>> THE ZEITGEIST —It's not even officially Day 1 of New York Fashion Week yet, and already three collections have debuted on video. Joining Halston in doing the video lookbook are Melissa Coker of Wren, who collaborated with filmmaker friend Alia Raza last season and repeated the partnership again this season with "Discreet Nightmare," and Alison Lewis of Lewis, who worked with Bradley Gutierrez to produce a gauzy, romantic look at her collection. [Interview, The Pipeline]
>> Even established designers are editing, editing, editing for Fashion Week — the number of models, the number of looks, the amount of fabric used — but the tight times aren't keeping a crop of new blood away. Joining former Bill Blass design director Prabal Gurung and Swaim and Christina Hutson, who are starting over with a new label, in the mix — alums of Central Saint Martins, FIT, and Parsons; apprentices of Marc Jacobs, J.Mendel, and Ralph Lauren; but most importantly, New York Fashion Week virgins — show us what you've got.
*image: source, source, source
>> Designers may be pulling their belt tighter this Fashion Week, but hardly any are pulling out of the rat race altogether — the attention is too valuable. "You kill a thousand birds with one stone, because you get that many people there in an hour and you're getting one message across to them," says Scott Sternberg of Boy and Band of Outsiders. "They're writers and photographers and culturally indulgent people with loud mouths."
Instead, designers are saving by hosting presentations instead of runway shows (Monique Lhuillier, Temperley London, and Carmen Marc Valvo), inviting fewer guests (Marc Jacobs and DKNY, who's slicing her usual 1,000 down to 400), sending email invites instead of by mail (nearly everyone), or showing fewer looks to save on fabric and sample-making costs.
»On the rise: Pamela Love, whose claw bracelets appeared in the Fall 2008 Gap ads, and who is collaborating with Marchesa for Spring 2009 [The Cut]
»Does Jane Mayle already have placement at another, larger label? [The Pipeline]
»Preen, Roksanda Illincic, Marios Schwab on their Spring 2009 inspiration [Dazed Digital]
»Diane Pernet is launching a touring fashion film festival [FWD]
»Siri Tollerod stars in a really over-the-top Harajuku Lovers commercial [Fashionista]
»Julia Stegner has moved from Women to IMG [Chic Report]
»New York Models Show Package [Of the Minute]
»Alison Lewis, formerly of Mooka Kinney, to launch solo line [The Pipeline]
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