The Daily Front Row

september 7, 2018

tom

cat

meow!

ford’s

ferocious new look

nightlife report

Who dared to party

with Gigi and Cardi?

Alber Elbaz Nicole Miller giUseppe zanotti victor sanz iman

AMERICAN SOUL SINCE 1830 THE MISEDUCATION OF LAURYN HILL 20TH ANNIVERSARY WOOLRICH.COM

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Haze Khadra, Gigi Hadid, and Simi Khadra

Cardi B

What did you eat today?

Brandusa Niro

Editor in Chief, CEO Deputy Editor Eddie Roche

Henry Golding

“Waffles with maple syrup and strawberries— carb bonanza!”

Executive Editor Ashley Baker

Managing Editor Tangie Silva

SCENE

Pom Klementieff

“An Italian sandwich with not one but two types of prosciutto, and yesterday’s iced latte dregs.”

The fabulous Tom Ford took over the Park Avenue Armory for a celebrity-stocked runway show before finishing off the night with a raucous after-party. • Nina Garcia, Adam Stotsky, and Ivan Bart hit The Pool for E!, Elle, and IMG’s kick-off party. • Alber Elbaz and friends rocked the house at Spring Studios to toast his new collection for Lesportsac.

E! + ELLE + IMG party Coco Rocha Hannah Bronfman

Creative Director Dean Quigley Contributing Editor Alexandra Ilyashov Digital Director Charles Manning Fashion News Editor Aria Darcella

Contributing Art Directors Teresa Platt, John Sheppard Contributing Photographer Giorgio Niro

“Leftover salad I defrosted in the microwave.”

Contributing Photo Editor Hannah Turner-Harts Contributing Copy Editor Joseph Manghise Imaging Specialists George Maier, Neal Clayton

TOM FORD

Devon Windsor, Nadine Leopold, Shanina Shaik, and Caroline Lowe

Dan Ragone

President & Chief Revenue Officer Olivia Culpo

Suki Waterhouse

“Whatever Tangie ordered for lunch, washed down with dozens of cans of La Croix.”

Abbey Lee Kershaw

Fashion Publishing Director Monica Forman Luxury Account Director Betsy Jones

Nina Garcia, Nicki Minaj, and Stephen Gan

“Zucchini and tomatoes from my garden.”

Advertising & Sponsorship Director Francine Wong Marquita Pring

Digital Operations Director Daniel Chivu Manufacturing Operations Michael Esposito Amy Taylor

Suzy Menkes and Alber Elbaz

The Daily Front Row is a Daily Front Row Inc. publication. Copyright 2018. All rights reserved.

Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited.

Requests for reprints must be submitted in writing to: The Daily, Attn: Tangie Silva, 810 Seventh Avenue, Ste. 400A, New York, NY 10019

On the cover: Joan Smalls on Tom Ford’s Spring 2019 runway.

Photo courtesy Tom Ford.

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FALL 2018

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SCENE

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WSJ.’s Kristina O’Neill and Anthony Cenname took over Metrograph to celebrate the mag’s 10th anniversary. • Nicky and Simone Zimmermann kicked off chic week with a dinner at La Mercerie. • Remember summer? The Daily and Out East Rosé bid adieu to this special season with a chicster-stocked soirée at Topping Rose House in Bridgehampton, complete with a Sugarfina candy bar, a Motus Booth, and goodies from John Frieda, Supergoop!, Maybelline, and, of course, Out East Rosé.

Ashley Baker and Fern Mallis Betsy Jones and Gretchen Maull

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RUNWAYReport

Tom FORD Fearless, ferocious, and fabulous! Tom Ford kicked off chic week with an ultra-luxe rendition of his signature silhouettes— strong-shouldered blazers, saucy pencil skirts, exotic outerwear, and some strategically placed feline prints. Especially covetable: the semi-sheer LBDs and draped, fringed dresses.

FA S H I O N W E E K D A I LY. C O M

GUTTER CREDITS tk

c o urtes y t o m f o rd

BY ashley baker

FA S H I O N W E E K D A I LY. C O M

GUTTER CREDITS tk

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must-haveCollab

Alber’s world

Many in the fashion industry were heartbroken when Alber Elbaz stepped away from Lanvin in 2015. But thanks to a new collaboration with LeSportsac, the jovial designer with the adorable bow-tie collection is back to shine a little of his light on us once again. Oh, Alber, how we’ve missed you!

BY CHARLES MANNING

FA S H I O N W E E K D A I LY. C O M

How’d your collaboration with LeSportsac come about?

I took a few years off [after leaving Lanvin] and I was traveling the world and I thought, since fashion is such a bag industry, let me go to a bag company. Also, walking and walking and walking around the world, you see that so many people are wearing fabric bags now. So, let’s see what other opportunities are there.

Here is a company that has so much history, and with those specific bags, what I really had to do was sketch.

Because the bags already existed; the shapes were already there. So I sketched a lot of women because I think we are in an era of women, so just for love and support, here I am. All about women.

Did you make any discoveries in the process of designing your collection? Any surprises?

What surprised me was that everything can be done! If

you need a special zipper, they can make it. If you need a special technique, they will search for it. There are no limits, in a way. You think a big company will be all about limits and formulas, but it wasn’t, and that was a real pleasure.

You’ve done a lot of collaborations over the years— H&M, Lancôme, Frederic Malle, Converse—what draws you to this sort of work?

It’s a big question: Why are there so many collaborations in the world? What is it that now is really pushing everyone to collaborate? What happened? I mean, what really happened? The why is always more interesting for me than the what. Is it that we are looking for community? Are we feeling lonely, so we want to work together? Is it about looking for knowhow? Is this all about promotion? I think that it’s all of

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IN THE BAG Elbaz and ads from his collaboration with LeSportsac.

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the above. We create communication. We work with people we love. And I think we create a better product.

How has your relationship with the fashion industry changed since leaving Lanvin? Are you still close with the same editors and designers you were friends with back then?

Yes. With everyone. With absolutely everybody. With my colleagues, friends, with people from the industry. You know, we have a very specific reputation in fashion, but we are a hard-working industry. There are a lot of good people in fashion. A lot of loyal people. I have never experienced someone not talking to me because I am no longer Alber from YSL or Lanvin, because I was always just me.

That’s nice to hear. That isn’t everyone’s experience.

Have you seen André Leon Talley’s documentary, The Gospel According to André?

No, I haven’t yet.

He talks about feeling abandoned by the industry when his place in it changed…

I have a lot of friends who are journalists, and I always get along well with writers and journalists. The reason is, I want to be with them—not because I want to be mentioned in articles, but because I’m really inspired by stories, by words. So it was always kind of interesting for me to be with journalists, to listen to what they had to say. Journalists aren’t fake news.

They are real news.

Do you miss working at a big, luxury fashion house?

I miss people. I’m still working. Fashion is very much about the street, right? That is what I read in every publication, so it’s not a bad idea to go down the street and look at fashion to see how it’s being translated, to see what is it that people are wearing in the end. What it is that they need. If I miss [working for a luxury house], it is because this is what I’ve done all my life, but I think that sometimes you have to put certain things on hold and not to be in your comfort zone. When you’re not in your comfort zone, other things come to you. So, yes, I miss the work, but mostly, I miss the people.

Are there any defunct fashion houses you’d like to see make a comeback?

Many. You know what? No. I take that back. A few.

Care to elaborate?

I’ll keep that info for myself. [Laughs] My mother always told me I should be in politics.

Would you ever go into politics?

Never! Are you kidding? Please! What a question. No, no, no, no. I don’t tweet either, by the way.

Why not?

Because Donald [Trump] does.

What’s a typical day like for you now?

It depends on the day. It depends on the mood. It depends on the weather. No formula. No codes.

Everything goes.

Now that you’re not working full-time, do you indulge in any daytime TV? I love TV. I always have. It’s kind of a meditation for me. Am I watching more TV? No. I’m not into so many different shows anymore. I see some late in the evening and, you know, once you start, you cannot stop. I find myself at six in the morning with another episode.

Which shows are you loving right now?

So many different ones. I go from one to another.

I mean, it’s really a phenomenon. The [TV] series took over the movie industry, in a way. I love movies, though. When the movies are amazing, they take you to another land. You can go from New York to New

TEAM PLAYER (Clockwise from top right) Elbaz’s previous work with Converse, Frederic Malle, Lancôme, and H&M.

“

I have never experienced someone not talking to me because I am no longer Alber from YSL or lanvin, because i was always just me.”

Mexico within a second. Just popcorn and you’re there!

What was the last great film you saw?

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. I think the movie was…you know, I can’t even say it was because the movie is. I mean, it still lives in me. Between the storytelling, the message, the moral, and what a Wonder Woman [Francis McDormand] was… And somehow, you see that in order to be Wonder Woman, you don’t have to be an ex-model. You can just be a good mother who fights!

You’ve got such a distinctive signature style, with all your scarves and bow ties. What’s the story there?

Maybe I try to take the attention from my face, so

people look more at the bow tie and not at me, if you know what I mean.

Oh, my God, but you’re the cutest thing ever!

I don’t know what to do. [Laughs] I am telling you too many things right now.

I was just watching an Instagram video of you dancing at the Met Gala, and it was just so joyful and adorable. I love your look.

Thank you.

You always look so great in photos.

Trust me, I work very hard to look okay in photos.

Between the angle and the light…you think Marlene Dietrich was difficult? Trust me, I’m more difficult.

FA S H I O N W E E K D A I LY. C O M

bestDresses

Thoroughly

modern miller Nicole Miller explored her own archives in order to create a capsule collection, filled with her greatest hits circa the 1980s, subtly tweaked to feel very au courant.

Ahead of its release and her Spring ’19 show, the designer fills in your Daily on her trip down memory lane.

Where did you get the idea to launch a vintageinflected capsule collection?

I’ve noticed people have been copying a lot of my old dresses, so it just seemed like a trend—this longer, drape-y, kind of ’40s style dress that I used to make in the ’80s. There really is a movement for looser-fitting dresses. People have been begging and clamoring for my old dresses, buying them up on eBay. Christene Barberich from Refinery29 found an old dress of mine, and she posted a photo of it on Instagram—it was pretty cool. This idea [of revisiting the look] has been on my mind; I tried to do it three years ago, but I couldn’t really get the sales part behind it. Now, the timing is right.

I dug up some of my old vintage prints and had them reprinted on a vintage-y disco drape. I’m excited about [Nicole Miller Vintage]; it’s come together really nicely.

Some pieces are new styles that look like old ones, and FA S H I O N W E E K D A I LY. C O M

some are exact [replicas] of our old styles—yet they look totally contemporary. The dresses will be priced in the $200 range.

Any favorite prints from the collection?

There’s a funny print with little paint tubes on it. It’s really cute! I have a picture of Belinda Carlisle from the Go-Go’s wearing one dress—she’d shortened it, because it was actually a long dress. I found one in a Melrose Avenue thrift shop a few years back, and then, I found a few other pieces from that exact same [print] group. I resurrected that print; some have more of a ’40s look, and some are more conversational.

Where do you keep your archives?

I have a whole big archive closet downstairs [at the brand’s HQ], which has the looks from all the fashion shows, starting from Spring ’91, our first one. But a lot of these dresses predate that—I made them before I did

fashion shows—so they came from a different closet, which has a lot of fun ’80s stuff in it.

What’s the mood of your Spring ’19 collection?

Nostalgic and timeless. I have used a lot of ideas that came from the archives closet, but literally everything is newer and updated. There’s a little bit of an ’80s influence, but I didn’t want to get too caught up in one period or one time zone. The collection has a lot of very contemporary dresses.

Any favorite silhouettes you’re loving for fall?

I’m sure I’m not the only person doing this, but I do love a long, oversize blazer. I began last fall, and there was a lot on my runway, but for Spring. I made it bigger and longer, and tweaked some of the details. The jacket is like the length of a short dress now. Blazers weren’t around for a while, and now, the blazer is definitely back! It’s just got to be a little more interesting.

d a r i o c a n tat O r e / g e t t y i m a g e s ( 1 ) ; a l l o t h e r s c o u r t e sy

BY ASHLEY BAKER

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RETRO VIBES Looks from Nicole Miller Vintage, which will hit stores in early spring.

Which hues or prints are you into this season?

A lot of neon touches, and prints like leopard. You know, remnants of the ’80s! It’s hard to find a good leopard.

Mine is actually a cheetah print! I’m not sure what the difference between a cheetah and a leopard print is…but I got it from an actual vintage piece of fur.

What were you doing in the ’80s? You have this very cool history with that particular time…

I was just going to Studio 54, and then I was going to Area. The No. 1 club was called Tier 3; nobody seems to remember that, but I remember that being fun! And The Mudd Club, of course. Can’t forget The Mudd Club.

What kind of a time was that for you in fashion?

It was really fun. Everything was really fun back then.

Everybody is a little serious now, but it’s funny when you look back—a lot of it looks pretty bad. I never had one of

those silly shag hairstyles, but I definitely had my share of hoop earrings. Going out, everyone had mesh, lace, stuff like that.

What else is new in the world of Nicole Miller?

I have a lot of trips and personal appearances coming up. I’m going to Paris for three days for the fabric shows, and then to London in October for the art fair, and then I’ll be in Philadelphia and St. Louis for events. There’s also a trunk show in L.A. There will be a lot of traveling.

How do you feel about castings these days—do you gravitate toward any particular models?

It’s just not like the old days, you know? Before, I would slit my wrists if I didn’t get Naomi [Campbell]—now, there are so many great girls. There’s always this core group that I use, and I’m really happy with who we get.

How will you celebrate post-show?

I’m going waterskiing the next day!

“

there really is a movement for looserfitting dresses. people have been begging and clamoring for my old dresses, buying them up on ebay.”

FA S H I O N W E E K D A I LY. C O M

BIGPersonality

Made In

New York Dilone, the face of DKNY’s newest viral ad campaign, gives us a glimpse inside her crazy, busy, joyful world.

BY CHARLES MANNING FA S H I O N W E E K D A I LY. C O M

What’s your earliest memory of DKNY? My sister had a lot of clothes from DKNY, but I think my first memory of their campaigns was when Cara Delevingne was standing on the taxi. I thought that was awesome.

What do you like about your own DKNY campaign— is there anything about it that feels different from other work you’ve done?

It’s just a lot happier, which is really nice. Fashion can be really serious a lot of the time, but this campaign was just about expressing yourself and letting that shine. I thought that was cool.

How did you become interested in fashion?

I watched America’s Next Top Model religiously, but I didn’t know anyone in fashion until I met my cousin. My uncle passed away, and she lived in the city and came out to Long Island for the funeral. She was a stylist and told me I should be a model.

How did the reality of modeling differ from what you had seen on TV? From watching America’s Next Top Model, I kind of expected it to be difficult. I never expected it to be easy in any way. You hear so many horror stories. I’m grateful that I haven’t had any bad experiences. I’m really tough, and I’ve been working since I was 12 years old, so I’m like, “Eh, it could be worse.” I’m probably more shocked than anything at how great it’s been.

What job were you doing at age 12? You weren’t modeling yet, were you?

All my brothers and sisters worked at a restaurant, and during the winter, they needed a coat check girl. I could barely reach the coat hangers, but I got paid like $300 for the weekend. For a 12-year-old, that’s pretty great.

What did you do with your earnings?

I’m not the best with money. I really believe that money comes and goes, and if you give it away, it’s always going to come back. My sister wanted to buy these stud earrings for her boyfriend, so I gave her the money.

Your modeling career didn’t take off right away—and you even walked away from the business at one point.

What made you decide to give it another shot?

I was with a different agency at the time, and they didn’t really believe in me. They teased me for my Dominican curls, and then they let me go. I was working as a

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the daily is:

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waitress, and I met a few cool photographers who were like, “You should totally keep modeling.” I went to see two agencies, and they both said no to me. DNA was the last one, and I told myself, “If this doesn’t work out, then I’m going to pursue acting,” but they gave me a contract right away. I couldn’t believe it. I was like, “Well, this means I am supposed to be doing this.”

You mentioned wanting to act. Are you doing any acting now?

Yeah! Bruce Weber introduced me to this acting manager, Allan Mindel. He’s wonderful. And I’ve been working with a few acting coaches. Naomi Campbell told me to start taking classes at Susan Batson, so I’ve been doing that. I feel really good about it. I’m getting a lot of good feedback so far.

You recently buzzed off your hair. What prompted that?

We are really attached to our hair. When I first started modeling, I actually had really long hair, and it was kind of a crutch. I was just tired of it, so I wanted to get rid of it and show that it’s not something that defines me, that I’m beautiful without it, and that hair grows and not to take it so seriously. At the end of the day, it was just something I did because I wanted to, and that was liberating for me.

Did you tell your agency before or did you wait until after it was done?

I was in Ibiza with this hair stylist, and he was like, “You would look amazing with a buzz cut,” and I was like, “I’ve been wanting to do it for so long, but let me send an e-mail to my agency.” There was a time difference, so I didn’t really give them a chance to respond. But they love it, so I’m happy that it worked out. Everyone keeps complimenting my head shape, which is really funny. It’s not really the kind of compliment you think about receiving.

You have nine siblings. Who are you closest with?

We’re all really close. We have a group chat that never stops dinging and it’s sometimes really annoying, but my older sister, Judy, was like my second mom to me. I called her mom until I was like 16 years old. She brought me to Barnes & Noble almost every week to get me a new book. She gave me my first journal when I was 7 years old—a Hello Kitty journal—and she told me to write down everything. I’m also a writer, aside from modeling, and I thank her for that, because she opened up that creative outlet for me.

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fashion can BE really SERIOUS A LOT OF THE TIME, BUT THIS CAMPAIGN WAS JUST ABOUT EXPRESSING YOURSELF AND LETTING THAT SHINE.”

fresh faces

the scoop on DKNY’s NEW CAMPAIGN DKNY has always proudly repped its hometown. It’s in the brand’s name, after all. For its Fall 2018 campaign, the focus is on one of New York City’s finest attributes, its incredible diversity of people, hailing from a wide array of backgrounds.

DKNY decided to showcase the city’s cultural mélange with a cast of hip influencers: Dilone, Miles McMillan, Alanna Arrington, and Soo Joo Park.

Each campaign star shares a few personal characteristics, ranging from their home turf to their affinities for, say, pizza or dogs. As for Dilone’s self-described personality breakdown, she’s Dominican-born, familyoriented, Queens-bred, a drama queen, and “always keen.” The whole concept is definitely 100 percent chic.

What kind of writing do you do?

Poetry, music, short stories, scripts. Eventually, I would like to get into screenwriting. I just had a wonderful group session. My friend, who’s a producer, invited me to see how it happens—pitching ideas and all that stuff—and it was so cool. That’s kind of a dream for me, somewhere in the future, to be able to write anything.

What else keeps you busy when you’re not modeling?

I’ve partnered with Urban Dove Charter School in BedStuy, Brooklyn. I go there and teach dance whenever I can. It’s hard working with kids, though. I’m not a teacher.

I’ve never taught anything, so I was walking in with this idea that I was going to be their friend and their mentor, and it was a little hard. But I love kids so much.

Do you want to have kids of your own at some point?

I don’t know. If my wife wanted a kid, maybe she could have a kid. Or, even if I end up with a man, maybe I would consider it, but I’d rather adopt. I could imagine myself adopting a lot of kids. There are a lot of kids out there who need homes. I would like to be a mother, but not necessarily a mother to something that looks like me, talks like me, walks like me. That doesn’t interest me, really.

We hear you’re a foodie. What are some of your favorite places to eat in New York?

I like Café Mogador a lot. I’m vegan now, and Paulie Gee’s in Greenpoint has an entire menu dedicated to vegan pizza. It’s, like, my favorite place to go to. They have vegan desserts and all that. Jajaja Plantas Mexicana is a vegan Mexican spot, and everything is so good. They even have ceviche that you would think is actually seafood.

Any post–Fashion Month vacation plans?

I really love to work, and I’m also pursuing music right now. So picking up a guitar and practicing my keyboard, and all these other instruments I’m learning how to play right now, is really where my focus is. I’m trying to expand as an artist. Vacation is just…I don’t really need it.

FA S H I O N W E E K D A I LY. C O M

GLOBALSensation

tumi’s top talent As one of the industry’s most visionary creative directors, Tumi’s Victor Sanz is ensuring that this icon of the travel space evolves into a full-fledged lifestyle brand with ultra-fashionable wares for men and women alike.

INSPIREd TRAVEL Recently, Sanz has visited the Hotel Puerta América in Madrid and the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

FA S H I O N W E E K D A I LY. C O M

How did you end up at Tumi?

Growing up, I always wanted to be an artist, and then I discovered product design and industrial design. I went to school at Pratt Institute, and then got my degree in industrial design. I was recruited right out of college to work for Kodak, designing digital cameras. It was an amazing time, when digital photography was really coming into bloom. I’ve always had a niche for fashion and explored that side of the creative world, but I never wanted to deep dive into fashion in regards to going to a fashion house or anything like that. But then I discovered Tumi, and it was amazing, because they were exploring the cut-and-sew aspect [of fashion design] but with a product design philosophy. Lucky for me, an opportunity arose, and I was brought on board in 2003 to bring a new attitude and younger consumer to Tumi, which at the time, was really known for its black bags. I was creating a ton of collections, and was getting a lot of traction, but then time had passed, and I decided to explore other things. After a while, I realized that my heart was with Tumi, and the CEO at the time called me back to the brand. Right around 2009, we

started a new journey—it was kind of a second phase within Tumi. The brand has opened itself up to new possibilities as we push more into the lifestyle element and collaborate with some really amazing people—artists, DJs, athletes. Just recently, I have been appointed as creative director of the brand. I feel really blessed to be able to be given the keys to the brand, allowing it to flourish even further. Now, I’m traveling the world and designing. It doesn’t get much better!

How many collections are you designing in a year? And give us a sense of the size of the team you oversee.

It varies from year to year, but we’re really focusing on our women’s opportunity here, and the team is actually quite small. It’s a solid core of about seven designers, including myself. Then we have a team of developers, both here in New York and also in Asia. We develop luggage collections and bags, accessories, phone cases, jackets, belts, eyewear… anything that we can think of to help protect that journey and to help our customers.

How much time are you spending on the road?

About six months out of the year. A lot of it is developing

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BY ashley baker

“

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i always travel with prototypes... the point is to abuse it as much as possible so i can fix all the problems early on.”

product—going to different locations where some of the best manufacturers are based. I’m working with them hand-in-hand. I spend a lot of time talking with our teams in different regions, and bringing them up to pace with what the vision of the brand is and how we’re moving that forward. That’s always done in conjunction with gaining that inspiration, discovering new places, and observing how people are traveling. It’s kind of a nonstop mix of design and inspiration and observation.

What are your favorite destinations these days?

When I’m asked that question, I always start thinking about where I’ve had my best meals and the most memorable experiences. The Amalfi Coast is one of my go-to destinations, and whenever I feel like I need to go into the future, Tokyo never disappoints.

You’re really passionate about food—how do you do your restaurant research before a trip?

I usually call a friend from that area. My father was a chef, so food was a big part of my upbringing. But with good company, it doesn’t matter really what the food tastes like at the end of the day—forming amazing memories is becoming more and more important. Even within the design [of the collections], it’s those interactions and conversations we have with people that help bring out the best ideas.

When you travel, are you deliberately hard on your luggage?

I always travel with prototypes, and I’m really, really tough on the luggage. The point is to abuse it as much as possible so I can fix all the problems early on. I want things to break on me—I don’t want the customers to have to deal with that.

I still have one of the first prototypes from the 19 Degree aluminum collection. I said, “I’m going to keep using this piece until I destroy it,” and I haven’t been able to destroy it.

Who else do you enlist to test out new products?

Friends of the brand—like pilots and other trusted folks in the industry—who travel way more than I do. Customers also give us great feedback, and when regulations change or new technology comes out, we implement them into our products.

You’re really pushing the brand into the fashion space— why are you pursuing that direction?

Travel has changed in so many ways, and now, more than ever, luggage is becoming more fashionable. The world is also becoming so much smaller, and people are influenced by so much more. Fashion isn’t just an element or for the elite—everyone has a better understanding of design.

Customers want more from the brand, and we want to give it to them. It’s not so much about the functionality and durability—we execute that at a high level. Now, we’re looking at things that are much more fashionable and have an emotional connection with our customer. People who travel want things that are unique. They know that Tumi develops material that not everyone uses. Design is fashion, fashion is design, fashion is technology, fashion is in the streets, travel is fashion, and we want to make sure that all our products express that.

What’s the story with your new Mezzanine collection?

Nothing irks me more than the fact that women always have to carry two bags with them—their fashionable bag and then a type of work bag. Let’s create one bag that can meet both of their needs, which is what we offer in collections like Mezzanine and Georgica. They’re sleek and clean, but with all the functionality that’s expected of us.

Tell us a little bit about your archive.

Well, it’s surpassing 400 bags now. I had to do a big edit

victor’s FALL MUSTS

19 DEGREE International Carry-on in Fall Foliage, $1,195

LATITUDE Short Trip Packing Case in Blush, $745

MEZZANINE Joan backpack in black leather, $545

FANTASTIC VOYAGES Scenes from Sanz’s March ’18 trip to Paris and Madrid, where TUMI opened new stores.

because I was running out of space! I have vintage bags, military bags, exotic materials that I’ve picked up along the way…. I’ve been collecting Tumi from the first series.

I’m still friends with the founder of Tumi, so if I have any questions, I’ll always ask him. He gets a big kick out of it.

How do you feel when you encounter a 20-year-old Tumi bag that’s still in circulation?

It’s pretty amazing. On a recent trip, I was standing in line at security with a new limited-edition 19 Degree [piece], and the guy in front of me had one of the first luggage collections that I did nearly 16 years ago, and it still looked good on him. I’ve seen pieces that are, like, 35 and 40 years old, and you can see the miles on them, and I’ll say, “How do you like your Tumi? You should get a new one.” They’re like, “No way. This is it. My dad got this one when he got his first job, and now, it’s mine.” There’s a lot of love for the pieces, and it makes me happy to see that the brand creates products that are not disposable.

We don’t create products that end up in landfills. If something does happen to a piece, we can repair it. We’re always looking to improve that journey. If you see me on the road, it will be with some future product in hand. We never stop—we’re always exploring and developing. And there’s lots more to come.

GEORGICA Kamini North-South Tote in Taupe, $495

ALPHA BRAVO Nellis Backpack in Reflective Tundra, $395

FA S H I O N W E E K D A I LY. C O M

lookingAhead

the evolution

Ramy

Designer Ramy Brook’s namesake line has grown with her—and her customers.

BY ARIA DARCELLA Your brand is all about a really confident, sexy attitude. Does that translate into your own wardrobe as well?

Yeah, absolutely! Everything I put on my body really needs to make me feel good about myself. Feeling sexy, for me, makes me feel good, and everything I put on my body has that feel.

You released a second campaign with Martha Hunt and Sebastian Faena. What was it like working with them again?

We always planned to work with them for two seasons, one in the fall and one in the spring. I love working with both of them. Martha is stunning and beautiful, FA S H I O N W E E K D A I LY. C O M

and so great to work with. We’ve become friends— I really like her as a person. The fall and holiday campaign is spectacular, and she’s amazing in it.

Sebastian’s incredibly talented, and he could shoot anybody, anywhere. We have a nice dynamic, the three of us.

Why were you finally ready to do a national ad?

I’ve been in business since 2010. It took a couple of years to get our footing and understand the market, how everything evolved, and business in general. It just seemed time to launch something bigger and national.

Where are you hoping these campaigns will push your brand?

I still want strong brand awareness. Through the campaign, I want people to associate the brand with women getting dressed to feel good about themselves.

And if people go shopping and think, “I have a party, I need something during the day and it needs to take me into night,” I want them to think “Ramy Brook.”

How are you trying to combine the IRL experience with the online experience?

I want it to be the same. I want people who shop on my website to feel the same experience when you go in my store. If you buy online, you can return in my store; if you go into my store and you saw something online that’s not available, we’ll ship it to you. So I want the customer to have a seamless experience, both online and in the store. The brick-and-mortar will definitely follow the lead of our online presence as well.

How has social media changed your brand?

Social media, and working with social media influencers, is important for us. Brand awareness, working with all different types of age groups, models, and influencers…it’s become something that is really just part of our whole plan. It’s all part of our marketing experience. In 2010, I wouldn’t have even considered that part of our marketing budget—now, it’s a big part of it.

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How do you choose influencers to work with?

Some of them come to us. They really love the clothing, and they want to wear it and promote it. Others are [picked] by their followers: How many followers [they have], how well they’re known. We have more than 45 employees, so we speak to them often to see who they like, and who they’re following.

How have your customers’ needs evolved since you first launched?

The customer’s needs, I feel, are the same as my needs.

They are active, they don’t have a lot of time, and they need to feel great in their clothing. They want to look good. I think the biggest change is that everyone is multitasking. It’s not just about wearing one outfit to one thing—you really have to think ahead. What I find with our customers is we’re growing up as a family. A lot of mothers and daughters wear the brand. The girl [who started shopping Ramy Brook] in her late twenties or early thirties is now a mother. So she dresses differently, but it’s still appropriate, and then, as the daughter grows up, she can wear the same clothing. Our brand is just constantly evolving.

Do you ever see yourself starting any sort of offshoot brand?

We talk about a secondary line, and it seems to totally make sense. I definitely see it happening somewhere down the line, but it’s not something that’s on the top of my mind. We’re also working on denim; I want to learn that market. When I started, it was all about a sexy top to go with my jeans. I want to learn how to do [denim], and I feel like I could do it in a novel, great way, and have a great fit.

What was it like going into your first-ever trade show?

Oh, my God, my first trade show, I had no idea what I was doing! I got a 10’-x-10’ booth, and I did it because one of my friends knew the owners of the trade show at the time. She said, “I’ll give you a good spot.” I’m like, great. I literally knew nothing. Everything has changed now. We’re more efficient, and operationally, we’re on point. It’s easy to take orders, to reorder, to show things.

That’s what’s been fun about starting this business not too long ago—I’ve learned a lot!

Do you ever see yourself holding a show during Fashion Week?

Yeah, I would like to do that. I think for my first show, I would probably do a presentation. But I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Let’s discuss your Spring 2019 collection. What can we expect?

It starts delivering in February, so it’s colors that are appropriate—that take you out of the cold weather and bring you into spring. So that’s exciting, and a little bit of a change from the past. As we go to March and April, the prints get bolder, the fabrics are slightly different, and we add a lot of bright colors.

Who do you think most embodies your label?

There are so many celebrities I could probably name, but the truth is, if I set up at a café in New York and I watch stylish women walk by, so many women embody this brand. These are women who are fashionable, they’re smart, they work, or they’re moms in the neighborhood. To me, that’s who embodies this brand.

Any dream celeb models you’d love to work with?

Well, I love Gisele [Bündchen]! She would be the ultimate to me. I love Gigi and Bella Hadid; I think they’re amazing.

And I would also love Cindy [Crawford] and Kaia [Gerber] to do something together. I think that’s totally brandappropriate, and they would both look amazing.

“

what i find with our customers is we’re growing up as a family. a lot of mothers and daughters wear the brand.”

SPRING FORWARD For Spring ’19, Ramy Brook goes bolder and brighter.

Such a chic mother-daughter duo. Do you ever encourage your daughter to experiment with fashion?

No, I like her to wear age-appropriate clothing. I wouldn’t say she’s a “little girl”—she’s 14. That’s an age between an older teenager and a younger teenager. But I definitely like her in age-appropriate clothing, and so does she. At least we’re on the same page!

Does she approve of your style choices?

I think she does, most of the time! Sometimes she’ll say something is too short, or a top is too low. But I think for the most part she really likes it.

FA S H I O N W E E K D A I LY. C O M

shoeLegend WELL HEELED Zanotti with some whimsical styles from his Christian Cowan collab.

Steps

ahead Giuseppe Zanotti is synonymous with ultra-saucy stilettos, and beloved by the likes of Rihanna, Beyoncé, and Lady Gaga. The Italian designer has even taken in Kanye, literally, to school him on the art of shoemaking. This season, Zanotti has joined forces with buzzy young designer Christian Cowan for his NYFW show.

How did the collaboration with Christian Cowan come about?

Christian and I met in New York, and we liked each other.

He has a lot of talent, especially with accessories. I saw his [Fall 18] show, then he sent me some drawings and references. Then, we created a series of prototypes, and six months ago, we started working on a collection. Now, we are ready for the runway!

Why do you believe in Christian’s talent?

Christian is very young, but at the same time, he’s very mature, more so than most young guys. I’m not young at all, and I think we meet at an in-between area. There’s experience and know-how in my case, and good energy and DNA in his case. After years of working with creatives and celebrities, I recognize talented people. He has great ideas and big talent!

Where does your own passion (and talent!) for shoes come from?

I was born in an accessories-producing area of Northeast Italy, but I did not yet fully appreciate the creation of shoes or accessories. My challenge was to invent something different; I had young energy. I was very revolutionary, very crazy at the time! [Laughs] I wanted to change the formula of elegant, feminine stilettos into something super aggressive, super cool.

I was like a UFO! I was doing something strong that people didn’t accept. The first two or three seasons, my business was not so easy.

How did you learn how to design shoes?

I also worked for other fashion designers, and I learned FA S H I O N W E E K D A I LY. C O M

a lot from Gianfranco Ferré, Mr. Valentino in the 1980s.…

I worked with Dior for several years, when John Galliano was the designer; and Roberto Cavalli. I worked with Christophe Decarnin at Balmain for five or six years, too. My experiences directly with fashion designers were important—I had a lot of know-how and solutions.

But when you start your own brand, it’s another kind of business.

What prompted you to go solo?

After 10 or 12 years of experience with others, I started to do something for myself. I had to find my own personality and DNA. I launched my brand as a small business in the U.S., and I showed my first collection in 1992 at The Plaza.

There were 20 or 24 SKUs. Sales were not so tremendous the first season, but the sell-through [of what buyers did order] was 95 percent. The second season was big business, and Season 3 was excellent. Then celebrities, like Madonna, started buying my shoes in stores.

What is the design process like with celebrities?

We need to talk about the kind of performance; sometimes celebrities need 40, 50, 60 pairs for their dancers. Beyoncé was still with Destiny’s Child when I started working with her. Beyoncé is a fantastic performer and she dances very well, and the product needs to use different materials that are resistant for the stage. Even though the shoes are aesthetically the same, we need to use iron inside the heel. Beyoncé wore my sandals to the Grammys three times. It was a success, I was happy, but we worked for three or four months on one pair of shoes. This is not a joke!

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BY ALEXANDRA ILYASHOV

TSTAR (Clockwise from top right) Zanotti’s epic on-tour creations for Lady Gaga and Rihanna; working in the design studio; with a few famous fans, like J.Lo and Nick Jonas; Christian Cowan’s Spring ’19 sketches.

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PASSION IS A STRANGE KIND OF DRUG. IT’S A GOOD DRUG!… MY PASSION NEEDS FRESH BLOOD EVERY DAY, AND FRESH BLOOD IS CURIOSITY. i’m a 61-year-old teenager.”

Do you ever have to dial down a celeb client’s dream shoe?

Lady Gaga loves super, super, super high heels.

Sometimes we discuss and I say, “No! Too high. It’s okay for shooting or video clips but not for dance.” Once, Gaga asked me to do some boots in latex. It was important to find the perfect materials; we found them from a medical supplier, from a hospital! [Laughs] If there’s something impossible to find in the market, [clients] call me, and we try to do it.

Any other really outlandish designs?

When I did shoes for Rihanna with LED lights, we asked an engineer in Japan to take care of the electronics and devices. Sometimes I trouble my company; the time and investment in terms of money is big. But for me, these relationships are important.

How do these custom VIP shoes boost your brand?

It’s not a business matter, it’s for public relations, and relations with artists. And now, with social media, it’s easy promotion, a good advertisement! Fifteen or 20

years ago, social media was not hot like now; it was more personal than advertising. The next step was to start with men. I did shoes with Jared Leto, 2 Chainz, John Legend, Kanye [West]…

How did Kanye encourage you to design for men—and to delve into the sneaker landscape?

We have a great relationship. Kanye was interested in learning the process of production and shoe design, so he moved here—he slept in my home! [Laughs] I used to design only women’s shoes all my life—sexy, feminine stilettos. Never, never, never for men, until Kanye suggested that I create something more unisex, more daytime, but cool, with a lot of rock ’n’ roll elements.

Sneakers with accessories, like zippers or Swarovski crystals…

Were the new, more comfortable Zanotti kicks a hit right away?

Not during the first or second season. Then, Season 3 was a big success; it was an explosion! That was seven years ago, and now, sneakers are so popular.

Do you enjoy designing sneakers as much as scintillating stilettos?

In the beginning, no. I was a little concerned—the sneaker is completely another story, technically, so we bought a company that produces sneakers. I was a bit frustrated at the beginning, but it was also exciting, because I’m close to the music world, and I’m not blind; I saw everybody change their outfits. It was time to accept this challenge, and discover a new universe. After three or four seasons, I became confident that it was a good choice.

You sound really busy. Do you ever unwind?

Passion is a strange kind of drug. It’s a good drug! My brain is busy. For my body, I need to take time to boat.

I like to visit some lovely islands in Croatia or in Italy. I go to Indonesia, Japan, and the Philippines for work, and I’ll take two or three days to visit some museums.

I’m curious. I fight all the time with myself, because my passion needs fresh blood every day, and fresh blood is curiosity. I’m a 61-year-old teenager!

FA S H I O N W E E K D A I LY. C O M

FashionLegend CHIC LEGEND The gorgeous and accomplished multihyphenate.

Irresistibly

iman Iconic supermodel and businesswoman Iman ruled the runways before switching gears to launch a boundary-breaking beauty line. This NYFW, she returns to the catwalks for the first time in nearly 30 years (!)—this time in the front row, at just three shows. Welcome back, darling!

How do you follow fashion these days?

Magazines and websites, but it’s not the same when you’re looking at websites. I’d advise anyone of this generation: Buy those magazines and archive them!

They will be gems 20 to 40 years from now. The feel and touch of things up close like that; it’s irreplaceable.

We’re big print advocates, obviously, so we love hearing that!

Years ago, [David Bowie] bought me the first editions of Flair magazine from the 1950s. I still have them and they inspire me; I get new ideas. We’re not reinventing the wheel, but how do you look at things anew again?

It’s hard. People don’t understand, especially young people now; they live online. But you cannot see India online. You have to go there and smell, feel the senses, be with people.… You can’t replace that!

Tell us more about Flair. Why do you adore it?

I wrote a book called I am Iman in 2000, and most of the design elements and fonts in that book were created for me—and inspired by Flair magazine. I keep on telling kids, “There is nothing better than researching stuff.”

You have to research the hell out of stuff before you can even think that you know it. People say, “Oh, so-and-so discovered nude lipstick.” Hello, it’s been around forever!

But they don’t research; everything is immediate.

You’re going to shows this year!

It’s shocking to me, because I haven’t been to a fashion show since 1989, when I stopped modeling.

Are you serious?

Yes. Why? I was working on creating Iman Cosmetics, which launched in 1994. If I was going to reinvent myself from a model to a businesswoman, I had to divorce myself from one side of fashion and go to another side, to start another path. At the time, I worked with all the designers, so I either had to go to all the shows, or not go to any. I FA S H I O N W E E K D A I LY. C O M

decided I wouldn’t go to any. It stuck. Then the nature of the business and fashion shows changed and became bigger. Before I knew it, I hadn’t been to a show.

So why return now?

Most of the designers have invited me since the minute I stopped modeling. I still get invitations to all the shows. I got a call from Ralph Lauren, for his 50th anniversary; this is a man who was my generation, I did his shows when I was working as a model, and I had a really wonderful relationship with him. I thought to myself, “Oh, my God, if I sit this one out…” He’s my age, maybe a little older, and I will regret it if I don’t go and celebrate him. I mean, we all think we have time, but life has taught me that we don’t have time. So I thought, “I’ll go and celebrate it.” Then I thought, “Oh, s**t. Now that I’ve said yes I’ve opened the door…” There were two other people I wanted to celebrate: Michael Kors, who’s a close friend of mine, and Brandon Maxwell. Because this is it. I’m not returning. I’m not doing this again.

What do you love about Michael?

I’m so close to him. I think he hired me on one of his first collections. I met him and fell in love with his spirit, his clothes, and what he stood for: luxe American sportswear. The beauty of Michael is, he hasn’t changed from that man I met. He’s excited about the same things. He really loves ponchos, and loves meeting his customers. He’ll sell you a dress, right now, like his life depended on it, because he loves dressing women and hearing what they want. I love people whose spirits don’t change just because they’ve become successful.

What about Brandon Maxwell?

Inez [van Lamsweerde] told me about him. I wasn’t going to fashion shows, but I went to meet him. His atelier was literally one room. I saw his first collection and was in awe. I could not believe this guy who designed for Lady Gaga could come up with couture pieces. He’s a master of tailoring. I couldn’t believe his craftsmanship. Literally, I own half of his first collection. I love his stuff; they’re things women buy for themselves. It’s not something I call and say, “Can I borrow?” No, I buy it because I know I will be wearing it for years and years to come.

You are flooded with offers. What makes you say yes to something?

I rarely say yes to anything, because obviously I don’t need the money, and I don’t need the tear sheets. It’s things that make sense to me, people I like to support.

Definitely for Michael and Brandon, I’ll do anything. But that’s basically how it is.

Are you a nostalgic person?

Yes and no. Even at its worst, it keeps you moving forward. Because otherwise, you become stagnant. So many times people say to me, “Oh, the magazines, the models, they’re not what they used to be.” I don’t know what you guys are talking about. There are great models, great designers.… I don’t believe in the idea that old is better. I think it’s ever-evolving. There’s always talent.

How do you take care of your skin, and what’s your fitness routine like? Tell us your secrets!

I just turned 63, so movement, movement, movement.

You cannot be still. It’s the old adage, if you don’t move

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BY eddie roche

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i mean, we all think we have time, but life has taught me that we don’t have time.”

it, you lose it. Basically, it’s true. At this age, I don’t worry about aging. I’m from Africa, and we don’t have that kind of worry or thoughts about aging, you know? It’s like, listen, if you have made it this far, you’re good to go.

What products do you like?

SKII 3D Redefining Mask. The only way to describe it is that if you have a 104-degree flu, and you like look your worst, you put this one and you look like you just came from a holiday in Ibiza. That’s how magical it is.

Iman Cosmetics has been around since 1994, which is pretty impressive.

We stay in our lane; it’s been the same thing since 1994. It was one of the first cosmetics brands created for women with skin of color, which doesn’t necessarily mean black women. The philosophy behind Iman Cosmetics was that I was never interested in the ethnic background of my customers. What was my interest was the skin tone, not where you’re from: So a woman from, say, the Philippines is as dark as my skin tone, and she’s Asian, and there’s a Latina who is blonde with blue eyes, to dark girls like me. From the beginning my best-selling products were always the foundations, and still, 75 percent of my business is foundation. Now, the world is catching up to what foundation means, from Fenty Beauty to what you’re seeing in Sephoras and Ultas, everybody is expanding their foundation shades. We were at the beginning of it, you know what I mean?

Do you wear makeup every day?

Do I wear makeup? No! I have SKII, remember? I look good all the time.

Have you ever met an Iman drag queen?

Yes! Bitches look better than me! Drag queens have better legs than most models. The only place I beat them? I have a skinnier neck. But they have better legs.

What are your favorite #ImanDaily quotes on Instagram?

Oh, it really varies. People keep on asking, “How did you come up?” Basically, I wake up really early in the morning, like 5:30 or 6 a.m. So I usually meditate, and then I start reading books. Whatever I feel that day is what I write. So that’s how works: It can be, “Teach girls to be somebodies instead of somebody’s,” to “Be who you were before all that stuff happened that dimmed your shine.” It really depends. Everybody now knows my hate for Mondays. I can’t stand Mondays.

One of my favorite #ImanDaily quotes recently was “A million likes will never be enough if you don’t like yourself.” Would you have liked Instagram if it had been around when you were in the peak of your modeling career?

I still don’t like Instagram. You know why? It’s a bottomless well that needs to be fed all the time. It’s kind of difficult because I do get it—the more personal it is, the better my followers like it. But they want more of my private life, and I’m not willing to give all my private life. I’m going to impart stories with them that will tell them more about me, and maybe they can identify with. But if they expect a tour of my house, they’re not going to get that. I don’t do that. It’s never going to happen.

How did you meet Bethann Hardison, and what is your relationship like?

She was my maid of honor when I got married to my husband, David Bowie. I’m seeing her tomorrow, she’s coming for lunch—lunch and dinner, because she stays late. I met her when I arrived in New York in 1975. I went to a fitting for Stephen Burrows and she worked with him; she was an assistant, I believe. There were a couple of other models there, and everybody in the room assumed I didn’t speak English. I pretended I didn’t speak English so I could see what people said, freely, in front of me, to learn the business.

I had never worn high heels before and for the life of me, I couldn’t put the heels on. Bethann got on her knees and put them on for me. All the girls in the room were like, “Oh, don’t do that, because everyone is claiming she’s an African princess, now she will expect all of us to get on our knees.” I could hear them, so Bethann looked up at me and said, in English, “You understand everything they are saying?” I said, “Yes.” That’s how we became friends. To me, she really represented the Statue of Liberty; the most welcoming person I met in America when I arrived. She’s been in my life since then.

Send her our love. Do you cook?

Yes. We’re gonna start with roast chicken and God knows where we’ll end up. But she’s staying from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m.

You’ve both have been vocal advocates of diversity, not just on the runway but in the industry. Where do you think we are these days?

Oh, definitely. Bethann actually brought me into this. She called me years ago and told me, “Are you aware that they’re not using black models on the runway anymore?” and she sent me a link from [a story in] The New York Times [about the lack of diversity on the runway]. I was not aware because I wasn’t doing fashion shows and I wasn’t reading about fashion shows. I was flabbergasted.

I said, “What do you mean they’re not using?” I said, “Maybe [designers are] just not using black models that season,” whatever their look or thing was. She said, “No, they haven’t been using black models.” She told me that the nature of it had changed because designers were doing more fashion shows per year, so instead of designers doing their own casting, they hired casting agents. The casting agent comes between the model and the designer, right? So then we found out that some casting agents were telling modeling agents, “Oh, we’re not seeing black models this season,” as if, you know, it was a trend. It just escalated. If Bethann didn’t direct that to me and Naomi, and the three of us hadn’t decided we’d do something about it, I don’t think it would have happened. I mean, we’ve definitely seen the change.

LADY IN RED The mononymous star always dazzles.

Have we made progress as an industry?

Before me, the biggest change was when I started seeing more black models used on the advertising side. As much as you get beautiful pictures in editorial, that’s not where the money is. The runways are where any model, regardless of what color she is, is actually discovered. Come on, everybody’s busy; fashion editors don’t call modeling agents and say, “Show me your new girls.” No, the designers get them for the first time. The casting agent became like the Wizard of Oz. It’s not good for the business. In all honesty, most designers, ones I knew, they’re not racist, right? For people to say, “Oh, I love Beyoncé and Jay-Z, but I don’t wanna hire a black model” doesn’t make sense. The world has changed. The fashion industry, especially magazines, we’re always late in the game in terms of the Zeitgeist. I’ve always said, photography is a powerful tool. The absence of diversity really messes with the self-esteem of young girls who are looking at magazines and adoring and worshipping fashion, and there’s an absence of their images reflected back at them. We have seen major changes from the minute we started addressing it, and the changes have been honest and ongoing.

Hopefully I won’t have to ask you that question again!

Yeah, but I have always said, diversity does not just mean race, it also means gender. It’s not a trend, this is a movement, and people are demanding to be acknowledged. People say, “A seat at the table, it’s great to have a seat at the table.” Who cares? Get your own table! You know, they will change, the new generation.

How’s life as a grandmother?

I’m called Nana! They’re all little now. I’m going to see all three of them together next summer; they’ll all be walking and speaking, which will be great. That’s when the fun begins.

FA S H I O N W E E K D A I LY. C O M

TOTALThrowback

st. john

BY CHARLES MANNING When did you first start modeling for your family’s brand, St. John?

I was 15, and my parents were looking to move the photo shoots from New York to California. They needed a body to test the photographer, and then the pictures ended up in Town & Country. It was my first shoot!

How did you go from modeling in campaigns as a teen to becoming company president in 1996?

I actually started at age 12, at the reception desk. I went off to college, and was floundering miserably—partying and gaining the Freshman 15. I called my dad and said, “This really isn’t for me.” So I went back to work, and they gave me collages to make. I decided to put together an ad budget. We were shooting in California, and I thought we should be shooting in New York, because the California photographers were really slow. I put this FA S H I O N W E E K D A I LY. C O M

confidential book together—Arthur Elgort, Neil Kirk, Peter Lindbergh, Francesco Scavullo—and the company funded my shoot in New York! We had three days. Me and another girl lugged the clothes around in 25 suitcases. We got to New York and, sadly, the photographer we’d booked had had a heart attack and nobody called us, so we got out my black book and started cold-calling people. Somebody volunteered to shoot at night. We came back with beautiful photographs, and on budget. That’s how I got my start in advertising.

When we started advertising, we had one page every other month in Town & Country and when I left [in 2005], we were doing more than 200 pages in the U.S. The St. John ads in the late ’90s were so unusual and intriguing. What was the concept?

The ads were meant to be provocative. Our line was absolutely not. We were conservative, and we dressed lawyers and politician’s wives, but that isn’t very aspirational or fun to look at. So we created this fantasy; the idea was, if you wore St. John, you could be like me and have five men following you around the world.

How involved were you in producing these shoots?

Neil Kirk was our photographer for 15 years or more.

He was my creator, and I was his muse. We’d start with locations. I was chief merchant and creative director for the company, so I’d be midway through developing a collection, and we would think about where we were going to shoot. Then I’d go back to designing, and we’d

make sure we had great clothing to photograph in these magnificent locations.

How much were you spending on these shoots?

Surprisingly, not very much. We used a lot of airline points.

It wasn’t known to be great pay, but everyone wanted to be on St. John shoots. Neil and I would pick a location, get there a day early to scout, and hope for the best.

Tell us about the male models. You were always surrounded by men in those ads.

Neil never liked for me to get too close or to talk to them.

He always wanted to use them positionally and didn’t want a lot of interaction. On one shoot, in Scotland, I actually ended up dating one of the models. I remember seeing him on that first day and saying to Neil, “I don’t like him.

You keep him away from me.” Sure enough, by the next day, I couldn’t stay away from him. We dated for about six months, but that was the first, last, and only time.

You worked with a lot of exotic animals, too. There was that enormous white tiger...

Oh, God, yes! That shoot took place in Nevada, where literally everything is legal—even things that shouldn’t be.

There’s a famous photo of me in a white dress holding a tiger by a chain. I asked Neil, “Can we get somebody else to hold this stupid chain, and just Photoshop it?” He said, “Oh, darling. There are some things that simply cannot be Photoshopped!” So he made me hold the tiger’s chain, and the tiger was really like this giant, playful kitten; it

a l l i m ag e s co u rt e sy

Kelly Gray was the soul of St. John for years, designing collections and starring in ad campaigns for the brand. In 2005, when the company was at its most profitable, she and her family were pushed out. Gray spills about that crazy time—and much more.

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SHE’S GOT THE LOOK (Far right) Introducing the sparkle of Grayse, Gray’s new project, which she created with her mother. (All others on spread) Images of Gray in St. John’s campaigns over the years.

was swatting at my legs. I only lasted maybe six frames.

I said, “Neil, I have never said this to you in my life, but I need to step off set.” I went into the trailer and threw a giant shot of tequila down my throat. My hands were shaking. I looked around the corner, and the tiger was loose, chasing an assistant, who was throwing tables at the tiger. Tigers are really scary! I’ve held a lion’s head in my arm and it was fine, but panthers and tigers are scary.

Did you model for any brands besides St. John?

When I was 17 I signed with CESD. I wasn’t super tall or skinny, but I photographed beautifully, so they sent me to Chicago to do catalog work. I worked steadily; my dad would see me in newspaper ads for sales at Macy’s, and he really didn’t like it. He wanted me to be exclusive with St. John. When I became CEO, I wanted to stop modeling, but Neil told my dad, “You can’t let her do it. You have no idea how these ads work and how clients follow her. Add her name to the ad. I want to make her famous.”

Did you get recognized on the streets?

Yes, I did. I knew I had made it when I had my own stalker.

It was scary and exciting at the same time.

Those ads were everywhere in the early aughts; it felt like there were six pages of your ads in every issue of Vogue. How much were you spending on those placements?

Probably about $10 million [per year]. It wasn’t as much as you would think. We grandfathered in some really good deals. I was probably one of the best negotiators in the business. George [magazine] once brought me in to talk with John Kennedy Jr., to tell him what to do with his [magazine]. That was a moment of pride for me. Publishers really respected me. I didn’t work very much with the editors. Everything I built, I built with the publishers. The spend on the shoots was 0.5 percent of the total advertising budget; today, they’re hiring actresses, celebrities, and supermodels, so you tend to spend millions on shoots and then there’s not much left to advertise. We were the opposite.

Angelina Jolie began starring in St. John ads in 2005, and she was rumored to be earning $10 million a year.

David Lipman came on board and brought on a new CEO. I did a shoot with Peter Lindbergh, and David let me know it was my last shoot. It was a little sad; I don’t think I was quite ready for it, but I didn’t want to hold the company

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i knew I had made it when i had my own stalker.”

back. Then we started conversations with Angie—and this was before Brad [Pitt]—and I left right in the middle of the process. I’ll be honest with you, once the whole scandal erupted [with Jolie, Pitt, and Jennifer Aniston], I probably wouldn’t have gone forward with the contract. Their expectation of her was to be a brand representative, not just be photographed [for the campaign].

Your parents founded St. John in 1962; in 1989, they sold 80 percent of it to Escada. What’s the story?

I’ve never shared this. My dad sold to Escada because he had health problems, and my brother and I weren’t ready to take over the company; I think we had 2,000 employees at that point. He wanted to make sure it survived. Then, Escada owned us and I trained under Wolfgang Ley. He taught me about international marketing and had me flying all over the world. Then Escada came into a bit of a rough patch and we didn’t want to be sold off to the highest bidder, because we were a cash cow at that time.

We took ourselves public and still retained our 20 percent, but the Escada shares became common shares. The day I was named president [in 1996], the stock dropped 20 points. Nepotism at its finest, they said.

What happened next?

I went from San Diego to Boston, meeting with every financial analyst, telling my story over and over again: that I wasn’t an idiot, and that this was a great move for the brand. The stock rose and split, rose and split.

Those were the years we went from $100 million to $400 million. Then we were approached by a venture capitalist company to take ourselves private. They saw potential; if we were doing half a billion, they thought they could help us get to a billion. But what most venture capitalists want when they buy a family-run business is to replace the family. I found that, in hindsight, to be true. When they brought in the CEO, he and I did not get along. The whole thing unraveled in a three-month period; I left, and my

mom left with me. I think they were almost happy to see us go. We represented the past.

Tell us about your life post–St. John.

[Mötley Crüe’s] Nikki Six and I went into business together: We started a rock ’n’ roll [fashion] company, Royal Underground. Everybody used to call me an executive rock star. I had no idea how much I had in common with a rock star until I actually met one. It was a fun world to visit for a couple years, but I don’t think I could live there. Going to the White House for me was no big deal, but getting on a tour bus, meeting Steven Tyler: Oh, my God! That did it for me. We had distribution with Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s, and Nordstrom. But it was a very elusive look. Not everybody wants to look like a rock star; you kind of just get these beefcake guys wanting to wear the clothes. It wasn’t the business I thought it would be. Really glam rock I understand, but when it gets ugly or strange, it’s not in my DNA to be passionate about that.

And now you have a new fashion line with your mother.

My mom came to the office and our creativity together was still off the charts, so we started Grayse. It’s a lot of eveningwear, skinny pants, leggings. I kind of followed the whole Lululemon craze, but their leggings are $120, and ours are $1,290. I like embellishments. I’m like my ads—glamorous, sexy. We love that people come to us for important occasions: weddings, bar mitzvahs.

Who is the Grayse customer?

These women are in their forties, but their bodies are better than most 20-year-olds—and they have money!

They want to look special. We tried to be less expensive, but it’s just not in us. We don’t understand that market. We understand glam; lots of money. We’re great at creating luxurious, detailed, embellished, amazing pieces that are remarkable and one of a kind. That’s about the only thing you can offer people these days, because we all have 20 pairs of black pants. You need something special.

FA S H I O N W E E K D A I LY. C O M

powerPublicist

Great Press

PR Wizard Roche Conti heads up Paris-based super publicist Catherine Miran’s NYC headquarters.

Sophie Roche Conti is quite a Renaissance fashion publicist.

With experience in-house at Dior and YSL, a brief jump to editorial, and an impactful stint at Fashion GPS under her belt, she now helms Catherine Miran’s NYC office, strategically working with clients like Zadig & Voltaire and pioneering a novel approach to the PR game.

What’s your career backstory?

I’ve always kind of been in, out, and around fashion PR. I started just doing every possible PR internship in the world. My first PR internship was at Freud Communications, which was run by Sigmund Freud’s grandson. They had offices in London and New York, with proper entertainment publicists, like Matthew Hiltzik. He’s a corporate publicist—the damage control on a really high political and entertainment level. That was a great experience. Then I wanted to mix in more of a creative element, so I interned at Company Agenda with [CEO] Gina Nanni. After that, I was at Giuseppe Zanotti, then I went to YSL. I grew up between Paris and Greenwich, Connecticut, so I knew that—especially after having been at YSL—having an experience in Paris was quintessential. Especially when working for a French house, there’s nothing like the HQ; you’re getting only a fraction of things when you’re in a subsidiary office.

How did you make your way to Paris?

I took a leave of absence from my university and went to work for Dior in Paris, in the communications department, for about a year. I was overseeing all international requests, shows, some VIP stuff. At the time, [John] Galliano was there [as creative director], and Galliano’s long-term boyfriend, Alexis Roche—another Roche!—was on the VIP team, and we developed a great relationship. That was a game changer: PR connected to everything else, to the studio, to marketing, to the overall global strategy of the brand. It was all being determined right there in FA S H I O N W E E K D A I LY. C O M

that office, between those four walls. In proximity to all those resources, I figured, “This is the way to do in-house [PR].” While I was at Dior, I met the founder of Fashion GPS [Eddie Mullon]. Because I was the only one who spoke English fluently, in a native way, it was my responsibility to understand and oversee everything Fashion GPS–related. Plus, I was digitally savvy, which put me in a prime position to oversee that. It was a pretty massive undertaking, but it was incredibly fulfilling to watch this old house digitize and rejuvenate through new tools that are second nature in New York.

Where did you go post-Dior?

I realized that to be a good PR, you have to know the editorial side, or have familiarity with it; to be a bit creative. You kind of have to be an editor. I truly felt that. So I went back to New York, and I worked at Harper’s Bazaar as a freelance fashion assistant there.

That was a fantastic experience. It was interesting, I was probably the only person who ended up going back to the PR side. But fundamentally, I think you have to look at where your strengths lie: visual, verbal, or written.

How did Bazaar help you figure out your strengths?

I knew that as much as I liked clothes and the edit side, I was a better people person—a better communicator than an editor or stylist. So it felt like the most natural thing, to pair entrepreneurship with communications.

Eddie Mullon of Fashion GPS poached me to run essentially all of Europe for the company. I oversaw operations, learning every little technical thing about this app. Compared to every other workflow tool, what’s

so special about Fashion GPS is it’s almost friendly: People can be resistant to technology, but when they feel it really understands them, there’s a connection. It was really about bridging the gap between PRs, editors, and this platform. It was amazing to watch a company go from four employees to 50 employees. After four years there, being a founding employee and really learning everything about how to run and operate a business, I decided to go back into my primary passion: Fashion. I needed to nurture my aesthetic side.

Where did you head next?

It was kind of a perfect pairing when I was approached

by Catherine [Miran]. We talked about opening this office for about two years before we actually did it, and we really considered every possible angle: What type of office? Why us—why not all the other agencies? What are we offering? What’s our signature? We had a deep and healthy connection, the two of us, and it was a pleasure brainstorming. For Catherine, it’s always been a dream of hers to open an office in New York, and I think we found real partners in each other. It’s been beyond fulfilling.

So, what is the firm’s signature?

People have described the PR we do as more personal relations than public relations. We’re particularly good at accompanying a brand in a really 360-degree way.

We’re truly partners with our brands: We’ve had clients with us for more than 20 years. That enables us to spend more time with our brands, rather than running around looking for more clients. Having that level of

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BY EDDIE ROCHE photography by giorgio niro

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DREAM TEAM Roche Conti (right) with Miran.

trust is earned, but it’s also required. Our approach is tailor-made PR strategies around a handful of clients that we have exceptional relationships with. So when we look at any brand, we write the story: Here’s the picture of where we are, here is what we could do; here’s the “family” of editors, influencers—when I say influencers, I mean even thought influencers, artists, activists, obviously actresses, singers, whoever they might need, kind of hand-picking the people who make the most sense for the brand.

How do you write that story for a brand?

Instead of fabricating something out of nothing, we look at the natural assets of each brand and think about how to amplify them. Because the fashion industry’s bigger than ever—it’s like the third pillar of media, with film, music, and fashion, so it’s not just, “You’re a fashion person or you’re not”—it’s like, what school within the [fashion] industry do you pertain to? It’s a lot of minutiae; that’s where the pleasure comes from.

We almost spend more time with our clients than we do with editors, because it’s better to do less, and to do better. What the agency has consistently done over the past 35 years, we’ve acted thoughtfully. That’s how you stay in business that long; you don’t succumb to certain pressures, you take the time to understand the relevance. Is this something the brand should be doing?

Is it not? New York is so fast-paced, having the Parisian leg of our agency is helpful because it helps us keep perspective. The New York office brings all the new—the second there’s a new Instagram feature, we’re obviously at the Instagram offices, talking to Eva [Chen]’s team, understanding all that, and then we report back to our Paris office.

Tell us about Catherine. What’s she like? You’re lighting up already.

She’s truly the best person I know. No, really! There’s so much trust there, and it’s the most empowering thing for everyone. Obviously for myself as her partner, but for everyone on the team. She’s truly the mother of the agency. She moved to Paris when she was 16 or 17, opened the agency at age 18, and started with Isabel Marant, who at the time was a jewelry designer. They pretty much built [Marant’s] business together, and worked together for almost 20 years. Catherine brought her to a point where she was ready to fly, you know?

Ready for a massive show, big production, you know, international distribution, growth.… Actually, I think that Isabel’s growth is what inspired Catherine. It gave

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What the agency has done over the past 35 years, we’ve acted thoughtfully. That’s how you stay in business that long.”

legitimacy to us, to open a New York office, because ultimately when you find partners as a brand, it takes a while. There’s also a lot of day-to-day interaction with clients, and that’s important to consider. For whom will you work late into the night? Who do you want to call you on a Sunday at 2 p.m.? That personal part is incredibly important.

Who were some of your first clients in the NYC office when it opened in 2015?

Zadig & Voltaire came on as a client at the exact same time they decided to move their fashion show to New York. So, alongside the move of the fashion show came the growth of their own offices and expansive growth of their retail. The U.S. became a true second office to their office in Paris. That partnership was impactful in terms of the direction of the company as a whole; we got to witness a lot of changes. We also work with Vilebrequin on special projects, and we work with Morgan Lane, who is a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist. She’s absolutely fantastic; she does a gorgeous swim, pajama, and lingerie brand. We work with Neuw, which is a cool, new cult denim brand, and we also work with Foo and Foo, a new streetwear brand designed by Elizabeth Hilfiger.

Lots of PR companies don’t make things personal…

It’s all personal! If you’re sitting with the designer, it’s personal to them. Obviously it’s important to remove emotion from certain situations that don’t need an emotional, crazy bitch, but we work in an aesthetic, creative industry; if it’s not emotional, then you’re X-brand with ad budgets up the wazoo, and it doesn’t matter if you’re emotional or not.

What do you think it’s fair for a designer to expect from a PR firm these days?

We’re not magicians. You have to progress together.

Obviously, it’s important to set expectations and write a wish list of things, but we work hand-in-hand. One thing that we’re particularly great at is creating stories. We put together a collaboration between Zadig & Voltaire and Annelise Michelson, who’s a client of ours. Creating press drivers—not just press drivers, attention drivers— obviously help define both brands’ worlds. I think co-branding and partnerships have become an essential pillar. It’s obviously more and more difficult to get print features; I think panels, events, and podcasts have really taken the place of print features in a lot of ways.

It seems like you genuinely love your job.

I wouldn’t change a thing!

FA S H I O N W E E K D A I LY. C O M

DAPPERDude GREAT GROOMING Ryan Seacrest Distinction’s stylish suiting and Polished

by Dr. Lancer products.

What inspired you to get into the menswear space?

As American Idol grew in popularity in the early days, I had increasing access to great stylists who really educated me about fit and fabrics. I was also fortunate to develop a close relationship with Christopher Bailey, the head designer of Burberry at the time. His suits fit me so well, it was hard not to have a growing appreciation for a great-fitting suit’s design, construction, and materials.

From there, I started to pay more attention to fashion, as well as to product design, architecture, art, and food.

The more I learn and see, especially in my travels, the more my curiosity grows. We were approached by one of our licensing partners, Randa Accessories, early in 2013 about potentially starting a line. From there, the concept grew into reality. We’ve learned so much since we launched Ryan Seacrest Distinction in 2014.

How do you describe the brand’s aesthetic?

Men’s fashion today is versatile and accessible. We’ve embraced this versatility in my line. We design classic, iconic looks with a contemporary eye. Masculine signatures, geometric shapes, proportion, texture, pattern, and color are all combined in unexpected ways to deliver a men’s collection that’s timeless and flexible.

You can wear our looks for work or date night.

What did you think was missing from the market?

At the time, I think we believed that in men’s career dressing in department stores, especially at our exclusive partner, Macy’s, there lacked any outside new contemporary brands. Much of the tailored floor was occupied by brands that were more than 20 years old.

FA S H I O N W E E K D A I LY. C O M

Heading into NYFW, what’s your favorite look for fall?

I’m starting to see a lot of interesting textured and patterned knitwear, and I really like how it’s made its way into tailored clothing looks. Also, we now have active fabrics in most of our apparel.

How did you initially meet Dr. Harold Lancer?

I was a patient of Dr. Lancer’s for more than 10 years, and we became friends and often talked about potentially building a business together.

What resonated with you about his approach?

Dr. Lancer believes that taking care of your skin should be a priority, in whatever wellness program you embrace.

I’ve trusted him with my skin, and used his effective products for exfoliating skin first, before you cleanse, for more than a decade. He knows everything you need to do to keep skin healthy and looking great. I also credit him with helping to keep me young.

What was your skincare regime like before you met him, and how did it change after working together?

Like most men, my skincare regimen was basically nonexistent before I started going to Dr. Lancer. I’m embarrassed to even say this, but it basically involved soap and water. Every once in a while, I’d use whatever products my girlfriend had on hand. I didn’t know what I was putting on my face and the long-term effects it was having on my skin. Then, I met Dr. Lancer and he started educating me about the benefits of skin health and how it can improve your overall wellness.

What was the concept behind Polished by Dr. Lancer?

Dr. Lancer and I talked about the lack of skincare

products formulated specifically for men’s skin. Men tend to be lazy on the beauty front; we don’t like to change things up too much. So we came up with this solution for the modern man who wants more from his routine. We made sure each product targets men’s specific needs, in a way that’s simple, effective, and affordable.

What makes the products unique?

In a nutshell, it’s the science and experience that Dr. Lancer brings to these products. He’s the best at what he does and that’s basically what this is—it’s his wisdom in a bottle. He had his hand is in every formulary process, so you know you’re getting a final product that’s made with high-quality ingredients that’s backed by science. I also tested every product and made my friends tell me what they wanted, like making sure our moisturizer had SPF and that it wouldn’t drip when you sweat.

How are they distributed?

You can buy each product from our line online at polishedbydrlancer.com and on Amazon.

What’s your favorite product in the collection?

The Daily Micro-Scrub is probably my favorite to use, especially on Monday mornings after a full weekend.

Why do you think men pay more attention to skincare these days?

I think it has to do with the change in culture. Men are more comfortable and educated about the benefits of investing in their own wellness, and this includes skincare.

The selfie culture has probably helped, too. I think it’s a great thing that guys are becoming more comfortable with putting their best face forward—no pun intended.

GUTTER CRE D ITS t k

Seriously seacrest!

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When he’s not dominating the airwaves, Ryan Seacrest is emerging as a major player in the fashion space. The designer behind Ryan Seacrest Distinction—and the entrepreneur behind skincare line Polished by Dr. Lancer—explains!

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MUSEUMVisit

BY TANGIE SILVA Why did you decide to focus on pink for this exhibition?

I started to notice that there was more and more pink in fashion. It became particularly noticeable after 2016, with “Millennial Pink.” I was also reading a lot of books about color.

Pink is a fascinating color, precisely because it’s so polarizing.

How did you come up with concepts for the exhibition?

When I came on [at FIT] in 1997, I had to do all five fashion exhibitions every year, which was way too much for any human being. Now, I’ve built up a really great team of curators, so I only do a show about every year and a half.

We try to figure out how to time them so that the shows won’t all be similar in a year. So if we do a show on popular culture, like on blue jeans, we might follow it up with one that’s a bit more historical.

What was the curation process like?

In addition to coming up with the idea, it was also about choosing the objects, figuring out their subcategories, and arranging them to tell the story. I also wrote a long essay and edited a book with other essays about pink and fashion.

We’re also doing a free symposium in October. It will mostly focus on the people who wrote essays for the book, plus others who will talk about different aspects of pink.

What kinds of places and time periods does the exhibition explore?

The show spans 300 years, in about 80 “scenes.” Pink became popular in Western fashion for the first time in the 18th century, and there are clothes from India, Japan, Africa, and North Africa, to show how different countries have different attitudes toward fashion. Then I identified which fashion designers have done particularly interesting things in pink, or where pink has been an important color in their careers. Plus, I wanted to feature other subthemes.

For example, pink is big in African-American culture; it’s big in popular music, in rock ’n’ roll, punk, and hip-hop genres.

FA S H I O N W E E K D A I LY. C O M

DETAILS, DETAILS Some of the looks from FIT’s new “Pink: The History of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful Color” exhibition.

It also turns out that pink has strong erotic associations.

What happened in the 1700s that suddenly made pink so fashionable?

A new kind of dye was brought from South America, from a plant called Brasilia—it was so important that a whole country, Brazil, was named after this plant! But nobody knew that. Prior to then, pink dyes had been imported from India, but they didn’t last as long and weren’t as bright. Brasilia dye made it possible for brighter, longerlasting textiles. The second factor was the French royal court in the 18th century was just crazy about anything new. A new color or dye was really exciting, and because it was imported from the “New World,” it was also expensive, exclusive, novel, and trendy. For the first time, people used the word “rose” in French and English to refer to a color.

Madame de Pompadour was a real cheerleader for pink; she loved pink porcelain, pink cosmetics, and pink roses in her flower garden.... It was not only a way to show her status, but a means to secure her status. Everything was a hierarchy in the French court, so it’s a complicated color.

How many pieces did you have to sort through?

Thousands of objects! I looked at many more than 10 dresses for every single dress I chose, for example. I researched and wrote the book for a year, and then I spent another year trying to track down all the dresses that I thought of earlier on, but, somehow, you’re still hunting down almost to the last minute.

So it’s basically like putting on a fashion show.

Oh, it’s down to the wire each year, but we’ve always done it—and on time!

Any surprising items in the exhibition?

I found an amazing photograph of this Korean girl surrounded by all her pink toys. Not only did I get the photo for the book, I thought it’d make for a really great Instagram moment in the show. I got a gazillion pink toys—dolls, flamingos, children’s Jil Sander suit, 2011 stuff—and put them in a little diorama. I thought people might get a kick out of that.

How much does social media factor into conceptualizing your exhibitions?

Now? Hugely, because we can’t afford tons of advertising. So we love nothing better than free advertising, when someone takes a picture in front of the exhibition and puts it on the Internet. I had to convince my conservator to allow people to photograph galleries. Once we did that, we started thinking, “Can we make some moments in the course of the galleries that people would really like to photograph themselves in front of?”

Céline dress, Spring 2017

Comme des Garçons ensemble, Fall/Winter 2016

Comme des Garçons ensemble, Fall 2016

GUTTER CREDITS tk

The rosy hue has a rich history—just ask Dr. Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of the Museum at FIT. She oversaw “Pink: The History of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful Color,” a fascinating exhibition that opens today and runs through January 5th.

Love it or loathe it, you’ll never look at pink the same way again.

Dr. Valerie Steele

a l l i m a ges c o urtes y

think pink

Zandra Rhodes ensemble, 1978

chicSpree

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NICOLA twistlock shoulder bag in Rococo Pink, $398

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NICOLA shoulder bag in Roasted Fig, $358

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DORIE medium bucket bag in Chartreuse, $398

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