LYRA MAG.

DATE & TIME: Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009 12:15: The Bryant Park Hotel – 25th Floor Designer Bibhu Mohapatra debuted a capsule collection of 20 looks for his first solo outing since leaving J. Mendel. He’s had to work smart, now that he doesn’t have the mega budget he had at J. Mendel. This involved a great deal of draping and working with muslins and sketching before he made his first cut into the fabrics. As we arrived early, he took a few minutes to talk to us about his collection and design philosophy. LM: How are you handling the recession? BIBHU MOHAPTRA: I tried to keep the prices realistic, giving them a product that is impeccably made with a longer life expectancy. LM: What was the inspiration? BM: Three things: 1. The Jap. Warriors from the 15th and 16th century – the look is like a silk and metal armadillo. 2. The artist Hans Hartung – a contemporary of Picasso’s, known for his beautiful canvases of deep colors with spots of color peeking through. 3. Daphne Guinness, who I ...

Text, Vivian G. Kelly Images, Randy Brooke, Courtesy of Academy of Art University ACADEMY OF ART has the distinction of being the ONLY fashion school that shows on the New York Runway. Each season, a handful of students are selected to showcase their designs to the fashion community of retailers and press. Also in the audience are prospective AAU students and their parents. Recently, the excitement level has escalated and the buzz in the air at this show was palpable. The lucky students who got to come to New York and show their collections this year to a packed house that included Saks' Michael Fink and ANTM [America's Next Top Model] host, Nigel Barker in the front row. The varying aesthetics made for a great overall show mix. WHO SHOWED *Jamie Cole [her second time, this time as a solo act] *Elena Akoulova *Eric Tan and Karina Cordiale *Tara Bradley *Anne Jones & Michelle Clarke *Daniel Emir Armosilla *Desiree Daniels *Ali Khan & Sook-Yeong Kwong *Kara Laricks *Johan...

Text, Casi Densmore-Koon Edited by Vivian G. Kelly Images, Dan Lecca, courtesy of Mercedes-Benz TIME & PLACE: October 16th @ 4pm, LA Fashion Week at Smash box, Studios, the spring 2009 collection. The tulle women's collection was conceived by design duo JENNIFER SMITH and AMOUSHKA SCOTT. The women were brought together by the desire to preserve past trends and by their love of travel. WHAT THEY SHOWED: pants, tops, skirts and dresses, outwear & chic separates. DESIGN INSPIRATIONS Vintage fashion, flowers, architecture, as well as indie art shows and local boutiques. THE DESIGNER INTERVIEW LYRA MAG: Can you tell us a little bit about your inspiration for the Spring 2009 Collection? TULLE: We were inspired by images of vintage bicycles, boats, and the idea of spring fever and love at first sight. CLOTH LOGIC: It was inspired in part by launch of Cloth Logic and Spring fever in the Ivy League school campus of Boston. I was really taken back by a picture I saw of a couple wal...

Text & Images, Vivian G. Kelly Time & Place: Wednesday night, November 19, 2008, the Agatha Ruiz de la Prada store at 135 Wooster Street, downtown Manhattan THE INSPIRATION: “Las Meninas” Spanish painter, Velazquez’s masterpiece, of the solemn blonde Infanta Margarita [daughter of King Phillip IV], trapped in a stiff costume, surrounded by her faithful attendants. WHY: The party was held in honor of one of a kind capsule collection Ms. de la Prada designed for F.I.T. Our favorite dress, and one our friend and guest, Molly Sutter of Limelight Ltd., ordered on the spot, was photographed and ran in WWD. The baby pink strapless with astonishing tulle detailing fulfills any mother’s fantasy of being a prima ballerina or the belle of the ball. THE CROWD: It was like being in Spain, with all of the Spanish being spoken. A famous face, Belem Hudson in attendance wearing a blue Agatha Ruiz de la Prada. PR maven, LISA SILHANEK, who looked great in a hot pink and orange de la Prada swea...

Text, Casi Densmore-Koon Edited by Vivian G. Kelly Images, Casi Densmore-Koon and also courtesy of Peter Tsai Photography
 www.petersaiphotography.com Day One: Sunday October 12th, @6pm "The life of our collection transcends the inner workings of California: echoing the curves of our coast, the fluidity of the ocean, and the internal systems of beings in brilliant harmony with its surroundings." – Designers of Suh-Tahn The designers, SHANNON NATA and DIMITRY TCHARFASD created a collection full of bright white, black, navy and denim that was simple yet a very innovative collection that was at once light and organic. Before the show we were able to catch up with the designers as we sat in on rehearsal. They could hardly sit still as they danced to the runway music and laughed with the models – we could all feel their excitement and the great energy they brought to the room. DESIGNER INTERVIEW Lyra Mag: What is your design philosophy? S-T: Our philosophy is to find balance. L...

When: October 2009, at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Where: Smashbox Studios, Culver City, CA - home of Los Angeles Fashion Week Text, Casi Densmore-Koon Edited by Vivian G. Kelly Images courtesy of Peter Tsai and Ming Han Chung “I went to Morocco…..with Allen Ginsberg in my satchel and Bob Dylan in my ears. Met Alessandro and embarked on a romantic adventure….Safari in Africa and sunsets in Greece.” – Whitley Kros Whitley Kros is a fictional character many girls would love to be. Design duo - MARISSA RIBISIS, singer Beck's wife, and SOPHIA COLOMA collaborated to name the gypsy child. We were able to speak with the designers before the show began to find out exactly who Whitley Kros is. Lyra Mag: Who is Whitley Kros? Sophia: We have this character, Whitley Kros we created. She is a character who travels the world. The concept is like she gets on a plane and she has a satchel and she has music in her ipod, and a book, the things she’s reading, and you know how when you travel oversea...

Text & Images of the spring 2009 collection, Vivian G. Kelly Image of the Devi Kroell bag for Target, from www.shopdiary.com TIME& PLACE: New York Fashion Week, Wednesday, Sept. 10, late afternoon Offsite at Milk Studios, 450 West 15th St., The Forbidden Zone, NYC We didn’t see as many accessories on the runway as we would have liked, not really that much of a surprise as lately Europe has really dominated in that area. All of that changed when we arrived at Milk Studios and walked into what we can only describe as accessories Nirvana. We got a major accessories fix at DEVI KROELL, which kept us going for the rest of NY Fashion Week. While we’re fans of masstige collections, [Devi did a fine job for their GO Target collection which launched on July 14, 2007 and received favorable press] if there is ANY way possible, save your pennies and buy the real this time. THE ACCESSORY COLLECTION There were animal skin clutches, classic hobo bags, the wooden clutch, and bucket bags and so...

Text, Vivian G. Kelly Images, Richard Spiegel TIME & PLACE: New York Fashion Week, 3:30PM, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008 The Trianon Suite at the Carlyle Hotel, 33 East 76th St., NYC PR player, PAUL WILMOT and his staff organized a gathering to show-off Barbara Tfank’s latest. This one was a treat, as it felt as if we were attending a leisurely afternoon tea party at the Carlye rather than hitting yet another of the 30+ fashion presentations we covered that week. Mr. Wilmot was in high spirits, fresh off the high from the deal he struck earlier in the week with PR giant, FLEISHMAN- HILLARD. The association with Hillard takes his boutique PR Company, PAUL WILMOT COMMUNICATIONS to a whole new level. The plan is for Fleishman-Hillard to expand the Wilmot brand to other strategic markets, potentially Los Angeles, London and Tokyo. In attendance was Harper’s Bazaar contributor and host of VH-1’s “America’s Most Smartest Model host MARY ALICE STEPHENSON as well as stylist AMANDA ROSS, who’s...