TFG Exclusive: Off the Grid

When museum events and fashion combine, you won't find a happier girl than me. I consider museums my church and fashion my soul. Combine that with my Angeleno pride, and you get a girl ready to jump out of bed to beat the early morning traffic and make her way to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to check out the Wear LACMA products for this special Off the Grid post.  

LACMA storefront for Wear LACMA

Wear LACMA is a new fashion line featuring limited-edition pieces created by some of Los Angeles’ top designers and inspired by the museum’s permanent collection. The pieces will be sold exclusively at the LACMA store. The art and fashion project aims to bring focus to the LA art and fashion scene. In its first collaboration, Wear LACMA is featuring exclusive designs by Johnson Hartig for Libertine and Gregory Parkinson. 

Libertine for Wear LACMA

Hartig’s “Libertine for LACMA” totes ($65), tees ($95), and blazers ($1500), drew on design elements from Thomas Lawrence’s Portrait of Arthur Atherley as an Etonian (below) with a playful twist on the white of the shirt being altered to say "LACMA" repeatedly.

Meanwhile, Parkinson's designs included a little girl's tie-dyed dress inspired by Adriaen Coorte’s Wild Strawberries in a Wan Li Bowl (below) as well as two designs for women made of lace with frayed edges.

Gregory Parkinson for Wear LACMA

All proceeds of the sales of the clothing line go to support LACMA. The museum's efforts in immersing itself in the L.A. music, film, and fashion scene are truly worth your money. We just wonder if any of the future designers will take on one of our all-time favorite pieces, David Hockney's Mullholland Drive: The Road to the Studio. 

TFG Exclusive: Off the Grid

The summer days have kept us busy here at TFG and we apologize for the scant posting. Nevertheless, we are coming back in full swing with our new series "Off the Grid," where we go off-line and take to the streets to bring our readers coverage of a mixed assortment of fashion related excursions, events, interviews, and street style. Our first "Off the Grid" post will be dedicated to my visit at the Getty Center for the Herb Ritts: LA Style exhibit with a dear friend, Kristin.

A former employee of the Getty Center, Kristin was the perfect companion for this particular visit and has in general become my recent museum buddy, as we both share an interest in art and fashion. It was a beautiful sunny day and the ocean views from the hilltop architectural modernist campus designed by Richard Meier reminded me why I'm such a proud Angeleno.

After feasting on delicious crab cakes and Cobb salads at what was plainly called "The Restaurant," we made our way to the space marked by the famed photographer's signature crisp, black-and-white photographs. 

There they were, the iconic images of the Amazonian supermodels that shaped the 90s fashion industry, reminding me of what a profilic photographer Ritts was and how his work truly helped define the standard of beauty at the time.

Known for his clean lines and strong forms, Ritts's style of photography made subjects like Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Stephanie Seymour, and Christy Turlington achieve an almost sculpture-like perfection. 

Other signature features of Ritts's work include heavy shadows, contrasting textures, defined features, and architectural elements. Aside from his fame as a fashion and commercial photographer, he was more interested in the human form than the clothes themselves, modernizing the nude while maintaining its classic simplicity. Nevertheless, Ritts's distinct style enabled him to successfully bridge the gap between art and commerce. 

I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that the famed photographer produced three of the most memorable music videos of all time- Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game,"Janet Jackson's "Love Will Never Do Without You," and Madonna's "Cherish."

Ritts seamlessly translated his style of photography into these videos, shaping the look and feel by bringing a personal connection to the subject while simultaneously capturing their iconic essence. 

The exhibit only solidified my belief in the power of photography- even fashion photography. It can shape pop culture and leave an indelible impression on a society. It captures a particular time period while simultaneously transcending it. 

I left the exhibit with a purchase of Herb Ritts: LA Style to add to my collection of art and fashion coffee-table books. It contains all the images from the exhibit and can be purchased here. To learn more about the famed photographer and his work, click here.

TFG Exclusive: Off the Grid

February NYFW is long gone, and all the attention is now on the latest the Paris runways have to offer. So here is a brief recap of all that NYFW had to offer as The Fashion Grid made it's way from one event to the next. Check out the pictures below!

Law of the Fashion Show 
 

What would NYFW be without a stop at Fordham Fashion Law Institute, which was holding a conference on the Law of the Fashion Show. TFG had a chance to reconnect with Susan Scafidi and fellow fashion lawyers and listen to the following panel of speakers discuss the legal issues that arise in conducting fashion shows:

• Steve Gordon of Steve Gordon Law
• Ali Grace, Associate Director of Business and Legal Affairs at Wilhelmina International, Ltd. 
• Emmett McCarthy, Designer for EMc2
• Amanda Sachs, Deputy General Counsel of Tory Burch, LLC
• Daniel Schulman, Finance Director of Milk Studios
• Doreen Small, Counsel at Golenbook Eisman Assor Bell and Peskoe LLP\

Steve Gordon, an entertainment lawyer, discussed the performance and sychronization licensing requirements designers need to obtain for the music played during the fashion show. For our non-lawyer readers, the performance license allows music to be played in a public venue, while a synchronization license is needed for the video footage containing the music. Ali Grace focused on the employment law issues that models and modeling agencies face during fashion season, while Amanda Sachs and Doreen Small spoke, respectively, to the need for fashion lawyers in accepting how the fashion world works and streamlining the legal process of conducting a fashion show. Emmett McCarthy and Daniel Shulman brought a designer's perspective to the panel, emphasizing the importance of acquiring the best legal advice at the outset of launching your own label. 

HELMUT LANG FALL 2012

Next stop was the Helmut Lang fashion show, where TFG got up front and close with the line's fall collection. Beautiful knits, lace and leather, with classic Helmut Lang asymmetry crossed the runway at Milk Studios. 

Color and texture were infused throughout the line, as splashes of red appear and fur trims appeared alongside the more sleek and tailored pieces.

Helmut Lang does lace, but still manages to keep it edgy.

 

The best part about Helmut Lang was our visit to their amazing new officesthe following day, where we got up close and personal with the clothes before market. 

Custo Barcelona Fall 2012

Custo Barcelona was true to form with vibrant colors and mix of prints and textures.

Diane Von Furstenberg Fall 2012

Unfortunately, the picture does not do justice to the vibrant jewel tones and shades of mustard that graced the Diane Von Furstenberg show.  The classic wide trousers and silk blouses further prove the timelessness of DVF's pieces.

Steve Kolb President of CFDA

 

Up close and personal with the President of the CFDA, Steve Kolb discusses the Fashion Incubator's work in helping emerging designers launch their lines.

Amanda Brooks, Fashion Director at Barneys New York 

Amanda Brooks discussing her favorite fall collections and trends.

Bloggers Take Over Fashion Week

It's no secret that the fashion bloggers have more influence on the fashion trends these days than major fashion magazines. Inside the tents is an entire section of board tables where dedicated bloggers like us at TFG type away and edit footage, bringing fashion to its readers as soon as it hits the runway.

Street Style Photographers Outside Lincoln Center

Street style photographers bare the cold while outside the Lincoln Center ready to take pictures of all the fashion show goers in their designer duds and inspirational ensembles.

 TFG looks forward to next season's shows at NYFW.