Patrice Yagen receives her award from Christopher Guy. 

M.F.A. Textile Design student Patrice Yagen just tied for second place in the Christopher Guy Design Awards Competition! Christopher Guy is a world renowned luxury furniture designer, and held the awards ceremony in conjunction with the opening of his new Christopher Guy flagship store in West Hollywood. The competition asked students to design a piece of furniture inspired by one of Philip Treacy’s fantastic creations. Treacy was also honored at the event, for his contribution to the British design industry. Read on to learn more about Patrice, her experience at the awards ceremony, and her plans for the future!

Hometown: Sacramento, CA

Major: MFA Textile Design

What type of furniture did you design and why?
I designed a dining room chair that encapsulated the Christopher Guy design aesthetic. Looking through his collection of furniture pieces online, I felt that his chairs had a simple elegance about them, and I wanted my design to emulate that feeling so I chose to design a chair as well.

What inspired your entry for the Christopher Guy Design Awards Competition?
I used Philip Tracy’s Horn Hat from his 1999 couture show as the inspiration for this piece.

Did you attend the event in L.A. – and if so – what was your experience like?
I attended the BritWeek Award ceremony in LA and it was such a fun experience to meet both Christopher Guy and Philip Treacy. The new Christopher Guy showroom was very elegant and the perfect venue to showcase some of Philip Treacy’s couture hats with an intimate runway show.

Follow the jump to read more! Read more…

Mass-market retailer Banana Republic has tapped some local talent for their latest collaboration – the boys behind Taylor Stitch. The brand was founded in 2008 by Michael Maher, Barrett Purdum, and Michael Armenta and has gained a cult following with their made-in-SF men’s custom shirts. They’ve created a ready-to-wear capsule collection for the San Francisco-based retailer that will be sold in a shop-within-a-shop at the Banana Republic flagship on Grant Street for the next 18 weeks. You’ll also be able to order their custom made button downs – an experience that Milo Slattery, VP of men’s merchandising at B.R., thinks their customer will love.

In celebration of the new collection, Banana Republic and Taylor Stitch are hosting a launch party at the flagship tonight. Stop by for drinks and hors d’oeures and check out the new digs and new shirts!

[Source: SF Gate]

Photo Courtesy of Vidal Sassoon/Phase 4 Films.

We are very sorry to report that Vidal Sassoon, the legendary hair maestro and fashion icon, has died at the age of 84. He revolutionized hair in the 1960s, offering up simple, sleek cuts that freed women from spending hours under the dryer and in front of the mirror. In 2010, a documentary debuted – Vidal Sassoon: The Movie – chronicling his rise to fame and the larger impact of his work. He had a vision that spawned an empire – he will be missed.

[Source: LA Times]

Jayne Seward and Stephan Rabimov speak to styling students. Photo Courtesy of Randy Brooke.

In addition to our amazing Guests of Honor, we had several other guests visit the School of Fashion for the Graduation Fashion Show and Awards Ceremony, including Stephan Rabimov and Jayne Seward. Stephan is the editor-in-chief of DEPESHA, a Russian culture magazine at the intersection of fashion, art, literature, and modernity. Jayne is currently the fashion editor at California Apparel News, has also written for STYLE.COM, BritishVogue.com, and Surface, and has extensive experience styling celebrity clients, films, and television shows.

On Thursday, May 3rd, Stephan and Jayne visited Flore Morton’s styling class, and spoke to students about the industry, offering some sage advice gleaned from their years of experience. Jayne discussed her beginnings as a stylist, and stressed the importance of interning and gaining as much experience as you can. She also talked about commercial styling, which isn’t always a career goal, but can be extremely important if you’re trying to earn a living.

Follow the jump to read more! Read more…

Looks from Renata Lindroos and Mina Fadaie, Kim Tran and Orly Ruaimi, and Zhangchi Wang. 
Photos Courtesy of Randy Brooke. 

We were honored to have Cathy Horyn, fashion critic for The New York Times, attend our Graduation Fashion Show and Awards Ceremony for the second year in a row (she was the 2011 Guest of Honor). Even more exciting – she featured our students’ collections on her NY Times blog, On the Runway!

Here is a snippet from the piece:

[Simon Ungless] certainly put together a strong group of graduates this year. Twenty-three fashion and textile students participated, along with a couple of fine-arts students majoring in sculpture or jewelry design. Among the standout presentations were photo-print dresses based on 1960s horror film, by Renata Lindroos and Mina Fadaie; a clever take on the eternal fashion theme of “Grey Gardens,” by Kim Tran and Orly Ruaimi; embossed felt garments, based on Chinese stone carvings, by Zhangchi Wang; neo-Art Deco and embellished designs by Jacqueline Rabot and Julie Seltzer; and miniature garments with religious overtones by Maria A. Romero.

To read the entire article, click here.

For more information on the Graduation Fashion Show and Awards Ceremony, click here.

All Photos Courtesy of Randy Brooke.

In honor of Sarah Burton’s visit to the Academy of Art University School of Fashion, Neiman Marcus in Union Square came up with some tantalizing Alexander McQueen window displays. They featured look from the house’s Spring/Summer ’12 collection, gorgeous gold and cream suits and dresses that hug every curve. What we wouldn’t do to get our hands on one of those! For now, we’ll just have to settle for window shopping.

Follow the jump for more photos! See more…

The Met Gala Red Carpet. Photo Courtesy of Kevin Tachman/Vogue.

Each year we look forward to The Met Gala for two reasons: 1) It means the opening of an amazing new exhibit curated by the folks at the Met’s Costume Institute and 2) Because the red carpet is always amazing. The annual opening night shindig is basically the Oscars of the fashion world, so you know that everyone will be dressed to impress. There were a number of ladies wearing designs by the woman of the evening, Miuccia Prada, whose inventive work makes up half of the exhibition – Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations. Our favorite Prada look was worn by Carey Mulligan, whose gold and silver paillette-covered dress glittered beautifully amidst the flash bulbs. We also loved Anna Wintour’s Prada gown that paid homage to the late Schiaparelli with a gold, beaded lobster.

Carey Mulligan and Anna Wintour – both in Prada. Photo Courtesy of Getty Images.

Follow the jump to read more!

Read more…

She was with us last week as our Guest of Honor – and this week she’s climbing to the Mount Everest Base Camp! Her Royal Highness Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud, a founding member of the Zahra Breast Cancer Association, is embarking on this journey to raise awareness about breast cancer prevention through healthy lifestyle habits and physical activity.

Follow the jump to read more! Read more…

Live tweeting from fashion shows is the norm these days – and our Graduation Fashion Show and Awards Ceremony was no exception! Students, press, guests and more were tweeting about all of the amazing designs coming down the runway. We’ve rounded up a few of the most exciting Tweets from the evening for your viewing pleasure!

@sfunzipped: Suzy Menkes, Cathy Horyn, Sarah Burton and Philip Treacy are front row at @aaufashion show

@9to5Chic: Great start to the show @aaufashion!! http://instagr.am/p/KMCAk7rr2d/ 

@GenArt: Obsessed with this look by Julie Seltzer & Jacqueline Rabot at @aaufashion show @ The Cannery instagr.am/p/KMWsfltcij/

@sfunzipped: Cathy Horyn says @aaufashion was a “fantastic show” as she announces CFDA scholarships.

@starsmodelmgmt: And so it ends…what beautiful show. Congratulations @aaufashion students. #ammmmaaaaaazing http://twitpic.com/9gzkkw

@sffashiontech: Congrats to @aaufashion for a wonderful inspiring show! Textures, colors, motifs, biased cuts, & passion. Bravo!

@sfindiefashion: congrats to all the @aaufashion designers tonight – you guys are so inspiring!

@AFAccelorator: We are still on a fashion high from the @aaufashion #AAUfashionshow last night. Sarah Burton @WorldMcQueen is so gracious and kind

And you can’t even imagine how excited we were when we saw this:

@TrendsSF: AAU Fashion School, @aaufashion is now trending in #SFtrendsmap.com/us/san+francis…

Thank you to everyone who came out to support our amazing students – and to those of you Tweeted!

Suzy Menkes, Cathy Horyn, and Paul Wilner.

On Thursday May 3rd, The Academy of Art University had the pleasure of hosting a lecture by two of the fashion world’s top journalists: Suzy Menkes, Fashion Editor of The International Herald Tribune and Cathy Horyn, Fashion Critic for The New York Times. Both women have well-established careers and are at the top of their field. School of Fashion Executive Director Gladys Perint Palmer introduced the pair, and Journalism Coordinator Paul Wilner moderated a panel discussion by the legendary journalists, who offered plenty of advice to a room full of fashion students.

Both women were very approachable, answered questions in an unpretentious manner, and provided insightful information about their successful careers. Menkes was instantly recognizable sporting her signature hairdo: one pin curl set at the top of her short brown hair. She brought a British charm, wearing minimal makeup and a few subtle pieces of jewelry. She donned a purple blazer and top, navy trousers, purple suede shoes that tied into a bow in front, and even matching purple socks.

Horyn had a laid-back look consisting of a black three-quarter-sleeved top, blue paisley printed pants and brown leather loafers. Her short brown hair was kept simple and she had minimal accessories; a small silver watch, and square gold and green ring.

Menkes spoke about her early aspirations to become a writer and how she handcrafted her first newspaper at the age of five. She always had an interest in fashion and studied dressmaking in Paris as a teenager. She worked on her school newspaper at Cambridge University and later landed a position at The Times, a daily British national newspaper.

Follow the jump to read more! Read more…