Page 3523 – Texadviser

Brandon Maxwell Gets a Reality Check

Brandon Maxwell has had it. Holding forth under the Lone Star State flag in his office two days before his New York Fashion Week show, dressed in shorts, Nikes and a Piggly Wiggly T-shirt, he’s on a rant: “I’m so bored with reading articles about whether New York matters. Look at Tom Ford — that was the most gorgeous show. Have you ever seen a Jason Wu dress up close? It takes your breath away. Alex Wang, he makes clothes flawlessly. There are incredibly talented people here — seamstresses, patternmakers, assistants, my former intern Claudia Li, who is killing it. Oh yeah, New York matters, we’re out here doing the damn thing!”
Maxwell, 34, is in a good position to throw a little ‘tude. His business is enjoying double-digit, year-over-year growth; he’s looking for investors to help him expand and “speak to a wider audience,” is a finalist for the International Woolmark Prize, and has a new role on Bravo’s reboot of “Project Runway,” debuting March 14, that could lead him down a similar path to pop culture fame and fortune as his idol, Michael Kors.
“I hope it doesn’t become too much of a distraction,” quips Neiman Marcus fashion director Ken

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Puppets and Puppets, the Latest Label in New American Grunge Movement

NEW YORK — A new wave of American grunge designers — led by the likes of Eckhaus Latta, Vaquera, Gauntlett Cheng and Lou Dallas — is out to debunk notions of authority, tradition and needless consumption. This week a new label joins their crew: Puppets and Puppets, designed by artist Carly Mark and her former studio assistant, Ayla Argentina. The brand will host its debut runway show on Sunday evening, styled by Stella Greenspan and featuring a diverse procession of buzzy models.
Mark, a mixed-media artist, has long had an unrequited interest in fashion. She has shown her work at the Frieze and Armory art fairs with the Breeder Gallery of Athens, and has participated in group shows mounted at Lever House and the Museum of Modern Art. She is a fixture on the art party scene and carries a hefty Instagram following, as well as allegiances with various factions of influencer. Argentina began working with Mark in 2016 and has a degree in fashion design from FIT. The brand takes its name from Mark’s pet Chihuahua, Puppet.
“A big driving force for us was getting back to handmade things,” Argentina said of the duo’s motives. “It’s not mass-market. Fast fashion is eating

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Model Behati Prinsloo Teams With Seven For All Mankind

LUCKY SEVEN: Model Behati Prinsloo won’t have a Super Bowl-sized audience like her husband Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levin did last weekend, but she is front-and-center for Seven For All Mankind.
The model is the focus of the Los Angeles-based denim and lifestyle brand’s spring campaign. Lensman Guy Aroch shot her along the California coast for the third installment of #wearemankind. The model is a familiar face with the fashion crowd, having worked with Victoria’s Secret, Elizabeth Arden and Swarovski, among others.
As a jeans kind of girl, she modeled styles with denim side stripes, fringe accents, unexpected soft fabrics and pops of color. Malcolm Jackson, Ali Tate Cutler, Alicia Herbeth and Josh Upshaw rounded out her supporting cast for the Delta Galil Industries-owned label. This time around, the “We Are Mankind” initiative plays up the layers that make up individuals. The brand will also be adding new denim and ready-to-wear styles for women and men.
Executives at the denim label met the model in October and appreciated “her genuine obsession with denim and admiration for Seven For All Mankin,” a company spokeswoman said. “What we love most about Behati is that she is more than meets the eye, beyond being in this

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Five Minutes With Zen-like Fashion Week Rookie Nathalie Kelley

Most fashion week rookies are all about the photo-ops, but not actress Nathalie Kelley. While her fellow celebrity models were primping before Thursday night’s Red Dress Collection, she sat in the lotus position reading Neil LaBute’s “The Way We Get By.”
Minutes away from her runway debut at the Manhattan Center, the “Fast and the Furious” actress was calm as could be, wearing her red dress under a monogrammed red robe. At the Red Dress to help the cause, Kelley said her identity and ego were not wrapped up in what was about to happen. “I don’t care where I’m placed or if I’m seen in the photo,” she said with a laugh. “I meditate a lot.”
Losing her phone in a cab en route to another fashion show earlier in the day did not rattle her either. “I made a decision that I wasn’t going to make it a problem,” she said. “It was so nice to be fully present. “Everybody is always waiting for the show to start [pretending to swipe a phone]. I was drinking it up. It’s theater — the setting, the sound, the lighting, even watching the people. As an actress, I’m devouring that.”
Area, Jonathan Simkhai and Dion

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