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All articles from: January, 2010

Amsterdam Fashion Week: A few initial thoughts

By admin on January 28, 2010 0 Comments

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Lady Gaga meets Mad Max (scary!) at Karssenberg/Greidanus

The official magazine for Amsterdam International Fashion Week features a really candid interview with The New York Times critic Cathy Horyn, who, by the way, is not here covering the shows. Perhaps the interview was an attempt to let her know that the fashion week here exists. The first question in the Q&A asks her what her impression of Dutch fashion is. Cathy’s answer: “I really do not have any impression of it. Viktor and Rolf — that is about it, but i do not think of them as Dutch. Maybe more when they started out, but they got absorbed into the world of Paris fashion quickly, like a lot of people do.”


I’ve only been here for two days but have seen a wide variety of work. Some collections had really pretty moments (Jan Taminiau’s shield-like dresses, which had just shown in Paris for couture days earlier) and some had pretty bad ones (”I feel like I’m at a shopping mall fashion show,” one New York journalist whispered in my ear tonight.)  With so many cities having launched their own fashion weeks in the last five to ten years, it can be difficult knowing what to pay attention to and what to take seriously. A few (Stockholm, Berlin and Copenhagen) are beginning to distinguish themselves from the others with impressive homegrown talent and a tightly knit industry to support it. Amsterdam hasn’t gotten there quite yet.

While talking to the director of programming of Amsterdam’s Fashion Week, she admitted that the city doesn’t have a fashion council of designers that nurtures emerging talent and mentors them on how to grow their business. Based on the wide range of skill levels I’ve seen over the last two days and how few designers here are actually selling their work in stores, it looks like they could really use one. With solid funding, a full roster of sponsors (Volvo, Redken, Maybelline, the list goes on), and slick venues, the city seemingly has the potential to attract more international attention. And in this day of the Internet, it shouldn’t be very hard.

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Clean lines and clinical whites at Elsien Gringhuis
Categorised as: fashion

Today’s pick: Dying for the sun

By admin on January 27, 2010 0 Comments

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Hi from Holland! I’m here in chilly Amsterdam for the city’s newish fashion week (we’re going catwalk crazy this winter!) and dreaming of the sun. Granted the blanket of snow here is quite beautiful, but the cold has me wishing that I were digging my toes in hot sand on a beach right now. I’d be wearing one of those ’70s style maxi dresses that I’ve been seeing in stores lately. Hannah MacGibbon kicked the trend off with her fall ‘09 collection for Chloé and the skirt lengths and proportions have been gradually getting longer and fuller ever since (have a look at the floor-grazing numbers that Riccardo Tisci showed in his Givenchy couture collection this week.) The above dresses, by Topshop, Chloé, and Fendi respectively, will be perfect for catching a slow breeze come summer.

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Boys club: The men’s shows report

By admin on January 26, 2010 0 Comments

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(clockwise from top) Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry Prorsum, Giorgio Armani and Dior Homme

The paradigm has finally flipped. Instead of designers telling shoppers what to wear, the men’s autumn 2010 collections in Milan and Paris showed that the customer’s need for comfort, versatility and longevity in his purchases is often more important than seasonal trends. As designers strive for more commercially viable collections, customers will see relaxed, comfortable proportions, vintage military details and heritage-based looks in stores come fall. Here we look at some of the season’s standouts so far.

Sportswear Revival
This season sportswear and outerwear took precedence over tailored suiting. Even Armani, the master of the suit, showed a predominance of relaxed looks with soft shoulder slopes in cashmeres and silks. Thom Browne for Moncler Gamme Bleu approached this trend from the other end with winter wear tailored as impeccably as any suit with down blazers, performance-ready anoraks, and quilted trousers.

Military Coup
The ’80’s influence of the past few years has finally been usurped by a military coup inspired by the ’30’s and ’40’s. From oversized officer coats at Lanvin to army green great coats and Royal Airforce flying jackets at Burberry Prorsum, fashion’s collective homage to the troops just gets bigger and bigger. Key looks include shearling-lined boots, leather and waxed cotton outerwear and the ever-popular shoulder epaulette.

Heralds of Heritage
Designers this season looked to their roots. Standout examples include Dolce & Gabanna, who focused on their Sicilian work wear heritage, reinforced at their show with a huge screen playing scenes from Sicilian epic movie Baaria. Prada also revisited her roots with a men’s collection that hit notes of ’70’s kitsch in a subdued and commercially balanced manner. Gucci, always the pinnacle of panache for the jet-setting playboy, showed velvet blazers, fringed scarves and amazing weekender bags perfectly sized for a private jet.

Cautious with Color
The colors of the season were soft and accessible, centered in shades of olive, coffee, charcoal and taupe. These base colors were highlighted with strokes of burgundy, camel and cream, as seen at Jil Sander and surprisingly even in the usually all black collections of Dior Homme. The preponderance of neutrals shows that designers understand that men want versatility in their wardrobes and are investment-shopping in key pieces that will last years instead of trending out after a season.


-by Louis Monoyudis
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Boys club: Fun with hair cutz

By admin on January 26, 2010 0 Comments

For the longest, I’ve known my fiance, Matt, as the lovable artist, surfer, skater, fixed gear bike rider guy with the longish hair. His hair seemed to be the perfect symbol of all of his life passions to me. One look at it and the art, surf, skateboard thing became clear. Then we moved to London and he cut it all off. And suddenly he looked very retro in a bicycle polo player way. And then, he surprised me with this haircut this weekend:

kenyacutz.jpgCrazy, right?!?! We were on the tube after he left the barbershop and an African man walked up and gave Matt a fist bump. It turns out the man was from Kenya. And speaking of barbershops, Matt decided not to go to his fancy Shoreditch salon and went to a barbershop called “Kriss Kutz” instead. Because where else could he get the ’80s style block letters just so? Hilarious. Matt has been threatening to have my name shaved on his head ever since a vacation we took to the Amalfi Coast in Italy. While on the beach, he tagged his intentions on a rock, which he now keeps on a bookshelf in his studio. 

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So in retrospect, I should have seen this coming.

Categorised as: fashion

More for Haiti Relief: BlissSpa and a new initiative in London

By admin on January 25, 2010 0 Comments

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The number of fashion and beauty brands donating to Haiti relief grows. Bliss is donating 75% of sales of its Glamour Gloves and Softening Socks to rebuilding the devastated country. Meanwhile, Naomi Campbell, Yasmin LeBon and Erin O’Connor met up with Sarah Brown at Somerset House today to announce Fashion for Relief Haiti 2010, a charity runway show that will raise money for the earthquake victims. I’ll update with details as soon as I know more. But it’s nice to see fashion types banding together for the effort on this side of the pond. Perhaps the fashion industry in New York** will make a similar move soon?
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**It turns out the Fashion for Relief show will be taking place during New York Fashion Week on February 12. Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, will host it. A second Fashion for Relief show will happen during London Fashion Week on February 18.

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Interview: Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair on Stockholm Syndrome

By admin on January 25, 2010 0 Comments

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Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair By the No. spring/summer ‘10
With Stockholm Fashion Week just days away, it’s hard to ignore the city’s growing global fashion influence. I traveled to the now very cold and dark city to meet some of Sweden’s brightest emerging talents who are poised to push the concept of Scandinavian style even further. My first stop, was Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair, aka the married design duo Astrid Olsson and Lee Cotter. They’re two of those quintessentially Swedish talents who manage to merge conflicting ideas in a way that makes sense. Their six-year-old label is equal parts challenging and complex, accessible and minimal. If Comme des Garçons and Jil Sander had a baby, it would look like this.

You both worked in totally different areas of fashion (Astrid was a tailor and Lee a retail buyer), what prompted you to go into design?

Lee: It started out with our dream of being able to design our own things.

Astrid: Not having to be too commercial and just making what we wanted.

Lee: And then it kind of emerged into a business and we changed and evolved. Now we have the commercial ready-to-wear part and then we have our line, Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair By the No. which is much more experimental.


Astrid: With the By the No. line, we’re not focused on making money at all.

Your brand name has been on the tongues of many of the people our street style photographers shoot in various countries. Are you ever surprised by the reach your brand has?

Astrid: It’s funny because all of a sudden we started getting these big requests from these really big magazines wanting to borrow ten outfits from the fashion show. And I’m like, ‘how do they even know about us?’ Some of the things we do is for a very small group of people. Not everyone will appreciate. Not everyone wears layers and layers. So if there are more people watching what we do, maybe our work will live for that much longer. We try to do timeless pieces.


Lee: We would really suck at doing trendy things. We have more fun trying to make the perfect white shirt, and then deconstructing it, and assembling it again. I think we live in Sweden and we think that no one sees us–

Astrid: We’re in this very small country, very cold, in the north.

Lee: So we think we can do whatever we want because no one will see it anyway. And then you pop up in magazines and articles and it’s fantastic. 

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Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair spring/summer ‘10


But Sweden has been growing as a fashion force for several years now. Why do you think the city’s moment is happening now as opposed to, say, ten years ago?

Lee: It’s interesting because it’s like planting a seed in soil that you don’t think you could grow anything in. But I think there is a small group of intellectuals who like art, music, design and architecture who have sprung out of it. I think we’re a bit weirder than the other Swedish brands, which tend to be very clean cut.

Astrid: And I think that now, with the Internet, it’s easier for things to go global. Swedish people are very sort of — not too bossy, not taking too much space, not saying, “I’m the greatest designer in the world.” That kind of thing. But now with the Internet I think we’re seeing that it’s possible to sell things all over the world. 


What is it about Swedish fashion that sets it apart from that of other cities?

Astrid: I’d say the price levels. If you look at Scandinavian fashion and compare it to the rest of the world, it’s a special segment. Scandinavians don’t spend the kind of money on their wardrobes that people in other countries do. We have a lot of chain stores where you can get your fashion very cheap here.

Lee: In Scandinavia in general, you get a lot of fashion for the money you spend compared to a lot of other countries.

Astrid: It’s partly because the Swedish are very practical. As you’ve probably seen while you’ve been here, the mothers get their kids, do their own shopping and clean their own house.

Lee: This isn’t a dry cleaning culture.
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London: Tweeds and plaids

By admin on January 25, 2010 0 Comments

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Name: Kiko Caruso
Occupation: DJ by night, retail manager by day
What he’s wearing: “The hat, jacket, shirt, cardigan, trousers, and shoes are all by JS Dundee.”
His favorite trend: “Tweed and tartan. I like the Scottish gentleman look.”

-by Wayne Tippetts

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NYFW countdown: First timers!

By admin on January 25, 2010 0 Comments

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Bess, our favorite go-to for all things studded is making its NYFW debut next month. The married duo Douglas and Bess Abraham have earned a serious fashion following for their customized vintage one-off pieces (their Lafayette Street store in downtown Manhattan stocks everything from denim to boots with a punk edge.) Their fan base includes industry majors Marc Jacobs, Carine Roitfeld, Alexander Wang, and Hedi Slimane, among others. With all of that said, we’re guessing it’s safe to assume that the brand will be outgrowing its under-the-radar-status soon.

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Fashion month: Coming soon…

By admin on January 22, 2010 0 Comments

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The notoriously clever fashion illustrator behind Humor Chic, AlexSandro Palombo, has been cooking up something fun for our fashion month preview supplement. Can’t wait to show it to you. Soon come.

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Fashion month: It’s baaaaaack

By admin on January 22, 2010 0 Comments

KenyaParis.jpgThat’s me looking bedraggled at the end of Paris Fashion Week, last season. Notice the frizzy hair and dust marks on the toes of my Miu Mius. I think I had literally tripped right before this photo was taken. Sigh.

It’s showtime again!

During an idle water cooler conversation, a co-worker asked what I had been up to this month. I told her I was preparing for the annual round of international fashion weeks and a grueling month on the road. “It’s time for that again?” she asked. The collections really sneak up on you.

Here’s how it generally goes: you’re on holiday for a chunk of August, enjoying the sun on whatever beach and soaking up the last remnants of summer when — BAM! — you come back to the office, more tanned, but with only a few weeks left to send out show requests, plan out preview stories and sort out schedules for the spring shows… which naturally kick off in September. And then life gets crazy, traveling from one collection to another, scrambling to find your seat without falling over someone’s oversized, over-priced, handbag on the floor (because there’s always a handbag on the floor) getting lost trying to find that obscure off-site show (because your cab driver has never even heard of that address in the umpteenth district of Paris), and trying your best to remain upright and dignified on treacherous cobblestones past a small crowd of street style photographers without busting your arse (because even though you know them all, the street style photographers still make you feel like a freshman in high school being sized-up!)

And the cycle repeats itself when the Christmas and New Year festivities come around. All is fun and good and then — POW! — a rude awakening to the New Year in the form of a teensy window of time to complete all planning for the autumn shows. You get the idea.

At the moment, my team and I are still stinging from the POW! and wishing that the Christmas break lasted just a little bit longer. That said it should be an eventful show season. And, of course, we’ve got lots of fantastic preview bits coming up.


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