November 23, 2005

Luella Bartley
Since launching in 1999, London-based Luella Bartley has been delivering effortless street-chic season after season. Her eternal muse is the rebel Brit “It” girl who can’t help but be adorable in her pink button-down shirts tucked into skintight jeans or layered under Bartley’s favorite striped sweaters. Bartley mixes themes with ?lan: punk motorcycle jackets with gingham skirts; little black dresses with pearls for polka dots; preppy navy, red, and white. Add to this Bartley’s always in-demand accessories lineup of cool leather bags and shoes.

The Central Saint Martins grad and onetime British Vogue editor still lives in London – with fashion-photographer boyfriend David Sims and their two children – even though she’s been showing in New York since 2001. In a flip-flop setup, Bartley’s first few shows featured friends like Sadie Frost walking the runway while model pal Kate Moss watched from the front row. In January 2006, Bartley was selected to launch Target’s Go International line.
source: www.nymag.com

November 13, 2005

Christian Dior
Christian Dior’s reputation as one of the most important couturiers of the twentieth century was launched in 1947 with his very first collection, in which he introduced the “New Look.” Featuring rounded shoulders, a cinched waist, and very full skirt, the New Look celebrated ultra-femininity and opulence in women’s fashion. After years of military and civilian uniforms, sartorial restrictions and shortages, Dior offered not merely a new look but a new outlook.

Born and raised in Normandy, France, Dior moved with his parents to Paris when he was ten. After studying political science, he served in the military. His design career did not begin until 1935, when he returned to Paris and began selling sketches. The designer Robert Piguet hired him in 1938. During World War II, Dior served in the south of France, thenreturned again to Paris in 1941 and worked for Lucien Lelong at a much larger design house. In 1946, backed by textile manufacturer Marcel Boussac, he opened his own house.

Dior helped to restore a beleaguered postwar Paris as the capital of fashion. Each of his collections throughout this period had a theme. Spring 1947 was “Carolle” or “figure 8,” a name that suggested the silhouette of the new look with its prominent shoulders, accentuated hips, and small waist. The spring 1953 collection, dubbed “Tulip,” featured an abundance of floaty, flowery prints. Spring 1955′s “A-line,” with its undefined waist and smooth silhouette that widened over the hips and legs, resembled a capital “A.” Some of Dior’s designs simulated Second Empire and other historical styles, but he was also creating menswear, trompe-l’oeil detailing, and soft-to-hard juxtapositions, making them part of the modern wardrobe. By his final collections, Dior, feeling the need for a more limber silhouette and lifestyle, was designing chemises, narrow tunics, and sari-like wraps.

Together with his partner Jacques Rouet, Dior pioneered license agreements in the fashion business. By 1948, he had arranged lucrative licensing deals for fur, stockings, and perfumes, which not only generated revenue but also made him a household name. While the House of Dior is still a thriving business today, Dior’s untimely death in 1957 left the fashion world without a great dictator of style. Christian Dior designed under his own name for only a decade, but his influence will be felt for many years to come.

In 1949 Christian Dior changed the direction of mid-century fashion with his extravagantly feminine “New Look.” Today, the label’s head designer John Galliano has established the look of the “Anything Goes” era with his own extreme makeover of the house.
source: www.metmuseum.org

October 27, 2005

Cristobal Balenciaga
A true fashion innovator, Cristobal Balenciaga radically altered the fashionable silhouette of women in the mid-twentieth century. With the methodical skill of an expert tailor, he created garments of fluidity and grace. Unlike many couturiers, Balenciaga was able to drape, cut, and fit his own muslin patterns, known as toiles. He was respected throughout the fashion world for both his knowledge of technique and construction, and his unflinching perfectionism.

Balenciaga was born in the small fishing village of Guetaria in the Basque region of Spain on January 21, 1895. From his early years, he spent many hours by his mother’s side as she worked as a seamstress. In his teens, the most prominent woman of his town, the Marquesa de Casa Torres, became his patron and client, sending him to Madrid for formal training in tailoring and proudly wearing the results. Balenciaga found early success in his native country. He opened branches of his boutique Eisa in Madrid, Barcelona, and the fashionable seaside resort of San Sebasti?n. His designs were favored by the Spanish royal family and fashionable members of the aristocracy. When the Spanish Civil War forced the closure of his boutiques, Balenciaga moved his operation to Paris, the acknowledged fashion capital of the world. There the talented designer joined the ranks of Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Mainbocher, among other established couturiers.

In August 1937, Balenciaga staged his first runway show at his Avenue George V atelier, showing a collection that was heavily influenced by the Spanish Renaissance. Balenciaga interpreted numerous historical styles throughout his career. His “Infanta” gown was inspired by the costumes of the young Spanish princesses from portraits by Diego Vel?zquez, while the short, heavily ornamented “jacket of light” traditionally worn by toreadors in the bullfighting ring inspired much of his evening wear. By 1939, Balenciaga was being praised in the French press as a revolutionizing force in fashion, with buyers and customers fighting to gain access to his collection. During World War II, clients risked travel to Europe for Balenciaga’s designs, especially his celebrated square coat-in which the sleeve was cut in one piece with the yoke-and anything shown in his unique color combination of black and brown or black lace over bright pink. In the postwar years, Balenciaga’s designs became streamlined and linear. The clothing he created was different than the popular, curvy hourglass shape that Christian Dior promoted with his New Look. Balenciaga favored fluid lines that allowed him to alter the way clothing related to a woman’s body. Waistlines were dropped, then raised, independent of the wearer’s natural waistline.

In 1953, he introduced the balloon jacket, an elegant sphere that encased the upper body and provided a pedestal for the wearer’s head. In 1957 came the creation of his high-waisted baby doll dress, the gracefully draped cocoon coat, and the balloon skirt, shown as a single pouf or doubled, one pouf on top of the other. Neither the sack dress, introduced in 1957, nor the chemise of 1958 had a discernible waist, but both were considered universally flattering and were copied by a large number of ready-to-wear manufacturers at every price range. With these design innovations, Balenciaga achieved what is considered to be his most important contribution to the world of fashion: a new silhouette for women.

Throughout the 1960s, Balenciaga continued showing collections of unparalleled technique and beauty. His innovative use of fabric-he liked bold materials, heavy cloths, and ornate embroideries-led him to work with the Swiss fabric house of Abraham. Together they developed silk gazar, a stiffer version of the pliable fabric that Balenciaga used in suits, day dresses, and evening wear. Loyal clients such as the Duchess of Windsor, Pauline de Rothschild, and Gloria Guinness continued to appreciate the discreet but important touches he provided in his clothing: collars that stood away from the collarbone to give a swanlike appearance and the shortened (seven-eighths-length) bracelet sleeve, so called because it enabled the wearer to better flaunt her jewelry. When the Balenciaga salon closed in 1968, the occasion marked the end of the career of a great artist whose influence is still being felt in the twenty-first century. The modern look that he created has been sustained by Andre Courreges and Emanuel Ungaro, who both apprenticed at his atelier, and by Hubert de Givenchy, among others.

Balenciaga died on March 24, 1972, at home in his beloved Spain. A longtime client offered a fitting epitaph: “Women did not have to be perfect or even beautiful to wear his clothes. His clothes made them beautiful.”
source: www.metmuseum.org

Current Designer
Formerly an assistant, Nicolas Ghesquiere actually requested the creative director position at Balenciaga. He’s given the house a completely new image, and has only recently revived classic Balenciaga looks.

October 17, 2005

Mulberry
Mulberry is a British design company renowned world-wide for its craftsmanship and quality. The brand’s backbone is an extensive line of luxury bags for men and women that combine stylish, stand-out design with the finest leathers and detailing.

In addition to leather goods like the rugged, sexy, Roxanne and the “all rounder” Bayswater which have become covetable fashion classics, Mulberry has grown to encompass womenswear, menswear and interior design . The design ethos, whether a loveable vintage print chiffon blouse, “old friend” soft leather field jacket or weekend bag in distressed Darwin leather, has its roots in the heritage of the company which was established by Roger Saul in the 1970s in rural Somerset.

Then as now, Mulberry employs local craftsmen and artisans to realise the company’s vision of marrying function, fashion and sensual materials to make products that look and feel superb. Materials like the exotic Congo, Darwin and fine glove leathers and classic nubbly Scotchgrain are durable as well as being delightful and friendly to the touch.
source: www.mulberry.com

October 12, 2005

Dolce & Gabbana
Domenico Dolce, was born on August 13, 1958, in Polizzi Generosa, Italy, and Stefano Gabbana was born on November 14, 1962, in Venice, Italy. As students, Gabbana studied graphic design, but Dolce received a fashion education, studying in Venice and working in the small clothing factory his family owned.

In 1980, the duo met when they worked at the same atelier in Venice. They began to do freelance design in 1982, when they began doing business together.

When their first collection was shown in 1986, it received acclaim from around the globe. Four years later, they revealed their premiere menswear collection and opened a women’s boutique in Milan. Also in 1990, they started designing for the Complice line for the Genny Group in Milan.

Recently, the fashion house published a book chronicling 10 years of Dolce & Gabbana history.

Dolce & Gabbana are on the same line of couture houses of Armani, Versace, Gucci, Prada and Moschino.

Dolce and Gabbana announced on the 20th February 2005 that they would split up after 19 years. Stefano Gabbana said that “This is a love split, not a business split,”. Moreover he said “Domenico and I are still very good friends and, as for the working relationship, we are still very much together. Business, in fact, has never been better.”

In 2005, in partnership with Motorola Dolce & Gabbana S.p.A. branded a gold limited edition (1000 produced) RAZR V3i, it is available exclusively through Dolce & Gabbana boutiques. It features Dolce & Gabbana logo, music and customisation, the striking gold design is its main difference to the normal RAZR.

Generally, Dolce & Gabbana is written as previously, however it is spelt by the company when printed as Dolce&Gabbana (without the space), it is only in the logo where there is a space.

Dolce & Gabbana is organized into two central lines for adults. ‘D&G’ and ‘Dolce & Gabbana’. D&G generally forms the groups more casual lines with slightly cheaper prices and follows an urban inspireation. D&G follows the trends of culture of the time and is trend-setting. Dolce & Gabbana centralizes on luxury materials and is consideribly more expensive than D&G. The line does not change as much as D&G, and is influenced by satorial designs, it is described as ‘timeless’ by Dolce & Gabbana. Within each line is beachwear, underwear, eyewear (ophthalmic & sunglasses) and fragrances. The D&G line carries the jewelery and timepieces.

D&G Junior is a separate line aimed at children under the age of 13. D&G Junior follows the ethos of D&G and embodies youth and fun with the styles of its clothes. Each season follows a set-named trend for a season and is named separately for boys and girls. The line contains clothes aimed at different ages of children. D&G Junior is more visibly influenced by popular culture compared to D&G, such as the Ibiza line of D&G Junior. Surprisingly, D&G Junior is distributed to more stores than the adult brands and is available outside of boutiques and department stores.
source: www.answers.com

October 12, 2005

Brighton
The Brighton brand was launched in 1991 with a single collection of belts. But over the years, Brighton has become an accessories company with something for everyone. Handbags were added to the line in 1993, followed by small leather goods, watches, footwear, fragrance, jewelry, home accessories and eyewear. The collection also includes men’s belts, wallets, watches and other leather accessories.

Today Brighton is the only major accessories line featuring products that coordinate from head to toe. A customer might choose a lipstick case that matches a wallet, earrings that match a pair of sunglasses, a handbag that matches footwear, or an entire coordinating collection consisting of multiple accessories. Each piece in the Brighton collection is a unique original design. The company’s design team travels the world seeking new leathers and inspiration for the products one-of-a-kind ornamentation.

Brighton products are available in nearly 6,000 specialty stores nationwide and 50 all-Brighton stores from coast to coast. In keeping with owner and president Jerry Kohl’s philosophy to do business only with stores that offer excellent customer service, Brighton products are not sold in department stores or on the Internet.

Brighton is a division of Leegin Creative Leather Products based in City of Industry, CA. employees to a technologically advanced plant employing more than 600 people. Components for some of the products are manufactured internationally in countries such as France, Italy, Spain, China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan. Although the Brighton brand is only 10 years old, Leegin was founded in 1966 by a young California couple named Lee and Ginny. The business in those days operated out of a warehouse in Redondo Beach and was a diverse one; in addition to belts, Leegin made handbags and sandals.

Jerry Kohl was a Leegin customer at that time. He was concerned about the timeliness of deliveries and felt the situation could be improved. Coincidentally, Lee and Ginny had decided to phase themselves out of the business and so a new partnership was formed. Jerry put his efforts into learning the leather business and two years later Lee and Ginny were able to realize a lifelong dream of relocating to New Zealand.

On November 13, 1972, Leegin was incorporated under its new ownership with Jerry Kohl as president. In addition to Brighton, the Leegin family of brands includes:
Casual and dress belts sold under the Leegin label.
Updated contemporary and fashion forward belts sold under the Onyx and Billy Belts labels.
Honest belts, the basic all-American belt featuring rich heavy cowhides.
Western belts and hatbands sold under the Silver Creek, Justin, and Tony Lama labels.
A myriad of special belts sold to other belt companies and to private label retailers (belts sold under the retailer’s own label name) such as: Lands’ End, L. L. Bean, Eddie Bauer, J. Crew and many more.
Unique styles fashioned of materials collected from the farthest reaches of the globe under the One World label.

Today the business thrives as the Leegin/Brighton national sales force covers every state, and serves customers worldwide. Brighton is acknowledged as an industry leader, recognized for innovative styling, outstanding workmanship, and the use of high-quality materials.
source: www.brighton.com

August 15, 2005

Bulga
It’s all about the woman. Natalia Konovalova, designer behind Bulga, was first introduced to fashion working as a model, but has been in love with women’s wear since she a was a little girl living in the former Soviet Union. Inspired by her mother, Natalia has always been fascinated by exactly what it means to be a “woman” and studied fashion throughout her teens with uncommon interest, searching for how a woman’s sense of style reflects her individual personality.

At the age of twenty, Natalia’s life changed forever when she won “Princess of Kazulkum” and was whisked away to the United States to pursue a career in modeling. It was during this time that she first became acquainted with the fashion industry and was inspired to create something of her own, “It has always been important for me to express myself,” says Natalia, “Fashion was going to be how I finally did it.”

In a courageous move, Natalia enrolled in New York City’s Fashion Institute of Technology and after four years of hard work graduated with a fashion degree in women’s wear. Fresh out of school, Natalia started to examine a fashion market saturated with overpriced hand-bags with “hand-made” looks. That is when she decided the time was right.

She started designing her bags under the name Kono Valova but wanted a name that better matched the inspiration she felt when creating her line. Her answer came one day out of the blue while she was casually glancing over an antique globe: “I was looking at all the old names for towns in my country and my finger came down on a town called “Bulga”. After I looked it up I literally fell out of my chair; the English translation of Latin word “bulga” is leather bag!

Today, Bulga is the culmination of years of experience and outstanding talent. Natalia is creating her handbags for the independent, cultured woman who is well traveled and loves the arts – a woman who is sexy, smart, confident and seductive, who knows what she wants and when and where. “It is not about an age,”insists Natalia, “it’s an attitude!”

Leather is Natalia’s favorite medium and she loves playing with the shapes and colors of her bags. The designs are dependably classic with fun, feminine accents often found inside the bags through the fabric linings. Her tailoring background can be seen in the exquisite silhouettes of the handbags.

Though she loves her designs, handbags are just the beginning. After studying the history of Gucci Natalia decided to start small and hopes that one-day the Bulga name will be a complete line of women’s clothing. Until then, Natalia will continue to focus her keen sense of style on her beautifully crafted bags.
source: www.bulga.com

August 3, 2005

Kooba
Kooba exemplifies the fusion of fashion and function for Fall 2006. Incorporating the hottest runway fashions and transporting them to your arm, this season’s collection offers structured styles, soft Italian leather, a rich color palette and the finest hardware.

Highlighting the new collection is the debut of the Paige, an updated oversized tote with pocket details and belted accents sure to become a classic Kooba silhouette. The Lena, a sophisticated double belted shoulder bag, and the corset inspired styling of Brynne, Annie, and Keira are guaranteed to be favorites of the season.

As always, popular designs from past seasons return in new colors and fabrics. Carla and Ginger, two of Kooba’s signature styles, reappear in soft suede and metallic brown leather; and once again the timeless styling of the Sienna and Frankie are back in deep luxurious hues of raisin, teak and bourbon.

Moving from the shoulder to the waist, Kooba has greatly expanded their belt collection. Distinctive hardware, eyelet details and woven leather characterize these versatile styles and silhouettes.

From the streets of New York City to the Hollywood Hills, the demand for Kooba continues to grow amongst both style icons and Hollywood’s fresh faces. Fans include- Mischa Barton, Sienna Miller, Lindsay Lohan, Scarlett Johansson, Eva Longoria, Courteney Cox, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Garner, Jessica Simpson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rachel Bilson, Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Jennifer Aniston.
source: www.kooba.com

August 1, 2005

Celine
The French luxury house was launched in 1945 by Celine Viplana, and was originally a made-to-measure children’s shoe business that grew into women’s shoes and accessories. Ready-to-wear debuted in the 1960s, when Viplana designed a line of “couture sportswear” or “fashion for everyone.”

The Look is high-end sporty looks, clean and wearable separates, such as swinging skirts, fitted shirts, and soft knits. The accessories-belts, boots, shoes, and bags-have a distinct sexy, city girl appeal.

Michael Kors helmed the label successfully for seven years until 2004, when the reigns were passed to Italian designer Roberto Menichetti. After a disappointing one-year collaboration, LVMH looked in-house to find a replacement and hired Ivana Omazic, a former consultant for the brand. Croatian Omazic had previously worked with Romeo Gigli, Prada, Jil Sander, and Miu Miu.

Worn by Globe-trotting gals with a taste for classics and clean lines, including Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston, Renee Russo, and Lucy Liu.
source: www.nymag.com