Designer quickie: Aba Drvar-Tomičić.

Following last Dreft Fashion Week Zagreb I had a chance to interview Aba Drvar-Tomičić. Young designer who's super cute faux leather jackets for SS 2013. season totally won me over! Especially styled with maxi cotton dresses which I often wear! Another reason to do this interview was a boutique opening at Nova Ves 84 street in Zagreb which Sonja Lamut  whom I interviewed earlier this year and Aba have opened together. 

How hard it is to be creative in today’s volatile economic environment? Where do you make most compromises? Where do you manage to save and what is the most expensive part of making a collection?

It does get hard sometimes.  In order to create a good quality piece one usually needs to spend a good amount of money. When it comes to building a brand it gets especially hard to make any progress without significant financial investment. Lately it seems like all of us young designers are becoming experts in creating something out of nothing.

I actually make compromises in every step of the collection making process. 

Each time I start quite ambitiously in hopes that I will be able to manage pull out full collection and execute my essential idea to its fullest but then slowly but surely reality kicks in and I start to compromise on each thing a bit without hurting the quality of fabrication and making as much as possible in order to finalize my collection. Usually the most expensive things are little details which break the set budget at the end.

Jacket - 1000kn | Dress - 800kn

Jacket - 1000kn | Dress - 800kn

When you look back now what is that one thing you wish someone have told you when you were a student about being a fashion designer?

I started to study fashion design at the time when textile industry in Croatia was still going strong and fashion design still underrated. When I completed my studies, textile production in Croatia started weakening and design started strengthening a bit, now I feel like it it overrated in some cases, especially in comparison to the textile production and quality of making.  

I would like there to be some gold-middle where one can learn about design through practice and how demanding this job really is. It would be great if there were experienced designers in Croatia who could mentor me through the whole process of planning, creating and presentation.

In what way do you see fashion designers and social media are changing fashion industry?

Social media and fashion bloggers are making fashion much more dynamic, personal and approachable, everything has became much faster. Trends are changing faster than ever which puts personal style in focus and fashion is getting a whole new meaning and dynamic.

How would you comments textile industry and fashion design in Croatia today? Do you think it is possible to live solely of fashion design?

I think that fashion design in Croatia has matured a lot in last several years with it, domestic fashion houses realized importance of hiring good fashion designers as a key to good sales and production of their production.

Unfortunately, due to current financial situation I think there will still be some time before Croatian textile industry recovers fully.  In order for this to happen a strong push is needed which will bring together expert from various fields: business people, designers, pattern makers, technological support and PR experts which currently doesn’t seem to be feasible?

Currently, small manufacturing sites are surviving and managing well designer part of work but also business and PR.

I still can’t live solely of my job, I just started and investment needed is massive.

How did the fact that you became a mum changed your creative process and influenced your work?

Actually, I decided to complete my fashion education after I gave birth to my third child, so my kids are actually from the start of my education.

I truly believe that the fact I have kids has motivated me to continue and finalize my education, and to fight to do we hat I love and become a complete person.  As with most of the families with little kids, we never have enough time in one day to do all we want to do.

What is your average customer like?

I really have various types of clients, just like I work within a range of styles.

Roughly I would say that my clients are in their early thirties and many seem to be quite artistic.

The price range of my pieces is quite reasonable I think, from 250 kn for shirts which I paint manually up to 1500 kn for the faux fur, double side coat from my last collection.

Recently you have opened a boutique in Zagreb with your colleague designer Sonja Lamut, what are you plans for the future?   

Sonja and I have studied together at Profokus school of design and we have been friends ever since. We have completely different creative goals but we appreciate and respect each other’s work and are always here for each other. This is how we decided to open a boutique together at Nova Ves 84 street in Zagreb which we are currently redecorating and looking forward to its opening. 

Designer quickie: Ada Zanditon.

As Dreft Fashion Week Zagreb is coming closer (22-24.11.), I got the chance to interview British designer - Ada Zanditon. This is the second time Ada is showing at DFWZ, last time she did an interview for Croatian press she said that she absolutely loves Zagreb and would love to come back, so she is coming again this year.

I first met Ada at DFWZ after party, we were coming out of the cars at the same time in front of one club and she said "Girl, you look fierce in that dress!" - I was wearing Lei Lou multifunctional fitted dress with long bat sleeves and later wrote a post called 'Ada the Fierce'.  Ada was all smiles that night after she showed her rather impressive collection called  Poseisus. 

My favorite thing about Ada is not only her amazing designer talent but also her passion for creating sustainable fashion pieces in this time of crises when most designers are focused on how to increase the income and not much thinking about how damaging their product creation might be for environment or where are they sourcing their materials. Also - Ada worked for the house of McQueen - my absolute favorite brand in the world. :)

What was your inspiration for SS 2013 season which you will show this week in Zagreb?

My inspiration for spring  summer 2013 is tigers, Particularly the way that the female tiger is both majestic elegant and beautiful and I made a narrative based around the tigress As if she was a woman in a Quentin Tarantino film. Here is the short preview. 

How much effort does your brand put into sourcing and producing eco-sustainable fashion pieces? Why is this important to you?

We make a great deal of effort to source our  fabrics sustainability and from transparent sources it is important to me to do this because I want to show that it is possible to create products which are desirable, innovative and interesting. I want to create a narrative that can be engaged with because it is a creative story or because it is analogy about our relationship to our environment, Whatever someone chooses to take from the collection as long as it's inspiring, then that's what's important. 

Either someone will choose my brands because it is sustainable and they like the product or they will choose it simply just because they like the product. 

Do you feel the impact of economic crises on your creative work? How much did the economic crises affect the sales of your collections if any?

It has been a very big challenge to grow a business during the recession however it has also given me resilience and strength that I have Milans how to grow a business on the download economic climate, make it flourish and continue to grow.

Alexander McQueen is my all time favorite fashion designer. How would you describe the experience of working for the house of McQueen?

I am very lucky to have had some good work experience before setting up my brand. All the work experience that I did helped me to understand how tough the fashion industry is and what level of dedication and perfectionism would be required in order to create a brand.

Do you think that in today’s day and age fashion designer needs to be equally a creative genius and a business person in order to build profitable brand?

In today's climate if you are a new designer and you are independent and you cannot afford to pay someone else to do the business side entirely for you, then absolutely you must be good at the business as well.

 I have to spend at least as much of my time answering emails and working on the business strategy as I do spend being able to design and make things.

Fashion photographer quickie: Daša Gajić.

For this post I had a great pleasure to interview a lovely lady photographer, Mrs.Daša Gajić, who contacted me as a follower of my blog and we continued to set a theme for the photographs you will see in this post. 

I suggested and Daša agreed to describe a lady through different stages of her life in black and white photography. Daša was kind enough to follow through and put together a lovely portfolio of emotional and real life photos which best desribe a lifetime of a lady in Banja Luka, Belgrade and Venice.

Read through this short interview to meet Daša and her lovely ladies in black and white. 

When did you start photographing, do you consider photography your profession?  

Photography was part of my life as far as I can remember it. I grew up in artistic surrounding, and camera was one of my first toys. I was part of my first team exhibition when I was 13, but I never knew or planned photography to become my profession. I was focused mostly on studying political science, getting my masters degree and with looking for a “real” paying job, however, my love for photography overcame it all.

In 2010. Photography has become my profession, while I feel like I learned and grew the most this summer. This year was an absolute fairytale for me as it comes to photography! My fairytale continues through this fall as well, true testimonial for this is also this interview for a fashion blog which I regularly follow and love.

Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"This is one of my favorite street-style photos from Banja Luka, Bosnia. 

This lady is dressed quit stylish, 

she is proving that a lady can look elegant even when riding a bike." 

Do you ever think about fashion when you take photos? How do you define fashion?

I love fashion, but I don’t follow fashion trends much. Fashion is inspiration source for me, it is a game, source of joy and integral part of daily life.

As one of the most amazing fashion designers Dries Van Notes said:

"Coincidence is important, the convergence of different ideas, 

but sometimes you think so much that at the end it is dead.”

My personal view of fashion and photography is similar to his, I am trying to find this fine balance of coincidence and inspiration, I try to enjoy what I am doing, give it my personal mark and don’t put too much thinking into it.

Belgrade, Serbia.

"I usually don’t like to take photos of people from their back, this photo is an exception. 

I really like how mum and daughter outfits are matching.

 I really think this little girl will be a true fashionista when she grows up." 

Do you think that a person can learn to be a good photographer or one needs to have that “special something”?

I think it is extremely important to learn, to educate yourself, practice and continue to progress in technical and creative sense. It is very important to follow the work and learn from other photographers but I also agree that one needs to have that X factor, “an eye” to catch interesting things at right time on a right way.

My general motto is: 

“Learn all you can learn, and the forget all you learned so you could create.”

Venice, Italy.

"This lady defines elegance as per dictionary definition. 

Her outfit is simple, casual but sophisticated and balanced."

Do you think that photography as a format will essentially die out with development of new technologies and with advance of video format?

It’s hard to say, I hope it will not, although it is true that more and more photographers are turning to video format. I still think that the best days of photography are ahead of us.

Follow Daša's work via her Facebook page and her Streetstyle Banja Luka Facebook page.

Croata art director interview

Did you know that the home country of a tie is Croatia? Indeed, tie used to be a part of Croatian national atire back in the days. Traditional Croatian company known to deliver superiror quality ties, scarves and leather goods - Croata is now modernizing and following trends but staying true to brands origins, Croatian national patterns and motives as well as luxurious materials and hand made stiching they are known and recognized by.

Recently, I had a pleasure to interview the art director of Croata, Mrs. Mihaela Grnović Novaković who told me more about brands creative direction and modern approach brand is taking now in production and promotion.

In one of my upcoming posts you will be able to see multiple ways I wear their star product - maxi luxurious silk scarf as well as some other cool stuff from their collections. 

What is your opinion on how fashion industry in Croatia is developing?

Textile industry in Croatia and in the world in general is not flourishing now as it was in „golden“ 80's and beginning of 90's, but growing number and quality of fashion events and visible enthusiasm of young talented people, designers who work now in fashion here in Croatia today are definitely promising a better future for this industry. I actually see social media and bloggers largely positively contributing to this proces.

Did you ever contemplate cooperation with any of the young and perspective Croatian fashion designers?

Croata as you know has our designers; no we are definitely open for future cooperation with some of the Croatian designers.

Croata is known and recognized for its overall quality and handmade product. The quality of our product is based exactly on usage of these expensive, luxurious silk fibers in production and finalizing the product with handmade detailing. The process of making a handmade tie is very complex and it requires luxurious fabrics, a lot of experience, brand knowledge and love.

I think there used to be such perception before, more so because of the fact we are using the motives from Croatian national heritage as patterns on our ties and mostly in our special occasion, more traditional collections reserved mostly for weddings.We also offer accesories of fine leather and trendy design.

Do you sell outside of Croatia as well? How many stores is there in total?

Yes, Croata is sold internationally as well as on the internet, people are indeed interested and want to buy recognizable Croatian brand known by its famous motives, historic brand heritage and quality.

 It total there are ten Croata stores and one Outlet.

How much do you really follow fashion trends in accessories industry? Where do you get raw materials for your collections and where do you manufacture?

Of course, we follow world fashion trends; we visit industry fairs and other fashion events worldwide, for example in Milan and Paris. We want to be trendy but not in very fore coming and obvious way like season's hot color or motive as this is not giving brand a deeper. full story to tell.

We invest a lot of effort in collection development, from choosing the patterns, production technique, technological potential and developments of new patterns, final touches and handmade details with different fibers then base of the fabric etc.

Most of the pieces in Croata collection are made out of very luxurious and fine silk fibers. We get raw material from our international wholesale partners but we do all of the production here in Croatia.

Do you think that Croata although traditional and well recognized Croatian luxurious fashion brand is now considered old fashion by general public?

But I do not think that Croata brand is old-fashion. In contrary, in our new collections you can still find Croata's recognizable patterns but we have also incorporated trendy colors and Croatian national heritage elements.

The proof of this is that we are having more and more younger customers who know what they want and value the quality our products offer so they go for thin ties with trendy patterns and colors, trendy and luxurious silk scarves, bow ties in different colors and patterns from casual tartan to very formal ones.

This season our hero product is large silk scarf made in couple of different designs, shiny and rich in texture and sophisticated look which can be worn in number of different ways.

How to organize your closet? by Erin Mack

Erin Mack

I was delighted to interview my ex-coworker in Rugby Ralph Lauren, Mrs.Erin Mack who's passion is closet organizing.  Erin is 24 years old and lives in NYC. She thoroughly enjoys going through drawers, closets, bins and making them look pretty! She enjoys organizing as well as elements of interior design. 

How and when did you decide that you would like to work as closet organizer? 

I have always had a passion for organizing. It started as a child, on snow days. I used to go through my mom’s pantry and closets and organize for fun. I remember loving the feeling after my work was done and seeing the difference I had made. My mom obviously LOVED it as well. It recently became something that I wanted to do as a job after meeting and working with a fellow Professional Organizer Jeffrey Phillip.

What are the most common mistakes which people make when organizing their closet?

I think that most people don’t spend the time on organizing. They view it as a daunting task that they just don’t have the time for. I feel that many people have the wrong mindset before taking this task on. I also think that people don’t go through the proper prep work before starting organizing. Utilizing great tools that stores like The Container Store and Bed Bath and Beyond have. It is becoming easier than before to keep organized and take the guess work out of where to put things. Buying bins and baskets to store your clothes within your closet, is more important than just hanging all your clothes by color.

Living in NYC with rental prices as high as they are, one needs to learn to use the living space wisely how high is the demand for using the closet organizing services and who are the people who seek for your help the most?

It definitely is an art-form to fit everything in a tiny NYC apartment that is why many people seek out the work of Professional Organizers. There are many people who use organizers, there is even a website where you can source an organizer that’s right for you and learn more about this profession. www.napo.net as well as www.yelp.com  for organizers in your area.

Erin mum's closet

Erin's apartment

Collage of Erin's work

I’m finding it difficult to reach out to the early to mid twenty age group (My age group). Many of them do not have the discretional income yet to spend on an organizer. It’s also a challenge when many twenty something in NYC are moving year to year and have not settled in a home where they can keep up with the work the organizer has done. A majority of my clientele is older with a family.

Who would you say is worst when organizing their stuff men or women and why?

Haha that is a tough one. I think women have more of a desire to be organized than men but naturally are messier. I know that’s true for me. Overall, I guess it’s just depends on the person. No battle of the sexes here! I think that might be because women naturally have more possessions than men. We have makeup, hair products, shoes, jewelry, and clothes to keep track of, and many more of them. I think many women are in a hurry trying to get to work, or school, or meeting friends etc. All of these products and possessions get left out or stored away quickly in that mix.

What are the top 5 tips you would give to your client to keep in mind when it comes to closet organization?

1. CLEAN your closet and make a plan. Buy anything you might need beforehand and return after. Make sure you do any measurements first!

2. DONATE old clothes that you haven’t worn in a year. Create and keep and donate pile.

3. SORT your closet how you want. You may want to keep like items together, or organize by color, or put what you wear often in a place that’s easy to grab.

4. STORE non season clothes out of your closet for more space.

5. WILL YOURSELF TO MANTAIN. Instead of leaving your clothes on the chair, make a promise to yourself that you will keep up with the work. Only you will know if you’ve broken that promise to yourself.

When one decides to use your services how does it work and how much does it cost in average?

They would contact me for a consultation on this email. I need to make sure they are not hoarders that are something I will NOT do. From there we discuss what they are looking for and we go from there. Price wise it depends on the job. I’m still new at this so I’m working on what feels comfortable for me.

How do you go about organizing your closet lovelies? Do share the pics and ideas via my Facebook site I would love to learn about closet organization from you!

Make up artist quickie: Tom Pecheux.

This is a very special interview with Mr. Tom Pecheux for Estée Lauder done backstage at Derek Lam show at New York Fashion Week SS 2013. You can see the rest of the backstage photos and show review in my previous post.

If you are not familiar with Tom's work, you can read a bit more about Tom here.
Style.com saids: "After a career that's spanned two decades, Pecheux joined Estée Lauder as its creative makeup director last November, with the intention of injecting "fashion, fantasy, naughtiness, and above all youth" into the 64-year-old brand. "

“I love using gold gloss to neutralize the pinkness of lips.”

Tom Pecheux

How would you describe the make-up look for this show?

Very feminine, very elegant, but very discreet. It's very pastel, I will call it, “aqua color”. You discover the subtle color, the subtle shimmer, little by little. It's a make-up for a woman who is very self confident, who likes to be made up, who likes to be sophisticated, who is playful, but also who likes to be discreet.

How did the clothing influence the look?

When you are a makeup artist and you work for a fashion show, of course you work with a designer, the most important things are the clothes, but at the end it’s women who are wearing the clothes, so the overall look is important. Clothes, hair, make-up, accessories and since for this season the collection is very luxurious and colorful, it was important to keep the makeup in the same mood but in a very subtle and gentle way. I didn’t want the woman to become too colorful, too playful, too much. We like elegance, we don't like to "show off."

Would you say it’s an understated look?

The look is pretty minimal. What you see looks minimal, but the work is not and that’s because we work on every part of the face. The only thing we didn't use, which most women do, is mascara. Everything else is there. Skin care, foundation, concealer, lipstick, shimmer, contour, eyebrow, eye-shadow - so the result looks minimal, but the work is not. 

How long have you been working with Derek?

For about 10 years.

What is it like to work with him?

It is getting better and better because we have become good friends outside of work. We know each other and we understand each other, and he makes it very easy. You know when you are close to people, you can speak truly: "I like, I don't like, I think it's not quite there yet". When you like people, you want to please the people you work with and we are both very happy to work together. And of course, if I can help Derek in any way to make his woman more beautiful and to complete his collection I am thrilled to be there.

So there is a lot of trust?

Yes.

How does it work with Derek? How much direction does he tend to give you?

Derek always appears very serene. He is very quiet. So he delivers alot without talking a lot. The words he chooses are always very sharp and very neat. Also his collection is very sharp and very neat. When clothes say a lot, the designer does not have to say a lot. He generally doesn’t tell me anything specific, more like a mood, the type of woman he would like to see on the runway. We communicate very well because we know each other very well. That is the beauty of working with somebody that you trust and that you know, but who still every time surprises you. Every collection with Derek is a surprise - the fabrics he uses, the way he shapes them and the woman he creates. He reinvents himself every season, but at the end it's a Derek Lam woman. Even if the collections are different each season.

"I always try to respect the woman and make the makeup work for her." 

Tom Pecheux

Can you talk about the different products you were using?

I'm using a few products that I really like. I am using three products on the eyes, and I am using those two products on the lips. They are new products called shadow paints. They are creamy, and they dry on your eyelid, so they are very stable afterwards. And why do I use eyeshadow on the lips? Because basically it’s a creamy eyeshadow, and lipstick is a creamy product, so, the texture is very similar. Except that lipstick doesn't dry. This dries on the lips so it is very stable. And I used to cook, and I love to cook, so I like to cook make-up. I know people who like to make some rules. I don't know if I necessarily like to break the rules, but I like to play with the rules.

Artist quickie: Carl Bailey.

You are a true artist, you write music, you sing, you graduated with degree in fashion marketing and you worked in the fashion industry...what is your #1 love? Where do you see yourself in the future and what’s your dream job?

My #1 love! Is and will always be music. Music has played a major role in my life. I grew up around it and was one of the first form of arts that I was naturally exposed to.  At one point my dad was a music producer and he also had a wild eclectic record collection, so I guess it rubbed off on me from the very beginning.  As early as I can remember it's the only thing that felt like second nature to me. As far as where I see myself in the near future... Definitely continuing  to  pursue what I love and want to do and making an impact on peoples lives around the world by giving them music that they can truly relate to. That to me would be the greatest success! My dream job has always been to be an artist! I’m currently in the process of putting out new music this fall as well as videos!

The first song you released is titled "Fighting", I think this song resonates with all who tried to live and survive in NYC, what does it mean for you?

"Fighting" means everything to me! It's pretty much like my auto -biography. I wrote in retrospect of everything I've been thorough, everything I've faced, not just throughout this journey over the past few years, but my entire life is in that one song. It touches on so many different subjects that I know everyone can relate to in some way shape or form. I'm glad I wrote it! I needed to!         

 What are your future plans when it comes to music and fashion?

Well for me I think with both avenues (Music and Fashion) I just want to keep growing and evolving as much as possible. I express a great deal of who I am through my music and as well as in the way I dress. I'm always changing. I get board easily... So who knows ?… I don’t!    

We worked together in Rugby RL for more than a year, what are your most memorable moments from the time you worked in Rugby? - share only decent ones ;) 

....HmmmM...probably throwing my temper tantrums! Lol! No, but really I'd have to say Rugby is where I realized it was time for me to chase my calling, my dream! I was exposed to so many different genres of music, cultures and styles. It was a great growing/learning experience. I loved being able to take the time out to work on creative projects, displays, and interacting with different people. I was able to walk away from that situation with so much positive things added to me. So I can’t really pin-point specific moments, but overall, it was a memorable experience.

What are the top 5 MUST HAVE items which you think that every fashionable guy needs to have for the FW season?

IF your Fashionable... For the Fall/Winter season… A bad ass leather jacket is a must! I’m really into poncho’s, I think they can be a sick layering piece there’s so many different ways you can rock them, Sweatshirts with cool detail, Skinny chino’s, and a pair of Chelsea boots!

 Styled By: Heather Sands Photographed By: Daniel Barbosa

 You modeled for one of the shows in the NYFW this week, how did you like this experience and how was the atmosphere in the backstage?

 I still can’t believe I had the chance to be apart of something like that! Especially for Ozwald Boateng! It was completely out of my comfort zone, which was cool because it gave me a chance to tap into something else. 

Carl Bailey for Ozwald Boateng at NYFW SS 2013.

Backstage it was really crazy and chaotic. Lots of press running around snapping pictures, we had to practice our walks, and there was a hair stylist running around spraying hair spray in my hair every 5 minutes! hehe. This was all at the same time for about 3 hours, which made me nervous as shit! By the time it was my turn to hit the runway it felt just natural for me as performing, it gave me the same rush.

Carl Bailey for Ozwald Boateng at NYFW SS 2013.