fashionologie

Amanda Brooks Reveals Her Post-Barneys Plans

Justin Fenner — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:56:10 PDT

Amanda Brooks says she'll focus on her writing during her upcoming stay in England.

Brooks broke her blogosphere silence this week for the first time since last February with a post on her site I Love Your Style. In it, she explained that she will be taking a yearlong "creative sabbatical" when she moves with her family to a farmhouse in Oxfordshire, England, this Summer.

"First on my agenda? To get my blog and up and running again," Brooks wrote. "I also have ambitious writing plans for the next year, and you all will be the first to know about them as they unfold."

Since that post went live, Brooks has written one post a day. The most recent one focuses on trench coats designed by Junya Watanabe.

Brooks had been the fashion director of Barneys since February 2011, but she announced she would leave the retailer in March to pursue other opportunities. She released the fashion advice book I Love Your Style in 2009 and launched her blog of the same name in 2010.

This Week's Best Dressed

Christina Perez — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:04:46 PDT

>> Spring party season is in full swing, bringing New York's fash pack out in droves. On Thursday, Ferragamo feted the reopening of its gorgeous 5th Avenue flagship by inviting Solange Knowles - divine in head-to-toe Ferragamo, of course- to spin records for a well-heeled crowd that included Sarah Reynolds, Lauren Remington Platt, and Genevieve Jones.

Across the street, Cartier celebrated the opening of its "Cartier & Aldo Cipullo, New York City in the '70s" exhibit with a glam soiree that saw the likes of Arizona Muse, Lily Collins, and Charlotte Casiraghi. Later that evening, the party continued downtown, where Leigh Lezark (left) kept the crowd - which included Chanel Iman and Karlie Kloss, both in Cushnie et Ochs - dancing all night long.

See pics from those events - plus, knockout looks from Amanda Brooks, Crystal Renn, Coco Rocha, Karen Walker, and more at a bevy of other occasions - here, in our best-of-the-week slideshow.

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Amanda Brooks Explains Her Revolving System of Closets

fashionologie — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 08:40:51 PDT

>> Outgoing Barneys Fashion Director Amanda Brooks is known for her impeccable style, and the organizational system that helps her achieve it is, well, heavenly.

In a recent interview for The Aesthete, Brooks explained to stylist Annabel Tollman that her closets are organized so that she's always closest to what she wants to wear at the moment. When things go out of rotation, they get farther away from her main wardrobe - and when she doesn't wear a garment at all, it might end up in a version of wardrobe hell. Brooks elaborates:

". . . I have a main closet built into my bedroom that is my current clothing. At the end of the season, if I haven't worn something for a while I have a secondary closet in my bathroom; off-season on one side and then purgatory on the other. If things are in purgatory for a year or two and haven't been worn, then pieces go to the basement, which is the equivalent of hell, or they get given away. I have moods for things in the closet, and sometimes I regret giving things away. I'll find myself schlepping down to the basement and digging through the boxes to find a piece. The things I consider friends are the ones that never leave my main closet."

Brooks didn't speak to her decision to leave Barneys, which she announced last Thursday. But although her job is changing, she told Tollman her style will likely remain the same.

"I return to the '70s more than everything else; classic, and a little bit groovy. A little shrunken stripe with a cap sleeve, some oversize sunglasses, maybe a little flare on my jeans, the bamboo-handled Gucci bag. It suits my body; no boobs, lean hips . . . I feel like some people have a taste for one decade and a body for another. But for me my body and heart are both ’70s, so it's pretty straightforward. I'm a very contemporary creature."

Amanda Brooks Leaves Barneys - Here's a Look Back at Her Impeccable Style

Christina Perez — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:07:34 PDT

>> Earlier today, it was announced that Amanda Brooks has resigned from her position as vice president and fashion director of Barneys New York. Brooks - who is married to British artist Christopher Brooks - will be relocating with her family to the UK.

"To be the fashion director of a store with such a unique and inspiring vision has always been a dream job," Brooks said. "I have had the pleasure of working with an incredibly talented team but have resigned to temporarily relocate to England with my husband and children in the interest of further pursuing other opportunities. It is a personal decision and I will miss working with the Barneys team."

The news comes as a surprise for a couple of reasons - and not just because Brooks is one of the most stylish fixtures on the New York scene. It has been just slightly over a year since Brooks started at Barneys, and before that, discussing who would land the position was one of the industry's favorite pastimes. With WWD reporting that "Barneys is not planning to immediately replace Brooks," it's safe to assume that the subject will once again lead to some tongue-wagging. In fact, speculation regarding where Brooks might go has already begun: As John Januzzi points out, the Brooks announcement comes on the same day that Harper's Bazaar UK Editor-in-Chief Lucy Yeomans announces she will be leaving the magazine to join Net-a-Porter.

Regardless of where she goes, there's no denying that Brooks will do it in style. Here, a look back at some of her most inspiring looks.

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Victoria's Secret's New High-End Line, Alice Dellal's New Look, and Jessica Chastain's Oscar Phone Call

Christina Perez — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:14:57 PST

>> These stories and more - here, in our daily news roundup.

Victoria's Secret has launched its first high-end lingerie line, called The Victoria's Secret Designer Collection. Though it includes pieces that were shown during November's fashion show, the line had been kept top secret - until now. It's available at VictoriasSecret.com, and retails between $38 and $298. [WWD]

Speaking of lingerie, Bar Refaeli is the latest model to launch her own line of intimates. The label is called Under.me and will be available online in the UK for Valentine's Day. Priced from $7.50 to $25, Refaeli says the line is based on what "I like and find cute". [WWD]

Alice Dellal - the new face of Chanel's Boy Bag - has been looking a lot less "punk" lately. At the Chanel couture show (left), she wore a long skirt and a lace top. She kept her mismatched nails though. [Telegraph]

Also trying a new look: Lara Stone, who donned a coiffed brown wig and super-dark eyebrows to pose with actor Aaron Eckhart for Peter Lindbergh's lens. [Vogue]

Jessica Chastain found out about her Oscar nod while sitting front row at the Giorgio Armani Privé couture show in Paris. She was seated near Cameron Diaz and Roberta Armani, who congratulated her with a standing ovation. [People]

Amanda Brooks has announced her top 5 favorite trends for Spring. They include digital flower prints and single-sole shoes. [The Window]

Uh oh. Did H&M steal this artist's design? [Styleite]

The next hot beauty trend for men: Beards. They were all over the Fall 2012 Menswear runways. [The Cut]

The Best-Dressed of 2011

fashionologie — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:50:37 PST

>> As 2011 draws to a close, here's a look back at some of the most memorable ensembles of the year. Among the hits? Giovanna Battaglia in vintage Versace, Amanda Brookes in sparkling Derek Lam, Karlie Kloss in super-sexy Anthony Vaccarello - and so many more. From supermodels to street style stars, from Proenza to Pucci - see who made the cut and who wore what, here in our 2011 roundup.

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This Week's Best Dressed

fashionologie — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 17:34:06 PST

>> It's a week of double-timers: two Haider Ackermann looks, two Calvin Klein looks, and one model who appears twice. See who's wearing what - and where - in the slideshow.

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Christian Louboutin - and Friends - Fete 20 Years of Shoes with Barneys

fashionologie — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:38:59 PDT

>> Last night, Christian Louboutin joined up with Barneys to fete the launch of his eponymous book - as well as the 20th anniversary of his brand - in New York.

The designer's longtime friends (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen), collaborators (Marchesa's Keren Craig), and design peers (Calvin Klein, who left with an autographed copy of the tome) showed up in support. As did more than a few fans - sporting their Louboutin heels, of course. "I'm wearing my very first pair from 1997," Amanda Brooks told Style.com of her strappy red sandals. "He gave them to me as a thank you because I used to work at the Gagosian Gallery, across from the Carlyle, and he would call me on my lunch break to come over and model the shoes for him."

Blake Lively, who made headlines a year ago for carting 40 pairs of Louboutins away from the designer's sample sale, also stopped by: "My first pair was basic black, and after that, it was love - now I have hundreds." Clearly the feeling is mutual - Louboutin whisked her off her feet and carried her away after the event.

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See Vanessa Traina's Full Maje Collection Lookbook

fashionologie — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:42:55 PDT

>> Last night, Vanessa Traina launched her 14-piece capsule collection for the French brand Maje at Barneys, which has the US exclusive. She wore a black tuxedo jacket and pant from the collection, and was joined by her sisters Samantha and Victoria Traina and close designer friends like Alexander Wang, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Joseph Altuzarra, and Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, most of whom followed her to a celebratory dinner down the street at Le Caprice.

The idea for the collection, which ranges from $150 to $490, came about while Traina was in fittings for the brand's campaign (which she's appeared in the past two seasons). She told Vogue.com: "Maje asked me to do their campaign a few seasons ago and we all got along really well. We met the day before the shoot to do fittings, and by the end of it, we’d put together the proposal for a collaboration."

Her ideas for the collection - inspired by "a lot of old '90s editorial," she told us - came easily: "I had a whole folder with me . . . working in the industry and doing consulting quite frequently, I knew what to expect from a design meeting, and I think it really helped Maje understand my vision right from the get-go."

The resultant pieces are simple, primarily silk or lace, and sans color. In fact, minus one white silk maxi dress, they're all in black. "I wear black quite, quite often," Traina explains. "Because this was a one-time collaboration, I really wanted to do something wearable and [focus on] really great separates that fit into your wardrobe. And black goes with everything, so I really just kind of went with that." She told Vogue.com, "Although I must admit, I haven’t worn anything outside of my bedroom yet."

The collection also provided Traina with her first opportunity to design a shoe: "I mean, I've worked with Joseph Altuzarra and people on their collection from head to toe, so I've kind of worked with a shoe, but he [Altuzarra] really does the crux of it, so yeah, it's the first time. It's really cool because we initially started with doing a flat, and then I just thought it would be cool if we stuck a heel on it. So it's just a sandal design."

Even though she now has more extensive design experience, Traina says the collection is a one-time thing: "I really see myself more as a stylist, and I work as a stylist and do consulting. I was really grateful for this opportunity, it was really fun to do something like this, but I think the direction that I'm going in right now with styling is really what I'm passionate about, [and] is really what I love personally."

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Carine Roitfeld's New Fashion Project Not With Tom Ford; Alexander Wang Awarded $50,000

fashionologie — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:44:41 PST

Carine Roitfeld's new project has nothing to do with Tom Ford, she says: "A long time he’s my friend, but I don’t want to go back, so I want to look in front of me … Because I did ten years with Tom, then ten years for Vogue Paris. Now I want to do something new. I don’t want to go back. But he’s one of my best friends, Tom" [The Cut]
Alexander Wang was just named GQ's Best New Menswear Designer, for which he will receive $50,000 [GQ]
Karl Lagerfeld is selling his six-floor, never-lived-in Gramercy Park apartment (which he bought in 2006 for $6.575 million because he "thought he’d move here and retire here," according to a source) for $5.5 million [NY Post]
19-year-old Ukrainian model Juju Ivanyuk, who opened for Celine and Alexander McQueen last season, was chosen by Prada and Miu Miu casting director Russell Marsh to open and close the BCBG show yesterday (left) [The Cut]
Grace Coddington's memoir has stalled - "It's slow going," she says - because her co-writer Jay Fielden is settling into his new job as Town & Country editor [NY Post]
Alexander McQueen's sales continue to grow, a year after the founding designer's death [Vogue UK]
Which New York shows is Anna Wintour looking forward to? "I’m always looking forward to seeing the young designers in New York, Proenza Schouler, Rodarte, Alexander Wang - all the designers that came out of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. And Olivier Theyskens' first show for Theory. That’s obviously very exciting" [NY Times]
Reed Krakoff cut his invitation list by 120 this season [@jimshi809]
Net-a-Porter is now putting out a print magazine; the first issue features Alexa Chung on the cover [Fashionista]
A preview of the new Lizzie Fortunato Jewels collection, which in addition to the signature bib necklaces includes woven belts and leopard print pony hair satchels for Fall 2011 [The Moment]
According to The Lake and the Stars's Maayan Zilberman, who cast plus size models like Alyona Osmanova and Inga Eiriksdottir in her Fall 2011 show today: "Agencies are horrified we're putting girls from plus division in with [skinny girls], and some agents said flat out they wouldn't put their 'good girls' with plus sized models" [@Refinery29, @jezebeljenna]
New Barneys fashion director Amanda Brooks wore flats to the shows yesterday because her doctor told her to [The Window]
Androgynous male model Andrej Pejic has been cast in Yoana Baraschi's Feb. 13 show [Fashionetc.]