fashionologie

View the Entire Prabal Gurung Fall 2012 Runway Collection

fashionologie — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:19:26 PST

>> Watch the entire show - and get an up-close look at all the pieces - right here.

Prabal Gurung Fall 2012

Christina Perez — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:29:06 PST

>>"We all have the dark and the light side, but for the longest time I've only put my happy self out there," Prabal Gurung said. And so, for Fall 2012, Gurung finally let both sides out - plus a little bit of everything in between. The collection started with a series of all-black looks - undulating capes, flared trousers, coats piled high in fur - segued into a group of blues and mirror-prints, and finished in a flurry of frothy white and metallic. Along the way there were some lovely forays into embellishment: gowns in intricately beaded lace, skirts punctuated with ostrich-feather fringe, and crystal-encrusted frocks. It was a lot to take in, but Gurung is nothing if not ambitious. "I am a little more confident in my own skin," he explained.

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Kate Moss Tapped by Mango, Fashion Shows Go Digital, and Alexa Chung's New Gig

Christina Perez — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:33:53 PST

>> These stories and more - here, in our daily news roundup.

Christian Louboutin shares his favorite New York City spots [5th & 58th]

KCD is launching digital fashion shows for fashion week; the first designer to participate will be Prabal Gurung [Wall Street Journal]

Alexa Chung styled and starred in Superga's Spring 2012 campaign; the company gave her creative "free rein" [Vogue UK]

Designers love Wallis Simpson - and her hair [New York Times]

Mary Katrantzou's collection for Longchamp is now available [InStyle]

Kate Moss is the new face of Mango [Huffington Post]

Photo: Mango's Spring 2012 ad campaign starring Kate Moss

Prabal Gurung Pre-Fall 2012

Christina Perez — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:57:43 PST

>> Pre-Fall 2012 has Prabal Gurung forgoing his signature glitz and instead opting for something else: everyday wearability. His reference point - the rough-and-tumble grittiness of life in India - is apparent not so much in the elegantly crafted separates on offer, but more in the spirit of powerful fluidity that surrounds them. "It can be harsh, really, but it's still beautiful," the designer explained.

In keeping with recent tradition, Gurung's also released a video to accompany the collection. This season's offering: a hypnotic, kaleidoscopic rendering, set to the tune of DJ Pictureplane's song "Body Mod" and featuring models Alana Zimmer, Hanne Gaby, Kate King, and Ming Xie.

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Demi-Couture Is On the Rise

fashionologie — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:16:18 PDT

>> Designers are clocking an increased demand for the high-end side of ready-to-wear - demi-couture, as it's called. Mary Katrantzou's Jewel Tree dress, left, which required four studios putting in more than 150 hours to make, caused one seamstress to cry, and retails at $14,200, sold 18 units this Fall. Matthew Williamson president Joseph Velosa reports: "Pieces over $5,000 now account for six percent of our business. To put that into context, two years ago we sold nothing at that price." And Azzedine Alaia joined the couture schedule in July, showing what he called "semi-couture" - pieces which could be purchased as-is - to much acclaim.

Although these clothes have price tags that run mid-four to five figures, they are sold off the rack through the typical retail channels, rather than involving the time commitment of multiple atelier fittings like a couture piece does. Katrantzou's Jewel Tree dress, for instance, is currently available on Net-a-Porter and can be delivered next day.

Jason Wu, who has a houndstooth tweed overcoat with gold bullion embroidery for $15,000 and started using Paris ateliers like Lesage and Lemarie a few seasons ago, says: "Between all the designer collaborations and everything that's going on, we need to give people a reason to buy. There are some things that just can't be done for cheaper."

And Prabal Gurung, who is selling a hand-painted organza and braided chiffon gown for $15,000, adds: "There's a customer who wants this stuff, but it's like one in each city. You hope to sell a lot, but five total is great."

Ralph Lauren, Oprah Winfrey Join Forces For a Black-Tie Conversation at Lincoln Center

fashionologie — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 09:33:46 PDT

>> After chatting with Ralph Lauren during the last season of her talk show earlier this year - "It took me 25 years to score an interview with [him]," Oprah Winfrey said of the designer - the two reunited for a sequel interview last night. The black-tie event, which raised more than $7 million for the Ralph Lauren Center For Cancer Care and Prevention in Harlem and Lincoln Center For the Performing Arts, brought a crowd ranging from Anna Wintour to Naomi Watts to the entire Lauren clan.

Pre-interview, Lauren admitted: "I don't know what she's going to ask, but if I can't answer, I'm going to run." Prabal Gurung, in attendance, hoped that she would ask Lauren about his secrets to success: “I just want a few formulas that I can take back to the office.”

Without further ado, Winfrey introduced Lauren, saying “He designed the fabric of America as we really all know it today, but we’re here tonight because Ralph Lauren is more than just a tastemaker - he’s a lifesaver," before asking him about how he's maintained and reinvented his brand over so many years: "You copy - that's why I am still here, Oprah," he quipped, drawing laughter. More seriously, he added: “I never went to fashion school, I never had the training. It came from inside. I know what it’s like to yearn for something and not have the money to buy it." He also admitted: "After doing this all this time, my hands still get sweaty before a show."

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Giles Deacon, Emanuel Ungaro Part Ways

fashionologie — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 07:34:16 PDT

>> Emanuel Ungaro and Giles Deacon have "mutually decided" to end their collaboration, they announced. Deacon joined Ungaro in May 2010 and produced two collections for the house; it is understood that the upcoming Spring 2012 collection, meanwhile, will reflect the work of the design team.

"Emanuel Ungaro embodies a very rich and distinct DNA which the company will deliver with a modern spirit," Ungaro CEO Jeffry Aronsson said in a statement. "The creative process for executing our strategy is largely in place and I will comment on this further at the appropriate time."

Aronsson was in attendance at Prabal Gurung's show last week; although he said at the time he was checking out talent for his consulting business, not Ungaro, that statement doesn't seem as convincing in light of Deacon's departure.

Hijinks and Hot Shots Backstage at Alexander Wang, Prabal Gurung, Altuzarra, and Helmut Lang

fashionologie — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 11:47:12 PDT

>> Yesterday was a big show day, with the likes of Alexander Wang, Prabal Gurung, Altuzarra, and Helmut Lang traipsing out their new Spring 2012 collections. Get a second, behind-the-scenes look at those collections - complete with snaps of Hanne Gaby Odiele, Britt Maren, and Mirte Maas goofing off at Wang; Siri Tollerod playing a little air guitar on the iPad at Altuzarra; and Frida Gustavsson showing off the train on her Gurung finale dress - in the slideshow.

Photo: Greg Kessler

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Prabal Gurung Spring 2012 Runway

fashionologie — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 22:23:01 PDT

Prabal Gurung Spring 2012

fashionologie — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 12:41:10 PDT

>> In a similar vein to his Fall collection, Prabal Gurung played with subverting the ladylike credo. This time, he looked to the fetishistic work of Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki for his digitized floral prints and tapped Zana Bayne to incorporate leather harnesses into his intricately-pieced mesh panel dresses. “I wanted to take the old fetish, like nylon and PVC and everything, and treat it in a more precious way,” Gurung explained.

The effort was duly noted: Elle's Robbie Myers said on the way out that it set the bar for the week, and Emanuel Ungaro's chief Jeffry Aronsson was also in attendance, checking Gurung's talent out for his consulting business, apparently.

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