Designer Walter Baker, who helms a namesake line and W118 by Walter Baker, spends his weekdays working like a maniac. His weekends? Well, they’re spent working out like a maniac. For reals. But his downtime’s not all about the treadmill and the tennis court. “For Thanksgiving I go to my house in the south of Florida,” Walter tells Rue. “I like to be by the pool when it’s cold in NYC. That’s what I’m thankful for: some time to relax!” As for the rest of his weekend…

I wake up at 3AM every day – the weekends are no different – at my house in NYC. After I wake up I answer the hundreds of emails I have to go through, then go to the gym at 5AM and read WWD while I’m on the treadmill. I think I’m the only guy who’s reading WWD at the gym. Then I go to Battery Place Market and get a croissant, which I only have on the weekends. At home, my wife, Agnes, makes me a cappuccino in our Nespresso® machine. I’m obsessed. By 8AM I’m on the tennis court playing indoor singles for two hours.

In the afternoon I go shopping with Agnes. I like to go to Soho or the Upper East Side, always dressed head to toe in Rick Owens, black on black. I like checking out the stores to see what women are wearing and feeling out the vibe in NYC, and seeing my line in some of the best stores in NYC. Interacting with my customers is just a really awesome experience. Saturday nights I have dinner in the Village at Il Mulino. I have a standing reservation for every Saturday at 10PM for six people. It’s always a good time and the food is the best.

Sunday is basically rinse and repeat. I go to the gym but don’t play tennis, then watch sports in the afternoon and order in dinner.

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

The fashion world may look glamorous from the outside, but as anyone who’s watched Project Runway or All on the Line knows, being a designer is far from easy. In addition to creating the actual collection, you also need the resources to show it, produce it, publicize it, and deliver it to stores – and then do it all over again (and again…and again) every three to six months. Whew.

The fashion cycle is tough enough for big-name designers with major corporate backing – it’s even harder for emerging talents who are working on a shoestring budget with little to no outside help.

Which is where W Hotels’ Fashion Next comes in. Launched three years ago, the Fashion Next program was created to discover and support young designers by sponsoring their New York Fashion Week presentations.

This season, W Hotels announced the program’s new Global Fashion Director, Jenne Lombardo (the pint-sized dynamo behind MAC + Milk and The Terminal Presents). Jenne and the Fashion Next roster of talented newcomers – Bibhu Mohapatra, Electric Feathers, Michael Angel, Nomia, Juan Carlos Obando, and Rochambeau – were introduced at a New York Fashion Week breakfast at the W on Lexington Avenue, followed a few nights later by a group showcase in The Courtyard at Lincoln Center, with the designer’s individual presentations taking place at The Box at Lincoln Center.

But unlike years past, Fashion Next’s relationship with the designers doesn’t end once the shows are over. “It’s a partnership, and they nurture not only from the show perspective but from a business perspective,” Juan Carlos Obando said, citing the global trunk shows the hotel is helping to arrange as an example of their commitment to the cause. “They understand what young designers go through and there are certain elements that young designers do need help with and that goes beyond show sponsorship, because sponsorship is a one-off element. They offer a mentorship, which is a year-long process with the support of the people in their PR team, their business team – there are so many groups in the W Hotels’ network and they are thoroughly willing to give you advice. It’s pretty amazing.”

Jenne, herself a longtime supporter of emerging talent, was equally enthusiastic about the partnership. “I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life,” the chic mother of three said at the breakfast. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to express how excited I am about my relationship with the W because they’re a brand that really puts their money where their mouth is. They’re able to support an industry that has the talent, but maybe not the voice and the platform and the infrastructure. To be able to have a brand like W help really push this talent to the next level – this is what keeps New York thriving, and they’re directly contributing to the overall eco-system, if you will.”

This season, Fashion Next not only provided space for the designers’ Spring 2012 presentations, they also helped to underwrite the cost of the actual production, including hair, makeup, and music. “But the biggest part of what we’re doing is really working with each designer and custom tailoring a program to fit each of the designer’s and the hotels’ needs on a global scale,” added Jenne. “So there may be a designer who’s in New York that has no presence in Asia and we’ll be able to contribute to that. It’s really exciting for me to know that by way of this program we’re impacting the future of these designers.”

Exciting and inspiring – just like the designers themselves.

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

It was fashion, Italian-style, in Manhattan last week thanks to Salvatore Ferragamo’s Resort show, which injected a little Old World glamour into Uptown New York. Held in the James B. Duke Mansion overlooking Central Park, the event drew fashion’s finest, along with celebs and notables such as Eva Mendes, Freida Pinto, Ashley Greene, Emma Roberts, Rachel Roy, Olivia Chantecaille, Brad Goreski, Scott Speedman, and… need I go on?

They (and I) braved the heat (and it was seriously h-o-t) to visit the mansion, replete with a soaring marble staircase, imposing carved fireplaces, and countless urns overflowing with ivory and lilac flowers.

Fittingly, the collection (designed by Massimiliano Giornetti) was inspired by the late heiress Doris Duke (aka, “the richest girl in the world”), who grew up in the mansion. Heavy on nautical-themed looks and fringed everything (from skirts and gowns to scarves and handbags), there was a definite Thirties feel to the clothing, yet the collection never felt dated.

I especially loved a slinky white halter dress worn by Karlie Kloss and a white, double-breasted pantsuit Mariacarla Boscono wore to open the show. But what made this so special was seeing some of fashion’s finest models (Karolina Kurkova, Jac, Vanessa Traina, and Constance Jablonski also walked the runway) wearing such beautiful clothes in such a grand and intimate setting. Belissima!

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

BY LAUREN DAVID PEDEN/THE FASHION INFORMER

I’ve been covering fashion for a while now, but last Wednesday night was my first time checking out the annual “Dressed to Kilt” reception, which took place at a two-floor showroom on Madison Avenue, adjacent to the Whitney. Presented by the Scottish Textiles Industry — with a wee bit o’ help from honorary co-chairs, Sir Sean and Lady Connery — the event introduces Scottish designers to New York buyers and press.

On Tuesday night, Hammerstein Ballroom had played host to a “Dressed to Kilt” fashion show, the theme of which was “Country Chic (Where Scottish Couture Meets Country Cool),” with celebs like Rosanne Cash, Katrina Bowden, Billy Connolly, Amy Grant, Matthew Settle, Ahmad Bradshaw, and Marcus Schenkenberg walking the runway in creations by Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, and House of Holland, among others. I opted to skip that OTT tartan fest in favor of the more intimate cocktail reception the following evening, which gave me a chance to see the designs up close and talk to some of the younger talent who’d come Stateside for the occasion.

Glasgow-based Iona Crawford is perhaps the best known of the “Dressed to Kilt” emerging designers, having launched her line four years ago after studying at the Edinburgh College of Art. Known for her sharply tailored feminine silhouettes and painterly prints (which are based on her own, highly accomplished, artwork), Crawford has already won the 2009 London Calling Competition, been nominated for a Scottish Fashion Award, been invited to show her collection at Tokyo Fashion Week, and had an audience with the Queen of England. Not bad for a newbie.

For Fall 2011, Crawford collaborated with renowned Scottish menswear brand Skopes (the people behind the world’s most expensive suit) on a tailored womenswear collection offset by her signature painterly silks; this season, her prints are inspired by the graceful elegance of birds. You can see the collection, dubbed Ailsa, in this video, which was shot at her parents’ farm in rural Scotland – where she paints the animals and livestock that feature so heavily in her work.

Equally multi-talented is textile and fashion designer Claire McInally, who launched her line of geometric print blouses and origami-like, wool-and-woven-leather sheath dresses less than a year ago. Her beautiful, figure-flattering creations spoke for themselves – this is clearly a designer to watch.

As is ten30’s Alan Moore, winner of the 2011 Designer of the Year prize at the Scottish Variety Awards, who proudly showed me a one-of-a-kind tweed jacket with an elaborately embroidered back panel that took nearly 30 hours to complete. Other standout pieces from his collection include digital print day dresses, embroidered sheaths and easy trousers with hand-embroidered cuffs. The adorably scruffy Moore, visiting NYC for the first time, was as excited about his newly-acquired souvenir (a Yankees logo tattooed on his upper arm) as he was to show his collection to New York’s fashion flock.

The knitwear line Jaggy Nettle (sumptuous cashmere pullovers emblazoned with quirky prints or phrases) and shoe collections by Emily Lamb (chic, colorful pumps) and Mandarina (plaid kitten heel slingbacks), were also worth noting.

Crawford told me that she, Moore, and McInally are planning to form their own Scottish design collective with the aim of supporting and promoting local up-and-comers. I, for one, can’t wait to see what this incredibly talented trio has up their well-tailored sleeve for the future.

Lauren David Peden writes for Rue La La as a Contributing Editor. ]]> http://www.ruelala.com/blog/2011/04/11/scottish-designers-are-dressed-to-kilt/feed/ 3 http://www.ruelala.com/blog/2011/02/16/nyfw-2001-perception-vs-reality/ http://www.ruelala.com/blog/2011/02/16/nyfw-2001-perception-vs-reality/#comments Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:39:40 +0000 Lauren David Peden http://www.ruelala.com/blog/?p=3502

BY LAUREN DAVID PEDEN/THE FASHION INFORMER

It always makes me laugh to look at photos from the shows, when all you see are perfect-looking models in perfect-looking makeup in perfect-looking clothes. Because while there’s certainly plenty of all of the above, the fact is that if the camera were to turn just a foot, or, in some cases, an inch, to the left or right, the reality would look very different.

Between the crowds (which are usually packed in like sardines), the venues (far grittier than the typical runway glamour shots would lead you to believe), and the machinations to actually get to the events (Lincoln Center may be the official “home” to New York Fashion Week, but the shows are, in fact, spread out in different locations all over the city, with many designers opting to present in the farthest reaches of Chelsea), New York Fashion Week is often about as far from being fun and glamorous as you can imagine.

That’s not to say I don’t love NYFW and don’t love covering it — I do! I do! — just that perception and reality are often worlds apart, which I find incredibly ironic.

Take, for instance, the SILVIO LIU presentation on Friday – in a grimy building in the MPD, with a four-floor walk up steep stairs to get to the event.

In short, NYFW is kind of like The Wizard of Oz: It may look magical and enchanting from the outside, but pull back the curtain and it’s a whole other story.

Lauren David Peden has been hired by Rue La La for her reporting at New York Fashion Week. ]]> http://www.ruelala.com/blog/2011/02/16/nyfw-2001-perception-vs-reality/feed/ 0 http://www.ruelala.com/blog/2011/02/14/trend-alert-the-hemline-index/ http://www.ruelala.com/blog/2011/02/14/trend-alert-the-hemline-index/#comments Mon, 14 Feb 2011 15:52:24 +0000 Lauren David Peden http://www.ruelala.com/blog/?p=3453

BY LAUREN DAVID PEDEN/THE FASHION INFORMER

Okay, so it’s only Day Two of New York Fashion Week, but I’ve noticed an early trend bubbling up (or should I say down): Long skirts. Way long. As in grazing the ankle and maybe, if you’re lucky, rising just high enough to allow for a little glimpse of the lower calf.

Legend has it that women’s hemlines are predictors of the national economy, and as skirt lengths rise, so too, do our financial prospects. Lowered hems, on the other hand, traditionally equate to a sinking economy. I don’t put much stock in the Hemline Index (which was conceived back in the 1920s by the economist George Taylor), but I couldn’t help but notice a common thread among six of the seven women’s collections I’ve seen over the last two days. The aesthetics may have been wildly different from show to show, but they all had one thing in common: skirts that were long, longer, longest.

There were glamorous “day dresses” at Nima that literally pooled at the models’ feet. Tadashi Shoji sent out a collection of exquisitely embellished gowns that cascaded to the ground and, in several cases, trailed several yards behind the wearer. Vena Cava sent out a few minis, but the majority of their ‘90s-inspired skirts and dresses reached from the low calf to just above the ankle, while Wayne sheathed her girls in sleek skirts that were so long and lean they resembled tubes. Mara Hoffman went a more boho route (think: graphic-patterned maxis that would make Talitha Getty proud). Even Global Glam, the presentation showcasing W Hotels’ Fashion Next designers, featured more long lengths than short.

What this means for the economy, I can’t say. But if this trend shapes up the way I think it might, we’ll all be saving on razor blades and waxing come fall.

Lauren David Peden has been hired by Rue La La for her reporting at New York Fashion Week. ]]> http://www.ruelala.com/blog/2011/02/14/trend-alert-the-hemline-index/feed/ 0