2.25.2011

My Top 5 from NYC Fashion Week {fall 2011}

1. Donna Karen: Pearls of Wisdom. HANDS DOWN. I believe I actually almost shed a tear when I saw this collection. It was everything fashion is heading towards right now. It was full of neutral, lady like silhouettes. It was classic and sophisticated, and gorgeously understated. Everything was very well tailored and put together from the top - knots to the pink lips and bronze eye makeup, to the old fashion accessories (gloves and top handle bags) it just flowed. I think I liked it best because it was in one word: sexy. But sexy without showing any skin, or being too tight, and coming from a person who exclusively wears leggings in the winter and short skirts and dresses in the summer, that says a lot.



2. Marc Jacobs. This was originally my number pick until the previous took my breathe away. But Jacobs was not far behind. His collection was in a word, cool. All the models looked like they were in extremely uptight and uncomfortable, yet lavish and bold uniforms. Everything was very stream lined, straight up and down silhouette but the marriage of textures and print together birthed a incredible collection. It was very reminiscent of his early work with the dots and polka dots. It had a slight nod to the 70's yet was still very modern. As usual it was effortlessly cool, but i mean then again its Marc Jacobs lol.




3. Proenza Schouler. I think i like this collection so much because the main influence was navajo Indian blankets, so it reminds me of when I lived on a reservation in Arizona. But other than my emotional ties to the concept i really liked the futuristic,  geometric, bold prints and pairing of colors. I'm not really a print person myself but id experiment with this collection and I'm all about bold colors so this was right up my ally. It was creative and artistic without looking childish or being too in your face. And although the cultural influence was evident, it was relatively subtle and refreshingly uncliche.




4. Prabal Gurung. This collection with its inspiration pulled from the movie Great expectations kind of went hand and hand with Wale's song The Breakup Song which I currently have on repeat. Love it! This collection just reminded me of how it is when you break up with someone. The clothes reflected the many moods and emotions that you go through post bad breakup. All the clothes along with the makeup and hair looked like a girl who got her heart broken, but shes determined not to show it. Shes gonna look amazing everyday to prove to everyone shes OK. Internally shes hurting but externally shes ten feet tall. You could kind of even see it on the models faces, like he told them to channel that bad break up right before they strutted down the run way. It was dramatic but not costumey. Just perfect in between. Thumbs up.




5. Jason Wu. Last but certainly not least. The thing I like most about this collection and about this designer in general is he takes his craft seriously yet he kinda has a sense of humor with it. He has his inspiration: Robert Polidori's 25 year restoration of Versailles and you get it, yet is not such a literal translation that it looks like pages ripped out from the book itself. I would describe this collection as a combination of the movie Great Gatsby and the American sportswear aesthetic of Michael Kors. Yet it was still right on fashion trends of colored lace, always classic black and white accents. It was heavily embroidered. But it was preppy and professional. Loved it.




2.23.2011

Oh Where, Oh Where, Are the Black People in Fashion??

            One day a friend asked me why my walls were decorated with all white women, even though I'm black. At first i was confused as to why their color had any relevance to their status and idols and role models in my eyes; but later as I looked over the faces of Rachel Zoe, Donatella Versace and Coco Chanel, i thought to myself, why are there limited black figures in the fashion industry? and why are the ones that exist not as readily publicized as their white counterparts in the media?
           Being that I am a student of my industry, of course I am aware of black designers such as Tracey Reese, Steven Burrows and B. Michael. But to the general public, black influence in fashion usually goes as far as The Simmons family, Naomi Campbell, Iman and Tyra Banks. All of whom are closely tied and more often then not associated with the hip hop and entertainment role rather than their fashion contributions. Or if like me you have a parent who is subscribed to JET magazine and you irregularly glaze over the designer spotlight section they have on the last page or sometimes catch BET's Rip the Runway and see a few designers who look like you.
          Needless to say the general lack of African American influence in the world of high fashion leaves fashionistas like myself with limited or no role models, or walla void of magazine tare outs with black faces. So in honor of Black History Month and a push for general awareness of all kinds of fashion figures, here's a couple black fashion figures you may or may not (but should) know:
                            *Andre Leon Talley:
Most known for being in the front row of nearly every fashion show and putting on several designers and models such as Tracey Reese and Jason Wu. He is the editor at large for American Vogue. Friend and confidant to many prominent fashion and generally popular figures. he was born in 1949 in Durham, North Carolina, and graduated from the university there (North Caroline Central University). He earned his masters at Brown University in French as also serves as the board of trustees at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). He has also made cameo appearances in Sex and the City and was ranked 45th in 50 Most Powerful Gay Men & Women in America.
                          *Chanel Iman:
Born Chanel Iman Robinson is an up and coming model. She's the most successful and youngest high fashion model of the time. She was born in Dec 1990 in Atlanta, GA. She is half Korean half black. She was discovered at 13 after many meetings with different modeling agencies. She is signed with Ford Models and is an Victorias Secret angel. She first debuted on the runways in 2006 and has done nothing but make moves ever since. Working for top designers such as Balenciaga, Marc Jacobs, Philip Lim, YSL, Givenchy, Micahel Kors, etc. She has been featured in numerous ad campaigns. And is the youngest person to ever grace the cover of American Vogue and the 3rd African American cover girl for the magazine.
                           *Kara Saun:
Since placing in the final 3 in Project Runway, Saun has had amazing success as a designer, costumer, and stylist. She has served as a style expert on shows like Launch My Line, How do I Look and Fashion Team. She got to view her collection "2056" at LA Mercedes - Benz fashion week in fall 2006. She has also designed costumes for countless shows including America's Best Dance Crew, Eve (UPN), The Cheetah Girls, What I Like About You, America's Next Top Model and ABC's True Beauty. Her designs have also been seen on the red carpet. She now has a laundry list of clients such as Queen Latifa, Heidi Klum, Vanessa Williams, Zoe Saldana, Snoop Dog, Chili, Lil Kim and Joy Bryant.
                          

2.02.2011

The New Generation of "Designers"

    When i grow up i want to be...a fashion designer. Since I was a little girl, i always loved design and fashion. I used to style my little brother in my ballet tutus and attempt to assemble wearable art out of scraps of cloth I would find. I would even steal my father's old socks to make dolls which I would also design for...fast forward a decade.
     I'm now a design student at Columbia College Chicago paying $20k a year in hopes of pursuing my fashion aspirations. Thousands of other girls (and guys) like myself dream of this fashion dream their whole lives, and would sale everything they own to make it come true.
     The reality of the media and celebrity obsessed world we live in is changing the terms of the "fashion designer" as we knew it. In the good old days, you would go to school for formal training or find some other unconventional way of teaching yourself to cut, sew, and drape clothes. Or even intern and apprentice your way towards recognition like the fashion greats before us, a la Michael Kors, Hubert Givenchy, Marc Jacobs. However, these days it seems the only prerequisite to having a fashion line is to obtain some type of stardom and have the funds to financially back the line.
    Magazines like InStyle and Elle regularly showcase new designers, whom for the most part, are just celebrities who thought to themselves "oh what the hell why not slap my name on a fashion label to earn a couple extra bucks?" Now some of these lines are credible.
    Victoria Beckham's line is completely authentic; she decided on a signature silhouette, did her research on the industry, and pours her heart into it, and it does well. Nicole Richie's jewelry line House of Harlow, which is now expanded, is equally as well received, well thought out and well conceptualized. Heidi Klum, whom is a world renowned model has two maternity lines, Lavish for Pea in a Pod and Loved for Motherhood Maternity. Both lines are relevant to her as a public figure and are also of quality. Those lines I can completely justify. Along with a select few others, Rachel Zoe for QVC, Jessica Simpson, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's line Elizabeth and James.
     Don't get me wrong, I'm all for branching out of your field and taking advantage of new opportunities. My problem lies with celebrities who use their fame to create fashion lines purely for an extra income. My problem is with the new trend that is sweeping the nation of celebs with clothing lines taking place of formers trends; celebs in rehab, celebs with dogs in the their purses, and celebs turned authors.
     Granted it is a dog eat dog world, and we most do what we need to survive, but what message does that send to aspiring designers like myself? People who in the words of Drake "want this forever"? Who logged the blood, sweat, and tears to get an actual degree? Not everyone can be a doctor, you have to go through years of training, studies, internships etc. But for some reason just anyone can start a clothing line. Shouldn't there be some kind of prerequisite or credibility to be a designer like in every other profession? Or are the standards lowered because our careers are artistically and aesthetically based?
     Should my fellow fashion students at Parson's, Pratt, FIT, and FIDM ditch our student loans and spring for MTV's next sitcom as a platform for our business? My purpose is not to criticized the capitalist ideals our country operates on, but my intentions are to bring attention to the fact the the fashion industry, namely fashion designers deserve the same judgement and work- ethic criteria that journalist, teachers, lawyers and other professions have.#imjustsaying