Five Places to Visit in Amman with a Hometown Fashion Designer - The New York Times

sempie Mart 08, 2021

Five Places to Visit in Amman with a Hometown Fashion Designer - The New York Times

Five Places to Visit in Amman with a Hometown Fashion Designer - The New York Times
Let’s Play Fashion Fantasy Football - The New York Times
Fashion@Brown hosts annual runway show - The Brown Daily Herald
From PJs to florals: this week’s fashion trends - The Guardian
From Ballerina Flats to Tutus, Ballet Has Left Its Mark on Fashion - Smithsonian.com

Posted: 28 Feb 2020 02:00 AM PST

The Amman fashion designer Nafsika Skourti could have started her clothing line anywhere. Her Paris Fashion Week debut six years ago won over buyers from around the world. But Ms. Skourti, 32, and her sister, Stephanie, 30, headquartered their company in their hometown in 2014 "to teach Arab hands to create clothing with international appeal," she said. The sisters employ refugees from Iraq and Syria to embroider and bead their edgy designs, which riff on Middle Eastern stereotypes and 1990s pop culture. In their Amman atelier and boutique, you can find curios like rhinestone-adorned bras and her popular signature pants, called the Naughty Trousers.

Growing up, Ms. Skourti recalls, "Amman was quaint and insular — we had maybe one cinema. I remember the first McDonald's opening, that was a really big deal." Since then, she said, "the city has grown exponentially. The music scene is booming, there are a ton of pop-up parties, and there's an entrepreneurial spirit that has given rise to co-working spaces, juice bars and other concepts that are new to this part of the world." Here, five places Ms. Skourti frequents for inspiration.

1. Off the Record

Touted as Amman's first speakeasy, this cocktail bar inside the Conroy Boutique Hotel is where trendy types gather during the colder months (it's closed in the summer). "They have a small but interesting menu, and even better cocktails. It's an off-the-beaten-path kind of gem." House rules include "no name dropping" and "leave your ego at the door."

Inside the Conroy Boutique Hotel, Shatt Al-Arab Street, 17; instagram.com/offtherecordbar/

2. Jasmine House

Named for the trees on its terrace, this 1950s villa has been repurposed as an Italian restaurant that specializes in Calabrian cuisine. "It's a little piece of Italy in the heart of old Amman. They offer a small, seasonal menu and utilize the best local ingredients."

Al Ba'Ouniyah Street 28; facebook.com/JHA23/

3. Trinitae Soap Shop

Started in the 1930s, this family owned brand makes skin care and fragrance with salt and minerals from the Dead Sea, which are said to have healing properties. The shop, perched atop a hill, offers panoramic views of downtown Amman. "The pomegranate body scrub is a staple in my bathroom." Products range from about 4 to 40 Jordanian dinar, or about $6 to $56.

Rainbow Street 8B; trinitae.com/

4. Tiraz Museum

In the home of the fashion collector Widad Kamel Kawar, this museum, with garments dating to the 19th century, is said to be the largest private collection of traditional Jordanian and Palestinian women's wear in the world. Mrs. Kawar sometimes leads tours of the galleries, explaining how different styles of dress evolved. "If you're interested in fashion and design from the region, you must visit Tiraz," Ms. Skourti said. Open Sunday through Thursday; tickets cost 2 dinar for adults, 1 for students, and 10 dinar for a guided tour.

19 Riyadh Al Mifleh Street; tirazcentre.org/en/

5. La Capitale

With thick marble tabletops, warm orbs of light, and lots of polished brass, this French brasserie inside the Four Seasons Amman serves as a tribute to Paris. "The Art Deco space is incredible. Get the steak frites and enjoy the architecture."

Inside the Four Seasons hotel, 5th Circle, Kindi Street; fourseasons.com/amman/dining/restaurants/la-capitale/

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Let’s Play Fashion Fantasy Football - The New York Times

Posted: 27 Feb 2020 05:50 AM PST

PARIS — It was a bit of a shock to the fashion world on Sunday — at the end of Milan Fashion Week — when Miuccia Prada announced that Raf Simons would be joining her company as co-creative director. But only a bit of a shock.

"Raf to Prada" rumors had been circulating for months. The more surprising news was that he and Ms. Prada would be equal design partners, a first-of-its-kind long-term arrangement.

In recent years, there had only been one similar partnership, when Christian Lacroix collaborated with Dries Van Noten for one show — just one season. But a partnership with "no end date to the contract," as Ms. Prada said at the secretive surprise news conference? That was a big deal. And one that might inspire other brands — caught in the sales-driven cycle of hirings and firings — to consider similar moves.

Credit...Jason Decrow/Associated Press

Credit...Angela Weiss/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

But until that happens, The New York Times has spent the first few days of Paris Fashion Week asking front-row guests which contemporary designers they would like to see team up: fashion as fantasy football.

It was an easier question for Andrew Bolton, curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, than for others. He has been putting together the museum's next big exhibition, called "About Time: Fashion and Duration," which will examine connective moments in fashion history — pairing designs that have similar elements but made in different eras by different designers.

He thought it would be interesting to see Ralph Lauren and Tom Ford work together — two distinctly American designers: one who's driven by sentimentality and the other by sex (but both by cinema).

"Their inspirations are similar but their aesthetic conclusions are very different," Mr. Bolton said.

Credit...Vianney Le Caer/Invision, via Associated Press

Credit...Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

For similar reasons, the Garage magazine editor Mark Guiducci suggested a pairing of Mr. Ford and the much-lauded Pyer Moss designer Kerby Jean-Raymond. "It would be interesting to see how they could influence each other," Mr. Guiducci said. "They represent two different generations of American glamour."

He also suggested Marc Jacobs and John Galliano, purely for "the theatricality of that."

Theatricality inspired the stylist Law Roach's response, too: "Phoebe and Donatella," he said, to the delighted gasps of his seatmates. Phoebe Philo was, in her Céline years (before her current hiatus from fashion), a famous minimalist while Donatella Versace has always been a famous maximalist, but both are "two powerful women designers," he said. "Their aesthetic is so far away. It would be cool to see them meet in the middle."

Credit...Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images

Credit...Isabella de Maddalena for The New York Times

At the Chloé show Thursday morning, Sofía Sanchez de Betak, a fashion and travel influencer, suggested the Japanese designer Kei Ninomiya and Pierpaolo Piccioli of Valentino. Derek Blasberg, director of YouTube Fashion and Beauty, said he would "love to see a super edgy European's take on classic American sportswear. So, Hedi Slimane for Michael Kors? Nicolas Ghesquière for Donna Karan? Jonathan Anderson for Calvin Klein?"

Others thought outside the industry box. Aya Kanai, the newly appointed editor in chief of Marie Claire's U.S. edition, proposed that the actor Billy Porter partner with Jeremy Scott at Moschino.

Credit...David Livingston/Getty Images

Credit...Jean-Baptiste Lacroix/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Mr. Porter's star has risen in fashion with each dramatic, gender-bending, fine art-inspired red carpet appearance. And Mr. Scott lives for drama — his latest Moschino show was inspired by Marie Antoinette, complete with models in towering wigs wearing elaborate dresses resembling tiered cakes.

As disrupters, they would be a match, Ms. Kanai suggested.

"Jeremy totally reinvented the brand," she said. "And Billy has inspired us all to think about the red carpet in a completely new way."

Fashion@Brown hosts annual runway show - The Brown Daily Herald

Posted: 27 Feb 2020 09:05 PM PST

A bright array of bold, vibrant looks designed and modeled by Brown and Rhode Island School of Design students captivated audience members in the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts Thursday at Fashion@Brown's 10th annual runway show.

"It's a terrific landmark," wrote Sasha Pinto '21, president of Fashion@Brown, in an email to The Herald. The show has been a "labor of love" for everyone involved as a celebration of the success and history of the organization.

"Each collection tells a story," she wrote. "Brown students are immensely creative with a myriad of interests (and) … our designers are the true embodiment of this sentiment."

"I thought it was really great," said Glory Lee '24. "With each collection I could tell how much students put their history, their culture into their work."

Directors of Design Lynn Hlaing '21, Sebastian Immonen '23 and RISD student Kasia Hope are responsible for recruiting designers, helping them create their collections and pulling the show together artistically.

With 12 designers and almost 50 models, this year's show has been "the biggest and best show there is so far," Hlaing said. He noted that there were "more designers than previous years."

According to Hope, there was no specific theme for the runway – apart from a general celebration of the 10th anniversary – in order to allow the designers as much creative freedom as possible. "We decided against choosing one theme because everyone had such wildly different interests," she said.

In addition to the variety of artistic visions, Hlaing said, there was "such a diverse range … of experience" among designers. "It definitely makes for a more interesting and cool adventure," he continued. "Everyone's bouncing creativity off of each other."

"It's really fun to see the concepts develop differently among every designer. Everyone's pulling from either heritage or memory or aesthetic and the way they're developing that concept … and finally putting it into their looks is so exciting," Immonen said.

As the show came to a close and the models entered the runway for their last walk, steady applause accompanied the final exhibition of each designer's works, including a series of yellow and orange outfits as well as a collection composed of red and pink mesh pieces. Another model wore a dress made of coins, and one look was accessorized with a sword.

Quinn Coleman '23, who has designed two prior collections, remarked on the particularly collaborative nature of this year's design process. "I'm used to pulling all-nighters sewing, but not with other people. It was kind of weird creating together in the studio, but it's been pretty good."

"It's crazy to see how other students are out here making clothes, and just creating things," said Jenya Kirsch-Posner '23. Kyran Flynn '23 reflected a similar sense of amazement. "I came because I knew some of the models," he said. "I didn't expect to like it as much as I did."

Behind the bright lights and colorful balloons of the runway, the Events team coordinated the logistics of the show, fine-tuning technical details from choosing decorations to booking the rooms in Granoff.

"We make sure everyone knows where they're supposed to be and when they're supposed to be there," said Sapphire Faruque '22, one of the Events Directors."We're in charge of setting up … (and) making sure it runs."

Madison Hough '22, also an Events Director, mentioned how managing the show involved "a lot of moving pieces."

"We're trying to make it more a celebration of the designers," she said, adding that "there's been a lot more involvement with other teams."

"Every year the shows will keep getting better and better," Hope said. "I'm excited (to see) where we can grow and continue growing.

From PJs to florals: this week’s fashion trends - The Guardian

Posted: 27 Feb 2020 11:00 PM PST

[unable to retrieve full-text content]From PJs to florals: this week's fashion trends The Guardian

From Ballerina Flats to Tutus, Ballet Has Left Its Mark on Fashion - Smithsonian.com

Posted: 27 Feb 2020 01:17 PM PST

SMITHSONIANMAG.COM | Feb. 27, 2020, 4:17 p.m.

Standing center stage in her signature Dying Swan costume, prima ballerina Anna Pavlova evinced pure feminine elegance. One of the most influential dancers of the 20th century, she brought her art to people all around the world, inspiring countless young women to pursue ballet. In a definite twist of fate, Pavlova's breakout role was later linked to her own demise: On her deathbed, she reportedly requested the costume, a symbol of life's precious fragility, be made ready for her.

Pavlova's iconic feathered dress, on loan from the Museum of London, is now on view in the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology's (FIT) "Ballerina: Fashion's Modern Muse" exhibition. Open through April 18, the New York City show explores the relationship between classical dance and both high-end and casual fashion, highlighting key masterpieces from these creative fields in the process.

"Ballet has enjoyed a long connection with fashion, beginning in the 1930s," exhibition curator Patricia Mears tells CR Fashion Book's Jennifer Sauer. "The emergence of female couturieres and the rise of women in fashion design, such as Chanel, Lanvin, Schiaparelli, and Vionnet—and later Dior and then Yves Saint Laurent's embrace of ballet—helped position the image of the ballerina as an aspirational, idealized figure."

Per the FIT exhibition homepage, ballet costumes have historically reflected the latest fashion trends, but until the early 1930s, this was a largely one-sided relationship. As the classical dance form gained more global attention, it was able to transcend art and enter the realm of high culture. Fashion designers took notice of the growing widespread appreciation for ballet and incorporated its styles into their creations.

The exhibit features a total of 90 items, including ballet costumes, athletic wear, and couture dresses from top brands including Dior and Chanel, reports Jocelyn Noveck for the Associated Press. High-fashion items are placed next to the ballet costumes that inspired them, allowing viewers to compare the looks firsthand.

"So [if] you're looking at a formal gown made out of silk tulle that is covered with spangles and has a satin bodice, immediately you think of a ballerina's tutu," Mears tells the AP. "If you look at the flat ballet slipper, millions of women wear that kind of shoe today. And then the leotard, the leggings ... all these things have found their way into fashion. It's ubiquitous."

Among the items on display is a romantic evening gown by couturier Coco Chanel. This navy blue tulle dress, created in 1937, has stars embroidered into its fabric and is one of many designs inspired by choreographer George Balanchine's 1932 ballet Cotillon.

Also on view are Christian Louboutin's "Fetish Ballerine" shoes and garments by designer Claire McCardell, who pioneered the rise of the "ballerina shoe" as casual attire in 1942.

The history of ballet flats is thought to be intertwined with that of World War II, writes Ella Chochrek for Footwear News. "It made sense because shoes were being rationed," explains Mears to Footwear News. "We were going into the war [and] they were going to be harder to get." Ballet flats, on the other hand, were not rationed and thus became excellent alternatives to standard footwear.

Fashion magazines have historically depicted the beauty and elegance of ballerinas, but they were slow to acknowledge the field's diversity—a phenomenon evident in "Ballerina: Fashion's Modern Muse," which presents costumes from the Dance Theatre of Harlem, a multi-ethnic ballet company, as well as artifacts connected to other trailblazing ballerinas of color.

"A dancer's life is hard anyway, but for women of color, it was extraordinarily difficult," Mears tells the Cut's Katie Berohn. "The fact that there were some who could break the barrier and really have a dance career as early as the 1940s and '50s was amazing."

An elegant black Christian Dior dress worn by Maria Tallchief, a dancer of Native American and Irish-Scottish descent, is also on view. Tallchief was among the first Americans to break into a realm previously dominated by Russian and European dancers, enjoying a two-decade career that spanned the 1940s through '60s.

In addition to displaying items that highlight the connection between high couture and ballet, the exhibit connects ballet to a more recent fashion phenomenon: athleisure, or everyday athletic casual wear. Although this style of clothing may appear to be a contemporary trend, it actually traces its origins to the 1940s, when American designers began looking to dancers for inspiration and incorporating leotards and leggings into their work.

While ballet's popularity has somewhat diminished since the 1980s, fashion is still a means through which dancers connect culturally with a mass audience. Consider, for instance, Misty Copeland, the New York City Ballet's first African American principal dancer. As CR Fashion Book points out, Copeland is a rising icon, her likeness regularly appearing in Stuart Weitzman advertisements and Estée Lauder campaigns.

"Indeed," explains the publication, "the future of fashion and style looks to be every bit as ballet-inspired as its modern past."

"Ballerina: Fashion's Modern Muse" is on view at the Museum at FIT in New York City through April 18.