6 posts tagged "Katie Gallagher"
The Cools Gets Cooler
The Cools launched last summer as an online retail community that offered products by independent fashion and lifestyle designers from around the globe. Unfortunately, the site was “members only”—until now. “Our platform was originally intended to support individuals showcasing their cool, and selling personal products online,” said CEO Olivier van Themsche, who opened the site to the public last Thursday. “We realized that the platform was powerful for brands and designers, and a great opportunity for them to have a new business channel of exposure and sales.” In addition to giving its carefully selected range of about three hundred fresh labels (like Katie Gallagher, Public School, Dominic Louis, and Linda Farrow, just to name a few) a better cut of the sales than most retailers (designers only hand over a 12 percent commission), The Cools provides them with a virtual space where they can upload films, brand bios, and inspiration images that give customers a better idea of what they’re all about. Editorial content is also a focus (Style.com/Print star Grimes makes an appearance in The Cools’ latest online mag), and a slew of handpicked tastemakers in the know—Dree Hemingway, Chelsea Leyland, and Erin Fetherston among them—present shoppers with their favorite sartorial picks. “We hope to offer our customers the best possible brands from around the world, and to give them a unique way to interact directly with their favorite designers—one on one,” added van Themsche. With everything from candlesticks and chandeliers to leather lingerie and edgy staples, The Cools is a one-stop shop for all that is quirky, covetable, and, well, cool.
Steel Cut: Katie Gallagher Jewelry
RISD grad Katie Gallagher is slowly making a name for herself with her gothic, body-con label that caught the attention of Lady Gaga and Daphne Guinness just a few seasons ago. At her most recent show in New York, it was her new jewelry offerings that really struck a high note. The capsule collection of black and steel earcuffs and handlets, made in collaboration with jewelry designer Megan Isaacs, was intended to “make parts of the body into ethereal shapes,” explains Gallagher. (One of our favorites is the statement handlet, pictured above.) It’s her first foray into jewelry, and luckily, it looks like there could be more where that came from. “I think it would be special to collaborate with jewelry designers that I admire and that fit the concepts of my collection from season to season,” she reports. Also worth a mention: The young designer is beefing up her offerings with a new diffusion line, called Katie by Katie Gallagher. The range, which features core separates like tank dresses, sheer jackets, and leggings ($150-$250), is intended for customers looking for a more accessible and wearable way to try Gallagher’s aesthetic on for size. The jewelry collection ($170-$280) and secondary line will be available early next month when she launches her e-shop on KatiebyKatieGallagher.com.
Crybaby Has Something To Smile About
“After discussing the idea of opening a store, we had the same vision of combining fine art, fashion, and design in a cohesive and highly curated space,” says Crybaby Presents co-founder Lisa Ziven. “We didn’t think this idea existed in L.A. and felt that it needed to,” adds her partner Dakota Solt.
Thus, the two L.A.-based RISD graduates solved the problem by creating Crybaby Presents, a space for artists and designers to display and sell their work. For their first exhibition, Holy Smoke, debuting in L.A. tomorrow night, the duo called on artists Leo Fitzpatrick, Glen Baldridge, Adam Marnie, and Kevin Zucker to create limited-edition pieces. “Adam Marnie created a sculptural installation for the space,” Ziven says. Wearable art from labels like Illesteva and Katie Gallagher, and the duo’s own clothing line will also be on display (and for sale) in the space. “We reached out to many of our RISD peers and other young, up-and-coming artists that we think are extremely talented and influential,” Ziven says of how they assembled the contributing artists and designers. All of the items in the current installation will be available online later this month, when Crybaby launches its e-commerce site.
This installation ends December 1, but “Crybaby Presents will continue to have exhibitions seasonally, curating each show around fine art, fashion, and other forms of design.”
Crybaby Presents, open October 15 to December 1, 171 South La Brea Ave, Hollywood.
True Blood, With Katie Gallagher
Katie Gallagher is a DIY kind of girl. At her Spring presentation last night at Milk Studios, everything—from the clothes to the invitations to the set design—was conceived and made in Gallagher’s third-floor walk-up in Chinatown, which she shares with partner in crime Nikolay Saveliev. Gallagher has been gaining momentum over the past few seasons, and now her unconventional designs are selling out on Shopbop. Lucy Liu and Jared Leto, who both stopped by last night, are a few of her boldfaced supporters.
This season was all about the color story: blood red. At her show, Gallagher pointed out that there’s nothing gruesome about the bright red blood she had in mind. “This blood is alive, flowing.” She added, “Think lessons with Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus.” The blood theme was carried out in the clothing (every look was red, black, or a combination of the two), the set (tall vials of dyed corn syrup), the makeup (models wore cherry red lips and eyeliner), and even the nails (there were threads attached to their press-on nails). Looking at Katie, the best model for her own clothing with her edgy personal style, you can’t help but want to copy her look, and that’s what she’s banking on.
Tara Subkoff Pledges Allegiance…To Downtown New York
Would you like to have lunch on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange? Perhaps a late-night repast at Macy’s, the night before Christmas? If so, then the vibe at last night’s opening of Co-Op at the Rivington Hotel on the Lower East Side would have greatly appealed to you. Thronging is, perhaps, too gentle a word. A clublike atmosphere prevailed as Tara Subkoff, who designed the uniforms for the restaurant’s staff, hosted a dinner for a couple dozen pals, among them Chloë Sevigny, Michael Stipe, and Debbie Harry (left, whose Polaroid portrait also hangs, with those of other downtown notables, on the wall). For Subkoff, the meal may possibly mark a homecoming: As she held court with her boyfriend, King’s Speech director Tom Hooper, Subkoff revealed that they’ve been apartment-shopping in the city, and are planning to decamp from L.A. as soon as they’ve found a place. “That’s part of the reason I liked the idea of doing the uniforms,” Subkoff said. “It’s a way of showing my allegiance to downtown New York, and the Lower East Side in particular. I love it here. And I love the idea that this place is kind of amping up the glamour of the neighborhood.” The glamour quotient was certainly high last night: Besides Subkoff, fashion faces spotted amid the revelry included designers Yigal Azrouël, Katie Gallagher, and Johan Lindeberg.