Sidewalk Catwalk - Elie Tahari

The third installment in the Sidewalk Catwalk series is a mannequin design by Elie Tahari.


Born in Jerusalem, Elie Tahari arrived in the USA as an electrician in 1971, with only $100 in his pocket. A true rags-to-riches story that we love. Selling clothing in a Greenwich Village boutique gave Tahari the education and exposure to women's fashions. Inspired by the New York City nightlife and disco scene he began designing womenswear. In 1974, only a few years after arriving to the USA, Tahari was one of the first fashion designers to open a boutique on Madison Avenue, which is now fashion boutique heaven.


In the 1980's Tahari turned his fashion design skills to the tailored suit. The timing was perfect. Tahari and his wife expanded the business over the years. Now there are Tahari Boutiques in Atlanta, Bal Harbour, Boca Raton, Boston, East Hampton, and Las Vega, and showrooms in New York City and Milan Italy. His designs include womenswear dresses, coats; menswear, and accessories and handbags.


And my first high-end designer gown was a black velvet Tahari, with a dramatic waist-to-floor pleated chiffon train, that I purchased at Bloomingdale's at the Riverside Mall in New Jersey. The dress remains one of my favorites.


The exhibit ends September 3, so hurry to see the mannequins strut down Broadway, between Times Square and Herald Square, in New York City's Sidewalk Catwalk.

Sidewalk Catwalk - John Bartlett

Welcome to the second installment of my Sidewalk Catwalk series.

John Bartlett is a native of Cincinnati, born 1963. Graduated from Harvard in 1985, having majored in sociology.  Bartlett enrolled in Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC.  After FIT he worked with Willi Smith and other prominent design houses.

In 1992 John Bartlett launched his own label, supplying orders from such iconic fashion stores of Bergdorf Goodman and Barneys.  He expanded into womenswear in 1997.  After a sabbatical to Thailand and Cambodia in 2003, John Bartlett returned, providing not only finely constructed and tailored clothing designs but also furnishings and accessories.  In 2007 the John Bartlett flagship store was opened in the West Village of New York City

According to a post at http://www.answers.com/topic/john-bartlett-american-designer, by Richard Martin: “Bartlett is a designer of convictions and of compellingly suggestive and allusive menswear. His spring/summer 1995 collection demonstrated the designer's learned and connected awareness of culture.”  Also, “Bartlett's designing capacity exploded in 1997 with the premiere of his first womenswear collection. "Designing for men is about subtlety; but women want fantasy. And I don't want to follow someone else's lead," Bartlett told Newsweek writer Frank DeCaro in April 1997.”  I agree.  John Bartlett's design for Sidewalk Catwalk is indeed compelling, and sensual, and for the woman who is very self-confident.  Many of the Sidewalk Catwalk designs are interpretations and not intended for actual use.  But this Sidewalk Catwalk design is one that I could definitely wear (given the proper fabrication).

This fall John Bartlett relaunches his womens collection, coinciding nicely with the Sidewalk Catwalk exhibit.  Of all the fashion designs on display, John Bartlett's is in my list of top 3 designs.  The silhouette is elegant and the fabrication of the “fabric” incredibly intricate yet giving the sense of being touchable, drawing one in close for a fuller experience on a tactile level.

Awards include the first menswear designer to receive the Perry Ellis Award for Best Newcomer” 1993.  Menswear Designer of the Year in 1997.  Designer of the Year by the American Apparel and Footwear Association in 2010.

Be sure to stroll down Broadway, from Times Square to Herald Square and enjoy the mannequins in the Sidewalk Catwalk.  Exhibit ends September 3, 2010, so hurry.

Fashion Exhibit Ends Soon

Seen Sidewalk Catwalk yet? No? Broadway fashion display ends Sept 3. Walk the Way. See & be seen. Designer dressed mannequins strut from Times Sq to Harold Sq.

Sidewalk Catwalk - Isabel Toledo

There is a new fashion display in New York City.  Walk down Broadway, from West 42nd Street to West 34th Street, by Macys, and you will see quite a sight.  Top fashion designers have presented their interpretation of their take on fashion.  Called “Sidewalk Catwalk”.

Follow my postings and photos as I present a little background on each designer to accompany my photos of each mannequin on Broadway transformed into the NYC Sidewalk Catwalk.

Our first featured design and designer is by Isabel Toledo.  

First Lady Michelle Obama picked fashion Isabel Toledo, (born April 9, 1961), to design her Inaugural ensemble. The resulting design was a creamy yellow dress with a matching overcoat,  made of satin-backed wool guipure (a type of lace sometimes used in French Haute Couture).

Isabel Toledo was born in Cuba; later moved to New Jersey where she attended high school and met her future husband and collaborator, Ruben Toledo. After high school she attended two famous and fashion colleges in New York City – the Fashion Institute of Technology  and Parsons School of Design.  In college she studied painting, ceramics, and, of course, fashion design. Toledo showed her fashion skills as seamstress from a young age.  She has been designing for over 25 years with various fashion houses.  In 1985, Toledo presented her first collection

As a prominent Manhattan-based fashion designer, who works out of a studio on Broadway and 28th Street along with her fashion-illustrator husband, Isabel is not a typical mainstream fashion designer. In 1998 she broke with tradition and stopped presenting biannual fashion collections, instead choosing to create on her own schedule.

The hat/headdress is definitely an eye-catching look.  Perhaps depicting the many faces we present to the world, as a mask?

 Isabel Toledo has received a number of awards over the years.  In 2005 she, along with her husband, Ruben Toledo, was the recipient of the Cooper-Hewitt Design Award for their work in fashion.  In 2008 Isabel Toledo was presented with the 3rd annual Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion from the Museum at FIT.  The fashion award event was held in New York City’s Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center.

The Isabel Toledo for Payless line is set to debut this September, (2010) and will average about $40 an item.

 Complementary fashion commentary regarding the NYC Sidewalk Catwalk can also to be found at http://worldvillage.com/fashion-to-be-chic.


Be sure to return to read and see the next featured designer and TRULY UNIQUE display, on the NYC Sidewalk Catwalk down Broadway.

Welcome!

Hello and Welcome to Fashion To Be Chic, a blog devoted to encouraging and promoting that unique spark in all of us.  Chic is ALL about ATTITUDE.  Let your uniqueness shine for the whole world to see and be blessed by it.

Fashion is a key component to showing to the world how special you are.  Your mood is often reflected by the clothes we wear: whether you are heading for fun times or getting down to business, casual in the morning, flirty in the afternoon, high style in the evening and provocative after midnight.  Whether you spend thousands on Haute Couture or a little less on a "shoestring" find, you can and should be as chic as you care to be.

Come with me on a journey to discover, explore, and celebrate what it means to be fashionable, elegant, and uniquely chic.