Disney & Barneys New York Electric Holiday Collaboration

     The world of retail and fashion are not really known for living in the moment in terms of looking forward. Just like how you can walk into a Target store today and already be bombarded with Halloween candy and it's not even September. In a similar way that next year's spring fashions are being shown down the runways in New York City in September and the fall in February. It's all about looking ahead and what's next even if the seasons and months don't quite match up. So it wasn't really a surprise to me when Women's Wear Daily reported Barneys upcoming holiday collaboration with Disney this morning. I almost expected it, really, especially with several holiday previews already being exclusively displayed to fashion magazine editors and luxury department store buyers (hint: sneak peeks through editors' and buyers' Instragram and Twitter accounts.) 

     For the 2012 Holiday Season, Barneys New York is collaborating with Disney on a specialty store campaign titled, Electric Holiday, that will be unveiled in the Madison Avenue flagship store on November 14. The collaboration will feature a three dimensional electric light show, a short film in the window display that will feature Disney's favorite characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse in the likes of runway models, and an original score by Oscar winning composer Michael Giacchino. The theme of Electric Holiday is somewhat a play on the bright lights and special lighting in NYC during the holiday season and the flashbulbs at the end of a runway: so basically it will be very bright and colorful. 

     For the short film that will be produced for the specialty store windows, Barneys worked very closely with the Disney animators to make sure that the fashion aspect of the collaboration stays very true, especially when it comes to the details of the clothes. Barneys' creative director Dennis Freedman said that “The animator and I sat next to each other and went over every detail of the clothes — how they’re made, what material, how they would move — to get them as accurate as we possibly could.” And in order to keep this authenticity throughout the entire creative process Minnie Mouse and the rest of the Disney characters had to also be believable. Meaning they couldn't keep their cartoonish figures and Minnie Mouse was transformed into a 5'11" supermodel lavishly dressed in Lanvin by Alber Elbaz. 

     The concept of the film centers around Minnie's fantasy to be at a Paris fashion show where she eventually crosses paths with the rest of the Disney cast looking as fashionably chic as she is in their unique designer clothes -- Mickey is dressed by Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga, Goofy by Olivier Rousteing for Balmain, Daisy by Dolce & Gabbana, Cruella by Rick Owens, Princess Tiana by Proenza Schouler and Snow White by Peter Copping for Nina Ricci. Tres chic, yes?

     In addition to this specialty shop, Barneys will also have exclusive and limited edition holiday items including several collectible Vinylmation figures designed by Paul Smith and Diane von Furstenberg (both featured below), and Mickey Mouse ears from Rag & Bone and L’Wren Scott. There will also be small gifts like ornaments, edible sweets and children’s toys for the season. And keeping true with the holiday spirit of giving, 25% of the proceeds made from these sales will be donated to charity (yet to be named.) Given the success of Lady Gaga's workshop last year, I think this holiday collaboration will also do incredibly well. It's Disney after all. It speaks well to many grown men and women, children, and the inner child in us all. So mark your calendars ladies and gentlemen, November 14!

Love, KB

Video Obsession: The Making of Christian Dior's F/W 2012 Haute Couture Set

     On July 2, 2012  Raf Simons debut Christian Dior's Autum/Winter 2012 Haute Couture in Paris. And if you were able to catch the streaming of the show on Style.com like I did, then you'd know that the set of the fashion show was just as stunning as the couture itself. This behind the scene video showcases the installation of 1 million fresh flowers to create the explosion of florals three days prior to the show: it's incredible! Watch closely in the beginning and you'll be able to catch a glimpse of Vogue's Grace Coddington in the front row sitting next to Hamish Bowles with Anna Wintour a few seats away, of course. You couldn't miss that mop of red hair anyway. 

p.s. out of 54 looks here are some of my favorites from the show -- peplums, bold coats, clean lines, exaggerated silhouettes, and a little bit of sparkle. 

Love, KB

Team USA London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony Uniforms by Ralph Lauren

     The last time the Summer Olympic Games were on, I had the television turned on while painting the walls of my college apartment in Tallahassee, Florida. Has it really been four years later already?? And with July 27th soon approaching, aside from cheering on Team USA, the opening ceremony is definitely one of my favorite events and the most anticipated event by everyone in the world. Not only does it signal the start of the games, but it's also a great way to scope out all of the team fashion. For the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games, Team USA's uniforms are designed by none other than Ralph Lauren. I mean come on, what's more appropriate than classic American Sportswear by Ralph Lauren?? And the uniforms this year is just that, classic. Classic and tailored, of course. The design features a red, white, and navy palette with crisp blouses, cotton scarves, breezy skirts for the women and tailored pants for the men, and fitted blazers with the U.S. Olympic Team patches and of course the big Ralph Lauren pony logos. Oh, and not to forget, matching navy caps. 

     I love love love these uniforms for the 2012 London games. I love how Ralph Lauren chose navy blue over royal blue as the base color for the entire design, giving the uniforms a very classic American look to the entire ensemble without hitting us over the head with the red, white, blue, stars, and stripes. Don't get me wrong, I think those elements in and of themselves are perfect for this occasion, but we don't want our Olympians to look like they're actually draped with an American flag from head to toe. The slight subtlety of this design is what makes it great, but you can definitely still see USA all over it. I love how the entire ensemble is very clean, classic, tailored and almost gives me a 1920s Fitzgerald-esque impression. Nonetheless, they're going to look great out there and hopefully many many many medals will be present during the closing ceremony. GO TEAM USA! 

Love, KB

The June 2012 cover of VOGUE dedicated to TEAM USA

Walt Disney's Cinderella slippers by Christian Louboutin

     Before Ariel, Belle, and Jasmine there were the other three veteran princesses -- the one allergic to needles from spinning wheels (Aurora, aka Sleeping Beauty) the other with a vengeful stepmother, skin white as snow, and with seven vertically challenged roommates (Snow White) and finally the one forced to become a servant in her own home by yet another sinister stepmother and as equally friendly to all the talented and domestic singing animals, Cinderella -- which is actually my favorite story. The movie which was released in 1950 will be on Blu Ray for the first time on October 2, 2012. And to celebrate this Diamond Edition release, Walt Disney asked Parisian shoe maker, Christian Louboutin, to create a modern day interpretation of the iconic glass slippers. And no, the result is not a literal creation of actual glass slippers. Can you imagine walking around the cobblestones of Paris or the concrete sidewalks of New York City in actual glass pumps even if it did have that coveted red-sole? Your feet and the shoes would never make it pass a couple of blocks. Christian Louboutin's interpretation of Cinderella's glass slippers was even better -- think peep-toe, 120 mm, delicate white lace with sparkling crystals, butterfly accents, and heels adorned with Swarovski elements -- you can't get any more modern than that. 

     The shoes are currently in display in Paris with the exhibition including stills and sketches from the making of the 1950s Disney film, along with a short six-minute film of Christian Louboutin playing a fairy-godmother-like cobbler who is under a tight deadline to finish Cinderella's shoes. And just like in the original film when poor Cinderelly didn't have the time to re-design her mother's old dress for the Prince's ball, monsieur Louboutin receives help from friendly animals to find the inspiration of the shoes and complete them. And since we don't have a clip of that six-minute film, this 14:45 clip of that famous dress making scene is the next best thing! 

Love, KB

Erin Fetherston Resort 2013 Look Book

     There is always something so romantic and feminine in  Erin Fetherston's designs. Of course the clothes themselves change every season but her whimsical and delicate aesthetic still stays true. I can flip through a magazine or go over images of dresses on the Internet and easily spot something she has designed in the same way that a veteran editor for a high fashion magazine can easily recognize a signature red Valentino gown on the red carpet or a Karl Lagerfeld creation for Chanel, even before the words, "Who are you wearing?" are even uttered. And of course, her latest Look Book for her 2013 Resort collection is no exception -- I can see Erin all over that pink jacquard dress with the bows and delicate cut-outs in the back. 

     My favorite pieces in her collection are always her dresses, which this collection has absolutely no shortage of, but it also features plenty of separate pieces like skirts, jackets, tops, cardigans and even a couple of maxi dresses. The color palette is very light but also includes some punchy and bold colors (an orange and pink color-block shift dress, a very bold red peplum number, a variation of green and blue hues and a very delicious rose-colored pink.) The collection also exudes so much romanticism and feminism in all of its delicate lace, satin crepe, and chiffon along with an interesting integration of jacquard and sequins. Most of the pieces are on the dressier side, but can actually be great transitional pieces as somewhat hinted with the model going barefoot for the look book. With the right accessories, any girl could easily dress up or dress down any piece in the collection. And can I also point out how much I'm in love with the jeweled crown and exaggerated bunny-ears/hello kitty-esque bows in this look book. I would totally wear that crown if and when the right occasion calls for it! 

Love, KB

    

Magazine Covergirl -- Teen Vogue: Emma Stone & Andrew Garfield (August 2012)

     The moment that I see a new issue of Teen Vogue on newsstands, I know that my copy will be arriving in the mail soon enough. It's pretty much the only magazine that I've consistently subscribed to since I was sixteen and even years later, I still get really excited when a new issue arrives (I don't think I'll ever outgrow this excitement.) The August 2012 issue features on-screen and real life lovebirds Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield in a cover story titled World Wide Web that was photographed by Josh Olins and styled by Cathy Kasterine. With the much anticipated movie The Amazing Spider-Man coming out July 3 starring the duo, the momentum of work (filming, the inevitable press tours, and movie premieres) hasn't really stopped for this couple, especially for Emma who has had a pretty busy couple of years. That same newsstand this month holds her first Vogue cover for the July 2012 issue and she also snagged June 25, 2012 cover of New York Magazine. But then again, I don't think we expect anything less from someone who recently won the Trailblazer Award at the 2012 MTV Movie Awards. I was pleasantly surprised on how moved she was by that award. 


     The setting of the cover shoot, which was shot on a Manhattan rooftop and styled to look like New York City's High Line park, definitely evokes the back-to-school feel of the issue (it is the August issue after all) with fall's crisp pieces, bright coats, bold accessories, and a lot of other props and headwear thrown into the mix including Marc Jacobs's recent creation of the so-called Dr. Seuss furry hat that was featured in his Fall 2012 runway show. Emma Stone, whose hair color constantly vary in different films, looks gorgeous as a blonde (her natural hair color) while clad in Louis Vuitton, Alexander McQueen, Marc Jacobs, Mulberry, and Calvin Klein Collection dresses and a bedazzled Prada coat. And with a high-school superlative theme to go along with the shoot, Andrew Garfield is looking equally dapper in tailored suits and jackets ranging from Burberry to Thom Browne. Teen Vogue voted them most likely to succeed in the issue, but I say they're cutest couple. Now only if the cover story talked more about their relationship and a little less of Ryan Gosling. 


Love, KB