Minty Fresh!

Being a typical female, I love it when I'm right.  And I am right 100% of the time -- even when I'm wrong.  As a designer, I don't believe in following trends, but I still get a little gratification when I see strong evidence that my brand is right on target along with some of the best names on the runway.

It was more than a year ago that I selected my fabrics and color palette for my Spring 2012 "Biohazard Collection" and it's interesting to see how many other people were feeling this fresh minty blue color as well (as seen in the photo below).  Since my collection was titled "Biohazard," I opted for toxic sounding color names and labled this color "Vapor Blue."

STACY LOMMAN : NEW YORK

Spring 2012 Campaign

Photo: Shane LaVancher

I love this color so much (and decided that it looked great with a summer tan) that I have worn this dress twice already!  Granted, I fill it out quite a bit more than the model and I don't consider that a bad thing.  In fact, I have gotten a lot of compliments on the dress and I find that it's very helpful for potential customers to see things on regular people and not always on runway models. 

wearing my "Vapor Blue" sheath dress from my Spring 2012 Collection

Dress - STACY LOMMAN : NEW YORK

Shoes - Camilla Skovgaard

Bag - Francesco Biasia

Necklace and Bracelet - Vintage

Blue "Ice Cube" Ring - Dome NYC

Silver "Stacked" Ring - Metal Pointus

Take a look at this GIANT series of minty fresh pieces that cruised the catwalks (Spring 2012) from a variety of designers...

Antonio Berardi (T) / Akris (B)

Aquilano Rimondi (T) / L'Wren Scott (B)

Giambattista Valli (T) / Rochas (B)

Narciso Rodriguez (T) / J. Mendel (B)

Peter Som (T) / Sportmax (B)

Tibi (T) / Versace (B)

Jil Sander (T) / DVF (B)

Jonathan Saunders (T) / Versus (B)

Yves Saint Laurent (T) / Chanel (B)

Louis Vuitton (T) / Vera Wang (B)

All Photos: Style.com

And don't forget the nails!

Essie nailpolish in Mint Candy Apple

Orange Ya Glad To See Some Color?

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, "I'm a neutral girl."  Not neutral like Switzerland, rather, I'm partial to a neutral palette when it comes to my clothes.  It's a New York thing.  But, I certainly appreciate color and I go through little phases of loving a particular hue that speaks to me until I get bored with it and move on.  Story of my life!

I snapped this pic. of these cool vintage shades available at VEDA on the Lower East Side

Bottega Veneta's Montaigne bag, Spring 2011

Right now, I'm feeling orange.  Not fluorescent, safety orange, but something a little more sophisticated, a little softer and slightly more yellow than red.  Pumpkin... but a little more intense/saturated.  On one hand, it's a bit retro and on the other, it looks fresh.  Damn, I wish I had kept that leather skirt from high school... it would have been the perfect time to recycle it!

Jil Sander's Raf Simons used orange as one of the staple colors for Spring 2011

Photos: Style.com via Monica Feudi / GoRunway.com

On Trend

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending the Fall/Winter 2010/2011 ready-to-wear presentation by the Fashion Group Foundation. I’m going to keep today’s post brief, because I’m actually covering the event for the Fashion Group Members Bulletin, so I’ve got to get crackin’ on my article!

As always, FGI’s Creative Director, Marylou Luther, put together a fantastic overview of the collections from New York, London, Milan and Paris. The presentation is so popular in the industry; FGI has four shows in one day in order to accommodate everybody who wants to attend. After the trend overview, panelists Ken Downing (Sr. VP, Fashion Director, Neiman Marcus), Sarah Brown (Beauty Director, Vogue) and Julie Gilhart (Sr. VP, Fashion Director, Barneys) answered questions posed by moderator, Diane von Furstenberg, President of the CFDA. Unfortunately, Robin Givhan (Style, Washington Post) was unable to attend as she was with Mrs. Obama! OK, I guess we can excuse her :-)

New York: Altuzarra (left), London: Burberry (right)

Milan: Fendi (left), Paris: Akris (right)

The trend overview was full of great information that is essential to editors, designers and buyers. In terms of color, Camel made the biggest statement on the runways -- I called it immediately after the New York Collections (click here for my post “Camel’s Back”). It’s always gratifying to know that I am on the same wavelength as one of the top trend forecasters in the country!

Aquascutum (left), Tahari (right)
 

"Mash-ups” are a trend to look for next season (although, it’s always present). This term refers to the combination of fabrics and prints that normally wouldn’t work together, but when mixed and matched with an artist’s eye, the result is brilliant. Dries Van Noten is the reigning King! Fellow blogger, Elena (fabulous finds) just mentioned this trend on her Facebook page. Again, I love it when great minds think alike!

Dries Van Noten, Fall 2010

The panel discussion was both interesting and encouraging. The message that stuck out for me is that authenticity is more important than ever in this economy. Well, that and Diane von Furstenberg should have been on the panel rather than asking the questions! She has a lot to say and a lot of experience-- I would have preferred to hear more of her point of view. Ms. von Furstenberg did manage to get her two cents in whenever possible. I love a strong woman!

DVF, Fall 2010

The Fashion Group is based in New York, but has regional chapters in cities throughout the country (as well as some international cities). To become a member and to find out about the perks, visit www.fgi.org

All photo credits: Firstview

White Lies

Yves Saint Laurent, Resort 2010

Spring is officially underway and people are anxious to shed their winter layers and break out the shorts and flip flops.  But, what about the "rules of fashion" and do they really apply?  Are we actually supposed to wait until Memorial Day until it's safe to wear white or open-toe shoes? 

Akris (left) & Celine (right), both Spring 2010

I've never been one to play by the rules and I am not a follower.  In fashion, it is okay to be an individual and "wear what you want," as my friend WendyB would say.  As long as an outfit is fabric appropriate and stylistically tasteful, I say it's perfectly fine to wear white.  I wouldn't recommend sporting a little white sundress and sandals just yet, but the looks in today's post would certainly be acceptable.  And jeans and a plain, white tee... seasonless.  You can never go wrong.

Jil Sander (left) & Michael Kors (right), both Spring 2010

Photo Credits: Firstview

Pastels Please

I know that I have mentioned many times in my posts that I do not wear a lot of color.  After all, I'm a New Yorker, for God's sake!  Well, the other day I spent my afternoon (and into the wee hours of the night) as an extra on the set of "The Good Wife."  I was instructed to bring three changes of wardrobe -- no white, no red and no busy patterns.  So, I brought black, black and more black.  They actually asked me to put on a cheesy olive colored knit top for one of the scenes and I reluctantly agreed.  But, back to the point...

Alberta Ferretti, Spring '08

Spring time is all about color and April calls for pastels in particular.  I can't remember the last time I actually went to Church... oh yes, my friend's wedding at St. Patrick's Cathedral.  I had to speak in front of everyone -- talk about pressure... and guilt!  But, I digress...   Anyway, if I were forced to wear pastels, say... to Church, I would only do so if I could choose one of the lovely outfits in this post.

Bottega Veneta, Spring '07

Bottega Veneta, Spring '07

Jonathan Saunders, Spring '09

OK, maybe this is not technically pastel, but I adore Mr. Saunders and had to include him in this post!

Giambatisa Valli, Resort '08

Giambatista Valli, Resort '08

Somehow, masterful Marc Jacobs manages to make pastel colors work for the Fall seasons too!  In my humble opinion, he does so much better with Louis Vuitton than he does for his own line!  I'm in love with this suit...

Vuitton, Fall '08

Vuitton, Fall '08

Photo Credits: Firstview