Tag: Proenza Schouler

The news that Kraft, makers of the Oreo so inexplicably beloved by my children, had decided to re-christen its snack food group “Mondelēz International” when it separates the segment from its US supermarket business. This got me thinking about names and the point or power therein.

Boxes of Oreo cookies. Image by Getty

Boxes of Oreo cookies. Image by Getty

My first reaction upon reading the word “Mondelēz” was to make a face, roll my eyes and think “ridiculous.” What’s with that accent (it makes a long eee)? It is pretentious and fake. No one will remember it. No one will know how to pronounce it. No one will care that it is a hybrid of Latin words that mean “delicious world.” This is clearly a case of a company over-thinking itself.

Yet who am I to talk?

President Barack Obama. AP/Paul Beaty

AP/Paul Beaty

The US electorate in general may be voicing ambivalence about the current administration (though it’s unclear who the alternative will be, or what they will think of him), and Wall Street may be swinging toward Mitt Romney, but one sector, at least, is standing by the current president: Fashion. In this election, as in the last, a number of America’s highest profile designers have stood up to lend their names and creative skills to fund-raising for their candidate.

Today, Runway to Win, a website created by the Obama Victory Fund 2012, is “previewing” products from 23 designers, all working under their own names, not their brand names, whose proceeds will go toward the melée to come. Some choice examples: $45 T-shirts from Marc Jacobs, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez (otherwise known as Proenza Schouler), Rachel Roy and Narciso Rodriguez, who has made my personal favourite, a white Tee with black sleeves and neckline and a “button” silk screened on the front with a blue rainbow over a red and white striped land; an Art Nouveau print scarf from Thakoon that is notably unrecognisable as a political statement (maybe too unrecognisable?) for $95; and a DVF tote with her signature heart and scrawl (Obama 12) on one side, and the stars — transformed into hearts — and stripes on the other ($85).

The Spant

As I’ve been making the (endless) pre-collection rounds I’ve noticed a few trends/innovations I wanted to pass on. Here they are, from most original to most accessible:

1. The Spant

This could also be called a “skant,” though since scant is an actual word already, I think it risks confusion and “spant” is better. As to what this exciting new hybrid is, think silk palazzo pants-meet-long-skirt, so what looks like soigné trousers from the front swish like a train in the back.

The garment comes courtesy of Olivier Theyskens at Theyskens Theory, and though it may sound weird, paired with a tank top or t-shirt (though it’s called “pre-fall”, it hits stores in June) it also may be the coolest new proposal for how to dress up for evening. Also — just say the word. “Spant.” Spant. Fun, right?

Summer is over and it’s back to school! Which, in New York at least, always happens to coincide with back to fashion week! Which makes getting through September, for fashion moms, pretty much like getting through the straits of Messina: Scylla on one side, Charybdis on the other.

Not to complain or anything. Still, at the dinner table last night we discussed what our children were looking forward to at school, and it got me thinking about what I was looking forward to this fashion season, which begins in NY on Thursday. Here are what I expect to be the winning discussion topics over the champagne cocktails:

Is there a difference between European and American luxury? And if so, does it have to do with aesthetics, or markets?

I’ve been pondering this ever since the news broke that, after a year of rumours, Andrew Rosen, the great NY garmento who founded Theory and re-invented Helmut Lang, and John Howard of Irving Place Capitol (a fashion-focused private equity fund) plus a few other investors, finally bought Permira’s stake in US brand Proenza Schouler. Proenza, of course, is perhaps the hottest of all the new generation of American fashion names. It is designed by Jack McCullough and Lazaro Hernandez, who have won designer of the year at the Council of Fashion Designers of America awards twice, and it has been 45 per cent owned by Valentino Fashion Group since 2007.

Marc Jacobs collection

Marc Jacobs collection - - image by Catwalking.com

The CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) nominations have been announced, and guess what: just 16 nominees are vying for the six big awards. Makes the options looks pretty thin, especially given the fact that there were 100 plus shows during New York Fashion Week.

Kind of makes you wonder about those other designers: were they not any good? 16 out of 100 is not a great success ratio.

But as it is, I think certain bets can be laid. For example: when it comes to women’s wear, the nominees are Marc Jacobs, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler, and Alexander Wang.

Today’s column is about whether or not record-breaking teen idol/country-rock crossover star Taylor Swift is on the verge of changing her style. I have various reasons for thinking this might be true, all explained in the column. What do you think? I’d be very interested in hearing opinions, as well as recommendations for what she should wear.  Proenza Schouler: yea or nay? Christopher Kane? Haider Ackermann? Anyone else?

Proenza Schouler. Image from Catwalking.com.

Proenza Schouler. Image from Catwalking.com.

Q: What do you get when you put hundreds of fashion people in a room and make them wait 30 minutes for a show?

A: Lots and lots of acquisition rumours.

The problem, of course, is that all that thumb-twiddling time pre-show allows invitees to observe each other at their leisure (there’s really nothing else to look at), and that includes observing, say, the presence of the chief executive of one company in the audience of a brand not owned by his company. So when Andrew Rosen, of Link Theory Holdings, the group that owns contemporary labels Theory and Helmut Lang, and is in turn owned by Fast Retailing (which also owns Uniqlo) popped up last night at Proenza Schouler, the whispering began.

Material World

with Vanessa Friedman

About this blog About Vanessa Blog guide
Vanessa Friedman's blog deals with the fashion/luxury industry from both a corporate and consumer point of view, as well as the subject of dress.



Vanessa FriedmanVanessa has been the FT’s fashion editor since 2003, and is based in New York, though she lived in London for 12 years.
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