Category: News and Commentary

Diving For Galanos Off The Coast of Fifth Avenue

Here at FROCK we are fortunate to have both the opportunity to see fashion at it’s finest, as well as meeting the women who truly appreciate it and have a distinct sense of personal style. Every day is akin to a treasure hunt as we go shopping in these women’s closets for new pieces. There are designers one finds in nearly every closet we encounter. Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, Christian Dior, Halston, Bill Blass, Chanel (both Coco and Karl)… each and every one a true master; but there is one favorite designer of mine who always stands out and is found in the closets of women who were fortunate enough to have the means to acquire these exquisite pieces. This would be James Galanos, in my personal estimation, one of the foremost 20th Century American couturiers and rightly so, one of the leading designers of all time.

written by Evan Ross, proprietor of FROCK in New York City

Here at FROCK we are fortunate to have both the opportunity to see fashion at it’s finest, as well as meeting the women who truly appreciate it and have a distinct sense of personal style. Every day is akin to a treasure hunt as we go shopping in these women’s closets for new pieces. There are designers one finds in nearly every closet we encounter. Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, Christian Dior, Halston, Bill Blass, Chanel (both Coco and Karl)… each and every one a true master; but there is one favorite designer of mine who always stands out and is found in the closets of women who were fortunate enough to have the means to acquire these exquisite pieces. This would be James Galanos, in my personal estimation, one of the foremost 20th Century American couturiers and rightly so, one of the leading designers of all time. Continue reading “Diving For Galanos Off The Coast of Fifth Avenue”

All Keyed Up – Symptoms, Conditions, and Cures

The system of values that governs both the action and conversation in global fashion is horribly askew. If you’re a reader of my writing, have met me, or even vaguely know what I care about, then you will know that I’m not happy about the way the “fashion industry” treats the designers who are in fact the actual fashion industry. The ability to make bank and be seen around celebrities is placed so far above imagination and craftsmanship that the traits are actually absent from thinking and conversation both inside and outside the industry. The ignorant obsession of the fashion industry with everything other than the actual creation of brilliant clothing and accessories is a symptom of a much larger problem.

written by Seth Friedermann
photo by Aeric Meredith-Goujon

The system of values that governs both the action and conversation in global fashion is horribly askew. If you’re a reader of my writing, have met me, or even vaguely know what I care about, then you will know that I’m not happy about the way the “fashion industry” treats the designers who are in fact the actual fashion industry. The ability to make bank and be seen around celebrities is placed so far above imagination and craftsmanship that the traits are actually absent from thinking and conversation both inside and outside the industry. The ignorant obsession of the fashion industry with everything other than the actual creation of brilliant clothing and accessories is a symptom of a much larger problem. Continue reading “All Keyed Up – Symptoms, Conditions, and Cures”

All Keyed Up – Can you be both retailer and objective journalist?

There are still a few major mysteries left in the future of the fashion industry that are the keys to understanding a progressive path forward. Two of the biggest “known unknowns,” to quote someone I intensely dislike, are… what is going to happen as digital magazines who review and feature specific designers also begin to sell clothes because of contracts with retailers or because they themselves become a direct retailer? The other question is, how does this strange new “salescape” impact the designers?

Sally LaPointe Spring 2012, photo by Ned and Aya Rosen

written by Seth Friedermann
edited by Charles Beckwith

Where are we going, and what will it look like when we get there?

There are still a few major mysteries left in the future of the fashion industry that are the keys to understanding a progressive path forward. Two of the biggest “known unknowns,” to quote someone I intensely dislike, are… what is going to happen as digital magazines who review and feature specific designers also begin to sell clothes because of contracts with retailers or because they themselves  become a direct retailer? The other question is, how does this strange new “salescape” impact the designers?

Continue reading “All Keyed Up – Can you be both retailer and objective journalist?”

All Keyed Up – Does Fashion Week Still Work?

In 1943 Eleanor Lambert organized something called “Press Week” which was held in New York City two times per year to give the fashion press access to the newest designs from the likes of Vera Maxwell, Claire McCardell, Norman Norell and many others. This was primarily due to the fact that U.S designers no matter how brilliant were barely covered by the fashion press of the day. This press week was renamed “Seventh on Sixth” in 1993 when the shows begun to be held in Bryant Park. Now as we close out our first full year in the new tents at Lincoln Center I’ve begun to wonder if Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in 2011 still does what Mrs. Lambert wanted it to do when she founded it almost 60 years ago.

story by Seth Friedermann
photo by Aeric Meredith-Goujon

In 1943 Eleanor Lambert organized something called “Press Week” which was held in New York City two times per year to give the fashion press access to the newest designs from the likes of Vera Maxwell, Claire McCardell, Norman Norell and many others. This was primarily due to the fact that U.S designers no matter how brilliant were barely covered by the fashion press of the day. This press week was renamed “Seventh on Sixth” in 1993 when the shows begun to be held in Bryant Park. Now as we close out our first full year in the new tents at Lincoln Center I’ve begun to wonder if Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in 2011 still does what Mrs. Lambert wanted it to do when she founded it almost 60 years ago. Continue reading “All Keyed Up – Does Fashion Week Still Work?”

All Keyed Up – August 2011

A few well-known fashion industry people who are also show-biz types once told a designer friend of mine that there was no place in the real world for her designs, and that they knew this because they were the experts on fashion, not her. Not only are they most certainly not, “experts on fashion,” the fact that they think such a position exists shows that they don’t even view fashion in the proper context. This incident importantly points out what is wrong with the way these “experts,” and the industry as a whole, see designers and designs.

from the desk of Seth Friedermann, Managing Editor
photos by Charles Beckwith

A few well-known fashion industry people who are also show-biz types once told a designer friend of mine that there was no place in the real world for her designs, and that they knew this because they were the experts on fashion, not her. Not only are they most certainly not, “experts on fashion,” the fact that they think such a position exists shows that they don’t even view fashion in the proper context. This incident importantly points out what is wrong with the way these “experts,” and the industry as a whole, see designers and designs. Continue reading “All Keyed Up – August 2011”

Racism In Fashion

I was recently reading a fashion blog entry which attempted to go into detail about examples of racism in the fashion industry, titled “6 Reasons Why Fashion Is Inherently Racist.” To open the story the author had posted an image taken from naiveboy.com which substituted the “O” in “Vogue” with a swastika, but it was more than just the illustration I found more sensation than substance, and here is why.

written by Charles Beckwith

I was recently reading a fashion blog entry which attempted to go into detail about examples of racism in the fashion industry, titled “6 Reasons Why Fashion Is Inherently Racist.” To open the story the author, Emma Jones, had posted an image taken from naiveboy.com which substituted the “O” in “Vogue” with a swastika, but it was more than just the illustration I found more sensation than substance, and here is why. Continue reading “Racism In Fashion”

50 Most Talented Fashion Designers

The 50 Most Talented Fashion Designers in the World – 2011

compiled by Seth Friedermann

This is a subjective list of those designers that I feel have demonstrated remarkable imagination and construction talent over the last few years. This is not a ranked order and there are many designers who are just off the edge of this list, and we acknowledge that a strong case can be made for them. In fact, we encourage conversation about this list.

1. Ralph Rucci
2. Rei Kawakubo
3. Albert Kriemler
4. Azzedine Alaia
5. Karl Lagerfeld Continue reading “50 Most Talented Fashion Designers”