Paige Hunter Blog

Candy Crush: Who will win the fashion version?

Forget clearing a jelly or creating a wrapped candy – the current game in fashion is an even more colourful Candy Crush version of its own! There are more designers and executives moving around the big brands than you would find on a video puzzle.

Out after her final Gucci show in Milan in February is Frida Giannini, creative director – along with her partner in work and life, Patrizio di Marco, Gucci CEO. Will Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy now move into Frida’s hot spot, leaving a space to fill at his current house? That is the rumour. It would mean Riccardo leaving luxury group LVMH and moving to its rival Kering – not unlike Nicolas Ghesquière leaving Kering’s Balenciaga and joining LVMH’s Louis Vuitton last year.

And what about Christopher Kane, the brilliant young British designer now owned by Kering? Kane worked with Donatella Versace in Milan. Would he be a good fit for Gucci?

But there are so many more Candy Crush opportunities. Young, virile fashion designer Olivier Rousteing at Balmain is still in place. But he has had to face the sad and sudden recent death of Balmain CEO Alain Hivelin.

”In my heart, I would wish for young designers not to get hooked on this fascinating but dangerous game”

Another smart young designer, Guillaume Henry, has left Carven for Nina Ricci, filling a designer space vacated by Peter Copping – who has in turn gone to Oscar de la Renta in New York, following the sad death of the founder last month.

Who else is moving and shaking? Peter Dundas might be tempted to leave Pucci and go back to Roberto Cavalli where he enjoyed early success.

Already colourful Candy Crushes are lined up: Hermès has appointed Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski as creative director; she was a hit at The Row in New York. Ditto for Tod’s creative director Alessandra Facchinetti. She trained at Gucci, was briefly at Valentino, and is now under the wing of Diego Della Valle of Tod’s. Marco Zanini is out at Schiaparelli leaving yet another vacancy.

And other young designer collaborations include, in Paris, Alexander Wang’s designs for Balenciaga. In Milan, Anthony Vaccarello is working at Versus for Versace. While in New York, German brand Hugo Boss picked up Jason Wu, one of Michelle Obama’s favourite designers.

Just like in video games, there are big winners and stark eliminations.

In my heart, I would wish for young designers not to get hooked on this fascinating but dangerous game. There may be an instant buzz, but I think that a long and steady – for example, as for Alber Elbaz at Lanvin – is the way to lasting fashion happiness.

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Being a teen can be tough, but catering to one is even more difficult.

Teen retailers are learning that lesson the hard way this holiday season.

The longtime CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch on Tuesday abruptly retired just a week after the retailer posted an 11.5 percent quarterly sales drop and slashed its annual profit forecast. And American Eagle and Aeropostale gave dismal forecasts for the quarter that includes the holiday shopping season after each posted weak sales for the fall.

Teen retailers are facing ho-hum results at a time when overall U.S. retail sales are up 5.1 percent over the past 12 months, the Commerce Department said today.

It's a major shift for teen retailers. They became popular in the last decade for their logo tees and trendy jeans, which became a high school uniform of sorts. But since the recession, these stores have been losing favor with their core demographic.

One reason is technology. Teens are more interested in playing on smartphones than hanging out at the mall where these stores are. They're also more likely to spend their money on iPhones and other tech gadgets than on clothes.

And when they do buy clothes, they do so differently than past generations who found comfort in dressing like their peers. Today's teens shun the idea of wearing the same outfit as the girl or guy sitting next to them in chemistry class.

Case in point: Olivia Nash, a 16-year-old junior from Washington, D.C. Nash used to shop at American Eagle and Abercrombie, but now she pulls together pieces at a variety of other retailers.

"When I was younger, everyone wanted what everyone else had," she says. But now, Nash says "everyone is putting their own individual spin" on their look.

This change in teen shopping patterns isn't lost on retailers that spent years building their brands around a sort of "insta-look" that shoppers could buy right off the rack.

The three big teen retailers are getting rid of shirts and other items that have their logos and adding trendy fashions and athletic styles. They're allowing shoppers to buy online and pick up in stores. And they're getting fashions in stores faster in an effort to compete with so-called fast-fashion retailers like H&M.

American Eagle, the mid-priced brand of the three chains, says it's adding jeans with different washes this holiday season. Meanwhile, Aeropostale, which is at the low-price range with jeans at about $40, is adding everything from cropped metallic tank tops to floral lace leggings. That's a switch for the retailer, which used to focus on basics like jeans and sweatshirts.

Julian Geiger, Aeropostale's CEO, acknowledged the shift in the way teens shop during a talk with investors last week. But he said the chain has added too many looks in its zeal to chase after fast-fashion chains.

"I still believe that while they strive for individuality in many ways, at 14- to 17-years-old, they still want to be accepted by their friends and peers and that there is still a uniform that they wear that makes them cool," said Geiger, the chain's former CEO who was rehired in August.

For its part, Abercrombie, whose other brands Hollister Co. and Gilly Hicks, has made the biggest changes.

The chain, which says it's hired an executive search firm to find a successor to its CEO, has added neoprene party dresses and faux fur vests this holiday season. Additionally, it introduced black items - something it had never done before.

But perhaps the biggest change customers will see is at the cash register. The retailer, which could easily sell $90 jeans before the recession, is permanently cutting prices across the board by 15 percent.

"It is very clear that the young apparel sector in which we operate is going through a period of disruption and turmoil," said outgoing CEO Mike Jeffries on a conference call with investors last week after the chain released disappointing quarterly results. "In response to that, we are making significant changes."

Les Berglass, CEO of an executive recruiting firm that works with retailers, said Abercrombie and other teen chains also need to incorporate more technology so that as soon as customers walk in the store with their smartphones, they can recognize them and help them.

"They have to make a product that is more exciting than the iPhone6," he said.

Nash, the Washington, D.C., high school junior, said at least one of the teen retailers is on the right track. She said she's noticed trendier styles on Abercrombie's website: "I think I may venture back to the store."

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Should you find yourself in a department store's jam-packed beauty hall this Christmas you can guarantee that Julia Roberts, with her mega-watt smile and twinkling teeth will be grinning at you from a Lancôme counter; as the face of the brand's 'La Vie Est Belle' (life is beautiful) perfume, she plays the glossy, happy, quintessential Hollywood star.

Hats off to the actress then, for embracing something darker for 2015.

The 47-year-old American was handpicked by Givenchy creative director Riccardo Tisci - he who has a fondness for the Kardashian-Wests - to star in the French fashion house's new ads, and there's not a flash of Roberts' famous smile in sight.

"The mood of the show was about this very powerful woman, and Julia represents this very much," Tisci told WWD of the spring 2015 ads, which will break in the March issues of monthly titles.

Sporting minimal make-up and Givenchy's core, boyish offering of clothes, the result is an arresting set of portraits captured by revered photography duo Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott.

"I decided to make her more intellectual, more serious, more pure," explained Tisci of his famous subject. "It's a different, fresh, new way to see Julia - really cool and urban, I think."

And the Italian designer is clearly in awe of the 'Pretty Woman' star; "She's incredible as a woman. I love her so much: she's funny, ironic, intelligent, cultured - everything."

Having been largely out of the spotlight for several years, Roberts made a return to the red carpet late last year to promote 'August: Osage County' and attended the SAG Awards, Golden Globes and Oscars - the latter for which she wore Givenchy Haute Couture.

"She represents the couture part," added Tisci of Roberts. "It's important to show your iconic work. I want to build what is the real classic wardrobe."

Roberts will share the campaign with a slew of younger models on location as Tisci's campaigns often juxtapose studio shots and outdoorsy images.

Roberts is set to grace screens next year in 'The Secret in Their Eyes', a drama co-starring Nicole Kidman and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

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New York officials hope to show their commitment to supporting fashion and manufacturing in the city with a significant investment in a new fashion epicenter in Brooklyn.

The 160,000-square-foot facility, named the Manufacturing Innovation Hub for Apparel, Textiles & Wearable Tech, will be housed in Liberty View Industrial Plaza in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. It is designed to help bolster local manufacturing, create jobs and emerging designers, WWD reported.

A $3.5 million investment from the New York City Economic Development Corp. will be used to develop the facility, which will also feature an 110,000-square-foot space that will be used for job-intensive active manufacturing use.

Construction is slated to get underway by New York Fashion Week in February, and the project is expected to take about nine months. Ole Sondresen Architect, which has designed spaces for Etsy and Kickstarter, will oversee the redesign of the space, Buro247 reported.

This new fashion hub, which is expected to create or retain about 300 jobs, will include a workforce-development center, a research-and-development center focused on innovative fashion and wearable technology and a sample-making factory, as well as an incubator space that will house private studios, conference rooms, classroom space, a computer lab, an industrial sewing room, storage and work areas for 50 designers.

About a month ago, Pratt Institute unveiled its Brooklyn Fashion and Design Accelerator, a 21,000-square-foot facility located in the Pfizer building in South Williamsburg. The space, called BF + DA for short, features work space, a showroom, a conference room, a 3-D fabrication lab with 3-D printing and laser-cutting services, a sample development studio and other small-run manufacturing capabilities, as well as a retail space where the public can shop and meet the designers.

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Just in time for the holiday season, Bulova recently debuted a first-of-its-kind watch that any timepiece aficionado would love to have in his or her collection.

The timepiece is the world's first-ever watch made with pure 24-karat gold and is the first edition in Bulova's new Joseph Bulova Collection — a group of watches that represents the highest level of watchmaking achievement. With a suggested retail value of $42,000, this watch, which earned WatchPro's Innovative Watch of the Year award, is the most expensive timepiece Bulova has ever produced.

"WatchPro is one of the leading authorities on the watch industry, and to have The Joseph Bulova First Edition 24-Karat Gold Timepiece recognized in such a way is very important to Bulova," Bulova president Gregory Thumm told us.

"It's also very appropriate because our founder, for whom the collection is named, had an unwavering dedication to innovation. This watch is a true testament to a legacy of excellence in design and engineering that continues to be centrally important to the company today."

The unprecedented use of 24-karat gold isn't the only special aspect of this watch. The piece was constructed in a "unique capsule form, with bezel, case and caseback anchored together with light and durable grade-5 titanium components to form an integral case. A separate sub-bezel, designed as part of the case, keeps the watch secure with a series of specially designed bumpers to deflect shocks and holds a sapphire crystal with more than five layers of anti-reflective coating." The strap design is also registered for patent. It was engineered for strength and security by combining two material layers — an alligator strap and a 316L stainless steel mesh bracelet.

"The watch is designed to be the ultimate status item for the gold connoisseur. It would be a conversation piece based on engineering alone, but the look is extremely distinctive — sophisticated with strong sport lines, superior finish and meticulous detailing," Thumm told us.

"In addition, we've designed it to be exceptionally wearable and comfortable, with such features as the unique two-layer strap, which is engineered to maximize flexibility and comfort."

Given its uniqueness and special features, this piece is not meant for the average watch wearer.

"We designed the watch for someone who appreciates, not only extraordinary engineering and quality, but impeccable styling and fine timekeeping. The 26-jewel automatic movement of each watch has been certified as a chronometer by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC). This is a serious timepiece, and, as an unprecedented manufacturing accomplishment, it is a timekeeping essential for the true connoisseur," Thumm told us.

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With Thanksgiving finally in the rearview mirror, it’s time to focus on the most vital question of the holiday season: What stuff do we want people to give us? Let’s not kid ourselves — it’s not world peace, or not just that, anyway. We asked celebrities, notable socials and fashion personalities to share their deepest, most lavish wishes.

Margot Robbie: A tattoo gun. I started giving tattoos recently. I’ve given five. And now I want my own gun.

Scott Eastwood: More socks. Always more socks.

Nicola Peltz: Every year my dad takes me somewhere special that I’ve always wanted to go to. I really want to go to Africa. Maybe Cape Town.

Natasha Poly: A puppy? I better get one. I’m letting the world know I want a puppy. Now I’m going to get 10 of them at my door. I love all breeds.

Jenny Packham: I love buying presents for people. My daughter is mad about David Bowie so I’ll be giving her a vintage David Bowie record this year.

James Franco: I don’t really need anything. I love books, so books are a good present for me.

Jennifer Weiner: Amy Goodwin is an artist I discovered in Cape Cod. She works in different media, including encaustics — pieces of art made using colored wax instead of paint. Her images of women in the water are striking and gorgeous, and after buying a few of her pieces I tracked her down and asked her to do portraits of both of my girls. Her portraits of Lucy and Phoebe, both at age four, on the beach, are the most valuable things I own. I’d love nothing more than an encaustic portrait of the girls as they are now, maybe with our dog, Moochie, who is also a beach girl.

Georgina Bloomberg: Ever since I started cooking for my son, I have started to love experimenting with new foods and making healthy plain fruits and vegetables into a puree for both of us. If I had a good, small personal blender I think it would make my life easier and make him like my cooking even more.

Caroline de Maigret: Alfred Wertheimer, the photographer, used to shoot Elvis. He did the best portraits of Elvis and just died. [It] made me realize that I wanted a print of his. They’re very intimate pictures of Elvis. So I asked for an Alfred Wertheimer print.

Marisa Berenson: I think the most important thing is just to be with people you love. It’s more important to have the friendships and the love than anything else. The most important thing is the gift of life and friendship and love and all of that.

Inès de la Fressange: For my daughter, lined boots, a cardigan by I Love Mr. Mittens and a book of François Villon poetry [French poet of the late Middle Ages]. From my lover, cashmere socks, a Margaret Howell tweed suit and a weekend in Stockholm. For my friends, Best Made Co. mugs and Roger Vivier U ballet flats. My wish list includes a bottle of Mitsouko — I always run out of it — a Marie-Hélène de Taillac ring, an Apriati bracelet, notebooks and a eucalyptus tree.

Benjamin Millepied: Given the amount of work that I have, a spa or a massage would be a treat. Natalie [Portman] loves books. We have a lot of them but we haven’t brought them all to Paris as we knew we would spend a lot of time browsing the bookshops here. We like to go to Shakespeare and Company [on the Left Bank.] Paris is great for bookshops. They are closing one after another in New York. It’s sad. Well, there is a new French one [Albertine.] It’s very nice.”

Mélanie Laurent: I am working on the adaptation of Christophe Ono-dit-Biot’s novel ‘Plonger’ [‘Dive’ in English]. I am looking for the actress to play Paz, the main female character. She needs to be Spanish and speak French. And I am looking for a mature woman, closer to her 40s than her 20s. So finding the one would be my Christmas gift!

New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer: I just bought a great pair of glasses from our own New York City-based Warby Parker. Now, I need sunglasses! Warby Parker also partners with non-profits to distribute a free pair of glasses to someone in need for every pair they sell, which is a great program to support.​

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Here's how to work the dramatic bleached brow and nude lip beauty look.

One of the most dramatic beauty looks on the catwalk for Autumn/Winter 14 was monotone make-up. Bleached eyebrows and nude lips were favoured by a host of designers including Marc Jacobs, and even Kim Kardashian has given it a try.

You don't need to reach for the dye straight away; first see how you would look with bleached brows. Simply coat them with a mixture of full-coverage concealer and matte golden eyeshadow - a great way to work a new look for just one evening.

If you are determined to embrace the trend, then make sure your brows are in good condition before bleaching. The dyeing process will make hairs even weaker and the colour won't last as long if they are in a poor state. Also avoid bleaching straight after waxing as the colour may get into open pores and cause infection.

Maybe the thought of lightening your eyebrows is a bit too daunting, especially for any brunettes out there. But take away that element and you have an easy make-up trend that suits anyone and looks great both day and night. This is all about creating a subtle yet dramatic look and requires perfect contouring, great skin and a pared-down pout.

The most important thing about this trend is the use of tones; subtle hints of colour make all the difference. When choosing colour for cheeks and eyes, opt for hues slightly darker than your natural skin tone. This will give some depth to the look and add an understated element of drama. Try a light sweep of shimmering gold or rust on the eye sockets and a dash of bronzer across the cheeks.

The look shouldn't be flat or boring, so it's important to experiment with textures. If you want a matte lip, then change things up with your foundation by choosing something that creates a dewy finish. Or, if your skin is in great condition, simply apply an illuminator to give a subtle glow.

Some women are reluctant to wear nude lip shades because they feel they look washed out. While brighter pops of colour can complement your eye colour or skin tone, choosing the right neutral hue can create the effect of voluminous lips. A helpful tip when picking out a nude lipstick is to choose one that's a shade lighter than your natural lip colour. Make sure your pout is well moisturised and exfoliated, as cracked or dry lips will be accentuated by pale colours.

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A slight accent and good manners gave away Josilyn Williams’ Southern roots as soon as she arrived at WWD’s Midtown offices, when she apologized profusely for being just a few minutes late. The 21-year-old model, repped by DNA, moved to New York three years ago after being discovered at a shopping mall in Alabama. Since then, she’s appeared in numerous editorial layouts in Teen Vogue, Numéro, V, Elle Italia and Marie Claire U.K., among others, in addition to walking the runways for designers such as Acne, DKNY, Vivienne Westwood and Peter Som.

Though she’s grateful for having experienced different facets of the business — runway and editorial — Williams prefers the latter. “I’m kinda shy in general,” she said. “I keep to myself, so shows freak me out a little. They’re really hectic. On one of my first runway seasons, I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off to castings, fittings. It was a lot to deal with.”

Her self-described shyness, however, does not preclude personal sharing on social media. “Instagram is like…life,” Williams said (it’s a phrase she continued to use throughout the interview). “I’m always taking selfies.”

WWD: How did you start modeling?

Josilyn Williams: I was discovered in Alabama. I got scouted four hours away from where I live at a shopping mall in Birmingham. It was a contest — I didn’t think anything of it. I thought it was a scam.

WWD: So you had hesitations about it?

J.W.: Yeah. I can’t say that I wanted to be a model at first. I was 16 or 17 when I was scouted. They asked, “Are you interested in modeling?” I said, “No, I want to be a teacher.” I already thought I knew how everything in my life was going to fall in place.

WWD: And then you made the move to New York.

J.W.: My mom said, “You can always come back to Alabama. Just see if you like it.” I signed with DNA before I actually moved to New York. I moved here when I was 18, after I graduated high school. When I first got here, I was nervous. But after my first real photo shoot, I was, like, “Wow, I actually kind of like this. I can get used to this. This is fun.”

WWD: What were your first impressions of the city?

J.W.: It was a big eye-opener. Everything is completely different. Everything is really slow in the South, and everyone knows each other. When I came here, no one was really greeting me as nicely [as I was greeting them]. I was like, “Oh, okay.” I had to get adjusted. But now it’s cool.

WWD: What’s your life like now?

J.W.: I live in Midtown. I lived in a model apartment when I first moved here, but now I’m in my own place, thank God. My family and everyone at home is “Team Josilyn.” They see all the pictures. At first, my dad said, “No, I don’t want you to go to New York.” But now they come and visit. It’s fun. They love it here.

WWD: What do you like to do in your spare time?

J.W.: I’m a foodie. I used to take culinary arts classes for two years back in Alabama. I really like cooking. I like the whole art of it. And I love to eat.

WWD: Is there a particular modeling job you’ve done that stands out among the rest?

J.W.: I went to Jamaica and shot Marie Claire U.K. It was amazing. I thought, “Wow, this is life.” I had never been there before. It was so beautiful, I didn’t even feel like I was working. I took it all in and had a great time.

WWD: In what ways has this career changed you?

J.W.: I think it’s matured me a lot. I feel like I’m more well-rounded and more cultured. And I’ve become more interested in fashion now. There’s not much fashion in Alabama [she laughed].

WWD: What have you found to be most challenging?

J.W.: The fact that you can be “in” one moment and then it can completely change tomorrow. You never know what’s “in” and what’s not “in.” It’s always changing. It’s hard to stay ahead of it. I just take everything with a grain of salt. It is what it is. At the end of the day, it’s a business — that’s just how you have to think about it.

WWD: What are your thoughts on diversity in the business?

J.W.: There are so many different looks out there — so many different girls. It’s really becoming diverse. You see a lot of girls, and you think, “Is she really a model? I didn’t know that you could look like that and be a model.” There are so many different types of beauty.

WWD: Are there any models you look up to?

J.W.: If there’s anyone I look up to, it would probably be Joan Smalls, only because to an extent, we’re kind of going in the same direction. I’m really commercial and she is, too, but overnight, she blew up. She got someone to change their mind and to see her in a different way, and I look up to her for that. I think that’s so cool.

WWD: What are your dreams?

J.W.: V.S. [Victoria’s Secret] I think it’s every girl’s dream. That would be a “wow” moment. That would be…life.

A historical journey highlighting the changes in women’s fashion that took place during the pre-war, wartime and post-war eras is on offer in the form of an exhibit going on at the Museum of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Dubbed as ‘From Rationing to Ravishing: The Transformation of Women’s Clothing in the 1940s and 1950s’, the exhibit aims to reflect how historical events like the World War II can change and shape the daily lives of people and how it can have lasting impacts on the overall society.

With a vast collection of over 80 haute couture, Vancouver-made period garments and accessories on display, the event gives an insight into the silhouettes preferred by the designers during the changing times such as masculine shaped apparels made from rationed fabrics became a style statement during the war, peacetime saw the departure of frugality in fabrics and return of womanly silhouettes and the 1950s welcomed girlishness through lavishly decorated clothing trends.

Curated by the museum’s guest curators Ivan Sayers and Claus Jahnke, the featured exhibits include wartime wedding dresses made from parachute cloth, Boeing Vancouver overalls, cocktail dresses and post-WWII high fashions designed by renowned European couturiers like Christian Dior, Cristobel Balenciaga and Elsa Schiaparelli.

One of the major attractions of the event includes a black wool and satin number by the Parisian couturier Madame Gres who crafted the dress with some 80 pieces of cloth, stitched with intricate cutting and complex construction techniques, abiding by the fabric rationing mandates of that period.

The Vancouver museum exhibit will run until March 8, 2015.

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Australian brand Sass & Bide will be showing its fall 2015 collection at London Fashion Week, according to WWD, after showing in New York since 2013.

The London show will be the brand's first presentation without founders Heidi Middleton and Sarah-Jane Clarke, who both exited the fashion house in July. This will also be the first collection presented by new design director Anthony Cuthbertson — a British designer with experience working for Daks, Max Mara, Sportsmax, Moncler, Burlington, René Lezard and Amanda Wakeley.

Middleton and Clarke established the brand in 1999 and began by selling customized denim from a Portobello Market stall in London.

"We wanted to leave the business in really strong health and leave the brand while it was flourishing," Middleton told Australian Vogue back in July.

"We've had an amazing run especially in the last five to seven years. There's a great team in there that we believe can take the business forward. We've just appointed an amazing CEO who has great international experience and really understands quality brands and luxury. It was an instinctive decision that we both felt and we've always based our larger decisions in the business on intuition."

The pair of founders sold their surviving 35 percent of the company in September 2013. Myer, Australia's largest department store chain, bought the remaining share for 30 million Australian dollars (about $28 million). The department store already purchased 65 percent of Sass & Bide in February 2011 for 42.3 million Australian dollars (about $42.8 million).

"Heidi and Sarah-Jane's departure from Sass & Bide has been in planning for some time as they have been transitioning out of the business," Meyer said in a statement to Australian Vogue in July.

"Myer wishes Heidi and Sarah-Jane well, they go with our great good wishes, and we expect they will be associated with Sass & Bide for a long time."

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