During this Fall 2008 Fashion Week we captured the backstage preparations for James Coviello's fashion show. This was when we fell in love, not only with Coviello's collection but with the energy, romance, and discipline the designer brings to his work. For today's exclusive Coutorture photo shoot we shot the hats in Coviello's collection, up close and personal. It's clear by now that millinery is making a huge comeback in fashion, and who better to speak with than someone with a strong background in this craft.


Coviello, in addition to designing his own line of hats from when he first graduated from Parson's in 1987, has also designed hats for Oscar de la Renta, Anna Sui, and Calvin Klein in the past. His knowledge of millinery work is impressive and his enthusiasm, therefore, is unwavering, "Everyone should have a hat! People are afraid of color but on an accessory like a hat it doesn't have to define you or your wardrobe...The hats [for Fall 08] added to each outfit and no one once said the word 'costume.' These hats don't feel like we are trying too hard. It felt new and fresh and honestly, it was nice to take a risk"


This Fall 08 season, Coviello turned to a rich 1940's art deco inspiration. The looks were ladylike and encouraged a strong posture and confident profile. It's the kind of fashion that begs for poise, something we're sure will make for a strong consumer response come Fall deliveries. As for the hats in the collection, Coviello tells us, "It's a nod to the avant garde. [To] make a statement. It's a phantasmagoria of color, the romance of the old blocks." But the collection didn't manifest from the hats, rather it was the other way around, "They weren't prepared until we started to do previews of the collection...Every night after a regular day of work I would sit down with the hats. It was my second shift. It got to be second nature. And then slowly but surely it came together. But then its second nature as I have been doing it for so long...Making the hats [for Fall 08] was like making another whole collection. In the past we had done one style but this season the hats felt like their own collection even as they enhanced what was going on in the clothing. "


Boy, did they ever. Our photo shoot with Coviello's hats below, along with links to the Fall 08 backstage photos, fashion show, and other Coutorture editorial.

Links:
James Coviello Fall 08 backstage photos
James Coviello Fall 08 fashion show

We also have impressive designer video interviews and original editorial spreads. May we cordially suggest perusing our selection? Enjoy New York Fashion Week Designer Video Interviews from Oscar De La Renta, Donna Karan for DKNY,Michael Kors, Isaac Mizrahi, Nicole Miller, Erin Fetherston, Ashleigh Verrier , Adam Lippes, James Coviello, John Varvatos , Monique Lhuillier, Joanna Mastroianni, Tory Burch, Neeam Khan

Oscar De La Renta loves a strong woman. Each season he reiterates his appreciation for women that know what they want and know how to get it. His sincere devotion to a certain ideal of womanhood gives him an almost uncanny ability to hit the high points of an emerging cultural moment with his garments. Thus his Fall 2008 collection contains nearly every major trend for the fall season including opulent detailing, lean tailoring, layered textures, and color-of-the moment plum. And while the rest of the world is focused on another cultural moment we find ourselves completely mesmerized by Oscar's world. Oscar's laughing, confident, penetrating and, dare we say it, strong woman exemplifies our hope for a world in which substance matches style. And while we here at Coutorture feel quite privileged to be tackling these challenges a little early with the Fall 2008 garments featured in our editorial we expect the rest of fashion will have caught up by September. But by then Oscar De La Renta will have prepared yet another vision of womanhood for us. Proving that to be be truly strong one must always be a little bit ahead of the pack.

Links:
Oscar de la Renta Fall 08 Backstage
Oscar de la Renta Fall 08 Photo Gallery
Oscar de la Renta Fall 08 Video


It can be so hard keep track of content when its updated everyday. But we have impressive designer video interviews and original editorial spreads. May we cordially suggest perusing our selection? Enjoy New York Fashion Week Designer Video Interviews from Oscar De La Renta, Donna Karan for DKNY,Michael Kors, Isaac Mizrahi, Nicole Miller, Erin Fetherston, Ashleigh Verrier , Adam Lippes, James Coviello, John Varvatos , Monique Lhuillier, Joanna Mastroianni, Tory Burch, Neeam Khan

Oscar de la Renta was one of many designers to show plum in their Fall 2008 collection. Albeit, Oscar's plum was just a little bit richer, just a little bit more, well, plum than the others. Or maybe that's just our crush on the designer who insists, season after season, on celebrating the ever-popular concept of the 'powerful woman'. Oscar's plum appeared in the form of a trim cashmere knit sweater, high waisted wide leg trousers, and two fabulous floral print frocks. Below, two galleries, our editorial of the Oscar de la Renta Fall 08 plums, and, you know, everyone else's.

More: The Only Oscar We Care About.

More: Plum for A/W 08

Jil Sander has been sold to Japanese fashion company Onward Holdings for $244 million dollars. The London based private equity firm Change Capital appears to have been good for the house, handing them over to an excellent new home.“I like to say that Jil Sander was in quarantine because thanks to Change Capital, we cleaned up our act and successfully went from a designer house to a brand,” said Gian Giacomo Ferraris, chief executive officer at Jil Sander, during an interview at the Milan headquarters with WWD. “But this was the right moment to sell and now we can accelerate our growth process, increase revenues and improve margins.” Creative director Raf Simons will stay on.

Vogue India is at the center of a controversy that would make even a 20th century colonialist blush. Vogue India’s August 16-page accessories story of handbags, clutches and designer umbrellas, were modeled by average Indian people. Some 456 million Indians live on less than $1.25 a day making $200 Burberry umbrellas in huts a little offensive to more than a few people.

Halston is unlikely to hire a marquee name, instead focusing on an internal design team. Anyone curious about this spring collection should not that it was apparently conceived by Marco Zanini before the departure.

Diesel likes to party. A lot!

Coutorture favorite Oscar De La Renta has relaunched ecommerce. The site, designed by habitual enemies of usability and FLASH addicts Createthe Group, is similar in feel to the recently launched Calvin Klein ecommerce site (also a CreateThe project) giving us hope that perhaps a new era of selling products and showcasing information instead of pretending to recreate (and miserably) a store experience. But we trusted that CEO Alex Bolen wouldn't have it any other way. Heck, he even has Oscar guest blogging these days.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy gave Giorgio Armani the Légion d'Honneur in Paris on Thursday.

Women's Wear Daily has an impressive interview with Oscar De La Renta and the house's CEO Alex Bolen. Topics on the table included the "state of de la Renta's $100 million wholesale business and their desire to be considered on par with world-famous European houses, the difficulties with licensed partners and where they see the company headed over the next several years." The biggest revelation? Oscar and Alex see no reason the house will ever be for sale.

Art and fashion! Art and fashion. Go together like horse and carriage. Hermés is at the Tate, Richard Price has bags with Louis Vuitton!

Also fashion photography is getting more respect as an art form with an exhibit at Photographer's Gallery in London.

Even the Australians are getting into the kicking counterfeiting butt thing.