Toronto Fashion Week: Pink Tartan Spring 2011

1980’s Hollywood was the theme of Pink Tartan’s presentation at LG Fashion week yesterday.  This Canadian label (now headquartered in NYC) already has fans in Sex and the City's Kim Catrall and Kate Hudson.  Designer Kimberley Newport-Mimran showed lots of neon pink, royal blue and orange for a new wave color palette.  

Blonde models channeled Brigitte Nielsen were draped in one-shoulder striped dresses.  A geometric print that was a twist on Ikat patterns made its way into jumpsuits, pants and jackets.  I wish I could say it was used well, but often, it just looked garish.  Leopard print also made its way into the collection with more success.    The best looks were the tailored shirts paired with slim pants.

Oversized sunglasses reminded you of the Valley Girls of the decade.  The collection paid tribute to 80’s Gucci with a variation on the horse bit belt.  Neon versions of barbershop quartet hats were paired with many of the outfits.  Bandanas a la Poison’s Bret Michaels completed the headwear accessory options.

The models of the show stepped onto large light boxes as they finished their runway walk.  I’m not sure if it was the instability of the box itself or the height of the shoes, but no less than four models tripped and stumbled getting on or off the stand.

Photographed by Ritika Wahal

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Fashion Designer Couture Ornaments

Are you ready for a Red Carpet Holiday Tree?  Want your pine boughs trimmed with ornaments personally designed by the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker, Sean Jean, Gwen Stefani, Naeem Khan, Carlos Falchi or Jonathan Adler?
You can get festive and have the most fashion-forward decor of the neighborhood with the Home Shopping Network's  HeART HSN Designer Ornament collection.

100% of the profits in this collection will be donated to the St. Jude Children's Hospital.  St. Jude's is a pioneering research hospital devoted to finding cures for pediatric cancer and childhood diseases.

The Home Shopping Network launched this collection with an intimate soirée at their showroom last week. St. Jude chair Marlo Thomas hosted the event while ornament designers like model Iman and Naeem Khan attended in support.

Swarovski is a participant and the famed crystals are featured prominently in many of the ornaments.  The price range for the pieces range from below $20 to $40 for most of the collection.  You can also splurge up to $299 or a jewel-encrusted Naeem Khan piece. The collection goes on sale October 20, 2010 through HSN and will be available through the holiday season.

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Los Angeles Fashion Week: Green Initiative Spring 2011

Los Angeles Fashion Week started last weekend and what better way to begin my coverage than with The Green Initiative Humanitarian Fashion Show.  The show is sponsored by The Green Youth Movement, an organization founded by Ally Maize with a goal to educate youth on how to be eco friendly.  As Ms. Maize put it at the opening of the show, “We’re the next generation and can and will make a difference”.

The event showcased four labels that concentrate their efforts on eco-friendly fashion: organic and sustainable fabrics, local manufacturing, fair trade practices, non-toxic dyes.  Although these labels all put an emphasis on being eco-friendly, they each have a very distinctive personality.

First up on the runway was Kristinit, by designer Kristina Lenss.

In a collection that covered the bases from daytime casual to dressier pieces, Ms. Lenss turned out a very feminine and versatile line.  Constructed jackets paired with flirty skirts were key to this grouping as were a mix of day to evening dresses.

Next up was , a line with a primary goal to provide jobs for women with HIV in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia. With this noble goal, they produce a line that is very handcrafted and artisanal, emphasizing elegance and comfort.  Using a color palette that is very earthy and natural, Keokjay produced a nice line of mostly casual separates, all with handcrafted details that really stand out.    One look that stood out was a dress with the fabric braided in the front to produce and interesting textural element from which the fabric emerged in soft drapes.

Jonãno followed with a line that was also more geared toward casual wear.  Utilizing mostly natural colors, Jonãno accented the collection with a few shots of mauve, a bright blue and an ethnic-look print.  A “macramé” shawl, an intricately twisted front print dress and a lace sheath dress with a long jacket were standouts in this grouping.

Last, but definitely not least, the Emily Factor line.  While the other lines were all beautifully done, this line kicked it up a notch.  The Central Saint Martins education was definitely apparent here.  Vibrant sophisticated prints were the focal point of this collection, whether draped in fluid dresses or as leggings. This bold use of color was a nice ending to the show. Flowing dresses with an emphasis on drape were knock outs and high waisted “paper bag” pants and shorts were stylishly reminiscent of the 80’s.

All in all, The Green Initiative Humanitarian Fashion Show  made good on its promise of showing us that fashion can be eco-friendly without compromising on style. Let’s hear it for Eco Chic!

Photos & Reporting by Mdivani Monroe

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WWD 100 Years, 100 Designers

If you're in the fashion biz, or just a fan of the apparel industry, you already read Women's Wear Daily.  It's the newspaper for this crazy business of fashion.  The publication is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a book honoring 100 top designers.

WWD: 100 Years, 100 Designers launched Thursday with an elegant party at Bergdorf Goodman's BG restaurant.  It was hosted by executive editor Bridget Foley and attended by many of today's top designers.  Vera Wang, Isaac Mizrahi and Francisco Costa mingled with muses like Bianca Jagger.  Everyone was in Manhattan chic (meaning lots of black, but exquisitely accessorized).

The book itself is gorgeously illustrated with photos of the best of fashion through the years.  If you missed your chance at Bergdorf Goodman's, WWD is holding another bash at Cipriani on November 2.  Otherwise, you can pre-order your copy on Amazon.com.
Photos courtesy of pmk.bnc

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Custo Barcelona Fact or Fiction Spring 2011

Fall fashion in NYC generally means dark and somber colors.  Custo Barcelona defies this in leaps and bounds.  The spring 2011 offerings being previewed were a super-bright mix of prints and embellishment techniques.  The luxe pieces included pieced tops that included pleated details, appliques.  Another dress included beading and embroidery.  A jacket was created with eyelet, piping and studs.  Dresses with fringe, dresses with feathers...

Textiles with multiple dying techniques from different countries made the cut.  The knits collection had prints with every color of the rainbow.   This collection is clearly for the bold and extroverted.  The bags and shoes followed the same aesthetic.  

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Manolo Blahnik Sketches Shoes

The legendary shoe designer was in town to sign his new book, Manolo's New Shoes.  The gorgeous tome showcases the designer's sketches.  The illustrations remind you how a shoe can be a work of art.  The new collection of Manolo Blahnik's shoes were also debuted on the Bergdorf Goodman floor that evening.  It was nice to see the sketch and final product next to each other.

Ladies who lunch with a shoe fetish sipped champagne as they lined up to meet the designer.  Vogue editor Andre Leon Talley camped himself in a corner to bellow out instructions to the department store staff.  He also bullied Mr. Blahnik into putting on a pair of his own designs to pose with his book for a photo op.  

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West Coast FAB: Delano

California. Beautiful people with beautiful bodies playing on the beach.... But those bodies didn’t get that way by accident. It’s all about working out!  But what do you wear when you are working out?  I mean, you need to be practical and wear clothing that is functional for working out.  But you also want to look good WHILE working out.  And wouldn’t it be great if some of those workout clothes could serve double duty by being fashionable enough to wear on other outings?

Back in the 80’s, the movie Flashdance started a craze for wearing dancer inspired workout wear as street clothing.  But in all honesty, although it seemed cool at the time, the clothes that came out of that fad were merely sweatshirts that had necklines cut out of them and ripped leotards. They were hardly what you would call fashionable and it was a look that probably should have stayed  in the dance studio. Which raises the question, is it possible to have clothing that is practical for working out and also appropriate for daily activities?

Welcome to the world of Delano, a Southern California severely hip line of workout clothes that covers your needs for working out AND is cool enough to wear on the town as well.  Designed with active women in mind, this is not just a line of activewear, it is a line of lifestyle wear that will carry you through many of your daily needs.  While the company is based in Southern California, the clothing will speak to active women everywhere.

The mother/daughter team of Tamara and Britt Delano have launched their namesake line and it is definitely a winner.  Veterans of the entertainment and music worlds, they have long been involved in dance and body conditioning with pilates.  And like the saying goes: necessity is the mother of invention.  Having a hard time finding workout clothes that were functional and stylish, they took their love of dance and fashion and developed the Delano line of clothing. 

The line consists of sporty tops, leggings, pants, jumpsuits and wrap jackets, both long and short.  All of the pieces put an emphasis on design with decorative touches that make them fun to wear and very fashionable.  The colors of the collection are black, white, red, eggplant, bright pink, light blue and I am sure more colors will be added as this new line picks up steam.

Let’s face it, if you are going to all of the trouble of working out to get that buff body, don’t you want to show it off?  With Delano, you can show it off in style.

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