Naeem Khan’s s/s2011 Collection: Collectible Fashion

TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY

Many of the world’s best fashion designers are men. That’s always puzzled me as they can never actually try on the clothes and truly know what it feels like to wear them. It’s an argument Donna Karan made years ago when she brought out her iconic “five easy pieces” collection of black basics she felt all women needed for their busy lives. Obviously, there is a way around this problem, as there are some very talented male designers, such as Naeem Khan, who know just what their female clientele wants and have loyal followings as a result of getting it right.
In lieu of trying the clothes on for themselves, male designers rely on muses and feedback from the women they design for and retailers such as Neiman’s Ken Downing. Ken’s “girls”, he told us, [pointing to his blackberry] consult and confide in him, and tell him – really tell him – what clothes and accessories they love.

As far as muses go, Naeem has his wife, jewelry designer, Ranjana Khan,
to draw inspiration from on a daily basis, and perhaps, his show stylist, Mary Alice Stephenson. Ranjana is gorgeous and exotic and Mary Alice
is blonde and beautiful in that classic Old Hollywood way. Both women look very different, but both look fantastic in Naeem Khan.

The smart designers listen to “their girls” and deliver strong fashionable collections that move women to faithfully buy every season. Some clients even become collectors. Fashion design is like pulling off the perfect recipe in that there has to be a perfect balance of ingredients.
In our backstage chat, Naeem spoke about his philosophy. “My formula” he stated, is very simple: it’s classic, it’s glamorous, and I keep tweaking, every season. I want to deliver classic, wearable glamour that is so wonderful that it is worthy of collecting. I have lots and lots of women who collect me. People have been collecting these [pointing to a rack of the s/s2011 collection], maybe since the day I started, six or seven years ago.”

As I first replayed our interview, I considered Naeem’s philosophy. The words “classic” and “wearable” do not often go with “glamour”. Classic and wearable are in one camp, and glamour, falls in another. Right?
Naeem Khan, like Oscar de la Renta, is one of those rare designers who have made their careers by consistently delivering drop-dead head turning glamour that’s not even remotely vulgar.
Naeem is very aware of curbing any tendencies of excess. “In my case, because of the clothes being so intricate, you have to be really careful. You can really overdo it. Overdo it – really. When you keep cooking for 30 years, though, you become a master chef. I have to make sure that I give my customer newness every year, and that it’s to the time.”



You need self-confidence to wear one of Mr. Khan’s creations. The list of celebrities who wear Naeem Khan is diverse but all of these women have self-confidence oozing from their pores. Angie Harmon, Elizabeth Hurley,

Michelle Obama,
and Kim Cattrall all project extreme femininity and self-confidence whenever you see them in photographs. Put them in a Naeem Khan dress and the result is that classic glamour that all women look for when they tune in to watch their favorite celebs walk down the Red Carpet. If you’re a basic black girl who’s happy with her five easy pieces, you may want to look elsewhere. If though, you decide that you really are a Naeem Khan woman, rest assured that you will in no shape or form resemble a walking Christmas tree in one of his creations.
Naeem is extremely in tune with his clientele’s horror of looking foolish. “When you make fashion, you have to make clothes for the real woman. I make very very intricate clothing. When you are doing my kind of clothing, my philosophy is clothing has to be real, It’s going to land up in the store, and it has to sell.”

He concluded our interview by saying that one-day, he hopes to have a retrospective of his work.
Maybe in a few decades, the MET’s Costume Institute would have one dedicated to the “Best Oscar Dresses, 1990-2020, featuring Naeem, Oscar, Armani, and Marchesa as some of the period’s top looks.
In the meantime, Naeem’s clients continue to buy and his presence on the Red Carpet continues to grow.

High-Low Accessorizing, by Amanda Ross for Carolee

TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY
I was inspired by a recent conversation with Paul Wilmot in which he sang the praises of "high-low dressing." He made the point that a white shirt and skinny black pants from the Limited are perfectly acceptable. Going "low" then allows one to splurge on a great designer item from Christian Siriano,or some top of the line skin care
from Nicholas Perricone. This got me thinking about mixing costume and real jewelry in a fearless fashion.
The first fashion icon to use costume jewelry to enhance her overall look was Coco Chanel. Her approach to high-low was innovative and unique. Most of the costume jewelry of the 1920's was based on the Art Deco aesthetic and mimicked the trends initiated by Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels. Brightly colored fruit salad glass stones
imitated the carved precious and semi-precious gemstones used by the fine jewelers, and were combined with rhinestones in geometric patterns. Chanel, typically, went her own way. In 1924, she established a relationship with Maison Gripoix, masters of fine glass jewelry. In 1927, she hired jewelry desigener, Fulco Di Verdura to work with her. Said Verdura,
"She was the first person ever to take me seriously."
Carolee Friedlander took a page from Chanel's book and dedicated her career to making great classic costume jewelry. Carolee started making jewelry in 1972 in Greenwich, CT, as a kitchen hobby and grew her eponymous company into an international recognized jewelry and accessories power house. Like Coco,
Carolee follows trends, such as the recent craze in the accessories sector for black jet, which played into Karl Lagerfeld's The Last Days of Marienbad inspired s/s2011 Chanel collection. Years earlier, Coco herself designed actress Delphine Seyrig's clothes for the film, and as www.style.com writer, Tim Blanks stated in his review "they were echoed in a final passage of black lace dresses tufted with coq feathers." If you want to partake in a bit of Marienbad/Chanel glam, Carolee's Retro Glam 60" Jet Rope with a flower pin at $75, is a good option.

It's good to have access to interesting pieces, but many women are flummoxed when it comes to incorporating fun pieces with fine jewelry, and are loathe to look like a jewelry Christmas Tree.
That's where celebrity fashion stylists such as Amanda Ross fit into the equation.
Amanda was the woman who put together the looks for the heroines in "Lipstick Jungle" - a show I actually miss. These days, Amanda is the Carolee Company's official style consultant. Her duties include personal appearance working with big high-end retailer, Bloomingdale’s and their personal shopping department to meet with customers and discuss the latest trends with them.

I've known Amanda since her days at Self Magazine, and watched her career blossom as she became a go-to celebrity stylist whose credentials include consulting for Dennis Basso, Elie Tahari, as well as being named the first-ever Global stylist for the W Hotel chain.

In spite of all of her multiple duties and travel, Amanda took the time to answer some questions I had regarding her work with Carolee, and how to successfully mix and match costume jewelry into a high-end wardrobe.

TheFE: Most favorite pieces from Carolee. Why are they your faves?

Amanda Ross: The Carolee gold charm pieces are my favorite-the charm bracelet

and coin drop earrings are great for Fall. I love their drop earrings in general. Jet is also huge this season, and Carolee has a whole jet collection-- everything from chandelier earrings to rope necklaces. Carolee's brooches are also great, either clustering several together or pinning them on a chain or leather cord to make a necklace. Carolee's maltese cross brooch from this season is my favorite. And always lots and lots of pearls!

TheFE: I have to bring-up Coco Chanel and Babe Paley for popularizing the concept of "high-low" accessorizing. Do you think it works with Carolee? Do you agree with the concept, practice for this yourself? For your clients, or not at all?

Amanda: Carolee was the first company to offer a "Chanel" look at an affordable price. I love the idea of mixing costume with real jewels.


TheFE: What can a good stylist such as yourself do for a woman, a man?

Amanda: A great fashion stylist brings out the best in the people they dress, enhancing confidence while educating on one's own personal style.


TheFE: When employing/searching for the right stylist, what questions should they ask you?

Amanda: "What is your vision for me?"

TheFE: What is the #1/most frequently asked question your clients ask you?


Amanda: "How do I look?"

Summertime is Dress Time - Taylor Swift Shines in Contrarian’s

TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY
Country music is my least favorite form of music. That said, I DO care about what the female crooners are wearing and have some suggestions. Top of the list are TAYLOR SWIFT and MILEY CYRUS. It all started with an image Deanna of Industry Publicity sent me regarding the CONTRARIAN label, of TAYLOR SWIFT in one of their dresses. Here stylist, SANDI SPIKA is doing a wonderful job of shifting the perception that country music stars only dress in cheesy fringe outfits accessorized by cowboy boots. We’ve come a long way baby, since the days of Dolly Parton.
I wondered why other young starlets, namely Miley, still look down market. I’m not talking about the Red Carpet; I’m talking about everyday dressing. A dress’ best quality is that it’s EASY. There’s NOTHING to ponder. As DIANE VON [FURSTENBERG] famously said, “You just put it on and go.” It turns out, [watch the video] that Taylor loves dresses and fesses up to owning, “probably over 100 sundresses”.

Every woman can use a good dress though, especially one that’s well under $500.

Contrarian offers two versatile summer dresses from the Spring/Summer 2010 Collection. The first, a white adjustable one, can be worn several ways, as the adjustable drawstrings can create a dramatic bushel skirt, or when loosened, fall elegantly at your side. The second, a purple bibb dress has a sexy backless look with a plunging neckline. Dress it up as Taylor Swift did when she wore it to the Brooks and Dunn Concert on April 19th.
I’d love to see Miley in some Contrarian dresses, soon.

*White dress - $378
Purple dress - $450
To view more designs, visit www.contrariannewyork.com