February 21st, 2012, 12:01 PM

Academy of Art University Designers Featured in the San Francisco Chronicle

The Academy of Art University Fall ’12 Fashion Show was featured in this Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle! Looks from Farida Khan, Wu Di, and Donghyuk Dan Kim graced the cover of the Style Section, and a two page spread featured behind-the-scenes photos, runway images, and interviews with the designers. Here are a few highlights from the article!

Working with black and ivory, Amy Bond’s intriguing collection was full of complex, sensuous shapes, particularly an ivory silk dress with a bustled hem.

Donghyuk Dan Kim gave military uniforms a wearable twist, combining oilcloth cotton shirts with tailored wool pants that mixed fabrics, most memorably in wool plaid pants and jackets with leather grid-like accents and stripes.

Kate Y. K. Lee’s layered wool and leather pieces, ranging from a luxe quilted leather jacket with a stand-up collar to pants and leggings, were a modern take on suiting.

Jade Juanyu Liu presented lightweight, menswear-inspired pieces crafted from Swiss bonded wool, as well as terrific vests and coast in a fur-like copper fabric that added texture and dimension.

Deanna Pei-Ju Lo worked leather into pleats, and also used two saturation of navy along with black and velvet blocks – a subtle take on color blocking and fabric mixing.

Congratulations designers!!

Follow the jump to see the feature! Read more…

February 17th, 2012, 11:31 AM

Academy of Art University Fall ’12 Fashion Show

In case you missed it or you just want to watch it again, we’ve uploaded the video from the Academy of Art University Fall ’12 Fashion Show! The show featured eight women’s wear designers: Wu Di, Amy Bond, Xiang Zhang, Deanna Pei-Ju Lo, Farida Khan, Kate Y. K. Lee, Jeanette Au, and Jade Juanyu Liu; and men’s wear designer Donghyuk Dan Kim.

February 17th, 2012, 10:01 AM

Academy of Art University Fall ’12 Fashion Show Playlist

Music has a certain way of setting the tone – for a film, a night out, a road trip – and, of course, a fashion show. Each season, we walk away from fashion week, our heads filled with images of sartorial greatness and all of the songs that accompanied said greatness down the runway. We are lucky enough to have an amazing DJ, Scott Ewalt, to create our show playlist each season. He has a talent for perfectly matching the mood of a collection to music – bringing together the visual and auditory senses to marvelous effect.

So here it is – the playlist from the Academy of Art University Fall ’12 Show!

1. Gang of Four – To Hell With Poverty

Follow the jump for the rest of the playlist! See more…

February 16th, 2012, 8:00 AM

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall ’12: VPL by Victoria Bartlett

VPL by Victoria Bartlett – the underwear-inpsired label named after a major fashion faux-pas (Visible Panty Lines) – has turned out another stellar collection. There were jersey dresses that draped beautifully across the body, and silky separates that clung to all the right places. The collection also featured some amazing knitwear – and several of the pieces were worked on by one of our amazing students, Heather McDonald. She interned with the company over winter break, and worked on the Fall ’12 collection, which was presented last Saturday during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Take a look at the gorgeous futuristic knits below!

Follow the jump for more looks from the collection! Read more…

February 16th, 2012, 7:00 AM

Academy of Art University Designers Featured in Women’s Wear Daily

The Academy of Art University Fall ’12 Fashion Show was featured in Women’s Wear Daily!! Monday’s issue included a write up of the collections, and two gorgeous photos – one from Xiang Zhang’s collection, and one from Jeanette Au’s. Here are few highlights from the review!

China’s Wu Di started out on a high note with her geometric-inspired collection that featured angular silhouettes in cashmere knits and wool.

Another standout was Xiang Zhang, who opted for different looks all show over white shirting: on one great look, it peeked out from a taupe silk mohair dress layered under a collarless silk cashmere and wool coat.

The collection from Jeanette Au, a Michigan native, was the most inventive. Inspired by the Ballet Russes and Leon Bakst paintings, she delivered a colorful, textural display of mohair and metallic knits with intricate 3-D patterns.

For more from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, click here.

February 14th, 2012, 5:31 PM

Beauty Close-Up from the Academy of Art University Fall ’12 Fashion Show

Here’s a closer look at the hair and make-up from the Academy of Art University Fall ’12 Fashion Show! Our fabulous team from Aveda helped bring the beautiful vision to life. Make-up artists created a subtly smokey eye with soft brown and plum shadows and black liner, finishing the look with a few coats of mascara. And – though the eyes looked gorgeous – the lips truly stole the show. First, a layer of fuschia lipstick was applied, and then topped with an even brighter coat of gloss. And when we say gloss, we mean super gloss – this stuff was practically shellac.  The bright lips added the perfect pop of color on the runway.

The hair had a definite ’60s feel. Stylists back-combed the models’ hair to create volume at the crown, and then slicked it back. The ends were tied and tucked under, creating a soft, rounded edge. The whole look was amazing and the girls looked so gorgeous – guess that’s why they’re models!

Follow the jump for more photos! See more…

February 14th, 2012, 8:00 AM

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall ’12: Duckie Brown

Photos Courtesy of ImaxTree.

On Thursday, February 9th, men’s wear designers Daniel Silver and Steven Cox debuted the Duckie Brown Fall ’12 Collection at Industria Studios in NYC. The collection featured baggy separates in a variety of plaids and tweeds, layered one on top of the other, perfect for the cold winter months. Cozy fair isle sweaters and knit hats and gloves completed the look. They closed the show with several all-black looks, perfect for the gentlemen whose sense of style is a bit more subversive.

Members of Beyond the Front Row worked as dressers for the second season in a row. Follow the jump for some behind the scenes photos they snapped backstage and a short documentary following the designers! See more…

February 13th, 2012, 8:00 AM

Academy of Art University Fall ’12 Runway Rundown

Photo Courtesy of Randy Brooke/WireImage.

On Friday, February 10th, nine designers showed their collections during the Academy of Art University Fall ’12 Fashion Show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. In case you weren’t there or missed the livestream video – here is a quick recap of what you missed.

Wu Di, Amy Bond, Xiang Zhang, Deanna Pei- Ju Lo, Donghyuk Dan Kim, Farida Khan, Kate Y. K. Lee, Jeanette Au and Jade Juanyu Liu all sent their collection down the runway for a packed house in the Theatre at Lincoln Center. All of their hard work finally paid off. The show was energetic, , showed wide variations of style and was a complete success.

Follow the jump to read more! Read more…

February 12th, 2012, 7:14 PM

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall ’12: Jade Juanyu Liu

Photos Courtesy of Randy Brooke/WireImage.

 

Jade Juanyu Liu was inspired by the French collage artist Damien Blottiere, known for his unique layering technique that creates shadows and empty space. She layered several fabrics, including wool, jersey and fur, to achieve the same effect.

February 12th, 2012, 3:40 PM

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall ’12: Jeanette Au

Photos Courtesy of Randy Brooke/WireImage.

Jeanette Au was inspired by Sergei Diagliav’s Ballet Russe and the paintings of Leon Bakst, both of which influenced the texture, patterns, and color palette of the collection. She incorporated mohair, wool, synthetic yarns, and metallic threads into her knit fabrics.