In my inbox today:

What Zoe does for a living?

Show up at celebrity homes and present many dress options from many designers and have a celebrity try on options and find a dress to borrow. For free.

Rent the Runway version?
You can pay to have options sent to your house. If you don’t end up wearing a dress, you can return it free of charge. Rental fees per dress start at $50. They’ll send two sizes with each rental. Does not come with accessory pairings, although Rent the Runway is branching out.

Rent the Runway dresses are not as unique–not as spectacular as the ones that Zoe has access to. The memorable dresses that actually come off top designer runways are still inaccessible. There’s so much incentive for Rent the Runway to stock dresses that appeal to the masses–more turnover per dress. Why would they stock Olivier Theyskens?

This is definitely a tuxedo rental service for women. They stock a ton of Herve Leger bondage dresses. When did those first come out? Around 2 years ago. Real fashionistas, who scour the corners of every thrift store for amazing fashions, would never subscribe to a service like this. I’ve also never understood how anyone would want to follow trends on the Oscar runways in dressing themselves. Long flowy gowns, oh, I gotta get one for that event I’m going to. Don’t you just want to look good?

moviefone.com

Also, it’s funny how much Zoe is trying to gain traction online with her RZ brand. She’s already on Piper Lime and I’ve seen other places that integrate a sign up for her Zoe report. Before her TV show, before Nicole Ritchie, she seemed so elusive. Now Zoe is more like the Dr. Phil of fashion.

They drag their feet in wet puddles.

style.com

Can’t wait to get mine.

WSJ March 9th, 2010

Confirmation that these head designers are indeed savvy business people.

“LVMH Wipes Céline Slate Clean, Opening Way for ‘Phoebe Effect’”
An article on Phoebe Philo as designer and strategist for Chloe (past) and Celine.

“Céline recruited Ms. Philo 18 months ago. To start fresh, the company destroyed all of the inventory left in the stores prior to her first collection…”

“Despite prices that seem to forget the Great Recession—like $790 platform sandals—Ms. Philo’s utilitarian overcoats, pants and blouses have tight-fisted store buyers ready to spend.”

style.com

‘”I felt it was necessary to establish quality to the brand,” Ms. Philo said in an interview. “Now that we are establishing that and the top of the pyramid is in place, we can open it out.”‘

“Once on board, Ms. Philo and Céline’s new chief executive, Marco Gobbetti, who previously revived LVMH’s Givenchy house, decided to whittle down the brand’s distribution. ”

“”There were too many stores,” Ms. Philo said, dressed head to toe in Céline except for Nike sneakers.”

“I really felt that in coming back into the workplace, and in life generally, if you start small and reduce everything to a point that’s understandable, it gives you a foundation to grow,” Ms. Philo said. “It’s all about Céline being brought back to a focused situation.”

A WSJ article last week (March 5, 2010) discusses the business side of fashion and debates the necessity of a lead designer.

“Ditching Designers to Sell the Clothes
Diesel, Maison Martin Margiela shake up clothes production process, emphasizing teams—and the business side”

After having success with Margiela’s team of designers, Renzo Rosso (Diesel Group’s founder) is doing the same by having an anonymous team design for Diesel.

It’s not necessarily how brilliant a lead designer is nor the expertise they have in sewing/pattern making that makes a brand successful–it’s definitely the style. A collection needs to have the balance of being forward and being what people are seeking. Not all designers are in touch with trends: past, present or future.

‘”The consumer doesn’t care,” Mr. Rosso says, swiping a cigarette from a colleague. “They just want to see the right product at the right moment.”‘

Project runway focuses solely on the designer–as if that is the main ingredient in creating a successful clothing line. If you take a look at Austin Scarlett or Christian Siriano (as fierce as he is), they make beautiful dresses and neat designs, but their ability to be in touch as tastes change is a completely different matter.

That’s what makes Marc Jacobs, John Galliano, and Karl Lagerfeld so special–they’re not merely clothing designers, they orchestrate the inspiration behind the styles every season. As businessmen they are in tune with the demands of the market. According to the article, Diesel’s take is that they’ll hire stylists, who are more in touch with trends and taste, to lead the design process. It’s because of their inability to find someone with both the ability to define trends, and the ability to design. Having someone who is knowledgeable about the craftsmanship of fashion is super important–where do we get inspiration for new silhouettes, forms, shapes–only someone like Francisco Costa can translate those sharp angles and exaggerated shoulders (inspired originally from Ghesquiere’s collections) into something fit for Calvin Klein. Christopher Bailey is another great example. The cutting edge silhouettes he creates season after season, are still tied to the original style that is very Burberry.

To the next top Project Runway Designer–you may sew well, but not sell well.

“A Still from ‘First Spring’ a film by Yang Fudong”

Is the guy’s suit Prada? Or is the moment Prada?

Tying indie flicks to the Prada brand.

Rerock? Express’s jean brand.

I was trying to figure out what “rerock” meant. Is it the last name of the jean designer?

So disappointed to find that they just made up a word:

“Rethink. Reshape. Rerock. Exclusive new denim fits and washes by Rerock…”

?

How long will this brand last? I wonder how long it’ll take for Express to figure how bad of an idea it is…

I was trying to figure out what was featured in the recent YSL ads

Is it a really short dress? Made from paper plates?

Turns out it’s a vest with pleats that form circles. It was belted to look like a dress.

What would you wear with this?

I’d be too afraid to get this dirty/wrinkled. Pleats are hard to manage

Plaids, ruched trenchcoat, metallics, belts…so much clutter on Hermione Granger.

Looks overly gaudy and cheap in the picture, but the khaki-ed mannequins look young:

It looks like Emma’s having trouble holding 2 bags while wearing a ruched trench. The foreground shows a more carefree dress + boots combo.

2 guys at once?

Really takes away the youth of the Harry Potter star.

I always enjoy Burberry Prossum when they branch out from their traditional looks. Especially with the Duchesse Silk Knotted Epaulette trench coat that does not have the signature Burberry look. It looks more like a Nicolas Ghesquière inspired version of Burberry. Christopher Bailey did a great job with the color and texture on this coat.

There’s really no excitement in Burberry’s ad campaigns. Perhaps most of their clients prefer the old fashion Burberry trench looks…perhaps most of the revenue is driven by their ugly plaid bags…

Wait, here’s Emma in the Burberry campaign for V magazine…never in Vogue/Elle/Bazaar…

New Michael Kors campaigns take place in a parking lot. I think last year, ads took place on a helicopter pad.

Hanging out at the Valet stand

What is it with transportation and Michael Kors? Appealing to the image of being always on the go? To the local mall? Or wherever there are a ton of big SUV like vehicles?

Taking a walk around SUV filled parking lot

Maybe it’s the sleek metallic look of new SUV’s that help these campaigns achieve the feel Kors is going for.

Now this is just outrageous…a swim suit? clutch and heels? IN A PARKING LOT!!!

Love the creativity. Certainly adds humor. Wonder how MKors campaigns would be evaluated as a fashion concept on Project Runway.

There was a feature on Tinsley Mortimer’s style in the WSJ today A whole half page on how Tinsley has gone edgy since her divorce. It’s funny, because nothing in her closet looks too edgy–still that “pink is my favorite color” girl. Perhaps she’s not explicitly wearing pink anymore (although there was quite a bit of pink in her closet) but everything she has is made for a perky, bubbly girl. Little fur jackets, bright colored cocktail dresses, colored tops…if you look at my closet, it’s all black. Tinsley’s is Mardi Gras festive.

wsj.com

In seeking her “edgier side,” it seems Ms. Mortimer has walked into a Claire’s and picked up some “edgier” jewelry.

wsj.com

Funny right? That hot PINK studded bracelet = Tinsley’s edginess. “I’m a girly girl but I’m having a bit of a slightly edgy phase,” she says.

Also, what do you do with the clothes you wear once you’ve been photographed in them? I would have expected her to never wear the same dress again. But she has a rack of dresses from premiers, public functions, etc… Why bother keeping clothes if you’re never going to wear them again?

Disappointed. I thought her closet would be much bigger. At least as stocked as Olivia Palermo’s.

nypost.com

I take the NYMag post on her new style: “Tinsley Mortimer Rocks Out, Sort Of”

Here she is “rocked out”:

nymag.com

Yes, it looks like she went into a teen clothing store in a suburban mall (where they are 2-3 years behind in fashion) and picked out a few “rocker” items.

Torn jeans, a shiny silvery top, and leather. It looks terribly inauthentic. Tinsley needs to stay within her realm of competence and go back to dressing like the socialite princess she is. There’s no other side of her that’s as attractive. Perhaps her divorce has led her to the “edgier/cheap jewelry” side–now making a living off an upcoming reality show.