This Spring, two of our favorite trends collide – Relaxed Chic denim and Print Mania. The duo behind this covet-worthy collaboration includes London-based designer Mary Katrantzou and Current/Elliott creative director Serge Azria. Katrantzou’s bold and innovative prints grace Current/Elliott’s vintage inspired denim jeans, skirts, dresses, shirts and jackets.
Mary Katrantzou x Current/Elliott
This ideal partnership was built around the idea of a “world traveler.” Katrantzou reinvents Current/Elliott’s iconic silhouettes with her unique ability to manipulate images and push print to the limit. A spin on Katrantzou’s Spring/Summer 2013 inspiration, the collaboration involves world history and guilloche pattern play.
Mary Katrantzou x Current/Elliott
“We thought denim would be a great challenge and with Serge, there seemed a synergy with our work – from opposite sides of the spectrum!” says Katrantzou.
Aloha! Hawaii’s Big Island is the setting for the season’s fashion, jewels and sunglasses, modeled by Sui He and photographed by Alistair Taylor-Young for the May 2013 issue of The Book by Neiman Marcus.
I headed West for 3 days of music, sun and fun under the desert palm trees at Coachella. From the Indio Polo Field to the Parker Palm Springs, I captured the stylish scenes of the festival’s opening weekend.
Is Sydney the new fashion capital? Fashion insiders are increasingly making the long trip to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia, making it ripe with fashion inspiration for all of us.
Desiree Gruber, co-creator of Project Runway and cofounder of Theodora & Callum wears the line’s travel-inspired textiles on her own journeys, including a recent family vacation in the Dominican Republic.
To Do: This trip was all about family time, which I love. We made s’mores on the beach, hunted for snails on the shore, got into giant jigsaw puzzles, played music with the locals – all relaxed and very fun!
To Stay: Villa Castellamonte Del Mare in Cabrera
To Eat: Delicious local fare – tostones, empanadas, whole roasted chicken, arepas, flan and birthday cake in my brother’s honor.
To See: All the beautiful wildlife. My son Callum and I love to search the beach for shells, crabs, any kind of sea life we can find. We examine their behavior, shells and colors. Lots of printspiration!
To Drink: Fresh fruit smoothies.
To Wear: Classic pieces with bright accessories.
To Pack: A scarf to wear as a dress, skirt or sarong and definitely a Theodora & Callum caftan – so great for lounging with family or walking on the beach. Also, a Michael Kors swimsuit, Rachel Zoe flat snakeskin sandals, sunblock and activity books for Callum.
Desiree's Theodora & Callum sarong becomes a sun shade at the beach.
Theodora & Callum is available at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills.
Handbag designer Rafé Totengco is the definition of a jet-setter. In the past year alone, he has vacationed in Honolulu, Manila, Berlin, Mallorca, Prague, Venice, Jodpur, Capri, Lisbon and Bali. Each trip not only served as an escape from the office, but a design cultivation journey in search of inspiration from local art, architecture and geography. A recent trip to China and a stop at the Shanghai World Fair resulted in a glamourous evening clutch. The design of Totengco’s Maryanne minaudiere is a handheld interpretation of architect Carlos Couto’s Portuguese Pavilion, the structure Portugal developed for the expo.
Totengco's interpretation of Couto's building was created with faceted hammered brass and stainless steel.
KD: Diane, you know my story of meeting you many years ago. It was 1974, perhaps 1976, when you were traveling the country launching your now famous wrap dress. My mother brought me to a department store in Seattle to meet you.
DVF: Darling, you must have been very young.
KD: I was very young—as were you.
DVF: The wrap dress was in jersey. I was not the first designer to create in jersey, certainly, but I loved how jersey molded to the body. It gave the dress a great sensuality, a sensual quality that makes the dress as modern today as when I designed it.
KD: I remember you in that wrap dress like it was yesterday. I might have been 8 or 9 years old at the time. You were the most glamorous and exotic woman I had ever seen—and, mind you, my mother was pretty glamorous in my eyes. You were like a feline behind a glass-top desk, with your long legs stretched to the side in suede boots.
DVF: I still wear suede boots, darling. [She kicks her legs from behind the desk to expose her suede boots.]
KD: Your wild mane of hair, that frosty eye makeup, that accent, and that wrap dress! I had never seen or heard anything like you! I was mesmerized.
DVF: That is so sweet you remember, darling.
KD: My mother pushed me to the edge of the desk. I was so nervous, so intimidated, yet captivated by your beauty, your presence. In that gorgeous accent, you asked me “Darling, darling, what are you doing here?” I replied, “I want to work in fashion.” You told me “Darling, you will! You can be anything you want to be.” I realized that day I had to work in fashion and be surrounded by people like you.
DVF, Spring 2013.
DVF: And look, darling, today you are a famous fashion director and we all work together.
KD: I don’t know about famous, but my destiny was certainly set because of your encouraging words—and, of course, a determined mother.
DVF: I am so happy we are friends—I love that I encouraged you.
KD: You encourage so many in our industry, not just me. You are like the Fairy Godmother of Fashion. When you became the president of the CFDA [Council of Fashion Designers of America] in 2006, you were the perfect choice. You are such a nurturing and loving individual. Your caring spirit is contagious.
DVF: We are all one big family in fashion, darling. Yes, we are competitive, but we are a family. I want for everyone to feel welcome. I want everyone to succeed. When I became the president of the CFDA, the first thing I did was to welcome many more designers to the CFDA. There is nothing like the CFDA anywhere else in the world. We are very fortunate to have such a great organization to support our American talents, to nurture emerging designers, and to help designers in so many ways. I am very proud of the talents that are in America.
KD: You being one of them! Your love of the industry, your love of life, your love of people is so inspiring.
DVF: Love is life, darling. That’s what I believe.
KD: And your shows—I love, love, love them! Your shows are one of the most exciting moments during New York Fashion Week. Your front row is the Who’s Who of the worlds of fashion, literature, art, news media. There is a chaotic, joyous pandemonium that fills the tent. So much anticipation and so much love for you, your show. It really is like being with family.
DVF: It is family, darling. I surround myself with love—people I love, the things I love, work I love. I always tell the girls, “Smile, be happy, joyous!” No one ever tells the models to smile. I want the show to be fun and filled with love. I want people to feel the love of DVF and the happiness my clothes can bring.
KD: Your spring runway show was full of color and confidence; it was intoxicating.
DVF: The theme was “Palazzo,” inspired by my travel and faraway places.
Ken and Diane at DVF's studio in NYC.
KD: I don’t know how you do all you do. You are always on a plane, off to China, Brazil, Bhutan…
DVF: I find inspiration when I travel, the cultures, the people.
KD: You are the original bohemian!
DVF: I love to wander the world and find inspiration. Nature always inspires me as well.
KD: And you love color, it is one of your trademarks and, of course, your love of prints. I was crazy for the combinations of turquoise blue, the bright greens, and how you mixed pale apricot with bright orange. Aqua with orange, outrageous! You know how insane I am for orange this season—it is my new neutral.
DVF: And black and white! Black and white is very DVF, especially with pink. Black and white is such a perfect base of a women’s wardrobe. It’s graphic, and color plays so wonderfully against it.
KD: There is nothing more chic than black and white. And, of course, I adore hot pink always!
DVF: Every shade of pink, darling. Color is so inspiring to me. I find inspirations everywhere.
KD: Your studio here in New York’s Meatpacking District is visual stimulation at every turn.
DVF: It is very eclectic, full of many memories and souvenirs.
KD: Do you find you are inspired to create by what is missing in your own wardrobe?
DVF: I was told by a dear friend, a fashion designer who is a man, this is why I am comfortable saying this to you: “Men design costumes, women design clothes.” I am always thinking about what I want to wear next, how to make my wardrobe, a woman’s wardrobe, easy, effortless. When a woman opens her closet, she should see her friends—clothes she loves and loves to wear. That is what DVF is all about. Great clothes. Great color. Clothes that make her confident, that make her seductive, that make her beautiful!
