The Woolrich Black Label Debut by Paula Gerbase at fall2011 NYFW

Text, Vivian Kelly
Hair and Makeup Commentary - Cassi Hurd

Hair and makeup play an important part in the overall look of a collection, as do the right accessories. With that in mind, I invited my friend, hair and makeup artist, Cassi Hurd to join me backstage to see Woolrich John Rich & Bros. ‘ launch of Black Label by Paula Gerbase.

In a somewhat comical blooper, [sorry – I deleted it from the video!] I asked Paula “where was the lingerie aspect” to her collection?” I’d hurriedly researched Paula that morning and came up with “British lingerie designer.” I couldn’t imagine how lingerie would play into a Woolrich Collection.

It does not.

It was no surprise that Paula seemed initially a bit taken aback before laughing and telling us, that her background is in Savile Row.

Aha. That explained the beautiful tailoring of the pieces the models posed in on the podiums outside in the shadowy Eyebeam Studio.

Until I got to Eyebeam Studio and met Paula, I’d thought of Woolrich as “in the country” plaid, red and black buffalo check, specifically.

Paula switched things up and delivered forest green and navy plaid – much more sophisticated. Green, one of the colors of the season, looked good. One of my favorite pieces was a  semi-sheer wool overdress.

Paula describes the Woorich Black Woman as a female urban warrior-ess. She’s not slopping around in Lakeville or Kent Connecticut in her Muck Boots and red buffalo coat.  Classic Woolrich will do just fine for those “in the country” weekends, but that is not what Black Label is about.

The Woolrich Black Label collection has a more sophisticated sensibility. Woolrich Black is for women who are concerned with braving the cold and wet streets of Gotham and the Windy City, London, Paris, or Milano in cozy layers on their way to work at their cool job at the Museum, Ad Agency, or Art Gallery.

The Black Label woman’s hair and makeup has that “done but not done” look that women from the above cities do so well. Paula told us that she chose to have the models’ hair up or down, depending on the neckline and proportion of the outfit she was wearing.  This is a refreshing departure from the formulaic [and dated] concept of having all the models hit the catwalk in precisely the same hairstyle, which reminds me too much of Gianni Versace and Calvin Klein shows in the early Nineties.

For the fun of it, I mentally gifted myself the navy and green tartan jacket and picked some accessories to wear with it. My vision – attending Paris Fashion Week this coming fall, in the jacket, Tom Ford  “Peter” or “Raquel” sunglasses and tuning out the noise around me with a matching pair of WeSc checked Bongo headphones in moss green.

These are just my suggestions on what to wear with these pieces. What would YOU accessorize them with? I'd like to know!

For more tips on how to work your hair and makeup, visit Cassi’s site, www.youniquechic.net

Where To Buy:

Woolrich Black Label will be available at Barney’s NY this fall.

All accessories mentioned, available at www.tobi.com

The Nautica fall 2011 Presentation

TEXT, Vivian Kelly

Interview with Menswear Editor, Mark Behnke of www.fashiontribes.com

When it comes to mens’ fashion, Fashion has always suffered with being labeled “elitist”, “not for the regular guy” or “too edgy”, and even “scary”.

Normally, during NYFW, I’m drawn to just such “directional” collections such as Duckie Brown’s [a big favorite], Andrew Buckler, and Siki Im.

This season, though, I decided it was time to be more “democratic” and see just what bigger consumer brands such as Nautica were proposing men wear in 2011.

As I walked the crowded show space with Mark at the Lincoln Center Library, I was reminded of a long-ago Christmas in the early nineties.

I’d just returned from Neiman Marcus and with a pair of Gucci horse bit loafers for my conservatively minded first husband.  While in the thrill of the luxe buy, I’d reasoned to myself that they were “traditional” and that he’d approve.

I Was Wrong. Sad, but not really understanding WHY he wasn’t thrilled to receive them, I returned them on Boxing Day.

His explanation: He loved his Top Siders, always would and did not want to be “fashionable”.

My EX is one of legions of affluent guys who “want to look nice” but are not interested in clothes that would make them “stick-out” on the golf range, on a sail, sporting events, or Friday night poker night with the boys.

Nautica is a great choice for men of this ilk.
#1: It's no hassle- just go to Macy’s and you’re out in less than 20 minutes and back pursuing your leisure time activities.
#2L  Fit – nothing skintight here that requires you to be a gym rat in order to fit into the more avant-garde brands. Asparagus silhouette not required.

3.     #3: Traditional designs and themes. As Mark points out in our video, there’s a nautical theme that appeals to the traditional guy, and “safe” neutral colors.

None of the above is true if you happen to be a liberated metro-sexual type such as  Mark, whose morning grooming lotions and potions rival the most “high-maintenance” woman’s. And that’s great! It’s probably “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” that’s responsible for “regular guys” to start thinking in a more “directional” fashion and to consider fashion lines such as Duckie Brown, Buckler and Siki Im.

*The pre-show interview with the Duckies goes live here next week!

The Toni Francesc Show and Backstage w/ Toni Francesc, Pre-Show

Text, Carey Zamarriego, Contributing Writer
Edited by Vivian Kelly

Toni Francesc

GARUDÀ AW 11

*Cute anecdote: One of the security guards at the front mentioned that Toni Francesc tried to enter the show through the front entrance, saying “look, that’s me, there is my name” (pointing to ‘Toni Francesc’ written on the wall) and had to be told to go to the backstage area.*

Our general impression of Toni: very warm, friendly, playful and gracious.

The Backstage pre-Show Interview:

The Fashion Examiner: The inspiration for your collection was the mythical Phoenix (a bird which, every 500 years, rises from its ashes anew), where did this source of inspiration come from? A trip to India? A story? A photo

Toni Francesc: It can be said to be Indonesian. It does have its roots in Asia, but this is not an Asian collection. It is inspired by the idea of rebirth, of coming back from ashes, from fire.

TheFE:  Your collection is about renewal, is it also a commentary on the state of the world now after the crisis?

Toni Francesc: Exactly, mainly for me, because it is something I am living and experiencing. I refer to everything that surrounds me in my clothes. Spain is in a tough situation and all of us need to emerge and experience a rebirth, a renewal, from these moments of ash.

TheFE: At the time of creating your collection, do you think about trends and Pantone colors, or do you do whatever you want?

Toni Francesc: I believe that inspiration comes from other places. I don’t search out trends. If anything, I need to create them. Generally, I look at things outside of the world of fashion; that is where I am inspired more. Everything around me is reflected in my clothes. For Artificial Life, two collections ago (AW 2010), I met with a group of friends through Facebook, while we were having dinner, everyone wasn’t interacting with each other, but with others via technology, we didn’t experience the moment. It’s this; playing with simple moments and arriving at their complexity that I like to do.

TheFE: This is your fourth time showing at NYFW, how does it feel compared to the first time?

Toni Francesc: Ah, yes (giggles). I feel the same as the first time; really THIS is the first time. The nerves are always there, usually I appear to be very calm, but the nerves and my stomach are turning on the inside. But everything is under control and I hope it goes well.

TheFE:  You and Custo are two Catalan designers showing at NYFW. Do you find any similarities in your designs? And are you two friends?

Toni Francesc: Friends-friends, no, but we do know each other and I really admire the work Custo does, he has been working hard for a long time. But our styles are very different.

TheFE: Finish these sentences:

What I like most about NY is…(the city and the people).

What I miss most about Barcelona is…(my family, but I brought them to NY, that little boy who just ran up to us is my son).

*Toni also brought along his wife and mother.*

The Collection/Show- Highlights

Started with a striking redhead wearing a trench, skirt and animal print top.

Animal print cocktail dress with a wrap leather belt (my favorite!!)

Elaborate backless silk jumpsuits in gray and orange.

Mixing silk with wool and leather. (ie: silk orange top with gray pants)

Silk pieces that looked like watercolors with splashes of deep reds, maroon, oranges and gray.

Trends:

1. Wide leg pants (black with backless high neck silk top)
2. Bright red lipstick on the models (also gave the crowd L.I/P Cream from Mehron in Big Apple red).
3. Wool jacket, trenches and dresses with bottons to bring in a bit of a military feel.
4. Gold leaf belts with gray wool dress and also skirts.

NYFW - fall 2011: Impressions, So Far...the Weekend Report

TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY

It's Saturday night, and "I'm feeling alright" and prepping for round #2 which will kick-off Monday when I get to meet Woolrich's new designer.

So far, I've sat something like half a dozen shows, the incredible Douglas Hannant - Piguet launch party at  the impossibly elegant French Embassy Uptown, dropped in at a few presentations and have eaten more tuna wraps at the Moonstruck Diner than I want to for the next six months, usually at the ill-advised hour of 11p.m. or so. Lucky for me,  my metabolism wakes-up about that time.

Taking it back to NYFW, what wowed me was the quilted Chanel case for the Coco Chanel books at the Assouline Plaza boutique, Duckie Brown's shrunken white suit, a very interesting arty architectural jacket in gray and cream, an emerald green velvet skirt at Nicholas K, handsome models who could body double for Rob Pattinson, the much improved AOL Media Lounge in the Media Pitt spearheaded by the fabulous Tara Shashaty, in the Lincoln Center Tent.

Thanks to Tara (who was photographed and whom you'll see non-stop in any yellow cab you hop into], I got "a clue" about which eyebrow tool I should use. After the make-over, I bum-rushed the MAC Cosmetics store in Grand Central Station, and bought "brun", to fill-in my frankly icky, over-plucked brows.

 This enlightenment took place in the posh  www.stylelist.com
trailer across the street from the Tents. A few hours later, I fell in love - with a black wool and duchesse satin long dress at the Academy of Art University Show.

The next day. I hauled everyone from TheFE team out of their Madison Ave. temporary home to go and see the Libertine Collection. I had "a feeling". Happily for me, the Libertine collection was A-mazing - no "ifs, and or buts".

Offering a bit of pop culture and comic relief was the UNbelievable madness ANTM's "Miss J's" presence at the AAU show caused. I wasn't around when the Beatles debuted, but honestly, the stampede of female tweens and teens who rushed Jay was...."beyond".

Jay's presence will certainly rank in the top three moments of paparazzi frenzy-dom for the fall2011 NYFW.
Enjoy the show!

Casting Call! Duckie Brown Casts for their fall 2011 Show

TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY

So what’s a real live model casting like? Like one for a big NYFW show such as Duckie Brown?

It’s been a while since I attended a big show casting, the last one was one I did somewhere around 2000 for Searle, when said brand was trying to become a player at NYFW.

I wondered if model casting would be tremendously different so many years later. I got to find out when Daniel and Steven invited me to sit –in on a day of their 2-day casting.

It’s not. The casting Director, Claire, took polaroids of the models who had been invited in [@ 80 on day 1 of 2 daysworth]. The model was asked to walk down and back as if they were on the runway. If that went well, they were asked to try on an oufit. It’s a process, yes, but a lot of it is intuitive.

I asked Daniel the “What are you looking for?” question.

In response, he  stated, “We’re looking to cast whomever makes the look look best.”

Simon made it to the point where he walked twice, was asked his shoe size and to try a few outfits on.

At the end out of day 1, the Duckies had around 15 candidates. Said Steven, “We’ve got about 15 we like so far, the trouble is to sew them in together so that they all work together for the show.”

Shortly after my post-lunch arrival, Grant Woolhead, the stylist walked in and conferred with the rest of the group. Grant is Fashion Director of Out Mag, and this is the sixth season he’s working with the Duckies, helping them to cast their show.

As Steven pointed-out, not only does the model have to “work” individually, he has to fit in with the group. There are levels upon levels of casting hurdles to jump before a model makes the final edit and is one of the lucky few to walk the show.

Then there’s the walk, Daniel – “You have to have a mission. You have to work on it. Walk like you’re going to go cash-in a 15 million dollar check.” Simon left, vowing to practice his walk all night.” Shaking his dark head of hair out of his face he said, “Yeah, this is for me. I’m doing it for me.”