We are loving these images from the gr.dano Fall ’12 lookbook! For those of your who don’t know, gr.dano is a local line by alumna Jill Giordano (2004 B.F.A. Fashion Design graduate) with fellow designer Brian Scheyer. The leather details and trim are perfection, adding just enough of an edge. And the pleats and draping are sophisticated and utterly gorgeous. We can’t wait to get our hands on these pieces – can someone please invent a time-machine so we can fast-forward a few seasons?

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Here is the second installment of our Holiday Gift Guide! We’re bringing you amazing men’s and women’s wear from Academy of Art University alumni and local SF Boutiques! And we’ve made it super easy for you – for any items available online, just click on the picture to buy.

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Academy of Art University alumnus Jonathan David Baker, is hosting a party at 440 Brannan (the SF Design Studio and Retail Store owned by 2004 B.F.A. Fashion Design graduate and Gr.Dano designer Jill Giordano). His previous collection was shown at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week for Fall ’11. Enjoy the fabulous (and free!) drinks while perusing Jonathan’s latest designs. Future fashion + open bar = couture of fun!

WHAT: A part celebrating Jonathan David Baker’s newest collection
WHERE: 440 Brannan Studio Showroom, Brannan St. between 3rd and 4th – SOMA
WHEN: Thursday, October 20 from 6-11 PM

Visit www.jonathandavidbaker.com for more information.

Alumna, Jill Giordano (B.F.A. Fashion Design) along with fellow designer Brian Scheyer continues the success of their gr.dano label — they just launched their Fall/Winter 2011 collection.

Keeping in line with their streamlined, minimal architecturally-sound design aesthetic, their brand new designs will be available (for those in San Francisco) at their 440 Brannan Studio in SoMA later this year. You can also check out the windows featuring their designs at our 79 New Montgomery Atelier.

To take a look at their entire FW 2011 collection visit www.grdano.com.

Katie Hintz-Zambrano from NBC’s new site TheFeast.com interviews Jill Giordano, 2004 B.F.A. Fashion Design Graduate, and Brian Scheyer of Gr.Dano.

It seems like there is no end to the good news from the gr.dano camp. Actress Anna Paquin (any True Blood fans out there?) dons their “Mya” dress on the cover of the Los Angeles arts and entertainment magazine, Venice.

Congrats again Jill and Brian!

Photo by: Donato Sardella, Style.com

Remember when we announced that alumna Jill Giordano and her partner Brian Scheyer of the San Francisco-based fashion label gr.dano were chosen to participate in the fourth California Design Biennial? (click here if you don’t remember) Well, the people at Style.com were there to cover it and, in turn, Jill and Brian were featured on the site.

Rose Apodaca, who assembled nearly 100 items from 11 designers for the showcase at Pasadena Museum of California Art, had nothing but praise for our alumna:

At first sight of the gr.dano collection, I could instantly spot the technical skill in the draping and construction,” said fashion curator Apodaca. “Deciding what the show needed to be was easy; the real challenge was limiting the choices to 11.

Gr.Dano joins the ranks of other designers who have showcased at the event including Phillip Lim and Rodarte.

Congrats Jill and Brian!

Click here to read the complete story

gr.dano [Official Website]

Looks from the gr.dano F/W 2010 collection

School of Fashion alumna, Jill Giordano and Brian Scheyer of the San Francisco-based fashion label gr.dano have been selected to participate in the fourth California Design Biennial presented by the Pasadena Museum of California Art.

Brian and Jill of gr.dano

Past designers to receive this honor include Rodarte, Phillip Lim, Magda Berliner, Jasmin Shokrian and Trina Turk. That said, this is kind of a big deal.

With this year’s theme titled, Action/Reaction Giordano and Scheyer will participate in an exhibition that highlights some of the most innovative designs that are conjured up in California. This not only includes fashion, but also industrial design, graphic design, transportation, and architecture.

For more info on gr.dano, visit their website.

Jill Giordano, 2004 BFA Fashion Design alumna, and her partner Brian Scheyer launched the gr.dano women’s wear ready-to-wear label in the Spring of 2004 from their Sausalito studio.

gr.dano has grown from selling in select San Francisco stores to a showroom in New York and sales in over 90 stores nationally as well as internationally in Canada, Mexico and Japan. The Spring 2008 gr.dano collection was included in GenArt’s Fresh Faces for Fashion, Spring 2009 collection in the Style 360 show by Elle magazine during New York Fashion Week, and Fall 2009 in the Expose NY fashion showcase during New York Fashion Week. Read more…

On Thursday, December 3rd from 5:00pm – 11:00pm, 440 Brannan is hosting an ‘Art Meets Fashion’ event for aspiring local designers and artists to showcase their unique, one-of-a-kind pieces to the public. Participating fashion designers include UC Davis alumna Alyssa Lichtenstein, Academy of Art University alumnae Diana Legoretta, Magdalena Trever, Dao Thabthimkoson, Kaiya Tyson, Natalie Camargo, Nancy DeLos Reyes, Vanessa Salazar, and Myria Zaytoun Hansmeyer, as well as current Academy students Zenia Kim and Fayrouz Abi Assi. Other designers participating include Elizabeth Lass (metalsmith and jewelry designer of Elixir9), Bernadette Emrick (fine artist who creates collages), and Ivan Lopez, who will be hand-painting custom T-shirts on site. (For more pictures and information on the event follow the jump)

A piece from Dao Thabthimkson’s April 2009′s collection
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