Fashion Bliss in SF

Just another FAB day in San Francisco.... Fashion & Associated Business, that is.

FAB is a monthly networking event that brings together fashionistas living in the San Francisco Bay Area. So of course, yours truly was in attendance!

This month, the event was held at Bliss Bar, a chic spot located on 24th between Castro and Noe Street.

The get-together was held by Annette Richmond, creative director of Avant Garde Public Relations. Chicsters in attendance included Krysti Lozinski, model and image consultant, Jomar Enciso, photographer, Katie Burley, couture milliner, and Alfred Yee, photographer... just to name a few.

Next FAB stop? Bubble Lounge, San Francisco. July 21!

 

Friends of the High Line

Anya Hindmarch, just like Calvin Klien, is among the many influential players in fashion obsessing over The High Line. She loves "the park in the sky" so much that she's selling a charitable tote at her boutique in Soho. 25% of the proceeds go to Friends of the High Line, an organization that works to maintain this transformed New York landmark.

Can we hope to attend a few fashion shows at The High Line in September? Rumors are flying, so let's keep our fingers crossed.

Quotable

"I don't respect Tommy Hilfiger as a designer. Everything he did he got from me. He has nothing new to say."

-Ralph Lauren, April 1997

Anna Spotted at Monkey Bar

A week before the story went public about Elle beating out Vogue for advertising pages, Anna Wintour was spotted at Monkey Bar on 54th and Park. Drinking her sorrows away? Not exactly. She was spotted wining and dining Desiree Rogers, White House social secretary. Everyone knows Anna likes to throw a good party. Maybe she has a Vogue comeback plan?

What?!

Today, Forbes announced that Elle took the lead in advertising page count. Elle. Over Vogue!

Maybe the value of youth carries over in all aspects of fashion. Elle is 24-years-old, while her competitor is the ripe old age of 117.

Don't worry, Anna. District L knows who's better.

Mile High.

Sir Richard Branson takes Kate Moss for a ride. Wouldn't you like to know what's going on here?

Bouts of Upheaval

So first we had the whole Donatella debacle last week, now this? According to his PR firm, designer Alessandro dell'Acqua appears to be breaking away from his own brand; the Men's S/S 2010 and Women's Pre-Spring 2010 collections will be produced without the designer's approval. Apparently, he was not offered the opportunity to actually verify whether the final looks shared any resemblance or conformity to his original sketches.

"The brand which carries my name has always been consistent with my style but in this case, despite of their formal assurance, Cherry Grove, the company who produces and distributes the Alessandro Dell'Acqua women's and men's collections, decided to move forward without having me, the designer, check on the quality of the product," the designer stated in a formal press release.

The tenuous stitching of the fashion industry seems to be wearing thin. The next look to come down the runway might not be so pretty...

First Fashionista Outshines Bruni

During a recent bout in France for D-Day commemorations with the Premiere Famile Francais, First Lady Michelle Obama (who single-handedly banished the dark age of pastel pant suits known as the Bush Administration) outshined former model and French First Lady Carla Bruni at her own game. In a Narcisco Rodriguez sheath and Marc Jacobs coat, Michelle truly stands out over the equally chic but more-traditionally so Bruni.

Needless to say, District L approves.

In the War Against Mediocrity, Fashion Gains Ground

"We are in a moment when young women are looking to be sexy in a glamorous way," said Olivier Theyskens in the July 2009 issue of Vogue.

 

A model presents a creation by Belgian designer Olivier Theyskens for Nina Ricci during the autumn/winter 2009 ready-to-wear collection show in Paris.

Love Now, Wear Later

Maybe the bay winds are blowing the Folsom Street air directly into my new San Francisco apartment, but these bondage zipper-and-leather boots spoke to me when I saw them in Elle.

Specifically they said, "Give us Giuseppe Zanotti boots a spin. Sure we may be inappropriate for the summer, but since when does that matter in Frisco?"

True, Zanottis, true...

Quotable

"We will know twenty years from now what fashion is in Paris. Right now, there is general confusion." -Karl Lagerfeld, April 1998

Louis Vuitton: Paris Fashion Week Ready-to-Wear A/W 09

In fashion, there is no such thing as summer.... only pre-fall.

While most other college students are vegging-out for the summer, getting chubby off cheap beer, or toasting their skin beyond recognition, District L continues their quest to bring you the good stuff. The "good stuff" de jour happened to be the Art and Economics event in San Francisco.

The fashion-centered event took place at Project One and consisted of guest speakers from the industry. Industry insiders included Christopher Jablonski of Artefacture and Jennifer Lynne, lingerie designer and author of "Fashion Unraveled."

The evening started with champagne and mingling and ended with a fashion show. Shouldn't all nights start and end that way?

The Project One venue was perfect for a fashion event. It was chic, but not pretentious. Artistic, but without that smug aura that usually comes along with it. Let the Veuve Cliquot flow, Project One!

District L has a brand new jam.

Chairlift Feat. Das Racist- Fashion Party

Finally, a song that understands us. Listen and enjoy; we have found the national anthem of the fashionation.

 

Alexander Wang and Vena Cava for... Gap?!

Alexander Wang and Vena Cava now have CFDA Edition collections at Gap. Congratulations. Now Gap looks more like.... Banana Republic.

To be perfectly honest, District L wouldn't even be aware of this travesty if it weren't for Jezebel's post, "Even Gap Designer Clothes Only Available in Tiny Sizes."

....Because a size 10 is tiny?!

Balenciaga's Resort Speaks Volumes

When other designers are scaling down, Balenciaga is sizing up the competition with full skirts in floral and mosiac patterns. Nicolas Ghesquiere balances these feminine silhouettes with shoes so sleek and dangerous that the TSA would probably make you check them in your luggage along with your tweezers and nail clippers.Talk about femme fatale.

Gucci Resort: Fine China

Resort collections are meant for the jet-set and this season Frida seems to have taken us on a trip to the fine porcelain shops in China. With tiny dresses in delicate floral patterns in blue and white, this fine China collection is not one to eat in on the regular.

Quotable

"I don't watch the stock price. The stock price is like hemlines. It goes up and down." - Donna Karan, October 1996

Lies and Media

Alexandra Shulman, the editor of British Vogue, claims that her magazine has recently been touching up their models to make them look bigger. In a letter she wrote to prominent fashion designers, she spoke out against size-zero sample clothing and the models who wear them.

Clearly, Shulman is exploring other body types on her cover. But this photo is just someone else's version of perfect.

Stop trying to lead a crusade, Alexandra. Karl might strike you and call you fat.

Close, Elbaz... Close

"Next to chocolate or a rose, I think the only thing that can make a woman happy is maybe a pink dress." - Alber Elbaz, WWD

This statement is almost close to being correct: Roses die. Chocolate makes you fat. But red dresses induce happiness.

Mr. Big is Bazaar

Alright. We have heard enough feminist rants concerning Harper's Bazaar's editorial Mr. Big Gets Downsized.

It's just a great tounge-in-cheek editorial with amazing shoes. 

On May 25th, District L did see Chris Noth in JFK's Terminal 7 not looking too happy. You can run, but you can't hide from angry bloggers, Mr. Big.

...So what happened?

"We sold Isaac [Mizrahi] to our cool, conceptual customers. We sold Isaac to the customers who knew what he was doing," remembers Kal Ruttenstein, Bloomingdale's fashion director.

So what happened to him? Oh, that's right... Target.

District L Sends Love from Malaysia

Models display creations by Malaysian designer Hajaba during the two-day Islamic Fashion Festival in Jakarta on May 26, 2009.

Quotable

"They are very strong - you know French women and the Resistance! The best way to fight would be to do a beautiful collection."

Christian Lacroix on his concern for the brand's seamstresses who may find themselves out of work if the ailing couture house isn't soon rescued. Lacroix has rebuffed offers from clients to buy the brand and save the house out of concern for his talented team.

...and she wasted no time.

She'll ruin you.

Just days following confirmation of the rumor that Versace CEO Giancarlo di Risio was to step down following a dispute with Donatella Versace, it would appear that a successor has already been found. Gian Giacomo Ferraris is to be the next CEO of Versace, following Giancarlo di Risio's creative disagreement with the brand's celebrity creative director which ultimately led to his resignation.

This gentleman believes he has what it takes. We're inclined to agree.

The new meat has quite an impressive resume to boot- since 2004 he has served as CEO of the Jil Sander group, and before that was the managing director of the Gucci Group RTW division.

He better watch it. Period.

Spring Cleaning

It's time for some spring cleaning here at District L- we fully expect it to go something like this.

District L is cleaning house and making some minor aesthetic changes to the site, along with a revamp of our advertisers and their content. So, dear reader, if you would please excuse the periodic mess here and there as we make everything nice and pretty that would really be great.

I mean, you didn't exactly call before you just showed up. Honestly, we really have got to stop meeting like this.

Sea Change.

...but Versace isn't the only company experiencing a management overhaul. Several other notable designers and retailers seem to have jumped onto the spring cleaning bandwagon and made big changes.

Barbara Menarguz was named Senior Vice President and CFO of Chanel yesterday.

Ken Downing, Senior Vice President and Fashion Director for Neiman Marcus, is now overseeing their consolidated fashion office.

Roopal Patel will become women's fashion accessory senior market editor at Neiman Marcus Inc. She was formerly senior fashion director at Bergdorf Goodman.

Lisa Montague, who was the chief operating officer at Mulberry, has resigned. Her duties will be absorbed by Godfrey Davis, Mulberry's chief executive and chairman.

Fortunately, the long-term plan at District L dictates that it shall remain under the same management until the apocalypse. Whenever that decides to roll around.

Donatella Wins. Duh.

The couple, in better days.

Due to a conflict sparked by so-called "creative differences" (not hard to believe) with creative director Donatella, Versace CEO Giancarlo di Risio has decided to step down from the company but will stay on until a successor is found. So the rumors were true.

District L honestly can't think of any conceivable way one could win an argument against Donatella.

Need we say more?

District L Love from Singapore!

Quotable

"Coco vowed she'd never do ready-to-wear because she didn't want to dress everybody." - Gerry Dryansky, former WWD writer

Fashion Television

Remember the days when FashionTV was available in America? Those were the good ol' days when people left their houses only after doing there hair and changing out of their pajamas... Luckily, FashionTV is available in Saigon and they even have a restaurant to honor the fashion-focused channel. Today, a few friends and I ate and had a few drinks at their restaurant. Chic and spacious, this Vietnam venue was perfect for an evening fashionizing with the girls.

It's About Time?

At the recent Glamour Women of the Year Awards in London, Gucci maven Frida Giannini was given the "distinguished" title of "Designer of the Year".

Don't get us wrong- we love Frida Giannini. More than love. We adore, in fact.

The question is: do we care what Glamour magazine has to say?

 

Expect Nothing Less- Michael Kors Resort 2010

Following resort trends can sometimes prove to be a bit cumbersome given the often sporadic timings of their presentations (relative to Fashion Week, anyway)- but when it comes to completely accessible and shoppable resortwear Michael Kors is often where you'll be able to decipher just what exactly the people are after.

Regardless of what season Kors is designing for, his presentation is never anything less than tight, wel-edited, cohesive, and just totally desirable. He is an absolute wardrobe staple, and his Resort 2010 showing, which was "a bit of Bali and a touch of Tokyo", was no different. Given recent escapades in Southeast Asia, how fitting.

The appeal in this collection was that each garment was not only resort appropriate, they also maintained an air of seasonlessness. Signature Kors sheath dresses in neon lipstick reds and batik prints picked up on the neon trends for spring without being ostentatiously so, while flowing cardigans and strong shouldered jackets paired with obi belts made for looks that are wholly appropriate for not only a December Caribbean cruise but well...anything you might care to do during December.

We would expect nothing less from Michaee Kors, and of course he would never fail to deliver.

 

Industry Updates Around the World

District L apologizes for the lack of updates recently. One of us has been traveling Southeast Asia and is writing from Saigon right now. (District L writers never stay put.)

Over in Buckingham Palace, the Queen awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire to designer Anya Hindmarch yesterday.

A victory was won in Italy when Frida Giannini won the Designer of the Year Award given by Glamour.

In New York, FIT teams up with DKNY for a bike-wear competition.

Most importantly, District L's better half will be heading to Singapore in 2 days!