Style Hacks

 

Last seek I stumbled across this super delightful video from the folks at J.Crew. In the video, Somsack (head of women’s design) and Halsey (a copywriter) pop in to help you with your most-pressing denim-related emergencies. This video appears in a series called Style Hacks, and you can view the rest here on their blog.

(To see more posts like this, check out my Retail Watch blog here).

I’ve been a fan of J.Crew single middle school, and even worked there as a digital designer (see my work for the brand here). I just love everything about this video. So true to the J.Crew brand, simple, stylish and preppy, with a slight wink. J.Crew hasn’t been immune to the retail struggles of late, but seeing content like this reminds me of why I feel in love with the brand years ago. Love the color, personality and sense of fun.

Jenna Lyons (creative director of J.Crew) even makes an appearance (above)!

I’m OBSESSED with this telephone, and the stills from the video. Great art direction and styling.

Job well done J.Crew! Are you as into this series as I am? More please J.Crew! Can’t wait for the next hack.

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Retail Watch – An Introduction

Barneys New York Downtown Flagship

So just what is Retail Watch? I’m establishing this new “blog” as a collection of thoughts, musings, and opinions specifically related to the worlds of fashion, retail, beauty and brands. As an Art Director/Designer with over 8 years experience in these areas, I have a deep understanding of how this crazy world works. I also love brands (a lot of people say that, but I really do), and I have LOTS of opinions.

This blog will of course live on, but I want to focus my portfolio site/blog about all this fashion and retail, and focus this blog on design and inspiration. So worry not!

Fashion is a strange type of magic. It’s art that you live in. Or it can be. Once upon a time, fashion was about labels, and the status they carried. Labels evolved into brands, then lifestyle brands, and experiences and now they touch every aspect of what we see and do. And while todays retail landscape is more challenging than ever, there’s also more opportunity than ever.

So in this blog, I want to focus on that, opportunity. And innovation. And magic. How do we bring a sense of magic, surprise and innovation back into retail? How do we make the shopping experience special? Macy’s tagline is, “the magic of Macy’s.” Have you been to a Macy’s recently and experienced ANY magic? Almost every mall in America has a Macy’s, and what can you see, buy or do at Macy’s that you can’t see, buy or do anywhere else? Or at any other department store for that matter. In the race to consolidate all the department store brands, we’re left with a sea of sameness. And Macy’s isn’t alone. Department stores and retail brands are struggling across the board, unless you’re H&M, Forever 21 and Zara …

So what can brands do? There’s not one simple solution. But it has to be about ideas, innovation and experiences. The solution has to go BEYOND retail. And that’s what I’ll explore on this blog. Gap is off to a great start with their newly launched Generation Gap campaign. Nordstrom has their pop-in shops, H&M/Nike and Adidas has their design/artist/athlete collaborations.

Can retail move forward by looking back? I think so! What happened to all those regional department stores we grew up with? What made them unique and special? What about certain brands creates a connection that lingers? That’s what I want to explore! Feel free to follow, comment, share and let’s start a conversation.

 

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Coach Spring/Summer 2016

Several weeks ago, under the guidance of Creative Director Stuart Vevers, Coach debuted their first-ever menswear collection at London Fashion week. As any 90’s kid knows, Coach is an American accessories brand, once on top of the word, but has struggled in recent years to establish relevance in todays rapidly shifting fashion landscape. In 2013, Stuart Vevers, formally of Mulberry and Loewe, was appointed Executive Creative Director of the brand and is quickly reshaping Coach into a modern lifestyle brand for a younger generation. In the fall I blogged about Coach’s Fall 14 advertising campaign being one of my favorites, and the Spring 2016 Menswear collection is adding to my growing love for the brand.

I’m so in love with the animal print mixing! So playful, young and graphic. As a guy, I feel like most American brands (J.Crew, Gap, etc) struggle with offering newness each season. This collection is a breath of fresh air! Finally a brand offering something you don’t see in a million other stores. I can’t wait for next spring when this collection is available in stores, and I can’t wait to see what Vevers creates in the seasons to come. So check out more images from the Coach Spring/Summer 2016 Menswear Collection below, and get into it!

Awesome right, below are some backstage shots captured by Russ McClintock.

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!!

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It’s a Thom Browne World

Hello world, I’m alive! I’ve been a horrible contributor by not added anything to the blog in months, but I’m back! I’m finally ready to come back from winter hibernation.

One designer I’ve been watching for years is Thom Browne. When I worked in Tribeca, I’d see his employees in the neighborhood (the HQ/showroom is around the corner from my old office), and I’d always envy how well-tailored the suits were, and how sharp all the guys looked. Thom Browne suits, for those that don’t know, are typically cut hight above the ankle, and gray/blue or black with his signature red, white and blue label details.

How great do these guys look?

While these suits look amazing, I’m particularly drawn to how inventive his runway shows are each season at Fashion Week. Those collections are much more avant-garde and creative. Recently I stumbled across Thom Browne’s tumblr and really fell in love with his brand. On their own these images seem crazy, and I used to always think, who would wear that ?!?! Together, I see the vision of a truly original designer, and I’m so excited to see what he’ll produce in the future. Now I’ll have to add a gray Thom Browne suit to my fashion/closet bucket list … now check out the looks below, and get into the fanciful world of Thom Browne.

Spring/Summer 2015 Mens collection (above), women’s below.

Thom Browne Spring 2014 (above).

Spring 2011 (above). How awesome is this blazer?

So there you have it, my best-of Thom Browne collection. Cool right?

If you like what you see, check out Thom Browne’s tumblr here. Get into it!

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December at Shinola

Today I stumbled across Shinola’s BEAUTIFUL December inspiration board on Pinterest and it literally stopped me in my tracks. I’m totally in love with the green + neutral color palette. Also love the “greens, greys + gifting” tagline. This is how you design an elevated Holiday experience! I just want to LIVE in these photos. Over the next few days I’m going to share some holiday inspiration from some of my favorite brands, so get into the holiday spirit, and get into Shinola!

How great are these images?? I’ll take one of everything. If you’re in NYC, check out their beautiful store in NYC’s Tribeca neighborhood (dangerously close to my office) or check them out online.

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Wood Wood x Disney Collection

Recently I stumbled across the a-mazing collaboration between Scandinavian streetwear brand Wood Wood, and Disney. This capsulate collection was first released at Colette in Paris, then online in Europe. I was immediately drawn to the abstracted patterns and prints designer Brian SS Jensen created of Disney’s Mickey Mouse. How inventive and creative! It’s frankly surprising a mega-brand like Disney would license their creative in this way. So forward thinking and cool of them. I can’t get enough of this entire collection. What do you guys think?

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Pattern Play with Leta Sobierajski

Today while browsing Pinterest I stumbled across the Leta Sobierajski x Print All Over Me collection and stopped in my tracks. I haven’t blogged about patterns/prints too much lately, so consider this post a return to form. I seriously can’t get enough of these images. Great patterns, fun colors + poses … what a fun project! Leta Sobierajski is a multidisciplinary freelance designer & art director in New York City. She combines mediums in design, photography, art, and styling to develop tangible compositions for print, digital, and motion. In 2014, she was recognized as a top 20 under 30 designer in Print Magazine’s New Visual Artists issue. I’m also super-into the typeface she designed, Marle, which can be purchased exclusively at Ten Dollar Fronts. It’s so great to see graphic designers experimenting with patterns. This project definitely inspires me to step up my game and get back into creating patterns of my own. But until then, get into more of Leta’s collection for Print All Over Me below.

 

How great are these? If you want to check out more of Leta Sobierajski’s work, check out her site, her collection for Print All Over Me, or follow her on social media. Get into it!

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Fall 14 Fashion Campaigns

A few days ago, I blogged about my early favorite Fall 14 ad campaign by Cole Haan that caught my eye. And now that I’ve had sufficient time to luxuriate around my apartment and enjoy all my September Issues, I’ve created my Fall 14 favorites list! My number one favorite, hands-down, is the Fall 14 Moschino campaign shot my Steven Meisel (who coincidentally shot almost ALL of my favorites this year). I love the mix of high and low, the beautiful classic museum-style photography paired with Jeremey Scott’s crazy clothes, which themselves are a blend of American pop culture and high fashion. They are playful and fun. And who doesn’t love the iconic models in the campaign?

Second up are the Fall 14 Miu Miu ads (below), also shot by Steven Meisel – noticing a trend here??

 

I love the high contrast black & white. These are something edgy and new compared to the Miu Miu ads I’m used to seeing.

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Cole Haan Fall 2014 Campaign

 

Now that it’s finally September, my favorite fashion time of year, the new Fall ’14 campaigns are releasing in magazines, social media and outdoor advertising across the US. It’s no secret that I have a Cole Haan obsession, so it’s no surprise I’m totally in-love with their newest campaign starring Dree Hemingway. Shot in Sun Valley, Idaho by renowned photographer Glen Luchford and conceived by Wednesday Agency, the campaign takes the brand in a new direction.

According to Cole Haan,

The underlying theme of the synergy between tradition and modernity is also evocative of Ms. Hemingway’s approach to her rich family legacy, while simultaneously forging her own path. A fresh take on the American Dream, the campaign imagery of Dree on open roads and in other rural scenes embodies both the self-determination and independent spirit of Cole Haan and Ms. Hemingway. 

I’m loving the new “lifestyle” direction to their advertising. I wonder if they have a male brand ambassador shot this way? Anyways, get into the beautiful images below and stay tuned for my favorite fashion ads from the September issues this weekend. Get into it! Happy Fall! 

Aren’t these great? Take a peak how Cole Haan took over a subway station in NYC below. 

 

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Bergdorf Windows – Day Two!

Bergdorf Goodman Spring 2014 “Art Matters” window (above), wallpaper by Adam Parker Smith

A few days ago I blogged about the beautiful store windows of Bergdorf Goodman, and as promised, here’s a few more of my favorites! First up are the spring 2014 “Art Matters” windows (pictured above and below). For this set of windows BG commissioned 10 artists to design 10 windows for the store celebrating “Art” as their muse. I especially love the image with custom wallpaper by artist Adam Parker Smith (above). The wallpaper was created by arranging hundreds of tiny 3D objects together to create a patterned wallpaper. The picture doesn’t really do it justice as I was lucky enough to see this in person. Also the clothes displayed in the window matched the concept so perfectly. If you’re digging the look of this, check out Flat Vernacular’s wallpaper that follows the same idea. Moving along, I love the series of mannequin-inspired windows (further below), as I’m obsessed with mannequins!! From all my jobs in fashion/retail, I’m surrounded by mannequins and there’s just something about them. They’re a little bit creepy and a little bit fun. So I love that BG created a series of windows with mannequins as a focal point. Lastly, I wanted to share BG’s holiday windows celebrating Halloween + Jason Wu. How great are the masks? I like how BG takes one idea (like Halloween masks) and fleshes them out in different ways: masks printed and titled on paper, lots of small mask gridded on a wall, etc etc. Great right? Hope you enjoyed this second look into the legendary store windows of Bergdorf Goodman. Get into it.

Tom Ford “Art Matters” window above.

Mannequin-inspired windows (above and below). Love how BG took this idea and presented it so many ways.

Love this series of windows, what a playful way to present Halloween windows. I just wish these photos had been taken during the day!

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