Trendology: Tracing The Origin Of Lego Fashion

As a Lego lover, these Dee & Ricky x Roc Star brooches featured on The Chic Report caught my eye. They also got me thinking: From where did this Lego-as-jewelry trend emerge? It must go further back than the brand’s work for the Marc by Marc Jacobs Spring 2008 collection, right?

In the first installment of Trendology–a fashionable spin on entomology, or the origin of words–I’ve attempted to pin the starting point of Lego fashion as we know it in 2010.

Like many trends, it’s been bubbling for quite some time. In fact, the first high-fashion interpretation of traditional Lego “culture,” if you will, occurred in 2004 when Brazilian designer Jum Nakao created Lego hair helmets for his Spring 2005 collection. Here’s a time line of key moments in Lego fashion, starting with Nakao.

2004

• Brazilian designer Jum Nakao creates crazy black Lego hair helmets for his Spring 2005 collection that resemble Anna Wintour’s bob.

2007

• Balenciaga debuts a Lego-inspired shoe for its Fall 2007 runway show.
• Dee & Ricky become fashion-household names when Marc Jacobs’ then-boyfriend Jason Preston meets the SoHo duo. Of course, he introduces them to the designer. Jacobs uses their Lego pins in his Marc by Marc Spring 2008 runway show.

2008

• Kanye West rocks D&R’s heart pin. Fashion girls squeal with delight.
• Several style Web sites offer D.I.Y. tutorials on Lego accessories.
• Neiman Marcus uses life-sized Lego models in its holiday catalog.
• East London designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac creates Lego accessories for his Spring 2009 collection.

2009

• Balenciaga sues knock-off king Steve Madden for copying its Lego-inspired heels.
• Lego attempts to cash-in on its trendiness by introducing a limited edition series of architectural micro-scale models of famous buildings like Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water.

2010

• Design team Dee & Ricky create a series of bird pins with Japanese label Rock Star.

Ask An Expert: How Do I Push My Brand Into Other Categories?

Chic pregnant women love British maternity label Isabella Oliver’s cozy knits, colorful wrap dresses and 1950s-style swing coats. Why? Because they’re pieces a modern woman would want to wear anytime, regardless of whether she’s six months-in or not. That’s why founders Vanessa Knox-Brien and Baukjen de Swaan Arons decided to expand the Isabella Oliver brand and create a contemporary collection, which launched in February 2009. In its first year, Isabella Oliver 365 garnered $3 million in sales. Not bad for a recession-era launch.

I recently chatted with de Swaan Arons about the challenges that come with moving into a vastly different category, and why she and Knox-Brien were confident enough to do it in a bad economy.

TFB: Isabella Oliver Maternity was founded in 2003. What did you do before then?
Baukjen de Swaan Arons: For a long time I worked in branding and marketing at Procter & Gamble, and Vanessa was a designer at Victoria Secret and Natori.

TFB: So you lead the marketing and Vanessa leads the design?
BdSA: Well, in the beginning we were doing everything. When you start a company with just three people, you suddenly become an expert in IT, human resources, everything. Now that we have 45 people working at Isabella Oliver, our roles have changed. We have a production team, a team of marketeers–now our job is to oversee everything, sign off on everything, rather than actually do everything.

TFB: This year marked the launch of your non-maternity collection. The two markets are so similar and yet so different. How did you approach contemporary?
BdSA: We’ve always designed clothes we like to wear ourselves, so we’re doing the same thing with 365. I think it’s nice to design for our loyal customers forever, rather than just during their pregnancies. The demand was definitely there.

TFB: It was a hard year to launch a new brand. How have you been able to combat the recession?
BdSA: You have to remember that the fashion timeline is so absurdly long that the clothes were already being made by the time the recession hit. [Specifically, the stock market crash in October 2008.] I’m actually glad in a way. If we had known this was coming three years ago when we started forming the concept, it might have held us back. Luckily it’s been a success–we had about $3 million in sales in just the first year. [Sales for Isabella Oliver Maternity reached about $17 million in 2009.]

TFB: You’ve been able to build a successful retail business without brick and mortar. Do you ever think about venturing down that path?
BdSA: Yes, of course. We get approached a couple times a day. But our hands are so full already. We want to increase our sales in the markets we’re already in, and also to expand 365. That’s what we’re focusing on right now.

Also In This Series:
Ask An Expert: Why Is It So Hard To Find A Pair Of Jeans That Fit?
Ask An Expert: Do Men Really Like To Shop?

Emersonmade Proves That It’s Never Too Early To Revive A Trend

When I first received a Facebook message from Emersonmade, a Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based brand specializing in fabric floral pins, I assumed it was another crappy, desperate label trying conjure a bit of press from an “up-and-coming” fashion blog. I might have been right about the push for press, but I was definitely wrong about the concept and quality of the product.

Emersonmade is doing something rebellious with its poppies, roses and dahlias. It’s attempting to revive a trend last taken seriously around 2000, when Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw made flowers as ubiquitous as Manolos on Sex and The City. This style was certainly not for everyone–some found the often-garish flowers to be vomit-inducing–but overall, it was seen as a sweet, playful accoutrement. Until it wasn’t.

But while Bradshaw’s flowers were wild, outlandish and above all, exaggerated, Emersonmade’s versions–in beautiful, muted colors like dusty pink and denim blue–are classic, preppy and definitely beautiful. It helps that the two founders, a married couple who recently moved to New Hampshire after spending ten years living in SoHo, are so fresh-faced that they could pass for a pair of J.Crew models. The floral pins of the early Naughts may have been worthy of Elle or Glamour magazine, but pieces from Emersonmade belong in Martha Stewart Weddings, on Design Sponge or maybe even in the Vogue Index.

By the way, Mickey Drexler, if you’re reading this: I would immediately approach Emersonmade regarding a collaboration with J.Crew. Glen Sank’s people over at Anthropologie are surely already on the case.

Full disclosure: Emersonmade sent me a box of floral pins before the holidays. While I haven’t worn one yet, it’s been useful because I was able to make sure the items were solidly constructed. (There is not a stitch out of place and the fabric is anything but flimsy.) Be the first to email me on lauren@tfbeat.com and I’ll send you this gorgeous Big Dandy clutch, which is going to be very difficult to part with!

Label To Watch: Heavy Machine

I first heard about Taipei-based shoe label Heavy Machine on Style Bubble, my favorite personal style blog.

But while Ms. Susie Bubble pinned down the shoe’s aesthetics–a cool mix of colorful industrial plastic and smooth, sculptural lines–I wanted to know why two young women, educated at F.I.T. in New York, Palimoda in Florence and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Melbourne, would want to move back to Taiwan to launch a shoe business when they were clearly talented enough to succeed in a cutthroat fashion capital.

So I emailed founders Michelle Wu and Yoyo Pan and asked. And yes, I also also bought a pair of shoes.

The Fashion Beat: Why are you based in Taipei and not New York, London or Paris?

Heavy Machine’s Michelle Wu: Because Taipei’s where we’re from and where our families are. Besides wanting to be physically close to them (which is very Asian), the cost to start up something in our own town is much lower.

TFB: Do you think you’ll stay where you are?

MW: It’s a tough question, this one.

TFB: What stores are carrying your Spring 2010 collection?

MW: So far it’s Babelfair (New York), Helianthus (New York), Mr. T (Taipei, Taiwan), Sole (Xinzhu, Taiwan) and Le Lutin (Shanghai). (Still working on the other possibilities!)

TFB: On your Web site, you talk about making shoes that women can run in. What technologies have you used to create more comfortable footwear?

MW: Nothing technically special. But we spent a lot of time developing and adjusting our shoe’s last shape to make it as comfy as possible.

TFB: Finally, what drew you to shoe design in the first place?

MW: We love shoes. We believe a good pair of shoes will take you to everywhere! It was hard for us to find affordable interesting shoes in our town, so we just started creating our own.

Ben Sherman Exits Women’s Wear: Sad For Company But Irrelevant To Most Of Us

Plaid shirt purveyor Ben Sherman announced today that it would exit the womenswear market, which currently accounts for 10-15% of the company’s overall sales. (Ben Sherman is owned by Oxford Industries, a group of companies that also includes Tommy Bahama.)

From Ben Sherman’s perspective, this decision makes total sense. If its bread and butter is menswear and the company is struggling–net sales decreased by 30.7% to $47.8 million over the first half of 2009–why not focus on its strengths? While the Ben Sherman brand–established in the 1960s as a label for male Mods–may target a young demographic, there’s no doubt in my mind that while many guys proclaim B.S.’s shirt to be a favorite, very few 16-year-old girls are clamoring to score its snowboarder-meets preppy-meets hipster wares.

But here’s a not-so-bold prediction: I wouldn’t be surprised if, in January 2010, Oxford announces a licensing deal with a big Asian company to produce the womenswear, which means Ben Sherman for girls could yet again show up in a Macy’s–or Kohls–near you within the next six months. It would be easy money for Oxford and an easier launch for a mass retailer (since consumers are already familiar with the name). As we’ve learned over the past decade, a brand is never really dead.

Why We Can’t Read French But We Still Buy Vogue Paris

American Vogue may be fashion’s bible, but its Parisian counterpart is more like the literary fiction section at your favorite bookstore: Ever-changing, ever evolving, yet stocked with classics that inspire modern incarnations.

American Vogue revels in accessible glamour, while Vogue Paris wears exclusivity on its sleeve. (Editor Carine Roitfeld to U.K.’s Observer in 2007: “I think the rest of the country don’t like us, and we don’t know them.”) Its cover subjects are primarily models, not celebrities. Its editorials use clothing as props for the avant-garde and eccentric tangents of the photographers.  American Vogue more closely resembles a Spiegel catalog.

The Vogue brand was created to cover what’s new and what’s on trend, and to serve as a who’s who guide to the beauties and the creative brains in fashion. But Roitfeld and her staff go a step further, transforming each issue into fantastical art.  For November 2009, Lady Gaga is literally put on a pedestal, a model with the legs of a Doberman reclines across two pages and Michael Jackson graffiti serves as the backdrop for couture. It’s striking but silly. As a result, a reader is able to both peek inside the fashion world and feel a part of it.

Roitfeld has tested taste in the name of creativity without end since she adapted the title to her liking in 2001. In December 2007, feminists attacked after Karen Elson was featured in bondage in a Vogue calendar guest edited by John Galliano (the calendar was included with the issue). This year she’s drawn ire for featuring a sexed up, smoking model with a baby bump, an editorial depicting cannibalism, and, most recently, model-of-the-moment Lara Stone in blackface.

She’s incredibly smart for courting debate, because in the business of publishing and fashion, controversy is currency. She acts as an artist, not as a journalist or publisher­­–hinting at instincts that were developed during her time as a stylist (notably for Gucci before landing atop Vogue’s masthead). I almost wonder if she’s trying to please the reader or herself, and if it’s the latter, than I (the reader) am infinitely lucky.

And I’m not the only one thankful for Roitfeld’s second career. Since her arrival at Vogue Paris, circulation has increased 36%, from 102,000 in 1999 to 139,000 today. Of course that’s tiny compared to American Vogue’s stagnant count of 1.2 million, but at least it’s growing. And for that, the fashion world is lucky.

Lauren Streib is a Brooklyn-based writer and reporter at the The Daily Beast.

Related:
Vogue’s Covers Might Be Boring, But They Still Sell

The M’Obama Endorsement And Its Effect On Sales

Obama in Theallet.

On Monday, designer Sophie Theallet was named winner of the 2009 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, awarded annually to a talented designer ready to take his or her brand to the next level. Along with a year’s worth of mentoring from a top CFDA member, the winner receives $200,000.

Since then, much as been said of Michelle Obama’s affinity for Theallet. The first lady often wore the designer’s cotton color block dresses while vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard this summer. But did Obama’s thumbs-up give Theallet an edge over the other CFDA nominees, including runners-up Monique Pean and Patrik Ervell? Of that, I’m not so sure.

Of course, it can only be a good thing to have this first lady in particular wearing your clothes. At least from a marketing standpoint. However, I am more interested in whether or not a M’Obama endorsement produces tangible (read: financial) results. I’ve attempted to break down her effect, brand by brand.

Designer/Brand: Maria Pinto
What She Wore: Several of the Chicago-based designer’s classic shift dresses in bold colors such as blue and lavender.
Results: While Pinto’s name has all-but disappeared from the press since Obama has brought higher profile designers into the mix, the designer has still been able to capitalize on Obama’s devotion. She opened her first store in Chicago’s West Loop in August 2008.

Designer/Brand: Zero+Maria Cornejo
What She Wore: A purple jacket worn on the inaugural weekend train ride, as well as a printed black and white suit that she’s mixed and matched on several occasions.
Results: Cornejo has always been a favorite amongst a certain set of New Yorkers and Parisians because of her unique draping and trend-less styles. But it’s safe to say that the Brooklyn-based designer was an unknown name in most U.S. households pre-Obama. While Cornejo’s popularity has undoubtedly increased, she’s also expanded her offerings. Just this week, the designer announced she would launch a menswear collection for spring.

Designer/Brand: J.Crew
What She Wore: A yellow cardigan and skirt on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in October 2008, as well as other pieces mixed into her overall wardrobe.
Results: The specialty retailer saw a 6% year-over-year sales increase to $357.6 million in the second quarter of this year. J.Crew has said that most of the pieces Obama has worn have sold out, but we’re not so sure the specialty retailer can give Obama all the credit. The brand, led by CEO Mickey Drexler, is simply very strong, with its defined point of view and spot-on advertising. (J.Crew has been smart to keep its catalog. People rarely buy from it anymore, but are inspired by its styling.)

An unbelievable Alaia dress.

Designer/Brand: Azzedine Alaia
What She Wore: A black dress, worn to the NATO concert in Baden-Baden, Germany, and a belt, worn on several occasions.
Results: French designer Azzedine Alaia–deemed the last great couturier by many–has definitely seen an increase in name recognition in the U.S. because of Obama. In France, he was already the most important designer in the world.

Designer/Brand: Jason Wu
What She Wore: A white gown at the Inaugural Ball and a few day dresses.
Results: Wu was a virtual unknown before Obama donned his white beaded gown at the Inaugural Ball. Today, he’s one of the most-talked about designers in New York. But while his business is growing, it’s still small. The designer has said that US sales would reach just $4 million in 2009. (For context: Peer Phillip Lim, whose label has been around since 2005, will make close in $50 million in sales for 2009.)

Designer/Brand: Isabel Toledo
What She Wore: A made-to-order beaded pistachio dress and topcoat worn on Inauguration Day.
Results: Beloved by the fashion elite but unable to drive commercial success in U.S., there is no evidence–as of yet, at least–that Toledo’s business has changed dramatically since Obama wore her dress and top coat to the inauguration. However, Toledo has never been the kind of designer whose looking to achieve name recognition.

Designer/Brand: Moschino
What She Wore: Several bow blouses and skirt suits.
Results: In 2009, U.S. sales will only make up 10% of the Italian brand’s overall business. However, Washington Post writer Robin Givhan’s recent piece on Moschino and the first lady may draw more attention to the brand in 2010.

Designer/Brand: Target
What She Wore: A few sundresses while on holiday.
Results: While it’s hard to believe that Obama’s casual Target buys have bumped up revenue or profit–the big box’s 3rd quarter sales were up 1.4% from the same time last year, while earnings were up by 18.6% to $436 million–some of its fashion collaborations, including those with Tracy Feith and Thakoon, have coincided nicely with her tastes.

Looking lovely in a winter white Talbots dress.

Designer/Brand: Talbots
What She Wore: At a White House event, she donned a winter white double-faced wool sheath with a sweetheart neckline. She also wore the preppy brand on the cover of Essence magazine.
Results: Obama’s choice to wear Talbot’s coincides with the company’s image overhaul, which includes a more modern approach to classics–brighter colors, slimmer fits–as well as a New York store opening this December.

Designer/Brand: Thakoon
What She Wore: A floral dress at the Democratic National Convention in August 2008.
Results: Scored a collection for Target shortly after this; it debuted December 28, 2008. While it’s rumored designers don’t actually make that much money from these collections (no more than $200,000, I’ve been told) they still get a level of exposure never available before to a high-end brand.

Designer/Brand: Tracy Feith
What She Wore: Several casual dresses–Feith is known for his surf-inspired attire.
Results: Feith’s collection coincided with Obama wearing his pricier pieces. There’s no doubt he received more attention for the media while promoting the Target collection because of his Obama connection.

Designer/Brand: Moises de la Renta
What She Wore: A red wool dress with patent red belt.
Results: Who is Moises de la Renta? He’s Oscar’s son, who was almost entirely unknown before Obama wore this piece. More than bringing his name to the forefront of fashion, Obama’s choice was a bit of an undercut to the elder de la Renta, who had criticized the first lady for not wearing his clothes.

Designer/Brand: Sophie Theallet
What She Wore: Two or three cotton dresses with colorful rows of satin ribbon at the hem.
Results: While the French designer’s skill is undeniable, some have connected her $200,000 CFDA prize to Obama’s endorsement. Theallet plans on hiring additional staff with the money, according to WWD.

Glamorous yet professional in Narciso Rodriguez.

Designer/Brand: Narciso Rodriguez
What She Wore: A black and red dress on the night of the election; several suits thereafter.
Results: Rodriguez has said that, along with international name recognition, he’s also been able to expand his business. This fall, he’s collaborating on an affordable line with eBay.

Designer/Brand: White House/Black Market
What She Wore: A dress on The View.
Results: The company says that the dress sold out within days. Since then, the staid retailer has upped its fashion credibility with sleek holiday advertising.

Required Reading: Luxirare.com

There are thousands of style-oriented blogs out there, and I think we can all agree most are crap. Each week in this space, I’m going to highlight a site I’ve deemed so unmissable that it’s been added to my RSS reader. I religiously scan my reader every morning and at least three more times during the day. If I feel like a site has gone stale, I have no qualms removing it.

However, there’s very little chance Luxirare will be one to dry up. The tag line for this experiment–it can’t just be called a blog–is “Killer clothes and Fine Cuisine,” which gives you a bit of an indication of what it’s about. The author produces photo shoots where she shows off the elBulli-inspired dishes she’s prepared, as well as clothing she’s designed. The image quality is so good it’s almost unnerving. Latest entries include a detailed account of the making of the author’s chain jacket as well as parfaits filled with caviar-like bubbles of fruit. Who Luxirare is doesn’t really matter. The fact that her work speaks volumes without ever revealing her identity is what makes it so compelling.