Posted by Rebekah Roy on March 8th, 2009
I was recently interviewed by Lesley Sauls. She wanted to know "What is a timeless wardrobe, and is it possible to have one?"
A timeless wardrobe is one that never goes out of style. This doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have a particular style to it – all wardrobes do – it’s just that the style of a timeless wardrobe is always considered appealing. It’s very possible to create a timeless wardrobe, and in these tough economic times it might actually be the best way to spend money on clothes.
Does timeless equate with dowdy?
Americans could actually learn a lot by following the example of the Europeans – French women in particular. If you look at the example of (now former) French Justice Minister Rachida Dati, she is often regarded as being very stylish but has had to avoid being trendy because it can imply that she’s flighty and not serious. The Europeans have such a strong sense of fashion history ingrained in their culture that it’s easier for them to create a timeless wardrobe. Americans often make the mistake of thinking timeless means styleless, and if you do this you won’t offend anyone, but you will end up looking dowdy or just boring. For women who want to be taken seriously, especially in their profession, this is a mistake because it doesn’t reflect their strong personality. A lot of American women, especially older women, latch on to the 80s as their inspiration and end up looking like a cast member of Dallas! This actually works for some circles, but it also dates you, so it’s not actually timeless.
Is a "Classic" wardrobe a better choice and what does it entail?
A "classic" wardrobe is more neutral, and does work better for those who in particular work in environments where any hint of fashion implies frivilousness. Sometime the best strategy is really to make your wardrobe disappear, so people are concentrating on you as a person. You do run the risk, though of looking incredibly boring, like you have no imagination.
It seems there’s a scale that pits trendy on one end and timeless on the other with vast ranges in between. Does that seem accurate?
Yes, the scale is about how often you change your look. For some environments keeping up with the trends make you seem in the know, in touch with current culture so it’s good, but in others it makes you seem flighty because you’re changing your image, which is your message to people telling them what you’re all about. Choosing the right mix between the 2 extremes is a matter of understanding those around you, and who you are as well.
What pieces are essential to a timeless/classic wardrobe?
The little black dress, cashmere cardigan, suit (skirt or trousers), a white blouse, neutral coloured coat, a handbag, shoes and boots, and finally a few pieces of great jewellery – but they need not be expensive to have style.
How do you start a timeless/classic wardrobe?
You start by buying a few high-quality pieces that can be worn in a lot of combinations.
Do some designers or labels trend toward timelessness?
There are so many designers who have "timeless" pieces in their collection – Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Lanvin, Chanel, even Vivianne Westwood – her pieces never go out of style.
Does price tag reflect timelessness?
Yes, because you have to get a certain quality for the piece to last physically after several cleanings, but it doesn’t have to be the highest priced item – just not the lowest.
Where does a person begin to recreate their wardrobe?
Throw out (or just pack away) whatever you’re not wearing. A lot of us have pieces we "love" but haven’t worn for ages – get those out of your closet to make room for things you’ll wear.
Make sure your "foundation garments" – bras and underwear – fit perfectly.
What’s the point of putting a beautiful sweater over a 5 year old saggy bra with no elasticity left?
Are some colors better for creating a timeless look?
Black – it’s hip but also formal and classic.
Should people trend toward a particular colour group, or are they better looking for the right colour for them (ala Color Me Beautiful).
I find that most people naturally tend toward colors that suit them. Choose a base colour and then start to add accent colours.
Can confidence be gained through a timeless wardrobe?
Yes! It’s hard to believe but we can be influenced from the outside in – if you dress well and love what you’re wearing you’ll feel more confident about yourself and that will reflect in your daily life.
Can global issues and "buying green" play into fashion at all?
Buying at a certain price point gives you more assurance that the garment was created ethically without exploiting workers, and buying a certain quality of garment means it will last instead of being worn a few times and tossed out.
Are there tricks for finding quality items in this economic climate?
Check the designer outlets, shop online and check the sales regularly.
Can "timeless" still be "trendy"?
Yes – it’s all about accessories – it can be more than trendy it can be fashion forward. You can adjust the trendiness of a timeless wardrobe just by changing your accessories.
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Posted by Rebekah Roy on February 9th, 2009
.jpg "Gal Stern, Print Designer For Tights!")
I love tights. I mainly wear dresses and shorts so tights are an essential part of my wardrobe. I also think you can make an every day look into something glamorous or edgy with a cool pair of tights. I’m loving gold at the moment!
I was recently chatting with Gal Stern, a textile designer from Israel with a great collection of tights!
Could you tell me how you got started?
SG – I finished my studies of textile design in Shenkar High College of Design in Israel 6 months ago. In my final project i developed the tights. I loved the experiments at the printing workshop in college and got great reviews for my work and so I decided to make a business out of it and opened my own studio.
Does any of your family work in fashion?
GS -My mom is a real crafts woman. She knits, embroiders, draws, sculpture in ceramic and glass and more, so I guess I got this passion from her.
Did you always love fashion?
GS – I must admit i didn’t always like fashion…I think my love of fashion started in highschool. The body changes and the fashionable highschool I went to made me notice fashion for the first time.
Do you have a favourite pair or collection?
GS – I can’t say I have one favorite model … In many of the models, I hand painted every inch of scale before converting to the computer for manipulations. So they were all born with extra care and love…
What inspires you?
GS – My inspiration comes from my passion of shapes and colors and the way they convert and mix with each other. I can find these shapes everywhere – a beautiful painting, nature, or on the street.
Where do you have everything made?
GS – The tights are made especially for me (since it’s my development) by a Turkish factory. I then dye them and print on them with many printing techniques. The entire process is made in my studio.
Where can people buy them?
GS – At the moment people can buy my tights in Israel or through my website, by sending me an e-mail. Since my business is very young, I’m only starting to expand to other countries. I hope that soon I can begin to sell online.
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Posted by Rebekah Roy on January 16th, 2009
When you think of red carpet and gala dresses Ottawa, Canada is not the first place that comes to mind – but it is the capital of Canada so it does attract a lot of diplomats and ambassadors – which means high profile events. Party!
James Jefferson and Frank Sukhoo have been working in the fashion industry for over 20 years and have a shop in Ottawa. Jefferson Sukhoo specialize in made-to-measure pieces, and each season they come up with half a dozen looks to add to their showroom samples. (All their samples are black so that their customer can focus on the cut.) They also create bespoke pieces for many of their clients. It seems like everyone who’s anyone in Ottawa has worn a Jefferson Sukhoo dress!
I wanted to find out what’s made this team so popular and how they managed to find a niche for themselves in the world of fashion.
1. What got you interested in fashion?
JJ: I have always had an interest in fashion. Even at a young age I was mesmerized watching runway shows on television and reading about the latest trends in magazines. My earliest memory of fashion was picking up a biography about Yves Saint Laurent and thinking to myself that this is what I have to do in life.
FS: Hmm, I don’t quite remember to tell you the truth! It was after I realized that fashion (true fashion) is a form of art. Anything esthetic attracts me!
2. You’ve just recently celebrated the shop’s 4 year anniversary, have you considered setting up more shops?
For the moment we are really enjoying working one on one with our clients doing strictly custom design. However, in a few years we will produce a line of ready to wear that will be available in specialty boutiques and high end department stores.
3.Over the years you’ve developed a very loyal clientele – is there a secret to your success?
Our secret is really very simple: we’re doing something we love, we take a great deal of pride in our work and that shows. It’s also very important to assist our clients in every way possible – wardrobe planning, help with accessory selection and most importantly to make it a fun and easy experience for them.
4. Where do you get the inspiration for your designs?
A lot of our inspiration comes from our clients. Designing an outfit to flatter someone’s physique, to reflect their personal style and to infuse our own ideas into that mix is the ultimate inspiration.
5. What is the best thing about your job?
JJ: The best thing about our job is having the freedom to create beautiful things, to work with interesting and exciting clients and to make them look and feel great!
FS: When we’re in the boutique and a client puts on her outfit, looks in the mirror and says: "Wow! I had no idea I could look so good!" with a smile on her face. That’s the best feeling, because that’s what we’re about.
6. Do you have a favourite celebrity who you have worked with?
We are extremely honoured to be able to design for the Governor General of Canada. It’s wonderful to be able to showcase our designs on such an important and influential woman, who also just happens to be incredibly beautiful!
7. How are you finding business in the current economic climate?
Fortunately our clients appreciate the calibre of our work and don’t seem to be making any wardrobe compromises.
8. Who is your favourite menswear designer
JJ: My favourite menswear designer is Tom Ford – sexy and modern.
FS: D&G. As a guy, it’s great to have designers that make fashionable clothes for men without losing masculinity.
9. Do you ever design for yourselves?
FS: Yes, whenever I can.
JJ: Not as often as I would like!
10. Do you really wear matching or coordinated outfits?
Once for a laugh we wore matching outfits for a photo shoot. The photographer refused to shoot us that way and came back 3 days in a row to re-shoot, only to find us in different matching outfits each time. On day 3 he gave in! LOL
11. What can we expect from the brand for spring 09?
Spring 09 for Jefferson Sukhoo will continue to be about superb lines, luxurious fabrics and keen attention to details. Only the best – no compromises.
12. What advice would you give to young designers?
JJ: Be passionate, be prepared to work very, very hard, get as much experience as you can and most importantly – be humble.
FS: Be ready to stick at it! Fashion is not glamorous, you have to be a workaholic to be successful in this industry, but as long as you enjoy your work – you will always be happy.
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Posted by Rebekah Roy on January 6th, 2009
I’ve always believed luck favours the prepared. The tricky thing about luck is that you have to be able to recongnize the opportunity and go for it – take a risk. Leisa went for it and ended up working for Vogue!
What got you interested in fashion?
LB – I had a pretty low-key upbringing in the North East of England, and I was the girl who got laughed at because I didn’t have "real" Adidas tracksuit bottoms for PE – I had the cheap ones off the market, with two stripes instead of three. I have always loved dressing up but it was really only when I went to university and a friend introduced me to Vogue – which I had always known about, but had never realised could be for people like me – that I started paying a lot more attention. I worked weekends at Wallis and pretty much all my wages went back into clothes. And shoes. Shoes are my weakness.
Where did you go to school?
LB – I went to a regular comprehensive in Stockon-on-Tees, where I grew up. I loved languages and always wanted to be a writer.
How did you start working at Vogue.com?
LB – An insanely lucky break. I lived in Japan teaching English for two years after I graduated (with a BA Hons in English from the University of York), and when I came back to the UK in 2005 I moved to London, where I took an admin job to pay the rent. Every year I’d thought about entering the Vogue Talent Contest, the annual competition the magazine runs to promote young writers, but never quite done it. That year I was at a bit of a loose end and just went for it. I remain shocked that I won. That got me a month’s work experience on the magazine, who have always been amazingly supportive of me, and I did a little freelance work around the company following that until the opening at VOGUE.COM came up.
Is fashion as cut throat as everyone says it is?
LB – I can only speak from my own experience, which has been an incredibly privileged one. I don’t know about cut throat, but just like any competitive industry, it can be tough. It might look easy and glamorous, but it’s intense; everybody works very, very hard. But the upside to that is that everyone really wants to be doing it, so they’re willing to put in the hours and the effort, and that’s an inspirational environment to work in.
What is the best thing about your job?
LB – Feeling that you are literally at the cutting edge of everything that’s happening in the industry. When something major happens, we can get a story live on the website in less than 20 minutes. It is such a thrill to be the first to break news then see it picked up by all manner of other sources. Of course, that extends to supporting young designers, too; it’s great to be able to write about someone relatively new then watch their business grow season on season. I get to go to some pretty nice parties, too – but that’s a bonus, and I always remember that it’s work.
What is the biggest challenge you have at work?
LB – Time. I always need more of it. Because we turn things around so quickly, there’s no time to sit back and reflect on your achievements – before I’ve finished one thing, I’ve already got to be halfway through the next. It’s madness when show season is thrown into the mix. But a thrilling, delirious kind of madness.
What has been your best fashion moment?
LB – There have been a million. Most recently, it was meeting Stefano Pilati when he came to London for his Sunday Times Style lecture with Colin McDowell. I am a huge fan of his work at YSL and to hear him speak in public, then catch up with him over drinks afterwards – in the Connaught Bar, no less – was pretty much my dream evening. I had an "I need to pinch myself" moment in the cab on the way home.
What advice do you have for someone wanting to get into the fashion industry?
LB – That’s a really tricky question for me to answer as I went down such an unconventional route. The one thing I regretted not having when I started out was enough technical or historical knowledge, so a fashion course would be the obvious place to start. But above all, I’d say it’s like anything; know your stuff, put in the time, learn who is who, and be willing to start at the very bottom and work your way up. I came to VOGUE.COM first as a show coordinator, requesting catwalk tickets, then moved on to coordinating the video content across all of the CondeNet UK websites before my current job – the one I wanted – came up. If you can get your foot in the door, it’s all good, so be prepared to readjust your short term expectations for long term benefit.
Who is your fashion icon and why?
LB – I’m not sure I really have one – though somewhat predictably, I went through a phase of being obsessed with Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany’s when I was younger, so I guess I err towards the chic and neurotic.
Leisa’s photo was taken by Michael Gray.
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Posted by Rebekah Roy on December 23rd, 2008
.jpg "An Interview with Hannah Almassi Working at Grazia")
So it’s your final year at school and you’re graduating soon? What’s a girl to do? Well, take some advice from Hannah Almassi, the Fashion News and Features Assistant at Grazia UK.
* What did you study at school and where?
I went to Nottingham Trent University which has a great art and design school. I studied Fashion Design, it’s a good place to study fashion for the real world – you can be creative but also understand the commercial and business side of things.
* Were you always interested in fashion?
I have been interested in fashion since I can remember! Both my Mum and Nan have always made their own clothes (and mine too when I was younger – I had a great purple and black checked taffeta prom dress, very PPQ!) As a kid I’d always consider what I would wear for the day and would be really picky, then at about 10 years old I started to draw little fashion sketches and spend hours with my nose in fashion magazines. At secondary school I was always really creative and went a bit crazy with my outfits (much to my headmistress’s disgust!) I’ve always been a bit of a shopaholic and love putting clothes together. I can remember the moment that I felt fashion was for definitely for me, was when watching a TV programme on John Galliano and just being so entralled by his flair for creating extraordinary fashion – it looked so fun, so glamorous and sexy.
How many places did you apply before finding a job?
During my final year at uni I applied for hundreds of placements and kept a really open mind about where I could try out working. I was organised about it all and already had a years worth of different work experience placements all set up for when I graduated. But then I came to Grazia first, adored it and was luckily offered a longer internship at the time to be Melanie Rickey’s assistant… which of course, I snapped up!
* What’s a typical day like?
It really varies, being on a weekly mag it’s incredibly busy all the time – every day has a major deadline so that the magazine can go to print. My work spans from doing product call ins, to coming up with stories and ideas for the print magazine and also the website www.graziadaily.co.uk , going to fashion weeks, writing copy and interviewing people to style hunting the public. It’s never boring – I’m always involved in something different.
* What been the most exciting part of your job?
There have been loads of stand out moments. Probably one of the most memorable so far was being backstage at the British Fashion Awards and interviewing the winners on camera – meeting people like Luella, Matthew Williamson and Stephen Jones was an incredible honour. On a daily basis the Grazia fashion team are so knowledgable and talented, so it’s really encouraging and inspiring to be around them. But the best feeling has to be seeing my name in print on Grazia’s masterhead each week (yes, I’m a loser and still look at it each time!) Oh, and working from a perspex pod in the new Westfield shopping centre for a week was pretty unforgettable too!
* What is your official position at Grazia?
Fashion News and Features Assistant
* Have you been promoted since you started your job?
I was originally meant to do one month, then six and now I’ve been at Grazia for about 15 months! Although my job position hasn’t changed, the longer I am there the more I am able to do and contribute and develop.
* What advice do you have to graduates?
The best advice I can give is to just work your socks off. If you don’t turn up for a placement keen and eager and willing to get on with the job, people just won’t remember you – or want to keep you there. Sometimes being an intern can feel awful, but it’s a process to get to somewhere amazing. I still spend hours in the fashion cupboard returning clothes – but I wouldn’t give it up because the perks of doing a job you love in a brilliant, lively industry are immeasurable.
* Who is your fashion icon and why?
I have different fashion icons for different moods – more like fashion moments… I love Marlene Dietrich for her androgynous style which was so revolutionary at the time. I adore the model Verushka for looking so darn gorgeous in YSL’s safari collection. If there’s anyone I channel the most – it’s Dot Cotton! And right now, I’m obsessed with Faye Dunaway in the film The Eyes of Laura Mars – fantastic 70s outfits full of two piece skirt suits, giant throws, fabulous knee high boots and enough hair crimping to make me consider doing it again!
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