5 posts tagged "Naeem Khan"
Assessing Michelle Obama’s Inauguration Options
While designers across the world are focused on nabbing red-carpet credits at this month’s Golden Globe and SAG Awards, the big question here at Style.com is, Who will Michelle Obama wear to the Inaugural Ball? There’s no denying the enormous impact a MObama endorsement has on a designer’s career. Recall the surge in popularity both Isabel Toledo and Jason Wu had after dressing her four years ago for the 2009 Inauguration. While there’s no surefire way to pinpoint which designer the FLOTUS will choose this time around—and we’re all but positive that she’ll wear one-of-a-kind, not off-the-rack—we’ve nonetheless made a few educated guesses based on her past sartorial choices, and pulled looks from the pre-fall collections and Spring ’13 shows. Chances are Mrs. Obama will opt for an American designer (her decision to wear Alexander McQueen to a China state dinner last year, for example, was widely criticized). She’s also a proponent of up-and-coming talent, and many speculators have named Prabal Gurung as the top contender (she’s worn the designer’s clothes several times recently). Still, the First Lady is a fan of the old guard, too; she stunned in a red Michael Kors number on Election Night. She’s also a card-carrying member of Naeem Khan’s fan club, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see her turn up in one of his over-the-top embellished gowns on the 21st.
CLICK FOR A SLIDESHOW of Michelle Obama’s potential Inauguration gowns.
On Inspiration And Arm Candy At The New Yorker Festival
It was a bit of a motley crew that The New Yorker pulled together for Fashion Forward, a panel discussion, moderated by staff writer Judith Thurman, that was part of its New Yorker Festival offerings in New York this weekend. Five New York-based designers—Naeem Khan, Phillip Lim, Maria Cornejo, and Rag & Bone boys Marcus Wainwright and David Neville—came to chat and show four looks each from their Fall collections. Presented next to each other, they stood in dramatic relief. But among the designers’ opinions, there was an overwhelming sense of agreement.
First, there was the headache of dealing with the less-than-glamorous obligations of running a brand—all of the labels are independently owned. “The worst thing is to put your heart and soul into something and see it on the sale rack,” Lim said about balancing creativity with commerce. Second, there was the matter of the melting pot as inspiration; none of those present were born in the U.S., resulting in global references that ran the gamut from Scottish Harris tweeds that survived Mt. Everest (Rag & Bone) to 300 hours of hand-beading and metalwork from Rajasthan, India (Khan).
At the closing Q&A, an audience member put an interesting question to the assembled: Would they prefer to dress Michelle Obama or Carla Bruni-Sarkozy? Khan, whose star shot to the stratosphere after Mrs. O donned his gold gown for the administration’s first state dinner, picked the First Lady, naturally. And then so did the rest of the panel, although for various reasons. “I’ve met Carla Bruni before and there’s not much up there,” said Cornejo (left, with Lim). About Obama, she was more approving. “She’s actually doing things that are interesting,” the Chilean-born designer said. “She’s not just arm candy.”
With A Little Help From Halston’s Friends
Whitney Sudler-Smith’s documentary Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston teases out the complexities of an enigmatic figure by communing with those who knew him best—think My Architect by way of Studio 54). But getting the late designer’s nearest and dearest to reminisce on camera was no easy feat. “At first no one was really willing to talk,” the director said at the film’s West Coast premiere at LACMA last night. “I think they were afraid I was going to go the salacious route.” Sudler-Smith spent four years charming his way into the foyers of New York’s fashion and society elite, but he credits Liza Minnelli, arguably the closest of Halston’s many close pals (she’s pictured with the designer, left), with helping him initially get his foot in the door. “She was my first interview, and I think after she came on board, people realized I was legit.” Indeed, after his Minnelli coup, Sudler-Smith was able to score interviews with everyone from Billy Joel (who is seen regaling the camera crew with an organ rendition of “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”) to Vogue‘s André Leon Talley (who playfully scolds Sudler-Smith for interrupting him). But it was a Champagne-fueled chat with former Halston protégé Naeem Khan that the director cites as his most memorable experience in making the film. “I think I wound up passing out in a pile of cardboard boxes after that interview,” he admitted. “It was very decadent. Very Halston.”
Yea, Nay, or Eh: Michelle Obama’s Fashion Diplomacy
She’s worn shorts on Air Force One and Tom Binns to the Kennedy Center—you don’t have to be an avid Huffington Post reader to know Michelle Obama is changing the rules of White House dressing. But at the Obamas first State Dinner last night—the must-attend event for all Beltway-bound socialites—the First Lady’s choice of a gown by Naeem Khan was utterly on the mark. The evening’s guests of honor were Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife, Mrs. Gursharan Kaur; Khan is an Indian-born U.S.-based designer who’s known for gorgeous eveningwear embellished with elaborate touches. Most recently, Khan made news for
launching a line for HSN, where his signature sparkle tops sold out at $450. We doubt Obama’s floor-length, gold strapless sheath was purchased during a commercial break (word is the gown was custom-designed to the tune of 40 people over three weeks), but we think she looks stunning in such a dressed-up look. The armful of bangles and Bochic earrings are another nice touch—Indian-inspired, but not literal. What do you think of her threads? Are we too enthralled by FLOTUS, or is this outfit an undeniable Yea? Leave your comments below.
Naeem Khan Goes Home (Shopping)
“Simple, but glamorous.” That’s how Naeem Khan describes his new Timeless collection for HSN, which will be celebrated tonight at his swank 36th Street studio. Home shopping has become somewhat of a family affair, chez Khan: Naeem’s wife, Ranjana, has been selling jewelry and accessories on the network for a year; and the designer will make his live television debut—mark your calendars—on October 28 at 8 p.m. Timeless is produced in the same factories in India as Khan’s main lines, but the silhouettes are more classic and the techniques simpler, and while the prices top out at around $450, the clothes are available in sizes 0 to 24. “It’s an aspirational price, but what you get for the money is incredible,” says HSN CEO Mindy Grossman. Khan’s mission? “I’m trying to get glam to the masses,” he says.