Showing posts with label WWD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WWD. Show all posts
Prada L’Eau Ambrée Fragrance campaign preview: Viktoriya Sasonkina & Toni Garrn, Photo Steven Meisel
Steven Meisel photographed Viktoriya Sasonkina and Toni Garrn for the Prada L’Eau Ambrée Fragrance campaign on October 26-31, 2008.
Prada L’Eau Ambrée Fragrance campaign
Models: Viktoriya Sasonkina and Toni Garrn
Photographer: Steven Meisel
Hair: Guido Palau
Makeup: Pat McGrath
Prada L’Eau Ambrée Fragrance campaign
Models: Viktoriya Sasonkina and Toni Garrn
Photographer: Steven Meisel
Hair: Guido Palau
Makeup: Pat McGrath
RIP Kenneth Paul Block
It is Friday, 65°F (18°C) and Sunny and I am wrecked.
Again.
Last Summer Yves Saint Laurent passed. And now Kenneth Paul Block has passed as well.
It is getting harder and harder to find the human touch in fashion..........something that was created by a real person, that has their fingerprints on it.
How much more digital photography, copycats, misogyny, porno chic, designer t-shirts, skinny jeans, latex leggings and tranny shoes can I take?
No matter what happens, I promise to focus harder to see the tangible beauty in this world. I remain open to all positive possibilities.
Yves Saint Laurent, by Kenneth Paul Block:
Yves Saint Laurent's Mondrian inspired dress, by Kenneth Paul Block:
Yves Saint Laurent's 1976 Ballet Russes collection, by Kenneth Paul Block:
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Longtime WWD and W magazine illustrator Kenneth Paul Block, 84, a champion of the art of fashion illustration, died Thursday at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital in New York.
The cause of death was complications from a fall he suffered earlier in the week, according to his nephew, Steven.
Men wore fedoras and women still wore gloves when Block joined Fairchild Publications Inc. in the Fifties. And none of that dash was lost on Block, whose fondness for ascots, cigarette holders and impeccable jackets never waned, nor did what one friend described as his Dorian Gray-like youthfulness. But his studied drawings were never strictly surface, always managing to capture the gesture at hand, whether it be the swing of a skirt or the tilt of the head. “I was never only interested in the clothes. I was more interested in the women in the clothes,” he once said.
One of three boys growing up, Block was the kind of kid who appreciated the chicness of his fashion editor aunt Elsie Dick’s zip-front fur jacket. He combed through Harper’s Bazaar magazines in the attic of his family’s home in Larchmont, N.Y.
At Parsons School of Design, he was drawn to what he described as the “world of immense style,” introduced by interior designer Van Day Truex. After graduating, Block’s first job was sketching for McCall’s Patterns, a post friends said he would rather have omitted from his résumé. But Block went on to cement his presence as a leading fashion illustrator during his reign at Fairchild Publications, which lasted until the fashion illustration department was disbanded in 1992. Through it all, he swiftly, yet fastidiously, captured an array of subjects with a cool and detached manner, jetting to Europe for the couture shows or sauntering just up the street to sketch unsuspecting notables at lunch (martini in hand to mask his intentions). All the while, he fulfilled what he once described as a childhood quest “to draw glamorous women in beautiful clothes.”
Block’s portfolio was packed with portraits of blue bloods such as Babe Paley, the Duchess of Windsor and Jackie Kennedy, as well as commercial work for Bergdorf Goodman, Bonwit Teller and Lord & Taylor and labels such as Halston and Perry Ellis. But for Block, the end result was never just a matter of lines on a page.
“Gesture to me is everything in fashion. It is the way we stand, sit, walk and lie. It is the bone,” he once said.
Again.
Last Summer Yves Saint Laurent passed. And now Kenneth Paul Block has passed as well.
It is getting harder and harder to find the human touch in fashion..........something that was created by a real person, that has their fingerprints on it.
How much more digital photography, copycats, misogyny, porno chic, designer t-shirts, skinny jeans, latex leggings and tranny shoes can I take?
No matter what happens, I promise to focus harder to see the tangible beauty in this world. I remain open to all positive possibilities.
Yves Saint Laurent, by Kenneth Paul Block:
Yves Saint Laurent's Mondrian inspired dress, by Kenneth Paul Block:
Yves Saint Laurent's 1976 Ballet Russes collection, by Kenneth Paul Block:
Longtime WWD and W magazine illustrator Kenneth Paul Block, 84, a champion of the art of fashion illustration, died Thursday at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital in New York.
The cause of death was complications from a fall he suffered earlier in the week, according to his nephew, Steven.
Men wore fedoras and women still wore gloves when Block joined Fairchild Publications Inc. in the Fifties. And none of that dash was lost on Block, whose fondness for ascots, cigarette holders and impeccable jackets never waned, nor did what one friend described as his Dorian Gray-like youthfulness. But his studied drawings were never strictly surface, always managing to capture the gesture at hand, whether it be the swing of a skirt or the tilt of the head. “I was never only interested in the clothes. I was more interested in the women in the clothes,” he once said.
One of three boys growing up, Block was the kind of kid who appreciated the chicness of his fashion editor aunt Elsie Dick’s zip-front fur jacket. He combed through Harper’s Bazaar magazines in the attic of his family’s home in Larchmont, N.Y.
At Parsons School of Design, he was drawn to what he described as the “world of immense style,” introduced by interior designer Van Day Truex. After graduating, Block’s first job was sketching for McCall’s Patterns, a post friends said he would rather have omitted from his résumé. But Block went on to cement his presence as a leading fashion illustrator during his reign at Fairchild Publications, which lasted until the fashion illustration department was disbanded in 1992. Through it all, he swiftly, yet fastidiously, captured an array of subjects with a cool and detached manner, jetting to Europe for the couture shows or sauntering just up the street to sketch unsuspecting notables at lunch (martini in hand to mask his intentions). All the while, he fulfilled what he once described as a childhood quest “to draw glamorous women in beautiful clothes.”
Block’s portfolio was packed with portraits of blue bloods such as Babe Paley, the Duchess of Windsor and Jackie Kennedy, as well as commercial work for Bergdorf Goodman, Bonwit Teller and Lord & Taylor and labels such as Halston and Perry Ellis. But for Block, the end result was never just a matter of lines on a page.
“Gesture to me is everything in fashion. It is the way we stand, sit, walk and lie. It is the bone,” he once said.
Jil Sander for Uniqlo
I am so excited that Jil Sander is making clothes again. Clothes I can afford.
This is good news - almost as good as a new Joan Didion novel.
From: WWD:
TOKYO - Jil Sander is making her long-awaited comeback - but in a fast-fashion way.
The German designer has just signed a "design consulting agreement" to oversee the men's and women's apparel at Japanese retail giant Uniqlo. Sander and executives from Uniqlo's parent company Fast Retailing Co. Ltd., held a press conference here Tuesday to outline the terms of the deal.
"Some of you [have known] me since I have been engaged in fashion but I'm not interested in the past. Let us talk today about the future" the designer, clad in a black knee-length coat, told journalists assembled at the Four Seasons Hotel. "I'm here in Tokyo for something completely different. The challenge for me is to establish a premium quality in a democratically-priced range."
Although Sander will not receive an official title at the company, the designer will take over the creative reins for all the retailer’s products excluding accessories and children’s wear. The Japanese brand and Sander are also working to develop a special Uniqlo collection, bearing the designer’s minimalist look, set to bow for the fall season. Details regarding the collection have not yet been disclosed.
As reported in WWD last week, Sander was spotted at the Première Vision textile trade show in Paris in February, which reignited ongoing speculation she planned to return to the fashion world. Sander famously left her namesake label for the second time in 2004 after clashing with the brand’s former owner, Prada Group, and its chief executive officer, Patrizio Bertelli, over creative and control issues.
In a coincidental twist of fate, her old fashion house ended up in Japanese hands when Onward Holdings Co. Ltd. bought it last September from Change Capital Partners for 167 million euros, or $244 million. Change Capital had acquired the brand from Prada in February 2006 for about 100 million euros, or $146 million. Raf Simons, the brand’s current creative director, had been put in place by Prada the previous year.
While Uniqlo has collaborated with a number of designers such as Phillip Lim, Alexander Wang and Alice Roi through its Designers Invitation Project, this is the first time the company has established a continuous relationship with a marquee name. The company’s design team has lived a relatively anonymous existence churning out colorful basics. Like Sander, Uniqlo has always put a strong emphasis on fabric innovation in its products, such as machine-washable sweaters that keep their shape and hooded sweatshirts that retain heat.
Uniqlo is one of the few retailers succeeding in recessionary Japan. The brand’s affordable line up of fashion basics has propelled months of same-store sales growth and earned chairman Tadashi Yanai the honor of Japan’s richest man, according to Forbes magazine, with a fortune estimated at $6.1 billion.
Uniqlo said earlier this month that February’s same-store sales were up 4.2 percent, advancing for the fourth consecutive month. However, the February figures represented a slowdown from the double-digit sales growth the retailer saw at the end of 2008. The retailer has been experimenting with formats in recent months, recently opening its first concept store targeting young female shoppers in their late teens and early 20s. It also has opened a concept store in Selfridges in London.
While at a fast-fashion price point, Uniqlo’s aesthetic mirrors Sander’s signature minimalism. Talk of when the designer would return to fashion began almost the moment she left Prada five years ago — with the rumor mill speculating she was consulting to Gap in Europe, looking to introduce a home furnishings collection, or simply leading a quiet life in her native Hamburg and working on her garden. Her return to her signature label for the second time in May 2003 was filled with hope that she and Bertelli could find common ground. “We’re taking the patience and the time to learn about each other,” she said at the time. “We are two strong characters and two entrepreneurs and different cultures.”
But a year later, Sander exited again. Now the designer, 65, is back in fashion in a segment of the market that is increasingly linking with major designers. H&M has teamed up with a string of well-known fashion names, including Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Viktor & Rolf, Roberto Cavalli and, most recently, Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons.
Jil Sander and Fast Retailing chairman Tadashi Yanai:
This is good news - almost as good as a new Joan Didion novel.
From: WWD:
TOKYO - Jil Sander is making her long-awaited comeback - but in a fast-fashion way.
The German designer has just signed a "design consulting agreement" to oversee the men's and women's apparel at Japanese retail giant Uniqlo. Sander and executives from Uniqlo's parent company Fast Retailing Co. Ltd., held a press conference here Tuesday to outline the terms of the deal.
"Some of you [have known] me since I have been engaged in fashion but I'm not interested in the past. Let us talk today about the future" the designer, clad in a black knee-length coat, told journalists assembled at the Four Seasons Hotel. "I'm here in Tokyo for something completely different. The challenge for me is to establish a premium quality in a democratically-priced range."
Although Sander will not receive an official title at the company, the designer will take over the creative reins for all the retailer’s products excluding accessories and children’s wear. The Japanese brand and Sander are also working to develop a special Uniqlo collection, bearing the designer’s minimalist look, set to bow for the fall season. Details regarding the collection have not yet been disclosed.
As reported in WWD last week, Sander was spotted at the Première Vision textile trade show in Paris in February, which reignited ongoing speculation she planned to return to the fashion world. Sander famously left her namesake label for the second time in 2004 after clashing with the brand’s former owner, Prada Group, and its chief executive officer, Patrizio Bertelli, over creative and control issues.
In a coincidental twist of fate, her old fashion house ended up in Japanese hands when Onward Holdings Co. Ltd. bought it last September from Change Capital Partners for 167 million euros, or $244 million. Change Capital had acquired the brand from Prada in February 2006 for about 100 million euros, or $146 million. Raf Simons, the brand’s current creative director, had been put in place by Prada the previous year.
While Uniqlo has collaborated with a number of designers such as Phillip Lim, Alexander Wang and Alice Roi through its Designers Invitation Project, this is the first time the company has established a continuous relationship with a marquee name. The company’s design team has lived a relatively anonymous existence churning out colorful basics. Like Sander, Uniqlo has always put a strong emphasis on fabric innovation in its products, such as machine-washable sweaters that keep their shape and hooded sweatshirts that retain heat.
Uniqlo is one of the few retailers succeeding in recessionary Japan. The brand’s affordable line up of fashion basics has propelled months of same-store sales growth and earned chairman Tadashi Yanai the honor of Japan’s richest man, according to Forbes magazine, with a fortune estimated at $6.1 billion.
Uniqlo said earlier this month that February’s same-store sales were up 4.2 percent, advancing for the fourth consecutive month. However, the February figures represented a slowdown from the double-digit sales growth the retailer saw at the end of 2008. The retailer has been experimenting with formats in recent months, recently opening its first concept store targeting young female shoppers in their late teens and early 20s. It also has opened a concept store in Selfridges in London.
While at a fast-fashion price point, Uniqlo’s aesthetic mirrors Sander’s signature minimalism. Talk of when the designer would return to fashion began almost the moment she left Prada five years ago — with the rumor mill speculating she was consulting to Gap in Europe, looking to introduce a home furnishings collection, or simply leading a quiet life in her native Hamburg and working on her garden. Her return to her signature label for the second time in May 2003 was filled with hope that she and Bertelli could find common ground. “We’re taking the patience and the time to learn about each other,” she said at the time. “We are two strong characters and two entrepreneurs and different cultures.”
But a year later, Sander exited again. Now the designer, 65, is back in fashion in a segment of the market that is increasingly linking with major designers. H&M has teamed up with a string of well-known fashion names, including Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Viktor & Rolf, Roberto Cavalli and, most recently, Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons.
Jil Sander and Fast Retailing chairman Tadashi Yanai:
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