Upcoming events

The Fashionistas New Member Welcome Party

Among the laundry list of fashionable fall parties, the annual The Fashionistas New Member Welcome Party is always a sure thing.  Join us Saturday, September 26th, poolside at The House, Dallas’s newest residential high-rise located in Victory Park.  With interiors created by famed contemporary interior designer Philippe Starck, a 150-foot pool and the best view of downtown Dallas, this event is definitely one to see and be seen.  To be held at 2200 Victory Park Avenue, Dallas from 7pm – 10pm.  Sponsored by PaperCity, Belvedere Vodka, Moet & Chandon Champagne, David Griffin & Company Realtors and The House.  For more information, contact Kirby Allison at kirbya@hangerproject.com

Yeohlee Design for Now Gala

Thursday, October 1st, The Fashionistas and The Crow Collection of Asian Art will host the much-anticipated preview of the new Yeohlee Design for Now exhibition.  Benefiting The Fashionistas Scholarship Fund and The Crow Collection, this intimate preview and seated dinner with designer Yeohlee will be limited to just 130 patrons.  Curated by our own Advisory Board member and Texas Fashion Collection Director, Myra Walker, the exhibit details Yeohlee’s clean and contemporary designs that echo the beauty of architectural elements.  To be held at The Crow Collection of Asian Art, 2010 Flora Street, Dallas, cocktails and preview to begin at 6:30pm, dinner to follow at 7:30pm.  Tickets $250 to $500 per seat. Sponsored by F!D Luxe, Belvedere Vodka and Park Place Maserati. For more information, contact Jennifer Parker at jparker@crowcollection.org.

Fashion Talk with Designer Yeohlee Teng

Please join us Friday, October 2nd for our Fashion Talk lecture with designer Yeohlee Teng at the Dallas Museum of Art | Horchow Theater.  Malaysian-born, New York-based designer Yeohlee will speak about her designs and career beginning at 6:30pm.  Educated at Parsons, Yeohlee opened her own design house in 1981, designing seasonless pieces for the modern “urban nomad.” Her designs, which are chic, practical and functional, have earned her a permanent place in The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where the late Richard Martin, then Chief Curator, called her “one of the most ingenious makers of clothing today.”  An after party and exhibit preview, featuring Shang Hai 5, to follow at The Crow Collection of Asian Art.  Sponsored by F|D Luxe.  To be held at the Dallas Museum of Art | Horchow Theater, 1717 North Harwood Street, Dallas, lecture from 6:30pm until 7:30pm.  Tickets $25 for adults and $10 for students.  For more information, contact Jennifer Parker at jparker@crowcollection.org.

F2 TALK with Designer and Reality TV Star Shirin Askari

Please join us Monday, October 5th for the kickoff of our first THE FASHIONISTAS TWO lecture series, titled F2 TALK, featuring Shirin Askari, current competitor on the sixth season of Project Runway.  Askari is a May 2008 graduate of the University of North Texas, having earned her BA in fashion design.  Askari will speak about her education, her current collection and her experience as a competitor on Project Runway.  www.shirinaskaristore.com  Sponsored by F|D Luxe and Southside on Lamar.  To held at Southside on Lamar – Gallery, 1409 South Lamar Street, Dallas from 7pm until 8pm.  $5 for F2’s | $10 for non-F2’s. Contact Bri Crum for more information 214.577.2965. RSVP fashion@thefashionistas.org.

F2 TALK with Designer Christopher Collins

On Tuesday, October 27th, THE FASHIONISTAS TWO will host our second F2 TALK with San Francisco-based designer Christopher Collins. While earning his degree in fashion design at San Francisco State University, Christopher worked as a visual merchandiser for Neiman Marcus where he gained insight into the luxury market. After years of designing evening wear under other designer names, Collins began his own Contemporary Couture collection with his lifetime friend, Erica Tanamachi. In Fall 2008, Christopher and Erica launched the much-anticipated first collection of the Christopher Collins line. www.christophercollinscollection.com  Sponsored by F|D Luxe and Studio Movie Grill.  To be held at Studio Movie Grill, 4505 Beltline Road, Dallas from 7pm – 8pm.  $5 for F2’s | $10 for non-F2’s.  Contact Bri Crum for more information, 214.577.2965.  RSVP fashion@thefashionistas.org.

YEOHLEE: DESIGN FOR NOW

by Amy L Hofland, Director, The Crow Collection of Asian Art

In the late seventies Trammell Crow, as one of the early thinkers about the Arts District, imagined a neighborhood where art, gardens, parks, and business would co-mingle. Along with several other city visionaries, he conceived an idea that the spaces connecting our buildings would be pedestrian-friendly, engaging, and bustling with inter-generational city life. The glow from the inside of our spaces would come from people working, looking at art, listening to music, watching an opera. This fall, what was imagined becomes real. Dallas will never be the same again. With the opening of the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, a vision for our sixty-eight-acre Dallas Arts District is realized. On September 19, Wild Flowering: The Crow Family and Asia will open. The exhibition will tell the story of how the collection blossomed over half a century.

In contrast to an examination of the tradition and legacy of the Crow family collection, the museum presents YEOHLEE: DESIGN FOR NOW, our very first contemporary fashion exhibition. Beginning October 3, the Mezzanine will be transformed into a glorious experience of geometry in fashion, architectural design, and fresh forms. The exhibition is curated by Myra Walker, Director of the Texas Fashion Collection at the University of North Texas. In June, Myra and I spent time in New York with Yeohlee conceptualizing the project. Her sensibilities as an artist and designer will fill viewers with awe and inspiration. We are thrilled to partner with The Fashionistas as we launch the opening of YEOHLEE: DESIGN FOR NOW. Your engagement with the exhibition is integral to our success—and our partnership is one I hope will be a catalyst for future exhibitions of established and emerging Asian designers. Join us this fall as we look back and leap forward. Asia is closer than you think. 

Fabulous Fashionistas

Where were you when you got the call to be a competitor on Project Runway?

I was out with my friend Stephanie. We went out to lunch and she was trying to keep me busy, because I knew I was going to get the call that day telling me whether or not I was on the show. I sat there staring at my phone all throughout lunch wanting/not wanting it to ring - in case it was bad news. Then finally when we left, there was a bad thunderstorm outside. I looked at my phone and I had missed a call because of the bad reception from the storm. I screamed as I listened to the message, which of course was from Lifetime saying I should return their call. It was so intense when I finally got hold of them and there, in the parking lot, as it started to rain, the woman from Lifetime told me I was going to be on the show! It was very poetic. Me dancing in the rain, extremely excited and not even caring about getting drenched!

Can you tell our members what aspect of filming Project Runway surprised you the most?

What surprised me the most was having cameramen everywhere! It's not something you go in thinking is going to be that big of a deal, but it was hard to get used to sewing with a man holding a camera about two inches away from your hand. It was also very tough not being able to talk, at all, to my family and friends.

What is the best advice you received from Tim Gunn?

The best advice I received from Tim was to make it work with what I had. Just having to take a tough situation and figuring out how to turn it into something good.

Did you think the judge's critiques were fair?

For the most part I agreed with the judges; however, the thing about fashion is that not everyone is going to like everything that you do. I learned how to take a critique back in school. If you can't handle a critique and learn from it, you’re in the wrong line of work!

What is the most important lesson you learned from competing in Project Runway?

The most important lesson I learned is that sometimes you just need to work with what you have and try your best to make it into something you can be proud of.

At what age did you decide to pursue fashion design as a career?

Well, I have been sewing since I was about four. I made my first dress at 7, but I always saw designing as something I loved to do instead of a job. It wasn't until high school, when that common question arose, "what do you want to do with the rest of your life?" that I realized then that I could turn what I loved to do into a career!

Who is your favorite designer?

I don't really have a favorite designer where I love everything they have ever done. I think designers, even those that are famous, experiment and try new things that not everyone will like. It’s in the experimenting that you learn the most about yourself as a designer. I appreciate the work of vintage Christian Dior, John Galliano – because he is absolutely brilliant, Elie Saab - because his evening gowns are simply beautiful and Hussein Chalayan - because of his experimentation with electronic clothing that morphs.

What is your favorite fabric to work with?

It depends on my mood! Sometimes I want to work with something that has a wonderful drape like silk jersey and sometimes I need some structure. I love working with cashmere, wool, soft jerseys or silks, to name just a few.

What is the one item of clothing you seem to favor the most?

I have this simple boat-neck black dress that I adore because I can wear it anywhere. Also, I really love the smocked dress from my new line. It is very comfortable and easy to wear and still looks really chic.

What advice can you give to our F2's studying fashion design now?

The best advice I can give them is to not get discouraged and to always go above and beyond what you're asked to do in school. It’s there, that you reach your true potential and make yourself stand out.

What is your strongest asset or skill as a fashion designer?

I believe I have an eye for what looks good and I can definitely, now more so than ever, pattern make and sew quickly!

FALL FASHION TRENDS

by Sarah Lehman

Fall fashions have hit the racks! This season’s hottest looks have fashionistas embracing their inner rock goddess, as well as bringing some color into what is usually a drab palette. Here are some of the must-haves for Fall 2009.

All About Leather: Top a flirty dress off with a cropped motorcycle jacket, and push up the sleeves for a chic look as shown by Alexander Wang and Balmain. Leather pants and leggings look fab with an embellished tank or a simple tunic. For the ultimate high glam look, try a pair of elbow-length leather gloves!

Shoulders are in…and out: Fall clothes aren’t known for showcasing your hard work at the gym. This season, you can still show off a little skin with shoulder cutouts and one-shoulder tops and dresses. Opposite the cutout are exaggerated shoulders. Look for both ‘80s shoulder pads for shape and futuristic winged silhouettes.

Hot Bottoms: Strut your gorgeous gams in skinny pants, or sass it up in thigh-high boots. Add a sequined top or a flirty touch with a fun ruffled chiffon blouse.

Color Me Pink: Designers like Marc Jacobs took note of the dire economic conditions and used bright pops of color to counteract both the gloom of overcast skies and the plunging stock market. Hot pink is all the rage this season, but keep it from looking like your summer wardrobe by pairing it with black.

Bad Girl Shoes: Channel your inner femme fatale with a killer pair of what I like to call “bad girl shoes” to reflect your butt-kicking-take-no-prisoners tough girl. Check out celeb-loving labels like Balmain (their Zip-Embellished Suede pumps are fierce with studs and straps, but still girly in suede and an almond toe), and Alexander McQueen (loving his peep-toe ankle boots with fold-over panels and a dangling skull zipper).

OF THE MOMENT

by Rachel Courts

Fashionable Fine Print

Though my bookshelves are filled to the brim with chic fashion books, I still cannot wait to purchase the latest tomes that land in bookstores this month. "The Private World of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé” catalogs, in lavish detail, eight of the couturiers residences shared with lifelong partner, Bergé”. Written by Robert Murphy, a former W and WWD Paris correspondent, this impressive volume clearly proves that Saint Laurent had impeccable taste well beyond the world of fashion.

After flying into NYC this past summer, I quickly exited the airplane and headed straight to The Museum at FIT to view Isabel Toledo: Fashion from the Inside Out. The catalog of the exhibit, titled the same and written by museum director and The Fashionistas Advisory Board member, Valerie Steele, which also includes stunning sketches by Isabel’s husband Ruben, examines Toledo’s contemporary fashions through her impressively unusual, and at times truly baffling, fabric and garment construction. For those Fashionistas who enjoy cooking in style, "American Fashion Cookbook: 100 Designers’ Best Recipes", published by the CFDA, with a foreward by Martha Stewart, as well as containing original designer illustrations and, of course, delectable recipes by admitted fashionable foodies such as Isaac Mizrahi, Peter Som and Derek Lam, is definitely not your average cookbook. All books available at www.amazon.com

JOIN THE FASHIONISTAS TODAY!

When you join The Fashionistas you become a champion of the fashion arts, a mentor to fashion design students, a sponsor of fashion exhibitions, and a supporter of educational programming. Collectively, we position Dallas as a portal to the global fashion community.  

Founded in 2005 by Heidi Dillon, The Fashionistas now have more than 2,000 members. And we are proud to support 700 Fashionista Two members from local high schools and colleges with scholarships and real-life experience in the fashion community.

We invite you to join us in this noble cause. Call 972.504.6354 or visit www.thefashionistas.org.

MANIFESTO

To be an international champion of the fashion arts through exhibitions, scholarships and educational programs, positioning Dallas as a portal to the global fashion community.