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Fashion. Beauty. Business. SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

S P E C I A L E D I T I O N

CollectionsThe

New York

On the BoardwalkTommy Hilfiger and Gigi Hadid turned Pier 16 at the South Street Seaport into Tommy Pier Friday night, a fashion carnival with all the trimmings, for the “see-now-buy-now” show of the first Tommy x Gigi collection. The clothes mixed Hadid’s laid-back California vibe with a Tommy twist, here on Hadid and other models. For more on the show, see page 7 and for the review, see WWD.com.

Discover the benefits of being Made in NY.

madeinnyfashion.nyc

The future of fashion is Made in NY.

Made in NY certified designer Lela Rose | Lela Rose

and manufacturing in New York City

“I’m passionate about growing my brand here,

makes business so much easier.”

Made in NY certified designer

Rony Vardi | Catbird

10 blocks of our Williamsburg boutique. “All of our jewelry is made within just

That’s us. That’s hyperlocal!”

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camera, Instagram last month added the ability to zoom in on photos.

Across platforms, videos have seen a number of updates that encourage users to share and watch more videos. Insta-gram expanded video shares to 60 sec-onds, and Twitter said it would broaden its revenue sharing and advertising options for all users, essentially encour-aging creators to share more high-quality videos.

Tommy Hilfiger, Thakoon and Opening Ceremony all are using Twitter-owned Periscope to broadcast their shows, while Twitter deployed digital stars Connor Franta and Amanda Steele as part of its #FashionFlock to attend the shows, be styled by designers — and share their experience on Twitter, naturally.

Twitter is not immune to the Snap-chat effect. It has added the ability for “stickers,” or little pictures, to be added to photo shares and searched, just like hashtags. Marie Claire’s Nina Garcia, for example, added the popular dou-ble-hearts sticker to her coverage of Tom Ford’s show.

Twitter and West continued their fer-vent relationship: The first fashion week Twitter “Moment,” a feature that adds tweets from an event directly to one’s home timeline, came from “The best of Yeezy Season 4.”

And the impact of Snapchat’s growing influence is still playing out. As it did for the last couture season, the platform is dedicating a Live Story to fashion week with a particular focus on what it’s like to be at the shows as a designer, stylist or makeup artist, and in New York, using an expanded geofilter. The Snapchat Live Story will focus on sharing content from specific shows, using official marks and logos from IMG, and will be spliced with advertiser content.

This is the first fall fashion week in which lenses are available to marketers. Lenses, like a bespoke filter, have been previously bought by brands such as Urban Decay and Tiffany.

Sweet, the 10-month-old Snapchat Discover channel created in partnership with Hearst, is offering themed content and partnerships throughout the week, including as a Bobbi Brown Snapchat takeover, backstage coverage at the Jenny Packham and Tibi shows, and animated gifs and wallpaper designed by Gucci-Ghost for Gucci.

Despite updates from Facebook and Twitter, the on-the-ground battle seems to be one between Snapchat and Instagram.

“It will be exciting to see where brands choose to feature their behind-the-scenes, exclusive content, and that should also serve as a good indication of where lux-ury fashion brands see the future of their social content,” said L2 research associate Elizabeth Elder.

“It will be particularly interesting to see if brands are adopting Instagram and Snapchat accounts solely to garner press for NYFW, or if they will maintain the accounts into the future and use them as brand-building tools,” Elder said, adding that she didn’t expect Twitter to be as popular among brands because “it is no longer a platform their core custom-ers use.”

As in fashion, fortunes rise and fall quickly in social media. ■

● Just as social media has altered fashion week, the social landscape is constantly changing.

By MAGHAN MCDOWELL

New York Fashion Week is in the throes of the social season — whether it’s fall to buy now or spring to buy later.

Alexander Wang sent his Instagram followers on a cryptic treasure hunt with a backward phone number and hints of a collaboration in a robotic message, Kanye West put out his last-minute clarion call for models on Twitter (for a show that was ultimately panned) and the social media major platforms are betting video will become all the rage.

The urgency of the medium is its own message — a powerful one that has the digital form reverberating in the real world.

“Social media is inherently changing the format of New York Fashion Week: photos and videos of NYFW events are being shared on social in real-time and customers don’t want to wait six months to purchase,” said Juliet Carnoy, senior marketing manager at marketing platform Pixlee.

Cue the “buy-now” movement, which sees brands from Club Monaco to Tom Ford showing in-season options that can be bought right away.

But that’s just one element. Social media has become essential to the fash-ion-marketing machine.

“Expect to see brand Snapchat and Instagram Stories takeovers by key influencers, Instapits similar to those at the Tommy Hilfiger show last year, and more,” Carnoy said. “Some luxury brands are forgoing NYFW altogether.” (In February, Misha Nonoo presented her entire collection on Instagram; this season, she presented an edit of her fall 2016 collection with a “live look book” on Refinery29’s Snapchat account).

Fittingly, the hot platform and method of sharing shifts with each season.

This time, the most visible update comes in the form of Instagram Stories. Introduced just a month ago, the feature lets users share candid, immediate images and videos within a 24-hour time frame. It seems tailor-made for an event like fashion week and solves a number

MEDIA

Fashion’s Social Scene: Posting the Week Away

of problems for Instagram’s loyal fashion flock: It alleviates the pressure to only post perfectly poised, non-blurry images and cuts down on “over-posting” fatigue during live events.

“Instagram Stories is going to be put to the test, and they’re coming in on Snap-chat’s territory,” said John Vucci, who is chief executive officer of a new app called Veri that connects social media stars with fans. “And Instagram has inherently been friendlier to brands than Snapchat.”

So far, those using Instagram Stories tend to be those attending and reporting on the shows; Macy’s, for example, used the pen feature to highlight trends at Kate Spade (tassels!), while makeup brands and editors showed behind-the-scenes action shots and still lifes. Designers largely eschewed tending to Live Stories; old habits die hard — especially when there’s an analogue collection to prepare.

And just in time for the new iPhone 7

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NEWSMAKERSThis Week’s Most Talked About Names In Our Industry

TOMMY HILFIGER

KANYE WEST

JASON WU

ALBERT KRIEMLER

Hearst’s Snapchat Discover channel, Sweet, is catering to the fashion crowd (above) and Alexander Wang has been sending coded messages to followers via Instagram this fashion week.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2016 3

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The future of fashion is Made in NY.

“I work, design, and manufacture everything in New York City. You can’t be more Made in New York than that!”

Made in NY certified designer B Michael | B Michael AMERICA

Do runway trends translate to hair?

Guido Palau: Yes. Nowadays, a lot of what designers want to see on the runways are heightened versions of real hair. The barrier has been broken down. It’s not at the moment about fantasy in hair; it’s making realness look special and desirable. That’s not every show, but I’d say 70 percent of shows want some realness so the woman looking can under-stand the runway. It doesn’t have to be 100 percent replicated, but I’d say [most] shows I work on are based on reality, taken from the streets and reinterpreted and put onto the runway. It’s something real women can identify with. At the moment, we aren’t inspired by history or fantasy, which we have in other decades. That isn’t relevant at the moment.

When was “fantasy” really happening?

It goes in and out. When you do Marc Jacobs’ show, there’s a fantasy element. It’s full-on fashion and has a total look. That doesn’t always step into reality. There are shows in Europe and New York that are about a fan-tasy; it’s not a decade where ev-erything is referencing a fantasy period. Going back to the Eighties and Seventies, those [decades] were more about a fantastical journey in fashion. But it does exist in spots all over the fashion calendar. People get excited about these, because [they know] it’s going to be a more extreme idea of hair. [There is fantasy at] maybe Prada, Marc Jacobs, Alex-ander McQueen — but not always. The designers — someone like Ralph Lauren — always have a woman who is a relatable, Ameri-can, classic kind of idea of beauty. At Marc Jacobs, each season his

woman changes. And it can be quite radical; it can really jump. I am prepared to do whatever for shows. At the moment it’s quite natural and streetlike.

What hair trend do you wish would come back?

I wish fantasy would come back. I like the excess of the fashion show and the unbelievabil-ity and the wow factor. Certainly, Marc Jacobs has a great energy and visually, it’s impactful. [It’s] that kind of crazy fashion stuff that people are like, “Wow how does that come together?” I wish that would come back a little more.

What trend appeared the most during the February and March shows?

Textures, a more “wettish” texture in hair…sort of damp.

It’s non-dry hair, just out of the shower, caught in the moment and your hair is disheveled and slightly sticking to your face. It’s almost like a moment that’s captured in a film. I started to work with damp textures at Prada maybe four years ago, and you do them once and it feels avant-gar-de and then you get used to it and then you use it again in a different way. It can take three to four years for a trend [to form].

Are there any hair trends you think we’ll see a lot of this month?

It’s hard to say because we haven’t really started. It’s only after I’ve done them that I realize what the trend is. There’s a more varied idea of beauty [now]. Maybe 10 years ago we’d be looking for trends and putting them into categories, like “roman-tic waves” or “Fifties glamour,” giving them titles that we know and that we’ve seen before. [Now,] beauty doesn’t want to be so targeted in one era or genre. We talk about character, a feeling in hair, an ease in hair rather than the Fifties of the Forties. If it is Forties-inspired, it’s so hidden in the modern way we do it that you probably wouldn’t even realize it’s inspired by the Forties. Even though [we’re] taking inspiration from different eras, it doesn’t come out as literally. It’s been so diffused that you don’t even know where the reference point comes from anymore. n

Q&A: Guido PalauPalau gives his take on natural looks and Kim Kardashian wearing the “wet” hair trend.

Do runway trends translate to everyday beauty?

Charlotte Tilbury: Of course, and now thanks to the rise of social media and online how-tos we’re seeing runway trends make it into people’s everyday beauty routines faster and faster. Every season there are always a few different makeup trends and themes, and one or two break through and become more defin-ing for the season. For example, strong brows were a big recent runway trend that have now be-come an integral part of people’s daily beauty routine.

Whenever I conceptualize a new product, complete a look or lipstick color for my line, I always take mood-board inspiration from the runway looks I have created.

How do you feel about the “natural makeup look” that’s been picking up steam where there is little to no inspiration from the designer?

The clothes are always the in-spiration. Every season, designers pull from their incredible librar-ies of inspirational references including film, art, architecture, music and photography as well as cultural movements to create their collections.

One of the wonderful things about being a makeup artist is that you are able to be chame-leonic and go on these inspiring journeys with the designers each season — going on a deep dive into each of their very different magical worlds and creating a makeup look for their show that allows the clothes to shine.

A juxtaposition, or contrast be-tween the makeup and the clothes

really brings modernity to the total look — and a fresh minimalist natural look to the face really does this — which is what we’re seeing with the current natural makeup trend that we’ve seen on many of the recent runways.

What do you think the next phase after that will be?

It all depends on the collec-tions of the coming season. That is the genius to it; I always meet the designer a few days before the show, and together we will look at the clothes, and combine our ideas and inspirations for the makeup look. One trend I know will remain, is beautiful, highlight-ed skin. When juxtaposed with a bold lip or a statement eye, glowing luminous skin keeps the look fresh and modern.

What do you think of the trend of using makeup to achieve skin-care effects?

Hybrid products are the future of the cosmetics universe. Everyone is so time-poor, that every woman and man needs products that can multitask and perfect their skin, such as my Wonderglow, which is an instant soft-focus beauty flash primer.

What makeup trend do you wish would go away?

I think my quest to give women the tools to create perfect makeup is really reaching people and all the little makeup mishaps like foundation tide lines, and overdrawn fake-looking brows are being banished thanks to a wider awareness on YouTube. It’s about accessibility, not negativity.

What makeup trend do you wish would come back?

A lot have come back around already! I love the Seventies trend for golden goddess-esque, glowing, tanned skin, wider, fuller lips and glossy, bouncy hair. The Sixties will also always be a huge source of inspiration for me — amazing Bardot hair, that beauti-ful elongating Feline Flick, nude-y lips and lots of lashes.

What three products does every woman need to own?

My Magic Cream: I carry it with me at all times. Legendary Brows: Brows are the pillars of the face. Lipstick: My Hot Lips collection celebrates the mood-enhancing powers lipstick has. I wear Kim K-W.

BEAUTY

Behind the ScenesOf Runway Beauty

● The namesake line hit Net-a-porter.com and vernonfrancois.com on Friday.

In between traveling the world with Acad-emy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o as her personal hairstylist, 30-year-old Vernon François spent three years perfect-ing his collection of products for textured hair. His namesake line — comprising three collections and 13 products — hit net-a-por-ter.com and Francois’ own site at vernon-francois.com on Friday. Prices range from $30 for shampoos to $40 for treatments and conditioners.

“There aren’t enough people embracing textured hair and managing consumer expectations. The feedback over many years is that women and men are con-fused,” said the self-taught stylist, who this week embarked on a press tour with Nyong’o to promote her upcoming film “Queen of Katwe” that will come out Sept. 23. He’s also worked with Tracee Ellis Ross and Uzo Aduba.

François, who called himself a “champi-on” of textured hair, counts his brother as his first client. François moved to London from North England at age 14 and took a weekend job working at a salon.

He continued: “My experience has been, people don’t know how to manage it and because of lack of education, the stylists don’t know how to manage. Whether it’s wavy or tight curls, the stylists don’t have the fundamental base knowledge and the confidence. That’s a ripple effect in the consumer being turned away; a lot of my clients have been told that their hair is too unruly.”

To combat this lack of knowledge, he has designed three specific lines that each target a different texture, with visual language on every bottle to help consum-ers decide which is right for them. Pure-Fro is for kinky, dense and tightly coiled hair; Curl-Command is for wavy, loose, tight and corkscrew curly hair and Re-Vamp is intensely moisturizing for damaged and color-treated hair. Each line has a shampoo, conditioner and moisture spray and four additional products include a lightweight serum, a Dazzling Spritz shine spray, a shampoo and conditioner co-wash formula and a Scalp Nourishment braids and locs spray.

All conditioners in the line have a spray in, wash-out application — which François was told was an “impossible to journey to go on” by the scientist he developed the range with. But he felt strongly about this issue and plugged away until they were able to achieve three different spray-in conditioners. He explained that since curly hair is so dense, when a pump or squeeze bottle is used, the product can’t cover so large a surface.

“If you spray the conditioner on a wider surface more quickly — the actual applica-tion is smoother and you have less product waste. That’s going to resonate with the consumer,” he said. — R.S.

Fashion week might be in full swing, with editors, retailers and influencers Instagramming and Snapping from show to show — but it’s the makeup and hairstylists behind the scenes who complete a designer’s vision. They are integral parts of the fashion week machine, the “finishers” who, with the swipe of a highlighter or the right chignon, can bring a trend to life. Here, WWD talks to makeup guru Charlotte Tilbury and leading hairstylist Guido Palau. By RACHEL STRUGATZ

Q&A: Charlotte TilburyTilbury talks about the natural hair and makeup look that’s sweeping the runways, and overdone eyebrows.

Lupita Nyong’o’s Hairstylist Vernon François Launches Line

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SEPTEMBER 10, 2016 5

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The future of fashion is Made in NY.

Made in NY certified designer Anya Cole | Hania by Anya Cole

“Having certification shows that being

Made in NY is at the core of what we do.”

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FASHION

Tommy and Gigi Play Carnival Masters● The runway collection was

immediately shoppable at the show using digital touchscreens and remotely through live-stream and social commerce channels.

By LISA LOCKWOOD

Tommy Hilfiger took his audience on a wild carnival ride Friday night at Pier 16 at South Street Seaport to present the Tommy x Gigi collection designed in collaboration with Gigi Hadid.

As WWD first reported, the set was literally a carnival complete with a Ferris Wheel, Tornado ride, hotdogs, hamburg-ers, lobster rolls and more. It was all part of Hilfiger’s push to join the growing “see-now-buy-now” movement. The collection was available to purchase immediately after the show through e-commerce, retail, wholesale and social commerce channels.

“Two words to describe the whole thing are ‘game changing,’” Hilfiger said. “For not only us but for the industry. I think other people will follow as a result of the need to please the consumer.” He called the event, dubbed #Tommy-Now, “a massive effort.”

Hadid, who opened the show wear-ing a Tommy x Gigi cotton band jacket, tank and leather moto pants, added, “I couldn’t have asked for a better first design experience. I was free to give my opinions and could offer what I wanted. They taught me so much and gave me space to learn on my own.”

For her first design meeting she was supposed to spend two hours and stayed eight. “Obviously it’s so much fun and I’m mostly excited to see how people react to it,” she said. She added she’s looking for-ward to the second collection next spring and could possibly continue. “It depends on demand,” she said.

As for the best part of the experience, Hadid said, “This is so cool,” pointing to the pier. “It’s been such a fun journey. It’s been a year. It’s really exciting to see it all come together so beautifully.”

The catwalk featured 36 looks, half of which were Tommy x Gigi, and the other half, Tommy Hilfiger. Some 72 models walked the runway (each look worn simultaneously by two models walking two parallel long runways). Industry guests were seated along one runway, while the consumer contingent stood along the other runway. Tommy x Gigi became available for sale Friday night,immediately following the show in 70 countries, including five top doors at Macy’s (pop-up shops), macys.com, tommy.com, Tommy Hilfiger freestand-ing stores, Selfridges, Galeries Lafay-ette, Rinascente, Amazon, Alibaba and Revolve.com.

One of the more interesting distribution channels is a commerce partnership with Facebook Messenger for “conversational commerce,” which is powered by artificial intelligence.

The designer said he’s the first brand in the fashion space to use this technology on this scale. They have created a bot called “Tommy Girl,” which interacts as host and friend with the consumer. The bot responds based on what the customer is interested in. “What this allows us to do is

to bridge engagement with the brand and conversion. If you want to browse the col-lection, she [the bot] serves up appropriate content. If you want to shop, she’ll give you different kinds of content,” said Avery Baker, chief marketing and brand officer at Hilfiger. Because it’s artificial-intelligence driven, it [the bot] learns as it goes. So far, they have come up with 7,000 answers to questions that consumers might have. “The bot gets smarter. It starts to see how people are behaving and what they’re asking, and can anticipate even more,” she said.

In addition, each of Hilfiger’s social plat-forms, such as Pinterest, Facebook 360, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter, became

shoppable with the Tommy x Gigi collec-tion, starting Friday night. It was also avail-able to purchase via digital touchscreens, and remotely through live-stream.

The entire Tommy x Gigi project proved to be a logistical challenge. Hilfiger had to introduce a new supply chain calendar, changing manufacturing, fabric buying, accessories, shipping, distribution and design deadlines. The fall 2016 collection was actually presented and sold to retail-ers back in January and February. Over the next few months, the company injected some additional pieces to freshen up the offerings.

Describing Tommy x Gigi’s aesthetic,

Hilfiger said the collection is based upon Hadid’s casual, relaxed southern California lifestyle. Military and sport-inspired looks included oversize hoodies, military coats, high-waisted jeans, motorcycle leather jeans, baseball and bomber jackets, pea-coats, capes, T-shirts and sweatshirts. They also offered accessories, such as handbags, sneakers, shoes and boots. Tommy x Gigi ready-to-wear retails from $24.50 to $495, while accessories range from $25.50 to $265. The logo has both Hadid’s and Hil-figer’s name on it.

According to Baker, the company did a test with Mytheresa, and the flag logo items sold well. It also did a soft launch in Europe and already they’re seeing the cape and peacoat, and other outerwear pieces doing well.

Hilfiger and Baker said they expect the Tommy x Gigi capsule to have a rub-off effect on Hilfiger’s entire women’s business. “We’ve been repositioning the women’s line and wanted to bring back a youthful vibe that Tommy is known for. Already, this has had a significant halo effect,” Baker said. Neither Hilfiger nor Baker would disclose how much volume Tommy x Gigi is expected to generate for the year.

Hadid first became involved with the Hilfiger brand in fall 2015 when she walked in the football-themed 30th anniversary fashion show wearing a red cape. Hilfiger said they considered making her the new Tommy Girl or using her in an ad cam-paign, but then Baker came up with the idea to do a capsule with her. “The capsule collection turned into a full-blown collec-tion,” Hilfiger said.

An ambassador to Hilfiger’s women’s collection, Hadid is also the face of the brand’s new fragrance called The Girl, from The Estee Lauder Cos. Inc.

“We have very big expectations with everything with Gigi,” Hilfiger said. “I think the buy-now-wear now triggers our future development of the business. It’s a way young people want to shop. They’re tired of looking at something on the runway and waiting six months for it.”

Hadid’s deal with Hilfiger continues through next spring, and the spring 2017 collection has already been shown and sold to retailers. Whether it continues beyond that hasn’t been decided.

Last season, Hilfiger’s show created one billion media impressions, and the designer predicted that this one will create two billion media impressions. There will also be a significant ad campaign encom-passing the launch, spanning outdoor, radio, digital and print. Free tickets, which were offered to consumers through various channels, sold out in a half hour. The collaboration is expected to be fueled by Hadid’s popularity — the model has 22.5 million followers on Instagram and 2.97 million followers on Twitter.

In addition to Friday night’s event, con-sumers are welcome to visit the “Tommy Pier” today, from noon to 8 p.m., where they could shop at two Tommy x Gigi pop-up shops, a Tommy Hilfiger vintage shop curated by Frankie Collective, and Hilfiger Records by Jones Music Vintage Vinyl. In addition to enjoying fairground foods named in honor of Hilfiger’s family members — Ally’s Donuts, Ginny’s Burgers, Foo Foo’s mozzarella sticks, Dee’s Lobster Rolls, and Ricky’s Hotdogs — fair rides, and a 40-foot Ferris wheel, activities include a roster of DJs, large format LED screens that are broadcasting the show, nail art by Valley, temporary tattoos by Tattly, a pop-up studio by Bert Krak from Smith Street Tattoo Parlour and another appear-ance by Hadid.

How does he expect to beat this over-the-top experience next time?

“That’s a good question,” Hilfiger said. “We know we’ll learn a lot. But we think we have pretty much checked off every box.” ■

CollectionsThe

New York

Tommy Hilfiger and Gigi Hadid

SEPTEMBER 10, 2016 7

FASHION

Change At DVF: It’s Saunders’ Turn● Jonathan Saunders talks

about his first collection for Diane von Furstenberg.

By BRIDGET FOLEY

“It’s been an adventure.”That’s how Jonathan Saunders describes

the lead-up to the unveiling of his first collection for Diane von Furstenberg.

“Adventure” might be an understate-ment. Saunders’ first contact with von Furstenberg was a scant four months ago, he joined the house shortly thereafter, in May, and will show his first collection beginning today in a series of private appointments. On Thursday, he talked about his immersion into the world of DVF during a preview at the brand’s Meatpack-ing District headquarters.

Saunders calls his new employer a brand with “great values.” Its core essence, he says, is the delivery of “effortless clothes that are easy to wear, but they still have a sense of imagination. They were printed and colorful. They weren’t little black dresses.”

As Saunders sees it, that ethos is ever-green, as there will always be a customer passionate for clothes that project positivity and prettiness. His mandate is to define “how you interpret that for how the modern girl wants to dress, the modern woman.”

Though Saunders had met von Fursten-berg more than once, the first time when she came to one of his early shows, they didn’t know each other well at all when the brand approached him for a meeting.

He, she and chief executive officer Paolo Riva met in London, and after wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am discussions, he was on his way to New York. Prior to that initial sit-down, Saunders had anticipated con-necting well with von Furstenberg, based on his respect for her entrepreneurial spirit and their shared love of prints. He didn’t know what to expect from Riva. He discovered an executive whose vision felt highly developed and on point, and was drawn to “his attitude and modern take on how you push a brand forward,” Saunders says. “His passion for the brand, his love for clothes — he’s an amazing merchant as well as being a ceo.”

They bonded, too, over the need to deliver value with product. “We’re a brand that has designer product with democratic pricing,” Saunders says. “Making [some products] accessible and attainable for a wider audience — that really resonated with me.”

Saunders acknowledges that taking ownership of the DVF legacy will be a work in progress. A perusal of the racks in his workspace indicates that he’s proceeded with confidence. For starters, while he references the wrap dress in numerous ways, not one is literal. Nor did he look to the archive for prints. Rather, he went for motifs that speak to him — a range of florals, kimono prints, African motifs, classic polka dots and plaids, often com-bining then in unlikely pairings, for “funny clashes” between patterns and finishes. Many dresses are cut asymmetrically and on the bias. Movement, he notes, is an essential element of his work.

Saunders voices tremendous respect for von Furstenberg, both as a woman and the founder of an enduring fashion brand with a rock-solid point of view. Yet he claims not to be intimidated by the power of the DVF persona. “Diane is provocative, she is intelligent, and there’s an emotional attachment,” he says. “You get an emo-tional response when you speak about her. [My job] is to determine how all of this resonates with a modern customer.” ■

Jonathan Saunders at the DVF headquarters.

From the look book, one look, two major themes: movement and mixed prints.

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AkrisA New York state of mind suits Albert Kriemler. After being chosen as this year’s Couture Council honoree, which put him in New York during fashion week, the Swiss designer decided to show his Akris collection for the first time in the city, and went full-throttle on a Manhattan-centric lineup full of fresh, colorful, smart clothes.

The show, staged in a raw, vacated floor in midtown’s Lever House, was dedicated to New York artist Carmen Herrera, whom Kriemler was turned onto upon his first visit to the new Whitney Museum last year. He zeroed in on her 1959 painting “Blanco y Verde,” which set the tone for a good portion of the lineup’s green-and-white color scheme and neat, geometric lines.Working, as always, from Akris’ core of impeccable fabrics and luxury sportswear, Kriemler dug into clean shapes with great movement and intense color — orange, cobalt blue, red, pink, brown, black and white — derived from more of Herrera’s work. A series of white-and-green looks, including an ivory linen shorts suit with a jacket that folded over to reveal a green lining, and a striped, cropped jumpsuit and flowing jacket, delivered youthful polished pep. There were pleated tunics, flared-leg jumpsuits, T-shirt dresses, nipped-waist St. Gallen lace dresses and paneled gowns, everything clean cut but with room to breathe. Some of the graphic, linear patterns resonated with the view of Park Avenue’s midtown skyscrapers, full of offices where no doubt some of Kriemler’s best clients work. — Jessica Iredale

Jason WuLuxury is a concept that is constantly up for debate in fashion. Is it about time? Is it about money? Jason Wu was confident in his definition of luxury for spring. “It needs to regain its original meaning,” he said before his show. “It’s something more exclusive, more intimate, less flash.” He put his words into action for his show, held at Spring Place, the club above Spring Studios, of which he’s a founding mem-ber, performed surgery on his guest list, cutting it from 550 last season to 250 seats arranged among elaborate midcentury furniture, and pruned the number of looks to 30. “The least number of looks I’ve ever shown in a collection,” said Wu. “But it felt complete.”

Sometimes the best way forward is to go back, as they say. Wu said himself that he was seeking a Fifties-style salon way of showing. “I’ve never been an avant-garde designer,” he said. Reigning it in gave the people he considers important — editors, buyers and friends (Emily Ratajkowski, Wu’s friend, was the only celebrity) — the opportunity to see the clothes up-close. The view was worthwhile.

In the same way Wu’s approach was a refreshingly modernized throwback, so was the collection of dressed-up clothes for today’s world. Silhouettes were a mix of polished sportswear and the flirta-tiously feminine. The work of artist Ugo Rondinone, known for his use of neon and unnatural takes on natural elements, defined Wu’s palette and decorative elements, which were rather bold and

The Reviews

new for him. Some things skewed quite sporty, such as a sheer white top with cut-out shoulders and matching pants tipped in fluorescent yellow and a curve-hug-ging navy off-the-shoulder dress with an asymmetrical skirt traced in orange. But softness coursed throughout. Elaborate colorful floral embroideries came to life on black and nude tulle dresses, and a series of gossamer tulle dresses, gathered around the body, were a breath of fresh, chic air. The collection had the calm Wu said he was seeking, but also a great deal of strength. — Jessica Iredale

Akris

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New York

Jason Wu

SEPTEMBER 10, 2016 9

Zimmermann

Kate SpadeIn Deborah Lloyd’s past life designing for Byblos, she wondered what all the fuss about Morocco was — until she ventured there for the first time around 20 years ago. “Then I got it,” she said. “It’s gor-geous, full of ceremony. You cannot take a bad photo there.”

The Kate Spade New York president and chief creative officer recently ventured back in March for another round of inspi-ration. The Morocco-infused collection, with a city gal sensibility, was just the jolt of excitement the brand needed lest it fall vic-tim to its own repetitive, albeit successful, formula. Lloyd’s show format also took a new turn. The brand has decided to board the buy-now-wear-now train for spring, with this presentation for long-lead press and buyers and a “happening” to address bloggers, VIPs and customers in February.

As always, Lloyd had the New York woman in mind. She opened the show with a rose-print and embroidery-heavy group in pink, red and black that was chock full of the Seventies-style chiffon dresses that are getting a lot of love right now. A black blouse with rose-embroidered epaulets paired with a rose-print pleated skirt and a black denim suit with rose embroidery over a pink blouse added a rockabilly vibe to the North African mood.

Tiered sundresses in awning stripes, a mosaic tile print and a crisp black-and-white stripe were ready for sand dunes or sidewalks, while pom-poms and tassels spiced up the Marrakech feel, especially on a richly beaded navy dress. Whites, which included an eyelet dress and pants as well as a shirt worn with a cream knit poncho, were also standouts, while a new oversize layered silhouette added freshness. Volu-minous cotton shirting layered with full gaucho-inspired pants and a cropped navy jacket looked edgy in an artsy way — some-thing New York women on their daily mad dash will appreciate. — Roxanne Robinson

ZimmermannGone are the days of DIY for Nicky Zimmermann — as her brand has become a cult favorite with vintage- and beach-loving girls worldwide — and yet that didn’t stop her from taking her spring collection on a reminiscent journey back to Stranded, her and her friends’ club of choice in Sydney, Australia, in the Eight-ies. “It’s kind of my take on the Eighties, because where I grew up was kind of isolated to the subcultures that were hap-pening — it was a bit more parody,” she explained. In her show notes, she offered details: “We made everything ourselves; it was more about expressing yourself. We ripped up tutus, we stole dad’s shirts, found old pieces of lace. We tied, we tattered, tangled and frayed.”

On the runway, the results were much more polished than in her club days, but one could see the unexpected mixtures of fabrics — “We wanted to take bits and pieces,” she said of the concept — in the dress done in two different plaids with lace sleeves and a tassel detail. Or the antique striped ruffled-bodice dress that looked as if it were worked into sheer fab-ric. But Zimmermann also showed plenty of her more straightforward signature looks: simply pretty lace frocks under floral dusters, corselette dresses in pretty pastel prints, and tiered skirts worn with lace-up bodices. It was all youthful, romantic and very now. — Mayte Allende

Kate Spade

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Cynthia Rowley

CollectionsThe

New York

Apiece Apart Suitable for both summers in the city and holidays by the sea, Apiece Apart’s spring collection was a mix-and-match of impeccable essentials for contemporary women seeking high quality and discreet design. Creative directors Laura Cramer and Starr Hout used lightweight, breezy fabrics for maxidresses, including a pretty halter style with a delicate bow at the collar; plissé skirts with an artisanal, unfin-ished look, and off-the-shoulder tops and cropped wide-leg pants.

The designers juxtaposed solids with graphic patterns, including a plaid motif and an ethnic multicolor print, giving an energetic feel to a fluid silk spaghetti strap dress. A more urban look was conveyed via washed-denim pieces, which included an oversize jacket with kimono sleeves and a masculine coat with a workwear-inspired feel. — Alessandra Turra

Thakoon Thakoon 2.0 has officially arrived.

As of Thursday night, following the brand’s fall show, Thakoon Panichgul’s omnichannel, direct-to-consumer business model is fully functional. Meaning his web site and shiny new flagship in SoHo both have fall stock ready to purchase, along with a Fashion Scan app available for smartphones that gives consumers behind-the-scenes footage and product informa-tion for each look.

Held at the Empire Stores rooftop in Dumbo, the show was set against a quint-essential New York backdrop — a Brooklyn POV of the Manhattan skyline at sunset. It was fitting for the designer who wanted his first collection in a year to be rooted in American sportswear and the spunk of his city base.

In the 12-month hiatus Panichgul took following Bright Fame Fashion’s acqui-sition of a controlling interest in his company, he spent a lot of time re-evalu-ating and developing his business model. It proved to be a revitalizing year that solidified his decision to go in-season with an eye to New York City for inspiration. He brought energy and a sense of freshness in terms of delivery timing to his see-now-buy-now approach, aware it’s the first point of access viewers have to new prod-uct as they are ready to think about buying for the impending weather. The relevance for him lies in the ability to close the gap between desire and fulfillment.

As for the clothes, Panichgul dug out the classics he does so well, twisting them and making them wholly Thakoon. This included grungy checks, elaborate

knitwear, flirty dresses, men’s wear-in-spired shirting and engineered prints, as well as utilitarian and sportswear ele-ments. You could see how the collection’s raw glamour and natural confidence was inspired by the models Peter Lindbergh photographed in the Nineties.

Other highlights included deconstructed knits that either had an element of wrap-ping or looseness, such as a top that tied around the waist styled casually over a white button-down and jeans; a sporty bomber with a capelike quality worn over buffalo plaid; and an abstract butterfly motif inspired by the collage work of French artist Jean Dubuffet, shown on dresses that were soft and romantic. It was all about street-ready, easy layering.

Customers can expect regular offerings of new Thakoon product every few weeks through the end of November. The first release, representing 23 of the 31 runway looks, is available now. — Andrew Shang

Tanya TaylorTanya Taylor’s artful set designs are always especially considered. This season, her cheerful spring presentation, held at Spring Studios, featured smiling models standing atop boxes full of colorful sand, all of it fittingly festive. “I wanted the looks to feel super celebratory and easy. She’s 100 percent confident,” Taylor said of her girl this season. “She’s sort of peacocking.”

Earlier this summer, Taylor traveled everywhere from Capri to Cuba, where she hand-painted some of the collection’s vibrant florals. Gauzy linen and cotton voile tops and palazzo pants, splashy with color and a few featuring palm leaf cut-outs, conveyed a relaxed boho vibe. Ditto the fluid bell-sleeve and shoulder-baring

dresses decked out with ruffles and tassels.“We’ve never played with texture

this much before, and it’s a little more casual,” Taylor said, motioning to a frayed denim jacket embroidered with raffia and Swarovski crystal floral patterns. A white camisole embellished with dancing ladies crafted from sequins — worn over a floral peasant blouse with a front-button maxi skirt — captured the lineup’s easy, escapist mood. — Kristi Garced

Cynthia Rowley Some ideas are better in theory than exe-cution, and that was the case for Cynthia Rowley’s spring presentation, held in her supercool three-story townhouse and office headquarters on Morton Street in the West Village. The collection — which riffed on boudoir themes — was shown on an elevated platform in the back of the lofty garage, where models frolicked as white feathers swirled in the air, reenact-ing what appeared to be the aftermath of a playful pillow fight, though Rowley said she was aiming for a “feathered snow globe.” Separating the models and guests was a floor-to-ceiling screen mounted as a courtesy — without it, guests would’ve been covered in feathers, too. But the screen wasn’t fully transparent, making it difficult, nay impossible, to get a clear glimpse of the clothing. It also wasn’t fully closed, and several guests near the front were, in fact, covered in feathers.

Alas.Rowley said her latest lineup was about

re-imagining clothes in new contexts. “The way you wear swimwear, pajamas, kimo-nos, slips, nighties...and wearing those things every day,” she said. “And [render-ing] luxury fabrics in really relaxed shapes and silhouettes.”

It was an ultragirly affair, showcasing colorful silk and sheer chiffon high-neck mini and maxidresses with flared hems, bell sleeves, tiered ruffles and floral prints and embroideries. A metallic bathing suit worn under a white silk robe — with sunglasses and piled-on jewelry — would have looked right at home poolside at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The best maximalist look in the collection was a coat vest with fuchsia piping, belted at the waist in a rich ombré floral brocade and worn over a long-sleeve micro floral-printed dress. — Kristi Garced

Novis Jordana Warmflash has a knack for inter-preting art and geometry into clothes that feel accessible. Her latest Novis collection was a continuation of her strong resort

showing, with references to the geometric work of Esther Stewart, and a heavy focus on textural elements. The lineup was anchored by knits that highlighted Warm-flash’s bold color sense and feminine flair. Installed in the vein of an intimate gallery show, the presentation featured looks neatly arranged on mannequins while a vignette of models lingered in a few of the most directional items, such bright crochet tops and knit dresses in blue, marigold, blush, black and ivory.

The brand’s artisanal spirit weighed heavily in the knits. An entirely hand-cro-cheted blue, black and white knit dress was a graphic proposition for springtime given its breathable and slightly sheer construction. It had the stripe and tex-tural elements that sewed the collection together. Hand crochet also appeared as trim around the neckline of a lace dress and as cuffs on a great cotton jacquard bomber with snippy fringe. Even machine knits had a hand-done effect, such as the fringe, crochet and scallop detail on a colorful top and a long black-and-white dress. Also noteworthy: an engineered hand-drawn garden print on a drawstring dress with an asymmetrical placket that tied together geometric patterns and the softness of something organic. All in all it was an artful collection. — Andrew Shang

Karen Walker Babou, Salvador Dalí’s pet Colombian ocelot, was the protagonist of Karen Walk-er’s spring collection. Its face, along with flames representing its fierce, independent attitude, was embroidered on a sweatshirt paired with a maxidress, while its coat was reproduced on a jacquard miniskirt and a shirt embellished with ruffles. Recurrent in the collection, ruffles appeared on everything — from lightweight silk dresses printed with colorful birds to denim frocks and separates and even a glossy leather biker jacket. And while the overall aesthetic was girly and whimsical, a slim sartorial suit crafted from a mannish fabric and a rigorous trenchcoat added urban edge to the lineup. — Alessandra Turra

Apiece Apart

Karen Walker

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Tanya Taylor

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5:31 Jérôme

Cushnie et Ochs

Ottolinger

5:31 Jérôme Maximalist streetwear filtered through a Seventies glamour lens barely conveys Jerome LaMaar’s newest 5:31 Jérôme collection. His affinity for a “more is more” approach to design produced frayed denim, long flyaway threads, Swarovski crystals and pearl beading — on one jacket alone. The piece, dubbed the “Swarovski jacket,” was cut oversize, bleached 12 times for a light wash, hand-beaded and meant to be worn backward for streetwear effect. It was, by far, the one item that summed up LaMaar’s design aesthetic best.

This season, he looked to the rising tide of our oceans and his notion of a futuristic family portrait (one of multicul-tural backgrounds) for a kind of dishev-eled, washed-up look of a lineup done in an array of colors and hues. Loosely knit dresses and tunics were beachwear appropriate, while the mishmash of embellishments were meant to evoke trea-sures unearthed from the seabed. It was an abundant, whimsical way of approach-ing streetwear.

Lest anyone begin to think the collection would be seasonally appropriate, LaMaar introduced ostrich feather separates, which he said are much lighter than fox fur but offer the same plushness. “Now is the time to explore more; why not wear a feathered bomber in the summer?” he mused. — Andrew Shang

Cushnie et Ochs Miami, with its Art Deco district and its laid-back vibe, along with “Scarface” character Elvira Hancock (portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer), served as inspirations for the Cushnie et Ochs spring line. “She has always been a point of reference for us, but this time we really tried to bring

her look and style to life in the collection,” said Michelle Ochs, cofounder of the brand with Carly Cushnie.

The references cited by the designers were easy to spot in the sensual, femi-nine lineup: Colorblocking, pastel tones juxtaposed with black-and-white combina-tions, and graphic silhouettes infused the clothes with a modern edge that exuded a fearless yet elegant femininity. Slipdresses and jumpsuits worked in a range of fab-rics, from silk to knitted Lurex, featured strategic cutouts offset by architecture-in-spired pleats and other details for a touch of sophistication. And the high slits used on maxidresses and narrow skirts boosted the lineup’s sexy appeal, but it never felt excessive. — Alessandra Turra

Milly Love Knot was the title of this season’s Milly collection, and designer Michelle Smith said backstage that she was “explor-ing the space between purity and sensual-ity.” So how did she interpret the concept? By using pure, natural fabrics such as cotton and silk and by creating sultry, seductive shapes — but in a modern way.

Smith played with lacing, ties and wrappings to make them feel fresh and youthful. The backs of her looks were just as worked — and at times more interesting — than the fronts. For example, a series of simple apron dresses with laced-up backs. To tie into her theme, Smith also showed tops with arm ties, asymmetrical ruffle skirts, and paper bag pants. For night, Smith got flirty with a double-faced satin bow tie strapless sheath featuring a sexy cutout and worn over a white T. With this collection, Smith’s love of bold and vibrant colors truly shone through. — Antonia Sardone

Rubin Singer Eveningwear designer Rubin Singer is planning to launch a ready-to-wear collec-tion for fall 2017, one that is not at all about the glam evening looks for which he is known. Somehow, he said, that “made me want to do profound and new dresses and gowns for spring.”

“This is a softer, more fluid direction,” the designer explained. “I never used this much chiffon in my life.” Singer, who shaped the airy silks in a range that included a short slender mint and pink top with paillettes and net-covered second-skin chiffon sleeves over an asymmetric, patch-work leather skirt in the same pastels. He also showed chiffon in more fluid gowns and bell-sleeved minidresses.

Most impressive was how Singer played with potentially tricky effects, controlling and executing them so skillfully that even his harnessed and strapped looks, fabric and leather patchwork, and abundant multicolor paillettes and overlays were rendered beautifully. Mercifully, he said good-bye to over-the-top. — Bobbi Queen

Ottolinger There’s something in the fashion air lately that has ignited new interest in young, underground designers. Perhaps it’s the industry’s constant craving for something unexpected that draws us to

those who discard convention. Or perhaps we’re beginning to catch up with the prev-alence of this deconstructed, oftentimes DIY, approach to street culture. Or maybe we like to root for the underdog who lacks formal training. Whatever the reason, weird has become implicitly cool.

A prime example: Berlin-based Christa Bösch and Cosima Gadient, whose Ottolinger label upends technicality and guidelines and is instead informed by their bodies, their friends’ bodies — clothes fit for the misfit. “There are probably some things you don’t get, and we don’t get, it’s a mix. We try to play with perception of what beauty is and shapes should be,” Gadient said backstage before the show.

The brand’s super-deconstructed aesthetic — flowy, broken-down clothing — explores the notion of what sexiness is. The collection’s asymmetrical red dress might read as sexy, but so could the ripped threads of a skirt paired with an experi-mentally crinkled button-down shirt. It need not always be pretty and it could be odd (although the tape-wrapped boots likely won’t catch on). A bevy of tattered, torn, sheer and fringed clothing hammered home the point.

For the less-experimental girl the duo showed toned-down matching sets, such as a yellow suede jacket and pants combo and some futuristic patent leather pieces. These aren’t traditional ideas of refinement, but it’s sure fun to see fashion embracing the unusual and the different. — Andrew Shang

Rubin & Chapelle Sonja Rubin and Kip Chapelle collab-orated with designer Johanna Michel to create the bold prints used in their spring Rubin & Chapelle collection, basing them on television test patterns and pixelated images. Done in all kinds of silk, the effect was loungy and casual. Caftans were accentuated with rope belts, blazers fea-tured built-in scarves and jumpsuits were detailed with graphic sashes at the waist. — Mayte Allende

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Haus AlkireA trip to Coney Island inspired Julie and Jason Alkire’s exploration into tourists’ fascination with exotic birds, the basis for their spring collection. While researching old Luna Park photos, the couple began to realize the prominence of flamingos, toucans and the like — as murals or amuse-ment park prizes — and how vacationers obsess over those “obnoxious” swan and flamingo poolside floaties.

The concept translated into a watercolor portrait of tropical birds, created by Jason, that was printed onto fabric and applied to dresses and the lining of jackets and sleeves. A standout included a brocade blazer with coated embossed lamb cuffs and the painting as a lining. Their vintage photo research also inspired graphic black-and-white prints, used on a languid striped coat and pant combo and polka dot tops and skirts. The prints didn’t consume the collection, though. Mindful of their cus-tomers’ everyday needs, the duo offered crisp cotton shirting that doesn’t easily wrinkle and Italian suiting that drapes easily around the body. — Andrew Shang

PhelanA group of female contemporary danc-ers staged an impressive performance at Phelan’s spring show, which was a cele-bration of women’s power. For her third effort, creative director Amanda Phelan offered an interesting, modern take on knitwear. Hyper-feminine knitted dresses with cutouts and chiffon ruffles, as well as tank tops paired with peplum skirts, were cut in body-conscious silhouettes and fea-tured black-and-white graphic motifs.

Putting the focus on texture, the designer also delivered an asymmetric cot-ton dress with the bottom worked in tone-on-tone basket-weave jacquard, which exuded effortless elegance. She injected a playful touch via a range of frisky multi-color frocks and separates crafted from interwoven ribbons, while more casual outfits included a hybrid outerwear piece: a combination of a front-pocket jacket and a coat embellished with maxi-grommets and paired with wide-leg pants. — Alessandra Turra Jo

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Ulla JohnsonUlla Johnson is known for her bohemi-an-influenced looks and her beautiful handcrafted pieces. For spring, she stayed the course — while taking things a bit further afield. Inspired by a trip to South Amer-ica, Johnson evoked the vast expanses of Argentine prairie in colors ranging from pale yellow and lavender to vibrant pink and midnight blue — and plenty of khaki and white. “The color [palette] is optimistic — it’s an explosion of color,” the designer noted.

Playing with volume, both soft and struc-tured, she showed crisp ruffled tops and lacy ruffled skirts and maxidresses. Delicate hand-crocheted and flower-embroidered tops and a gown were distinctly girly, while the more masculine tailoring of perfectly oversize gaucho pants with corset-lacing details was pared back with feminine tops.

Johnson also explored the American West with cowboy-inspired shirting and motor-cycle jackets that had a certain sweetness to them. And in an unexpected twist, many pieces appeared quite prim from the front, but Johnson left the back bare for a hint of sexiness. — Antonia Sardone

Colovos “This is elevated daywear that fits your lifestyle,” said Nicole Colovos as she and her husband, Michael, showed their spring collection — designed for women like Nicole who are juggling it all, who are fashion forward and yet desire ease and comfort. It was a lineup full of wardrobe-building pieces that played on masculine vs. feminine to edgy effect. Key looks included a welded-together Japanese denim coat, high-waisted trousers paired with crop tops, and plenty of asymmetrical details, from the hems of dresses to the neckline of tops.

The only prints in the lineup were a striped shirting shirtdress and a beautiful silk georgette tunic in an abstract pattern created from a photo of a subway corridor taken by Michael, worn over wide-leg trou-sers. Another fun feature this season was the way the couple played with drawstring details — allowing customers to change proportions and shapes — which they worked into everything from a color-block dress to an unstructured jacket. Colovos offered a nod to luxe minimalism by incorporating beautiful Italian fabrics and Japanese denim into a collection made in New York. — Antonia Sardone

CG“I find working directly with a cus-tomer is the most gratifying part of this business. It’s the emotional aspect — desire that becomes fleeting,” said Chris Gelinas, philosophically, referring to his spring collection for CG, inspired “by the intimacy of ‘Last Tango in Paris.’” (But not its most infamous scene.) “I want nuance and that intimacy to inform the clothes.”

Gelinas showed he knows how to mix a bit of structure with plenty of sexy and soft, offering floral-printed, calf-length dresses and skirts under sheer black organza. He presented an evening hoodie and sleeveless button-front organza top trimmed in ribbed cashmere over an organza pleated circle skirt, and paired a handsome fitted jacket and bell shorts in lightweight twill with a letter-printed front-pleat silk blouse. The best in show: a peach rib-knit-edged sheer organza jacket and soft skirt worn with a silk bralette. Flounced trumpet and circle skirts, ruffle-edged trapeze dresses and tops, and cropped bell pants all under-scored the designer’s new penchant for fluid and fancy, complemented by custom footwear from Sarah Flint. — Bobbi Queen

ModerneThere is a compelling conceit around clothes that are razzamatazz-free. To that end, Kris Kim followed her beautifully stark vision to the letter with her well-made spring collection for Moderne. She showed it in her Greenwich Street store, La Garçonne, which carries some European collections in addition to her own line. Here, a few looks that perfectly mirrored Kim’s views:

“I’m searching for modern uniforms; classics that are also interesting” ref-erenced a chalk-hued raw denim work jacket, white jersey tank and black silk shantung mid-calf skirt.

“Something to wear a million times” referred to high-waisted loose black jeans paired with a cream cotton pique polo shirt and an easy dress version in khaki jersey.

“Boyfriend pieces, that are borrowed from the men but not interpreted literally” was shorthand for a khaki paper cotton, oversize blazer and an easy navy trench over a chalk jersey T-shirt and denim painter jeans.

“Getting back into a suit that is not at all serious” meant a navy cotton trench pullover and pleated wrap skirt.

This is a buy-now-wear-forever collection. — Bobbi Queen

Phelan

I knew about a week in advance that Kendall and Kylie Jenner were throwing a party to introduce their Kendall + Kylie New York pop-up shop during Fashion Week. On Wednesday at 3 p.m. PST, both sisters tweeted that the live-stream was starting in 20 minutes, so I jumped on the web site via my laptop. The event was called “Fall ‘16 New York Pop-Up” — disappointing to see it was for the current season only, but I scanned the room to see what was for sale on the racks, hoping to find items that weren’t already on the site or other retailers. I didn’t, but I could see airbrush art-ists personalizing boots and bags for guests at the party. Both sisters did interviews wearing pieces from spring 2017, presented earlier that day. Those images were also online immediately, but I couldn’t find the items for sale anywhere. Several guests wore fall pieces, and the brand’s fall video was looped on giant screens. It put me in the mood to shop, so I clicked back and forth from the live feed to the “Shop” page, and settled on a black mesh mididress that seemed to best capture the ath-leisure-meets-dressy vibe of the fall collection. My size, XS, was plentiful, though many other items were sold out in other sizes and all the shoes and bags were already gone. The transaction itself was quick and easy with a minimum of clicks, and I immediately received an e-mail saying my package was “on its way.”

— MARCY MEDINA

The Instant Fashion Experience: Kendall + KylieWWD spot-checks the system.

SHOW: Wednesday, Sept. 7

CG

Haus Alkire

Ulla Johnson

Moderne

Colovos

Kendall and Kylie Jenner wearing their spring collection.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2016 13

Discover the benefits of being Made in NY.

madeinnyfashion.nyc

The future of fashion is Made in NY.

Made in NY certified designers Julie and Jason Alkire | Haus Alkire

“Fashion in New York is one of the true American industries, and

Made in NY certification is working to keep this tradition alive.”

A trail of cigarette smoke beginning on 78th Street and Madison Avenue served as bread crumbs for those bound for Carine Roitfeld’s cocktail party Thursday evening — the French editor was joined by Barbara Palvin, Petra Nemcova, Devon Windsor, Paris Hilton, Amina Blue and Lewis Hamilton to toast Roitfeld’s shoot for CR Fashion Book with photog-rapher Sante D’Orazio. Called “CR Girls 2016,” it features an array of Instagram’s favorite models styled in Yeezy.

“I always wanted to work with her,” said D’Orazio of the three-day shoot with Roitfeld, which took place last October and features 21 girls all clad in Yeezy. “She brought the material and allowed me to do my thing — she even suggested that I shoot film.”

“I didn’t do a lot — the girls came and I left them with Sante,” Roitfeld said of the shoot. “I dressed them before and after, and I let them go.”

The exhibition of the Yeezy-styled shoot came one day after Kanye West showed the fourth season of his collection, to rather scathing reviews, in part due to the execution of the show. “I think Kanye is a creative genius,” Roitfeld said in West’s defense. One of the girls, Blue, arrived in fresh-from-the-runway Yeezy season 4. The previous day’s show was “chaotic,” Blue admitted. “Everybody is so stoked about anything Kanye does. It was a great show; I think it turned out pretty well. It’s a fashion show, you know? Things happen.”

That’s one way to put it.Downtown, the brand new Saks

Fifth Avenue at Brookfield Place got into the swing of things with — what else? — a cocktail party.

“It’s not that often that you open a store in New York,” said Saks’ chief merchant Tracy Margolies,

Citywide SweepThe first official night of fashion week had VIPs scuttling all around town.

surveying the scene. Given the new store, her fashion week is all the more busy. “Shows, appoint-ments, presentations, opening a store…there are so many brands I’m excited to see, and now I have a beautiful store to curate it for.”

Designers came out in full force to toast the new space: Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler; Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia of Monse and, newly, Oscar de la Renta. Mary J. Blige also dipped in for a pit stop before heading over to the Jimmy Choo 20th anniver-sary party in the Meatpacking District to perform a short set.

“I always like a surprise. When you’re not expecting something, that’s the best,” said Sandra Choi, Jimmy Choo’s creative director. “New York is our second home,” she continued. “For me, it’s im-portant to actually get away from

London, and show the world that we’re global.”

The party was cohosted by Amber Valletta, Sasha Pivovarova, Taylor Hill, Lexi Boling, Jasmine Tookes and Xiao Wen Ju, who all appear in the brand’s fall video campaign, which premiered at the party. While the shoes on their feet were a nice perk of the event, it wasn’t the main draw for every notable. “I’m here for Mary J. Blige,” said Chanel Iman, before showing off her nude stiletto sandals. “I just got a pedicure, so you can do a closeup on the toes.”

With six more nights of partying ahead, how does fashion week’s rotating cast of notables manage to stay fresh-faced up until the last day? “I take it all in stride,” explained Valletta. “I meditate, exercise and try to get sleep.” — LEIGH NORDSTROM AND

KRISTEN TAUER

Mary J. Blige at the Jimmy Choo 20th anniversary party.

Carine Roitfeld and Sante D’Orazio at the “CR Girls 2016” cocktail party.

Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia at the Saks Fifth Avenue party.

Barbara Palvin at “CR

Girls 2016.”

Jack McCollough and Lazaro

Hernandez at Saks.

Amber Valletta at Jimmy Choo.

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Fighting Back “The claim is groundless,” said a Jimmy Choo spokesman when asked about a lawsuit filed in a New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan on Thursday by Tamara Mellon. A Jimmy Choo cofounder, Mellon has alleged that the footwear firm violated the terms of an employment agreement, which in turn forced her new company into bankrupt-cy. She is suing for more than $4 million in damages, attorneys’ fees and other costs the “court deems just.”

The lawsuit said she raised $24 million to launch Tamara Mellon Ltd., including $4 million from her personal funds. The complaint noted that at the time Mellon left Jimmy Choo, she had indicated her plans to form her own firm and, through contacts established at her former job, use the same artisan factories as Jimmy Choo.

The Jimmy Choo spokesman said the company would “vigor-ously defend” itself against the lawsuit. — SAMANTHA CONTI

Timo’s Turn InterContinental Hotels Group has named Timo Weiland its style director for the Crowne Plaza brand in the Americas.

Weiland will design a new collection of hotel team mem-ber uniforms. The line is part of Crowne Plaza Accelerate, a plan that includes a $200 million investment for the brand in the Americas region.

Weiland said the Crowne Plaza brand uniforms “embody a signature classic prep style with a modern, tech twist.”

Eric Lent, vice president of Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza in the Americas, part of the Inter-Continental Hotels Group, said Weiland has an “ambitious, fresh energy and draws on inspiration from travel and culture,” making him the ideal partner for the Crowne Plaza brand.

Sketches from the uniform collection will be available for viewing at the Timo Weiland fashion show on Sunday. — VICKI M. YOUNG

Tam’s Mission Control In designer speak, Houston means the Menil Collection, but Vivienne Tam will have much more to say about the city at her show Monday at Moynihan Station.

Intrigued by Houston’s mash-up of art, music, dining and science/technology, the designer drew from its many aspects for her spring collection. City officials helped her to wrangle certain licenses from such entities as NASA, Rice University and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo to adapt their logos in her designs. NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson will start the designer’s show with a live broadcast from the International Space Station’s Mission Control in Houston. The original plan was to have an astronaut who is actually in orbit at the ISS address the 1,000-per-son show, but that changed after last week’s SpaceX launch pad explosion, a Vivienne Tam spokes-woman said.

Tam also collaborated with Lenovo and Motorola for the design of the Moto Z, which will debut at the show. With help from Nigel Barker, her team will also use Moto Mods technology to give the audience a closer look at the backstage scene and design details.

Tam plans to take her show to Houston before February’s 2017 Super Bowl at NRG Stadium and then Mexico and Asia. The tech-centric municipality is also home to the University of Hous-ton’s STEM Center. Tam, who has helped develop fashion-related technology with HP, Square and WeChat, is currently speaking with NASA about developing techno fabrics for astronauts for space travel. — V.M.Y.

Lands’ End is seeking to widen its customer base and has a new SoHo pop-up store in Manhattan that embodies the strategy.

The two-level, 8,000-square-foot pop-up launched Thursday at 580 Broadway between Prince and Houston Streets. It showcas-es the new Canvas by Lands’ End and Lands’ End Sport collections, as well as a cashmere bar and a

space for consumers to socialize and recharge both themselves and their mobile device, and have hot chocolate and cookies.

The store also sells the classic Lands’ End women’s line of ap-parel, accessories and footwear, has a men’s haberdashery shop, and areas for kids and home merchandise. In time for the holiday season, a gift shop will be

installed at the front of the store.While largely a direct-to-con-

sumer business, the pop-up provides a different venue for Lands’ End and its growing product range. “Here we are intro-ducing our family of brands,” said Federica Marchionni, president and chief executive officer of Lands’ End. “My goal is to keep our loyal customers and of course I need to recruit a new generation of shoppers.”

The main level also offers personalization services for monogramming, embroidering a patch and heat stamping for leather items including gloves, belts and handbags.

Depending on demand on the day, getting a garment person-alized can take as little as 10 minutes, and costs $10.

Lands’ End marked the open-ing of the pop-up with a party on Wednesday night attended by Arianna Huffington; Anne Fu-lenwider, editor in chief of Marie Claire, and Cindi Leive, editor in chief of Glamour. The store will be open until Valentine’s Day. Lands’ End just a few days ago closed its pop-up store in Southampton, N.Y., which operated for a month. Last year, Lands’ End opened a pop-up on Fifth Avenue.

Among other items, the store displays women’s fine gauge Supima cardigans, $49; wom-en’s cashmere Ts, $149; men’s no-iron dress shirts, $49; squall duffle coats, $169; women’s ponte

sheaths, $69; kids graphic Ts, $14; striped turtleneck sweaters, $85, and women’s bow-tie blouses, $79.

Canvas by Lands’ End was launched earlier this year after a hiatus of several years. “People were asking us to relaunch Can-vas,” Marchionni said. Canvas has “more style and fashion content and is a little dressier,” with a smaller selection of product, compared to the Lands’ End label. But with Lands’ End, “I am elevating the core product. It’s an evolution customers will enjoy.”

Marchionni said the pop-up strategy is a good “exercise” for her team to test their mettle in retail and respond to the needs of customers in different ways. Lands’ End barely scratches the surface in retail, with just 10 Lands’ End Inlets selling a mix of clearance and regular-price merchandise. An 11th store, a premium outlet, will soon open in Aurora, Ill. Lands’ End has shops inside 222 Sears stores, but has been reducing its presence in the chain and will soon sell on Amazon.

A larger presence of free-standing stores could be seen one day. “I believe Lands’ End needs to consider retail as an additional channel, not on a big scale because people shop online, but to grow the awareness. It will be a good option. We are seriously weighing this,” Mar-chionni said. — DAVID MOIN AND ARIA HUGHES

RETAIL

Lands’ End Pops Up in SoHoThe company has been reexamining its retail strategy.

Memo PadFashion ScoopsAiles and AfterOver the last few months, Roger Ailes’ career at Fox News has slowly unraveled due in large part to the incisive and relentless reporting of Gabriel Sherman, New York Magazine’s media reporter.

The newly minted NBC and MSNBC contributor, Sherman, who penned a book on Ailes called “The Loudest Voice in the Room,” has been a thorn in Ailes’ side since he began covering cable news in 2010. Although Sherman has never interviewed Ailes, despite countless requests, he has managed to unearth more about the man who built Fox News than most of his contem-poraries. In order to accomplish that, Sherman met sources at seedy outposts in odd pockets of New York, took a trip to Ailes’ hometown of Warren, Ohio, to interview his brother and made countless cold calls — so many that the reporter likened his work to “telemarketing.” That diligence has helped Sherman find former Fox News employees who claimed to have been sexually harassed by Ailes.

Returning the favor, over the years, Ailes has hired private investigators to tail the reporter and compile a 400-page dossier on him. Sherman claims he has faced death threats from Fox loyalists, and now, New York Mag-azine has received threats from Ailes’ lawyers of a defamation suit. Those threats have not yet materialized into a legal action.

Sherman, who spoke with Bill Grueskin, a professor at Columbia School of Journalism on Thursday night, takes it all in stride.

“Throughout the whole thing, even when it was very scary and

stressful, I try to use it as more reporting because when you think about character, character is what we do, what we say but also what we do,” Sherman said. “The lengths that he was going to control his narrative and sup-press my reporting, I just treated that as him revealing himself and this was one of his tactics. I tried to keep my head down.”

The reporter said that what makes the Ailes story unique is that the former Fox chairman and chief executive officer created a culture of harassment and put in place levers for it to be covered up.

“I think sexual harassment is not unique to Fox. It’s unfortunate and hopefully this story and the post-[Bill] Cosby story will help change this, but it’s pervasive throughout all corners of American life. If you look at some of the landmark lawsuits that have been filed on Wall Street where female executives have experienced harassment at big banks and other TV networks had it, Hollywood has it. I think what’s unique to Fox though is the degree to which Ailes was able to use all levers to cover it up and to enable it. Most large TV networks and companies aren’t run with the iron-fisted control of one ceo.”

Although Rupert Murdoch, Ailes’ former boss, has denied knowledge of the harassment, Sherman remained skeptical.

The reporter echoed a state-ment sent by Fox parent com-pany, 21st Century Fox, denying

Murdoch’s knowledge — even after Sherman asked about a $3 million settlement check made out to former Fox employee Laurie Luhn, who has alleged that Ailes harassed her.

“I’ve reviewed a copy of her $3 million settlement check and I’ve asked how does a company sign a $3 million severance check for sexual harassment and you not ask questions? For whatever reason, they say that amount of money is not enough to get up to the corporate Murdoch suite,” he said. “I think the more likely answer is that he knew Fox was the Wild West culture, the boys’ club. All you have to do is watch the network and see the way women are portrayed on televi-sion in the revealing clothes that they wear and the camera angles to know that this is a hyper sexu-alized culture that Ailes ran.”

Now that Ailes is out at Fox, Sherman mused that the network would likely lose viewers if the ex-ceo formed a splinter network with Republican nominee Donald Trump, as rumor suggests. In that scenario, Sher-man envisions Sean Hannity and perhaps Bill O’Reilly leaving Fox. Megyn Kelly, Fox’s lone female prime-time anchor, then would become central to maintaining the network’s audience, a some-what ironic twist.

Asked by Grueskin what the reporter would ask Ailes if he ever gets an interview opportu-nity, Sherman said with certainty, “What are your regrets?” — ALEXANDRA STEIGRAD

Tamara Mellon

Gabriel Sherman

Roger Ailes

Federica Marchionni and models in the Lands’ End SoHo store.

16 SEPTEMBER 10, 2016