Look Book: Fall 2011 Paper Crown

     I love Lauren Conrad. I've loved her since her beach blonde highlights days in MTV's Laguna Beach through her much more sophisticated fifth and final season of The Hills. So you can only imagine my disappointment when the network has decided to pass up her new documentary style show [for being too "high brow"] which would have followed the making of her new contemporary line Paper Crown. I guess that's what happens when your best line up involves drunken orange skinned guidos and guidettes and pregnant teenage mothers.  But cheer up Team Conrad! During her birthday celebration at Pure Nightclub in Las Vegas, she told reporters that she has received several offers from other networks to adopt her September Issue inspired show. 

     Paper Crown is Lauren Conrad's third contemporary clothing line that she has designed with her childhood friends Maura McManus and Gary Samuelian. Her first fashion line was the simple, yet classic Lauren Conrad Collection which launched in 2007 and was later put on hiatus. Currently, she has her much affordable LC Lauren Conrad Collection being sold exclusively at Kohls. But this new contemporary line, Paper Crown, which will debut in Fall 2011 is much, much different than those two previous collections. For starters,  I saw the look book and it has Lauren Conrad written all over it. It's so so Lauren! 

     This time around, the designs are a "modern take on a classic style with an emphasis on fit and fabric quality to create staples for the contemporary woman's closet." The collection consists of romantic, maxi floral tiered dresses, ultra feminine cocktail dresses, and neutral colored menswear-inspired pieces. My absolute favorites are the camel colored tailored blazer and of course the tiered floral dresses. Lauren and the rest of the Paper Crown team is currently in Coterie in New York City where she is marketing the new collection to potential department store buyers. So until we can go out and purchase the pieces from this super romantic and feminine collection, come take a look at the look book! I know you will love it. 

Love, KB

Lauren at Coterie in NYC wearing the camel blazer from her new Paper Crown collection

Lauren at her Paper Crown booth at Coterie.

Documentary Film Review: Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton

     I first saw this documentary on the Sundance channel back in 2009 while browsing for something to watch On Demand. But I've always been in love with his work ever since I can remember. Marc Jacobs is the most influential American fashion designer of his generation. He is 'Mr. Cool' and the inventor of grunge. He is the Ralph Lauren of the 21st century American fashion. Prior to this documentary, Marc Jacobs' creative process has never been filmed. It took a long while for the French company making this documentary to be allowed in the inner sanctum of the world of Marc Jacobs. In this inspiring and humorous documentary, the viewers get to see the making of the Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton Spring 2007 collections. From the creative meetings to the tailoring workshops, you get to see two collections come together from the ground up. 

     Marc Jacobs works for two fashion labels -- his own which is based in New York and Louis Vuitton in Paris. After Bernard Arnault bought Louis Vuitton in 1989, his most bold and wisest decision was when he appointed Marc Jacobs as the artistic director of the 18th century classic monogram brand. In terms of business, Louis Vuitton has doubled in size every 5 years since the arrival of Marc Jacobs. He is in charge of creating everything for the fashion house, from the clothes, the shoes, and of course the bags! Although in 1998, Marc Jacobs sent a Louis Vuitton collection down the runway without any LV bags [gasps*] So naturally, he has been making up for it ever since by transforming the iconic bag every season. 

The Dream Team. 

Starring:

Bernard Arnault -- the Money

Yves Carcelle -- the Marketing Genius

Robert Duffy -- the Partner in Crime

Joseph -- the Assistant 

"In America, that's all we do is work.. as Muhammad Ali said."

- Marc Jacobs

     Aside from the creative artist which is Marc Jacobs, the well oiled machine of Marc Jacobs Inc and Louis Vuitton consists of several key players. Bernard Arnault is a French business man and billionaire who owns the luxury brand of Louis Vuitton along with famous brands like Dior and Fendi. He is the man to please and the one man who Marc Jacobs ultimately answers to when working for Louis Vuitton. Yves Carcelle is the CEO of LV Malletier. He is the person responsible for worldwide branding and marketing of the company. Robert Duffy is Marc Jacobs' right hand man and partner. He's been there ever since the beginning of Jacobs Duffy Designs Inc and is still by his side up to this very day. But the most useful relationship is probably the one that Marc Jacobs has with his assistant Joseph. Throughout the entire documentary, Marc is seen calling out and looking for Joseph and rejoicing after he has found him. 

Cut & Paste. 

"Yeah, trash it. As screwy as it can be, the better. Do you know what I mean? I like it more fucked up. Defects are good."

- Marc Jacobs

     The documentary takes place in between the cities of New York, Paris, London, and Tokyo -- basically where ever Marc is currently working on the new collection for the two lines that he designs for. And of course the design and creative process of the collection is my absolute favorite part. I loved seeing the clothes, shoes, accessories, and bags come from sketch to the actual product. It's a Marc Jacobs signature to make things that are more destroyed and making them look more hand made by fraying, dipping the clothes and accessories in bleach, or even steaming and ironing the flowers that will serve as hair accessories -- but perfectly controlled hole by hole, fringe by fringe. His process of making a garment consists of a rough cut and paste strategy of fabric on the model, [no dress forms were used] a photograph being taken after, and then synthesizing his vision to a drawing so that a workshop staff can understand. The birth of the new shoes is even more amazing in these creative design meetings which consists of deciding, editing, and lots and lots of silence. 

Cubist. Graffiti. Monogram Multicolore. Macarons. 

     The twist of rich and poor, ugly and beautiful is the inevitable outcome from the King of the grunge movement. And of course this also affects his designs when it comes to the Louis Vuitton bags. The film documents the birth of the Louis Vuitton patchwork bag or cubist bag, which is basically a compilation of many LV bags in one. Due to its intricate design, the bag had to be completed by hand, because it had broken so many sewing machine needles. But all of that hard and custom work comes with a hefty price tag, for the bag is retailed for 35,000 Euros and can only be made upon request! Fashion History 101: Marc Jacobs is responsible for the graffiti design of the Louis Vuitton bag. In addition, the film also featured Marc Jacobs' collaboration with the Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, which brought us the 36 colors of the monogram multicolore while macarons inspired the multi-colored polka dots bag. 

New York -- Spring 2007 RTW Marc Jacobs Collection (September 11, 2006)

"A Marc Jacobs New York Fashion show is the key event of the American fashion scene -- It's the place to be."

     

     The atmosphere between his workshop in New York for his own line and the one in Paris for Louis Vuitton are completely different. The only common thread between the two is the amount of attention to detail to the colors, layers, and motifs of the garments and accessories. In New York, the atmosphere was very laid back and homey. The working conditions are definitely special, because Marc thinks of those people as his family.The entire staff in the workshop is laughing along with Marc while having random dance sessions to some rap music.  I think it helps boost morale for those long hours leading up to putting the collection down the runway. 

Paris -- Spring 2007 RTW Louis Vuitton Collection (October 6, 2006)

     The Louis Vuitton workshop in Paris is still a close knit family, but the dynamic is somewhat different for obvious reasons. But the drive and creativity is just about the same -- just translated in a different language. As the entire team edits, cuts, and sews through the last 12 hours before the runway show, it becomes a race against the clock. Nervous tension turns into hilarity and the garments and accessories are rushed from the workshop straight to the fashion show after they're finished. And of course in the end, those 39 seconds that the entire look is going down the runway is perfection. 

     This a great film about art, passion, bursts of color, and creativity. It's a definite must see if you want an intimate inside look of what goes on in the world of a prominent American designer like Marc Jacobs. I highly recommend it. 

Love, KB

Magazine Covergirl: VOGUE -- Lady Gaga (March 2011)

Haider Ackermann silk kimono robe, top, and trousers.

"I hate average, and she is anything but average."

- Karl Lagerfeld

     This March issue of Vogue came just in time for the release of Lady Gaga's new single, Born This Way, for her third studio album and in the midst of the hype of her controversial eggtrance in this year's Grammys [pun intended.] In this cover story, which was shot on location at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Mother Monster talked about how pointless it was to try and decipher the meaning behind her wardrobe choices. She told Vogue magazine that "the mystery and the magic is my art." Lady Gaga is more than just an artist, she is movement. From her music to her clothes, as odd as it is, it's her form of artistic expression, whether we like it or not. And what's surprising is that her avant-garde and eccentric way of dressing is actually the norm of her, she said that at the end of the day the way she dresses is part of the entire performance-art aspect of her life and that "it's not about a choice," but rather "a lifestyle that I live and breathe." 

     It's also no secret that fashion has been a integral part of her life even before she made it big in the music business. And today, she basically lives in her very own world of fashion and having collaborated with designers like Karl Lagerfeld, Giorgio Armani, and Prada. As strange and uncommon as it may appear, a lot of the outrageous things we've seen her wear are actually designed by many famous and reputable designers. For example, the armadillo shoes she wore in the Bad Romance music video are actually a product of the late and great Alexander McQueen, the Kermit the Frog jacket she wore to a German talk show was designed by a French designer named Jean Charles de Castelbajac, and the orbital dress she wore to the 2010 Grammys was Armani Prive'. And if you got the chance to catch her performance in this year's Grammys, her stage ensemble was designed by Nicola Formichetti, who along with the rest of her creative team make the clothes for the Haus of Gaga. Fermichetti was just recently appointed as the creative director of Thierry Mugler, a Paris based design house who has Queen Gaga as an inspiration. 

     Some people hate her, many love her, lots don't get her, and others are indecisive about how they feel about her, but I have nothing but love and admiration for Lady Gaga. Because beyond her clothes and controversial music videos, the message that she wants to convey to all is so positive. In her interview she said that "I want to be your cool older sister who you feel really connected with, who you feel understands you, and refuses to judge anything about you because she's been there." That was something that really resonated with me, because no matter how happy and confident we all are, we still have moments of insecurities and doubts about ourselves, and I'm really glad that her main message to her little monsters is acceptance. So for now, come and see the beautiful images styled by Vogue's fashion editor Tonne Goodman. 

Haider Ackerman gown.

Alexander McQueen gold embroidered tulle dress.
Tom Binns Design necklace.

Alexander McQueen slash-shoulder tailcoat, bib bodysuit, and embroidered trousers.
De Grisogono ring.

Louis Vuitton silk blouse and pants.

Hussein Chalayan black leather jacket

Alexander McQueen pale-gray duck-and-ostrich-feather dress

Lady Gaga casted as the witch in a Hansel and Gretel shoot styled by none other than Grace Coddington in Vogue December 2009

Love, KB

WANTED: Grace -- Thirty Years of Fashion at Vogue

     By now, it should be no surprise that Grace Coddington is one of my favorite stylist and creative director of all time. I love how I can flip through a freshly new print of Vogue and see that a spread in it has Grace written all over it. I'm so in love with her work. American Vogue made her an icon, but long before the release of the documentary The September Issue, which popularized this influential woman, Grace and the publishing company Edition 7L released a coffee table book that chronicled thirty years of her work -- in short, a 400 page fashion spread heaven. When the book was printed in 2002, the hardcover book, which weighed about 10 pounds, was retailed for $120. Today, it is absolutely impossible to find a copy that's less than $1,200! It's insanity. I've even gone so far as to email the publishing company to inquire about the book. And to my disappointment, I was told that the book is completely sold out world wide and that they have no plans on reprinting it. Bummer. The only remaining copies are the ones that are being sold online by third party retailers for over $1,200 for a used copy and over $3,900 for a new one. So now, it has become my new life mission to seek out this coveted book so that I could add it to my fashion library. It's either that or pay a hefty amount of money for it. If you have any information of its whereabouts, without having to resort to an Internet purchase, please  -- alert me immediately. 


Love, KB