From Business Week to Forbes, Yeohlee Teng is a Fashion Powerhouse

Since 1981 Yeohlee has established her fashion house, YEOHLEE, and has been winning the hearts of fashion patrons everywhere. With exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and a feature in " Fashion Felt" at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum (limited time only: March 9,2009-September 7, 2009) Yeohlee has been recognized as an important figure in fashion history.



Teng attended Parsons School of Design after moving to New York from Malaysia. She coined the term "urban nomad" for her Fall 1997 collection, which means a lifestyle that requires clothing that works on a variety of practical and psychological levels.

Named as one of fashions most powerful people by Business Week, Yeohlee uses fabrics and materials to her advantage; for that she is called a master of design management. With the use of cotton blends that resist spills, she makes fabulously draped, elegant clothing. The materials inspire the shapes and styles making her clothes have a sense of purpose that is practical and functional in addition to looking amazing. Like me, she believes in seasonless clothes because of its efficiency to the wearer. Yeohlee shows that she not only tends to the design of the clothing but the concept, the details of the fabric and the use of each piece of clothing in her collections to relay a message.


In 2007, Yeohlee told Forbes.com that she designs her collection with the idea that in the future when the world is destroyed and there are no machines to make clothes, her designs are what clothes will look like. Her designs reach outside the fashion world and reflect problems in the Middle East, rising gas prices, poor stock markets, and the horrible environmental outlook of the world. Teng has a lot of opinions about the world and the people in it. She advices people to change the way they live by adding a bit of thinking and conservation which she believes will go a long way.
The accomplishments of Yeohlee Teng have soared. She has written books such as Yeohlee Teng Sees Parallels in Fashion and Architecture, in addition to winning awards such as the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award in 2004. Additionally she has had exhibitions at the Galleria Museum in Paris and London’s Victoria & Albert in 2000 and at New York’s Museum at FIT in 2001 and at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2005.



Yeohlee is also a self proclaimed Fashion Week Neophyte, according to Elle Magazine. She arrives to shows on time ( also known as 40 minutes early), turns off her phone, and obeys all the rules of the fashion shows ( including the one that says no drinking in the runway, also known as "Ms. Teng, please throw away you freshly brought, $4 soy latte").
After doing 7 shows and 2 presentations, Yeohlee has learned that one can actually look at a book and judge it by its cover. By looking at the clothing and behavior of those in attendance at a fashion show, you can get the gist of what you are going to see prancing down the runway. Yeohlee's show was no exception to that rule, the people at her show dressed classic and elegant where not there to be seen but merely to appreciate the art that Ms. Teng is trying to convey. The crowd was quietly attentive to Yeohlee's pieces and drew no unnecessary attention to themselves leaving the focus on the clothing, which is completely opposite to what is seen in Bryant Park. This perfect audience supported her perfectly executed designs at her show.



Teng shows how different she is from other designers by not buying into the idea of muses (The recent feature of the May Vogue issue), seasons, or habitual actions. She doesn't want to take the same path everyday or the same path as everyone else, she claims this is why it would be very hard to stalk her. It is obvious she loves what she does and she works hard to make sure the women she designs for loves what she does as well.

Yeohlee has an amazing collection for Autumn/winter 2009-2010. One thing that makes it particularly special is that she had zero waste, meaning every inch of material was used and not one scrap was wasted. Talk about getting hip with the times. She uses a method called counting, cutting the material into triangles, rectangles and squares to make different garments. She is a technical wizard who has an unwavering commitment to the environment and its conservation. How many other designers can say they do the same? Yeohlee's simply colored dimply designed pieces are secretly intricate and fascinating. She designs with the fabrics as if they are apart of the design team where her roll is to style the fabrics and the fabrics drape themselves beautifully and just "do their thing" to create harmonious designs .

Her pieces start at about $299 and are sold at major department stores such as Saks and Bergdorf's. Her practical designs are loved by major celebs such as our beloved Merryl Streep. She makes clothing with the women and her daily needs in mind. She wants to eliminate the hustle, hassle and fuss that women go through daily with their clothing and accessories and so far, she has gotten the job done.



Though we don't know a lot about Yeohlee's personal history we know a lot about her present career and I can tell you that for the future she will be a force to be reckoned with.



Let's End with two of Yeohlee's quotes that I believe completely sum up her line and her line's concept.

"Clothes have magic. Their geometry forms shapes that can lend a wearer power”

“You have to give real value to what you do. You have to be able to satisfy style and fashion, and be multifunctional.”
- Yeohlee Teng

" You gotta have 'em, you glad you got 'em, Like every color Giuseppe's, your guilty pleasure is me"- Jay Z

I have come to a conclusion: there just isn't enough information about designers on the Internet. As always, when searching Mr. Zanotti's name, I come across only the fabulous celebrities who sport his luxurious heels. In this case, I don't care about them, I care about the man behind it all, Giuseppe Zanotti. Let's get down to this little known, "A list" designer.



The handsome Giuseppe is from a small village in Italy called San Mauro Pascoli. After first working as an apprentice for international shoe designers, he began his own shoe making career in 1985 as a freelancer for footwear and clothing companies. After 10 years, in 1995 he began his very own line, by purchasing Vinici ( a shoe factory) in 1996. Him and his wife worked to cultivate Vinici, which is centered around style, research, and creativity.


Maybe the reason why there is so little information on Giuseppe is because this self proclaimed shy guy designs for other "A list" labels that bask in the glory of his successful shoe designs. Fashion houses such as Roberto Cavalli, Vera Wang, DSquared and others, just to name a few.

However, another reason is because Zanotti insists on only producing his shoes in Italy and not cutting corners by going to China. He invests in the growth of the Italian shoe market because he believes there is talent to be noticed there. He even helped establish a footwear school called Cercal that teaches students all facets of the shoe trade. He then employs them, with the average age of his 340 employees in 2006 being 35.


Giuseppe's dedication to the shoe world in Italy is reflected in his dedication to making high quality shoes. While designing shoes he keeps in mind a woman 18-60 years old who desires nice things and desires to look good for herself. Zanotti handles each detail of the shoe making process with delicacy and care. Each shoe is hand crafted with a file on hand explaining the details of the shoe making process and the materials used in order to assess a fair price ( one that might make you do a double take when checking the bottom of the shoe to verify that, that mark in the price is indeed a comma and not a decimal point ).

Contrary to what we might believe, Giuseppe is interested in things other than shoes. For instance watches, he owns just about 60 watches... 45 of which he claims are expensive and the other 15-20 that are horrible. He also showed an early passion for music, owning more than 6,000 albums! In an interview, he even compared making shoes to music, saying each piece of a shoe is like a note and when they come together they either make something beautiful or something horrible.


I'm am sure he was not referring to his shoes as that something horrible. Celebrities and models all over the world show silent appreciation about their Giuseppe shoes. These socialites wear his masterpieces in public, but he does not get the same publicity as his competitors like Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin ( maybe because Oprah hasn't publicly shown her appreciation to him as she has done for the other two).


Regardless, Giuseppe's shoes are a work of art. They are so detailed and intricate that simply wearing clothes takes away from their elegance. It's no wonder his latest campaigns show women shirts and sequined skirts with lots of leg action, so that the focus is remains on the shoes. Hey, if I am wearing a $5,000 pair of Giuseppe's with Swaroski crystals that where glued on one by one and hand stitched embroidery I will wear shorts and a tee shirt that says " Look at my fabulous shoes that you will never be able to afford."



Giuseppe's success is no surprise to me because designers that take the time to tend to the details of their creations always reap the benefits of their relentless work ethic. How else would he distinguish himself? Well, another reason he can distinguish himself is because he has a live in muse, his wife Cinzia. After raving to the review journal that his wife has the most interesting closet , it comes as no surprise the appeal of Giuseppe's seductive creations. She is gorgeous and stylish and with a member of Giuseppe's target audience by his side at all times, he is able to get trustworthy and immediate feedback.


After reading about this star designer, I can't understand why he doesn't get a lot of attention. He has fabulous goals and has made a name for himself. He doesn't just speak about charitable work, or lend his thousands or millions of dollars in the hopes of getting publicity, but he actually participates in events with charities like Meals on Wheels and his own "charitable cause" of helping students in Italy that are interested in footwear design.


Giuseppe Zanotti is not to be looked over. This owner and operator of 3 lines, Giuseppe Zanotti Designers, Vicini, and Tapeet, with receive the publicity he deserves one day. Honestly, who can resist his bejeweled sandal, he even said himself to vogue UK that the easiest, sexiest and most perfect shoes is a flat sandal with a bit of sparkle.

This under-the-radar fabulous designer of women's footwear is a fabulous feature for my blog. He is exactly what I mean when the celebrities get all the attention and not the designers. So Giuseppe here is your opportunity to shine.

Wake up everyone and smell that Giuseppe's.

Let's Talk Vera Wang!

Since this week I will be focusing on CFDA ( Council of Fashion Designers of America) winners, both past and present, Vera Wang seems very appropriate. We all know this world renowned wedding dress designer, but do we know anything else about her ? Well let's get down to business.

Vera was born as Wang Woiwei ( or Vera Ellen Wang) on June 27, 1949. Vera, of Chinese decent, was raised in the East side of Manhattan by an affluent family. Her mother, Florence Wu, is a United Nations translator. She exposed Vera to style and fashion early on in life. Cheng Ching, her father, started and owned a chemical company focused on oils and pharmaceuticals. He and her mother provided Vera and brother, Kenneth, a very comfortable childhood.

At the age of seven Wang's parents gave her a pair of ice skates and it was love at first sight. What many of us don't know about Vera is that she was a trained figure skater. She competed nationally in the U.S. National Championships. She placed fifth in 1968 and 1969 with partner James Stuart. She even appeared in Sport's Illustrated " Faces in the Crowd" issue.

Though she showed her talents in figure skating, she was unable to earn a space on the Olympic Team in 1968. She was given the opportunity to tour with an ice show, but she turned the opportunity down. She once told People magazine that the only thing she loved as much as skating were clothes and with that, design became her new focus in life.

The now womenswear designer went to the renowned Chapin School. She also studied at the University of Paris and studied at Sorbonne during her sophomore year in college. Her and her mother frequented fashion shows in Paris as well. Vera ultimately graduated from Sarah Lawrence College with a degree in art history in 1971.

Upon graduation, Vera went to work at Vogue Magazine, the launching pad for many legendary fashion careers. After completing her first year, she was named the youngest fashion editor in Vogue's history at the age of 23. While at Vogue, Vera would work until the wee hours of the morning looking over photos from shoots and selecting clothing for the magazine. She said she would do anything in order to work her way up in the ranks of Vogue. While she was assisting Polly Mellen, she would sweep floors in the Scavullo's studio and run out for yogurt per request of the models. After 16 faithful years at Vogue, Vera Wang was turned down for the editor-in-chief position, which was in turn given to Anna Wintour.


Her unemployment period did not last long, she was quickly acquired by Ralph Lauren where she worked as a design director for two years.

The inspiration for her current expertise, wedding gowns, came as she was shopping for her own wedding dress. Frustrated with the limited options she encountered, she hired a dressmaker and designed her own wedding gown for her marriage to Arther Becker which would cost her $10,000. Before Vera, there was no fashion in wedding gowns. After finding this market in need of contemporary elegant gowns, in 1990 Vera opened her own bridal boutique. With funding from her father, she set up shop at the Carlyle Hotel in New York. At her boutique she not only carried her own line, but lines from other great bridal designers.

Returning to her roots,in 1994 Vera designed a simple white skating dress worn by Nancy Kerrigan in the Winter Olympics. She also designed costumes for Michelle Kwan. These designs gave her international attention that she did not have before.

Vera took her career to the next step in the late 90's making evening wear. From that moment on she became a hit in the celebrity arena. Celebs from Vanessa Williams, to J. Lo to Whoopi Goldberg were sporting Wang's originals. Today Vera has dabbled in fragrances, shoes, jewelry, and home fashion. She even opening the first high fashion suite in a hotel in Hawaii, amazing right ?! However, she never strays too far from her roots in athletics. She was commissioned to design the uniform of the Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders. Their two piece ensemble was designed uniquely and specifically for those gorgeous ladies by Ms. Wang herself.


Vera's achievements have not gone unrecognized. She has won the CFDA' womenswear designer of the year award in 2005 ( beating Marc Jacobs, mind you) and the Andre Leon Tally Lifetime Achievement Award. V era wrote a book about weddings in 2001 published by HarperCollins called Vera Wang on Weddings. She has made movie and tv appearances as herself throughout her years as well. The ink has recently dried on her contract to do Season 9 of Dancing with the Stars this year.

Vera has also taken advantage of an opportunity to design clothing and handbags for Khols, an affordable department store. This makes Vera Wang merchandise accessible to everyone.

Vera Wang, who is lives in NYC with her husband and two kids, has worked her way up in the fashion world with passion and desire for elegance. With help from family and connections she has grown into one of the most sought after designers to the stars and to any woman getting married. Vera's father always inspired her to keep doing what she wants and what she loves and never to do nothing and she has taken his advice to new heights. Her multi million dollar empire is a household name and is sold in major department stores like Bergdorf and Saks and loved by many all over the world.

So Vera, here is to you, you are a genius in fit and style of clothing and you can make anyone feel sexy in one of your designs. Good Luck on DWTS '09! Oh and Happy Birthday soon, 60 and Fabulous!

The CFDA Award Winners You Probably Don't Know: Laura and Kate Mulleavy

Laura and Kate Mulleavy were the winners of this years Council of Fashion Designers of America Womenswear Designer(s) of the Year. Who are these award winning ladies, you ask? Well let me give you the run down.


In 2008 the sisters won the CFDA coveted award of Emerging Womenswear Designer Award and have won a following of people like Karl Lagerfeld and Christian Louboutin. However, they did not just appear in the fashion world, they worked their way up through the back door.

In 2005 Rodarte was founded by the Mulleavy sisters in Pasadena,California. The line, bearing their mother's maiden name, was made after their graduation from U.C. Berkeley. Kate and Laura, 30 and 29 years old respectively, graduated college in 2001 with liberal arts degrees. They boarded the plane to New York with 10 garments on their laps and hope in their hearts that one day they would make their name in the fashion community. They arrived to the fashion capital and showed their collection to every editor and buyer they could track down. Their attention to detail would be their key to success. Their couture-like style shot them straight to the top and the awards began to pour in.



These two don't look like your typical fashion-passion ladies but their work speaks volumes. They take the approach of minimal yet extravagant, rough yet refined, intellectual yet effortless, something I am a HUGE fan off. Their style is said to resemble the craftsmanship of influential designers like Coco Chanel. They have won even support from major Fashion Heads like Anna Wintour.

The sisters were destined for greatness at an early age. At the age of 5 they began drawing. Their mother, an artist, exposed them to the arts. Their father, a botanist, exposed them to math and science but also had an interest in photography. He took pictures of abstract patterns which have inspired their pattern choices of today.



They knew that if they would do fashion they needed to get out of Pasadena. Before they left to take their collection to New York they took a chance by sending a letter to Cameron Silver, a L.A. Stylist. They asked him to review the collection and from then on he has become their mentor.

When they first arrived to New York they had no appointments to show their collection. They were banking on their unique idea of look books made of paper dolls and sending those to top editors. They got their first call from Women's Wear Daily and they were on the cover in a matter of 3 days.


In 2006 their line grew to 16 pieces but they were limited because of the complication of their fabrics and sewing process. They make each garment start to finish one at a time to make them beautiful and special. It has taken them 100 hours to make one knee length cocktail dress!

Despite the radiance of their line, they do not wear it themselves. Not only because they are self funded but because they need to be comfortable when sewing for hours on end.


The self taught sisters gained their designing skills from trial and error. They are not afraid of trying new things and learning from their team which works closely with them. The process they have is pretty simple. They start with inspiration and work in a abstract way to unfold the collection. They like to capture a moment or feeling as opposed to a literal translation of their ideas and inspirations.

Since they began they have won recognition such as:
- 2006 Runner up in CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Competition
- 2007 Rodarte gown in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute
- 2008 Rodarte is selected a finalist in the ANDAM competition
- 2008 Rodarte is awarded the CFDA Swarovski Emerging Womenswear Designer award
- 2008 Rodarte is awarded the Swiss Textiles Award
- 2009 Rodarte is awarded Womenswear Designers of the Year



Rodarte is a marvelous and captivating collection with prices ranging from $1300 to $2000. Made form only the most expensive fabrics and time consuming techniques, the ultra feminine line is sold everywhere from Barneys to Bergdorf. Their clientele includes Kirsten Dunst, Michelle Obama and the style sweetie Chloe Sevigny.



These two sisters are an inspiration for me because, as a college student looking to get into the fashion arena, I want to know that there is hope for the untrained. After researching the journey of the Mulleavy sisters, I see that anything is possible with faith, talent, and tenacity. They are bringing back the importance of detail and care that should be put into every garment that a women wears. They certainly are hot up-and-coming designers that deserve all the success that is soon to come after their win at the CFDA awards.



So ladies, here is to you! Thanks for paving the way, now watch out for me!

What You Never Knew About Jason Wu!!

Jason Wu, a 26-year old designer born in Taiwan, is a rising star designer whose fame reached new heights when Michelle Obama wore his gown to the inauguration. To most of us, that was Jason Wu's debut in the fashion world. For all I knew, that was the first dress he ever made. But apparently Jason has been very popular in the fashion community both before inauguration hit. So let's get familiar with Jason Wu !


Jason's parents recognized his love for art. His mom would drive him to bridal stores so that he could sketch the gowns in the window. His parents were said to move him from Taiwan , and relinquish their import and export business, because the culture did not appreciate art. They moved to Canada, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. While in the US Mr. Wu got started experimenting with fashion design by making clothes for dolls. At the age of 16, Wu started freelance doll clothing for a company called Integrity Toys by a line titled "Jason Wu dolls" which later turned to "Fashion Royalty." He was given the title of creative director of Integrity Toys.


He went to Paris for his senior year in high school and then enrolled in Parsons for 3 and a half years before he left to intern for Mr. Rodriquez. From there his fashion career blossomed. He continued to build his fashion designs for dolls at Integrity Toys , which is still sold today. In 2006 , with money he saved from his doll making, he started his own ready to wear clothing line. Today, he wants to stay exclusive making luxury women's wear and selling it in select stores and cities world wide. He has had his share of book and reality tv offers, but he declined them because he rather focus on developing a shoe and makeup line to add to his collection.


The title of this post reflects the appeal of his clothing and his fashion show diversity. His fall 09 show was crawling with models of all backgrounds, which tickles my heart a little. He is also known to design dolls for famous transsexuals such as RuPaul and Amanda Lepore.
Look at him showing his stuff in dress over his suit, maybe a representation of his double life.


However, his most famous design, for Michelle Obama ( the ultimate Barbie in my opinion), was an unexpected surprise. He said he was not expecting her to wear the gown. He was sitting in his apartment with his boyfriend in Midtown NY with a box of pizza when he saw the first lady appear on the screen with his white gown dripping in crystals. He was just as shocked as the world to see the first lady in a dress by an up and coming designer.


Though some people criticized the first Lady's choice of a new designer's dress and not a dress from an established fashion house, he still received a staggering 4 million hits on his web page. Remember, J-Crews website even crashed!

Jason Wu is riding on the glory of his Historic accomplishment, with the dress being displayed in the Smithsonian museum, he will be remembered for centuries to come.

His clothing line has been climbing to the top of the charts with recognition from the fashion goddess herself, Anna Wintour. Some sources even say that Jason Wu was introduced to Michelle Obama through Andre Leon, Anna's right hand man. That seems like it could be a possibility. Another possibility is that Michelle Obama's stylist from Chicago Ikram Goldman played as a third party in getting Michelle in Jason's design. Jason has sold pieces through Ikram's Chicago Boutique, some of which Mrs. Obama owns.


Jason Wu's designs have also been seen on Ivana Trump, Kristina O'Neill, and Kerry Washington. Not to mention that Michelle Obama wore his clothing 3 days in a row while in England for the G20 summit. Jason is apparently a good hit with his target market, older women who want to look chic, stylish, and feel gorgeous.


Jason Wu has been receiving critical acclaims from established designers and worshiped magazine editors in addition to being a finalist for Vogue Fashion Fund Award and winning the Fashion Groups International's Rising Star Award. He is now on his way to the top. His revenue has grown 280% since 2007 to $950,000 and is expects 2009 sales to exceed $2.5 Million. His recent line that debuted earlier this month has won rave reviews. Like me, he doesn't follow trends, he designs classic trends that enhance femininity and highlights a woman's beauty.


So now we can stop questioning why Michelle Obama chose his design and not one from a huge fashion giant or an African American designer like everyone complained about. She chose a hardworking, driven designer whose clothing fits her personality and accentuates her beauty.

Jason Wu, Here's to you!