Technicolor

According to the reviews coming out from day one of New York City's fashion week, gray may be here today but it'll be gone tomorrow. Spring lines are bursting with color - and not just any color but technicolor. Expect to see much more of the bright blues, pinks, yellows, and purples that we are starting to get a glimpse of already as stores roll out their fall and winter lines.
And in case you were wondering, colors for the falls aren't going to be modeled after Joseph's technicolor coat - next season color blocking is going to be everywhere. Intricate patterns won't be as big as chunks of colors to create a number of varying focal points.

If you've missed the reviews, here's what the critics and papers are saying:
Goodbye, Gray: Color's Back for Spring
Colors Pop on the Cynthis Steffe Catwalk
Mom/fashionista Stafani Enjoys This Stage of Life

Check back for more info on fashion week as it unfolds.

CFDA Awards

The Council of Fashion Designers of America held its yearly gala event yesterday evening. the star-studded event awards fashion designers in a variety of categories. The 25th annual event was held at the New York Public Library. According to reports, the most shocking moment that evening was when both Oscar de la Renta and Proenza Schouler designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez won the Womenswear designer of the year award. According to industry commentators the tie signifies a blend of the old and new designers.

Here is the full list of winners:

Womenswear designer of the year: Oscar de la Renta, and Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough for Proenza Schouler (tie)

Menswear designer of the year: Ralph Lauren

Accessory designer of the year: Derek Lam

Swarovski award for womenswear: Philip Lim

Swarovski award for menswear: David Neville and Marcus Wainwright for Rag & Bone

Swarovski award for accessory design: Jessie Randal for Loeffler Randall

And since it's a fashion night here are some pics of those who attended:

Summertime and the livin’s easy

The Met opened a special exhibit on the first floor, entitled Poiret: King of Fashion, at the beginning of May.

Paul Poiret, who dubbed himself the ‘King of Fashion’ is best known for ridding women’s fashion of the restrictions of corsets and platoons. But he also managed to create intricate styles, and cuts, despite the fact that he could not sew – an interesting problem for a fashion personality.

According to the Met’s write-up, the exhibit focuses “on his technical ingenuity and originality, the exhibition explores Poiret’s modernity in relation to and as an expression of the dominant discourses of the early 20th century, including Cubism, Classicism, Orientalism, Symbolism and Primitivism.”

For more information and to see the NYT’s review of the exhibit click here.

The display will be up until August 5th.

Sidenote:
At the beginning of May the Met had a gala event to kick-off the exhibit and a number of fashion personalities and celebrities showed up. Here are a couple…

Dressin' It Up

Unless you’re super-spacey you know that the dress is in this season. And it’s not the dress your mother wore in the 80s, these are sleek, sophisticated, ultra feminine and usually very simple. Here’s our picks for the summer.

This simple cut black sleeveless dress from Ann Taylor retails at $128. The fit through the waist and hips that then flows into an A-line shirt keep the feminine figure proportional. The length hits just below the knee, as is the style now, and the fabric is light so that you’re not likely to be too hot in it despite the black color.
Plus it can easily be paired with a sweater or jacket for a chillier morning.

This Old Navy drop waist dress, which comes in both washed green and red, is the perfect dress when you are looking for easy-to-throw-on style. The drop waist gives structure to the material that would otherwise leave us looking boxy. And it’s only $24.50.
Plus you can pair this dress with a simple fitted t-shirt underneath for days that are not so hot.

White is really really in this season. But we all know it can be difficult to wear white all day without an accident or two ruining the look. Just sitting on a park bench can be a risk. This dress from JC Penney can help you breath easy in white. The green poppies on the bottom part of the skirt has the potential to hide any little dirt that decides to cling to you when you’re trying to look your best. Plus the thick straps offer you the support to feel confident in the dress and not worry about pulling it up as the day progresses and material stretches. Oh and it’s on sale for $39.99!
Pair the dress with a green accented short necklace that ends before the dress begins or a thick green headband.

While this dress from Banana Republic is a little pricier at $148 the unique style could be worth the pennies. It comes in off white, camel and black. The unique, almost boat-neck style, neck line allows this dress to stand apart from the many other simple, single-color dresses of the season. The slighter higher than usual waist line allows the dress to cinch together before the skirt begins its free flow to the knee.
Brighter up the dress with punchy jewelry or stand-out shoes and a purse.

Warning: For the Brave Only! This Urban Outfitters dress is one-of-a-kind! The front looks like two separate pieces, with different lengths and patterns; but there’s something about this dress that we love. It is selling for $98.
Go simple on the accessories so as not to overload the visual. And flat comfy shoes are ideal – we suggest blue ones.

Forever 21 excels at cheap, uber-fashionable pieces that are likely to only last you one season – if that. This dress, which retails at $27.80, combines the black and white trend of the moment with the polka dots that are gaining in popularity. Plus the big black buttons near the collar are a great touch that draw a little attention away from the polka-pattern and back to your face.

The length of this one could be a problem – if so pair it with simple black leggings or skinny-pant inspired capris. And go bold with the shoes! Red could be great.

Wrap dresses can be tricky to wear as they often tend to cling in all the wrong places. But this dress might just be busy enough to hide the clinginess and funky enough to get away with such a bold pattern. The gold purple and brown colors in oval-ish shapes are just too good to pass up. It’s selling at JC Penney for $60.

Dresses with a puff sleeve are big now. If you go for this look, make sure the dress is fitted elsewhere so it doesn’t look like you are a football linebacker. This slight floral pattern, for sale at Macy’s for $118, is not too busy and the simple accent at the waist will give you the structure you need. Be aware that bold pattern make us look bigger – if that’s a concern go for a dress like this that has a solid color or more simple pattern.

Here’s one option if patterns are too much for you. Plus this one has slightly less puffy sleeves This one can also be found at Macy’s for $69.

Don’t write-off Target clothes just because it is Target. This dress, which comes in several bright colors, can work double time as both a dress and skirt. While the full dress is a great look, you could also put a simple shirt over it in order to accent the great tie and flounce of the skirt. It sells for $34.99.
Long draping jewelry would work best with the dress – think something in a bold standout color like black or fuchsia.

Ok true this is a jumper not a dress – and we are not encouraging you try to wear it as a dress – but this one was too cute to not post. Kohls is selling this jumper in three different color combinations for only $14.99. We love the polka dots on the top and on the pockets, it coordinates perfectly with the stripes.

SIDENOTE:

The Jackie-O look is coming back. Now that women are wearing dresses some retailers are reverting back to the simple elegance that defined Jackie-O. And, as with all great styles that return to the shelves, this time around the look is getting tweaked. Bold patterns and colors accompany the basic collared, fitted bodice and full skirt.

And here’s a cute black version of the Jackie-O look from target for $39.99.

Dress wearing tips

A slip is a must-have, even in the summer. A lot of dresses are made of sheer summer fabrics; which while leaving us feeling cooler in the summer heat can also leave us over-exposed. A simple light-weigh cotton or silk slip can go a long way and will also stop the dress from clinging.

Skirt length is ultra-important. If you are going to need to hold the skirt down as you walk down the street in a light breeze – the skirts too short. Do yourself a favor and try for longer lengths that will leave you less focused on the possibility of a flashing and more focused on those you’re spending time with.

A lot of dresses have scoop necklines. Don’t be afraid to pair those with a tank top underneath to offer more comfort and ease as you go about the day-to-day activities.

Hot Time Summer in the City

This is a new feature Fashion Forum is going to post throughout the summer months. Even though we aren't in session with monthly meetings that doesn't mean the love for Fashion and Beauty needs to be put on hold too.

So, here's what you can do in NYC this weekend...
In Grand Central (42nd and Lexington - if you didn't know that) this weekend an exhibit on New York City films is being displayed. The New York Times ran an article about it this morning. The exhibit, entitled: Celluloid Skyline: New York and the Movies, is an ambitious exhibition of films, photographs and sets that begins today in Vanderbilt Hall, adjacent to the main concourse. The project was put together by James Sanders, based on his 2001 book of the same title, which shrewdly observes that two New Yorks — the real city and the screen fantasy — feed each other in a never-ending circle, according to the NYT.


The article mentions a handful of classics that will have screen shots on display, including Hitchock's North by Northwest, Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Seven Year Itch and King Kong. Pictures from more modern movies, including Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind and The Fisher King, will also be on display.


Celluloid Skyline, the mind behind the display, has an entire website dedicated to the exhibition. You can get the details about the pictures on display and the history behind the show here.

And It's a Wrap

Fashion Forum hosted its final event of the 2006/07 school year on May 19th. Our speaker, Rachel Doyle, inspired those who attended with the story of how she founded GlamourGals seven years ago and her hopes and aspirations for the nonprofit going forward. She fielded questions from the audience on a variety of topics including how to find funding for an organization, where she wants to be in five years, and makeup trends she is seeing today.

Those who attended agreed that Rachel's most inspiring point was that GlamourGals differs from other organizations that focus on young women in that it does not stress 'me, me, me and me' but rather GlamourGals is about 'you'. Through the focus on another person Rachel says the high school girls involved in the group learn about compassion, become courageous, and in the end have a higher level of self esteem.

Stay tuned for our fall calendar - which we are currently finalizing with a number of stellar speakers!

Here are some pics from the last event...

May Flowers

For our last official Fashion Forum event of the 2006-07 school year we decided to depart slightly from the normal path of speakers and invite someone who combines make-up, beauty and service.

On May 19th Rachel Doyle will talk to our group about a nonprofit group she founded that empowers high school and college girls and teaches an important lesson about where real beauty lies.

Rachel Doyle is the President and Founder of GlamourGals, a nonprofit organization that gives teenage girls the outlet to provide complimentary facials and makeovers to women in nursing homes, assisted living, and senior centers across the country.

Rachel has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show and CBS's The Early Show. Rachel's work has been profiled in numerous publications, including the New York Times, Glamour, and CosmoGirl. She was named one of the first "CosmoGirls of the Year."

Rachel attended Cornell University where she received a BS in Policy Analysis and Management. She now works fulltime for GlamourGals and lectures across the country.

We hope to see you at the event. As always, it will be from 3pm - 5pm at Alderton House.

Alderton House is located at 117 E. 70th St. between Park and Lexington. Take the 6 line to 68th Street and walk up two blocks to get to there.

The admission fee is $10 and after the presentation there will be refreshments and a raffle. And as usual please feel free to bring friends. You can RSVP by leaving a post on the blog, leaving a message on our facebook group, or e-mailing us at nyfashionforum@yahoo.com.

April Style

Fashion Forum had a great event on April 28th at Alderton. If you missed it here's the recap of the event (followed by some great pics).

Jessica Oberly and Marisa Savulich shared with attendees at the April event every step in the creation of a seasonal set of clothes. They both work for individual lines at Elie Tahari in Manhattan. Through stories from their day to day routine, pictures, a powerpoint presentation and video clips, they illustrated every move along the way.


After the presentation they fielded a number of questions from the audience. One attendee asked if it was difficult to make clothes that fit the line but didn't fit their own personal tastes. Marisa shared with us that while it can be a struggle in the beginning to make something you would not be interested in wearing, it becomes easier with time as you begin to think and see through the eyes of your clients while still holding on to your personal likes and dislikes.

At the end they shared the trends they see as continuing through the next year. According to Jessica and Marisa we should be on the look out for: florals, shorts of all kinds, metallics, patterned material and dresses in every shape and style.

Glamour in the City

Our final speaker of the year (in May) is Rachel Doyle, the founder of GlamourGals, a non-profit focused on creating compassionate teen leaders through complimentary facials and makeovers given to our nation’s most vulnerable population: elderly women living in nursing homes.

Days before our event - there will be more info on that in the days to come - GlamourGals is hosting its third-annual Glamour in the City. It is sponsored by Maybelline New York and mini-makeovers will be given by Maybelline make-up artists. We've attended the event in the past and plan on attending again this year. We hope you will too!

Here are the details:
Thursday, May 17, 2007
6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Loews Regency Hotel (540 Park Ave. at 61st St)

There will be cocktails, live music, mini make-overs and The Glammy! awards will be presented.
Tracy Smith, co-anchor of the Saturday Early Show on CBS and national correspondent to the Early Show on CBS will be hosting the event.

You can RSVP here.