Nanette Lepore Spring 2014

Damn, is it spring YET?  Nanette Lepore's cheerful colors and pretty embroideries perked up the runways at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.  Bright shadow florals, bright pastels and fiery red accented the feminine silhouettes for spring 2014.

There was a whole range of coordinated accessories.  Handbags in totes, carryalls and oversized clutches were made in matching optic check or shadow floral print or a combination of all.  Shoes were chunky, comfortable, open wide sandals in bright color block or matching prints.

Like the combination of quirky patterns and silhouettes, the collection was a happy family, much like the company itself.  Nanette always takes a bow with her daughter, while brother Jimmy is a cheerleader behind the scenes.

Photos by Mariana Leung

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R.I.P. Myrtle Snow - American Horror Story Coven

I have never written a tribute on the death of a fictional character.  However the demise of American Horror Story: Coven's  Myrtle Snow deserved a proper farewell.  Eccentrically played by the amazing Frances Conroy,  she was quirky, pretentious and kind.

Coven costume designer Lou Eyrich has described Myrtle Snow as a combination of Grace Coddington, Diana Vreeland and Peggy Guggenheim.  All three muses are easily recognized in the blazing red hair of Grace, the voice of Diana and wacky eyewear of Peggy.

As entertained as I was by the entire season of the show, Myrtle Snow's designer-referenced lines stole each episode she appeared in.  Some of my favorites:

 “You could never pull it off darling, only Lee Radziwll and myself could do it justice.” (Upon gifting a piece of jewelry created by Joel Arthur Rosenthal, 

 "These Drapes! I'm just mad for tartan!"

“Without Egon’s support Diane von Fürstenberg never would have created the greatest invention of the century, the wrap dress.” (No hard feelings about being dumped by Egon Von Furstenburg). 

“You were supposed to spend your days in romantic splendor with your true love. You’re just like Halston when he sold his brand to JCPenney–you’ve forsaken your destiny.”  (This one made me do a spit-take). 

Of course, last night during the American Horror Story: Coven finale, our dear Myrtle Snow had the best death scene ever. One I personally hope to achieve at my end... She walks out into the desert, red silk dress flying in the wind. Flanked by two guards that look suspiciously like Karl Lagerfeld, the dear sorceress goes up in flames with the final words of "Balenciaga!!!!!!"

Photos from F/X American Horror Storyhttp://www.fxnetworks.com/ahs

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J. Mendel Spring 2014

How many ways can you wear lace?  J. Mendel's Spring 2014 collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week was a beautiful showcase of dresses.  There was an abundance of fishtail gowns perfect for the awards season red carpet.  Beaded, crochet, cutwork textures were pieced together in seam lines that emphasized flattering curves of the body.  Satin faced organza and silk crepe gave a light, airy, translucent look that hinted at the body underneath but didn't reveal it.  

The color palette was light, in a chiffon yellow, raspberry, peach, taupe and accents of black and ivory.  There were just a few fur accented pieces, much less than previous seasons considering this was originally a fur label.  Perhaps there just are as many fur customers in the spring.  

Handbags were structured, oblong shapes picking up the colors of the clothing. Some were color blocked.  The shoes had narrow stiletto heels with curving style lines around the foot.  The mix of sheer and solid echoed the theme of the clothing, though not literally.

A palm front motif was implemented in some pieces.  Sometimes it was a literal green leafed print, others it was a texture in a brocade.

J. Mendel is the master of sexy, luxe and ladylike.  It's no surprise that I see this label on celebrity after celebrity.  Perfectly tasteful, I picture Joan Rivers being frustrated when she does her Fashion Police recap.
Photos by Mariana Leung

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Organic Matter: Pratt & Pucci Collaboration

Think your sweater is exciting? Fashion design students from the Pratt Institute worked with designer Ralph Pucci on an innovative knitwear project at Gallery Nine in New York City.  Ralph Pucci has created a specialized mannequin collection.  The design students were tasked with making organic, wearable art using neutral colored yarns to complement the body form muse.

The exhibit was a competition among the 30 looks in the exhibit and will be judged by some of the design world's elite like textile designer Dana Barnes, architect Patrick Naggar and photographer Diego Uchitel.

I like this exhibit for how it blends multiple forms of product design together and treats the clothing as sculpture.  The unprocessed colors of the yarns used and the sprawling, organic looks of the knits achieve a vibe of clothing that seems alive on the mannequin.

Designers pictured above include Kiet Tran, Kimi Lee, Meghan O'Sullivan, Chantal Galipeau, Katherine Daskas and Kat Holland.

The exhibit runs until Tuesday, January 28 at Gallery Nine, 44 West 18^th Street, New York, NY.
Photos by Sam Stuart

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BCBG Max Azria Pre-Fall Lookbook

West Coast based BCBG Max Azria showed a live lookbook (aka showroom) unveiling of their pre-fall collection last week.  Pre-fall is that fashion industry term that defines a collection that will unveil in the stores in the heart of summer, but wants you to think autumn from a stylistic point of view.

The design team for BCBG is based in California, so it doesn't even see the snow when they design clothing for the winter seasons of the Northeast.  So what do they do?  The designers create lots of prints, (love this label for that) which emulate warm fuzzy textures without the weight.  As you can see, some of the most successful looks are tweed-like patterns printed on ultra-light fabrics.  This works in all climates, but gives the feeling of woolly styling.  If you actually ARE wearing these looks in cold weather, you can layer them.  If you are in warm weather, it is still fine.

Big caftan cover-ups can be your cardigan in cool weather, or just a cool office interior.

My sister loves BCBG footwear.  I am increasingly observing the popularity of strappy or open-toed boots.  Again, these are the perfect straddle for warm to cool weather.  I personally like these because I have trouble wearing normal heels, and strappy boots give me the support I need to carry them off.

Of course, this is all just a prelude to the big events at NY Fashion Week coming up in two weeks!  Until then sweethearts...

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Giacobbe Spring 2014

Rising star from Argentina, Marcelo Giacobbe showed a clean, shiny collection at the Argentine Designer showcase at Mercedes-Benz Fashion week.

A pretty group of white and platinum, Giacobbe Spring 2014 was a mix of airy suits and sexy short dresses.  Cloud-like ruffles or sleek silver embellishments gave a luxurious touch to Marcelo's collection.  The overall effect was what you expect to see a heroine of a futuristic sci-fi movie might wear.  Perhaps this was the inspiration.

This fashion show marked the American debut of the Buenos Aires based designer.  The designer has won multiple fashion awards and his studies included stints in Denmark. In 2014 he added Uruguay as a country his collection reached.

Good luck Marcelo!

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Jean Paul Gaultier: Sidewalk to the Catwalk

Disturbing, provocative, delightful.  All of the above and more was found at the Brooklyn Museum's The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk exhibit.

Gaultier created some of the most iconic looks of my generation.  Everyone recognizes the cone cup corsets of Madonna's Blond Ambition Tour .  Fashion fans have marveled at the varied inspirations and theatrical runway shows over the years.

The exhibit itself was not your typical, institutional retrospective you would expect from a museum.  Upon entering the first gallery, you are startled when you gaze at the mannequins and find them blinking or even glaring back at you.  The "Virgins" collection had mannequins singing, wearing dresses inspired by religious icons.  The mermaids on the other side were adorned in mother of pearl and golden filigree.

The designer's mastery of intimate and apparel were displayed in a long dark corridor on spinning dress forms so you could see the painstaking details that went into each and every piece.

The gallery of punk style had elaborate creations in denim and tartan.  A moving runway displayed cheeky looks like a cancan dress that was painted with legs on the interior, but looked like a more conservative white ruffled dress on the outside.  The punk mannequins could make you jump, whispering that they were "behind you" as you observed other parts of the room.

Gorgeous looks worn by the likes of singers like Beth Ditto were part of a gallery that showed the diversity of age, body shape and ethnicity that the designer liked to portray on the runway.  Another room showed the global influences of design that made their way to his shows.  One of the most impressive looks in this room was the Asian-inspired look of his first collection that he put together with straw placements from the local market before he had the money to fund more expensive fabrics.

While Jean Paul Gaultier clearly took craftmanship and design very seriously, his own persona was another matter.  A talking mannequin of himself hosted the exhibit and the attitude of his catwalks always showed a sense of fun.  Photographs or interviews with him always portrayed a winking sensibility that I enjoyed.

This exhibit is a must-see and one of my favorites in recent years.  Get yourself to the Brooklyn Museum before February 23, 2014!

exhibit photographs by Mariana Leung

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Jill Stuart Spring 2014

Lingerie and the 1970’s was the inspiration behind Jill Stuart’s Spring 2014 collection for New York Fashion Week.  Designers have been using innerwear as outerwear muse for centuries. 

Josephine waged her own gender power war against Napoleon by making the unstructured look fashionable (and almost bankrupted his reign through fashion when he married someone else).  Corset styling was norm across all price points recent years. 

Jill Stuart had plenty slip-like dresses, lacy embellishments with safe color palettes of off-white variations and black. 

My fellow photographers and I had noticed a noticeable increase in diversity, both in the crowds and on the runway this season for spring 2014 presentations.  The exception was this Jill Stuart show.  While there was possibly 1 vaguely Asian looking model, I remember the impression of this runway was a lot of blonde, blonde, blonde.

While no designer should be dictated to in terms of who they should cast, the tide is clearly to be more inclusive than exclusive by the leading fashion brands of today.  Perhaps the designer is only reflecting her own experiences; her bio clearly indicates that her entry into the industry was based on her parents having already built a successful clothing company before it was handed to her.  While I take this with a grain of salt, I have had close friends work for this company and quit in protest of the dehumanizing culture they found there. 

This shouldn't have a bearing on what I think of an individual season’s fashion collection, but it is difficult (for me) not to keep in mind who a designer is as a person with their creations.  Does that make me see the looks on the catwalk as clothes made for privileged women who don’t work for a living?   Is that unfair or exactly the target market, therefore success! 

One of Jill Stuart’s bragging rights in her bio is that the brand created many of the looks in the 1990’s movie “Clueless”.  This was a cute story of entitled privileged children who have everything handed to them with no efforts of their own.  Sure it was one of my favorite fashion films that year, but the fact remains the same.

What do you think? Does a designer’s personal philosophy and who they cast as models affect how you see (and shop) the brand?

 Photos by David TW Leung

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Fashion Designed Football Helmets

How many of you fashionistas are Superbowl fans? Bloomingdale's is unveiling a special collection of 48 helmets designed by the CFDA's top fashion designers.  The "Couture" helmets by designers Betsey Johnson, Alice + Olivia, Marchesa, Diane Von Furstenburg and others will be auctioned off to benefit the NFL Foundation.

The helmets will be unveiled in Bloomingdale's 59th street NYC windows today, the launch of the auction.  The NFL Foundation's mission is to improve the lives of their fans through health initiatives and grants to youth and school programs.  

You can place your bid at the CFDA Bloomingdale's Superbowl auction before February 4, 2014.

Other participating designers include Alejandro Ingelmo, Alexis Bittar, Ovadia & Sons,Billy Reid, Blake Mykoskie for Toms, Bloomingdale’s, Catherine Malandrino, Cynthia Rowley, Cynthia Vincent for Twelfth Street, Dana Lorenz for Fenton/Fallon, Danielle Snyder and Jodie Snyder for Dannijo,  Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne for Public School, David Neville and Marcus Wainwright for Rag & Bone, Dennis Basso, Diane von Furstenberg, Donna Karan ,Eugenia Kim, George Esquivel, John Varvatos, Junkfood,  Kenneth Cole, Lela Rose, Badgley Mischka,  Mark McNairy, Michael Bastian, Monique Lhuillier,  Narciso Rodriguez for Narciso Rodriguez Studio, Nicole and Michael Colovos for Helmut Lang, Nicole Miller, Olivier Theyskens for Theyskens Theory, Gela Nash & Pamela Skaist-Levy for Pam & Gela, Pamela Love, Rachel Zoe, Rebecca Taylor, Richard Chai, Rogan Gregory and Scott Mackinlay Hahn for Loomstate, Rogan Gregory for Rogan, Rozae Nichols for Clover Canyon,  Sam Shipley and Jeff Halmos for Shipley & Halmos,  Stephen Dweck, Steven Alan, Tadashi Shoji, Todd Snyder, Vince Camuto, and Yigal Azrouel. 

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Best Embroidery on the Golden Globes Red Carpet

The Golden Globes are considered Hollywood's biggest party.  It's no surprise the biggest party frocks are out on display.  As always, in my love for embroidery, here are my picks for best beading and embellishment on the Golden Globes red carpet. 

 I love the dark bordeaux colors of the J. Mendel dress worn by award winner Elizabeth Moss.  Semi-sheer with the beaded, sequined motifs tracing flattering lines on the body.  American Horror Story's Lily Rabe wore a Georges Hobeika gown with a crystal and bead embroidery that shot out like a sunburst neckline.  This looked great and framed her face beautifully.

The platinum queens came in the pair of Mila Kunis in a soft Emilio Pucci gown.  The bodice was layered with silver sequins topped with crystal flowers and beads leading to a neckline embellished with a large dimensional sequin flower.  Kate Beckinsale was stunning in and art deco crystal beaded fishtail gown by Zuhair Murad.

Graphic black and white is one of spring 2014's best trends.  Jenna Dewan Tatum and Zosia Mamet wore it beautifully with romantic embroidered black motifs on white.  Jenna was in a sweeping mermaid gown by Roberto Cavalli.  Girl's Zosia Mamet wore a dress by Reem Acra.
Photos by Getty/Jason Merritt, JustJared

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Richard Chai Love Spring 2014

Fresh, clean and preppy are the boys and girls of Richard Chai Love.  His spring 2014 collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week was full of easy silhouettes in white, brighter pastels and a summering version of camouflage.  Variegated stripes were mixed with a warm weather moto jacket alternative. 

Richard Chai was briefly a classmate of mine at Parsons.  He dropped out to do his own thing and I think it paid off.  His look is simple, privileged, like the crew from Gossip Girl went out to the country and played lawn tennis.  Accessories were minimal.  Boat shoes for guys, comfortable, but chic sandals for the ladies.  Hair was combed back for a simple classic look. 

Not fan of front row stalking, but the Geek in me couldn't help but be giddy at Wednesday Addams (Christina Ricci) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) sitting next to each other... (Next to Zachary were the Jonas Brothers, but not nearly as excited about them).

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Nanette Lepore's Floating Runway

Frigid NYC has me writing via wishful thinking.  Nanette Lepore Swimwear is my fashion fantasy right now.  Summer is a few months away and Nanette Lepore turned a South Beach swimming pool into her swim style runway.

Ms. Lepore is always a champion of innovative prints.  For Summer 2014, she took a traditional floral and updated by pairing it with an ombre effect and digitally printing it on neoprene.  She also took classic tile inspired patterns and recolored them with bright candy colors against a dark background.  The effect is a collection of sexy swimsuits coordinated with fashion forward cover-ups for partying out of the sand.

Back in New York, Nanette is a hero to the fashion community for her work in keeping the Garment Center alive.  Before following the designer to Miami, I visited the Manhattan showroom to admire pieces that were produced a few blocks away.  She keeps her business in the family too as brother Jimmy is one of her biggest cheerleaders in PR and she always takes a bow with her daughter at the end of the show.

I am now hoping to follow Nanette Lepore Swimwear out of the cold and into the desert... Her collection will be showing in Las Vegas at WWD Magic next month.  I can't wait!

Original photos by Mariana Leung

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International Fashion Design Contests

New year, new designers to disrupt the fashion industry.  There are fashion design contests all over the world for up-and-coming talent to take over and show us all what they are made of! 

Worldwide:
The Arts of Fashion Competition seeks to bring together design talent from countries all over the world in a mission of inventiveness and creativity.  It is a multi-step competitions where designers are asked to submit sketches and presentation for their proposed collection by April, 2014.  If chosen for the second round, they will create their collections and compete in a fashion show.  Prizes include prestigious apprenticeships or scholarships for master class sessions in Europe with top couturiers.

South Africa:
The Young Fashion Designers Competition offers up-and-coming fashion talent to win a "Start-Up Company Prize" to help launch their label.  The Jade Williams Youth Foundation and Protea Hotel group are sponsoring this contest.  You need to be between the ages of 18 - 35, a student or graduate who is not established (yet).  For more information on how to enter, visit the Young Fashion Designer Competition's Facebook page.

Australia:
The BT Emerging Fashion Designer Award is for designers who are ready to grow their label into an international brand.  Winners will receive a $10 000 grant, the services of a financial planner, mentoring from top industry figures and business class tickets to New York City for opportunities to expand their global empire.  Past winners have included Christopher Esber who presented his collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in recent years.   Apply January 31, 2014.

Germany:
Fashion design students all over Europe are invited to compete for the Frankfurt Style Awards.  Categories include denim, uniforms, diversity, etc.  Prizes are straight-up cash.  What student can't use that?  Apply now for the Frankfurt Style Awards.

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Ivana Helsinki Spring 2014

The Bridges of Madison County movie and the road trip that echoed it was Paola Suhonen's inspiration for Ivana Helsinki Spring 2014.  The designer is an artist and filmmaker herself.  Both are evident in how she channeled the emotions of the film into the clothing silhouettes and her original artwork that became the fabric prints.

The collection had beautiful, floating dresses.  The romantic prairie dresses or light cotton pieces with dainty ruffles here and there initially look simple.  A closer looks shows the sophisticated details of a running butterfly theme.  The bohemian butterfly is carried through in embroidered motifs, intricate prints, cutout appliques and crochet knit patterns on the clothing.  In accessories, they are layered in leather, laser cut out of gloves, stamped in metal and stitched on over-sized floppy hats.  The make-up took on a dark moody look with deep lipstick and loose curls pulled back.

How does a family brand born in Helsinki feel so passionate about a love story from rural America?  Is Paola Suhonen's home of isolated Slavic geography and melancholy art culture have similarities with lives in Iowa?  Perhaps these two areas are the perfect pair for a design exchange.

Photos by Mariana Leung

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The Hat Between Art and Extravaganza

Is there a fashion accessory that lends itself to sculpture better than a chapeau? The Palazzo Pitti in Florence is home to a beautiful exhibit celebrating The Hat Between Art and Extravaganza.  On display are wearable works of art made by designers like Philip Treacy, Christian Dior, Prada, Chanel, Stephen Jones along with a handful of independent Italian artisans.

The museum is housed in a Rennaisance palace that was once home to the royal Medici family.  Caterina Chiarelli curated this costume gallery show, the first to encompass a single category of fashion item.  The 179 hats were chosen from the over 1000 item collection in storage at the Palazzo.  The show also presents original sketches and fashion illustrations by the creators.  Pieces in the exhibit include contemporary designs and vintage pieces from the early part of the last century.

The mannequins resemble marble pedestals to the hand crafted sculptures above.  With a hat, you can create any shape, use any material.  You can build a soaring piece up and away from the head or work the shape to frame it instead.  As an artistic medium in fashion, you don't need to worry about fit and barely concern yourself with function with a hat.

It is a shame that in America, mainstream culture doesn't really support such millinery displays except at the Kentucky Derby or New York City's Easter Parade.  The English make a spectator sport of wearing couture hats, something I wish we could bring to Hollywood red carpet culture.  The addition of a spiraling headpiece at the Academy Awards would really kick things up a notch.

The Hat Between Art and Extravaganza exhibit at the Palazzo Pitti will be ongoing until May 18, 2014.
Photos courtesy of cappelloinmostra.it

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Vivienne Westwood Romances the Vienna Ballet

The Vienna State Ballet rang in the New Year with opulent style.  British designer Vivienne Westwood created costumes for the ballet dancers performing during intermission at a New Year’s Day concert in Austria.   

The fashion icon’s tulle and post-punk tartan looks took inspiration from her Spring 2014 collection.  The romantic aesthetic was then pushed to functional fantasy as each costume was custom tailored to the dancers
in silk taffeta ball gowns or bespoke menswear. 

While some of the costumes initially looked to have traditional silhouettes, you can see the deeper, darker coloring in the rich taffeta hues paired with sexy, unusual ruching in the bodices and skirts.  Black satin ballet shoes often replaced traditional baby pink.  Super-short pleated miniskirts in plaid replace the conventional tutu prove that VivienneWestwood will always be punk’s Godmother.  

I can’t imagine a more gorgeous way to start 2014.  Can you?
Photos by ORF/Günther Pichlkostner

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Happy 2014 !

Happy New Year my peeps!  2013 was turbulent, unexpected but ultimately rewarding year where the team here at Ms. Fabulous made lots of new friends.

I personally shot some of the best photographs of my life at New York Fashion Week, Miami Fashion Week and an epic trip to Vietnam.

I loved collaborating with designers at Coach and Byron Lars to help them produce some fantastic collections.  I loved working with brands like Swarovski to work on gorgeous DIY projects.

We interviewed some great talents, partied with some fun folks and are grateful to the people who have become a part of our lives.

Happy 2014, may it be an inspirational year!    
-Mariana Leung, Publisher of Ms. Fabulous

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