Netflix Limited Series: HALSTON

“I have a vision. I’m going to change the face of American fashion… I’ve been an outsider my entire life until one day I stopped giving a flying fuck…” Ewan McGregor as Halston. It’s clear to see why the Halston family has issues over the Ryan Murphy produced Netflix series which premieres on May 14. The HALSTON Archives and Family released a statement, see below. And will that stop us from watching the Netflix series? Hell no!

Roy Halston Frowick, 1988

The HALSTON Archives and Family were not consulted on the upcoming Netflix series involving an inaccurate, fictionalized account of famed fashion designer, "Halston." The HALSTON Archives remains the only definitive and comprehensive source on the man and his legacy as the personally appointed custodian of his private papers and effects. 

The HALSTON Archives travels the world to bring the meticulous history and original design work of Halston to reputable venues with comprehensive exhibits and seminars. Following in the steps of Halston's generosity while living, his family will be adding an initiative to the HALSTON Archives that will partner with select non-profit organizations and institutions to establish fashion scholarships in Halston's name as a way to inspire and empower the next generation of American Fashion Designers.

In addition to this exciting resource, The HALSTON Archives will be launching a non-profit limited, self-sustaining and iconic product line based on original artwork that will fund the scholarship program and continuity of the Archives with the goal of ensuring the HALSTON legacy lives on in future generations of Fashion students.

HALSTON, starring Ewan McGregor, is the untold story of the meteoric rise and fall of the first American celebrity fashion designer.

FASHIONADO

DESIGNER JOHNATHAN HAYDEN RISING THROUGH THE RANKS IN FASHION

Fashion designer, Johnathan Hayden, The Art Institute of Dallas 2012 Alumnus, is being recognized for his work - a new face for the fashion industry as it confronts diversity and inclusion to promote genuine talent.

As the fashion and retail landscape dramatically shifts across America, the opportunity for emerging brands has attracted attention to his eponymous womenswear brand. Despite Covid-19, he has quickly shifted to producing masks for the NYC community in partnerships with local nonprofits. His “Made in America” approach to ethical manufacturing was awarded a small grant from NYC non-profit, Harlem’s Fashion Row’s ICON 360 initiative (a recipient of $1 million from The Council of Fashion Designers of America x VOGUE’s “Common Thread” $5 million fund), 1 of 27 designers of color allocated funding. He credits The Art Institute for his equipping him with a strong technical design and production background developing quality design as the industry confronts demands for social consciousness amongst global environmental and racial equity concerns. Featured this month in Vogue Mexico’s editorial on young design talent, he speaks to the rigor and patience it has taken to make is stake in the international fashion industry:

"I may have been naïve to leap into the title of Fashion Designer, but like I said earlier, I was raised with a strict sense of duty to a greater whole—building community. So when I ‘found’ my brand, that sounds like it was an accident, something to happen by chance. But the truth is I have forged this brand. When asked, I point to everything around me in my studio and say, “This wasn’t built because of a ‘yes’. Everything you see exists despite every exclusionary ‘no’,” for whatever reason. I don’t know what the future looks like, but I know what I am trying to work towards. I’d like to see fashion truly exercise inclusion to reimagine what that means. To me, that’s listening to more voices and then, as a fashion designer, using my brand as a lens for that idealism to aspire towards."

Johnathan Hayden is a luxury designer label founded in 2016 having debuted its first collection at Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO in October 2019. The New-York based hybrid-designer unites his interest in technology and fashion to create luxury clothing with adaptive details. Hayden has worked with nonprofit organizations like non-profit Open Style Lab at Parsons specializing in inclusive clothing for people with disabilities and continues to explore meaningful applications of technology in design showcased at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

AiLive host, E. Vincent Martinez, speaks with Johnathan Hayden, a NYC fashion designer, creative consultant, textbook illustrator and Art Institute of Dallas graduate.

FASHIONADO

PFW 2021 - UN REVE SUR LA COTE D’AZUR by DARA SENDERS in collaboration with EMILY BRICKEL EDELSON of CHIC SKETCH

Debuting today, Dara Senders presents her new collection UN REVE SUR LA COTE D’AZUR and digital presentation/ look book in collaboration with Emily Brickel Edelson, co-founder and lead fashion illustrator of Chic Sketch.

A mixture of pastels, muted jewel tones, and gilded metallics sets the color pallet for this collection. Hues reminiscent of a bright sunny day that leads into a magnificent sunset over the Mediterranean Sea and lavender fields. The array of sophisticated ready-to-wear separates such as ruffled floral print organza and textured metallic threaded chiffon statement blouses and kimonos provide the ease and comfort of day to night dressing. Romantic cocktail dresses and flowy evening gowns sit alongside plenty of sequin numbers to make life and dressing more fabulous. Whether you are dressing for a zoom call for business or pleasure, a dinner date, all the way to an intimate outdoor gathering with family and friends Dara Senders’ 2020/2021 collection will have you looking your best.   

All garments are made to order in Paris, France by Dara Senders’ team of couturiers with an incredible attention to detail and craftsmanship. Each garment made is cut with the brand’s innovative pattern making technology that allows each garment to fit with perfection and ease from sizes XS-3XL. The first drop of Un Rêve Sur La Côte D’azur by Dara Senders will launch for pre-sale on October 5th on DaraSenders.com with a scheduled Holiday delivery. The second drop is scheduled to launch on the designer’s website for pre-sale at the end of October. The Pret-a-Porter collection prices under $400.00 USD while the couture collection prices under $700 USD. 

“Designing luxurious well-tailored clothing that can elevate a woman’s style and allows her to feel beautiful from the inside-out and vice-versa, no matter her physique is what I find most fulfilling! I believe all women, no matter their shape and size deserve to feel and look fashion forward, fabulous every day.” - Dara Senders explains.

Given the world’s current climate with COVID-19, Dara knew she had to think outside of the box to create a visually captivating, zero contact, digital presentation to not risk the health and safety of others that a traditional fashion show or editorial photoshoot may have. She loved the idea of two female entrepreneurs joining creative forces to create a unique way of bringing her brands collection to life. This is how the colorful collaboration between Emily Brickel Edelson, co-founder and lead fashion illustrator of Chic Sketch and Dara Senders came into fruition.  Dara explains, “I knew collaborating with Emily Brickel Edelson to artistically and visually showcase the ambiance of  my collection as its presentation would be a perfect fit. Through her art she truly captured my collection’s ambiance and gave a 2D presentation movement, emotion and depth. It is so wonderful when young women entrepreneurs can come together and support each other wholeheartedly!”

Both women have worked closely to tell the captivating story of “Un Rêve Sur La Côte D’azur” by Dara Senders. Through Emily’s art and renowned fashion illustrations in which visually showcases this collection magnificently,  tickles one’s senses of completely emerging into the French Riviera. “On behalf of Chic Sketch, we are thrilled to collaborate with Dara Senders for her new 2020/2021 Collection. Dara's designs are the epitome of what fashion forward women want to wear to feel beautiful at any size. Through the Dara Senders’ collection, in collaboration with my artwork, one thing we have in common is wanting women to always feel and look beautiful and inspiring women globally to live their dream lives. Now more than ever, we all need something to look forward to and something to wear that reminds us of who we are and gives us a reason to glam up everyday with a little sparkle and a lot of chic!" says Emily Brickel.

FASHIONADO

New York Fashion Week Is Going Home...With Lowe's

At a time when home has become the new epicenter of personal style, Lowe's and New York Fashion Week: The Shows have come together to reimagine one of fashion's most iconic moments, transporting high fashion from the runway to the home.

Lowe's will bring New York Fashion Week home with sophisticated décor "edits" curated through the design lenses of Jason Wu, Rebecca Minkoff and Christian Siriano. Set to be revealed at midnight on Tuesday, Sept. 8, items handpicked by each designer will serve as the backdrop to their breathtaking runway shows later that month, all shoppable from Lowes.com and streamable on Lowe's Twitter.

Inspired by each designer's definition of home, these straight-off-the-runway curations – from lighting to patio furniture, flooring and building materials – have been available at Lowe's all along, demonstrating that beautiful and thoughtfully designed spaces can be both accessible and affordable.

"The intersection between home and style has never been more prevalent than it has this year, and partnering with some of the world's most modern and visionary leaders of fashion to demonstrate how everyone can bring fashion "home" is very exciting to us," said Marisa Thalberg, Lowe's Chief Brand and Marketing Officer. "Our homes can be our greatest form of self-expression, in fact. We hope that seeing how these designers express themselves and bring their ultimate runway visions to life through the world of products we sell every day at Lowe's will be inspiring to people everywhere to feel they can do the same, and more easily and affordably than they might have ever imagined."

Lowe's will style and livestream each of the designers' outdoor runway shows to give the world a coveted view of fashion's biggest stage, with details to be announced in the coming weeks. Following the shows, Lowe's will join each designer in giving fashion greater purpose by participating in a community project that makes high-style design accessible to people and communities impacted by the pandemic.

"I have always loved interior design. I am very proud to partner with Lowe's to curate a series of interior decor ideas that will inspire great spaces." said Jason Wu. "My home has always been a great source of inspiration for me, especially now that it's not just a place I live, but where I've worked to bring my Spring 2021 collection to life. I have always believed that beautifully considered design should be accessible, and I'm excited to debut a curated collection with Lowe's that offer a glimpse into what home means to me." 

To reserve a front-row seat from your own home and be sure you don't miss a minute of the action, check out Lowe's Instagram and Twitter beginning today. For more on the partnership, visit Lowes.com/NYFW.

FASHIONADO

Ecco Domani® Announces $50,000 Donation to the Meals on Wheels COVID-19 Response Fund AND Reveals Collaboration with Fashion Designer Brandon Maxwell

 Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio today announced a $50,000 donation to the Meals on Wheels COVID-19 Response Fund established by Meals on Wheels America. Inspired by fashion designer Brandon Maxwell, who has previously supported the organization and whom Ecco Domani enlisted to give its bottle a bold new look for the 2020 summer season, the donation will benefit the Meals on Wheels COVID-19 Response Fund to help local senior nutrition providers actively responding to the evolving COVID-19 crisis across the U.S., as well as assist with the supply of nutritious meals to vulnerable senior citizens during this pandemic.

While Brandon Maxwell's limited-edition label will hit shelves nationwide on June 1, Ecco Domani was inspired to lend its support and unveil the collaboration early after seeing Maxwell's commendable, proactive response to help those affected by the current crisis.

"Brandon Maxwell's bold approach to design was one of the initial reasons we were drawn to partnering with him," said Maud Pansing, Vice President of Marketing for Ecco Domani. "Not only does Brandon inspire us through design, but his recent philanthropic efforts encouraged us to provide support through our own donation commitment to Meals on Wheels America. We're filled with pride to announce our limited-edition label collaboration with Brandon and hope Ecco Domani fans and consumers everywhere can look forward to embracing their statement-making style this summer."

Brandon Maxwell officially announced his partnership with Ecco Domani on his Instagram yesterday, offering viewers a first look at his limited-edition label which is dressed in his signature monogram and leopard print designs. Classically chic, the label's standout pattern complements Ecco Domani's timeless, quality flavor profile, making it a trusted Pinot Grigio for nearly 25 years. The limited-edition label from Brandon Maxwell marks Ecco Domani’s sixth iteration of its annual Designer Label program.

"When Ecco Domani initially approached me to design a limited-edition label, it felt synchronistic as I grew up around the brand through my father's distribution company," said Brandon Maxwell. "For the design, I drew inspiration from my Fall/Winter 2019 collection to create a label that fully captures Ecco Domani's bold personality and offers consumers the opportunity to make a confident statement, even if enjoying a glass from the comforts of home."

The limited-edition label from Brandon Maxwell marks Ecco Domani's sixth iteration of its annual Designer Label program. The eye-catching bottle will be available for purchase in stores and via third-party delivery services nationwide beginning June 1, 2020.

Brandon Maxwell is a luxury women's ready-to-wear label launched in New York in 2015. The brand was born out of the desire to make women feel beautiful, sophisticated and powerful, with timeless garments that are impeccably tailored. With a focus on craftsmanship, the entire collection is designed in New York City.

Maxwell was awarded the 2019 CFDA Award for Womenswear Designer of the Year, the 2019 FGI Fashion Star Award, the 2019 Texas Medal of Art for Design, the 2018 Woolmark New York Semi Final Prize Award, 2016 Fashion Group International Rising Star Award for Womenswear, the 2016 CFDA Swarovski Award for Womenswear, and was named a finalist for the 2016 LVMH Prize. Maxwell is a judge on Bravo TV's Project Runway.

FASHIONADO

A conversation with Fashion Icon Elie Tahari

“Clothing should be quieter than the woman so that

her true beauty can shine through.” Elie Tahari

Elie Tahari exemplifies the “American Dream.” He came to this country with nothing but his talent and drive which propelled him to build a fashion empire in the mid-seventies. Today, he is a successful, beloved and respected fashion designer.

During a visit to SAKS Fifth Avenue in Atlanta, where he had a runway show to feature his Fall 2018 ready-to-wear collection, Mr. Tahari was very gracious to make time for a conversation.

He spoke about the early days in New York City, working at a women’s boutique, which served as his motivation into the fashion industry. Mr. Tahari also shared his thoughts about womenswear, mennswear, where he finds his inspiration, he spoke about fashion trends and gave us a exclusive sneak peak into the future plans for Elie Tahari in 2019.

Thank you to Saks Fifth Avenue, Suthingirl and the Tahari team for the opportunity.

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