New York: Making Things Happen

It shouldn't be a shock to anyone at this point that New York City is just one of those places where you're bound to see things you'll only see in a handful of cities in the world.

My many years in the fashion industry has exposed me to many possibilities of scenarios, so shock at this point is sadly, a bit rare. And yet....and yet.

While taking a respite for an espresso I became part of two waves converging, the popularity of cafes and the continued desire to "make it". Meet Marisa, a budding designer.

As I was also interested in catching up with e-mails I looked for a more secluded, quieter area. A second floor seemed ideal, and it was. As I turned the corner I immediately realized "fashion" was happening. After all, I'd seen it once or twice before.

I discovered a young lady "presenting" a series of garments to a woman and her assistant. I knew the woman wasn't a buyer as I have also seen a few of them in my time.

I followed intently with a grin on my face, witnessing what I soon came to understand what was a meeting between designer and her model maker.

Once the presentation was done I introduced myself. The young designer was packing the remaining garments after giving some to her model maker to take back to her workshop. She said her name was Marisa and I concluded of Eastern European origins. Pleasant but in a rush to her next appointment, who knows, perhaps to select trimmings, I thanked her and encouraged her on.

She left get working area spotlessly clean as she headed down the stairs while I contemplated how we all adapt on the way to "making it"...thank you Starbucks.

Fashion Star on NBC, Another Unreality Show

It's that time again where one more reality show I'll be asked about is about to premier. Fashion Star on NBC  will invade America's homes tonight as yet another "reality" show that is anything but real, but let's not get lost in the facts right away.

Wanna-be-designers will compete for the privilege of being selected to have one of their garments chosen by buyers from H&M, Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy's each week as explained in the shows preview.

As in any "reality" show there's nothing real about having one's life in from of lights and cameras, but then there are the particulars of the specific shows. One can't truly present the life and mindset of a survivor when that "survivor" has a safety net which is that he knows he doesn't risk starvation and death because the show's producers will always be there to ensure that doesn't happen.

As a disclaimer let me say that I have not seen the show, I am commenting based on what has been presented so far and my considerably vast knowledge of the fashion world having worked in it my entire working career. I would also like to make clear that at the moment the only thing I can say about the participants is that I understand their wanting to be part of this show as they will get a huge leg up on any of their counterparts in the real world.

So, what is so unreal about this show? Everything!

Starting designers do not get John Varvatos as a mentor. They do not get pattern makers, sewers, make-up artists and stylists at their beckon call. They do not get the opportunity to show their collections to the type of buyers they are talking about here, let alone being able to show any buyer a single item as they are doing on Fashion Star. You would never see these stores participating in any way were it not for the incredible amount of publicity they will receive and have already received by being part of the show. Like all other "reality" shows the amount of publicity received by the participant and/or product would be utterly unaffordable and so good, bad or indifferent they are automatically elevated superficially.

So, what is real? The viewer's insatiable desire to be a voyeur, to be a spectator to a car crash, that is real. There will be real people in unreal situations with plenty of drama generated by drama queens and expert editors that will keep you glued to the TV. There will be enormous desire to want to suspend disbelief to the point of even criticizing me for showering you with the truth because reality is a harder pill to swallow. And because we have gotten to the point where as a society we know not about much of the topics to make our own educated determination as to what is or isn't reality.

The Emperor And The Designer Have No Clothes.

I'm ready, go ahead and tell me that I just don't get it. but before you do hear me out.

The Fashion industry and the world at large is certainly ever evolving as it should be, we apply words to objects, concepts, entities and so on. We use words so that we can understand each other when we communicate. If we were to use the word "car" we know that we're talking about an automobile, we understand that two cars may look different from one another but we still know they are cars. We wouldn't and shouldn't call something that isn't a car a "car". If and when a car evolves into something beyond what our original definition stands for it should be called something else that more appropriately reflects it. If you invite me to go see a movie, I don't expect to see a play.

You get that? Good!

So, with this in mind I believe that we should re-evaluate Fashion Shows, break them down to no less than two categories and perhaps more and appropriately named them as to appropriately depict the difference between them.

Certainly we can agree that there's fashion shows that exhibit clothes that will actually be produced and sold in clothing stores and then there's fashion shows that exhibit conceptual clothing that look more like costumes in a theatrical production and that at best will only be sold in considerably modified versions of the original.

Here are some examples of what I'm talking about using two Fall 2012 Collections, Thom Browne (top two) and Giorgio Armani (bottom two). Strictly concentrating on the clothing (hair and make-up aside),

it's obvious to see which designer designed for theatrical effect and which one designed with practical salability in mind. I'm not criticizing, I am making what I believe is a valid point.

These are not quirky outfits in the collections, these are very representative of what the collections are.

 I get the role of both, I just don't think they should be labeled in the same manner. After all,  you wouldn't want to be served meatloaf if you ordered a cheeseburger would you?

IF

Right & Wrong

About 14 years ago I designed shirts I called "Mixed Media" because of the different patterned fabrics used to make one shirt. Often placing one patter under the cuffs while another on the rest of the shirt. The placket or an under collar would be other placements and there were many combination possibilities. The Robert Graham brand is perhaps the most known for this look today and seen often on the popular ABC show Modern Family. 

Surely anyone is free to dress the way they want to but are there situations where there might be a right and wrong? Should you expect your haberdashers to educate you to as to how to wear the clothes you purchase from them? Yes. 

I'm not sure at what age we learn to roll our cuffs, but we learned to roll the cuff once in the amount of the actual cuff and then we do it again. Doing it like this tends to secure the cuff relatively well in keeping it from coming undone. However, when the cuff has a contrasting fabric underneath rolling it in this manner will completely defeat the purpose of using the contrasting fabric.

The majority of the time I see men resolving this issue by rolling the cuff once as you see on the picture on the left, thus exposing the contrast but it doesn't secure the cuff in place very well at all. In the picture on the right you see what I consider the correct way to wear this type of shirt. It is easily achieved by rolling the cuff the first time more than the usual length of one cuff but at least a cuff and a half. The second roll, now is actually done not using the cuff, but part of the sleeve fabric to end up looking as you see above.

On the right you also see that this shirt has contrasting fabric on the inside placket which I prefer in a shirt. The man on the right added insult to injury in my opinion by wearing a white tee shirt underneath. If you feel uncomfortable due to excessive sweating I recommend a v-neck undershirt and making sure the shirt is buttoned enough to cover it.

You only get one opportunity at the right first impression don't miss it.

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Italy!

When the concept of Fashion Vacations first reared its beautiful head inside my heart it looked a bit different. The desire to instill an appreciation for the value of beautifully made garments was all I was after, and of course what better place to do it than in Italy. Not only is Italy a country filled with the best art, culinary treats, culture, beautiful vistas and the best clothing this earth has ever known, 

yes I'm partial, but it is a place I know very well, am fluent in its romantic language and a place I have worked in for many years.

So, the Fashion Vacation I envisioned was going to be enjoyed by couples interested in the luxury lifestyle but in particularly that of Italy. Perhaps, I thought, couples or groups of friends, yes more skewed on the female side of the sexes, would be the first to line up for a trip of a lifetime.

To my surprise the payments for the trip weren't as forthcoming as the words of praise were for this sort of adventure by interested parties. My first reaction was that surely I had priced it to high, but then how could it be that people were still traveling around the world, wining and dining if money was an issue? It's all so easy to know what everyone is doing on the social networks today. Had I presented it poorly? So I had several people who's opinion I respected analyze my work and made the necessary corrections...but there weren't many. All of this was happening side by side with the high praises I was receiving from my colleagues in the Fashion Industry. I'm sure you won't find it difficult believing that much Prosecco was consumed trying to wrap my head around this conundrum. Sure, the tendency to exaggerate is not lost on fashionistas, but so does jealousy and cattiness so when no one from the industry had made any disparaging remarks towards this project I knew there had to be more to it.

On a non eventful day about a month ago I received an inquiry by an individual claiming to speak for a group of "industry people" interested in The Fashion Vacation exactly as it had been described. However, and there is always a "however", there were two very important caveats I needed to agree to. 

If you know anything about me it surely must be this: I am extremely curious and extremely passionate. So I was at the edge of my seat to discover what these two caveats might be.

The voice at the other end proceeded to tell me that the original date set by me of December 10, 2011 was a bit early and could I be flexible enough to change it to fit their schedule. But the second request took me aback. "We are a group of executives with a very prominent retailer that are preparing to venture out on our own. As such, we need for you to sign a non-disclosure contract since we can't be seen as doing this before its time." He proceeded to tell me which company they were with and it certainly was a fine pedigree.

What seemed to surprise me almost as much as what I had just been asked, was the realization as to what had really occurred. Those appreciating the Fashion Vacation, were exactly those inside the industry that understood the value in what was being offered. A look behind the scenes that even they, in their current positions, were not at liberty to see. The making of Italian fashion at their very source, get an introduction to the many factories I have built relationships with over the years and of course to do so in the most wonderful surroundings....Italy.

So, a funny thing did indeed happen on the way to Italy,  and tomorrow the journey to Italy will begin filled with non disclosed pure Italian fun.

Ciao!

Punked or True? Yes.

While at dinner with friends last night two beautiful girls approached our table and asked "where we punked or is it true?". My honest response was "yes, you were punked AND it's true". So let me back it up a bit, this would be the flash back in a movie if it were one, of what actually happened earlier in the evening.

While inspecting a less than respectable menu, I kept witnessing a parade of couples and groups of young people entering the restaurant and being seated for dinner. I love to see this, young people enjoying themselves in a civil manner, partaking in dining out as they were about to do.

What caught my attention good, bad or indifferent and to no one's surprise, was their choices in apparel. Let's be sure we understand, those young people I ended up speaking with were all pleasant, fun and willing to have their photograph taken as a contribution to this blog.

The girls, as it is the style de jeur, were wearing cute dresses with beautiful hair and appropriate make-up. The men on the other hand, although they looked clean and freshly showered looked like they might have chosen their next clean golf or boating outfit.

All cute, all very nice people but really?? REALLY? Come on guys!!! A bit of an effort please. I understand you may have preferred to be out at a bar holding a beer instead but follow a simple rule.

IF YOU WOULD WEAR IT GOLFING, BOATING OR AT A BBQ, DON'T WEAR IT OUT AT A RESTAURANT ON A SATURDAY NIGHT.

Look nobody made me the Fashion Police, but I made myself a Fashion Designer and a passionate one at that. Life is filled with do's and dont's, right and wrongs. How do I know I'm right? I just know because this is and has been a large part of my life. By the way, you know who also knew? You see the guy above on the left? When I approached their table, introduced myself and told them I wanted to blog about the way they were dressed, he immediately looked at his shorts and then looked up with that "busted" look that told me he understood.
Guys, do as you will, but respect your women when you go out with them and more importantly, respect yourself.

These guys were very nice and felt unprepared to be photographed, but they had come out this way, perhaps having just come from their backyard pool. In a bit of sympathy, I will say that they were there for what may have been a take out...but still.

As I was leaving this couple walked in and I thought, well there....there is hope. This guy still chose shorts for the Summer night it was, but he looks like he put some thought and care into it. True, not everyone can pull the look, but he did and he looked and felt great. Oh yeah, a couple of women at the bar asked me why I was photographing them as I explained they admitted to having noticed all the couples...and not all for the right reasons, but as it turned out, for the same reason I had noticed them.

I want to thank all the couples for being wonderfully cordial and participating in my passion and fun for the evening, for being good sports and for providing me with fodder for by blog.

Oh yeah back to the beginning, Punked or True? Yes.