Second City Style Fashion Blog - Style, Luxury, Beauty & Shopping

Designer Interview. Brian Reyes at Simone's

Simone at her boutique wearing the Brian Reyes 4 Pocket Dress

A good reason to take a Lakefront road trip north from Chicago is Simone's in Winnetka. Another good reason to trek out of the city is when Brian Reyes is at Simone's for a weekend trunk show, highlighting both his Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter lines. When I first entered Simone's last Saturday (after having the luxury of parking right in front of the shop, which is a rarity in the city) I was greeted by the friendly Simone who was busy helping quite a few customers trying on Brian Reyes. "There's a lot going on here!" she said. I could feel the energy in the air.

"It's because you have a superstar here!" I told her. She also carries other amazing lines you can't find everywhere in Chicago, like Thakoon, Malandrino, Ruffian, Jeremy Laing, Angelo Tarlazzi, and Casmari.

The same high energy could be found in Brian Reyes as well, who was also helping customers...measuring tape in hand. I was relieved he was busy, so I could get a hands-on look at all of the runway items I was already familiar with. I was struck with how beautiful the fabrics were, the textures and the drape. That is something that a camera can't often capture.

Spring 2008

Fall 2008

When I met Brian, he was extremely warm and personable. I'm beginning to think a prerequisite for young successful designers is that they have an outgoing personality that everybody loves!

I had to rave about how gorgeous the fabrics were up close. And then he flattered me back by saying he knew Second City Style. I immediately realized he is extremely sharp and business-minded. He said they want to push their on-line business and currently are available at Shopbop and Saks. However, to try on the clothes, you need to go to Simone's! He pointed out that he really likes working directly with customers and it seems that he had built relationships at Simone's.

SCS: Who is the Brian Reyes woman... what is her age group?
Brian Reyes: She can be anywhere from her late 20's to early 60's.

SCS: I'm in my 40's and I think it looks young and fresh, but not too young for me.
Brian Reyes:  In your 40's ... it is probably perfect!

SCS: We saw so many different trends for fall, what are the top trends for Fall 2008 in your collection?
Brian Reyes:  • Lighter fabrics • Color (we call it Patagonian Arctic hues) • A fuller skirt • Simple shapes, uncomplicated, maybe with a conservative front but then we will have something provocative, like a t-back in the back.

SCS: Oh, I saw that blue grey top in the collection with T-back and I liked it. Women don't want to fuss to much with their clothes worrying about the front!

SCS: What is your favorite piece in your Fall '08 collection?
Brian Reyes:  Oh... (he takes a breath and thinks) that's a hard one. (suddenly he is certain) I would be the 4 pocket full dress! Simone is wearing it. And it can be versatile, you can belt it and then it has the look of a full skirt, or put a jacket over it or just wear it.

SCS: I noticed a lot of moiré and sheen and what could be considered evening fabrics in your fall RTW collection. Do you find that women are more comfortable with these looks for day?
Brian Reyes: Yes, we do a lot of fabrics that can go from day to evening. The moiré is a beautiful silk viscose fabric, it is actually an icot pattern but it looks like moiré. It is very organic.

SCS: It seems you don't say "I" it's more like "we"....
Brian Reyes: Well, yes, it is not just me! It is a whole team. I couldn't do it all on my own. I was on my own for 2 years, and three years with the business.

SCS: What was the best advice anyone ever gave you?
Brian Reyes: The best advice is not words, it is a motion. It is throwing your hands back like you had something in your hands and you throw it over your shoulders! (he demonstrated as he spoke). It means "Okay, keep it moving, keep it going, don't get stuck!"

SCS: Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Brian Reyes:  Where we are going is that we will be recognized as a great American brand, with interesting fabrics and design innovations.

After meeting Brian Reyes, all I have to say is - look out Calvin Klein!

Simone's • 1060 Gage Street, Hubbard Woods, Winnetka IL • 847-446-9966

— Carol Calacci

Simon Doonan At Barney's in Chicago

Simon Doonan is hilarious.  Now, if you have read his books, his NY Observer column, or seen his TV appearances (America's Next Top Model, VH1) you probably already know that.  However, he is equally clever and witty in person, as I found out when I met him at Barney's this past Saturday.  Simon was there signing copies of his latest book, Eccentric Glamour: Creating A More Insanely Fabulous You, and like any good reporter, I couldn't resist asking him a few questions.   

Besides the typical "what do you think of Chicago?" discussion (he thinks that Chicago women used to be much more conservative than New York women, but now they are just as adventurous), Simon shared his style advice for the upcoming seasons:

S/S 2008: Seize the moment and buy lots of neon and colorful, over-the-top prints.  This summer will be "an orgy of hallucinogenic color" and "going shopping is like dropping acid", Simon says, and besides, "glamourous eccentrics love bold fashion and color".

F/W 2008: Better enjoy the vibrant hues of summer while you can, because fall is all about black (perfect for the "glamourous existentialist"!). 

Simon himself was wearing an impeccably tailored sixties-style suit from Band of Outsiders paired with a floral shirt in shades of burnt orange and gold (perfect for an Autumn like Simon - yes, we talked about Color Me Beautiful and how useful it is to know your colors); in fact, he told me that Band of Outsiders is starting to design women's versions of their precisely cut suits - they are ideal for creating a preppy-boyish look.

So, what about the actual book?  Check back tomorrow for a review of this stylish tome - or pick it up yourself and add a dose of eccentric glamour to your wardrobe.

— Jacqueline Zenn

H&M Michigan Avenue Re-opening. An Interview with Stylist Robert Verdi

Chicago shoppers waiting in line to check out the remodeled H&M

H&M, Hennes & Mauritz, on Michigan Avenue reopened today, April 17, unveiling a newer, brighter shopping experience for Chicago consumers. As Sanna Lindberg, H&M's U.S. manager explained, "Since opening in 2003, we have built a friendship and level of trust with consumers in Chicago. We're always inspired by how well shoppers in this city interpret style and make each look their own." And apparently Chicago shoppers are equally inspired by H&M's new collection: the line to enter the store was almost 4 blocks long!

Celebrity stylist (and H&M fanatic) Robert Verdi was at the opening, discussing spring trends and the new H&M collection, a tribute to the Finnish textile company, Marimekko. I was lucky enough to steal five minutes of his time to talk trends, life mottos and Barack Obama.

Robert Verdi and me

SCS: What is your favorite aspect of H&M's recent tribute to Marimekko?
RV: I'm a victim of pattern. I don't ascribe gender to inanimate objects. The Marimekko patterns are brave, bold, exciting, yet classic. Marimekko is legendary.

SCS: What trend are you most excited to start seeing, and which trend can you not wait to see go away?
RV: Big flowers are huge this season, very brave. Also, lots of color as well as sheer. While the shift dress is still in, the baby doll dress is out. Women buy clothes that makes them feel sexy, clothing is about seduction. When women wear baby doll dresses with an empire waist, they tend to let themselves go.

SCS: Where is your favorite place to shop?
RV: H&M, of course, and Armani Exchange. And Benetton, I've been shopping there forever. I love seeing the reinvention of things, like the royal blue suits the Carringtons wore on Dynasty. I love seeing trends come back in a fresh way.

SCS: What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
RV: "Along the way there are people who might not want to help you, but they will never stop you." Also, and I can't remember if it was Rhoda or Mary Tyler Moore who said this, "I want to be able to be in a room alone and enjoy the company." Something that people always tell us and we never seem  to listen to is "just be yourself". After auditioning for the role of Nigel in The Devil Wears Prada, a friend asked why I didn't just go in there and be myself.* Perhaps with age we eventually become comfortable doing that.

SCS: Barack, Hilary or John McCain?
RV: I am a democrat, so I will support either Barack or Hilary. I think they both have tremendous qualities. Hilary has experience, but Barack has charisma. Barack Obama makes people who don't speak English want to understand what he is saying.

Our five minutes had turned into twenty and Robert couldn't have been more gracious, charming, or fun to chat with. I look forward to seeing what he does next!

—Emilie Furda for Second City Style

*Stanley Tucci, who played Nigel in the film, has suggested the role was more or less based on Robert himself.

Sassoon Style: An Interview at the Iconic Salon

When I learned I would be interviewing Nicole Tabloff, Color Director, and Marilyn Harmon, Creative Director, of Sassoon Salon Chicago, I began wondering how I was going to accomplish setting these women apart from the rest of the talented people in the industry today. As it turned out, Tabloff and Harmon didn't need my help; their exceptional work has set them apart from the crowds since the beginning of their careers.

In 2007, Vidal Sassoon Salon officially  changed its name to Sassoon Salon, stating that just like Chanel, Pucci, and Prada...Sassoon need not include a first name. After all, Sassoon is one of the most recognizable brands in hair and the world over. The salon recently launched S T R E T C H  Spring Summer 2008 Collection.

Tabloff explains there are two different collections to this program.  The Salon Collection is client friendly, a mixture of contemporary and classic styles. The Academy Collection focuses not in wearability, but is solely the sake of art. When asked which technique she prefers, Tabloff doesn't hesitate. "I love interacting with my clients. They are the top of their fields." Longevity is the main goal; Tabloff's clients aren't into Hollywood trends. They do what works for them. However, Tabloff does admit the shows she does several times a year do indeed break up the monotony of working with clients. As a Sassoon Color Director, she is responsible for educating and inspiring those she works with, which in turn serves to further educate and inspire herself. As Tabloff put it, "You don't just train and then your done."

Growing up in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, Tabloff worked at a record store and a car dealership. At only 18, she joined Sassoon and trained under several of the Sassoon greats, including Annie Humphreys and Clancey Gurn-Calloway. She worked in Atlanta, Berlin, and Scottsdale before returning to Chicago as Color Director. Among many other accomplishments Tabloff received the honor of Sassoon "North American Tinter of the Year."

"Maxfactor boomed during the Great Depression," Tabloff explains. "I knew I wanted a sustainable career; something that could withstand bad economic times."  She doesn't foresee technology replacing the human touch that is so necessary in this industry.

Next it was time to meet Marilyn Harmon, Creative Director of Sassoon Salon Chicago. Harmon, who is four months pregnant, welcomed me to her station and after  surveying my damaged blonde hair suggested we do a little trim to clean up the split ends. I commented how much I loved her cut (shoulder length brunette with heavy bangs). She suggested we do something similar on me. Knowing what a "commitment" bangs are, I declined, but I did take her up on a trim offer.

Harmon joined Sassoon nine years ago, and was named Creative Director in 2006. She places a  strong emphasis on training, especially since a large part of her position involves teaching and motivating other stylists in the Chicago salon. However, like Tabloff, Harmon very much enjoys working with her clients, who range over several different generations, backgrounds, and personal styles. The parallels between art, fashion, and architecture are important and provide inspiration for Harmon and her profession. She received the coveted recognition of Sassoon "Stylist of the Year", an award given to the best Sassoon Stylist in the United States — clearly a testament to her unparalleled talent.

After chatting for about a half an hour, I glanced back at the mirror behind me. Harmon chopped off about 5 inches of my hair, and was going back for more! Speechless, I reminded myself it's just hair and it grows back. Maybe my split ends were longer than I'd realized. But, as we all know, the shock of a hair cut can be a very powerful emotional experience, which I held back from expressing until I left the salon. I couldn't believe that my blonde hair was half the length it had been just an hour before.

Yet, after inspecting it in the mirror for longer than I am willing to admit, I realized something. As Creative Director, this woman really knows what she's doing. The cut she gave me was the most beautiful hair cut I have ever had in my life, and the complements just keeping coming. Harmon's styling is truly an art form, and I feel very lucky to have encountered her creativity — whether I was looking for it or not. As Oriana Fallaci once said, "Each interview is a portrait of myself." In my case, this statement could not be less metaphorical.

—Emilie Furda

Images courtesy of AE Public Relations

Interview. Even Tim Gunn Can't Explain His Own Popularity

Another reason to love Tim Gunn as much as we do. The Cincinnati Enquirer ran an excellent interview with him yesterday. Here is some of it...

Impeccably attired in a three-button suit of thick English pinstripes, Tim Gunn looks more like a polished London gold dealer than a former college professor.

Gunn, who taught at Parsons The New School for Design for nearly 25 years, is creative director of Liz Claiborne Inc. and star of two of cable television’s hottest shows: Project Runway and Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style. Both shows are on Bravo.

He also appeared in a Macy’s TV ad during the 2007 holiday season with fellow fashionista Martha Stewart, touting Stewart’s special collection for the retailer.

Gunn attended a National Retail Federation meet-and-greet at Manhattan’s 21 Club on Monday and in a crowded clubroom upstairs, surrounded by C-suite executives of some of the nation’s largest retailers. He agreed to a chat with Enquirer business reporter John Eckberg.

Question: That signature phrase of yours – “carry on” – it’s nice. Where did it come from?

Answer: I’m not sure I can tell you where that came from but probably my classes. It’s just a way of not saying goodbye, of not saying “Later.” It was a way of telling my students to keep working - to carry on.

Q: I have a notion that in all walks of life, no matter the career, people must have vision and that sometimes – usually – failure occurs because that vision is often never realized because a vision takes time.

A: Does a vision really take time? I have some thoughts about it. One is that you can have an idea or a thought that can percolate or evolve but the other is this: a concept sometimes needs to be a surgical strike. It happens all the time with my students. I tell them, ‘you can’t wait for the divine muse to strike you because your deadline is Thursday. Work from the visceral.’

Read the rest here...

Interview. Suzy Gershman On Her Upcoming Book, "Where to Buy the Best of Everything."

Suzy Gershman the self-proclaimed Shopping Goddess of the "Born to Shop" series of travel guides fame...has a new book being published in March 2008. We can't wait for "Where to Buy the Best of Everything" to hit the shelves. In the meantime, we had an opportunity to speak with her about her book and our favorite topic...shopping.

SCS: Was there a defining moment when you knew you were born to shop?
SG: My father actually started all of this when I was eleven years old. Due to his job we lived in Caracas, Venezuela but traveled a lot. Every place we went, my father gave me a quarter and said "see what you can find." The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. My father passed away two months ago and while packing his office I found the first tchotchke I ever bought with my quarter. He had kept it all of these years.

SCS: Which came first, a love of shopping or a love of travel?
SG: For me they came together because I grew up traveling. My father and I both had wanderlust. We had lists of hotels we wanted to stay and places we wanted to see. His best advice was that if you are well dressed, you can hang out in any hotel lobby in the world and look at the people.

SCS: How do you see the Internet changing the way we shop?
SG: How did life get so crazy? Shopping used to be you went someplace, you looked, maybe you bought, you saved. Today the whole process has changed. For those of us who hate malls it's fantastic. However, there is still nothing like the little mom and pop shop. There are more and more reasons to shop online and it will continue to change the way we shop and how we live.

SCS: Do you feel the need to warn people about the places that they should avoid to shop?
SG: I wrestled with that for a very long period of time. But, I hear my mother's voice in my head saying "if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all." So I exclude those places I do not like. If it is a place that can't be avoided then I have to get crafty. For instance, Harrod's is not my favorite store, but I write "if you must go, the souvenirs are on the bottom floor, etc." I'll address an issue if it must be addressed.

SCS: It took you three years to complete "Where to Buy the Best of Everything." How is this book different from your "Born to Shop" series?
SG: The "Born to Shop" series is destination oriented. "Where to Buy the Best of Everything" is category or merchandise oriented. It covers the best stores around the world. It is not a book about online shopping. Web addresses were added as a concession to my editors. Personally, I wanted to write a book about my love of shoes and handbags. I am just upset that they cost so much now. It's criminal.Since prices are insane I like to point people where to find the best bang for their buck.

SCS: There are so many details in your books. How do you keep them current and accurate?
SG: You can't. It's impossible. You are dead in the water before it's in the bookstore. I try to be careful, but I warn people to check everything you read in a guidebook before you make a special trip. Use the concierge to verify that a store is still there before you head out.

SCS: Do readers ever give you a hard time for a recommendation they didn't like? How do you handle it?
SG: Mostly people write/email me to tell me what they bought. They confess to me instead of their husbands. I recently had a semi-hate letter from a women who "bought and followed your guidebooks for years." She only had four days in London and went to Greenwich for a day proclaiming it was the worst and she couldn't believe I recommended it. So I called her. As I figured she was using an old guidebook. In more recent editions I warned people that it was no longer a place to shop and a complete waste of time. Whoops.

SCS: With the decline of the dollar, how do you think it will effect the European retail experience?
SG: Europe is expensive, no doubt. But for the person that really knows how to do Europe it will pose little problem. You have to know the back markets and live like a local. Then you will find a bargain. Just don't go expecting to come back with a great deal on a designer 'it' bag. You can still have a great experience. I also think we need to start looking to Asia.

SCS: Can you talk about the difference between the American and European retail experience? Do you think it's changing at all?
SG: To me the true experience is the mom and pop shop. In Europe they don't understand cross-merchandising. Everything is sold in it's place by label. Americans are more sophisticated and pros at mixing labels. Today's American woman will wear a top from Target with a Marc Jacobs coat, with pants she bought at a sample sale and a great bag she found on clearance. Most European women do not know how to mix. They shop by brand because that's how the stores sell merchandise there. You would never find a bathing suit section in a European department store.

Look for "Where to Buy the Best of Everything" this March. Or visit: SuzyGershman.com

-Lauren Dimet Waters