Blacks in Fashion... yes, again!

omg, did you miss me? I know I know! :-) I'm back now, so I have to give you, your blog fix.




So I have been thinking about my " Million Dollar Question" post on black designers after the huge/great response it received in addition to the release of the Italian Vogue " Black" issue. I am going to address both topics today.



So I am not retracting my beliefs that there are no black people doing what I believe we are capable of in the fashion industry, making it to the Gucci, Fendi, Prada status, because there aren't any. I just believe that black designers face a lot of challenges and disadvantages when it comes to the industry. As you have read many of the designers I have featured came from or married into money. Those who didn't, like Oscar de le Renta, had to work extremely hard to get to where they are. They also had strategic business moves and connections that helped propel them into popularity. A lot of black designers didn't have those luxuries, but some designers did try.

Aside from the few designers I named in my previous post, there are a few more that deserve mention. I don't want to forget to at least acknowledge reality TV designers, Mychael Knight and Korto Momolu from project runway. They were good designers and still are. They are both making a name for themselves in niche markets, Mychael in ATL and Korto making accessories.

The problem there is that they didn't win these shows so they really haven't had the opportunity to make it big like, say....

Christian did.



There are also the designers that I am not always too proud to mention, those are the entertainers/entertainers family members turned "designers." Now the reason I feel I need to talk about these people is that they made up the majority of " BET's list of Top Black Designers." Which included people like the Simmon's sister for Pastry, Beyonce and her mother for House of Dereon, Jay Z for Rocawear, Kimora Lee Simmons for Baby Phat, and the list started to taper off into the real "street fashion" like Apple bottoms, Vocal, and Billionaire Boys Club by Pharrell. While I am proud of all the designers for doing what they love and for what they have accomplished, I never believe in making clothing that I would never, ever wear. I know there is a market for everything, but morally I don't want to be responsible for young woman exploiting their bodies and some of these lines I think contribute to and profit from that epidemic.


Ok, so the list did include 3 designers that I think are worth mentioning, Sean Combs, Benjamin Bixby, and Tracy Reese. Now Sean Combs, believe it or not, is a member of the CFDA and has won an award in 2004 for menswear designer of the year. In case you don't understand what that means, no black people have won that yet, sooo. I mean we all love to hate him but the guy is doing his thing ! His fragrance 'I AM KING' won the Fragrance Foundation 2009 FiFi Award for Fragrance of the Year for men as well. He must have a great team helping him along. He also has the money to be the best and I'm glad he is taking advantage of that.


Benjamin Bixby, better known as Andre 3000. I just wanted to mention him because his style is so quirky and I love it. He also got into Barney's and was featured (positively) on The Cut blog. His line never got a lot of hype and is practically dead now, but he had a nice shot. He stuck to what he liked and he designed clothing that I know he would wear which is respectable. Do him a favor and buy his last shirt from Barneys.com, please !! :-)


Last but not least Tracy Reese. See now , our girl Tracy Reese is really doing her thing. She, too, is a member of the CFDA ( one of literally the handful of black people that are members) like Diddy. Well like many of the other successful designers, she studied in Paris as an apprentice. She attended Parsons School for Design and she also worked as the design director for the Women’s Portfolio at Perry Ellis. She has become known for her flowy, feminine dresses and vintage inspired separates that were and still are picked up by Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and other high end boutiques as well as in Europe and Asia.



One of her dresses was also worn by Michelle Obama on the cover of People Magazine. This is a huge deal because First Lady Obama has come under a lot of heat for not wearing African American designers. She chose to wear one of the best African American designers she could find. In fact her hubby, Mr. President himself, wore a suit by Oswald ( remember, from my previous post) in Ghana. Now all the critics can calm down because they have done their part. It's not there fault there aren't many options.


Anyways, Tracy Reese has a profile on NYmag.com and everything. Her Jazz Age inspired style has been a big hit across color lines and I can only hope she continues to grow. Check out some looks from her recent lines.





Another designer that was not mentioned on BET's list, but should have been, is Edward Wilkerson. From the age of 10 he knew he wanted to design. He went to an Art and Design high school in Manhattan and then on to Parsons School of Design. He worked with top designers like Donna Karen and worked in successful fashion houses like Anne Klein and Calvin Klein. He received the honor from Donna Karan to become a designer for the Donna Karan collection. After working with Donna for 13 years he was fired, but later told he could join her again at anytime.


In 1998 he joined Lafayette 148 New York as Design Director. While at Lafayette he uses his inspiration from Africa and his passion for photography to guide him in the clothing creation process.


What I love about him is that he built up the Lafayette 148 and he also has plus sized clothing which don't look like crap. However, I do think his price points are EXTREMELY high for a designer that is not that well known. I also am very confused about Lafayette 148's ownership . No where does it say he started it, but merely he built up the brand. He didn't join until 1998 and it was started in 1996. With that said, I am strong advocate of ownership, and I hope that he has some in that company because his designs are great and I would hate to see him taken advantage of like so many other designers ( black and other races).

Finally, let me not forget to tell you how I feel about the black Italian Vogue. I think it was a good thought however if they wanted to give black people the chance in the fashion industry that we are so often denied, they could have done it all the way. I think it should have featured black designers, black stylists, black make up artist, black editors, and black writers. I mean, I know the Vogue people are giving us an inch and I am taking a mile, but who says we don't deserve a mile? Who knows, people might actually like what black people have to offer to the fashion world, wouldn't that be a shocker? ( sarcasm)


ok loves, until next time. Sorry for the opinion overdose, but hey I'm sure you learned something lol.

<3

Citations: within entry

Fabric ( Jersey & Silk) + Graphic Prints= The Pucci Look + Aristocratic Elegance

Emilio Pucci, who hasn't heard of this man? You know him from his geometric prints and world renowned scarves, but this Italian born designer wasn't always into fashion.

Born on November 20, 1914 in Naples, Italy, Marchese Emilio Pucci de Barsento was the son of a wealthy and noble family. Given his luxurious surroundings, he became interested in hobbies that only the rich enjoyed; skiing, swimming, fencing, playing tennis, and racing cars. His love for sports led him right into fashion. He took part in the 1932 Winter Olympics as a part of the Italian Skiing Team, but he didn't compete.

Unlike a lot of other designers, he went to quite a lot of schools. In 1933 he went to the University of Milan and then the University of Georgia. In 1935 he earned a skiing scholarship to attend the Reed College in the United States and got a Masters in Social Science. In 1937 he earned his doctorate in Political Science from the University of Florence.


As if that was not enough, he joined the Italian Air Force and served as a pilot during WWII. He returned home to Italy because of health concerns that kept him from flying.
He did play a big part in the War I mean, he was the confidant of Mussolini's oldest daughter. He drove her to the Swiss border to ensure her escape as well. Crazy right ?


Well, enough of the history lesson, let's talk fashion. Though he designed the clothing for the Reed College ski team, he didn't get noticed until he was skiing on the slopes of St. Moritz. A Harper's Bazaar reported noticed him and his outfit and found out that he made his own clothing. He was invited to make a few pieced for a photo shoot with the magazine in 1948 and that is when the world got their first look at what Emilio Pucci could do.


Pucci, using stretch fabric in ways that Europe had never seen before, opened his first shop in Capri in 1949. In 1950 he created his first couture line of clothing and showed it in France. He was using his knowledge of stretch fabric and bold prints to set him apart from other designers and people loved it. Having his own fashion house was a big step fro Emilio because he would be the first in his family to hold a job in over a thousand years.

He leveraged his resources in order to get his line started. He used his family's palace as his ateliers and used the grand ballrooms to show his collections.

As quick as his career began, he got recognition even quicker. By the early 1950's he was winning awards from Neiman Marcus and his clothing was worn by Jackie O. The popularity of his dresses could be accredited to the lightweight fabric and their ability to remain wrinkle-free.


Fun Fact: Marylin Monroe was buried in one of his dresses.

It was also during the 50's that Pucci began to develop his signature : Graphic Prints. Known as "the prince of prints" his clothing didn't need to bear his name as a logo, his prints could be recognized as the work of only one man: Emilio Pucci.


In 1959 he began to make lingerie, in 1965 he began making stewardess uniforms that came complete with helmets that would protect their hair from rain and wind. He also designed the Apollo 15 mission patch even though the crew replaced the original colors of blues and greens with red, whites, and blues. He even designed Cappellini furniture and a 300 foot hand painted sail for the Wally Yachts.

In 1966 he released a perfume called "Vivara."

Pucci must have been a man who had a list of things he wants to do before he dies because this man has seriously done everything. I am starting to feel like designing was just a side hobby. Did you know he was he was on the Italian Parliament in 1963 and in 1968.

Sadly in 1992, Emilio died at the age of 78. His daughter Laudomia took over as the head designer of his house. Followed by others such as Julio Espada, Christian Lacroix, and Matthew Williamson. Now Peter Dundas will take over as creative director. In 2000, LVMH acquired 67% of Pucci.




Overall, Pucci was driven by the desire to liberate women and granting them the freedom and movement. This has to do with his fabric choices that are undoubtedly his signature. Hailing from a luxurious family bloodline, he was able to capture the essences of beauty and elegance in his designs and every woman wanted that, nick named the "Pucci Look."




Pucci Quote :

“When you put on something with color, suddenly you feel happy and rested. You go out with a man, and he gets joy from how you look. I'm not giving you a dress. I'm giving an element of joy to you, which is much more important than a stupid dress.”

I am so feeling this guy let me tell you why ( yes, I am a poet lol). I really love how he pursued other careers than fashion design. It really showed how well rounded he was. I mean I am impressed that he even decided to get such an extensive education and career given that he was royalty. I mean I know I would have been temped to just chill at the palace :-), but not him. He wanted to design, study, change laws, do everything he ever wanted and then some. His clothing, in a way, is reminiscent of that. They are free and unpredictable but yet still have a purpose.

I love his clothing and I love that even without a logo, it is recognizable. I mean who wouldn't know a Pucci scarf from a mile away.

I know it is hard to learn from him because he was very brief with his fashion career but I think we can take the phrase " Carpe Diem" from him. He definitely seized the day with all the things he accomplished in his life. His fashion career basically fell in his lap and he took it and ran with it. So when even an opportunity presents itself, take it and milk it for all its worth by using all your resources and abilities to take advantage of it in the best way possible. That's what Emilio did and look at his legacy!

<3 ( look below for some fashions)





Citations: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,

Dressing The Most Fabulous First Ladies: Carolina Herrera

So to stray away from our typical NY born designer, let's talk about Venezuelan born Carolina Herrera. Born as Maria Carolina Josefine Pacanins y Nino on January 8, 1939 in Caracas, Venezuela. Her fashion life began at the tender age of 13 when she attended the Cristobal Balenciaga fashion show with her grandmother, her first of many.

Born into the traditional world of Latin American Aristocracy, she was one of four daughters in her family. Her father was the governor of Caracas and served as the country's foreign affairs minister. Her mother and grandmother gave Carolina her fashion DNA, they traveled regularly to Europe to get their clothing made by prestigious design houses like Balenciaga and Lanvin.



Herrera grew up very privileged with a governess ( like Maria in sound of music :-) ) and lavish surroundings. She lived in a disciplined household that she remembers as being very organized. As she grew up she became interested in sewing clothing for dolls, but as she grew older she shifted her interests and became a skilled equestrienne ( horseback rider) and read a lot because her mother believed a woman had to be cultivated. She would become world traveled and socialize with the world's royalty, but to her that wasn't enough.


After being married at the tender age of 18 to Guillermo Behrens Tello, a wealthy Venezuelan family she had two daughters. Soon after the marriage because, it ended in divorce, the first in her family. She moved back with her parents and worked in her first fashion gig as a publicist for Emillio Pucci.


In 1968 she fell in love with Reinaldo Herrera( a Vanity Fair editor) and the got married, he too was from a wealthy Venezuelan family. They traveled in the social circles of the world's elite and lived a romantic, high priced lifestyle. With Reinaldo she had two daughters.


It wasn't until her 30's when she began to pop up on the fashion radar. She was on the International Best Dressed lists. Feeling the fashion fever, her, her husband, and her children moved to New York in 1980 from their lavish estate in Carcas.

Almost 40, she decided to dip her toes into a fashion related business venture and began to think about fabric design. With friends in high places she was quickly talked out of designing fabric and talked into making a line. Acquaintance and fashion icon Diana Vreeland was supportive of her decision. However her mother in law and her husband were not so much. Her husband was most notably skeptical. He said "I was supportive because I thought this would last fifteen minutes," Reinaldo Herrera told Town & Country's Tapert. "If she had said it would be fifteen years, I would have asked her, 'Are you out of your mind?'"


Regardless, Carolina wanted to move forward. In fall of 1980 Herrera brought 20 dresses that she had made in Caracas by dressmakers. For her trunk show, she borrowed a friend's Park Avenue apartment and invited everyone she knew. In attendance were buyers ready to by her whole line but it would be hard since she didn't have a company at the time. Luckily she knew a publishing powerhouse, Armando de Armas who backed her business, Carolina Herrera Ltd. She opened a store on Seventh Avenue and her first full collection was shown in NY's Metropolitan Club in 1981.


Once again her leveraged connections brought her success, her socialite friends got wind of her collection and became her best customers. Jacqueline Kenned Onassis became one of her first renowned clients. Caronline's success was also because she was one of the first people to use padded shoulders because of the affect that big shoulders have on making a women's waist look smaller. She used her knowledge of the effects of shapes on a women's body to further her success.


Herrera's company got really big after she made the wedding dress for Caroline Kennedy, Jackie O's daughter, in 1986. This expanded her line from only ready to wear, to bridal and to a lower priced line called CH. In 1988 she launched a fragrance line inspired by the jasmine bush scents from her home in Venezuela, in 1991 she debuted her Men's fragrance, and in 1994 she released her third scent.



She was then smart enough to get licensing deals for accessories, costume jewelry, and eyewear. In 1990 her wholesale business reached $20 million.

To celebrate, in 2000 she opened her first store, located at Madison Avenue and 75th Street in Manhattan and soon after she opened stores in Europe. Her first store outside of New York was in Madrid's Salamanca district.


After dressing Jackie O for the last twelve years of her life she was inspired by her impeccable taste and her knowledge of what looked good on her. She also had the honor of dressing Nancy Reagan, Mrs. Bush, and every ones fav MICHELLE OBAMA.


Though she has built an empire on her own, she still maintains a regular lifestyle. She claims that she never works past 5 pm and makes sure that the line is drawn between work and home. She doesn't want work to be her entire life, but merely a part of her life.


Another important part of her life is her charity work. She is a Goodwill Ambassador and a Facilitator for the Intergovernmental Institution for the Use of Micro-algae Spirulina Against Malnutrition. I am not going to explain that to you because it is a little intense, but all you need to know is she does want to save lives and give back to children and she loves it.


Carolina Herrera has been and remained on international best dressed lists since her 30's and here clothing has been critically acclaimed almost from day one. Her style is timeless and packed with class and elegance that one can not find in any other line. Her clothing is a direct reflection of Carolina as a woman and I have every reason to believe that she would wear EVERYTHING she makes. That is not something one can say for every designer.


What I like about Carolina Herrera is that she continuously works through any adversity. Her husband, mother-in-law and countless critics were not fans of her work( including Cathy Horyn who she banned from her shows for negative feedback), but she kept on going because she knew she was on to something. I also love how she leveraged her connections in order to succeed. There is nothing wrong with getting your friends, who already like you as a person, to support your dreams. True friends will do that for you.


However she does keep her affiliations to a minimum. She never likes to mention her clients names because she believes that "If you have to sell a dress because an important client is wearing it, then that means that the dress was not good," and I could not agree more.


(p.s. here is a dress she received some heat for, I see where it was going but there is something that is off, and it may not necessarily be the dress)


As a studio 54 regular and a close friend of Andy Warhol, Carolina has seen it all and everything she has seen she translates into her clothing. Compared to the likes of other fashion greats like Oscar de la Renta, she simply started her path to success with passion, hard work, and dedication.


I am definitely starting to believe that those traits, that cant' be taught, can take you much further than a degree can take you. Think about it !


Award Center:
The International Center in New York's Award of Excellence
2004 Women's Designer of the Year
2008 lifetime achiever award by the Cosmetic Executive Women UK.


Notable quote:
"Today, people want to be free to wear what they like, in any combination they like, to be confined by no rules, and to set their own standards - yet they all end up looking exactly the same." - C.Herrera

Now, how about we end with some clothing that I think screamed Michelle Obama when I saw it ( oh, and I would wear it too, def):






Citations: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9