tforia

Nighttime in the mall of Soho:

The new Jerome Dreyfuss store:

Bags in the sub-$1K range.

Decades Two pop up at Kiki de Montparnasse:

Beautiful Olive Dress…

Longchamp displaying ugly yellows:

Foiled interiors:

Door to People’s Revolution: Kell on Earth:

Comfortable linens at Eileen Fisher. It’s geared towards older women, but I would definitely consider wearing even if it makes me look “new age.”

Nothing exciting at Nicole Miller:

Red, one shoulder dress at Searle:

Ralph Lauren fishermen–made popular by those tv shows on the most dangerous jobs?

Clashy Custo:

Pleasant walk around quiet streets (Greene, Grand, Mercer…).

…at Bergdorf’s.

The staff was taking down and setting up new windows…mannequins propped up against the wall–Narciso red dress with translucent rubber band like belt…

Textured leather…

Chado Ralph Rucci flesh toned dress and matching jacket.

Big cat head helps sell kids clothing.

Mary Jane peekabo Louboutins.

yummy.

Strange flapper exhibit.

Another Herve Leger–they sell like Coach bags.

Hieroglyphic dress.

Leathers.

Carmen San Diego coat.

When blacks don’t match:

I love Diners!

Fancy entrance to a restaurant in midtown.

Hamish Bowles writes about the Vogue staff.

Did they run out of things to write about? I know Lucky magazine likes to feature a staff member and their style every month, but it’s strange how Vogue is doing the same. Voguette style is unattainable. Why even try describing it?

Lauren Santo Domingo has a fun and youthful outfit on. Proenza Schouler babydoll dress ($2,240) with a fitted, cropped Dolce & Gabbana blazer ($1,795). I guess it’s still unattainable.

The photo is quite funny. Both Voguettes have the posture of young girls–Lauren dragging her Dolce & Gabbana bag and Giovanna Battaglia in her signature pose: fourteen year tomboy girl and her first time wearing nice clothes.

Giovanna always looks awkward. It’s as if she’s uncomfortable with the niceness of her clothes and that she’s scared because her mom is ready to yell at her if she does get her clothes dirty.

How did Marc force feed his models?

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Bar Refeali looks like she stuffed herself.

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LV sweats.

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Cone: pointy pyramid

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Less defined waistlines + big skirts that hit the top quarter of the calf = optical illusions

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It looks like she’s walking through the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. I love the socks.

As magical as it looks, I don’t imagine it’s practical. If I ever owned a white coat, it would be stained and I don’t think I’d enjoy walking through the park in those heels.

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?

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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.

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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.”

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‘”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.