Today we bring to you the second installment of our new column, Instruct/Influence, in which we will be chatting with the amazing instructors at the School of Fashion. Hiding underneath that school teacher exterior, there lies a bounty of hidden gems -  some of the best fashion tales you’ve never heard. Our directors and instructors have worked with the best in the biz and have some amazing sartorial stories that we could only dream of, so we wanted to share some of those amazing experiences with you. For our second edition, we sat down with Assistant Director of 3-D Design, Rob Curry.

What did you study and where?

I went to Leeds University, not the big famous ones in London. But I always say I started learning when I left. My basic training from there on was a two year apprenticeship with a couturier called Bruce Oldfield, not a lot of people know him over here, but he’s been around for over 35 years and is very well-known in London and Europe. He used to do a lot with Princess Diana and sort of the old aristocracy, its not young its more older, conservative but immaculately made pieces.  And from there I went on to Vivienne Westwood. So that is what I really call my proper training – post university.

What drew you to couture as opposed to other types of design?

I’m a maker, I always have been by nature. I don’t really draw, I’m not a 2D person, and I always just loved it. At school I always enjoyed the making side of it but hated the portfolio side of it. I always felt frustrated at school because it was all about putting it on paper, the concept and thinking in 2-D. So that’s why the apprenticeship was like, wow, I’m learning.

How did you get the job at Vivienne Westwood?

She was always somebody that I completely adored and loved, you know she was always my favorite designer. And working in London she was one of the very few people I really wanted to work for. And I was lucky, Bruce Oldfield was a very big name and very well respected. So that got me in at Vivienne. When I sent my resume in with a letter asking if they needed anybody – God this was back in ‘96. And I got a phone call from the head of studio asking me to come in for a trial. It all really worked out well and I worked there for 5 years.

Follow the jump for more! Read more…

A Knitwear Demonstration

Last night, San Francisco, along with 249 other cities across the US, participated in Fashion’s Night Out – an annual event designed to support the fashion industry through shopping.

In reality, FNO is essentially clubbing for fashion lovers and the hosted by Neiman Marcus and 7×7 was no exception. Decked out in their swankiest outfits, FNO-goers eyed each other as much as the fashions on display. People traveled in packs or in pairs, chirping and laughing with their friends while clutching giveaways from various stores. At Neiman’s, these included Chocolates by Jerome, PopChips, and Hanky Panky panties with do-it-yourself decoration. There was even a FNO “red carpet” where you could get your picture taken, celebrity style. Underscoring the club atmosphere were DJs spinning dance music throughout the store.

Rachele Baretto displaying her amazing jewelry.

As in years past, Neiman Marcus partnered with AAU to spotlight the work of student designers and some of the specialties of the school, such as tambour beading and silk-screen printing. There were displays of student work in store windows as well as inside the store, allowing customers to see (and touch!) the designs up close – nubby knits of Stephanie Gelot, slick leathers from Holly Smith, and gelatinous textiles of Drew Williams among others.

Although Twitter chatter for the event was relatively quiet, the vibe in the store and on the streets was high energy and excited. Everyone must have been too busy shopping to tweet!

More photos after the jump! Read more…

It’s finally here – the night we’ve all been waiting for – Fashion’s Night Out!! A night to put on that outfit you’ve been dying to wear, go out with friends and have a good time, AND (most importantly) celebrate Fashion!

Neiman Marcus and 7×7 Magazine are hosting this year’s FNO bash, featuring designs from our very own Academy of Art University students! There will also be trunk shows, drinks and sweets, music, and more. This is not a night to be missed!

WHAT: Fashion’s Night Out

WHEN: 6-8 p.m. Thursday, September 8

WHERE: Neiman Marcus, 150 Stockton St. (just off Union Square), San Francisco

Can’t wait to see you all there!

School of Fashion Alumni Grace Neiman’s Windows for FNO

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Banners Illustrated by Gladys Perint Palmer

Fashion’s Night Out is upon us again, which means beautiful Alumni work has graced the Stockton side windows at Neiman Marcus San Francisco!

This year, pieces designed by School of Fashion Alumni Jonathan David Baker and Holly Smith have been spotlighted in the window displays. Layers of knits, leather, and even hoods complete the mannequins looks. I personally fell in love with these garments when I had the chance of handling them months ago on set, so it was very exciting to see them again in person!

Gladys Perint Palmer’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week posters are nestled between the two dressed windows, and yes, all I can think about is how I wish I could be seeing them on the streets of Manhattan! I’m keeping my body grounded (although it’s okay to dream, right?), and am excited that San Francisco, too gets to share and enjoy beautiful work from The Academy of Art University. Check out Neiman Marcus before you stop by the event today, as I will see you there!

Pieces from Holly Smith's Collection

Jonathan David Baker's Designs

Written By: Danielle Wallis

For more Eye Candy, click here.

For all the info on this year’s Fashion’s Night Out event at Neiman Marcus San Francisco, click here.

The Dynamic Duo (our very own School of Fashion and Neiman Marcus) have teamed up once again, and added a fun new friend 7×7 Magazine, to celebrate Fashion’s Night Out! What started in NYC has now spread to over 100 cities, and San Francisco is certainly not one to say no to a party! For the third year in a row, Neiman Marcus will host a night of fashion, shopping, and fun, showcasing the amazing work of designers and artisans from our school.

Be sure to mark your calendar because this event CANNOT be missed!

WHAT: Fashion’s Night Out – a global celebration of fashion

WHEN: 6-8 p.m. Thursday, September 8

WHERE: Neiman Marcus, 150 Stockton St. (just off Union Square), San Francisco

And be sure to take a peek at Gladys Perint Palmer’s Mercedes Benz Fashion Week banners that will be on display in Neiman’s windows from September 6th to 9th, along with some of the beautiful clothing and jewelry from our students!!

When September rolls around, Fashion’s Night Out will be making another appearance across the nation — and Los Angeles is a city that will be participating in the festivities.

This year, they are giving the blogging community an opportunity to be part of the star-studded evening on September 8 with their first Fashion’s Night Out L.A. (FNOLA) Blogger Contest. The contest began yesterday and they will be choosing five Official Bloggers for FNOLA. If you do get chosen, this is what you’ll get:

- VIP Treatment for the entire night of Fashion’s Night Out on September 8th
- Access to the VIP Suite and a ticket to the fashion show at the Beverly Center Kick-Off
- A driver to chauffeur you and the other official bloggers to FNOLA parties around the city, as you tweet, post and blog throughout the evening.
- One top blogger will be featured in GENLUX Magazine following the event.

To enter you must be prepared with the following information:

- Contact Info: Name, Email, Phone Number, Link to Blog, Facebook and Twitter profiles
- Stats: Number of Twitter and FB Followers, Unique Visitors per month, Klout score

You also must answer the following questions:

- Why should you be chosen to be an official FNOLA blogger?
- What would be your strategy to gain hype around yourself and FNO?”
- Describe your personal style.

You must also upload three photos of your personal style. The contest ends on August 1 and the winners will be announced on the Fashion’s Night Out L.A. Facebook Page. You can submit all your material and read full details of the contest at www.fnola.com.

The title of this post may have embellished the truth a little bit. They didn’t really go wild for the new issue of 180 Magazine — but people were really excited.

The super-sized issue (it is quite large) did not only get an ovation from the crowd at our Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week show (a copy was placed on each seat), but people rushed into our Fashion’s Night Out event and cleaned us out of 200 copies in less than hour!

Beyond the Front Row members, Gena Banducci, Annie Wehby, Danny Dinh, Courtney Geier and Bridget Reed flip through the new issue of 180 backstage at our New York show. This picture is not posed at all.

For more info about our New York Fashion Week show, click here.

Since so much is going on tomorrow, this post will help you sort things out:

1.) Fashion’s Night Out: Friday, September 10, 6:00pm – 8:00pm; the School of Fashion joins Neiman Marcus, exclusively, for Fashion’s Night Out. Faculty, students, and graduates will be on each floor throughout Neiman Marcus with exhibits, collections, and demonstrations. Open to the public.

2.) 180 Magazine: The new issue of 180 Magazine debuts! Come back to Fashion School Daily for an electronic copy or stop by our Fashion’s Night Out event to get a hard copy!

3.) Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week: For those of you who can’t make it to New York for our New York Fashion Week show, make sure you catch our live webcast!

Make sure you have all these marked in your calendar!

In case you didn’t see our tweet posted yesterday, this is what we said:

Ummm…I managed to see the newest issue of 180 Magazine…it is synonymous with the words EPIC, LEGENDARY and FEROCIOUS.

The cover of our 4th issue isn’t necessarily a big secret — it’s displayed in the windows at Neiman Marcus in San Francisco’s Union Square:

We know that all of you are dying to know what’s inside. So here’s a preview:

You’re welcome.

If you want the full (and bigger) issue, visit us during Fashion’s Night Out at Neiman Marcus — OR if you happen to be at our show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, you can get one there!

You may have heard of a little thing called Fashion’s Night Out, which was spearheaded by Vogue editrix Anna Wintour.

Well, our fashion school will be participating in the worldwide event (like they did last year) with Neiman Marcus in San Francisco’s Union Square.

Here are the events you should already have in your calendar:

Thursday, September 3rd- Tuesday, September 13th: In honor of Fashion’s Night Out, Neiman Marcus’ Stockton Street windows will exhibit the highly anticipated new issue of the School of Fashion’s 180 magazine, as well as select garments from graduates Sabah Mansoor Husain and Marina Solomatnikova that debuted during the Academy Art University Fall / Winter ’10 show at Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week.

Friday, September 10th
6:00pm – 8:00pm
Fashion’s Night Out at Neiman Marcus
The School of Fashion joins Neiman Marcus, exclusively, for Fashion’s Night Out. Faculty, students, and graduates will be on each floor throughout Neiman Marcus with exhibits, collections, and demonstrations. Open to the public.

Here are some iPhone snapshots of the windows (which, as noted above, are already up for public viewing):

In addition to these swanky windows, Friday night’s event will include knitwear demos, textile demos, featured projects from the creative minds of our students, tambour beading, music, food, and much more. And let’s not forget the debut of the newest (and epic) issue of 180 magazine (there’s a window for that too):

So prep yourself for Friday, it will surely be an FNO hot spot!