Green Fashion

Save for a handful of brands (Roots, Cotton Ginny & Simple) the fashion presented at The Green Living Show was far, very far, from being stylish, to say the least. The brands and products presented were perhaps great for environmental activists (more commonly referred to as tree hugging hippies), and even that is a far stretch. The fashion was dated, not fashion-forward, not directional, some wasn't even functional and definitely not appealing to the eco-conscious fashion crowd.

I love fashion and would never want to give up my stilettos, cropped jackets and tunic tops but I also care about the environment and if I know I could buy eco-friendly clothing made out of organic, natural or recycled materials then I would definitely start converting over to friendlier fashion. However, it seems that if you want to wear this eco clothing you are restrained and limited to certain style, or what I consider non-style.

What we need are more directional designers going green...a ton more. We need more Stella McCartneys within the industry. More fashion designers with a conscious. I know that it's a far stretch to think that soon all designer will go green, as fashion is all about abundance and excessiveness but if we could get a balance, or even a small percentage of leading designers converted, it would be great start.

I was quite disappointed at the fashion offered at the show and hope that over the next couple of years/shows there will be an increase in innovative high style eco-conscious fashion labels. It is great that most of the clothing/style does suit the activists it is not enough to just attract or target such a niche market, we need to widen our scope and target everyone.

I would love to go to a show like The Green Living Show and find my favorite brands go green. I would love to see 7 For All Mankind, for example, do an organic cotton jean. I would love to one day watch an Oscar de la Renta show or a DVF show and know that the clothing is made with an environmental conscious.

If the problems persistent with Global Warming are to ever disperse, every nation, every country, every company and every citizen needs to start doing their part, even if it is as little as using less paper and recycling. All these small things aggregated is enough to make a difference. A big difference.

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Even all you fashionistas!


Photos: cottonginny.com, roots.com

Green McAdams

Rachel McAdams was spotted strolling the The Green Living Show with her mother and sister in tow. Unfortunately Miss McAdams' fishing hat did not prevent her from being recognized as there was a rush of people approaching her trying to push their products (I being one of them). I cannot iterate enough how very nice she was. She is so modest, down-to-earth and so sociable...she did not once pull herself away and think she was too high for anyone who approached her. McAdams took her time and listened to what everyone had to say and was even bashful about accepting gifts. Perhaps being back home (she was born and raised in London, Ontario) made her feel at ease and in her element because she sure acted more like a humble Canadian girl than a hot shot Hollywood celebrity. I spoke with her for a brief three minutes but could tell that she is a genuinely nice person and...it is so great that she is conscious about our environment. No matter which way we slice and dice it, having a celebrity support a cause, one as big as Global Warming, garners grand scale attention, and possibly, action.

Green (Fashion) Trends

The norm for going green within the industry is to use organic cotton or in its replacement, use organic bamboo. Also, jute and hemp are big fabric choices, as well as soy. One brand, Simple Shoes is using recycled car tires for shoe soles and recycled plastic bottles for peg beds and laces. Other trends are to use natural, un-treated, un-chemicalized fabrics where possible, such as crepe, cork and washed, recycled leathers.

Green Living

I will be in Toronto over the weekend attending The Green Living Show - Toronto's first consumer show dedicated to all things green. Are you living a green life? This seems to be the most popular question of late. While I love how everyone and everything is taking note of the state of our world today I am afraid that this "Going Green" movement is just a trend liable to fade away in about 10 minutes never to be heard of again. It is great that the world is waking up and taking note that we all need to do our part to save Mother Earth but I am afraid that it is becoming too commercial and it is loosing it's core essence, that of preventing the effects of global warming and saving our planet. However, I do look forward to discovering new fashion brands with an eco-friendly conscious and will do my best to post stylish green style bits over the next couple of days.

Haute Wedding Dresses

Gone are the days when traditional wedding attire was all you had to choose from. Much thanks to designers such as Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta, Monique L'Huiller and most recently, Marchesa, we now have fashionable gown and veil choices. For some, high fashion attire is a step to much and for others, it is the only way to go. I am happy to see these designers step up and revolutionize this stale market. They are adding a fresh spin to rather plain, mundane dresses that somehow keep repeating themselves year after year. These wedding gowns are so stylish that one may not even need to be the bride to be to be able to slip into these fantastical creations.


Photos: Spring 2008 Carolina Herrera Bridal - nymagazine.com

Most Stylish Male

I think that Richard Gere is one of the most stylish male celebrities. He is classy, distinguished and has a swagger about him that screams style in the most subdued way. I think though it may be the whole Pretty Woman persona that has stuck with me all these years.



Photo: elle.com

Marc by Marc Jacobs Dresses

Neiman Marcus has some great Marc by Marc Jacobs day dresses worth checking out.

Photos:neimanmarcus.com

Vogue and the City

For all you folk curious to see if the hit movie, The Devil Wears Prada ,was really based on true facts you should be pleased to know that your curiosity will soon be satiated. A&E Indie Films is smack in the middle of filming coverage for their feature-length documentary on the making of Vogue September 2007 - the magazine's largest tome.

Fashion Week Daily reported - "The cameras were rolling at a tea party Lauren duPont and Amanda Brooks threw for Thakoon Panichgul at Bergdorf Goodman last Thursday, where one of the film’s field producers revealed that 500 total hours of coverage will be filmed, with just an hour-and-a-half making the final cut".

I seriously wonder where the other 498-and-a-half hours will go - you tube, spin offs, reality show, ebay.....

Every single fashion industry person, from the aspiring journalist to the retired design veteran is anxiously awaiting the premier (no matter what they say). Who isn't the least bit curious about what really happens behind those glass windows on the 12th floor of 4 Times Square? The premier is slated for 2008, exact date is still to be determined.


Photo: Vogue September 2006

The New Nautica, Part 2 - N Series

The Nautica Jeans Co. website, and the technology behind it, is genius. In addition to the roll-out promotional site for the N-Series Collection (see previous post), is nauticajeansco.com, the main product website. It is so interactive, fun and educational that you get hooked to it immediately (talk about the stickiness factor). I really think that with all the competition within the online market this stands out as directional.

I absolutely love the Style Advisor section. The Style Advisor allows visitors to choose from a variety of lifestyle situations and then selects an appropriate outfit based on the their chosen lifestyle. The technology is fantastic as it allows the visitor to see a 360˚ life-like model modeling each outfit against a backdrop image of the lifestyle. In addition to the visuals, are pop up Style Notes that the visitor may read to get more of a well-rounded experience.

For example, one lifestyle, “Walking the Streets of New York”, puts the model in an emblazoned tee, black jeans and kicks. The style notes say, "The streets of New York are not Scorcese’ mean anymore. More people carry ipods than baseball bats, but that doesn’t mean the edge is gone. It’s still a concrete jungle out there and you want to look like you were born to roam it.” To further enhance the lifestyle is a backdrop image of an NYC subway station.

Other lifestyles a visitor can choose from include - Office on Friday, Dinner Party, Meeting Girls at the Club, Dinner with Girlfriend, Playing Poker, Pool Hall, Art Gallery, At a Concert, Hanging at Home, Pick-up Football and Lunch at Cafe.

What is even more interesting is that the visitor may pick their preferred type of jeans, i.e. Sandy Blue Dark Denim and then match it with a lifestyle situation i.e. Art Gallery and out pops an entire outfit. No need for a personal stylist- let nauticajeansco.com do it for you boys!

The N-Series jeans come in – Loose Fit, Big Ez, Classic Fit, Easy Fit, Big Baggy, Bootcut, and Carpenter and each style comes equipped with its own 360˚ image, detailed product information and a direct shopping link to Macys.com.

The site is fantastic. It appeals to the man with no style sense just as much as to the man with style sense. I think every online retailer catering to men should use this "style advisor" technology as a platform to engage their male customer. Actually, they should use it to entice and engage their entire customer base from young women to older men.

I think this technology breaks down the cookie-cutter online merchandising mold (of choosing a style, a color and a size and then waiting for the site to pop out with pre-determined selections) and adds some excitement to the online shopping experience. Once again bravo Nautica Co. for churning out such an engaging site, now all that is missing is one for the ladies.

Photos courtesy of Nautica Co.

The New Nautica, Part 1 - Live-N-Jeans

Nautica Co.’s revival as a brand and a style arbitrator for the young & hip happens right about now with the launch of their new men's jeans. When I mention Nautica jeans to friends of mine they seem confused, "Nautica makes jeans", they say. Apparently no one I have spoken to is attuned to the fact that Nautica is a hip, stylish label that makes hip, stylish jeans. They all seem to relate it to older, distinguished, casual clothing. It is time that Nautica Co, the 25-year-old label, change the perception of a market just waiting to be plucked.

Enter live-n-jeans.com, the gateway to a super cool, super stylish fashion home for men. Inspired by the hit HBO TV show Entourage, live-n-jeans.com was created around the central theme of three hip guys and their modern lifestyles. From chilling out by day to hitting the town by night, all three guys, literally, live in their jeans, no matter what the occasion - hence, the promo title Live-N-Jeans.

The site, a promotional vehicle for the launch of their new jean, the N-Series, is chock-full of interactive features - video reels with blog-like commentary, music clips and a MySpace link. These features provide a high level of "stickiness" – an industry buzz word indicating the capacity of a website to keep visitors on the site for the longest possible time. On a scale of 1-to-10 (10 being the highest), I think live-n-jeans.com rates a 10+. I've been on the site multiple times and every time, I discover something new.

The web videos are a cheeky take on the un-cool guy-next-door with a bad fashion sense and the wrong pair of jeans. Their videos are purposely corny and I think a great deal of market research went into producing "un-cool" rather than "cool" videos. Men are more likely than females to replay, revisit and tell their friends about these "hilarious videos they saw on the Nautica site" and are less likely to respond to a great video they saw on a fashion website. Females on the other hand are the opposite, watching an "un-cool" video is a turn off and they are more likely than not to stop watching the video, never revisit the site and never tell their friends about it.





Nautica Co. hit it right on when they posted these videos and has definitely built a stellar attraction. Even if the videos are corny, it does not matter; they are funny and provide great entertainment.

Another main attraction to the site is the Live-N-Jeans Sweepstakes. Modeled once again after the hit HBO show Entourage, the sweepstakes offers visitors the opportunity to live their own Entourage experience, by offering them a chance to win a trip to a cool and stylish city. The Live-N-Jeans Sweepstakes will grant 4 winners with an all expensed paid trip for them and a friend to Los Angeles, New York, Miami or Chicago (Airfare, hotel, food and transportation to and from the airport will be provided. Contest ends May 8th. Click to Enter).

The sweepstakes is yet another traffic/excitement building feature to this grand scale promotional campaign all with the intention of hitting their new target customer - the 20-something, Entourage loving, cool and stylish American male.

I think they have done more than a phenomenal job at understanding this market and appealing to them in a positive results driven way and I truly believe that in the end, every dollar spent on this campaign will be worth it. We live in such a media soaked world that getting to any consumer is a challenge but getting to the male consumer in a non-sexual way is an even bigger challenge and I say bravo to Nautica Co. for going the non-sex route – it is great proof that sex is not the only thing that sells.

Photos & Videos courtesy of Nautica Co. & hbo.com

Vogue on the Today Show

Fellow blogger fashionologie posted this youtube video featuring Vogue on the Today Show, promoting the whole high/low dress trend. Fashionologie titled it "nothing groundbreaking", and she is right nothing groundbreaking but interesting to see.



Vogue is really on a mission to promote their may issue as well as justify why they put Gap (a low-end retailer(according to Vogue)) on their cover - because the whole new trend of dressing is high/low. However, the high/low look has been around for years now...it is nothing new.

I think that they could have done a better job with the styling...a much better job. I do not think they really represented the aesthetic of Vogue. I know they wanted to appeal to the early rising suburban housewives but they really should have represented a little better.

And correction...the last time there was an all model cover was September 2004 not in 1992.

Video:youtube.com

The Designer Gap

The 2006 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winners Doo-Ri Chung of Doo.Ri, Thakoon Panichgul of Thakoon, and Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte all have been tapped by Gap to collaborate on their new venture, Gap Design Editions. This new initiative is part of the retailer's recent partnership with the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund to support and encourage new American designers.

The first mandate of the new Design Edition collection was for each designer to create three interpretations of the classic white shirt, a great Gap classic. The collection will be available in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Japan , as well as online at gap.com. Prices range from $68 to $88.

To kick off the launch, the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund honoured all three designers at the Bowery Hotel. The attendees were apparently greeted with a blow up of the May 2007 Vogue cover - the all model/all white shirt cover. All the white shirts featured on the cover were the the design trio's Gap creations.

ThakoonRodarte
Doo.Ri
With the may cover, Vogue is making a definite statement toward promoting emerging talent, both in terms of designers and models. Also, they are promoting the whole high/low concept of dressing by pairing these affordable shirts with skirts by Herrera, Oscar and Armani (amongst others).

Congrats to Vogue for pulling off yet another great collaborative effort. When Anna Wintour says, that Vogue "...sets the standard or declares the mood of the country...", this is exactly what she means.

This cover makes a clear cut statement - Gap, high/low dressing, Doo.ri, Thakoon, Rodarte, and Lily Donaldson, Caroline Trentini, Raquel Zimmermann, Chanel Iman, Doutzen Kroes, Coco Rocha, Agyness Deyn, Sasha Pivovarova, Jessica Stam and Hilary Rhoda are in, are hot, are stylish and should be on the tips of everyone's tongues. What it says for the mood of the country is that we are ready for bright happy days.

For more information and to see all styles, check out gap.com - they did a great promo web feature.

Photos: gap.com

A Colorful Spring

The May 2007 issue of Vogue declares color and patterns for spring. Not just solid colors but a mixture of colors, lots of colors, and patterns, lots of patterns. We should not be afraid to take the leap into the color pond. Throw on that lime green swirl print with that turquoise and white check print...the so-called fashion rules have been disregarded for a season of bright, bold and beautiful color print themes. That means - NO ALL BLACK outfits. It will be hard, black is just so easy but if you dare, colors and patterns could be just as easy...just throw it all on.



Photos: style.com

Vogue Declares The Return of The Model

Vogue is declaring the return of the model for its model laden May 2007 cover but has the model ever really disappeared? I know that magazine covers tend toward celebrities when deciding a face to put on their cover. I guess this has something to do with newsstand sales and the"easy-to-relate-to" factor (apparently we relate better to a celebrity face than an unknown, no name model) but flip open the magazine and it is chock-full of models...modeling. Look at any runway show and you see models, look at 80% of all advertisements and you see models (and here too, the ad industry has caught on to the celebrity fever, turning celebrity endorsements into careers into their own.)

Why does it have to be one or the other, why can't the mags, Vogue especially, include a nice balance into their monthly cover rotation. I would love to see a celeb but I would just as much love to see a model. It is enough with the Nicole Kidmans, Renée Zellwegers and the Keira Knightleys on Vogue covers. There are so many interesting and beautiful women figures (models included). I would like to see diversity.

I love this May cover it reminds me of the covers from the '90s but there are too few and far in between. The last all model cover was September 2004. We had to wait almost 2 1/2 years to see fashion models on a fashion magazine. Something is a little out of whack, unbalanced maybe, but so is our entire world (i.e. the global warming effect), so when you take that into consideration, I guess having no fashion models on the covers of fashion magazines fits right in.

Photo: style.com

Channeling Chanel Haute Couture

Chanel Haute Couture in action. This meuille-feuille-like Chanel Haute Couture creation from the spring 2007 season is brought to life on young Miss Charlotte Casiraghi (daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco). Seeing couture on the runway is one thing but seeing it on a BYT changes your scope of "couture" perception. When you view these garments on the runway you do not see its beauty, the details, and the intricateness in its entirety. I feel you only really see the true wonders of couture , that of ethereal magnificence, when it is brought to life by the personality wearing it...and Miss Casiraghi injects plenty of personality into this robe à la main.

Photo: Charlotte Casiraghi at the Bal de la Rose, dancing with her older brother, Andrea, March 25, 2006 - style.com

Tom Ford Central

We all knew he'd be back, and not in the beauty/cosmetics /eyewear way, we all knew he was going to come back big and this is just what Tom Ford did today with the unveiling of his new three-story, 8,680-square-foot Madison Avenue boutique. The Tom Ford boutique is a luxury mecca for men whom appreciate great craftsmanship, superior quality, bespoke service and a truly ethereal shopping experience.

The store caters to the true made-to-measure man, as the boutique is equipped with private bespoke ateliers incorporating two tailors and five seamstresses (ready-to-wear suits start at $3,000 and bespoke suits start at $5,000). Other boutique specialities include an octagonal marble and mercury mirror perfumery room, where one can purchase a fragrance or order a custom blend; a reception area, butlers and maids, and rooms for shirting, shoes, luggage, socks and outerwear.

With this new venture Ford is looking to create the next generation of luxury services and products by throwing personalization, romance and old world glamour into the mix. I think that he will soon roll out a full woman's collection, a home collection, baby, kid's and so on....this is only the beginning. I truly believe that Tom Ford is the next Ralph Lauren or Giorgio Armani.

It is an industry rarity to reach or attempt to reach megawatt luxury brand status. Just as it is an almost impossible feat to become the next Frank Sinatra. However, I believe that every couple of decades someone or something special emerges to carry on the torch. Someone or something that truly becomes the next great, the next icon, the next legend. Tom Ford is, without any doubt, the next great, mega luxury brand - the next great fashion legend.

Read more at wwd.com

Photos:wwd.com

Choose Your Shoes Wisely

I just love these shoes I found on the Net-a-Porter shoe sale page. I find that shoes, like everything else you choose to put on your body, is so personal and says so much about the person and their personality. I would wear all of these shoes. When I would wear them would completely depend on my mood and what is happening in my life at that time. I guess, like with clothes, this is really, what I think at least, what determines what we wear and how we dress...and ultimately, how we portray ourselves to the world around us.

Mood: Energetic, crazy (Christian Louboutin)

Mood: happy, sexy (Christian Louboutin)

Mood: casual, calm (Pedro Garcia)
Mood: serious, determined (Anya Hindmarch)
Mood: fun, vibrant (Bottega Veneta)
Photos:netaporter.com

The Low Down on Loeffler Randall

I have been following this shoe line since it debuted in 2004. I just love its elegance and chicness. The design and craftsmanship are impeccable. They are simple everyday shoes but far, very far, from your average everyday shoe. I predicted this line to become an imminent luxury label that would eventually become comparable to Tod's, Bottega Veneta, Hogan or Salvatore Ferragamo and my prediction was right on. This fall welcomes a handbag collection and a ready-to-wear line. Besides the prestige of this emerging brand I love the story behind it - a husband and wife team building it from the ground up. It is a rarity today to see such a promising brand grow (so quickly) in the hands of love and passion. I look forward to seeing what this brand brings in the coming years and I look forward to purchasing my first pair of LR shoes.

The fabulous shoes

The handbags

A sneak peak at the fall 2007 ready-to-wear line I'm just loving this coat.

Photos: neimanmarcus.com, shopbop.com