New Site Style Trek is “Facebook Meets Net-A-Porter For Emerging Designers”” y 11 mas

New Site Style Trek is “Facebook Meets Net-A-Porter For Emerging Designers”
Janie Bryant MOD Live on QVC Tonight at 10pm
1 Question for The Rachel Zoe Project
Trendspotting: Greenery
The Twentyten Is Insane, In The Best Possible Way
Last Night’s Other Parties: Creatures of Comfort and Style.com
Last Night’s Party: Florence and the Machine at Mulberry
Mulberry Spring 2011: Not Your Typical Garden Variety
Rad Hourani’s Welcome Repeat
Alice+Olivia+Glitter+Tavi
Fashion News Roundup: Tim Gunn’s Latest Victim, Brad on Taylor and Tom Ford’s Crashers
H&M Offers Exclusive Lanvin Video To Most Popular Fashion Blogger

New Site Style Trek is “Facebook Meets Net-A-Porter For Emerging Designers”

Posted: 16 Sep 2010 06:00 AM PDT

Style Trek, a new hybrid e-commerce and social networking site, launched this week. Founder Cecilia Pagkalinawan, who previously helped market and launch ecommerce for Burberry, Frette and La Perla, describes the site as “Facebook meets Net-A-Porter for emerging designers.”

The site currently features collections from 20 designers across the globe, and the plan is to add more designers in the coming months. To call them all “emerging” designers would be a bit misleading though. Some, like Nicole Noselli and Daphne Gutierrez who design Bruce, are better described as “re-emerging”–their line Bruce picked up a CFDA award back in 2001, they took a break for a while, and now they’re back. Mexican design duo Rafa Cuevas and Roberto Sanchez’s line Teamo (as in “te amo”) is big in Mexico but they’re looking to reach consumers in the states. Pagkalinawan finds designers through tips from industry insiders. Buyers pass along designers they like but can’t stock because they’re either too small or they’ve already reached capacity for their contemporary floors. Hopefully, they find a home on Style Trek.

While most ecommerce sites simply curate merchadise, Style Trek aims to allow shoppers and designers to communicate and engage with one another. Designers have profile pages so consumers get a better sense of the personality behind the product. Consumers can become “Style Trekkers” and create their own profiles to connect with other shoppers and designers, and “like” products, which allows Style Trek to track trends and adjust inventory accordingly.

“Rarely can a website or a store track how people react to certain products,” says Pagkalinawan. “Say we have six units of a coat left and 800 people like it, we’ll talk to the designer and make sure they’re prepared for that order.” If inventory runs out consumer interest can also spur designers to recreate a sold out item in a different fabric.

Like FashionStake, Style Trekkers get a cut (1% of sales) if they recommend a designer that Style Trek picks up.

It’s a unique model that’s been an easy sell to investors. Pagkalinawan set a goal to raise half a million to launch the site, and ended up raising three times that amount. Hopefully that’s a good sign for these entrepreneurial designers. And it’s certainly a good thing for shoppers.

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Janie Bryant MOD Live on QVC Tonight at 10pm

Posted: 15 Sep 2010 07:02 PM PDT

I’m sure many of our loyal readers were missing this week’s Mad Men Style Recap, but due to the demands of fashion week, I missed the episode and still haven’t watched it. This just means that Sunday’s recap will be twice as nice.

To compensate for the lack of Mad Men during fashion week, I sat down with Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant at the QVC pop-up store. Janie was promoting her aptly titled QVC line, Janie Bryant MOD, and had been perkily signing tees and chatting up loyal fans.

Janie’s QVC line is just everything I’d hoped it would be: Tons of faux leopard in the form of hats, capelets, and bags, charming necklaces that do double duty with detachable brooches, and stunning nail polish colors. Inspired by the ’50s and ’60s, vintage Vogues, and the timelessness of true movie stars, the collection has the elegant touches every modern girl’s wardrobe needs.

My favorite piece is the leopard purse, which looks expensive yet rings in at only $79.75. Janie recommends the leopard cape, inspired by her own collection of vintage capes. (Can you even imagine how glorious that must be?) Tune into QVC at 10pm or go online to get your own. Trust me, they’re sure to sell out fast.

And make sure to take Janie’s advice: “Become your own leading lady.”

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1 Question for The Rachel Zoe Project

Posted: 15 Sep 2010 04:00 PM PDT

We’re busy with fashion week so I apologize for this late and super abridged RZ recap. But this was really my main question after zipping through the episode:

1. Who serves a Thanksgiving-style turkey at a Seder? I know every family does it different, but I’ve never seen turkey at Passover. Maybe it’s a Rosenzweig tradition? I’m partial to gefilte fish (not kidding), but to each their own.

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Trendspotting: Greenery

Posted: 15 Sep 2010 03:00 PM PDT

From seafoam to chartreuse, green was everywhere at New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2011.

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The Twentyten Is Insane, In The Best Possible Way

Posted: 15 Sep 2010 02:00 PM PDT

I've seen a lot of shows this week, mostly established designers with a known aesthetic. I'm always excited to see what they produce, but that element of surprise isn't always there. The Twentyten is a relatively new label, but I suspect name recognition won't be a problem for them much longer.

Jeff Dodd, David J. Krause, and Nina Zilka are the designers behind the label, and they all met as students in the Pratt Institute's fashion design program. The name is a reference to their graduation year. This is their fourth collection together, and their first as members of the Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation.

The Incubator's mission is to "link sustainability to enterprise." The Twentyten designers are the first fashion designers to be members (the Incubator is for all design disciplines.) They don't get financial support, but they get invaluable services such as assistance with business plans and exhibition space, like the open sunny loft overlooking the Hudson where they displayed their wares. The designers make everything locally in NY's Garment Center, and several of their pieces are made from scrap leather and organic bamboo.

When I read the inspiration for the collection, I was slightly worried that this was going to be a beautiful yet unwearable, artsy mess. The collection was based on a "fictional female character and her descent into madness." (Quite appropriate for the last few days of fashion week.)

What I saw when I walked in, however, was an utterly hip and wearable collection of tops, pants, and dresses. The vibe is definitely downtown, but I live uptown and I wanted a good chunk of this collection.

The Bellevue print, a sort of bleached out, Helmut Lang-esque print, shows up on dresses and tees. A micro-perforated shirt, the Weyburn, does transparency in a modern way. The best pieces were the Bedlam strap pants and leggings. They were skinny and wrapped with strips of fabric that were a literal nod to straightjackets.

The dark palette was punctuated intermittently with surprisingly girly raspberry and seafoam green. A seafoam button down with cut outs above the clavicle was a standout.

There also was a huge black fringed leather necklace that I developed a crush on immediately. The rest of the jewelry was by Carrie Bilbo, and had a bone and marrow motif. A bracelet and earrings were made of human hair, sourced from hair extensions (These were fascinating, and I had to ask where she got the hair.)

I got to meet the designers–and Nina's proud grandpa, who was hobnobbing with hipsters and taking pictures–and they've had a busy week of market appointments. Several magazines came by to take a look at them, and they are doing a T-shirt collaboration with the niche organic perfume company, Honoré des Prés.

The inmates are about to take over the asylum.

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Last Night’s Other Parties: Creatures of Comfort and Style.com

Posted: 15 Sep 2010 01:00 PM PDT

Photo by David Nicholas

We didn’t make it to the Dazed party at Don Hill’s last night (although we heard a bunch of people got arrested, so maybe that’s a good thing), but we did manage to stop by the Creatures of Comfort New York store launch on Mulberry Street and Style.com‘s 10th anniversary bash, which was taking place just a couple of blocks away.

Creatures of Comfort, a Los Angeles-based brick and mortar store, label, and online shopping destination for Rachel Comey and VPL-lovers across the country, is opening up shop in New York. Owner Jade Lai hosted a party in her expansive new space last night, and tons of our favorite designers were there: Tiffany Tuttle, Comey, Peter Jensen, Victoria Bartlett, Daphne Javitch, and plenty more. And of course Lai around, not only touting her new storefront, but also her INCREDIBLE in-house collection, which both Leah and I melted over. It’s gently priced–in the $150-$350 range–and everything is a mix and match of silk cropped blouses, tie-waist dresses, and loose blazers. Most was made from a delicate crepe, with some cotton mixed in. And the color palette? Seafoam, terra cotta, white, periwinkle…everything we want for spring.

After fawning over the clothes, we chatted with our Carroll Gardens contingency–Izzy from RackedNY, Adele from Epaulet, and Jen from Bird. South Brooklyn is the best.

But soon it was time to head to Lafayette for Style.com‘s 10th anniversary party. The celebration took place in a private residence, which was pretty insane, with its five floors and terrace overlooking the city. But the most insane thing about it? The in-ground pool, where two models swam around in Marchesa dresses. (Apparently there was a “photo shoot” taking place.) When we weren’t standing around attempting to estimate the value of the property–$10, $20, $30 million?–we were catching up with some of the best and brightest designers in the industry. Dana Lorenz, Prabal Gurung, Chris Benz, and Jason Wu were all there, among others.

The evening ended with a stop off at Ed’s Lobster Bar, where we feasted on shrimp, oysters and yes, lobster. “This is one of those times when New York is just really good,” Leah said. I agree.

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Last Night’s Party: Florence and the Machine at Mulberry

Posted: 15 Sep 2010 12:30 PM PDT

At the Mulberry party on Soho House’s roof, Florence and the Machine played an acoustic set (her voice, a guitar and a harp) for about 200 lucky onlookers, most of whom (all but about 50 of us) were idiot fashion fools talking throughout the set.

They played six songs, ending with Dog Days, and calling designer Emma Hill on stage twice to thank her.

Kelly Osborne and Alexa Chung celebullied their way to the front of the intimate show.

All in all, great show, potentially ruined by loud celebutards, and their wispy accouterments.

Click through for more photos from last night’s fete.

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Mulberry Spring 2011: Not Your Typical Garden Variety

Posted: 15 Sep 2010 12:00 PM PDT

Inspired the by the Secret Garden, Mulberry’s Spring 2011 presentation was filled with flowers, puppies, and a soundtrack of chirping birds. Seriously. Click through for some lovely images.

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Rad Hourani’s Welcome Repeat

Posted: 15 Sep 2010 11:00 AM PDT

Rad Hourani's press materials boast of his "asexual, aseasonal, and atemporal vision," which I can't argue with. But with his spring/summer collection, there really isn't much point in arguing: It's black and white—you're either on board or you're not.

Once again, Hourani has shown us a bleak, but beautiful future; stark, genderless and cold as ice.

His impossibly minimalist looks, the definition of clean lines, all leather leggings, deconstructed shirts and jackets, skintight bombers, vests, and architectural knits that cut a steep streamlined silhouette.

New this season is the launch of RAD by Rad Hourani, a more casual, less couture-focused line, with cardigans, t-shirts and jeans to round out his futuristic look.

Perhaps more than any other menswear designer, the Jordanian, by way of Montreal, has a united vision, completely free of any trend or influence. What most of us wanted to talk about after were the sunglasses, a collaboration with Mykita eyewear. Rigid, modern, and nary a curve in sight (they're a streamlined version of the overhangs your grandfather wears), next spring you'll be seeing more of these, and their imitators.

Photo: Yannis Vlamos / GoRunway.com

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Alice+Olivia+Glitter+Tavi

Posted: 15 Sep 2010 10:30 AM PDT

I was reasonably sure when I walked into the Alice + Olivia presentation that I wouldn't be seeing much white minimalism. I was correct. Gold glitter covered every surface, and Stacey Bendet was dressed in a silver twinkling bolero, black sparkly beaded dress, and bejeweled hair piece. Even her eyelids were glittery. I got to chat with her for a few minutes, feeling quite bland in my black and grey ensemble. Thank goodness my earrings were sparkly.

Fashionista: So tell me about the collection:
Stacey Bendet: The whole concept of the show was supposed to be this sort of timeless travel. The feel is a mix of ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and I wanted everything to be mixed and matched in a way that it all felt fresh, but each piece you're not sure when it came from. It's very cool and detailed and classic, and I want you to be able to pick it up and wear it ten years from now.

Your pants are what made you famous, and I personally love how they fit. Do you ever find yourself sick of doing pants?
No! Each season I get inspired by a new pant body. And there's always that one that feels very fashion and that one that you start wearing every day. The challenge is reinterpreting that, mixing up the fashion pant and casual pant. I'm really excited about the pants for spring. They're kind of those supermodel pants. They're really comfortable, with a slimming leg and long boot cuts. We did some lower bootcut and we did some higher waist ones that look really sexy.

Tell me about Tavi's styling gig for you.
I just adore her. I look at her and she could be my little sister. She's amazing and she's genius. When I look at her aesthetic and I look at the way she dresses—she's got an amazing sense herself. I feel like she's a true original. Not a lot of people, especially in the journalism world, are like that. She has such a voice. She's like an enigma to me. We asked her if she would want to style the bands (The Pierces and Amanda Blank) because I thought that would be really fun for her. She had a really great time doing it.

Now that you've been on Vanity Fair's best dressed list, do you feel a lot of pressure when you get dressed to go out?
Sometimes. I only wear my own clothes. Sometimes I'll mix it up with vintage. I think I've always felt pressure because everything I wear HAS to look good because it's what we make. I guess a little bit, because people are looking a little more intensely at what you're wearing. I used to run around in tutus, now are people caring more? I feel like fashion should be fun. That's the whole vibe of A+O. Fashion shouldn't be this serious, scary, stone-faced front row.

And she means it. A+O shows are a blast, and this one was no exception. Styles, patterns, sparkle, and textures clashed in a riot of pure joy. There was absolutely no cohesion, but that's exactly the point. On top of this chaos of color, the models had fantastic manicures. Shiny metallic, blue with polka dots, checkerboard, and animal prints all showed up.

I saw where they were going with the styling. The look had a very vintage vibe. If you start to take apart the seemingly busy pieces, there's a ton of wearability there.

I really loved a sheer lace beaded granny cardigan that could easily be tossed on over jeans. There were some easy chiffon maxi-dresses, and Stacey's other mainstay, the cute short party dress. And the orange high-waisted supermodel pants were a knockout.

Alice + Olivia has also just launched a shoe collection. There were a few neutral pumps and slouchy open-toed booties, but my favorites were less sedate. Tiffany blue platforms, animal prints mixed with primary colors, glitter-encrusted with metal plate details on the heel—these are the fairy tale shoes. Stacey said they're going to be available only selectively at first. Don't expect to see them everywhere A+O is sold.

Finally, after watching a long line of celebrities come in (like Denise Richards and Joe Manganiello from True Blood), I spotted the girl of the hour, Tavi.

She was wearing white with a quite avant-garde grey motorcycle jacket. A white faux (well, it looked faux–I didn't touch it) shearling handbag and orthopedic sandals with lavender ankle socks completed the look. Everyone left her alone for the most part. I sent her some love from Fashionista and congratulated her on her success. As a fellow Chicagoan, I also thanked her for highlighting the fact that indeed, Midwesterners can be stylish. She seemed shy–or I was incredibly boring–so I left her taking pictures of the band. Girl's gotta blog. I get it.

One final note on the styling Tavi did for The Pierces. She had a light touch. One sister was in a short full black shirt and top with feathered cap sleeves. The other one wore a sequined skirt and grey top, with an interesting mix of leather and feather jewelry.

After having a pink fizzy drink, I walked out of there with stars in my eyes and glitter all over my butt.

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Fashion News Roundup: Tim Gunn’s Latest Victim, Brad on Taylor and Tom Ford’s Crashers

Posted: 15 Sep 2010 10:00 AM PDT

Tim Gunn Hates Everyone, and Doesn’t Hide It: Granted, everything he says is usually spot on. Gunn just shot an episode of Gossip Girl and had some not-so-nice things to say about Taylor Momsen, including: “She was pathetic, she couldn’t remember her lines, and she didn’t even have that many. I thought to myself ‘why are we all being held hostage by this brat?’” {E! Online}

Brad Goreski, on the other hand, had nicer things to say about a former co-worker named Taylor. He spoke of Ms. Jacobson’s split from the company (which happened a really long time ago, but people are still about it): "I hear she’s doing really really well and I think that's great. I wish her all the luck in the world." {Hollywood Life}

Obama Gets Bush’s Approval: That would be Michelle Obama, who has the style approval of former first niece Lauren Bush. Bush attended Carolina Herrera’s show and said of Mrs. O, “I think [her sense of style] is great, I think it's wonderful that she's supporting young designers I think that’s very cool." {Daily News}

Sustainable Fashion Show: The first ever sustainable fashion show will take place this Friday in London. Hosted by the British Fashion Council, participants will include Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney, Junky Styling and People Tree. {Vogue UK}

Fashion Crashers: A group of girls has apparently been lying their way into fashion events all over town, including the super exclusive Tom Ford presentation. {New York Post}

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H&M Offers Exclusive Lanvin Video To Most Popular Fashion Blogger

Posted: 15 Sep 2010 09:31 AM PDT

Here’s an interesting marketing trick, courtesy of H&M. This morning, we received a pitch from the fast fashion retailer regarding a new blogger contest that they’re implementing.

Instead of offering one or a couple outlets special access to the Lanvin Hearts H&M video campaign, the Swedish label wants bloggers to install a widget on their site, asking readers to vote for for their blog. In return, the blog with the most votes will get exclusive access to the the video campaign. It won’t run on YouTube or on H&M or any other websites–just on the blog. That should result in a ton of traffic for the winner.

The contest begins today and and ends October 7. You can visit H&M’s Facebook page to sign up. Will you put your url in the hat?