Fashion designers

How To Style The Leather Bow/Bolo Tie

Filed under: Apparel

Website Of a Kind has an interesting concept, promoting new designers with an appealing mix of editorial content that showcases not just the products but the designers themselves through personal stories. The site sells limited edition runs of specific unique products. Up this week, Alex & Eli's new exclusive bolo bow tie for Of a Kind. The designers are selling 13 of the bow ties made of cream suede and black leather, and retail for $125.

Popular fashion blogger Leandra Medine of Man Repeller styled the piece in a variety ways even trying it as a headband. It's an intriguing piece, part dandy, part cowboy or as Leandra put it "If Hamish Bowles took a trip to the American West ca. Brokeback Mountain, this is what he would wear."

Tags: bolo tie, bow ties, fashion designers

Red-carpet Maestro Bibhu Mohapatra

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

"She is really smart, educated, with a passion for fine clothes." That's the way 37-year-old fashion designer Bibhu Mohapatra describes his typical customer. Credit his luxurious red-carpet ball gowns for heightening the fashion world's recognition of Bibhu's exquisitely refined sensibility. His dresses and gowns have an immensely loyal clientele because they strike a delicate balance between classic and modern. Yet what makes them unique is their timelessness. Bibhu's clothes are destined to have a life beyond any one season. "My typical client is not a fashionista," he says. "She's not a slave to fashion and appreciates that my clothes are designed to always be in style."

Tags: Bibhu Mohapatra, fashion designers, Red carpet gowns, spring 2011 fashions

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Inside the Homes of American Fashion Designers

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Decor, Books, Celebrity Design, Architecture & Design

Assouline has released the latest luxe edition in its American Fashion series, dedicated to the top-drawer designers who are members of the prestigious CFDA. American Fashion Designers at Home showcases the personal spaces of more than 100 fashionistas, including Diane von Furstenburg, Oscar de la Renta, Cynthia Rowley and Kate Spade. While some designer dwellings are extensions of the sensibilities embodied by their apparel collections, others exhibit a marked contrast. The domiciles range from studio apartments to sprawling estates, but all are linked by a keen aesthetic sense. Included are Carolina Herrera's grand Louis XV–influenced New York apartment; Betsey Johnson's girly glamourpuss garret; Ralph Lauren's luxuriously rustic Colorado ranch; Donna Karan's tranquil Turks & Caicos getaway; Tommy Hilfiger's over-the-top Greenwich mansion; Calvin Klein designer Francisco Costa's ultra-modern Manhattan aerie; and Johann Lindeberg's converted Greenwich Village factory (on the book's cover, above). Check out the gallery for a preview of Randolph Duke's Hollywood spread (which he recently sold for $5.3 million), David Chu's chic digs and more.

Gallery: American Fashion Designers at Home

Tags: Assouline, books, Calvin Klein, Carolina Herrera, CFDA, coffe table books, Colorado, David Chu, decor, designer, Diane von Furstenburg, Donna Karan, estates, fashion, fashion design, fashion designers, Greenwich Village, interior design, Kate Spade, New York, Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren, Randolph Duke, Turks Caicos

Inside Design Duo Badgley Mischka's Kentucky Equestrian Estate

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Estates, Architecture & Design

This month's issue of Elle Decor offers an inside look at famed fashion design duo Badgley Mischka's horsey estate in Kentucky, embodying a perfect example of haute equestrian style. Three years ago the New York-based designers, Mark Badgley and James Mischka, whose fans include the Olsen Twins, Lauren Hutton and Brooke Shields, traded in their house in the Hamptons for a 1920s estate in Kentucky horse country near Lexington. They renovated the limestone-and-clapboard Dutch Colonial Revival house (above) on 15 rolling acres and added top-class equestrian facilities with an interior design scheme to match, naming it Moon Stone Farm. A screened porch along one side was totally remodeled, a downstairs bedroom suite was converted into a chic library, and the kitchen and baths were redone in sleek marble. Check out the gallery for a look at the horsey, elegant interior.

Gallery: Badgley Mischka's Equestrian Estate

Tags: Badgley Mischka, decor, Elle Decor, equestrian, equestrian style, fashion designers, horses, interior design, Kentucky

Dolce & Gabbana Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of Naomi Campbell's Career

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Events, Charity, Celebrity Design

Italian fashion design duo Dolce & Gabbana are celebrating the 25th anniversary of Naomi Campbell's career with a limited edition t-shirt collection and launch event. The collection comprises 14 different designs displaying iconic images of the supermodel taken by the world's most famous fashion photographers, including Patrick Demarchelier, Steven Klein, David LaChapelle, Mario Testino, Ellen von Unwerth, Bruce Weber, Steven Meisel, Herb Ritts and Peter Lindbergh. The collection of 14 shirts will go on sale exclusively at Dolce & Gabbana boutiques in New York on September 10th, followed by London, Milan Paris, Moscow, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai throughout the fall.

Proceeds from the sale of the shirts will benefit Fashion for Relief, a charity founded by Campbell to raise funds in the fashion world in times and places of need. D&G will hold an exclusive launch party for the anniversary initiative in NYC on Sept. 10th. The designers describe Campbell as "An icon rather than a model," noting "Her peculiar way of walking down the runway marked an era of fashion history and has become a point of reference for many many girls. We have been lucky enough to have the chance to know the person behind the image and for this reason we are even happier to celebrate this anniversary with her."

Tags: David La Chapelle, Dolce and Gabbana, Dolce Gabbana, Ellen von Unsworth, Ellen von Unwerth, fashion, fashion designers, fashion photography, Mario Testino, Naomi Campbell, New York, Patrick Demarchelier, photography, Steven Meisel, supermodel, t-shirt

Assouline: Designer Chic at the Plaza

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Books, Luxury Shopping

Tucked away on the mezzanine level of New York's Plaza Hotel is a beauty of a boutique. Assouline,best-known for superb coffee table books that you actually want to read not just admire, is a treasure trove of art, design, fashion, and photography books. If you have ever wondered how Ralph Lauren, Donna Karen, and some 100 other top American designers live, new this fall from Assouline is American Fashion Designers at Home by Rima Suqi. Another stellar publication for fashionistas who yearn or own one of the best Swiss timepieces is Piaget by Franco Cologni. He documents why this Swiss watch company has maintained its pre-eminence since its founding in 1874.

Gallery: Assouline at The Plaza

Tags: assouline, AssoulinePublishing, fashion designers, house gifts, Marcel Proust, new york city real estate, new york city shopping, Oscar Niemeyer, plaza, plaza hotel, trend setters, wedding gifts

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A Backstage Pass to Berlin Fashion Week

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Events

Luxe German publisher teNeues offers an all-access pass to one of the world's most cutting edge fashion weeks, that of Berlin. Backstage: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin is a suitably oversized, lavishly illustrated volume featuring 120 stunning images behind the scenes at the designers' shows. Leading photographer Claudius Holzmann, who has chronicled Berlin Fashion Week from the very beginning, sifted through approximately 40,000 images to select those that "capture the extremes of creativity and passion." Beautiful models, brilliant designers, talented makeup artists, high-strung hairstylists and an army of fashion soldiers are seen staging some of the world's most glamorous spectacles. The book, a must for any dedicated follower of the fashion scene, features text in both German and English.

Tags: Berlin, coffee table books, fashion, fashion designers, fashion shows, Germany, Mercedes-Benz, models, photographer, photography, teNeues

Hanae Mori Debuts No. 1 Parfum

by Michael B. Dougherty (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance

Hanae Mori, named for Japan's most successful female fashion designer, inaugurates its new Eaux de Collection with the launch of No. 1, a limited-edition scent for women.

The first release in a fragrance series that aims to capture the elemental forces of the sun and wind, approximately 30% of the power used to create the appropriately named No. 1 comes from renewable sources. Additionally, a portion of US sales will benefit Clean Air-Cool Planet, a non-profit organization dedicated to solving global warming through policy and education.

The structure of the scent is built using fruits and flower blooms selected in France, which are then bathed in warm alcohol to release their natural essences. Top notes swirl with fresh bergamot, grapefruit and blackcurrants, while the middle notes express white musk, jasmine and more dark berries. A base of Indian sandalwood, amber and vanilla anchors No. 1 with a warm and calming demeanor.

Sun ripened fruit, flowering petals and a classically Japanese desire to channel nature's etherealness make No. 1 a corollary scent to the approaching summer season. Early word is that the First Lady of California, Maria Shriver, is already a fan, having received one of the debut bottles.

(3.4 ounces, $95)

Tags: fashion designers, fragrance, france, hanae mori, hanae mori no. 1, Japan, limited edition, perfume, scents

Cavalli Picks Four Beauties to Replace Kate Moss

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Italian designer Roberto Cavalli has chosen four top models to replace Kate Moss (right) in his new Fall/Winter 2008-09 ad campaign. The campaign, to be shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, is inspired by one of our favorite movies, Luchino Visconti's 1963 Il Gattopardo ("The Leopard), based on the book by Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa.

The movie, set in Sicily in the 1860s, stars Burt Lancaster as an Italian prince struggling to maintain a dying aristocracy, Alain Delon as his dashing nephew, and the beautiful Claudia Cardinale as Angelica, daughter of a rich former peasant who represents the new social order. Cavalli has chosen models Isabeli Fontana, Angela Lindvall, Raquel Zimmerman and Frankie Rayder to play the parts of Cardinale and the movie's other beauties in the ads.

"I've always been aesthetically fascinated by this film," Cavalli tells Women's Wear Daily. "I also find Il Gattopardo, a story that's based on the idea that 'the more it changes, the more it stays the same,' a good metaphor for fashion. In the campaign, the heroine - a sort of new Angelica - dances in the wilderness while a fire rages in the background; she represents the force of everything that is new, yet in the end she dresses like a romantic debutante." We think Fontana for one is perfectly cast as she bears an uncanny resemblance to Cardinale.

Gallery: Cavalli's Gattopardo Girls

Tags: Ad campaigns, AdCampaigns, Advertising, alain delon, AlainDelon, Angela Lindvall, AngelaLindvall, Burt Lancaster, BurtLancaster, Claudia Cardinale, ClaudiaCardinale, Fashion designers, FashionDesigners, Frankie Rayder, FrankieRayder, Il Gattopardo, IlGattopardo, Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, InezVanLamsweerdeAndVinoodhMatadin, Isabelli Fontana, IsabelliFontana, Italian fashion, ItalianFashion, Kate Moss, KateMoss, Roberto Cavalli, RobertoCavalli, Supermodels

Birthday Parties for Mini Haute-Couturiers

by Jaime El-Helw (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Holiday Guides, Preferred

Why wait for sweet-sixteen to give your little girl an enviable birthday to remember? What better a gift for your mini-Manhattanite and aspiring Muiccia, than the "Fashion Design Party" offered by luxury NYC toy store, FAO Schwarz. On the day of the party, your daughter and nine of her dearest will work with real fashion designers in the private party room at FAO's flagship store on 5th Avenue, to create their own original apparel and handbag designs which will later be professionally manufactured. Just when the buzz dies down at school about how chic and exclusive the party was, eight weeks later, they return to the store for a fashion show and apres ice-cream party. The young designers work the runway as models for their original creations, for a packed house of fifty guests. This is sure to generate enough personal PR at school to keep her in the upper echelons for good. (Or at least until high school!) With a price tag starting from $25,000.00, call me extravagant, but I think it might be worth it considering the going rate for that priceless look upon her face of sheer parental adoration!

Tags: birthday parties, BirthdayParties, fashion, fashion designers, fashion show, kids