Trendsetting: Follow Your Own Personal Trend Report

"Be a trendsetter instead of a trend follower".
I've been saying this for an extremely long time, more as a call to cultivating your own personal look rather than an anarchistic statement. Now, echoes of a similar statement are rippling forward like a wave from the very influencers of "trends": fashion directors and editors. It made me wonder, "Isn't this shooting your own foot and looking your gift horse in the mouth and taking candy from a baby all at the same time?".  All funny aside, as a personal stylist, its my job to create and cultivate a personal image for a client that shows who they are based on how they see themselves and in what way they want to express this individuality in their professional (and personal) world. Hearing publicly that other fashion professionals are saying the same thing (this is not an insider secret, rather a secret understanding not spoken in all my fifteen plus years in the industry), it really is a welcome to me (and maybe to you) that the top brass are letting the truth (or reality) come out.
What does this mean for the now ubiquitous trends-based fashion editorials that come out without fail (and with much fanfare) each season? I don't think that editors and directors and fashion designers themselves are negating these trend editorials in the slightest, or that they are saying anything conversely regarding trends in their collective thinking, nor do I think that these editorials are going to disappear anytime soon. I think they are just paying more direct attention to the solid fact that the consumer has the freedom of choosing any option that fits to their vestiary needs; in effect, we buy whatever we want regardless of trends. I strongly believe that there will forever be an intrinsic and highly elevated importance for editorials because that is the very place where we, the consumer, get to see the trends "in action" (and as an art form). The featured trends get planted into our sartorial subconscious and we take these images with us when we go to market (or sit at our computers and go to our favorite online boutiques) but here's the thing that happens: we see the visual merchandising or brand marketing and get another viewpoint of said trends. In that instant, our idea of said trends gets altered. This happens numerous times until, I feel, the latest trends become a uniform staple.
The marketplace needs trends, bottom line. It is the driver of the (fashion) retail business (through the mechanism of marketing campaigns, editorial coverage, and the like). It is what gets you into the store, and what gets your currency into the tills. Yet when you are making choices about your personal presentation, you really can't follow and adhere to trends entirely because (how my thinking goes) doing so becomes a crutch, becomes blandly utilitarian. A sprinkle here and there of one or two trends is all it takes; by utilizing the inspiration that any particular trend resonates with you and mixing that with your own uniqueness, that trend will bring your personal style to different expressions. We need to view trends in creative terms like texture or shading and contour on your sartorial canvas, allowing you to paint interesting style strokes into your wardrobe.

What about the notion of saturation--how many trends are too many trends, and, how many times can we stand to witness a trend returning (again and again) into our style consciousness? Once, thrice, ten times before we say "enough!"? For me, in this case, trends lose much appeal and they lose it fast. Here is where I ignore the notion of saturation and allow myself to be motivated in my purchasing choices each season by making additions to my overall fashion collection that will stand the test of time and keep my individual aesthetic fresh, vibrant, and holistically rooted in my personal image. And at today's quick rate of "trend overturn", over exposure to trend reports and editorials perhaps are where the notion of "trends are growing passe" is coming from. This may be, in fact, the case but more along the line that trends are no longer dictating personal style inasmuch as they are dictating the marketplace to get you in the door and let you adapt a trend to your liking. I am a firm believer in the idea of if a trend appears at least two more times as the "current trend" it is no longer a trend, it is a new mode of dressing. When you've adopted and adapted a new mode of dressing to your personal style encyclopedia, you evolve your style consciousness in a whole new way. Through adaptation, you've done away with trends, without ever having followed them in their entirety and have allowed them to be points of reference and of consumer options.

At their very core, trends are compendiums of choice. They're neat little packages to help guide you through the seas of fashion. In today's advancing information age we have innumerable fashion choices. Its not always easy to navigate through all the plethora of cuts and color and shape and fabric, yet somehow we do it, perhaps motivated by the positive notion of a trend, or perhaps by the notion of proving the trend contrarily.  And where there is choice, there is the liberty of invention. How you choose to express your style is amazingly complex, deeply expressive, and infinitely individual. We can't ever forget this nor lose sight of it. We have our own personal trend reports flowing in our minds. We cultivate them by seeing the art in fashion editorials and runway shows, in store designs and merchandising layouts, in advertising campaigns, and on the red carpet on our favorite celebrities. We compile these choices all into our ideal style choices and create our looks from them, season after season. We formulate our own aesthetic and realize our fashion self. We cannot forget, when we are presented with all of these fashion options that we stay, tried and true, to that internal trend report and use it as a compass and follow your fashion heart, to the fashionable you.

-fggofstyle


RELATED LINKS

"Freedom of Choice: In Fashion, Are Trends Passe?" by Ruth La Ferla, New York Times

Yin & Yang: Taking a Look at Fashion's Newest Label

Jeanne Yang and Katie Holmes of Holmes & Yang

I have the pleasure to know and to work with Jeanne Yang for quite some time (who is one of the most genuine and nicest of L.A. stylists) and I'm beyond thrilled to see her coming into her own with the latest collection of Holmes & Yang, her collaboration with Katie Holmes that began in 2009. I must say, Katie is one smart style cookie to team up with the likes of (her long time personal stylist) Jeanne, who has a sharp and well-honed eye for simple and stylish pieces to pair together to create sleek, effortless looks for today's "It" girl. 

Holmes & Yang Spring 2013

Holmes & Yang 2013

I am also a firm believer in the notion that it is much harder to look "together" in a casual sense than it is to "dress up", which is a credo for the design duo. Really, it is a fine line to do such a thing as "stylish casual" but if its done correctly, it has amazing results. The key to this is wearing well crafted pieces that are simple in boldness and heavy in the subtle, refined details. Holmes & Yang was born out of this idea and has created the right pieces to bring it forward, I believe. By sourcing top-of-the line fabrics and using the best craftspeople to make their collection right here in Los Angeles and New York, Holmes & Yang are bringing forward into the closets of us stylish denizens of the world the keys to easy dressing, stylishly, one great piece at a time.

-fggofstyle
(all photos via www.wwd.com)



RELATED LINKS

Holmes & Yang

"All The Rage" | Los Angeles Times

"Holmes & Yang RTW Spring/Summer 2013"| WWD

My Favorite Looks from the Emmys 2012

Another awards show, another red carpet. It really is the perfect excuse for our favorite entertainers to get dressed up and show us their style. This year at the Emmys, the stars turned out in the most color to walk a red carpet in...ever!!, and despite the sweltering heat, everyone was able to hold it together and strut down the red carpet in the most extravagant I have seen the Emmys in a very long time. Could it be because so many of our present day television stars are from the world of film and have gotten major practice doing the same awards show runway work on the Oscars red carpet, or has the style quotient for Awards season come to a fashion apex and is culminating in the higher echelons of what it really means to "dress up", or is the Emmys red carpet benefiting heavily because the show is taking place during Fashion Month and the access to hot & fresh-off-the-runway-looks is easier? Perhaps its a broad mix of all of these things, with style being the most important ingredient of all.

It is refreshing to see color and prints on the red carpet, as well as the variety of texture (sequins, lace, and tulle), and shimmer and shine. Here is a look at my favorite looks from this year's show, (in no particular order):

Ginnifer Goodwin in Monique Lhuillier

Julie Bowen in Monique Lhuillier

Zooey Deschanel in Reem Acra

Ariel Winter in Katherine Kidd and shoes by Brian Atwood

Claire Danes in Lanvin with husband (and best dressed man of the night) Hugh Dancy in Burberry

Edie Falco in Stella McCartney

Hayden Panetierre in Marchesa

Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Vera Wang

January Jones in Zac Posen

Kat Dennings in J. Mendel

Kerry Washington in Vivienne Westwood

Morena Baccarin in Basil Soda

Juliana Marguilies in Giambattista Valli Couture

           

Kelly Osbourne in Zac Posen

It will be interesting to see how, as the Awards season comes to a virtual close now, red carpet dressing will plateau to the next level when the season gears up into high gear again in the next few months. Will the fashion sense stay as high as it is now or just reach further into the stratosphere? I can't wait to see!
-fggofstyle
(all photos via style.com/ABC)

Master of Iconography, Herb Ritts: L.A. Style

"Herb Ritts: L.A. Style" book cover 

In this modern age of image, how you look and present yourself has become the crux of importance. This focus on image became crafted throughout our post modern age via television, music, film, and advertising. This lens became the way we "see" ourselves. Yet in the world of contemporary art, it is the photographer who hones and perfects this craft and brings it in its presentation to us, the viewer (or subject sometimes) with an interesting outcome. No other modern photographer has done it in such a way as Herb Ritts, who use of natural light, simple composition, and emotional resonance has captivated us and brought to the most iconic and prolific images of celebrity, fashion, commerce, music, and art. At the apex of sensuality, nature, individuality, shadow, celebrity, and style stood Ritts, who became its master and brought a truly unique and starkly simple view of the end of the 20th century.

I became a huge Herb Ritts fan in the mid 80s when I became familiar with his work through the images he produced for celebrities like Richard Gere and Madonna, in ad campaigns for Revlon and Calvin Klein, and the countless fashion magazine pictorials found in the pages of "Vanity Fair", "Interview", "Vogue", and "Harpers Bazaar" Magazines. His use of the uber-models of the day (Cindy, Christy, Naomi, Stephanie, Helena, Tony, Djimon, et al) not only made them recognizable but made them into stars in their own right and catapulated anything they were involved in into fashion spectaculars. Yet Ritts utilized them in traditional ways befitting a model: as a chameleon of pose, light, and shape sculpted in the forms through the hands/lens of the artist. The same thing can be said when he created memorable portraits for celebrities: using their personality and individuality to elevate the portrait to a personal moment fluid with freedom and expression of his subject. And these models and stars regularly worked with Ritts and enjoyed the artistically natural and collaborative process he imbued on his projects and it shows throughout his body of work.

On view at the Getty Center is the fantastic photographic retrospective "Herb Ritts: L.A. Style". It is a broad mix of well-known and lesser seen works by Ritts, who in the late 70s began his ouevre and left us too soon. It is an interesting show: sectioned off in group areas such as "Nudes" (his most striking work), "Celebrity Portraits" (where his signature evolves and shines and elevates the genre of celebrity itself), "Music Videos and Commercials" (his work in movement form and where he changed the entire scope of music videos for the best), and "Fashion" (at the ultimate top of the fashion chain, Ritts creates indelibly wonderful imagery and editorial work). One of my favorite items is the Britney Spears Vogue Magazine cover (Novemeber 2001) and its original two composite shots with art direction touch up notes on the Britney photo itself alongside the finished magazine cover because, as great as Ritts' portrait is by itself, we get to glimpse what it takes to show "perfection" (those edit notes made me chuckle a bit) so that an image becomes branded as "Vogue". I also enjoyed re-viewing the award winning music video he shot for Janet Jackson's "Love will Never Do (Without You)", shown in its entirety as his signature video work (although Madonna's "Cherish" was his premiere foray into the genre); it still is a great 5 minutes of artistic magic to this day. I did wish the Getty included the Ritts directed video for Michael Jackson's "In The Closet" featuring model Naomi Campbell but it was absent perhaps because of its similarities to Janet's video or some situation having to do with Michael's estate, perhaps (in its place there is the Rolling Stones Magazine cover of MJ, a still from that video shoot)...? I'm sure there are some hidden gems that the Herb Ritts Foundation has tucked away somewhere and perhaps in future retrospectives we may get the chance to see them but the Getty has put together a good show and it is definitely one to go and experience for yourself and enjoy the scope and breadth of this wonderful artist's contribution to the world.

The Getty Center presents the retrospective until September 2, 2012 before it moves next to the Cincinnati Art Museum.
Don't miss it!

-fggofstyle
(photo via Getty and the companion book can be purchased by clicking on the highlighted link)





RELATED LINKS

The Herb Ritts Foundation 

The Getty Center--"Herb Ritts: L.A. Style" 

Strike The Ultimate Pose

On the afternoon of March 20, 1990, I secretly skipped sixth period to go to my best friends house and witness the world premiere of the most anticipated music video to air on MTV that season (and, well for the rest of that decade). Little did I know then that this music video would become an iconic event for me and would shape my future in its delicate way. It revealed to me that art, in its infinitely vast shape, could come together and create an entirely new depth of form to its newest art form (then, music videos) and bridge the past through homage, shape the future through imitation, and bring to the masses a long-thriving underground gay dance culture.
That day my ears danced to the progressive beat, my body moved to the rhythm, my eyes devoured the imagery, and my heart was touched. To this day, that song and especially that music video, continues to move me in joyful ways and it has been such a delight to watch its evolution through the myriad of numerous performances over the years. Back in 1990 I was witnessing the beginning of the next best thing, I was witnessing the moment something becomes a classic, an icon, and comes to an apex from which it has never come down from.
In honour of not only that moment but to the person who created this wonderful piece of art on the day they came into creation, I will share with you what has become my real piece of joy, and, for me strikes with the ultimate in style. And like a call to the sea, let's heed the words and follow suit: "strike a pose, there's nothing to it...", I give you "Vogue":



  Madonna, "Vogue" directed by David Fincher



Madonna as Marie Antionette performing "Vogue" at the MTV Video Music Awards, 1990



"Vogue" from the Blond Ambition Tour 1990 Nice, France; wearing costumes designed by Jean Paul Gaultier


from the Girlie Show 1993 Sydney, Australia; wearing costumes designed by Dolce & Gabanna

from the Re-Invention Tour 2004/film "I'm Going To Tell You a Secret" directed by Jonas Akerlund; wearing costumes designed by Arianne Phillips and corset by Christian Lacroix


from the Sticky & Sweet Tour 2009; wearing costumes designed by Ricardo Tischi for Givenchy and Arianne Phillips



from the Super Bowl Halftime Show January 2012 ("Music" performed with LMFAO); wearing costumes designed by Jean Paul Gaultier


from the MDNA Tour 2012 Milan, Italy (followed by "Candy Shop"); wearing costumes designed by Jean Paul Gaultier

The classic endures and thrives on. And may you continue to do the same, Madonna. Happy Birthday and may you forever be in Vogue.

-fggofstyle

(all videos via YouTube and are in the public domain)

Golden Moment: Olympics Closing Ceremony London 2012

One of the best moments during the amazing London Olympics Closing Ceremony was the tribute to British Fashion, featuring the most iconic British models to have walked any runway in our post modern times (Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Stella Tennant, Karen Elson,  Lily Cole, Georgia May Jaggar, Jourdon Dunn, and David Gandy) wearing the globally influential designs of the greats of Brit Mode (Christopher Kane, Alexander McQueen, Burberry, Erdem, Victoria Beckham, Paul Smith, Stephen Jones, Jonathan Saunders, and Vivienne Westwood), all to the sounds of David Bowie's "Fashion". You couldn't ask for a better moment and a better tribute to the United Kingdom's vast contribution to the fashion industry. 

At the Olympics Closing Ceremony London 2012
(fr L-R: Stella Tennant, Lily Cole, Karen Elson, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Jourdon Dunn, and David Gandy) (photo via CBS News/Getty)

In conjunction to the live presentation, Vogue UK has published a fashion editorial in the September 2012 issue with each of the models wearing their respective outfits from the ceremony, photographed by Nick Knight. Another wonderful tribute, this time in print. 

(photo set above, via Vogue UK/Nick Knight/www.designscene.net)

The entire cast of models walking the newsprint catwalk at the Closing Ceremony
(fr L-R: Lily Cole, Karen Elson, Stella Tennant, Kate Moss, Lily Donaldson, Naomi Campbell, Jourdon Dunn, Georgia May Jagger, and David Gandy) (photo via Daily Mail/Getty)

The fashion fun actually didn't end with the tribute but was found through out the show, with the various British performers showing the world that the UK definitely has totally winning style, from George Michael in dark leather, Annie Lennox in pirate chic wearing a Vivienne Westwood basque, Jessie J in an asymmetrical beaded catsuit, the Pet Shop Boys in futuristic cutting edge sequined stripes and fur shoulder pads, to the Spice Girls giving us pure zigazigah spicy sass the only way those girls can. London 2012 showed the world that Brits have a unique and golden style all their own. And that's brilliant good.
-fggofstyle

RELATED LINKS

Vogue UK; 'Midas Touch' | Film Fashion & Culture

Supermodels in Midas Touch by Nick Knight for Vogue UK | Design Scene

 The September Issue 2012 | Vogue UK

Love to Love You: Donna Summer

It seems that these times of our lives have introduced us to many a legend who have come and touched us in their special way, and when they leave us, we remember how poignant their expression of Creativity has indeed left its mark and truly moved us. With over 130 million records sold, 31 #1  International hits, it is really no wonder that there is almost no one who hasn't heard "the Voice of a Decade" or The Queen of Disco, or, simply Ms. Donna Summer.

For me, Donna Summer embodied a style and charisma that could not have come from any other time except the 70's. I remember dancing with my Mom in the kitchen to "Try Me I Know We Can Make It" (which is still my absolute favorite Donna Summer song for various reasons and 18 minutes of pure disco sensuality) and I fondly remember always hearing Donna playing in our house all the time. I grew up listening to her voice, and kept growing up listening to it and being influenced by the messages coming through her voice even as an adult. It was through her voice that I learned many things about my self and about love, beauty, and style.
As a fashion/style icon, Donna had a style about her that was strong, courageous, and vibrant. The legendary fashion photographer, Francesco Scavullo definitely saw this in her and she was one of his most photographed subjects (see my pictorial tribute below). I will never forget that brown sequined disco dress she slips into to perform "Last Dance" in the movie "Thank God Its Friday". In that moment we learned that's how you do sexy and confident at the same time: it become a signature look not only for her but for countless women in the Disco era, and beyond--all you have to do is look at Tom Ford to see her fashion influence translated for our modern time--that alluring, seductive, sultry, amber-scented, confidently strong woman that Donna Summer put a look and face to for an international audience who would express their self to the world by following her cue. 

from "Once Upon a Time" album cover photographed by Francesco Scavullo 1977

from "Once Upon A Time" album art 1977 photographed by Francesco Scavullo

Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer from "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)"  single album art
 photographed by Francesco Scavullo

photographed by Francesco Scavullo 1980

Donna Summer as Marilyn Monroe photographed by Francesco Scavullo 1976

photographed by Francesco Scavullo while performing in New York 1978

photographed by Francesco Scavullo 1978

 The cue that I have personally followed that Donna taught me comes from "Try Me I Know We Can Make It",
 "I just wanna show you love and make it all time..."
This is something I do every day and I learned its wisdom coming through the voice of Donna, as that is what she did with her gift and creativity. She showed us all Love. 

Thank You and Rest Peaceful.

-fggofstyle

Related articles

• Beyoncé Pays Homage To The Late Donna Summer (pinkisthenewblog.com)
• Memories of Donna's Disco Nights (New York Times)

Video: John Galliano

 (video courtesy/via Bio)


What more can be said about the imitable John Galliano? Not much. Let the artistry in his designs speak for themselves. We are all awaiting his return and rise back into the top ranks again, for he left a truly indelible mark on the fashion world indeed.

-fggofstyle

Related articles

• The Dior That Was - A Look at the John Galliano Era, 1996-2011 (fashionologie.com)
• BREAKING: Raf Simons Replaces John Galliano at Dior (lowefactor.com)

My Favorite Looks from the Academy Awards 2012

The stars came out in full force for the annual fête we plebians know as the Academy Awards. As anticipated as it was that former host Billy Crystal was back to host this year's show after the seriously flawed attempt (and the great on stage fashion show that was Anne Hathaway) last year, I felt that there was a lot of "lack" happening all over the place at the show this year. Too much amped-up hype that lead to real time lacklusterism.
Even on the Red Carpet, that hallowed walkway leading into the theater, proved that this year there was a style confusion and a sense of boredom. There was very little in the way of clear trends being presented, as many of the gowns chosen proved: some stars wore color while others steered clear of it, there was very little sequins or embellishments, jewelry and accessories were sparse or used minimally, gowns were either strapless and sleek or full and sleeved with little variations in between. At least there was the ever present voluminous train on almost every gown, so at least we had that trend to fall back on, or over (the train was overkill, in my opinion).

For me, the gowns that stood out moved away from a sea of bore and into a bit more individual glamour.  They allowed the wearer to convey a bit of self and showed that they had exercised "choice" and overwhelmingly chose "personal style" as the showcase. The standout gowns for me also showed the best example of the "otherness" of the gown: how it lives within its "trend" but is not ruled by it (Esperanza Spalding, Penelope Cruz, Rose Byrne), great use of the ever-important tailoring (Octavia Spencer, Tina Fey), how it excels in pushing boundaries in Red Carpet dressing by making modern strides in new ways (Gwenyth Paltrow, Natalie Portman, Jessica Chastain), and for sheer daring (Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez).

Natalie Portman in vintage Christian Dior

Gwenyth Paltrow in Tom Ford

Angelina Jolie in Atelier Versace

Jennifer Lopez in Zuhair Murad

Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Shoji

Esperanza Spalding in Prophetik

Tina Fey in Carolina Herrera

Rose Byrne in Vivienne Westwood

Penelope Cruz in Armani Prive

Jessica Chastain in Alexander McQueen

And the style party continued afterwards at the post-show parties. Many took more risks and let loose (it is a party after all) where the strict rules of the Red Carpet don't apply. I was surprised to see better choices at the parties than the show itself (Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez), and color was key (Kate Hudson), as well as sequins and embellishments (Kate Bosworth, Lily Collins).

Cameron Diaz in Victoria Beckham

Kate Bosworth in Prabal Gurung

Lily Collins in Monique Lhuillier

Kate Bosworth in vintage Versace

Jennifer Lopez in Zuhair Murad

Next year there will be a whole other show called "At The Party", I'm quite sure. It is, after all, where the real fun style showed up this year. I hope next year some of the more daring stars come back and shake up the style show a bit and interject some panache and humor, or our favorite Oscar regulars show a bit more style evolution and daring in their choices for the Red Carpet as well as the parties.
If not, we will always have Bjork and Cher..!


-fggofstyle
(all photos via Getty Images, stylebistro.com, or nytimes.com except Gwenyth Paltrow via Harper's Bazaar.com)