Will Catwalks Become A Thing Of The Past?

So we all know that everyone is strapped for cash these days, but who would have thought that high-end fashion designers were feeling it too. According to a United Kingdom newspaper, Telegraph, some designers are so strapped for cash these days that they are finding other ways to promote their fashions instead of a catwalk. Some designers are, "Considering static presentations, webcasts or studio visits as a cheaper alternative."

Most American companies are switching to these new ways of visual presentations because they believe that runway shows are no longer the most effective or financially reasonable way to promote their fashions. Carmen Marc Valvo's last runway show in September had about 25% empty seats. Another American designer named Marc Bouwer is apparently considering doing a webcast for February's New York Fashion Week because it will save him around $140,000.

Most people in the fashion industry agree that this change is a good thing. Not only are the designers saving money, but fashion reporters and audience members do not need to wait for a show to begin. They can simply watch the fashion shows on a continuous loop and if they missed any information the first time around they can just watch the show again.

Maybe I'm old fashioned but I love seeing actual runway shows. To me it is a whole different experience when you actually go and see a show versus watching it on a television or computer screen. Being able to see the fashion up close and personal makes the experience that much more wonderful. Yes it may save the designers money in the long run but who cares? As far as the reporters if they were truly good reporters they should be able to get the information they need the first time they see the show. I can only hope that the fashion industry will not ruin itself because the economy has fallen on hard times.

As part of the fashion field we have become accustomed to seeing emaciated models don the latest styles on the runway. However, after reading an article on yahoo news today I have come to realize not all models these days fit that profile. Especially not the ones in Wolfson's fashion show.

Don't know what Wolfson is? It's a children's hospital. This year marks their seventh year doing the show to raise money for the hospital and the children who cannot afford their bills within the hospital. The event is sponsored by the Women's Board of Wolfson Children's Hospital and features models who are both current and former patients. Not only does the show allow the children a break from the realities they face but it helps the hospital spotlight the children they love and helps raise money to make them better.

This year the show is called "A Circus Parade." There will be 21 "models" who range in age from 5 to 17. They will be wearing fashions from Belk (kind of like a Macy's in the South). The models will be accompanied by sponsors, who may be their physician, a corporate official or concerned community member. Information about each child, their picture and artwork will be framed and then presented to the sponsors at the show. Each of the models will have their own dresser so that parents can relax and sit in their seats and watch their children's dreams come to life.It all takes place on Saturday December 6 in Jacksonville Florida. So if you are in that area for the holidays look it up!

Hearing stores about how fashion inspires hope always makes me feel like I am in the right profession. As the holiday season is upon us I feel stories like this puts into perspective the importance of giving back, helping those less fortunate than ourselves, and truly cherishing the time we have with friends, family, and on this earth. To all the children that will be in the fashion show good luck, and have fun!

picture: official logo for the event. found at: http://www.jacksonville.com

Scarf it up!

Considering the economy is in, well a rough patch at the current moment it is understandable that clothing companies are concerned. However, conventional wisdom on the luxury market states that luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Prada, and other well known and loved brands are more recession-resistant than other segments of the fashion industry. Mostly due to the rich still being rich while the rest of us suffer, but that's another subject. This week Hermès will test this wisdom when the high end 171-year-old French brand opens a 2,500-square-foot space in San Diego’s Fashion Valley retail center.

The store will debut during what many believe to be the worst time to expand a business. The San Diego store, however, is only one of four that are scheduled to open this coming year. One will open in Las Vegas in January 2009, one will open in Denver in March 2009, and a Hermès boutique for men will open in New York.

The decision to open new stores has been a rather difficult one for the company to make. The store openings come at a time when Hermès has been severely affected by the weak economy. On Nov. 6, Hermès of Paris went from a solid 10 percent sales increase from the previous year to a 9 percent to 10 percent increase in sales. However, the American division is still apparently doing well which is why they have decided to continue with their expansion plan.

The San Diego store is said to be reminiscent of Hermès’ Parisian flagship store. It will have mosaic stone floors, French cherry wood and a lot of windows to allow for natural sunlight to come in the store. Let's hope for Hermès’ sake the economy picks back up and their investment will pay off.

Picture (Flagship store in Paris) from: http://www.pursepage.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/hermes_paris_large.jpg

Katie Holmes= High Fashion????

At this point most people know who Katie Holmes is unless you live under a rock, in which case you have other serious problems. For those of us, however, who follow the lives of the stars Mrs. Tom Cruise has been in the news a lot lately with her new hair styles, and her jaunts to the grocery store with her daughter Suri. It appears that her new hair styles have not only captured housewives around the country but she somehow has managed to capture the attention of the high-end fashion line Miu Miu. Holmes has just signed on to become the face of the line. She follows in the footsteps of Kirsten Dunst and Vanessa Paradis. At this point there are no details are set in stone, but according to People.com Holmes will be the new face of the Italian label's 2009 spring/summer campaign.

For those of you who do not know Miu Miu is the "more affordable" clothing line from the Prada company. The line is said to be more clean and stylish designs with high quality materials for less than their Prada line.

I do not know what the rest of you think about this but personally I'm not the biggest fan of Katie Holmes. Maybe it is because I never watched Dawson's Creek, or maybe it is because she has more money than I do. However, the thing is I do not see Katie Holmes as a high fashion model. Sure she is as skinny as a toothpick, but high fashion material she is not. There are so many talented models out in the world that are busting their humps to get a chance to be in the high fashion scene. I just do not understand why they would select Katie Holmes over top of all of the models in the world.

image from: http://images.askmen.com/women/actress_60/60_katie_holmes.jpg

Ye Old Layaway Makes A Return!

In the few moments of free time I have lately I've been trying to keep up with my television shows that I neglected during the homework rush of the beginning of the school year. While in the midst of my television watching I saw a rather shocking advertisement for K-mart. The woman says, "I'm going Christmas shopping." To which her husband responds, "Didn't we just carve pumpkins?" Then comes the most shocking part....she says, "I'm going to K-Mart they have layaway." Layaway really? As a young shopper I think of layaway as something from the 1950s.

Thinking that this was a strange concept I went in search for a news article and found one from MSNBC.com. It stated that more and more stores are reverting back to this somewhat old practice due to the bad economy and poor credit these days. The article also stated, however, that layaway had almost become obsolete two years ago when even Wal-mart shut down its layaway program.

As the holiday season approaches though a lot of stores have gotten on the band wagon. Stores in which you can now utilize this program are: K-mart, TJ Maxx, Goody's Family Clothing Inc., Marshalls Inc., and Burlington Coat Factory Direct Corp., along with a few other regional chains and stores. According to Burlington Coat Factory the revival of the layaway trend made up 5.3% of its business in August which was a 15% increase in the same month a year ago.

The system seems to be working for both retailers and consumers. Especially considering consumers are really worried about the economy at this point and layaway is just one more helpful tool to watch their spending this holiday season.

McQ

I recently found an article that discusses how the mega corporation Target has teamed up with designer Alexander McQueen for their new Designer Collaborations line. After having a partnership with Isaac Mizrahi for the past five years, Target has decided to continue collaborating with famous designers to improve their sales. The new program, Target Designer Collaborations, is expected to add to their existing “Go International Initiative.”

This decision from Target to continue their designer relationships comes after they had major quarterly profit declines. Target’s customers shopped with them for their cheap but fashionable designer clothes. However, considering the economy is changing their customers no longer spending the money on the designer merchandise no matter how cheap it is. Their customers are even resisting the urge to spend in their store at all.

Target is hoping that by March 1st, when the new line will be launched, that the economy is in a somewhat better state. The new line from Alexander McQueen will be called, McQ Alexander McQueen for Target. It will be available to customers at Target from March 1st until April 11th. Target continues to urge their customers to shop with them as they can always, “Expect more, and pay less.”

Hopefully, when Alexander McQueen’s line hits the Target stores in March the economy will be in a better place. If it is not I fear that Target will loose even more money than they have already. However, as a customer I feel that if I could go to Target and get Alexander McQueen clothes at a cheap price then I would buy clothes with Target over going to a department store. Not only would you be wearing Alexander McQueen clothes but you would be paying just as much as if u were purchasing a no name brand from a department store. Hopefully Target and the economy will get back on their feet soon, so we can go shopping!

Forever Expanding

So it appears that the giant clothing retailer, Forever 21, is expanding its real estate. According to W.W.D Forever 21 will open their newest store in Times Square on Broadway. The store will be approximately 100,000 square feet in size. To put the gravity of this situation in perspective, Forever 21's average store size is about 40,000 square feet. How do they plan on paying for this huge new investment? Forever 21 is projected to do around $1.8 billion in sales this year compared to the measly $1.3 billion they made in 2007.

The new store will be situated next to American Eagle Outfitters, which is one of their main competitors. The store will sell the usual men's and women's fashions, as well as lingerie, footwear, cosmetic items, and all the accessories you could possibly want or need. As of right now an opening date for the store has not been determined.

While the expansion of this mega corporation may spark joy in thousands of young teens, tweens, and twenty some-things I personally think it's a waste of space. While I will admit that I have gone into their stores a few times, I have never bought anything there. The quality of their clothing is sub par, the stores that I have been in are always a mess, and a majority of their designs are not their own. Just as Anna Sui if you don't believe me. However, I guess my opinion does not matter to them, considering they are most likely making money from some of you reading this. I mean come on making $1.8 billion this year is probably more important than copyright infringement.... right?

Fairwell Mr. Worst Dressed

It is my sad duty to tell you that one of fashion's greatest critics Mr. Blackwell passed away at the age of 86 yesterday from an intestinal infection. Born as Richard Selzer but fondly known as Mr. Blackwell, he started off as an ordinary actor but quickly turned into a what not to wear guru. He started "The List" in January of 1960 and has made one every year since. In this list he names all of the worst dressed fashionistas of the year, much to their chagrin.

His witty comments and unique put-downs, often times in the form of a rhyming couplet, created a buzz the like of which has never been matched in the what not to wear category. One of his most famous quotes was when he was referring to Mary-Kate Olsen and said she resembled a, ""YIKES! In layers of cut-rate kitsch, Mary Kate's look is hard to explain…she resembles a tattered toothpick-trapped in a hurricane!" He has also said that one time Cameron Diaz looked as if she were, "Dressed by a color blind circus clown."

"The List" was primarily comprised of women, but there were a few men in drag, Howard Stern, and Dennis Rodman, were among them. Mr. Blackwell also compiled a best-dressed list but he tends to only be remembered for those he criticized. So farewell to the pioneer of thinking out loud! We will always love your sharp tongue.

Photo from: www.stuff.co.nz

Coming up Daisies!

As mentioned before costumes are a large part of my life, thus, I am constantly watching new shows and movies and plays to see what the characters are wearing. Last year a new show hit the television airways and it continues to grow on me. The show is called Pushing Daisies and it comes on ABC at 8 o'clock on Wednesday nights.

The show is about a pie maker named Ned who, from childhood, has had the ability to bring anything back to life after it has died, with a single touch. However, the catch is, once he has brought it back to life he has only one minute to touch it again, or else something else within proximity dies. When Ned finds out from his detective friend Emerson Cod, who has created a business out of having Ned touch murder victims finding out who killed them and collecting the reward, that his childhood sweetheart (Chuck) has been killed he decides to bring her back to life. However, considering if they touch again Chuck will die their relationship is a bit complicated. Any touching they do is through bee suits or a kiss through plastic wrap.

This season the series continues with their adventures in finding the killers of others and bringing them to justice. New secrets also emerge about the pie maker and Chuck's past. While the comedic relief, excellent acting, and cleverishly outlandish writing make this show amazing enough, it is the wonderfully creative costumes which keep me tuned in week after week.
Costume Designer Mary Vogt is a woman after my own heart. She has set the time period in a mix of the 1950s and current day. The dresses that Chuck wears are beautiful in every episode. They evoke a sense of elegance and at the same time whimsy. The suits and shirts and ties Ned wears make him the perfect gentleman at the same time creating another layer with in his character as a shy young boy.

This season in particular the costumes have been amazingly creative. In the first episode of the season, "Bzzzzzzzzz," Ned and Chucks costumes matched perfectly. The episode was about them working in a honey factory because they were trying to find the killer of one of the girls who advertised for them. Chuck wore a 1950s inspired dress which had a pattern that looked as if her dress was a honeycomb and she had yellow and black shoes to match. Her hair was ingeniously made into a bee hive hair do and her eyelashes were fixed into what the pedals of a flower might look like from a bee's perspective. Ned's suit was a nice honey color with yellow and black detailing and a yellow and black striped tie. The costumes not only fit who the characters are but made the whole show's impact that much better for the viewer.

Pushing Daisies has to be one of my all time favorite shows as it is the most rewarding and visually exciting shows I've seen. So check it out!



Photos from: thepiemaker.com

Fired and not know it?

Imagine drinking your morning coffee and reading the daily newspaper and suddenly you see your name! Could they be writing about your amazing new clothing line? What about being named best dressed at a party you attended? For designer Alessandra Facchinetti the news was not so positive. Facchinetti was one of the head designers for Valentino, and let's just say her idea of what was fashionable did not match that of the Valentino name. She was severely judged by the fashion critics and after only two seasons of designs she was fired. The horrible part was not that she was fired but how she was fired. According to the Washington Post, Facchinetti had to learn about her unfortunate fate with Valentino in a newspaper. So what was her reaction to the whole situation? She "Accused the company of being unprofessional for announcing her departure in the press before bothering to mention it to her." I'm sure if that had happened to me I would have a few more choice words. I guess it just goes to show you never know what you'll read in the paper.

What Makes A Good Blog?

Blah...Blah...Blog. It seems as though everyone has a blog these days, and most blogs are there only to clutter up search engines. Everyone is entitled to their opinions on different issues, but not all blogs are articulated very well. So when our writing teacher asked us to create a blog I didn't know what to think. I mean honestly, the only time I've ever even seriously looked at someone's blog I was doing a project and needed some pictures. So considering I am now officially a “blogger” I’ve decided to write this blog with substance and character. It will touch on fashion issues with a few costume design factoids thrown in for good measure.

This blog will also contain a wealth of pictures as I feel they not only tend to enhance the understanding of articles but provide a visual stimulus. Considering color is one of the major factors impacting fashion the pictures will also serve as gateway to showing and predicting fashion trends.

As far as the written statements for this blog, they will be concerned with not only the latest fashion trends but issues facing the fashion field as a whole. Whether it be the newest colors worn by celebrities or the usage of organic fibers in t-shirts, this blog will explore fashion to the fullest. However, considering I love costume design as well, I will from time to time write a few words on anything from reviews of films from a historically accurate costume perspective or possibly even how costumes impact fashion.

Hopefully at the end of this blog experience I will have new ideas on what blogs truly are and why people love to write them so much. Not to mention learn a thing or two about the fashion and costume world and having a little bit of fun while doing it.

Costume Lover Since Birth

So the following is my first assignment for the writing class I'm in now. We were supposed to write about why we were majoring in fashion. I think it will also help introduce you to who I am, so enjoy.

“No, no, no! The feathers are all supposed to go the same way to make it look fuller in the back! Come on mom how is anyone going to know I am a bird if the feathers are wrong?” Welcome to my first childhood memory. I was three years old, and for Halloween I had decided I wanted to be a parrot. However, my unknowing mother had bought a parrot costume without feathers attached. So I stomped my child size 8 foot until she finally agreed to go buy some feathers and help me attach them. It took us a combined 8 hours to attach all the feathers, but I certainly won the costume contest at our local Halloween party. From that year on my mother and I made my costumes together, and our family picture albums are filled with our prize winning creations. I do not know what exactly lit a spark in me from such a young age but I have been working with costumes, crafting, and designing ever since. I guess you could say I was “cut out” to be a costume designer.
In middle school, I entered another phase of the costume world when I became part of the school’s drama club. I played the part of both an actress and set designer, and the overall stage production became my world: the lights, props, sets, music and makeup were central to me. Yet, the excitement I felt when walking onto the stage to recite my lines was nothing compared to that I felt when I was helping design and create the costumes. The excitement in finding “my calling” landed me at my first job as an intern at Signature Theatre here in Arlington.
As an intern I received a first-hand look at what being a costume designer entailed. I learned to make a body block, I helped with fittings, and I took part in a more in-depth study of sewing: making a skirt for myself, aiding with the assembly of wigs, even helping in the creation of backdrops for one of Signature’s funniest plays, Urinetown. In addition, I also redid their entire inventory of costumes and accessories, and I learned how to properly launder and steam clothes for the productions. While the latter may not sound exciting, it was simply exhilarating for me to be a part of the production team. In addition, having my name placed in their professional programs ignited a sense of joy and accomplishment that I had never felt before. It was at that moment that I knew I wanted, no I needed, to be a costume designer.
It was through a culmination of all of my experiences that I ended up here at Marymount. While my major is fashion design and not costume design I am still learning the techniques which a costume designer or really any designer would need. In addition, learning about the fashion industry gives me a back up plan for my future. If I for some reason get tired of costuming I could always work for a fashion label and still have my creativity expressed. Marymount also has numerous opportunities for me to explore my costume interests considering, a few miles away in D.C., there are various theatres from which I can acquire experience and ideas. Hopefully at the end of my career at Marymount there will be a lot more feathered costumes to come.