fashionologie

Patrick Robinson Let Go From Gap

Chi Diem Chau — Thu, 05 May 2011 07:11:16 PDT

>> News just broke that Patrick Robinson has been let go as executive vice president of Gap Global Design for Adult and Body. "After spending the last three months in New York with the creative team, I’ve made the decision to make a change within our Gap Adult design team,” said Pam Wallack, head of the Gap Global Creative Center. Robinson joined Gap in 2007 hoping to revive the brand, but his efforts did not make the mark as North America sales reports indicated negative sales results and inconsistent compared to its international operations. The brand is currently looking for a replacement, but in the interim, Jennifer Giangualano, senior vice president of Gap Kids and Baby Design, will help oversee the adult design team. [WWD]

Gap Bets on Leather for Fall 2011 Collection

fashionologie — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 07:35:51 PDT

>> Fresh off the news that Gap is going for a younger, more diverse audience, Patrick Robinson previewed the retailer's Fall 2011 offering yesterday - for the nondenim side of the business, anyway (a separate presentation is expected later to highlight the denim component, which Gap is pushing). Two new pants silhouettes were introduced, the cropped and slim fit, and cropped and flared; more emphasis was placed on knits and sweaters; and the brand is dialing back the layering for Fall, instead focusing on texture. There's also more leather than usual. “We felt strong about leather as a trend," Robinson explained. "You can dress it up or dress it down. Leather is becoming your new jean."

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2010 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Winners Billy Reid, Prabal Gurung, and Eddie Borgo Come Home with Newly-Increased Cash Prizes

fashionologie — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 09:39:46 PST

>> Last night, the 2010 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winners were announced, but before they could be named during the dinner gala at New York's Skylight Studios, the results were leaked on WWD's Twitter: Billy Reid won outright, and Prabal Gurung and Eddie Borgo were both named runners-up.

Style.com's Nicole Phelps wrote that the results were a bit of a surprise: "Many in the audience had pegged Gurung and Joseph Altuzarra as the front-runners." But nevermind: the prizes were even bigger this year, with Reid granted $300,000 (up from $200,000), and Borgo and Gurung each taking $100,000 (up from $50,000). "The main prize is the mentoring we provide," CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg noted of the increase, "but a little cash never hurts."

The rest of this year's finalists - Christian Cota, Robert Geller, Oliver Helden and Paul Marlow of Loden Dager, Pamela Love of Pamela Love Jewelry, Moss Lipow and Gregory Parkinson - were treated to a keynote speech by Karl Lagerfeld, who talked about how much fun Yves Saint Laurent was "before Pierre Berge" and advised: "Young goes. But good? If you're good, it may all last."

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Dresses from Luella Bartley, Rodarte, Proenza Schouler and More Go International Designers to Be Re-Released by Target in March

fashionologie — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:09:07 PDT

>> In celebration of its fifth year collaborating with designers, Target will re-release 34 dresses from 17 past Go International participants - to hit most Target stores and online at Target.com on March 13, 2011.

The Go International Designer Collective line, as its being called, will feature signature dresses from the past Target lines of Luella Bartley, Tara Jarmon, Paul & Joe, Behnaz Sarafpour, Proenza Schouler, Libertine, Alice Temperley, Erin Fetherston, Jovovich-Hawk, Rogan, Richard Chai, Jonathan Saunders, Thakoon, Tracy Feith, Rodarte, Zac Posen, and Tucker. Only Patrick Robinson of Gap declined the opportunity to work with Target again, saying he had other commitments. Images of the collection, which will be in stores through April 10, 2011, are expected to be available in February.

Gap's Spring 2011 Collection - No Heritage Here, Says Patrick Robinson, Only Modernity

fashionologie — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 11:53:17 PDT

>> Patrick Robinson popped up in a well-lit central London basement on Wednesday evening to show off his Spring 2011 direction for Gap. But it wasn't just about showing off the the pale-palette duds; Robinson had plenty to say about the collection, too: “It’s really what modern means in America today, for a 25- to 35-year-old. That’s what we export. Not anything ‘heritage’ or referenced in the past. Today.” He continued: "Heritage doesn’t turn me on - it’s about America today. Let’s face it, a 28-year-old wants more fashion in his or her wardrobe."

Robinson is all about pants for 2011, more so than skirts or dresses: "We have some dresses and skirts, but somewhere around August or September, I started noticing girls were wearing more pants. So we’re right there with it, building on the foundation of what we already started with the eight pants fits we worked on earlier this year. Even the denim we have for spring is more of a trouser than a five-pocket jean.”

And speaking of denim, Robinson said he's ramping that up, too: “I’ve built a new team, based in LA, so they can be closer to all the wash-houses and generally hang out in the denim world.” His main goal is to make sure that Gap is more tightly edited, "no longer a table with one sweater in 30 colors." He continued: “My biggest hurdle has been to change the mind-set of the Gap customer in the US who grew up with the brand and automatically thinks of basics. What I want to offer are interesting essentials - fashion, excitement, newness. But the challenge is: how quickly do you walk the traditional customer toward this, how do you push their minds in that direction?”

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fashionologie — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 07:11:38 PDT

>> The First Wave of Costume Institute Gala Intel -Gap may be sponsoring this year's Costume Institute Gala on May 3, but Patrick Robinson won't be dressing co-chair Oprah Winfrey - Oscar de la Renta is doing those honors. Instead, Robinson is focusing on other initiatives - Gap is working with past collaborators Thakoon, Rodarte, and Alexander Wang, plus Sophie Theallet, to "dress the evening's brightest stars," reports Vogue. "Expect to see guests like Natalie Portman, Jessica Alba, and M.I.A taking in the 'American Woman' exhibition in tulle-trellised and crystal-adorned creations, which will be auctioned afterward at Gap's White Space concept store to benefit the museum." Gap is also launching three shirts in May - the Heiress (and hourglass shape), the ruffled Flapper, and the draped Screen Siren - to coincide with the American Woman theme. [Fashionista, WWD, The Cut, @jimshi809, @jimshi809]

Gap's Patrick Robinson Ditches Denim to Focus on Pants For Fall 2010

coutorture — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 08:49:43 PDT

Following last season's denim obsession, Gap is focusing on 'premium pants' for fall 2010. Presented last night at Milk Studios in New York, the Patrick Robinson-designed pant collection offers polished styles for occasions when denim simply won't cut it. According to Robinson, “everything looks like it costs four to five times the price,” (which is $49.50 to $59.50) since his team spent months perfecting the fit, fabric, and tailoring. The seven women's styles range from Really Skinny (above right) to Boyfit (left) and will be sold with a collection of white blouses, cashmere sweaters, open-toe wedged boots by Pierre Hardy, and a standout shearling aviator jacket that we plan to buy as soon as the collection hits stores this August.

First Details on "American Woman"-Themed 2010 Costume Institute Gala: Oprah and Gap's Patrick Robinson Co-Hosting

fashionologie — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:30:15 PDT

>> Rumors of slashed budgets and diminished celebrity attendance have already plagued the 2010 Costume Institute Gala for months, but we've finally got some concrete details about the first Met Ball that recently-appointed Vogue director of special events Sylvana Soto-Ward will spearhead. Themed "American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity," the gala will take place on Monday, May 3, 2010, with Gap's Patrick Robinson and Oprah Winfrey co-hosting alongside Anna Wintour.

The theme is already drawing questions of whether Michelle Obama will make an appearance, but for sure populating the exhibit are roughly 75 outfits, culled based on the idea of "how the American woman initiated style revolutions that mirrored her social, political, and sexual emancipation." The pieces include designs by Coco Chanel, Jeanne Lanvin, Elsa Schiaparelli, Madeleine Vionnet, Madame Gres, and Paul Poiret and come exclusively from the new Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection; many haven't been on view to the public in over 30 years.

Streetstyle Photog Couple Snag More Vogue Space: The Sartorialist with Vogue Italia, Garance Dore with Vogue Paris

fashionologie — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:52:47 PDT

>> Scott "The Sartorialist" Schuman, whose first book came out last week, is about to add another Vogue edition to his resume: Vogue Italia. Schuman has photographed for Vogue Paris in the past - Carine Roitfeld is a fan - and seems to have won over Franca Sozzani: he recently shot Rachel Rutt for Vogue Italia.

His girlfriend and fellow streetstyle photographer Garance Dore has also been amping up her reach: this Fall, she will have more frequent contributions on Vogue Paris's website and perhaps in the magazine, focusing on the magazine's "Une fille, un style" ("A girl, a style") column, plus "behind-the-scenes coverage of fashion shoots, profiles of stylish women around the world in collaboration with French Vogue editor in chief Carine Roitfeld and other subjects of her choosing."

And last week, Patrick Robinson announced that Garance would be collaborating with Gap on an exhibit in their London pop-up next month, with her sketches (like the one above, left) on T-shirts.

fashionologie — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:25:46 PDT

>> Patrick Robinson: Kanye West Not Interning at Gap - Rumors have abounded over the summer that Kanye West - who styled for an upcoming issue of Elle - has been putting in time as an intern at Gap, but this morning, Gap designer Patrick Robinson laughed the notion off: “He’s not my intern! He’s a friend of mine, and he just likes to see what we do. I tell him, if he wants people to take him seriously in fashion, they have to see blood first! They have to see the blood and the sweat, to see that he really wants it - but he definitely has the capability.” [Chic Report]