This past Tuesday was Election Day and while the focus was on our newly re-elected President Barack Obama, those of us in the fashion world of course paid attention to the clothing of the first lady, Michelle Obama. At the headquarters on Tuesday night Mrs. Obama opted for a dress that we have seen her in before, a magenta silk chine pintucked dress by Michael Kors. This of course shows that Mrs. Obama is always reusing pieces in her closet. 

She is also seen wearing her signature black cardigan. Many have commented why she decided to wear something that the public has already seen her in in the past. Some perceived that she wanted the focus to be on her husband that night and not her fashion choice. It was well received by some saying that it was a good choice to display a designer who is American and whose clothing appeals to many different markets.

This Michael Kors dress was not the first worn by the First Lady, over the past few years she has been seen in many of the designers clothing. Here are a few examples. 

Here she chose First lady Michelle Obama chooses Michael Kors again for the 42nd Annual Phoenix Awards dinner in Washington, Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012

In her official White House photo from 2009 she is seen wearing a Michael Kors dress

Here she is seen on the cover of O Magazine with Oprah wearing a Michael Kors dress.

This past week images from Forever 21′s upcoming Holiday Collection were released. Modeling the clothing is Chanel Iman, a model who is frequently seen on the runway. The name of the campaign is “Let It Glow”. The collection features many edgy looks including feminine pieces in toned down hues, as well as pieces inspired from the baroque era with lots of embellishments and fake leather detailing.

This ad campaign is a step up for Forever 21, they are creating more edgier looks and are learning to market themselves in different ways using popular figures from the fashion world and pop culture to display their looks. Here are a few images from the campaign. 

H&M is always known for doing many collaborations with designers as well as music artists/pop culture icons. The face of H&M’s new campaign for Winter 2013 is the popular singer, Lana Del Rey. The collection consists of nostalgic mix of chunky knit sweaters, faux leather pants, fur-trimmed vests, and slick puffer jackets. Lana has a strong loyal following of fans so this collection is sure to be a best seller. It is also very wearable for people who also may not be familiar with the singer. Here are some promotional images. 

Just a few weeks ago the Spring/Summer 2013 fashion collections were displayed in New York, Paris, London, and Milan. Throughout the 3 Runway shows there seemed to be 3 themes: Petal Power (Florals), Asian Influences, and Chic,Chic,Chic (Mod)

Florals were interpreted in many different ways in each city, some being very hazy and blurred, others using very bold tropical floral prints. There also was use of florals seen in the jewelry  Besides there being floral prints there were also some 3D floral blossoms on the garments. Here are some examples of the Florals seen in the 4 cities.

NYC:  Jason Wu

Paris:  Christian Dior

Milan:  Etro

London:  Holly Fulton

There was an Asian Influence seen in all 4 cities, especially taking inspiration from the Kimono and reinterpreting the Kimono style sleeve.

Milan:  Emilio Pucci

London:  Burberry Prorsum

NYC:  Karen Walker

Paris:  Hermes

The third trend we saw was lots of Mod influences. Designers took the simple mod silhouette and put new twists on it by using color blocking as well as graphic prints.

Milan:  Dolce & Gabbana

London:  Mulberry

NYC:  Alice + Olivia

Paris:  Louis Vuitton

These 3 trends are sure to be seen everywhere, from fast fashion to red carpet and be worn by many people.

Brands and branding are a very important part marketing especially in todays market. A Brand is a word or symbol that identifies the source of goods/services and differentiaties it from its competitors goods or services. There are many type of brands such as Private Label Brands, National Brands, Designer Brands and Luxury Brands.

A Private Label Brand is a brand that retailers own and are exclusive to the store. An example of this would be BDG Denim at Urban Outfitters.

A National Brand is a brand that is owned by manufacturing companies and sold in a variety of retail stores. Examples of these types of brands is Hanes and Nine West.

Lastly, Luxury Brands are high end or expensive brands that are afforded only by customers with significant income. An example of this would be Chanel. 

Another important aspect of marking is and branding is brand loyalty. This is when there is a large group of loyal people that are loyal to this brand and will always buy their products. A major company with great brand loyalty is Apple. 

Better late than never but I was finally able to take a look at the Little Black Dress exhibit at the SCAD Museum of Art. The exhibit had many different variations and looks of what you would call the “Little Black Dress” You could tell that the dresses were from a wide range of eras. Many used a very simple, classic silhouette  Others were very over the top and almost couture like.  My favorite part of the exhibition was being able to get up close and look at all of the intricate detailing on many of the dresses, which varied from very fine lace, embroidery, weaving as well as beading. The most interesting thing I found was how all of the dresses had very different silhouettes.For me, before looking at this exhibit when I thought of the “Little Black Dress” I thought of a short very simple black dress. Now after seeing the exhibit and seeing the “Little Black Dress” that ranged from short dresses, long evening gowns, to voluminous dresses this perception has definitely changed. Overall I thought the exhibit was very interesting and it was amazing to look at all of these lovely designer dresses.

This post will be about a Pre 21st Century Designer that has had an influence on the Fashion that we see today. Mary Quant was an English fashion designer. She is most well known for being the designer to popularize the mini skirt as well as the hot pant. 

Mary Quant was born in London on Feburary 11th 1934. Growing up she did not directly aspire to be a fashion designer but she says that she has a memory of cutting up old bedroom sheets she found. She went to Goldsmiths College of Art in London and studied Illustration there. 2 years graduation she opened up the boutique Bazaar in Chelsea, London with partner, and later her husband Alexander Plunkett-Greene. This is where Quant came to her fame.

At Bazaar she sold lots of ready to wear pieces that were geared towards the younger market. She believed that this was an open market because no one was designing for these girls individually, they were being dressed the same as their mother. Here is where Quant popularized the mini skirt. She says that the mini skirt was not her idea at all, but came from the young girls that frequented her shop as each time they wanted the skirts shorter and shorter.

Quant’s designs were very influential to the fashion world during the 60’s because they were completely different from anything that was being seen at the time. Her designs were very simple for the everyday girl. She is quoted saying “I think they sensed that it was about youth and a new generation that scared them. And don’t forget there was nothing else then. Fashion was for the elite. You went to Paris to the couture houses or you tore pictures out of magazines to find a dressmaker who could more or less copy it. “Quant is also known for creating the “London Look” of the 60’s which was knee high, white, patent plastic lace up boots and tight, skinny rib sweaters in stripes and bold checks” 

Mary Quant is an influencer of todays fashion because she was the first to really pioneer easy,carefree clothing for young girls which is still seen everywhere today.

Welcome to Blog.scad.edu. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Refer to the Technology Policy in MySCAD or your handbook for complete guidelines and procedures surrounding the use of SCAD accounts.