DIESEL & CFDA/VOGUE FASHION FUND ANNOUNCES SEPTEMBER 2018 AMERICANS IN PARIS DESIGNERS

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americans in paris cfda diesel fashionado

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and Vogue are pleased to announce the fifteenth season of CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund’s Americans in Paris. Diesel is proud to again underwrite the initiative.

The participating designers are:

Ahlem Manai-Platt, Ahlem

Beckett Fogg and Piotrek Panszczyk, Area 

Becca McCharen-Tran, Chromat

Victor Glemaud, Victor Glemaud

Ji Oh, Ji Oh

Eli Azran, RtA

Sandy Liang, Sandy Liang

Telfar Clemens, Telfar

Patric DiCaprio, Bryn Taubensee & Claire Sully, Vaquera

Americans in Paris provides invaluable global exposure for designers as well as sales, marketing and media support necessary to expand their respective businesses. The showcase is  located in a townhouse at 29 Rue Du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. 

This season’s opening cocktail party to celebrate the initiative was hosted by Emily Ratajkowski and Diesel’s Stefano Rosso on September 29 at the showroom.

Founded in 1978, Diesel has evolved from being a pioneer in denim to becoming a global icon of premium casual-wear. This year, the company is celebrating its 40th anniversary and to commemorate the milestone, the nine Americans in Paris designers were given the brief to apply their viewpoints to a single, signature Diesel item—the denim jacket. The task was to customize the piece as each designer wished while interpreting also Diesel’s storied logo. These exclusive designs are on display in the showroom. 

“Diesel has always put creativity at the center of everything it does. In today’s world, brands need to become platforms for young designers and consumers to meet and express themselves. This is why we are happy to support and work with these young CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund designers who are interpreting our heritage in unique pieces,” said Stefano Rosso, Chief Executive Officer of Diesel North America.

“Americans in Paris continues to showcase the strength of American fashion on the global platform of Paris Fashion Week,” said Steven Kolb, President and CEO of the CFDA. “This season, in celebration of the 15th anniversary of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, we have expanded the group to include past alumni of the program in addition to the 2017 finalists.”

Tomorrow London Holdings Ltd is providing additional support through event production, targeted outreach for the designers and managing sales appointments, distribution and retail.

“Tomorrow believes that creativity should be championed and given a platform to reach a global audience,” said Stefano Martinetto, CEO and Founder of Tomorrow London Holdings. “In the constant pursuit to recognize and protect creativity, Tomorrow dedicates extensive time and resource to discovering and nurturing new talent from across the world, hence the partnership with the CFDA and Vogue comes naturally.”

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Fashion Lives & Fashion Talks with Fern Mallis

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The book is titled: Fashion Lives: Fashion Icons with Fern Mallis. There's also an interview series by the same name where Fern Mallis sits with some of the biggest names in fashion and has a conversations about life and career. Before all of this, Fern was the executive director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and she is credited as the creator of New York Fashion Week. Fern Mallis, it's fair to say, is a fashion icon, in her own right. I had the privilege of speaking with Fern during her annual engagement with Charleston Fashion Week where she serves as lead judge and special guest. Fern is such a great storyteller and with her prominent position within the fashion world, her contributions to the industry and the fact that she knows everybody in it (and is so well respected) well,  she had plenty of stories to tell.

Video production by Michael Weston.

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Yigal Azrouël revealed as featured designer at Lexus Charleston Fashion Week

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Yigal Azrouël Fall 2018 Ready-to-Wear

Yigal Azrouël Fall 2018 Ready-to-Wear

Lexus Charleston Fashion Week ® (Lexus CFW), one of the leading fashion weeks in the United States, announced its March 13-17, 2018 schedule, and features internationally known designer Yigal Azrouël for Saturday night’s Fashion Finale, runway shows from 12 competing Emerging Designer semifinalists, plus exciting retailer and local designer shows.

Yigal Azrouël, a New York-based fashion designer, will be featured on Saturday, March 17.

Azrouël designs ready-to- wear fashion for the effortlessly cool and confident woman with innovative design, intricately detailed construction and high-quality fabrications.

His creations have been spotlighted in many magazines including Forbes, VOGUE and WWD. Azrouël will also serve on the Fashion Panel under Fern Mallis, who will again lead the effort in determining the 2018 Charleston Fashion Week ® Emerging Designer Competition Winner.

Other panelists include mentor Pauline Sokol Nakios, owner of Lilla P, Charleston’s own fashion favorite, Andrea Serrano and Senior VP of Marketing at Who What Wear, Courtney Wartman.

 

“We’re excited to showcase such well-known designers at Lexus Charleston Fashion Week ® ,” said
Naomi Russell, executive director of Lexus CFW. “This continues the goal of bringing nationally-
known fashion stars to Charleston, to judge and mentor the competing emerging designers, as well as highlight the strong fashion scene.”

Lexus Charleston Fashion Week ® will take place from March 13-17, 2018 in Marion Square and
throughout Charleston, S.C., and showcases new off-site events, collections from emerging talent
from across the US, renowned designer runway shows, glamorous on-site tents such as the Gwynn’s VIP Lounge, shopping in the hip Style Lounge, happening after-parties and much more. The Friday and Saturday night runway shows will also be live-streamed on the Lexus CFW website. Visit www.charlestonfashionweek.com for full schedule of events and to purchase tickets.

Showcasing fashion designers, retailers, and models, the 12 th annual Lexus Charleston Fashion
Week ® is one of the premier fashion weeks in North America. Named a Top 20 Event for March by the Southeast Tourism Society, this multimedia event presents high-end runway shows,
interactive entertainment, chic after-parties, and press events. The 2017 event featured more than 40 runway shows, 8,100 attendees, the Emerging Designer Competition, and the Rock the Runway Model Competition™.

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Project Runway Finalist to Compete in Charleston Fashion Week 2018

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Charleston Fashion Week

12th ANNUAL LEXUS CHARLESTON FASHION WEEK® ANNOUNCES THE TOP 12 EMERGING DESIGNER COMPETITION SEMIFINALISTS

Showcasing fashion designers, retailers, and models, the 12th annual Lexus Charleston Fashion Week® (#LexusCFW) is one of the premier fashion weeks in North America. Named a Top 20 Event for March by the Southeast Tourism Society, this multimedia event presents high-end runway shows, interactive entertainment, chic after- parties, and press events. The 2017 event featured more than 40 runway shows with 8,100 attendees. Lexus Charleston Fashion Week® 2018 is scheduled for March 13 – 17, 2018.  

Lexus Charleston Fashion Week® is proud to announce the top 12 Emerging Designer Semifinalists for the 2018 fashion competition. This year, Emerging Designers hale from a diverse collection of cities around the country, include a former Project Runway contestant (Kenya Freeman) and features the competition's youngest designer ever–she's 12 years old.

Each Emerging Designer will compete for the top prize March 13 – 17, 2018 under the tents in Marion Square in the heart of historic downtown Charleston. Tickets are now on sale for the hotly anticipated fashion event of the year. Visit the CFW website to purchase runway tickets, nightly passes, VIP packages and more.

“We were overwhelmed by the number of talented applicants of all ages, skill sets and education,” said Pauline Nakios, CFW fashion panel judge. “Each up-and-coming designer chosen will showcase his or her collection on the nationally-recognized runway before leading fashion insiders, influencers and media.”

“Charleston Fashion Week gives aspiring fashion designers the opportunity and platform to present their collections on a professional runway and share ideas with true industry professionals. I am pleased to be a part of the event for the seventh year!” - Fern Mallis, author and creator of New York Fashion Week.

The Lexus Charleston Fashion Week® 2018 Emerging Designer Competition Semifinalists chosen to debut their collections include:

  • Tygerian Burke // Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Kelly Callaway // Scottsdale, Arizona
  • Kenya Freeman // Atlanta, Georgia
  • Tina Gancev // Atlanta, Georgia
  • Sharae Hines // Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Heather Rose Johnson // Charleston, South Carolina
  • Tierra Macon // Los Angeles, California
  • Joan Madison // Columbus, Ohio
  • Kimberly Millar // Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Patresea Peppers // Atlanta, Georgia
  • Emilie Schroeder // Brooklyn, New York
  • Patrick Tai & Terrence Henderson // Charlotte, North Carolina

The 2018 Emerging Designer Grand Prize Winner, selected by a fashion panel of judges at the Saturday night Fashion Finale, will receive an enhanced prize package worth more than $40,000, including the following:

  •  $10,000 cash
  • Once-in-a-lifetime lunch with Fern Mallis in New York City in 2018
  • Mentorship with L2 Apparel and Lilia P. CEO, Pauline Sokol Nakios
  • Featured Designer event or show at Charleston Fashion Week 2018
  • $10,000 website or search engine marketing package from F22 Internet Solutions

The Emerging Designer Competition began eleven years ago and serves as a platform for undiscovered talent, connecting them with top fashion trendsetters including New York Fashion Week Founder and international fashion consultant, Fern Mallis, and CFDA members and top designers like David Hart, CADET, and Tracy Reese. Previous winners and contestants have been featured in VOGUE, Marie Claire, ELLE, Women’s Wear Daily and on CNN.com, along with other major media outlets; and their collections have been picked up by stores including Anthropologie, BARNEY’s New York and Neiman Marcus. For more information, including tickets and availability, visit charlestonfashionweek.com or @chasfashweek.

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David Meister Holiday & Resort RTW

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David Meister Holiday 2017

As the holiday season approaches, designer David Meister’s new Holiday and Resort collections are a must-have addition to your wardrobe. David designs every collection with the most important thing in mind: FIT. His signature silhouette-enhancing styles and fabrics are designed with the intent to contour and compliment the body, because he knows that women look best when they feel confident.

This time around, David has designed a dress for every holiday occasion, whether it calls for a daytime holiday luncheon, a sophisticated, elegant winter gown, or a glitzy New Year’s eve cocktail dress.

David Meister is recognized alongside some of the most respected figures in American fashion. Meister’s name is synonymous with sophisticated, beautiful, body conscious women’s wear and his list of devotees reads like a who’s-who in the world of fashion, entertainment, and the arts. Meister’s designs are a red carpet staple, gracing the bodies of some of the most recognized women in Hollywood including Sophia Bush, Diane Lane, Julia Louis Dreyfuss, Sofia Vergara, Jane Lynch, Queen Latifah, Fergie, Demi Lovato, Tina Fey, Amy Pohler, Sigourney Weaver, Jane Fonda, Sharon Stone and Octavia Spencer. – among many others.

RESORT 2018

His lines of day dresses, cocktail dresses, and gowns can be found in the nation’s top luxury department stores including Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, as well as top specialty stores, both nationally and internationally. Or, shop David Meister online.

The David Meister Signature Collection of red carpet ready dresses is available exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman, BergdorfGoodman.com, Neiman Marcus and NeimanMarcus.com

In addition to designing, Meister continues to be at the forefront of the causes and organizations in which he believes. He is a long-standing member and active participant in the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), and also serves as an ambassador for Dress for Success. Meister was recently honored at Fashion For Life, a benefit for Friendly House in Los Angeles, was honored at the Susan G. Komen Men in Pink Ties event during Breast Cancer Awareness month, at which they are recognizing men committed to raising awareness for the cause. 

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Tracy Reese Spring 2018 RTW

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“The woman makes the clothes.”

Tracy Reese

Tracy Reese presented a collection for Spring 2018 that was bold in color and rich in prints. Featured were wide-legged pants, flowing dresses and over-sized suits - all very chic, very modern and very wearable. But Tracy Reese did much more than present a beautiful collection - she sent a clear-cut message about diversity and how the fashion industry needs to embrace dressing all women. Her models ranged in age, ethnicity and size.

The models were speaking to the audience though we couldn't make it all out, so what were they saying? Tracy told Vogue: “I wanted them to tell their stories about their journeys, their dreams, and their aspirations, in whatever language felt most natural to them." This action just made an already strong presentation stronger and authentic.

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60 Looks, Runway Recap: Jeffrey Fashion Cares 2017

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Photos by Ben Rose.

Arbiter of style, Jeffrey Kalinsky, creator of two namesake boutiques in Atlanta and Manhattan, celebrated 25 years of Jeffrey Fashion Cares Atlanta on Monday August 28, 2017. The annual fashion forward and philanthropic event was once again hosted by Event Chairs Lila Hertz, Jeffrey McQuithy and Louise Sams.  A sold-out evening, the City’s most notable gathered in Phipps Plaza in the heart of Buckhead to enjoy a high-energy reception and silent auction followed by a live auction and runway show featuring Kalinsky’s style selections from high-end designers such as Celine, Christian Dior, Givenchy, Valentino, Dries van Noten, Saint Laurent Paris, Balenciaga, Michael Halpern, Christian Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik. 

Jeffrey McQuithy, Jeffrey Kalinsky, Lila Hertz & Louise Sams - the Fashion Cares Dream Team!

Jeffrey McQuithy, Jeffrey Kalinsky, Lila Hertz & Louise Sams - the Fashion Cares Dream Team!

Kalinsky and Jeffrey Fashion Cares were also granted a Phoenix Award, the highest honor that can be bestowed on a citizen for service to the City of Atlanta by the Mayor. The award recognizes outstanding achievements and service to the city, state, nation or world.  

The 25th anniversary of Jeffrey Fashion Cares benefitted Susan G. Komen Greater Atlanta, the Atlanta AIDS Fund (AAF), and the Medical University of South Carolina. Over the course of its history, Jeffrey Fashion Cares has raised more than 15 million dollars for its beneficiaries.  For more information, visit jeffreyfashioncares.com

Coming soon to fashionado: full video coverage of the 25th annual Jeffrey Fashion Cares, including the entire runway finale walk!

Jeffrey Kalinsky’s Fall Trend Forecast: 

Out with the minimal, and in with the maximal- so goes the ever-revolving door of fashion trends. For Fall 2017, we are revisiting the powerful, exaggerated silhouettes and over-the-top embellishments of the 1980’s. From New York all the way to Paris, runways were lit up by each designers’ newfound flair for extravagance. It is finally time to open your minds and your closets to daring, yet infinitely chic possibilities. Shop on…

Power Shoulders: One of the most memorable fashion moments of the 1980’s (aside from the larger-than-life hair) were the larger-than-life shoulder pads. Think cropped couture jackets and little party frocks all with a dramatic shoulder line that creates the illusion of a smaller waist.

Fun Furs: When the temperature starts to drop, nothing says decadence quite like swathing yourself in fur. This season, don’t let your exceptionally soft selection of outerwear be merely utilitarian; instead, choose one that is just as unique and cheerful as it is cozy.

Rare Birds: Feathers are no doubt the biggest story in embellishment this season. Bright, bold, beautiful plumes could be spotted flouncing down the catwalk of practically every major designer. 

Give Them the Slip: Who says silken slip dresses must be confined to the bedroom?  If you are afraid of being mistaken for a sleepwalker, layer an asymmetrical, lace-trimmed slip over a t-shirt or sweater for a decidedly modern look. 

Flower Power: As Miranda Priestly famously taught us in The Devil Wears Prada, florals are by no means groundbreaking for spring. They are, however, an unexpected delight for fall and winter. This season, designer’s showcased moody, yet bold versions of the print that would feel right at home in an 18th century painting.

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