PAST EVENTS

By Rachel Courts

Designing with a Vision

We were pleased to be a part of the American Foundation for the Blind’s Center on Vision Loss 2010 “Designing with a Vision” two-day event, held April 16th – 17th. Blind Ukrainian designer Sergey Ermakov, one of the most well-known designers in his home country, made his first trip to Dallas (as well as stateside) to debut his couture-class collection (valued at over $150,000) during two runway shows. The first day included a “Blintz & Bellini” bruncheon show and trunk show, wrapping up with a nighttime runway show, co-chaired by our own Heidi Dillon and Bri Crum, with 30 fantastical looks as well as cocktails and dancing afterward. Ermakov’s collection was full of jaw-dropping, dramatic and colorful creations made of tulle, taffeta and beautiful floor-sweeping silks, as well as adornments aplenty – feathers, crystals, lace, pearls, crochet and intricate beading. The Lone Star State–loving Ermakov even designed a “Texas” evening look of leather and tulle, creating the bottom half to appear as chaps. Rumor has it he specifically requested a buxom blonde to model the look.

The second day consisted of an F2 TALK master class taught by Sergey himself, where he told funny and endearing stories about life as a designer in Eastern Europe. He stated through his translator, “All my life I have worked for my name; my goal is to eventually have my name work for me.” We think he has achieved his goal and so much more. Major sponsors were The Fairmont Hotel, Modern Luxury Magazine Dallas, American Airlines, Essilor of America, Oncor, Inc., Nokia and DVA Navion. Proceeds benefited the AFB and THE FASHIONISTAS.

Artemide – An Evening Celebrating Design

Artemide’s contemporary light has never been solely about function. Instead, for over forty years this light design company has proposed light as a source of visual pleasure. On April 29th, we celebrated an evening of Italian design with not only Artemide, but also a slew of fashionable Italian finds that were up for silent auction. Maserati auctioned off a weekend in a convertible, Bella had a dinner for two up for grabs, Oscar Fierro donated a beautiful chocolate evening gown and Artemide gave away one of their chic Logico table lamps. There is nothing more pleasing to the eye than a delightful cocktail party in Dallas’ decadent design district – seen mingling in the crowd: Mack Hopper, Jillian Prado, Nikki Trizza, John Clutts, PaperCity Editors Rob Brinkley and Brooke Hortenstine, Hamilton Sneed, and Dan Pritchett. All proceeds benefited the Fashionistas Two Scholarship Fund, of course. Major sponsors included Veev Vodka, Southern Charm Catering, Uptown Sound, Maserati, Oscar Fierro and PaperCity.

Savor the Arts

TreAmici Prime Steakhouse & Seafood launched their second Savor the Arts event on May 13th. TreAmici held their first art, food and philanthropy fete last year, with the aim of celebrating Chef Chris Hughes’ culinary talents, as well as giving back to the community by showcasing the arts and donating the proceeds to a featured charity. The Fashionistas were lucky enough to be the beneficiary this go-round.

Artwork by local artists such as Emil Cerullo, George Fowler and Michelle Miller were on view throughout the dining room and bar, as well as in a silent auction, which guests were able to bid on all evening. Bryan Embry, owner of Ross/Akard Gallery, served as curator and stated, “Art is my passion so when I was approached with an opportunity to show art in North Dallas I was thrilled to be able to partner art and food for a great cause.” Seen enjoying TreAmici’s delectable dishes: Shannon Brower, Metsy Corter, Rick and Janet Fresquez, newlyweds Kirby and Bianca Allison, and Michael and Suzanne Grishman. Major sponsors included TreAmici and LaMode Dallas.

Upcoming events

Designer Challenge Summer Camp

The Designer Challenge Summer Camp will be held from June 28th – July 2nd at our home base, South Side on Lamar, from 9am – 4pm. This fun and Project Runway-esque camp will allow students to learn basic sewing, sketching and pattern-making skills. The focus of the week will be on the creative, in order to inspire imaginative designs. Fashion industry professionals will be on hand to share their expertise, as well as critique and oversee students’ work. On the final day, students are expected to have finished one garment, a dress, while also accessorizing their look to be judged by The Fashionistas panel. Our own favorite designer, Project Runway’s Shirin Askari, will be part of the final judging panel on the last day of camp. There are only 30 openings available, so please contact Fashionistas Two President, Bri Crum, at bri.crum@thefashionistas.org for more information or go to our website to register today: www.thefashionistas.org/tickets

Art of Can

One of the most intriguing of creative contests, the Red Bull Art of Can exhibit, will be open to the public July 31st and run through August 22nd at Galleria Dallas. The Red Bull Art of Can competition challenges artists to construct pieces created with or inspired by the iconic Red Bull cans. Innovative artists, professional and amateur, submitted their designs for consideration. The featured artists in the exhibition hail from all ages and occupations – from high school students to fashion designers to classically trained artists. A motley crew of expert judges (Tammy Theis, Jason Sheeler and Gail Saschson, just to name a few) were brought in to sort through the entries and determine which pieces earned a coveted spot in the exhibition. Art of Can will feature more than 50 unique pieces, with such cool sights as a life-size racing airplane, a baby bull and an evening gown. During the VIP Gala event hosted by Steve Kimble and held at the Westin Galleria, The Fashionistas will be producing a fashion presentation with Shirin Askari, who has created four chic and fun Red Bull looks. To learn more about this event, please visit www.redbullartofcan.com

Fabulous Fashionistas

Radiant Rachel Roy
by Rachel Courts

Rachel Roy

Womenswear designer Rachel Roy made a recent visit to Neiman Marcus NorthPark to launch her third label, a bridge line aimed at a younger Fashionista with a lower price point, Rachel Roy Signature. Roy has come a long way since her days at hip-hop brand Rocawear; her gowns are now worn by everyone from Kate Hudson to First Lady Michelle Obama.

How did you come to work in fashion?
I always knew that I wanted to work in fashion, I just didn’t know in what capacity. I grew up in a small town, Monterey, California, so the only options I had at that point were retail shops. I worked in retail all through college as assistant manager, then manager, and then kept working my way up until I graduated college before moving to New York.

How did you transition into a contemporary designer role?
It started out more as a need. I was working for a company called Rocawear and designing mostly sweatsuits and clothing for younger girls. When we had been in business for about five or six years, I noticed that the customer had grown older and had a need beyond sweatsuits.

That was a huge risk to leave such a successful company and do something so different.
Well, before I left, I had found a licensee that could make higher-end product for Rocawear. Meanwhile I had gone ahead and created some in-house samples just in case Rocawear was not able to find the right licensee. So when I got ready to design beyond Rocawear, I asked if I could take some of the in-house samples that I had created, because they were essentially useless to Rocawear now that they had found the proper licensee, and the answer was – of course! So my first set of samples was not made out of my pocket, which is very interesting.

So moving on was less scary with your samples?
Correct.  I often tell that story to young people because you never quite know how your own company can start. Most of us don’t have the funding needed to create samples and begin our own lines, but in whatever aspect that you work, you never know how you can parlay those facets into something higher. So even though the samples that I had created with Rocawear were made with a different style intent, it gave me enough credibility that I could then go and interview with different companies to start my own line, and the samples gave them a taste of what I was capable of doing – and it just grew from there.

That’s a wonderful story for our Fashionistas Two!
It’s been eight years now and the company has slowly grown into designer, which is what I really had wanted. So wherever you’re working, always ask, because there is always a possibility to do more – which is hard to see sometimes as well as have the confidence to ask, but had I not asked for the samples I had created, I may not have been where I am today. I also like to express to the young that you should never be afraid to fail; I came from a small town, so instead of being scared of that, I reversed it and said okay, I came from not much, so really what do I have to lose? So, that can turn into an advantage because that may make you okay with ultimately surviving with less rather than people who grew up with more who may not take the same chances.

Visit www.neimanmarcus.com to view Rachel’s current collection.

OF THE MOMENT

By Rachel Courts

Silk-Inspired Fashionable Fine Print

Emilio Pucci

The trippy aesthetic of the fashion house founded by aristocrat Emilio Pucci stars in this eye-catching table-worthy tome, Emilio Pucci. With such fans as Jacqueline Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe, Pucci’s passion for women, sense of style and eye for colorful design allowed him to create a fashion house synonymous with the international vacationing jet set. Featuring hundreds of photographs, sketches and candid shots from the archives of the Emilio Pucci Foundation, this book captures the vibrant glamour and Italian drama of this legendary design house. Each unique copy is bound in one of Pucci’s iconic print fabrics. Throw on your Pucci kaftan and pre-order this stylish piece of fashion history at www.taschen.com

The Hermès Scarf: History & Mystique

Since its creation in 1937, the Hermès scarf has become a staple in the lady of luxury’s wardrobe. To say it is an icon of sophisticated style is an understatement. Worn by everyone from European royalty to Hollywood fashion types, that small square of silk is coveted and admired as a symbol of wealth and beauty. In this new book The Hermès Scarf: History & Mystique, writer Nadine Cole, a Fashionista herself having written books on such high-style subjects as Cartier and Lacroix, documents the rise of this legendary accessory through in-depth examinations of the scarf’s design, paired with pictures of the many patterns and prints that make up the 2,000-strong Hermès scarf collection (we favor the equestrian motifs). Pre-order your copy from publisher www.thamesandhudsonusa.com

Don’t forget to visit our The Fashionistas blog daily to stay current on the most of the moment fashion and style news. www.thefashionistas.org/blog

Savvy Avenue

Online coupon deals have become all the rage lately, but our favorite deal-of-the-day website is SavvyAvenue.com. Not only does it have a chic title (Groupon is so last season) but Savvy Avenue has a wonderful charity mission; “Savvy Avenue stands at the crossroads of consumer discovery, community business prosperity and charitable giving.” That sounds good to us! For every purchase you make through the Savvy website, The Fashionistas will receive $1; this promotion runs until the end of June. Good things happen to good people, so go visit www.savvyavenue.com

You + Media and D210 TV

We hope you have bookmarked both www.youplusmedia.com and www.d210.tv, both are wonderful supporters of The Fashionistas and both strive to create the most original, entertaining and relevant local content through media.

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 has 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.