Michelle Ochs

"The Cushnie et Ochs woman is no wallflower! She is someone with a strong presence, someone definitive who wants to put herself out there."

Michelle Ochs should know. One half of striking design duo Cushnie et Ochs, she embodies the sexy and strong woman she designs for. Razor-edge bob and a megawatt smile, the German-Filipino is confident yet bubbly and warm. With her partner Carly Cushnie, right after winning Parsons' Designer of the Year Award in 2007 (Cushnie placed right behind), went straight to work launching their own line. No business experience, first job straight out of school.

"We’re young, and becoming CEOs basically of our own company, so we kind of liked that aspect of it."

Cushnie et Ochs was immediately crowned the "next Proenza Schouler" by the New York fashion industry, and an Ecco Domani award followed in 2009.

"Few things are more electrifying than bearing witness to the nerves and excitement of a young designer’s first break-out show. It was highly anticipated by myself and the Bergdorf team ... the last girl walks, the curtain closes, they take a nervous bow. Cushnie et Ochs delivered and the label was born!" declared Bergdorf Goodman Fashion Director Linda Fargo. She ordered six pieces from their first collection to hang alongside major designers Marc Jacobs and Prada. Today Bergdorfs and Browns in London carry the collection.

For fall 2010, similar rave reviews were published.

"Watching their tough urban glamazons stalk down the catwalk in their Alejandro Ingelmo wedge-heeled booties and Albertus Swanepoel cloche hats emboldened by a strong-shouldered coat atop skinny leather pants, black leather body-con dresses, perforated leather pencil skirts and a savagely sexy fox-trimmed sweater, our overwhelming reaction was, simply, I want to look like that." - Lauren David Peden, vogue.com

They are supermodel clothes: lean, body-conscious silhouettes. I like a girl who can pull it off: fearless attitude, incredible talent yet feminine. Michelle is a girl who can make it in a man's world.

Cushnie et Ochs

Isabel Marant

“Every French girl wears Isabel Marant." - W

French girls are known for their effortless chic style: just-rolled-out-of-bed, grab something from off the ground, and ready to go. But the whole look -- from bed hair to flawless skin to well-loved clothes -- is deliberate. Designer Isabel Marant's clothes help a lot. Her boheme, slouchy pieces are comfortable yet stylish. They mix easily into your wardrobe, giving a bit of on trend élan to every look.

"If you want to find out what the cool crowd will be wearing next season, there's no better place to look than the Isabel Marant show." - Nicole Phelps, style.com

"All the foreign fashion editors when they go to Paris head straight to Isabel Marant.... There is a buzz on Isabel Marant because she put her finger on how women want to dress." - Lisa Armstrong, Fashion Editor of the Times

"She creates clothes that are part of a wardrobe, not just part of a trend." - Vanessa Friedman, Fashion Editor of the Financial Times

"Hers is an aesthetic that produces clothes women want to wear without necessarily demanding mega-watt attention." - Dolly Jones, vogue.co.uk

"Marant isn’t interested in the showstopping theatrics and splashy editorial looks that high fashion favors. She does real clothes with a carefully calibrated hip quotient that’s edgy but accessible." - Jessica Iredale, W

From pirates (spring 2010) to country girls (spring 2009) and the knickknacks she buys from all over the world while traveling, Isabel gets inspiration from everywhere. Her collection is completely a reflection on herself and what she likes.

"My point of view has always been to do clothes that I wanted to wear and then show them to the press."

"My clothes are for everyday life. They are timeless and always about comfort and shape."

She has been honing her talent and tastes for 21 years, when she launched the label in 1989. But it was until 1994 that she shifted away from jewelry and accessories to designer clothes. In 1999 she founded a secondary line, Etoile, to bring more accessibility to a younger clientele.

Isabel describes her process as "down-to-earth." It is slow, painstakingly so. She is one of those designers who has been off the radar for so long that every new client who discovers her feels like they have been let in on a secret. (True she is every Parisian girl's favorite designer, but to foreigners, she is still very much an enigma.) And those who do know about her find it incredibly frustrating to be unable to find her designs. Isabel Marant is expanding slower than demand calls for. Part of it is because she does everything herself. The other part is because she wants to control the quality.

“When you have too many stores, everything is so important; if you have a failure somewhere, everything comes crashing down and everybody starts to freak out and calculate too much. And then you start to lose your soul.”

Isabel is now finally ready to launch full on in the US. Her Soho store at 55 Greene Street will in April. Shoppers from all around the world can finally find her collection online at net-a-porter.com, where it just debuted (and many pieces subsequently sold out).

But, don’t worry, just because it is easier to buy Isabel Marant’s ruched suede boots dripping with chains, or pleated peg-legged pants doesn’t mean the cool factor will be diluted. Isabel designs clothes meant to elevate individual style. This means wear the clothes as you wish, mix with what you own. You wear the clothes, not the other way around. And that is the true secret of French dressing: comfort, individuality, with just a touch of cool.

“Our clients love the laid-back, ethnic glamour that underwrites all [Isabel Marant] pieces. The great thing about her clothes is that women feel they don’t need to do top-to-toe Isabel. One piece tends to pull the vibe together for clients who don’t want to look too groomed or too 'fashion’. There is a confidence and energy behind the brand that doesn’t need to be on trend to catch our imagination.... There’s no risk involved in wearing them. You will never look like you’ve tried too hard and that’s pretty unbeatable at the moment." - Ruth Chapman, co-owner of the Matches boutiques

http://www.isabelmarant.tm.fr/

Behind the Scenes of the Spring 2010 Isabel Marant Show



Isabel Marant Spring 2010 Runway

Spring 2010 Ad Campaign

Erin Fetherston 2

It was a Happy Valentine's Day from designer Erin Fetherston. Perfect lilac roses, Jacques Torres chocolate, champagne ... Erin knows what a girl wants. But even better was her fall 2010 collection titled "Chelsea Girl": knee length dresses with high boots, flowy silk tops, the most glam white suit -- it was a 70s affair. The collection was no gimmick, just wearable, grown-up feminine clothes. The fact that the models were adorable with Erin Fetherston-signature long hair and bangs only added to the charm.

(AND, further proof Erin is my kindred spirit: Zoë Kravitz sat in the front row with a wreath of flowers on her head. She is even more beautiful in person, delicate features, high cheekbones and a vibrant personality.)



More about Erin Fetherston



The fall 2010 collection

Anna Laub

Girls with glasses have it bad. While male nerds were rebranded as tech billionaires, Girls + glasses = NERD, unshakeable, damanged reputations, scarred from the recesses of middle school.

"Everyone is looking for ways to differentiate themselves at the moment. As you wear glasses on your face, it's the first thing people see, so you want them to look exciting, don't you?"

So it takes someone with major fashion cred to make girls with glasses cool. Anna Laub is one of those girls: poised, naturally casual-chic, perfectly-symmetrical features, and blessed with long, glossy hair. She epitomizes style as a fashion journalist for New York Times' T blog and the Europe Editor of trend forecaster WGSN. So when, out of a spur-of-moment whim, she decided to replace her beat-up 8 year old glasses with something she created on her own, who else but the fashion elite stand in line, eager for the debut?

"My ultimate glasses-wearers are people like Johnny Depp and Yves Saint Laurent, whose glasses really add to their look rather than detract from it, as well as actresses like Sixties icon Jean Seberg or Charlotte Gainsbourg - and also Kelis who really wears them in a contemporary style."

"I was coming from a fashion angle rather than an optical angle and I wanted them to be like a fashion accessory, from the way you buy them to the way you enjoy them and wear them."

French Vogue's go-to blogger was one of the first fans for Anna's Prism unisex eyeglasses. "Allô ? Sexy secretary ? Oui ! C’est moi ! … I love ‘em!" Garance Dore exclaimed. Hip hop star Kanye West, art director Julia Restoin Roitfeld (daugher of French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld) wear theirs for photo ops. Insider favorites Polish music director Kinga Burza, i-D magazine fashion director Erika Kurihara, architect Rafael de Cardenas all lined up to model her line. Only the top fashion stores carry them: Colette, Browns, Dover Street Market, Opening Ceremony, Barneys, and net-a-porter.com. Glasses have had their fashion breakthrough, thanks to Anna Laub.

“I am obsessive about the combination of the functional and the aesthetic.”

Prism eyeglasses are artisian glasses made of hand-cut Italian acetate from an archive dating to 1849. As a trend forecaster, Anna traveled the world for fashion inspiration. From Mexico City's Bauhaus architecture to Tel Aviv flea markets to American 50s vintage frames, each pair embodies a slightly retro, yet classic style. Each pair is named after a different city: Rio "sexy and cury," New York "classically cool,"Rome "classic with a Mod-style twist," Paris "coquettish," and London "cool but a bit more edgy."

"These glasses are not supposed to take over your look but to add to it, and encourage whatever style or individuality you have already - it was really about taking people that had a great style story already and show how the glasses add to that."

Anna's je ne sais quoi took a dowdy concept and made it cool with all the tastemakers. A girl who can do that and still radiate such a genuine smile: tres irrésistible!

About Prism

Credits: Wendy Bevan, Prism blog, David Dunan, Garance Dore, Prism, Wonderland, O Magazine, Vogue UK, Ami Sioux for i-D, John Francis Peters for Fader, Elle

Camille Miceli

"Camille Miceli is one of those Parisian girls who gets it right every time with seemingly zero effort or contrivance." - Meenal Mistry, Vogue

"Camille, c’est LA fashionista par excellence." - Elle France

"Arguably one of the best-dressed women in Paris" - J.J. Martin, Harper's Bazaar


Camilie Miceli is one of THE fashion muses, along with Amanda Harlech (Karl Lagerfeld, John Galliano), Isabella Blow (Alexander McQueen), and Carine Roitfeld (Tom Ford). Lured away from the head PR spot at Chanel by Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton in 1997, she was Marc's confidante and best friend in Paris.

“Camille is exuberant, vivacious, and sexy. When we first met, her energy and enthusiasm won my heart. She and her family have brought me up in Paris. Personally and professionally, Camille is a big part of my life.” - Marc Jacobs

But after two years, she realized "I don't have the character for PR at all because "I have this Italian side, [which makes me] too frank. If I can't stand someone, I will tell him, 'I cannot stand you!'" So she told Marc she wanted a new role. "I told Marc I wanted to remain creatively involved in the shows but leave the rest of it behind. He said, ‘Of course, but what are we going to call you?’ And then he said, ‘I know what, we’ll call you my muse. Karl has one, Galliano has one. Why not?’” Thus, launching Camille's new career as artistic advisor for Louis Vuitton.

Nameplate necklaces and candy-colored charm bracelets aside, Camille proved her starpower when she codesigned Blason, a fine jewelry collection, with hiphop star and producing Pharrell Williams. Time and again, she made Louis Vuitton fresh and relevant to tastemakers.

In October 2009, she moved to Christian Dior as Artistic Director of costume jewelry and most leather goods. Dior President and CEO Sidney Toledano lauded Camille's influence, noting it will “accelerate development of the house’s accessories.”

Camille has no formal training in design, but her upbringing was abound with artistic influences. Her father was an art book publisher and Karl Lagerfeld was her mom's good friend. She describes herself "hippie et nature," and decorates her home with themes such as "catastrophisme.” Chaos provides inspiration for her eccentric and erratic designs. It is also how she lives: a tour de force, bursting of energy. You can just imagine her throaty laugh: full and loud. Camelle's creations are a celebration of life.

Erin Fetherston

Fashion Informer: "Do you believe in love at first sight?"
Erin Fetherston: "Yes; I'm living proof."



Her best friends are director Ellen von Unwerth and indie actress Zooey Deschanel. After three years of studying fashion at Parsons in Paris, she debuted at Paris Haute Couture in July 2005 with a fashion adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Through The Looking Glass. So statuesque and beautiful, it was reported when she appeared to take a bow, editors assumed she was a model. After charming French critics, within one year of moving to New York, she won the prestigious Ecco Domani award, was nominated for a CFDA and had a collaboration with Target. Fashion designer Erin Fetherson lives a fantasy life.

"I love little girly baby-doll dresses. They're so feminine and romantic."


"I was a total drama child. I just loved creating the scene. Pieces that you make get entwined in their own plots."


Erin Fetherston embodies the free-spirited innocence of her clothes. She looks like an angel, with her white-blonde hair and wide-eyed smiles. Her influences are grounded in childhood and fantasy, reminiscing a trip through Japan's cherry orchards (spring 2010), Christmas Nutcrackers (fall 2009), or woodland nymphs (spring 2007). Through recently she has evolved from girly doll to a more sophisticated femininity, her clothes remain whimsical and romantic.

Erin Fetherston proves that fairy tales can come true.

Birds of a Fether collection video




Erin Fetherston's Designs

Alessandra Colombo

"androgynous with super feminine touches"



Italian girls typically exude va va voom sexiness, all curves, wild tousled hair and clothes that demand attention. But Milanese fashion designer Alessandra Colombo is different. Loulou de la Falaise and the Gainsbourg-Birkins are her icons. With her short hair, mischievous smilea and Audrey Hepburn gamine looks, she plays the role of garcon with aplomb. Thank you, the Sartorialist, for introducing this style star.

Phoebe Philo

Celine spring 2010: "I wanted to clean it up, refocus, and present a strong, powerful woman."

Phoebe Philo knows exactly what you want. She did it for Chloé, bringing you stacked wooden heels, wide-legged jeans, and the infamous Paddington handbag.

"Established Chloé as a stylish baseline, the Chanel of her generation” - Cathy Horyn, New York Times

Now she is back, bringing faded French label Céline from the trenches with THAT sleeveless trench dress.

“Phoebe Philo always had an uncanny gift for defining exactly what cool women want to wear.” - Vicki Woods, Vogue

"She has absolute precision in terms of being able to seize the fashion moment. She knows exactly what women are going to want tomorrow." – Claudine Barnabé, owner of Parisian boutique Espionne

Phoebe Philo is that cool girl, always one step ahead. Rather than elusive, she is mysterious. But she is not a snob. She is charmed by the copycat designers. She designs, instinctually, for everygirl. And she gets it right: sportswear meant to be worn: comfortable, classic and chic. Clothes that are meant to be reinterpreted and represented by the wearer.

"I'm not interested in clothes that just convey a certain look, or fashion. Clothes for me have always been a form of self-expression."

An effortless “It Girl” crowned many times over.