Samuel Vartan

Samuel Vartan's studio is housed in a nondescript industrial park in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

But there is nothing nondescript about the clothes in the Boston-based designer's spring/summer 2010 collection.

A long white dress with a circle of bright ocean blue around the waist. A flowing shirt that was inspired by the sand meeting the water.

"The collection is nicknamed the Mediterranean," Samuel says.

Since Vartan does two collections a year...what is the fall/winter collection called?

"Dark City." he responds. "I have influences from the cities I've been to such as Berlin, Prague and London".

I moved through the studio to the fall/winter collection and was immediately drawn to a black and white tweed dress that had a slight glimmer sewn into it. But then I was distracted by a light grey wool dress that had a short, swing skirt.

So much to see! And so much to talk about.

I was there for over two hours chatting with Vartan about fashion.

He started making clothes for members his rock band back home in Montreal. Then his bandmates' girlfriends wanted clothes too. At first it was just a way to make money, but it slowly turned into a career.

He doesn't have a formal design education. He learned by doing. When he read that his fashion icon, Giorgio Armani, also didn't have a degree from a fashion school he felt an even bigger connection to the fashion giant.

Even though Vartan is a part of the fashion world, he told me that at times, "the industry can be silly."

That sentiment is why Vartan doesn't create over the top clothes.

"Anyone can wear my clothes."

I can certainly see why they would want to.

His designs run the gamut of fabrics and ideas.

Vartan works with everything from velvet to boucle to tweed and suede in his fall/winter collection.

Definitely something for everyone.

His clients are mostly European and Canadian (a large amount come from Montreal). He does have a few boutiques that carry his clothes here in the States. Stores in New York, Miami and Los Angeles.

Although anyone can wear his clothes, his design aesthetic speaks to a style-minded, sophisticated woman in a big city.

Vartan's designs reflect that sophistication, but with a simplicity that makes his collection ready to wear.

I was definitely ready to wear some of the pieces I pulled off of the racks.

A black and white tweed sheath dress with a thin belt, tights and a pair of tall boots...that long brocade jacket with a short dress to have the juxtaposition with the fabrics and the length of each piece.

Vartan likes that his clients express themselves through their clothes. And there are plenty of ways to do that with Vartan's designs.

But he knows that fashion is fleeting.

"Fashion is here today gone tomorrow, but style lasts."

And Vartan is a fashion designer who is definitely here to stay.

Although he did get an offer a lot of designers would have loved to receive.

But he turned it down.

A chance to compete on "Project Runway".

He said thanks, but no thanks because he didn't want to be involved in the pettiness and backstabbing with other designers.

He was happy with the way his fashion career was heading.

Vartan is a Boston-based designer with a world of knowledge.

As for that regret that he didn't go to school for fashion?

I think he's doing ok without it. And I think his many clients would agree.

Find more about Samuel at his website: http://www.samuelvartan.com/

Lunch with Chanel Autumn/Winter 2010

I glided up the escalator at Neiman Marcus in Natick and as usual, glanced up to see the hundreds of crystal butterflies dangling from the sealing, just out of reach.

I was at the store today for the invitation only Chanel luncheon and fashion show.

This time I was here for the autumn/winter 2010 collection.

I got to the second floor, greeted the familiar faces and anticipated an amazing show.

I watched Chanel's fall/winter 2010 show online, but as I was about to learn, seeing it in person is a completely different animal.

The Chanel show was at the Grand Palais in Paris as usual.

And in grand Karl Lagerfeld fashion there was more to the show than just the beautiful clothes and accessories.

In the middle of the runway was a 28 foot iceberg.

It was the autumn/winter collection after all. What a better way to emphasize dressing for the chilly weather.

No iceberg in the middle of Neiman Marcus thank goodness.

But there was plenty of Chanel.

And each piece was better than the last.

Tall boots covered in faux "fantasy" fur with icicle heels.

Tweed dresses embellished with small crystals to give them just a little bit of shine.

Butter soft leather jackets with faux fur trim and faux fur peeking out from the sleeves and trimming the bottom.

Black leather leggings with Coco Chanel's favorite flower, the camellia, etched into the fabric.

At the show in the Grand Palais the models walked among the grand iceberg.

At the Neiman's show the models walked among our tables so we could really see the details up close.

Amazing.

Seeing the "fantasy" fur so close. It was incredibly luxurious.

(Chanel calls its faux fur collection "fantasy" fur)

So different from when I saw it all online.

So much better in person!

I could have definitely cuddled up in some of that fantasy fur.

Even the handbag had faux fur trim.

And no, I didn't buy one.

Thought about it though....

"Oh I see you have the Chanel Timeless Clutch from the Spring collection".

I looked over to see the Chanel representative from New York. She was gesturing toward my clutch which was sitting on the table.

"Oh yes," I said. "I didn't think there was going to be one left after the Spring show! So many customers fell in love with it, me included!"

"Good thing you did get it," she said. "It sold out and isn't available anymore. There was a limited number created. Our clients in New York were so upset to see it go so quickly."

I smiled. So glad I made the purchase.

"I bring it everywhere," I told her, "and it always gets such a reaction! I love it!"

The Chanel rep smiled back.

"A fabulous purchase"

"Yes." I agreed. "One of the best ones I've ever made."

I didn't buy anything that day.

I really didn't see anything that caught my eye.

Well, one thing did.

But I was already carrying it.

Safe in the knowledge that I was one of the only Chanel customers who could say that.

Such a fabulous feeling!

Even better than all that fantasy fur.....

Lunch with Chanel Spring/Summer 2010

The models floated along the floor, each outfit even more beautiful than the last.

But what else would you expect from the Chanel s/s 2010 fashion show at Neiman Marcus?

I was one of the 20 women lucky enough to be invited to the show which started with an incredibly yummy lunch.

We were sitting outside of the Chanel boutique on the second floor. Tall, tasteful barriers were set up to give us privacy to enjoy the show.

The only difference between this show and the original show at the Grand Palais in Paris was...there was no hay.

That's right.

Hay.

And lots of it.

In Paris it surrounded the Chanel barn the models walked in and out of. It was Karl Lagerfeld's ode to a place in the countryside Coco Chanel loved to visit.

Although something tells me there wasn't as much hay on the original premises.

But Lagerfeld being Lagerfeld, had the stuff all over the place.

Even into the seats.

When I saw it online my first thought was 'How does one dress for a farm show, even if it is Chanel?'

Next thought was 'How did Anna Wintour react to the farm fashion scene?!'

So no hay at Neiman's, but plenty of classic Coco style for the Neiman Marcus Chanel fashion show.

Then through the dresses, the shoes, the jewelry I saw it.

It was a beautiful strawberry color, quilted leather clutch with the CC clasp on top.

One of the most amazing Chanel clutches I have ever seen.

And I had to have it.

The model was showing the clutch to the guests at the other table.

When was she going to get to our table?

Would someone else request the bag and I'd be out of luck?

Not if I could help it.

My favorite (and the best in my opinion) Neiman's sales associates (I'll call her E for anonymity) caught my eye and with a nod, she was gone.

Oh no!

What if E didn't know what I was looking at?

By this time another model was showing off another handbag.
I wanted to get up and see where E went, but I was stuck.

Surrounded by Chanel.

Normally not a bad place to be.

Except when the object of your desire may be out of reach.

The model got to our table and I finally got to hold the clutch.

It was the Chanel Timeless clutch.

I knew it well. I have it in black and had been looking for a color that would 'pop' with an outfit.

The strawberry colored clutch was it.

I opened it and gasped at the silky interior lining. Much more luxurious than the black one I've used dozens of times.

The quilted leather was perfectly constructed, not a stitch out of place.

Oh the places we will go!

If there is one left for me.

The other women were eyeing it too.

Oh boy.

Then I turned around and saw E.

My fabulous fashion friend. She was back. She looked at me, then the clutch and winked.

I had to laugh. How could I ever doubt her?

After the plates were cleared, the Chanel dresses, jackets and the other amazing pieces were on display...I took the escalator downstairs.

There it was sitting pretty in the black Chanel box surrounded by Chanel tissue.

My brand new Chanel Timeless Clutch in a bright, strawberry color.

Love at first sight.

"I knew this was the one that you'd want", E told me with a smile.

Ahhh,,,she knows me so well!

She had it all wrapped up for me within minutes.

Success!

I've used it at least a half dozen times since I bought it. I just love it!

It gets more attention than my shoes. Which in some cases is hard to do...but it does.

So...

The stress of wondering whether or not I would be able to have it....worth it.

The surprise reactions from people when they see it...love it.

Owning a Chanel clutch that I never get sick of looking at or tired of carrying.....

Oh you know the answer to that....fabulous.

Mario Testino

"Chin up", he said.

I lifted my chin and then started laughing.

I glanced at the man I was being photographed with and HIS chin was up too.

He was posing just as much as I was.

He told me it was the best way to pose for a picture.

"You're all set." The photographer gave me back my small digital camera after taking the picture.

"Oh, can you just take one more?" I begged.

"Just one more for the beautiful woman," my new friend said and handed the camera back to the photographer...who had his very large, professional camera in his other hand.

Clearly he was NOT pleased he had to play amateur photog for me.

But he did it.

And I laughed even harder.

How could he say no?

He couldn't!

It was famous fashion photographer Mario Testino posing with me!

We were at the Bravo restaurant upstairs at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. It was our last Fashion Council event for the season and Mario Testino was our guest.

For the first hour we were treated to an interview between the museum's director, Malcolm Rogers and Mario Testino inside the Remis Auditorium.

Then we got to ask questions.

I was the first one to raise my hand. (are you really surprised?!)

Since I read both the British and the American versions of Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Elle I told him I was taken aback at first because I would see nudity in the British mags, but never in the American versions. I wasn't used to it at first. Now it doesn't bother me, but I wondered how he tailored his shoots for each magazine.

He began his answer with, "Let me give you my phone number...."

I countered with, "and I'll give you my business card...." The audience laughed and then he told me his shots for an American magazine are far different from British magazines. He has more creative "freedom"... meaning if he wants the model topless, no problem. But if it was for an American fashion magazine? Less skin, more clothes.

And I can certainly see how he'd make a model comfortable enough to expose that much.

His charisma is enthralling and quite mesmerizing.

He joked about how he had no idea what he wanted to do with his life, but he never set out to be a photographer.

When he was at home in Lima, Peru he went to school for economics and math. He hated it and quit.

Then he went for law, thinking he could be an ambassador for his country. Nope. That didn't work out. Hated it and quit.

So he went to Paris and entered photography school. Didn't love it, but he needed a visa to stay in France.

He quit that too.

But then he went to work as an apprentice for a woman he met in class. Testino loved the work of photographers Richard Avedon and Irving Penn.

So he took pictures and sold them.

Who knew his career would take him all over the world, photographing everyone who's anyone. Including one of his closest friends, Kate Moss.

He told us a great story about Moss.

When she was just starting as a model he was at the fashion show she had just walked in. She was crying backstage. So he went up to her and tried to calm her down. He had no idea why this beautiful girl would be so upset after such a successful show.

She told him the designer hated her. She knew it because she didn't get enough tickets so her whole family could see her.

Testino told her that was normal for a new model.

Then he said. "You can put on a little bit of perfume and it lasts. You can splash on as much cologne as you want, but it fades. You are a perfume. And you will last."

They've been friends ever since.

She was just 14.

Another fabulous story?

Princess Diana.

On the day he was to photograph her for Vanity Fair they had to do it in the afternoon.

She was feeding the poor in the morning.

She made him feel very humble and is the reason he makes time for certain charities.

But that shoot is famous for something else.

It's the last time she sat down with a professional photographer.

Not long after she would be dead. Killed in that infamous Paris accident.

He took the last photos of her. And she insisted the clothes she wore be auctioned off for charity.

Just remembering him telling us that story gives me the chills.

Testino also told us how he likes to take group photos, although many photographers shy away from it. He likes to create reality, a reaction.

Well, reality for me was...I got to meet the man who shot the May cover of Vogue with Sarah Jessica Parker. I cut out all of the photos of Parker and hung them on the wall in my computer room...where I sit right now.

As for my reaction?

I adored the man.

I wish I had more time to ask more questions, but he was a man very much in demand at the VIP party.

But I got to meet him, get a photo with him. And I scored a few compliments too.

Not bad.

And now when I see a picture of him in British Harper's Bazaar at a party or an event I can have a little laugh.... because in the photograph his chin will always be up.

Neil Lane: A Journey through Jewelry

From searching trash cans for things to sell in his hometown of Brooklyn to getting a phone call from the Louvre. Curators there wanted a piece of his jewelry collection to put on display in one of the museum's exhibits.

One man's trash certainly turned out to be Neil Lane's treasures. At first it really did take digging. Whether is was through a trash can, a flea market or scouring the jewelry shops in Paris.

But Neil Lane took that often heard phrase and turned it into a jewelry empire.

I was lucky enough to meet Neil at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. He was a guest speaker at one of our Fashion Council events.

I was definitely excited to meet him. Wouldn't you be? I've seen his jewels glam up celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Renee Zellweger and Demi Moore.

But there is so much more to Neil Lane then just the glamorous jewels.

He told us he loved "old things". Not just for their value, but for the history...the story behind it.

Like the piece he purchased at a Florida flea market. It was a Tiffany & Co piece from 1891! Who knew you could find something like that at a flea market?

Neil knows what to look for. He's studied Tiffany jewelry and is an avid collector. Although his favorite era for jewels is the 19th century, from 1880-1935 he appreciates all sorts of jewelry.

And the select number of celebrities he loans them to appreciate him. When Renee Zellweger wore a Neil Lane ring to match her red Carolina Herrera dress at the Golden Globes in 2001, she made sure to give credit to him for designing it.

It was the first time he heard his name on tv. He told us his Mom heard it too...and she was so excited for him.

Neil also told us about the jewelry he has from Mae West.

Mae West!

He acquired the jewelry in an estate sale.

The story is fascinating.

When Mae West's career faltered she started doing a burlesque act. She had bodyguards around her for protection. One of those guards took his job very seriously.

And took Ms. West seriously.

He fell in love with her.

Although she didn't reciprocate, he stayed with her until she died in 1980. Even though her beau fell on hard times, he never sold her jewelry. The estate sale took place after he passed away years later.

A true love story that could only happen in Hollywood.

Another love story involves singer Gwen Stefani and a strange connection to Oprah.

When Gwen Stefani wed Gavin Rossdale in 2002 in Los Angeles, she wore a Georgian pendant of pink tourmaline, peridot and diamonds from Neil's collection.

Some time after the wedding Neil got a call from one of Oprah's reps. 15 of Oprah's nearest and dearest wanted to pool their money and buy the necklace as a gift for Oprah's 50th birthday.

Neil said he found himself in a slight dilemma.

Gwen had the necklace,

Oprah's people wanted to buy the necklace.

As he's telling us the story he starts using his hands as if they're scales, moving them up and down while saying, "Oprah, Gwen, Oprah, Gwen..."

Yeah, you guessed it.

Oprah received the necklace for her 50th.

Such a fabulous gift!

So after many years of collecting and selling, Neil has now turned his focus from buyer to designer.

And you don't have to be a celeb to own a piece of Neil Lane jewelry.

He has a store in Los Angeles.

He said he can experiment with different designs since celebrities are always looking for something new to wear to an event.

Such an amazing tale of a boy from Brooklyn who is now a worldwide name.

A journey in jewels.

Stories like that only happen in Hollywood. right?

They do if you're Neil Lane.