Plaid Is Rad

Plaid and I have not always had the best relationship.  In fact, we started off on the wrong foot back when I was in grade school, but shortly thereafter, I came to appreciate it's beauty.  I think the main problem all those years ago was that my plaids had also been my sister's plaids at one point.  Like most families, we passed down clothes that were in good condition to the younger siblings when the older outgrew them.  In our case, the younger sibling was (and still is!) me. However, my sister and I did dress my little brother in a pilgrim outfit that had belonged to me for Halloween one year!  But, that was an exception.  

me (left) and my big sister, Kim (right)

my expression clearly says, "Aren't her pants ridiculous?  And aren't my favorite buckle shoes fabulous?"

I remember a particular pair of red plaid pants that my sister wore; I was really bothered by the flared silhouette.  I don't know any other four year old who thinks this way, but I've always been odd unique.  So, when the famous plaid pantalones were passed down to me a few years later, I resented them.  I tried everything to get out of wearing them. I puffed out my gut to pretend they were too tight, pulled them up to my armpits to try to make them into high waters -- but my mom wasn't buying what I was selling, and these pants ended up in my life for way too long.

I call this picture "THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PLAID PANTS"

A few years later... that's me again on the left, but this time I'm "wearing the pants."  I was already mixing stripe and plaid patterns-- so ahead of my time.

It took me quite a while to warm up to plaid, but thanks to my interest in punk music as a teen, I not only warmed up, I fell in love.  Plaid suddenly looked cool, edgy and dare I say... sexy!  In fact, I've been wanting to recreate and modernize (of course!) a pair of those old red tartans for a long time!  And now, all of a sudden, plaid is all the rage in fashion -- largely due to Dries Van Noten's  influence in the industry. The King of Print and Pattern showed a grunge-inspired collection for Spring 2013, and plaid never looked so fresh. Shortly thereafter, The MET embraced a punk theme for its annual gala in May, and plaid spread like wildfire.  Even Spaceball One has "gone to plaid."  See for yourself... 

 

"They've gone to plaid!"

As a designer and an individual, I never follow trend.  I always allow my personal style and taste level dictate what I design and wear.  I strive to create flattering, innovative, high quality items and if they happen to be "on trend" well, that's just fine.  This is exactly the case with my Fall 2013 Edwardian/Goth-inspired collection.  I was lucky enough to work with the famous Harris Tweed mill whose incomparable fabrics come in so many beautiful patterns.  When I saw a swatch of their purple/navy/green plaid, I had to have it.  

STACY LOMMAN : FALL 2013

I've been getting such a great reaction to my tartan and leather trimmed suit that I decided to make a corset in the same pattern.  The new piece will debut on the runway next week at the Chicago Gold Coast Fashion Award Show where I will be presenting my Fall 2013 collection along with seven other up-and-coming designers.  Stay tuned...

Inspiration / Interpretation

Designers are always striving to come up with new ideas, new direction and trend.  However, in the world of fashion, most everything has been done already -- many times over.  The peplum is an emerging trend this season, but it's certainly nothing new.  If you didn't own a garment with some sort of peplum treatment back in the eighties, then you must have been living under a rock (or you weren't born yet!).  And the peplum wasn't exactly a new idea back in the eighties either -- it had been done before.  Trends and styles constantly recycle.  In fashion, designers reinterpret these ideas and trends by putting their "spin" on them and making them look fresh and current.  I'm no different.  I've mentioned before that my fall 2012 collection was based on the "mod" scene from the 1960's.  Actually, one of my greatest influences as a young designer was visionary, André Courrèges.  I saw one of his 60's suits featured in Connoisseur Magazine in 1986 and I tore the page out and kept it ever since.  I always wanted to do something that payed homage to the suit and to the great designer so, in February, I finally did.

INSPIRATION

André Courrèges suit, 1965
(photo source left, right)

INTERPRETATION

  

STACY LOMMAN : NEW YORK / Fall 2012

Photos: Shane LaVancher

To view the rest of my fall, "Modern World" collection and to hear me speak about my influence and about Courrèges, check out the video below (directed by Steve Lars).

Me Likey...

The last thing I need is a pair of shoes! But, I'm quite taken with these... ah, what's a girl to do?

Roger Vivier plaid rosette stiletto

Mad For Plaid

1977: Dan Aykroyd & Steve Martin as two "wild and crazy guys" (left)

Fall 2008: Dolce & Gabbana channel their inner Georg & Yortuk Festrunk (right)

Photo Credit (right): Firstview

What a versatile pattern plaid is. It can be classic, it can evoke nerdy, preppy or even punk. Plaid can be masculine or feminine and when worn as a kilt, sans skivvies, tartan can be traditional.

Fall 2006: McQueen tweaks traditional tartan

Photo Credits: Firstview

Craig Ferguson dons a kilt...

I am not preppy or very classic, so I prefer my plaid with a bit of edge. I also like to see it utilized in unexpected ways, whether it be in styling or in the fabric. After all, part of what makes up good design is the ability to creatively interpret things in ways that others have not.

always classic, Burberry

Fall 2009: Ralph Lauren's "Americana" plaids

Photo Credits: Firstview

UPDATE 5-12-10: "Spaceballs I has gone to PLAID!"

"Blondie Ambition"

Debbie Harry is simply a Goddess. I pretty much worshiped her as a young girl and through my teenage years. I even went so far as to paint one of her album covers on the back of my jean jacket! Yes, I confess, I had a painted jean jacket -- several, in fact. And I painted for others! I guess you could say that I had a thriving little business in High School!

cover of Debbie Harry's solo album, KooKoo from 1981

(of all images, this is what I chose for the back of my jean jacket!)

Debbie was so stunningly beautiful in the 70’s and 80’s, but she also had a great sense of style and some killer pipes! She had a tremendous voice and she looked so sexy and so edgy, I wanted to be her. Unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to dye my hair. I wasn’t even allowed to have pierced ears until age thirteen!

beautiful Blondie

I just posted about the decade that was the sensational seventies and I realized that I was lucky to be born into such a colorful period in time. Jeffrey, from Fashion by the Rules, reminded me of Studio 54 and the divine age of Disco. I can only imagine what it would have been like to be a part of that glamorous scene. How empowering to wear the revealing clothes, how exhilarating to dance all night and how surreal to meet Andy Warhol!

Debbie and her mates in 1978

Fashion of the Disco Age can be summed up in one word – SEXY! Or maybe SKIN. Or maybe STILETTO. At any rate, women like Bianca Jagger, Janice Dickinson, Ivana Trump and Jerry Hall frequented the notorious night club, Studio 54, dressed to kill. But, Debbie Harry did it better than anyone, in my opinion. She was always dressed to perfection, right down to her lip gloss.

decadence and disco balls

Debbie Harry circa 1978

I want to wear this outfit this weekend!

Harry set so many trends which we still interpret today. Madonna is an icon, no doubt, but who do you think went blonde first? Ms. Harry, obviously. One of my favs from the 80’s, Terri Nunn from the band Berlin, adopted Blondie’s “dip dye” hair style and I see people wearing versions of this look today on the streets of NYC.

Debbie accessories a plain white tee and plain white tank with her dip dye hair

My pal (and jewelry designer whose Cleopatra earrings are in the upcoming Sex and the City film), has been blogging recently about her obsession with “Double Denim.” In fact, so has fellow blogger and founder of IFB, Jennine Jacob. It seems “D-squared” (not the designer duo/twins) is coming back with a vengeance. Debby Harry was wearing this look over 30 years ago!

Debbie does denim!

I’m a sucker for stripes and for sailor influenced ensembles which Harry wore often. These looks are classic, but Blondie kept them cute and current by infusing her own sense of style.

wearing sailor stripes and a sailor collar

Debbie Harry, 1978

At nearly 65 years old, the gorgeous Debbie Harry is still turning heads and still as fashionable as ever.

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

Get Some Courrèges

Continuing my theme from the other day, Fashion Repeats, I thought I would head back to the 60's -- not on some psychedelic acid trip or anything, but back to the fashion archives. Fashion trends usually repeat every 25 years or so, which is why we have seen the resurgence of the 1980's over the past few seasons. Since I'm a child of this decade, I don't find what I see in magazines, stores and on the runways lately to be as tragic as others do!

 a very modern looking Courrèges leather jacket from the 1960's

Claude Montana, circa 1988 (left) & Balenciaga, Spring 2010 (right)

Considering the cyclical tendencies of fashion tends, it is also logical that I find the styles of the 1960's to be visually appealing. I've always been drawn to strong shapes and geometric styling and this has manifested into my personal design aesthetic. As a young, budding designer, I was not only influenced by the innovators of the 1980's (i.e. Montana, Mugler, Ferré), but also of the 1960's.

Some of my favorite 1960's fashions are the creations of André Courrèges. Courrèges was a French designer known for his ultra-modern style. Born March 9, 1923 in the Pyrenees, Courrèges traveled to Paris at age 25 and worked briefly at a fashion design house (Geanne Lafaurie) before going to work with Spanish designer, Cristobal Balenciaga.

Courrèges, 1965 (Left)

(Right) Me in 1988 in my pathetic attempt to make a similar jacket style (I didn't even know how to sew back then!)  I'm subjecting myself to this embarrassing photo for the good of this post!

Courrèges eventually started his own collection, introducing space-age clothes. His designs were angular and he used shapes such as the square, trapezoid and triangle to create strong, futuristic and minimalistic pieces. The designer said that he built his dresses rather than designed them. Bright colors, plastic materials, synthetic fabrics and bold black and white patterns were rigidly constructed into unique styles that became Andre’s signature look.

Courrèges collage

Fashion Repeats

I've been kinda busy lately and I realize that I've been neglecting my blog a bit.  Shame on me!  This week, I am working on a few new styles and I always like to do a bit of research first -- some brainstorming to get the creative juices flowing. 

vintage motorcycle girl

I promise to share more on these garments later, but in the meantime I came across this amazing photo on the net (from an old LIFE magazine).  Something about it is speaking to me... perhaps that insanely wide and magnificent leather belt adorned with metal hardware.  How many designers have cinched the waist of a runway model with a version of a cummerbund style belt?  Good style and good fashion always repeats itself.

Yves Saint Laurent available on Net-A-Porter

More Creeps

Just what we need, more creeps in this world!  Thought I would build on yesterday's post - looks like it's not just musicians rockin' these shoes.  Check out these creepers taking a stroll down the runway...

Armand Basi, Fall 2009

Nathan Jenden, Fall 2007

Galliano for Dior, Fall 2004

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