Dubbed Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations, the latest exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute features a stylish face-off between two of fashion’s most iconoclastic icons: Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada.

Both women are Italian and known for their fiercely feminist outlooks and their artistic, sometimes surreal approach to fashion design (witness the late Schiaparelli’s famous shoe hat or Kissing Faces coat and Prada’s otherworldly spangled or fur creations).
Continue reading “Dispatch From The Fashion Informer: The Met Rolls Out the Red Carpet for “Schiaparelli and Prada”” »

Red carpet style from left to right: Cara Delevingne in Burberry, Emily Blunt in Calvin Klein collection, Hanneli Mustaparta in Calvin Klein collection, Gisele Bündchen in Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci, and Darren Criss in Calvin Klein collection.

Each season brings a fresh crop of style books, and this spring’s offerings are delightful, from fashion insider memoirs to inspirational coffee table tomes. Here are some of my favorites.

The Insiders

1. Roots of Style: Weaving Together Life, Love, and Fashion
By Isabel Toledo, illustrated by Ruben Toledo

2. Marisa Berenson: A Life in Pictures
By Marisa Berenson

3. Born to Be Brad: My Life and Style, So Far
By Brad Goreski

4. A Front Row Seat
By Kirstin Sinclair
Continue reading “Dispatches from The Fashion Informer: Style Books in Bloom” »

THE DESIGNERS: Ginger + Liz
VISITED: April 2012
WHERE: The Nail Suite by Lisa Logan on Strivers’ Row in Harlem

Lauren David Peden swung by The Nail Suite (the soon-to-launch Harlem nail salon helmed by celeb manicurist Lisa Logan) to talk shop with Ginger Johnson and Liz Pickett, the charismatic masterminds behind Ginger + Liz, the original non-toxic, vegan-friendly nail lacquer collection that’s all the rage with high-profile style setters.

“We both have this habit of starting the day with a little yoga or meditation, a healthy breakfast and a Louise Hay affirmation,” says Ginger, as she sits at the nail bar giving herself a casual – and perfect – manicure using G+L’s neon pink Goin’ Back to Cali.

After their separate yoga/meditation/affirmation routines, the two touch base via phone or email to make sure they’re on the same page as to what needs to get done that day before meeting up with the rest of the G+L team at their Flatiron District office.

“We don’t have a huge backing investor, so we’re really involved with everything,” says Ginger of their divide-and-conquer approach. In addition to designing and naming the nail lacquers – including this season’s Never a Dull Moment (electric yellow), Dancehall Queen (tangelo/melon) and Unconditional Love (a green/greige) – and attending “a lot” of meetings each day, the dynamic duo also oversee their own Twitter and Tumblr with the help of their social media manager, and even jump in on customer service calls. “Our customers are very active and very into the brand,” says Liz.
Continue reading “Dispatches from The Fashion Informer: At Work With Ginger + Liz” »

Designer Marcia Patmos got her start as one-half of the beloved knitwear brand, Lutz & Patmos. These days, Marcia helms her own ready-to-wear collection, M.PATMOS, which focuses heavily on sustainable materials and socially conscious, eco-friendly production techniques, along with her contemporary line Leroy & Perry. Here, she walks us through a recent perfect weekend.

For me, renewal is feeling relaxed and inspired and fresh for new ideas. Owning my own business tends to be a bit all-consuming, but being a creative one that runs on a constant flow of new ideas, it is very important to have rejuvenating days with only healthy or inspiring activities like yoga, biking, cooking, looking at art or nature – or no plans at all except for doing what comes to mind.

So, Saturday morning at home in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, my fiance, Richard, and I woke up around 8:30 – it’s so nice to have a day without rushing! In the morning, we have “Cawfee Tawk,” then, after hanging out for a while, we have “family eggs” – an ever-changing variation of the breakfast burrito, sometimes using leftover dinner in the vegetable mélange – this one had a bit of a curried flavor happening. As a person who runs around a lot, it is a luxury to eat healthy food prepared at home.

Later, we stopped along the way for my daily addiction of a green juice at Sun in Bloom as we walked up to the farmer’s market at Grand Army Plaza – it’s nice to stock up for the week with local produce before going to the grocery store to fill in the blanks (I always have a brightly colored Baggu with me for errands along the way). After checking in on the progress of the magnolia trees and cherry blossoms at The Brooklyn Botanic Garden (and an impromptu nap in the sun), we needed a little pick-me-up, so we dropped into Cheryl’s Global Soul – a very friendly, cute place with a back garden tucked away off Eastern Parkway. We had tea at the bar before checking out a vintage store, where I scored a printed silk tee. By then, we were getting hungry and decided on Mexican food at Pequeña on Vanderbilt. We stopped for a glass of wine along the walk home, and that was pretty much our night after a perfect day of meandering.

Sunday morning, we made smoothies and left for yoga. On our way back, we ate a little lunch at a new vegan place called Maimonide on Atlantic. It was cute and friendly and had a DJ playing great music. Then we took a repeat nap in the sun at the little park over in Cobble Hill before heading home to do some life maintenance, finish gathering together tax stuff, and cook dinner.

Lauren David Peden writes for Rue La La as a Contributing Editor.

THE DESIGNER: Emily Sugihara of Baggu
VISITED: February 2012
WHERE: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Lauren David Peden popped over to Emily’s sprawling loft (which she shares with her boyfriend, Galen, and four friends) to get the lowdown on her sustainable line of carryalls and how she lives and breathes renewal.

“I’ve been in this loft almost four years,” says Emily, gesturing around the airy fourth floor abode, which features an eclectically furnished living/dining area, complete with an upright piano, sawhorse tables, Oriental rugs, a swing, and expansive views of the elevated subway rumbling by. The couples’ white-walled bedroom is “super minimalist and totally Japanese,” with a futon, desk, sewing machine, and a single wall of shelving for their clothes, books, and linens.

In keeping with her “reduce, reuse, recycle” ethos, Emily and Galen made all the furniture in their bedroom themselves (“we don’t like having a lot of stuff and the idea of disposable furniture is really despicable; it’s just ending up in landfills”) and most of the furniture in the kitchen and living room is vintage, recycled, or handmade (see: those sawhorse tables). She makes her own ceramics and pottery, prefers well-made clothes over fast fashion (often shopping vintage or J.Crew), and the couple makes most of their own food rather than going out to restaurants.
Continue reading “Dispatches from The Fashion Informer: At Home With Emily Sugihara” »

THE DO-GOODER: Designer (and former dancer) Robin Renzi of Me&Ro
THE CAUSE: Bent on Learning
THE MISSION: Bent on Learning is a nonprofit organization that teaches yoga to New York City public school children in the classroom.

Lauren: First, tell us how you got involved with Bent on Learning.
Robin: I was introduced to Anne Desmond, one of the co-founders of Bent on Learning, through a mutual friend about 10 years ago. I began studying yoga with her a few times a week in my apartment and we became friends. She now is my next-door neighbor in Brooklyn.

Lauren: What is it about this particular organization that speaks to you?
Robin: In the past, I taught children creative movement and other forms of dance, and I witnessed firsthand that having awareness of their bodies gave them confidence and a feeling of self-worth. I think we all need to learn at a young age to use our bodies through some form of physical activity. [See Bent on Learning in action: Watch the video]

Lauren: And what do you do for them?
Robin: I go to the events, buy tickets, donate jewelry, spread the word, and try to get others involved.

Lauren: How has your involvement inspired you, personally or professionally?
Robin: It’s fun and satisfying to bring people together and do good things for others, especially children. It is such a gift that they give to the children. I am so fortunate that I found yoga as a dancer and it helped me through difficult times by giving me the space to forget the outside world and allow me to connect to myself, my body, and the divine. It is an excellent tool to have in your pocket.

Lauren: How can others get involved?
Robin: There are many ways. If you’re a yoga teacher you can teach, if you’re in NYC come to the party at Indochine. You can give money, give your time, and spread the word!

Robin Renzi is on the committee for Bent on Learning’s annual Spring Fling Benefit, which takes place Sunday, April 29th at Indochine in New York and features an art auction with works by Bo Joseph, Joseph La Piana, Steve Miller and Mickalene Thomas. For more details or to purchase tickets, go here.

Lauren David Peden writes for Rue La La as a Contributing Editor.

THE DESIGNER: Daniel Vosovic
VISITED: February 2012
HERE: Chelsea, New York

Lauren David Peden drops by Daniel V’s sunny studio to get the scoop on his new collection and life after Project Runway.

First thing first: Yes, Daniel Vosovic is as nice, laid-back, and charming in real life as he was on season two of Project Runway, which is where America first fell in love with the talented Michigan native.

Since then, Daniel has written Fashion Inside Out a how-to book for emerging designers (which features yours truly), won the Project Runway All-Star Challenge and, in 2010, launched an eponymous collection of beautifully tailored womenswear designed for forward-thinking fashionistas who like their classics with an edgy, urbane twist.

We meet in his spacious workroom on the border of Chelsea and the West Village, where he’s surrounded by his studio mascot, Delilah (a “beautiful little plaster creature”), 3D artwork by boyfriend Kieran’s younger brother, toy dinosaurs in a glass display case, industrial sewing machines, a mood board filled with black-and-white images of brooding tweens, and his drop-dead gorgeous fall 2012 collection. “This is the growing Polaroid wall,” he says of the dozen-plus photos of his tight-knit group of friends that are taped to the white brick wall. “It’s like everyone is sort of giving off their own energy.” These are the folks with whom Daniel and Kieran spend every Wednesday night in a weekly ritual that the designer lists as one of his main methods of renewal, ordering in takeout and watching bad TV (RuPaul’s Drag Race and E! Fashion Police are current faves).
Continue reading “At Work with Daniel Vosovic” »

WHEN: March 22, 2012
WHERE: Calvin Klein showroom
WHAT: Calvin Klein Fall 2012 preview and ck one color cosmetics launch
THE EVENT: A presentation of Calvin Klein men’s and women’s apparel, jeans, performance, underwear, and accessories (not to be confused with the Calvin Klein designer collection by Francisco Costa, which is shown during NYFW)

THE DEETS: This multi-purpose presentation featured CK-clad models lounging amid a jagged, funhouse mirror-esque backdrop alongside still-life displays of jewelry and watches, black, white, and red bags and shoes, and additional racks of monochromatic clothing offset by pops of scarlet. Around the corner: a beauty counter showcasing the new ck one color cosmetics line with a trio of models wearing looks that ranged from subtle daytime maquillage to more dramatic evening glamour (think: lined eyes with a bright red lip).

HIGHLIGHTS: Sleek suiting and rugged outerwear for the guys and sporty-chic minimalism for the gals (l-o-v-e those bronze leather jeans), along with hot boys in tighty whities and some of the coolest cosmetics packaging ever (dig that black and white bullet lipstick case!). Standout accessories included a delicately minimalist bracelet watch on silver or matte black metal wires and a chic red leather doctor’s bag designed to tote all of your essentials – and then some – in style.

Lauren David Peden writes for Rue La La as a Contributing Editor.

The second of a two-part series. Lauren David Peden recaps the top trends for Fall 2012, as seen at Fashion Week in Paris. Read her first post here.

Riccardo Tisci unveiled his fall Givenchy collection in a freezing cold schoolyard in the dead of night. Thankfully, the sexy, equestrian- and Guy Bourdin-inspired clothes – tailored patchwork riding jackets, silk jodhpurs, over-the-knee leather boots, pleated skirts, colorful furs, sensual silk dresses – set to the sound of galloping horses, warmed the audience (including Alicia Keys and Kanye West) right up.

Jean Paul Gaultier is French to his core, but his fall collection paid homage to an urban street scene that’s as prevalent in downtown New York as it is in the City of Lights. On the runway – with The Velvet Underground blasting from the speakers – were deconstructed motorcycle jackets and pencil skirts, graffiti-print dresses, leather sweatshirts, skeleton print leggings, neon fur chubbies, and skunk-striped punk rock hairdos, all offset by beautifully tailored, borrowed-from-the-boys suiting and outerwear.

Stella McCartney re-imagined country wardrobe staples for life in the big city by way of cozy cable knit sweater dresses, oversized coats in electric blue, roomy low-slung trousers, sporty miniskirts, and tweed suits with padded hips (exaggerated hips being a major trend next season).

Karl Lagerfeld’s collection for Chanel was inspired by the center of the earth. This translated to a soaring, stalagmite-strewn backdrop, distressed leather pants that recalled crumbling rocks, tweed jackets that sparkled like mica, coats with geodesic dome-like sleeves, crystal-strewn tunics, and incredibly cool crystal-heeled booties. Even the models’ eyebrows glistened, thanks to embellished appliqués from the house of Lesage.

At Valentino, design duo Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli elevated traditional folk costume to haute new heights, edging black leather pieces in macramé, tying the neck of a sheer-sleeved white blouse in an anything-but-prim chiffon bow, and using classic frog closures on a boxy beige jacket. Then there were the modernized folkloric prints on sleek maxi dresses, the passementerie-trimmed coats, laser-cut leather cocktail frocks, and dresses that took their multicolor motifs from antique carpets. All were rendered in sophisticated shades of black, ivory, taupe, and – of course! – Valentino red.

Lauren David Peden writes for Rue La La as a Contributing Editor.