Just back from a romp on the runway. Erin Wasson showed her line for RVCA on Friday evening to a young unassuming crowd by Fashion Week standards. The content was built upon glimspes of flowing frocks, ratty silk blouses and slouchy denim as part of her spring 2010 collection at Bryant Park with Gang Gang Dance performing live. We love the premise of art-based fashionology, which also boasts Barry McGee among its designers, advocates and band allegiances (Modest Mouse and Animal Collective are also among them.)
What had us still ahhing after the show were her denim overall cutout shorts — hot stuff, obliques exposed. We like her floor length silky overcoats – very Flowers in the Attic je ne sais quois. Her fans were young, grungy and unpretentious, with a little LA deliberateness.
After the showing, Erin emerged for a quick bow, deliberately not-model like, beanie cap covering her blondish locks. We spotted her in the Mercedes-Benz Star Lounge later in the evening, not long after Bruce Willis made his exist. A low-key lady, she relaxed on the couch, her runway moment behind her, a wistful memory of worn fabrics gone by.
Our fashion consultant Madyha Farooqui says this of the collection:” Just looked up RVCA…I think it’ll be ‘hipster-esque,” young and cool in terms of the crowd and presentation. The clothes look cool, but simple everyday. If you have time to go…also a good one in terms of scene more than anything else I would imagine.” She nailed RVCA, spot on.
*We don’t like our late night photos, so we bring you this one to give you a sense of Erin’s personal style, and a look her models rocked in 2008.
Fall is in the air, which means spring is already here, at least it is in fashion speak as the Mercedes-Benz Spring 2010 Fashion Week hoopla gets underway.
Fashion Week in New York is underway, and where there are designers and parties, cars are never far from the runway. Mercedes-Benz remains the title sponsor for the event, and we’ll bring you a glimpse of the action later in the week, but in the mean time, check out Sicka Than Average’s descriptive coverage of Project Runway Season 4 graduate Jillian Lewis’s collection at the Audi Forum:
Project Runway Season 4 alumni Jillian Lewis showcased her Spring/Summer 2010 collection at the Audi Forum yesterday, where models were staggered on blocks within a circular platform that spun around at a slow pace, rotating a full 360 degrees. The collection consisted of separates and dresses in muted colors like lavender, winter pink, lilac, black, silver, gray, gold, coral pink, champagne and khaki, all boasting form-flattering silhouettes that oozed femininity while also evoking a sense of strength. Belted leather jackets, for example, featured side zipper closures, strong shoulders and cascading pleats along the sleeves for an armor-esque effect.
Lewis’s designs cleverly tread the line between naughty and nice. Broad shoulders were paired with delicate, embroidered details and sexy, see-through mesh fabrics (just look at the white dress pictured above, with its bustier-like top and the sheer, beaded overlay covering the entire design and adding a demure and almost bridal, veil-like effect). Tough components like hoods, zippers and cinched waists were given a feminine touch with soft, curved, petal-like cuts (such as those along the front panels of the lightweight, sleeveless hooded jacket pictured at top). And knee-length trench coats in slick, satin-like fabrics were given tulip-like cuts and ruffled details along the sleeves’ cuffs and the hemline.
The emphasis on broad shoulders, oversize lapels, leather accents, see-through mesh, and skin-tight leggings, along with the crimped and teased hair sported by the models, suggested a nod to ’80s fashions — but with a much more refined and sophisticated approach.
Sheryl Crow drives a Mercedes-Benz R320 BlueTEC. “The newest clean diesel vehicles are eco-friendly and deserve as much attention as other gas alternatives like hybrids,” Crow said. Other famous women and men in Bluetech to publicly acknowledge their diesel rides include Billy Baldwin, Kyle MacLachlan, Naomi Watts, Liev Schreiber, Nicole Richie and Joel Madden. Of course Kim Cattrall added to the brand’s cache on and off the big screen of Sex in the City.
The whole event was very hush and hush and exclusive-like — the way Mercedes-Benz likes to do things. A group of about 50 journalists peered at the cloaked vehicle at an offsite photo studio on Day One of NY Auto Show press day. Two women in black couture unveiled the vehicle, masked in campy black tape, but with an undeniable curvaceous silhouette and slits for taillights offering a teaser of what’s to come.
The SLS spread it’s wings doors gracefully elevating. The real test of design proportion was when a 0-60 Editor who is well over 6 ‘4 climbed into the cockpit, with a push back of the seat he fit snugly — nice seat installation.
We’ll let Car Connection do the talking this go aroud on the details: [click to continue…]
“With an all-new E-Class recently let out of the bag, W* editor Henrietta Thompson secured an exclusive tour of Mercedes’ Design Centre in Stuttgart, to see how the company…”Via (Wallpaper*)
While the rest of America moved through a bank holiday-like Monday, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week was in full hustle and bustle on it’s fourth day. The tents were busy, but the mood was populist among designers who favored well-worn, in the trenches fare. Right on the money or at least in agreement with the sentiment of the time was the disheveled denim of William Rast, the brand famously partly helmed by Justin Timberlake and his childhood best friend Trace Ayala. [click to continue…]
A festive red Mercedes-Benz GL350 caught passerbys attention on Broadway and 62nd Street on a balmy December Monday in front of Bar Boulud in New York City. The occasion was Mercedes-Benz annual press luncheon inside the casual bistro, where about 50 journalists and company reps converged to talk a tiny bit of shop and toast the season. While the mood was more anticipatory than in year’s past with the economic swings hitting automobile and media companies this week, guests still managed to mix, mingle and dine on Boulud’s lunchtime haute cuisine. The fare was simple, classic comfort — an autumn salad of roasted fall beets, local apples, goat cheese and shallot vinaigrette, and for the main course, roasted natural chicken breast, chanterelles, fingerling potatoes and baby veggies. Guests lingered, savoring a welcome respite from the news of the day.
Computers and cars are increasingly becoming one. What was once an engine, nuts and bolts domain is now controlled by computer. Soon, the wrench-turning mechanic will be rendered completely obsolete (except on the collectible vintage car circuit and in motorsports), rendered incapacitated by on-board computers that control everything from the engine, to the stereo, to monitoring your every move. The replacements, for now, are technicians, who repair cars by pushing buttons, and probably robots will someday take over that task. Well, before I lapse into a cynical Orwellian speak, let’s look at the computers in cars that are making life more like an interactive video game than ever.
The latest entry to the computer car game is Microsoft’s Automotive Business Unit (ABU). Microsoft’s Live Search for Devices opens up the doors for new applications including local search services, for in-vehicle infotainment. This means that cool platforms such as Ford Sync, where you can search locally for cheapest gas or Fiat’s Blue&Me, which are Microsoft’s prized developments. Next on the horizon for Microsoft is a partnership with Hyundai and Kia.
While not so much fun for car guys, the real innovation in cars will continue to occur on the interior, where drivers spend most of their time. Every company has their version of technology and a name for it — BMW has iDrive, Audi has Multi-Media Interface and Mercedes-Benz uses Command. More and more, driving itself will be about commanding cars to behave rather than physical movement. Bluetooth, voice commands and MP3 players rely on this wiring. Yet, another way that technology in cars will need to be upgraded in the same manner as a laptop or pc. You can read my take on HMI here.
Who knows what’s next? Apple ipod today to Apple Sports Drive tomorrow.
Reporting live from the Mercedes lounge at the Albany International Airport. I’ve been scooting around in ML, GL and RL 320s since yesterday afternoon, reflecting on diesel, hybrids, and the quagmire facing the automotive industry. At the international drive of the Bluetech Vehicles in Manchester, Vermont, MB lays out their plans for a sunnier future with sun fuel, and the strategy behind it in a program that runs over the next two weeks. I’ve just completed wave one.
The word is still not out — diesels often get comparable and better mileage than hybrid vehicles. But, It’s no news tht diesel prices are through the roof, both in the U.S. and Europe. Improved fuel economy of cleaner diesel fuels help to offset some of the cost. The next year will be telling to see if consumers are still willing to pay the premium for lower emission diesel fuel, or if this will cause what’s now known as “pain at the pump.” Two factors sweeten the deal for Mercedes — 600 miles on one tank of diesel and a potential gas credit. The new better diesel vehicles go on sale this fall along with the GL-320.
Thomas Ruhl, Director of the R-Class, SUV hybrid and Blutech, discussed higher prices of diesel in the U.S and Europe that easily top $5 per gallon. “Fuel prices are not the only factor,” he said to the panel of journalists in attendance. The choice for consumers is whether to pay a higher premium for a more efficient diesel, or look into other fuel saving measures, like Mercedes hybrids, or simply driving more efficient combustion engines. The possibility of a new tax credit for diesel owners also could be the further incentive. Yet, this tax break is not a guarantee at this point in time. Despite rising prices, Mercedes says sales are steady of their new, cleaner diesels.
But what’s troubling MB regulators is a problem that’s spread across the auto industry — how to navigate the difficult emissions laws across the fifty states, and how create a supply that’s readily and plentiful for would-be owners, whether relying on diesel or hydrogen. The striking differences between European and American emissions standards has long been a boon in automakers sides and William Craven, General Manager of Regulatory Affairs addressed the company’s challenges to wade through the varying standards worldwide.
Things are further complicated in the U.S. as individual states have different regulations on emissions levels. Emissions are the most strict in California. Apparently other states are following California’s lead, but clean diesel fuel is not so plentiful in all 50 states. It always comes down to simple economics – a demand for fuel that exceeds a supply. Another way of California dreaming.
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