There was good deal of black on the red carpet this year – almost enough to call it a trend, if it weren’t such a safe color choice. Standouts in the black dress brigade include Kelly Osbourne in a gorgeous gown by Tony Ward. Cult favorites, however, bucked the quasi-trend and opted for cool, dusty pastels. AMC’s “Mad Men” won the highly-coveted Best Drama award and two of it’s actresses were among the best dressed – stellar odds for such a small batch of Cult picks.

Christina Hendricks (pictured left) was unapologetically curvy in lavender gown by Zac Posen. The actress, who has in recent years been labeled a “big girls,” put her big girls on display and showed off a tiny waist. Such is often the dilemma for women with mega mammaries: either hide your chest and make your whole upper body look large, or show that you do have a waist and force your breast to be front and center of attention. It’s a catch 22, as in either case someone will snear at your appearance. Kudos, Christina! You are sexy and elegant.

Rounding out the top three is Emily Blunt in Christian Dior and Elizabeth Moss in Donna Karen. Photos via stylebistro.com, style.com & fabsugar.com

[View with PicLens]

It’s Tuesday night again and for TV-watching fashion heads, that means one thing: The Rachel Zoe Project. And now, thanks to the Cult and Polyvore.com, being a fan can do more than teach you a few soon-to-be-overused catch phrases. Create outfits (a.k.a. “sets”) using the editor below and be entered to win a $1000 Visa gift card (a.k.a. CASH) courtesy of Polyvore. View the contest details here.

And there’s more to win! Create outfits that represent either Rachel Zoe or Taylor Jacobson. Then sign on to Twitter and post the following with a link to your set.

“@thefashioncult I’m #teamrachel”
or
“@thefashioncult I’m #teamtaylor”
or
“@thefashioncult I’m #teambrad”

One reader from each “team” will win a Cult original t-shirt.

Powered by Polyvore

The videos shown were curated by Yeah founder Eiliyas, who drew from artists around the globe. The selection ranged from art school cliche to visual symphony, but were generally decent. Among the most memorable – if only because it was the most narrative – was the animation piece submitted by Italian artist Lemeh42.

In 1910 Kandinskij published one of his most important works, Klänge (Sounds). The general principle of Klänge was the liberation of the inner sound. One century later, Lemeh42 realizes a personal homage to this russian painter. Inner Klänge (Inner sounds) is an animated journey to find the Inner sound.

Yet while the video festival was the main event, my ever-present fashion goggles drew me to a number of pieces currently on show at the gallery. Atlanta’s Paper Twins (artists Nica and Edgar A. English) has a deceivingly simple and folksy look from about 10 paces, but get closer and the cut out details draw you into the pieces, whose 2D style is transformed 3D effect by the artist’s clever use of scale. Then there’s that fantastic clothes line. There are at least two items on it that would love to have in my wardrobe.

In another corner of the gallery was a piece by an artist from Tel-Aviv known as Know Hope. Though the work shown at the Eyedrum was without the candle-lit magic that helped gain the artist his notoriety, the pen on paper drawings still captured my imagination with their loaded words, expressive limbs… and their skinny jeans. Definitely, this snaps (taken from my phone) fare from do the work justice.

Then, in a back room, which had lights dimmed for a video screening there were 2 of the 7 deadly sins. The pieces are a part of a multi-media series by artist collective The Status Faction. And just as you might expect from a fashion-lover my two favorites were Vanity and Envy. You can see better snaps of these two and the rest of the series at the group’s website. However, I rather like how they look in the dark. Plus, I was really digging my E.J. ensemble that evening and you get a little peek of it here… Vanity is hard to resist while in perfectly schlubby Thakoon for Target.

“Living in Alabama and telling someone you want to pursue a career in fashion is like telling your parents that you’re planning your financial future around winning the Florida lottery. They just look at each other and sigh”.

The above cute quip from DailyFashionJobs.com contributor Mary Caitlin Ward. Read the rest of her charming article about breaking into the fashion biz despite small town roots here. *Caveat: Ward hasn’t actually “broken” into the industry just yet (she’s a student), but she’s a great writer and has sound advice beyond her years.

AS ALWAYS, CHECK BACK THROUGH THE MONTH FOR UPDATES.

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Senior Account Executive – Ports 1961

Location: New York Showroom
Type: Full Time / Freelance
Duration: Longterm / Market Season
Criteria: 3-5 years with luxury womenswear

Job description:
Candidates must have proven relationships with luxury depart store and specialty store buyers. Compensation based on experience.

Full Time and freelance positions available.

APPLY at Ports1961.com

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VISUAL MERCHANDISING OPERATIONS MANAGER – Eddie Bauer

Location – Bellevue, WA

PURPOSE: Oversee Visual Merchandising Operations including
production, calendars, and budget assuring that floor-sets and
directive are delivered on time, within budget and with
flawless execution.

CORE ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Operations:

* Oversee annual Floor Set Production calendar and budget,
assuring that floor-sets are delivered on time, within
budget and with flawless execution

* Partner directly with DVP to orchestrate departmental
deliverables

* Partner with Field Brand Merchandisers to ensure consistency
of visual merchandising strategies and tactical execution

* Coordinate departmental workflow and assist DVP in
maintaining high level of communication between field and
corporate teams, as well as Operations Assistant

* Source vendors and set up vendor accounts

* Source props for use in visual presentations with guidance
from Director of Visual Merchandising

* Manage all fixture and prop distribution lists

* Ensure effective communication to stores for all fixture and
prop rollouts

Find out more at stylecareers.com or apply at the company Website here.
***************

Senior Graphic Designer – Lucky Brand Jeans

Location – Vernon, CA

QUALIFICATIONS:

- BA/BFA in graphic design/ design preferred

- Minimum 5 years of graphic/apparel design experience

- Proficient in Adobe computer design programs.(MAC, Photoshop,
and Illustrator skills with the ability to work off of the
computer)

- Advanced design related degree

- Knowledge of imprinted apparel business including screen
print techniques, embellishments, appliqués, and embroidery.

- Fundamental knowledge of colors, composition, typography.

- Ability to visually translate ideas into a final product.

REQUIRED SKILLS:

MUST BE ABLE TO ILLUSTRATE BY HAND!!!

Go to stylecareers.com for more info; To apply visit the company website here.

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Patternmaker needed for Laundry by Shelli Segal.

Location – Los Angeles, CA

Must have draping experience. Must have experience with dresses.

OTHER QUALIFICATIONS:

• 5-7 years experience

• Computer skills

• Photoshop and Illustrator

TO APPLY:

Submit your online profile directly to Perry Ellis
International through www.StyleCareers.com or send your resume
with salary requirements directly to:

EMAIL: socaljobs@pery.com
FAX: 786-221-8504

* Include JOB CODE/ JOB TITLE on all correspondence. *

***************

Brand Manager – ASOS.com

Location – North London

• Constructing stand out campaigns that inspire ASOS customers.
• Campaign management responsibility encompassing brand activity, major new product launches, support and development of our family of ASOS own label lines and product and retail focussed priorities.
• Enhancing our share of voice through a network of intelligent, brand relevant partnership activity including paid sponsorship, strategic partnerships and collaborations with other brand and content partners.
• Pro-actively identifying, negotiating and managing these relationships from concept through to implementation.
• Managing and developing a team of two.
• Budget management.

For more info and to apply go to the company’s Website here.
***************

Website Editor at Burberry

The Role

This role will be critical in the distribution of assets to all relevant areas, a key focus being the asset management relating to the new e-commerce site being launched in September.

You will be responsible for the daily review of all pages on the site and will edit as per the fortnightly calendar that you will agree with Marketing and Creative teams.

The ideal candidate will have:

* An understanding of user experience in e-commerce
* Experience working with digital assets
* Experience working with Social Media
* Ability to adapt their working style to build effective relationships with different cultures within a global business
* Ability to work in a pressurised environment for a fast growing business
* Attention to detail
* Positive attitude
* Excellent communication skills
* Ability to manage a number of projects at one time

For more info or to apply, visit the company’s Website here.

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photo: apparelsearch.com

Chanel 'Essential' Bag, Large - SS2009

Sometimes the parallels are much too literal. Case in point: luxury “paper” bags. The phenomenon started with Chanel – the Fashion High prom queen 100 years running. Bags given to shoppers at the brand’s flagship 31, Rue Cambon location in Paris had themselves become a sought after item, when the savvy house decided to go ahead and sell them, but in leather and for up to $3,000. Talk about selling symbols…

It reminds me of being in jr. high again, when all the cool kids brought their gym clothes to school in Gap bags. You know, those navy ones with the drawstring tops (do they still make those?). Mind you, I grew up in the middle of the corn belt, i.e. Gap was as close to haute as my little hometown had back then. It wasn’t uncommon for we preteens to go buy something at the store just for the bag. If Maureen Chiquet had been around the company might’ve had a thriving side business with some killer profit margins.

But enough about me.

Now several brands are creating bags like look like paper, but are made from luxe materials. Trendy newcomer Proenza Schouler made one for it’s Pre-Fall 2010 collection and the bag sold out the same day it premiered on on net-a-porter.com, where it retailed for $615 this summer. To Hernandez and McCollough’s credit – this has loads more style then last year’s “Essential” bag.

And there’s more! Loewe, Spooner + Watts, and Slow and Steady Wins the Race all have paper bag styles on the market this year. Thankfully, for those of us with Givenchy tastes and Gap budgets the entry price point is within reach. But then, who wants what’s within reach?

photos: purseblog.com, slowandsteadywinstherace.com, spoonerandwatts.co.uk, loewe.com

W September 2010: Triple gatefold cover shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, which features eight up-and-coming actresses — Kat Dennings, Jessica Chastain, Yaya DaCosta, Greta Gerwig, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Roberts and Zoë Kravitz

September is the most anticipated month/issue for all fashion mags, but for the revamped W the anticipation has been about much more than counting ad pages and fawning over fall pictorials. The issue is the official debut by new EIC Stefano Tonchi, who left T magazine to take post at the floundering big book. The move has been fodder industry news and gossip for months and at the first glimpse of the makeover the sneers and jeers have started to roll in (and some praise too). Knowing what a stir his career moves was causing, Tonchi aptly named the cover story “Great Expectations” in pre-response to all the hullaballoo.

“I wanted to have some self-irony, because there are so many expectations about what this W will be, so it refers to these eight great new girls, but also to the pressure that we feel to satisfy the expectations that people have for the magazine.”

“It’s more about fashion in the context of contemporary culture, and that’s really the definition that I like to use,” he says. “At the end, everything we look at is in the key of style, and that’s why I defined the content of the magazine as the who, the what, the where, the when, the why in the world of style.”
Source

Get a closer look at the cover shots in the gallery below.

[View with PicLens]

One major complaint from fashion purists is that the cover recalls Vanity Fair‘s annual Hollywood issue, which portends that the magazine is moving in the direction of more glam, less garment. Tonchi & team’s choices, however, are definitely more reflective of what’s next, rather than what’s now – which, after all, should be part of the work of a fashion editor. In addition, putting former ANTM contestant Yaya DaCosta on a cover is a ballsy move in an environment that just loves to look down it’s nose at the Tyra Banks empire. VF’s 2010 “New Hollywood” covers girls are seen below. Chances are you’ll recognize these faces much more readily than those on the W cover.

See more shots & read about the 8 new “it” girls at wmagazine.com.

photos: thefashionspot.com, vanityfair.com, wmagazine.com

Let’s take a look at the pair’s current ventures and see how they compare.

Denim Lines
Zoe designs a bell bottom jean for 7 Jeans for All Mankind. Team with the pervasive brand is fairly prestigious and the the jeans are tried and true quality. The style is very true to Zoe’s style and it’s smart of her to start slow with just one style (anyone remember those dreadful clutches she tried to hawk a few years ago?). In a word: mainstream. Buy these jeans and check out Zoe’s handpicked favorites at Piperlime

According to MyTrueFit, Jacobson was on a shoot with the brand when she landed the deal with Kasil Denim. Rumors say this was the real reason she was let go from her whipping post. In her defense, she said repeatedly that product development was wear she wanted to go. Kasil is a pretty obscure brand for the average consumer, but it likely means that Taylor had a great deal more creative wiggle room. Who knows how much of the design she actually did, but the result has a lot more variety. Not sure, though, how well it represents Taylor’s aesthetic.

Celebrity Style Clients

Taylor is a smart cookie. Whether she saw her departure coming or not she’s been savvy in flipping her 15 minutes into some solid business ventures. Zoe may or may not care about Jacobson’s jeans line, but it’s real slap in the face if she was able to take celebrity clients with her. And she did just that. Word is, Taylor has a whole roster of celebs that followed her out of Zoe-land. One of them is Kate Beckinsale. See her in all her glory at this years Cannes Film Festival.

Zoe’s styling record speaks for itself. But not always in a good way. She does have her shining moments, though, when you just can’t deny that she’s excellent at what she does. Case in point: Kate Hudson at the Golden Globes.

photos: zimbio.com

First, it’s only fair that I say up front that I am completely biased in this fashion tete-a-tete. Taylor all day! Rachel Zoe was one of my earliest inspirations on this blog – but not in a good way. Her dominance on the celebrity style scene was tinged by an epidemic of celebrity anorexia. I’m not convinced that was an accident. At any rate, season two of The Rachel Zoe Project pushed me over the edge on what was before just an inkling of distaste for Zoe and her antics. During the season the stylist had a “dilemma” in which of her team to take to Paris for fashion week: Taylor – who has been her assistant since 2005, or Brad Goreski – the dapper though dim fashion gay that entertains Zoe and makes her feel like she’s fabulous (fashion gays are awesome at that). Despite having put in years of hard work, Taylor is not the obvious choice. Rather, Rachel pretends to be on the fence about who should attend the pinnacle of fashion design events and instead makes a very cowardly move by asking Taylor to decide. What bollocks! The only bit crumpled bit of credit that I might give Zoe is that Taylor did seem to have a pretty intense, um, presence and sometimes it’s just more pleasant to have the happy-go-lucky around.

So clearly, Taylor Jacobson is the winner in this round. She wins for being a hard worker and Zoe loses for her devastatingly horrible management skills. *DING*

And yet despite my firm support of Taylor in the pseudo-feud, I can acknowledge that some of you might be Rachel fans that can see her point of view. So here’s your chances to choose sides and show support with a fun and cheeky t-shirt. Each design comes in a variety of styles (baby tees, long sleeved, burnout, etc), sizes, and colors for women and men. We’ve even thrown Brad a bone! So which team are you on? Buy now at Zazzle.com.

Classic Cuts
Every decades seems to have an over-the-top trend in clothing shape, but there are certain silhouettes that are timeless. A tailored shift dress is one of those that will look chic season after season, and year after year. Dresses below by Giambattista Vall, Freda, & Emma Cook. Click for info or to purchase.

Little Black Dresses
There are certain wardrobe staples that every style conscious woman should have. The little black dress ranks high among these – for it’s ease and versatility. Dresses below by Boudicca, Maxmara, & Sportmax. Click for info or to purchase.

Fall-Appropriate
If an item you buy now can still be worn 3 to 6 months from now, then it’s a good sale candidate. Granted, you may have to do some strategic layering, but these items will fit into the cool seasons just fine. Below: Jacket by Belstaff, dress by Chloe, & leather jeggings by Les Chiffoneurs. Click for info or to purchase.

Black Pumps
These shoes might not follow the list rules completely, but they come close. Black pumps are another key wardrobe staple and sale time is a great time to get a good deal on a quality pair. Shoes below by Alexander McQueen, Brian Atwood, & Marc by Marc Jacobs. Click for info or to purchase.

Investment Pieces
Sadly, we’ve seen the last of what the late Lee Alexander McQueen designed directly. Of course, the house will go on – not to mention the heavy influence he had on other designers – but the 2010 seasons represent the end of an era. Accordingly, they are sentimental and might have special worth in future years. All items below by Alexander Mcqueen. Click for info or to purchase.

The fashion industry seems to be wrestling with whether haute couture is still relevant to the modern fashion model. On the one hand vets like Oscar de la Renta say it’s outdated and useless; on the other, business trackers note a marked spike in couture purchases – largely due to new customers from the far east. In any case, couture houses are responding by tweaking their approach. With designer Riccardo Tisci at the design helm, Givenchy opted to take its Fall 2010 Couture presentation off the runway and into the excessively ornate rooms of a Paris salon.

“I want to make couture even more special than it is, and not just another catwalk show,” Tisci told WWD “People can really experience the couture moment: See it, touch it.”

via Style.com

According to Tim Blanks, the designer was inspired by artist Frida Kahlo and her fixation on anatomy and mortality. From our commoner’s perspective, one might think Tisci was just trying to capitalize on the Google-powered Frida Kahlo internet search spike this week Yet if were able to get up close and personal we’d see zipper pulls made of little bones and porcelain belts shaped like spinal columns. Very apropos for a Kahlo inspired collection.

The Broken Column, 1944. Oil on canvas. 15 11/16 x 12 in. (40 x 30.5 cm). Collection Museo Dolores Olmedo Patiño, Mexico City. © 2007 Banco de México Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo Museums Trust

via About.com