miércoles, 2 de junio de 2010

Jake Davis Test Shots: Katherine Elkington” y 11 mas

Jake Davis Test Shots: Katherine Elkington” y 11 mas

Jake Davis Test Shots: Katherine Elkington

Posted: 02 Jun 2010 04:46 AM PDT

Jake Davis Test Shots: Katharine Elkington from Jake Davis on Vimeo.

In the second installment of Jake’s test shots for Fashionista, he captures Katharine Elkington, an up-and-coming model/actress who hangs out downtown and occasionally bartends at Sweet and Vicious.

Katherine’s wearing a leather motorcycle jacket from Zara, a white pocket t-shirt from Alexander Wang, vintage Levi’s from Opening Ceremony, and white canvas shoes from Payless.

Check back weekly for a new It girl. And for daily inspiration, you can visit Jake on Jakedavis.typepad.com, or follow him on Twitter @jakedavisfilms.

Avelle’s CEO on Why Bag, Borrow or Steal Was a Crappy Name, and More

Posted: 01 Jun 2010 04:00 PM PDT



I remember quite vividly surfing Bag, Borrow or Steal during my first year of full-time work. The site had just launched, and despite its unfortunate design, I found it to be quite cheeky–and in many ways, appealing. And although I never could bring myself to take the plunge, I knew plenty of women who “borrowed” one of the company’s bags for weeks at a time, whether it was for job interviews or big meetings.

So I was pretty shocked when Bag, Borrow or Steal decided to change its name to Avelle in 2008, shortly after its prominent mention in the first Sex and the City movie. Sure, BBS isn’t the the most glamorous moniker, but it was catchy, and people knew what it meant.

Since then, Avelle kind of fell off the map. Well, at least that’s what it felt like.

But it seems my instincts may have been incorrect. Recently, I chatted with Avelle CEO Michael J. Smith, who attempted to set me straight on what the brand’s been up to. While I still don’t fully agree with the name change, Smith, previously president of Nordstrom.com, made a compelling argument in its favor. Here’s my Q&A with the exec:

Fashionista: So, let’s get it out of the way. What’s up with the name change? And why do it right after you just got a ton of press from Sex and the City?
Avelle CEO Michael J. Smith: Well, we actually decided to change the name a year before Sex and the City. They wanted to stick with Bag, Borrow or Steal, which we understood. The reason we changed the name? We were expanding beyond handbags, into home, accessories, luggage, all kind of product. It was a mouthful for people–they were continually getting it wrong. We just felt that Avelle was more consistent with a high-end luxury brand. And it’s gone about as well as a name change can go.

Can you give me a snapshot of how the company is doing financially? Just within the past week, we added hundreds of new products to the site. Anything else out there pales in comparison, short of full-on department stores. And were adding new members everyday, with thousands of members using the site daily.

Are you profitable? We’re cash flow positive, but we’re building up inventory, so a lot of that money goes back into the business. We’ve been tracking EBITA positive [a fancy way of saying earnings before the deduction of interest, tax and amortization expenses] for quite some time.

So, the company’s doing well. That means that you’re planning on selling it to a bigger company or taking it public. Any idea which?
It’s definitely one of the two. We raised quite a bit of money ($15 million in 2007 alone) and investors expect something in return. But the current focus is still growing the company. Before we decide on our exit, it’s best to focus on the business first. We get call all the time with people interested in buying. We just don’t spend that much time on that. We have really supportive, great investors that really understand the space. And we have investors from all over the world.

Do you plan on taking the service international, then? We’re not a huge company. The business is pretty complicated once you get out of your home country. Netflix, Nordstrom are just tackling that now. We’re not at that level yet.

What’s next for Avelle? Will you take on Rent the Runway and start renting clothing? You know, when we survey customers, clothing is on the list of items they’d like to see on Avelle, but it’s nowhere near number one. And it’s not on one of our top five things to do next. The average life of clothing is not as long–the apparel cleaning and repair service requires a completely different set of skills.



Underpinnings & Overcoats in Wonderland

Posted: 01 Jun 2010 02:45 PM PDT

Racked Dealfeed: Opening Ceremony, Dolce Vita, and Toms Shoes

Posted: 01 Jun 2010 02:30 PM PDT



Opening Ceremony
Deal: 30% to 50% off names like Band of Outsiders, Jeremy Scott, Alexander Wang, Patrik Ervell, and Pendleton, plus of course the Opening Cermony in-house line
When/Where: Ongoing. Soho: Mon—Sat 11am—8pm, Sun noon—7pm, 35 Howard St between Broadway and Crosby St (212-219-2688.) Ace Hotel: Sun—Tues 10am—9pm, Weds 11am—7pm, Thurs—Sat 11am—10pm. 1190-1192 Broadway between 28th and 29th Sts, New York. (646-695-5680)

Dolce Vita
Deal: $25 off any purchase of $100, $50 off any purchase of $200, $80 off any purchase of $300, and $115 off any purchase of $400
When/Where: Saturday, May 28 through Tuesday, June 1. Mon—Sat noon—8pm, Sun noon—7pm. 149 Ludlow St between Stanton and Rivington (212-529-2111) and 159 1/2 Ludlow St between Stanton and Rivington, New York. (212-475-0565)

Toms Shoes
Deal: Enter code MEMORIAL at checkout to get $5 off any pair of Toms Shoes
When/Where: Ends June 6, 2010, and it’s online!

Revlon Makes Scented Nail Polish–Brilliant, or Crazy?

Posted: 01 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT



This morning I sat in on a beauty brunch at Revlon’s New York headquarters, discussing new products for SS10. There were the Revlon mainstays of mascara, lip stain, and a special collection by Gucci Westman (which is gorgeous), but also a line of scented nail polishes.

I can’t help but think that there’s a lot wrong with this idea. Firstly, nail polish fumes are toxic, and while Revlon’s polish is marketed to be smelled when dry, inevitably people are going to sniff it in the bottle, as many women did this morning. Encouraging people to intently smell toxic fumes is a bad idea on every count.

But let’s get on to the actual smell. On one hand, the scent lasts for five days, making it a perma-perfume, which would save you a ton of money on Chanel No. 5. But it also comes in scents like Grape Icy, Ocean Breeze, and Beach, which we don’t think anyone has wanted to smell like since Kramer.

The colors range from shimmery acid green (very Shrek for OPI) to a feminine pink and a shocking red that are perfect for daily wear. So we ask, would you rock Revlon’s scented polish or are you sticking to regular scentless polishes this summer?

Street Style: Bronwen Adores YSL and Stefano

Posted: 01 Jun 2010 01:30 PM PDT



Name: Bronwen

Age: 25

What do you do? I'm a stylist’s assistant.

If you could spend the day with anyone in the fashion industry who would it be? Yves Saint Laurent or Stefano Pilati.

What is your favorite magazine? Purple

What is your current favorite song? "Whatcha Say” by Jason Derulo

Describe your style: Stripped down, tough and classic.

Where is your dress from? It's vintage Liz Claiborne.

Where is your backpack from? Target!

The CFDA Journal Features Alex Wang, Joseph Altuzurra and Marc Jacobs…Sort Of

Posted: 01 Jun 2010 01:00 PM PDT



The CFDA has released images from its annual journal, which will be dolled out at next Monday’s awards ceremony. Shot by Sølve Sundsbø and styled by Lori Goldstein, Trey Laird of Laird+Partners did the creative direction.

We’re huge fans of Alex Wang’s page, which includes his six best friends from high school. We’re also loving Prabal Gurung’s image. It’s so ’80s–in a good way. Marc Jacobs is absent in his story, save for a dozen or so Xerox scans of his face, held up by models donning fur coats.

We’re looking forward to showing you the rest of the catalog after next week’s show, but until then, check out these stills!

Would You Rather…? The Angels Go Blonde Edition

Posted: 01 Jun 2010 12:30 PM PDT



Would you rather see Alessandra Ambrosio don her blonde wig in Industrie #1 or Miranda Kerr play good girl gone blonde in Numero #114?

Ask Chris Benz: Help, I’m Stranded in Seattle!

Posted: 01 Jun 2010 11:30 AM PDT



The first installment of Chris Benz’s new advice column for Fashionista:

Dear Mr. Benz,

I know your aesthetic is influenced a lot by your Seattle upbringing, which has been fully cultivated by your design education and impressive internship experience. Do you have any advice for Seattle students who love fashion but have no access to those kinds of opportunities, which are usually pricey and in New York?

Thanks,

Stranded-In-Seattle

(P.S. Keep up the phenomenal work! You give Seattleites hope!)

Dear Stranded -

It doesn't seem that long ago that I was having the same feelings as you! Seattle is definitely much slower-paced than some of the (other) fashion capitols, but it is not without a very special, unique style. I immersed myself in magazines and books growing up in Seattle, camped out at Bauhaus Coffee with a stack of the most recent issues of every magazine I could get my hands on. There's a lot of fantasy and comfort in your imagination, so don't be afraid to let it run wild, even when your environment may not feel inspiring.

Being around clothes is an integral part of your fashion education. Get yourself into every store that you can, try things on to understand fit, turn them inside out to see how they're made. Seattle has loads of terrific stores for this, from department stores (Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Barneys, etc.) to specialty boutiques like Mario's. The Blackbird stores in Ballard are especially chic, I think, for all sorts of stylish paraphernalia!

Now more than ever, the ability to shine as an individual is attainable despite your location; start up a blog with all of your stylish pursuits and inspirations, create your own world, follow people you admire on Twitter and never stop learning and reinventing yourself.

So, keep smiling and keep your eyes and heart open. By merely unleashing your stylish self into the universe, only more style and opportunity will come to you.

xx
CB

Adventures in Copyright: Miu Miu vs. La Diva

Posted: 01 Jun 2010 10:30 AM PDT



A wise reader e-mailed us this AIC, and we’re shocked to see the similarities between the Miu Miu AW09 handbag ad at left and the ad for a handbag line called La Diva at right.

Not only are the two bags extremely alike, but the ad itself is styled completely after the Miu Miu ad. From the whitewashed, peachy palette, to the model’s indifferent touch of the face.

All we have to say is, seriously?

Copying a Miu Miu ad is pretty obvious, since its branding is always unique. Plus we don’t really get the same, young, fresh, ingenue vibe, which is Miu Miu’s goal, from the image of the model for La Diva, who is styled to look way older and exponentially less fresh.

Plus, we’d expect something a little more flashy from a handbag line called La Diva. If there was ever a time for rhinestones and rainbows, we think a line called La Diva is it.



6 Things We Love About Madewell’s New Website

Posted: 01 Jun 2010 09:30 AM PDT



Madewell quietly launched its e-commerce site on Friday, and while there’s a brick-and-mortar store just around the corner from our Nolita office, it’s always nice to peruse the goods via our Macs.

Here’s what we love about the site:

1. “Jenna’s Favorites” has been transformed into “Get the Goods.” We love the feature on J.Crew’s website called “Jenna’s Favorites,” where creative director Jenna Lyons cherry picks pieces from the current collection. Madewell does something similar with “Get the Goods,” a collage of cute clothes and accessories mixed with inspirations for the line.

2. Bensimon’s pop pink sneakers. Bensimon was already a favorite summer shoe of ours, but this highlighter pink color made us love it even more.

3. Brunch shorts. Any piece of clothing named after a meal is okay by us. These happen to be perfectly rumpled, which means they are indeed ideal for a lazy brunch.

4. The Denim Bar. Each style hangs on a virtual rack, and you can click through until you find your ideal fit. There’s also a cute video featuring one of the brand’s denim designers.

5. Looks We Love. Much likes its sister brand J.Crew, Madewell’s got a host of incredible stylists on hand to make the clothes even more desirable. This virtual look book allows the user to shop each page. We’re particularly keen on the layered lace t-shirt featured in Look #4.

6. Alexa Chung. We can’t wait to get our hands on Chung’s collection for Madewell, scheduled to hit stores this July. The site’s teaser builds even more excitement around the collaboration.



Fashion News Roundup: Isaac’s Opera, Karl’s Medal, & More Gaga

Posted: 01 Jun 2010 08:49 AM PDT



A Little Night Music: Isaac Mizrahi adds director to his resume of designer, talk show host, and bandanna wearer. He’ll be directing Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. {NOWNESS}

Gaga Redux: Miss out on Gaga’s two hour ShowStudio interview? It’s posted on their website, so you can watch Gaga respond to questions from Nicola Formichetti and John Galliano anytime you like. {ShowStudio}

Monsieur Karl: Karl Lagerfeld will be anointed a Commander of the Legion of Honor by Nicolas Sarkozy, meaning another shiny piece of jewelry for the Kaiser. {WWD}

Julia Everyday: Julia Restoin-Riotfeld is chronicling her outfits for the month of June for Vogue UK. Swoon. {Vogue UK}

The Creative Type: VICE and Intel have partnered for The Creator’s Project, where you can check out Alexandre Herchcovitch’s collections and an interview with the Alexandre. Click around to find interviews with other artists, musicians, and designers alike. {The Creator’s Project}
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