fashionologie

Blass Second-in-Command Prabal Gurung Takes the Reins for Fall 2009

fashionologie — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:45:12 PST

>> He filled in as chief designer at Bill Blass for the Spring 2008 season before Peter Som took over, and was set to produce the Fall 2009 Blass collection after Som left until things with the label fell apart. Now former Blass design director Prabal Gurung is striking out on his own with a signature label for Fall 2009, his first show kicking off Fashion Week Feb. 12. And judging by the pre-show coverage - WWD, Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, Fashion Week Daily - he'll do just fine, even in a recession.

Working out of his makeshift showroom - an on-loan studio apartment that belongs to an editor friend - Gurung, who has been selling made-to-measure to private clients for a few years, is putting the finishing touches on his self-funded, twenty-look collection, which he says is all about "well-made clothes": "At Bill Blass, I learned the way clothes are supposed to be made - there are no shortcuts. Just well-finished clothes. That’s the kind of approach I’m taking - it’s not about being trendy."

It helps that he already has the industry support - "It’s been very emotional, the amount of support I’ve gotten, without asking" - and scoring coveted casting agent James Scully and T Magazine and former British Vogue stylist Tiina Laakkonen to cast and style the show, respectively, won't hurt. Now it's all about bringing that sketch of four of his Fall 2009 looks to life - we'll be watching.
*image: source

Fall 2009 Fashion Week: Baubles, Baubles, Baubles

fashionologie — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:59:33 PST

>> Fall 2009 is jewelry's time to shine, judging by all of the collaborations debuting during Fashion Week. Besides Alexander Wang working with Paris Kain of AbraxasRex on "industrial," "animalistic" pieces, Bensoni commissioned Bing Bang's Anna Sheffield to do candy heart necklaces with pyramid pendants, Jason Wu enlisted Philip Crangi to add a "tough element" to his collection, Gilles Mendel and Subversive's Justin Giunta teamed up for chains and jewels to will appear on and worked into the J.Mendel collection, Eddie Borgo channeled his triangle obsession for Jen Kao, producing a sharp set of baubles - and he also working with Joseph Altuzarra. Not to mention a variety of other partners in jeweldom: Hervé Van der Straeten and Ruffian, Thakoon and Fenton's Dana Lorenz, DanniJo and Trovata, Roxanne Assouline and Brian Reyes . . .

Needless to say, the bijoux will be aplenty this season - especially because those partnerships are a good way to for jewelry designers get pieces out there without spending money - "You'll see a lot of collaborations going on with designers - like Irene Neuwirth is doing jewelry for Richard Chai - so you can see the talent at the same time," says CFDA executive director Steven Kolb.
*image: source, source, source

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Paris Fashion Week: Chanel Fall 2009 Video

coutorture — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 10:02:09 PDT

There was talk of the Chanel runway being comprised of a set of trap doors, making for a slightly awkward runway show--and our video lays its all out there for you. Staging quandaries aside, Karl Lagerfeld's collection for Chanel this season called up a series of ruffled collars and cuffs which, as the designer explained, can be removed--"at noon they're already dirty"--in order to avoid taking your dress to the dry cleaner after just two wears. Looks like Lagerfeld is more recession minded than we thought. Check out our video below, and a photo gallery of the individual looks right here.

New York Fashion Week: Ralph Lauren Fall 2009 Video

coutorture — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 10:02:48 PDT

The Fall 2009 Ralph Lauren collection was all about mixing casual, accessible pieces with super luxe, formal ones. The color palette was pale, and predominately earthy, save for the occasional flashes of black or plum. Although Lauren has agreed not to use fur in his collections his shearling and feather pieces compensated in the texture department. Check out our video of the runway show, courtesy of Vidicom, and after, don't miss our runway gallery of each individual look.

New York Fashion Week: Michael Kors Fall 2009 Video

coutorture — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 10:03:21 PDT

Michael Kors presented a sleek Fall 2009 collection yesterday that was just the right balance of sensibility and fun. In our video, courtesy of Vidicom, Kors talks about why women won't stop shopping during times of economic uncertainty and why just the right amount of luxury--an acid green fox fur jacket perhaps?--is not only appropriate, but justified. After the video, check out our runway gallery from the show.

Peter Som Cobbles Together Fall 2009 Collection; Other Designers Not So Fortunate

fashionologie — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:48:43 PST

>> Peter Som has had a tough past six months, between the fallout at Bill Blass and the pull out of his eponymous lines' investor. Two weeks ago, he wasn't even sure if he was going to be able to pull anything together for Fashion Week, but he's succeeded in producing something for Fall 2009 - a capsule collection of 16 looks, which he will be showing at private appointments.

Peter's not alone in his misfortune this season - for various other labels, big and small, Fall 2009 isn't panning out so well either. Some, like Peter, have had to cancel their runway show in favor of showroom appointments (Sari Gueron) or lookbooks (Francis by Christian Francis Roth, who just tried to stage a comeback last season). Some are just plain nixing their shows (Benjamin Cho, Hanii Y, Sue Stemp, Rubin Singer).

Poor newcomer Mikhael Kale had to cancel his show because his samples were damaged during shipping; he's remaking the collection for press and buyer appointments in two weeks' time. Italian knitwear label Malo, designed by Alessandro Dell'Acqua, is totally missing in action, even though it always draws Carine Roitfeld and Franca Sozzani front row. And Patrick Robinson has postponed Gap's presentation until April. Here's to hoping the news only gets better from here.
*image: source

Extreme Beauty Brings Out Three Extreme Beauties: Eva, Claudia, and Nadja

fashionologie — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:27:12 PST

>> Paris Fashion Week starts tomorrow, but fashion folk couldn't leave Milan without hitting up the Palazzo della Ragione last night for one last Milanese shindig, courtesy of Anna Wintour, Domenico Dolce, and Stefano Gabbana. The launch for the "Extreme Beauty in Vogue" exhibition - which Anna selected 89 images for - the party was likened to the Milanese equivalent of the Costume Institute Gala; in other words, the week's hottest ticket. Karl Lagerfeld made a beeline for the photos after mugging for a few cameras, while Anna was trailed by 60 Minutes's Morley Safer and Carine Roitfeld by CNN: “I am being followed round all the shows, and they are doing lots of interviews. But you won’t be seeing me naked.” Miuccia Prada sported one of her new Fall 2009 gladiatorial dresses, and rounding out the fashion wattage a troika of supermodels: two we see quite a bit of (Claudia Schiffer, Eva Herzigova) and one we do not (Nadja Auermann).
*image: source, source

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Fall 2009: Not Just for 15-Year-Old Models

fashionologie — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:59:57 PST

>> New York Fashion Week is known as the springboard for new faces every season, but for Fall 2009, it's become the springboard for comebacks - especially with models right around the 30-year-old mark. This morning, Frankie Rayder (34), who hasn't hit a catwalk since the Fall 2004 with the exception of Spring 2009 Givenchy, walked Michael Kors. The runways of Preen, Rodarte, Alexander Wang, and Marc Jacobs have been especially overrun with these mainly late-'90s, early-00's faces - from those who have hovered in and out the past few seasons: Anne Catherine Lacroix (29), Natasa Vojnovic (29), Caroline Ribeiro (29), Jamie Bochert (28), Christina Kruse (34), Carmen Kass (30), Colette Pechekhonova (28), Hannelore Knuts (31); to those who have exited the runway for a while - Tasha Tilberg (29), Kirsten Owen (38), Trish Goff (32) - all are booking some of the most coveted spots this season. Kors, Behnaz Sarafpour, Staerk, VPL, and Diane von Furstenberg are feeling it too - the mature woman is back in New York.
*image: source

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fashionologie — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 15:04:10 PDT

>> THE MODELIZER -Coco Rocha hit the front rows early on during New York Fashion Week, but Anja Rubik waited until Paris Fashion Week, where she showed up front row at Chloe. She's a former face of the brand, but maybe they're bringing her back for Fall 2009? [Chic Report]

RM by Roland Mouret Fall 2009: "The Work of a Local Dressmaker"

fashionologie — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:34:59 PDT

>> For the first time since launching his RM line, Roland Mouret showed during Paris Fashion Week; until now, he's debuted collections during couture season. It was perfect time to make the move, considering that his trademark tailored origami dresses are right on par with the sober chic mood of many other designers for Fall 2009 - "quietly seductive," as Cathy Horyn described them. "Almost the work of a local dressmaker. That’s not a criticism." Another first for the designer: knitwear, embossed like crocodile, above a skirt or over leggings. The venue was warm, causing guests to fan themselves with programs and invites, but these are just the type of dresses that buyers are looking for come Fall, so a little discomfort was surely worth it.
*image: source

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