Mar 6, 2010 | From You
from Formspring.me:
Were there any mentions or tributes to Alexander McQueen during fashion week?
Not while I was there. (The first day I attended the shows was Sunday, Feb 14.) As you probably know on Feb. 13 the Fashion for Relief/Haiti show opened with a verbal dedication to him, and closed with 7 of his designs being worn by supermodels and his longtime friend Daphne Guinness, her face swathed in tulle. London Fashion Week started on the 19th with a dedication to him by the Chairman of the British Fashion Council and a tribute wall mounted in the tents. I’m afraid I was not privy to anything during New York Fashion Week – except an issue of The Daily being dedicated to the late designer.
The fashion world seemed to still be reeling from the news during the week of February just after his death.
Carly
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Mar 4, 2010 | Fashion
(handmade acrylic bead necklace, handmade mesh top, Forever21 white long-sleeved top, handmade belt with removable chain, handmade skirt, Spanx reversible tights, Forever21 lace-up military boots)
It’s a handmade extravaganza!
What I wore Wednesday, Feb. 17 while in New York for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.
On this day I headed to the Upper East Side (at least, I think that’s where I was) to go to The Daily Beauty Bar and got a free half-hour massage. The masseuse found a golf-ball sized knot in my shoulder where I had been carrying my laptop bg – and whenever she put pressure on it – it crunched. Ugh. I think the massage did me some good but then I still had to sling on my heavy bag of equipment after it was done. Oh well. I stopped in at Zara and lusted after a lot of things, even trying on a striped shirt that I’m going to totally DIY in a little while…and headed back to the Bryant Park area. Bought my White Hot Chocolate Cupcake at Crumbs, bought a few things at STEPS boutique (I had only snapped photos the other day there, not stopping to try anything on), and then back to my hotel room to enjoy my cupcake. Changed in a flash to this outfit for a meeting with the Bluefly America’s Most Stylish Blogger team. I showed them my mini-collection and got some very valuable feedback!
Necklace is oversized acrylic resin beads strung on delicate silver chain. Top is peach bubble organza mesh with grosgrain ribbon snap-front and covered shoulder pads. Belt is peach bubble organza mesh over clear vinyl backing, edged in khaki twill with removable gold chain. Skirt is wrap-style in nude chiffon over rose-print poly satin.
Then back to the hotel room and changed again for the evening to this outfit:
(handmade necklace of chain, pink chiffon, and pearls; Forever21 white long-sleeved shirt; knit navy blue jacket from STEPS boutique; vintage fanlacer corset; scrunch-leg leggings from Japan; GoJane scrunch suede boots)
I couldn’t wait to take my new jacket from STEPS for a spin. It’s the cutest thing ever-the front pieces can not only be removed, but also buttoned in different configurations. I’m going to add some buttons so they can be buttoned into a high collar configuration. The jacket had the most incredible detail – thick ribbing; belts on the wrists; and quilting – it was such a bargain at $36.99.
Vintage fanlacing corset bout on Ebay for about $34. The only way I’ll wear it is over my clothes! I can’t believe women of yesteryear actually wore this heavy, buckled, strapped thing under their garments. Insane.
I then stopped by M&J Trimming and picked up some studs (can’t WAIT to use them in a new project!), then checked out H&M, snapped some photos, and even picked myself up a damaged sweater for a small discount. (nice!) Then out to the Lower East side for the disappointing c. marchuska show, then back to the park to meet up with a friend from last Fashion Week briefly.
The jacket all buttoned up.
Almost done with all my New York Fashion Week postings, thank goodness!
Hope you’re all having a great week so far!
xoxox
Carly
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Mar 3, 2010 | Fashion
Samantha Pleet showed her A/W Collection last Tuesday, Feb 16, as part of The Green Shows Collective. To a small studio venue in the Lower East side we tromped, despite the slowly melting slush, and were packed into the small space to view a short presentation of muted plaids, short-shorts, and exquisitely-cut body-hugging dresses.
Sorry for the quality of these photos; these are Elle.com’s photos [in need of heavy color-correction] since I could not find anything on any of the “official” image sources on the web for this particular show…goes to show you Samantha Pleet is still considered a bit “under the radar” by mainstream fashion. Well, at least these photos are better than the cruddy ones I took on my Blackberry!
Um, yeah. Much better.
I also interviewed Samantha Pleet herself.
She’s so cute I could just put her in my pocket.
Here’s the transcribed version:
Me: Do you want to talk a little bit about how you incorporate eco-friendly design into your pieces?
Samantha Pleet: I love helping the Earth and I do anything I can…my whole lifestyle revolves around eating organic food, sourcing local fabrics, producing everything here in New York in the garment district. I just want my company to be as ethical as possible. It’s really important to me and my lifestyle.
Me: Why do you think it’s important, when you produce clothing, to do it in an ethical manner?
SP: I like to have my hand in everything, and I have a relationship with my factory, and I know that people are treated fairly there; they’re kind of my friends, so I think that having a company, it’s great to be aware of what you’re doing with it. And I think every designer should be an ethical designer. You don’t have to make things that look “eco,” really, to do that. You can make any silhouette. I mean, my collection is not typically looking “eco,” but I use organic wools from Vermont, organic cottons for everything, and I love the feel of it…recycled ultrasuede, this is really cool.
Me: So what kind of woman wears your clothes?
SP: I think a woman that is a creative woman; a Renaissance Woman. People who are creative, are artists, who want to conquer the world in a fun way.
Me: Any advice on how to get that Samantha Pleet look to your outfit or your style?
SP: Watch a lot of movies, like a lot of fantasy films, and you’ll get the inspiration! As you can see, I used the David Lynch music, which is kind of sexy and soulful and has this really special feeling to it, which is really dramatic and brought out a lot of the emotion in my collection. finis
Samthana Pleet also designs a menswear line with her husband Patrick, as well as Rapscallion, a line exclusive to Urban Outfitters. The brand, found in 2006, received a 2009 Ecco Domani sustainability design award for the premiere collection of Bodkin. Samantha Pleet is sold online at stores such as I Don’t Like Mondays, Bona Drag, and Revolve Clothing, as well as better boutiques nationwide, in Tokyo, and in Taipei. (Can you believe the designer is only 27??)
What do you think of her pieces? Would you wear any of them?
xoxox
Carly
photos source
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Feb 28, 2010 | Fashion
“Preppy With a Pop”
From the PR company:
“The Fall 2010 collection retrofits Tommy Hilfiger’s preppy heritage from 1985 for a dynamic new decade. All-American sportswear that is uncontrived and luxurious; casual but refined. Classics get a cheeky spin as conventional Ivy League looks turn sophisticated.
“The women’s collection is for the rose-cheeked co-ed turned successful entrepreneur who channels a young Katharine Hepburn- East Coast pedigree with a whole lot of sass…The charm is in the mix…Dashing between work and play, she knows that confidence and a little savvy go a long way.”
Classic American sportswear. Many of these pieces I felt, were a surprise (in a good way!) coming from Tommy Hilfiger, a brand that hasn’t had a lot of good press in recent years. (Sweatshop accusations; the sale of the company to a private group; lagging sales, etc.)
But what distinguishes this from say, Michael Kors or Ralph Lauren? (Less luxe, I suppose.)
There’s a bit of unevenness going on, and I would have liked to see a more tightly-edited collection, but still there are some very wearable, covetable pieces in the bunch. (Silvery-gray gown at the end? Spangled black jacket? Yowza!)
Plus, it was the final show at the Bryant Park Tents forever…like as in, final for ever and ever, since Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week will be moving its venue to Lincolm Park come September. I would have loved to actually be inside and watch the show – but they were way over capacity, and while I was still standing in line to get in they closed the doors. I did meet a really cool girl with covetable Jil Sander booties while waiting in line – who works as a designer for the brand’s intimates line…and we had a fabulous time talking and bonding over her love of fine cuisine and our shared love of M.A.C. cosmetics. So I ended up watching the last show of the season on the TV monitors outside the venue.
What do you think of the pieces?
xoxox
Carly
(photos from Getty Images)
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Feb 27, 2010 | Fashion
c. marchuska, an eco-friendly and sustainable brand, had their Fall/Winter 2010 show in the Lower East Side, closing the series of The Green Shows last week.
Conceived by Christine Marchuska and Brooke Bresnan and manufactured in New York, the brand has only been around since August 2009 according to their website, and strives to provide eco-conscious clothing that is chic yet affordable to the modern woman. Both founders formerly worked on Wall Street and share a philanthropic passion for Safe Horizon, the nation’s leading victim assistance organization, donating a portion of their annual proceeds to the organization. Since inception the brand has had a lot of press and had some celebrities (such as Brad Pitt!) wearing their pieces. Retailing from around $38 – $190, c. marchuska’s pieces are touted as affordable, available in a variety of colors on their website, and the epitome of understated chic.
I expected quite a lot of the chow because there was an impressive turnout there – the tiny venue at The Green Shows was packed! – standing room was three rows deep (though there was only space for one row to be honest). There was also a lady (likely a socialite) sitting front row who had brought her tiny, clothed doggy with her to the show – the poor pooch was quite unnerved by the loud music and crush of people and she eventually stuffed him back into her handbag.
Now, on to the clothes…
These are just a few pieces from them since I didn’t feel like hunting down the official images of the entire show – I feel this pretty much represents what the show was all about.
Though the clothes were indeed wearable and salable, they felt far more suited to a lookbook circulated among buyers and press rather than a full-blown runway show. A runway show is about the inspiration, the story, and above all the spectacle – and this brand still felt as if it was developing and struggling to find its own voice.
The “eco-friendly” principle is a great selling point, but unfortunately I feel that these conform to the often negative stereotype of “eco-friendly”…i.e., lots of jersey, loose silhouettes, indistinguishable looks, lack of embellishment, and a somewhat drab and singular color palette. Sure there were some cute pieces, but I truly feel if they want to grow as a brand they need to create something to distinguish them from the slew of other eco-friendly jersey-using girly-laid-back clothing lines out there…and refine their offerings for a runway show.
What’s your take on these looks?
More info about the brand and photos of their previous collections can be found on their website. You can buy c. marchuska in select stores around the country and on their site above.
xoxox
Carly
(photos provided by c. marchuska’s PR representative)
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