This Man…

 designed this…

Riccardo Tisci was brought onto Givenchy in 2005 and given the position as Chief Designer of womens ready-to-wear and haute couture. Following the footsteps of great designers before him, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen, Tisci was appointed to make the brand once favored by the Kennedy’s and Audrey Hepburn translatable to today’s customer.

Of course, in all this hubbub it seems the brand forgot to give Riccardo a wardrobe. With 10 day old scruff and a tee shirt better befitting a high school student, the 33 year old designer looks like an amateur in the game of fashion, forgetting one of the dead set rules of those dedicated to their craft, always represent your collection.

Many designers out there forget this simple, yet appropriate direction. They create amazing $1000 dresses but sport $15 tees and baggy, sloppy jeans.  I can image the rest of Riccardo’s outfit in the picture above; faded, ripped jeans, Converse, a skateboard and a dubbie in his back pocket. While refusing to fit a mold is an admirable pursuit, being so opposite to your brands image may in fact alienate you from your target customer. If you were introduced to Riccardo in his laid back get up your first impression would be “amateur”.  The gut reaction he would receive is that of someone who doesn’t take is work seriously and thus is not displaying his full potential on the runway.

For young designers, it is especially important to translate your collection onto your everyday wear.  Thom Browne is the perfect example of someone dedicated to his craft. While he may be the only man on the planet who wears Thom Browne suits, you know the reason isn’t cause he’s not actively promoting his wears. Thom rocks his high water crafted suits on the street, to events, and has even been seen rocking jackets with “I’m Thom Browne” embroidered on his back. Dedication.

So next time you’re heading out be sure to rock a piece from your collection or at least dress in something that reflects your brand. If you a tee shirt designer, rock tee shirts. But if you’re a high-end couture designer in charge of one of the largest fashion brands in the world, try not to pull a Riccardo and look like a complete burnout.

(photos courtesy of WWD, Style.com)

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Hey indies,

I’m going to give you the scoop on what goes on at a designer trunk show at Henri Bendel so that next year when they are looking for new talent you’re ready to make it past their judges on on to their selling floor.

Twice a year designers line up around the block to show their creations to the buyers at this high-end department store. If you have something that sparks their interest they let you show in their store. If all goes well from there you can keep showing on a regular basis. Hopefully one day you can prove yourself worthy and they will just be able to buy your line.

Above is my little headband line. I would like to introduce all you Fashion Indie connoisseurs to the other talent that was sharing the spotlight with me this weekend. Should you get picked it is a very good idea to bring help along. My publicist Mylan Bui and Jowita Kurowski helped me, bringing over a good three bags full of head candy goodies!!! Bui-Lavry PR Rocks!!!

In the front of the store there is currently a designer cupcake maker/celebrity birthday cake baker showing. I promised not to tell who they are designing a birthday cake for next week. If I leaked this bit of information their Lower East Side bakery would be paparazzi mayhem!!! Let’s just say John Mayer was the last rock star they designed for. Strictly A-list.

Check out their work www.howsweetitispastry.com!!!

Indie Jewelry designer Mindy Lam was in Henri’s on Sunday but has been showing near the entrance all week long. Her jewelry is nothing less than a work of genius. I say it like this because all her jewelry is couture and can only be produced by her personally, her designs are a hand-crafted skill that can not be taught. She is beyond indie, Mindy’s gems are in a whole other category of independent design.

One of my most favorite designer’s was a Chocolatier named Confuzzled , these intense chocolate toffee cookies are making an appearance on the View this Tuesday (Be sure to notice her pretty little girl who will be wearing an Angel Lust bow). Confuzzled is proof that The Daily Candy is God!!! Confuzzled started out doing monthly trunk shows at Henri Bendel, during which an article in The Daily Candy featured her. Eventually Bendel’s bought her stuff in bulk and placed it permanently in their high-end chocolate bar in the penthouse!!!

So here are three quick tips for making it on the Henri Bendel buyers short list.

Get to the Henri Bendel casting calls early.
Have professional help from a PR agency.
Get mentioned in Daily Candy or any other noted press and be sure that your first collection sells out, quickly. Call friends, put in favors, do whatever you have to do, just make sure that when you hit the selling floor of Bendel’s you’re selling.

The list goes on with all the fantastic talent you will find here. I look forward to bringing you updated indies in progress.

-Kristen May of Angel Lust !!!

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A few weeks ago we posted a story on a St. Louis designer, AFV by Ashley Dayley, who was set to showcase her looks with 5 other designers at an event at the contemporary art museum.  Well, according to an outraged reader of Fashion Indie, the designer is a “ripoff” for using a Butterick pattern (specifically number 6015)  to create her dresses.   We have the Teresa H’s comment below…
Many of us in the online design/sewing community were flummoxed, and some rather outraged, when a very popular reissued pattern (Butterick 6015) showed up on the runway - credited to Ashley Dayley as an original design but was a complete ripoff (and copyright infringement) of this pattern and its original designer.

It’s astonishing the lack of integrity, and utter cluelessness that this designer showed in presenting this as her own “design”.

“Dayley called it vintage sexy.” the St. Louis Times wrote. We call it “ripoff.”
Now we’ve done some research (shockingly we do try some actual reporting sometime) and we found the original Butterick pattern that one of our readers referenced.

Unfortunately, we don’t have any photos of AFV by Ashley Dayley to prove our reader correct, but we’re working on it.

Aside from that, is it really cheating when a designer uses a pattern from a company like Butterick? Isn’t the whole “Vintage Revival” movement all about using these patterns with new fabrics to make them modern?  I personally don’t see anything wrong with a designer using a Butterick pattern since these we’re sold for the purpose of creating clothes.  Yes some one else designed the pattern, but you designed the dress by picking the fabrics and crafting the dress, right?

Fortunately another Fashion Indie reader agrees with me. Read her comment below in response to Teresa H…
Someone here must be the Rainman of fashion…or a chronically bored person with too much time on their hands. Ashley, and other designers world wide have used shapes as well as patterns to design or create a newer, fresher version of a garment. If this blogger comment was given by a professional whom is a judge or editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine…I can understand to some degree. But why were THEY not featured at fashion week? Why were they never sought after for their amazing original clothing line? Hmmmm sounds to me like they are what I like to call being their “internet” self. How dare to comment about this young designer to ruin her good name. I thought her clothes were fresh, fun and frankly….better than a Butterick pattern.
Touche.

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So twice a year NYC’s famous Henri Bendel’s holds a search for new indie designers looking for an in to the industry. Designers will start to line up outside starting at 2am in the morning. I was not going to get up that early, however I did get there at 7:30am and at that time was still 2 city blocks away from the entrance. While about a thousand people continued to add on with every hour or so.My time paid off thanks to the hands of the fashion gods and my brilliant reps at Bui-Lavry PR who helped me display and sell my treasured head pieces. Bendel’s is giving me a time slot to host my own Angel Lust trunk show near the end of April, which will coincide with the debut of my items on “Gossip Girl” !!!I’m going to write more about the event on my personal blog along with some very helpful tips for all future designers who want to stand in line. Visit me http://angellustpr.blogspot.com/-Kristen May Anastasia

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Fashion magazines are a dime a dozen. There are the big names like Elle, Vogue, Nylon, Harpers Bazaar, and gasp* Us Weekly. Their are the better known high end fares like V Magazine, Another Magazine, Purple and Paper. But hidden amongst the big boys are a slew of indie fashion magazines that don’t get as much attention as they deserve. Check out this list of indie fashion magazines that you should know compiled by Glam.com …

10
Christened 10—a bold, simple number that is recognizable in any language—the book has attracted a large international following. The 300+page publication is chock full of contemporary culture of every sort and for those who can’t be bothered to read the staff’s well-written pieces, it serves as a spell binding picture book that’s hard to put down.

A4
A recent winner of the Chimera Press Design Award , A4 cleverly connects street culture, high art, and fashion in a series of collage-like pictorials. The Polish book aims to promote young artists in all fields, and promote they do: Crisp and clear without being cold, their well-designed pages are highly memorable. (Bonus: Their online site isn’t too shabby either.

BON MAGAZINE

With so much high-quality fashion pouring out of Sweden (hello Cheap Monday, H&M, Acne, and Filippa K) that it’s no surprise that the country has cornered the market on Scandinavian-influenced mags. The country’s leading fashion magazine, Bon, takes the cake with it’s visually and verbally dense pages. The tome and it’s online component offer up sophisticated coverage from all the international weeks, but hones in on—and rightfully so—their homegrown talent.

TANK

Launched in 1998 by the eponymous creative agency, the “bookzine” focuses on architecture, fashion, and overall great design. Expect quirky spins on boldfaced names—from Miuccia Prada to David Sims and Dior— up-and-coming stars in fashion, art, graphic design, and other visual fields. The multi-talented minds behind Tank also produce a radio station, publishing house, and online TV segments.

NUMERO

French-based Numero allows all you impatient trend hounds to get a sneak peak at the fashions of tomorrow. (Modelizers will appreciate the editorial team’s ahead-of-the curve front-cover placement of young catwalkers.) The magazine, which has earned accolades for its arresting photographs and influential design, serves as a must-read for the W magazine subscribers who prefer their style news served up with some edge.

PLASTIQUE

The recently launched Plastique offers a behind-the-scenes look at the photoshoot lifestyle. While stories touch on contemporary cinema and art, the real reason to pick up the book is its many thoughtful interviews with designers, photographers, illustrators and more.

A Magazine

Curated by a rotating roster of intellectual designers (including Yohji Yamamoto, Martine Sitbon, and Martin Margiela) A Magazine delves into the inspirations, craftsmanship ideals, and external influences that are crucial to the design process. the insightful presentation of such oft-over-looked stories will prove to be rewarding to those who are interested in what goes on behind the atelier’s gilded doors.

LULA MAGAZINE
London-based Lula taps into the fairytale trend that’s prevailed in certain fashion and art circles as of late. Helmed by former Vogue UKer, Leith Clarke, it’s plum full of romantic, ethereal photos, cameos by bewitching girls—such as Zooey Deschanel, Erin Fetherston, and Karen Elson—and nostalgic stories of timeworn treasures including Anne of Green Gables books, heart lockets, and more. Not only does each issue spin a well-crafted yarn, but Lula’s online flipbook is just as enchanting.

WONDERLAND

If the Steven Sprouse-like logo doesn’t tip you off about Wonderland’s energetic coverage of the film, fashion, and art worlds, you’ll figure it out once you flip open the first page. Created by young Londoner, (A Visionaire alum and former Mario Testino assistant) Huw Gwyther, the book looks at with the unabashed, rocking enthusiasm of undergrads at St. Martins (of which Gwyther is an alumni, duh).

FLY MAGAZINE

By offering short fashion films (in lieu of photoshoots) via web and limited-edition DVDs only, the Paris-and New York based magazine is quietly redefining the medium. Recent trendsetting contributors include Shirin Neshat, Julia Restoin Toirfeld, Missy Rayder, and Debbie Harry. If it sounds impressive, that’s because it is.

More that missed the list.

INDIE MAGAZINE

I’m in love with INDIE magazine, but apparently they don’t love me. This magazine used to be available in the states at select newstands, but disappeared recently. You can still pick up the amazingly detailed and spot on tome to independent fashion in Austria or order the magazine online.

METROPOP

A completely addictive magazine that features the best indie fashions from local and LA designers, Metropop has remained a strong voice in the indie fashion scene with it’s fashion spreads which feature young fashion designers. Recent cover girl Amanda Lepore and models such as Andre J and Jerry Tam of Form make the pages of this mag golden.

Think we missed some? Do share

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