Film Directors Fashion Ads

There was a lot of press about Tom Ford's film directing debut for the Oscar-nominated  "A Single Man" in 2009.  The movie was loved by critics and praised for its beautiful photography, design and complex characters.
Karl Lagerfeld's love of photography has been well documented.  He promoted a recent collection with a self-directed short film called "Remember Now".

I suppose prominent auteurs of the movie world felt they had to return the favor...

Martin Scorsese is known for his gritty portrayals in films like Goodfellas and The Departed.  What would he bring to the new commercial for a Chanel fragrance?  The result was a slick, darker, stylish short with a rebellious model (that's pretty hot!)



Oscar-nominated director Sofia Coppola was first in front of the camera for a Louis Vuitton ad with dad Francis Ford Coppola.
 She directed the wonderful Lost In Translation and the trend-setting Marie Antoinette.  She directed a similarly frothy French fantasy in her commercial for Christian Dior's "Miss Dior Cherie" fragrance.



What's next? Frank Miller of Sin City Fame is set to debut his film for Gucci's new "Guilty" fragrance at the MTV Awards September 12th.  It promises to have the slick, graphic, sexy look that he is known for... Here's a preview:



Want to keep up with all the fashion film shorts? Check out Fred Sweet's page here.

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Madame Paulette - Tailor to the Stars

If you have worked in the luxury fashion, you are probably familiar with Madame Paulette.  They are known as a “dry cleaner to the stars”, a clothing restoration specialist trusted by the likes of Vogue, Vera Wang and Bergdorf Goodman.

The Fashion Societe held a session at their Manhattan studio last week.  The Societe is part social club/part school for fashionistas.  Cathy Berger organizes seminars with a fun, cocktail party atmosphere like tonight’s program.  The evening’s agenda focused on how master tailors tricks of the trade could be applied to one’s personal wardrobe. 

The quickest, easiest fix for a tailored blazer for a busty woman?

 Simply shift the center front button over closer to the edge.  A much tougher alteration would be a couture wedding gown that is the wrong silhouette for its wearer.

Proprietor John Mahdessian gave an overview of the history of this family business.  He described memorable projects such as restoring the gowns of Princess Diana, cleaning the private jet of Donald Trump and preparing the garments for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Anglomania exhibit.  

To call Madame Paulette a dry-cleaner is not really accurate.  You wouldn’t go through the expense of just bringing your stained t-shirt there.  Upscale designers, haute couture owners come to this establishment for their expertise in clothing preservation and restoration.  Their clothing concierge service houses the special pieces of their clients in optimal conditions that their home closets may not be capable of.  

What makes a tailoring job at Madame Paulette different from the one down the street from you?  Master tailors showed the guests a couture gown with hand-stitching and specialty finishes on the interior.  These needed to be reproduced identically to match the original gown.  How about a pair of high-end jeans with a specially treated hem with targeted abrasions?  If the jeans are shortened, the hems needed to be hand sanded, the thread color matched to match the original.

The charming Mr. Mahdessian gave everyone a quick tour of the facilities. The dressing rooms demonstrate how seriously they take each garment.  Each client fit room was equipped with multiple forms of lighting to accommodate any setting their special garment might be seen in.  This included black light.  This wasn’t for a nightclub setting, but to see special coatings on beads or fabric finishes that might need to be matched.

Do you have grandma's great Chanel suit to restore?  Their website has several promotions and John is always ready for you.

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Cynthia Rowley Dress-Up Band-Aids

Ok, I am ashamed to admit that I am susceptible to marketing.  I couldn't resist this set of "bling-for-boo boos".  Cynthia Rowley's limited edition of dress-up band-aids features sequins, jewels and signature prints.  This is brilliant...Injecting style to take away the sting... This is a great addition to a back-to-school list, stocking stuffer, humorous hostess-gift.  

 

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House of Waris Design Competition

Fashion Incubator inductee, the House of Waris, is heading for the Highline.  What this means for you is that Waris Ahluwalia needs a designer for his pop-up shop to house his jewelry collection.

Your budget will be $5000.  The winning designers will be responsible for building and installing the set-up for Building Fashion, a premier NYC cultural event this fall.  You will be working closely with Mr. Ahluwalia to collaborate on the perfect design.

Judges consist of luminaries from architecture, fashion and design.  Winners will be featured in a multitude of design websites and magazines.  

Miss this one?  The Building Fashion project is a series of design challenges with different fashion designers.  Subscribe and see which project is for you!

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Levi's Curve ID Jeans Launch

Prestige denim brands have come and gone, but what we women really want is great fit at a reasonable price tag.

The Ms. FABulous crew went to the launch of the Levi’s Curve ID launch Thursday.  Their new collection of jeans are about your customized shape, not size.   The staff at the Soho store was on hand to measure everyone to determine their Curve ID.

What does that mean?  Curve ID was based on three universal body types.  I, not being your perfect ‘fashionista’ body type, fell into the "Slight Curve" fit.  This is for women whose jeans tend to be too tight in the waist.  This fit defined the waist, slimmed my hips and avoided the dreaded squeezed 'muffin top' look.

For the gal whose waist fits but doesn't flatter in most jeans, try the Demi Curve fit.   For the woman whose jeans gap in the back at the waist, there is the "Bold Curve" fit.

Fit expert, Kris Tulin demonstrated the proper way to find your fit.  Instead of relying on the number on your label, you need to look at the relationship between your natural waist, high hip, low hip and overall shape.  This is where aesthetic design takes a backseat to the art of technical design.  

The Ms. FAB team were measured by the experts at Levis and given a choice of styles, then sent to the fitting room.  Bloggers and editors were treated to cupcakes, cocktails and their own pair of jeans as they tried to find a good match for their body (booty) size.

It fit! Wow. It took 5 minutes to try two recommended pairs and both were winners.

The prices for the jeans we tried were an accessible $59-$69. You leave feeling pretty damn euphoric that you can enjoy summer in the city rather than crying in the dressing room.

To fit YOUR booty, and snag a pair of free jeans yourself, come to Bryant Park in Midtown NYC on Friday, August 27th for their big party.  Janelle Monae will be performing and you can get rid of your old, ill-fitting jeans to Goodwill.  

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Barney's Warehouse Sale - NYC

Day One of Barney's legendary warehouse sale started today.  One of my girlfriends claimed she survived with a few dresses unscathed.  RackedNY has provided an extensive report on the menswear offerings.

Details:

255 West 17th Street (between 7th and 8th avenue)

Thursday, August 19th: 8 AM - 9 PM

Friday, August 20th: 10 AM - 7 PM

Weekends: 10 AM - 7 PM

Weekdays: 10 AM - 9 PM

Labor Day: 10 AM - 7 PM

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NY Fashion Week Ticket Giveaways

I know it, some intern mixed up your name at Marc Jacobs. Anna Wintour invited her sister-in-law instead of you for the Alexander Wang show. No worries, there are many ways to score your VIP access to NY Fashion Week events.

Fashion Show invites:

For the ultimate in VIP treatment, you want to win the CBS Fashion's #1 Fan contest. It includes round trip airfare to NYC, a 5-night stay at the Mandarin Oriental, exclusive tickets to Fashion's Night Out, Broadway tickets and a $500 shopping spree. Upload a video of yourself expressing your passion for fashion.

The AAU show always showcases the best graduating fashion students from the Academy of Art University. This show attracts top editors, a few celebs and always a few representatives of Bravo's "Real Housewives of..." series. They have a Facebook/Twitter contest on their webpage for you to score your invitation.

StyleList also has a great giveway. $500 shopping spree AND $500 spa certificate along with your trip to NY AND VIP access.  Enter here.

Fashion Week Events:

Martha Stewart Live is doing a special series of Fashion Week themed shows. Win tickets to be part of the live audience for your favorite designers. Diane Von Furstenburg, Tory Burch, Donna Karan to name a few. There is also an episode for fans of vintage and thrift shops. To snag your tickets, write in why YOU deserve to be there in your request.

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