fashionologie

Narciso Rodriguez Loosens Up for Spring 2010, Signs Deal with eBay for Lower-Priced Line

fashionologie — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:02:54 -0700

>> Designers collectively seem to be over the ubiquitous body-con, hard-edged rock'n'roll look that has swept fashion for the past few seasons: Lorenzo Martone said Marc Jacobs is; Elise Overland told WWD: "I’m tired of that rock-star style - everyone else is doing it now, so I wanted to do something different"; and Joseph Altuzarra, who has focused on form-fitting silhouettes in the past, added some flounce this time around.

Narciso Rodriguez, who like Altuzarra typically goes with a lean look, also loosened up. A white linen and silk dress billowed around Monika "Jac" Jagaciak, even the nipped-in waists flared at the hips. But the three stunners, which showed Narciso's experiment with volume at its best, were the last three finale gowns - one in black, one in white, one in "mercury" gray - knee-length in the front and parachute-like in the back as the model walked.

Also of note: pre-show, Anna Wintour was escorted backstage - not something that happens at every show; Narciso's close friends Ruben and Isabel Toledo sat front row, as did Tory Burch, whose show is tomorrow morning. Narciso has also just signed a deal with eBay to create a line - for Spring 2010 - with nothing over $350 (his runway designs are typically $1,800-plus), to be called "Narciso Rodriguez for eBay." A preview of his ideas for the line can be seen here.

Fashion Week Tidbits: Marchesa Launches Handbags, Alexander Wang Is Thinking "Perv" for Spring 2010

fashionologie — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:26:43 -0700

>> New York Fashion Week is a little more than a week away, and the tidbits are flowing freely - a compilation of the highlights from the past few days:

Launches

Marchesa is launching its first accessories - 28 clutches and evening bags (above); They will retail $995 to $5,000 and are made to coordinate with the mainline dresses. [WWD]

Peter Som is making his way back, Ruffian goes Picasso »

fashionologie — Wed, 13 May 2009 16:08:15 -0700

>> INSIDER WIRE -Late last month, a group of designers, including Narciso Rodriguez, Maria Cornejo, Jason Wu, and Thakoon Panichgul, took a trip to Washington, DC accompanied by CFDA executive director Steven Kolb to lobby for an anti-piracy bill to stop mass retailers from knocking off their ideas. But when Rick Owens was recently asked if he cares that his look is being rampantly copied, his reply? "No-oo. I guess it's a compliment." [Guardian]

Donatella Versace Shyly Joins the Michelle Obama Fan Club

fashionologie — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:17:16 -0700

>> Michelle Obama's sartorial choices have caused a bit of a riff among designers, causing some to call others "dinosaurs," but over the weekend she was joined by favorites Narciso Rodriguez and Jason Wu - who apparently got carded by a bartender - at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, and earned herself a new designer fan.

Donatella Versace, who attended as a guest of Vanity Fair, was excited to participate - she even blogged the experience for the Huffington Post, citing a pet peeve for Blackberrys. "I follow politics. It's part of my life. I think if you're involved in the modern world - if you're a modern person - you need to know what's going on in the world. My business is worldwide. I know German politics. I know French politics."

She even admitted to protesting during her university years. "I was very involved in politics and sit-ins. Students were fighting for things, and I think young people need to fight for their future."

But back to Michelle - particularly in France. "She looked fierce," Versace says. "They're a couple who knows how to dare. I'm sure she has people around her telling her it's too much. She looked great in Alaia."

Donatella only has one request: "I want to know her size. I want to send her clothes. But I'm a bit shy."
*image: source

Highlights from Inside the 2009 Costume Institute Gala: Gisele Dumps Galliano for Versace, Carine Roitfeld Showed

fashionologie — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:38:20 -0700

>> Despite all the drama before and after, the Costume Institute Gala itself furnished plenty of notable and quotable moments; for those who were wondering, Carine Roitfeld did attend, even though it was reported that Julia Restoin-Roitfeld would not.

Gisele Bundchen pulled out of John Galliano's table at the last minute, choosing to ride in with the Versace camp instead; it sounds like she might be returning as the label's Fall 2009 face - the New York Times reports that her custom Versace dress "was conceived while she was modeling for [Donatella’s] next ad campaign." Helena Christensen, meanwhile, joked of her Zac Posen dress, which read "Vogue," the V formed by a plunging neckline: “It’s so I can remember whose party I’m at."

And while Kate Moss was on hostess duty (and presumably her best behavior) for Anna Wintour, she still managed to be herself, pulling a big wad of gum out of her mouth when asked about being a muse: “I’m amused. I think it’s quite interesting for somebody to go outside of the box and think that a model actually has had some input into fashion. A lot of the time, the models don’t really get a say.”

But they do have a bathroom fascination »

The Emperor Valentino Reigns at New York Premiere

fashionologie — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:00:14 -0700

>> Last night, Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti were in New York to fete the opening of Valentino: The Last Emperor - arguably their biggest Manhattan party ever, between the screening and the dinner for 200 of fashion's finest (including Anna Wintour, Anja Rubik, Jason Wu, and Chanel Iman) at the Plaza's Oak Room. The designer's six pugs Molly, Milton, Monty, Margot, Maude, and Maggie, who director Matt Tyrnauer has dubbed "the costars of the film," weren't present - according to Valentino, "they're getting some time away from me in Italy" - but maybe that's a good thing: Karolina Kurkova admitted, “they’re really not nice to everybody” and Gwyneth Paltrow agreed, calling the pugs "kind of mean."

When Giancarlo Giammetti was asked about his comment on film that the designer looked too tan, he was quick to explain, "We'd come from the beach, and we were about to show summer suits, and he just . . . it just seemed like too much. But it was one time, and one time only." And as for those rumors that he was back to helping out at Valentino for Fall 2009, Garavani denied having any hand in it, "No, not at all. Very far from the truth. I don’t think about it. I wish my assistants to do the best. It’s a big job, though, and to know my name goes on the designs, I want them to do the best.”

Meanwhile, the film seems to have already inspired at least one person - Zac Posen. "I wouldn't mind being followed around too for two years. It's all about having the right collaborators."
*image: source, source, filmmagic

2009 CFDA Award Nominees Announced

fashionologie — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:29:41 -0700

>> The 2009 CFDA Award nominees have just been announced, and Marc Jacobs has already won an award - the International Award for his work at Louis Vuitton (he's nominated in two more categories). Last year's Swarovski Award winners, Rodarte and Band of Outsiders, have both been bumped up to compete in the respective major league categories, and 2008 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund contenders Albertus Q. Swanepoel, Alejandro Ingelmo, and Jason Wu have all entered the Swarovski Award ring this year.

We'll have to wait until June 15 to see who wins what, but the ceremony might mark fashion's first Michelle Obama event appearance - she's being honored with this year's Board of Director's Special Tribute for her style choices and penchant for up-and-coming talent.

And now, the nominees . . . »

Narciso Rodriguez Brings Fall 2009's Neon Back to the '00s

fashionologie — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 23:21:18 -0800

>> This evening, Narciso Rodriguez took the neon nuances of Marc Jacobs's Fall 2009 collection - which Cathy Horyn called "hard to like" - and did with them something Marc did not: made them modern. In fact, Narciso's best pieces were the neon ones: the highlighter yellow body-conscious dress worn by Natasha Poly will be fought over; the loose citrine dress with snap sleeves donned by Stephanie Carta and Ali Stephens's lace-overlayed pink highlighter minidress are also strong contenders. The camouflage pieces could be done without - except for Sessilee Lopez's pants; but more standouts - Liu Wen's polished silk top and wool pant, Diana Farkhullina's rich blue-purple dress, and Raquel Zimmerman's chic white frock more than make up for them. Perhaps even more amazing these days - Narciso's show was fully self-funded, and yet, it still felt like a true show - the bass was so loud, it reverberated in our seats, causing the Financial Times's Vanessa Friedman to bob her head along in approval.
*image: source

For Fall 2009, Designers Hemming Their Gown Production

fashionologie — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 20:12:19 -0800

>> Besides the obvious runway trends that have emerged - cut-outs, metallics, thigh-high boots, emphasized shoulders - we're seeing something else: designers are sending out a substantially less gowns down the runway. Now we're talking designers who dabble with gowns, not whose livelihoods depend on the red carpet - see Monique Lhuillier, Badgley Mischka, and their ilk - but Rodarte, who usually end their collections with a trio of three gowns, chose to bypass that segment for Fall 2009, sticking to minidress silhouettes all the way through.

Max Azria, who usually does at least three full-length dresses for Herve Leger, didn't have one hem below knee-length for the Fall 2009 collection. Diane von Furstenberg, who showed four floor-sweeping frocks for Spring 2009 and five for Fall 2008, had one singular gown - the last look - for Fall 2009. Erin Fetherston, known for her proclivity for long, flowy dresses, had at least seven last season; for Fall 2009, there was one. Matthew Williamson produced seven gowns for Spring 2009 and four for Fall 2008; this season, he went down to three. Narciso Rodriguez didn't do any for Fall 2009; the list goes on.

So is it because we're maxed out on maxi dresses? Because a long dress takes more fabric and therefore is more expensive to produce? Because separates will likely sell better? Because gowns just look too extravagant in these pinching times? Whatever it is, we could be seeing a lot more cocktail-length dresses on the red carpet if this keeps up; that or, the gowns will all have to be custom.
*image: source

Michelle Obama's Style: Unfairly Biased by Ikram Goldman?

fashionologie — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 21:25:10 -0800

>> The meteoric rise of Jason Wu - he has tripled his sales appointments for his sold out, yet-to-be-unveiled Fall 2009 collection - shows what an influence Michelle Obama can have on a designer. But Wu doesn't just have Obama to thank - he never actually interacted with the First Lady, but rather with Ikram Goldman, owner of Chicago boutique Ikram, and Obama's gatekeeper to the fashion industry.

In fact, none of the designers who have made clothes for the First Lady have had any direct contact with their White House client - all commissions, measurements, bills, and other directions have been mediated by Ikram, causing something of a controversy; the clothes that Obama has worn recently are predominantly from designers that Cathy Horyn points out, "Ikram sells and ultimately stands to benefit from" - Jason Wu, Isabel Toledo, Narciso Rodriguez, Proenza Schouler, Thakoon, and Mario Cornejo.

Is Obama limiting herself? »