Unabashedly Prep April 26, 2011
Posted by SCAD Fashion Department in : Careers, Industry News, SCAD, Trends , comments closedFred Castleberry, Dallas-based creator and author of fashion blog “Unabashedly Prep” will be at SCAD Atlanta this evening for SCAD Style Week.
In creating his style blog Unabashedly Prep more than two years ago, fashion photographer F.E. Castleberry has unwittingly become a pundit of the preppy aesthetic. Splitting the majority of his time between different locations along the East Coast, he has become part of the subculture he initially set out to document. His commercial clients include Ralph Lauren and Norman Hilton, among others. Castleberry has been published in GQ, Women’s Wear Daily, The Rake, Matchbook Magazine and in the forthcoming book “Preppy: Cultivating Ivy Style.”
Come to SCAD Atlanta tonight at 6pm (Events Space 4C) to hear him speak!
Models = Results of Genetic Coctails? January 28, 2011
Posted by SCAD Fashion Department in : Careers, Industry News, Trends , comments closedThe SCAD Atlanta model call this week has me thinking all about what makes a great model. The “ideal” look for runway changes as often as the fashion trends they wear. Most model scouts, however, continue hoping and searching for the next Gisele Bündchen. Many of them head to a remote region in the south of Brazil known for it’s perfect “genetic coctail.”
Colonized by the Italians and Germans, the small farming villages are so remote that there has been little mixing with other races – keeping the genetic makeup pure and ideal for finding tall models with fair skin and European features. While the trend seems to be steering more toward models with darker skin, dozens of scouts remain in the south of Brazil.
Says one “If a famous top model looks German with a Russian nose, I will do a scientific study and look for cities that were colonized by Germans and Russians in the south of Brazil in order to get a similar face down here.” This poses all sorts of concerns for the Brazillian fashion industry because “more than 70 percent of the country’s models come from three southern states that hardly reflect the multiethnic melting pot that is Brazil, where more than half the population is nonwhite.” Read more about these concerns in this interesting article in the New York Times. The video is pretty fascinating, as well.
- Tiffany Horton
Couture Week January 27, 2011
Posted by SCAD Fashion Department in : Industry News, Inspiration, Trends , comments closedIt’s couture week in Paris and the industry is buzzing about Jean Paul-Gaultier’s latest Haute Couture Collection. Cathy Horyn of the New York Times called it his “most satisfying show in years” and praised his ability to take classics like the pantsuit and trenchcoat and actually do something new with them this time around.
Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2011 Couture
Be sure to keep up with the shows as they are posted on Style.com this week – or view super high-resolution images at Stylesight.
Christian Dior Spring 2011 Couture
- Tiffany Horton
Digital Pitti January 18, 2011
Posted by SCAD Fashion Department in : Careers, Industry News, Manufacturers, Organizations and Associations, Retail, Trade Shows, Trends , comments closedLeave it to the Italians to surprise you. In a country known for it’s strong grip on tradition, the modernization of their fashion industry has never been a focus. In fact, many of the most fashionable houses have seemed to consciously resist technological advancements. That is, until now.
The Pitti fair, arguably the world’s preeminent menswear fair, has taken place in Florence since 1972. Now it has gone digital.
Annually hosting over 1000 brands and more than 23,000 buyers from around the world, the fiar is a great way to see a variety of apparel and accessories offerings from numerous vendors. The difficulty for buyers is remembering everything they saw.
Suzy Menkes of the International Herald Tribune recently interviewed Francesco Bottigliero who has been tasked with creating a digital platform to showcase the goods on display in Florence each year. According to Mr. Bottigliero “research shows that the typical buyer stays at Pitti for a couple of days, visits about 50 stands in depth and leaves with a few fashion impressions and ‘pockets full of business cards.’”
His aim? To recreate the Pitti fair in a virtual environment. “The idea is to offer attendees a second or third look, using their screens to “visit” stands that they did not have time to see and to compare and contrast products, materials and prices.”
The online fair will launch at the next edition of Pitti, but some sample images are online now. Be sure to read Ms. Menkes’ article and visit the online edition of the fair e-Pitti to get a sneak peak at the possible future apparel buying.
- Tiffany Horton
Issey Miyake – Origami Collection October 27, 2010
Posted by SCAD Fashion Department in : Inspiration, Manufacturers, Trends , comments closed
For his latest collection, Issey Miyake worked with his R&D team to create apparel that expands from a flat, folded shape into a three dimensional garment when pulled from the top. Using a software program devised by computer scientist Jun Mitani, 3-D shapes are developed from a single, flat sheet of paper which is then translated into a recycled PET polyester garment by Miyaki’s team. The end result is not only beautiful, but mathmatically genius.
- Tiffany Horton
Michael Fink Interview on StyleHug March 22, 2010
Posted by SCAD Fashion Department in : Careers, Industry News, Inspiration, SCAD, SCAD - Student and Alumni Enterprise, Trends , comments closedDrue Kataoka from the blog StyleHug recently interviewed Michael Fink during New York Style Week. The video has now been posted online for your viewing pleasure. In it, Mr. Fink discusses how his perspective on watching fashion shows has changed since his transition from Saks Fifth Avenue Fashion Director to SCAD’s Dean of Fashion as well as how he made the transition from studying to be a conductor to becoming a fashion expert!
McQueen’s Requiem March 10, 2010
Posted by SCAD Fashion Department in : Industry News, Inspiration, Trends , comments closed
Four weeks after his suicide in London, the final collection designed by Alexander McQueen was presented in Paris last night. McQueen is said to have “cut every piece for the collection himself.” Although 16 of the outfits were only 80 per cent finished upon his death, his studio team, led by Sarah Burton (who worked alongside McQueen for 16 years) worked intensely over the past few weeks to complete them according to his clear vision.
And while McQueen originally intended to present this collection in his favorite venue, the Conciergerie, a former royal palace and prison, the collection was presented, instead, to an intimate audience in a gilded, mirrored, salon at the headquarters of PPR, the company that owns the McQueen label.
The heavily religious designs were inspired by Byzantine art and by the work of master woodcarver, Grinling Gibbons, whose carvings adorn St Paul’s Cathedral in London. Abstractions of paintings by Hieronymus Bosch, were digitally captured, woven and manipulated into many of the looks. Bosch, a 15th Century Dutch artist was a painter of religious visions who frequently portrayed scenes of angels, demons and the torments of hell.
The sepulchral 17th-century choral music music played during the show was the same that Mr. McQueen had listened to while creating the collection. Christie Binkley of the Wall Street Journal wrote “What made the collection difficult to watch was the unmistakable impression that the designer was immersed in thoughts of the afterlife.”
According to Suzy Menkes of the International Herald Tribune: “There were damp eyes among the small audience and sobs backstage — both from personal grief and at the scale of the loss to fashion of this singular designer. In this collection Alexander — Lee — McQueen showed his sensitivity to history, his powers of research, his imagination, his technical skills and his love of women, often misinterpreted or misunderstood, but here evident in every fold and feather.”
Click here to see the complete collection.
- Tiffany Teague
Handbag Design Contest March 8, 2010
Posted by SCAD Fashion Department in : Inspiration, Organizations and Associations, Professional Portfolios, SCAD, SCAD - Student and Alumni Enterprise, Trends , comments closed
INSTYLE & HANDBAG DESIGNER 101 ANNOUNCES 4th ANNUAL HANDBAG AWARDS
http://www.handbagdesigner101.com/independent_handbag_designer_awards
On June 16th, 2010, Tim Gunn (fashion guru and co-host of Lifetime’s “Project Runway”), in association with InStyle and Handbag Designer 101, will be a presenter at the 4th Annual Independent Handbag Designer Awards (IHDA) at Parsons The New School for Design in New York City.
Designers will compete for one of eight awards for handbag design, including a variety of prizes to help take their designs one step closer to becoming the next ‘IT‘ bag of the season.
This past year, over 800 submissions were received from designers from over 30 countries. With the rate of submissions up 100% each year since the 2007 launch, the Handbag Awards have become increasingly popular around the world and are attended by over 500 guests, including top editors, buyers and stylists.
The designs will be judged by a panel including handbag design professors, editors, stylists, and buyers The panel currently includes InStyle Accessories Director Meggan Crum, famed handbag designer Carlos Falchi, Deborah Lloyd, 2010 ICONOCLAST Recipient and Creative Director of kate spade new york, Lisa Smilor, Associate Executive Director for the Council of Fashion Designers of America, Claudia Poccia, Global President for mark., and Lincoln Moore, Senior Vice President Divisional Merchandising Manager of Fashion of Saks Fifth Avenue.
All finalists will be featured on InStyle.com, where visitors can vote for their favorite style. The bag with the most votes will receive the Audience Fan Favorite Award. Everyone who casts a ballot will be automatically entered in a drawing for the winning bag.
Of the 35 finalists, eight awards will be given in the following categories:
Best Handbag in Overall Style and Design: Winner will receive a booth at WWDMAGIC American Express OPEN Forum, www.openforum.com, the opportunity to develop a capsule collection for Saks Fifth Avenue and the chance to design a limited-edition bag for kate spade new york.
Best Use of CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements: Winner will receive a design sponsorship that includes free access to crystals and Swarovski know-how. The winner’s bag will be produced as a limited edition and will be given industry and consumer exposure in the U.S and internationally via several CRYSTALLIZED™ channels and communication tools
Most Innovative Handbag Inspired by mark.: Winner will receive a designer feature on meetmark.com highlighting their journey as an entrepreneur, in addition to having their bag recreated for sale on a global marketing platform with mark.
Best Handmade Handbag: Winner will receive a designer feature on Singer Sewing Company’s and Coats and Clark websites (www.singerco.com and www.coatsandclark.com respectively), and is awarded the opportunity to create a downloadable pattern for the ultimate craft audience. Winner also receives a new SINGER CURVY™ sewing machine.
Best Student-Made Handbag: Winner will receive a prestigious apprenticeship with Carlos Falchi.
Best Green Handbag: Winner will receive the chance to collaborate with Timberland to develop a product for sale in its stores.
Most Socially Responsible Handbag: Winner will receive the opportunity to have their bags featured on WorldofGood by eBay, gaining exposure on a worldwide platform.
Audience Fan Favorite: Winner will receive a feature on InStyle.com and will be announced the night of the awards.
Leading up to this exciting event, there will be an exclusive pre-press party taking place at the Swarovski CRYSTALLIZED™ Store and Lounge on June 9th, 2010 in New York City.
| Deadline: All entries must be received by 11:59pm on April 15th, 2010 Entries submitted without full information filled out will be disqualified. |
| CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION |
P.S. I Made This March 4, 2010
Posted by SCAD Fashion Department in : Careers, Inspiration, Trends , comments closedThis website is full of ideas for taking non-traditional materials and using them to make something fashionable. Not really a place for the more advanced fashion students, but a great resource for those of you in Intro to Fashion classes needing ideas for your 3-D projects.
For each post, Erica Domesek, who created the site, takes images that she finds inspiring, creates a rough mood board, and then shows what she made based on the inspiration. In this example, she was inspired by oversized baubles and made a necklace out of rolls of tape, hex nuts, and a ribbon. Pretty inventive!
- Tiffany Teague
Sewn from the Soul March 3, 2010
Posted by SCAD Fashion Department in : Careers, Industry News, Inspiration, Organizations and Associations, Trends , comments closedThose of you who are taking CAD classes next quarter or are looking for styling and editorial ideas might appreciate the recent online editorial created by the guys behind the blog “Street Etiquette.”
Their concept was to commemorate Black History Month and the style legacy of men like Miles Davis, Gordon Parks, and Sammy Davis Jr. Blending history, poetry, and keen styling, they created a feature that was so compelling that GQ Magazine requested the bloggers to put together a more comprehensive list of unsung black style pioneers. The original editorial presents a great way to combine a love of history with a very current style sensibility.
Here is the original editorial which includes the poem “Sewn from the Soul” by a Brooklyn resident who writes “We were sewn from the soul and the streets were our seamstress/Effortlessly sewing the seam to our sartorial dreams . . . “
I, personally, love the way these guys combine well chosen pieces and a love for American fashion staples, with an eye for sharp street style. Although the blog isn’t updated as regularly as I’d like, it’s still a great place to go for an elegant take on urban edge.
- Tiffany Teague