Fashion News

After a three-season absence, Patrik Ervell returned to the show circuit with a collection that once again celebrated youth subculture — in this case, the early Nineties British rave scene.
The underground references came out loud and clear in a well-edited lineup that included a variety of embroidered pullovers with paneling details, zip-up mock-neck sweaters and cropped sturdy leather pants.
“This is a moment where there’s a romance about the future,” he said backstage. That love affair translated into the use of soft pink — a trend for the season — in sweatshirts and cropped puffers. Also, the use of mohair spoke to the softness of the offering while elevating the collection.
The celebration of the Nineties era seems to be on every designer’s mind this season but Ervell’s expertise on the subject brought a more authentic dimension.
“It’s the future borrowed from the past,” he said.

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John Elliott is growing up. The Los Angeles-based designer who has built his reputation as a leader in progressive streetwear over the past five years surprised everyone by opening his fall show with a sharply tailored suit. But pairing the look with a bright yellow nylon hoodie and a zip-up dress shirt brought it back into Elliott’s sensibility.
“The fact that I did tailoring is as far out of my comfort zone as I could have gone,” he said backstage before the show.
Other tailored elements, which were all manufactured in Japan, included topcoats and soft-shoulder blazers worn over snap tear-away warm-up pants.
The bulk of the show consisted of more-familiar silhouettes and treatments. Outerwear remains a hallmark of the brand with mini varsity jackets — reversible with removable sleeves — paneled nylon parkas and a sleek array of Perfecto jackets in purple and black leather.
The show also showcased a couple of collaborations, notably Nike Lab Vandal high-top sneakers that the designer updated by eliminating some padding and adding three straps.
One misstep was the use of ultra-skinny treated denim that felt dated — and not in a good way. The more relaxed silhouettes worked best with the collection’s casual vibe.
An impressive basketball court

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Julien Dossena explored new territories like office wear, combining — in his “generic redesign” of classics — technical materials like Japanese wools with traditional and featherweight Super 100 wools used in men’s tailoring. The focus was less on fashion, more on wearability. This city type still has a strong sense of style, though.
Variations on the suit included relaxed, long-cut gingham jackets worn with matching shorts and cotton shirts with hoods. A ribbed beige jersey dress with removable sleeves, twisting sensually on the body, was as snug as a sweater.
Neoclassics to keep included a perfectly cut, tailored camel coat with subtle design details such as inside-outside construction seams and a removable teddy-jacket collar lining the lapels.
Stripped of hardware save for signature eyelet details, a classic Seventies-style trench in an unexpected material sported Velcro closures.
Also in the technical camp, an oversizd silver cotton cagoule-dress — “a bit like what delivery guys on scooters wear” — was super cool, worn with minimalist wedge boots in silver and cognac leather.
The designer also used the house’s signature metal mesh as a contrast strap accent on pretty silk Liberty-print dresses with a Seventies vibe.

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In his return to New York Fashion Week: Men’s, Ralph Lauren’s elevated Purple Label collection once again redefined classic men’s wear shapes and patterns — with a healthy dose of craftsmanship and artisan details tossed in for good measure.
The line’s signature purple velvet peak-lapel tuxedo blazer kicked off an eveningwear capsule that also included the use of unconventional fabrics, such as corduroy and jacquard silks updated with a tonal Navajo print.
That same print showed up in a variety of other Western-influenced looks such as cropped outerwear and textured knits.
The homage to the American West was also evident in the use of cowboy belts and embellished fringe on coated denim.
Turning to the more sartorial side, Lauren played with reconstructed techniques in a new take on the Chesterfield coat as well as notch-lapel cashmere suits. Some of the softly constructed jackets were paired with cozy cashmere joggers and cargoes for a more modern appeal.
The collection took a turn to the East with a section dedicated to Mongolian explorers. This showed up in ethnic embroidery on fur-lined parkas and a new take on the braided sweater that featured an elaborate serpent design.
With this multifaceted offering, Lauren continues to add new vocabulary to the

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A vintage soccer photo on the back of the show notes was the first hint that the Ovadia & Sons fall collection was more personal than usual.
“It was inspired by our father who was in the army in Israel, which was mandatory,” said Shimon Ovadia, who designs the collection with his brother Ariel. “He was a certified athlete” who was an award-winning soccer player during his years in the service.
As a result, the collection showcased a balance between military uniforms and soccer references.
A camouflage shearling-lined parka paired with a zip-up red tracksuit was one of the best examples of the blending of the two cultures.
Deconstructed details — one of the trademarks of the brand — also appeared in elongated knits, giving them an appealing worn-in look.
What was especially strong was an array of youthful outerwear pieces such as a shearling biker jacket, a split-hood nylon parka in bright orange and a varsity jacket with Hebrew lettering and their father’s jersey number — 5 — on the back.
With this solid effort, the Ovadia brothers show how far they’ve come from their roots in sartorial tailored clothing to become a go-to brand for the cool, younger generation.
Dad would be proud.

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FRESHLY INKED: Brookfield Properties’ Figat7th shopping center in downtown Los Angeles scored Nordstrom Rack as a tenant.
The retailer is expected to open in the fall, absorbing a roughly 27,000-square-foot space that had been vacated by Sport Chalet, which said last spring it would shutter its doors both online and off. Nordstrom Rack will join other Figat7th tenants that include Target, H&M, Zara, Victoria’s Secret, MAC, Bath & Body Works and a food hall.
Nordstrom Rack parent Nordstrom Inc. also confirmed Wednesday it would be opening a 33,000-square-foot Nordstrom Rack at Harlem Irving Plaza in Illinois, also set to open in the fall.
The discount chain, which will be the 12th in the Los Angeles area once the Figat7th location opens, is a win for the broader downtown area. The city center has been undergoing a revitalization in more recent years with a flood of new residential and retail development hitting the market or set to in the coming years.
Figat7th, which came online in 1986, underwent a major redo in 2011 that opened the center up to the street and led to the signing of tenants such as Target — seen as a boon to helping woo more residents, while serving existing ones

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Rebecca Minkoff’s using social media to get her runway looks to shoppers right away.
Minkoff partnered with social shopping service Like to Know It, which sends purchase information to Instagram users who “like” an image that has been enabled.
During Minkoff’s show, which will be in Los Angeles on Feb. 4 at outdoor shopping mall The Grove, models and social media influencers will share Like to Know It-enabled runway show looks on Instagram.
Minkoff joins Tommy Hilfiger, Rachel Zoe and Tom Ford, who all plan to show their collections in Los Angeles in February.
The partnership is in keeping with Minkoff’s customer-centric approach of late. The day of the show, Minkoff will be hosting a yoga class, a talk about virtual reality, a book signing and an event at Nordstrom in addition to the runway show.
Last season, Minkoff showed on the street in New York’s SoHo neighborhood, after which shoppers could buy the looks shown.
Minkoff said her shoppers liked new experiences.
“More than just shopping, they get to be a part of our brand and we get to know them in a more meaningful way,” she said, adding that the collaboration with LiketoKnow.it lets a global audience have immediate access to the products.
The day before the L.A. show, Minkoff will

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Mercedes-Benz continues to promote emerging designers through its International Designer Exchange Program.
A prestigious jury, ranging from the president of Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana Carlo Capasa and Elle China chief content officer Xiao Xue to Italian journalist Giusi Ferré, selected Vivetta Ponti and Angel Chen as the winners of this season’s talent contest promoted by Mercedes-Benz.
 

Vivetta Ponti 
Courtesy Photo

“We share with our longtime sponsor Mercedes-Benz the passion for excellence and innovation. Supporting young brands means building the future of fashion and is one of the pillars of Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana’s strategy,” Capasa said. “Mercedes-Benz’ project not only offers huge international visibility and a great networking occasion to two emerging talents, but also opens a window on the future.”
In particular, Chen, a Central Saint Martins graduate who established her namesake label in 2015, will unveil her fall 2017 collection with a runway show to be held in Milan on Feb. 23, during the city’s local fashion week.
Ponti, who launched Vivetta in 2009, will have the chance to present the brand’s new collection at the Mercedes-Benz China Fashion Week, running in Beijing, March 25 to 31.
“I’m honored to be part of this project and I thank the jury that chose me among so many talented designers,”

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THE CROSBY’S DOUBLE FEATURE: Cinémoi’s 2016-17 CineFashion Film Awards were handed out last month in Beverly Hills, but a charity screening of the affair Feb. 2 at the Crosby Street Hotel will be a double billing. Before the lights go down in the subterranean theater, Marc Bouwer, Cinémoi Fashion & Film Award Designer Icon of the Year for his contribution to Hollywood, will present his fall collection with 10 models.
“Orange Is the New Black” actress Laverne Cox, Angelina Jolie, Beyoncé, Melania Trump and Mariah Carey are some of the better-known clients that Bouwer has dressed for special events.
At the actual CFFAs in Beverly Hills last month, Bouwer dressed “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” Lisa Rinna in a black velvet gown and her daughter Delilah Belle Hamlin in a dark gray number. Bouwer was the first designer to suit up Rinna for the red carpet in 1990, a fact she posted on Instagram. Her Elite model daughter walked in Tommy Hilfiger’s September show with her friend Gigi Hadid.
The CFFA’s original production featured Samuel L. Jackson, “The Shack” actress Radha Mitchell, Carmen Electra, Ali Landry, Harry Hamlin, Aaron Carter and honored Sidney Poitier and musician Akon among others. The show generated

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DECONSTRUCTIONISM 101: A Parsons AAS Fashion Design-made window display featuring secondhand denim and suits may be giving Madison Avenue shoppers reason to reconsider their next purchase. Through the end of March, the “#UN_MADE” installation will showcase samples, videos, deconstructed sustainable designs, finished products and editorial images in the windows of 550 Madison Avenue, the building Philip Johnson designed that was once home to AT&T and later Sony.
Now unoccupied, the 37-floor office building was bought by the U.S. subsidiary of the Saudi conglomerate Olayan Group and London-based Chelsfield for reportedly more than $1.3 billion. There is no financial deal between The New School’s Parsons School of Design and the Olayan Group, a Parsons spokesman said Wednesday.
Dealing with students who are knowledgeable about current events and changes afoot in the fashion industry, Jason McCarthy, director of the AAS Fashion Design and Fashion Marketing program, said the aim was for them to consider their potential impact on the industry now. Julia McCann, Mia Jeanjaquet, Mengying Li and Na Ren were the students involved with the project. “We really challenge students to explore design and create alternatives by challenging the fashion system. The project really came about from that and the current dilemma of waste

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