Hi Everyone,

So this is our last project, and I must say that I enjoyed it to the fullest. I decided to do a creative lookbook of Oscar de la Renta's most recent shows, collecting items off the runway while pairing them up different accessories...

Take a look, and I hope you enjoy!!!

Please click the link below....
http://prezi.com/kjmvabjoch0w/copy-of-oscar-de-la-rentas-fashionable-trends/?auth_key=6a21feef6a94b49795a88a18e8091a42d46b8679

Inside the Oscar de la Renta world...

Oscar de la Renta has really made a lot of moves to socially converse with the public by using several advertising strategies. In recent years, the Director of Communications, Erika Bearman, opened up a few social media sites to give an inside glimpse to the public of what it's like to be in the Oscar de la Renta world. She establised a Facebook, Tumblr, and a Twitter page containing the most up-to-date trends and also features a lot of old history, such as old pictures of Mr. de la Renta at his social events with stunning old Hollywood movie stars. Rather than keeping it "hype", I personally think that she keeps it real.

The fashion designer also streams his runway shows live on http://www.livestream.com/, which allows fashion enthusiasts to be apart of the show even though they may not be able to attend. Its really a great way to build a relationship with the consumer for it allows the public to get the same view at the same time for the people are at the show. The company also takes advantage of e-commerce. The online store is available to customers who are not able to get to a nearby ODLR store; it’s a fast and an accessible way to purchase from his latest collection. On the website, one can get a glimpse of the runway show and lookbook from his latest collection before making purchases. And lastly, the consumer can also sign up for emails about sales and store events, see a timeline of the history of the Oscar De La Renta brand and see previous and upcoming news, events and appearances of ODLR.

Chemistry in the Making

 Besides telling a story down the runway, designer lookbooks adds to the representation of the brand and  casts the internal message of the collection to the public. Magazines, blogs, books, videos or compile of photographs are just various ways lookbooks can be formed. Most bloggers use this to give the audience a feel for garments and also tips to what is currently trending.

One of my favorite digital lookbooks is from Gucci's 2008 collection. This video seemed to catch my eye with its retro inspiring James Bond theme of two people rebelliously running around town. In the video, I was immediately drawn to the designers concept, chemistry and creativty. I don't think that I have ever seen both lines, men's and women's, collaborating in a lookbook; however, I think it is rather cool and really diverse.

Check it out.

A Trunk full of Elegance

Trunk shows are very important, as it allows the customer to view every piece of the collection that the designer may offer, usually in their local department store, boutique, restaurant, etc. A lot goes into preparing a trunk show. Depending on how long it will take to get all the neccessities such as samples of the collection, it could take up to 4 to 5 weeks to reveal the first trunk show after the collection has been shown during fashion week. Below is a video of Oscar de la Renta's pre-fall 2012 collection at Nordstroms. I think this video really tells the story and the involvement that takes place during a trunk show. Take a peek....

I think what I found very interesting is that not only does the ODLR team get involved, but you have the Creative Fashion Director at Nordstroms ensuring that everything is catered to the client and to the designer. He does everything that he can to really reflect the designers theme and  representation.  

McQueen & Galliano shows

Instead of choosing one fashion show that I liked the most, I decided to go for two. Both Alexander McQueen and John Galliano represent creativity when it comes to putting on show for the audience, if you compare them both, you can see that John Galliano's Christian Dior SS 2011 show is very romantic and Alexander McQueen's SS 2010 show is simply futuristic. What makes them so alike is that  they both set a tone for a unique avante garde approach. Both designers really use their theme to their advantage by adding in music, choreographed performances, and little entrances that sets the thesis for the "play", not to mention, the clothes are just beyond gorgeous!!! I have to say that I admire these two designers very much for their effortless artistry and the ability to create an awesome show. It's a shame that we lost Alexander McQueen so soon, I could only imagine what we would be in store for.

Cathryn Horn is a genious when it comes to describing the magnitude of a runway show. Readers are able to get every detail and feel as if they're there sitting right there in front row gawking gorgeous models as they move swiftly down the catwalk. She embellishes a little, giving the audience a mood and tone that the designer intended to reflect. For instance, she describes Bottega Veneta's collection as "burnt velvet dresses in a three-dimensional blur of colors, dresses and skirts with soft peplums, and velvet-paneled evening dresses" and going further with Prada, she notes "with bandit eyes and ironed hair tipped in white or black, the models in Miuccia Prada's latest show looked fierce indeed."  If NY Times did not have any pictures of the collection, I could litterally imagine what the designer had created just by her context alone. Going further, her descriptive notes on "graphic jacquards", knits and embroidery are so on point.She mentions the "chunky beadwork down the back of coats" of Prada's latest collection; I think words like "chunky" is almost like keeping it real with the reader instead of being boring and polite. It also embraces the style of the clothing, and I just love it! I totally her writing skills for sure.

1. SILHOUETTE & DESIGN

Velvet-Paneled Evening Dresses

2. DETAILS

 Tailoring in wool or jacquards and silk prints evocative of old carpet designs (Men's)

3. COLOR

Soft peplums

Burnt velvet dresses in a three-dimensional blur of colors 
Colors — orange, violet, persimmon — are super-saturated

4. FABRIC

Graphic jacquards, knits and chunky beadwork down the back of coats.
And fabrics are much lighter in weight, despite how they may appear in photographs or videos.

5. CREATIVE “JARGON”
One difference is that patterns, redolent of old-carpet designs, now have graphic punch

LeAthER AcCenTs

Its hard to believe the type of weather that we are having this season in the NYC. It seems as if we can kind of take advantage and play with our fashion a little bit; whether it be covering ourselves in over sized sweaters to keep us warm on those cold frivolous days or wearing a little less when the weather is feeling great...

Above, is a picture I found and I thought I would post it so I could contrast from the styles I found below...The woman above is pretty much covered from head-to-toe and almost seems as if she is extremely comfortable. She has a bit of a fashion sense as she coordinates both oversized clothing without making it look sloppy and also sets a color-way from light to dark. What I find intruiging is that she uses her leather boots to add an edge to her outfit. If you think about, without the boots, she would kind of look a little Momish and probably would look a little less trendy just like my friend below.

My friend (on the right) and I recently went to a concert, and I thought I would take a quick photo of her since she is usually up for dressing very casual. She kind of has this kimono/scarf shirt thing goin on which I like due to the bagginess that contrasts from her skinny jeans. If you were to look up closely, you would see ice cream cones all over her shirt, which is kind of cool and appealing in a way, but again, just like the picture above, she adds a pick-me-up to her outfit by including her leather jacket. The black doesn't override the outfit, it just adds depth and maybe even a little bit of confidence, since she is extremely shy.

I think with fashion, leather goes a long way, wheher its faux or real, handbags or shoes, it can help accentuate and make a casual outfit look fierce.