on the money

I love reading Robin Givhan's article on the Daily Beast

website.    Formerly, Givhan was the fashion editor for The Washington Post and currently she is the fashion critic and fashion correspondent for The Daily Beast and Newsweek.

She is smart, incisive and informative, winning

the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for criticism.  The Pulitzer Committee noted her "witty, closely observed essays....

transform fashion criticism into cultural criticism."

She is not afraid to mince words and does not pander to the fragile, "do not touch" egos of the fashion industry.  In fact, no one is exempt from her pen.  Writing about the 

attire worn by VP Dick Cheney when attending a ceremony

to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the liberation of

Auschwitz, Given punched "It's the kind of attire one typically wears to operate a snow blower.... Here he was wearing something that visually didn't symbolize to me the level of solemnity and respect that I thought a service like this demanded... He was representing 

the American people. I don't want to be represented by someone in, you know, a parka 

who looks like he's at a Green Bay Packer game."

She writes with an intelligence and clarity about and discusses all facets of culture. In describing Nancy Grace, she writes "it makes my ears bleed to look at her".  She has a

remarkable eye and through her writing, perhaps puts the more esoteric aspects of fashion 

in sharper focus for those who maybe oblivious to the power and importance of dress.

illustration courtesy of www.thestylenotebook.com

Quotes

Dick Cheney - www.cbsnews.com

Nancy Grace - www.robingivhan.com

AQ au Met

In june of this year, I was fortunate enough to travel to NY to visit the Met for the Alexander McQueen Exhibition.  Tales of people winding around the blocks of NY convinced me to spend $50 and attend the Museum on Monday, typically when it is closed.  This is the only way to do it!! Various friends either queued for half a lifetime or walked away, defeated by the queue.

What struck me most about the exhibition was listening to McQueen himself talk about his work in the most articulate and intellectual manner.   He was able to verbally express his ideas so eloquently...which for a lot of us is quite the challenge!

The exhibition comprised his early work from his sensational debut collection at St Martins to HIS most current.  

His symbiotic design collaboration with Philip Treacy was delightful and ever so whimsical.  The hats are objets d'art in themselves and magnificently compliment AQ's garments.

AQ used the visual medium of video so effectively and there are many, many clips playing continously throughout the exhibition.

His silhouettes are formidable and audacious and he really is a powerful master of design.  His use of fabulous rich textures elevate his designs into the stratosphere.

Sara Burton provides additional commentary which is illuminating.

Photos courtesy of the NY Met, Sarabande Dress - Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty book

textiles

Last week I attended the International Textile Show at the California Fashion Mart in Los Angeles.

The ground floor area was dedicated to Korean Manufacturers.  A sea of incredible colours and luxurious textures made one swoon.   Beautiful charmeuse prints, both conventional and digital, fell from racks and immediately conjured up whimsical designs.

It was a three day affair and I was able to crash on the last day.  There were seminars and showrooms and stalls.

Many of the papers I collected discussed textiles trends.  The new kids on the block are paisley, textured leather and shine on specialist fabrics.  Also classical floral, vintage inspired prints and woven woolens are deemed to be popular.  With the success of the Missoni capsule Collection for Target, zig zag knits and chevrons in lush colour palettes are being offered by textile designers.

I attended a seminar on Cotton which was particularly interesting.  Cotton Incorporated (www.cottoninc.com) is a non-profit research company offering a free service in exploration of new fabric developments in cotton and attempting to infiltrate certain niches, eg women's businesswear, that have not been traditionally known to have cotton apparel.

They are involved from the earliest stages, the cotton seed, right through to developing new machinery processes in addition to new combinations of yarns.

Wicking Windows Technology was developed to deal with cotton's inherent problem to absorb moisture and make it competitive with synthetic fibres.  The technology is applied to the inside of the garment and directs moisture generated on the inside to move to the outside where it will evaporate.


My favourite vendor was Mandarin Enterprises (International) Co Ltd (http://www.mandarinsilk.com/).  The colour trend photo for fall/winter 2012 (left) was taken at their stall.  Based in Hong Kong, they supply beautiful silks along with various kinds of woven fabrics in cotton, wool and synthetic fibres.


I was able to talk to a few fabric importers and it seems that Korea is the preferred choice for manufacturing.  Product from Korea is reliable and of good quality. 

Photo © Stephanie Flack and www.californiamarketcenter.com

2011 fashion symposium

 In April 2011, I attended the 2011 Fashion Symposium Competition and Fashion Show
for California Community College Fashion Students which was held downtown at the
Fashion Mart.

The theme of the symposium was Re-Imagine, Re-Purpose, Re-Design Our World.  The Symposium featured guest speakers and opportunities for one-on-one interaction with fashion leaders.   The competitions were for  8 categories which were pre-judged, and  2 categories - Denim Deconstruction and Accessories - which were judged live. There were three categories for the Fashion Show - Red Carpet, Repurposed and Sportswear.

Pasadena City College was well represented at
the show with various students winning prizes
for many of the categories.

As a neophyte student, it was particularly interesting.  The Denim Deconstruction allowed
groups of students to rip apart jeans and reconfigure
into an interesting and creative new design.  This
was carried out in specially allocated rooms upstairs prior to the fashion show. 

A room full of board presentations really took my
eye.  At this point, we had not done a board in class
so it was a little overwhelming seeing the level
of artistry and creativity and factual and deduced
knowledge that was put into the boards. 

In 2012 I am hoping to submit my own designs
and boards!!







photos courtesy of stephanie flack