#10 SEYRIG video look book!

 Hello all,

 So below is a link to a video look book that my classmates and I made for Seyrig's F/W 2011 men's collection! For those of you unfamiliar with Seyrig, it is a brand new and upcoming New York-based fashion house located in the heart of the East Village. Seyrig opened its doors to the public this fall, thanks to the creative genius of Michael Quilty and Benjamin Ruhland. I expect great things from them as they make beautiful, good quality clothing. This is their men's lookbook and while they do carry women's wear as well, I just can't get enough of their comfy men's sweaters and cardigans that also look great on ladies!

The video was filmed on a sunny day on my Brooklyn loft rooftop....hope you like it!

 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHPH72ETm7o

Thanks for watching!

#9 Fashion shows, but with a new format

Hello all,

So today I felt like talking about how the world of fashion shows has been changing so drastically. This is partly due to the constant need to evolve, but is also largely influenced by technology and all that it can do to enhance a show. These days it seems not quite enough to have just the traditional format show, to really make a splash designers need to find a new medium. Whether it be a new way of displaying models, a far out terrain for them to walk, or a dramatic technological spin, the top shows are not what they used to be!

Along these lines is one that particularly strikes my interest. Burberry. A company that has gone has gone through some pretty big transitions in the last five years with the changing of CEO's in 2006. Angela Ahrendts, the new CEO, has been credited with being the reenergizer of the company. Burberry is no longer just viewed as that old traditional British fashion staple. They have made some big changes to their clothing but also to their PR/marketing and fashion shows.  Below is a picture of Piccadilly Circus in London (the city's busiest intersection) while Burberry live streamed the fall/winter 2011 show for thousands to watch!

photo: www.sassybella.com

 

This move was huge as it brought so much attention to the show and ended up winning them the honor of being given the title of Most Innovative Fashion Brand. Coming in 13th overall for Most Innovative Company behind the likes of such power companies as Groupon, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Apple, and IMG.

photo: www.fastcompany.com

 Above is a photo of CEO Angela Ahrendts who has been pushing the company to be slightly edgier and much more innovative. In early 2010, she made sure Burberry was the first to simulcast its runway shows in 3-D. She also invited Elle's Joe Zee and blogger Bryanboy to take over its Twitter account to tweet the luxe Prorsum collection. She has also made technology available to the customers, allowing them to instantly order runway items via iPads from the catwalk. All of these are a great addition to fashion shows.

I am definitely excited to see what is to come from both Burberry and the world of fashion shows next!

#8 A Lookbook with a cause...

Elkin! 

Maybe I'm out of the loop but I'd never heard of this amazing brand before! For those of you who have also been missing out, let me fill you in. 

Elkin is an art-based women's ready to wear line that creates intensely interesting and feminine clothing. To make it more interesting, they base each collection off of a literary genre and pull from cinema, music, and fine art. According to their website(http://elkincollection.com), they are inspired by "lingerie, literature, and late nights". As if that didn't sound awesome enough, they also work along side an organization called H.O.P.E (Helping Other People Everywhere) so that for each Elkin item purchased, a children's book is donated through the program to bring literature and art to children in need. hopecampaign.org is the site to check out learn more about this great program.

But going back to the clothing,this season's theme is the American frontier and the bad girls who ran the town.

Here is a video of their S/S 2012 lookbook:

Elkin S/S 2012 video lookbook

And here are some stills from their adorable lookbook....

 

 

all stills from refinery29.com

Pretty cute right? Even though its mainly neutrals which as may be visible from my previous posts, aren't usually my thing, it somehow completely works for me with this brand. They make for such an interesting and slightly vintage looking style suitable for any occasion.

And why not help a child in need get a nice book??

#7 Lanvin Trunk Shows!

Lanvin fall 2011

 The lovely Alber Elbaz

 Hello all,

So this week I felt like talking about Lanvin trunk shows. While there are tons of good trunk shows happening right now, I felt like looking back at the trunk shows Lanvin did last spring for this season's line. Not only am I in love with Alber Elbaz and what he has done for Lanvin, but I am in love with his style of show.  He did one at the Bowery Hotel last spring that was absolutely wild and can be perfectly summed up in craziness with this quote:

"It's not about Marilyn Monroe moving to India and having an acid trip"

I don't know about you guys but I thought that was an amazing thing to say about one's own show!

To top off my love for Lanvin, I discovered that around the same time last spring that he did a NYC show, he also did one in...Seattle! Being a Pacific North Westener, I was absolutely shocked by this. What a strange move for this huge European brand to go all the way out to Washington State! This kind of accessibility was a great move in my opinion for the brand as it promotes exposure and expansion in a part of the country that does not always get the hottest and newest.

Below are some photos from his trunk shows and the Fall 2011 line:

 

Fall '11 Lanvin at the Seattle trunk show last spring.

(all photos courtesy of style.com)

And oh yes...Elbaz made the bold choice to use animals in modeling his Fall 2011 line!

So my advice, go check out some Lanvin. Even if not to purchase the clothing, following Elbaz alone is worth it! From far out small city trunk shows to models and wild animals, Elbaz and Lanvin as a whole keep you on your toes!

#6 An Amazing Runway Collection by Anna Sui.

Hello all,

So this week when trying to decide which runway show I felt like dissecting, I stumbled upon something for lack of a better word...fun! Anna Sui is someone I for some strange reason don't think of that often but obviously should. She is loud and creative and definitely unique in a way that I just can't get enough of! Here is a video from her Spring 2012 show:

 

Anna Sui Spring 2012 

This show definitely brings something a little different to the mix with her very 1960's inspired hats and patterns. I love that this vintage inspiration seems to be popping up all over the place, something that had been on the rise for some time but was catapulted into success in the mainstream by the television show Mad Men. Here are some highlights from her show that I feel perfectly encapsulate this hat wearing, patterned, red lipped look so reminiscent of the past:

 

*All photos courtesy of mbfashionweek.com

As you can see she plays well on color and length of her pieces adding many different layers for complexity and femininity. She pares them with great accessories (flowers, shoes, interesting stockings) and then tops it off with my favorite part of her line...the hats! A move that I think is definitely key to the success of her show, every model walks the runway with either an intricate hat, or a hair accessory of some type. Very vintage glamor and very stylish.

Does this make anyone else want to bring on the hats, flowers and red lipstick? It certainly makes me want to!

#5 Big color for Fall 2012?!

 Colors, colors, colors, so I for one think that there has been too much neutral in the air! I think that fall 2012 is a time for bright and vivid colors. I've been seeing this as a recurring theme both on the runways and on the streets. Sharp reds, bright oranges, turquoises, an array of greens, and...purples...

Photo Source: http://www.millionlooks.com

Photo Source: http://www.millionlooks.com

 

 

 

Seems like these designers agree as the runways have been full of bold and bright colors!

Just yesterday I saw an ad for the new Uniqlo store that emphasized their great new colored pants....these "colors" consisted of nothing but neutrals. Not that I don't enjoy a neutral but there should also be a little excitement and pop to a wardrobe. I remember a couple of years a go Uniqlo had a line of jeans in practically every color. What happened to those days?
I think people are definitely ready and feeling the bold colors, especially in fall when we are about to submerge ourselves into the gloomiest of all seasons!
Now generally it is wise to be careful when using bright colors, being aware of paring them with something more basic is important. This is, unless you want to try going for the bold color-mixing look that has been seen lately...

Photo Source: ouchmagazine.com

Photo Source: http://www.artrick-playground.com

Done right,  these color clashes can look amazing as you can see from these pictures.

So whether you want to mix and match colors, or just stick to one bold choice, I suggest you all go out and grab some color for your wardrobe!

#4 NYC Street Fashion as Seen Through my Phone's Camera...

So as I went for a walk around the streets of Brooklyn the other day, I found a couple girlies that I found absolutely adorable. They both had cute fashion sense and awesome long wavy hair.

Meet Rachel:

She's a graphic designer that lives just a few minutes off Bedford Ave. in Williamsburg. She was embracing the blazer meets casual attire look that I love! Blazers are so great for making an everyday outfit look amazing. She also has the extremely long wavy hair look that I think is so hip and cute.

 

Meet Haley:

She is a hairstylist in Soho and knows how to dress well (and affordably!) She was wearing cute high waisted skinny jeans (Urban Outfitters), and a cute striped tank and vintage sun glasses both found at Beacon's Closet for under 20 dollars! On top of that I thought she also had a very stylish haircut
(although hard to see in the picture as it was extremely windy down by the water in Dumbo) with choppy bangs and the same long waves. All in all cute look!

So many stylish people on the streets of NYC...