Farewell Frank Rizzo

Sadly, the fashion establishment of New York said goodbye to one of its mentors Frank Rizzo this week. He was the outgoing dean of the fashion department when I entered it at the Parson School of Design. He was warm, enthusiastic and excited to meet the new talent coming in.

He was an early mentor of many of today's fashion icons, like Isaac Mizrahi, Donna Karan and Marc Jacobs, Parsons alumni before me. Rizzo was a student himself. He had graduated in 1957 then returned to teach in 1966. Like many professors I had at Parsons, he also worked full time in the industry at the same time. For him, he worked as a bridal designer. He took over as dean in 1982.

Our first day in the fashion department, everyone had an opportunity to meet with him one-on-one. All of us entering fashion were nervous and hoped to make a good impression. We all knew of the legends who graduated before us. When it was my time to meet with him, I tried very hard to seem mature, talk about my goals and (incredibly limited) credentials. I was devastated when he smiled and pinched both my cheeks like a kindly grandfather to tell me how adorable I was. I realized I had failed miserably.

Parsons School of Design of the 1980s-1990's was still very much focused on preparing students for "7th Avenue". The American fashion industry was mainly about sportswear, career wear and appealing to department store buyers. Thus, design students were often directed into creating fashion collections with this target. This didn't necessarily make for an exciting fashion show at graduation, at least in the minds of outside sponsors.

Mr. Rizzo brought in legendary costume designer Donald Brooks to mentor groups of students interested in fantasy costume design. I remember the first year I watched the show before entering the department; it was about giant flowers. In my graduating year, Donald Brooks mentored the theme of "Sabrina" with everyone designing big fantasy vintage styled pink gowns. The costume display always closed out the show. Today's Parsons Fashion Show, the students have a lot more freedom and creative autonomy, so there isn't a rigid sportswear or costume category they are slotted into. They are encouraged to forge their brand and artistic statement.

Frank Rizzo's passing is a huge loss to the American fashion community. It also represents the change of how designers were once trained to get jobs in the industry through their portfolio and professionalism. Now they are prepared to launch their brands with the help of technology and social media. Frank Rizzo's warm nature and respect for all dreamers also showed me how classic style will always be in vogue.

More from Ms. Fabulous:

Remembering Oscar de la Renta

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Parsons Fashion Show 2016: The Textile Artists

Today's Parsons School of Fashion Design show spotlight is on the masters of textile design. Ezra Xia was born and raised in Shenzhen, China, an area that excels in this area of production. She followed in her mother's footsteps of fashion design. Her collection for her thesis involved simple silhouettes, but highly graphic printed fabrics. The fabrics also had a trompe 'loeil effect. Individual motifs within her prints popped out in a 3D quilted effect. Unfortunately, it was a little tough to show that with the runway lighting.

Zuoyu Shi drew from a scientific muse for her graduate thesis. The beautiful prints are actually a result of studying coding, 3D modelling and surface design. Her approach to design is more calculated with the approach in fit and practicality. Her fabric prints have a mathematical look to them. Her collection also explored constructing his garments in a circular, modular system to lengthen their lifespan. As calculated as the backend design was, it takes nothing away at the aesthetic appeal of the final runway look.

all photos by Mariana Leung

It 's hard to ignore the overall influence of the tech world on fashion design. Ace Seongmin Kim took that influence literally in his collection. He likes to use his sense of humor and storytelling in his overall design aesthetic. His menswear incorporated various symbols of tech companies and recognizable Microsoft imagery as a motif in his textile designs. There were printed and beaded suits that incorporated punctation. There was a witty jacket that looked like it was created with overlapping leaves of post-it notes (reminiscent of the post-it war of Downtown NYC) with sporadic prints that look like Windows error messages.

Making your textile prints a signature part of your collection is very smart legally. As I am currently learning in my Fashion Law Institute class, up-and-coming fashion designers have very few protections for their work except to copyright two-dimensional art.

I'm not sure if the graduating fashion design class of Parsons The New School of Design had future legal proceedings in mind when they created their collections. Considering how savvy they all seem to be, I wouldn't be surprised that they have made it and many other decisions as part of their strategy.

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Parsons Fashion Show 2016: The Dreamers

Congratulations to the fashion design graduates of Parsons School of Design. I'll be bringing you my favorite looks from the Parsons Fashion Show 2016. I love seeing how fashion and new designers evolve every year at my alma mater. Today I am showcasing the sculpted wearable art of the fashion dreamers (and my three favorites).

 Jackson Wiederhoeft opened his show with a fantasy video showcasing his "Dollies". The looks were a mix of fairy-tale, Baroque and club kid glam. He loves to explore and blur gender lines, as long as his muse has the right attitude. While his personal collection is closer to costume design, he already has a job lined up developing collections with Thom Browne.

Annie Li designs through emotions and the transformative power of clothing in the realm of art. Her collection played with style lines, silhouette, unusual ways to cover the body and odd proportions. The quirky collection mixes the whimsy of childhood with adult sophistication in the clothing execution. She had some of the prettiest embellishments with embroidery in her applique flowers. She had already won multiple design awards before her graduation and launched her eyewear collection. 

When I first saw the all-ivory knit collection of JZ (aka Sijun Guo), I was impressed at the beautiful silhouettes and mastery of textile. Then, when I saw the back of these dresses I almost fell off my chair. These were walking sculptures of animal heads roaring right off the body. As fantastic as each look was, I can still see many people wearing them. The single neutral color was an apt choice as it made you appreciate the fully dimensional quality of her work. The collection of soft chains and animals had a narrative that expressed her emotion and fine art background in an antidote to the typical "fashion portfolio".

A major difference between when I graduated from Parsons Fashion and now is how savvy designers are in creating their brand. Many of the designers had multi-media presentations and a following on social media already. Many have already been slick about getting press for themselves for their work. This is all before they even graduate. In my time, there was a strong emphasis on designing for "7th avenue". These designers here are following their art and emotion to create their collection.

Stayed tuned for more designers from the Parsons Fashion Show 2016!

All photos by Mariana Leung

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Parsons Fashion Show 2015

You never leave Parsons. That's the tagline the school has promoted and the fact that I was here to support the fashion design class of 2015, well over a decade after my own Parsons fashion graduate show tells you it's true.  The format has changed, the venue has changed, but the spirit is the same.

Technically, this was the 'rehearsal' show in the afternoon. Alumni and press were able to enjoy the actual work of the fashion design graduates in sunlight without the paparazzi, clinking glasses and industry execs talking over themselves.

Unfortunately, I was not given a run of show or designer names during the runway, so if you are a designer, claim your work in the comments so we can recognize you!

The afternoon started with dean Simon Collins bringing out last year's designer of the year Simon Li to catch up on his accomplishments with only one year out of school (considerable). Of course the gala's honoree later that evening was prize alumni Marc Jacobs presented by Anna Wintour. Paper magazine's man about town Mickey Boardman made some off-color jokes to cut the nervous tension of the students in attendance, but unfortunately if flew over their heads, so he got right down to presenting portfolio awards.

As far as the trends I saw coming out of Parsons fashion design, it looked like a focus on texture was key. There was a lot of draped layering on this runway. I saw a lot of mixed fabric weights and textures. Instead of soft draping, there was a lot of sculpted, structured draped silhouettes. There was a lot of play in color or non-colors (creating shapes in white or contrasting black and white).

Congratulations newbies! I have a feeling all of the Parsons Fashion Design Show graduates are going to be okay.

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Coco Rocha's Master Class in the Study of Pose

One of my holiday wish list items I just couldn't wait for was the recently published Study of Pose: 1,000 Poses by Coco Rocha. The Canadian model brought that to life for over 100 students at my alma mater, Parsons The New School for Design last week for an epic live drawing event.

My favorite class by far at Parsons was model drawing. Famous live drawing models at Parsons included Madonna during her early years in New York. Almost every mega-brand fashion designer who Parsons (Alexander Wang, Donna Karan...) also took these classes as a requirement. 

While every student always had favorite models who posed well in our classes, I can't say we really analyzed the art of posing itself. Current Dean Simon Collins hosted a Q & A with Coco Rocha and her collaborator on the book Steven Sebring while artists of many different mediums sketched the model. The best artwork from the event will be shown in an exhibit at the Milk Studio's Ground Floor Gallery launching today.

The book itself holds 1000 beautifully shot poses executed by Coco Rocha herself. I can't even imagine what it would take to be inspired to create that many shapes with your own body. While I don't have as much time as I used to join drawing sessions, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this tome for drawing fashion croquis at home.

For all of you fashion bloggers and #OOTD fans, the challenge has been presented. You now have a textbook to study from. Abandon your cliche teapot stance, no more crossed ankles with your cell phone in a mirror please. I want to see outfit posts on Instagram that push your pose to the limit. 
photos from Stephanie Soto

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Parsons Fashion 2014 - Part Three

Outrageous runway looks are great for editorial, but true clothing design is a much bigger challenge. There were several students at the Parsons Fashion 2014 show who tackled collections for career wear.  How do you make traditional fabrics in basic grey, black and white and make them stand out?  Can one redesign the wheel and make the standard suit unique? 

Yea Jin Song answered this challenge by cutting the separates in unusual proportions.  A cropped jacket with extended shoulders and front piece paired with asymmetrical shorts.  A sculpted, almost origami folded trench paired with a skirt of different lengths. A long draped vest that extends past the skirt and belted tunic.  

David Valencia reinterpreted the basic items of a corporate suit.  The pants are draped wide and folded over like a jacket.  The middle dress is draped like a skirt, but ends in a halter at the neck.  The different shades of cool grey and warm grey end up looking very colorful just because the fabrics are in different temperature groups.

Sara Hoopes took a very zen approach to her group.  Long, flowing dresses had a summery, kimono ease about them.  I love the abstract interpretation of a traditional tie by presenting it as a necklace or scarf.  The foldback half-collar is a nod to a lapel, but not quite.  You could get away with wearing these looks to most creative industry offices, but feel as breezy as yoga wear.

Bravo, Parsons fashion graduates, class of 2014!

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Parsons Fashion 2014 - Part Two

 The wide range of fashion design graduates at Parsons New School of Design wanted to make sure they stood out.  Women's wear is saturated category, so a new designer's collection needs to have details that make it difficult to imitate.  This group of designers went with highly sculpted shapes and artful rendered detail.  Not exactly the clothes you find on the street, but that is a good thing.

Mijia Zhang built up big silhouettes with a combination of natural and brightly colored fur. The quirky combination of sporty stripes and footwear kept the elaborate fur from looking too overbearing or serious.

 Kailen Todt took an artistic approach to her collection.  There were swirls of painted patterns on the fabrics, but then the intricate knits also echoed the painterly approach with crochet  pieces that mirrored the same look.  The result was a gorgeous, body as art canvas effect.

Justin Chu probably took the most risks in deliberate sculpture of the garments.  He built volume through draping, padding, built up swirls and very structured tailoring.  You could even say his models were up on pedestals that unfortunately were toppled over.  The architecturally built shoes they wore presented quite a problem for the models as two of them both fell on their attempts to mount the runway.  They were good sports though, and it brought extra spotlight to the clothes they were wearing.  Based on how interesting the shapes of the collection were, they would have received the attention they deserved anyway.

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Parsons Fashion 2014 - Menswear

 Congratulations designers, you made it.  The fashion design graduates of Parsons New School of Design held its first runway show in its new digs last night.  I'll start with the menswear designers.  As you can see above, there were some dapper collections with some retro intellectual styling by Jennifer Lee and Moon Kyung Hwang.  Another with very effective use of black and white to graphic effect by In Seop Keum.

You had your more artistic collection from Simon Li that played on big wide proportions and variations in dyes and textures.

Then there were these looks by Hye GIn Hamm and Young Ji Cho that mixed sportswear and pajamas.  I wasn't quite sure if this was meant to be humorous or ironic.  The security blanket and pillow made the theme clear.  The clothes themselves were well fit and too tailored to look like they were really meant to be slept in.  However, they do look mighty comfortable right now.

photos by Mariana Leung

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You Never Leave Parsons: 560 Parsons Farewell Party

It's the end of an era on 7th avenue. My alma mater of Parsons School of Design is bidding farewell to their campus at 560 7th avenue and moving downtown. I spent my junior and senior years in this building, draping, drawing, sewing... I made some of my best friends (who still are) within these walls.

Current fashion dean Simon Collins hosted a goodbye party to the space last night on the second floor. To the rest of the world, the second floor of the Parsons School of Design Fashion building is home to the Project Runway fashion shows (and judgement).  In my junior year, it served as the venue for my fashion show too.

On my first day in the fashion department, each student had the opportunity for a one-on-one meet and greet with then department head Stan Herman (now a beloved fashion figure on QVC). I had psyched myself up to present myself as professional and sophisticated, only to have Mr. Herman pinch my cheeks and tell me how adorable I was. I was crushed.  Of course, that made me push harder for the next few years.

My favorite teachers were Steven Broadway in illustration and Maria Laveris in draping.  I was lucky enough to partake in Steven's drawing sessions recently, glad to see he is still inspiring the fabulous in young artists.

Standout moments in my Parsons experience, also turned out to be historical fashion industry ones. The school recruited a few of us to assist former alumni Isaac Mizrahi in dressing his fashion show which ended up as the documentary "Unzipped". One of the first behind-the-scenes reality-style movies that preceded Project Runway by a decade. Of course, the man mentoring the designers, Tim Gunn was at Parsons too but was not yet a part of the fashion department.


In my first semester in the fashion department, I also had the opportunity to volunteer for the CFDA at the first Bryant Park fashion shows when it was called 7th on 6th. A bunch of students were invited to Gianni Versace's first fashion show at New York Fashion Week, which ultimately turned out to be  rare and tragic as he was murdered a few seasons later.


For my senior fashion show, I had two mentors, Tracy Reese and Louis Dell'Olio.  I created a big, dimensional origami bridal dress (long before Galliano and Dior). I also made a tailored jacket/tulle ballgown ensemble that represented both the bride AND the groom (with marriage equality progress, I would like to think this was heralding good things to come). A newly single Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson was Tommy Hilfiger's date and sat in the front row.

I don't know how I will feel walking into that building on the corner of 40th street and knowing it is no longer my former home. With the "Garment Center" rapidly disappearing, the departure of my former school feels like the end of an era.

Did you go to Parsons? What were your favorite memories?

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The Passion For Fashion

It is the first official day of New York Fashion Week.  I won’t count on getting much sleep and diving into an onslaught of runway show after runway show.  I will spend most of it trekking from venue to venue dragging my gear with me.  I will likely be stepped on, kicked, condescended to, sneered at or ignored.  Why? I love fashion.

If you work in the fashion industry as long as I have, you understand that you are subjecting yourself to backstabbing, long hours and low pay compared to the cushy career paths of your non-“Garmento” friends.  The only reason to put up with this is because you truly believe in the beauty of fashion.

 I attempted to make little garments for my stuffed animals in grade school.  Ironically, I was not allowed to own a Barbie doll because my mother did not want me growing up to be obsessed with shallow endeavors like clothes and make-up.  #FAIL.

In high school, I started my own accessories line using origami and jewelry.  Attending the fledgling trade show at the Toronto Convention Center that served as the city’s only fashion week at the time cemented my passion for the industry.  I knew I wanted to create or share the beautiful work that went into the great design.

At Parsons School of Design, I created dresses that had a sense of humor or worked in an artisanal craft.  I loved dressing models backstage at Bryant Park for Isaac Mizrahi, or showing off the Carmen Marc Valvo collection to buyers in his showroom.

Now I consult with my favorite designers or new start-ups to help bring their collection inspiration to the stores as a textile or technical designer.  As a blogger and photographer, I have the joy of shooting my favorite collections from the front row and helping others appreciate the work that went into them!

Confucius was quoted along the lines of “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”   I disagree.  Anyone who loves fashion, works their ass off and will always do so.

Do you work in fashion?  What fuels your love of style?

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Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Nissan via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Nissan.

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Parsons Fashion Design - Menswear 2013

Ah the gentlemen from the Parsons School of Design were  stylish lot.  Payton Frantzen mixed color and shiny leathers into the collection of jumpsuits.  The overall aesthetic reminded me of a luxe gas pump jacket of the future.

Yunxiang Sharon Zhou relied on asymmetrical proportions using traditional menswear fabrics.  The fit was relaxed and helped by surprises in headwear.  The dip dyed sleeves on the shirt was a nice touch.  I'm not sure the silhouettes are ready for the American market, but the collection looked comfortable.

 Patrick McCabe of Memphis had a modern take on formal wear.  The high contrast suits were young, fresh and I can totally see these on the red carpet.

Sang Hup Park took cozy, woolly menswear fabrics and designed a collection that turned classic menswear proportions around.  A dropped waist belted coat with over-sized pocket or a blazer with giant wrap collar looked avant-garde but completely wearable for the sophisticated man.  I totally see Barney's picking this label up. 

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Parsons Fashion Design - Class of 2013 Part Two

When I was at Parsons, the joke was that our school colors were black and grey.  It DID seem to be the uniform of the fashion industry back in the late 90's.  However, some of the graduating fashion  class of Parsons School of Design proved that color is the way to go.

The first group on the runway was an adorable children's collection.  The designer mixed up the rpints and accessorized with huge flowers for a cheerful presentation.

The group here mixed dimensional appliques with different textures of patent leather and quilting.  It had the look of arts and crafts meets rebel punk.

These were some of my favorites.  Fitted, sporty looks mixed with pop culture icons worked into religious icons as motifs.  It would seem gimmicky if the silhouettes weren't so flattering.

Bravo class of 2013!

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Parsons Fashion Show - Part One

My alma mater, Parsons School of Design held its fashion show for the class of 2013 last night.  The evening honored Patrick Robinson and attracted other Parsons alumni like Proenza Schouler. The first batch of designers here were all about a technique.  They took high tech and classic treatments and created a mini collection around it.

Sharon Yumen Wang above was about making sculpture out of pleats.  He used wide, sharp pleats and wound them around the body in different ways to in a grey, black and white palette.

Francine Frolich incorporated digital printing and laser cutting.  She took architectural forms and used them as motif and almost like armor when worn on the body.  I'm not sure how comfortable they were to wear, but I can say I haven't seen this on a runway before.

 Connie de la Cruz from the Domincan Republic also used digital printing.  He then took the printed fabric and manipulated it with bold solid colors for an easy sportswear look.

This collection by Jasmine Plantin was all about thick, woolly embroidery contrasted with sheer, light fabric.  The dark, natural colors and the swirled patterns looked a lot like an elevation map to me.  While the silhouettes were very simple, the looks were very effective.  It's hard to make embroidery look masculine, but this group made it work.

Stay tuned for more graduate work!  Good luck to all of the designers!

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Fashion Sketch Meetup - Would You Rock This

Love fashion illustration?  It's an art that is both rare, but highly evolved over the past few years.  Would You Rock This is a website that celebrates amazing fashion artists of all styles.  The site lets you join a community where you are invited to exhibits and events for fashion illustration.  You can vote on whose style is your favorite or buy prints.

During NY Fashion week, artists were invited to create fashion sketches live during fashion shows.  I joined their Meetup group to take part in some of their events.  My first was this past Sunday, with a sketching session hosted by Steven Broadway, my beloved fashion portfolio teacher many years ago from Parsons.  (Yep, those are my little sketches from the session above).

His flair and encouragement made his class the one I always looked forward to each week.  He played club music to keep it festive.  This session was no different.  He had three different models on hand offering diverse looks.  Clothing-wise, he offered a wide range of clothing to sketch, from evening wear, punk, office looks or fur.

While in school, our class stuck to assigned media. The artists in this class had a large range of materials, from painting, digital tablets, charcoal to markers.  It was really good to sketch by hand with a model again.

Check out this video tutorial about using markers from Steven Broadway:

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Tim Gunn's Fashion Bible: Release Party

 

Tuesday night, I paid a visit to my alma mater, Parsons at the The New School.  I was there to celebrate the book release of former faculty Tim Gunn's Fashion Bible.

Long before becoming a mentor on Project Runway, Tim Gunn was the calming, intelligent influence in The New School's administration.  He quickly boned up on all things fashion when he took over as dean of the fashion department after I graduated, (CFDA's Stan Herman was dean during my time).  I love that he recognizes certain aspects of the fashion industry are ridiculous (I'm talking about you Anna Wintour).  He may be a contemporary fashion icon, but he still lists "Educator" first among his various titles on Twitter.

His new book definitely shows his academic roots.  Tim Gunn's Fashion Bible, tag line "The Fascinating History of Everything in Your Closet" thoroughly explores the origins of iconic fashion items and their influence on modern dress.  Be prepared for a smarter, thoughtful commentary on fashion than your typical celebrity style guide.

A perfect tome to smarten up for NY Fashion week, all of his books can be purchased here.

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