Ports 1961

Style

The Top 10 Trends from Milan Fashion Week

Milano always brings the sexy. But this season, Fashion Month's third stop also brought forays into Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy-worthy quiet reserve and gallery-caliber, fine-art motifs. Click through to check out the top 10 trends spotted at the Milan spring 2014 collections.

Style

The Top 10 Trends from Milan Fashion Week

The “Moda” in Milan was certainly “Alta;" no denim or designer leggings to be found anywhere. Instead, we found gorgeous felt coats and tailored dresses--a new reserved chic, often refreshingly subverted with slightly rumpled styling. We’re excited about this “Downton Dowager” idea, as well as all the other news from the Italian shows. Check out our list of the top ten trends the from the city where luxury knows NO limits.

Careers

How I'm Making It: Tia Cibani

In 2010, Tia Cibani sent the fashion world into a mini state of mourning when she announced she was stepping down from Chinese-by-way-of-Canada label Ports 1961 to start a family, handing over the creative reigns to her sister Fiona. But just two years later (with a brand new baby in tow!) Cibani made a major comeback with the debut of her first eponymous fashion line this past September at New York Fashion Week. And the industry has welcomed the designer back with open arms: Earlier this week, Cibani was awarded the Fashion Group International’s Rising Star Award for womenswear--an honor previously won by fashion heavy hitters like Joseph Altuzzara and Michelle Obama's other go-to guy, Jason Wu. We were lucky enough to grab a few minutes to chat with the designer, who--between attending fittings for her fall '13 presentation next week and being a full-time mom--is at an all time life and career high. Read on for the designer's insights on motherhood, manufacturing locally, and how her own naivety got her where she is today.

Beauty

10 New Ways to Wear Ponytails, Straight From the Fall Runways

Ponytails are the new braids. From New York all the way through Paris—the ponytail reigned supreme during the fall 2012 season. Obviously the pony is a perennial favorite, but it had a particularly strong showing this season. But the style can be more challenging to reproduce than it seems. On the catwalk, it’s a high-fashion look that reads casual and low-maintenance. But on the sidewalk, it has the potential to come across quite lackluster, horribly humdrum, and soccer mom-ish. That’s where we come in—a few of our favorite designers (in collaboration with their amazing runway hair stylists) have found easy and interesting ways to retell the age-old pony tale. Here, ten quick tips for the prettiest, fashion-forward, DIY ponies ever, straight from the fall 2012 runways.

Style

Ports 1961 Fall 2012: Understated Elegance

Ports' forest green invite was certainly a promise of what was to come. Upon entering the show, set in the New York Public Library, the vibe, like the invites, was understated and elegant: Fashion industry insiders quietly made their way to the rows of benches lining a square runway, underneath a gorgeous skylight. The clothes matched the quiet stylishness of the space to every degree: The first looks--a set of boxy, metallic leather shirts and dresses--were gorgeous. A set of grey patchwork, fur coats that followed also worked: Beautiful, and expensive-looking without being ostentatious in the least.

Business

The Mysterious Case of Christina Hendricks' Ports 1961 Event at Bloomingdale's

Last night, Ports 1961 showcased their Fall/Winter 2010 collection on Bloomingdale's fourth floor. There was quite a turnout for the event, a mini fashion show and cocktail reception, as Mad Men star Christina Hendricks was billed as the host. "Christina Hendricks, star of Mad Men, will host a cocktail reception and will be on hand for a special presentation of the Ports 1961 Fall/Winter 2010 Collection at Bloomingdale’s 59th Street," read the release. It's true, she was there, and looked stunning in a Ports 1961 sheath dress. And she graciously and patiently signed autographs and posed for photos with adoring fans for nearly an hour. But her actual involvement with the Ports 1961 presentation was suspiciously limited. She never once took the stage during the presentation, and the 10 or so press outlets who had attended the event with the promise of interviewing Hendricks, myself including, were left without quotes. I was told, rather cryptically, when I got to the fourth floor, that Hendricks would not be conducting any interviews. The clothes were gorgeous, and we're seriously coveting the textured thick tights the models were wearing, but the real story was Hendricks' sudden lack of involvement with the Ports event.

Business

Tia Cibani To Step Down at Ports 1961

Ports 1961's creative director Tia Cibani will leave her post at the end of this month, WWD is reporting. But the brand is keeping the creative leadership in the family, and Tia's older sister Fiona, who has overseen the Ports International brand, will take over at Ports 1961 as well. Tia, 37, served as creative director of Ports 1961 for the past five years, and has been with the company since 1990. Ports is an unusual brand, having redefined what it means to be "Made in China." Originally a Canadian company, Ports was purchased by entrepreneur Alfred Chan (Fiona's husband) in 1989, who moved operations to his hometown in Xiamen, China. Tia moved to Xiamen in 1993, and spent seven years overseeing the brand's development there, before returning to the US in 2003 to launch Ports 1961.