>> Ohne Titel's latest collection is black and white like you've never seen before. Trippy patterns — on jackets, skirts, and dresses — play tricks on the eyes for a bit of graphic illusion worth experiencing. Color was kept to a minimum, silhouettes were slim, and accessories came in the form of cowl scarves and quirky, equestrian hats. Standout looks included a black-and-blue colorblock pantsuit and a sheer-sleeved motorcycle jacket.
>> The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund judging committee — which this year includes Jack McCollough, Lazaro Hernandez, Vogue's Mark Holgate, Jeffrey Kalinsky of Jeffrey and Nordstrom, CFDA executive director Steven Kolb, Reed Krakoff, Andrew Rosen, Diane von Furstenberg, Jenna Lyons, and Anna Wintour — have determined the 2011 finalists. They are:
AA, Antonio Azzuolo
Altuzarra, Joseph Altuzarra
Carlos Campos, Carlos Campos
Creatures of the Wind, Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters
Cushnie Et Ochs, Michelle Ochs and Carly Cushnie
Finn Jewelry, Soraya Silchenstedt
Fenton/Fallon, Dana Lorenz
Ohne Titel, Alexa Adams and Flora Gill
Pamela Love
Suno, Max Osterweis and Erin Beatty
Joseph Altuzarra and Pamela Love are repeat finalists from last year, and Ohne Titel was a finalist in 2009. The winner and two runners-up will be announced Nov. 14.
>> Flora Gill and Alexa Adams say that their Fall 2010 collection resulted in a 300 percent jump in sales for Ohne Titel, but they're still attracting the art fashion crowd that has been with them from the beginning: pre-show, Cecilia Dean, wearing an Ohne Titel dress, tucked away a bicycle helmet into her bag, while Olivier Zahm arrived half an hour late — just after a curtain was dropped at the entrance — still stuffing change from a cab ride into his pocket. Carine Roitfeld, who's attended the past couple of seasons, was nowhere to be seen, however (It seems she had not yet arrived, as she was first spotted this morning at Derek Lam).
For Spring, Gill and Adams were inspired by the Japanese woodblock artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi — thanks to a Japan Society exhibit earlier this year — and sent out neoprene tanks (which will apparently be special order-only), Alaia-esque knit dresses with flared skirts, and oversized tailored vests, all on a womanly cast of models: Catherine McNeil, who opened, Cameron Russell in her first and only appearance so far this week, Emanuela de Paula (who hasn't walked a Fashion Week since Fall 2007), and Lakshmi Menon among them. The designers, who collaborated with the artist Tauba Auerbach on lucite and elastic-banded jewelry — marking her first time as a jeweler — also premiered their first handbags.
>> Hanne-Gaby Odiele, Ohne Titel, and Casting Director Natalie Joos Among Paper's 2010 Beautiful People —Paper has released its annual Beautiful People issue; among the fashion contigent are photographer and Rodarte collaborator Autumn de Wilde, casting director Natalie Joos, Hanne-Gaby Odiele, Calvin Klein model David Agobodji, Prabal Gurung, Ohne Titel, Milk Studios' Mazdack Rassi and wife, Marie Claire fashion editor Zanna Rassi. Among the tidbits gleaned: Alexa Adams of Ohne Titel's great-grandfather was Al Capone's tailor. [Paper]
We interviewed Ohne Titel designers Alexa Adams and Flora Gill at the 2010 New York Fall Fashion Week. Their new collection is influenced by Victorian silhouettes and Old World techniques but with a harder edge - creating modern shapes and textures with mixed mesh and a more athletic form. Think 19th century shape but sleek and easy to wear.
Influenced by 19th Century shapes, Ohne Titel designers Alexa Adams and Flora Gill took an athletic spin on Victorian style for fall 2010, toughening up Edwardian ideas and adding military details to give the collection the strong and sleek look for which the pair has become known.
"The total idea was this sort of Victorian silhouette. We wanted to take some of the shapes and even some of the textures and modernize it in an interesting way," Adams told us backstage after the runway show. The theme was best illustrated in the graphic netting used in leggings and paneled dresses. For this Adams and Gill explained they used old world lace-making techniques on a series of meshes, then magnified the pattern to create an exaggerated lace—a look which stole the show and provided a constant theme throughout.
Overall the collection was powerful yet approachable and utterly wearable. Some of the designers' favorite looks will no doubt be flying off shelves come fall—most notably a all-mesh dress with matching mesh leggings, a black fox and shearling jacket with a black leather belt, jogging-style slouch pants, cropped leather jackets, and the leather and net booties designed with Cesare Paciotti.
Gill told us the most gratifying part of creating clothes is to see strangers on the street wearing Ohne Titel, and, with this collection, we're pretty sure she's going to have one incredible fall season.
>> Ohne Titel has the industry rapt: one look at the front row — scattered with the likes of Suzy Menkes, Hamish Bowles, Cecilia Dean, Cathy Horyn, Stefano Tonchi, and Carine Roitfeld in her first appearance of the week — is a testament to that. But this season, Alexa Adams and Flora Gill were ready to win over more than just the editorial crowd; they focused on keeping prices down, producing wearable pieces, and growing their clientele.
Starting with "nineteenth century shapes and details" and adding their own utilitarian twist, out came streamlined knits, net skirts, and velvet jackets in moss green, gray, and black. Stylist Alastair McKimm helped the designers pair everything with patchwork tights and strapped wedge boots, the latter part of their ongoing collaboration with Cesare Paciotti.
If Flora and Alexa are looking for more fans, they definitely appear to have won over their models: Maryna Linchuk made her first Fashion Week appearance at the show, dancing as she entered the backstage area after walking; Constance Jablonski, too, gave a happy little shimmy after her runway loop.
The Ohne Titel Fall 2010 runway bravely combined textures and fabrics like mesh netting, velvet, fox hair, wools and knits -- and pulled it all together into a beautiful, wearable collection. Massive leather belts at the waist, shearling moto jackets, and menswear trousers are just a few of the runway trends. Stay tuned for FabTV's exclusive interview with Ohne Titel's hot designer duo, Alexa Adams and Flora Gill!
>> Alexander Wang is experiencing quite the winning streak — he was awarded the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund of $200,000 last November, the 2009 CFDA Swarovski Womenswear winner this past June, and now he's taking home the 2009 Swiss Textiles Award, a prize of about $150,000, to go towards international development. Wang becomes the second American designer in a row to win the Swiss Textiles Award, following after Rodarte, who were the first American winners ever last year.
The jury this year, chaired by Isabel Toledo, apparently had a tough time making a decision — Wang's fellow finalists this year were Peter Pilotto, Erdem, Thakoon, Alexis Mabille, and Ohne Titel, who will each receive a prize of approximately $6,000.
>> Ohne Titel's Alexa Adams and Flora Gill told Fashionista backstage that their Spring 2010 collection was their strongest yet, and they weren't kidding. Inspired by "the graphic lines, lush textures, and bold colors in Egyptian reliefs and sculptures," according to their show notes, Adams and Gill adapted their signature tailoring and body-con sensibilities to span an oxymoronic look of primitive modernity. They elaborated to The Cut: "We looked at a lot of wall painting and sculptures, and so we’re kind of playing with taking those same kind of proportions and applying them on the body."
Lace-up heels, flats, and thigh-high boots done in collaboration with Cesare Paciotti are sure to have the shoehounds drooling, and the prevalent texture in the collection — including patches of multicolored hand embroidery — was exquisite. Alastair McKimm, who worked with Alexander Wang the last two seasons, styled, and both Cathy Horyn and Visionaire's Cecilia Dean appeared front row.
