dhani Mau Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 / 6:27 PM

As you’ve probably noticed by our extensive coverage this week, fashion week is about much more than clothes going down a runway. There are the parties, the backstage interviews, the dance between street style stars and photographers, car accidents, reality tv shows filming, possible feuds; and, of course, there’s nothing like fashion week to bring all the stars out of hiding.

A well-placed celebrity can result in exponentially more press for a designer than he or she might have gotten otherwise and always creates a flurry of front row excitement–especially when it’s one you wouldn’t expect.

Some really unlikely people showed up this week. From Matt Damon to Joe Jonas to Li’l Kim, click through for 15 celebrity appearances from this week that we did not see coming.

Reviews

Reed Krakoff: A-List Favorite

By Hayley Phelan Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 / 4:15 PM

Reed Krakoff may only be in his fourth season, but the designer already has a steady stable of A-list fans from Anna Wintour to Emmanuelle Alt to Julianne Moore–all of whom, of course, were in attendance for his Fall 2012 show.

“Oh I love him,” Moore told us. “We’ve been friends for a really long time, since like ’98. I love his aesthetic. I love what he did at Coach, and I love what he’s doing at his own brand.”

“He has a real style–always beautiful fabric, great lines,” she added. “His stuff is always very chic.”

Of course, Moore was right on the money when it came to his Fall 2012 show. (Is she ever wrong?) Krakoff opened with a sleek black coat, outfitted with flimsy sheer sleeves and a fur collar and though it was certainly “chic,” we’d be hard-pressed to find an appropriate weather occasion to actually wear it–which was sort of the problem with a few of his coats. Nevertheless, outerwear was certainly the name of the game this season and Krakoff showed an impressive assortment of leather, felt, and fur-lined coats–ranging in styles from the minimalistic, to the geometric to the utilitarian.

Our one bone to pick with the collection (besides the impractical sheer sleeves) would be that Krakoff didn’t give enough runway time to the accessories, for which he has become famous. C’mon Reed, we want to see those bags!

Photos: IMAXtree

Fashion Is Fun

Anna Wintour Hung Out With Victoria Beckham on a Subway Platform

By Hayley Phelan Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 / 10:18 AM


Anna Wintour. On the subway. Doing the Charleston?

Holy crap.

But don’t fall our of your seat just yet: Queen Anna didn’t actually ride the subway with all us peasants. She, along with Victoria Beckham, Hamish Bowles, and a group of fashion folk took to the subway platform to promote the UK for the Great campaign, a marketing effort championed by Sir Peter Westmacott, Britain’s ambassador to the U.S, which will target nine countries and 14 key cities, reports WWD.
Read more »

News

How Fashion Week Gets Made With Model Ava Smith

By Hayley Phelan Wednesday, Feb 15, 2012 / 8:40 PM

Photo: Courtesy of SHADOW PR

A lot goes into making fashion week happen. And despite the proliferation of fashion reality television shows, there is still a lot that you might not know about. So, we decided to ask some of our friends in the industry what their day to day life is like leading up to, during and following fashion week. From the perspective of a designer, a publicist, a show producer, a pit photographer, a makeup artist and more, keep reading to learn how fashion week gets made.

In this installment of “How Fashion Week Gets Made,” we interviewed Wilhelmina model Ava Smith, who gave us the rundown on what it’s like to go to casting sessions, walk the runway and stay sane during NYFW.

Give a brief description of a typical day during fashion week, from start to finish.
There is no typical day of fashion week. That’s the beauty and the curse. It’s a medley of fittings, castings, shows and subway trips all mixed together in different ratios every day. You probably are going to start really early though, and go well into the evening! Coffee, Vitamin C, and easy on the go snacks become your best friends.

What is it like backstage at a fashion show? Can you describe a typical backstage scene?
It’s kinda like a big traffic jam… Everyone has their assigned tasks and is trying to get where they’re supposed to be. It makes it really hard to get anywhere. But everyone is still trying to rush anyway… its fun… and funny :-)

What is the most stressful part of working fashion week?
Trying to make every appointment…even though it will never be possible. I’m waiting for the invention of teleportation. :-)

What is the most fun part of working fashion week?
Being part of a production that is a collaboration of different artists. Its cool because it’s never really one person’s show, and when you’re a part of it you’re at the forefront, so you see the direction some of these well respected artists are going in.

What is it like, the first moment you step on the runway? What are you feeling? Thinking?
“Here we go!”

Do you ever feel nervous on the runway? Why or Why not?
Of course! I think it would be strange not to be nervous. Its part of the thrill I think. It’s finding comfort in the adrenaline rush…that’s the trick.

What sort of directions do designers give you before going on the runway? How do you channel whatever the directions are?
You try and become the character the designer wants to represent the brand, whatever that may be..

What is it like when you get to the end of the runway and all the photographers are snapping photos? Do your eyes ever hurt from the flash?
I’m so blinded by all the lights I never knew there were people on the end :/

What does it feel like to be cast in shows? Do you ever feel rejected if you didn’t get cast in a show, but many of your peers/ model friends did?
Absolutely no one wants to feel left out. But it happens and you learn not to take it personally. Seasons change, looks change. One minute you’re in, the next you’re out. It’s the beauty of fashion…it has a
short attention span, but easily grabbed.

Can you describe a typical casting session?
Lots of waiting around. It can be very crowded during fashion week. Timing is everything, it’s minutes to hours. Meeting the client is actually quite quick, with them trying to learn a little bit about what
makes you, you, and of course how you rock the runway.

What does it feel like when a designer is fitting you? Are you bored? Do you get to give input?
Haha, sometimes it can be a little boring, depends. I like boring, sometimes those 15 minutes of quiet are much needed with the chaos of shows.

During fittings, it’s normal for a designer to make comments about your proportions and body in order to fit the garment properly. Does this ever make you feel awkward or insecure?
I can see how it may, but i dont think of it that way. We come in so many shapes and sizes and colors and I try to always remember just to embrace my own.