October 2008

October 23rd 2008
NYC

Temperatures are dropping in NYC but the party circuit is heating up, with at least 3 parties every night between now & Thanksgiving.  Hitting the parties when it’s warm & balmy is one thing, but heading out into the blistering cold requires a whole other level of dedication.  As I sift through a stack of decadently thick, triple-ply party invitations and weigh my options, there are a few things that need to be considered:

- Is this something I’ll regret missing in 10 years?

- Is it worth missing reality re-runs on Bravo? 

- Will there be any straight boys in attendance, other than the caterers?  

Needless to say, 19 out of 20 times the answer to all of the above is “No”, but there are always a few exceptions, like the events I’ve attended as of late:

The pièce de résistance for this week was the opening party for CHANEL’s “Contemporary Art Container” in Central Park, which I attended with my Parisian transplant pal & über chic stylist, Polina Aronova.  The party was packed with VIP fashionistas, celebs, and there was even a performance by ultra-hip band Hurcules & Love Affair, but the real treat was the art installation, which was mounted in a traveling spaceship-style structure designed by world renowned architect Zaha Hadid.  In a word: GENIUS.  Not only was the installation genius, but the Central Park setting on a cold winter night with a canopy of autumn leaves covering from above, was magnificent.  Karl Lagerfeld knows how to throw a party.

Celebs included Kate Bosworth, Sarah Jessica Parker, Padma Lakshimi, Kim Raver, Eve, Jeff Koons, Helena Christensen, Agyness Deyn, and every other supermodel worth her salt.  At one point in the evening I noticed a blonde ponytailed woman being swamped by paparazzi and couldn’t figure out who it was from behind only to realize that the ponytail belonged to none other than Kaiser Karl himself.  Oh. La. La. 

Last week’s latest night on the town was a result of the Ne-Yo, Leona Lewis, & Fabolous concert, which was put on by Hennessy and caused a hangover from which I am still recovering.  I had planned to attend the event on the early side, drink only water, and be in bed by 11pm.  This was clearly delusional thinking, as everyone knows that Hip Hop Show + Hennessy Sponsor = Party ‘Til The Break O’ Dawn.  Needless to say, the evening was a blast and celebs who also rocked out in the VIP section included everyone from Usher (gasp!) to Russell Simmons to Diane Kruger & Joshua Jackson.  Huge shout out to my hosts, the lovely Lucy & Mark Cornell, for inviting me to such an amazing event, which was definitely worth missing reality re-runs to attend.  

And speaking of celebs… the photo to the right is my fab friend Jasmine Sforni wearing HOLLYWOULD with none other than Mr. Matthew McConaughey himself, who told her he loved her HOLLYWOULD.  Yesssss. 

Heading out on the town tonight for more parties that will definitely be worth braving the cold, so stay tuned…

October 15th 2008
New York City

I’ve just returned from Italy and headed straight down to the HOLLYWOULD store in Nolita to pick out all of my Fall 2008 shoes, bags, and clothing.  I’ve been keeping mum on how much I love certain items in our new Fall collection because the goods arrived while I was in Italy and I didn’t want my favorite styles to sell out before I had a chance to nab them.  Yes, it has happened many a time before that I have mentioned my favorite new shoes to friends and diary readers alike, only to find that by the time I got down to the store they were completely sold out in my size.  Not this season girls. 

October 6th 2008
Florence, Italy

I have just spent my entire weekend working on HOLLYWOULD’s Fall 2009 Collection and you girls are going to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. 

I know, it’s crazy to work on Fall 2009 when it’s really only Fall 2008, and fashion designers haven’t even finished showing next year’s Spring 2009 collections, but unfortunately working a year in advance is what we all have to do if we want you girls to get your goodies on time.

People who don’t work in fashion are always curious to know about the design process, and although I can’t speak for other designers, my design process can be broken down into about 8 phases that look something like this…

1.      Inspiration:  This usually starts 3-4 months in advance, when I start a fresh sketchbook for the next season and begin filling it with ideas as they come.  My sketchbook has notes that say everything from “Pebbles in Portofino” to “Flower colors in Luxembourg Garden”, and then sketches of everything from a pair of vintage earrings worn by a bartender to the glass etching detail on an old door.  As the sketches come together over 3-4 months, certain items stand out as forming some sort of pattern, and the next collection slowly begins to crystallize.

2.      Editing – Phase 1:  This usually takes place about a month before the collection is due, and is where I sit down with my sketchbook and start editing my 3-4 month’s worth of ideas into categories to see which ones still seem interesting.  I usually end up deciding 90% of the ideas aren’t relevant or might be better for a future collection, but keep the 10% that tell the right sort of story.

3.      Formulation:  After I have edited I sit down and formulate a plan that includes ideas for shapes, fabrics, and ornaments.  I like to do this before I go to the fabric show so I know what to look for while I am there.

4.      Hunt & Gather:  This was what I spent my time doing in Paris, which was going to a fabric show, a leather show, and an accessory/ornament show to look for the suppliers that can make what I need.  During this stage there is always room for more inspiration, so in Paris I also scoured the vintage shops, flea markets, museums like the Musée des arts Décoratifs, and continued adding to my sketchbook.

5.      Cleanse:  Once all the ideas are down on paper in a fairly organized way, it’s time to clean my entire office and take down any remnants of the previous season.  I have a huge wall in my design office in Italy that I cover with inspiration, and I spent last Thursday night working until the wee hours taking down everything from the season before so that I had a pure white canvas to begin on Friday morning.

6.      Jam Session:  The Jam Session is by far the most fun, and has to take place over the weekend as it requires completely uninterrupted thought.  This usually takes a solid 3 days of closing myself off from the outside world and cranking out designs from sunrise to sunset.  Yesterday for example, around 8pm I felt a bit dizzy and realized I had been designing for 12 hours without remembering to eat.  Not good, but productive nonetheless.

7.      Editing – Phase 2:  This is where I realize that as much as I love them, the gold lamé leopard turban with matching opera gloves that I designed while on a roll during my “Jam Session” are probably not absolutely necessary for the Fall 2009 collection.  Shucks.

8.      Translation:  This is where I take the final edit of designs done in my “Jam Session” and translate them into technical drawings on Excel pages with all of the relevant information.  Many design students think sketching pretty drawings is what design is about, but any real designer knows that nothing gets done without a detailed technical page, which forces you and the factories to think about things like lining color codes, buckle measurements, sole color codes, insole color codes, hardware finish codes, fabric weights, etc, etc.  This is the least fun but most necessary part of the job, and sadly what lies ahead of me today, which is exactly why I’ve chosen to procrastinate by writing this long diary entry.

Oh, I’ve got work to do!  Stay tuned…