Interview

PHOTO BY LEILA BRILLSON

Situated in Miami's Design District, diagonal from the Fendi/Maison Martin Margiela shared pop-up and that of purse mistress Katherine Fleming is a colorful, hallucinogenic temporary shop with a large, dopey monster in front. Miami's Moore Building, about a block and a half away from Design Miami, hosts Limited Edition Experiences, a collection of the best temporary shops during Design Week; but this one-eyed, polyurethane creature stands out amongst the high-end fashion and observers. Neon Monster, which flies in from San Francisco, has girded itself at Design Week this year to run with power players in Florida, hoping that its broad price points (toys and collectibles run from $10-$3,000) will lure buyers away from more established brands.

A man in a three-piece suit purchases a T-shirt with Monster's dejected looking mascot, Mitch, on the front. A pretty girl from the Maison Martin Margiela store downstairs stops by to browse small, vinyl ice-cream-like dollops, made by graffiti-and-toy master Buff Monster. Buff Monster has traveled from California to do a live-painting of Mitch, for media outlets like CBS or Vanity Fair. The fact that something so street, so "plastic" has made its way into the Design Miami landscape seems to intrigue them. Owner Jacob Pritzker understands this, making sure that he and partners Kristy Klinck and John Crowe have created enough bespoken objects. Pritzker, of the noted Chicago family, knows his stuff: not unlike Fendi and Margiela, Neon Monster offers original, exclusive pieces, like resin snails, t-shirts and prints by emerging artist Rueben Rude.

Buff Monster spent his day painting, drawing a younger, more digital crowd who heard about the live project via blogs, while an older generation watched, bemused. Yet Monster's "high art at a low price" mentality appears to be paying off. Klinck explains, as she wraps up some objects for a Fendi employee's kids, "We've been selling really well here. I think a customer wants to bring something special, but accessible, home, regardless of price, and still know its a limited-edition artwork made by a known artist."

MORE »

The weather in New York was unseasonably lovely for Louis Vuitton's garden-themed 2010 Resort Line. Hostess Maggie Gyllenhaal enjoyed the temperature, wearing satin shorts and a cowl-neck black tee underneath a plum LV trench. The event, held at Saks—which was the first department store to carry Vuitton women's ready-to-wear—premiered super-rich, voluminous-but-shrunken looks presented for Spring 2010.

Transformed into the costumes for Le Jardin, the collection appeared on a series of vignettes inspired by nature and featured heavy doses of the iconic LV. Artisans hand-painted flowers on luggage underneath full-sized trees and well-manicured hedges and lawns (often emblazoned with the logo) were nests for handbags and necklaces.

Most of the collection, aside from a floral frock with heavy layers and a pleated evening gown, didn't necessarily require the whimsy of this event. Instead, the house favored toward the Americana it has been doing so well recently, with nautical mini-dresses with full skirts, or slouchy, tailored rain coats in lilac yellow. However, resort collection revolve around fantasy, and despite the odd weather, as the winter months set in, an idyllic respite on Fifth Avenue sounds just about right.

MORE »

Launch Mediaplayer »

Live competition equals drama and excitement, two qualities that, to MJ Diehl, make great fashion. To open Style Wars, the event producer and her business partner, Roman Milisic, created an impromptu armored bodice composed entirely of "We Heart Our Customers" hangers and packing tape, on stage, live. The result, though definitely not durable, looked a bit like something Gareth Pugh might create, were he homeless and living perched beneath a dry-cleaner.

The fashion world doesn't take to cheek and enthusiastic camaraderie easily, which is the crux of House of Diehl's now-traveling, two-year old competition: a fashion show that has hit three continents and most American cities, taking the winners from each locale and pitting them against each other for what Diehl calls a "ready-to-wear rumble." She hosts every city, and its Diehl's spark, plus a team of witty local, ever-changing judges (this time included Isabella's model daughter Elettra Rossellini and Jenny Shimizu, of Angelina Jolie fame) that preserves a sense of authenticity that flirts with the gimmicky. From New York, Diehl and Co. head to Atlanta, LA and then San Francisco. The winners from each city will face off for a final battle and a chance at larger exposure.

"Some call it the 8 Mile of style," Diehl says. "We ask stylists to transform Hefty bags into Herve Leger." Like a rapper herself, Diehl speaks in over-the-top metaphors ("In the real world, you have a budget tighter than Shrek in a speedo" or "It's like WWD meets WWE") and fuels the competitive aspect of the show. "It's like an emcee battle in the sense that designers go head-to-head on stage, and they have four-and-a-half minutes to do serious style or serious damage." With industrial tubing, tin foil and phone cords as fodder, this may be the only fashion show where judge Rebecca Weinberg (of Sex and the City) reprimanded a contestant for "stapling a paper towel to a bustle."

MORE »

When Christopher Kane's Topshop collection appeared on Broadway on September 18, there was a near stampede, in spite of Fashion Week fatigue and high-for-Topshop pricetags. Signs littered the store with buying limits: "No more than five"; "None of the same items in different sizes." Regardless, absurd eBay prices followed, as did and the near-selling out of the collection in Topshop stores in the UK. The collection itself is classic Kane–club kid-worthy sheer tops and grommets with an emphasis on punky, asymmetric cuts. Even the look that garnered mainstream attention–the brightly colored animal prints made popular by Rihanna–gets an update with a crocodile on both a tank and a sheath dress. The lace and metal, pink, black and printed leggings, dresses, and hooded sweatshirts are tough. They give the average Topshopper the impression that C. Kane likes his ladies rock-and-roll. (IMAGE: CHRISTOPHER KANE SPRING 2010)

So, earlier this week in London, Kane gave fans a minor shock with his spring collection, a gingham-laden, all-American frock fest. Some of his darker, more downtown leanings appeared with a tailored blazer or a sleek, cut-out turtleneck, but for the most part, his London show featured picnic-ready, flowing checked skirts and bodices. The last half premiered lilac rose prints embroidered on ladylike chiffon. Granted, the majority had thigh-high slits or bustier cuts, but this is quite a step away from the cutouts, enlarged prints, and toy-like, neon paperdoll dresses of last spring.

MORE »