A look by Parsons student Alexandra Nam

Current seniors in Parsons BFA Fashion Design program will compete to win internships at one of PPR’s 16 luxury brands, which include Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Bottega Veneta, Stella McCartney and Gucci. The two winners — one in ready-to-wear and one in accessories — will also be featured on The Fancy, a combination magazine/shopping guide/social network, and showcased at Barneys New York‘s Madison Ave store in September.

Centered on PPR’s “Empowering Imagination” theme, the competition is designed to stimulate new ideas at PPR’s stable of brands.

Today, a panel of judges including model Dree Hemingway, Vogue‘s Candy Pratts Price and Barneys creative director Dennis Freedman, will whittle down the top 20 candidates to five finalists based on their thesis collections and how well they exemplify the theme. The five finalists will then have their collections featured on The Fancy in mid-June with the winning look and accessory voted on by the public.

“Partnering with PPR and The Fancy,” said Simon Collins, dean of the School of Fashion at Parsons, “will provide our students with an international perspective, thus positioning them as design thinkers poised to lead fashion globally.”

The winners, announced at the end of June, will receive an expense-paid internship up to $10,000 at the PPR label of their choice.[WWD, sub req'd]

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Alexandra Nam

What owning this book says about you: “Sure, I’m a slob, but at least I’m willing to admit it, dammit.” Gunn truly offers a lot of useful style tips from dressing for your particular body shape to organizing your closet, even how to walk like a friggin’ lady. Think of him as the Professor Higgins to your Eliza Dolittle.

What will people say?: “Money can’t buy you class, what makes you think this book can?” Timbo is nothing if not practical — perhaps a little too practical — and he lets you know from the get-go that this book isn’t supposed to change who you are, just improve and enhance. It’s not like you’re going to go from Guidette to Countess after thumbing through, but if you need to know the difference between Black Tie, White Tie and California Casual, both you and your friends could benefit from Gunn’s guidance.

How this book will make your fashion brain grow: Alongside the sartorial tips, Gunn adds a plethora of fashion facts and historical figures that take this above and beyond your usual self-help book. As incredible as it seems, I hadn’t even heard of Deeda Blair, one of Tim’s childhood heroines and the most likely inspiration for Cruella de Vil, before now.

If you like this, you’ll love: Gunn’s Golden Rules: Life’s Little Lessons for Making It Work, Tim’s follow-up to his popular guide offers even more taste tips, poise points and conduct cues.

The event, sponsored by the Round Table Creative Media Group and FashionIndie‘s proud parent, LOOKBOOKS Media, will be moderated by Glenn Johnson, VP and Creative Director of Evins Communicatons and a founding member of the  Round Table. Tickets are $65 and available through Eventbrite.

The idea behind this new fashion adventure is “to remodel the styles of classic icons from the past, for example, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, and Katherine Hepburn.” Well, you can never go wrong with old Hollywood, I always say, and it would be interesting to see Kitty Hep’s trouser-loving style translated by someone not really known for wearing pants.

Natali, a Parsons grad, is already outfitting an off-Broadway show and will presumably handle the lion’s share of design duties; especially since big sis is stretched thin as it is, what with the demands of being a global phenomenon and all — something I can identify with (no big deal). Gaga the Younger is rumored to be “coming up with a slew of design options” and rest assured, “everything will have their twist on it.”[Grazia Daily, Daily Telegraph]

You come from an eclectic, non-traditional family of artists. What type of art did you grow up around?
My grandfather revolutionized the interior design industry. He was one of the first people to bring colored wallpaper to California during the late 1960s and 70s. My cousin was in the music industry and has written songs for Whitney Houston. My grandmother was an illustrator, my mom’s first cousin’s husband is a well-known sculptor and she is an amazing painter who began her craft at 50 years old. Hillary Clinton asked her to paint a portrait of Chelsea when they were in the White House. My entire family gets together in Ojai, CA for Thanksgiving, and it’s like Woodstock revisited – with all these artists together, it’s the best energy and love you could ask for.

So you were very encouraged as a child to follow your dreams and do whatever your heart desired?
Both of my parents are entrepreneurs, so it makes sense that my brother, sister and I are independent. I wouldn’t say art was pushed on us, but we went towards it naturally. I spent most of my early days as a soccer player, competing on the early Olympic Development Team and in college as well. But somewhere in college, I decided I wanted to do something creative. I thought maybe I didn’t have the art gene, but suddenly, it’s all I wanted to do. I went back to school to study interior design at Parsons and took milliner classes at FIT. I secured an interior design job working with Bill Sofield, where I worked on everything from high-end residential to Tom Ford stores to the SoHo and Tribeca Grand hotels.

Interior design can be a very mathematical and structural craft. How did working in that industry influence your millinery?
I always say I make structurally interesting hats. Because I worked for an interior/architecture firm, I consider proportion, scale and how things move and look. I have the mind of an interior designer and the advantage of having worked with different materials. Unlike many designers perfecting their craft in the fashion industry, I came from people working with wood and ceramic. I am always asking how can I take these materials and techniques and construct them into something else, something new. That is my challenge, working with non-traditional materials.

Hats are almost becoming a lost dressing art. What made you want to go into the millinery business? Was it a lack of good product in the industry?
My aunt was a fashion designer in California and was always putting us kids in the fun hats she was making. Apparently, my great-grandmother was also a milliner in New York. My husband used to go to a milliner in the East Village, who we loved. I wanted to figure out how a milliner worked, so I asked if I could apprentice her, an unpaid position. Unfortunately, she rudely said no. It was very discouraging, but it motivated me to learn the trade and prove her wrong.

It came to the point where I was working long hours at the firm and was constantly stressed out. I asked myself “if I only had six months to live, would I be doing what I am doing now?” And I thought, “no, I would be working on my own. “ I looked down, saw all these hats I made and realized how much I loved making them. Selling hats to friends turned into selling them online. I just began selling at Charles Nolan, ABC Carpet & Home and will be in Treasure & Bond in the fall. But my big goal is Bendels.

Where does your inspiration come from on a daily basis? Do nature and people inspire you? What about the architecture of the city?
It’s so random. My husband and I travel a lot, and I spent a lot of time photographing anything I find interesting. I often find myself searching for things I photographed more than fives years ago and is relevant to my current project. I could be walking down the street, see something and think it would make a terrific structure or a cool color combination. People must think I’m a tourist because I walk the city with my head up. I see plants and flower arrangements and examine the proportion compared to the vase. I don’t make many large hats; I try to take the idea of a big hat and make it more me. I just styled women for the Frederick Olmsted Awards at Central Park and the Kentucky Derby with small fascinators and headpieces. I think small is the new big – fascinators are really in this season.

In the future, is there any other type of art you want to explore? What else could you design that the Satya woman would love?
I am a huge fan of dresses with pockets. Charles Nolan and I began our friendship over it – he always made them and I always love them. So I think next year, there might be a collection of vintage-inspired dresses and smoking jackets for women. I strangely like uniforms. Like the cartoon Daria, I work towards wearing the same thing every day. I want the same dress in a dozen colors and patterns to wear with black tights, black shoes and a jacket. I don’t like to think hard about what I’m going to wear. Comfortable, beautiful and chic is my motto. That is the Satya woman.

You can see more photos of Satya’s work and read her blog on her website.

You grew up in creative New York neighborhood SoHo in the company of artists and in the midst of your family’s loungewear business, Perfect Negligee. What influences from your background, both culturally and business-wise, do you interpret for your own line?
My grandfather left Lebanon in 1920 and started Perfect Negligee based on the caftan. My great-grandfather was cultivating mulberry trees for silk worms, so there has also been a history of textiles and silk in my family.

I grew up with Canal Street in my backyard and spent time rummaging through the odds and ends I found there. I was seeing the emerging scene in the East Village and SoHo, and loved it because I’m a creative person. There is always a refined angle to my designs because you can’t take elegant out of my DNA. I grew up in velvet robes with lace collars. Sunday at my grandmother’s was layers of china, crystal and silver. My family was extremely formal and my father very dapper. He never wore jeans. I remember going shopping with him and I would be like “look daddy this is so cute” and he would say “no honey look at the poor stitching.” I couldn’t buy anything that was bad quality.

So you spent a lot of time in your grandmother’s attic and exploring the treasures of Canal Street. Do you have any favorite pieces that continue to inspire you?
Oh yes, I have a lot of those things. I saved all the leather suitcases and lots of jeweled shoes. I have this bronze statue of a 1920s girl arched back holding a dish. I saved perfume bottles from the 20s that belonged to my grandmother. I discovered these Elizabethan-looking velvet sleeves adorned with white mink and tubes of black velvet. I was saving everything as soon as I got my paws in the drawers, and those objects continually inspire me.

I found this really cool chain on Canal Street once. It’s an intricately designed, cast leaf texture on figure-eight shaped link. I found out it’s a chandelier chain because I recently saw it on the Bowery in a store going out of business. I loved all the little trinkets I would find on Canal.

Your father always made you pay attention to the quality of a garment, and your customer is looking for this same type of elegance. What do you do to make sure your product stays consistent with these expectations?
It all starts from the beginning. When I decide to work with a material and a factory, I have to be able to trust the quality. If I think the material is too fragile, I decide not to work with it, even if I love it. We ship internationally and a material must withstand production, handling and wear. There are things I can’t do because I know the quality will disappoint my customer.

Do you ever find you are inspired to create around a fabric rather than starting with the design itself first?
I look at many aspects when I approach design. I look at all materials to see what I like and then figure out what to do with them. I look at the attributes and obstacles to working with them. What are the confinements and what are the opportunities? Then I look at all of the manufacturing possibilities. Some pieces require handwork, and others are made with machinery. I take everything into consideration before settling on a final design.

What can the Colette Malouf lady not leave the house without? Who is your customer, and what is she like?
She is highly educated, likes to travel and try new things. She has a very strong sense of integrity. Before buying something, she carefully decides if she identifies with its quality or originality. She’s curious and a culture seeker. She goes to the theater and listens to music – she’s so interested in life. She shops in the most expensive stores, but also goes antiquing and likes to find unusual things to mix with her collection of modern pieces. Something old, something new, always elegant in her motto.

You occasionally lecture students at Parsons about design and the fashion industry. What do you tell young designers in the industry about starting a business? What can you learn from these students?
I tell young designers to think about what it means to have your own company because it’s a huge sacrifice to have all that responsibility early in life. I can’t even count how many times I couldn’t attend Sunday brunch or go on vacation. Owning a business isn’t for some but inevitable for others. I couldn’t work for anybody else because I needed to express this strong vision I have. My life is dedicated to my vision, and I’m sure you’ll hear the same story from many designers.

I look to young people in the industry as a checkpoint. I ask myself if I’m getting too serious or too safe. I try to listen to my assistant because even if I can foresee obstacles with certain designs, it’s good to be open to others’ opinions.

Do things like nature, architecture or other designers inspire you? What really speaks to you?
For a long time, I was really nature and object-inspired. But now I’m much more passionate about being experientially-inspired. I feel a piece can be inspired by one single element, but it doesn’t work that way for the collection as a whole. A recent trip to Turkey heavily inspired me, as do the 1920s. I think about what I would wear sitting in a cabaret in 1920 and bring the customer into a narrative. It’s the storytelling that I really enjoy and find inspiring.

Sometimes its hard to remember why I get into something, but seeing a picture, texture or material can start to spark my inspiration. I have all these impressions of life stored in my memory bank that I build upon and turn into a story.

All photos are from the Colette Malouf Fall 2011 collection lookbook. To view past collections and learn more about the brand, visit her website at colettemalouf.com.

A group of young designers originating from Parsons School of Design are launching a new boutique at 616 E. 9th Street in the East Village, entitled “Absolute Beginners.” The store opens September 2nd, 2009 at 12pm. Hours: W, Th 12-8pm; Fri, Sat 12-10pm; Sun 12-6pm; closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Reception to follow on the evening of Friday, September 11th.

This venture has been organized by rising senior Fashion Design students and faculty in Parsons’ Integrated Design Curriculum. Students Michael DiPietro and Rebecca Lesesne collaboratively wrote the business plan and organized an extensive renovation process for the space at 616 E. 9th Street, the former office of the HDFC building which houses the shop. Viewing each step of the process as an experiment and learning opportunity, the students found the store’s mission on the guiding philosophy of the IDC program: “demystifying the established commercial model to create pieces, events and interactions that have an expansive energy to them.”

The boutique will house clothing, jewelry and art all created by young designers, for many of whom this will be the first entry of their work onto the market. For the several students involved from Parsons’ IDC program, it will be an application of their wide interdisciplinary skills in the fine arts, business management, marketing and merchandising, as well as designing. The store is viewed as a work in progress, and its installation and interior will be constantly evolving. Absolute Beginners also plans to host a wide variety of art parties in the store throughout the year. The founders hope to create a platform for fresh new design for years to come.

For more information, please contact the store’s press managers below:

Michael DiPietro
mdipietro_arts@yahoo.com

Rebecca Lesesne
rebecca.lesesne@gmail.com