Daphne Guinness

Daphne Guinness, an heiress of the Guinness fortune and former wife of Spyros Niarchos, son of the Greek shipping billionaire Stavros Niarchos, is a fashion icon who used some of her fortune to collect imporant couture looks from the greatest designers of our time.  Her collection is now on display at FIT's Museum in New York, and today I took the opportunity to go see it.

This photo of Daphne was used in the exhibit's brochure. It captures her artistic and unique style well.

Daphne's collection reflects her knowledge of and respect for fashion.  She collects items from notable designers and young designers alike to capture what's special and cutting-edge.  Everything she collects is beyond the clutter of what currently infiltrates retail stores, and this is probably why her obsession with collecting has ceased--almost everything out there today is a knock-off of something else, and rarely is it daring and different from what can be seen in the next store. 

She said:

"We need better things, not more.  We should not pollute the world with meaningless, unused thigns when we can make and support things of rare and precious beauty."

Therefore, her exhibit at FIT can arguably be considered her ultimate goal because it captures the essence of how artistic ("rare and precious") fashion can be.  The exhibit succcessfully educates students and the general public who share her love of fashion about some of the most innovative designs ever made.  

Nanette Lepore and Domestic Production

With all the talk about how much cheaper it is to get things produced offshore, I was impressed by the fact that Nanette Lepore produces 85% of her collection right here in the Garment Center.  The biggest advantage I see this having is that time is saved, which allows for quicker turnover (you don't have to wait for overseas shipments, etc.).  Another advantage is that in the same sense, efficiency is increased.  There is less risk for language barriers and therefore, again, time is saved. A third definite advantage of producing "within the Garment District" is that it supports businesses striving for the same goals, which builds good relationships and thus builds a better image.  With these advantages, a few disadvantages include that it's more expensive, there can be extensive communication barriers, and that shipments take a significant amount of time (and there is a high chance of delays, etc.). 
   

                                         

 

Bergdorf Goodman

My Study Tour visited the one and only Bergdorf Goodman department store last week to get a taste of what luxury really is. 

I have always been comfortable dressing in inexpensive clothing, whether it be from the H&M down the street or from the local Goodwill (where you can always find a few gems!), but I'll admit walking into Bergdorf and coveting some of their beautiful clothing.  As a broke college student, I pride myself on being able to put together nice looking outifits for little money, and therefore am not saying that I absolutely wanted everything in the store, but seeing all of the well-made designer clothing really opened my eyes to what luxury is.

Upon leaving Bergdorf, I realized that luxury is not necessarily evaluated by how much something costs, but rather, how it makes you feel.  I could tell that Bergdorf employees treated each of their customers as if they were family, and offered an abundance of one-on-one time.  The clothing is expensive, yes, but with the price tag comes not only the clothing, but the customer service and beautiful shopping atmosphere.