TEEN VOGUE Fashion University 2010

Feeling inspired?

Anna Wintour calls it “an indispensable resource for anybody who aspires to work as a fashion editor, designer, stylist, photographer, or anywhere, really, in the fashion industry.” So I read through the TEEN VOGUE Handbook (which P.S. will be available for sale at FASHION U!) and soaked in the advice of Amy Astley, Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, Camilla Nickerson, and more of the top editors, designers, stylists and photographers in the industry. The common thread? Inspiration boards. Over and over is the concept of collecting inspiration recommended by the best in the business, and I started to realize I’ve been building an inspiration board for years without ever realizing that’s what it was.

No, I have no formal bulletin board of cut-outs, but in my own way, I have always collected ideas that have moved me. I have a folder on my laptop of images I save off the internet, a blank notebook in which I write down favorite passages from books or songs, and bookmarked webpages that distract me. Keeping track of things that entertain your imagination not only stirs your own creativity but also functions as a way to keep up on the industry. And as the years pass, it’s a fun way to trace your personal development of style and interests. Even more so, let it serve as a reminder of all the collaborative opportunities in this world—of all the esteemed peers and colleagues and their talents, and how embracing and admiring their work will better your own!

So what’s on my inspiration board? Here’s a quick peak at some of my favorite images, quotes, and clips:

I wish i could write a beautiful book to break those hearts that are soon to cease to exist: a book of faith and small neat worlds and of people who live by the philosophies of popular songs. (Zelda Fitzgerald)

The armies of the ambitious. For them, the future was like a giant oxygen mask, as if there was nothing to breathe in the present. (Janet Fitch)

Rebelution, “Safe and Sound”

Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast. (Lewis Carroll)

Fun, “All the Pretty Girls”

I would give the greatest sunset in the world for one sight of New York’s skyline. Particularly when one can’t see the details. Just the shapes. The shapes and the thought that made them. The sky over New York and the will of man made visible. What other religion do we need? (Ayn Rand)

12:09 PM | September 1, 2010 | permalink | Comments (0) |

J.Crew’s Jenna Lyons

Yesterday, I received probably the most exciting news in a while… Jenna Lyons confirmed her place on this year’s Fashion U. roster! Jenna Lyons is a fashionista, a wife, a mother and the President-Executive Creative Director of one of the most popular American Retailers: J.CREW.

She doesn’t just design the clothes that line the walls of my favorite store; she is a fashion icon and one of my idols. Getting her start at J.Crew in 1990, Jenna started at the bottom and climbed her way up the corporate ladder. Beginning as an Assistant Designer is a far cry from her current position. Nonetheless, throughout the years, Jenna Lyons held a variety of positions within the company including Designer from 1994 to 1995, Design Director from 1996 to 1998, Senior Design Director in 1999, Vice President of Women’s Design from 1999 to 2005, Creative Director until 2007, Executive Creative Director until April 2010 and was recently promoted to President-Executive Creative Director.

Raised in Palos Verdes, California – Jenna had her eye on a career in fashion after learning how to sew in seventh grade. She continued on to attend Parson’s School of Design and at 21 began her career with J.Crew. Overseeing all creative aspects (of the entire company), Jenna has revitalized and refreshed the J.Crew label. Her designs and creativity have launched the brand to new heights. Her bright and fresh personality matches her quirky, “timeless” sense of style which extends right into her Brooklyn home. With a bedroom converted into a closet and a wall FULL of shoes – Jenna Lyons has a sharp eye for interior décor as well. Her talents have lead to the re-styling of the J.Crew stores – completely enhancing the shopping experience. Jenna also believes in empowering everyone you work with and works hard to foster creativity in all her employees by encouraging them to use their own “creative eye.”

Jenna Lyons is a fashion genius. I find her personal style, work ethic and resume to be nothing short of impeccable. I know Jenna will have TONS of advice to share with us at Fashion U. (and maybe she’ll even have time to be my personal shopper!! – just kidding!)

Want to learn how to start at the bottom and work ALL THE WAY UP to the TOP?! Hear it from the best: Jenna Lyons.

5:08 PM | August 22, 2010 | permalink | Comments (1) |

Something Wicked This Way Comes

We think of clothes as representations of our personalities—we pick and choose and mix and match, allowing our style to reflect who we are. We are what we wear, or so the saying goes. Conservative, edgy, complicated, simple—these are all terms we use to describe both person and fashion. So when it comes to the art of costume design, it’s about more than just creating great pieces. It’s about defining a personality through those pieces.

The costume designer plays an essential role in the creation of a character. And for characters that blur the boundaries of personality—both good and evil, both conformed and individual—costume design can be a challenging art form.

I’ll admit it—I’m a bit of a Broadway junkie. When I was a freshman in college, I took a musical theater course and convinced my dad it was a “class assignment” that I see a Broadway show. He took me to the touring production of Wicked in Cleveland, Ohio, and I had the emerald city in my eyes for weeks. So you can imagine my excitement to hear that Wicked’s costume designer, Susan Hilferty, will be joining the incredible Fashion U lineup!

The show is wonderful—hilarious and heartbreaking; a love story, a political commentary, a classic tale revived. Wicked is quite the spectacle, costing over 14 million dollars in settings and costumes and requiring 75 backstage workers. For the production, Hilferty, created more than 200 ensembles, and double that in shoes and hats. They are each individually tailored to the actor, detail-oriented, and utterly fantastic!

HIlferty’s inspiration came from the 1920 Edwardian era when L. Frank Baum first wrote The Wizard of Oz. But for individual characters, she focused on the personality she needed to convey. For instance, for Glinda, Hilferty surveyed young children on what goodness looks like. Their responses led to Glinda being draped in princess-like attire, with a sunshine-ray-inspired tiara and scepter.

For Hilferty, who has designed for over 300 productions and who also chairs the Department of Design for Stage and Film at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, costuming is quite literally an other-worldly career in fashion. She creates characterizations and collaborates on stage aesthetics. Her designs evolve over the course of the show to display character evolvement. Her designs also must be of durable and flexible quality to handle daily stage performances which involve dancing, quick-changing, and lots and lots of sweating! As an educator, a Broadway legendary, and the only Fashion U speaker to specialize in costume design, this is a can’t-miss-seminar for anyone interested in designing or styling for stage, film, or television.

Here are a few of my favorite looks from the show, and a peek at how design drawings become costume realities!