fashionologie

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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Proenza Schouler Fall 2010: Graffiti Pants, Schoolgirl Skirts - And Anna Wintour Watching Without Her Sunglasses On

fashionologie — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:12:21 PST

>> If you didn't get enough late '90s references at Alexander Wang, look to Proenza Schouler to fill your Fall 2010 quota. Newcomer Ann Kenny - who has the most arresting blue eyes - opened the show in high-waisted graffiti pants, made in collaboration with J Brand, and a shrunken navy toggle jacket. All the John Fleuvog-style curved platform heels and sheer thigh highs paired with full pleated school girl-style miniskirts must have caught Anna Wintour's attention - she sat next to Bee Shaffer the entire show, sunglasses-less (a first?), until the final runthrough when she finally put her trademark shades on.

Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez had the house packed: benches arranged around the X-shaped runway sat as many as they could possibly fit - with the likes of Pamela Love, Mary-Kate Olsen, Jen Brill, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, Carine Roitfeld (in green furry heels), Joseph Altuzarra, Lauren Santo Domingo, Vanessa Traina, Chloe Sevigny, Craig McDean, Terry Richardson, and Olivier Zahm all accounted for. Bass pumped through Milk Studios loud enough to shake the walls, while fuzzy printed flannel dresses and alpine knits evolved into razor-sharp cropped jackets and finally, patterned minidresses with bubble skirts and trapeze shapes.

Marie Chaix styled once again, and if you're a fan of straight-off-the-runway (many front-rowers had their PS 1 clutches handy), for the next 24-odd hours, two of the runway handbags are available for purchase. Post-show, a sight: Hamish Bowles, in his usual dapper suit, but instead of his usual brogues, his trousers stuffed into shiny black wellies. A video of the show can be seen here.

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The Last Two POP Covers for Dasha Zhukova's First Issue, Plus More Inside Details

fashionologie — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:17:07 PDT

>> The first issue of POP under Dasha Zhukova's guiding hand hits newsstands tomorrow at $8, with two international newsstand covers, each with a 50/50 split run, of Style Rookie's Tavi, plus a 500-copy limited-edition hardback cover by Ed Ruscha (below, left), and a limited subscriber's cover of Cicciolina for the Baltic States (below, right).

“The new Pop launches at an exciting turning point in fashion, where the possibilities and potential for creativity are almost overwhelming,” Zhukova told WWD. “The new era is more fluid than ever before; one where teenage girls in Chicago, fashion editors in Paris, street photographers from Berlin and bloggers everywhere . . . redefine the fashion landscape.”

Fake Karl, Jen Brill, and Mark Borthwick are all involved »

fashionologie — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:10:18 PDT

>> Chanel Names Five It-Girls As Ambassadors -Christian Dior named it-girl Harley Viera-Newton a house DJ for Dior Beauty last August, and it was only a matter of time before another brand caught on to the concept. On Tuesday, Chanel announced five it-girls, perhaps in a nod to Coco's favorite number - Jen Brill, Poppy Delevigne, Vanessa Traina, Leigh Lezark, and Caroline Sieber - as part of their new beauty ambassador program. The latter two are often spotted wearing Chanel, anyway. [Style File]

Chanel Mobile Art Opening Misses Anna Wintour, Brings Back McBeha

fashionologie — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:11:49 PDT

>> Despite a scathing review in The New York Times yesterday, the" black hole of bad art and superficial temptations," otherwise known as the Chanel Mobile Art exhibition, brought out the well-heeled last night. Editors were in full force - Carine Roitfeld and Franca Sozzani swarmed Karl Lagerfeld upon his arrival, Glenda Bailey and Amy Astley made early cameos - but there was no Anna Wintour in sight . . . nor Bee Shaffer for that matter. Strange, considering how close they are with Karl - Bee was at the Versace-hosted Whitney gala the night before, but no Anna there either. But speaking of missing persons - Catherine McNeil and Freja Beha Erichsen fans will be happy to know that after their well-documented disappearances during Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks, they've popped up again - together, no less.
*image: source, source

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Chanel Rumored To Be Considering Blogger Brand Ambassadors; Rag & Bone, Too, Said To Be Pairing With Bloggers

fashionologie — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 14:11:35 PST

>> Blogger mania is not subsiding - Chanel, which named five it-girls (Jen Brill, Poppy Delevigne, Vanessa Traina, Leigh Lezark, and Caroline Sieber)
as beauty ambassadors in June 2009, is said to be mulling launching another, similar program - but with blogger ambassadors. Fashion Toast's Rumi Neely and Sea of Shoes's Jane Aldridge (who Chanel dressed for the Crillon Ball) are both said to have been contacted, but word is that the program is down the line a ways, as the luxury brand - which doesn't yet have an official Twitter - is wary of social media.

And speaking of brands pairing with bloggers - Rag & Bone, which had Abbey Lee Kershaw, Edita Vilkeviciute, Sasha Pivovarova, and Lily Aldridge shoot themselves for the brand's Spring 2011 ad campaign, reportedly has a second round of Spring 2011 ads forthcoming, for which bloggers like Neely and Bunny Bisous's Julia Frakes photographed themselves.

bits and baubles

philleif — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:30:00 PDT

»Scott Schuman is appearing in the Fall 2008 Gap Icon ads [The Sartorialist]
»Gisele shot a Brazilian ad for Volkswagen with Sylvester Stallone [Page Six]
»Jessica Stam celebrated her 22nd birthday with the likes of Mary-Kate Olsen, Terry Richardson's girlfriend Jen Brill [Style File]
»Diane Kruger is wearing Alberta Ferretti to the Costume Institute Gala [FWD]