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subscribe to style file blog via RSSAlexander Wang’s OBJECTS Of Desire
February 10, 2012 9:20 am
Fourteen new stores in Asia by year’s end is just the beginning of Alexander Wang’s expansion plans. Style.com got an exclusive sneak peek at his new eight-piece lifestyle collection, OBJECTS, which will make its debut in goody bags gifted to lucky editors, buyers, and celebs in the front row at his show on Saturday. “I’ve always had a fascination with home, but wanted to take it step by step,” Wang said over the phone in between fittings. “If I can’t start with a couch, at least I can start with a coaster.” In addition to the black mock croc coasters, there’s a matching embossed leather lighter, letter box, junk box, and playing card case, as well as a smoked glass ashtray and a leather-bound notebook with metal corners. The line’s hot ticket, though, is a blackened steel bike chain with a mock croc-covered brass lock. All-weather it’s not, but it’s undeniably cool. The line retails from $29 to $150 and will be available at Wang’s Grand Street store and on his Web site come Monday.
In another bit of other news, Wang’s Spring 2012 campaign video will have its own debut this Saturday as an installation under the High Line on 24th Street between 10th and 11th avenues. Directed by James Lima, starring Liya Kebede, and featuring music by Azealia Banks, it’s meant, the designer says, to evoke “arcade video games and car crashes.” The cool factor here is that it will be projected not just on walls but on specially designed windshields and windows on cars parked on 24th Street. We’ve got a teaser here.
tags: Alexander Wang, Azealia Banks, Grand Street, James Lima, Liya Kebede, OBJECTS, Spring 2012
The World Of Duro
February 9, 2012 5:32 pm
“For me, fashion, art, music, textiles, film, etc., it’s all very intertwined. This is basically a collage of things I like, which is what my work is about,” explains London-based designer Duro Olowu of his New York art show and pop-up shop, opening today at Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn’s Salon 94 Freeman Alley gallery.
In the mix, there’s photos by Juergen Teller (Olowu and the photographer have collaborated on various shoots) and art by Laurie Simmons on display, as well as an eclectic selection of books, records, and clothing for sale. “We have limited-edition pieces from my Spring collection, vintage jewelry from Pierre Cardin, textiles from couture fabric makers, and a T-shirt collaboration I did with Tory Burch,” says the designer. Proceeds from the T-shirt (”a mash of prints by both of us,” says Olowu), $75, will go to the charity of their choice. This temporary New York shop is likely to lead to something more permanent in the near future: “I have been looking for a space in New York—this would be exactly the kind of store I would have.”
Duro Olowu’s pop-up shop is open through March 5 at Salon 94, 1 Freeman Alley, NYC.
tags: Duro Olowu, Jeanne Greenberg, Pierre Cardin, Salon 94 Freeman Alley gallery, Tory Burch
Dagny + Barstow On The Bowery
February 8, 2012 5:21 pm
Once home to Lenny Kravitz’s rock star lounge Kos, 264 Bowery has a new tenant. Tomorrow, Dagny + Barstow, the downtown shop formerly nestled in a pop-up on Gansevoort Street, will officially open for business. Owned by college pals Meredith Blank and Emily Titelman, the store aims to offer style-savvy New Yorkers something a little different. “We were getting frustrated seeing the same exact labels everywhere. There’s so much more out there, so we wanted to bring a new crop of designers into the city,” says Blank.
The store, which Blank notes retains the original brick wall, bar, and chandelier from the Kravitz days, is named for Dagny Taggart, the stern railroad executive in Ayn Rand’s novel Atlas Shrugged, and Barstow, California, the desert city where Johnny Depp starts to get a little (ahem) crazy in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. “Dagny’s just an amazing character because she’s aloof and tough as nails. We really liked associating our store with that,” says Titelman.
After traveling between London and Paris, as well as stalking international style blogs, the proprietors have curated an impressive stock list, featuring the likes of print mavens Swash London, British bag designer Sophie Hulme, and Dévastée. Local brands like Kaelen, Timo Weiland, and hat designer Satya Twena are also well represented in the boutique, with prices ranging between $100 and $1,500. Just to make sure there’s something for everyone, the duo has collaborated with Reason Clothing to bring vintage items to the shop and they have plans to launch their own line next season.
In keeping with the Bowery’s creative history, the store, which is not only caddy corner to the New Museum and across from Sperone Westwater Gallery but was also featured in Berenice Abbott’s 1935 photograph Tri-Boro Barber School, will have an art slant. Dagny + Barstow has collaborated with Artstar.com to offer a range of modestly priced prints and original works by up-and-coming artists. “This is such an exciting time for the Bowery,” says Blank. “There are so many wonderful galleries, shops, and restaurants and we’re excited to be a part of it.”
Dagny + Barstow, 264 Bowery, NYC, (212) 675-2346.
tags: Ayn Rand, Dagny + Barstow, Dagny Taggart, Emily Titelman, Meredith Blank, Reason Clothing
Stop Faking It
February 8, 2012 11:30 am
Following the CFDA and eBay’s first collaboration on one-of-a-kind designer tote bags promoting anti-counterfeiting, the two have partnered up once more for another “You Can’t Fake Fashion” campaign. After the first round of bags, designed by labels including Rodarte, The Row, and Rebecca Minkoff, sold out within hours, over 75 designers signed on to create a bag this time around. For good reason—it’s a cause very close to the designers’ hearts.
“Authenticity is a big part of what we do,” Billy Reid, who is on the roster of participating designers along with Maria Cornejo, Thom Browne, Tory Burch, and Prabal Gurung, tells Style.com. “We strive to make the best-quality goods that we can and we take a lot of pride in our work, so we are 100 percent behind supporting the CFDA and our fellow designers through You Can’t Fake Fashion.”
The bags ($200 for the customized totes, $45 for the standard) go on sale exclusively on eBay March 20, with all proceeds going to the CFDA. Above, an exclusive first look at one of the new bags from Milly. We suggest you order fast.
tags: "You Can't Fake Fashion", Billy Reid, CFDA, eBay, Maria Cornejo, Prabal Gurung, Rodarte, Thom Browne, Tory Burch
Boo Who?
February 7, 2012 4:42 pm
Valentine’s Day cometh. Waris Ahluwalia prepareth. The jeweler and oft-quoted devotee of love is launching a new capsule collection, Boo by House of Waris, to bring his wares (and his sense of romance) to a wider audience. The project, he said by phone today, continues his “never-ending exploration of the world’s greatest mystery—love.” (He conceded that the world actually has three great mysteries: space, the ocean, and love.) The three-piece capsule, which includes earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet, is Ahluwalia’s more cost-effective foray into the world of jewelry. The gold pieces, which launch at Moda Operandi and will later be available at Colette, The Webster, and Kirna Zabête, retail for $250 and under. (Pavé versions are in the works for the future.)
To complement the range, Ahluwalia asked ten friends to make short films, given only the prompt, “You’re My Boo.” (”If you’re not ready to say I love you…” the designer offered by way of explanation.) Collaborators ranging from artist Matthew Frost (whose Chinese take on the theme kicks off the project below) and Mark Seliger to Olivier Zahm and Casey Neistat each created a short to be released daily, which will take viewers through Valentine’s Day—and beyond, which is part of the point. Love and Boo, Ahluwalia explained, shouldn’t be confined to one February day a year. “My love continues forever,” he said.
tags: Boo by House of Waris, Colette, Moda Operandi, Valentine's Day, Waris Ahluwalia
The Smallest Traveling Store In The World Unpacks In NYC
February 7, 2012 2:23 pm
A few years ago, A.F. Vandevorst’s Filip Arickx and An Vandevorst started opening “guerrilla” shops in neglected buildings in northern Europe; more recently, they’ve taken to the road with a clothes-selling installation they’ve dubbed The Smallest Traveling Store in the World.
The name is much more unwieldy than the thing itself, which fits neatly into two crates and takes up a mere three square meters when it’s traveling, Arickx explained last night at the Tribeca boutique Patron of the New. He was minding the front corner of the boutique, where he and Vandevorst had set up his hospital-themed mini-shop, the centerpiece of which is an old Red Cross bed his father salvaged for him when he was 12. “The Red Cross in the village where I lived, they were changing furniture,” the Belgian designer said. He and his wife and co-designer, he added, both have a bit of a thing for hospitals.
The duo returns to Europe tomorrow to get ready for the Paris shows, but the traveling shop’s North American tour has just begun. “It has a visa for one year,” Arickx reported. He wants to take it to Canada, he said, but the actual itinerary at this point is anyone’s guess. “Who knows? It can be very spontaneous.”
tags: A.F. Vandevorst, An Vandevorst, Filip Arickx, Patron of the New, The Smallest Traveling Store in the World
In The Family
February 1, 2012 4:30 pm
When he’s not in the city, Yigal Azrouël lives a laid-back, short-board surfer lifestyle. He rides waves on Mexico’s Baja coast, chills out by the Mediterranean in his native Israel, and skips down to Costa Rica for sun, surf, and sand. So, understandably, his offshoot contemporary line Cut25 balances city style (little leather jackets and blazers) with weekend relaxation (easy draped sweaters and wispy scarves). It’s a cocktail that works. On Friday, the line is expanding via its first standalone retail store on Grand Street. “I love the location,” he said over the phone. “The east side of Soho has a really cool vibe, between the stores and galleries. I love Saturdays surf shop and there’s Opening Ceremony, Jil Sander, and Derek Lam.”
Good neighbors always help, but so does family. Azrouël collaborated with his nephew Dror Benshetrit on the interiors of the 1,400-square-foot space. “No one knows me better than Dror,” Azrouël said. “It’s not like I have to even think about it, because he’s already on the same page. He’s my best friend.” The final design includes bleached wood, distressed steel columns, and striking geometric forms that double as sculpture and merchandise space. Speaking of the stock, the designer has created exclusive pieces for the store and curated a fun selection of special collaborations and books. And that’s all before fashion week, which has kept him plenty busy with his eponymous collection. “I come in early,” he said. “Then I don’t even know what time I leave the studio. I don’t even want to look at the clock.”
Cut25 opens Friday, 129 Grand St., NYC.
tags: Cut25, Dror Benshetrit, Grand Street, Jil Sander, Opening Ceremony, Yigal Azrouel
OpenSky’s The Limit
February 1, 2012 2:53 pm
“Up until six months ago, I thought OpenSky was an airline,” CFDA CEO Steven Kolb admits. For those in the same boat, OpenSky.com is actually a new e-commerce site that offers members (sign-up is free and open to anyone) access to a virtual cabinet of celebrity and expert curators. Members to the site choose the experts—spanning fields from fashion to design to food to fitness and including Julianne Moore, Carolyn Murphy, Lori Goldstein, and more—that most appeal to them, and can then shop items said experts curate for the site. Starting tomorrow, you can count the CFDA among them. As part of a new initiative, OpenSky members will be able to buy exclusive accessories from CFDA members including Diane von Furstenberg, House of Waris’ Waris Ahluwalia, Albertus Swanepoel, Selima Optique, and Fallon’s Dana Lorenz.
“We wanted to start with accessories since American accessories are the best and they never get the spotlight they deserve,” Kolb explains. “But ultimately it is the CFDA’s dream to sell something from all 400 CFDA designers.” Until then, designers like Swanepoel, a milliner, are enjoying their moment in the spotlight. “It is amazing exposure for my small brand,” he says. “I do not currently have e-retailers on board, so this is a first for me.” Here, in this Style.com exclusive video (above), Swanepoel talks about the four exclusive hats he made for the program.
tags: Albertus Swanepoel, Carolyn Murphy, CFDA, Dana Lorenz, Julianne Moore, Lori Goldstein, OpenSky.com, Selima Optique, Steven Kolb, Waris Ahluwalia
Bruno’s Back
January 31, 2012 9:36 am
Belgian designer Bruno Pieters’ Spring 2010 runway show in Paris was the grand finale of his namesake ready-to-wear line. “Many of my dreams were coming true, but it wasn’t bringing me the happiness I thought it would,” he tells Style.com. After a year-long sabbatical spent exploring the developing world, he’s back with a fresh approach to fashion and a renewed enthusiasm for the industry, fueled by his new fashion brand, Honest By, and accompanying e-commerce site (www.honestby.com), which launched yesterday.
“I was in India and saw this Gandhi poster that said, ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world,’ and that just stuck with me. Clothes are considered by many people to be innocent, they think they are just dresses, but that’s not the case and there are consequences to our work,” Pieters explains.
His solution: a high-quality brand with 100 percent transparency about how the clothes are produced and a full breakdown of how each item is priced. Pieters is the first designer for the site, but every three months he will introduce and sell a collection from a different designer (he remained tight-lipped about his April designer). Honest By Bruno Pieters has a different spirit than his more tailored work in prior years. “They are neoclassic hybrids,” he says of the men’s and women’s pieces, many of them unisex, in the new eco-conscious line (with prices ranging from €250 for a shirt to upward of €1,100 for a coat). “It’s mixtures of classic favorites, like one coat is a bomber jacket, T-shirt, and trenchcoat all in one. This is more casual and more daywear than the collections I showed in Paris.”
The Middle East’s Newest Fashion Frontier
January 30, 2012 3:08 pm
Doha, Qatar, is the latest hot spot of global luxury. The city’s extraordinary boom, fueled in large part by its winning World Cup 2022 bid, has already seen the arrival of outposts of Hermès, Stella McCartney, Balenciaga, and Alexander McQueen. The latest addition to its luxury Pearl Island complex is a new store catering to the Middle East’s expensive tastes: Toujouri, named for the Arabic word for “treasure chest.”
Lama El-Moatassem opened Toujouri, designed by architect Peter Marino, on Saturday night. A Central Saint Martins grad and a veteran of Chloé and Matthew Williamson, the Palestine-born, London-raised designer favors intricate embroidery and beading on her jewel-toned “cresses”—half caftan, half dresses. “The Middle Eastern woman has a strong sense of demi-couture—embroidery, beading, and handwork mean a lot to them,” she says. “There is a huge demand for this kind of dressing in the Middle East and I am here to answer that demand.”
Her answer will soon go global: El-Moatassem is designing a strictly limited-edition collection with a vintage twist for the cult site, Atelier-Mayer.com, coming soon.
Toujouri is now open at the Pearl Island, Parcel 1, Shop No14, Doha, Qatar.
tags: Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Doha, Hermes, Lama El-Moatassem, Pearl Island, Qatar, Stella McCartney, Toujouri
