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Fashion maven talks trends
By Patsy Yang |
April 19, 2013, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE US luxury retailer Neiman Marcus is joining China's booming luxury and e-commerce markets by opening its China e-commerce store recently.
Its first fashion show in China at Shanghai's Bund was curated by Ken Downing, the company's senior vice president and fashion director. It showcased a melange of heavy-hitters such as Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Oscar de la Renta, Giuseppe Zanotti, Jason Wu and Tory Burch.
Downing, at Neiman Marcus for 22 years, is responsible for dictating seasonal trends for the company. He met Shanghai Daily before the show, giving his insight into the industry and predicting the hottest trends.
Besides the established fashion brands, how do you see the cooperation with emerging designers?
We often see in the press talking about new names, but because they just launch a collection for one season doesn't mean they are necessarily ready for prime time, ready for production, or to fulfill a big retailer's needs. We are very careful in bringing in new designers because we seek a long-term relationship. It takes a new designer sometimes up to 10 years to see great moments in the business. Alexander Wang in the past six years has grown into such a successful designer. He is a smart young man surrounded by a very solid family base who has good business people.
Describe your personal style.
A little prep, international, and always a little bit of rock 'n' roll spirit. I only wear Chelsea boots, even on the beach. Balman and biker jackets are a must have for both women and men this season.
Any current fashion obsession for ourself?
I'm obsessed with my biker jacket that I just got from Saint Laurent. I have a great biker jacket from Dsquared2. They are black.
Any fashion designer you admire?
Karl Lagerfeld is a great designer who never stops thinking. His mind is always working. Beyond fashion designers, I have great admiration for Anna Wintour. She is a powerful individual who does many positive things for fashion world. I'm also a great fan of Jason Wu, a young talent who had built up a strong business in short time. Raf Simons helped build a powerful Jil Sander business and I would like to see his work at Dior. It's also nice to see Alexander Wang in Paris because it's going to influence his collection in New York and his New York street sensibility will influence what he is doing in Paris.
Tell us about the hottest trends for the warmer months ahead.
Rock 'n' roll references are everywhere, so biker and bomber jackets are must haves for women this spring. For a super-sophisticated woman, I would like to see a biker jacket with a pencil skirt to the knee and a pointed-toe pump with single sole and high heel. But a cool girl would wear a pointed-toe menswear shoe because there are lots of town-boy references for the fall. More of a classic woman can wear a biker jacket dressed up with uptown attitude and urban sensibility.
Colored lace is also hot for spring and summer. It's a romantic idea and it gives it an entirely new dimension.
Color is the overwhelming message in spring/summer runways, from all the shades of blue to the intensity of orange. To me, orange is neutral, and every woman needs to mix a bit of orange with the other colors of spring, from hot pink to blue.
We've seen a return to a "relaxed chic'' style with the continuation of menswear influences. There is still a very sexy dress out there but with a more relaxed ease to it. Gladiator sandals and boots are popular and we love all the black and white stripes with handbags and shoes in high-voltage colors.
Could you summarize the top trends from the 2013 fall/winter runways?
Purple will be the main color story for the entire season. Red becomes women's new neutral, from bright lipstick red to red wine. I love a red bag or shoe with something black to get more attention. Animal prints are everywhere, from large leopard spots to zebra stripes, tiger stripes and python. For jewelry, we saw a lot of high necklaces, and the jewelry pieces are becoming chunkier this fall. Each brand will shrink their handbags to miniature versions.
How do you select fashions for the Neiman Marcus and NM China e-commerce sites?
I'm always having a conversation with myself before the season and, of course, with the buying team because we are pretty good predicting what is going to sell. I try to think like a fashion designer and a magazine editor. We try to ensure that we create an early road map of what we are going to put in the stores and websites. And we think about where our customers come from, the weather patterns, the fabric weights. And I look for things they don't realize they want yet.
You are a frequent contributor to the Neiman Marcus blog and its Facebook and Twitter channels. How do you see the fashion world embracing social media?
I started blogging seven years ago when we didn't have a social media site. It's interesting to see so many people have a voice in fashion. It forces me to be more direct, more focused, have a stronger vision when I talk to the customers.
Its first fashion show in China at Shanghai's Bund was curated by Ken Downing, the company's senior vice president and fashion director. It showcased a melange of heavy-hitters such as Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Oscar de la Renta, Giuseppe Zanotti, Jason Wu and Tory Burch.
Downing, at Neiman Marcus for 22 years, is responsible for dictating seasonal trends for the company. He met Shanghai Daily before the show, giving his insight into the industry and predicting the hottest trends.
Besides the established fashion brands, how do you see the cooperation with emerging designers?
We often see in the press talking about new names, but because they just launch a collection for one season doesn't mean they are necessarily ready for prime time, ready for production, or to fulfill a big retailer's needs. We are very careful in bringing in new designers because we seek a long-term relationship. It takes a new designer sometimes up to 10 years to see great moments in the business. Alexander Wang in the past six years has grown into such a successful designer. He is a smart young man surrounded by a very solid family base who has good business people.
Describe your personal style.
A little prep, international, and always a little bit of rock 'n' roll spirit. I only wear Chelsea boots, even on the beach. Balman and biker jackets are a must have for both women and men this season.
Any current fashion obsession for ourself?
I'm obsessed with my biker jacket that I just got from Saint Laurent. I have a great biker jacket from Dsquared2. They are black.
Any fashion designer you admire?
Karl Lagerfeld is a great designer who never stops thinking. His mind is always working. Beyond fashion designers, I have great admiration for Anna Wintour. She is a powerful individual who does many positive things for fashion world. I'm also a great fan of Jason Wu, a young talent who had built up a strong business in short time. Raf Simons helped build a powerful Jil Sander business and I would like to see his work at Dior. It's also nice to see Alexander Wang in Paris because it's going to influence his collection in New York and his New York street sensibility will influence what he is doing in Paris.
Tell us about the hottest trends for the warmer months ahead.
Rock 'n' roll references are everywhere, so biker and bomber jackets are must haves for women this spring. For a super-sophisticated woman, I would like to see a biker jacket with a pencil skirt to the knee and a pointed-toe pump with single sole and high heel. But a cool girl would wear a pointed-toe menswear shoe because there are lots of town-boy references for the fall. More of a classic woman can wear a biker jacket dressed up with uptown attitude and urban sensibility.
Colored lace is also hot for spring and summer. It's a romantic idea and it gives it an entirely new dimension.
Color is the overwhelming message in spring/summer runways, from all the shades of blue to the intensity of orange. To me, orange is neutral, and every woman needs to mix a bit of orange with the other colors of spring, from hot pink to blue.
We've seen a return to a "relaxed chic'' style with the continuation of menswear influences. There is still a very sexy dress out there but with a more relaxed ease to it. Gladiator sandals and boots are popular and we love all the black and white stripes with handbags and shoes in high-voltage colors.
Could you summarize the top trends from the 2013 fall/winter runways?
Purple will be the main color story for the entire season. Red becomes women's new neutral, from bright lipstick red to red wine. I love a red bag or shoe with something black to get more attention. Animal prints are everywhere, from large leopard spots to zebra stripes, tiger stripes and python. For jewelry, we saw a lot of high necklaces, and the jewelry pieces are becoming chunkier this fall. Each brand will shrink their handbags to miniature versions.
How do you select fashions for the Neiman Marcus and NM China e-commerce sites?
I'm always having a conversation with myself before the season and, of course, with the buying team because we are pretty good predicting what is going to sell. I try to think like a fashion designer and a magazine editor. We try to ensure that we create an early road map of what we are going to put in the stores and websites. And we think about where our customers come from, the weather patterns, the fabric weights. And I look for things they don't realize they want yet.
You are a frequent contributor to the Neiman Marcus blog and its Facebook and Twitter channels. How do you see the fashion world embracing social media?
I started blogging seven years ago when we didn't have a social media site. It's interesting to see so many people have a voice in fashion. It forces me to be more direct, more focused, have a stronger vision when I talk to the customers.
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