Cheers! Meet your new fashion capital ambassadors

New York is easily the fashion capital of the US, and considering the size of the American consumer market, for many people that makes it one of the top fashion cities in the world. According to a list from Austin, TX based internet analysis company Global Language Monitor, that’s not quite enough to make it number one though. What is enough? How about a blue blood wedding, a newly minted princess with a mostly attainable wardrobe/style, and one design house with a genius founder and brilliant successor (who also played a role in said wedding). Come on down London, you’ve officially been crowned as the internet’s favorite fashion capital.

But is it?

When it comes to socialites, the US has Paris Hilton and the UK has Daphne Guiness. Not even close there. When it comes to hats, you may laugh, but Princess Beatrice won that one too. And sure, it’s true that London’s style ambassador, the former Kate Middleton, can move a dress per minute (or more) with just one outing; and even American companies want nothing to do with our style exports (*cough* Dirty Jersey), but we’re still not sure if the rankings apply in the true fashion world.

Paris is ranked third, behind London and New York respectively, but we’d posit that few people working in fashion would place the French fashion capital at anything lower than number 2 – if that. While London is undeniable when it comes to design talent and sartorial risk taking, Alexander McQueen, John Galliano (who, for all his social failings, is still a talented designer) and even current London top dog Burberry all built their brands in Paris. Burberry made a patriotic return to the UK a few years ago, but when it comes to anchor brands, no one does it better than the City of Lights. Plus, when it comes to making a move into European, Middle Eastern and even Asian stores and press, designers have a presence in Paris because they know that buyers and reporters will have a presence in Paris. Visit Paris during fashion week and you’ll see brands from around the world – including New York, London and Milan – represented at tradefairs, in showrooms and on catwalks.

And New York? Well, sportswear and safe bets may not push the envelope, but it turns out that sometimes staying inside the box can be the beginning of a billion dollar brand. As a fashion capital, New York may not have the history of Paris, but it does have the money.

Though London is putting in a strong effort to support homegrown talent and British brands, it’s still a city largely seen as an incubator for talent, as opposed to a commercial center. While that might not be as sexy as the raw creativity London is famous for, it’s the one thing that New York, Paris and Milan – the cities that make up the top 4 fashion capitals, have in common.

And we’d argue, the one thing that would keep London from truly being number one for fashion.

The Top 10 Fashion Capitals 2011

1. London
2. New York
3. Paris
4. Milan
5. Los Angeles
6. Hong Kong
7. Barcelona
8. Singapore
9. Tokyo
10. Berlin

{Global Language Monitor}

Too young for Couture?

Bloggers and editors saw elements of inspiration from Twilight in the most recent collection – which was fittingly opened by the new face of the brand, Freja Beha Erichsen – but no agreement on whether that is a good or bad thing seems to have surfaced. WWD felt the clothes were beautiful but too youthful for a couture line and the Telegraph thought the collection was more confident and signature to the new designers, while Style.com admits the pitch to a younger audience was peculiar but perhaps genius. {The Cut}

Or too Boring?

Style.com may have hit the nail on the head, as luxury fashion labels have attempted to keep their footing of late by reaching out to Generation Y. The looks may also come to symbolize a new era for Valentino.

The youthful slant to the collection is smart, but there are too many dropped waistlines and bows for our taste and the clothes are a bit bland, a kiss of death for haute couture, which we look to for the kind of over the top fantasy that would be out of place in ready to wear collections. The blah-ness of it is ironic considering the collection departs from their more typical Valentino lines, which critics found boring as well. Nothing is terribly wrong with the collection – the sheer hoop dress looks like a toned down take on Lady Gaga’s Grammy dress, but it looks like Chiuri and Piccioli are light years away from wowing like John Gallianoâ€s flower-inspired masterpiece for Dior did earlier in the week.

Filthy? Sure. Couture? Not so much.

In keeping with the predictability, the pieces in Farley’s  line are exactly what one would expect a loud-mouthed, over-bronzed star of a reality show to design. Some highlights include a sweetheart-necked mesh top with an overlaying, gold-patterned heart that appears to be pointing at a very specific area on the modelâ€s body and a white-feathered corset number that looks more like lingerie than a top. In fact, it is not clear whether most of the pieces are clothing or lingerie. Now the spring collections from many a designer featured lingerie inspired looks, so if there’s any kind of silver lining here, in a roundabout way JWoww may actually be on trend. Still, while some of the outfits cover more than expected, but if you’ve seen the inventory at Frederick’s of Hollywood, you’ve seen this collection. If you wouldn’t wear anything purchased at Frederick’s outside of the privacy of your own home – well, same thing.  If you’re into train wrecks, you can catch images of the entire collection here.

While we’re on the subject, can we make the case for restricting the word couture to oh, perhaps – actual couture? Couture isn’t Juicy or Filthy, and while we love a high/low mix, throwing the word couture on a label isn’t fooling anyone into thinking the “high” part is covered.

Real couture? That’s John Galliano, whose fall 2010 couture collection for Dior debuted in a courtyard of the Rodin Museum in Paris this week. The flower-inspired line is fantastical, beyond exquisite and raking in rave reviews. By including warmer fabrics and fall accessories in addition to dark lipstick on his models, Galliano brilliantly surprises by using what is normally a spring staple to inspire a fall line and making it work. If you havenâ€t had a chance to see it yet, check it out here. Totally worth your work procrastination time.

The PR CEO start of Bravo TVâ€s “Kell on Earth” spoke to a small group of editorial interns, fashion-obsessed youngsters and public relations entrepreneurs at the Bryant Park Reading Room Series Wednesday, and she had a quite frank earful on the future of fashion, replying to a girl asking about where to look for a career in the field by saying:

“Style is in; fashion luxury, forget it. It’s over. Gucci, Vuitton, Hermes … all those places are really great, go for it. That business exists in a city called Paris, France. That’s where that is. Those businesses will continue. Retail business, pretty much over. I think people who sell to retail companies are people who can’t afford their own stores … Old Navy, J.Crew, Gap … they already knew that and aren’t wholesaling. Editorial, magazine, we are going to say buh-bye to them as we know them. They will still exist but everything is on the internet.” {The Cut, Racked NY}

On the one hand, tell us how you really feel, Kell. On the other, Bravo Kelly! She may be over dramatizing a tad in regards to luxury and retail being “pretty much over,” but it is about time someone spoke up about the hard realities facing fashion, especially in the editorial department. Times are changing, and if the dominant players in the industry want to continue to grow their businesses, they need to learn to adapt.

Persistent efforts on the part of luxury retailers to understand the youth market is a great start, but New York Magazine says the fashion industryâ€s biggest mistake is its strange fear and avoidance of the Internet, specifically social networks and blogs, citing the long series on the “future of fashion” Style.com runs in which they ask important fashion businesspeople like Barneys’ Julie Gilhart about the Internet.

We agree. Even when the big brands try, they don’t always get it right. Considering that the Internet has been a major force to be reckoned with for years now in many industries, fashion magazines and businesses still have a lot of catching up to do. Until revenue from web advertising catches up to revenue from print advertising though (they’re still miles apart), we suspect the wait won’t end soon.

Started in 2008, the global opportunity to goof off is part of an “urban playground movement” that aims to get people out from in front of the television, and out into the streets having fun. Let’s hope it catches on as a way to settle differences, because we’ve never seen more people look so happy to be in a fight.

Our thanks to Doug Tangren, Margaret Griffis, Dilip Bhoye, Bas van Duijn, Chris Beckett, Holger Eilhard, Paul Oberle, Angel James de Ocampo, Emmanuel Alvarado, William Hoiles, Jennifer Strauss and Steve Stearns for sharing their photos.

Amsterdam Pillow Fight photo set
Bas van Duijn

Chicago Pillow Fight photo set
Steve Stearns

Cologne (Koln) Pillow Fight photo set
Holger Eilhard

London Pillow Fight photo set
Chris Beckett

Los Angeles Pillow Fight photo set
Jennifer Strauss

Miami Beach Pillow Fight photo set
Margaret Griffis

New York Pillow Fight photo pool
With images from William Hoiles

New York Pillow Fight photo set
Doug Tangren

Paris Pillow Fight photo set
Angel James de Ocampo

San Diego Pillow Fight photo set
Emmanuel Alvarado

Taipei Pillow Fight photo set
Dilip Bhoye

Washington, DC Pillow Fight photo set
Paul Oberle

Store window photos by Hollywood Crush

This week Tim Burton’s new rendition of ‘Alice in Wonderland’, starring Johnny Depp, was released in theaters and this gave big name retailers a fun muse for this season’s windows.

The much-anticipated film is one that generations of people can relate to from childhood, appealing to a large demographic. The scenery from the movie (mostly taking place in foliage as Alice is shrunken by magical mushrooms in the forest) is the perfect backdrop to display all that spring has to offer. The scenes are whimsical and magical, truly capturing the fairy-tale essence of the out-of-this-world story.

Store windows aren’t the only translation into fashion the film has inspired. New ‘Alice’ inspired  jewelry, footwear and apparel are surfacing all over the globe, as well as fashion events from Paris to New York. Numerous couture designers have admitted to using the film for inspiration in designing this season’s collections and you can catch Wonderland influenced offerings in everything from shoes to nail polish. {Real Style Network}

What would Alice wear on a modern trip to Wonderland? These are our picks.

If you need just a tad more reality during your daily excursions down the rabbit hole of ordinary life, Signature9 UK rounds up a selection of dresses and accessories that capture a sense of wonder.

Itâ€s not bling-bling

Reservations and information

6mandel.com (only available in French)
6 avenue Georges Mandel
Paris, FR 75016
+33.1.42.27.27.93

Karl Lagerfeld at Studio 7L, one of Tempest's favorite places. Photo by Olivier Zahm.

William Tempest, the 23 year old designer whose lauded and sought-after designs have been described as The Matrix meets The Maltese Falcon, gave The Telegraph the low-down on the travel destinations he adores. From a small shell shop in the South of England where Tempest adds to his rare shell collection to the inspiring Paris Studio of Karl Lagerfeld – these are 7 stylishly quirky spots your guide book doesn’t know anything about.

Read the full story {Telegraph}