Fifth Avenue v. Oxford Street: The Battle Begins?

Yesterday, London’s New West End Company (a business advocacy group) published a report forecasting that London will soon overtake New York as the city with “the largest concentration of international retail brands in the world.”

Naturally, UK media outlets quickly positioned the report as yet another London versus New York showdown—and this time, it’s about shopping.

“In some ways the West End already outstrips Fifth Avenue, for example in terms of edgy fashion,” Dame Judith Mayhew Jonas, New West End’s chairwoman., told the Evening Standard, contrasting New York’s 194 chain flagship stores to London’s fast-growing 179.

Having landed back in London after a week in New York just this morning (my luggage, apparently, would prefer to stay in Manhattan), Jonas’ comparison struck me as something of a brow wrinkler.

The difference isn’t in number of stores–it’s in legend. Oxford Street signifies Debenhams and Starbucks ad nauseam; Fifth Avenue means Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Regent Street boasts the original Topshop flagship; Madison Avenue the perennial delight of the Barneys New York window displays. (Bring Simon Doonan to John Lewis, and then we’ll talk.)

This isn’t another Big Apple/Big Smoke duel—it’s simply a matter of atmosphere.

Beyond the landmarks, though, what’s startling is how similar the roster of stores on the big streets looks. Oxford/Regent Street and Fifth/Madison Ave are both home to the Disney Store, Apple, Banana Republic, Zara, H&M, and multiple Gaps.

Truth is, the most exciting shopping in either city no longer dwells on these major thoroughfares. They lack the magic of unearthing a 1960s Roberta di Camerino handbag at the Brooklyn Flea, or discovering perfect vintage wedding dresses at Kingly Court’s Fur Coat No Knickers. Relative backwaters like London’s St. Christopher’s Place

and Columbia Road, and New York’s Freeman’s Alley, all make the shopping scene more special and locally distinctive than the main drags might suggest.

So get out there—wherever your “there” may be.

(Photo via Bryanboy.)

Fashion News Roundup: Sofia’s 2nd Dior Commercial, At Home with Duckie Brown and the Aldridges, Plus Kate’s Haunted House

Sofia for Dior, part deux! Sofia Coppola was spotted in Paris last week filming Natalie Portman and Robert Schwartzman (Apparently Jason has a cute younger brother) for an upcoming Dior campaign. We were obsessed with the last one she directed and this one sounds like it might be even more amazing. {Fashionologie}

Above and Beyond: Anna Dello Russo is launching a fragrance and has released images of the campaign. The fragrance, called “Beyond,” will be held in some kind of gold ornate shoe. We’ll wait until we smell it to start judging. Maybe.{Elle.com}

Moving On: Is Lorenzo Martone rebounding with Lance Bass? Sorry Lance, but we’re going to have to call that a step down. {Gawker}

The Duckies’ bi-bourough living: Duckie Brown designers Daniel Silver and Stephen Cox open up their meatpacking district live/work space as well as their “country home” near Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. They discuss the meatpacking district in the ’80s, their Spring ‘11 collection, and how their life is their mood board. {Vevant}

Home by the Sea: Sea of Shoes blogger Jane Aldridge and her mom, Atlantis Home blogger Judy Aldrige show off their awesome revamped Dallas home. It’s official – their impeccable, eclectic taste in accessories translates to home decor. {NOWNESS}

Kate’s Cleaning House: Back in May, a burglary of Kate Moss’ London home was followed almost immediately by a sewerage flood. Perhaps these issues have lead her to believe that “evil spirits” are haunting her, prompting her to hire a medium to “cleanse” the house. {Vogue UK}

Fashion’s Night Out Details From Around the World

Fashion’s Night Out is quickly approaching and it’s going to be huge. During the week of September 10 events will be taking place across the globe. As we already reported, Vogue will be staging the biggest fashion show ever on September 7. As follow up, there will also be a CBS special on the 14 and a FNO-themed Gossip Girl episode on the 20.

But what about the day of? Not everyone’s plans are 100% locked down yet, although we’ve been getting scoops from a few retailers from NYC to Berlin and we just couldn’t wait to share! It’s never too early to start preparing for fashion’s biggest party, right?



NYC

Not surprisingly, the most exciting events (at least that we know about) are taking place right here in NYC and yes, we got the scoop on last year’s show-stopper: Barneys New York.

-The Olsens will be in attendance to help the Proenza boys and Simon Doonan judge an in-store karaoke contest (The prize is a Proenza Schouler bag and The Row leather leggings). If you’re more of an athlete than a singer, you can alternatively go head-to-head against the designers of Rag & Bone, Rogan and Shipley & Halmos in a ping pong tournament. Elsewhere, Daphne Guinness will be signing perfume bottles and Andrew Yang will be exhibiting a collection of about 50 rag doll replicas of runway looks. Sounds pretty un-missable to us, but we expect just as much of a clusterfuck as last year.

-Bergdorf Goodman’s festivities are set to include a cook-off with the FDNY and a cabaret with Isaac Mizrahi (we lack any further detail on either of these strange-sounding activities). Bergdorf’s will also be launching a line of exclusive New York-inspired products, including ten coats by ten different designers (including Phillip Lim and Rag & Bone among others); and a pair of TOMS shoes that feature a NYC skyline.

-Opening Ceremony, whose next country of origin set to launch in September is France, will appropriately be teaming up with Paris boutique Collette on a presumably awesome party.



Berlin

-Concept store The Corner Shop is feting the launch of the new Isabella Blow book by Thames & Hudson.

-Galeries Lafayette Berlin will present Michael Kors‘ new Ready To Wear collection. Plus, the department store is throwing an in-house casting and photo shoot for shoppers in order to find potential models for a Galeries Lafayette fashion show taking place September 30.



London

-The West End will be the destination for Londoners. UK’s FNO promises designers and models to mingle with, “expert styling from the Vogue team,” and “superstar” appearances.

Paris

-Avenue Montaigne, where LVMH owns a substantial amount of real estate, will be the home of Paris’ main FNO activities.



Los Angeles

-The large but not exactly fashion-forward Beverly Center will reportedly be the hub of FNO activity for L.A. The mall will host a runway show and provide a trolley to various shopping destinations throughout the city. There also might be a ferris wheel on Rodeo Drive.

We expect more details to surface in the coming weeks, but based on these tidbits and some amazing rumors we’ve been hearing, it sounds like we’re going to need a miracle to fit all the events we want to go to into a single night.

Rachel Zoe Talks Season Three, Taylor, and Acid Wash

BravoTV.com

The Rachel Zoe Project returns to Bravo on August 3rd for it’s third season and we’re sure it’s going to be, you know, bananas, and that there will be much shutting of front doors. Celeb cameos this season include Demi Moore, Gwen Stefani, Naomi Campbell (she styled the model’s Fashion for Relief show to benefit quake-ravaged Haiti) and Kate Hudson.

We just got off a press call with the Zoeinator (and many other bloggers and editors) and while she was surprisingly sparse with her “Zoe-isms” we did glean a few interesting tidbits about the show, her much-hyped falling out with Taylor, and her most regrettable sartorial choices.



On her relationship with Brad post Taylor:

“Brad’s a superstar, he’s like my knight in shining armor every day. We have an incredible relationship. We have a trust with each other that i don’t think can be broken. He has my back and I think that’s something that’s extremely hard to find in this industry.”

“I think Brad and I have only gotten closer [after Taylor left]. Brad was always my right or left hand and we had to suppress that a bit while Taylor was there.”

On Taylor’s recent claims in an interview with TV Guide that she doesn’t “know anyone who hasn’t been supposedly fired by Rachel”:

“It’s not the first time someone has been fired on my team,” she told Zap2it. “It’s happened twice before, which is not that much considering I’ve been doing this for 15 years.”

On the one look she wishes she could take back:

“Skin tight acid wash jeans, white high-heeled boots up to my knees, a sweater with a hideous belt, and so much makeup and hairspray I can’t believe my parents let me out of the house…as someone who lived in the ’80s, I think acid wash is better left in the ’80s.”

On her editorial ambitions:

“I never say never,” she told the Daily. “Being an EIC is a huge huge job and to do that I think all the other parts of my job would have to be pushed aside. I can’t imagine that in the near future. [My magazine] would probably be a hybrid of a few magazines I love–W, Bazaar, Elle, Vogue, V, Visionaire, Love–there are so many. It would definitely be oversized with a lot of beautiful images.”

On meeting Karl Lagerfeld for the fist time:

“I couldn’t get words out. He was talking to me and I could hear him but I wasn’t really absorbing everything. I was so nervous I became almost paralyzed.”

Why Saks’ New Designer Plus Size Department is a Good Thing

An old Lane Bryant ad, via the Copyranter.

Prepare for a Chanel-inspired stampede. This autumn, Saks Fifth Avenue will become the first major US retailer to stock plus-sized clothing from all of its high fashion brands.

Goods from Alexander McQueen, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Oscar de la Renta, Valentino, and yes, Chanel, will soon be available up to size 14, with some brands extending to size 20. And rather than being segregated into a different section, plus-sized garments will be displayed on the same rails as straight-sized stock on Saks’ high-end third floor.

It’s astonishing that something so obvious, lucrative and longed-for could take this long. The plus-size clothing sector is worth $27 billion globally, according to data from New York-based buying firm Global Purchasing Group.

That’s partly due to prevailing health trends, but also a result of increasingly arbitrary sizing—the US doesn’t have any clothing size regulations, so a woman who wears a size 8-10 at a mainstream store might find that McQueen thinks she’s a 12 or 14.

The customers who will flock to Saks are likely to be established professionals with money to spend, a group thus far underserved by luxury fashion.

Saks will stock one of each size in most items until executives gauge the success of the expanded size offering. Our prediction? Sell-outs, wait lists, and advance orders galore.

Thinking even bigger, this could lead other stores to adopt size-neutral buying policies, and could even mean the end of one-size-only model booking. Can’t you just see catwalks where the models truly reflect the consumer base? In our heads, at least, it looks beautiful.

Ask Chris Benz: Can You Give Guys Some Style Advice?

Dear Chris,

Right now, you only design for women. I’m a guy, but I love your aesthetic. How do you dress? Who are your favorite designers? Inquiring minds want to know!

Thank you

Dear Guy -

Thanks for the compliment!

I am usually exhausted by the time I have to think about my own clothes, so I tend to dress simply/haphazard. My go-to is a navy blue blazer, because it’s completely classic and looks perfect with everything. I think men should really restrict themselves to wearing a white shirt, navy blazer, and Levis 501s with a Converse Chuck Taylor, and call it a day. That is–until there is CB menswear, and then they should wear mustard pleat-front shorts, chiffon tuxedo shirts, sequined blazers, and loads of friendship bracelets, natch!

I actually don’t have very many clothes in my closet, and everything is sort of predicated on a t-shirt-and-jeans foundation. I am always looking for some casual way to look dressed-up, because I don’t prefer wearing suits and I don’t even own a pair of black dress shoes! My idea about dressing myself wholly informs the CHRIS BENZ womens collection in that we aspire to be pretty and comfortable.

I like oversized t-shirts & tanks, baggy jeans, Nantucket Reds from Murray’s Toggery, and vintage straw hats. I haven’t ever really gotten over the pant-leg tight-roll from elementary school, so that’s become somewhat of a standard style for me. A penny loafer, a Church’s wingtip in a weirdo color, vintage army watches, rubber bands, striped athletic socks, these are all things I have around to throw on.

Try a strange pant with a plain t-shirt. It’s the boy equivalent to a new handbag. I recently got a pair of football pants from the 50s that are making everything else I have look new.

I have loads of navy blazers, white shirts, and a cornucopia of Levis in all sorts of thrashed disrepair. I have lots of vintage menswear, shorts in-particular, in a million colors. I love my alma mater, J.Crew, for essentials like the perfect grey sweatshirt or rumply shirting. If I buy something special, it is usually Comme des Garçons.

Xx

CB



Got a question for Chris? Email him on askchrisbenz@fashionista.com.

Copenhagen Fashion Week Will Boast World’s Longest Catwalk

Photo by Peter Ash Lee

If you’re a city hosting a fashion week and you’re not New York, London, Milan or Paris, you need something to make yourself stand out. For Copenhagen, that thing is the longest catwalk in the world.

Copenhagen’s fashion week, which runs from August 11-15, will culminate with a fashion show on what is being called the “World’s Greatest Catwalk.” Strøget, the pedestrian street that runs through the center of the city, will be transformed into a mile-long catwalk, down which 220 models will walk. The models will wear designs from over 500 Scandinavian brands. Also the runway will be pink.



The show will rival (or best) the Fashion’s Night Out runway extravaganza, which purports to be the biggest fashion show ever staged in NYC, featuring over 200 models on the runway.

Denmarks’ own Helena Christensen is the “patroness” of the week, but won’t walk on the “World’s Greatest Catwalk.” Supermodels don’t walk mile-long runways apparently.

APM Model Management Needs An Intern!

Want to get a behind-the-scenes look at the modeling world? APM modeling agency is looking for an intern.

Here’s what you need to know:

APM is an intimate agency that thrives on passion and hard work. Applicants must be able to multitask as well as immerse themselves in daily assignments.

Applicants should be positive, detail oriented, organized and dependable. They must be able to quickly learn from their mistakes and be great problem solvers. Applicants must be proficient with Excel, Photoshop, and other basic computer needs.



This is a unpaid internship.

If you feel as though you fit the requirements and are interested in this internship please send a resume with a cover letter attached to Louise@apmmodels.com

How I’m Making It: SUNO

SUNO, designed by filmmaker Max Osterweis and industry vet Erin Beatty, is one of the buzzier brands to emerge over the past year and a half. Launched as a way for Osterweis to utilize his collection of African textiles, the label has garnered an impressive following, from Vogue to Michelle Williams.

But for young brands, demand doesn’t always mean dollars. Osterweis and Beatty chatted with me about how they’re building SUNO without getting too big, too fast.

How did SUNO come to be?

Max: The collection started with East African textiles that I had been collecting for years. I started the line because I wanted to start a business in Kenya at the end of 2007, beginning of 2008. For years I had been promising friends that I’d make dresses and skirts out of the fabrics, so I figured that this would be a good way to do that.

Erin: We were friends for about a year beforehand, and then Max had the idea and was looking for designers. That’s kind of the way it happened. I thought it was a bit crazy at first, but he convinced me.



Do you both have design backgrounds?

Max: I went to film school and worked in the film industry–I never worked in fashion before I started this.

Erin: I went to UCLA, then Parsons. Then I designed for the Gap, then Generra, following around sort of a mentor.

So it must have been good experience working for bigger, established companies.

Erin: Generra was a bit smaller than Gap–I kind of started big and went smaller and smaller. I don’t think I could have done SUNO without those experiences. Corporations have structure and in order to be successful, our structure and our processes are super important to us. You don’t usually get to be super creative in a business, but we do.

Max: Erin and Nadia Bradshaw–our head of production and sourcing–trained at the Gap. So their experience working at the big corporation definitely helps to guide me as I’m making big decisions. They make me aware of things that I wouldn’t be aware of otherwise.

Erin: You see the flaws that can occur in the big company. Little companies that get successful fast often grow too big too soon and just fall apart. There’s just a cognizance–we’re trying to improve the way we do things every day. Just following best practices.

You guys have had a ton of support from great media outlets since the beginning. But what would you say has been your big break?

Max: We’ve had the support of Opening Ceremony from the beginning. I’ve known them for years, and when I presented the idea to them with our samples and they said they would carry the collection, they gave us the confidence to actually produce it. Our second big break was when Time sent a reporter out to Kenya with us for a week–It was a nice little boost because we weren’t yet in stores.

Erin: The press has been great–since the showing in fall, it’s been a total roller coaster.

What’s been the craziest, ballsiest thing you’ve had to do to make the company work?

Max: I actually don’t think we’ve had to do anything–the venture itself kind of the ballsy thing. Celebrities have been reaching out to us on their own. We’ve been lucky that way. We haven’t had to do any guerrilla advertising.

Erin: Well, Max thinks it’s just normal–trekking through a market in a third world country. For me, it’s pushing myself to get over things that would have scared me. One-of-a-kind, you just don’t do that. To go and sort through every piece of fabric; it was overwhelming. But it worked.

You’ve had a decent amount of success already. What’s the hardest thing that you’re facing now?

Max: Building the infrastructure and making sure we’re primed for growth. We started in Nairobi with ten or twelve workers. We’ve had to grow at a manageable pace. We’ve been offered huge orders we wouldn’t have been able to deliver. So were working with a bigger factory, training new workers, so that we can actually fill those big orders.

Erin: Getting quality out of a country that doesn’t have a garment industry. It allows us to explore a whole creative realm that people aren’t exploring as much, but we also have to make clothes that sell.

Is there anyone that you guys look up to?

Erin: I’ve got a family friend who’s been giving me some guidance. They’ve been in the fashion industry for a long, long time, and I’ve asked them about how we should grow, who we should talk to. We’re always talking to people we’ve met, getting different opinions.

Where will SUNO be in five years?

Max: Hopefully we will have remodeled our office! We want a bigger team, a more seamless process. Expand into other categories–I’m dying to do mens–we should also be doing accessories by then.

Here’s What You Could Win Tonight at Taco Tuesday

Just a little reminder that we’re hosting Taco Tuesday tonight! Come by the Hudson Terrace to eat tacos, watch us try to bartend and enter a raffle to win one of the following amazing prizes:

• RESIN “black garnet” style jeans
  
• Lee Angel box chain fringe necklace
  
• Melissa Joy Manning Quartz necklace
  
• Rachel Leigh bracelet
  
• Lela Rose Pyrite necklace
  
• Aloha Rag eco tote
  
• Geren Ford leather top, leather shorts and blue rivet flats
  
• Beirn cross body bag
  
  Chris Benz Sequin Tank
  
• Matt & Nat SantoGold Convertible Shoulder Bag
  
• Giles and Brother by Philip Crangi Pied-de-Biche Cuff
  
• Olivia Harris Large Ball Hobo

We will be at the bar competing against Krupp Group for tips, all of which will go to Fashion Targets Breast Cancer. We think Krupp Group and their clients are amazing for supplying these awesome prizes, and the money goes to charity regardless, but we like winning so please throw tons of cash in our tip jar. Thanks! And, for more info, check out TacoTuesdayNY.com. Hope to see you there!

Leyendecker needs L.A. Interns!

Working for a small but successful designer is a great way to get your foot in the door and gain lots of great experience. Interested and based in L.A.? Look no further.

Leyendecker, based in downtown Los Angeles, is seeking an intern. They are a women’s contemporary line featured in stores like Barneys, Neiman Marcus, Saks, Intermix and Shopbop. You will get to learn all about the inside workings of a clothing line while building your resume and your wardrobe.

Responsibilities:

Typical intern duties are creating hangtags, filling cut tickets, walking over to the showroom, shipping out garments for press, organizing, and helping out with blogging and twitter. The people at Leyendeck also want you to know that they are not particularly demanding, are very easy going, and have a pretty good time.

Duration/Schedule:

They are looking for someone to come in one to three days a week. The days are flexible and the hours are 11am to 6pm. Must also be able to commit to at least nine weeks.

If this sounds like as much fun to you as it does to us, go ahead and drop them an email at contact@leyendeckerlosangeles.com and let them know why you think you might be a good fit.

Good luck!

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