22 posts tagged "Suno"
Each In Her Own Way: A Conversation With Women Designers
On Friday afternoon, Tracy Reese (left), Maria Cornejo (center), and Suno’s Erin Beatty (right) assembled for “One of a Kind: Individuality, Integrity, and Innovation in Fashion,” a panel discussion hosted by Style.com’s own executive editor Nicole Phelps as part of the 14th annual Initiatives in Art & Culture fashion conference. The three designers touched upon topics ranging from social media to personal time management to dressing Michelle Obama, which each speaker has crossed off her bucket list. Of the latter matter, Reese (who most recently outfitted the First Lady for her Democratic National Convention appearance) said, “That evening was huge for my business, but people kept talking about the dress and I was like, what about her amazing speech?”
The designers are all keenly aware of the pressures facing working women—i.e., those without the time for several outfit changes a day. “Wearing the same thing all day long is the definition of a modern woman,” Beatty opined. “With social obligations in the evening, you get up at 6:45 a.m. and go until midnight. You change your shoes and put on lipstick, and that’s it,” Cornejo said. “I keep a curling iron in my desk,” chimed in Reese, “and assume our customers’ days are just as busy.”
The Internet cropped up as both a positive and a negative. With new collections posting instantly online, Cornejo said, “It’s very hard for anything to feel surprising anymore.” Reese concurred. “It’s difficult to focus the customer on what’s available in stores now because she’s thinking about what’s next. By the time the clothes hit stores months after the show, they’ve already been so exposed on the Web.”
But ultimately, that pressure to keep going back to the well is what drives the designers forward. “It’s indescribable how empty you feel right after a show,” Beatty said, “but that’s what makes us do it again every season.”
All Aboard!
They’re card-carrying members of the Information Era, but downtown designers returned to the Industrial Age for Spring, giving railroad stripes a modern makeover on their runways. Joseph Altuzarra whipped up tailored blazers and “editors’ capes” from the sturdy stuff and underscored its utilitarian appeal with patch labels that riffed on the traditional Carhartt logo. Still, as we put it on our review
CLICK FOR A SLIDESHOW of Spring’s standout railroad stripes.
Prova, Now A Pant Pro
Design what you know. Prova’s Irini Arakas learned that lesson covering up-and-coming talents as an editor at Vogue, and she’s put it to use in her own six-year-old collection. When the scarf and jewelry maker expanded into ready-to-wear for Fall ’11, she started with dresses because that’s what she wore. Fast-forward to Spring 2013, though, and her closet is looking different. “The fact that I’ve designed a pant is pretty surprising to me, considering that I didn’t wear trousers of any kind (including denim) for over a decade,” Arakas told Style.com. The shift began slowly. First came a palazzo pant by Suno, then a black cashmere sweatpant by James Perse, followed by two pairs of vintage high-waisted jeans gifted to her by a vintage dealer friend. “When I finally decided to design a pant,” she continued, “I knew I wanted to make something street-inspired and sporty, the kind of trouser you can slip in and out of when doing dawn patrol at Ditch Plains, so comfortable you want to spend the entire weekend in them.” From the look of this colorful pair in floral-print silk with racing stripes, we’d say she nailed it. For more info, visit www.provanewyork.com.
Suno’s NYFW Diary
In the leadup to New York fashion week, designers go through hundreds of behind-the-scenes preparations to arrive at the completed show. This NYFW, we’ve sweet-talked a few of them into giving us an exclusive peek behind the curtain as they cast, score, style, and ready their presentations. Up first: Suno’s Max Osterweis and Erin Beatty.
“Adding a little airiness to our inspiration this Spring—we’re softening up.”
“Discussing the order of the show.”
“Playing with toned-down colors and hyped-up texture.”
Continue Reading “Suno’s NYFW Diary” »
Shoppers, Gird Thyselves: Fashion’s Night Out Approaches
Ready, set, FNO: September 6th marks the fourth annual Fashion’s Night out, the no holds barred evening of shopping that kicks off the spring shows during New York Fashion Week. The definitive guide to the action, www.fashionsnightout.com goes live today, detailing the goings-on near you—whether that means Manhattan or one of the more than 500 participating U.S. and international cities.
In NYC, boutiques will celebrate with extended hours, the better to lap up snacks, drinks, and celebrity sightings. Alexa Chung will spin at Moschino; Solange Knowles, at DVF. MAC’s Soho store may have the event to beat, with a live performance by Azealia Banks. Some stores will even debut new products: Balenciaga will unveil the Pumpkin collection, an accessories collaboration with Vogue creative director Grace Coddington featuring her beloved cat, Pumpkin; Chloé will release its new Alice bag. Over at Stella McCartney, you can even design your own handbag.
If Fashion’s Night Out alone won’t get you out of the house, maybe Bergdorf Goodman’s 111th birthday will—the retailer is taking advantage of the timing to celebrate its centennial-plus, with guests including Rachel Zoe and Thakoon Panichgul. At Saks, the focus is on designers, with appearances from Max and Lubov Azria, Oscar de la Renta (who will launch his new fragrance), Suno’s Erin Beatty and Max Osterweis (who have collaborated with Minx to create special nail designs) and Kimberly Ovitz (who’s teamed up with Rihanna’s tattoo artist, Josh Lord, to create custom body art for partygoers), among others.
The streets will teem; will the registers ring? That remains to be seen, though the outlook is hopeful. But those who prefer to avoid the crowds can splurge in comfort, too: Again this year, there’ll be plenty of deals accessible right from their apartments, with special offers and savings online.