Sunday, April 27, 2008

Reyes of Light: Hanging out With Fashion Designer Brian Reyes


When you meet him in person, Brian Reyes is quiet and unassuming -- not the kind of guy you'd expect to launch his own fashion design house at the tender age of 24. Get him around a client, however, and his reticence turns into intensity. He's focused, exacting and yes, even charming.

I caught up with Reyes yesterday during a two-day trunk show at Simone's Boutique in Winnetka, a lovely little jewel box-sized shop of stunning one-ofs and very-few-ofs from labels like Malandrino and Alessandro Dell’Acqua.

Simone and Reyes are long-time friends, but there wasn't a lot of chit-chat going on when I was there. Reyes was busy, and the NorthShore dames were buying.

It's been a whirlwind couple years for Reyes, whose company has gone from just two employees to seven thanks in part to prestigious awards and America -- as in actress America Ferrara, who accepted her Golden Globe for Ugly Betty while wearing his perfectly tailored corseted gown. He shows three collections a year right now, and sells to big luxe stores like Stanley Korshak and Barney's, plus fabulous boutiques like Simone's and even trendy shopping sites like Shopbop. So far he's just fashion, but surely an accessories line can't be far (he's already experimenting with belts). When I asked whether there was a Target line in his future, he demurred, but added that he would be open to creating some sort of secondary, more accessibly priced line if the right opportunity arose.

For two months every year -- including April -- Reyes and his sales director hit the road, making personal appearances and doing custom fittings for clients, working with the current season and also samples of the next one, which can be preordered. Before chasing a rainstorm to arrive in the Windy City, he'd just logged time in Dallas ("They're a hoot, those ladies!") and San Francisco was next.

Reyes doesn't take a hard-sell approach to these fittings. "We just look at their body type to see what's going to look good," he says. He'd done a pretty good job of sizing up the woman he was working with when I was there. The magenta bow-pleated dress ($1488) he chose for her was smashing. Its clean lines and georgette pleats flattered her curves, and Reyes showed her how to rock the versatility of the train-like slip of fabric along the back, looping it around her neck for a more casual look, and bustling it two different ways to create a more elegant sense of drama in the back of the dress. When she seemed unsure of how to recreate what he had just done, he reassured her that she couldn't go wrong: "It's not meant to be precious."

Versatility showed up in another of his designs, a short, full skirt ($575) done in a silk cellophane. Reyes calls the grey-ish hue "washed lilac." The skirt is rocker-cool with a white T, morphs into an elegant dress when paired with a matching lingerie-like top and light-as-air long silk cardigan and even works well with black for an equally refined look. It's this versatility that allows his line to be such a hit with the women of Winnetka while also appealing to the hip, indie-fashionista set that shops at Jake, another local boutique that will begin to carry Reyes in the fall.

Reyes made sure his client stepped into one of his fall dresses -- a jet black shirt-dress accented with elongated epaulettes and an ingenous roll collar. The dress was crafted from a Japanese jersey that had a stiff substance to it like a thick, crisply starched linen, yet the client insisted was so light she felt as if she were naked. Reyes accented her waist with a wisp of a gray snakeskin belt, and the client's own black patent Jimmy Choos added the finishing touch.

So how does this ever-busy fashion entrepreneur find time to come up with his innovative designs? "I don't," he says, laughing. "I never have time to design." Which only means he doesn't get to sit down while he's designing. Instead, he says he carries a sketch pad with him wherever he goes so he's always ready to jot down ideas and inspiration.

Meanwhile Reyes has found the time to custom design gown for Someone Famous -- although he and his sales director were mum on the details. "There is something brewing but it's not confirmed," he says of his next red-carpet celebumodel. "You never know what's going to happen, so we never confirm anything," he says. "It can change two minutes before they're set to go on."

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Saturday, April 12, 2008

SWAG-STAGE PASS! SNAPS FROM THE BROOKLYN BALL!




Dateline: April 4, Brooklyn Museum of Art

BOBBIE FISHER'S BROOKLYN BALL PHOTOS -- THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!

You saw it splashed across every major fashion site -- Elle, InStyle, FashionWeekDaily -- Louis Vuitton's ultra/uber off-the-hook mashup of art, fashion and music called THE BROOKLYN BALL that rocked the borough last Friday.

And Chicago's Bobbie Fisher WAS THERE, in full LV effect and beyond chic!!
Once again, the most excellent Ms. Fisher is sharing her front-row fabufotos with Swagulous!

YES that's Marc Jacobs
YES that's Takashi Murakami
YES that's Kanye West (who used Murakami's art on his album and loves himself some LV)




Swag report
: Attendees reportedly got nude-leather card-holders embossed with the brand's new Monogramoflauge design, which debuted that night. Post if you know it to be true!


Friday, April 11, 2008

NINA GARCIA OUT AT ELLE!? Here's what I know:

Today, WWD is reporting on its website that Nina Garcia is no longer fashion director at ELLE. Here's the gist of the report, blocked and pasted from the site:

"Elle is said to have parted company with its fashion director and “Project Runway” star and author Nina Garcia sources said late Friday. Neither Garcia, Elle editor in chief Robbie Myers nor a spokeswoman for Elle could be reached for comment. On Tuesday, Elle hosted a dinner with Moschino to celebrate Simon Doonan's new book, "Eccentric Glamour: Creating an Insanely More Fashionable You", but Garcia was notably absent. Speculation about Garcia's departure has swirled for months, especially after the arrival of Joe Zee at the beginning of 2007 as creative director. Last spring, Garcia left the magazine on maternity leave, and began writing a monthly fashion column for Elle upon her return. Garcia was in the office on Friday morning, but by the afternoon, sources close to the building say Hachette’s Midtown offices were abuzz about the rumor."

Hmmm. Here's what I know: Last month when I interviewed Garcia, I had a nice discussion with her about a store here in Chicago. She seemed very interested in the store and we gossiped a bit about its famous owner. She said, "Oh I must write about that in my next column" and I believe at that time one of her staffers wrote it down, or made some sort of note. Fast forward two days ago, I happened to be emailing the PR person who worked for this store and I told him what happened and said, so did ELLE ever contact you? And he said no, not at all. Hmm ... Anyway if Nina stays with Project Runway and it's new lucrative leap to the Lifetime channel, she likely doesn't need her ELLE paycheck (or edit deadlines) anymore. More money + more fame + more flexibility = good. Baby Lucas, Mommy's home!

SIDENOTE: I have an interview request in with Barney's to lob some softballs at Simon Doonan, I love love love him and can't wait to meet him and read his new book (autographed, of course!)

Friday, April 4, 2008

CALLING ALL MAKEUP ARTISTS: Help Me With the New Nars "Exotica" collection! THE BEST ANSWER WINS A FREE NARS GIFT!!


HEY MAKEUP ARTISTS AND EXPERTS! POST YOUR COMMENTS ON HOW TO WEAR THIS STUFF AND ENTER TO WIN A GIANT (UNOPENED, OF COURSE!) TUB OF NARS BATH SALTS!!!!!

BLOGGER NOTE: IN LIGHT OF THE NYTIME PIECE A FEW MONTHS AGO ABOUT COSMETIC BLOGGERS POSSIBLE IMPARTIALITY BECAUSE OF A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MAKEUP COMPANIES THAT SUPPLY FODDER FOR THEIR REVIEWS, SWAGULOUS HAS PLEDGED TO BEGIN EVERY REVIEW WITH A "HOW I GOT IT" LINE SO YOU KNOW EXACTLY HOW I LUCKED INTO THE SWAG -- OR WHETHER I SADLY HAD TO SHELL OUT FOR IT MYSELF. CARRY ON ...


WHAT: New summer shades from Nars called "Exotica," just released this month! HOW I GOT IT: Nars sent me the collection, unsolicited

In general, I found this collection to be uneven. Of the makeup I tried, two items are the best ever, two items pretty much suck -- although if any readers are makeup artists, please know that I could be persuaded, so please post your thoughts.

Galapagos single eye shadow ($21) -- LOVE LOVE LOVE! Talk about shimmer! This coppery sliver delivers a glitter punch that worked perfectly as a liner. With a moistened flat brush, I used this shadow to box out my eyes and then used a small dry brush to lightly accent the crease of the eye. Fa-ierce. Even when sparingly applied, the power is surprisingly dimensional and impactful , making it a perfect choice for an evening look. I would buy this, definitely, and have already used it three or four times since I got it.

Portobello duo eyeshadow ($31) -- these shades are like nude and nuder. Not sure what to do with them, and they hardly showed up when I used them. Maybe I would use them during the day for a matte appearance, but imho, there has to be something that can do that for less than $31.

Unconditional love duo eyecream shadow ($31) -- OK here's where a makeup artist could really provide some insight. This is one of those products where I go to use it and I am like, huh? The first eye cream -- the peachy beige-- is OK, although didn't really show up on my skin. It wasn't light enough to highlight, and it didn't really do much else, colorwise. Is it the matte finish that's the benefit? Even more vexing was the second color, the minty ice blue. I couldn't figure out what to do with this, perhaps it's not for sallow white chicks like me. It didn't work as a shimmer highlighter, so I just left it alone ... any comments from out there in cyberspace?

Supervixen lip gloss ($23) -- This is the pale shimmery mauve one, and I can't say enough amazing things about this. It looks very neutral but it goes on dewy and shimmery, with just enough color to add drama to a daytime look, but not enough to overpower a smoky evening eye. I love this and will definitely buy it when this tube runs out (I am rationing it right now).
The Roman Holiday & Dolce Vita lip pencils ($23) -- didn't care for either color, but the dusty pink shade (dolce vita) looked better under a clear gloss. The roman holiday was way too Malibu Barbie for my taste.