Where the Wild Things Are

If we’re not a fan of “high concept” fashion shows — even as we allow that a concept is a viable launchpad for a creative project — it’s probably because we believe fashion is art, and art is primarily something to be experienced.

More often that not, concepts are reductive. Yes, you can call Picasso’s women violent, or Marc Chagall’s melting sherbet landscapes “dreamlike,” but to try and “explain” the experience of a painting rather obviates the need for the painting to have been created in the first place.

Sneak Piccioli

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So it is with Pierpaolo Piccioli’s pre-fall 2017 collection, which took place in New York yesterday. If the concept of New York as the gateway to the land of the free — supported by a Nina Simone soundtrack — appeared mainly in a ’20s-inspired sensibility, it took nothing from a gorgeous collection that is — like all great art — something to experience viscerally. Or, as Nabokov said, with the “top of the tingling spine.”

Piccioli’s mastery of color took center stage, with Victorian violets to mod-’60s tangerines. Here were glossy leathers and shiny furs, textured suedes and appliqués. Indeed, the collection explored several eras, while making exquisite use of layering and juxtaposition: minks over PJs, and lace with galoshes.

Piccioli’s mastery of color took center stage.

If ever a young girl wandered out onto the moors on a rainy night, prepared to get right back into bed, many of these would be the perfect ensemble for such a storybook stroll.

Runway

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Editors Melanie Sutrathada and Chris Lavish were on hand to see the collection up close. Video to follow, so stay tuned.

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More info.

www.valentino.com

With love,

FWO

(Video by Rinda Sutrathada)

How the Westwood Won

The legendary and eponymous Vivienne Westwood brand has undergone several metamorphoses: first as one of the architects of the punk rock aesthetic with Malcolm McLaren, for decades as a platform for Vivienne Westwood’s signature style, and more recently as a showcase for Andreas Kronthaler‘s phantasmagoric, unisex Sexercise collection.

The brand is also in the middle of a retail expansion: it recently opened stores in Paris and Los Angeles, and 2017 marks the long-awaited debut of its newest location at 14 E. 55th St. in New York.

FWOers Melanie Sutrathada and Chris Lavish sat down with Westwood’s own Lauren Eifel to talk about the new store.

Westworld

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Q: How did the location in this amazing prewar townhouse actually come to fruition? I would love to hear more about the architecture.

From what I know they had been planning to buy this building for a long time. It’s been under construction for 2 or 3 years. The signs have been up; people have been waiting for us. We finally opened 2 months ago.

The interior is definitely different from the usual architecture in her stores. This one is a little bit more minimal, a little bit more industrial and unfinished. You’ll notice the drywall is unfinished; you can still see the screws in the wood. So it’s a different vibe.

Q: Vivienne Westwood has also locations in Paris and in LA, so I feel like New York of course had to be next. New York kind of has everything and anything you could ever want.

We did have a store on Green Street about 20-15 years ago. A lot of people remember it; a lot of people who come in here are big fans of the brand and they’ve been shopping for years. Since then, there’s been a huge gap for Vivienne Westwood, so it’s time for us to be back on the scene.

It’s time for us to be back on the scene.

Q: That’s fantastic. I feel like Vivienne Westwood has been on the [international] scene for a long time.

40 years.

Q: Oh my God. Can you tell us a little bit about what inspires you about Vivienne Westwood, and what draws you to the brand?

I was first exposed to Vivienne Westwood through Japanese street style in Fruits and on the Harajuku street girls, and it was always so cute.

I noticed Westwood was not a typical brand: the silhouettes were totally different, the colors were totally different. It’s very interesting and quirky. I’ve had a lot of love and respect for the brand. So when I heard they were coming to New York, I jumped on it. I was like, “Get me in here! Can’t miss this.”

I noticed Westwood was not a typical brand.

Q: Absolutely. One of the great things I think is so fantastic about Vivienne Westwood is that you might have seen a lot of her stuff and not know that you were seeing it. She’s inspired a lot of the punk movements, so you’ll see a lot of things like safety pins and amazing dog collars and so many chokers, and so much tartan. And a lot of that is really due to Vivienne Westwood.

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More info.

www.viviennewestwood.com
@viviennewestwoodusa

With love,

FWO

Window of Opportunity

For the second year in a row, the legendary Simon Doonan of Barneys New York has partnered with students of The High School of Fashion Industries to create holiday windows. This year the unveiling showcased pop icons like Beyoncé, Dolly Parton, Joan Jett, and Grace Jones.

The windows were donned with red carpets, people drinking hot cider, and a formal countdown. The first revealed a Madonna-like mannequin sitting in a tulle dress, “Vogueing” in a pop-art style portrait. Grace Jones came complete with cigarette, flat-top cut, and Keith Haring prints all over the box.

Windows to the Cold

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(Photos by Ben Russell)

The Celia Cruz window showed a perfect tropical Christmas scene, with her image in the background, a feather, colored light tree, and everything tropical. Next I walked over to see the Beyoncé window, with mannequin front-and-center modeled after the queen herself, donned in the wide brimmed “Formation Tour” hat, with perfect mood lighting hitting her cheekbone.

Next was an equally accurate window of the lovely and voluptuous Dolly Parton in a pink window, with glitter accents, lollipops, and her biggest accents! Lastly, a Joan Jett mannequin stood front and center with an electric guitar. This team nailed the hair and outfit of the total rocker babe.

Student Sukari Webb, who is studying visual merchandising, said she learns how to successfully market a business through the visual presentation of a store.

“We learn everything from window displays, to store layout, and packaging design. This project was a final project for my classmates and me. Almost every day in class — whether we were picking the theme for the windows, or creating renderings and models — it was leading to the unveiling of the window displays.”

When asked about her future she said, “I would like to study visual merchandising, and later branch off into entrepreneurship. In the future I would like to help businesses create and develop the visual aspect of their brand. I would also like to own several successful business of my own. In addition to having a flourishing YouTube channel (kariwoo).”

I sat down with one of the advisory board chairs, Erica Roseman, in addition to Sukari, to discuss this success, the background of this holiday tradition, and future endeavors.

Q: How did the collaboration between the High School of Fashion Industries and Barneys (Simon) come about?

Barneys has been a longtime supporter of HSFI. In fact, the store had interns from HSFI during the Fred Pressman days.

Fred felt it was very important to give back to the community, and the school was a neighbor of Barneys in Chelsea. Simon has worked with the students for years, and last year he spent a day at HSFI being Principal for the Day. He enjoyed the students and vice versa. So the Advisory Board invited him to mentor the visual students. It was such a success, we were thrilled that he agreed to come back. Here are some of his tips for designing with holiday décor!

Simon Doonan’s Tips: 5 Do’s and Don’ts for Holiday Décor (for students, and everyone else too!)

1. Do … dare to be different, and have fun.
2. Do … use unexpected and unconventional elements. Example: cheapo copper pot-scrubbers from the hardware store make great Holiday wreaths. Old CDs make great tree decorations.
3. Don’t … feel you have to stick with traditional holiday iconography. Snowmen and reindeer are great … but so is Dolly Parton!
4. Don’t … forget that colored tree lights are more fabulous than white tree lights. (This is a pet peeve of mine!)
5. Don’t … forget to incorporate a revolving mirrored disco ball. Turn your living room (or window display) into a snow-globe!

Q: Will you partner with Barneys and Simon again next year?

Yes! We are hoping to make this an HSFI holiday tradition.

Q: What was Simon’s role in helping the teams?

Simon attended four classes acting as a mentor. He advised the students on concepts to creation. The students were divided into groups, and Simon worked with all of them very closely, lending his years of expertise.

For example, he had a lengthy consultation with one student about how to make Grace Jones’ flat-top hair perfect, and a long conversation with the Dolly Parton group about her outfit.

Q: Who attends the high school? Students who know they want to study fashion?

Students who have a strong interest in fashion can apply to HSFI. The curriculum includes traditional classes as well as fashion education.

Q: Who created the theme?
 
The students created the theme as a tribute to Simon and his legendary Barneys windows.

Q: Were there any limitations for the designers?

There were no limitations. Students were encouraged to be as creative as possible. This is their moment to shine!

 
The students did such a fabulous job, I cannot wait to see next year’s windows!

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More info.

Simon Doonan
The High School of Fashion Industries
Barneys New York

With love,

FWO

The Store of the Future is Here

I guess it’ll come as no real surprise that, here at FWO, we like to wear nice clothes. Okay, um, we sometimes like to wear expensive clothes. While I personally prefer fashion “hacks” — like putting a rose gold Milanese watch band on a digital watch — our publisher has been known to skip meals to buy a nice “investment piece” that he’s then too afraid to wear, because it cost so much! The irony. And the real kicker is, when you buy expensive clothes, you can’t wear that same expensive thing too much, or it looks like it’s the only outfit you have. What’s someone with expensive taste — and a limited budget — to do?

Rent the Runway has had the answer for some time: rent it, of course!

And they’ve continued to expand the concept, from a purely online phenom to a series of retail stores. And now — to kick it up yet another notch, because why not? — they’ve partnered with Samsung to go beyond the traditional retail concept, and create one of the first “smart stores” out there, blending RTR’s rental concept with Samsung’s integrated technology to offer a unique shopping experience.

They’ve partnered with Samsung to create one of the first “smart stores.”

The new technology has come to life at RTR’s first-ever flagship, located in NYC’s flatiron district. The 4,000 square foot space is more than three times the size of the previous NYC location.

But this is no ordinary retail experience.

The store guides each customer’s visit based on her unique needs and her past interactions with Rent the Runway — whether onsite, in-app, or in a store. The flagship’s focal point will be Rent the Runway’s signature Dream Closet, complemented by a Genius Bar-esque service area called the RTR Bar, and a Style Studio for personal styling appointments.

The store guides each customer’s visit based on her unique needs and her past interactions.

Truly, this is the store of the future, for the women of the future.

 
In Touch

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The future of fashion is essentially the fusion of technology with fashion. And neither fashion nor technology are in short supply at the new flagship. After all, there are 4,000 square feet of gorgeous gowns, cocktail dresses, clutches, and jewelry to explore.

For the month of December they have exclusive events and free services

When you step into the gorgeous open space, Samsung’s 75-foot digital wall greets you with runway images, client stories, and collection inspirations. The décor looks like you just stepped into some old Hollywood glamour closet, with the blush-toned colors, marble entryways, and grey and neutral colored hardwood flooring.

Some of the Samsung-powered tech at the Rent the Runway flagship include:

· Four 32-foot end cap displays that highlight the depth of clothing styles and serve as a “closet in the clouds” with varying graphic formations that offer endless fashion choices. The touch overlay on each screen also provides users with the ability to check out the large amount of inventory not on display.

· A 75-foot Samsung digital video wall located at the front of the store incorporates Rent the Runway’s exclusive editorial content, to truly bring the brand to life and inspire customers with aspirational yet accessible looks, trends, and new arrivals. The wall is made up of nine 46-foot displays with capabilities that allow the store to engage customers and advertise day and night.

· Samsung’s 55-inch ML55E Mirror Display elevates the shopping environment and allows shoppers to experience the clarity of the mirror and full functionality of a display, and in this case, provide the perfect interactive screen for makeup touch-ups to accompany trying on the latest styles and trends.

Strut past the Style Studio, where only clients who make appointments can be styled. Clients stand in front of a digital mirror, which streams sayings and pleasantries as you take the perfect photo.

The grand opening of this store is perfect timing, with the holidays right around the corner.

For the month of December they have exclusive events and free services like PRIV Manicure Bar, Pressed Juicery, and Spruce & Bond!

To book an appointment at Rent the Runway’s flagship, click here.

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More Info.

Rent the Runway Flagship

 
 
With love,

FWO

(This story first appeared at New York Fashion Week Live.)