An Optimistic Future in the Business of Couture
-Bruno Pavlovsky, President of Fashion at Chanel, reported an increase "between 20 and 30 percent"
-Sidney Toledano, President and Chief Executive Officer at Christian Dior, said "The number of clients has increased"
-At Givenchy, C.E.O., Fabrizio Malverdi is forecasting an increase of 10 to 20 percent in couture this year"
-Executives said Europe and America remain the chief markets for couture, with growth coming from Russia, the Middle East, and Asia.
Now that you've got your economics in for the day . . . . these couture clients that account for the increase, prefer an intimate and private presentation, and oftentimes the house visits them. According to Gaultier, fittings with clients may take place "on a yacht, in the Greek islands or in the Caribbean" or a palace in the Persian Gulf.
Data from WWD
-Sidney Toledano, President and Chief Executive Officer at Christian Dior, said "The number of clients has increased"
-At Givenchy, C.E.O., Fabrizio Malverdi is forecasting an increase of 10 to 20 percent in couture this year"
-Executives said Europe and America remain the chief markets for couture, with growth coming from Russia, the Middle East, and Asia.
Now that you've got your economics in for the day . . . . these couture clients that account for the increase, prefer an intimate and private presentation, and oftentimes the house visits them. According to Gaultier, fittings with clients may take place "on a yacht, in the Greek islands or in the Caribbean" or a palace in the Persian Gulf.
Data from WWD
Giorgio Armani Privé Couture Fall 2010
Barely there but ever present, nude looks like it's going to be around for a while.
Louis Vuitton Fall Winter 10.11 Ad Campaign
I'm not sure what Christy, Karen, & Natalia are supposed to be doing in this picture but it looks fun to me.
Donna Karan RTW Fall 2010
"A 'back to black' collection paying tribute to women and to New York, it's architecture, its shapes, its colours. And this black which I will always associate it with: its contrasts, its energy, its modernity and its neon lights. New York is so beautiful at night" - Donna Karan
Tenorio/Jorge Pre-Launch Party
The Pre-Launch event at the Trump World Tower marked the successful beginning of Brian and Emi's New York Exhibition "FILIPINO SPECIMENS ON FIFTH." Specimens they were. If these two designers were exemplifying the numbers of designers out there, we have a lot to look forward to.
Exhibition piece by Emi Jorge
Women of Distinction Luncheon
Last week a record $1.7 million was raised for the Chron's and Colitis Foundation at the Waldorf Astoria. As the power women of New York got together for the fundraising lunch, names like Valentino and Oscar de la Renta were strutting down the Grand Ballroom of the West Wing. A designer on my radar was Andrew Gn. His velvet layered gown, my favorite, had a heavy weighted train to be reckoned with. Hands down the favorite of the afternoon was of course, the jewel encrusted, Valentino.
Valentino
ValentinoAndrew Gn
Central Park Interpreted by Harry Winston
So here's a view of Central Park . . .
And here's another view of Central Park from Harry Winston.
I know . . . you'll take it.
And here's another view of Central Park from Harry Winston.
I know . . . you'll take it.Zac Posen for Target
Tonight's party was an early start for those that wanted access to the Zac Posen line designed for Target. The line doesn't go public until later next month. Although I didn't have any favorites, the concept is a great idea for those that are building up their closets but still looking to economize.
The Present Day's Future
Whether it's digital media or global trendspotting, fashion and technology are ever-changing and form the contents in our everyday life. Students at F.I.T. combined the two and presented a step forward into the future. I'd keep this in my closet for say . . 2046.
Is Fashion, Old-Fashioned?
Luckily, we do have a few fashion forward thinkers. This is an ode to those who are leaders in their industry. To those who can take a prestigious Gucci conglomerate and have them see eye-to-eye on your no leather, no fur policy. To those who not only go by head shots and a walk but have interviews, making it mandatory to have a personality on the runway.
Stella McCartney has all organic lines and little did you know that you weren't tired from a night out in the City with your vegetarian suitable shoes.
Stella McCartney has all organic lines and little did you know that you weren't tired from a night out in the City with your vegetarian suitable shoes.
Stella McCartney
Marc Jacobs, going along his path, led women picked from the streets of New York down his Fall 2010 Louis Vuitton runway. They were larger than life not that you already knew their names but in the way he saw fit. "He finds personalities fascinating and sexy and appealing and charming." Model can be more of a role model, a model citizen rather than a mannequin.
Marc Jacobs
The FINAL Collection-Alexander McQueen
It seems almost impossible to fathom a lavishly dressed royal from another dimension. But to open your mind's eye is to see it in the design. He was beyond his time.
Alexander McQueen
1969-2010
Nauty Boy
Made of stripped nautilus, Nauty Boy designed by Wynn Wynn Ong was featured on the cover of WWD this month. That's exactly the kind of fashion that should be coming from the Islands of the Philippines.
Paving the Runway
A Filipino model sounds like a bit of a conundrum. This NY Fashion Week there were no play on words. Filipino model, Charlene Almarvez was at a number of shows paving the runway for those to follow.
Spotted at Diane von Furstenburg
Catalyzing Imagination
If one died and went to a "fashion heaven," one would be wearing a gown like this.
The Dubai based Filipino designer that creates the haute couture* is Michael Cinco. An unveiling of his collections are shown each year during Manila's Fashion Week. Last year I viewed the "Impalpable Dream," his 2009 collection. The opera started and the room silenced, dresses of beauty floated down the runway, and with each dress, a stretch of my grin. Not the least bit dissapointed, it's no wonder I keep Michael Cinco synonymous with Elysium.
*Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finish, often using time-consuming, hand executed techniques.
Compendium of Curiosities
Reflective Reveries and Meticulous Metronomes
Pamela RolandThe prime corner of 57th and 5th treats you to a display of cutting edge styles all year round, but during the holiday season, the Bergdorf Window commands your attention. This season the window invites you into a wonderland of fashion fantasy. You can get engulfed in a sea of red which leaves you with a delightful sense of vertigo, where queens aren't cards but queens dressed in McQueen are the ones playing cards.
A whisper of an "Amazing" you'll find yourself uttering as others are gathered to also be caught in the trance.
Alexander McQueen
Marc Jacobs
Afternoon Amusements and Sovereign Gambits