Reed Krakoff Celebrates The Museum of The City of New York

Reed Krakoff‘s been up to a lot lately. In the past month, the designer showed his Spring 2011 collection at NYFW, landed himself a spot on our American Masters list, launched his e-commerce site, and opened his new Madison Avenue shop. All while remaining Creative Director of Coach.

Apparently, Krakoff didn’t think that was enough for one month’s agenda. Thursday night he threw an event at his new store, celebrating the Director’s Council of the Museum of The City of New York.

The Museum of The City of New York celebrates cultural diversity, and is located in the East Harlem area of Manhattan. There are always a few great exhibitions on, like Notorious and Notable: 20th Century Women of Style, which highlights 80 prominent New York women who used their style to capture the attention of society and the media.

The party itself was also hosted by a committee of women who use their style to capture the attention of society. To name a few, Tory Burch, Amy Fine Collins, Tara Rockefeller, and Jennifer Creel were all in attendance, and looking extremely elegant.

After arriving and gulping down some h’ordeuvres as well as a glass of champagne, I was scooted away to meet the American Master himself. I will admit that I was pretty nervous, but Mr.Krakoff was endearing. He introduced me to his wife Daphne (who, by the way, is a total beauty), and we chit-chatted about his latest collection, the Museum of The City of New York, and how I should convince my boyfriend to buy me a pair of his amazing fur wrapped heels. “We’re really excited to have The Museum of The City of New York here at our new store,” he told me. “A lot of work went into this…we’re happy to finally have it open.” We said farewell and parted ways.

A good cause and good clothes equals pure party pleasure.

7 Great Accessories for Your LBD …

Every woman has to have at least one versatile, flattering LBD in her closet, but what really makes an LBD work are the accessories you wear with them! The right accessories can change an LBD from casual to dressy or modern to retro… not sure what I mean? Here’s my list of 7 great accessories from your LBD, and what it can do to transform it!

1. ModCloth “A Modern Fascinator”

Price: $23.99 at modcloth.com

Add this little black fascinator to your favorite little black dress, and prepare for compliments! It’s gorgeous, with soft feathers, a dotted veil, and one single black carnation. Perfect for adding retro inspiration, especially in the fall!

2. ModCloth “Preciously Pruned” Necklace

Price: $16.99 at modcloth.com

If your best LBD is calling for color, add this necklace and a red clutch and heels and perhaps a printed pashmina and you’re set! I love the bold color and the flowers themselves are almost deco-inspired.

3. ModCloth “Tiers of Pearls” Necklace

Price: $23.99 at modcloth.com

All of the details to add punk rock sass or demure elegance to your LDB, depending on what else you wear with them. Booties and patterned tights for punk, heels and a clutch for class. See?

Les Demoiselles de Sportmax

MILAN–Sportmax, the kickier, more gently priced label from MaxMara, was inspired by the 1967 French musical Les Demoiselles de Rochefort for Spring. True to their inspiration, Sportmax showed plenty of schoolgirl-ish A-line dresses with deep-v pleats in the front, just like the ones Catherine Deneuve wore in the film (or Madeleine wore to school). In keeping with that playful, youthful ’60s vibe, models were styled with peppy swinging ponytails. To emphasize the light and cutesy mood of the show, a butterfly motif ran throughout–in prints on dresses, and appliqued on boxy sheer organza button downs.

While the show opened, like many others this month, with all-white looks, the palette soon moved into bright poppy, hot pinks, and yellow. Finale party dresses were sequined and color blocked with low open backs to give that wholesome school girl who opened the show some sex appeal. In between the slinkier sequined looks and the crisp white, khaki and navy trapeze dresses that opened the show, outerwear stood out. Dusters were embellished with zippers and drawstrings, and trenches and raincoats were cropped and glimmered in patent leather. Fitting since the Sportmax girl seems like just the type to relish in some puddle jumping during a rain shower. The label will just have to equip her with the perfect wellies.

Click through for more photos from Sportmax SS2011.

Best Dressed: London Fashion Week

We love Alexa Chung’ preppy-chic loafers and fitted blazer. We’re also absolutely smitten over Charlotte Dellal’s Charlotte Olympia banana clutch. Julia Johansen went wild in her colorful zebra print while at a Mulberry dinner. And both Cat Deeley and Caroline Sieber look stunning while arriving to the Burberry show.

London Fashion Week Spring 2011: The Ten Best Collections

London Spring 2011 was hands down my favorite fashion week ever. Shocked, are you? Once you feel the energy, see the masterful technique, and find yourself wide-eyed by the innovation, you’ll understand where I’m coming from. Here are my ten favorites.

Additionally, I must send out a big thanks to Swarvoski, not only because they sponsored my trip to the UK, but also because they underwrote almost all of the very best shows at LFW. If not for them, some of these collection mightn’t have happened.

Adventures In Copyright: Clog Boot Edition

I can’t seem to remember a shoe that Jeffrey Campbell hasn’t copied from another designer. So, it should come as no surprise that Mr. Campbell is today’s culprit in our Adventures In Copyright series. The designer’s Lief Clog boot has a striking resemblance to Swedish Hasbeens’ High Heeled Jodhpur boot. Both boots are made of leather, both have a buckle, and both have their seams in exactly the same places. The only noticeable difference? Jeffrey Campbell’s is $178 and Swedish Hasbeens’ is about $400. Oh, and the fact that Swedish Hasbeens has been making clogs, and only clogs, since 2006. They may know just a little bit more about the Clog Boot than Jeffrey Campbell.

D&G’s Spring 2011 Garden Party

MILAN–The runway at D&G, Dolce and Gabbana’s younger and more affordable line, was lined with actual flowers–daffodils and roses to name a few–because Dolce and Gabbana’s girls are going to a garden party for Spring/Summer 2011.

But they’re not just going to sip cocktails and look pretty in the garden, they’re going to get down and dirty and do some gardening, too. Models were styled with kerchiefs and wore floral print bloomers with cropped smock tops, rompers (they’re still around), and dresses with apron pockets, paired with wedged wellies. Then they’ll break for a picnic, and disappear right into that red-checked blanket, wearing red gingham dresses, jumpers and separates.

But don’t worry, the D&G girls clean up well, of course, and for the actual, cocktail-sipping garden party, they’ll don flowy floral floor-length dresses with ruffled skirts. In fact, D&G’s liner notes state that the show “ends with a party al fresco where it is imperative to show up in long floral chiffon gowns.” So there.

Take a look.

Portable Needs A New York Intern!

Portable is looking for an editorial and marketing intern in NYC. A digital technology company with with offices in Melbourne, Sydney and New York, Portable runs and manages a range of projects including www.portable.tv, a film and video site and www.portableshops.com, an online project directed at fashion designers and boutiques. It also supports a range of clients from industries as diverse as music, film, fashion, education and government.

They are looking for an intern to join their newly established New York office assisting in day to day operations, which will include administration, editorial, marketing and event coordination.

Who They Want:
You’ll have experience working in editorial-based roles at other online publishers in the fashion or design industry. You’ve also worked in retail and have a keen eye for independent fashion, film and music which you’ll draw upon when working with their clients and staff.

Your knowledge of online social media is only matched by your ability to get on the phone and organize anything from events to film production shoots.

You’ll need the following skills:

* Online and social media knowledge
* Exceptional writing and editing skills
* Fashion retail and design knowledge
* PR, Marketing and Event production skills
* Production coordination skills (film and video a plus)
* Design skills

If interested, please send an application to jobs@portable.tv along with your resume. Please note they will only accept applications from US residents who have current and appropriate working Visas.

Prada Spring 2011 Goes Bananas. Chiquita Bananas.

Prada Spring 2011 the cheat sheet:

- blindingly bright neons (orange, highlighter green, hot pink)
- Latin flair
- stripes
- orthopedic/futuristic platform and wedge sneakers
- tight chignons with ’20s-style finger waves
- striped fur tails (stoles?) dipped in neon, held like clutches

Prada Spring 2011, the unabridged version:
Leave it to Miuccia Prada to say fuck it to this season’s trend of all-white show openers. The first look out was blindingly bright orange, setting the tone for a neon color palette of hot pink, lime green and fluorescent yellow. While many designers have looked to the ’70s for spring 2011, Prada’s DayGlo color palette was the only thing remotely ’70s-inspired about her show. Instead, she went south to Mexico and Cuba and Brazil and maybe Puerto Rico, too. Form-fitting dresses with drop-waist ruffled hems looked like a modern, tripped-out interpretation of something Anita might wear in West Side Story. Oversized striped sombreros hung down models’ backs. Monkeys, bananas, and the Chiquita banana lady (OK, it wasn’t really her) were printed and embroidered on dresses and tops. And there were hints of the ’20s, too, in the models’ hair, styled in finger waves, and the decadent fur stoles each model carried (though when the stoles are neon and striped like the tail of an acid-tripping Cheshire cat it makes the ’20s reference less linear). It’s hard to pin this collection to any distinct decade because it was so modern and bright and forward-thinking.

In stark contrast to the neon stripes and South American-style embroidery that dominated the runway, the last six looks were simple little black dresses–tent dresses cut low in the back (and some in the front, too) that were so delicate they recalled Andy Warhol’s paper dress, and long-sleeved knee-length lbd’s with prudish ruffled collars.

Anna Dello Russo was wearing a watermelon on her head in the front row [which she also wore to Marc Jacobs] but we wouldn’t be surprised if she goes all out and wears a whole basket of fruit on her head next, Chiquita banana-style, after this show. After all, Miuccia Prada was wearing banana earrings when she came out to take her bow.

Fashion News Roundup: Betty White’s Style Evolution, Givenchy at Disney and Men in Makeup

Superintern: Some interns spend their entire internships getting coffee and making copies. Others, like this Alex Wang intern, have their doodles featured in their boss’ Spring ’11 collection. {Nylon}

Betty White’s Golden Years: Check out a slide show that chronicles Betty White’s “style evolution.” We all know the actress is not lacking in personality and she’s certainly never been afraid to take fashion risks. {Style List}

Dazed and Some Shoes: Dazed & Confused/Another Magazine publisher Jefferson Hack has worn many hats throughout his career and now might try is hand at designing shoes. The collection, intended for Spring ’11 delivery, will reportedly be revealed in Miami. {Elle UK}

Givenchy at Disney? Givenchy will reportedly open their first U.S. perfume boutique…in Disney World. You can find it in the faux France section of Epcot. I’ve never been to Disney World, but this sounds pretty out of place, no? {Fashion Indie}

Men in Makeup: Normal? It is in England, apparently. A survey revealed that over three million men admitted to regularly wearing makeup, mostly eyeliner and concealer. And more than one third of the makeup wearers borrow said makeup from their wives or girlfriends. {Daily Mail}

Pint-sized Fashionista Willow Smith Slated to Attend Milan Fashion Week

Watch out Lola Leon and Suri Cruise, nine-year-old Willow Smith is gunning for the title of most fashionable celebrity offspring. Sure, she doesn’t have a clothing line like Lourdes (yet), but her new single, “Whip My Hair,” sound pretty awesome, and this mini-Rihanna has got style for miles and works a red carpet like a seasoned pro.

Up next for Will and Jada Smith’s youngest? A stop in Milan to view the spring collections, of course. We hear she’ll be front row at Ferragamao on Sunday with mom Jada.

Fendi Spring 2011 Is Smoking Hot

MILAN–”FENDI is the burning summer of passion” the line sheet read for Fendi’s Spring/Summer 2011 show. To that effect, the set looked like paper that had been burned, the soundtrack was essentially a woman panting set to a beat, a burnt pattern ran across the hem of several pieces, and billowy geometric cut lantern sleeves on dresses on tunic tops dominated the runway.

Karl Lagerfeld‘s collection for Fendi was gorgeous and sultry and the women who wear these pieces will bring boys to their knees. Though it wasn’t an in-your-face kind of sexy (which is usually the best kind). Despite the whole “burning summer of passion” note dresses weren’t skin tight, and skirts were not short, but they were suggestive. Tulip skirts were wrapped with a small slit at the front. Long belted dresses with drawstring boat necks and strapless peasant tops emphasized the collar bone. Colors were rich and saturated: There were deep purples, periwinkle blues, orange-y reds and dark khaki set against optical dot prints.

In short, this is how I’ll be aspiring to dress next summer.

Musings on the Man Romper

If not one of my favorite looks of the New York Spring 2011 Men’s collections, Yigal Azrouël’s one-piece, short-sleeved “jumpsuits,” with their lower halves cut well above the knees, remained a standout, if for no other reason than it reminded me of a romper. Which, in fact, it is.

The idea of a romper for men should not be so outlandish. They were, after all, created with boys in mind. The style, if we can call it that, goes back to Victorian times, when the garment was designed as playwear (ideal because of the mobility it allowed within the dressing/undressing ease of a one piece) for boys, and boys only—though eventually the practicality was extended to little ladies as well. In the ’50s, the romper became stylish for not-so-little-ladies, and during the last half-decade has experienced a resurgence, found on runways from Vena Cava to BCBG, thanks in no small part to American Apparel, who more than anyone have made the sexy, playful romper ubiquitous.

While the romper for men (I’m officially dubbing it a “stomper”) may not offer the same pin-up appeal, it looks rather appealing. If not exactly dashing, it’s a fun subversion of the workwear theme, which will be hard to escape next spring—and on the right guy it could look almost cool.

But will boys want to romp as well? The appeal of the romper is that is makes sexy girls cute, and cute girl even cuter—few menswear items have “cute” in mind as a goal. To wit, Azrouël refuses to call the look a “romper,” saying, “I think ‘romper’ is a bit diminutive for these types of garments; jumpsuit seems more appropriate and functional. They are new shapes for men, while maintaining their masculinity.”

Perhaps, but the fact that the one-piece has short legs and short—or no—sleeves kind of kills the functionality aspect (a jumpsuit tends to protect our bodies from chemicals, fire, etc—these would only function in this regard if you weren’t too concerned about your arms, knees, ankles, and thighs). And saying something was inspired by workwear doesn’t make it any less romper-ish; Sasha Grey’s group scene in the (coincidentally named) movie Fashionistas Safado may have been inspired by the Algonquin Roundtable, but it’s still a gang bang.

When I pressed Azrouël’s people to explain how this “jumpsuit” was different from a “romper” in anything but name, they listed menswear design details such as hidden button plackets, and reinforced topstitching, which can easily be found on rompers made for women as well.

Last year, Timo Weiland made a similarly named onepiece, but with fewer macho aspirations: “We called it a onesie worksuit, but the inspiration was a dandified Edwardian; the purspose was definitely not functionality,” says Weiland, adding that the look was definitely not one that sold.

Whether we call it a onesie, a jumpsuit, or a romper, Weiland and Azrouël may just be ahead of the times. The recent workwear-heavy collections are any indication, boys will be men, not boys, next spring. But we should keep in mind that after work comes play. So who’s ready to romp, er, stomp?

Racked Dealfeed: Patrik Ervell, Pretty Pennies, Gap

Patrik Ervell

Deal: Up to 70% off men’s apparel, accessories and shoes.
When/Where: Friday, September 24th through Saturday, September 25th. Daily 12pm—6pm. 35 Howard St between Broadway and Crosby, #4B (646-912-9083)

Sample Sale Productions
Deal: Up to 60% off retail prices on new and pre-owned apparel, furs, jewelry and shoes from names like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Prada
When/Where: Wednesday, September 22 through Saturday, September 25. Wed—Fri 10am—7pm, Sat 11am—4pm. Flatotel, 135 W. 52nd St between Sixth and Seventh Aves, fifth floor (917-453-6687)

Pretty Pennies
Deal: 15% off the entire site with the code Racked15, designers include Dolce Vita, Han Cholo, WeSC, Obey and BB Dakota
When/Where: Online

Gap
Deal: Enter code GAPSAVE20 at checkout to save an additional 20% off sale items
Ends: September 24, 2010, online

Menswear Review: Topman Spring 2011

Fashionista contributor Long Nguyen is the co-founder/style director of Flaunt.

“Everything you just saw was the direction we are taking for spring,” Gordon Richardson, the creative and design director for Topman, told me immediately after the finale of Wednesday’s show, inside the glass dome of the Royal Opera House near Covent Garden. It was dominated by knitwear and ’70s floral shirts, tucked into high-waisted boxing shorts with contrast stitching hiking boots.

Taking inspiration from youths in Brighton–a town on the southern coast of England known for its pop music venues, vintage record stores and clothing shops–the collection mixed techno fabrics. Consider a shiny charcoal single-breasted suit with a cotton floral shirt from the hippie era, or a dark cotton suit with slim trousers and the au courant cotton military print shirt. One of the most appealing looks from the show, from a customer’s point of view, was the shiny light purple trench. It was shown with matching trousers in a deep purple cotton. I also liked the black cotton shirt printed with large red psychedelic flowers and paired with black cotton belted flared shorts.

Although many of the knit pieces, like the red cotton sweater featuring the fox motif, will undoubtedly be bestsellers, I’m not certain about the ivory high-waisted boxer shorts with a tan leather belt and burgundy/mustard
polo. It may be a hard sell beyond the limited range of fashion devotees. I’m sure a more commercial mutation will be found among the racks at the Broadway store.

Asked whether what’s in the show will be sold at Topman stores come spring time, Mr. Richardson insisted that everything shown will be ordered and sold. “Topman Design is available online at topman.com, the New York and London Oxford Circus flagships stores as well as select La Foret department store in Tokyo and Shine in Hong Kong.”

I have always resisted the idea of any high street brand pursuing the route of staging a fashion show, which should be primarily for designers to show their new work. But as fashion has expanded far beyond the limited world of the “designer collections,” it would be silly to restrict how new ideas are communicated to this wider audience. A fashion idea can also be about merchandising, and not necessarily high concepts of designs to be digested by critics. In skirting the traditional route of media presentations, Topman is communicating directly with customers. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

As is now standard, the show was broadcast live online and in the windows of the Oxford Circus store. “We have [already] purchased seven items from the show–the sweater with the fox image, the metallic suit with slim pants, the parka jacket with pockets–and customers can purchase them online starting now,” Mr. Richardson said. In the age of instant accessibility and immediate availability, Topman has upped the ante allowing customers to purchase its affordable merchandises without delay. See Now, Buy Now may not yet be fashion’s newest lingo, but I suspect in the next season many fashion houses will follow suit.