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.)

Think Pink

Anyone who grew up in the nineties knows exactly what Claire’s is. Although maybe some of those ’90 babies may have outgrown the brand, Claire’s is still designing, and their SS17 Destination collection is still just as perfect when us pre-teens dragged our moms there.

This latest launch came at the invite of Vogue, and included three different categories: Preen Queen, Wildflower Festival Dreams, and Pool Party. Each section captured the theme completely, from trinkets, accessories, and even sweet gifts to give your girlfriends.

 
Think Pink
 
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The Pool Party scene was complete with wide-brimmed hats, fruit-scented pom-pom keychains, patches, watermelon cups, tassle ankle-bracelets, and so much more.

Next was Wildflower Festival Dreams, which was a woodsy whimsical land for all things music festivals: hair accessories, stick-on rhinestones, silk bandannas, flower crowns, and cat-ear headbands.

Lastly, for all the Preen Queens, the selection included bedazzled white headphones, sheen trucker hats, rose-gold and blush bags and sunglasses, and chokers were everything!

Most items photographed are shoppable now, so keep an eye out. You may just need that flamingo water float!

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More info.

www.claires.com

Frye x Vogue

It was roughly 150 years between Frye’s debut in Massachusetts in 1863, and the opening of its first New York store in 2011. So you might say Frye’s full entrance into the NYC fashion scene has been a long time coming.

Fortunately, Frye is a brand with the luxury of time. As the United States’ oldest continually operating shoe company, Frye has been in every aspect of American footwear style for more than — well, pretty much longer than anyone.

Frye has been in American footwear pretty much longer than anyone.

But although Frye has been a ubiquitous staple, it’s only recently begun to put down stronger roots down in the high-fashion market.

It’s no secret that here at FWO, we’re a bit obsessed with handmade footwear (probably one of the reasons we declared Simone Cecchetto “world’s greatest shoemaker” not too long ago).

Likewise, Frye is no stranger to painstaking craftsmanship. They offer a Tuscan-made Artisan Collection, and if you’re curious about how Frye footwear is made, you can find out some about that here.

The Event

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(Photos: Sean Sime Photography)

On a cool night in late-November, Vogue VIP, Frye employees, bloggers, and influencers sipped on (rather strong) “Frye Mules” of whiskey, lime juice, and ginger beer while warm, mini-grilled cheeses were passed around. The DJ had the crowd lively and enjoying themselves while many networked and tried on the new collection.

The mainstay of the collection, not surprisingly, was boots: from hiking, to OTK, to shearling, with cute accessories like furry pom-pom beanies, cross-body bags, and small leather goods.

The In-Crowd

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The boot company has expanded, still touching on their original principles, but also enveloping fashion booties, ballet flats, sneakers, and heels.

Whether you’re ready for dusty trails in riding boots, easy-riding in motos, to tame Tuscan hills — or even rock out in Lou Reed-worthy chelseas — Frye probably has what you’re looking for.

From Lou Reed-worthy chelseas to taming Tuscan hills

To shop the current collection, click here: www.thefryecompany.com.

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With love,

FWO

(Wunderkind photo via Now Fashion)

All Tied Up: the Corset’s Dubious Comeback

Despite shedding the laced-up cages of our ancestors, corsets have made a surprising comeback … and on runways, no less.

An unmistakeable trend this past season, the antiquated fashion piece appeared on runways at Tibi and Wunderkind — not to mention the absolute explosion of corsets in street style.

Ever since Madonna popularized the corset in the ’80s — a stint that lasted into the ’90s — the corset has enjoyed relative fame as sexy outward accessory.

The definition of a corset (according to dictionary.com) is “a close-fitting undergarment, stiffened with whalebone or similar material, and often capable of being tightened by lacing, enclosing the trunk: worn, especially by women, to shape and support the body.”

It’s not quite an attractive-sounding garment, and has a reputation throughout history of distorting the body of its long-term wearers. A brief look at the history of the corset over the span of 16th-20th centuries exposes minute variances in design, but all were a source of consistent concern to physicians of those eras.

It has a reputation of distorting the body of its long-term wearers.

The concern was at first due to the tight-lacing methods popular in the nineteenth century, that were “rectified” in the Edwardian period with an “S-shaped” corset. However, the new version only fiddled with the musculoskeletal region in lieu of squeezing the inner organs of the abdomen.

Have I made you queasy yet? Well, if not, get ready: in the 1700s, children and babies were wrapped in corsets for fashionable reasons.

Clearly the corset’s comeback today is of a lesser degree, but it begs the question of femininity in fashion: when does it go too far? Corsets are prevalent in lingerie and, arguably, the Spanx is a modern form of physique-shaping minus the stitched-in boning.

It’s with the rebirth of waist-shapers, riddled on sponsored Instagram posts — and the increased popularity of curvaceous body shapes — that the concern arises. Are we any freer from shaping and shifting our bodies if we bring a clothing accessory like the corset back into play? And what does it say about us if we’re willing to cause ourselves physical harm (at one extreme) to achieve a “look” or chase a trend? Especially when the “thinning” effects of a corset aren’t even lasting?

What does it say about us, if we’re willing to cause ourselves harm (at one extreme)?

The distinction has to exist in the way in which it is worn. New interpretations on the “corset look” — like at Tibi — or interesting takes on lingerie, or on classic silhouettes: this is the very core of reinventing the past.

So wear your corsets in a dress, as a belt, loosely slung on your hips, as you will, but as physicians throughout the ages have warned: avoid tight-lacing.

Everyone likes tight curves, but it’s far more important to feel comfortable in your own skin, and look great in clothes that flatter.

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With love,

FWO

New York State of Time

When Vogue invites, you go. You can also feel relatively certain the event will be either cool and trendy, or classy and glamorous, regardless of the venue. This one hit all notes. And I got to discover a watch to die for.

The event was for luxury jewelry and timepiece brand de GRISOGONO, held in the Upper East Side.

Hosting the event was none other than Genevieve Bahrenburg, artist, writer and filmmaker. A strong woman — who survived 22 days in a coma, and 13 brain surgeries after a drastic accident in 2013 — she welcomed guests in a stunning black dress and matching black diamond jewelry designed by Fawaz Gruosi, the heart and soul of the de GRISOGONO brand.

Black tie, black suits, and elegant cocktail dresses flitted around black diamonds, diamond-like carbon, and some pretty cool “smart accessories.” The Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch by De GRISOGONO grabbed my attention right away.

You can think of it as several luxury watches in one. You switch through different screens to change between multiple “traditional” faces, and several smart functions. (See the video above at around :29, and prepare to be “wowed.”)

Think of it as several luxury watches in one.

The Italian designer transformed the high-tech watch into a glamorous and sparkling accessory. The result? Truly, a luxury watch to die for.

A diamond-set gold bezel turns freely around the dial, partially hidden at 6 and 12 o’clock beneath two black DLC-coated arches set with the emblematic de GRISOGONO black diamonds

According to Younghee Lee, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing at Samsung, “This dynamic partnership builds merges Samsung’s barrier breaking technology with de GRISOGONO’s signature style to create a smartwatch as unique as the wearer.”

Christmas is knocking on the door — thanks to Vogue, Samsung and de GRISOGONO I know my wish for this year.

SAMSUNG GEAR S2, please.

(p.s. Interested in attending some events yourself? Check out Vogue VIP.)

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With love,

FWO

FashionistaCon 2016

i
first came across Fashionista.com when I was in college, researching careers before my “big move” to NYC. Every 12 months, Fashionista puts on one of the most fabulous conferences of the year, called “How To Make It In Fashion.” I was so bummed I missed it last year. So, needless to say, I was thrilled when I found out I would be covering it.

The daylong event was spread across two floors at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea. The main floor had girls with bright smiles, greeting the guests at check-in, alongside vendors like Essentia water and Sweet’Tauk lemonade. Of course no event is complete without a photo booth, so the Bosco was there, too.

The Event

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The morning started off with a menswear panel, “Why Menswear is Having a Moment,” from top gentleman like Jacob Gallagher of WSJ to street-style pro and brand director Lawrence Schlossman. The topics drifted from breaking gender barriers in the fashion industry, with lines like Vetements, to youth currently being the pulse of men’s fashion.

The collective of five professionals (which also included Jian DeLeon of WGSN, Todd Snyder, and Tom Kalenderian of Barneys), all agreed that NYFW: Men’s wasn’t quite ready for it’s “primetime” — specifically mentioning that until other designers like Ralph Lauren and Thom Browne show during the week, it still flies almost under the radar.

A lot of attention was focused on the talented up-and-coming young designers filling the void of what we’re experiencing now in menswear. The guys said there is so much potential for any young designer to create a collection and really blow up right now, since so many designers are looking to outlets like Instagram, and the streets, to see what trendy guys are wearing.

“Any young designer can really blow up right now.

Red Carpet

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After a quick break — when attendees could either sign up for a mentor session or network with fellow goers — the conference resumed.

The next topic was “How to Get Your Fashion Label Off the Ground,” with panelists Molly Howard of La Ligne, Rachel Roy, Scott Studenberg & John Targon of Baja East, and Timo Weiland.

Cathy Horyn was the next guest speaker, head critic at The Cut … and was she fierce! She spoke about her time in Norfolk and Detroit, and how she was never a serious fashion lover but stuck with her original plan of journalism. She prides herself on being able to write freely, and noted that although she does have this advantage, her freedom of speech has cost her attendance to shows. That doesn’t stop her however: her badass attitude on life allows her to get back out there and cover the same story in an alternative way.

“Cathy Horyn’s freedom of speech has cost her attendance to shows.

After a nice leg-stretch and mini-networking break, Patricia Field of Sex and the City fame was the next to guest the stage. Dressed in a cute and cozy cashmere jumpsuit, Field automatically brought the audience to life. Her bubbly and out-there personality created such a humorous interview. She advised the audience to “go with what you are strongest at.”

Following Field, Christian Siriano bounced on to the stage and kept up the liveliness! The most talkative of the bunch, Siriano spoke about his childhood and humble beginnings. Questions from the audience expressed the concern for the lack of other designers keeping in mind body issues on the runway. Siriano’s September collection was noted as including plus models, and models of different ages and races.

“Siriano is known for including plus models, and models of different ages and races.

In the Spotlight

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The last panel included influencers from brand agencies to bloggers. Featured panelists were Danielle Bernstein, of We Wore What, Jennifer Powell of Next Model Management, Krista Neuhaus of Kate Spade & Company, and Reesa Lake of Digital Brand Architects.

The audience was clearly made up of Danielle Bernstein fans, as they clapped for her as she glided across the stage. This was a really interesting panel, as not only could you get down to the super-nitty gritty of advertising on social media, but also hear how that business works from an agency’s side. Technology also played a big role in their conversation on gaining followers, engaging them, and the future of social.

The final keynote was Linda Rodin of RODIN olio lusso, who closed down the conference with amazing stories from her time styling on shoots, to creating more than 500 bottles of face oils in her apartment. Her love for her craft, and really creating a perfect and honest product, shone through.

The event was a huge success, not to mention the swag bags at the end! I loved being able to meet girls and guys working in a similar or same field, and all the advice that was given. (Plus, truly, you cannot go wrong with all-day coffee!)

For tickets to next year’s FashionistaCON visit fashionistsa.com. And a special thanks to the editors of Fashionista who moderated each segment: Alyssa Vingan, Tyler McCall, Dhani Mau, Maura Brannigan, Chantal Fernandez, and Stephanie Saltzman.

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Learn More

events.fashionista.com

With love,

FWO