Closer is the second book by Scott Schuman of the Sartorialist, the blog that inspired a million clones and turned street style blogging into the industry it is today. I bought his first book, The Sartorialist, when I moved to New York and totally feel in love. So I was trilled to learn Schuman was releasing a sequel. What I enjoy most about Closer is the diversity of images and the way Schuman plays with contrast in the spreads. One spread might show two people dressed head-to-toe in white, but each outfit is still individually unique. Another spread might show two people wearing similar colors, patterns, or type of dress, but each person wears it their own way. These patterns are so thoughtfully arranged and paced which adds to the experience of reading it. There’s also nice contrast between ages in Closer. It’s touching to see pictures of children beside adults and realize that at any age, one can be playful with style.
I’ve posted a sampling of my favorites but I highly recommend that you pick up the book for yourself! All Schuman’s books should be experienced in person as they each give an intimate look into how we dress and express ourselves through clothes. So get into it!
While looking through the March fashion magazines, Kenzo’s Spring 2013 ads caught my eye with their bold colors, prints and layout. Compared to other advertising in the March issues, these really stand out. Also I can’t get enough of the bold patterns! Now I can’t truly see myself wearing something like this, but I’m very into the pattern mixing that’s trending right now. I love how playful and graphic these combiations are. From a textile/pattern design standpoint, fashion is a great place to be inspired. And Kenzo’s Spring 2013 collection is a great place to look for new ideas.
It’s (almost) that time of year again, SPRING! To celebrate, I’m sharing new images from Marimekko‘s Spring 2013 campaign, “Colour for a reason.” Aren’t these colors and textiles like a breath of fresh air?? Be sure to drop by one of their stores, or check out their new collections online here.
Yesterday I blogged about Grace Coddington, Creative Director at Vogue and her uninspiring memoir Grace. After ranting about my disappointment with her memoir, I wanted to show you how it’s done. Everyone knows about Anna Wintour, but before Anna there was Diana! Diana Vreeland is best known for holding the top position at American Vogue and her earlier years at Harper’s Bazaar. As she famously said, “I wasn’t a fashion editor, I was THE ONE AND ONLY fashion editor.” After the magazines, Vreeland staged another career comeback by transforming the Met’s Costume Institute from a sleepy storage facility into a vibrant and wildly popular wing of the museum. Under Vreeland’s leadership the Met housed 15 blockbuster shows, much like the hugely popular shows at the Costume Institute today.
In the fall I saw her documentary The Eye Has to Travel and I was hooked on her larger than life personality. She really was a treasure, though I would have been terrified to work for her. I didn’t know much about her before seeing the movie, but now I can’t get enough. I’m currently reading the book The Eye Has to Travel by Lisa Immordino Vreeland, but I’d DIE to find more of her famous office memos the documentary talks about. Visionaire writes,
One day a mysterious package arrived at the Visionaire offices. It was a large box containing more than four-hundred original memos from Diana Vreeland to her staff at Vogue. The package had been sent to us by a contributor who preferred to remain anonymous but who had been on the receiving end of some of this legendary inter-office correspondence. In some ways, the experience was like stumbling upon fashion’s Holy Grail. We had heard stories about these memos but were stunned to find out that they actually existed. Dating from 1966 to 1972, the memos, which were dictated to Vreeland’s secretary from the sanctuary of her bathroom each morning, covered topics ranging from the wacky (the use of freckles or the utter importance of dog collars, for example) to the divine (the genius of Halston). But more importantly, the Vreeland memos provide a rare glimpse inside the mind of one of the most influential women in fashion history. (Visionaire 37)
“I am extremely disappointed to see that we have used practically no pearls at all in the past few issues. In fact, many necklines could have been helped by pearls worn inside the dress that show inside the cutaway sides and back of most ordinary dresses on top…
I speak of this very often — and as soon as I stop speaking the pearls disappear.
Nothing gives the luxury of pearls. Please keep this in mind.”
How amazing would it be to read a larger collection of these memos?? Just like Vreeland said herself, I’d DIE to get my hands on a copy of Visionaire 37 that published 150 of Vreeland’s office memos. I’m sure one day they’ll surface in a larger collection. So until that is published, check out the a-mazing documentary and the book! You won’t regret it!
Last week I began following Diane von Furstenburg (@DVF) on Instagram and they’ve been posting some really interesting photos. I love fashion brands that use Instragram, Tumblr, Facebook etc. to give fans a unique behind the scenes look at the brand. DVF does this quite well, and even shares a “Print of the Week” from their pattern/textile library. As a textile/pattern design lover I get so excited when they post them.
How great are these patterns? The first one is hands down my favorite! If I was a girl I’d dress ALL in graphic patterns.
I love seeing how they mix patterns and textiles at DVF. It’s a tricky business and they do it so well!
Couldn’t have a DVF post without posting one of Diane herself!
So get into the graphic print greatness that is DVF and be sure to check out their Spring 2013 show at NY Fashion Week. Also be sure sure to follow Diane von Furstenburg on Twitter and Instagram (@DVF) for a behind the scenes look at the brand. And remember, love is life! -Diane
Today while browsing Behance portfolios, I found a cool campaign from P&G’s Dreft + fashion illustrator Anna Halarewicz. I love the tagline paired with fashion illustration and use of watercolor. What a simple-yet-effective idea right? While looking for other examples of her work, it’s clear to see watercolor is Anna’s medium of choice and she pairs it masterfully with her illustrative style. There’s just something about fashion illustration that always catches my eye!
I found a few more examples of Anna Halarewicz’s illustration which I’ll share below.
And finally, the artist herself!
I haven’t been able to find an official website for her, but if you look on pinterest or tumblr, lot’s of her stuff pops up.
Today I’m giving you a glimpse into the home life of Frank Muytjens, head menswear designer at J.Crew. I’ve seen editorial features on Frank for a while, popping up in magazines and online, but I particularly enjoyed this profile at Elle Decor giving readers a tour inside his country home 2 hours outside of NYC. Not only does Frank have excellent taste when it comes to designing menswear (at least half of my wardrobe is J.Crew these days), but he’s equally adept at designing beautiful interiors. When in the city, Frank calls Williamsburg, Brooklyn home (we’re neighbors – I must meet him!), and he’s created an equally beautiful space there. So happy Friday, and get into these beautiful interiors by Frank Muytjens, the man behind the men at J.Crew.
Living room – looooove the light and flowers.
Simple kitchen.
In front every great designer, is a great desk. It all starts with a desk.
Love the painting on the wall, and the fan/stack of National Geographics.
How amazing is this closet? SUCH ENVY.
Frank at home in the country (above). Frank and his two-year old Dutch.
It’s been a few weeks since my last post so I thought now would be a great time to update you guys on my freelance projects from the last few months. While things have been busier than ever at my day job (designing for Moroccanoil), I’ve been doing more and more freelance the last few months. One of the groups I most enjoy working with is ConnCAN, an education non-profiled based in New Haven, CT. I was approached by ConnCAN last spring to work on a Field Guide (pictured above) highlighting the state of education in Connecticut. We were inspired by the graphic look of the Field Notes series of products, so we applied this theme to ConnCAN’s Field Guide.
The Field Guide is filled with lots of charts and tables all designed to match the “Field Notes” theme. I designed a set of icons that appear on each page to look like field guide badges. The look of this report was so well-recieved, that one of Deleware’s non-profit groups designed their own guide/report inspried by my design.
Another fun project I’ve been working on is a logo/branding project for a NYC-based fashion designer. After years of working for some of the biggest brands in the business, he’s decided to make his impact on the fashion world with his own label. I’m going to wait to show you the final product once his site launches, but I think some of the process/behind the scenes screen grabs are particularly beautiful. I don’t actually design that many true “logos,” nor do I do that much custom lettering, but for this project I had the opportunity to do both.
Custom “A” and “R” pictured above.
Playing with letterforms – beautiful no?
One last project I have in the pipeline is helping Two Inch Cuffs, a NY-based fashion lifestyle website, that curates an impeccable collection of clothing and accessories. I was approached by Ruben Hughes, a talented gentleman I’ve followed on tumblr for a year or two now. I’ve always admired the sense of style and taste he brings to Two Inch Cuffs. So be sure to check out the site for Two Inch Cuffs, shop their collection, follow their journal and sign up for their newsletter, as the next one you recieve may be designed by me
One last shoutout to all the designers at Appalachian State University! I was told last week that my blog has been showed in studio classes for my thoughts on resume/portfolio design. It’s nice to come full circle, just a few short years ago I was in those same classes myself. So sending loves of love to ASU!
Friday I stumbled across this great post on T Magazine’s blog showing the mood boards that inspired three designers (J. Mendel, Joseph Altuzarra, and Bibhu Mohapatra) to create their Spring/Summer 2013 collections at this seasons NYFW. Mood boards are one of my favorite ways to start when beginning new design projects, especially identity projects for new brands. They’re e a good way to look at color, type, symbols and imagery to evoke a certain feeling or communicate an idea. It’s commonplace in fashion to start collections this way and it can be a helpful exercise for graphic design too.
The first image (above) is Bibhu Mohapatra‘s mood board, “With his iPhone, he shot the shimmering coral-tipped, green-bodied moth against the old barn wall where it was perched. For his spring collection, his tenth, Mohapatra was focused on metamorphosis––”each look is a change in life,” he says––and on the idea of new energy coming and old energy peeling off. Also pictured here are geometric shapes, from a detailed piece of artwork by the Japanese stencil-artist Kako Ueda, a simple but personal picture of railroad tracks weaving in and out that was shot in Mohapatra’s native India and tons of black-and-white imagery of butterflies, dragonflies and spiders.”
“Sometimes it just stems from a feeling — it doesn’t have to have a rhyme or a reason,” says Gilles Mendel of his sources of inspiration each season. “For spring 2013, I was inspired by these amazing photographs of Japanese wisteria gardens, which ended up informing color, prints and textures.” The flower-informed color palette seen here and at the J. Mendel show, on Sept. 12, drew from deep irises and violets, tiger lilies, pale roses and a “jolt of cornflower blue,” Mendel says.
Each season, Joseph Altuzarra, the recent CFDA Award winner for women’s wear, builds his mood boards from thousands of pictures. For his Spring 2013 collection, which included pencil-striped linen skirts and work-wear classics like railroad engineers’ jackets (but with slits in the sides for a caping effect), one inspiration bled throughout: Carine Roitfeld. “It began with Carine,” says Altuzarra of the fashion editor who is often spotted in banker shirts and pencil skirts, with her jacket almost always thrown over her shoulders. “She embodies this attitude toward clothes that is very Altuzarra.”
I came across the work of Illustrator Michael Sanderson last week on Pinterest and immediately fell in love with his unique style of fashion illustration. Sanderson is a Portland-based creative illustrator and designer. He writes,
A concentration on fashion & retail and a firm understanding of current photography standards sets the tone of Michael Sanderson’s primary aesthetic–An amalgamation of a photographer’s eye and an artist’s hand. Research also plays a pivotal role in the work, keeping up with cultural & contemporary design trends while considering the lasting potential of creative choices, lend in the creation of edgy yet timeless concepts.
Another blog writes that when Sanderson was accepted to the Art Institute of Chicago, the Colorado native dropped out of high school to pursue a fashion design degree. Later, after landing his first major client, Sanderson left the Art Institute to start his own independent design career. It’s interesting to see the path artists/designers take to become established. There really is no set path to take, you just need talent and passion. Design school isn’t necessarily the golden ticket it’s promised to be, there are other routes to success!
Enjoy a collection of Sanderson’s work, check out his website (here), and follow him on tumblr (here). I’m truly in love with the Portland/outdoorsy aesthetic of his tumblr so lots of great collected inspiration there.
Gentlemen prefer Kiehl’s – Michael Sanderson for Keihl’s.
Really love this series.
Sanderson has a whole series of illustrated products that I’m so in love with.
I think they’re self-initiated projects, maybe products he loves?
Flannel Shirt.
Starbucks.
TAZO Tea.
Chap Stick.
I like that Sanderson does so much men’s fashion illustration.
The characters in his illustrations all look so hip, woodsy and cool. Great style.
As I’m writing this from the Outer Banks of NC this week, I hope everyone gets a chance to go outside and explore look for inspiration.
A quick screen shot of Sanderson’s tumblr. Get into it (here).
