>> Prabal Gurung, whose debut Fall 2009 collection earned him a spot on the designers-to-watch list, revealed to the New York Times that young designers can't just make chic clothes and succeed these days — there are various other factors. “I’ve certainly been told who I need to be hanging out with.”  

And instead of showing buyers clothes in his tiny studio apartment, he previews his collection in an apartment that belongs to a rich friend. Cathy Horyn writes:

"Five or six years ago buyers expected to find a young designer sleeping in a hole next to his fabrics. That’s where they found Miguel Adrover. He had even stopped paying the rent, he was so down and out. Now, though, they expect to see a designer in a luxury apartment he can’t possibly afford."

Gurung, who uses cashmere and wool even though industry friends told him he should make clothes like Balmain ("[Balmain's] not my voice"), had those same buyers tell him they wanted "modern fabrics."  He thought they were making excuses not to place an order, so he asked them what they meant: "They answered, 'Some kind of modern feel.' [laughing] I think they meant some kind of techy fabric."

>> INSIDER WIRE —All things aside, Peter Som seems to be enjoying his break from the Fashion Week grind — since he doesn't have to be stressing out and working on his finishing touches like usual, he's been hitting the shows — John Bartlett, Costello Tagliapietra, where he was laughing and chatting front row, and Prabal Gurung, to support his former design director at Bill Blass.  Vera Wang, on the other hand?  Not so lucky: Today, she was "a little bit crazed . . . because my favorite fabrics haven't even arrived yet.  So far we're absolutely nowhere on this collection, I would say we're about 8 days away and nothing is working." [WWD, Style File]
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>> 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.
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>> Anna Wintour's words may have mended things for a few months, but ultimately, Peter Som has still decided to part ways with Bill Blass.

Som left the brand after his contract expired a week and a half ago to focus on his own label, and Prabal Gurung, longtime second-ranking design director at Bill Blass, will be working with the existing team to produce the Fall 2009 Blass collection.

As previously reported, Som was unhappy with NexCen, the owners of Bill Blass, because he felt they couldn't financially support his creative vision; The Spring 2009 show was scrapped in favor of a retailer presentation, fabric vendors and embroiderers weren't being paid in a timely manner, and according to an industry source, NexCen "knew very little about how to run a luxury brand, much less rebrand one."

NexCen is still trying to sell Blass, a process that is taking longer than expected — just one more reason Som left.  The delay in sale also caused some retailers to pass on the Spring 2009 Blass collection, due to all the uncertainty.  For a brand that could use the money, that can't be good.
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