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subscribe to style file blog via RSSParris, London
May 2, 2012 11:07 am
The English designer Louisa Parris has proper Brit credentials—the clipped accent, the Central Saint Martins degree—but her designs are as inspired by San Francisco, the city she called home for several years before returning to London, as by her native turf.
Parris studied womenswear at Saint Martins, but when a job at Apple beckoned her then-boyfriend/now-husband, she made for the Golden State. In San Francisco, Parris worked on an eveningwear collection, which would eventually win the Styles International Award at Gen Art in New York. But when producing her evening pieces became more than she could manage on anything but a private, by-commission basis, she turned her attention to something smaller: scarves.
“My first love has always been doing the gowns and the eveningwear,” Parris explained by phone from London. (She still creates them for private clients.) “But what’s been so fantastic about doing the scarves is that I have complete control. They support the gowns. To me, they’re like small paintings.” Read the rest of this entry >
tags: Colette, Louisa Parris
From India, With Love And Sparkle
April 27, 2012 9:30 am
“Embellishment was extraordinarily intimidating,” says New York-based designer Rachel Antonoff, whose namesake label, sold at retailers like Barneys and Steven Alan, has for several seasons skewed more cute than glam. (”I design for myself in my daydreams,” she jokes, “so it’s me—but a little bit taller.”) But she took a new step in a more elevated direction for Fall when, on the recommendation of friend and fellow designer Timo Weiland, she enlisted the help of Milaaya Embroideries, a Mumbai-based fair trade sewing co-op whose client list includes big name designers such as Balmain, Lanvin, Marni, and Givenchy. “I loved all the fabric people in New York, but this was just a really special environment,” says Antonoff, who equates Milaaya’s New York headquarters (they also have offices in Milan and Paris) with “a candy land of embellishment swatches.”
The result is a brightly colored, checkered embroidery that adorns select pieces of Antonoff’s Fall ‘12 collection. Dubbed by the young designer as “the chiclet,” after the gum, the playful pattern of glass beads and cotton threads can be found on chic, collared dresses (the Jack combo dress, pictured) and simple T-shirts with festive sleeves. This foray into embellishment has already garnered “best-selling” potential from a slew of interested buyers, and the designer plans to continue the experiment in seasons to come. That is, if she can overcome her new problem. “Now I have to figure out how to avoid going embellishment crazy,” she says. “It’s like chocolate, once you have a little taste you have to learn how to scale back.”
tags: Balmain, Barneys, Givenchy, Lanvin, Marni, Rachel Antonoff, Steven Alan, Timo Weiland
Pringle And Alistair Carr Part Ways
April 26, 2012 9:30 am
After a little over a year as design director at Pringle of Scotland, Alistair Carr (pictured) will be leaving the house. The departure was “a mutual decision,” according to Pringle CEO Jean Fang, and moving forward, the collection will instead be designed by an in-house team. The house plans to focus on retail development and “roll out smaller stores and emphasize core product, such as luxury cashmere and wool separates with a modern edge.”
For his part, Carr will finish off his Pringle career art-directing the Fall ad campaign, and he will show both his Spring ‘12 menswear collection and Resort ‘13 collection in June. He’s also going to keep working on the Pringle-sponsored Princess Grace: More Than an Image exhibition at the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco.
Pleats, Pleasing
April 25, 2012 6:08 pm
The Olympic Torch wasn’t the only thing to take top honors at last night’s Designs of the Year Awards, given by London’s Design Museum. In the fashion category, Issey Mikaye’s studio and Reality Lab, the designer’s research and development team, won out over a varied group of nominees that included Celine’s Fall ‘11 collection, the Met’s Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition, Sarah Burton’s wedding dress for Kate Middleton, and the London concept boutique LN-CC, designed by Gary Card. Pieces and renderings from the award’s seven categories, which include digital design and architecture as well as fashion, are now on display as part of the Designs of the Year 2012 exhibition, running through July 4. As The New York Times reports, the Miyake inventions from his 132.5 line included in the exhibition “encompass different kinds of modernity: clothes that fold flat, opening with 3D dimensions and made from recycled polyester.”
tags: 132.5, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, Celine, Design Museum, Designs of the Year Awards, Gary Card, Issey Mikaye, Reality Lab
Trapped In Paradise
April 25, 2012 4:25 pm
Having made her name with a collection of cloaks, Lindsey Thornburg is not a designer you’d think would flourish in the Spring. (And in fact, she’ll have a big new development coming this Fall: After spending several seasons creating cloaks out of deadstock Pendleton fabrics, she’s introducing a co-branded line with the Oregon-based company.) But the sun suits the New York-based Thornburg too, judging from the new film she’s created for her Spring collection, shot in sunny Key Biscayne, Florida, with model Martha Hunt. “Martha is lustful, she has that sort of lazy angst that boredom creates,” explains Thornburg. “She’s captive in her affluent environment while her lover is away. Her fantasy is to be carried away into the oblivion with the man she passed at the cinema the previous day.”
To pass the time, Hunt spends her time floating in the pool, gallivanting on the tennis courts, and making sand angels, wearing Thornburg’s signature “urban witchy” (as she describes them) pieces—a variety of billowy maxi dresses ranging from a pink cutout number to a simple black one. Not that customers are encouraged to be so cavalier. “This collection is very special, limited or one-of-a-kind,” the designer says. “The focus on this collection was to use the tactile nature of different silks while unifying them by specialty dye processes.” Unifying the entire video is music by Scout LaRue Willis—progeny of Demi and Bruce—and Nicolas Jaar; it debuts exclusively here on Style.com.
tags: Crystal Moselle, Lindsey Thornburg, Martha Hunt, Nicolas Jaar, Olivia Malone, Pendleton, Scout LaRue Willis
Opening Ceremony Takes On London
April 24, 2012 11:04 am
It looks like there will be more than one opening ceremony at the upcoming London Olympics. Today, WWD reports that New York-based retailer Opening Ceremony is temporarily setting up shop at 31-31 King Street just before the 2012 Olympics get under way. The 3,000-square-foot pop-up shop, housing O.C.’s ready-to-wear line and collections from Olympia Le-Tan to Maison Michel, a debut Adidas x Opening Ceremony collection, and exclusive Olympic pieces from the likes of Proenza Schouler, Pamela Love, and Chloë Sevigny, will be followed by the brand’s first shop in Europe, opening in the fall (also reportedly on King Street).
“In the last ten years since we first opened our doors on Howard Street in New York, Opening Ceremony has expanded to Los Angeles and Tokyo, but we have had our hearts set on London since the beginning. Covent Garden is an historic, global shopping destination and we’re looking forward to what Opening Ceremony will add to its exciting future,” O.C. founders Humberto Leon and Carol Lim (pictured) say. Also on the horizon: a Topshop “sport-inspired” collection, due to launch in July.
tags: Carol Lim, Humberto Leon, Opening Ceremony
More Details Emerge On London’s Menswear Week
April 24, 2012 9:00 am
After cramming a city’s worth of menswear offerings into a single MAN Day for the last few seasons, London is planning to give its standout men’s offerings a bit more room to breathe. The first men’s-only London fashion collections (technically three days, rather than a few weeks) will take place June 15 to 17, with opening programs including a launch event hosted by Prince Charles. In addition to the young London designers who have been showing on MAN DAY—like J.W. Anderson, James Long, Topman, Lou Dalton, and Christopher Shannon—the new opportunity has lured several U.K. brands back to their home turf, including Pringle of Scotland and Nicole Farhi, who have been showing in Milan, and Dunhill. E. Tautz, Hardy Amies, and Richard James will show ready-to-wear collections on Savile Row, and Richard Nicoll (pictured) will debut a menswear collection. The full schedule is now available at www.londoncollections.co.uk.
tags: Christopher Shannon, Dunhill, E. Tautz, James Long, Lou Dalton, MAN Day, Nicole Farhi, Prince Charles, Pringle of Scotland, Richard James, Richard Nicoll, Savile Row, Topman
Red Gets The Green Light At Bridal Week
April 20, 2012 8:31 am
The just-wrapped Spring ‘13 Bridal Market Week in New York was a much more colorful one than usual. It was Vera Wang who led the charge, finding herself in a full-on love affair with red, a color that’s actually traditional for Hindu brides. The designer sent dresses down the runway in shades from bright scarlet to deep burgundy, with not a white gown in sight. Romona Keveza also flirted with crimson, sending out a full-skirted red number with intricate flower details as her final look. Oscar de la Renta experimented with color as well, with a fire engine red Spanish-style gown complete with a towering headpiece.
But traditional brides have no cause for concern. White still holds court. White dresses were plentiful in Temperley London’s Ophelia bridal collection, from simple ethereal gowns to lavish, embellished pieces in Chantilly lace, crinkled chiffon, and light georgette. Monique Lhuillier, who has plans to open up her first store in June, showed a similar aesthetic, translating “fantasy” and “dreamlike” inspirations into elegant dresses dusted with sequins and draped with tulle. And Marchesa’s Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig offered white in their signature Hollywood glamour, with a lineup of lavish silk and organza gowns decorated with hand-embroidered beads. Jenny Packham also had ladies of the silver screen in mind, referencing 1930’s cinema sirens like Vivien Leigh and Bette Davis in her collection of free-flowing, empire-waist dresses in simple crepes and antique lace. Those elements lent heritage appeal to the gowns, which looked as if they had been delicately preserved and passed down for generations. Carolina Herrera walked the line between timeless and trendy, showing classic, intricately detailed numbers along with more modern looks featuring peplum waists and pantsuits, which also made an appearance at Oscar de la Renta, who paired his with a dare-to-bare crop top for the more fashion-forward bride.
CLICK FOR A SLIDESHOW to see which of the week’s dresses (and pants) made our “I Do” list.
tags: Carolina Herrera, Jenny Packham, Marchesa, Romona Keveza, Temperley London, Vera Wang
Around The World In 80 Bags
April 17, 2012 1:57 pm
For the first time ever, Roger Vivier is debuting a collection of bags and shoes without the brand’s signature buckle: Prismick. Instead, the label’s creative director, Bruno Frisoni, used leather-on-suede appliqués in a variety of colors for a 3-D effect, a look that was inspired by his passion for art and contemporary architecture. To show off the Prismick collection, Roger Vivier asked stylish women around the globe, including Amanda Hearst (top), Fernanda Niven (middle), and Bettina Prentice (below) to pose with one of the new pieces in the setting of their choosing. (Hearst opted for the Brooklyn Bridge; Niven for an organic garden in Brooklyn; and Prentice at Haunch of Venison Gallery). The three will be on hand tonight in New York to launch the portrait series at Vivier’s Madison Avenue store. Their compatriots from farther afield will be on display, too: Photographers also shot Marta Ferri, Fatima Bhutto, Harumi Klossowski, India Mahdavi, and more in the U.K., Italy, France, and the Far East. Read the rest of this entry >
tags: Amanda Hearst, Bettina Prentice, Bruno Frisoni, Fernanda Niven, Roger Vivier
Carven Heads For Florence
April 16, 2012 11:47 am
The 82nd edition of Florence’s Pitti Uomo menswear fair will play host to Carven, Pitti Immagine announced today. The label, revived under artistic director Guillaume Henry (left), will show its latest men’s collection at the festival in June, following recent menswear guest designers including Pier Paolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri of Valentino and Scott Sternberg of Band of Outsiders. To see Carven’s past menswear collections, click here.
tags: Carven, Guillaume Henry, Pitti Uomo
