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

New York Fashion Week Contest Update

It is New York fashion week. My schedule has been enormously busy. But I have not forgotten about girl crush of the day. I will have profiles on some amazing girls posted very soon!

The contest has been extended to February 17, noon EST. I will have multiple winners. Basically, I am just looking for recommendations for cool girls to feature on girl crush. You can either send me an email, or twitter me (mygirlcrush).

Good luck! xx

Here is a partial selection of what you will receive for the best entry. I will be adding more! And you can always make requests for the things you like--I am flexible. (ie if you like more product, I can send you more product; if you like more magazines, more invitations, notes on the collections, I can focus on that too).

Click here for contest rules and details

Ania Arcaini

One look is all it takes.

She instantly captivates you.

Flawless style.

Flawless innate style. So rare. Nothing is forced. The nonchalant droop of her furried collar on a leather jacket she just-so-happens to toss over her dress. The hair pull back because it is fast and simple.

"She has the coolest style, body conscious and fun, always with a detail that’s "a little too much." A little too bright, patterned, or clashy."
- Garance Dore

Yet it is a style all her own. Be it in a Michael Angel kaleidoscope dress or a bondage dress à la Mark Fast. It can only be hers.

Luisa Via Roma Assistant Buyer Ania Arcaini turns heads steadily and slowly. No easy feat, given that she works at the most fashionable store in Florence. But there Ania was, and no one, nothing, not even a romantic walk with her boyfriend Scott Schuman (the Sartorialist) could tear superblogger and aesthete Garance Dore's gaze away from her.

That is the power her look.

Photo credit: www.garancedore.fr

Fiona Bollag

"Das Mädchen, das aus der Stille kam"

"The Girl who came from a world of silence"

Fiona Bollag is one of those girls, vibrant and pretty, with a wide smile and bubbly personality. Even if she wasn't a bestselling author, she would be famous. She has about a million friends, all over the world - friends who champion for her success. Her charisma captivates, her youthful optimism brightens your day. It is hard to imagine that she spent the first sixteen years of her life in silence, never hearing her twinkle of laughter that has charmed so many.

"100 most important Swiss people" - Schweizer Illustrierte

Deafness could not contain Fiona's desire to be heard. At 23, Fiona Bollag became an author. Within two months, her first hardcover run became a bestseller in Germany. Dutch, Polish and Estonian editions followed. Europe had fallen in love with Fiona and her inspirational story.

"At 16 I got Cochlear Implants on right side. Since then my life has completely changed. I could hear much better than before, which I did not expect. For example, I had never heard bird singing in my life! One spring day on our balcony, I asked my mom if those were bird songs. She started to cry..... I just learned to not give up, what I wanted, I got it. I wanted to hear better, that's why I chose the surgery. Five years later, I got my second surgery on my right ear. You need both ears to hear! I may struggle more than other people who are healthy, but I never give up. There are always up and downs, my handicap bothers me at times. Sometimes I wish I could contact people more easily--thank goodness for Blackberry!"

Fiona's love for fashion has solidly - and surprisingly - granted her the opportunities to express herself. She never planned to be an author. She is proof that if you are passionate enough about something, your dreams will come true. Fashion - in the form of a Hermes Birkin - changed her life.

"Les magazines de mode s’entassaient dans l’appartement. Un jour, mon oeil exercé détecta une erreur dans l’édition allemande de Glamour: on avait confondu le sac Birkin d’Hermès avec un sac Kelly! «Je n’en crois pas mes yeux», me disais-je à moi-même, «un magazine de mode qui commet une méprise aussi grossière!» J’envoyai ma critique par courrier électronique à Peter Hummel, reporter en chef de Glamour à Munich. Je terminai par ces mots: «Prière de ne pas téléphoner, je n’entends pas bien.»"

"The fashion magazines were piled in the apartment. One day, my trained eye detected an error in the German edition of Glamour: they had confused the Hermes Birkin bag with a Kelly bag! 'I cannot believe my eyes, I thought to myself , 'a fashion magazine who makes such a large mistake!' I sent my complaint via email to Peter Hummel, chief reporter of Glamour in Munich. I concluded with: 'Please do not call, I cannot hear well.'"

Peter Hummel contacted Fiona, curious of her statement. After hearing her story, he featured her in the magazine. The fervor the article created came to the attention of a German publisher, Ehrenwirth, who suggested Fiona draft her story.

"Le livre est sorti début octobre 2006 pour la Foire du Livre de Francfort. Sur la page de garde, on pouvait lire: copyright by Fiona Bollag. Mon rêve s’était réalisé et si mon nom ne figurait pas comme label sur une robe de soirée, il ornait tout de même un livre que j’avais écrit."

"The book was released in early October 2006 at the Book Fair in Frankfurt. On the cover page, it read: copyright by Fiona Bollag. My dream had come true. Even if my name does not appear on a label of an evening gown, it adorns a book I wrote."

Her book, Das Mädchen, das aus der Stille kam, is only Fiona's first step in self-expression. Although she is looking for an American publisher, fashion remains her passion.

"My paternal grandparents had a boutique in Lugano over 40 years. French celebrities would shop there. My grandmother would go to Paris and Milan fashion weeks as a buyer.

I am inspired by classic style like Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly and Jackie O. My mother told me who those people were instead of bedtime stories of fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm. I also grew up with French and Italian Vogue. My aunt sold one of the oldest French Vogues to Dior designer John Galliano! Her wedding gown was by Karl Lagerfeld from the 60s, before he became famous. I am also inspired by my mother, she has good taste. She knows what will be in style before it becomes popular! I learn a lot from her."

Fiona is currently a fashion marketing student at Parsons. Her goal is to become a stylist. Fiona is often praised as a fashionista. Reporters often assume she is wearing designer clothes, but she dresses on a budget. She wants to help people learn how to mix and match their clothes and stay away from trendiness so they can be stylish without sacrifice. "Classic chic" is her mantra. Fashion has a transformative power: it helped Fiona change her life. She wants to use it to help people change their lives, either by helping them have a more positive self image, or by giving them the flight of fantasy to make their lives more colorful.

Fiona will graduate in December 2010. She is a firm believer in positive thinking. Her advice is: "Don't give up, be an optimist, you always can get something what you want, either with handicap or without. Being friendly, charming and helpful!"

"My favorite quotation is from Walt Disney: "If you can dream it, you can do it". And I will not give up. My book, published three years ago, is about my life, the perseverance to not give up."

From the girl who came from a world of silence to authoring the book Das Mädchen, das aus der Stille kam to being on the cover of Reader's Digest in Europe, Fiona's journey is an inspiration, full of promises and surprise. Fiona is embarking on a new phase in her life, trying to make it big in the fashion industry - Birkin in hand - and you cannot help but to be drawn into to her new venture, cheering her on.

Charlotte Casiraghi

“Stunning.” - Karl Lagerfeld

Charlotte Casiraghi, daughter to Princess Caroline and granddaughter to Grace Kelly, is both like her mother and grandmother: beautiful and graceful. With beauty and her namesake, grace, Grace Kelly captured the world's heart when she married dashing Prince Rainier of Monaco after a fairy tale courtship. Her daughter, Princess Caroline, was known as one of the most beautiful women of her generation. But her beauty was a bit darker: attracting danger in the people she met, and the reckless behavior she exhibited. Charlotte embodies the elegance of our favorite royals: demure, feminine and temperate. But her comeliness: the pouty, slightly downturned lips and the large blue-green eyes entice impolite thoughts. Charlotte is just too sultry for her gentility. With her "normal" yet sheltered upbringing -- paparazzi flash bulbs replaced with public schools and small town life, sans royal title -- the lack of her presence in the spotlight has only intensified her mystery.

The press has tried (and, in a large part, succeeded) to cast Charlotte on the world stage. At 16, Sunday Mirror named her number ten most eligible women. In 2006, Vanity Fair put her on their international best dressed list. They are trying to make an intensely private person a star, basing starpower on her pedigree, her wealthy and influential friends, and her physical appearance. On the outside, Charlotte does have it all. She wear Chanel haute couture, she fits front row at fashion shows, her face launched a multitude of fan sites.

It is what is inside, however, that intrigues us about her. So little is known, besides her talent in as an equestrian, a hobby she started competing in since 1998. But the glimpses that are revealed show a sensitive, charming woman, worthy of her royal heritage. She is passionate about the environment, using her connections to publish Ever Manifesto, a magazine on promoting eco-friendly sustainable fashion. There is much more to this princess than her external allure; she will enrapture us, slowly and steadily.

In her first interview, Charlotte Casiraghi speaks of her riding career

Credits: Wire West Photos, style.com, Eternal Muse, Getty Images

New York Fashion Week Contest

Contest deadline has been extended until Feb 17, noon EST!

There will be MULTIPLE winners

I have been getting items for the bag and will continue to throughout the week.

Good luck!

Did you ever want to have an insider's view on Fashion Week?


Tell me who your girlcrush is at the moment with a short explanation why (be creative!)-- entries from all over the world welcome (but, please, in English) -- and you can even nominate yourself. I am always looking for suggestions of cool girls to profile, they do not have to be famous, just interesting.

The best entry will win items straight from New York Fashion Week: invitations, press kits, magazines, beauty and haircare products, etc. Most of these items are only available to show attendees, so you will be one of the few.

Be sure to check out my fashion week-inspired girlcrushes Feb 11-18. www.girlcrushoftheday.blogspot.com


GOOD LUCK!

RULES: Please send your entry via email to girlcrushoftheday@gmail.com with the subject "Contest" (so it won't get lost). Please include your email. Or you can also twitter me via private message your entry. You may enter more than once. I will consider each suggestion a separate entry, as long as there is a short explanation attached to each. Entries due 12:01 am February 15. The winner/s will be at my discretion. Any entries received will be a property of girlcrushoftheday, and may be published. This contest is open to anyone in the world. Please be 13 or older, or have permission from your parents. I will announce the winner by February 19.

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

Hannah Holman

Alexander Wang has an eye for models. The CDFA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award winning wunderkind is always surrounded by the hottest, edgiest girls. (Trust me, I've seen him.) You'd expect nothing less than the freshest girl in his first ad campaign.

Welcome 18 year old Hannah Holman. Plucked from Utah obscurity (town of 155) from the local shopping mall, the pouty blonde was signed to Elite in 2008. She was the go-to girl for all American style, starring in American Eagle and Urban Outfitters campaigns.

A year passes, and right when it seemed like her career had stalled, Miuccia Prada points her fairy godmother wand--and despite being quite diminutive (rumor is, under 5'8")--and re-debuts Hannah in high fashion, having her close the Prada resort show. For fall 2009, Hannah opened the Miu Miu show and starred in the ad campaign.


"Hannah Holman is a model reminiscent of a young Emma Balfour—ultimately charming, feverishly cool, and wise beyond her years."
- Anita Bitton, casting and creative director of Establishment


Now every fashion house wants Hannah. She's graced the runways for Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Fendi. For spring 2010, she is starring in Burberry Blue, Jill Stuart, Marc by Marc Jacobs, and Alexander Wang ad campaigns.

When asked, this “unflappable, kind-hearted blonde" who plays the violin and loves to bake offers this advice for success. She quotes Bertrand Russell: “The most valuable things in life are not measured in monetary terms. The really important things are not houses and land, stocks and bonds, automobiles and real estate, but friendships, trust, confidence, empathy, mercy, love, and faith.”

Credits (both photos): Amy Troost, Marc Pilaro, Elite Model Management, Alexander Wang, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Imaxtree, Miu Miu, Oyster, Vogue Russia, Jill Stuart, Burberry, Urban Outfitters, Tush

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.

Lisa Porter

I first saw Canadian model Lisa Porter at the Chris Benz spring 2010 New York fashion week presentation. I could not forget her gigantic blue eyes framed by her auburn hair and rainbow pom-poms. She was the most surreal doll-like model in a lineup of very young girls, some looking like they were dressed for the junior prom. She had a doe-like innocence and a melancholy smile. The way she held those marabou pom-poms, hugging them around her like a protective shield made you want to reach out to her like a mother hen. I was utterly transfixed.

Marilyn Manson must have felt the same way when he cast her in his "Putting Holes In Happiness" music video. Lisa's litheness suggest an otherworldliness that easily lends itself to the innocent or its opposite. It is this combination that makes her intriguing -- and captivating.

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.

Carine Roitfeld

"Fashion is not about clothes, it is about a look."

Tom Ford's original Gucci girl. Now THE French Vogue editor.
Carine Roitfeld defines sexy Parisian chic: sooted eyeliner, pin-straight hair, body-conscious black-dominated clothes, and sky high heels.

"When you get older, you have to stay a bit rock 'n' roll so that young people will still be interested in you. The way you move, the way you talk, maybe the way you have your hair in your face a little bit — this keeps you interesting."

Carine looks tough and she is isn't afraid to speak her mind (even in an un-PC way), but she is refreshingly down-to-earth. She laughs with abandon, and is humbly self-deprecating, even voicing her confusion over why people are interested in her personal style.

She stays true to what she loves, and I love her for that.