6 posts tagged "Hannah Bronfman"
Ladies who Lunch
“I’m literally here for a few hours,” said shoe designer Nicholas Kirkwood, who flew to New York from London for a luncheon at Bergdorf Goodman yesterday. The occasion? The arrival of his new Spring collection, which, featuring pearl-soled pumps and swirling metallic sandals, was on display in the center of the department store’s famed shoe floor. “It’s nice to meet the customers and have lunch with some New York ladies,” laughed Kirkwood, who revealed that he’s opening a new store in the Wynn Las Vegas this June and hopes to launch handbags in the next year.
Indeed, he attracted quite a set of ladies—from New York and elsewhere. The likes of Shala Monroque, Suno’s Erin Beatty, Hannah Bronfman, and Julie Gilhart joined hosts Cecilia Dean and Leslie Fremar to fete Kirkwood. A five-months-pregnant Margherita Missoni took a break from renovating her and her husband’s New York pad to dine with the designer. “I have a harder time wearing very, very high heels now,” conceded Missoni, who’s working on a book to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of her family’s house. “I’m loving wedges, so I bought three pairs to wear over the summer. And I’m so over platforms.” If the Spring trend reports are any indication, she’s not alone. “I’ve been trying to do single soles since 2009,” said Kirkwood. “I would have been happy if they went out, like, two years ago.”
Valerie Steele, who included Kirkwood’s shoes in FIT’s Shoe Obsession exhibition and lauded him as one of the “emerging superstars of shoe design,” was skeptical. “There are a lot of people who have practiced very hard to wear their platforms, and who love the extra height it gives, so I think they’re going to remain an option,” she said. “And, of course, just because it’s swinging toward single sole now doesn’t mean that in eighteen months it won’t swing back.”
Color Me Fresh
While it doesn’t quite feel like spring yet here in New York, the scene at last night’s Joe Fresh flagship anniversary bash sure looked the part. Celebrating one year at its Fifth Avenue post, the Canadian retailer synonymous with affordable fashion-forwardness brought guests a burst of summer fun via its new acid-pastel collection. But perhaps more colorful than the clothes—which boasted a palette of pink, green, yellow, and the label’s signature orange—was the kaleidoscope of twenty Manhattan personalities chosen to catwalk up and down an escalator runway (yes, à la Louis Vuitton). The ensemble cast included nightlife notables Steven Rojas and Dani Stahl, and Paper magazine’s Mickey Boardman, who strutted his stuff in head-to-toe electric rose. Styled by Zanna Roberts Rassi, the romp was set to the beats of Brendan Fallis and Hannah Bronfman.
Despite the vibrant nature of the fete, creative director Joe Mimran warns not to get too comfortable with the Spring color craze. “For the Fall collection, we did all black. The theme was ‘Paris is black, black is Paris.’ ” Pushing black on black to a bunch of New Yorkers? We think Mimran might be onto something.
VERA: Changing the World, One Corset at a Time
Corsets, cell phones, fashion, and microfinance might seem like they’d make for strange bedfellows, but those things are all coming together for a good cause at tonight’s launch event for VERA, a new phone application (created by mobile-intelligence firm Validas) that targets wireless waste (unused minutes and data on your cellular bill) and donates that money to the Seven Bar Foundation—a group that aims to empower women in need around the globe with targeted business investments. Sounds complicated, but basically it’s an innovative way to give back and become a mini-philanthropist, if you will. In the past, Seven Bar has raised funds and awareness for its mission with unique lingerie runway shows. And tonight—at the United Nations, of all places—the organization will be hosting one such extravaganza. “If we’re going to launch this, we’re going to do it in true Seven Bar style,” the foundation’s founder, Renata Black, told Style.com.
Black and the team behind VERA recruited several fashion designers—Erin Fetherston, Zang Toi, Guy Laroche artistic director Marcel Marongiu, and Sarah Shotton of Agent Provocateur—to create corsets for the occasion. (Mary Alice Stephenson is the master of ceremonies, and Tennessee Thomas, Hannah Bronfman, Kelly Rutherford, and Jennifer Creel are among the expected attendees.) Why corsets? you might ask. “They’re traditionally associated with restriction, but we’ve asked the designers to reimagine them as inner armor for outer empowerment,” Black explained. The designers gave Style.com an exclusive sneak peek at the custom corsets that will parade down this evening’s runway. “I’m known for my feminine aesthetic and that comes through in the draped chiffon, embellishments, and sweet bow gathering in the back. It’s romantic and modern,” said Fetherston. Meanwhile, Toi looked to Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE sculpture for corset inspiration, and Shotton did a quintessentially Agent Provocateur (read: sexy) take on the undergarment. To top it all off, Imitation of Christ designer Tara Subkoff will give a live performance at tonight’s event. Known to dabble in all forms of film and theatrics, Subkoff will make her own corset on the spot, and promises that the result will be imaginative. Corsets for change—why not?
On Our Radar: Maggy Frances
It comes as no surprise that Manhattan native Maggy Frances Schultz ended up in the fashion industry. After all, her mother was the executive head of product development and design at the Gap in the late eighties and early nineties and her father is a co-founder of Urban Outfitters. The NYU grad launched her own line, Maggy Frances, just last week. The focus is fun, tailored separates including silk patterned blouses and wool blazers. One of our favorites is the jacquard minidresses (pictured). Schultz cleverly named the pieces after girls that she grew up with in NYC, her pal Hannah Bronfman included. For now, the line is available exclusively on the just-launched MaggyFrances.com and by private appointment. With the cool fall weather upon us and holiday parties just around the corner, Maggy’s bound to become your go-to girl.
The Cult Of Cavalli
“I love women and they love me,” Roberto Cavalli told Style.com last night, surrounded by a throng of female admirers at his newly renovated Madison Avenue flagship store. They had flocked uptown to the Italian couturier’s shop to kick off the annual Casita Maria gala honoring Cavalli this November.
The shop—outfitted in new crystal-dusted flooring, tufted python ottomans, and chocolate ponyhair rugs—quickly filled with the likes of China Machado, Hannah Bronfman, Melissa George, Denise Rich, and Michelle Harper. Never mind the Indian summer; when Mr. Cavalli throws a party, the dress code calls for two things: leopard and fur. “Russian women love to dress,” quipped soprano Anna Netrebko, the star of the Metropolitan Opera’s Anna Bolena, who arrived swathed in an aqua animal-print number and a matching mink bolero. “All that fur and bling, we love it.”
The designer, who recently celebrated 40 years in business, revealed no plans to hang his bedazzled coat (ahem, jeans) anytime soon. And why should he? His Spring ’12 gold sequined collection was jaw-dropping. “This is my life,” he said. “I started working in fashion because I love femininity, and to me the most important thing is to make women feel more beautiful.” Mr. Cavalli, mission accomplished.