The fab team behind Crossroads has just opened a new store on Union called Fillmore & 5th – a higher end consignment shop where you can score amazing designer finds at a fraction of their original cost. Think contemporary labels like 3.1 Phillip Lim, Alexander Wang, and Rag & Bone, as well as luxury brands including Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, and Lanvin. They’ll also have some lower priced labels such as Zara, BCBG, and Tory Burch to even out the selection.

And if you’re looking to score some cash instead of clothes, you can make an appointment to consign your items, or just drop them off and they’ll email you with pricing. So start cleaning out your closets and make room for some amazing new additions!

Fillmore & 5th – 1775 Union Street

We hope that some of you were able to stop by the De Young Museum this weekend for the Discarded to Divine preview – but for those of you who couldn’t make it, we’ve got another way to preview the designs! This year, they are holding a People’s Choice Twitter Contest, giving the people a chance to vote for their favorite pieces. You can view all of the looks on the Discarded to Divine Flickr page, and then cast your vote with a Tweet! Just be sure to include the designer’s name and lot number, as well as @discardd2divine and @deyoungmuseum.

They’ll be counting votes up until the night of the gala, on Thursday, April 26th. For more info or to buy tickets, go to www.discardedtodivine.org.

UNIONMADE is one of our absolute favorite stores in SF – they’re the poster-boys for well-designed, finely crafted men’s wear, and they’re always teaming up with the coolest companies. Case in point: their latest collaboration with Golden Bear. Golden Bear is a San Francisco-based, family run business that has been making coats and outerwear since 1922. And for Spring 2012, UNIONMADE picked the fabrics and colors and designed the silhouettes, and Golden Bear brought the collection to life.

For the lookbook, they commissioned fashion illustrator – and School of Fashion online instructor – Richard Haines to draw the UNIONMADE team members in their favorite pieces from the collection. It looks so awesome – so very UNIONMADE. Follow the jump for some of our favorite illustrations! See more…

We’ve been showing you some of the amazing Jury Award winning designs by our students for the annual Discarded to Divine fundraiser, and tonight you can see them in person! Friday Nights at the de Young is putting on a one-night-only preview of the 2012 Discarded to Divine couture creations and home décor.

Designers and students created pieces inspired by the de Young Museum’s sensational exhibits, including The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, as well as the permanent collection. They will be showcased in the Piazzoni Murals Room and Wilsey Court beginning at 6:00 PM. And at 6:30, local band the Fashion Slaves will hit the stage so you can dance the night away.

And did we mention it’s free?!

WHAT: Friday Nights at the de Young – Discarded to Divine Preview

WHEN: Firday, April 13th from 6:00 – 8:00 PM

WHERE: De Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive

Photo Courtesy of Life Magazine.

Wednesday, April 4th
5:00 – 8:00 PM
Fashionably 1 Wednesdays Industry Mixer
Temple SF – 540 Howard Street
Fashionably 1st Wednesdays is a monthly industry mixer where fashion and technology lovers can meet up, network, and enjoy a few cocktails. This month, they are also kicking off the San Francisco Fashion Film Festival! RSVP here.

April 7th – 8th
San Francisco Fashion Film Festival
Roxie Theater
The first annual San Francisco Fashion Film Festival will present a curated selection of independent, documentary, and dramatic films that provide a new perspective on what it means to be stylish in the cinema. You can check out the full schedule and buy tickets here!

April 8th – 14th
Spring Recess

Friday, April 13th
6:00 – 8:00 PM
Discarded to Divine Public Preview
De Young Museum
This week’s Friday Nights at the De Young includes a complimentary preview of the 2012 Discarded to Divine creations, and will also feature a live performance by Bay Area band The Fashion Slaves. The 2012 collection includes designs by School of Fashion students and alumni. The event is free and open to the public.

Friday, April 20th
6:00 – 8:00 PM
New Generations Student Showcase
De Young Museum
The New Generations Student Showcase is a juried selection of multidisciplinary work created by students from the San Francisco Bay Area. This year’s theme was Matter! – a one word manifesto encompassing everything that truly matters in our lives. Students will be exhibiting works of art as well as presenting live performances. The event is free and open to the public.

Follow the jump to read more! Read more…

We already posted a recap of A Conversation with Jean Paul Gaultier and Suzy Menkes at the De Young Museum, but now you can watch it! The conversation, which was presented in conjunction with the grand opening of the exhibit, The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, highlighted defining moments in the designer’s life and career. They also discussed the remarkable exhibit, which truly takes the idea of a retrospective exhibit to a whole other level. It will be on display until August 19th!

Follow the jump to watch the video! See more…

Fashion Incubator San Francisco Designers in Residence: Tamara Jaric, Bethany Meuleners, Sabah Mansoor Husain, Tony Sananikone, Paloma Von Broadley, and Justin Jamison. Photo Courtesy of SF Weekly. 

The inaugural class of Macy’s Fashion Incubator San Francisco showed off their new digs at last night’s launch event. The Fashion Incubator offices and workshop sit on the 7th floor of the Macy’s men’s building – the perfect perch to get those creative juices flowing. Two School of Fashion alums, Bethany Meuleners and Sabah Mansoor Husain, were selected to take part in the year-long mentorship program, which provides the designers with an amazing workspace in the Macy’s offices, as well as crash-courses on everything from the financial aspects of fashion, to production, and media training. The Fashion Incubator program hopes to reinvigorate SF’s fashion industry, which has been on a steady decline for years.

We were lucky enough to tour the designers’ space – which is pretty amazing. Each designer-in-residence, as they’re called, has an office, drawing tables, showroom space, and access to some pretty amazing equipment. It is an amazing opportunity for the young designers to really build their label under the guidance of industry professionals – and we can’ wait to see their progress throughout the year!

Friday Nights at the De Young are back for another season, and they’re kicking things off with a Jean Paul Gaultier-inspired event! There will be DJs, drinks, and dancing, and you’ll have a chance to walk the runway. Wear your wildest Gaultier ensemble and they’ll provide the accessories and the catwalk – they’re even holding runway lessons, just in case you need a refresher.

So head over to the De Young Museum on Friday evening and get your weekend started right! Admission is free – you only need to buy tickets if you want to go to the special exhibitions.

WHAT: Friday Nights at the De Young

WHEN: Friday, March 30 from 5:00 to 8:45 PM

WHERE: De Young Museum - 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive

Click here for more information.

On Saturday, the De Young Museum hosted a conversation between Jean Paul Gaultier and fashion journalist Suzy Menkes, in honor of the opening of the designer’s exhibit The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk. “Jean Paul Gaultier is one of the funniest, most talented, wittiest, and funkiest fashion designers I know,” Menkes began. The only thing we might add to the list: most charming – he really is wonderful to talk to, which we learned during his visit to the School of Fashion.

During the hour and half discussion, Suzy touched on everything from his early love of fashion inspired by the Folies Bergère, to his work with Madonna, and the business side of fashion that is seldom discussed. She was quick to point out how deserving Jean Paul was of the exhibition, saying, “I’d just like to start with something a little bit more serious. In fashion, the real reason that people last – and when it comes to Jean Paul Gaultier is probably talked about the least – is the technique, the skill, the handwork, the knowledge. Sometimes it gets buried underneath the fantasies of the clothes, but if you look hard, you will see the extraordinary craftsmanship.” And it is so true – going through the exhibition, you are able to see the intense attention to detail and all of the hard work – particularly when looking at the couture gowns.

When asked about his early years, creating the corsets and dressing Madonna, Jean Paul cited his mother and grandmother as inspiration, who influenced him from a very young age. “They taught me how women were: strong, clever, human – and sometimes stronger than men. I realized very quickly that women were more interesting and maybe even more clever.” And he sought to portray that through the clothing – it was not about sexualizing women, but about showing their power. He spoke of how much he enjoyed working with Madge – they had similar ideas and wanted to say the same things. He also confessed that the original cone bra was worn not by Madonna, but by his teddy bear, Nana, who had a cone bra made of newspaper, which you can see in the exhibition.

Follow the jump to read more! Read more…

Viv & Ingrid Jewelry featured in Friends With Kids. L-R: Gold & Purple Jade Small Belle Earrings (worn by Jennifer Westfeldt), Gold & Purple Jade Bijoux Necklace (also worn by Jennifer Westfeldt), and Gold Feather Double Hoops (worn by Kristen Wiig).

We love going to the movies . If you see the new film Friends with Kids, starring Adam Scott, Jennifer Westfeldt, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, and Maya Rudolph – be sure to take a closer look at the jewelry worn by the film’s leading ladies – it’s Viv & Ingrid! Viv & Ingrid is a Bay-Area based jewelry line started by 1999 M.F.A. Fashion Merchandising graduate Ingrid Chen and her friend and collaborator Vivian Wang.

In celebration of this, if you bring your Friends with Kids ticket stub to Viv & Ingrid at Oxford Hall – you can receive 20% off all of their amazing jewelry! Your ticket stub also gets you a raffle ticket, entering you to win one of the signature pieces featured in the movie. The promotion runs until April 7th, so get yourself to a theater and then over to Oxford Hall ASAP!

Source: SF Gate