In high times
Last week, I saw a screening of “The September Issue,” R.J. Cutler’s upcoming documentary film about Anna Wintour, the editor in chief of Vogue magazine and the most feared and revered figure in fashion. He follows Wintour and the Vogue staff as they put together the September 2007 issue, which at 4 pounds and 100 pages more than the previous year’s, was the most ad-laden “book” in the magazine’s history. Two things struck me about the film: that it is a time capsule of the $300-billion fashion industry at its height, before the economic bubble burst, and that it is Vogue’s creative director Grace Coddington, not Wintour, who is the star.
With magazine circulation and ad dollars down, and the luxury industry Wintour controls with an iron fist in a tailspin, it’s almost quaint to watch the staff traveling here and there in chauffeured cars, talking about “a wardrobe of jackets.” Then there’s Wintour demanding an 11th-hour reshoot of a story on color-block fashions and smirking at designers who haven’t finished their samples in time to give her a sneak peek before their runway shows.
In one particularly eerie scene, at Vogue’s retailer breakfast in Paris, Neiman Marcus President and Chief Executive Burton Tansky urges Wintour to pressure designers to deliver on time because the demand is growing faster than they even know. If only retailers had that problem now, instead of bulging racks on sale. There is also a lingering shot of the fashion house of Christian Lacroix, now in bankruptcy.
The film, which opens in September, showcases Wintour’s influence inside the office and out.
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The low-key approach
With all the highly publicized designer collaborations in retail right now (Matthew Williamson for H&M;, Kate Moss for TopShop, Tracy Feith for Target and on and on), it’s been interesting to watch Anthropologie’s quieter approach to the trend. In the past, the retailer has worked with Anna Sui and Rachel Comey, among others, but always without fanfare, with most designers creating lines under different names.
Now L.A. seems to be on Anthropologie’s radar as never before. Jeweler Sonia Boyajian has designed a few pieces, including the adorable $98 “Flutter Fly” necklace. And when I stopped by Koi Suwannagate’s studio last week, she told me she will be launching a collection of knits for the retailer this fall.
Boyajian’s name is mentioned in the description of the items online, but that’s it. “We trust our customer will recognize the extraordinary pieces on her own,” says company spokeswoman Sara Goodstein. “We believe she would be disappointed if she believed we pursued collaborations solely for the purpose of PR.”
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A natural fit for L.A.
I have always loved Barbara Tfank, whose vintage brocade and floral evening wear is so emblematic of L.A.’s artisanal fashion community, the same one that spawned James Galanos, Rodarte, Koi Suwannagate and Juan Carlos Obando. Like so many others, Tfank first made her mark on the red carpet, while working as a design consultant for Prada. She created the ethereal lavender gown worn by Uma Thurman at the 1995 Academy Awards that put the Italian fashion house on the map.
A former costume designer, Tfank launched her own label for spring 2001, with cinematic metallic brocade cocktail coats, capelet jackets and dresses with nipped waists and full skirts, beginning at $1,500. Her clothes have an Old World feel and a specialness that’s missing in so much of the designer market. I also appreciate that they are for grown-up women of all ages and sizes. (A few of her dresses even, gasp!, have sleeves.) Adele wore a custom black dress by Tfank for the Grammys in February.
Tfank’s line has been available at Susan in San Francisco, Barneys New York in New York and Chicago, but not in her hometown. Until now. Her spring collection has just landed at Lily et Cie in Beverly Hills, where I imagine it hangs quite nicely next to the 1950s Balmain and Dior haute couture.
Barbara Tfank at Lily et Cie, 9044 Burton Way, Beverly Hills, (310) 724-5757.
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