Category — Interviews

Ah, it’s the most wonderful time of the year! For the the fashion enthusiast that is. Yes, fashion week (month) is upon us. Seems like it just passed. Editors, bloggers, stylists, buyers, celebrities, socialites and those lucky enough to score show invites scurry about, stamping the perfect tent ensembles, while confirming fashion week itinerary. However, the majority of us enjoy fashion week virally, living vicariously through the world wide web. In recent years, designers, having noted the growing significance of social media, have been gracious enough to stream shows, with more shows being added each season (special thanks to Burberry for pioneering the trend). So how does one know which shows are streaming and when? Wouldn’t it be convenient if there was a site that listed all show streams, times and conversions? Well, allow me to introduce you to CatwalkLive.TV, the first and only digital, live streaming schedule website dedicated to Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. Intrigued by the site (and a user for the past two seasons), I reached out the founder Roz for a Q&A session.

FFB: Tell us more about CatwalkLive.TV and what the site is all about.
CTV: CatwalkLive.TV is a digital live streaming schedules website, listing all known live streams for the big four fashion weeks; New York, London, Milan and Paris. It has dates, times (in four different time zones) and links to live streams of designer’s runway shows, and a reminder service for followers on Twitter so that they’re reminded 15 minutes before each show starts. It was founded just before the Fall/Winter 11-12 season in early 2011 by me – Roz.

FFB: Those that follow you on Twitter are aware that you are a major fashion enthusiast and consumer. What prompted you to start CatwalkLive.TV?
CTV: CatwalkLive.TV was born out of frustration. Every season people post links to the live streaming schedules, but every link you click only tells half the story. Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York’s schedule gets a huge amount of coverage, but only has around half the live streams listed – those on their Maybelline-sponsored Youtube channel. It excludes streams by designers, Milkmade, First Comes Fashion, Metrovelvet, individual designers, and more.

With the rising popularity of live streams, this problem was only going to get worse, and it would be easy to miss shows because the schedule you looked at didn’t list all of them.

Every year I ended up compiling a list for myself; researching the different shows, converting the start times into my native time zone, working out when I needed to be at my computer… and then I thought, “why not share this with everyone else?” – and CatwalkLive.TV was born.

FFB: This is CatwalkLive.TV third season. How was the site progressed? Are there any new site features?
CTV: CatwalkLive.TV is still in its infancy, but we’ve improved the layout of our schedules so that more shows can be included, and they’re easier to read. Most of the other changes this season have been behind the scenes, such as building up a database of whether shows live stream or not, and
improving the simplicity of updating the schedules if live streaming times change.

We’re looking to make other improvements too, such as adding an “add to calendar” feature, but this is made difficult by the fact that 9am in one part of the world, isn’t necessarily 9am in another, so we need to work out the time difference problem first.

Three seasons in, and CatwalkLive.TV is still the ONLY website that lists ALL known live streams for ALL four fashion weeks.

FFB: Gathering and organizing show streams from each location must be strenuous. How does your team round up stream information?
CTV: It’s often said there’s “no I in team”, but the team at the moment it’s just I – it’s a solo endeavor currently, but to a certain extent CatwalkLive.TV does rely on Twitter followers and contributions from visitors to keep the schedules up-to-date.

Having covered two fashion months already, I have a pretty good idea of what shows will be live streaming based on previous seasons, it’s a case of verifying times and live streaming locations.

The next stage is to check designer’s websites, Facebook pages and Twitter feeds – as you can imagine, there are many hundreds of pages to check. Often designers don’t announce live streams until a day-or-two before their show, so I have to do this twice; once in the run-up to fashion week, and then every morning to double-check everything.

Another stage is to check forums, Google and other live streaming websites to try and find out if any other websites are live streaming fashion week shows.

Finally, websites like First Comes Fashion, Style.com, Milkmade and Metrovelvet often live stream shows. I try and contact as many of these as possible. First Comes Fashion are very supportive of our website, while sadly Milkmade and Style don’t reply, so the onus is still on me to dig and dig to find out which shows they’re live streaming.

FFB: I’m a fan of Catwalklive.tv and noticed last season that there were limited streams from Paris. Should we expect more show streams this season or have Parisian designers still not realized the importance of extending viral show invites to the general public?
CTV: I believe Paris Fashion Week is trying to maintain a bit of exclusivity by resisting live streaming. Last season, Paris actually live streamed fewer shows than it did the season before. I think live streaming is hugely important as it makes fashion week accessible to mere mortals like myself, but having said that, Paris is home to some of the largest and most successful fashion houses in the world, so for brands like Alexander McQueen, Chanel and Dior, there’s clearly a strong reason to show in Paris, despite the resistance to live streaming and social media.

New York, Milan and London really spoil us with their live stream offering. All three have their own live streaming channels, and then on top of that, designers often take it upon themselves to live stream their own shows too because that’s how it’s done. Fortunately, websites like NowFashion, which publishes runway photos in near real-time have helped bridge the gap until Paris can resist live streaming no longer.

FFB: What streams are you most looking forward to this season?
CTV: There are a lot of live streams that I always look forward to every season. I always look forward to the drama of Marc Jacobs’ shows, despite his collections not normally being to my taste. Same with Alexander Wang – I love the “edge” of his shows, and it’s one of the live streams that I always make an effort to watch. Meanwhile, in London, Burberry is always dramatic, while a lot of the lesser-known designers are often the highlight of fashion month for me. Milan’s live streams are always creative, and it’s always good to see what fashion heavyweights like Versace, Gucci and Prada bring to the table.

FFB: Where do you see Catwalklive.TV in 5 years?
CTV: I am really hoping that CatwalkLive.TV becomes the go-to website for fashion week live streams, and I really hope fashion weeks, live streaming websites and even designers get behind the idea and support it. I’m hoping that one day, there won’t be endless confusion over when and where shows are live streaming – people won’t need to ask for details on what shows are live streaming, they’ll know to visit CatwalkLive.TV.

I also hope that as CatwalkLive.TV becomes better-known, and becomes more of a community, which should mean our schedules become more and more accurate as people help contribute links to live streams themselves.

I’m sure the concept will be further refined with different ways to view our schedules, whether by email, by adding events to calendars or by social media.

I also hope in the future it can cover more of the other fashion weeks; menswear, different cities, pre-fall, cruise, resort etc – it’s like opening a can of worms, though, as once you decide to cover one, it seems unfair to not cover another. The only thing I’d say is that for the smaller fashion weeks, the live streams are normally via a single website, so there isn’t the problem of having to find live streaming information.

FFB: Tell us how we can keep up with Catwalklive.tv
CTV: CatwalkLive.TV is very much built around two principles; live streaming schedules, and live streaming reminders, Follow our Twitter page @CatwalkLive.TV, which is very much the backbone to our reminder service, whereby our #CatwalkLiveTVReminder tweets will remind followers 15 minutes before, and as each show is due to start.

In addition, our Twitter page is the best place to be kept up-to-date withlive streaming news and schedule updates. We also have a Facebook page; http://www.facebook.com/catwalklivetv which is a good place to connect with some of the designers live streaming on Facebook. We are also hoping that by next season there will be a mailing list, with a daily digest of what shows to watch.

CatwalkLive.TV is your one stop shop for all Mercedes Benz Fashion week show streams. FFB has hipped you, and just in time, as New York kicks off fashion week tomorrow! Special thanks to Roz for the interview. CatwalkLive.TV aside, for a daily dose of shoe porn, you can follow Roz on Twitter @RozFashionista.

Ever go to a store, try something on, but have no one there who will give you an honest opinion about how you look except that annoying sales person who clearly works on commission? Well, now there’s an app for that! Harvard business school graduate, Marissa Evans has launched the Go Try It On app. Available at the moment only for iPhone and online (www.gotryiton.com), Go Try It On lets users quickly snap photos of themselves and share it with their friends or the community at large for helpful and positive opinions. Now that’s something we can all use!

Evans was kind enough to sit down with The Icon Concierge for a quick interview on what prompted her to launch this application, how it works exactly and the supportive community of women and shoppers she hopes to build.

ICON: Tell me about your background and history.

ME: I’ve always loved entrepreneurship. While getting my undergraduate degree from Cornell University I started a T-shirt line called, A Shirt Thing, that sold personalized gear to campuses. Afterwards, I went straight to Harvard Business school for my MBA and then started working for a Digital Branding agency called Digitas. So I decided to merge my background of fashion and the digital world and launch, Go Try It On. However, I don’t consider myself a fashionista or fashion insider. All the style sites out there focused on very put-together women, but I wanted something that focused on most of us, who have no idea about what to buy or how to style ourselves.

ICON: Why did you decide to create Go Try It On?

ME: Well, I wanted something that was more approachable and available to everyone. When I was little my sister and I would sit on our parents bed and watch my mom try on different clothes and help her get dressed. When I was in college and growing up I would send pictures of myself to friends in different outfits for feedback on what to wear. However, you could never really trust that opinion since a friend or family member usually wants to be nice. I thought there should be a place where women could go and get instant and unbiased feedback on what they were trying on in a positive environment.

ICON: How does Go Try It On work?

ME: You can get or give an opinion on your outfit or outfits that people have posted to the community. To get an opinion you snap a pic of yourself trying something on and then you enter where you are going and ask if it is too dressy, too causal or if your shoes or other accessories go with the outfit. To give an opinion you can log onto the site or on your iPhone and vote on different looks posted to the community and leave a comment.

[Read more →]

Sasha Charnin Morrison, the fashion director at US Weekly sat down with The Icon Concierge to discuss her new book Secrets of Stylists, which was released earlier this month. Featuring interviews with leaders of the fashion world, top celebrity and editorial stylists and career advice, Morrison aims to give aspiring fashionistas the know-hows to make it in the industry and start and propel their careers.

ICON: Tell me about your background and what drew you to fashion.

SCM: Well I grew up in the fashion and film industry. My step-mother was the creative director of Vogue and at 13 I saw THE ‘Vogue closet’ and it simply blew my mind. I instantly knew that fashion and magazines were where I belonged. I just couldn’t believe that this was a job, that someone could come to work and be around all these clothes and all this fashion. At that time stylists didn’t really exist -but my mother was always very stylish and loved finding unique and beautiful pieces. Most of her belongings didn’t even have a label, but you could instantly tell their quality by their feel, look and structure. I love that, I love the hunt for finding the perfect garment and then the challenge of assembling it.

ICON: Why did you decide to write Secrets of Stylists?

SCM: Well, I had an opportunity to pitch a few ideas to some publishers, and it just clicked. I had worked at a variety of other fashion publications including Elle and Harper’s Bazaar, but at US Weekly I’m in constant contact with so many top stylists and publicists that really deal with Hollywood – and celebrities. I felt that there was nothing out there that really addressed how to become a stylist or gave an in depth look at the business behind it. There was no book that described the reality of the profession and being a stylist is a highly coveted profession right now. I wanted to give aspiring young women and men a realistic view into what it takes to make it in the business and the hard work behind those who succeed.

ICON: What is the best advice you can give to young people who want to work in the fashion industry?

SCM: The most important thing is to listen and be the bigger person. Everything that happens to you while you’re working or interning, good or bad, is an opportunity. An opportunity to grow and learn and soak up what is happening around you. If you already think you have all the answers you’ll never gain or learn anything.

Take your time, work hard and make contacts. In order to succeed in this industry people need to trust you. The good will come, but there will also be bad, and sometimes the bad is better in the beginning. It gives you a thick skin and teaches you how to cope with different situations.

Also, there is this phenomenon of stylists becoming stars in their own right and you really have to decide who you want to be — behind the scenes and working on your craft or building your public personae and personal image.

ICON: What is the best style advice you can give to people who may not have the funds, but want to be stylish like the celebrities in US Weekly?

SCM: Three things: double sided tape for quick hemming and fixes, undergarment slimmers and high heels for elongating. Also, a tool kit with all the essentials is a must for any woman’s closet.

I would even go so far as to recommend taking a course or class in tailoring- specially for the people who want to be stylists. It’s so important to know how to sew and be able to do quick fixes. You can also watch videos on Youtube that give you tips and tricks on how to put yourself together and alter clothing to fit you best. It’s all about the fit.

ICON: How do you see the role of social media in fashion?

SCM: I don’t know how we ever got anything done without social media and the internet. It’s such a luxury and should not be taken for granted. You can reference and research things in seconds, and it can really help ordinary or aspiring people to get their name out there quickly. You can bypass so much bureaucracy to reach someone who you would otherwise never be able to connect with. Personally, I think it was much more fun when you really had to work hard to make contacts and do laborious work to verify facts. However, I am super supportive of fashion bloggers and social media and have fully embraced all that that world has brought to our industry.

ICON: What was your favorite part about writing the book?

SCM: I think my favorite part was receiving the end product. Writing Secrets of Stylists was such a rewarding and fun experience, but it was all done in parts so I was super excited when I received the completed book. I was also kinda nervous because all the proofs were so large and I wanted people to be able to carry it around easily, like a quick reference guide, but when it arrived it was the perfect size.

It’s amazing what you can do when given the opportunity. You never think you have the time, but if you’re super determined to do something you can always make it happen.

The Icon Concierge would like to thank Ms. Morrison for sitting down with us for this interview. You can purchase Secrets of Stylists ($16.47) from amazon or at your local book retailer. I have already purchased three copies! One my mother stole, one for myself and one for my little sister-in-laws who love fashion. It’s a really well written book for budding and veteran fashionistas who want an inside look into the world of styling professionally.

Fashion For Breakfast had the pleasure of being a part of an exclusive group of bloggers to sit down for breakfast with new Fashion Director of Barneys New York, Amanda Brooks and fast rising designer Joseph Altuzarra of Altuzarra.

Amanda Brooks facilitated the candid Q&A session with Joseph Altuzarra, which covered an array of topics. Amanda was stunning in an animal print gold, nude and metallic Altuzarra dress paired with silver metallic heels, while Joseph was comfortable in a grey v-neck. He wore his heart on his chest, not his sleeve.

Amanda asked most questions, however, attendees were allowed to answer questions towards the end of the conversation.

Background Info

Joseph Altuzarra interned for Marc Jacobs, freelanced for Proenza Schouler and was a design assistant for Givenchy where he specialized in Ready-To-Wear (impressive resume right?). It was then that he decided to branch off and create his own line.

Event Synopsis

When I arrived (just a tad late), Altuzarra was speaking highly of his number one supporter, his mother.

“The first season in Paris, my mom was very involved from a business perspective. When I first moved to New York I was pretty panicky and I called Mom to help. Now she’s the CEO of my company. It’s reassuring to know someone has your back.” His mother was in attendance and from their interaction; I could tell they are extremely close.

In preparation for an upcoming season, Joseph has an extensive period of research, in which he utilizes the Internet heavily. “The Internet is the most amazing thing ever.” Altuzarra stated. Aside from researching decades past, he also turns to movies and television for inspiration. “When I start thinking about a season, I watch a lot of television. I’m not snobby about movies. I can be inspired by Twilight.”

Altuzarra’s SS11 collection had a heavy 60’s influence. Despite perusing and incorporating fashion’s past (as most designers do), Altuzarra’s pieces offer a fresh and relevant perspective. Joseph believes, “As a designer, it’s impossible to be sealed off from what came before.” Joseph also believes, “If your collection references one thing too closely, you’re going to get called out for it. References shouldn’t be so obvious. There should be abstraction.”

For his lush, berry hued, print and fur stocked FW11 collection, Altuzarra focused on, “bias cuts and prints, allowance in shoulder and sleeves.” It was about creating, “Practical clothes for winter.”

“I’m not a designer who changes much from drawing to runway”, Altuzarra stated. The collection that debuts on the runway is almost synonymous with his initial sketches. Barneys purchased Altuzarra’s first collection.

When asked how important he deems retailer’s opinions, Altuzarra stated that he does, “talk to retailers often and I take notes. I ask Barneys what’s selling, what’s not selling.” “Commercial is not a bad word”, said Altuzarra. After all, designers not only want to express their creativity via garment, they create with intent sell.

Altuzarra also spoke about evolving as a designer. He made changes in silhouette, veering a bit from the body con and sometimes worries, “I may have a silhouette that people don’t embrace.”

After Amanda interviewed Joseph, she opened the floor for questions. He was asked by a fellow blogger about his thoughts on being backed by the CFDA (which is major, especially for an emerging designer).

“The CFDA’s support is very important. They have lots of power in the industry. They help newer designers. They call you and ask are you ok and tell you not to stress. It’s important to be in contact with them. They don’t need or want anything in return. They just want to help.”

I had a slew of questions I wanted to ask (17 questions to be precise), but I was only allowed to ask two. I asked:

N.O. Do you intend on introducing a diffusion or collaboration line, i.e. Altuzarra for H&M?

J.A “For the moment I don’t think so. I like for my clothes to have exclusivity. I’m working to incorporate pieces with lower price points. We recently did a collaboration with Current Elliot for Fall which will be sold at Barneys.”

N.O Tell me about the highest and lowest moments in your career.

J.A. “Highest moment? The last show always feels like the highest point. The entire experience has been a high. Low point would be those moments of intense self-doubt, which can come from blogs. Writers can be very vicious. If I see that someone’s written something (bad) about me, I have to read it. Being judged so harshly can be demoralizing. However, it’s good to have that balance of positive and negative feedback.”

So what’s next for Joseph Altuzarra? “I’m working on my pre-collection. It’s my first one, so it’s a big thing. I’m also going to start working on the collection for Spring. Get an early start.”

Once the Q&A ceased, I waked the space and captured a few of my favorite pieces.

Myself and another blogger simultaneously gravitated to this impeccably made coat.

There was much learned and several laughs shared amongst participants. I feel that it is important for designers to be accessible to the general public, which Altuzarra certainly was. He responded to questions openly and afterwards both Joseph and Amanda walked the room, thanking bloggers for attending. It was truly an amazing experience. It is wonderful how Barneys has embraced and incorporated social media.

Breakfast, amazing fashion conversation and perspective, coupled with Barneys swag made for a great morning!

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day; Fashion for Breakfast that is. Special thanks to @BarneysNY for the invite and warm welcome!

While I was in New York City last month for New York Fashion Week, I had the extreme pleasure of meeting up with singer, former personal assistant and FIDM fashion student/intern, Indigo Charlie. She was an absolute doll and we chatted like old friends over dinner at my hotel, The Bentley Hotel (which was beyond chic). So much so, that I almost forgot we were there for an interview, haha! After I snapped back into reality, Indigo & I touched on her first music video (very cinematic and fashion forward), her upcoming second music video, how she became Solange Knowles’ personal assistant, her excitement and experience working for BCBG & Max Azria at New York Fashion Week F/W 2011 & much more.

Check out the Youtube video of our interview..

Photo Credit: Carmen Chan/Last Photo Credit: Teena Leone

Okay, i’m pretty sure all of my fellow ANTM addicts know what happened on last night’s episode. Well, I was in the dark about who got the ax until a few minutes ago (I didnt get a chance to watch the TIVO’d episode – blame homework for that one!) And I learned this: On last night’s ANTM episode Ebony Morgan decided to drop out of the competition. She ended up in the bottom two with Ambreal and Tyra chose to keep Ebony in the competition. However, after weeks of being picked apart in panel and being classifed as a “diva”, Ebony made up in her mind that reality tv wasn’t for her and she packed her bags. Oh boy, I must say I didn’t see it coming even though Ebony wasn’t one of my faves.

That took real courage for you to leave the show the way you did. Do you have any regrets?
I don’t really regret much of anything that I’ve done in my life. Reality TV isn’t for everyone. It wasn’t for me, so I decided to stay true and real to myself. That’s what was right for me.

What are your career aspirations now?
I am a nursing student at Chicago State University. I’m in my 2nd year. I’m really excited about that. I’m still interested in modeling, but I don’t know if I want to make a career out of it. If any opportunities are thrown to me than I’m defiintley going to go for it. I’m just not for reality TV shows.

What did you take away from the show?
I learned that family is so important. Before I left home, I was the most shallow, materitalistic person I knew. On the show, I was in a $15 million house in Beverly Hills, and I wasnt’ happy. All I could think of was my family. I’ve learned that family is so important.

Do you think the editing of the show presented you in a truthful way?
I was more myself in the house than at panel. I was never comfortable on panel and I don’t know why. I couldn’t relax. I came off as cold and non-chalant. Or, as they said, “attitudish.” When I watch the show, [my actions] are screaming out nervousness. The only time we saw Tyra was at panel. So when she saw me, I was nervous and fidgety.

Did you keep the Naomi Campbell weave?
Hahaha. No, I took that out. I put on my Tyra weave.

Your hair looked nice before the makeover.
That was a wig. I love my lace fronts.

Do you agree with Tyra and the judges that you have trouble handling criticism?
If the criticism was constructive, I would have handled it differently. It wasn’t constructive. I felt like I was being attacked sometimes. After they’d say one good thing, there were 10 negative things after. I’m not used to being criticized, so it was dififcult. Also, when I’m down, I call my dad or my sister and I’m back up. I wasn’t able to do that on the show.

Which photo shoot did you like most?
When I was the bird of paradise, with the paint. That was a lot of fun. The makeup artists were awesome. They were so creative.

What was Tyson Beckford like?
He was soo hot. I really wanted to meet him. When he came, I was making toast and I turned around he was there and and I screamed! He’s cute, and he’s really nice, too.

Which of the girls did you like most in the house?
Lisa and I were the closest. I liked Janet, too. Heather was pretty cool. All of the girls were wonderful.

Who did you like least?
There’s no one that I disliked. During the semi-finals, Bianca and I went head to head. But in the house, we were all very cool.

Who do you think has the best chance of winning?
No one in particular. I think all the girls are wonderful. They all have great potential. To the girls, that don’t win, I wish them well.

What style/fashionable clothes do you like to see on a man?
I love that Kanye West look. Button-up shirt, jeans not too baggy. It’s like the intelligent, urban look. I also like a guy with really broad shoulders. I’m really into the football players. (Particularly, Adewale Ogunleye of the Chicago Bears, she says)

What advice do you have for aspiring models?
Stay in school, and keep your education first. Modeling is a fun career, but it can only last but so long. You should always have something to fall back on.

What was the best part of being on the show?
Being in a $15 million mansion in Beverly Hills. There were electronic curtains! They’d open up and close at a certain time.

Do you have a favorite Top Model?
I love Eva. She is just so fabulous to me. She’s my favorite Top Model winner.

What do you want viewers to know about you?
That I am really sweet person. That I am not a quitter, but a person who realized that reality TV wasn’t for me. I’m ambitious and a go-getter.