DISTRICT December 2009
EVERYTHING and
FASHION
DISTRICT AMADOR HERMOSILLO Editor in Chief
4 | Entry # 1 Kate Moss on Vintage Perfume
14 | Entry # 9
5 | Entry # 2
15 | Entry # 10
6 | Entry # 3
16 | Entry # 11
Couture Artisans Seek French Aid
Vogue’s Point of View Everything and the Farm
9 | Entry # 4
Biker Chic
10 | Entry # 5
Fall 2010 Fashion Trends
11 | Entry # 6
Fall 2009 Fashion Trends
12 | Entry # 7
Past Fashions
13 | Entry # 8
Color and Fabric Trends
Visual Displays
Twilight Fashion Trends
Alexander McQueen’s Plato Atlantis
17 | Entry # 12
Fashion Industry Careers
18 | Entry # 13
Fashion Don’ts
19 | Entry # 14
Career Opportunities
20 | Articles
Kate Moss on Vintage Perfume, Style and Life Couture Artisans Seek French Aid Everything and the Farm
Kate Moss on Style and Life
Vintage Perfume,
S
upermodel Kate Moss oversees an expanding empire of products bearing her name. Moss’ business interests include a fashion line with Topshop and a hair care brand with hairstylist James Brown. Infact, Moss is looking to create special color cosmetic collections for Rimmel, the cosmetics brand she fronts. Vintage is the latest fragrance from Kate Moss. Her first fragrance called Kate was launched in 2007. The second, Velvet Hour, debuted in 2008. Kate Summer Time is a limited edition fragranced launched in March ‘09. Vintage perfume highlights the glamorous side of vintage style. The bottle is inspired by her love for Art Deco design features concentric squares, a rectangular cap, and smoky hue glass. Her fragrances amount to $100 million in retail annually; Moss supervises many of the business decisions. Many celebrities join the bandwagon and launch fragrances and clothing lines bearing their name. Some examples being Paris Hilton, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Lindsey Lohan, Pamela Anderson, and even 50 Cent. When these celebrities launch fragrances their product often is not respected and is seen cliché. Kate Moss seems to be the exception, although it’s too early to tell, Moss is growing as a businesswoman whose products have gained recognition. Moss has tailored her business with taste and class, which has helped remove the cliché of being a celebrity designer. Her fragrances have been successful as well as her Topshop brand. The fact that she has a hair care brand and is working on a makeup line speaks about her success. Her knowledge of the fashion industry and willingness to be involved with all aspects of her business will solidify her success.
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Couture Artisans Seek French Aid
F
rance’s specialized embroiders, seamstresses, tailors and hatmakers are turning to the government for help. These small businesses once the backbones of a thriving fashion industry are among the hardest victims of the global slowdown in luxury goods sales. The number of small fashion businesses serving the high-end fashion industry has shrunk drastically. Orders for luxury garments are down and some high-end fashion brands have outsourced production abroad. France’s Prime Minister met with government advisers, luxury goods executives and artisans to discuss aid for the country’s craftsmen. They will discuss the weakening fashion industry and its importance to France’s image as a leader of fashion and creativity. Tax breaks and new rules on labeling are being considered in order to keep the artisans in business.
France is the fashion leader in creativity and innovation making Paris the Hollywood of the fashion world. Fashion is one of France’s top export industries with Haute Couture originated in France. The fashion industry is highly originating in France and as the global economic slowdown continues the country has to protect its image and textile businesses. With many fashion houses making clothes in large scales, using more cost-efficient factories, and outsourcing many of small French businesses serving the high-end fashion industry have been forced to shutdown. It’s good the country considers the fashion industry important and is looking for ways to protect the artisans.
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V
ogue’s November 2009 editorial spread featured fall’s heavy-duty tweeds, excuses to wear tartans and high leather boots. Autumn’s chilly air inspires oversize plaids on woolen, coats and capes. A little bit of dirt, some hay, the sunflower fields, and the tractor are the places to breakin fall’s attire.
I enjoyed the Chloe wool capes, Marc Jacobs pants, DKNY mohair plaid coat, and Marni mohair bled pants seen in the photographs. Also, the two pairs of Prada boots and Donna Karan New York platforms were dynamic. The Marc Jacobs Fall is a season favored by suit on the male also described fall’s many people. The chilly air gives mood. As for colors, the reds and a reason to layer, wrap a scarf purples blended wonderfully with around the neck and put the boots the browns, khakis, tans, beiges, In exchange for labor, Luna on. ‘Everything and the Farm’, and grays. Any woman, whether Bleu, a certified-organic meat, Vogue’s editorial spread features working on a farm or walking vegetable and flower farm, provides a fashionista on the farm. The through the concrete streets of room and board: a mattress in the fashions used in the spread evoked the city will look astounding in the barn and daily meals, made from a cozy warmness as the mild winds fashions used in the spread. leftover crops. The exchange hit the face.
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is made possible through World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF.org), a network connecting people willing to learn about growing organic foods in host farms.
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Biker Chic
B
iker jackets, boots, shrunken tops, zippers and studs are the current must haves for this season. Fall’s chilly weather evokes the cool leather jacket that everyone feels confident in. Along with the jacket the color is black whether it’s on the leggings, the tops, or on the boots. The biker brigade trend is seen on the streets and in the nightlife. Retailers carry the quintessential trend because surely someone will be attracted to it. On the runway designers inspired the trend by producing their chic biker looks.
W
ith the economic recession hopefully running to a close in fall 2010, the mood in fashion is optimistic and confident. For the fall 2010 season, designers will be focusing on the following: Emphasis on Shoulders – Strong shoulders give women strength, power, independence and confidence. Emphasis on the shoulders will be seen on suite shoulder pads, dresses, jackets, and coats. Even on cocktail dresses the neck and shoulder lines will come in many variations. Quality – The recession has surely left a mark on everyone’s pocket. People want to buy clothing that doesn’t look like it took five minutes to make. They want to get their money’s worth. Designers will introduce perfectly tailored garments, clean lines, classic essentials, beautiful fabrics and rich colors. Sexy Clothes – When a woman feels sexy she also feels beautiful, confident, and optimistic. Women will want to wear beautiful clothes that make them feel happy and excited about the future.
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Fall 2009 Fashion Trends
The Eighties – Marc Jacobs led the latest revival with nightclub wear (metallic leather and acid wash jeans). Balmain also went after hours glam with strong shoulders and shiny minidresses.
Deep V-Neck Cardigans – Gucci’s cardigan is modern and rich in color, while Yves Saint Laurent take on the cardigan gives a dark gothic mood.
Purple for Home Fashions – Purple took a strong hold in 2008 fall fashions, and is being carried over into interior designs.
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Past Fashion The 50’s Pencil Skirt – The silhouette flatters all shapes – It sleek-ifies hips! It elongates legs! – Making it a fashion no-brainer.
The 60’s Mini – This era gave rise to the incredible mini. The silhouette was fun, flirty, and flattered the legs.
The 70’s Platform and Bell-bottom – Who can forget the hippie era when women and men were wearing platform shoes and bell-bottom pants. The shoe is iconic and so is the photograph of the Beatles crossing the street.
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Color & Fabric Trends
Cloud Solid Twill
Cornflower Solid Dutchess Satin This is 100% silk dutchess satin of a very fine quality from Korea. Medium weight, semistiff, soft, great for a variety of apparel products. This fabric can be used on a variety of tops such as blouses in different colors.
This is medium weight 100% organic cotton twill. Made in the USA, this cotton can be used for numerous apparel items. Organic cotton is becoming more popular and many designers are using it.
Green Brown Solid Suiting This is a stretch wool suiting in a greenish brown. Great for winter attire. This is comfortable wool that can be used on pants, coats, and jackets. Many women have been wearing the boyfriend jacket or jackets with strong shoulders.
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Visual Displays
U
rban Outfitters’ visual display captures the essence of the store’s vintage style. The patterned pillows and carpet, wood hangers, pale and scratched furniture, different shoes and jewelry all contribute to capture the shoppers eye and persuade them to buy. Urban Outfitters’ visual display showcases the company’s creativity to be unique and connects the customer on an emotional level.
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urberry’s visual display captures the holiday spirit by inspiring Christmas warmth through their rich outerwear and accessories. The window is free of clutter and highlights the products boldly through the use of rich red spheres. Burberry’s window display dominates the Magnificent Mile by capturing shoppers’ eyes and motivating the holiday shopping spirit.
Fashion Trends
T
he Twilight saga has grown into a phenomenon in the lives of countless tween and adults alike. Many fans have flocked movie theaters and raided events where the movie stars have appeared and have adopted fashion trends seen in the movie. There are countless websites and blogs dedicated to the fashions featured in the Twilight saga and numerous tshirts with images from the movie.
Twilight fashions feature a light, pale and cold color palate in a frozen world of blues, grays, whites, silvers and a hint of violet. The most recent movie from the saga, New Moon, features darker colors with muted tones of black and grey. Edward Cullen’s sporty style includes straight-leg mid-blue jeans, sleeve buttondown and a charcoal gray five-button waistcoat. Bella Swan’s laid-back style includes skinny jeans, t-shirts, jackets, and converse.
Many retail stores have stocked with similar versions of the fashions seen in the movies and young men and women have replicated the characters styles. For example, the Billabong jacket Bella used in the New Moon movie retailed at around $65, and when the movie was leased the jacket sold out and soon after the price jumped to $350 on eBay. The characters hairstyles are a trend on their own inspiring many to sport the same style. It is no doubt the impact the Twilight saga has had on today’s pop culture and has influenced many fashion trends.
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Alexander McQueen Plato’s Atlantis
Q
ueen Elizabeth in Space is the woman wearing McQueen’s spring 2010 season. McQueen plays with new fabrics and delivers architectural designs that I just want to put on a mannequin and display in my living room. My favorite design of the collection is a short, reptile-patterned print dress with a bellskirt silhouette. The print is green and brown turning to aqua, blue, and yellow. The model’s thin legs sunk in bizarre shoes and her head was protected by an armor of hair. She looks like a fantastical breed of a sea monster. Alexander McQueen’s garments are sold at his flagship stores, franchise stores, and designer boutiques.
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Fashion Industry Careers
Buyer
Fashion Designer Fashion designers must have a keen sense of the latest trends and be able to create new apparel according to changing styles. The fashion design process includes sketching designs, fabric and color selection, tailoring of sample garments, sizing, fit and alteration of garments, marketing and showcasing of finished products at fashion shows and other events. Successful fashion designers are generally skilled in design techniques, versatile in creating unique looks and able to work independently or with a group in the design process.
A buyer is typically responsible for all of the product purchases and inventories of a company or particular department of a company, within a certain budget. They locate vendors, selecting and purchasing the right amount of the right merchandise, and setting prices on the merchandise. In addition, buyers assign floor space for items, select specific merchandise for visual displays and advertisements, and manage or collaborate with personnel in various areas of the business, such as sales, receiving, advertising, and visual merchandising.
Visual Manager A visual manager is responsible for directing window installations, displays, signage, fixtures, mannequins, and decorations that give a retail store esthetic appeal and distinct image. They manage and collaborate with visual merchandisers to design, develop and install merchandise displays and the ambiance of the environment in which the displays are shown. A visual manager must understand fashion trends, the retail experience, and the customer to properly promote the store’s image and sales by using visual displays. Disctirct December 2009 | 17
Fashion Don’ts Where is this oufit going? The oversized yellow glasses, black and white striped wide tie, black gloves with pink patch, oversized belt buckle and chain, fitted shirt, loose jeans, and converse equals too much.
Vest over pink sweatshirt, ponity shoes, and way too many accessoris equals too much.
Shirt is late nineties with cheesy writing on it. Shorts are too long and light. Suburban bridesmaid heels. j
Color is too light, pants are short and riding up and 70’s big red shoes.
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Career Opportunities
Stylist A Fashion stylist is responsible for bringing to life a fashion photography shoot, magazine layout, music video, televisions of film commercial, or print advertisement. They scout locations for a photo shoot, select appropriate props, fashions, accessories, and models for the theme of the shoot. My eye for style, attention to detail, and organizational skills make me a good fit to search for the right look, pulling together wardrobes, and creating strong visual images.
Fashion Show Planner As a fashion show planner, the goal is to assure that attendees have a positive experience that leaves them feeling good about the product. To do so; the responsibilities include, hiring models, fitting them in garments, and choreograph and rehearse the presentation. In addition, the planner must select the location the show, the design, installation of staging, dressing rooms, seating, lighting, and music. My high level of organization and communication skills allow me to quickly solve problems and pay attention to every detail that comes with planning a fashion show.
Retail Store Manager A store manager oversees sales promotions, places merchandise on the sales floor, monitors sales and inventory levels, manages personnel, and generates profits. The store manager is involved with all of the store’s departments, from displays, advertising, merchandising and human resources. They ensure sales targets are reached and profits increased, customer service issues are handled, and recruit, train, supervise, and motivate employees. I am a team leader who is selfmotivated, adaptable, and a quick thinker, which makes me a good fit for the fast-moving, high-pressure environment of a store manager. Disctirct December 2009 | 19
Kate Moss on Vintage Perfume, Style and Life by BRID COSTELLO
Posted FRIDAY NOVEMBER 13, 2009 From WWD ISSUE 11/13/2009
Moss continues to appear in myriad advertising campaigns — from Yves Saint Laurent to Longchamp — she seems just as comfortable behind the scenes. “It’s fun for me,” said Moss. “I still model, and I enjoy doing that, as well. Working on the creative process is really interesting for me because I do know what I like, so it’s fun for me to realize that it becomes part of you. It’s not just putting your name on something; it’s about being very involved in it.” Indeed, she’s hoping 2009 will be a vintage year for fragrance. Vintage, her latest scent, bowed in Europe earlier this month; it will hit shelves in the Middle East in December, and in Asia, Latin America and Australia early next year.
Kate Moss with Vintage, her latest scent. Photo By Courtesy Photo LONDON — Sporting skinny jeans and a whisperthin vintage blouse, Kate Moss doesn’t look like a traditional boardroom-bound tycoon. Then again, the supermodel, who oversees an expanding empire of products bearing her name, has made a career out of breaking with convention. Her arrival on the fashion scene two decades ago brought a new notion of beauty to the fore. Now, she aims to bring her business acumen to the table, too. “I want to know what goes on behind the scenes, as well, and how to be successful at that part of the industry,” said Moss, who took up residence in Claridge’s, the plush Art Deco hotel here, for a day recently to promote her latest fragrance, dubbed Vintage, which was introduced in Europe earlier this month. “I’ve got some good teachers.” According to Stephen Mormoris, senior vice president, global marketing, at Coty Beauty, a division of Coty Inc., which holds Moss’ fragrance license, she is eager to track her fragrance portfolio’s performance and discuss how to drive its sales, which now amount to $100 million at retail annually. Vintage is the latest of three Moss fragrances. The first one, called Kate, was launched in 2007. The second, Velvet Hour, made its debut in 2008. A limited edition fragrance, called Kate Summer Time, was launched in March.
“We believe Vintage will be the biggest Kate Moss fragrance, as it touches what Kate is all about,” said Mormoris, adding he expects the scent will generate first-year sales of $40 million at retail worldwide. The fragrance’s genesis — Moss’ love for vintage fashion — has much more humble origins. “I couldn’t really afford designer clothes when I was young, so I just went to secondhand shops,” said Moss, adding among her most treasured possessions are dresses by Madame Grès and lamé pieces from the Thirties. “It wasn’t called vintage then, it was called ‘secondhand’ when I was 15.” With the fragrance, Moss opted to highlight the glamorous side of vintage. The scent’s bottle, for instance, was inspired by her love of Art Deco design. Created by Lutz Herrmann, the flacon features concentric squares on its front, plus a rectangular cap. The heavy glass bottle’s smoky hue is a nod to a vintage ring belonging to Moss. “The imagery is modern, but it’s vintage,” said Moss, referring to the scent’s advertising, which was shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. In the ads, Moss is pictured against a mirrored backdrop reminiscent of Vintage’s bottle design. “Everything I’m wearing, apart from maybe the shoes, is vintage,” said Moss.
As well as overseeing her fragrances with Coty, Moss’ business interests also include a fashion line with Topshop and a hair care brand with hairstylist James Brown. She is keen to take a stake of the makeup market, too.
The fragrance’s juice, concocted by International Flavors & Fragrances perfumer Olivier Polge, is a fruity floriental. Its top notes include pink pepper, white freesia and mandarin. At its heart are heliotrope, jasmine and almond flower notes, while its base comprises notes of tonka bean, vanilla and skin musks.
“I’ve been modeling for 20 years,” she said, adding she estimates she has spent six years in makeup chairs. “Somebody can do my makeup; I don’t even have to look in a mirror to know what it looks like because I just know by what it feels like on my face.”
The eau de toilette is available as 15-, 30- and 50-ml. sprays priced in Europe at 15.50 euros, 27 euros and 36 euros, respectively, or $23, $40 and $53 at current exchange. The lineup also comprises a shower gel, body lotion and body spray.
Mormoris said Coty may look into having Moss create special color cosmetics collections for its Rimmel brand, which she also fronts. While
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Couture Artisans Seek French Aid --- Fashion Craftsman Struggle to Keep Up in a Fragile, Shrinking Business by Max Colchester and Christina Passariello Posted October 19, 2009 From Wall Street Journal
PARIS -- France’s specialized embroiderers, seamstresses, tailors and hatmakers -- once the backbone of a thriving fashion business -- are today among the hardest-hit victims of the global slowdown in luxury-goods sales. As fashion houses cancel orders and cut costs, these small businesses are now turning to the French government for help. On Monday, France’s Prime Minister Francois Fillon is scheduled to host a meeting of government advisers, luxury-goods executives and artisans to discuss aid for the country’s craftsmen. Among the dilemmas to be discussed are the fragility of the sector and its importance to France’s image, and the difficulty in recruiting and training young artisans, according to a government official. Tax breaks and new rules on labeling -- in particular to highlight the origin or artisanal nature of a product -- are being considered though they may not be announced right away, according to government officials. The number of small French businesses serving the high-end fashion industry has shrunk to 115 in 2007 from 468 in 2000, according to the French national statistics agency INSEE. As a result, the number of highly skilled artisans employed in France has dropped 80%, to 5,209 in 2007. “In the long-term, France’s position as a leader of fashion and creativity is at risk,” says Clarisse Reille, a luxury-goods consultant hired by France’s Industry Ministry to help draw up an aid package for France’s textile businesses. Orders for luxury garments are down some 30% this year in France from 2008, as consumers cut spending, says Ms. Reille. France’s world-famous fashion industry has for decades relied on “petites mains,” the artisans who hand craft gowns, shoes and hats. But their influence has been steadily declining. The advent of “ready-to-wear” clothing some 40 years ago began chipping away at the importance of skilled artisans as fashion houses started making their clothes in large-scale and more costefficient factories. Recently, however, some high-end fashion brands have outsourced even their more complex production abroad. With cheaper labor abroad, many of France’s artisans have been faced with a difficult choice: go out of business or start outsourcing themselves. Cecile Henri Atelier, a Paris-based embroidery company that works for designer names such as Christian Dior, Chanel and Azzaro, has set up its own workshop in Morocco.
The company sends some ready-to-wear lines, such as embroidered dresses and skirts, for production in Marrakech, where it costs a third of the price to embroider a garment than in Paris. All the initial designs are done in Paris.
Everything and the Farm
Photographs by Mario Testino Article by Jane Herman Vogue - Point of View - November 2009
Sebastien Barilleau, director of Cecile Henri Atelier, says that since he began outsourcing six years ago his sales have doubled. “Most embroiders need to outsource if they are to survive,” Mr. Barilleau says. In an attempt to preserve technical know-how and guarantee quality, some fashion houses have sought to buy up the artisans themselves. Over the past 15 years, Chanel has bought out several Paris-based artisans who make garments for “haute-couture,” the highest-end of the designer clothes spectrum. Chanel bought Lesage, one of France’s most prestigious embroiderers and six other businesses, including feather specialists and jewelers -- without which Chanel couldn’t make its most elaborate clothes. “This is not an act of charity,” says Bruno Pavlovsky, the president of fashion at Chanel. The companies Chanel bought are allowed to do business with other high-end fashion brands, even though Chanel requires that its own products are all sourced in France. Francois Lesage, creative director of Lesage, says that while all his designs are created in Paris, he has been outsourcing about 15% of the ready-towear orders the company gets to Madras, India, since the late 1990s. “Does the master chef peel the vegetables?” asks the 80-year-old Mr. Lesage. Another small company, Marty SA has supplied hand-stitched shirts and dresses to Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel and other illustrious French fashion houses for half a century. But faced with a squeeze in orders and pressure to cut costs, owner Emmanuelle Marty says she’s considering moving her production elsewhere as well. “When I see everyone else doing it, I can’t help but think about it,” she says.
WHAT COMES NATURALLY The fog lifts from the fields from fields of Luna Bleu farm in South Royalton, Vermont, a little before 10:00 A.M. I, having already helped feed the chickens and harvest the last of the greenhouse zucchini, am on my hands and knees combing a long row of delicate bush beans for hidden haricots verts. The plants are coved in dew, and the beans, slender as tulip stems, are delicious right off the stalk. I know this because every 20 minutes or so, I eat one. I have come to Luna Blue, a certified-organic mean, vegetable, and flower farm owned by Tim Sandord and Suzanne Long, to ‘wwoof” willingly work on an organic farm – for one week. In exchange for my labor, Sanford and Long have provided me room and board: a mattress in the barn and daily meals, all of which are made from leftover crops (the best stuff goes to the market fist). Our exchange, made through World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF. org) a global network that connects people who want to learn want to learn more about growing organic food with qualified host farms, is more than fair. I get to get my hands and clothes dirty harvesting chard, digging up fingerling potatoes, and collecting heirloom tomatoes from Luna Bleu’s 42 acres of land; I eat the farm’s own grass-fedbeef burgers with cobs of sweet, just-picked corn at the end of a full late-summer day; I glimpse the sweat and science behind a perfectly manicured Saturday-morning market. The farmers, for their hospitality and instruction, get a free hand. There are four of us living in the barn at Luna Bleu: a recent Dartmouth graduate who doublemajored in economics and environmental studies; a cheerful globe-trotter and nature enthusiast; a fellow New Yorker and wwoofer who does volunteer work planting community gardens in low-income neighborhoods; and me, a fashion writer and hobby gardener with a raised bed in the backyard. We are joined in the fields and at the dinner table by Sanford and Long; their son, Lucas; Corey, who bunks in the treehouse: Henry, a lovable rogue who “showed up one day” and stayed; and Owen, a guitar/mandolin/banjo player rivaled in character only by the occasional three-pronged carrot we pull up. To spend an hour chatting in the bean beds – pick a little, talk a little – with any of the humbling. On the farm, you make fast friends.
fed to laying hens helps strengthen their eggs’ shells, and that those eggshells then make great fertilizer for tomatoes among other things – was far exceeded by what I discovered about my own strength, physical and otherwise, during my stay. Can I push a wheelbarrow full of heavy, wet grass up a steep, cobbled path to the cow feed? Can I prepare dinner for then who I’ve just finished weeding the leeks (a tough, bent-overon-my-feet-for-three-hours affair that tested my patience, my stamina, and the strength of my sunscreen)? Can I care for 70 meat birds one day and then help catch them for slaughter the next? Turns out I can, because I did. “You should eat a pound of dirt before you die,” Long tells me when I notice one day that the water in my thermos is murky (the mud gets everywhere). She, an Ivy League-educated mother of two who can drive a tractor, play the cello, speak basic Swahili, and carry a bushel barrel with the sly power of a yoga instructor, wear her years of good, hard work with a great sense of farm humor. If a bit of dirt every day is what She’s having, then I’ll take some of the same.
The fog lifts from the fields
from fields of Luna Bleu farm
in South Royalton, Vermont,
a little before 10:00 A.M. I,
What I learned at Luna Bleu about food – that sweet potatoes are a member of the morningglory family, that calcium-rich oyster shells
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