Urban Outfitters Spring 2010 : Things You Like
Urban Outfitter has their new spring line that is sure to have things you like. The plethora of fashion forward merchandise will suit just about any girl this Spring. UO’s look book did not stray far from the crazed and craved outdoor seasonal theme designers have gravitated toward for the last two seasons. Though urban has piggy backed many high end trends, Urban Outfitters interpreted this seasons trends in a progressive manner. UO Subsumed many sectors of alfresco lifestyle into their look book by styling shoots on what looked like a beach home tourist trap. The UO look book also features girls styled in macrame belts, nautical stripes, and floral prints. Urban outfitters continues to imitate their retail signature look. UO’s retail interior is an organized, chaotic, closet style with a bohemian spread. Urban Outfitters has mastered this styled look. This messy look allows their diverse range of shoppers to pair freely, similar to how they seasonally style their store.
Footwear will be key this spring/summer. UO is known for having fashionable relitivly inexpensive footwear. Urban’s popular brand BDG (Bull Dog) is bringing back the authentic vintage saddle shoe adorned by many in the 1950’s. The resurgence of the traditional saddle shoe has fostered new refashioned slip–ons, boots, and sneakers. The different interpretations of the saddle shoes will become more fashionable as the summer approaches. We Who See fringe boot is another great shoe from OU this spring. Though this stark light weight Boot is not a typical summer accessory the slimming military styled boot is perfect for muddy summer nights.
Alexander Wang : Inside His Studio
These images are very inspirational. Alexander Wang is a huge asset to the industry and will continue to create pure, unadulterated beauty. The new fashion era has begun. Every industry experiences a jump start and Mr. Wang is at the tip of the exponential upswing with which the fashion world is so Infashuated. I can only provide minimal words for such influential imagery.
Via : The Selby & Kanye West
KILL CITY : ‘BS’ – Beauty and Simplicity
After starting clothing brand, Kill City, and opening a flagship store in California-based founder and CEO, Drew Bernstein, continues to make very eccentric and edgy punk rocker clothing. Similar to the 1977 album ‘Kill City’ by Iggy Pop and James Williamson, Kill City’s brand evokes a crazy, bad ass, new flare that casual sport needs. Coining the phrase, “Know Your Place – Shut Your Face” as their tag line, the brand continues to create interesting, unapologetic clothing. ‘Kill City’ is all about individual style. But the question still stands as to whether or not this styling is applicable to seasonal trends.
This fall, Kill City is pairing hipster, grungy graphic tops with easy-washed denim pants. Traditional denim pants with minimal distressed marks are becoming more in vogue as acid washes and spotty denim flood the market. Kill City has achieved more of a shabby, wear-and-tear style. This treatment paired with very quirky graphic applications makes this one of their most solid, easily worn collections yet. Sometimes the loudest person in the room is the quietest, while the soft-spoken is easily heard. This season, Kill City has created an easy way to feed us BS: beauty and simplicity.
Katie Gallagher : Fall 2010 Collectioin
Her monochromatic hues with mesh inserts are beautiful. Gallagher’s sheer detailing called for much attention at New York’s Fashion Week. Her models rocked the runway with teased hair and dramatic makeup. The small and intimate setting of the Grand Hotel allowed for an up-close and personal examination of each garment. Katie is quickly blossoming and gaining much respect amongst fashion’s most influential designers and critics. Here are a few behind-the-scene images from her recent New York Fashion week runway show.
Zara Summer 2010 Collection : Sandy Chic
Thrifty fashion-forward Saragossians, here is a look at Zara’s Spring 2010 collection. Not only are their advertisement campaigns consistently on point with trends, they paint a beautiful portrait of spring annually. Zara will release a catalog for their upcoming collection for SS 2010 soon. The collection revolves around natural color.
Focusing on browns, tans, whites and blues, Zara explores many new silhouettes that evoke a Serengeti-chic look. Zara’s great range of styling options and adaptability is what differentiates the company from mainstream fashion. They are very much aware of their clientele and play it safe with their color options while piggybacking trending styles and silhouettes. This spring, Zara’s implementations include the chino pant, the high-waist work slacks, and the infamous jumpsuit (all of which are major points of sale). And variations are pertinent for women’s ready-to-wear: they want what she’s wearing, but different enough to set them apart from the rest. Abysmal as this may seem to some, this is the key strategy to serving a consumerist society. Zara is capitalizing on marketable stylization from a retailer’s stand point. Why look and shop when you can shop the look? Let Zara tell ya how to wear it.
A Gorgeous Galaxy : Setareh Mohtarez
While surfing the web, I came across a few images from a recent Artesis Hogeschool Antwerpen / Royal Academy of Fine Arts graduate, Setareh Mohtarez. Her collection titled, “Brightness Dawn,” has been buzzing all over the web. The collection is a vivid and vibrant mix of garments with an array of forms and molded structures that simulate a planetary milieu.
The Great Lost : Alexander McQueen
“No one knows whether death is really the greatest blessing a man can have, but they fear it is the greatest curse, as if they knew well.” —Plato
Project Runway’s Maya Luz : Interview
As an up and coming fashion designer and recent graduate, Maya Luz, is taking matters into her own hands. Adding to her long list of gigs in the works, Maya gave Infashuated a personal sit-down. We caught up with Maya and picked her brain about her inspirations. From her findings as a designer to her participation in the current season of Project Runway, Maya is living the fast-life. She has recently launched a Spring 2010 accessories collection and is looking into jewelery. Maya’s drive and dedication continues to be a force and motivator for young, aspiring designers everywhere.
Full name:
Maya Luz
From:
Born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, raised in Naples, Florida, went to school in Boston, lives in NYC presently.
Favorite colors:
Black, white, and red
Favorite song:
Too many to count! Probably, ‘Your Phone’s off the Hook, But You’re Not’– By ‘X’
Illustration style:
Detailed realism with a touch of fantasy and abstraction.
Favorite candy:
Heath Bar, Forensic Files, and Secret Lives of Women.
When did you first find your love for fashion?
Well as my family loves to tell, my first full sentence as a baby was, “Nice shoes!” So the ground work was laid down long ago. But it wasn’t until I was in high school when my mom taught me how to sew a skirt, and then I just made that skirt over and over, then began to change the design, and from then on, it just kept up and I made all my own clothes throughout high school and got quite the reputation as the outspoken D-I-Y punk girl, who was always in detention for outlandish outfits. (My school had a strict policy about torn and altered clothing a.k.a. self expression and I made sure to break every rule in the manual). At about 14, I started my little underground label, ‘Unsweetened,’ which consisted of altered clothing I made from vintage pieces that I transformed into fashion. I had fashion shows and trunk shows that I invited my peers to, and began to build quite a name for myself in my small town.
Where did the name Maya Luz come from?
My given name is Maya Luz Molina De Araujo but I’ve just shortened it to Maya Luz—Maya means ‘Illusion’ in Greek mythology, and Luz means ‘light’ in Spanish, named after my grandmother, and my Puerto Rican heritage.
What is your design process when working on a new project? (e.g. Tools, media, where you illustrate
and sew)?
I usually start an idea out in my head, then do a horrible sketch of it (which is like my dirty laundry, I don’t let anyone ever see it) then I improve it [with] a finalized sketch where I work out all the details and technicalities. I love to illustrate so that is half the fun. I love to draw in pencil and colored pencil, then rework it in Photoshop and Illustrator. As far as sewing, I like to pattern draft and drape depending on the design. I usually start with a toile, but sometimes I am impatient and go right into my fabric.
Who or what is your biggest influence as a fashion designer?
Well I never really had an icon that led me into fashion in particular, it was more that I started making clothes because I didn’t like anything in stores, nothing ever fit right on me, I’m short and busty, and I never liked any of the styles that were out there. My high school was the richest, whitest, preppiest school in the area, and I wanted to be as far from that standard as possible, so I worked hard at creating my own identity. I was however very obsessed with the magazine NYLON, and it was a huge inspiration to me in my early years of designing. I can’t stand the mag now, however. Its changed a lot and what I loved about it has now diluted into mainstream culture. Now instead of designers as role models I have icons I look to where I draw inspiration. Once people see my icons they can see where my style comes from, a little class and a little edge. I idolize the following: Louise Brooks (Pandora’s Box), Tura Satana (Faster Pussy Cat Kill! Kill!), Lux Interior (The Cramps), Exene Cerevenka (X) just to name a few.
What is your favorite clothing?
My leather black lace-up witch boots.
Where would you love to travel for inspiration and why?
I would like to go to Barcelona, because I’ve traveled to many fascinating European cities, but have never been there. [And] I want to learn Spanish,
because even though I am Puerto Rican, I don’t speak much, and I need to learn!
After spending lots of time on your fashion, music, DJ-ing, etc. What would you like Maya Luz fans and customers to take away from your work?
I want my work to represent strong femininity and stark individualism. I think my customer is looking for something artful, fearless and powerful.
As a designer it is always hard to keep coming up with new inspirations and new designs. How do you continue to keep a fresh outlook on design?
I always [have] an endless source of ideas, it comes naturally to me, but I do need to be a zeitgeist. I like to read, listen to music, research, watch movies, write, travel, socialize, visit museums, all that. My drive never dies, I just need to fuel it.
Kind off-topic: what’s the craziest situation you’ve ever been in? Did this inspire any wild illustrations?
When I was applying to be on Project Runway, I had to do all these psychological tests, and I started thinking about doing a collection inspired by psychology, so I did this illustration inspired by the Rorschach ink blot test.
What books and/or magazines do you read?
I love to read Charles Bukowski, Valerie Solanis, and I read WWD, i-D, V, Vs., Noise, Zink, Let Them Eat Cake, Paper, A Magazine, that sort of thing.
What’s next for Maya Luz? Any future projects, goals, and wishes? With whom would you love to collaborate?
I am currently working on a line of handbags, but I am also working on expanding my Fashism collection, viewable on my website. My goal right now
is to get my bags out there in stores. I would also love to do some work as an illustrator. I would really like to collaborate with a jeweler to do some custom hardware for my next line of bags. I want to put together a fashion event as well. You’ll be seeing more of me for sure!
Vena Cava SS10 : Smoke & Fire
Now that spring is approaching it is a good time to start formulating a palette. There is nothing worst than pulling out a threadbare garb on the first warm day of spring. Spring colors should have a fresh look, something ultra modern. Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai are two young designers from Pasadena and Los Angeles California. Both are graduates of the Parsons New School for Design.
After graduating, they started a small production house literally, in their house. Fusing a sensual and youthful id into their clothing, Vena Cava provides a clean, elegant, yet youthful alternative to the sometimes revealing and raunchy attire worn by today’s fashionista and glamour girl. The two rely on “the good factor” rather than the trendy seasonal styles. Lisa and Sophie have turned Vena Cava into a fashion powerhouse. Their retailing range is massive in the United States, internationally, and online. Vena Cava has worked tirelessly on pollinating every corner of the market. They not only provide clothing, but lingerie, shoes, and underwear as well.
Their recent Spring 2010 collection evokes a different kind of feeling. The collection touches on the resilience of spring. The collection is filled with lots of dark blacks and greys. The idiom that best describes Vena Cava’s spring collection is, “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” Fiery colours were strategically place throughout the collection eliciting spring-like elements. Vena Cava’s spring line could touch on the buoyant nature of society and the recovery from an economic down turn. The depth to which one could dive is endless, but one thing is sure, Vena Cava has staying power.
Bebaroque SS10: Embellished Accessories
Getting ready for a crazy night out can be somewhat tiring not to mention a struggle. The hunt for a quick wardrobe change can leave you enervated. You can handle this debacle with a little embellishment. Being a fashion expert and stylist visionary, I am a firm believer that embellished accessories can make or break a wardrobe. Now that designers have hushed the innumerable amounts of graphic-adorned items in their sample closets, and people are layering plain silhouettes, embellished accessories are free to reign.
When in a fashion frenzy, keep your solid and dark clothes in the middle of your closet. Slip into a nice black Dior-esque A-line dress or the Western woman’s wardrobe staple: the pencil skirt. Additionally, layering a cute vest, blouse or blazer can make a world of difference. Let your embellished accessories speak for themselves. Its not what you wear, it is how you layer that makes them stare.
Scottish accessory company Bebaroque makes embellishment look fun and posh. Their Spring 2010 collection is a great stylish yet simply embellished collection of leg wear. The brand, started by Mhairi McNicol and Chloe Patience, creates a sundry of graphic and embroidered applications on hosiery. Bebaroque experiments with laser cutting techniques, appliquéd pleated fan tassels on leggings, and silkscreen drawings that run vertically down the leg. Bebaroque’s Spring/Summer 2010 collection is an array of hosiery that any young energetic fashionista would be eager to pull from their closet.
All images provided by Bebaroque & Genuine PR company
