Top Models Step For A Cause

Nine West is hitting the pavement in New York City for Spring/Summer 2011 Fashion Week to raise funds and awareness for Fashion Targets Breast Cancer.

Jones Apparel Group (NYSE: JNY) (“Jones”) is partnering with CFDA to create Nine West’s Runway Relief Program, an initiative aimed to marshal the forces of the fashion and modeling industries to step for a cause.

Nine West’s Runway Relief Program has enlisted top fashion models including Coco Rocha, Jessica White, Michelle Alves and Lisalla Montenegro as well as other models participating in New York Fashion Week to wear a limited edition, Nine West boot. These unique boots are equipped with an Omron GOsmart Pocket Pedometer (HJ-303) that track how many steps each model takes while going from castings and fittings to post? fashion show fêtes.

Each step taken in the boot will equal a pre-determined monetary amount that [Jones/ Nine West] will donate directly to Fashion Targets Breast Cancer.

CFDA. “Partnering with Nine West will make a powerful statement to encourage the industry and their shoppers to get involved in Fashion Target Breast Cancer.” Fred  Allard, Nine West’s Creative Director and designer of the boot said,“The boot has a combination of rugged, worn leathers and antique pewter hardware, creating a military inspired boot that can be worn on the go with any outfit.”

A limited supply of the boot will be available nationwide for $199 on Nine West’s Facebook page, or at www.modelinia.com/ninewestrunwayrelief and www.ninewest.com/runwayrelief for a chance to win the boot beginning August 31st 2010.

Modelinia.com will give insider access to Nine West’s Runway Relief Program.Visitors can follow models
throughout Fashion Week as well as check out exclusive articles and behind the scenes videos
from each of the participating models.
The models will keep video diaries throughout the week using Bloggie ™MP4 Cameras provided by Sony. Fashion fans can also participate in Nine West’s Runway Relief Program by
choosing a model to sponsor on the microsite.

Each mile is worth a $10.00 donation to FTBC. Go to www.modelinia.com/ninewestrunwayrelief to sponsor your favorite model or donate.

To kick off Nine West’s Runway Relief Program, famed photographer Nigel Barker will photograph the models from Elite, IMG, Next and Marilyn modeling agencies in an iconic New York City location.

The photo shoot will be streamed live on www.modelinia.com/ninewestrunwayrelief and Nine West’s Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/ninewest on August 31st. Twitter members can follow Nine West’s Runway Relief Program’s hashtag, #RunwayRelief to get minute to minute updates from Fashion Week’s top models participating in the program.

CFDA Nominations: Three Cheers for Marc Jacobs

In what may be a first in CFDA history, Marc Jacobs‘ name was called not less than three times this evening, as the Council of Fashion Designers of America announced its nominees and honorees for the 2009 CFDA Fashion Awards. Recognizing MJ’s successful collections on both sides of the Atlantic, the perky, muscular and punctual designer may need to bring his large “Birk” with him to the awards ceremony in case he needs to carry all those awards back home. Perhaps he can have his hot, equally stud-ly husband Lorenzo Martone carry them for him.

Although Marc Jacobs will accept the International Award for his decade long work with Louis Vuitton, he will still need to duke it out with other nominee hopefuls for the title of Designer of the Year as well as the Accessories Prize. Narciso Rodriguez and Rodarte’s Kate and Laura Mulleavy, fashion’s darlings, will make it difficult for MJ to snag the top Designer title (unless of course punctuality is a criteria, which in that case, MJ wins hands down). Proenza Schouler, with their PS1 bag, along with Vera Wang and her line of jewelry will give MJ and his Stam bags a run for their money as they all vie to snag the top Accessories prize.

Other honorary awards include the Eugenia Sheppard Award which will be bestowed on WWD’s Ed Nardoza, the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement to MJ’s close-friend Anna Sui, and the Eleanor Lambert Award to GQ’s Jim Moore. And what can only be a reflection of the vibrant “Asian Sensation” striking American fashion, the Swarovski Award for womenswear nominees are Thakoon Panichgul, Alexander Wang, and Jason Wu.

Finally, after a whirlwind of successive magazine spreads from VOGUE to People, First Lady Michelle Obama will solidify her mark on the fashion world as she receives the CFDA Board of Director’s Special Tribute. I surmise that if the First Lady were to attend, the topic of conversation would mostly like shift from shift dresses to fat, AIG-sized stimulus checks for the fashion industry.

Info courtesy of CFDA and WWD

Alexander Wang Fall Winter 2009 Collection

Saturday February 14th 2009, 5pm – Roseland Ballroom

The line to enter the Roseland ballroom on 52th street was going all around the street. “which broadway show is the line for” said a women passing by. By the time we’ve got inside we realised that it was going to be a lot of fun, loud late 90′s music, tequila chocolate / tropical topped with Champagne was distributed before the show. Anna Wintour was with her daughter Bee Schaffer, Diane Von Furstenberg came to support Alexander Wang that is CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund’s latest big winner, describing Wang as the most exciting desiner of the moment.

Sarah Jessica Parker was saying that she usually doesn’ come to fashion shows but she loves Alexander Wang’s clothes this is why she is here. Julia Restoin Roitfeld was chatting with Lauren Santo Domingo while Zoe Kravitz and Santogold was posing for photographers.

“This is the type of clothes I love, this is totally me, rock’n roll and confortable” said Erin wasson when asked about Alexander clothes’s Style.

Natasha Polly opened the show wearing a tailored jacket with custom rivet with Michael Jackson’s Thriller on the background. The collection was a succession of 90′s 40 sexy look that everyone will die to get once the collection hit the stores.

We particularly like the wooly demi-cuff cut-out dress with the digital ottoman biker leggings worn by the second model Hannelore, the black metallic croc combat hi-top, the poplin off the shoulder dress, the black oversized leather jacket with saga fox fringe tails, the stretch suede and leather combo cropped leggings, the crystallized Swarovski endless scarf worn by Lily Donaldson, Isabeli Fontana and Trish for the final looks. We overall loved the metal, gunmetal accents on the clothes.

All the looks were perfectly accessorized with beautiful pieces such as the vertebrae earring, desert hats, black velvet combat boots with crystallized swarovski detail, shark cuff and the line of bags made of nappa lambskin leather.

“She wants to have fun, she likes to go out, she is living the time of her life” Said Alexander Wang backstage with Swarovski like sparkling eyes about his girl hitting the runway.

Shop the collection on NET-A-PORTER.COM

Shop the collection on shopbop.com

See our pictures below:

Alexander Wang Steps Up His A-ccessories Game with Shoes and a Diffusion Line

Alexander Wang ups the ante with new launches and a fresh vision for spring. Swing by Alexander Wang’s new downtown studio and you might focus on any number of things. Perhaps it’s the custom-made black goat hair sofa chair. Or the receptionist’s desk with giant shipyard chain-link legs. The Thirties brass theater lights. Maybe it’s even the colossal space itself; this TriBeCa office is nearly four times the size of his previous 2,000-square-foot Flatiron studio — not bad for a designer who, just four years ago, was pitching his debut collection from his apartment. The most telling of pieces here, however, Wang has hidden away on his office wall. It’s a large Juergen Teller photograph of a playful Kate Moss — with tousled pink hair — peeking out from under all-white bed covers. Wang, as anyone familiar with the designer knows, has been hooked on Moss-as-muse since his launch lineup of intarsia cashmere sweaters in fall 2005. And perhaps even more famously, he’s introduced to industry vernacular the term M.O.D. or model-off-duty. “It’s that sense of ease and being confident,” he explains, “like you just rolled out of bed and threw something on.” In other words, nothing too perfect or matchy-matchy.

 

And that formula — mining often unpretty elements that somehow end up looking nonchalantly stylish and chic — has created quite a successful niche for this 24-year-old San Francisco native. On the accolade front, just this year, Wang has garnered an Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation award, a CFDA Swarovski Award nomination for Womenswear and, most recently, nabbed a top 10 finalist spot for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. Business-wise, meanwhile, things are snowballing — and those new, improved digs are just one indication. Take, for instance, the company figures. Spring sales jumped 40 percent from 2007 to 2008 and fall sales, 60 percent. So far, wholesale numbers this year have totaled $8 million, with 2009 projections running in the $10 million to $15 million range. This month, moreover, Wang gets his first shop-in-shop at Barneys New York flagships nationwide. “When we saw his fall collection, we were blown away,” says Terence Bogan, vice president of women’s Co-op at Barneys New York. “Our budget [for his collection] doubled from the previous season. We needed to resonate that with the customer so we expanded his space.” And, indeed, his February fashion show was a high-octane extravaganza, in which the designer let rip his vision of a grungy street-chic girl — torn denim, oversize blazers, shredded hosiery and beanies. “[Fall] was the season where people really recognized us,” says Wang. “We’re under a microscope now. We have to watch our moves and make sure everything we do is right.” That means keeping the momentum rolling for spring 2009.

In an exclusive preview with WWD, Wang revealed two new product launches for the season. He will present his first shoe collection, and he’s dipping into the diffusion arena with a lower-priced label. But the latter isn’t just a cheaper version of his main line; this new collection is all about cotton basics. “I’m not taking away from what I’m selling, and confusing the customer. I realized there were no T-shirts that spoke to my aesthetic,” he says. “You have those L.A. brands and then you have the $200, $300 shirts from The Row and Rick Owens.” T by Alexander Wang will feature 12 styles — from tanks ($28 wholesale) to T-shirt dresses ($40) — all cut in the designer’s signature languid style, with colors ranging from simple whites and heather grays to lavender, chartreuse and cerulean. “Necklines are stretched and armholes are strategically lowered so that it looks worn in,” he explains. “It’s like sleeping in a T-shirt and then wearing it the next day. It’s not this crisp little T out of the dryer. It’s draped and kind of wilted.” Wang’s footwear, on the other hand, is aggressively sexy. There are five styles, each a variation on the platform sandal. “Everyone’s been doing an open-toe,” says Wang. “I added the thong to give a fresh perspective and make it more provocative. The thong between your toes, it draws your attention to that area.” Priced at $125 to $250 wholesale, the collection ranges from a perforated leather bootie to a heel topped with fringe. Wang even tossed in a few tough-chic fetish references, courtesy of actual body-piercing rings he’s used as hardware. The inspiration here? The shoes were designed as a contrast to his upcoming spring lineup, which he promises will be a marked departure from past collections. Instead of a grungy attitude and a focus on separates, there will be lots of color and dresses, underscored by an athletic-meets-“Miami Vice” vibe influenced by two recent trips to the sunny city. Another sign of change for the designer: a new stylist.

 

He’s hired Alastair McKimm to fill in friend Erin Wasson’s shoes. Of course, you can bet there will be plenty of Wang’s offbeat counterpoints throughout. His spring lace patterns, for instance, are inspired by sweat stains, and the runway hats by milliner Albertus Swanepoel will be, as Wang describes them, half swim caps, half “corseted do-rags.” With all these new categories in the works, though, one wonders if it’s all too much too soon, especially considering the downbeat economy. “It’s a very risky move at a time like this,” admits the designer. “But we do take that into account. You have to deliver on the product, and I think I’ve proven that on the sales side.” Wang adds that he’s not recklessly pushing ahead. He plans to conservatively launch the new shoe line, for example, in his top five stores before diving into full distribution for fall 2009. “It’s just an evolution now,” he remarks. “People are either going to love [the changes] or hate [them], but they’ll recognize you for it. You have to show that the brand can evolve and that there’s a future for it.”

Courtesy: WWD

CFDA 2008 Finalists Named

 

 

NEW YORK — This year’s 10 finalists for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund are a varied group, from their home base to their designs and their dedication to the environment.

The finalists, who were revealed on Tuesday, are Richard Chai, Jason Wu, Alexander Wang, Irene Neuwirth, Albertus Q. Swanepoel of Albertus Quartus, Alejandro Ingelmo, Juan Carlos Obando, Swaim and Christina Hutson of Obedient Sons & Daughters, John Patrick of Organic and Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock of Vena Cava.

Founded by the Council of Fashion Designers of America and Vogue magazine five years ago, the fund offers emerging talents a cash prize and mentorship programs by industry leaders. The winner receives an award of as much as $200,000, and the two runners-up pocket up to $50,000 each. Previous winners were Rogan Gregory of Rogan, Doo-Ri Chung, Trovata and Proenza Schouler’s Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough.

The finalists were selected from among 100 candidates, after a two-hour meeting on Tuesday.

CFDA executive director Steven Kolb said the group is diverse, including designer collections, jewelry designers, a milliner and a label that focuses on sustainable fashions. Two of the finalists are Los Angeles-based.

“The mix of it was very varied,” Kolb said.

The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Selection Committee is to meet with each finalist this month to go through their collections and interview the designers. The committee consists of CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg, Kolb and associate director Lisa Smilor, Vogue’s Anna Wintour and Sally Singer, Barneys New York’s Julie Gilhart, Coach’s Reed Krakoff, Jeffrey Kalinsky of Jeffrey New York and Nordstrom, Gap’s Patrick Robinson and Theory’s Andrew Rosen.

The fund offers all finalists guidance through its growing Business Advisory Committee. The panel consists of Calvin Klein Inc.’s Tom Murry, Diane von Furstenberg’s Paula Sutter, Rockwood Management Group’s Josh Sparks, Cole Haan’s James Seuss, Liz Claiborne Inc.’s David McTague, Creative Design Studio’s Susan Davidson, Kellwood Co.’s George Sokolowski and Phillips Nizer’s Monte Engler.

The fund is sponsored by partner Gap, and underwriters Vogue, Barneys New York, Coach, Kellwood Co., Juicy Couture, Liz Claiborne Inc., Lord & Taylor, Nordstrom, Theory and L’Oréal Paris. American Express and Evgeny Lebedev join as underwriters this year.

The fund’s winner and runners-up will be announced at a gala dinner here on Nov. 17.

Courtesy: WWD

Marrying Madrid to New York: A New Fashion Alliance

As part of a plan to increase ties to the American market, the Council of Fashion Designers of Spain showed off some talent with “MadridFashionNewYork,” an exhibition in SoHo Thursday night.

Carolina Herrera was among the guests on hand to support the efforts of 11 Spanish designers including Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, Ailanto, Miguel Palacio and Roberto Torreta. Having held its first initiative last fall at the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute in New York, the latest event was planned to help create a solid platform for the promotion of Spanish design in the U.S. 

The exhibition was held at The Trump Group’s offices. Many of the new Trump SoHo hotel’s investors are Spanish, according to a CFDS spokeswoman.

Modesto Lomba, who heads up the CFDS, explained the impetus for the exhibition: “Definitely, New York is the capital of fashion in the world today.”

The Venezuelan-born Herrera is at ease in Spain. Aside from having a factory for her CH Carolina Herrera collection and several stores for the brand there, her daughter Carolina lives there and is married to a Spanish bullfighter. “Really the only way to see them is to have a show here. That way you can see every designer and what they do,” the designer said. “This was the first idea for the beginning so people know they exist.”

She was equally enthusiastic about pulling together an American effort. “We should organize ourselves or any American designer who wants to show in Europe. They should do the same thing with us.”

When Natasha De Santis, the spokeswoman for the CFDS, referred to Herrera as being a queen in Spain, the designer laughed and shook her head. “You have a very good queen in Spain. Queen Sofia — the real one.”

Executives from the CFDS met with Council of Fashion Designers of America president Diane von Furstenberg and executive director Steven Kolb last week to discuss other prospects. From the start of her presidency, von Furstenberg has pledged to make American designers more of a global force. She herself is staging a runway show Wednesday in Florence. The prospect of having some Spanish designers stage a group runway show in New York was among the ideas discussed between the two governing groups. Helping American designers who are interested in selling and marketing their brands in Spain is another possibility, but the talks are conceptual at this stage, said Kolb, who plans to sit down with the Spanish contingency this summer.

Courtesy: WWD

CFDA Fashion Awards Glistened with Fond Memories of YSL

 

The heat was on at Monday night’s CFDA Fashion Awards, as designers and VIPs crowded the area behind the New York Public Library. “This is already fun,” said Francisco Costa, who took home the Womenswear Designer of the Year Award for Calvin Klein Collection. Tom Ford won the Menswear Designer of the Year Award, while Tory Burch was honored as Accessory Designer of the Year. Candy Pratts Price received this year’s Eugenia Sheppard Award. The International Award went to Dries Van Noten, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg was given the CFDA’s Board of Directors’ Special Tribute. The Swarovski awards for emerging talent, meanwhile, went to Kate and Laura Mulleavy for Rodarte for Womenswear, Scott Sternberg for Band of Outsiders for Menswear and Philip Crangi for Accessory Design.

But the fashion crowd paid homage to one of their own in another way as many attendees showed up in versions of the late Yves Saint Laurent’s le smoking. “When I have something important to do I always wear a white smoking,” explained Carolina Herrera, the night’s recipient of the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award. 

CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg chose to wear a jacket Saint Laurent crafted 30 years ago. “I had a dress made for tonight but then I called my country home and asked them to send over all of my Yves Saint Laurents,” she said.

Of course, some people are accustomed to forgoing frocks on such occasions. “The last time I wore a dress was to a friend’s wedding when I was 19,” said Fran Leibowitz, the evening’s emcee.

 

Courtesy: WWD

CFDA Names 2008′s Nominees

 

 

 

NEW YORK — Marc Jacobs, Francisco Costa of Calvin Klein, and Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough of Proenza Schouler have been nominated for the 2008 Womenswear Designer of the Year award by the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

In the men’s wear category, Tom Ford, Thom Browne and Michael Bastian are nominated for Menswear Designer of the Year. Jacobs, Michael Kors and Tory Burch will compete for the Accessory Designer of the Year award.

Nominees for the Swarovski Award for Womenswear are Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte, Alexander Wang and Thakoon Panichgul. For men’s wear, they are Scott Sternberg of Band of Outsiders, Tim Hamilton and Patrick Ervell. The Swarovski Award for Accessory Design will be decided among Philip Crangi, Joy Gryson and Justin Giunta for Subversive Jewelry.

Dries van Noten will receive the International Award: Carolina Herrera will be given the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award, and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg will take home this year’s Board of Director’s Special Tribute. Style.com’s Candy Pratts Price will receive the Eugenia Sheppard Award.

The nominees, as well as recipients of the honorary awards, were confirmed Monday at a meeting of the CFDA board, and unveiled Monday night at an event hosted by the CFDA board of directors and Swarovski at the Rooftop Gardens on top of Rockefeller Center. 

The 2008 CFDA Fashion Awards will take place at the New York Public Library on June 2, and will be staged as a theater-style show followed by a dinner at the adjacent Bryant Park Grill. Swarovski is underwriting the event for the seventh year. Fran Lebowitz will emcee this year’s event.

Courtesy: WWD