Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

SCAD Fashion Grad competes in “Project Runway”

by

April Johnston
April Johnston, fashion designer

2010 SCAD fashion grad and Savannah resident April Johnston is to be a competitor in upcoming season of “Project Runway”.

At 21 years old, April will be the youngest of the 17 contestants, the largest number of designers in the show’s history. And the Savannah resident is the only contestant from the South.

“Everybody at SCAD is thrilled for April. We’ll all be glued to our sets,” says School of Fashion Dean Michael Fink. “If her provocative and powerful senior collection is any indication, we’re confident she’ll create some exciting and intriguing clothes.”

April’s senior collection was inspired by deconstructed halls, old asylums and abandoned morgues. Her SCAD Style Lab mentor, Zac Posen, guided her through the creation of her collection. The result was a theme of dark beauty—black and grey designs whose beauty was found in the detailed textures.

“Project Runway” premieres on Lifetime Network Thursday, July 29 at 9 p.m. EST.

April Johnston's SCAD Senior Collection
April Johnston's SCAD Senior Collection

Fashion in Focus – Savannah, GA

by

Oscar de la Renta for Pierre Balmain, Evening Gown
Oscar de la Renta for Pierre Balmain, Evening Gown – Haute Couture, black silk tulle with laser-cut tulle skirt and train, c. 2001. Photo by SCAD

The SCAD Museum of Art announces its latest exhibition, “Fashion in Focus: Photos and Evening Wear from the SCAD Museum of Art Collection,” ongoing now through Sept. 30, 227 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

This exhibition of more than 30 objects highlights recent couture gifts to the SCAD Museum of Art including exquisite evening dresses by contemporary designers Ralph Rucci, Oscar de la Renta for Balmain, Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, Isabel Toledo, Valentino, and Lars Nilsson for Bill Blass. The aesthetic ranges from the sumptuous splendor of an aubergine opera coat and the charm of an ice cream pink ball gown to the clean simple lines of a little black dress or the austere grace of silver and ivory evening dresses.

Among the fashion photographs on view are images from the past few decades by noted photographers Sir Cecil Beaton, Horst P. Horst, Karl Lagerfeld, David Bailey, Arthur Elgort, Herb Ritts and others, in images that graced the pages of Vogue or other fashion journals and featured the top models of the time.

As a teaching museum, the SCAD Museum of Art supports the academic and creative programs at SCAD by providing students with direct encounters with works by major artists while enriching the artistic, educational and cultural offerings available to the university and wider communities. The museum is a cultural gem that adds to Savannah’s reputation as an ideal location for visitors and those interested in the arts and architecture.

For more information about the exhibition and to arrange group tours, call 912.525.7191, or visit www.scad.edu/scadmuseum. Museum hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, 1-5 p.m.

SCAD presents annual fashion show with fashion icon Diane von Furstenberg

by

The Savannah College of Art and Design will honor venerable fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg at the university’s annual fashion show Saturday, May 15, 8 p.m. at Trustees Theater, 216 E. Broughton St. SCAD President Paula Wallace and Vogue Contributing Editor André Leon Talley will present von Furstenberg with Talley’s namesake Lifetime Achievement Award.

In May 2000, the university honored Talley with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was renamed to include Talley’s name and has been presented successively to fashion legends Oscar de la Renta, Karl Lagerfeld, Miuccia Prada, Tom Ford, Vera Wang, Marc Jacobs, John Galliano, and most recently Isabel and Ruben Toledo. In 2004, Zac Posen was honored with the André Leon Talley New Look Award. Talley is a member of the SCAD Board of Trustees.

Hailing from Brussels, Belgium, von Furstenberg first arrived in the fashion world in 1972 with her iconic wrap dress, the seed of what is today a full fashion house. By 1976, von Furstenberg had sold millions of her dresses, coming to symbolize female power and freedom to an entire generation. In 1997, after a hiatus from fashion, she reemerged on the New York fashion scene with the re-launch of the dress that started it all and began transforming her company into the global luxury lifestyle brand it is today. The impact of this garment to women and the fashion industry is so profound that it is now part of the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian.
In 2004, she was presented with an Honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from SCAD. In 2005, von Furstenberg was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) for her impact on fashion, and one year later, was elected president of the CFDA, an office she continues to hold today.

Headquartered in New York City, there are currently 33 freestanding DVF boutiques worldwide and DVF collections are also sold in select retail specialty stores in more than 71 countries. As a longtime resident of New York’s Meatpacking District, von Furstenberg is a vocal member of the local community. She opens up her studio on a regular basis to host cultural events and is actively involved in the campaign to save and redevelop the historical High Line railway. A firm believer in the power of women, she sits on the board of Vital Voices, a women’s leadership organization that empowers emerging women leaders and social entrepreneurs around the world.

110 undergraduate and graduate students are currently vying for one of 30 prestigious slots in the SCAD Fashion Show, which has become one of the top student fashion shows in the country. Selected by a jury process, the students’ work is critiqued every step of the way, from sketches to garments, by some of the top professionals in the fashion industry.

SCAD has the largest and most comprehensive School of Fashion in the world, and offers more degree programs and specializations in fashion and accessory design than any other art and design university. Encompassing fashion design, accessory design, fashion marketing and management, luxury and fashion management, and menswear, the SCAD School of Fashion prepares students for the practical and professional needs required in today’s global fashion industry through innovative design combined with state-of-the art technology, anchored in creative thinking.

Complementing classroom instruction, the SCAD Style Lab mentorship program in the School of Fashion affords students a realistic glimpse of working industry standards, offering direction and inspiration for a select group of students’ senior collections through one-on-one critiques and guidance from concept through production. Mentors have included Brian Wolk and Claude Morais of Ruffian, Yigal Azrouël, Lars Nilsson, Zac Posen, Catherine Malandrino, Bryan Bradley and Angel Sanchez.

Tickets for the 2010 SCAD Fashion Show will be available beginning April 30 for the SCAD community and May 3 for the general public at the SCAD box office, 216 E. Broughton St., online at www.scadboxoffice.com or can charged by phone at 912.525.5050. A matinee at 4 p.m. will precede the 8 p.m. gala featuring von Furstenberg. Matinee tickets are $20 each or $10 with a SCAD ID. Tickets for the 8 p.m. show are $50 each or $25 with a SCAD ID. All tickets are limited to two per person for both shows.

SCAD Style 2010, April 26 – May 6 – Fashion in Savannah

by

Renowned Style and Design Event to be held in Savannah and Atlanta

The Savannah College of Art and Design will host SCAD Style 2010, the college’s nationally recognized, signature style and design event, April 26 – May 6, at various locations at SCAD-Atlanta and SCAD-Savannah. This series of events features world-renowned artists, designers and industry professionals and highlights several of the college’s programs of study, including fashion, fibers, interior design, industrial design, and architecture. All lectures are free and open to the public.

Throughout SCAD Style, students and the public will have the opportunity to participate in lectures, workshops, exhibitions and book signings from some of the most well-known artists, designers and industry professionals.

Among the eclectic group of style and design experts currently scheduled to participate in SCAD Style 2010 are:

Chris Benz
Chris Benz at SCAD Style 2010

• Chris Benz. fashion designer, noted for spearheading the reemergence of classic sportswear in American design, CFDA Award recipient;
• Venessa Bertozzi, Editor-in-Chief of Etsy, the world’s most vibrant handmade marketplace;
• Derek Blasberg, Senior Fashion News Editor at V, fashion and style journalist, blasblog on Style.com;
• Simone Bodin, known professionally as Bettina, was a French fashion model of the 1950s and an early muse to the fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy;
• Hamish Bowles, author, European Editor at Large for Vogue, recognized as one of the most respected authorities on the worlds of fashion and interior design;
• Michael Bruno, founder/president of online antique and vintage design resource 1stdibs.com;

Michael Bruno
Michael Bruno

• Clodagh, renowned architecture and interior designer;

• Thom Filicia founder of Thom Filicia Inc., widely-known for his role on “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy;”

• Rita Konig, NYTimes blogger, decorator, author;
• Derek Lam, fashion designer, multi-CFDA Award-winner noted for his luxurious but wearable clothes;
• Fern Mallis, Senior Vice President of IMG Fashion and widely credited as the creator of New York “Fashion Week;”
• Claude Morais and Brian Wolk, fashion designers behind Ruffian, the popular ready-to-wear fashion label;
• Caleb Mulvena, architect, principal of Mapos architectural design firn, collaboated with Peter Marino on Louis Vuitton flagship store in Paris;
• Jonathan Olivares, furniture and industrial designer;
• Nicole Phelps. Executive Editor of Style.com;
• Robert Rufino, editor-at-large for House Beautiful;
• Cameron Silver, premiere authority on vintage fashion;
• Paula Wallace, President of Savannah College of Art and Design, author of “Perfect Porches: Designing Welcoming Spaces for Outdoor Living.”

Bettina
Bettina

For a complete schedule of events at SCAD-Atlanta and SCAD-Savannah, visit www.scadstyle.com.

Charleston Fashion Week “Glam Rocks” – 2010

by

Are you fashionably late for the Charleston Fashion Week? This anticipated event takes place in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, from March 16-20, 2010.

Charleston Fashion Week is a five night multimedia event celebrating design and retail. Come catch the action under the tents in Marion Square. The event showcases more than 30 runway shows, live entertainment, celebrity designers, rock and of course the popular Runway Modeling Competition.

Project Runway’s finalist Carol Hannah Whitfield and Mychael Knight will both be debuting collections. Other CFW alum, featured designers, and celebrity judges to return to the tents in Marion Square this spring include: designer Cynthia Rowley, ELLE magazine’s Fashion News Director, Anne Slowey, Project Runway’s Gordana Gehlhausen,and 2009 Emerging Designer Competition winner Marysia Reeves, whose Spring/Summer 2010 line has been picked up by Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie.

Set for March 16-20, the highly anticipated five-night multimedia event
celebrates the regions flourishing design and retail communities.

The premier fashion event also includes the first annual Rock the Runway competition in which the top models compete to win a fashion spread, modeling contract, and the opportunity to appear before the top modeling scouts in the country. With a cast of celebrity designers in attendance, live entertainment, chic after parties, on-site shopping in the Style Lounge, more than 30 retail runway shows, plus an afternoon of Bridal Couture, Charleston Fashion Week® is ready to prove why “Glam Rocks!” for 2010.

Named a Top 20 Event for March by the Southeast Tourism Society, Charleston Fashion Week will also feature the Style Lounge, the Catwalk for Kids auction and luncheon and the Bridal Couture Show. I also have to point out one special event that sounds like a lot of fun, at least for spectators is the Stiletto Stampede – a wacky 100 yard dash in high heels, this is a sight you don’t want to miss!

Call Etix at 1800-514-ETIX or visit www.charlestonfashionweek.com. for more information.

Read our previous post about Charleston Fashion Week