After almost a week of absence, I’m back with a dress made on Polyvore.

The main concept was to create a set with evening dresses – of course with fabulous shoes. Are the shoes the X-Factor?

I hope you like it and maybe you’ve found your new love regarding both the dresses and the shoes.

The shoes are made by L.A.M.B., Jimmy Choo, Rupert Sanderson, Halston, Thakoon and Christian Louboutin.

Details of the dresses are available here.

An eye-catching addition to a holiday party look!

I’m giving food a break because for my meals today, I honestly ate the weirdest bunch of snacks and it’s just not worth posting. Having said that (did anyone catch the Curb Your Enthusiasm finale last night?? If you did, you’d understand why I said what I just said), I might as well list what I ate: ginger chews for breakfast, string cheese for lunch, a spoonful of peanut butter, half a cup of yogurt, a small cheese/salami plate (which was UH-mazing! My mom got a ton of goodies from the famous Cheese Store in Silverlake, CA yesterday and we feasted Italian style), and sashimi from Bristol Farms. Oh, and I had a Samuel Adams cherry wheat beer for dessert.

So back to what I’m posting about: home styles! For your information, I live in a tiny studio in Los Angeles. Rent is so ridiculous out here in SoCal and it’s even more expensive when you get into the Brentwood/Santa Monica area where I live. Luckily, unlike other studio apartments I have seen, I actually have a full kitchen that is walled-off (gasp! unheard of in studio apartments!) and a nice-sized bathroom closet. Plus I get a parking space which is also (gasp! real hard to get in my neck of the woods. So many people have to park on the street and risk getting a ticket if they sleep in on street washing day.)

I came across this adorable studio apartment in NYC belonging to Thakoon wholesale director, Stacey Caldwell, who also runs a home decor blog called Caldwell Home. Talk about making the most of her space! I love the combination of white with the dark chocolate walls and the wood floors. Little feminine touches here and there make me want to move in ASAP. Oh, and how cute is her bicycle parked next to her bed Hey, not bad for a pint-sized pad! I’m going to start taking notes and applying them to my own little bachelorette.

Thakoon Mirror Mosaic Sandals, $1150, net-a-porter.com

Take a close look at these photos of Thakoon’s mirror shoes.

Thakoon Mirror Mosaic Sandals, $1150, net-a-porter.com

Thakoon Mirror Mosaic Ankle Boots, $1195, net-a-porter.com

Thakoon Mirror Mosaic Ankle Boots, $1195, net-a-porter.com

Do they remind you of anything?

When I first saw them, I couldn’t help but think that I had seen them somewhere before – on a much larger scale. In fact, Thakoon’s mirrored beauties remind me of two well-known buildings. Judge for yourself.

First up is the Frank Gehry designed Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.

Guggenheim, Bilbao, wikipedia.org

Guggenheim, Bilbao, wikipedia.org

Next in line is Michael Lee-Chin’s The Crystal, a new addition to The Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada.

The Crystal, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, wikipedia.org

I’m not certain that Thakoon’s mirrored shoes were inspired by these two buildings but I definitely see a connection here. As a fan a fan of both fashion and architecture, I love when these two worlds collide!

Photos courtesy of wikipedia.org and net-a-porter.com.

Photo Source: Style.com

French-born designer Sophie Theallet (who now runs shop out of Brooklyn) won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award last night in New York. Theallet, who has worked under Jean Paul Gaultier and Azzedine Alaïa is a womenswear designer who beat out other contestants from footwear, menswear and womenswear.

The Huffington Post calls Theallet a “Michelle Obama favorite,” and if the First Lady can do for her what she did for Thakoon, this could mean big things for the “bohemian luxe” designer. Theallet is known for taking a stand and using fashion to comment on culture (only black models walked her S/S 09 runway show), but her clothes are universally flattering. So fresh.

**Bonus: if you want to know how the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund got started, Netflix the documentary Seamless, which follows award hopefuls Doo.Ri, Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough, among others.

Has a new show opening at the Deitch in New York and what I’m really hoping is that Thakoon will attend and fall in love and the two will make wonderful beautiful prints together. That’s what i’m hoping.

1. Uniqlo restocked stores with their Jil Sander collab, +J. And to think all those people lined the blocks in the cold. [Sample Sally]

2. The Must-Have for this fall is the scarf+hood=snood. I have one. You should get one. Enough said. [WSJ]

3. Finally! Photos of Rodarte’s highly anticipated Target diffusion! The hype for this collection seems to rival the hype for James Cameron’s ‘Avatar.’ [Racked]

4. Luella Bartley closes its doors for good. Another label falls victim to the recession’s gun. [WWD]

5. Versace’s internal turmoil, namely Donatella Versace’s extravagant lifestyle, is crippling the brand. She’s a woman of tradition and pride – no matter the cost. [Newsweek]

6. Rumor spreads like wildfire and we’re not going to be responsible for putting it out. Thakoon may launch menswear in the next year. [WWD]

7. Nicole Richie’s ‘Winter Kate’ collection is unveiled. It’s not all that bad, although the level of excitement for the collection hasn’t elevated. [Nicole Richie/Celebuzz]

8. Surprisingly, there is an overwhelming market for unwearable shoes – namely McQueen is overwhelmed by calls demanding his S/S 2010 10-inch shoes. But too bad. They’re not for sale. Although rumor has it that they may be auctioned off. [Grazia]

Let’s face it – we all love to splurge. Every once in a while, we become fixated on the latest fashion “must-have” of the season. All we can think about is how wonderful it would be to own that luxury item far beyond our means. Even if it has no purpose in our lives what-so-ever, we’d love to feel like a lottery ticket even if only for 24 hours.

Well, go ahead and indulge.

As you may or may not already know but this past weekend I went to New York City for Teen Vogue’s Fashion University. It is a weekend where young adults from 16-21 can go and take classes with insiders in the fashion industry. I applied over the summer and then, I got accepted! It was such as great experience and I had an amazing time. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I thought would share a few with you.

On Friday night, they had a party at the Juicy Couture store on 5th Ave.

I walked to the Hudson Theater to check-in all by myself. I was quite impressed with myself for navigating the city so well.

My first class was Teen Vogue 101 where a panel of Teen Vogue experts answered any questions you had about Teen Vogue. From left: Amy Astley (Editor-in-Chief), Gloria Baume (Fashion Director), Eva Chen (Beauty and Health Expert), Danielle Nussbaum (Entertainment Expert), and Andrew Beven (Associate Director)

Me with designer Reem Acra. She had an amazing story and she is such a lovely person. I absolutely love her work.

My camera takes awful photos but here is a picture of Amy Astley with designer Thakoon. I absolutely love his feminine designs. You should definitely check him out!

My last class was with these young, amazing fashion bloggers. The one on the left is Lauren McGrath and on the left is Julia Frakes. Arabella Sicardi is not shown but they are all truly amazing. They are all so young and they have such established blogs. Yes, I do aspire to be them one day!

Again, my camera is awful so I apologize. Here is Diane von Furstenberg. She was an amazing speaker, and she is just gorgeous. I love her and her work and everything she stands for. The was truly inspiring .

For the graduation, Teen Vogue took the photos so I will post the picture of me with my diploma as soon as I receive it!

Hello and greetings from the Prepatorium, what a busy day it has become!

We start with a look at a logo Lilly Pulitzer fans are likely to become accustomed to:

The logo is part of the company’s ‘Lilly Loves Green’ initiative; we chatted about the campaign in this post.  WWD explains more in this story by Julie Naughton (subscription req’d.):

“As part of the initiative, each of the seasonal collections — beginning with resort 2009 and ending with fall 2010 — will focus on a different environmental theme, which ties into the bigger Lilly Loves Green picture. Resort 2009 is dubbed “Escape to the Water’s Edge” and comprises ocean-inspired designs…”

Which brings us to the Coral Me Crazy necklace seen below:

Courtesy Lilly Pulitzer

The necklace debuts tomorrow night at the Lilly Mother Ship; it is also the official launch of this year’s Resort collection.  The necklace will retail for $48, with 10% of proceeds benefiting coral conservation efforts at Sea Web.

Some readers may have received an invite to the bash:

In reality, invites aren’t required for tomorrow evening’s festivities, the event is open to the public. If you are in the city, pop in and sip on a Pink Lilly!

A few lucky readers have already had a peek at the Resort line. (Did we say Muffy?) Below left, the Cameron pant (in the Coral Me Crazy print) and on the right, the Bermuda Caravan Sewn Patch short, both from the Resort line:

Also from the Resort collection, the Olie Dress (L) and the Gia Print Pant (R).

++++++++++++++++++++++++

In our next item, a quick glance at the upcoming Penney’s line by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Olsenboye. (Because there are not enough celebrity clothing, accessories and perfume lines.)

The new collection is targeted to teens, coming only in Junior sizes.

Courtesy JC Penney

The entire group launches in February, but 50 select Penney’s will have the line in-store for a limited period of time beginning November 6.

We really don’t know what a parent of teenage girls must go through with all of the limited edition and special collections constantly being created and promoted.  How does one handle a style- and peer-conscious young lady amidst such intense marketing campaigns?

Courtesy JCPenney

To be fair, the Olsens are better equipped than almost all the other celebrities undertaking this type of challenge. We are intrigued to see how this one plays out.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Finally, a word about what we won’t be wearing for New Year’s Eve.

The Thakoon Mirror heels are a tad garish for us. And come next Spring, it is unlikely we’ll be skipping about the Prepatorium in the Versace polka-dots:

Or any of these from Christian Siriano, coming next Spring to a Payless near you:

Despite seeing all of these, we still had to grin at this story on the Vogue UK site:

Evidently the understanding at the office was that the Alexander McQueen shoes ‘only’ had a 10-inch heel. When discussion arose about the veracity of such a claim, it was time for the tape:

As far as how they look on actual feet?

There you have it.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This post has been amended to correct an egregious error on our part, we originally referred to the shoes as being from Alexander Wang, when anyone with an ounce of sense knows they are the other Alexander, as in McQueen. We thank the always fabulous Wendy Brandes for her kind correction, and apologize for the error.

]]> http://editorialpursuits.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/teen-vogue-on-fashion-university-and-thakoon/ Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:25:17 +0000 editorialpursuits http://editorialpursuits.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/teen-vogue-on-fashion-university-and-thakoon/

Photo: Getty Images

With the intent to educate, Teen Vogue hosted Fashion University — moderated by Teen Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief Amy Astley — for Vogue Teen’s subscribers and aspiring fashion designers, and sat down with Richard Chai, Philip Crangi, and Thakoon Panichgul, who invited questions about their – namely Thakoon’s – meteoric rise to fame.  Fashionista revealed the details:

- His family didn’t initially accept his career in fashion. His mother and grandmother were expert seamstresses and didn’t see why he wanted to make a career out of something that they saw as just “work”. He learned how to sew very young and that fashion was much more hard work than glamour.

- He was a small-town boy. Raised in Omaha, Thakoon would hunt down editorials by Bruce Weber and looked forward to reading Vogue every month. They gave him a sense of escape and were his only real form of inspiration in his town. He sites art as his biggest design influence.

- He went to business school. He got a scholarship out of high school and felt that if he didn’t attend he would regret missing the opportunity. After graduation, he did everything he could to break into the fashion industry, and he took a job at J-Crew as a production assistant. Next, he started writing for Harper’s Bazaar, while at the same time spending all of his nights and weekends taking classes at Parson’s.

- He never has preconceived ideas for his collections. He doesn’t create his pieces around a common theme. Instead, it’s always a design detail that he’s into that shapes the collection.

- His interns go places. Thakoon hires very few interns, but he keeps them around a long time. He wants them to learn about every aspect of his business, and will make them work in various other departments before they ever get to design. One of his three year interns recently moved to Paris to take a job with Azzedine Alaia. Impressive.

- His number one tip for future designers: be well-rounded. Thakoon firmly believes that your teens and early twenties are meant to be filled with learning experiences. He suggests taking as many opportunities to learn as you can, whether it be through schooling, interning, or reading (ie: Women’s Wear Daily) to arm yourself with knowledge of the industry. [Fashionista]

I remember the stylist I used to intern with, Trina Patterson, told me about this event and told me I should sign up for it and go, but by then it was too late! Well, FashionU finally went down in NYC yesterday and they kicked of Day 1 with the who’s who of fashion and beauty:

Fab designer, Kimora Lee Simmons, was one of the speakers there

Reem Acra was also a speaker. Don’t you just love her designs?

Handbag designer Rebecca Minkoff was there as well, as we here at FM are always featuring her sample sales!

Thakoon, a Michelle Obama favorite, also spoke at the event

Oh how we love Derek Lam here at FM!

Richard Chai was a speaker as well.

TOMS Founder and Chief Shoemaker, Blake Mycoskie, was a speaker

(From L to R) LaROK Director of PR Erin Caruth Mugavero, LaROK Sales rep Kimmy Star Picone and LaROK Showroom Manager and Sales Assistant Cammy Lynn Herbert, were there to offer their fab words of wisdom!

Philip Crangi was also there to speak

Serena Giovi of my favorite beauty brand, Maybelline, came and held down the beauty segment.

President of Estee Lauder, Thia Breen, was also there representing the beauty industry

To see more pictures, and the overall view of the scene

Oh, I wonder what Mr. Lam was saying…

A packed house of fashion potentials listened closely and took notes as all the fashion & beauty insiders spoke:

They also enjoyed gift bags by Juicy Couture:

(Sidenote: I am loving this girl with the Nautical gear on and red lips! Werk, girl!)

Looks like a fun day of all types of fabulousness!

Dos diseños de zapato espejo de Thakoon, no me queda claro si esto es cuero plateado ultra brillante o qué. De 11 centímetros de taco ambos, las sandalias cuestan 875 dólares y los botines boquita de pescado 900 en Net a Porter.

XXXX MAGAZINE NEW YORK FASHION WEEK
SPRING/SUMMER 2010 TREND REPORT

Reporting by Indira Cesarine assisted by Cristina Cuyco for XXXX Magazine

New York, September 10-17, 2009
By the time the first shows hit the runways in New York, it was clear summer was over and a new season had begun. XXXX Magazine hit the shows to check out the latest trends coming out of New York fashion week… there was an interesting energy of new and old hitting the city with the new Mac & Milk space set up at Milk Studios creating a modern venue for shows and presentations, as well out with the old… as the last season of fashion week at Bryant Park set the stage for an end to an era in New York. What were the major trends that came out of such a setting? Between the 139 shows and 69 presentation on the calendar, New York forecasted many trends that later hit the international runways of London, Paris and Milan…

X – NEUTRAL X NEUTRAL
In a fight to keep sales up in the credit crunch, designers veered towards classic shades that hold timeless appeal… clothing that can be worn again and again, and can be staple pieces in any wardrobe. Clean, crisp, safe and of course neutral … shades of white, grey and beige or khaki made up almost exclusively the color palette of many shows… simple, clean aesthetics for a conservative wallet…
The collections of Adam, Christian Siriano, Doo-ri, Elise Overland, G-Star, Herve Leger, Jeremy Laing, Luca-Luca, Malandrino, Marc Jacobs, Max Azria, Monarchy, Tadashi Shoji, Tommy Hilfiger and Vassilios who maintained monotone neutral looks…

X – THE ART OF COLLAGING

High craft fashion has invaded the New York runways. Patchworking, Cutouts, peek-a-boo slits, and clashing fabric textures layered and sewn together created a new treatment to fabric that we haven’t seen since the 70’s. This modern translation of traditional patchworking deserves it’s own term, as it is an art onto itself. Fabric pieces and layers are integrated with woven effects and unusual fabric treatments that make the art of “collaging” a new look for 2010.

Designers who presented looks with these kind of elements were 3.1 Phillip Lim, Behnaz Sarafpour, Herve Leger, Jill Stuart, Marc Jacobs, Max Azria, Hervé Léger, Rodarte, Thakoon, Thuy, Y-3 and Zac Posen. Rodarte’s collages of burnt plaid cheesecloth, sandpapered silk, and woven leather braid skirts and vests stood out as some of the strongest designs with this effect.

X –ASYMMETRIC

Following from the fall/winter ‘09 trend of one-shouldered looks, spring collections once again showcased more than ever asymmetrical designs. There were 80’s body-con versions, 90’s architectural takes and 70’s ruffled romantic looks hitting the runways all with asymmetrical cuts shaping the silhouette.
A recurring theme throughout the week, this season it has grown in strength with designers such as Calvin Klein, Mark Jacobs, BCBG Max Azria, Halston, Jason Wu, Jill Stuart, Luca-Luca, Malandrino, Marchesa, Matthew Ames, Milly, Nicolas K, Tadashi Shoji, Thuy, Tommy Hilfiger, Vassilios, Y-3, Yigal Azrouel and Zac Posen cutting their fabrics with asymmetrical lines.

X – ROMANCES AND RUFFLES
It was all about frills and romance as Spring 2010 heralds the return of romantic dressing. Light and fluid fabrics floated down the runways with ruffles and frills reminiscent of 70’s backlit summer days. Long free flowing skirts, ruffles and exposed lingerie presented a softer touch for spring.

Designers who had a love affair this season with ruffles and frills were Adam Lippes, BCBG Max Azria, Christian Siriano, Luca-Luca, Malandrino, Mara Hoffman, Marc Jacobs, Marchesa, Monarchy, Narciso Rodriguez, Tadashi Shoji, Tibi, Vivienne Tam and Zac Posen.

X – DESERT TRIBAL
Ethnic prints, animal motifs, geometric tribal patterns, turbans, harem pants and chunky jewelry with a modern Marrakech feel hit the runways throughout the city. Tight hair pulled back with a high braid or hair wrapped in turbans and even the “genie” headscarf look completed the effect of tribal dressing.

Catherine Malandrino was one of the designers most noted for celebrating this look with her collection based on nomadic tribes from Africa. Others include Diane Von Furstenberg, Custo Barcelona, Rosa Cha, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Rodarte and Proenza Schouler.

X TANGERINE DREAM
One color that was impossible to miss this season with the infiltration of Orange everywhere. Many collections only showed neutrals with slices of orange thrown in for a bit of flavor. Traditionally the color orange stands for courage, so perhaps this is a statement of the times to be courageous. With all the 70’s references floating about it’s hard not to also forget that Orange was The color of the 70’s.
Which New York designers sent Orange tones down the runway? 3.1 Philip Lim, Diane Von Furstenberg, Elise Overland, Marc Jacobs, Milly, Monique Lhuillier, Rosa Cha, Thuy and Anna Sui among many more…

Photography of New York runways by Shawna Simmons for XXXX Magazine (3.1 Philip Lim, Alexander Herchcovitch, Anna Sui, Barbara T Fank, Bespoken, Charlotte Ronson, Christian Siriano, Diane Von Furstenberg, Doo.Ri, Generic Denim, Herve Leger, Jeremy Lang, Mara Hoffman, Marc Jacobs, Matthew Ames, Max Azaria, Milly, Monarchy, Nicholas K, Petrou, Rosa Cha, Temperly London, Thuy, Tommy Hilfiger, Twinkle, Vassilios, Vivienne Tam, Whitney Eve, Yigal Azrouel) additional imagery provided by perspective showrooms or courtesy of Style.com.

What a perfect work of art! Isn’t this the most gorgeous shoes you’ve seen? I loveeeeeee it!

Here are some mean, mean shoe games for you ladies who love to sport a heel or two.

Giambattista Valli

Alex Wang

Gucci

Proenza

Thakoon

Lanvin

Phillip Lim

Fendi

I just found the most beautiful shoes… So awesome.  Too bad I don’t have the $1,150 for the pumps or the $1,195 for the boots…  Oh Thakoon…

from Net-A-Porter.com

Hello fellow frozen fashionistas!

If you follow anyone in fashion on twitter it would be hard to miss the fact that it has recently been the big fashion weeks – London, Paris, New York and Milan. The shows that have been seen are all Spring/Summer 2010 shows, which makes me feel a) distinctly chilly and b) very unorganised as my A/W ‘09 wardrobe is hardly ready!

As you will have seen from my previous blogs, I have been pondering what to buy to make up my autumn/winter wardrobe – I have lots of tights, leggings and socks; some cardigans; an impending Coatigan (my mother is knitting me one); long sleeved t-shirts and then I rewear my summer favourites. I love reading fashion magazines (I have three subscriptions – Elle, Vogue and Grazia) and I love going to Selfridges and Liberty’s to look at new things, but I’m not sure that I’m (or anyone for that matter) is organised to buy their summer wardrobe now. Looking at beautiful summer clothes is one thing but who actually buys them? Right now I am obsessed with woollens and  boots – and I’m not alone! If you look in most magazines and at most fashion websites they are still trying to sell winter clothes – see Elle’s homepage for today.

Sidetracked! The point of this post is not to rant at the fashion world’s bizarre calendar but just to see if I am alone in feeling cold when I look at Spring/Summer clothes but yet faintly envious – they are so beautiful. The trends for next season that we need to incorporate span a wide range of looks, just like A/W ‘09, so everyone can be happy!

At New York we saw Sportswear (Tommy Hilfiger, DKNY) and Futuristic Prints (Rodarte, Thakoon):

DKNY  Rodarte

In London, there were shorts (my favorite leg wear) at TopShop Unique and Luella; and pastel colours (I’ll need more persuasion) at Burberry and Christopher Kane…

Luella  Christopher Kane

At Milan, there was lingerie style outerwear at Bottega Veneta and Versace (a tricky trend I always find); and a continuing embellishment trend at Prada, Gucci and Marni (I can rewear my sequinned pieces – exciting!):

Bottega Veneta Prada (all trend pictures from Elleuk.com)

Paris meanwhile had variety, drama (Lily Allen at Chanel) and gorgeous clothes. There was romance on all the catwalks and beautiful voluminous dresses – at Valentino, Roland Mouret, Alexander McQueen and Chanel all showed gorgeous, flowing, romantic dresses.

RM byRoland Mouret Alexander McQueen

Therefore, we see many stunning trends appeared on the catwalks this season. However, I still maintain that its too early for me to plan my wardrobe for the summer beyond looking longingly at magazines and in stores. You? xx

http://www.popbee.com/tag/shoes/

cool shoes!  more of thakoon on link above…

everyone loves balmain – obviously, balmain almost single handedly started the current 80’s rockstar trends that have been so popular… I do wish he would mix up his designs from season to season a bit more.  I DO absolutely love Balmain shoes!!! So sexy, so cool, and I have not been able to find a larger picture of this specific pair – but i can tell even from this small low res picture that they are incredible!

^these shoes!!! ahhhhhh!!!! like the gold studs much more than the rhinestones from fall & spring 2009…

some of balmains rtw ss 2010

images from google and style.com

Silver mirror mosaic-style leather, cutout detailing, an exposed silver-tone zip fastening at front and back and a jagged finish at top.
$1195

yesssss.

© Ciara Pickering 2009

This afternoon I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had a package in the manager’s office at my apartment complex and what could it be?!  My deeply anticipated copy of The Teen Vogue Handbook!!!

I must confess I am a devourer of books (and magazines) – a monster to be appeased only by print on page and the occasional glossy, gorgeous cover.  I was delighted when I got this fabulous book in the mail today and so far it is surpassing my expectations!  Not only is the layout wonderful and the colors vivid (as a graphic designer I can’t ignore these great details) but the interviews I’ve read so far with such fashion industry superstars as Marc Jacobs, Thakoon, and the lovely ladies behind Rodarte have been both amazing and inspiring.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in fashion and its seemingly impenetrable gates!  I plan to keep my nose buried in it for the next few days!