The New Girl

Beth Pilger may have over ten years of experience in the fashion industry, however when it comes to the Atlanta market, Beth is the new girl in town.
A Parsons graduate and West Virginia native, Beth Pilger took on the daunting task of designing her own line of women's ready to wear, after freelancing as a design assistant, tradeshow assistant and costumer. She used this experience along with her MBA to develop a line that goes well beyond creating beautiful clothing that speaks to everyone. Read more

MK and Ashley O Get Shady

This piece was originally written for MissOmniMedia.com but alas it was unused due to uncontrolled circumstances...It happens...After putting so much work into it I decided I had to post it somewhere and here it is.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have been slowly taking over the world one step at a time since they shared screen time as Michelle Tanner. After tackling TV, DVDs, Wal-Mart and the runways, the girls are moving into eyewear for Spring 2010.

For the collection the Olsens are teaming up with Linda Farrow Eyewear, the mastermind behind Dries Van Noten ‘s and Jeremy Scott’s innovative eyewear, to produce four distinct styles for their luxury line, The Row, in a licensed partnership. The four styles include a pair of aviators, an oversized square frame, vintage inspired brow-lined rims, and awesome John Lennon-esque round shades. The glasses will retail from $325-$390 and will be sold in high end department stores such as Barneys New York and Bergdorf Goodman.

According to WWD, Ashley Olsen stated that “We’re testing the market first and obviously these are four very different silhouettes, so we’re seeing what people are responding to and we’ll open up a couple more silhouettes for fall,” and “We tried to find certain pieces that look good on more than one face, to pay close attention to how they fit certain faces and make them wearable at the same time.”

The girls have already made a name for themselves in the accessories market through the expansion of their contemporary line, Elizabeth and James, into footwear and jewelry. However designing eyewear has proven to be an entirely different ball game for the girls. Mary-Kate told WWD, “Designing eyewear was definitely more complicated than we thought, and of course we wanted to be extremely hands-on.” The girls’ hands-on approach has definitely paid off, as evidenced by Mary Kate rocking a pair of the unreleased sunnies to the Burberry show during London Fashion Week.

Romero Bryan brings London style to Atlanta

Disclaimer: This article was orignally written for Examiner.com. All content belongs to the author and is not to be reproduced without her consent.

British “boy wonder” Romero Bryan is now back in London basking in the glory of another successful show completed during London Fashion Week and gearing up for the BEFFTA Awards where he was nominated for best male designer. Just a few weeks ago the 26 year old was here in Atlanta looking for potential buyers and enjoying the sights and sounds of Atlanta....For the full article go to examiner.com.

FashionHow Selections

 Disclaimer: This post was written last summer while I was interning at FashionHow in NYC. All of my posts from there are property of FashionHow and can be viewed on the FashionHow blog. I'm only showing a few samples from FashionHow in this post

Fashion's 50 Most Powerful

New York's Daily News recently released the 50 most powerful players in fashion, just in time for fashion week. Topping the list, of course, is American Vogue editor Anna Wintour, followed by GAP Inc head designer Patrick Robinson and Marc Jacob pulling in at number 3. The list is packed with fashion staples like Diane von Furstenberg (#8), Patricia Field (#22) and Donna Karen, Ralph Lauren, and Francisco Costa (#44). Then of course what would fashion be without the models, like the original supermodels Christy, Naomi, Helena, and Linda all at #38, 19 year old Coco Rocha at 49, and Iman at 42. The list even packs a few surprises like facialist Christine Chin (#34) who keeps the model's faces in tip top shape, manager of 'wichcraft Bryant Park, Michael Oliver (#30) who keeps the espresso flowing on those long days under the tents, lawyer Betsey Pearce who was responsible for wrangling Phoebe Philo at Chloe and Nicola Ghesquire at Balenciaga.
 
Commes des Garcons for H&M
 

Rei Kawakubo brings her avant-garde Japanese yet French named label, Commes des Garcons, to H&M this November. The collaboration was announced last April and will be launched at the Tokyo H&M before the world wide roll out a few days later. After getting a first look at the collection in the September issue of W and a few online leaks via various websites, I can say the collection remains true to Rei's style. The collection is composed of both men's and women's apparel and features a very Tim Burton-esque Lolita Goth dress and loads of polka dots. Of the collaboration Rei says, "It is a fascinating challenge to work with H&M, since it is a chance to take the dilemma (of balancing creation and business) to its extreme, and try and solve it." Commes de Garcons' H&M collaboration adds to H&M's list of modern legends who have done capsule collections for them in the past, including Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Viktor and Rolf, and most recently Roberto Cavalli.
 
Tom Ford to Direct

Way back in when Tom Ford left fashion to possibly pursue a career as a director, things didn't exactly pan out so he went back to fashion. Now, he's back in the movie making business having secured the rights to Christopher Issherwood's 1964 book A Single Man, about a gay college professor dealing with the recent death of his lover. Already Julianne Moore and Jamie Bell are signed on for the film with Colin Firth in talks to play the lead role. Ford plans to begin filming in November, although no studio is currently attached to the project.

Designers Roger Gary

Disclaimer: This article was originally written for FashionHow's International Designers Showcase. All images and words are property of FashionHow. To view the original pice go to the International Designers Showcase blog.

Speaking with designer Roger Gary this week, I not only got a feel for his up coming collection of women's wear, inspired by an imaginary midnight visit to the South American rainforests, but I also got a feel for what makes his designs truly unique. Gary's beautifully unpredictable work has been seen in various publications including Essence Magazine and industry go to guide Women's Wear Daily, as well as on BET's "Rip the Runway" and VH1/Vogue First Fashion Awards. Born in Guyana, South America, Gary often draws from the colorful landscape of his homeland when working. During our interview he told me that he finds inspiration in everything from the simple to the unusual, citing a past collection he presented after Halle Berry won her Oscar in 2002, " After her win she was talking about starting work on a James Bond film, then I thought Bond and my next collection was based on the James Bond films." Turning back to his company and his successes as a designer he informed me that listening to his inner voice and being just as careful in the end as he is in the beginning have helped him immensely, "You have to make sure that the quality level at the beginning is maintained. You can't rush to finish things." This advice, I'm sure, has proved helpful for Gary not only in his career as a designer but also in his years as a student at both the Pratt Institute and Parsons School of Design. We ended our conversation with a look at the future of Roger Gary Designs by Gary telling me that he lets things evolve organically, "I'm pleasantly surprised by how things have gone and I want to continue to grow the company. You have to let things happen naturally you can't force them." If letting things evolve naturally has lead to such a successful career for Gary, the natural evolution for years to come will surely be both exciting and inspiring. By Anastasia Simon

Deigners Samantha Mark

Disclaimer: This article was written for FashionHow's International Designer Showcase. All images and words are property of FashionHow. If you want to view the original got to the International Designers Showcase blog.

Lonndon born Samantha Mark is more than excited to be showing her third collection this September in the Mecca of American fashion, New York City. The young designer is heavily influenced not only by her life spent in the clash of cultures that exist in London, but the art world as well. When asked about which artists in particular inspire her pieces she remarked "From Kahlo to Rothko, from Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art, there are just too many to mention. However, it is not only the products of their labor, but the quirks and determination of their personalities that I am also drawn towards." Although her first collection debuted only two years ago, she is now standing on the brink of greatness and will soon begin working at Alexander McQueen. With regards to her placement with such a prestigious designer, Samantha says that McQueen is a great inspiration to her and that she will be in awe to be working under the same roof as he and his team. She also mentioned that he was the artist she based her "chosen designer" on when winning the FashionHow Young Designer Award. Getting back to her upcoming show in New York, Samantha is expecting a warm reception form the New York audiences and is looking forward to seeing her garments make their inaugural stroll down the runway. She also warns the audience to expect of all things, humor and irony in her collection. Since she loves working with prints, textures and colors in different ways to give her work "edge, a tactile quality, and an appeal of irony and personality" we can expect to be wowed by her use of these elements. If Samantha continues to surprise the fashion world with by injecting her designs with humor and paradox, drawing inspiration from the art world and honing her skills under the roof of greats like Alexander McQueen, her future will be just as she predicted it, filled with "Much more to come." By Anastasia Simon

Romero Bryan- Designer Interview

Disclaimer: This article was written for FashionHow's International Designer Showcase. All images and words are property of FashionHow. If you want to view the original got to the International Designers Showcase blog.

Romero Bryan, designer "Boy Wonder", took a few minutes to type out the answers to my questions via email from London, England. Romero began designing at the tender age of 11 when he asked a local tailor to make him a shirt for his final primary school dance, unable to afford the tailor's asking price the youngster began doing odd jobs around the shop in exchange for lessons in pattern making and eventually the shirt was done. The rest as they say was history, while most kids his age were begging their parents for a weekly allowance 12 yr old Romero was making shirts to order. Now his he can count Beyonce, Victoria Beckham, Kate Moss, and Kelly Rowland as admirers of his designs. He hopes one day to add singers Estelle and Amy Winehouse, as well as media mogul Oprah Winfrey to his list saying, "I love women who are powerful and make moves in society/world. She has always been an inspiration for me and someday I know I will have the opportunity to specially design an outfit/gown for her." He counts his determination, drive and knowledge as keys to his hard earned success; although in his humility he doesn't count himself amongst the successful set at this point in his career. With respect to his upcoming Spring/Summer 09 line Romero has pulled inspiration form the ever increasing demand for pieces that are both fashionable and affordable, giving birth to his Rome by Romero Bryan line. The line is "…a diffusion of my exclusive line, Romero Bryan, but of affordable glamour using similar design ideas and more cost effective fabrics. Rome is for the confident working/partying woman that loves shopping at high 'haute street level'." This new more affordable line will surely draw more media attention to the young designer, not that he's in short supply of it these days. After being listed on the Royal Bank of Scotland's 2020 Rich List back in September 2003 at the age of 19, Romero has been in major publications including The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian, and has made several television appearances and even getting advice from fashion stylist and fashion editor at Dazed, Cynthia Lawrence John. The press and publicity hasn't disrupted his life however, aside from bringing his career to the next level and freebies Romero says "I'm a fashion designer not a brain surgeon. I'm not into all that fake fashion lifestyle; I'm more about meeting the demand of what I feel females want/need." Level headed, humble and a great designer, not bad for a guy who would probably have been a brain surgeon had he not found his calling in fashion. Since signing with Willbaforce Management, Romero's future is so bright he may need to start designing shades. He aims to become a leader in the "Haute Street" market by further developing his Rome by Romero Bryan brand and by doing the same thing with his high end line Romero Bryan. His most important future goal however is "…to encourage others from my background that any dream worth dreaming about, is worth the hard work, and therefore is achievable." I couldn't have thought of better parting words myself. by Anastassia Simon