113 posts tagged "Diane von Furstenberg"
Jumping for Joie
On a much-buzzed-about corridor of Melrose Avenue, where labels like Marc by Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg and Helmut Lang have all opened boutiques, a retail resurgence has begun. This Tuesday, Joie’s L.A. flagship joins the fray. The label is undertaking a major rollout—in addition to L.A., a Soho shop has just opened in New York, with a Meatpacking District branch and a San Francisco outpost on the way. Still, says creative director Serge Azria, “each store embodies the true feel of the brand: effortlessly chic yet casual.” Who do you call for that? Ryan Korban, the designer whose credits include Alexander Wang’s store and showroom and New York’s Edon Manor. Korban’s vision translated into a Parisian apartment that’s been sun-kissed by SoCal—an apartment, that is, that’s 1,640 square feet large, with herringbone floors and washed gray moldings. “L.A. has always been a big part of the Joie environment—even before we opened on the West Coast,” Korban explained. “Because it is such a large part of the brand, it has always come through in the design, even when we were doing New York stores.” Although New Yorkers are famously wary of all things L.A, we haven’t heard any complaints.
Joie is now open at 8414 Melrose Ave., L.A., (323) 330-1255.
Plugged In: High Tech Fashion at The Museum at FIT
When side by side, the words fashion and technology oft conjure images of barely wearable ensembles destined for Lady Gaga. But at the Museum at FIT’s latest exhibition, Fashion and Technology, which opened yesterday, co-curators Ariele Elia and Emma McClendon reveal that technology is a crucial part of our ordinary wares. Spanning 250 years of innovation, the show covers such everyday inventions as the washing machine, rayon, and the zipper. But that’s not to say it’s without sci-fi novelties. For instance, there are jazzy space race-era looks by the likes of Pierre Cardin and Emilio Pucci. Also on display are garments by André Courrèges, who, convinced that space would soon become a hot holiday destination, developed an entire intergalactic wardrobe, complete with a sleek PVC helmet and moon boots.
However, as Diane von Furstenberg notes in a video playing at the exhibition, “Things we thought would be sci-fi exist.” Case in point, von Furstenberg’s Spring ’13 collaboration with Google Glass. Of course, she’s not the only Internet-savvy designer. In 1996, Jean Paul Gaultier created a cyberspace-inspired jumpsuit (pictured above). And don’t even get us started on social media’s fashion influence. Remember the frenzy Burberry caused when it released its Spring ’12 collection on Twitter before it hit the runway?
Perhaps most high-tech is the exhibition’s tiny LilyPad Arduino circuit board, which, when sewn into clothing, is pretty much a wearable computer. “You first see things like wearable electronics in places like athletic wear and the military,” said McClendon, explaining that it’s only later that most designers realize tech-fashion’s artistic potential. A cutting-edge innovation that may take a little longer to catch on? Clothing “grown” from bacteria. Not sure if we’re ready for a “BioCouture” top just yet.
Fashion and Technology is on display at the Museum at FIT from December 4 to May 8.
Shop The Look: High Tech
The clock’s a-ticking! The holidays are less than a month away, and the time to find the perfect gift for everyone on your list is running out. We’d bet that at least one of your comrades or kin is hoping for an Apple gadget of some sort—be it an iPhone or an iPad Mini. But if you don’t have a Santa-sized budget, why not get them a fun and fashionable case instead? A few of our favorite designers, like Diane von Furstenberg, Marc Jacobs, and Moschino, offer some covetable options. See our roundup below.
1. Moschino iPad cover, $85, available at www.netaporter.com
2. Diane von Furstenberg iPad case, $165, available at www.matchesfashion.com
3. Marc by Marc Jacobs iPhone case, $48, available at www.shopbop.com
4. Dannijo iPhone case, $98, available at www.dannijo.com
5. Weston iPhone case, $50, available at www.netaporter.com.
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Sustainable Design Gets A New Home
Steven Kolb was at breakfast this morning at the place he called “the best store in the city”: ABC Carpet and Home. As of now, the furniture and housewares landmark will offer a curated selection of sustainable pieces by CFDA designers, including those who have won the annual CFDA/Lexus Eco-Fashion Challenge, which awards $25,000 prizes to selected designers whose businesses are at least 30 percent sustainable. “Fashion is about change, and these designers are at the forefront of this idea that eco-fashion doesn’t have to be branded independently,” Kolb said today, toasting the 2011 and 2012 winners: Marcia Patmos, John Bartlett, Johnson Hartig of Libertine, Pamela Love, Melissa Joy Manning, and Victoria Bartlett of VPL. Their collections were on display alongside those of Diane von Furstenberg, Donna Karan, and Loomstate’s Rogan Gregory and Scott Mackinlay Hahn.
Sustainability tends to flow in and out of the fashion conversation—”People don’t realize that we manufacture in New York City with stones that are sourced ethically, because it’s not really part of our branding,” Love said, “but I started my jewelry line in my house in Brooklyn because I didn’t realize there was any other way to do things”—but the CFDA is hoping to bring it to the fore. For that, Patmos said, “The shop is really great because it makes the whole thing tangible.” She was so excited at winning the award, she added, that she’d wanted to jump up and down. “But I was at my desk when Steven called me with the news, so I had to contain myself.”
Dear Santa, Please Bring Me…A Very Long Letter?
Last night’s annual tree-lighting at Rockefeller Center was a mob scene, but it wasn’t the evening’s only throng. Just down the street, shoppers, designers, and fashion fixtures like Kate Bosworth, Prabal Gurung and Karlie Kloss came together to toast the launch of Target, Neiman Marcus, and the CFDA’s collaborative holiday collection—and to do a little pre-shopping. A set of highball glasses designed by Joseph Altuzarra, and Christmas ornaments by Jason Wu seemed to be particularly hot-ticket items, and some designers appeared to have had their own lists in mind when creating their items: Both the duos behind Marchesa and Rag & Bone made outfits for their children. But what were they hoping for themselves? Click here for a slideshow of shoppers roaming the racks, and read on below to find out who’s stockpiling Jet-Set Travel and Peruvian liquor, and who’s hoping to find a Ferrari parked under their tree. Continue Reading “Dear Santa, Please Bring Me…A Very Long Letter?” »