« December 2007 | Main | February 2008 »
Beginning tomorrow, The Fashion Informer will once again be covering the NY shows for VOGUE.COM (UK) and blogging on behind-the-scenes Fashion Week happenings for Splendora. I'll link to my posts on both sites throughout the week, so please check back daily to read the latest news and reviews. See you at the shows!
Illustration © Lana Frankel, 2008
If you’re a fashion lover who owns a television set, chances are you already know Mary Alice Stephenson, the stylist-cum-fashion commentator who is currently starring in the VH1 hit, America’s Most Smartest Model, with uber-droll brainiac Ben Stein.
No slouch in the brains - or beauty - department herself, the lovely Ms. Stephenson (who happens to be one of the genuinely nicest people we’ve ever met) got her start as an assistant fashion editor at Vogue and is currently a contributing fashion editor at Harper’s Bazaar. She also acts as spokesperson for the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation, which awards $25,000 grants to allow emerging American designers to show during New York Fashion Week. And when she’s not quizzing mannequins on Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, the Birmingham, Michigan native can be found styling the likes of Beyoncé, Sienna Miller, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Lopez and Liv Tyler for magazine covers and spreads.
The Fashion Informer snagged a few minutes with America’s Most Smartest Editor-Stylist-TV Personality a few days before the start of New York Fashion Week, which is set to kick off Friday, February 1st with an EDFF breakfast to celebrate the 2008 grant winners, whose presentations will take place throughout the week, with Stephenson on hand to lend support and encouragement (which would appear to be the leitmotif of her career).
So, Mary Alice...
What's your favorite off-duty activity?
Anything that has to do with my two-year-old son.
What's your favorite movie of all time, and why?
I can't name just one, but All That Jazz, Sweet Charity and Flashdance top the list.
Who do you think is the most underrated designer?
Arnold Scaasi and Bob Mackie, because between the two of them they have dressed Barbra Streisand, Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Ross, Lauren Bacall, Catherine Deneuve and Cher. Need I say more?
What's the best, and most challenging, thing about styling celebrities for an event?
The best thing is the energy that comes from someone that feels and look amazing! The most challenging thing can be helping a celebrity get over their insecurities and gently pushing them to realize that how they think they look best is not necessarily them at their best.
What did you have for breakfast this morning?
Coffee and scrambled egg.
If you found $15,000 in a brown paper bag, how would you spend it?
My naughty self would immediately head off to Bergdorf's new Lanvin boutique. But since I am not feeling naughty these day, I would donate it to Free Arts or Make-A-Wish, two foundations I do a lot of work with.
Who do you think is America's Most Smartest Supermodel?
Just to achieve supermodel status you have to be extremely smart. As far as the smartest, there is not one. I would have to say Gisele, Heidi, Tyra, Naomi and Kate come to mind, and all for different reasons. Liya Kebede, Angela Lindvall and Karolina Korkova are up there, too.
What's your beverage of choice?
Unfortunately, Diet Coke.
Jack Black or Jack White?
Jack White.
Mac or PC?
Mac.
What's your dream occupation, other than what you are doing?
Social work - and not the kind in a ball gown.
What's your favorite store in the world?
Barneys...because whether she knows it or not, fashion director Julie Gilhart is my stylist!
What song did you dance to at your wedding?
I have never been married.
What freaks you out?
Greed.
When are you happiest?
Playing with my son, granting a MAW [Make-A-Wish] fashion wish, and being front row at a mind-blowing fashion show.
Random Questions For...will return after New York Fashion Week.
Who among us hasn’t seen those knockoff “designer” bags being sold on the street and online, or noticed a Forever 21 dress that looks surprisingly similar to an Anna Sui or Diane von Furstenberg style, or noticed how mass shoe manufacturers such as Nine West and Steve Madden pay seasonal homage to the costlier styles originated by Prada, Marni and Marc Jacobs?
While it's true that most people can’t afford a $500 dress or $3,000 handbag, it’s also true that knockoffs - aside from being poorly made of inferior materials using (one has to assume, given the remarkably low prices) sweatshop labor - are also soon to be illegal, if the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) has anything to do with it.
Since last August, when a group of US senators (including Dianne Feinstein, Charles Schumer, Orrin Hatch and Hillary Clinton) introduced the S.1957 Design Piracy Prohibition Act in the United States Senate, the CFDA has been rallying designers and the media to get behind the cause, which would protect original fashion designs for a period of three years from their registration with the U.S. Copyright Office.
“Technology has changed the way we do business, so although piracy has always existed and been an issue, it is even more serious today,” CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg told The Fashion Informer. “In seconds, images from fashion shows are transmitted to the pirates who manufacture cheap versions of original designs with the capability of producing them within 24 hours. We must protect American designers who are growing in their innovation and originality, emerging designs so they can flourish and, of course, the consumer.”
Once passed, the Design Piracy Prohibition Act would only protect new creations that fashion designers would register with the copyright office via the Internet. Designs made before the bill is officially enacted would remain in the public domain.
“We believe three years will afford designers enough time after their fashion shows - in which they’ve invested so much - to make their own accessibly priced lines,” explains CFDA executive director, Steven Kolb. “Right now, there are pirates who are profiting by copying a designer’s work with the help of Chinese factories, instead of the designer whose investment made the garments worth copying in the first place.”
“The fashion industry thrives on inspiration,” adds Kolb. “We don’t want to outlaw the imitation of a ‘look,’ just plagiarism. After all, a designer’s ability to create a trend is often his or her mark of success.”
This is something Phillip Lim knows only too well, having seen ill-made versions of his signature pieces for sale on the Web.
“If you log on to ebay and search for 3.1phillip lim, there are 100 listings - and 85 of those listings are knockoffs,” said Lim. “ And pirates selling our goods do a horrible job knocking it off. On one hand, it is a sign as a young designer that you are being noticed world-wide. On the other hand, it chips away at your credibility in terms of product and long-term customer education. Meaning, if someone who has only heard of the brand through magazines logs onto ebay to purchase a counterfeit and they receive the horrible product, they will associate us with this counterfeit. In that way, it really destroys our potential future bottom line. And the only thing we can do is report it to ebay. It’s like having your hands tied!”
In fact, Kolb believes that emerging designers are the ones whose business suffers most at the hands of fashion bootleggers.
“Design piracy is especially hurtful to smaller, up-and-coming designers whose growth fuels the growth of the industry and who can be put out of business by the pirates in just one season,” says Kolb. “This type of legislation will give them the needed protection to keep their business going into the next season. When the creator of the original design is given the right to profit from their creation, it will assure that consumers have more quality and authentic choice in the marketplace, as designers will be the ones making clothes at every price point.”
In other words, it’s one thing if designers collaborate with high street chains like H&M, Kohl’s or Topshop on lower-priced versions of their own designs, but quite another if those stores simply copy the designers’ work without permission.
“The designer should be the only person who has the right to produce a more mass market version of their fashions, such as the masstige offerings we are seeing at stores like Kohl’s , JC Penney and Target, who are hiring designers to work for them,” said von Furstenberg. “This, in turn, helps the consumer by bringing them quality fashion at affordable prices.”
Of course, sometimes even masstige stores known for their successful designer partnerships make like fashion pirates, as witnessed by von Furstenberg’s recent lawsuit against Target, in which she accused the Minneapolis-based chain of copyright infringement, based on an animal print wrap dress whose cut, fabric and pattern were nearly identical to a spotted frog wrap designed by DVF (all of which happened several weeks after von Furstenberg spoke with The Fashion Informer for this story).
“As a designer myself, I know how difficult it is to plant the seed, water it and nurture the designs while putting all you have - emotionally, financially and time-wise - into it, hoping to reap the benefits,” says Lim. “Then along comes a high street giant and they scoop up and pillage all your efforts and commandeer the fruits for their own bottom line. It’s unethical, disgusting and so blatant it should be should be illegal. Without any laws protecting designers, we continually face this danger. I think something has to be done - and soon.”
Visit the CFDA website to learn more about the S1957 Design Piracy Prohibition Act.
A little birdie has told us that avant designers ThreeAsFour have been tapped to do a capsule collection for the Gap (following on the heels of fellow CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists Doo.Ri, Rodarte and Thakoon, who did their own Gap collections last year). Hmmm...Gap-ified TAF denim and circle bags, anyone?
Stay tuned for details...
“This collection does not have a book, a movie or a tangible object as an inspiration. Instead, it is filled with the true feeling that comes from the word sincerity.”
So wrote designer Juan Carlos Obando on the meaning behind his 2007 fall/winter collection (aka, “Case Study #6: An Untitled Dream”), which debuted to great acclaim during LA Fashion Week - as did his spring 2008 collection, “Case Study #7: Persephone’s Return” - both of which earned him an MAFI/Los Angeles Fashion Award in October, alongside fellow recipients Max Azria and Fred Segal.
Not too shabby for an advertising creative director-turned-designer who launched his first collection just three years ago.
In fact, despite the accolades - Obando also won a 2007 International Design Award and has seen his collection reviewed on the cover of WWD - the Colombian-born, LA-based 30-year-old still hasn’t given up his day job. Currently, Obando works at an interactive ad agency overseeing accounts for Sony Pictures, Bud Light, Epson, MGM, Mountain Dew and Pepsi, and he was up to his elbows developing the interactive online blitz that’s set to accompany the next James Bond picture at the same time he was putting the finishing touches on his fall 2008 collection, “Case Study #8: Liz Goldwyn vs. Frank Miller,” which he is unveiling in New York next week.
“As always, it will showcase my love for the dark side,” Obando told The Fashion Informer a few weeks before his New York debut (normally we conduct our “Meet Your Maker” profiles at the designer’s studio, but given our location on the East Coast and Obando’s on the West, we opted to meet over breakfast in a Greenwich Village café the last time he was in town). “I was influenced by Liz Goldwyn’s sophisticated style meets Frank Miller's dark edge.” Obando’s pal Goldwyn even turns up on the show invites, a Miller-esque cartoon poster featuring the filmmaking, jewelry designing fashionista as an extremely well-dressed superhero.
And, as always, the garments themselves are sure to deceptively simple at first glance, but carefully worked with myriad handcrafted, subtle details, upon closer inspection. Take, for instance, the intricate pleating, lace work and twisted, braided chiffon that festooned much of the designer’s spring collection, which nodded to nature as well as Greek mythology’s queen of the underworld (herself a harbinger of the changing seasons).
“I was influenced by how roots grow over landscapes, and how they somehow take over, like the inside of things coming out to the surface creating a new shape and form,” explained Obando, who has an affinity for backless dresses, oversized tailored jackets and coats, and interesting sleeve details, all of which show up in his work time and again.
He describes his typical client as “a woman who has character and who is very comfortable in her own skin, which, in turn, allows her to have and maintain criteria for what works on her and what doesn't, regardless of any current trend.” Not surprising then, that stylish iconoclasts like Goldwyn and Cate Blanchett are fans.
When asked how he first fell in love with fashion, Obando replies, “It was a simple equation how fashion got my heart: The way Tom Ford showcased it, how Yohji Yamamoto imagined it, how Mario Testino and Steven Meisel’s eye captured it, and how Alaia used handwork execute it.”
The affably thoughtful designer sewed most of his spring 2008 creations himself (making it something of a demi-couture collection, a la Alaia), and he allows that the main difference between being a creative director and a fashion designer is that “the final product comes out of a sewing machine or my hands, not a printer or a video tape.”
Naturally, Obando is justifiably excited about his upcoming New York debut.
“LA is an amazing launching arena and it helped me polish my craft,” he said. “But New York is the main stage where everything will be judged for what it is.”
So why show in New York now, after three years as a headliner on the other coast?
“I believe it's the right time for me,” he answered. “It's just a gut feeling. Professionally, I hope my work is seen by major editors and buyers that don't make it to LA. And personally, I just want to continue taking my work to a new level each season, to accomplish new things and learn more.”
Well, professionally and personally, we can’t wait to watch it all unfold.
Juan Carlos Obando is scheduled to present his fall 2008 collection on Saturday, February 2nd.
Q: What do you get when you mix two creative Canadian twins with a bent for fashion, a bunch of premium denim and California skate/surf culture?
A: Chip & Pepper jeans, of course!
Now take the same two Energizer Bunny brothers, toss a few irreverent questions their way, and watch the sparks fly.
The first time I interviewed Chip and Pepper Foster a few years ago for a shopping piece, we spent an afternoon trolling the racks of Bloomingdale’s in Soho, where they ping-ponged from floor to floor, clowning around and entertaining everyone in their wake (to say they are irrepressible is a mild understatement).
So it should come as no surprise that in addition to helming their own super-successful sportswear line (which they launched in 1987 before segueing into the premium denim market in 2003, a collection that’s now carried in hundreds of department stores and boutiques in more than 42 countries), the dynamic duo have also been the subject of their own Saturday morning cartoon, hosted an E!/Style Network show called “The Look for Less,” and currently act as fashion correspondents for Extra.
The Fashion Informer tracked down the diminutive yet larger-than-life lookalikes following the opening of their Newport Beach flagship (their third stand-alone C&P store) to talk childhood dreams, sports, fashion and family life. Needless to say, hilarity - and a bit of shameless self-promotion - ensued.
So, Chip and Pepper...
When you were 9, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Chip: An astronaut. I wanted to fly in a shuttle and float in outer space. How cool would that have been?
Pepper: And you could have eaten freeze-dried ice cream.
Chip: I know. Maybe I will join Lance Bass in the NASA training program.
Pepper: I don’t think he passed.
Chip: Really? That sucks.
Pepper: I wanted to be a professional hockey player. My dream was to play hockey all day long and get paid for it.
What's the last great movie you saw and why did you enjoy it?
Pepper: I saw “Transformers” recently on the plane. That Megan Fox is hot!
Chip: She is smokin’. I have still have to see that. I just saw the Disney movie “Ratatouille” with my son. It was awesome. I mean, it’s about a rat who can cook. It was hilarious.
Pepper: Oh yeah, I saw that too. It is funny.
Chip: Let me tell you, those Disney movies are sure entertaining.
Who do you admire?
Pepper: I admire my brother. He has a beautiful family and knows how to juggle his career with his home life. He is one lucky man.
Chip: I was going to say that; I mean about you. It’s just so weird to see my brother grown up and responsible for a family. He is so great with his son and wife. I am just so happy for him and the life he has. To me, he will always be my crazy twin brother; but now he can add amazing dad and husband to his resume.
Pepper: Ahh…thanks Chip. That was so nice.
Chip: Excuse us, can we have a moment?
What did you have for breakfast this morning?
Pepper: Chip is going to make fun of me, but I don’t care. I had an energy drink that I got at Whole Foods. It’s perfect for me before I go to the gym. It supplies lots of energy and it tastes good.
Chip: That’s my brother. He loves his girly energy drinks. I didn’t eat breakfast this morning because I ran out of my house and forgot. I will eat a big lunch today.
Pepper: Breakfast is the meal of champions.
How are you similar to your twin and how are you different?
Chip: You mean besides being cooler than him?
Pepper: Think what you want to Chip, but I am and always have been the coolest twin,
Chip: You are funny Pep.
Pepper: Chip is louder than I am and he also has more of a creative mind.
Chip: Pepper is smarter than I am.
Pepper: No, I’m not.
Chip: Well, you know what I mean. He takes care of more of the business side of Chip & Pepper. We both have creative voices in the company, but I let him handle the stuff I don’t want to.
Pepper: We both have a say in everything that goes through this company. We both must love it or it doesn’t happen. We use each other as sounding boards. We bounce everything off each other.
Chip: I value my brother’s opinion more than anyone’s. Well, except my wife’s.
Pepper: Chip and I may have our differences, but I think we are more similar than not.
Chip: Do you remember that one time when we hadn’t seen each other in over a month and we were finally meeting up in Hawaii at the pool and we were wearing the same exact outfit?
Pepper: Oh yeah! That was crazy. We had on the same shirt, swim trunks and Converse. That was so funny because we hadn’t seen each other in forever!
Chip: It was our scary twin sense.
Pepper: We do wear similar outfits more often than not.
Chip: I know. Well, we have good taste.
Pepper: We do have nice taste. No, but seriously, none of the success we have had would have been as sweet if we weren’t in this together.
Chip: It wouldn’t be Chip & Pepper without both of our ideas.
What is your favorite store in the world, other than your own?
Chip: Yikes, this is a tough one. I mean, of course, I have a very special place in my heart for the Chip & Pepper flagship stores, because my brother and I have always dreamed about seeing our names on top of a store. Also, Golf Punk, which was a store we used to own on Melrose, really catapulted our love of denim. We used to go shopping for great vintage denim pieces and we would sell them to everyone including celebrities. Of course, the older pieces of denim featured beautiful washes, but the fits were too utilitarian and not very flattering. They really weren’t wearer-friendly. Knowing what we did, we took our knowledge and made premium denim that showcased fashion-forward fits and everyone loved the way the denim looked and felt. In a way, that’s how Chip & Pepper was born.
Pepper: Wow, Chip, you really summed up the history of Chip & Pepper denim in a nice paragraph, but you really didn’t answer the question.
Chip: Thanks Pep. Oh yeah, sorry. I just love talking about our history so much, I have many favorite stores, but I love Fred Segal. They have been so great to us from the beginning and they are always ahead of the trends. Plus, they encourage and help out new designers and give them a chance to thrive. Whenever you need anything hip and cool, Fred Segal is sure to have it.
Pepper: I’m also fond of stores like Target because you can get everything there. It’s like a one-stop shopping center. And now you can even by groceries there. That is genius!
What is your favorite sport?
Chip: Hockey, hands down.
Pepper: We actually play every week in a hockey league here in LA. We grew up playing hockey in Canada and it’s a huge part of our lives.
Chip: There is nothing better than being on the ice and slamming into people. It’s exhilarating.
Pepper: Wow, Chip…nice word.
Chip: Thanks Pep. I love hockey and I try and incorporate my love for the sport in designs for Chip & Pepper.
Pepper: We always take the things that inspire us and try and incorporate those things into the line. Another sport I got into more when I moved to LA was football. We like playing football too, but we are always the smallest ones on the field.
Chip: We may be small, but no one could beat us.
What is your dream occupation (other than what you're doing now)?
Pepper: I am doing what I want to do, but if I had to choose another job, I would still want to be a professional hockey player.
Chip: Yeah, I could never picture doing anything else. Designing clothes and having a company with my brother is all I want to do; and it’s what I was meant to do. But, if I had to choose, I would still want to be flying in space with Lance Bass.
Pepper: We are so fortunate because how may people in this world wake up every morning and are excited to go to work? I love my job and I love the people I work with. We are a small family.
Chip: My brother said it perfectly. I can’t wait to go to work and be creative. We are very lucky to be doing what we want to do.
Tell me about your favorite piece of clothing/jewelry that you own and why it's so special to you.
Pepper: I have this old Chip & Pepper Wetwear sweatshirt that is tie-dyed pink and has our signature bulldogs on the front that I love. I don’t really wear it very often because it is so special to me. I have it in my closet, but I often look at it to remember where my brother and I started. I cherish all of our Wetwear clothes that we made back in the eighties and early nineties.
Chip: I still wear the Chip & Pepper Wetwear t-shirts. They were so cool. They epitomize our personalities. I think they are classic.
Favorite holiday?
Chip: My birthday.
Pepper: That’s not a holiday, Chip.
Chip: It should be.
Pepper: I love Halloween. Every year we have a Halloween party at work and everyone dresses up. We have a parade and pot luck. It’s so fun.
Chip: Yeah, and you can win awesome prizes if you dress up. Also, now that I have become a dad, I love Christmas. I love watching Lake open up his presents. Finn is still too young to know what’s going on, but there is nothing like watching your kids get excited about Santa and Christmas lights.
Pepper: Chip was afraid of Santa Claus.
Chip: You were afraid of the Easter Bunny.
How can I tell Chip & Pepper apart if I've just met them?
Chip: I’m the handsome one.
Pepper: No, you’re not. Everyone knows I’m better looking.
Chip: Sure, Pepper. Whatever helps you sleep at night.
Pepper: Chip is usually louder than I am.
Chip: Yeah, I am pretty loud. Also, our hair is different right now.
Pepper: I just got my hair cut. It’s very reminiscent of a true rock star, like David Bowie.
Chip: Haha…you just compared your hair to David Bowie’s.
Pepper: Everyone knows I’m as cool as David Bowie.
What freaks you out?
Pepper: Chip’s toenails and his hair, especially when he doesn’t wash it. Who knows what is crawling around in there.
Chip: Nothing freaks me out. I like to freak people out.
When are you happiest?
Pepper: I’m the happiest when I’m with my brother.
Chip: Ahh, that’s so sweet Pep. I just barfed in my mouth a little bit. No, seriously I am the happiest when I’m with my family. There’s nothing better than coming home to my wife and two boys. When Lake, my eldest son, says “I love you, Daddy,” that just makes me melt inside. It’s too much.
Pepper: There is nothing better than family. Being able to share these experiences with my wife and son is amazing and I feel like I’m the luckiest person on earth.
Chip: We don’t take anything for granted. We know how lucky we are.
Stay tuned next week for Random Questions For...Mary Alice Stephenson.
From today's WWD:
Reprinted courtesy Women's Wear Daily
Now in its 16th year, Fashion East - famous for debuting edgy, outré designers - has announced its latest lineup: Louise Gray, who is known for her witty trompe l’oeil embellished chiffon dresses, JJ Hudson's line, Noki, which features discarded clothing and textiles reworked into DIY "couture," and artist David Saunders' unisex line of geometric pattern separates, dubbed David David.
They join Fashion East alum House of Holland, Danielle Scutt, Louise Goldin, Richard Nicoll, Emma Cook, Marios Schwab, Jonathan Saunders, Gareth Pugh, Roksanda Ilincic and Jens Laugesen.
Founded by Lulu Kennedy and underwritten by Topshop and MAC cosmetics, the Fashion East show will take place at The Old Truman Brewery on Wednesday, February 13th.
Photos courtesy Fashion East
After learning that John Bartlett had been tapped to revitalize Liz Claiborne’s men’s sportswear collection (the line, Claiborne by John Bartlett, will hit department store shelves in spring 2009), The Fashion Informer tracked down the always-charming designer to get the scoop.
So how did the collaboration come about?
I happily got a call from Tim Gunn and went in to talk to him and his colleagues about coming onboard and taking creative possession of the brand. I had always wanted to work with the Liz Claiborne company and with Tim, as well.
How are you hoping to revitalize the line, aesthetically, and who is the new customer you're hoping to attract (e.g., what's broke and how do you envision fixing it)?
I am spending the next weeks analyzing the business and trying to refocus and update the product from the inside out - the make, the details, the fabrics. I am inheriting a very well-produced product with great fit that needs a bit of soul and TLC. I’m also heading out to the stores across the country to meet the customer firsthand.
How is the Liz Claiborne customer different from the John Bartlett customer, and how do the lines themselves differ?
The Liz Claiborne guy and the John Bartlett guy are both looking for great, well-fitting, sexy clothes that are relevant to their lives. Both guys have real bodies and appreciate quality and authenticity. The lines will differ in many ways, price being one of them, but the approach for both is similar.
Will you keep your new West Village store open and continue doing your own line in addition to designing for Claiborne?
John Bartlett is alive and well. My store and wholesale business are flourishing, and I’m enjoying the retail lifestyle.
Hot on the heels of Monday's news that John Bartlett has been tapped to design Liz Claiborne's menswear line, comes the news today that Isaac Mizrahi has been hired to revitalize Liz Claiborne's dull as dishwater women's collection.
The Fashion Informer thinks both designers will bring a fresh perspective to Claiborne - and will have more in-depth coverage on Bartlett's hire tomorrow. But fingers crossed they fare better than Isabel Toledo did over at Anne Klein.
As anyone who follows the New York retail scene knows, there’s been a lot of outcry among West Village residents about the changes that have occurred since the opening of the first Marc Jacobs boutique on Bleecker Street back in 2001 (Jacobs has since opened four additional stores in the neighborhood, and so many other designers have followed his lead that Bleecker now looks like a mini-Madison Avenue).
As a longtime W. Village resident, I was pretty much on the fence myself. I love Jacobs’ designs but loathe the fact that my formerly sleepy 'hood is now awash in tourists looking to sate their MJ/Ralph Lauren/Lulu Guinness jones - and don’t even get me started on the new Coach, Juicy, Steve Madden and Tommy Hilfiger stores. (The horror. The horror.)
But then I got a call from my neighbor, Bronx-born poet/performance artist Eve Packer, who wanted to share the exciting news that she’d bumped into Jacobs’ business partner, Robert Duffy, on the street outside the new Collection store and, following an impromptu 15-minute conversation, her books and CDs were going to be carried in all Marc Jacobs and Marc by Marc stores nationwide. Say what?!
I stopped by the Collection and Marc by Marc stores, and sure enough, there was Eve’s book, “Playland,” and her spoken word CDs, “West Frm 42nd” and “Cruisin w/Moxie,” alongside Patrick McMullan’s latest tome, “Glamour Girls” and CDs by Minimize to Maximize and Unsolved Mysteries.
I rang up Duffy to get the scoop, and to see if this is something they do as a matter of course. “We decided to carry Eve’s work because she showed me a copy of her book and I really liked her poetry,” Duffy told The Fashion Informer when I tracked him down in LA. “And, yes, we carry the work of local artists - books, CDs, DVDs, jewelry - in every city in which we have a store. We’ll even commission local artists to do t-shirts that we’ll sell worldwide, not just nationally.”
Why?
“Because,” said Duffy, “I think it’s great, and that’s what I like to do.”
As for what it’s meant to someone like Packer, who has been plying her trade for some 30-odd years in this most unforgiving of cities?
“Lets put it this way: After that astounding by-chance-taking-my-laundry-to-the-laundromat conversation with Robert Duffy (whose name I managed to ask on the spot at the time, or I don’t believe I would have even known who this Superman-Batman superhero was), I don’t think I took a breath for several hours, or even days,” said Packer. “To say it was huge is an understatement. It’s so far out of my reference of possibility, that it will always be a cause to exult. And it serves [as a reminder] to all artists to have faith, take chances, be proud and just keep doing it.”
“Also, I truly do think Marc Jacobs is a great designer, and I’ve always loved his corner window [on Bleecker], which is art,” added Packer. “So, to me, that it’s Marc Jacobs in particular is what makes it all so Cinderella. And, as you know, he’s currently the hottest American designer, which makes this much more thrilling than if, say, Starbucks or Chanel were supporting my work. To be able to say, ‘You can pick my stuff up at Marc Jacobs stores nationwide.' Wow.”
Wow, indeed.
Nina Garcia is best known for her role as a judge on the Bravo phenom, Project Runway, and as the long-time fashion director of Elle magazine. Recently, she released The Little Black Book of Style, a surprisingly useful fashion guide illustrated by Ruben Toledo, and began writing her own monthly Elle fashion advice column, called, simply “Nina.”
Which is not surprising, since fashion lovers the world over now feel they’re on a first-name basis with this straight-talking, Colombian-born dynamo, who got her start in the business working as a PR intern for Perry Ellis during the label’s Marc Jacobs-engineered grunge period. After a stint at Mirabella mag, Garcia...sorry, Nina, landed at Elle, where she worked her way up to fashion director in 2000.
The Fashion Informer caught up with the gracious, gregarious Garcia...sorry, Nina, to discuss the pitfalls of being a judge, why good food requires good friends, and the joys of motherhood (the fashion pro and her financier spouse, David Conrod, have a 10-month-old son, Lucas Alexander).
So, Nina...
What’s in current rotation on your iPod?
Current artists in rotation in my iPod are Joao Gilberto, Celia Cruz, Amy Winehouse, Frank Sinatra and James Brown.
What is your favorite city in the world and why?
Rome would have to be my favorite city for the food, weather, fashion and history. It is like nowhere else in the world.
What is your fashion must-have?
Heels.
What is your idea of a perfect meal?
My idea of a perfect meal is great food shared with wonderful friends. Food is incredible but no matter how delicious it loses all of its splendor if it cannot be experienced with great company.
Tell me about your best friend.
She is smart and funny and has this amazing ability to make any situation bright. She is sensitive and wise and always makes me laugh, something that is very important for me in friendships.
What is the most surprising thing about motherhood?
You always have endless energy.
Who do you think is the most underrated designer?
Charles James to me is the most underrated designer. He is a master of cutting and is known for his sculpted gowns and exacting tailoring standards.
What current trend do you wish would go away, already?
The “It” bag.
What current trend are you loving?
I love the Boho look for spring.
What is the hardest thing about judging Project Runway?
For me it is always letting someone go, especially at the beginning of the season when we have not been able to see their full design potential.
Do you have a favorite resort, hotel or concierge?
Any of the Aman Resorts across the globe have the best service in the world. Also, the concierge at the Plaza Athénée in Paris.
What never fails to make you cry?
My favorite book, Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I have read it a hundred times and it manages to move me every time.
When are you the happiest?
As simple as it sounds, I am happiest when I am with my family.
Stay tuned next week for Random Questions For...Chip & Pepper.
Ecco Domani announced the recipients of the 2008 Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation (EDFF) awards earlier today.
They are Alexander Wang, Elise Overland, Lyell, REYES, and WAYNE in the women’s design category, and Loden Dager in the men’s design category. EDFF also introduced its first-ever accessories design category winner, Subversive Jewelry. Each designer will receive a $25,000 grant to help showcase their collection at New York Fashion Week next month.
Past EDFF winners include Zac Posen, Proenza Schouler, Peter Som, Thakoon, Doo.Ri, Vena Cava, Rag & Bone, Derek Lam and VPL.
Loeffler Randall designer Jessie Randall gave what has to be the most moving fashion world acceptance speech we’ve ever seen when receiving her CFDA Swarvoski Award for Accessory Design back in June.
“Wow, I think I’m very hormonal right now,” the diminutive blonde sobbed at the podium while rubbing her pregnant belly as tears streamed down her cheeks. “But it just means so much to me to be up here with my little twins inside me.”
Fast forward seven months, and her little twins, Casper and Liam, have gone from conception to reality, as has the limited-edition Loeffler Randall shoe and handbag collection Jessie - a Katayone Adeli/Banana Republic alum - and her business partner husband, Brian Murphy, have just unveiled at Target stores nationwide. Priced from $20 to $50, the Target collection is quite a bit cheaper than Loeffler Randall’s signature wares, which run in the $400 - $700 range (they also added a few ready-to-wear pieces in fall 2007, three years after debuting their accessories collection).
The Fashion Informer chatted with the FIT/Parsons-educated Massachusetts native on the eve of her Tar-jay debut.
So, Jessie...
What is your favorite time of day?
My favorite time of day is the early evening when I get home from work and get to play with my twins, read them stories and kiss and hug them a million times.
Tell me about your pet(s).
My Chihuahua, Romeo, is such a personality. He is a golden retriever in a 7 lb. body - not Chihuahua-like at all. He has such a proud, happy bounce in his step walking down the street. On Court Street near where I live they call him "The King of Court Street."
Why accessories for you?
My first love has always been shoes so we started Loeffler Randall with them.
What did you have for breakfast this morning?
Nothing.
Who do you think is the most underrated designer, living or dead?
All the moms and grandmothers out there who have been knitting and quilting and making beautiful crafts and clothing for their children for generations.
What is the best holiday gift you've ever gotten, and what made it so special?
Brian had a jewelry designer make a necklace for me that says "La Biondina" - the nickname my factory in Italy calls me. It means "the little blonde girl."
What's the best gift you've ever given?
We got my mom a trip to St. Barth's for Christmas last year. She is always there for a pep talk, with sound advice and a hug when I need it. It was nice to be able to give her something extravagant.
Brunch: pro or con?
Con.
Have you made any resolutions for 2008?
Less Diet Coke!
What's your favorite book of all time?
My favorite book is a children's book called 'The Country Bunny and The Little Gold Shoes' by Du Bose Heyward. It's about dreaming big things for yourself.
What's your best New Year's Eve memory?
Standing outside in the snow talking on the phone to Brian at midnight our first New Year's when we weren't in the same city.
What never fails to make you cry?
Too many things to count.
When are you happiest?
Right now in my life.
Stay tuned next week for Random Questions For...Nina Garcia.
Loeffler Randall for Target can be found in stores now.
