DEPT: Pop-arazzi
AUTHOR: Olivia Ouyang
ISSUE: Spring 2013
PHOTO: Courtesy of Monika Chiang
“The fashion designer brings a global sensibility to clothes for the modern woman”
“Monika Chiang always wanted to be a fashion designer. Now, with a successful third collection and partnerships with Shopbop and Intermix, the Chinese American is making her childhood dream a reality.”
It’s all about Gatsby, Gatsby, Gatsby these days and who better to take the fashion lead than Fashion Designer Sue Wong with the launch of her Fall Collection titled none other than, “The Great Gatsby”. At her recent birthday party/fashion preview, the Hollywood crowd amazed donning flapper girl dresses, beads and crystals galore with men dappered out in their suit and ties. The red carpet was rolled out for celebrities in attendance such as Kelsey Grammer and his wife, actor Thomas Jane to the pop band Blush.
Wong is a fashion legacy known to create her collections centered around films such as “Eat, Pray, Love” and “Oz: The Great and Powerful” in the past. For her Gatsby Collection, Wong wanted to “…bring to life the spirit of an era that Fitzgerald flawless depicted in his novel…” which is delicately designed in her flapper dresses that are decorated with rich beading and fringed skirts. Audrey caught up with Wong as she describes who the Sue Wong woman is, the soulfulness of style and her hard knocks advice on getting into the fashion biz.
French Filipina designer Monique Lhuillier is well known in the fashion industry for her exquisite evening and wedding gowns, with a huge following celebrity following that includes Jennifer Lopez, Kristen Stewart, and Katy Perry. Her latest bridal collection for the Spring 2014 season was met with much adoration from the public, as it premiered at the 2013 New York Bridal Fashion Week from April 20-22. For the inspiration behind her collection, Lhuillier told Refinery29:
“I imagined myself being locked up in this gorgeous apartment in Paris looking out the windows and fantasizing what my wedding would be. That’s why the set was very much like a Parisian interior. I wanted my brides to be a little more covered this season. I find it sexier and newer to show a little less skin. So, I showed all those capes, which were more dramatic — and the entrance made more of a statement.”
For more images of the collection, please go here.
After being asked a few times, Fashion Designer Pia Gladys Perey finally debuted her first runway show for 2013 Fashion Week in Los Angeles last month. Perhaps the timing never felt right until this year and it’s just a sign of the growing popularity of her brand, Pia Gladys Perey. She explains, “I have expanded my label and want to see how people from the US will react to my label. It’s very exciting and am very much looking forward to getting into the US market.”
Vera Wang and Evan Lysacek at a Vanity Fair party together.
During an interview at 92Y on Wednesday night, Vera Wang told Fern Mallis (Creator of New York Fashion Week) that her relationship with with figure skater Evan Lysacek was nothing more of a mentor-mentee relationship and it was not the reason why her marriage fell apart.
“I’m his mentor, his true mentor I hope for his ongoing life after sports,” the Chinese American fashion designer insisted to Mallis.
Last summer, after Wang announced she was ending her marriage (just two weeks shy of their 23rd anniversary) to businessman Arthur Baker, she was reportedly seen attending functions together with the 27-year-old American figure skater. Rumors had also escalated that they had also moved in together.
Wang married Baker in 1989 and have two daughters together, Cecilia (23) and Josephine (19). Wang is known for her haute couture bridesmaids and wedding gown collections, as well as designing competition dresses for various female figure skaters. Prior to beginning her own line, Wang famously turned down the Editor-in-Chief position of US Vogue (before it turned over to Anna Wintour) after being a Senior Fashion Editor to join Ralph Lauren as a Design Director.
Photo Courtesy of Astonish World.
While New York Fashion Week is the stage for the world’s best designers to showcase their latest work, some of the more exciting moments come from discovering emerging talent in the fashion industry.
We’ve been taking notice of up and coming fashion designer Ann Yee — check her out in Steve Madden’s “Meet the Makers” video series.
For more information about Ann Yee’s collection, please visit her site.
Find Meet The Makers online at: Steve Madden’s Mag, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Check out the Steve Madden x Ann Yee video below the cut!
Son Jung Wan once again gave an art history lesson at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week this past Saturday (February 9). Last season, she was inspired by Spanish artist Juan Miro. For her Fall/Winter 2013 collection, the Korean designer was influenced by two of Russia’s greats: painter Kandinsky for his flair in bringing together music and art and the Catherine Palace for its extravagant elegance.
Wan worked with her two contrasting inspirations as she masterfully balanced fine details and neutral hues (gray, ivory, off-white and beige) with lavish textures (wool, fur, tweed, cash-pelt and suede) and jewel tones (ox blood, burgundy, gold, deep violet and teal). Case in point: her last two looks with the ultra-glamorous fox mocha-colored fur coat accentuated with sequins and the hot gold sequined jumper that fabulously finished the show.
Wan has become known for her romantic aesthetics, always offering alluring gowns amongst the heavy coats, floor-gazing pants and structured cocktail dresses. Her latest collection was no different as she included show-stopping mesh dresses in dark violet and mocha – surely wowing her Hollywood fans like Brooke Shields and Gossip Girl star Kelly Rutherford.
To check out more of Son Jung Wan, visit sonjungwan.com.
Photo Courtesy: Rodin Banica
Project Runway Season 11 Contestant Tu Suthiwat Nakchat.
Project Runway is back for Season 11 tonight! Catch Thai contestant Tu Suthiwat Nakchat as he dukes it out with the other designers.
There’s one catch for this new season, however – every challenge is a team challenge, meaning all designers will compete in groups from beginning to end. One Project Runway winner will still be crowned.
This past weekend, Thai Nguyen had his debut runway fashion show at Concept Los Angeles Fashion Week to showcase his Fall/Winter 2011 collection: The Last Falling Leaf. Connecting back to his Vietnamese roots, he draws inspiration from a Vietnamese song to create this collection that consists of 35 dresses. For this collection, he wanted to celebrate the elegant body of a woman in a variety of soft, flowing dresses that are suitable for different occasions, from casual day wear to fancy red carpet events. And his collection isn’t short on color either; it is created using silk materials in muted tones of cream, sienna, teal, royal blue, and ruby red. (Stay tuned for a post-show review!)
