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Tuesday, February 11, 2014
w o r t n o fr
EAST of
EDUN Danielle Sherman’s Jardin of Delights
ETIENNE RUSSO...EUGENE SOULEIMAN...RICHARD CHRISTIANSEN... PLUS! RUNWAY REVIEWS...
A MOMENT WITH... Vogue’s Virginia Smith at DKNY
“I wanted to represent New York. It’s about the streets, the people, the energy. The people are what make New York.”
Kellan Lutz
—DONNA KARAN
Ken Downing
your daily dose
Vintage Vignettes! With Allure EIC Linda Wells Did George Wayne once work for you? Yes. I saw that Anna Wintour interview with George Wayne in The Daily. It was great! What was George like back in the day? So entertaining! He’d come to idea meetings with these long tales. One was about how he went to Hyannis Port in a white limo wearing white Lily Pulitzer, and became best friends with a Kennedy. He got into the compound and was fêted. He’s hilarious.
HEARD
“This is the shortest my hair has been since I was six. It used to be down to my elbows. I loved having long hair!”—Neiman Marcus’ Ken Downing. ☛ “I’m a board shorts, mesh basketball shorts, or boxer briefs kind of guy. Something baggy!”—Kellan Lutz ☛ “I like an escape. My dream is to go on the Orient Express.”—Kate Spade New York’s creative director, Deborah Lloyd. ☛ “I lounge around in sweatpants!”—Anna Kendrick on her personal style M.O. ☛ “Me at 9 p.m.; I’m pregnant with twin girls and I’m wearing heels.”—Zanna Roberts Rassi on the grumpiest person at Fash Week. ☛ “Christian Bale is an out-o-control genius. I love him fat, skinny, Batman, whatever.”—Giovanna Battaglia ☛
DKNY Fall ’14
CATCHING UP! With Fabien Baron at DKNY
You’ve ended your Calvin Klein contract. What’s next for you? We have some new, very interesting clients that I can’t talk about yet. We’re intrigued! So, your work is very sexy. I agree. It’s never sexy in a vulgar
way, though. It’s sexy in a sophisticated way. What campaigns do you admire? I like what Prada does: They’re very consistent and to the point on what their clothes are about. It sells the product. How do you feel about Keith Pollock returning to Interview? It’s the perfect choice. He appreciates and understands fashion. As a team, we’re very complete now.
FLICK PICKS! With Vogue Italia Italia’s Franca Sozzani at DKNY Are you jet-lagged? It’s okay, I slept on the plane. Watch any movies on the flight over? I watched The Butler. I loved it. It’s unbelievable that it’s a true story! What’s your vote for best actress? Judy Dench was fantastic in Philomena, and I loved Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine.
FA S H I O N W E E K D A I L Y. C O M
Front-Row Beauty: METALLIC SHEEN!
To complement Mara Hoffman’s African-inspired collection, Maybelline New York makeup artist Alice Lane transformed the models into bronzed goddesses using Face Studio Master Glaze Blush Stick in Warm Nude and Face Studio Master Hi-Light in Nude on the upper cheekbones for a hint of sparkle. Expert Wear Eyeshadow in Sunset Bronze was topped with Baby Lips in Quenched for a glossy finish. Lips were coated in The Buffs by Color Sensational in Maple Kiss and Color Elixir in Nude Illusion. You might be watching the Fall ’14 shows, but steal this look for spring!
How do you kill time, pre-show? I was just figuring out if I could get a manicure. I don’t think logistically that will happen, but hope springs eternal. Growing up in Arkansas, did you ever think this would be your life? No. I was from a small town; I loved Vogue and The New Yorker. I’d read The New Yorker’s event listings to see what was going on. Here I am! Donna’s influence is everywhere this season. Jason Wu looked at that, but he redid it in his own way. Donna’s a major designer who’s been around quite a while. She’s got a legacy.
CHIT-CHATTING! With Sasha Luss You were on our Model Issue cover! I saw it and I was like, ‘Whoa! Whoa! What? That’s me!’ I showed everybody. Was that your first cover? It was the first cover with a story about me. I felt very cool. Holy sh*t, I’m on the cover of a magazine. I was super excited! You’re all over the runways this season. Are you having fun? Iman said years ago that this isn’t fun; it’s business. Sometimes quite cruel. I keep focused and don’t get too excited. The Oscars are soon! Want to go one day? I’d like to win an Oscar someday. Acting is something I want to do. I’m Russian, so I don’t want to play a Russian prostitute. I worked with a very famous Hollywood director on a commercial that’s coming out, and he told me I have potential.
TECH MAVEN!
With Julia Restoin Roitfeld at Tim Coppens How tech savvy are you? I’ve always been a tech nerd! Whenever anyone in my family has an iPhone problem, I have to solve it. Where would you nap during Fash Week? I can’t even take a nap during a normal week! GETTY IMAGES
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© 2014
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With Manolo Blahnik You’re such an icon! An icon of what?! An icon of fashion! Oh, please. You’re losing your mind. Why’d you show in NYC? New York was the first city to really sell my shoes on a bigger scale. As a kid, you dressed animals in shoes! What kind? Lizards. I love them. I’d caress them.
You should do a line of shoes for dogs. Don’t complicate my life, but that’s a divine idea. Will you see any shows while you’re here? Are you crazy? I don’t have time! We know Anna Wintour loves her Manolos. I adore her. She’s my great idol. Does she get a discount? I guess so!
STYLISH SHOTS With The Ruffian boys Hasselblad picked chic Ambassadors this season to snap pics, including Ruffian’s Claude Morais and Brian Wolk! What is “Ruffian Transforms”? Brian Wolk: We track the models from when they walk into the tents until they leave. Hasselblad is the most luxurious camera company in the world, so it makes sense! What’s the gist of your Fall ’14 looks? Claude Morais: It’s about monastic opulence. We’re infusing somber, religious silhouettes with lavishness and drama.
Claude Morais and Brian Wolk
BIEBS IN PERIL! Justin Bieber has been on a really wild streak lately. How should nous help him?
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Adam Glassman: “Leave him alone, and pray someone gets through to him.” Mickey Boardman: “Hug him, love him, and dress him up. Every kid goes through this stuff. Let’s love him through the hard times!” Kyle Anderson: “He needs rehab. But he’s never looked as hot as he did in his police photos.” Chelsea Leyland: “He’s a kid, having fun, getting arrested, and smoking pot. That’s what teens do!”
Jesse Metcalfe: “I don’t have any advice. I went through my own trials and tribulations when I was his age. There’s no avoiding it.” Interview’s Miguel Enamorado: “That’s for his parents to decide. I didn’t raise him!” Christian Siriano: “Poor little Bieber. He’s just a young boy. He’s too famous.” People StyleWatch’s Susan Kaufman: “He needs an intervention, big-time. ”
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Managing Editor Tangie Silva Features Editor Alexandra Ilyashov Fashion News Editor Paige Reddinger Writer Reporters Dena Silver, Julie Zigos Contributing Editor Sarah Horne Grose Art Director Teresa Platt Contributing Photographer Giorgio Niro Contributing Photo Editors Jessica Athanasiou-Piork, Shane Cisneros Contributing Copy Editor Jean Rhodie Imaging Director George Maier Contributing Imaging Assistant Mihai Simion President, Publisher Paul Turcotte Advertising Director Hannah Sinclair Trade Publications Director Charles Garone Account Director Chloe Worden Marketing Manager Kelly Carr Sales & Marketing Coordinator Sabrina Fares Digital Director Daniel Chivu Manufacturing Operations Michael Esposito Amy Taylor
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ON THE COVER: Edun Fall 2014 Collection photographed by Firstview
G E T T Y I M A G E S ( 9 ) ; B FA N YC . C O M ( 4 ) ; J O D I J O N E S F O R H A S S E L B L A D ( 3 ) ; PAT R I C K M C M U L L A N . C O M
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RUNWAY
Fall 2014
ALTUZARRA Simply divine. Altuzarra’s woman this season exudes style in timelessly chic pieces, but makes a statement with splashes of bold color. And can we have a standing ovation for the outerwear?
FA S H I O N W E E K D A I L Y. C O M FA S H I O N W E E K D A I L Y. C O M
GETTY IMAGES
RUNWAY
Fall 2014
Beauty
TREND
{Red Lips}
DKNY
A slew of mostly street-cast models in hip sportswear like letterman jackets, leather dresses, camo, and slouchy furs trotted down the runway for DKNY’s 25th anniversary. Perched front row, the back of Rita Ora’s leather jacket summed it up best: “When I wear DKNY I feel like a BAD B*TCH.”
YADIM FOR MAYBELLINE NEW YORK
EDUN The slouchy silhouette is having a moment! Edun’s Danielle Sherman has expertly delivered this laid-back look through graphic color blocking with a focus in varying textures in tones of ivory, camel, and taupe. And those chunky knit scarfs? Inspired by 19th century Malagasy weaving from Madagascar, according to Sherman. Plus, all of that cozy texture was topped off with reworked Stan Smith Adidas sneakers and some chic booties, compliments of a Manolo Blahnik collab. FA S H I O N W E E K D A I L Y. C O M
D K N Y: G E T T Y I M AG E S ; E D U N : F I R ST V I E W
Custom fit for your lifestyle.
THE ALL-NEW 2015 GLA250 4MATIC A premium compact SUV with responsive handling, dramatic styling and everything you’d expect from a Mercedes-Benz. Arriving in fall 2014.
RUNWAY
Fall 2014 VICTORIA
BECKHAM Simple ultra-luxe sophistication. That’s Mrs. Beckham’s signature that has launched her from pop stardom to respected designer. There was plenty of that trademark here in sleek monochrome coats that lengthened the body accented with gold chains, figure flattering vest dresses, and just hints of patterns and details on the hems of shirts and skirts. And there were plenty of influences from the Paris runways. Posh, indeed.
OPENING CEREMONY Melted Callebaut Belgian chocolate slowly dripped down the white fingerprint-patterned walls as the backdrop for Carol Lim and Humberto Leon’s latest collection. There were assym shirts and skirts that looked as though they’d been slit straight up the middle, a sensational matching cascading ruffled pullover and matching skirt, plus plenty of quilting and some of those slouchy drawstring boots that have already become a solidified trend this season. Cool layering, plus hot chocolate? A sweet wintry success. FA S H I O N W E E K D A I L Y. C O M
FIRSTVIEW
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RUNWAY
Fall 2014
DVF Prints aplenty! For DvF’s 40th anniversary, she homed in on her classic signatures, like her iconic wrap dress, boho-chic gowns, and a kaleidoscope of patterns. It was a dizzying array of Diane’s greatest hits that have turned her business into a blockbuster. The show closed in a splendor of short gold cocktail dresses, like a toast to her shining career.
THE
FA S H I O N W E E K D A I L Y. C O M
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CHIC Producer
Son et Lumière From a catwalk made of grass for Dries Van Noten to his stunning staging for Moncler Saturday, Belgium-based show producer Etienne Russo’s bag of tricks appears bottomless. We caught up with the sleep-deprived maestro on a snowy morning at The Mercer. BY PAIGE REDDINGER PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATHIEU RIDELLE FOR VILLA EUGÉNIE
What were you doing before you became a producer? I was modeling for Dries Van Noten at the time, and I was art directing at a club, putting on parties and fashion shows. During the mid ’80s there were a lot of young designers, and I was organizing contests with the designers and doing events at the club. At the time people were dressing crazy to go out and all of that stuff. When did you produce your first show? Dries and I were out for dinner one night and we were dreaming about what we would do if we did a show. So in 1991, when the day came for his first show in Paris, he asked me if I wanted to produce it and that’s how it started. We ended up in the basement of the St. James Albany hotel, and it was a little théâtre a l’italienne, a little crooked, and the catwalk was made of grass, but since we were in the basement there wasn’t natural light and the grass would turn brownish. The day of the show we had to spraypaint it so it wouldn’t show! You were close with the Antwerp Six. Do you have any FA S H I O N W E E K D A I L Y. C O M
favorite memories? We were young and there was something happening and we were going for it. We were traveling to go to Florence in an RV for 18 to 20 hours and sleeping for three days in it and sharing it. I remember Dirk Bikkembergs sleeping in a tent, and he was so tall his feet hung outside of the tent! We were going out all the time and there was an energy. I’m happy I was a part of that. What do you think about Ann Demeulemeester departing her label? I think it’s sad. She has a very strong and powerful style, but I understand that at some point you want to have a life, and I’m sure that’s what she’s doing. I think she’s going to do something that’s less invading. She’s really courageous to make such a decision for herself. How do you source venues? It’s become hard everywhere. Paris always offered more possibilities than New York and Milan because it’s a bigger city and there are a lot of industrial buildings on the outskirts of Paris. I remember for Dries, I used to be in Paris
Dries Van Noten Spring 2014
for three or four days and I would visit 80 venues, and I would present him with 20 venues. Today, we’re lucky if we present two. The calendar in Paris has over 120 shows in a week and I’m only talking about the ones on the calendar. The press doesn’t want to travel to the 13th arrondissement and then go all the way to the 16th. It’s exhausting. We still do remote shows sometimes, but then you have to make sure you’re delivering a good collection and a good show. Otherwise they’ll kill you in the press! Ha! Tell that to Alexander Wang. How do you know when a venue is right? When I go to see a venue with a collection in mind, sometimes I have a feeling that the walls can talk. I feel that there is a soul there. There’s a feeling I get when I know it’s right, but I can’t always explain it. How many of your shows involve your full creative direction? I have as many wheels working as I have customers. There’s not one standardized way of working. We adapt to the needs of our customers. There are shows where I have full creative and production and others where I do just production. Sometimes it’s kind of a Ping-Pong match, where it’s a collaboration. At Chanel, Karl [Lagerfeld] decides everything. It’s very clear for him. He has his own set designer, so his vision is super clear. We do the production, lighting, sound, and I work with the models.
Dior Homme Spring/Summer 2014
How hard is it to top your best work? We don’t think in raising expectation; we just go season to season without thinking of the past. For Moncler this season in New York, we had a Swiss a capella group called Pendulum that performs on tilting hydraulic jacks. There were nine leads and then 25 people from the New York University choir. I found them on YouTube and I said, ‘My god, this is amazing! We have to do something with them.’ It took four months of planning. The thing with Remo [Ruffini] is that he loves enjoying it himself. Sometimes we don’t even show the real collection. It’s about creating a strong image. I am really proud of what we acheived. There’s shows like Lanvin and Dries, where it’s really a collaboration. Also, with Kenzo it’s very much a cooperation for the creation of the mood and set of the season. Last season Alber Elbaz said, “I wanted to make the audience part of my runway.” Explain, please! If you look at what we’d done for him until then, the audience was always in
the dark. He would always want the focus to be on the runway. He’s one of the designers who spends the most time working with us on lighting. We really developed, with him and for him, a certain signature. When you see the lighting you know it’s Lanvin. With that show, he wanted the audience to somehow be more a part of it, so we put more lighting in the room. He was in Thailand and went to see a Thai boxing match and the light was on the ring, but also there was a lot of light outside the ring and you could see the people and how they were reacting, so that’s what inspired him. What’s the biggest obstacle you’ve had to overcome at a show? We had planned to build a village of Moroccan tents next to the Eiffel Tower for Dries Van Noten. We built 12 tents that we had gotten from Marrakech and we did all of the decoration, and the night before the show it started raining. It was years ago, but I’ll remember it all my life. The tents were fabric, but that was the beauty of them. They had these black-and-white Moroccan motifs on the outside, and inside there were more decorations. At 5 a.m. security called me and they said, ‘Sir, you better come now, because you’re going to face problems.’ The water was dripping through the seams, and not only that, the floor was made of sand and stone and the water was coming through the floor. I woke up everybody and
Moncler Fall 2014
we had people vacuuming to try and get the water out, but by 8 a.m. I said, ‘We’ll never make it. Let’s try and find another solution before Dries arrives.’ Wow! How did you fix the problem? Across the road there was a museum that had huge ugly tents up that they use to do fairs. I walked in and said, ‘I need to speak with the director of this place. It’s a life-or-death question!’ I told her I needed the space and that I have a show in eight hours. We didn’t even have time to communicate to the guests about the venue change, so people were arriving at the original location and we had ushers to tell everyone that it had moved 200 meters down the road. The photographers had to build their own risers, but we had a show. After the show, it had stopped raining and the sky was very dark and dramatic, and I started crying just from the release of the pressure and also the humility. It’s like, ‘Who the fuck are you to go against the elements?’ So from that day on I learned to never again do a show without a plan B. Now I have an A plan, B plan, C plan, and even a D plan. How do you deal with the stress? I used to feel stress like everyone and I’d run around and shout sometimes, but with time I realized that it doesn’t pay. As the team got bigger I thought, ‘What if they see me stressed? Everyone’s going to think, “Oh my God! The boss is stressed!” ’ So the bigger the problem, the quieter I become. My job is really to try to understand the problem, solve it, and then give them confidence again. How many hours of sleep do you get a night during Fashion Week? Two to four. Sometimes I’ll have six to seven, but when it’s Paris it’s really busy. You sort of format yourself to that. For me, when I get to that point I don’t have to sleep or eat; I just have one objective and that’s the show. It’s there no matter what. What would you be doing if you weren’t doing this job? There are three things that I love: lighting, photography, and architecture. So I think maybe I’d be an architect or a light designer or a photographer. What’s the most exciting part of your job? Doing things that I’ve never done before. We source, of course. We develop longterm relationships with people who can help us build sets or deliver things for the show very fast. You can call them and say, ‘I need 5,000 roses. Can you bring them tomorrow morning?’ What’s the hardest lesson you’ve learned in your career? You’re only as good as your last show. VA N N OT E N : C A M I L L A A L I B R A N D I F O R V I L L A E U G E N I E ; D I O R H O M M E S : FREDERICK VERCRUYSSE FOR VILLA EUGENIE; MONCLER: GETTY IMAGES
CHICLook
Apparent
HAIR
Eugene Souleiman was just another art school dropout with a punk rock habit until a last-ditch meeting with a counselor led to a career in coifs. In the decades since, he’s styled every major runway in the business (McQueen, Prada, Yamamoto, et al.) and last season alone conceived 26 catwalk do’s. Talk about cream of the crop! BY PAIGE REDDINGER How did you get into hair? I was lost and didn’t really know what I wanted to do and had completely messed everything up. So I went to a job center in England—it was kind of like a career guidance place—and filled out a questionnaire. The lady said, ‘You’d make a really great hairdresser,’ and I was like, ‘What? Okay, all right.’ I was young and didn’t even really want a job, to be honest. In England, to cut hair you need a thing called a City and Guilds license and have to pass a test, so I signed up for a two-year course. I was the only guy out of 120 girls! I had a fantastic time, obviously. Where was your first real job? After that, I worked in an awful little barbershop, where the manager kind of kicked me out, which was good, because it led me to a job interview in a salon called Trevor Sorbie. He was a guy who had trained a lot of people at Vidal Sassoon and was a truly amazing hairdresser. I remember talking with him about my ideas and how I felt, and sort of noticing that he was actually interested in what I was saying. It was the first time I realized that I had my own point of view, and that I might actually be good at something. He hired me on the spot. the first show you ever styled was Alexander mcqueen’s “nihilism” collection in 1994. Discuss! It wasn’t even on a runway. It was in a garage on The King’s Road, right after he left college, at the very beginning of his career. That was a crazy crazy time. There was a load of fresh talent running around, and a lot of it was in London. Paint the scene for us. It was a complete mess! I remember his mum was there, and she’d made all these cucumber and tuna salad sandwiches, and brought big bottles of Coca-Cola. It was totally FA S H I O N W E E K D A I L Y. C O M
low-budget. No one cared, though. It wasn’t about, ‘Where’s my sushi?’ It was more like, ‘Mate, I’ve looked at your logo and I think we should stencil it onto the side of someone’s head!’ And Lee would be like, ‘Yeah, that’s great!’ We were all just having fun. I think if you’re having fun and really love what you’re doing success follows suit—if you’re good. Lee was better than good. Was there a moment when you realized your career was taking off? When I got asked to do Prada and Yohji [Yamamoto], definitely—my first Italian show and my first Parisian show in the same season. I was like, ‘Wow, I’m kind of getting somewhere.’ We were all based in London at the time, and the same thing was happening with Kate [Moss], Craig McDean, and David Sims, and those kinds of people. That’s when it really took off and I started working with Calvin [Klein] and noticed that there were a lot Yohji Yamamoto spring 2014 of big companies that were paying attention to the style of work we were doing. Prior to
that, we were all working for The Face for practically nothing. You can take elements of one thing and then mix them What was your first campaign? with something else. But I have to be respectful of My first big one was with Shalom Harlow for Jil Sander. people, because someone’s paying me a lot of money to You hit the big brand names right from the beginning, eh? do their show, so they should have what they want. At Well, not really. For instance, myself, Craig [McDean], and Pat the same time, they should also be aware of the options [McGrath] all used to do a lot of music videos. We did a lot of for what they could have, and what it might do with bands that came to London. But other than that, we just did ID their collection, and whether it might add something and The Face, really. We didn’t even know what advertising was. or take it in a direction that they really like. You can Seriously. I think a lot of it was just timing. Fashion really needed to deliberate over something and talk it to death, but at the be shaken up and turned around, because end of the day sometimes they just have to see it. it was stale. A new concept of beauty was How do you handle back-to-back shows? born with Kate Moss, and that’s when things I have a bloody amazing team. The core of my team is really changed. seven or eight people, and they’re like family. They go Are you still close with the London crew? everywhere with me, and we understand each other. I Haider Ackermann spring 2014 We’re like an old family. We all kind of have people that I can get to start off the show. I have grew up together. I don’t cross paths with a guy called Travis who’s my right-hand man. He’ll be Pat as regularly as I used to because I there at the fitting with me along with the designer and don’t live in New York, and we work with the stylist, and we work out the logistics of it. Everything is about organization different people now. I still work with Craig and the tightness of the team. I think the thing that really gets you through is just and Steven Klein and Inez and Vinoodh. I pure adrenalin. I don’t think you can say, ‘When I get a moment I like to meditate.’ don’t work for [Steven] Meisel anymore Meditate? Jesus! When I get a moment, I like to sleep! Or there are because I’m married, and my lifestyle is very people who say, ‘When different from a lot of people in the fashion I get to my hotel room I industry, and I think some of my ideas are like to light my Dyptique different now, too. candle’ or ‘I like to work How would you describe your point out.’ Absolute rubbish! of view? No one has the time There’s always an element of beauty to it. I to do that when doing never do anything that I feel is ugly. I try to those shows. When find the balance between something that is very strong and people ask what my something that is very beautiful. I try to mix the two together. favorite spot to go to in How do you come up with concepts? Paris is, I tell them, ‘My It depends. The idea for the Missoni show this past season bed!’ came from an old Richard Avedon photo they had sent me. It’s How many hours of of this girl with a beehive and a plated acrylic hairpiece that sleep do you get a was meant to look real. The fabrics for the show were animal night during Fashion Alexander mcqueen “nihilism” spring 1994 prints, like zebra, but they were quite psychedelic, in different Week? technical fabrics. I said, ‘I just love the fact that you have Four or five. You do something that’s absolutely fake in your collection, but the ideas the fittings, and then come from something that’s quite real, like an animal print.’ But you do a show, and then I said to them, ‘The picture scares me. It looks like something you have to train your from the ’60s, and I don’t really see that in your collection and people. For instance, I don’t think the hair should have that kind of retro-ness to it, Haider [Ackermann] but I love that ring. We should do a hairstyle that has some called us for 6 a.m., and then we had another show, Tsumori duality when you look at it. I think the hair should feel raw, Chisato, starting an hour and a half after that, so I have to train real, and matte when the girls come on, but I think we should people how to start that look. Not only do you do the fitting, you do use this very shiny fake ponytail on that ring so that it’s really a couple of shows, and then you go back and you demonstrate that about using hair, or fake hair, as an accessory.’ The girls with look for those other hairdressers, and then they have to execute that lighter hair had darker ponytails, and the girls with dark hair look. That’s the way we work. had blonde ponytails. There should always be an element of How far in advance are you booked for shows? theater to it, but I’m not talking about it being campy. There With people like Haider Ackermann and Marco [Zanini] at Rochas, rochas spring 2014 should always be an idea behind what you’ve done. we’re kind of always in touch, really. Yohji [Yamamoto] is always, What else do you have to take into account? like, three weeks beforehand, and Stella [McCartney]’s, like, making You’re working off a brief and you’re in a situation it up on the day. Missoni’s the same thing. They’re usually a couple of where you have to do something really great, days before. Sometimes people will be like, ‘Well, we were thinking and sometimes it’s easier to do those things and everyone should be blonde.’ I’m like, ‘Well, that’s not going to happen, sometimes it isn’t. Maybe there’s not a budget for now, is it?’ That’s the really great thing about my job; you never know x amount of hair, or maybe there’s 15 girls coming what’s around the corner and you’re always on your toes. from another show and you have half an hour to do Which designers give you the most creative freedom? them. You have to work very fast, and you have to be Ann [Demeulemeester] and Yohji [Yamamoto], definitely. Haider incredibly flexible. When I do a show I don’t chop the [Ackermann], too. Missoni definitely does. I guess you end up doing what’s head off and just think about the hair. I take a lot of right for you. I used to do really big advertisers all the time. I did Louis Vuitton other things into consideration, like the pace the girls for 15 years, Prada for maybe 12 years, Versace, Valentino, Calvin Klein, and walk at, the fabric and materials the clothes are made then Donna Karan, which I’m still doing. I always get people who have a very of, and how they move. Is there a lightness to them? strong notion about what they do—you look at it, and you know it’s them. I What’s the music like? When you listen to the music have coats from Yohji that are 26 years old and I can still wear them, because you really understand the woman. You’re not just they’re not trend-based. They’re just beautiful clothes. That’s the difference. looking at clothes on a model. There are some designers who are more like stylists, and then there are Do you ever disagree with a designer’s ideas designers who are actual designers. For sure, someone like Azzedine Alaïa about hair? is a designer. Then there’s someone like Marc [Jacobs], who designs with a When that happens, I’ll give the designer what they total look in mind. That’s what’s really great about right now. There’s a ton of missoni spring 2014 want, and then I give them what I think it could be. diversity around.
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I guess I’m known for work that has a very distinct point of view for sure. I try to find the balance between something that is very strong and something that is very beautiful.
gettY imAges (5); mcqueen: courtesY c H r i s m o o r e /c At WA L k i n g . c o m
chic Biz
WALL OF
FAME
How superagent Brooke Wall turned a weekend gig scheduling haircuts for Oribe into a bicoastal home for the top backstage players. BY EDDIE ROCHE PHOTOGRAPHY BY GIORGIO NIRO
FA S H I O N W E E K D A I L Y. C O M
How did you land in New York? My best friend was modeling in the city, so I moved here with her and ended up meeting Oribe, through mutual friends. I started working for him booking appointments at his salon on Saturdays. We became fast friends. What was he like back then? He’s a very unique person. At the time he was working with Steven Meisel and François Nars. He really understood how to bring out the best in a woman, through their hair and makeup. He made them all feel like they were Christy Turlington. And sometimes they were. Absolutely. It was the ’90s, and Christy, Kate [Moss], Linda [Evangelista], and Naomi [Campbell] used to come into the salon on weekends. We had robes made for them with their names on the back. We’d shoot with them during the week, so we were all friends. It was like a party all the time. After that, you went to work for Ford Models. What was that like? I started the beauty division and represented Oribe, Jenny Cho, and a handful of other hairstylists, stylists, and makeup artists. My office was right next to Eileen Ford’s, and even though she was retired, she would come in and sit beside my desk and tell me stories about the old days and what it takes to be a good agent. She taught me that the biggest thing is being honest with your talent and the people you work with because it only improves them. To hold back information, which a lot of agents do, mostly out of fear, is not beneficial for you or the talent. Eileen was very harsh sometimes, even with young girls, but it made sense and really resonated with me. I only saw that characteristic as being a gift and valuable to people, even if she was viewed as a bitch. Are you a bitch? Yeah! We’re both Aries women in touch with our masculine sides. I’m much better now than I was when
I first started the business. I was really tough. When did John Frieda come knocking? I was at Ford for two and a half years when he approached me to start a stand-alone agency with him. At the time, I thought he was crazy. I asked him why he thought I could do it, and he said that I was the only agent in the city who had called him, instead of the other way around. I finally committed to the idea, and with Katie Ford’s blessing started The Wall Group. That was probably the hardest year of my life. What did Mrs. Ford think? Everyone though she was going to kill me. There was a Christmas party at the end of the year, and
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it’s all about the three P’s: passion, precision, and professionalism.
I knew she was going to be there, so I was bracing myself. She just said, ‘I’m going to miss you!’ It was so unexpected, and so nice. Why was the first year so hard? It’s New York City! Even getting phone lines was challenging. I started the office in John’s apartment. He was growing his hair business and I was running the agency. I only had one assistant for the first two years. We ended up moving to the Meatpacking District, and there were no phone lines along 14th Street. We had to pull phone lines from the back of Jeffrey’s—basically steal them—and rope them along the back of the building. What’s The Wall Group like today? We’re based in New York and Los Angeles and represent some of the best behind-the-scenes talent in beauty, fashion, production, and design. We pride ourselves on being ahead of the curve and staying
on top of trends in the industry and educating ourselves as much as we possibly can. We rep everyone from Lori Goldstein to Leslie Fremar to Kate Young to Danilo. What percentage of your clients have something to do with the looks on the Golden Globes red carpet? Seventy percent of the people we represent. Wow. What qualities do you look for in talent? Well…talent! We were saying recently that maybe it’s all about the three P’s: passion, precision, and professionalism. You’re also very close with Ivan Bart and Desiree Gruber, who are industry powerhouses. We’re very good friends. I would be lying if I said we didn’t talk about work a lot, but we also talk about life. Anyone who is working hard and is successful gravitates toward people who are sharing the same life experiences and have the same qualities. You compare notes all the time. It’s fun. Why do you think you’re good at what you do? I have thought about this, and I’m very good at observing people and their qualities. I’m able to pinpoint their strengths and help them utilize those strengths to succeed in their career path. Is that something that comes naturally? It’s a gift. I really enjoy helping people succeed, which, in turn, creates success for us. Are you good at negotiations? I love negotiationg. I’m a bit of a deal junkie. Do your clients ever have breakdowns where you have to play mommy? I’m not very good at that. I’m very much a pull-yourself-up-by-yourbootstraps agent. Now is not the time for a breakdown—it’s time to go pro. But these jobs are hard. My clients aren’t doing open-heart surgery, but there is real pressure to deliver and be successful.
Naomi Watts
Reese Witherspoon
Olivia Wilde Cate Blanchett Jennifer Garner
Elizabeth Moss
Bradley Cooper
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CHIC Dreamer and they know about storytelling. We came out of the gate and started talking to You grew up on a farm in Australia, right? big brands that we thought needed a sense of fun, from Old Navy and Target to all I did. My parents are hardworking farmers in a quite remote part of the country. They started with avocados and then moved to sugar cane and tea-tree oil. There the big department stores. In the early days we had a really hard time competing was a time when farming subsidies went under and the only way they could keep against the bigger fashion agencies. We really needed small fashion work. We were the farm was to seduce Japanese tourists to come and fish for crabs in their river taking any job we could get that had fashion, beauty, or retail and just building it with crab traps. into our book. That’s different! What would you say your specialty is? My twin brother and I would come home from school and put crabs into the traps At the core it’s this idea of a wink, and it’s manifested in different ways. We had a so the tourists thought they pitch today for someone with had caught them the next a really big, generous budget, day. We were putting on a and there were seven other show, and that’s what we’re agencies there. I’m sure they actually doing now with my came expecting us to do a business. Putting on a show million-dollar photo shoot for people, not sell them a with one great big model and product. call it a day. Instead, we came What does that entail? at it in a totally different People need to tell stories way. We came in and ripped about products and around the whole thing apart services that are engaging and tried to and make you want to hear approach it more, learn more, and get differently involved, as opposed to Are you full of just saying, ‘We have this ideas? sweater; it’s $50.’ That I’m really curious sounds easy, but it’s not. and really What made you decide to impatient. launch Chandelier Creative? For what? The Internet was booming; What’s around people were looking for the corner. I’m content. We started working always embracing in my kitchen for probably change. Your office six months. Then I got a job is filled with from Nordstrom. I knew old books and someone there very well, and teacups. A bit they wanted to come to New old-fashioned for a York and see the office to futurist, no? make sure we could handle it. They represent a Problem was we didn’t have backstory. You’ll an office. We took an empty also notice there space on 21st street that we rented, and we bought are no plastic desks from a flea market plates or cups in and painted them all black. this office and no I found all these guys on plastic spoons or Craigslist to sit at the desks forks. That stuff and type and pretend that has no meaning. they worked there. It’s disposable. If you’re That’s clever! going to make something, We didn’t have enough make it beautiful and really outlets, so the computers respect the craft that it took were all facing the walls so to make it. The digital kids you couldn’t see that the forget this, but I really screens didn’t turn on, and respect it. the cleaner was outside Why do you throw such dialing the phones to make Since 2005, Chandelier Creative founder Richard Christiansen has been elaborate Christmas sure the lines were always churning out some of the most inventive and ambitious campaigns in parties? ringing. We were faking it until To thank the team in my fashion. Bergdorf Goodman, Old Navy, and Moda Operandi are true be- office, because they bust their we made it. We were at that point where we had no more lievers. Are you? BY EDDIE ROCHE PHOTOGRAPHY BY GIORGIO NIRO asses all year long. Last year money left, and we would have was our biggest year. We’ve closed down had we not gotten that job. We got the job, and it went onward been so busy and so disconnected and travel so much, it’s rare that I get a chance and upward. to stand at the front door and shake the hands of 700 people and look them in the Did you keep the actors? eye and say thanks for helping us do what we do. It’s an act of gratitude. It’s also No! All the people working in the office now are real employees. I had never run an nice to do something totally selfish. If we want to build a castle out of ice and have agency before. We just hit the ground running. a drag queen as Santa, let’s do it. Let’s have 40 crazy waiters and build a Garden of What was Chandelier trying to do back then? What was the business plan? Eden. Whatever we want to do, we do. We were sort of knocking on doors to try to pitch against Laird and Lipman and Do you feel successful? Lloyd. We were, and still are, the new kids on the block. We had all come from I don’t think about it one way or the other, really. I don’t think there’s a yardstick to print backgrounds, fashion magazine backgrounds, so everyone was fast and measure that stuff by. I feel lucky that I get to come to work and do the thing I love knew the cadence of stuff. I always hire people from magazines—they’re fast every day. My mum and dad busted their asses to keep a farm. Now that’s hard.
THE
SHOWMAN
FA S H I O N W E E K D A I L Y. C O M
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY
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CHIC Launch
P X E S S E R MES I T O T
E R A SQU er ion pione jor h s a f t s a a As f ps for a m ht e r p s s e r ug Exp ng, we ca id i n e p o l i av reta esident D r p h t i w d! up All aboar ER . g r e b n r G Ko REDDIN E G I A P BY APHY BY R G O T O PH NIRO GIORGIO
you’ve been with express for 14 years now. how has the brand evolved? The biggest change has been the growth of technology. Today, 15 percent of our business is done online, so in a very short period we’ve managed to leapfrog a lot of the competition in terms of our e-commerce business. We’re now an omnichannel brand, which is about giving our customers what they want, how they FA S H I O N W E E K D A I L Y. C O M
want it, where they want it, when they want. It doesn’t matter if they’re doing it on their computer or in a brick-and-mortar store, or if they’re using a computer inside a brick-and-mortar store. But the store experience remains key. We have a new format, which enhances the shopping experience in a more modern and elevated environment.
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What does that entail? You’ll see it in the new Times Square location when it opens, and you can see it at 51st and Madison now, and in our store in the Flatiron, across the street from our design studio. Obviously, New York is a market that is at the heart of the brand. That’s why we’re opening in Times Square. how big is that space going to be? We’ll have 22,000 square feet of selling space. It will be our biggest store. We’ve wanted to be in Times Square for a while. The opportunity presented itself to us, so we went for it. how hard is it to secure retail space in times square? You have to have a very strong real estate department. We started looking at spaces in the Times Square area about three years ago. how does express compete with other fast-fashion retailers? I think the important thing is that we offer a product with an improved level of quality and a high perceived value. It’s also important that we develop a product that emotionally connects with the customer and that we’re on the pulse of fashion. I think the other way in which we connect with our customer is that we have four wearing occasions. When you look across the mall in the retail environment, there aren’t that many people who are focused on the needs of the customer’s life and lifestyle. It’s something that differentiates us very much from the competition. how would you describe the express customer? We target a 22-year-old girl and a 27-year-old guy. That doesn’t mean that we don’t have customers who shop with us in their teens and customers who are a lot older. Our customers are hot on what’s happening, hot on what the trends are, and hot on technology. They live their life on their phone and their iPad, and they know what’s going on in fashion. Would express ever do designer or celeb collabs? I would say stay tuned. What can we expect from the new store? We are in a landmark building that we have put an enormous effort into reconstructing. It looks fantastic. Our billboard is 8,000 square feet and is the highest-resolution billboard ever in Times Square. We can do fantastic things on it. What do you expect in terms of sales and foot traffic? We’re in one of the highest profile and highest trafficked locations in the world, and we’re looking forward to great things. We’re preparing for it to be our number one store in many ways. how many stores does express have worldwide? More than 620. And, obviously, there’s also the store that’s on your phone and on your tablet. David Kornberg and express face elsa hosk Who shoots and casts
Our customers are hot on what’s happening, hot on what the trends are, and hot on technology. They live their life on their phone and their iPad.
the campaigns? Our creative team from the home office handles all the campaign essentials in terms of the way it operates. We pull from the top photographers and stylists in the industry. For instance, we did a campaign shoot for March with Lachlan Bailey, who’s one of the most desirable photographers in the industry at the moment. Our stylist was Veronique Didry; she trained under Emmanuelle Alt. We use Gucci Westman as a makeup artist quite frequently. I think her aesthetic is perfect for the brand. She just really knows how to customize per model and get the right look. And we’ve used top models Elsa Hosk, Magdalena, Isabeli, and Jourdan Dunn. The whole look and feel of the campaign is always very modern, sexy, and cool. What’s the men’s versus women’s business like? I’ve got to tell you, the fundamentals are the same. The rate of change is much faster on the women’s side. What’s the percentage? We run about 65 percent women’s, 35 percent men’s. Do the guys shop more online than in the store versus the women? It’s pretty even in terms of the way that we see it. I think both men and women are very connected in every way. They’re all fashion savvy. When you look at our age and our demographic, they’re all online. As we see it, there are key categories in which they are quite comfortable with shopping online. are there any categories you want to grow or maybe even create? We’ve just recently moved into lounge and active, and we’re very excited about what we’re learning in those categories. We’ve also gone into the swim business online, and we’re testing that in a number of stores this spring. The footwear business in women’s is really doing very well for us, and that’s also new. You’ll see that in a great way in the Times Square store. What’s the goal for express in the next 10 years? I would like to see Express going from a $2 billion a year business to a $5 billion a year business. We are growing new categories, and we are growing our international business through franchising. In the past year, we’ve opened in Central and South America. We’re in Mexico, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Peru, and we’re in the Middle East in a number of countries. We’re also going into the outlet business, which we’re opening in the spring season.
all photos courtesy express
CHIC
Musts Aquatalia Spring/ Summer 2014 is city chic, party pretty and resort ready. We kick the season off with blush ankle boots and silver pumps in classic shapes, and move into May with quirky raffia flats and strappy coral sandals. Then, we embrace summer with studded gladiators, linen sneakers, and bright lime green wedges. Finally, glossy snakeskin clutches and butter-soft suede totes are a perfect complement throughout the season. —Rena Krasnow, vice president, design
AQUATALIA $425
Eden bag
$350
Aurora shoe
FA S H I O N W E E K D A I L Y. C O M
$425 Ingrid
$425 Koala
$450
$398 Carrie
$398
$325
$425
$398
$395
$525
Emila
Juliet
Catarina
$375
$298
$398
$398
$398
$395
$525
$398
$450
Cherish
Ember
Abbie
$425
Charmant
Georgie
$398
Catarina
Deidre
Frankie
Asia
Hailee
Nella
Effie
$395
Ilka
Caitlyn
$325
Brandy
Angelina
$350
Felice
Maureen
$425 Eden
$395 Brandy
$375
Claudia
$395
$425 Hue
Brandy
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY
i M x EXTRA!
REFLECTING! With Diane von Furstenberg So, the wrap dress is 40! It’s crazy! I completely took that dress for granted, even though it paid all my bills, bought my house, paid for my children’s education, made me famous, and put me on the cover of Newsweek. Sometimes, I even resented it. When did you start embracing the wrap dress? Last year, I decided I was going to honor it. I never thought that I made a fashion statement. Its timelessness is just incredible. Why did you really move the show to Spring Studios? It was an anniversary show, so I wanted a break. That’s it!
Fix
Sasha Luss
Karlie Kloss
Eva Chen
DEEP THOUGHTS! With Fran Lebowitz
Jessica Hart
DvF, Wrap Star! SCENE
Tommy and Dee Hilfiger
SUCH A TRIP! With Karen Elson What’s it like to open a show, like you did at DvF? I feel terrified! One of my legs is bigger than the other and I have poor eyesight at night. I’m excited when I make it without falling! I’m prone to tripping. I’m spatially unaware. Let’s talk about Diane. She’s the queen! The wrap dress represented the woman’s movement and, dare I say, sexuality. She’s incredibly sophisticated and elegant. She’s a force to be reckoned with.
Bella Thorne, Zoey Deutch, AnnaSophia Robb, Paris Hilton, and Nicky Hilton
Diane von Furstenberg went big—and downtown—for her always-epic show on Sunday afternoon to celebrate the iconic wrap dress’s 40th birthday. Held at Spring Studios, DvF’s scalloped catwalk brought out the likes of Tommy and Dee Hilfiger, Bella Thorne, AnnaSophia Robb, Natalie Joos, and rapper Wale, along with all of our fave editors. ☛ Plus, there was a live performance during the show by St. Vincent, aka Annie Clark,, who crooned three songs, including a duo of previously unheard tracks. ☛ When DvF took her bow, gold confetti rained down while the designer shimmied around with her mods, who were clad in gilded frocks. ☛
Diane told us she used to resent the wrap dress. Really? It’s my impression that it made her career. You’re very often associated with your first hit. What do people associate you with? I have no idea! Luckily, I don’t have a computer, so I don’t have to find out what people say about me. And I don’t care! No interest in Googling yourself? No, I don’t think I’d check up on myself. People who do that drive themselves out of their minds. It invites disaster. Cindi Leive, Joe Zee, and Robbie Myers
CRACKING UP! With Jourdan Dunn Bee Shaffer, Anna Wintour, and Barry Diller
What do you think of the American sense of humor? We’re drier in the U.K. We can take the piss out of ourselves a bit more. Who are your favorite British comedians? I don’t really like British comedians. I prefer comedians like Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock.
Kelly Rutherford
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Makeup artistry by Charlotte Willer. ©2014 Maybelline LLC.
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