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subscribe to style file blog via RSSJV Turns Ten, Lara Stone Goes To Court, The Southeast Is In The Pink, And More…
July 29, 2010
John Varvatos celebrates his tenth anniversary in business this year, and, in typical rocker style, is cranking it up to 11: He’ll unveil a new, Sgt. Pepper-inspired ad campaign, throw a massive party in his Bowery (formerly CBGB) store, and release a limited-edition rock star necessity—a new pair of shades (pictured). [WWD]
Lara Stone gets litigious: The model of the moment is suing French Playboy for allegedly publishing nude photos of her without permission. Scandale! [Fashionologie]
What your retailer knows about you: more than you might expect. Stores and online shops keep detailed records about customer preferences both personally and regionally, and their data can be used to shape buys and merchandising. Did you know that southeasterners are more likely to buy pink than other U.S. citizens, while West Coasters prefer green? More of the data can be found in The Wall Street Journal’s handy new charts. Buy carefully—Big (shopping) Brother is watching. [WSJ]
Are the kids of the Jersey Shore going classy? The stars rang the bell at the New York Stock Exchange and flashed nary a hint of cleavage. Jenni “JWoww” Farley, the designer of her own Filthy Couture line, even wore a suit. Woww indeed. [Racked]
tags: Jersey Shore, John Varvatos, Lara Stone
Behind-The-Scenesters: Natalie Joos
July 29, 2010
Designers design. Photographers photograph. Models model. That much—in broad strokes, at least—is clear. But what about the artists, technicians, and industry insiders, often unpublicized and underappreciated, who help to get clothes and accessories made and shown? Call them Behind-the-Scenesters: people who shape our experience of fashion but never take a bow on the catwalk or strike a pose for the camera. Without them—from pattern-makers to production designers—the show wouldn’t go on. And in a new series, Style.com sits down with a few of these pros to find out, basically, what they do.
To the untrained eye, the models legging it down the catwalk at a fashion week show represent just another parade of pretty girls. But as casting director Natalie Joos knows, the appearance of a particular model on a particular runway is anything but arbitrary. For Joos, who has cast fashion week shows for clients such as Lacoste, Mark Fast, ADAM, and Yigal Azrouël, not to mention myriad lookbooks, ad campaigns, and magazine editorials, deciding which pretty face fits where is a lot like assembling a jigsaw puzzle in the dark. Here, Joos talks to Style.com about putting the casting pieces together.
So, Natalie: In one sentence, what do you do?
I’m a casting director. Which means, really, that I’m the link between the model and the client. Photographers, stylists, designers, anyone who needs a model, I connect them. Sometimes that means I’m asked to find a blue-eyed blonde for a particular shoot, and then I call around to the agencies to see who’s available on that day for that rate and for that job; sometimes it’s much more involved, like putting together a fashion show. In that case, you’re really searching for the girls who fit the vision of the designer. And figuring out what exactly that vision is.
Speaking as an outsider, casting a fashion show seems kind of like shooting fish in a barrel. I mean, there are plenty of tall, skinny, pretty girls—or boys—floating around. Where’s the art in what you do?
First of all, you need a good eye. You have to be able to spot the good models. There are bad ones, you know. The body, the walk, the attitude—you’re looking at all of that. And for a show especially, you’re trying to tell a coherent story. You want the whole group of girls to have the same feel. Casting ADAM is very different from casting Yigal, you know? It’s a different girl. Yigal’s girl, she’s tough, she struts. The ADAM girl is a bit softer. You have to translate the vibe of the clothes through the girls wearing them. It’s not just, oh, let’s find the prettiest ones. There’s a whole process of interpretation.
If some super big-time model wanted to walk in a show you felt she was totally wrong for, would you cast her?
Hmm. I mean, ultimately, you’re trying to communicate the designer’s vision, and you don’t want one girl, no matter how famous, to interfere with that. But at the same time, I’m not going to tell you that reputation doesn’t matter. You want to see new faces, of course, but the trendy girls are trendy for a reason—they’re good at what they do, and they have a look that’s of-the-moment. You don’t want to use girls no one else is using. Continue reading ›
Helmut Lang, Floating In Space
July 28, 2010
Your local prog-rock obsessive is probably pretty close to combustion at the moment: It’s only about 48 hours until Spiritualized, the high-nineties drone rockers, arrive at Radio City Music Hall to play a one-night-only concert version of their 1997 masterpiece, Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space. The band—and Floating in particular—has earned just about every sort of accolade a rock group can get, from fawning blog love, perma-presence on critics’ top 10 lists, fancy collector’s-edition repackagings, and a tour slot with Radiohead. And on Friday, they’ll add one more laurel to their crown: a limited-edition T-shirt, designed by Helmut Lang creative director (and Spiritualized fan) Michael Colovos, along with photographer Dusan Reljin. Only 300 are available, and they’ll be available only at Friday night’s show. If you want one, be prepared to put up a fight.
tags: Helmut Lang, Michael Colovos, Spiritualized
Jean-Shop Like The Kings Of Leon Do
July 28, 2010
The options out there for denim are, to put it mildly, many. Endless cuts, colors, washes, selvages—the prospect of navigating it all is enough to keep you in your oldest pair forever. But at his new shop, LOREN, opening tomorrow in Greenpoint, LIPS jeans designer Loren Cronk has simplified the options and is offering them all at one denim-obsessed store. LOREN is the launching pad for Cronk’s three new brands—Soldier & Brave, Melody, and BLKSMTH—each of which comprises a limited number of styles, and together run the price gamut from cheap to expensive, the better to suit anyone and everyone. “There are people who want a well-made pair of jeans to run around town in, and there are people who are fanatical about denim, like I am, and get into the details,” Cronk says. “I want to make denim for both kinds of shoppers.” Cronk is indeed a denim fanatic. Prior to launching LIPS, he made his name at Levi’s and Ralph Lauren, and he’s crafted custom jeans for clients including the members of Kings of Leon. LOREN is ground zero for his obsession. Along with his new labels, Cronk will be custom-making jeans at his store, selling off a smattering of LIPS goods from the archives, and—why stop at pants?—offering a wide array of jeans-inspired accessories, such as women’s shoes by Keller made with reclaimed denim and denim bow ties and ties by J. Cravata.
LOREN opens tomorrow at 82 Nassau Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y., (646) 413-4984.
tags: Loren Cronk
Like These Rag & Bone Shoes?
Soon, You’ll Be Able To Get Them Online
July 28, 2010
Rag & Bone’s David Neville and Marcus Wainwright hosted a dinner for a couple dozen editors at Pulino’s last night to celebrate their new shop a block down Houston Street in the former Café Colonial space. Before everyone tucked into their burrata, pizza margherita, and roasted chicken, guests were treated to a free pair of Rag & Bone shoes. There was plenty to choose from in the shoe shop, which occupies Café Colonial’s onetime kitchen space, but a pair of favorites did emerge. You’ll be seeing a lot of the duo’s Newbury ankle boot in taupe waxed leather (top) and Canterbury penny loafers in Chianti red (below) when the September shows roll around. Didn’t make the invite list? We hear Neville and Wainwright are launching e-commerce next month, and that their footwear, along with their well-priced knit, shirt, and jeans lines, will be the starring attractions.
tags: Rag & Bone
Angelina Jolie Goes Long
July 28, 2010
The Salt star has been traveling the globe on the promotional circuit for her new spy thriller, and we’ve noticed that she (and her stylists) are feeling the long evening looks we’ve been seeing so much of this Resort season. In Moscow on Sunday, she wore a halter-topped Atelier Versace gown in Russian red, complemented by flowing hair and soft, red lips. In Tokyo yesterday, she went back to Donatella’s atelier, choosing a floor-sweeping black Versace gown with a slit high enough to raise plenty of eyebrows (and a heavy, and we’d have to say ill-advised, sky-high beehive to match). And today at a press conference in Seoul, Jolie went the less glamorous route, opting for a full-length column gown with a bare face and barely visible nude heels. It’s been, no doubt about it, a long week. What do you think? Elsewhere, editors like WWD’s Bridget Foley are lamenting that Angie isn’t doing her part as an aspirational fashion icon, a claim that her hit-and-miss style might justify. Do you like Angie’s maxi look—and do you think she’s holding her own on the fashion front?
tags: Angelina Jolie, Atelier Versace
Chelsea Switches It Up (Maybe),
Russian Vogue Fills A Slot, And More…
July 28, 2010
Clinton wedding shakeup shocker: Chelsea to wear Vera Wang, not Oscar de la Renta, as previously reported?! WWD has its crack investigative team on the case. [WWD]
In less controversial news, Tommy Hilfiger is celebrating his label’s 25th anniversary with a retrospective scrapbook, chronicling his personal and professional life over the past two-plus decades. It will go on sale in Hilfiger stores next month—for a whopping $550. OK, maybe a little controversial, then. [WWD]
After yesterday’s surprise resignation from Vogue Russia editor in chief Aliona Doletskaya, her successor is already in place: former Tatler Russia editor in chief Victoria Davydova (left). Muscovites, as you were. [Daily Front Row]
Accessory designer Jérôme Dreyfuss has unveiled the first art installation in his recently opened Soho shop: a canopy of masking-tape flora and fauna created by artist Julien Gardair and inspired by Palm Springs (which also inspired Dreyfuss’ collection). [Coutorture via Racked]
And back to the controversy: Essence magazine, which caters to a largely African-American audience and celebrates black beauty and design, has hired a white fashion director, Elliana Placas. As you might imagine, some editors—including former Essence fashion director Michaela Angela Davis, who took to Facebook to air her grievances—are not pleased. [NY Post]
tags: Aliona Doletskaya, Chelsea Clinton, Elliana Placas, Essence, Jerome Dreyfuss, Julien Gardair, Michaela Angela Davis, Oscar de la Renta, Vera Wang, Victoria Davydova, Vogue Russia
Going Green—Make That Blue—With Envy
July 28, 2010
A first glimpse at do-no-wrong fashion plate Zoe Saldana for Calvin Klein’s Envy—certain to set hearts racing from here to Pandora.
tags: Calvin Klein, Zoe Saldana
Accessories A Cut Above
July 27, 2010
This bag is full of holes—and that’s a compliment. Accessories obsessives don’t need to be told that it’s an Alaïa, carried on the arm of Lane Crawford’s ultra-fashionable fashion director, Sarah Rutson, as she navigated the Paris menswear shows last month. What might need telling is that such laser-cut, perforated accessories are a burgeoning trend. From our favorites from Alaïa’s atelier to strappy sandals, heels, boots, and flats high and low, we’ve rounded up the best of the bunch—plus a few famous fans, like Rutson and Giovanna Battaglia.
Click here for a slideshow of our favorite cut-out pieces.
tags: Alaia, Giovanna Battaglia, Sarah Rutson
A Trenchcoat Meeting Of The Minds
July 27, 2010
You might say they’ve had this date since the beginning. When Aimee Cho and Irini Arakas first met, it was as fellow fashion writers for Vogue. Flash-forward a handful of years, and they’re both successful designers: Cho of Gryphon ready-to-wear, and Arakas of Prova scarves and jewelry. So when they met again at Vogue’s Alumni House pop-up during Fashion’s Night Out, working together was the natural progression. “I spent so many years building up Gryphon, just me by myself, that it was nice to be able to work with someone again who I really respect, and who I know is equally creative,” Cho explained. “It was just such a fun experience to be together again.”
They began with the standard Gryphon trench, a best-seller and one that’s already fostered collaborations. (Last season, Cho worked with Sea of Shoes blogger Jane Aldridge, and her mom, Judy, to create a bell-sleeved version.) The design mixes, nearly seamlessly, the sensibilities of both labels. “I haven’t done a lot with natural, found materials like Irini does,” Cho says. “I love the contrast of the sheen of the metal sequins we used, which I think is representative of Prova, but it’s still a very Gryphon thing to have sequins.” “I wanted it to be organic, like my own line,” Arakas chimes in. “Something with found materials, something nature-based right off the bat.” Hence the luminescent tiger’s-eye, quartz, and mother-of-pearl peeking out from beneath the collar (seen in detail above; for a full view, click below), the sequins shining along the belt and back flap. What’s more, the foray into tailored clothing seems to have given Arakas, whose flowing scarves are a favorite of Ikram Goldman and Barneys alike, a nudge in the clothing direction. She’ll bring out a capsule collection of Prova dresses herself next Spring.
Gryphon New York x Prova trench coat, $760, available for pre-order now at www.bergdorfgoodman.com.
Continue reading ›
tags: Aimee Cho, Gryphon, Irini Arakas, Prova
