These days, social media runs the life of young people in the industry. It is not at all uncommon to find someone frequently using not only Facebook and Twitter, but also sites like Pintrest, Tumbler, and Instagram. One of the cool fashion related social media sites I've discovered is called Polyvore. This online fashion community is where users can discover their own personal style while sharing trends with others around the world. Fashion lovers everywhere are creating their own "mood" and "inspiration" templates and filling them with their favorite retailer's garments. The Polyvore site has had over 44 million sets created with over 15 million visitors monthly.
Check it out for yourself at POLYVORE.COM and start creating your sets today!
Fashion followers, get your iPads ready, because they will come in handy at future Burberry runway shows. The company is a pioneer in digital fashion shows with their new software Runway to Reality. This VIP program allows buyers to make orders directly from the audience at the actual runway show. Using their iPad, users can review entire collections and are provided with all the necessary information and materials needed to make major purchasing decisions. It saves time and drastically speeds up the purchasing process. Will others follow? Designers like Marc Jacobs and Dolce and Gabanna already have started streaming their runways shows live directly to Style.com. The future of runway fashion shows is looking more and more technologically savvy each season. Just think what Spring 2013 will bring...
So, what is a lookbook anyway? Lookbooks give a feel or message of a designer's collection through images, either from a showroom or on models coming down the runways. They are often considered a portfolio that represent a product line and are sometimes used by editors at photoshoots who haven't had a chance to see the line in the showroom on visual display. They are also given out along with line sheets by larger design companies. The following are examples of what one might find in a lookbook....
It doesn't take a fashion major to know what a fashion show is, it's the most publicly recognized creative fashion presentation there is. Although it is glamorous and extravagant, it is not the only way to display fashion by any means. In fact, there is another method that is often times more effective and cost efficient for most designers called a trunk show.Trunk shows are a way for designers or vendors to present their line/collection of merchandise to customers. They are shown to major retailers all the way down to small boutiques. Often times, trunk shows allows store personnel to get a first look at the merchandise before it is made available to the public. It is also common for leftover items from runways and samples to be shown at trunk shows.
These trunk shows are especially popular in the bridal industry. The selection of designer's bridal collections is larger for brides to view than in the actual salon. In fact, trunk shows got their name from the huge trunks the dresses were carried in place to place.
Online or virtual trunk shows have recently been gaining traction, especially in the luxury end. Retailers including Bergforf Goodman and Salvatore Ferragamo have caught on to this trend and have seen success from the transition. Many believe it is the future of trunk shows.
Here is a video of a shopthefinest.com's (a luxury menswear retailer based out of LA) trunk show in Midtown Manhattan. This just gives you an idea what a trunk show of this size works....
This is an image of an invitation to a trunk show for another retailer....
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Fashion Shows...
The ultimate creative fashion presentation! The collections and designer names are what draws viewers in, but its the lights, sounds, landscapes, and special effects which have made the event even more theatrical. From Marc Jacobs' Tim Burton-esque world to Alexander McQueen's futuristic flair, the following shows were unique in their own way and really showed the mood of the collections.
What does it take to run the "Fashion Bible"? If you haven't already seen the infamous documentary "The September Issue" consider it on the top of your priority list this weekend. Although a few years dated, this film takes you through the process of producing Vogue's most important issue...Septemper /Fall fashion. Editor Anna Wintour is the "star" and shows you a world that a fashionista can only dream about. Trips to Paris, one on one power lunches with designers, the whole package! However, you can also get a look at the long hours and hard work it takes to put an amazing issue on the stands every fall, even every month! For fashion lovers and avid magazine readers, this is definitely a great film to watch. If you've already seen it, well...it's simply too good to refuse a second, third, or fourth time! Here's a sneak peak...
The most successful fashion editors and journalists must all share one thing in common: the ability to write clearly and creatively. Fashion is all about the visuals, so descriptive language is criticle. One master of fashion reporting is Cathy Horyn. Her ability to report what she sees at fashion shows create a precise and colorful image for her readers. Here, I have examined and broken down the language for her Lavin Paris article into silhouette & design, details, color, fabric, and creative "jargon". Enjoy the article!
