Designers of the Day - Dean & Dan Caten - D Squared Pre Fall '13

Dean & Dan Caten of D Squared are one of fashion's wild cards season after season. You never know whats going to walk the runway. From preppy to lumberjack for the Canadian twins restraint is a dirty word. They do have a serious signature though and that is sex. Sex of the down, dirty, and dangerous variety. 

If James Bond was a lady, no?

They love symbols of authority.

I feel I'm about to be arrested and I don't mind.

They use wonderfully luxurious fabrics.

They always have very tight silhouettes 

Designer Of The Day - Caroline Groves

The fashion industry is in the midst of it's greatest upheaval since the intolerably damaging mass market/offshoring model of the early 90s. The rise of the internet has shifted the foundations upon which the industry rests and tried & true models are now bafflingly ineffective. To add to the confusion what is known is what is NOT working but what is unknown is what WILL work going forward. The future is shrouded in a dense fog. I have begun to suspect that one of the models that will begin to work well again is bespoke/couture. I predict that the capitals of the world are on the verge of seeing the rise of new, high profile, expensive and exquisite couturiers. Their pieces will become sensations through social media and they will have a long waiting list of clients. One of the areas I predict this will happen first is accessories. Couture bags and shoes will always be the least expensive way to make a luxurious statement. UK couture shoe designer Caroline Groves is an excellent example. Her colorful creations will create an impression and perhaps even a little jealousy. 

Joclyn 

Simza

Kirghiz

Salome

Turquoise Parakeet

Fashion has always been, "post racial".

Great fashion doesn't know what the race of it's wearer is. This thought occurred to me as I was browsing an online multi-brand store which was obviously designed to capture young men whose ancestry is other than European. I intentionally avoid using terms like color or race here because they're not really what we're talking about. What we are talking about when we think we're talking about race and neighborhoods are cultures and class. I firmly maintain that these are made up distinctions that are self perpetuating. People whose skin color is not white do not inherently possess any separate abilities or traits than pale skinned people do. Our cultural differences do not spring from anything other than the geography and resources of the lands that we come from. Fashion has always had the ability to be a great equalizer and to erase these myths by exposing them as meaningless. 

Would this dress look less beautiful on a woman whose parents are Haitian? 

Tadashi Shoji Pre-Fall '14

In service to the fear of not speaking to the "right" customer or alienating an existing customer the fashion industry produces images & videos that perpetuate the illogical idea of race. The defense that is usually offered is that they cast the model/actress who is best for the brand. She is almost always white. Why? Because fashion is still primarily centered in the West. That's where white people live. If Lagos Nigeria was Paris all of the models would be dark skinned.

Would this look be less cool on a white kid from Des Moines?

10 Deep Holiday 2013

And so we come to the idea of affirmative action. Should brands go out of their way to cast models and actresses who are not over 5'9, white & skinny? Is that their responsibility? Responsibility, no opportunity yes. Let me utter the one word that moves companies without fail; profit. Do you think that the world is becoming more racially divided or are more people living in different parts of the world than where they or the parents came from? Do you think that our cultures are becoming more opaque or are we seeing, communicating, and understanding each other better than ever? 

Because this wonderfully quirky look is designed in Seoul, does it have to stay there?  

87MM Fall '13

The answer is obviously no. What brands should do to get on top or stay there is show that their designs are meant for their customer, worldwide. Client identification is based on values and the ability to buy, nothing else. Your brand's customer exists in hundreds of places around the globe. To reach them all you need do is create images and videos that show them, "themselves" in your brand. Regionalize it if you like but don't leave money on the table because you'll only cast from agencies in NYC or Paris. Trust me the designs will look just as good.

Are non Muslims prohibited from wearing this?

Keswah 2013