A Glance inside the Gates

April 26, 2010 famenycmageditor 4 Comments

In the pantheon of fashion, the fashion publicist is the most powerful mortal on the planet. They hold the keys that open the gates providing entrée to the gods, goddesses and titans of the runway. They are the priests and priestesses of media. Without proper tribute, your request will never reach the deities of design. Bravo’s first season of Kell on Earth shined a spotlight on the zany universe of fashion PR. There are times when Ms. Kelly Cutrone and her team appear to be fierce Medusas piercing an arrow through the heart of any ne’er–do–well who does not have the fortitude to pass the series of tests it takes to make it in this glittery/grueling industry. Truth is they are not far off the mark. It takes the will of a titan and skin as thick as a Michelin tire to be successful as a fashion publicist. A fact that Claudine Desola knows all to well. She stands at the gilded gates, a place of undisputable power, but as I have come to learn, she wields her force in a benevolent manner. “I wouldn’t say everyday is crazy, it’s pretty calm right now,” Claudine expresses, “but if you come when we’re putting an event together, everyone is running around and it looks like they have two heads. I do think you need to have thick skin but not at all points because some clients are super chill. You just have to go with the flow.”

The most important role of a PR rep is to make a client desirable enough that a demand is created, which can also be interpreted as sell…sell…sell. Fashion publicists look as if they lead a chic, glamorous life, but there is a lot of elbow grease behind all the shimmer. To succeed at the business of public relations, one must have desire. “I think it is important to know if you really want to do it or not. It takes a certain type of person I think to be in PR because you have to be outgoing. You can be an introvert but you have to be sort of an extrovert too,” Claudine explains, “You’re essentially a sales person. Do you want be in sales? If the answer is no, then you don’t want to be in PR. You are selling something whether it’s a person, event or a product. Before you have the skills, you need to have the attitude. That is fifty percent of what we do here.”

Claudine entered Marist College as a Communications major with a concentration in PR and Marketing and a minor in Fashion Merchandising. While attending classes, she interned at JCrew, WWD and Pfizer Inc. Soon after graduating with a B.A., Claudine received a phenomenal opportunity to work at Yeohlee Inc. For three years Claudine carefully honed her skills working alongside one of the immortals of innovation. As the public relations director/global sales account executive, she oversaw all press aspects of the 7th on Sixth Bryant Park shows, special events, trunk shows and exhibitions. She was also part of the organizational team for ENERGETICS: Clothes and Enclosures, an international exhibition that combined the disciplines of fashion with architect Dr. Kenneth Yeang and designer Yeohlee Teng. “That was a great experience because I did everything. [Yeohlee] gets amazing inspiration from architecture [and] artists. She is very intelligent, besides being talented; it’s almost to the point where you feel silly talking to her so you take notes and look it up later,” Claudine recalls jokingly.

No one forgets their first time, for Claudine the first show she helped to organize came with a dose of anxiety. “For the first five years of my career, especially at Yeohlee, I always got nervous, like freak-out nervous,” she says. But over time this seasoned pro has learned to brush the nerves off her shoulders. “I’m much calmer now. We just did a show with Kim Kardashian and we did a show with Pete Wentz and Khloe Kardashian. We’ve gotten to work with some really amazing people so now there’s like a formula, if you do all the legwork you need to do, you’re organized, troubleshoot and if you’re encountering a problem, you let the client know sooner rather than later, there is no reason to be nervous,” Claudine adds.

Another element in Claudine’s formula of success is surrounding herself with an equally talented team. After leaving Yeohlee, Claudine worked as a freelance publicist before moving to Fonte PR where she would meet future partner Reshma Patel. At Fonte PR both Claudine and Reshma worked with fashion brands like Urban Outfitters. In 2001, both Claudine and Reshma left Fonte to create a public relations and marketing agency that reflected their eclectic, “indie” style. THINK PR became the result of their entrepreneurial efforts. Claudine and Reshma employ a team of 18 publicists, with boutique offices in Manhattan and Los Angeles and offer publicity, event production, marketing and branding to an array of fashion, beauty, hospitality, design, art, luxury goods and entertainment clients. “I think Reshma came up with it or one of the managers at the time,” Claudine answers when asked about the naming of THINK PR, “We looked it up and no one else had it. And that was kind of what we were trying to do, not to be quirky, but it’s like ‘Think outside the box.’ We didn’t want to be so traditional.”

Since THINK PR opened its doors, Claudine, Reshma and staff have worked with DKNY Jeans, STYLELOUNGE, Rock & Republic, Too Faced Cosmetics, ArgyleCulture by Russell Simmons, Bensimon, EMU Australia and The Humane Society of the United States. “A lot of what we do is thinking about how we are going to position someone, like this isn’t just a pen,” Claudine explains, “what can we say about this pen? All of our clients have something so interesting about them, so the first step is for us to think about it; the second step is to get the editors to think about it.” Other services offered at THINK PR are celebrity wardrobing for red carpet events, premiers and appearances as well as product placement.

Thinking outside of the box is not just a phrase for Claudine, it is a lifestyle. In June 2005, Claudine launched Caravan; a refurbished RV converted into a clothing store on wheels. The Caravan RV could be seen in densely populated areas in the city such as the West Village and the Meatpacking District creating a phenomenon. In 2006, Caravan opened its first store in NoHo totally revamping the shopping experience by combining the elements of a cool lounge setting and a retail store, and in 2007, Caravan expanded opening an appointment only boutique in the Carnegie Hill area. With Caravan, Claudine has met with numerous celebrities such as Ashlee Simpson, Chevy Chase, Eva Mendes, Gabrielle Union, Miley Cyrus, Sophia Bush, Penelope Cruz and Christy Turlington and dressed them in peices from the store.

Music is an essential component in fashion. Designers use music to create the best aural effect and the music played in retail stores can transform a shopping experience. Constantly searching for ways to expand her creative horizons, Claudine has started to dabble in world of DJing. “It really is an art form,” Claudine says, ”cause you look at a really good DJ and they’re just doing amazing things up there. But I guess it goes back to fashion, there are all these fashion houses that are all about music for their runway. And it is a way to learn more about music.” Merging the two worlds together Claudine interviewed 20 designers and asked about the songs they were listening to when designing their collection and on the day of their shows, their answers ended up becoming a mix that Claudine used at her first DJing gig.

To excel at DJing one must have the same inner abilities as a fashion publicist. Desire, the ability to sale yourself, an extroverted personality and a deep knowledge about your craft are essentials. DJs spend hours “digging in the crates” and downloading music to create an experience that is heard in the audience’s ears and expressed in their feet. There is more to DJing than playing music; being able to lay a set down using vinyl, looping, blending, knowing when to drop the beat and let the song go are what make legendary DJs great. “I use turntables. I’m trying to do it the right way so it’s not just on the IPod,” Claudine states. Just recently Claudine prepared a spring 2010 mix for Beba’s preview. During fashion week she djed at Capitale. The event attracted musical celebrities such as Fabolous, Charles Hamilton, Josh Madden and Pras Michel. On May 8^th she will be DJing at Joonbug.com’s and FashionIndie.com’s Prom 2010.

With all Claudine’s achievements, she could rest easily at the threshold of fashion taking her place amongst its divine. But for Claudine the journey to make sure the creative voices of the world are heard is one that continues. “The one thing I love to do is to get more people to be inspired and come up with more creative ways to show creativity,” Claudine reveals, “You can have a creative idea, but you also have to figure out a way to present your idea. I meet a lot of creative people, with good ideas that want to work with us so I also want to find ways to be more creative with my time too. I have a lot of creative friends. I have some friends that have lost their jobs and have been out of work for more than a year and they have brains of steel. My goal is to raise enough capital here so I can figure out a way to put a creative team together because I think you’re better when you’re inspired, you do a better job.”

Dresses designed by Claudine

To learn more about THINK PR, visit www.thinkpublicrelations.com.

To learn more about Claudine’s DJing endeavors or Prom 2010, visit http://caravangirl.com/.

Photos provided by Claudine Desola

Fashion

The Journey Behind The Lens

March 13, 2010 famenycmageditor 1 Comment

D. Austin

Each day men and women arrive in Manhattan with their life savings in their pocket and a dream illuminating in their minds. The dream is to be successful in whatever enterprise that brought them to New York City. Like ole blue eyes says, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.

Even those who have achieved success in other ponds, crave to make it big in the city by the Hudson River. This is the case for D. Austin who had a successful photography studio in Atlanta prior to coming to the Big Apple. D. Austin’s lifelong exploration with photography began when he was 16-years-old. “It started on a family vacation from California to New York and back,” he recalls as he selects photos to burn on a disk in a Midtown studio, “My dad had bought a manual film camera to document it, and I was the designated photographer. I didn’t know how to work it, but after two or three days I began to take pictures.” That was over 20 years ago.

Fast forward to 2010, D. Austin is now focusing on his NYC Powershoot and two coffee table books to be released later this year. The NYC Powershoot takes place March 20 and 21. “A Powershoot is an opportunity for anybody that needs pictures, promotional pictures primarily. It started in Atlanta, and then it started growing in popularity,” D. Austin explains. Generally a Powershoot involves several photographers, stylists, make-up artists, creative directors, and fashion editors and also serves as a networking opportunity.

The Untimely Pursuits Of Pleasure and Foto Obsessions are the two books D. Austin is currently finishing up. “The Untimely Pursuits Of Pleasure is an idea I came across in my head where people don’t follow any set rules. Nothing is like A to B to C, it’s more like A to F to C, so in that way it’s untimely and it’s always in the pursuit of pleasure” he says. Foto Obsessions is a collection of subjects D. Austin has shot repeatedly and the title affirms his obsession with photography. In fact, D. Austin’s obsession with the camera has taken him all over the United States before he made his current pit stop in Gotham.

New York City is the place where some dreams die, some dreams transform into new ones and some dreams become reality. A photographer often times blurs the lines between dream and reality; however one thing is certain about D. Austin’s photography, his talent is real and will be the vehicle to make all his dreams come true in New York or elsewhere.

To view more of D. Austin’s photography or learn more about the NYC Powershoot please visit http://www.facebook.com/people/Darren-Austin/1148208441, http://www.modelmayhem.com/159093, http://www.daustinphotography.com/

Photos courtesy of daustinphotography.com

Fashion

J’ adore Couture

February 24, 2010 famenycmageditor Leave a comment

While tents at Bryant Park were buzzing with prêt-à–porter, a much different scene was going on uptown. At the Waldorf Astoria there was a close encounter of the couture kind, Couture Fashion Week was held February 12, 13 and 14 in the Grand Ballroom. Couture Fashion Week started in 2003; however this year was my first visit to the event.

Over a three day period 11 designers showed their one-of-a-kind garments to editors, buyers and the public. The Waldorf Astoria’s Grand Ballroom is breathtaking. It was a perfect venue for this event as grand was only one of the myriad adjectives I could use to describe it. Designers from Romania, Nigeria, Turkey, South Korea, Kuwait and the USA displayed their Fall 2010 creations making the weekend a true international event. Considering that the Olympics were starting in Vancouver, I felt as if I was attending the Olympics of fashion.

There were several differences from Bryant Park; the huge space allowed more people to attend a show, although the press bay was considerably smaller. After the show the models congregated in the lobby area allowing photographers to take pictures and providing attendees and buyers the opportunity to thoroughly inspect the garments. As a person that loves to look at the details of a garment, I liked the chance to get up close to the garment while the model is wearing it as opposed to viewing it hanging on a rack in a showroom. Seeing clothes on a model brings the garment to life.

Keeping in the tradition of couture the fashions were far more extravagant than those seen at Bryant Park. The runway shows had a theatrical aesthetic with lots of drama and pageantry, similar to the ones seen in Paris, and with performers entertaining the audience before the runway shows; Couture Fashion Week was a spectacle in every sense of the word.

It is my firm belief that the fashion industry in this country bases a lot of emphasis on marketability versus artistic vision. Even the photo editorials we see in our favorite magazines are far less risqué and artistic than those seen in their European counterparts. Like most artistic endeavors in this country the participants involved must walk a fine line between art and capital, after all, fashion is still a business. But what I liked most about Couture Fashion Week was the artistic emphasis placed on the garments. Every woman hates when she goes to a party and sees someone wearing her outfit or her shoes. The beauty of couture is that it is rare, unique like a Picasso, subject to interpretation, but art nonetheless. Although I could not picture many department stores buying these garments, I applaud the resurgence of art in fashion.

Fashion

Memories of Bryant Park

February 23, 2010 famenycmageditor 1 Comment

I remember when I first received the email stating that New York Fashion Week would be moving from Bryant Park, I refused to believe it, but now that the tents have been removed for the last time, and I have been reminiscing about my experiences at Bryant Park. In fact, I spent the entire weekend thinking about it.

The tents rising at Bryant Park in February and September are as equally a central component of the New York landscape as the lights that illuminate Broadway. Like most New Yorkers, I have become used to seeing them and the cadre of people huddled around the steps of Bryant Park hoping to catch a glimpse of the celebrities du jour and wondering what is going on past the doors as the beautiful people congregate to mix, mingle and pass judgment on the latest designs from the fashion world’s elite designers. I became accustomed to running up the steps, showing the security my badge and being swept away in a whirlwind of activities all dedicated to one of my true loves, fashion.

For me New York Fashion Week has always been like the return of a great tryst – a never ending love affair. I would find myself getting antsy at the end of January and August. I knew my lover was coming to town and I would soon get wrapped up in a vortex of color palates, trends, hem lines, fabric, bright lights, runways and multiple 15 minute displays of pure excitement. Like with any good affair, it took me a week to recover after the thrill was over.

Before Bryant Park, attending Fashion Week was a “Where’s Waldo” experience, running around the city, trying to attend shows felt more like stalking a great love than admiring one. Once the tent shows came to fruition, it provided lovers of fashion one centralized venue to carry on their love affair with the fashion industry and the players that revolve in it. And although some designers like Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and others did not show at the tents (some rendezvous happen off-site), Bryant Park still remained a captivating meeting place for me to have a moment or two with one of my great loves.

I had my issues with Bryant Park, the limited space in the tents and the main area, suffering in four-inch heels as I walked over cobblestones (thank god for the free booze which help to medicate my feet) and being corralled like cattle while waiting to see a show that should’ve started a half hour ago just to name a few. But every love affair has its share of glitches, despite any issue I had with Bryant Park, my adoration of fashion brought me back season after season.

What has become equally important to me now is not just the runway shows I saw, but the people I met during Fashion Week’s tenure at Bryant Park. People like Vicky Bugbee, Public Relations Manager for B Productions, a compliment on my earrings turned into us conversing about fashion, B Productions and the Caribbean, or Lana Solange, a young designer from Canada, or Clifford Wray III and Reese Sherman, two stylists that transitioned from colleagues to life long friends. There have been so many people I have met over the years at Bryant Park, so many memories that stick out as the chapter closes on Bryant Park and Fashion Week. But the memories that eclipse all others are the ones I acquired behind the scenes.

Eve Salvail

I was lucky to be a dresser during the first two seasons of Bryant Park. I had an opportunity to witness all the manic madness that happens before and during a runway show and play a supporting role in it. My fondest memory as a dresser was dressing Diane von Furstenberg’s show. The first designer garment I ever owned was from Diane von Furstenberg, so the opportunity to dress her show was extra special for me, a 19-year-old Fashion Marketing student at the time. The moment was made even more special when I got the opportunity to dress Eve Salvail, best known for her shaved head and dragon tattoo. She was one of the biggest models at the time; the entire experience was one that I hold very dear.

It is certainly an end of an era as Fashion Week moves to uptown to Lincoln Center and with change comes uncertainty. But there is one thing I know that is certain, no matter where the location, my love affair with fashion will remain as passionate as ever. Lincoln Center, here I come.