Street Style: Eleanor Paints a Pretty Picture in Vintage
Name: Eleanor Swordy
Occupation: Painter
Who is your favorite artist? Thomas Houseago.
What would you never be caught wearing? A fedora.
Name: Eleanor Swordy
Occupation: Painter
Who is your favorite artist? Thomas Houseago.
What would you never be caught wearing? A fedora.
If you closed your eyes and wished for a dream fashion show, that’s what Tommy Hilfiger‘s women’s fall/winter collection was: a hushed fairyland of imported gray gravel, autumn ripe trees and a confidence you could feel upon entering the Park Avenue Armory.
It wasn’t only the sumptuous offerings for fall—precise military detailing, lush textures and literal equestrian accents in rich navy, caramel and the season’s most-pervasive hue, burgundy—it was the tasteful spectacle that was so moving. From the cavernous space to the soundtrack (Lana Del Rey and The Beatles for Hilfiger’s bow), the presentation felt like a veteran designer’s willing acquiescence to a new guard.
When I was a youngster, I attended a religious institution where the uniform required a burgundy blazer. Most of my peers and their parents scoffed at the color choice, but I always thought it was kind of chic. Tommy Hilfiger recalled my younger days with a preppy A/W 2011 collection that started with a burgundy overcoat, and brought the color back again and again, in his blocked sweaters, scarves, trousers and jackets.
Hilfiger, with some help from Simon Spurr, evoked “both boarding schools and Brooklyn clubs” with “a foundation for separates,” a movement away from his base for one of America’s kings of the suit. But the mix of prep and indie has been accomplished with great intelligence, as the moleskin blazers and Pendleton striped shirting mixed effortlessly with slim cargo and jersey knit track pants. The whole package was tied together with a focus on outerwear: motorcycle jackets, overcoats (with toggles), bonded macs and heavy bombers dominated. I would have been sent straight to detention if I’d showed up to class in one of his blazer-and-sweatpant combos, even a blazer at natty as these ones, but I like the concept.
As editors tapped their toes to the tunes of the incomparable Mick Jagger & Co., all-American design icon Tommy sent out a fall collection inspired by “the nonchalant style of a 1970′s rock star’s girlfriend.” You could certainly see it in the bevy of menswear looks–models sported oversized, three-piece pinstripe suits accented with pocket squares and stack-heeled loafers we suggest jumping on the waitlist for now. The silky, diaphanous foulard-print maxi dresses and pajama pants projected just the right feel of laid-back seventies luxe, but the outerwear was what really caught our eye.
In the midst of this week’s shows there are some truly interesting conversations going on at Milk Studios. I’ve been fortunate enough to sit in on two of them.
Thursday night, it was the Proenza Schouler talk at the IFB conference. Design duo Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez sat down with the Business of Fashion‘s Imran Amed to discuss The Web. (As in bloggers, e-commerce, and viral campaigns.)
Yes, you read that headline right. Anna Wintour, Andre Leon Talley, as well as Marc Jacobs, Isaac Mizrahi, Tommy Hilfiger and Zac Posen all have speaking parts on Diddy’s latest album Last Train to Paris, out December 14.
We know this because, strangely enough, Vogue.com (you know, the place one goes to hear new rap), got an exclusive preview of the album, which you can listen to here. Yet the Vogue/Diddy connection is not quite as tenuous as it seems.
It’s kind of like running a marathon after a marathon:
Immediately after his show Friday morning, Peter Som headed uptown to Tommy Hilfiger’s studio, where he would continue more work. (Som consults for the designer, who’s showing this Sunday).
But let’s hope Som finds some time to celebrate his own success later. Not just any collection could shake the slumber from an audience that dragged their designer heels to Milk studios by (gasp!) 9am after Fashion Week’s first night of festivities—but Som did just that.
Fashion’s Night Out is two weeks from tomorrow! There is more going on than we can even wrap our heads around. Having trouble deciding where you want to go and who you want to see the most?
Well, if you’re interested in catching a peak of one of your favorite designers, here’s a roundup of where some of the biggest and the best will be on September 10. We’ve excluded most of the people we’ve already reported on. Also, it’s almost safe to say that if someone isn’t on this list, they will probably be at Barneys.
Michael Kors
Michael will be at his lifestyle store on Madison and 61st in New York City. He will be joined by TONY Award winner Idina Menzel, whom Michael will accompany on a selection of songs. Michael will also make an appearance nearby at Bloomingdale’s 59th street, where the “World of Michael” will be created to kick off a new Michael Kors handbag shop-in-shop.
Tommy Hilfiger
Tommy will be kicking off FNO and his brand’s 25th anniversary at Macy’s Herald Square. As we’ve reported, Macy’s will house “The Ultimate Tailgate Party” as inspired by Tommy’s most recent ad campaign. Tommy will be accompanied by Macy’s CEO Terry Lundgren. He will also make an appearance at his Fifth Avenue store, where shoppers can have their purchases personalized with an exploding monogram while they shop, listen to DJ Toddlerone and drink up.
After living here for a while, you sometimes forget how many amazing people live and work in New York City. When we walked into City Hall for the Fashion’s Night Out kick-off press conference today, we went through security with Lisa Mayock from Vena Cava.
Then, we saw Anna Wintour walking ahead of us and Alex Wang suddenly appeared behind us. A few minutes later Marc Jacobs, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez walked in. After we were seated inside the press conference room, the following people (in addition to the aforementioned) surrounded the podium: Prabal Gurung, Zac Posen, Phillip Lim, Tracy Reese, Kenneth Cole, Donna Karan, Carolina Herrera, Tommy Hilfiger, Thakoon Panichgul, Marcus Wainwright from Rag & Bone, Francisco Costa, Vera Wang, Tory Burch, Steven Kolb, Linda Fargo, the Mayor…and after a few moments, we noticed tiny Mary-Kate Olsen peeking her head out behind Marc.
Then, unfortunately, we died and are thus unable to report anything else about Fashion’s Night Out.
Just kidding – sort of.
Fashion’s Night Out is a little more than a month away and more details are being revealed around the world as the night gets closer.
For one, Hamish Bowles and Lauren Santo-Domingo will not be the only Vogue editors to appear on the September 20 FNO-themed Gossip Girl episode. Vogue market editor Meredith Melling-Burke will also make an appearance and we hear she’s wearing Chloe.
In other news, Payless is offering Facebook fans a chance to win a 5-day trip to NYC for Fashion’s Night Out. The “All Fashion Pass” will include access to the Vogue fashion show and a meet and greet with Payless designers Christian Siriano, Patricia Field, Lela Rose and Isabel Toledo. This actually sounds really cool.
From NYC to Australia, Chanel to Billy Reid, we’ve got the scoop on even more major FNO events you won’t want to miss.
The moment the Fall ads start flowing in is always an exciting one. Which brand will succeed and which will fail miserably in captivating consumers and creating that perfect fantastical image?
We already showed you some of our early favorites, but in the past couple of weeks, tons of new images have hit the web. We rank the best of the rest in descending order. Click through to get a glimpse of what’s in store for Fall.
Alber Talks Lanvin, Bloggers, Miss America: Alber continues to prove he’s the most adorable man in fashion, stating, “I prefer being relevant to being cool, because if you’re cool, you’re also cold the next day.” {Style.com} Recreating Tommy Hilfiger: The Tommy Hilfiger brand is working its way back to the status of “major American label.” Read more →