story by Alexandra Dawes
interview by Charles Beckwith
photos by Sandy Ramirez
photo editing by Alexandra Dawes
Known for her “easy glamour” style, designer Adrienne Landau created a Siberian chic fall 2010 collection for New York Fashion Week.
Landau is recognized for her modern approach to exotic furs, extravagant cashmere, and elaborate detailing. This particular collection was a heavy mix of various colored fox, rabbit, and mink. 
With a knack for embracing fur and layering, Landau utilized colored and wild furs, in addition to the more conventional black and white furs, striking vests that hugged the body, and beautiful, big, Russian-styled hats, which were all presented in a whimsical and fantastical presentation.
This glamorous collection had no limits, and proved that fur could be classy and edgy at the same time.
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modaCYCLE editor Charles Beckwith spoke with the designer during the presentation
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modaCYCLE – What is your inspiration for this specific collection?
Adrienne Landau – My inspiration was… I think it was the way I was wearing my fur. It was the way I would layer. Like I would take all my little accessories and pile them all together and I realized that is creating a whole new look. But, it is also practical thing. I mean basically all those are small pieces; you can wear a vest over a jacket, a vest under a jacket, a big scarf over, like a shawl over a coat, to create newness. So, it is also the way people dress today—they layer, they carry things, they throw things in their bag. So it is all about very lightweight, easy, but glamorous. I did go into my archives, which I think a lot of designers do, and I said okay, I know there are certain things I always do and certain things I love so how can I do it better? We have a great knit group, a great leopard group, animal print group, and the whole furt-opia about women liking the Hollywood glamour—the pales, the sensuous, the silks and the satins. Then it is the office girl that we did. What can we throw over our basic black pants? So these are all just little pieces and also I was very inspired because I have been getting so much fabulous editorial so I wanted to take it out and make it more playful. Because in the old days you would match your hat and your scarf and you would match everything. Now, it is like no, don’t match anything, put spikey together with sheer and texture. So, we just had fun.
modaCYCLE – Did you have a goal with this collection? Do you feel you reached your goal? Are there end pieces missing that you wanted to do that didn’t make it in?
Adrienne Landau – No, no not at all. There are probably too many pieces. Yah, we actually had to edit a lot. You know even when the collection came in I could not believe we had done all that. But, I think there were so many trends that I really wanted to hit on, like the chunky knits. I do believe it is modern. It is the way women really dress today. I never have a specific person in mind when I design the collection, or age group, or anything like that, which is good because that is the way people buy my things. I have had an 80-year-old woman and a 20-year-old woman buy the same piece. So, I really feel good about that.
modaCYCLE – I notice the rooms that you’ve set up with the different settings for the models to walk around in. What was the impetus for that? Did you design them yourself?
Adrienne Landau – We had help. I had some designers and I worked with a stylist and I just thought it was a cool idea because we could show it by how we grouped it together—show the evening with sexy lighting—the girls hanging out at night. Then it is the leopard, which I think all women love leopard, it brings out the wildness. And this is the one in the gallery—very graphic, very black and white, a lot of silver. I think the main thing is just mixing. Mixing furs, don’t be afraid to put one fur collar on top of a totally different fur coat.
modaCYCLE – Do you have a position on the sustainability of fur?
Adrienne Landau – Yeah, it is natural.
modaCYCLE – I mean the farming techniques, that sort of thing. Are you very careful with how you sort through it?
Adrienne Landau – Oh yes…Absolutely. We are very, very careful.
modaCYCLE – Can you tell me a little bit about your basic practice for that? How do you evaluate that?
Adrienne Landau – Well we deal with the Tom Skin Dealers, you known Saga. We know that it is all very protected. They protect what they are labeling and we work with the best factories. We are on top of it. We really work a lot with furs that are mostly natural, such as rabbit and Mongolian so they eat the meat.
modaCYCLE – Thank you very much.
Adrienne Landau – Thank you.