By the Book: Michael Kors Spring 2014

 When I attended Parsons School of Design, it was all about "7th Avenue Sportswear".  The king of this was Michael Kors.  His collection for spring 2014 was the textbook presentation of the well edited, merchandised, buyer-friendly groups that our professions always wanted to see.

What does this mean? When my class had to present our groups of "croquis" (fashion sketches on a figure) the teachers were always looking for cohesive  groups mixing prints, coordinating solid colors, diversity of separates, etc.  Exactly what department store buyers would buy, consistent price point and easy enough for the most unimaginative retail to understand.  Were they asking design students to scale new heights in creativity? No.  They were teaching us to get a job.  Parsons students of today are no longer pushed into this philosophy based on the artistic work I have saw at the last graduate show.  In this century, designers can only distinguish themselves from the big labels by doing something completely different.

Michael Kors is the perfect example of the old school. He's not breaking new ground in fashion design, but he is an American fashion icon by his wit and business savvy.  His spring 2014 collection mixed conservative long, buttoned up dresses and classic coats in brown, navy, camel, green.  There were cropped tops and short shorts in the same fabrics to accommodate the same customer's daughters.

The MK handbag was a huge breakout hit at retail the last few years, so purses also took center stage on the catwalk.

I may not look to Mr. Kors for design inspiration, but he's the first man I would go to for a great quip or learn the industry from.

original photos by David TW Leung

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Trendspotting: Scuba Evolution

I have spent my first days at the beach. I watched surfers and plan on doing some scuba diving later  this summer. Clearly, the wetsuit inspiration has attracted many fashion designers in recent seasons as I keep seeing the aquatic staple hit the runways.  Here is how scuba chic has evolved...

The first time I saw neoprene interpreted for street fashion was at Parsons. One of my teachers invited a former student to describe her first job out of school, designing for  Donna Karan.  She showed us her sketchbook which included early versions of a 1994 dress which became an iconic look for the label. The scuba dress was immortalized in the book, Fifty Years of Fashion: New Look to Now:

Wetsuit-inspired fashion popped up in the resort collections of many designers in 2012. Herve Leger updated their signature bandage dress look to emulate the seams of a wetsuit. Derek Lam took the color blocking look of wetsuits and designed a graphic collection around it.  Michael Kors took the traditional neoprene and made it a dress.

For 2013, designers have quickly brought this look further into the mainstream by treating the neoprene fabric itself, (see first photo). Cynthia Rowley, a surfer herself, created some terrific dresses and top using digital printing on neoprene.  At her Montauk store, there are lace prints, jewel and botanical prints that I loved. In turn, she brought high fashion into surfing gear. She offered a special collection of functional wetsuits with her trendy clothing prints. Designer Byron Lars created an elegant Fall 2013 collection bonding brocade and glen plaids to neoprene to use the bright color as a pop lining or unexpected texture inside traditional fabric.  He also used laser cutting to create flattering shapes of applique on the dresses.  He also relied on supportive nature of the fabric to create a sexy silhouette.

For the multi-tasking gal, it's great to know you hit the runway or the ocean and never have to change!

Photos from Nick Verreros, Irving Solero, Mariana Leung

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Michael Kors Spring 2013

Michael Kors is an America fashion icon.  He was a Parsons School of Design mentor long before his witty/wicked critiques dominated on Project Runway.  His Spring 2013 collection for New York Fashion Week was a textbook lesson in what we were taught in school as classic American sportswear.

As a fashion design student in the 1990's, the Parsons program had a very specific focus on coordinated, marketable sportswear, which was the basis of 7th avenue success. Colors should be paired with patterns that were easy to understand, every separate should be wearable with multiple other options. the school prepared you to be employed with large apparel corporations, and succeeded for the most part.

Michael Kors' spring 2013 had exactly those elements of bright, primary colors, stripes, coordinated separates, easy to understand. this explains his success in the days of 7th avenue and probably why he continues his success. There was a certain mod vibe to it which reminded me of the 1960's advertisements and sketches we studied in fashion history (hence textbook lesson).

Under the Tim Gunn program however, Parsons seemed to produce more innovative designers who were ready to strike out with their own vision. Labels like Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang, Cushie et Ochs never set out to work for the big guys and succeeded. The message though, it certainly doesn't hurt to learn from those big guys.

Photos by David TW Leung

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Fashion Designer Quotes - Part 2

When did fashion designers become the sages of our time? Their wit and wisdom now dominate some of the most popular Tumblr accounts.  Here are some of the best fashion designer quotes on the net:

One of the funniest new Tumblr accounts is Kor's Metaphors.  It takes screenshots from Project Runway and lists the Michael Kor's most scathing critiques.  Among the best gems:

"She just looked like rigatoni Mad Max"

"So she's a Snuggie designer?"

"She's borderline Teletubby".

"The blouse is just like a souffle that flopped."

"If the challenge was to make something for a 70 year old to go sit in a mall and get back to the house early so she can watch television, then you succeeded." 

Karl Lagerfeld (aka the Kaiser) has been to known for many sharp tongued statements.  That's why I am impressed with Karl Lagerfeld Quotes.  They have collected many of Karl's most inspirational statements as spoken from an artist.  Don't get me wrong, they haven't completely avoided fierce little quips...

"If you throw money out of the window throw it out with joy. Don’t say ‘one shouldn’t do that’––that is bourgeois."
"My thing is to work more than the others to show them how useless they are."
"Looking like an S&M fanatic without being one is grotesque."

He doesn't have a Tumblr, but he does have a Tim Gunn Twitter account.  Mentor to wannabe designers on Project Runway, he first started out as the education administrator at my alma mater, Parsons School of Design.  He has never claimed superior knowledge of fashion, and I love the fact that he lists "Educator" first among his many titles.  I also respect that he doesn't do the usual thing of pandering to the hottest personalities of current media:

"I just think the Kardashians have an absence of taste and I don't think that that should be perpetuated. I'm sorry I'm sounding like an old farty snob but it bothers me."

He called out Anna Wintour on having the worst Diva behavior by recounting something he witnessed: 
"I was with a colleague from Parsons, and we had been discussing the will-she-or-won't-she-take-the-elevator question, so we ran over to the elevator bay to see if Anna would deign to get on. She wasn't there. Then we looked over the stairway railing. And what did we see but Anna being carried down the stairs. The bodyguards had made a fireman's lock and were racing her from landing to landing. She was sitting on their crossed arms."

He was pressured to recount the story, and he refused, saying: 
 "Accept responsibility for your own behavior. If you're going to be carried down five flights of stairs, own up to it."

Always a good teacher:  “You can be too rich and too thin, but you can never be too well read or too curious about the world.” 

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