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Answers from Caron Bryan
Port City
Models & Talent, Inc.
Owner & Model with a Passion for Fashion
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Fresh off the runway of New York Fashion Week!
Question: Did you have the opportunity to attend New York Fashion Week this past month?
Yes, attending New York Fashion Week is always a fascinating, surreal experience (for us die-hard Fashionistas), with the plethora of front row A-list celebrities, top fashion editors, television style critics and producers in attendance at the 150 plus shows held throughout the 8 day period. One can't help walking away mesmerized and with a renewed appreciation for this global melting pot of extreme creativity and self-expression. Fashion is the largest manufacturing industry in New York and the largest employer. There are the fashion magazines, advertising, cosmetics, modeling agencies, shopping bag producers, truckers, hangers, thread makers, department stores, let alone the real estate business dependent on fashion retail. Those in the industry shudder to think what would happen to the New York economy without Seventh Avenue.
This season two of my Port City Model Teens... Taylor and Victoria accompanied me to the Bryant Park Tents, where they had the thrilling opportunity to walk the runways for several International Designers. We are highly anticipating Fall 2009 Fashion Week, which will take place in February of next year.
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Port City Models Taylor walking the runway
at New York Fashion Week Sept 6th, 2008
Question: I know that Fashion Weeks take place in several major cities world-wide. Can you explain the purpose?
Fashion Week initiates the two major seasons, Fall and Spring, in which Designers present their new collections for the fashion press, retail buyers, and others with influence in the global fashion world. Fashion journalists review the collections just as film critics cover new film releases at the Cannes Film Festival in the South of France each Spring. Fashion magazine editors identify the trends to be photographed and written about. Buyers, who make selections for department stores and smaller boutiques, identify those same trends and decide how their funds might be best spent. Hollywood stylists in search of Oscar night dresses, socialites and celebrities make shopping lists of the looks they'll buy and wear. Fashion on the runways are creative, artistic expressions... 'fashion' and 'clothing' being two very different animals... 'clothing' simply covers your body. 'Fashion' is a personal statement that sends the imagination racing and speaks for the wearer's dreams in a way words can't. 'Fashion' is an important means of self-expression that allows people to try on many roles in life. It's a way of celebrating the diversity of the world in which we live.
Question: How much does it cost Designers to put on a fashion show at New York Fashion Week? Can any Designer show there?
Designers need permission from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) to show. They need to know the work is of a certain standard in order to keep their event up to a certain level of quality. How difficult this is... varies from city to city. In Paris, it is hard to get on to the official schedule, but it is important to be on it. An average show at New York's Bryant Park during Fashion Week costs about $150,000 (generally thought of as a promotional expense), though many are produced for less and certainly many for much more. Venues at the Bryant Park tents, which are the hub of eight days of previews for retailers, editors and stylists cost between $25,000 and $50,000. The models' fees can start at $2500 and most shows include about 25 models. Invitations (design and printing costs can run to $5000). Hair and makeup artists with a team of assistants (top stylists can get more than $25000 and each assistant might get $250). Show producers, even food backstage and shoes (even at a wholesale price of $275. per pair can total tens of thousands of dollars for multiple pairs). Fledgling designers are lucky if they can get sponsorship from a liquor company or trade organization to help deflect costs.
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Question: How much does a model get paid for a show? How are the shows cast?
Top models can get $25,000+ for walking in a Fashion Week show. Designers hire casting agents, who specialize in runway shows and advertising campaigns, to cast the shows. Every show wants the top models, and there is often a tug of war over certain stars when shows overlap. In the end, a model's agent determines the better career move. Relationships between agents, designers, the modeling agencies, and the models themselves play a big part in assembling the ideal cast. Fledging models receive $200 a show and $50 an hour for the fitting minus their Agency Fee of 20%, however this is a week where the top girls make bank and the young new models will break in and have the potential of becoming fashion icons. Then at the next round of shows, the new break out stars will be paid more.
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Port City Models Victoria Lee walking the runway
at New York Fashion Week Sept 7th, 2008
Question: What are the top trends for Fall?
The top Fall 2008 trends are fitted shift dresses, tartan, plaid and check prints in dresses, pants and jackets and chunky knitwear (boleros, cardigans & jackets). The color of the moment is undoubtedly purple, whether you choose bright grape, earthy plum, lavender or eggplant. Also on trend are eco-friendly organic prints inspired by nature and the elements, art deco dresses, and an urban edge (metropolitan inspired pieces with a feminine touch, as well as, motorcycle jackets and ankle booties). Black leather jackets are cropping up everywhere and now is the time to add one to your wardrobe. While the styling is casual (cropped, military, biker), the jacket can be worn with tunic dresses and biker boots or over a little cocktail dress in a soft leather cropped 3/4 sleeve style for evening.
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NEW FOR FALL 2008!
Port City Models Taylor models Graham & Spencer Faux
Fur Pullover, Nanette Lepore Plaid Dress & Gennera Crop Jacket
available at
www.shopchantal.com
Question: What is the least expensive way to update my wardrobe for Fall?
One of the least expensive ways to revamp your look is with accessories. Grab yourself a new metallic or animal print handbag, a funky scarf or a wide waist-cinching belt in deep purple or green hues that (as I mentioned) are everywhere this season giving a sophisticated pop of color that keeps your style looking current. Another of this season's must-haves is a pair of ankle-height booties that can be worn with both skirts and pants and give an instant bohemian flair to any outfit. You can find them in patent leather or smooth kidskin that will be office appropriate and fashion forward. Fringed Western details are also hot for fall, shown by Gucci embellishing their handbags and boots. Another simple way to update is by adding a pair of tights. Forget nude or sheer black stockings, only opaque will work for Fall 2008. Try a herringbone pattern with your little black dress, or a gray pinstripe with your navy suit. Opaque tights in solid colors and sexy patterned styles were shown with everything on the Fashion Week runways. Remember, also, that our own personal style expresses and reflects our personality, beliefs, values and our inner truth. It is knowing what clothes best suit our bodies, the right colors for our skin & hair combination, and knowing our assets and flaws (and accepting and loving them all!!!), that we need to take into consideration when incorporating the new Fall trends into our wardrobe... and above all fashion should not be taken so seriously that you do not have fun with it!!
"Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results. "
--Anonymous
September 2008
Question: What is Eco-Fashion?
Answer: GREEN is the new BLACK!!! Formerly on the fringes of the fashion world, environmentally-friendly fashion is on its way to becoming the multi-billion-dollar industry that its predecessors… organic food and beauty products have become. In this epoch of global warming, the demand for organic clothing is doubling every year with consumers seeking out designers and manufacturers that construct garments from organic and recycled materials... that are both fashionable and responsible. The fashion industry at large is taking a more responsible look at its cause and effect on the planet.
With heightened concern about toxicity from PBDEs (flame
retardants) and other chemicals in clothing and products,
organic and renewable materials such as bamboo are gaining
ground as alternatives to conventional fibers produced with
pesticides, herbicides and defoliants.
One of the pioneers of the emerging eco-fashion movement is
designer Linda Loudermilk. After practicing as a sculptor,
Loudermilk honed her design skills at the the Colorado Institute
and on the Paris runways, and then she returned to Los Angeles
to launch Linda Loudermilk and with it, the luxury eco™
movement. Her line of clothing and accessories uses sustainably
produced materials made from exotic plants including bamboo, sea
cell, soya and sasawashi. The latter is a linen-like fabric made
from a Japanese leaf that contains anti-allergen and
anti-bacterial properties. Loudermilk also incorporates natural
themes in each season's line... such as oceanic motifs.
Model : Taylor
www.portcitymodels.com
Edun Women's - 100% Organic Cotton
Zeitgeist Rolled Sleeve Tank
available at
www.shopchantal.com
“We aim to give eco 'glamour legs', a fabulous look and a slammin' attitude that stops traffic and shouts the message: eco can be edgy, loud, fun, playful, feminine (or not) and hyper-cool,” Loudermilk says. (www.lindaloudermilk.com)
"It's a catch 22," says Alice Demirjian, Director of Fashion Marketing at NYC's Parsons School of Design at The New School (where TV's Project Runway contestants create their designs). "To be truly sustainable is to buy less." It is estimated that we throw away nearly one million tons of clothing per year, most of which go to a landfill.
Question: I've read about "ethical clothing" - what is it?
Answer: International rock star Bono, a recognized crusader for human rights, unveiled his ethical clothing line called Edun in 2005. The Edun line is made from environmentally friendly materials, including chiffon, knit jersey and organic denim. Each piece is made in a developing country that desperately needs the introduction of sustainable commerce.
The name Edun is 'nude' spelled backward, as well as a play on words referencing the Biblical garden where nature and man were innocent. Bono has said. "It's different. At the very heart of it we have the idea of four respects: respect for what your clothes are made of, respect for who is making them, respect for where they are made and respect for the people who are going to put them on."
Ninety percent of the Edun line's cotton and denim clothing is made in Lima, Peru and Monastir, Tunisia, and more than half of the cotton comes from unsubsidized sources in Africa and South America.
Bono has said, "Shopping is political because you vote every time you spend money. People watching MTV can shut down giant corporations just by deciding not to spend money there,". "It's very powerful, so it's not revolution, perhaps, but evolution."
The Edun collection is showcased at Fashion Weeks in New York and LA each season and is available at Saks stores, as well as boutiques like Fred Segal in Los Angeles. Edun also pops up on U2's tour on the band members' backs and in t-shirts sold at their concerts.
Model: Taylor
www.portcitymodels.com
100% Cotton Joie Tila Dress
available at:
www.shopchantal.com
Question: Where can I buy this type of clothing?
While being able to afford an entirely green closet may be impossible, recently trendy discounter H&M debuted a collection of organic cotton clothing for women, juniors and kids, available in most US - based stores. Wal-Mart offers organic cotton yoga tops and has expanded into baby clothes, teen fashion and men's and women's t-shirts. Even The Gap is getting into the organic cotton game.
Companies like L.L. Bean, Patagonia, Nike and Timberland have been at the forefront of a green fashion movement for years using recycled plastic or organic materials, and the growing list includes Banana Republic, Old Navy, Target, Nordstrom, Levi Strauss & Co. and Barneys New York.
Question: How is this trend influencing clothing design?
Answer: I observed this emerging trend while attending NYC's Fall/Winter 2008 Fashion Week. Rising eco- & political-awareness in pop culture is influencing designers' collections. Some used only organic fabrics with natural dyes, encouraging people to reconnect with nature, others used recycled fabrics and materials, such as parachute cloth, which looked like clothing cut from a green plastic garbage bag... but styled in the hippest possible way and still others addressed concerns regarding the effects of global warming with chic high-tech anoraks and full-on protective facial masks. A growing list of designers are paying attention. At the Future Fashion show, there was a hemp-based pantsuit from Calvin Klein, a dress made of recycled cashmere from Michael Kors and a hemp-silk gown from Donatella Versace. Five years ago, there were 30 smaller designers doing eco-fashion. Now there are around 500, with many large retail chains coming on board!
Question: This terminology is all new to me. Help!
Answer: As more and more major manufacturers, retailers and independent labels jump on the green fashion movement bandwagon, I have received numerous emails from socially conscious fellow fashionistas attempting to make sense of this evolving eco-fashion language and inquiring as to how we all might do our part in saving the planet through making responsible fashion choices. I will do my best to pass along my interpretation of the new lingo below:
ECO-FASHION:
Eco-fashion is making clothes that take into account the
environment, the health of consumers and the working conditions
of people in the fashion industry. With the eco-fashion industry
still in its infancy, the main responsibility at the moment lies
with clothing manufacturers and fashion designers, who need to
start using sustainable materials and processes, such as cotton
grown without pesticides and silk made by worms fed on organic
trees. They need to stop utilizing chemically treated fabrics
and using bleaches to color fabrics.
Designers need to consider using recycled and reused textiles. High-quality garments can be made from second-hand clothes and even recycled plastic bottles and constructed to last, so that people keep them for longer. Lastly, they need to source fabrics from manufacturers who support fair trade - making sure that the people who make them are paid a fair price and have decent working conditions.
Model : Teal
www.portcitymodels.com
Bamboo Pink Dress from Brook There
available at
www.brookthere.com
ORGANIC FABRICS:
Organic fabrics are those made with minimal use of chemicals
such as cotton, silk, bamboo, hemp, linen, recycled polyester,
organic wool and high-tech waterproofs that can be recycled.
Much of today's clothing is made from synthetic materials
created using petrochemicals, which are harsh environmental
pollutants. More and more designers are choosing not to use
animal skins in their collections.
SUSTAINABLE FASHION:
Sustainable fashion is fashion that is designed to be
environmentally friendly and is part of the larger trend of
ethical fashion. It encourages us to buy secondhand clothing and
to recycle, choose more durable quality and timeless styles,
repair products, choose products with environmental labels and
to wash clothing less often at lower temperatures using
eco-detergents.
Designers say that they are trying to incorporate these sustainable practices into modern, hip (not hippie-style) clothing. Through this more socially-conscious mind set sustainable consumption has been agreed to mean... 'meeting the needs of the 'fashionable' present, without compromising the ability of future generations of our planet to meet their own needs'.
Sustainable fashion is typically more expensive than clothing produced by conventional methods, but the satisfaction that comes from doing our part to help the environment may be priceless to future generations.
As the popularity of organic and sustainable clothing grows, we are increasingly seeing Hollywood celebrities and international rock stars walking the red carpets of the planet wearing sustainable green fashion in their efforts to support the eco-fashion movement... indeed, embracing 'Green' as the new 'Black' !!!
