Philly Fashion- Smak Parlour

As it is my fourth year as a Philadelphia resident I am amazed at how little I still know about this amazing city. Growing up just 30 minutes away in the suburbs, I have visited the city for special events, but never truly got the opportunity to explore. That is until I came to Drexel and had many opportunities to do so through class projects. Reaching the end of my college career, I have come to realize that I have much more exploring to do especially within the fashion culture of Philly. 

Just last week I was assigned an area of the city to research by physically going there and figuring out what the “flavor” of the area was. Old City was where I visited and I could not believe that I have been missing out on all of the shopping opportunities there. The fashion ranges from vintage to current popular brands in independently owned boutiques. I went into Vagabond, The Geisha House, Sugarcube, Philadelphia Independents and Smak Parlour which was my favorite of the few stores that I explored. I thought it was charming from the second I looked at the very pink and vibrant window display on 2nd and Market. Apparently I am one of the very few that did not know about this boutique. As I began fishing around the internet for more information on this boutique, I realized that the owners are actually Drexel alumni and reading about them has definitely inspired me. 

For those who do not know about it, I highly suggest visiting. It encompasses a very girly, pin-up, but fierce feel with merchandise including women’s clothing (tops, bottoms, dresses, tees, rompers, jackets), jewelry and other accessories. There are a range of current brands, but they also sell vintage pieces along with old graphic tees that are cut up and made into unique styles. Smak Parlour is owned by two women, Abby and Katie who have shared the same passion for fashion since they met in high school. Together they have created a successful and beloved business. The store opened in 2005 and later in 2013 the stylish team of two would open a mobile boutique, the “The Smak Parlour Fashion Truck.” This is a way to bring Smak directly to their customers, also doing private events and parties. As I researched further I grew to love this company even more when I found out that they support local animal charities because that is something that I too support. Overall, I felt very at home walking through the store and I wanted to examine every single item that they had (if only I had the money to purchase everything). I feel like most things were one-of-a-kind and very “DIY" and I kept saying "wow, this is awesome." It is so cool to walk into a store and later find out that it was created by previous Drexel students, because it shows that can accomplish what we want if we stay true to our passion and work hard, while being extremely stylish at the same time of course. 

Galliano Continued...

In the 1990s, John Galliano was famed for his “over the top” French shows. He was appointed as the head designer for Dior after working for Givenchy. During his time as the couturier of Dior, Galliano created some of the most innovative fashion designs and shows. Fashions productions back then were minimalistic and Galliano distinguished himself from his contemporaries by producing dramatic and intricate collections that came to life on the runway.

Unfortunately for the designer in year 2011 he was caught on camera making drunken anti-sematic comments in a Paris Bistro. His racist comments were inexcusable and Galliano was dismissed from Dior. However, Dior announced that it would continue to support the Galliano brand financially due to the license, despite the scandal. Shortly after Bill Gaytten was named the Creative Director of John Gallaino SA.

I thought it would be interesting to compare and contrast two fashion shows under the Galliano brand, one being the Spring/Summer 1994 collection designed by Galliano himself and the other being the Spring/Summer 2015 collection designed by Gaytten.

The 1994 collection named ‘Princess Lucretia,’ is inspired from the Princess’s escape from Russia. The show begins with models running in massive crinolines with wolves howling in the background symbolizing the escape. The models walk with great confidence that represents the Princess’s rebellious spirit. The show is theatrical, full of energy, and suspense. The capes, flowing locks, and bias-cut designs characterize it. It is clear that for Galliano, the runway has always been his narrative medium.

 

The recent 2015 collection designed by Gaytten in my opinion goes against what the brand is typically known for. The qualities that made Galliano a fashion namesake in the first place are no longer present. Minimalism in terms of production seems to be the theme here, it lacks the excitement of a true Galliano runway. To compensate for the theatrics it did not posses, Gaytten designed an intricate runway walking pattern for the models. In a result, it complicated the lineup; the models entered from the center, they walked up steps that led to a circular runway and the audience viewpoints were obstructed because of this. The collection was "junglesque," it had bamboo prints, wood trimmed basket weave headpieces, and iridescent plastic leaves. There was a clear point of

In conclusion, when a designer that carries the name of a brand steps away from the pedestal, it is hard to find a replacement. Just by watching what the runway encompassed before and after John Galliano’s reign, I realized it is difficult to replicate the intensity of this creative genius. But it looks like Maison Martin Margiela lucked out recently and maybe the signature Galliano show hasn’t reached an end…

House of Holland Pre-Fall 2015: Trend Transformation

In the fast-paced fashion cycle, designers are constantly referencing the past and we see trends come, go, and often even come back again, maybe in a new form. High fashion references the street, street fashion reinterprets the high-end designers and the cycle continues. Sometimes trends are even recycled for a different kind of consumer, for instance, the largely discussed Moschino Spring 2015 collection reinterpreting Barbie for adult dress.. With designer Jeremy Scott’s array of hot pink and vinyl matching outfits on models with big tousled hair, and bright oversized plastic accessories, we are immediately taken back to being little girls playing with our plastic fashion idols and wishing we could be them. The reference is clear, intentional, fabulous, and effective. But what about when the references may not be intentional?

Similar to Jeremy Scott, designer Henry Holland makes bold, bright, eclectic statements with his collections each season, usually inspired by a variety of culture and fashion trends. In his most recent Pre-Fall 2015 collection, Holland names 90's cartoon Tank Girl and Asian travel as his primary influences. Cartoon prints and Kimono inspired robes result in a high street mix of bright punk color and quirky prints with a tough girl attitude, true to Holland’s brand and tied together with Japanese doodled combat boots. The Tartan used in many of the pieces, reaching outside the main theme, but true to Holland’s brand heritage, the designer claims is tribute to Seventies Scottish band the Bay City Rollers and their kilts.

But this particular “tartan” in both it’s cascading houndstooth to plaid pattern, and fringe application on Holland’s designs reminded me not of Scottish rock but of a trend off the street I remember with the same kind of nostalgia I remember Barbie with, but that brings me back to middle school, during my pop punk phase between 2005 and 2008. This houndstooth into plaid printed fringe scarf was in in every Hot Topic in any mall, from the same bright blue to pink and purple and red and was spotted on “Emos” and “Hipsters” everywhere. But along with the descent of "guyliner", it disappeared from the mainstream on the street, and the last spot I thought I would see it again is almost a decade later in a high fashion lookbook. But upon flipping through the season’s latest collections, I find myself transported to my 12 year old self staring up at posters of Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance surrounding my bedroom walls.

But this isn't even the original source of the scarf. Though sometimes referred to as “desert scarfs” they actually originate from the Palestinian Kaffiyeh scarves worn on the head as a symbol of nationalism beginning in the 1960's and 70's. Worn around the neck they became a political statement to Punks during the 70's and 80's and then an anti-war symbol to many hipsters in the early 2000's. But to us tweens they were merely a fashion accessory, one of the many trends that brought us together as we listened to pop punk or emo bands and idolized stars like Pete Wentz. And now, whether the designer's intention or not, in House of Holland's Pre-Fall 2015 collection, I see the Kaffiyeh transformed, the same plaid pattern in bright punk colors fringed across the body, but as part of a dress or a top. Even if the reference is entirely unintentional, it fits right in with the aesthetic of the collection, with the high-energy punk attitude of Tank Girl and the Japanese doodled combat boots. Looking back, this phase of my life is a time in fashion trends I sometimes wish I could forget, but in this new transformation, in a cool modern dress, it's the same loud, edgy statement I think many of us who wore the scarf would now love to wear as young adults. So trends come and go, they are worn different ways and transformed into different applications of dress, but whether seen on the street or on the runway, fashion is more than just a cycle of trends. It can be personal and nostalgic, and it is the attitude, that image we choose project that makes the clothes and makes us want to wear them.

Sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/11/fashion/shows/11KAFFIYEH.html
http://www.style.com/fashion-shows/pre-fall-2015/house-of-holland
http://www.style.com/fashion-shows/spring-2015-ready-to-wear/moschino

http://www.wwd.com/runway/pre-fall-2015/review/house-of-holland?module=runway-all-shows

SALE SALE SELL

This past weekend was a big one for a small town in South Jersey. SHOP, a small retail boutique, located in Haddon Township had it's first and only sale of the year. I grew up in Haddon Township; it's a small community with one main street we call Haddon Ave. My family has our pasta company there and there are some more businesses ranging from hair dressers to a crossfit gym, a jeweler and a coal-fired pizza place. Over the years, if Haddon Township residents wanted to shop boutique style they would have to venture into Haddonfield (one town over) or Cherry Hill. The boutiques in both of these towns are expensive with most product ranging from $50-500. SHOP opened up in May with a new concept to the people of the town: "Outfits under $100."
Because I was working at Nordstrom at the time and living in Cinnaminson, I didn't catch onto this store until the end of September. I was told by my aunt to check it out because it was "right up your alley and I could totally see you doing something like this one day." I went in and was very surprised at the product that she had and how accurate her three word mission statement was. The clothes are appropriate yet fun and flirty; there is product for the young college girl who wants to be stylish and the moms who are tired of drab and want to be fashion forward. I shopped at SHOP for about a month (going in once or even twice a week) before being offered a job by the owner, Heather. It was a very difficult decision to leave Nordstrom but in the end it was the right choice for me because now I am allowed to be a stylist at much more convenient hours for my school schedule and I am learning the in's and out's of running a small boutique.
Heather decided she wanted to run one sale a year, after the holiday returns were brought back, with the entire store 30% off. That sale was Saturday. With her prices already being so good (jeans ranging from $50-70, tops $20-48, jackets $70-88) our customers couldn't wait to clean out. We brought out the two rolling racks of summer product we had left and instead of outfitting the store like we normally do, we categorized it by type of garment. On Friday we received our first big shipment of our transitional pieces. It was four rolling racks worth of product and we had to decide what we wanted to do. Do we put the product out at full price? Or do we keep it in the back and reveal all new product on Monday? Our customers must be able to smell the boxes because a few regulars came in and started asking when we would get new product. Since we had two of our best customers in the store we decided to bring out the new product, but we kept it in the back by the fitting rooms that was it was clear that it was not part of the sale. Ultimately, that was 100% the right decision to make. Once we brought out the new product, we did and inventory count and closed up for the night, eager to see what the next day would bring.

8 a.m. on Saturday morning we get to SHOP to give the store one final good clean and make sure we were all prepared for what was going to come, good or bad. Heather had her daughter come in to help us ring up so that she and I could focus on selling and greeting (and of course pouring the champagne because we never have a party without it!). Our average day in January has been $600, we would like for that number to increase, but January is always a bit slower in retail. I was hoping to reach $5,000 for the sale. It's 9 a.m. and we are open and there is no one at the door. We got extremely nervous. But! By 9:10 we had about 3 customers in the store and the sale went full swing from there. We had our customers come in rushes. For about 30-40 minutes it would be swamped and then we would slow down for 10-15 before picking back up again. I had worked Nordstroms half-yearly and anniversary sale but this was different, our customers still wanted to be styled instead of just grabbing what they could and running out the door. It made the day a little more hectic, but that is our job and we love what we do. We usually are open from 10am-5pm but for the sale our hours were 9am-8pm. Our last customer walked out our doors around 5:40 and we realized why we close at 5.
Around 1 I had a few minutes to go into the back and count how much money we had run on the credit card machine. I was pleasantly surprised to see we had done $2,600. I was so excited that I whispered what we had done to my boss and told her to bump my bet on $5,000 to $7,000 since we were still so busy. When we did the final count at night, our credit sales totaled $4,400 and our cash was around $800. We sold a range of sale product and a lot of full price product too (Thank goodness we decided to put that out! Our customers felt it was exclusive to them to get the first preview). We did hit my original goal, but we didn't make our stretch. Because we still had a decent amount of sale product, we decided to keep the store as is and run our sale through Wednesday. The sale was a great experience for me as a design and merchandising student. I was able to see how to merchandise for it, how to goal, how to run it, and how to take what you did at the end of the day and plan to apply that for the following year. We had a great day, our customers were so excited about what they got, and it was an excellent learning opportunity.

NRF Retail's BIG Show and Gala

The National Retail Federation (NRF) is the world’s largest retail trade association representing retailers in the United States and forty-five other countries.  As a semifinalist for the NRF 2015 Next Generation Scholarship, I was given the opportunity to attend the NRF’s 104^th Annual Retail’s BIG Show as well as the inaugural NRF Foundation Gala.  

The BIG Show student program panels were very inspiring. At these panels, CEOs such as Karen Katz (President and CEO of The Neiman Marcus Group Inc) and Jane Park (Founder and CEO of Julep Beauty Inc) shared their stories and gave students advice on how to succeed in their career. 

Having the honor to attend the NRF Foundation Gala and being surrounded by the industry’s leaders was truly exhilarating. Some of the attendees who influence fashion include June Ambrose, Stacey London and Jennifer Hyman (CEO and Co-Founder of Rent the Runway). At the NRF Foundation Gala, individuals were awarded for their accomplishments. Three of the four recipients of The Dreamers award pertain to the fashion industry. Isabella Rose Taylor, a fashion designer and entrepreneur is one of the recipients of this award. At the age of only thirteen, she landed her first clothing line in Nordstrom and has now gone on to debut her Spring 2015 collection at New York Fashion Week. Jane Dailey, President and Co- founder of Hollywood Fashion Secrets was also awarded The Dreamers award. Lastly, Kirsten Blowers Stuckey the owner, designer and buyer for ShopRiffraff.com was awarded The Dreamers Award as well.

Moreover, three of the five recipients of The Influencers award are also influential to the fashion industry including: Tonian Hogberg (Founder, President and CEO of Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising), David Moin (Senior editor, Retail, Women’s Wear Daily) and Deena Varshavskaya  (Founder and CEO of Waleno).  Lastly, Jim Gold (President and Chief Merchandising Officer of Neiman Marcus Group) was one of the five recipients of the The Power Players award. For more highlights of the NRF Foundation Gala you may follow this link: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2ENLjyHt8g

The NRF Foundation strives to empower, educate and cultivate the next generation to shape retail’s future. I can proudly say that taking part of this year’s Retail’s BIG Show and the NRF Foundation Gala was a life changing experience that has reassured my goal to become a leader in the industry

Stylist Profile: Micaela Erlanger

          With award season in full swing, fashion and film lovers alike are spending hours looking through award show style, critiquing every gown, pant suit, bracelet and clutch. Who doesn’t love waiting for their favorite actress to arrive, hoping they’re wearing the Valentino gown People Magazine forecasted they would wear? Would it even be award season if we didn’t see Jennifer Lawrence in Dior? Is there anything more suspenseful than waiting for Jared Leto to arrive on a red carpet and reveal his chosen hairstyle? Hours go into creating the looks seen on the red carpet, and your favorite stars look to their trusty stylists to give them the direction they need.

            Lupita Nyong’o, a new Hollywood favorite, was stunning once again on the Golden Globes Red Carpet. After being the reigning queen of last year’s award season fashion, the entertainment and fashion industries were eagerly waiting her arrival on the Globes Red Carpet, and she didn’t disappoint. Wearing a purple Giambattista Valli Couture gown, she walked the red carpet looking like a high fashion woodland fairy.

            But who is the fashion expert behind all of her flawless gown choices? Micaela Erlanger, stylist to Hilary Swank, Olivia Munn, Hayden Panettiere, and many other big name celebrities, is the style force behind Lupita. Twenty Nine-year-old Erlanger didn’t have a conventional start to her career. Before transferring to Parsons, she was a pre-med student at Eckerd College. Her interest in fashion and style had constantly clouded her mind, and she made the choice to transfer to pursue her then-dream of being a Fashion Editor. During her time at Parsons, she interned at Cosmo. After spending time on photoshoots at Cosmo, she was intrigued by the freelance stylists, and knew styling was a path she wanted to pursue. She spent six years working with the late Annabel Tollman before becoming stylist to the stars. 

            Her looks for Lupita vary greatly; they’re modern, romantic, cutting edge, elegant, fun. She knows just how to capitalize on Nyongo’s feminine features and gorgeous skin tone. The team seems to enjoy playing with color, trying new silhouettes, and throwing in unexpected accessories (hello, Oscar’s headband).

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, she says of styling: “It’s always a conversation with me. There is constant communication going on and I think that’s why our results are as good as they often are, because we really understand one another and I know how to introduce what it is that they are looking for. There’s always a story. We’re always looking to tell a story through image.” I’m sure we’re all looking forward to the many stories she’ll be telling throughout this awards season. 

2015 as Predicted by Back to the Future

When we think of the future, we might think of living in space or walking around like Zenon girl of the twenty-first century. I bet in 1989 when Back to the Future came out, they thought in 2015 we would be a lot cooler driving around in hovercrafts or something far more interesting than being glued to our iPhones and social networks. The producers of Back to the Future might not have made a ton of accurate descriptions about 2015, but there is one thing they accurately predicted, Marty McFly’s self-lacing Nikes.

            Nike announced that this year they are planning to release these infamous sneakers. They said that the sneakers will be an upgraded version of the 2011 NIKE MAG, a limited-edition replica of Marty McFly’s sneakers. The new sneakers are said to include power laces, tightened by motorized rollers in the sole that can sense weight and tighten the laces when someone steps into the shoes. Nike has not yet announced when these sneakers will be released but there is no doubt people will be lining up to buy them.

            In 2014, we saw an attempt by famous skateboarder, Tony Hawk at riding a hoverboard, what’s next flying cars? Maybe apple will create phone glasses in tribute to the movie as well. One thing is for sure, we may not be living in the 2015 predicted by Back to the Future but we are living in a very technological age where motorized laces and watches that function as phones do exist.