fashionologie

Cindy Crawford's Family Portrait, Vena Cava's Plans, and the Problem With Neon Nail Polish

Justin Fenner — Thu, 03 May 2012 14:20:22 PDT

Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

Tracy Feith has signed a deal to be a full-time designer for TOMS shoes, his first high-profile job since unexpectedly shuttering his business in 2011. Feith has been a consultant for the brand's founder Blake Mycoskie for a few months now and in his new role will be focused on the higher-priced TOMS+ line of shoes. [Fashionista]
Cindy Crawford, her mother, Jennifer Crawford-Moluf, and her daughter, Kaia Gerber, all star in a new JC Penney commercial designed to remind viewers about Mother's Day on Sunday, May 13. In it, Kaia - who recently starred in a campaign for Versace's children's wear line - says Cindy is "just the best mom in the world. I mean, she's so nice and I can actually hang out with her and have fun." [The Daily Telegraph]
Vena Cava's Lisa Mayock says that her brand's expansion deal with Li & Fung means that the brand is going to change and grow sooner than expected. "We're working on more collections and a few surprises in the next couple of months; maybe some lower price points." [Daily Front Row]
Neon nail polish technically isn't approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration, which has to authorize new beauty products before they hit the market. "Colorants used to create, neon, day-glo or glow-in-the-dark nail polishes have not gone through the FDA approval process, so technically they are not allowed for use for nail polish applications," said Doug School, chief scientific officer for Creative Nail Design. [Fashion Etc.]
Salvatore Ferragamo is renewing its It brand status thanks to its clothing and shoes being seen on the backs of stars like Lady Gaga. "You can not just decide one day you want to target a younger customer, but it's just something that we see happening," said the brand's CEO Michele Norsa. [Forbes]
Photo: Neon nails on Christian Dior's Spring 2011 runway.

Vena Cava Lights Up the Dark With Fall 2012 Collection

fashionologie — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:46:03 PDT

>> The pieces Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock created for Fall 2012 espouse a colorful optimism that is tempered only by practical tailoring. Maybe that sense of delight comes from the knowledge and comfort of the licensing deal Vena Cava struck recently with global trading firm Li & Fung.

The happy news is as good a reason as any to dust off summery shades of turquoise, yellow, and cobalt and serve them up playfully during the coldest months of the year. But to keep them in the season, Buhai and Mayock grounded their brights in basic black and sewed them into some decidedly '40s silhouettes. These looks are strong, and as Vena Cava regains its strength as a corporate entity, it's only imaginable that the clothes will get even more powerful.

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They're Back! Vena Cava Returns With Business Expansion Plan

fashionologie — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 09:09:19 PDT

>> Vena Cava is positioned to grow its business by leaps and bounds over the next few years thanks to a new partnership with trading firm Li & Fung.

The deal gives designers Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock complete creative control over their eight-year-old brand, but Li & Fung's global approach to building and marketing brands will push Vena Cava into new territory. The plan is for Li & Fung - which also works with brands like Rachel Zoe, Guerlain, and Keds Apparel, among others - to help Vena Cava enter categories other than making clothing for young women.

"We now have all the production, sourcing and technical help that we could ever dream about," Mayock told WWD. "We have so many ideas we tried to execute in the past that just haven't worked because we didn’t have those kind of resources and couldn't figure out the best way to make something actually happen."

Buhai added that eventually, they'd like to add homeware and menswear. "We are interested in doing more print publications, little movies and eventually one day we'd like to have our own stores."

This is a huge turnaround for a brand that just five months ago was rumored to be on the verge of collapse. After presenting their Spring 2012 collection with a dinner party, instead of staging a runway show, it was widely reported that Buhai and Mayock's financials forced them to lay off much of their staff and take their offices back to their New York homes. Buhai says the rumors were just rumors.

"We just hit a point where we realized that in order to take [Vena Cava] where we wanted to take it in terms of our vision, we had to get some investment help," Buhai said. "So we decided to take a little bit of time. We were just regrouping."

Vena Cava Reportedly At Risk of Shuttering

fashionologie — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 08:42:15 PST

>> In the wake of opting for an intimate dinner party - in lieu of their usual runway show or presentation - for the Spring 2012 season in September comes news that Vena Cava may be in trouble.

WWD reports that the label was in the final stages of negotiating a financing deal with an unnamed investor earlier this month when talks broke down. According to WWD's source, Vena Cava's current financial state is "drastic," and it won't be able to move forward without an angel investor or partner coming forward.

Fashionista, meanwhile, reports: "According to a source close to the situation, the label moved out of their Soho headquarters this week and laid off a lot of staff." Apparently founders Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai, who started Vena Cava in 2003, have moved their offices home, and still have a deal with TJ Maxx in the works.

“We love what we built with Vena Cava and are dedicated to seeing it thrive and grow. We have had some very positive talks from potential partners and feel confident about moving forward,” Mayock told WWD.

A Look Inside Vena Cava's Spring 2012 Collection Dinner Party

fashionologie — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 20:14:36 PDT

>> In lieu of a runway show or presentation this season, Vena Cava's Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock hosted an intimate dinner at MPD in the Meatpacking District, dressing friends like Tennessee Thomas, Stephanie LaCava, Kate Young, Nora Zehetner, and Lily Kwong for the occasion. “We really design for our friends so we thought this was a great way to do that and have a nice evening,” Buhai explained.

See Vena Cava's Spring 2012 collection here.

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Vena Cava Relaunches Website with E-Commerce, One-Off Vintage Picks

Chi Diem Chau — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 09:28:50 PDT

>> Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai debuted their new and improved Vena Cava website today, featuring e-commerce for both the Vena Cava Spring 2011 collection and the secondary Viva Vena! line. The goal was to give the site a "handmade, not-too-slick feel that our collection is known for," according to Mayock, so they also devoted a "Garage Sale" section to selling hand-picked, one-of-a-kind items (like an early '80s portable TV and vintage accessories) and a "Vibes" section to showcasing their friends wearing the collection. [VenaCava.com]

Vena Cava Get Together With Uniqlo For Collaboration

Chi Diem Chau — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:49:37 PST

>> Vena Cava's Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock - whose past collaborators include Via Spiga, Gap, and Bloomingdale's - have a new partner. “We’re about to do [a collaboration] with Uniqlo,” Buhai announced at a Fashion Group International-hosted panel discussion on entrepreneurship yesterday. “Lisa and I were at a point where we felt like we were getting stagnant,” Buhai elaborated. “Fashion is cyclical, but when you add in different projects, you feel like you’re learning again.”

“It’s an opportunity for us to articulate our brand in a way that’s more mass,” Mayock added. “We just want to make sure whatever we do has our stamp on it,” Buhai concluded, giving no further detail.

Vena Cava Brings Back '90s Glamour for Fall 2011

fashionologie — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 23:08:50 PST

>> It was a '90s throwback at Vena Cava's Fall 2011 show - think Donna Karan, Giorgio Armani, Azzedine Alaia-style. “We dug out all our old fashion magazines from the early nineties,” explained Lisa Mayock of their starting point. But, Sophie Buhai pointed out, “It’s about the elegance that was happening back then, and not the grunge." Hence the glitter eye makeup, the squared-off necklines, the sleeve cutouts, and the berets, crafted by Brooklyn-based millinery Yestadt. And perhaps inspired by all of that magazine gazing, the design duo produced their own 'zine, Zina Cava, full of '90s imagery and contributions from their friends.

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Vena Cava's Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai Want to See You in Thick-Platformed Sandals and Halter Dresses for Spring 2011

fashionologie — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:16:18 PDT

>> Next season brings bags from Vena Cava, but for Spring 2011, it was all about the debut of the seriously-platformed wedge sandals Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai did in collaboration with LA boutique TenOverSix. In fact, according to the Vena Cava show notes, the entire collection was designed in Los Angeles, where both Buhai and Mayock are from. The designers cited "the 1980s design movement Memphis, which used bold geometric shapes, bright colors, and a health sense of humor to refute 'good taste' design," as inspiration, showing up in "colorblocking and geometric construction, mixed with a southern California ease and less rigid way of dressing." Hence the flowy skirts, loose halter dresses, and even a pair of overalls snuck in.

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fashionologie — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:52:08 PDT

>> Vena Cava Launching Handbags for Fall 2011, Designers Hope to Build "Lifestyle Empire" -Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai, who both hail from Los Angeles, have paired up with LA boutique TenOverSix for shoes, which will debut on Thursday during Vena Cava's Spring 2011 presentation; the duo has worked with Via Spiga in the past, starting with the Spring 2009 season. Come the Fall 2011 season, Mayock and Buhai are adding handbags for the first time: "They're going to be mostly structured pieces in the $700 price range. There's nothing else out there at that price point except for Alexander Wang. We're also doing some small leather goods like wallets and evening bag type styles." Eventually, they hope to have a "Vena Cava lifestyle empire," including "flagships, posters, websites and movies." [Viva Vena Cava, WSJ]