43 posts tagged "Alexa Chung"
Pas de Calais Brings Serenity to Soho
Solace does not leap willingly to mind when one thinks of Soho’s more trod corners. But the arrival of Japan-based brand Pas de Calais’ American flagship may mark the start of a new associative era. Set at the juncture of Wooster and Broome, the store is the brand’s first international location.
The all-white retail space is a logical extension of Pas de Calais’ sensibilities. White wires suspended above are intended to evoke a loom, an homage to the brand’s original textiles, and a sculpture made from vintage windows anchors the far end of the shop. One part clean Japanese minimalism, one part unmistakable earthy Gallic romance, the result is a timeless, rustic luxury.
At last night’s opening fete, the brand’s designer, Yukari Suda, and president, Tsukasa Kobayashi, were joined by Alexa Chung, who deejayed the celebration. Donning a gauzy, embroidered Pas de Calais frock, Chung told Style.com, “I like French things and Japanese things, so a hybrid is pretty much my dream. It’s so simple, and I love the tomboyish way they’ve styled the outfits. Everything’s very loose and easy to wear.”
As guests sipped sparkling sake (imported for the occasion), models stood on rough-hewn wooden cubes, wearing the brand’s Spring line of slouchy linen blazers, color-blocked knits, and printed silk dresses. After an hour and a half, they turned on their leather T-strap wedges, disappeared, and reemerged in Borsalino hats and Pas de Calais’ boyish autumn earth tones. When not admiring the clothes, partygoers marveled at a sculpture of three thousand whirling, transparent white leaves. It would seem that one corner of Soho just got slightly more serene.
Pas de Calais is located at 482 Broome Street in New York.
Annelise Michelson Debuts Downtown
As it turns out, window-shopping is a surprisingly productive use of one’s time. Just ask Paris-based jewelry designer Annelise Michelson, best known for her sharp-toothed ear cuffs, embellished chain-link necklaces, and sculptural rings worn by the likes of Alison Mosshart and Alexa Chung. During her last trip to New York, the designer took an unexpected stroll past Bowery boutique Dagny + Barstow. “I saw it on my way to brunch and I really liked the windows,” she recalls. Moments later, she found herself inside, browsing wares from other up-and-coming French designers like Devastee and Vanessa Dee with the boutique’s co-owner, Emily Titelman. The conversation that ensued resulted in Dagny picking up her collection.
The designer’s downtown New York debut (she also sells uptown at Fivestory and online at www.paire.us) will kick off with an in-store party tomorrow night, where looks from Michelson’s “Timeless” and “Carnivore” collections will be displayed in a special installation. Come March, the store will stock her spring range, which, Michelson says, is a departure from her usual hard-edged aesthetic. “Last season, it was about leather-embroidered chain. But for spring, it’s really tropical and neon. Almost toxic,” she explains, adding, “My mother is South African, so the flowers and colors of Cape Town were on my mind.”
As for her time in the Big Apple, the designer is not sure what surprises it might bring. But she’s found herself inspired by the city’s savvy women. “They have their style, they play with their look and they’re having fun. This is what fashion’s all about! Being feminine and a little bit audacious.” Just like Michelson’s jewelry.
Annelise Michelson is available at Dagny + Barstow, 264 Bowery, NYC, (212) 675-2346.
A Maje Moment For Alexa Chung
While most Manhattanites stayed in last night to watch the live vice presidential debate, a crowd still turned out to Hotel Americano to toast Maje’s newest campaign girl, Alexa Chung. In case there is any question of American patriotism here, the brand’s founder and designer Judith Milgrom put an end to that debate. “We want to become the most American, French brand,” said Milgrom, who opened the first New York Maje store last October and followed with a series of small stores throughout the city. The focus last night, however, was on one of Britain’s most stylish exports. “I just love the way Alexa looks in the clothes, especially what she’s wearing tonight,” said Milgrom of Chung’s silk top.
Milgrom and her muse certainly seem in sync. “I went into the studio with a sketch of a green miniskirt—and they already had one,” Chung said, in between chatting with her pals like Dev Hynes, Hilary Rhoda, and DJ Alix Browne. Though Chung’s own clothing line has been postponed, there’s no shortage of upcoming projects en queue. On her forthcoming book, she said, “[It's] mainly my style icons. The rest is top secret.” As she watched the evening’s performers, Chicago-based Wild Belle, she said one thing she won’t be doing is putting out an album. “God, no. I can’t sing at all,” she admitted. While the sibling duo continued their act, guests streamed in, coming from another French affair, the Krug House party, happening a little further downtown at a multi-story private town house on West 15th Street. The cause for celebration was, quite simply, fashion’s favorite beverage: Champagne. By 10 p.m., the partygoers (including Byrdie Bell, Genevieve Jones, and the night’s performer MNDR) had guzzled up most of the bubbly and then, it was over.
Phillip Lim And His Superheroes
“I was actually never really a video game or comic book kind of guy—I always just loved clothes,” Phillip Lim tells Style.com. But things have changed for the designer, who looked to neo-noir comic book heroines in V for Vendetta and Sin City for inspiration for his Fall 2012 collection, and he has just come out with his very own comic book (with the help of illustrator Jan Duursema, of Star Wars fame, and her prolific co-writer John Ostrander). “The idea of dual lives and a heroine with an inner strength was where it all started,” he says, citing Alexa Chung, Lissy Trullie, and Oh Land as some of his real-life leading ladies. “I am surrounded by these heroines every day, all around me, so it seemed fitting to make the city in my head come alive.” Will we be seeing the theme continue into Spring 2013? “The spirit of the character exists in every collection I do—it is very much the spirit of the Phillip Lim woman,” he says.
Style.com got the exclusive first look at the full book, called Kill the Night, before it debuts on Fashion’s Night Out (he will be on hand at his NYC boutique to sign copies for customers who buy something at the event). For those who aren’t in New York, visit the designer’s Web site (31philliplim.com) to sign up and get a printed copy. Our favorite part? Every superheroine look in the book is shoppable.
Chung Change
Alexa Chung already has a lot of jobs on her résumé these days, including model, British Fashion Council ambassador, television host, and British Vogue contributing editor, and soon she might be adding “designer” to the list. Though she has collaborated on design projects with labels like Madewell, the British style star confirmed this morning that she is looking to launch her own clothing line. In the latest issue of Numéro magazine, Chung reportedly said she has “nothing to lose” by starting her own label. “In this current era of celebrity no one believes you actually design the stuff anyway, even though I sketch everything myself,” she explains. “So if it sucks I can say I had nothing to do with it, and if it’s really good I can say ‘Here are the drawings, it’s all my own work!’ ” Chung hasn’t revealed any details about the line yet, but we’re expecting to see the usual Chung signatures—plenty of floral prints, vintage-inspired numbers, and lots of layering pieces.