A still from the film.

As many of you saw at the Graduation Fashion Show and Awards Ceremony, Maria A. Romero presented her collection not on the runway, but with a short film. She constructed her entire collection on a set of dolls, and collaborated with students from the School of Animation and Visual Effects to create a stop motion film. The end result was a beautiful and moving presentation that allowed Maria to not only showcase her work – but to tell a story.

The film and collection were so spectacular, that they earned Maria an internship at Alexander McQueen, and caught the eye of the team over at NOWNESS – they decided to feature it as their story of the day! For those of you that don’t know, NOWNESS is an award-winning online platform that showcases some of the most inspiring stories from around the globe, previewing the latest in art, fashion, film, music, architecture and design, travel, sport, and gastronomy. They posted Cathy Horyn’s interview with Sarah Burton after the Spring ’12 collections, and recently published an exclusive two-part interview with Daphne Guinness – clearly, the site is a MAJOR deal.

Follow the jump to watch the video and head over to NOWNESS to read their exclusive interview with Maria! And Bravo to Maria and the School of Animation team – Travis Weaver, Victoria Simiele, Mireya Francoso, Dorthy Thielsen, Federico La-Tona, Benjamin Arthur, and Luke Night! See more…

 Photo by Randy Brooke.

On Thursday, May 3rd the Academy of Art University hosted it’s annual Graduation Fashion Show and Awards Ceremony, an unforgettable evening of sartorial splendor. Press, industry, students, family, and friends – not to mention our awesome Guests of Honor – all packed into our new venue at The Cannery for a seriously impressive show. Academy of Art University President, Dr. Elisa Stephens, opened the show, welcoming all of the fashionable attendees and presenting Honorary Doctorates to Sarah Burton, creative director of Alexander McQueen, Philip Treacy, milliner, and Her Royal Highness Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud, president and CEO of the ALFA and AL HAMA luxury retail corporations who own and operate Harvey Nichols, Donna Karan, and DKNY stores in Saudi Arabia. The flashbulbs (alright cellphones – but flashbulbs sounds so much cooler) were going wild as our guests took to the stage to receive their honorary degrees. Other front row players included Suzy Menkes, fashion editor of the International Herald Tribune, Cathy Horyn, fashion critic for The New York Times, Stephan Rabimov, editor in chief of DEPESHA magazine, Jayne Seward, fashion editor of California Apparel News, and Katie Hintz-Zambrano, senior editor at Refinery29 – suffice it to say that there were some serious industry heavyweights in the room.

And then it was time for the main attraction – the Graduation Fashion Show and Awards Ceremony. The show opened with Renata Lindroos and Mina Fadaie’s collection – a fashion and textile design collaboration inspired by distorted perceptions in 1960s horror films. The architectural pieces looked amazing on the runway, and the prints had everyone mesmerized. Hely Nguyen’s collection followed – a series of structured menswear-inspired looks that play with length and layers. Then it was onto a the collaboration featuring designs by Erica Laba, textiles by Liza Quiñones, and knitwear by Emma Mengchen Yang. The opening look was a sheer, silk organza shirtdress that achieved the perfect balance between prim and provocative. Ethan Chihuan Yang’s minimalist collection featured angular, sculpted silhouettes in dark hues that were simultaneously restrained and dramatic.

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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.

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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.

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Simon Ungless, Sarah Burton, Dr. Elisa Stephens, Philip Treacy, and Gladys Perint Palmer.

If you missed your chance to see Sarah Burton and Phillip Treacy at the School of Fashion Symposium, here’s a wrap-up of the event!!

The guests of honor: Sarah Burton, creative director for Alexander McQueen and Phillip Treacy, milliner, took the stage on Wednesday May 2nd at 9:30am in the Morgan Auditorium. Gladys Perint Palmer, Executive Director of the School of Fashion, led the Q&A discussion along with Simon Ungless, Director of the School of Fashion, and Dr. Elisa Stephens, President of Academy of Art University.

Simon Ungless and Sarah Burton have known each other since 1996, when Simon was her tutor at the Central St. Martins School of Art, in London. Simon is a big fan of Burton’s work – he originally recommended her for an internship to McQueen while she was a young student at the school – and loves her philosophy of the craft. For her part, Burton feels that she continues to be in Simon’s debt, artistically and professionally. “He really provoked me, made me think in a different way,” she recalled.

Her soft-spoken manner was accompanied by quick and thorough responses. She sported a casual look in pale blue jeans, a colorful printed jacket and ankle-strap bright red pointy heels. For a woman with such high-profile status she was completely genuine and down to earth.

The conversation then turned to Treacy who wore a blue track jacket with matching blue sweater, black fitted pants and black boots. He spoke about how hats have come in and out of vogue, commenting that when President Kennedy refused to wear a hat to his inauguration, he “singlehandedly killed the hat industry,” telling a (perhaps apocryphal) story that before the Inauguration, JFK and his brothers were spotted kicking a top hat around in the White House.

Treacy, born in Ireland, continued in his humorous light touch. At one point when Gladys expressed concern about how to wear a hat with her eyeglasses, he responded that she could “always switch to contact lenses.’’ And when President Stephens asked him about the distinction between the fascinators worn at the recent royal wedding, and more conventional hats, he responded: “I’ve never liked that word ‘Fascinators.’ It always sounds like a particularly dodgy sex toy.’’ The audience cracked up.

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Illustration by Gladys Perint Palmer. 

Tomorrow morning, Gladys Perint Palmer, Executive Director of the School of Fashion, will host a discussion with Dr. Elisa Stephens, President of Academy of Art University, Simon Ungless, Director of the School of Fashion; Guest of Honor Sarah Burton, Creative Director of Alexander McQueen; and Guest of Honor Philip Treacy, milliner.

At our last (brief) symposium with Jean Paul Gaultier, students were delighted with stories from the designers’ years at the forefront of fashion – and we can only hope for more of the same with our awe-inspiring guests!

WHAT: School of Fashion Symposium with Guests of Honor

WHEN: Wednesday, May 2nd at 9:30 AM

WHERE: Morgan Auditorium – 491 Post Street

Follow the jump for a few amazing videos featuring our Guests of Honor – just to hold you over until tomorrow! See more…

Illustration by Gladys Perint Palmer.

We are just one week away from the Graduation Fashion Show and Awards Ceremony – and we’ve got some other amazing events lined up to kick off the festivities! Be sure to mark your calendars for the following events – you definitely don’t want to miss them.

Monday, April 30^th
9:00 – 11:00 AM
Trend Union Fall / Winter 2013-2014
St. Brigid Church – 2151 Van Ness Avenue
Trend Union presents their forecast of fashion and style trends for Fall/Winter 2013-2014. The presentation will detail silhouettes, colors, patterns, and lifestyles for the season. Academy of Art University ID is required for admittance.

Wednesday, May 2^nd
9:30 – 11:00 AM
School of Fashion Symposium with Guests of Honor
Morgan Auditorium – 491 Post Street
Gladys Perint Palmer, Executive Director, hosts a discussion and Q&A with Dr. Elisa Stephens, President of the Academy of Art University; Simon Ungless, Director of the School of Fashion; Guest of Honor Sarah Burton, Creative Director of Alexander McQueen; and Guest of Honor Philip Treacy, milliner.

Thursday, May 3^rd
3:00 – 4:00 PM
University Friends and Family Fashion Show
The Cannery – 2801 Leavenworth Street
The University Friends and Family Fashion Show, hosted by the School of Fashion, is open to all students and faculty from the Academy of Art University. Transportation is available through University shuttles.

Photo Courtesy of David Burton/Associated Press.

School of Fashion guest of honor Sarah Burton was raised and attended school in Manchester, England. She completed foundation courses at Manchester Polytechnic before moving to London to study fashion at Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design. While at St. Martin’s, she completed a year-long internship with Alexander McQueen.

After graduating from St. Martin’s in 1997, she returned to McQueen and was subsequently appointed the head of women’s wear in 2000. She worked side by side with McQueen for over 10 years, a valuable learning experience for the young designer. “Everything I know I learnt here. If you didn’t know how to do something, Lee made you take on the challenge and would teach you how, or leave you to figure out how to do it yourself,” she remembers. McQueen trusted her implicitly, even calling her “his secret weapon.”

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Sarah Burton, creative director of Alexander McQueen, and Philip Treacy, milliner.

We hope you already know who they are – but in case you’ve been living under a rock the past month – we’re so excited to re-announce our 2012 Guests of Honor! We have a seriously amazing line-up this year: Sarah Burton, creative Director of Alexander McQueen, Philip Treacy, milliner, and Her Royal Highness Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud, president and CEO of the ALFA and AL HAMA luxury retail corporations which operate Harvey Nichols Department Stores, Donna Karan, and DKNY stores in Saudi Arabia.

Also joining us for the 2012 Graduation Fashion Show and Awards Ceremony will be 2010 Guest of Honor Suzy Menkes, OBE, fashion editor of the International Herald Tribune, and 2011 Guest of Honor Cathy Horyn, fashion critic for The New York Times. As well as Stephan Rabimov, editor-in-chief of Depesha, and Jayne Seward, fashion editor of California Apparel News.

Check Fashion School Daily all week long for bios, photos, videos and more – and get excited to meet our guests during all of the fashion show events!

Photo Courtesy of Martin Meissner/Associated Press.

In a piece published earlier this week in the New York Times, Exploring the Grace in Lace, fashion journalist Suzy Menkes examines the newfound enthusiasm for lace, sparked by the Royal Wedding. “Since then, there has been a fashion frenzy for lace,” she notes. But it is not the overtly sensual lace one might find in the boudoir that is causing all the commotion – rather, it is a more ladylike lace that has come into fashion. On Spring ’12 runways, we saw delicate lace and eyelet at Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, and Valentino. It was not used so much as an embellishment, but as “a surface texture laid on solid materials,” for an effect that was elegant and graceful, even at times innocent.

Six different laces were used to create the unique appliquéd motifs on the Alexander McQueen dress that Sarah Burton designed for the Duchess of Cambridge. Each type of lace displayed a different symbol of the United Kingdom: the rose of England, Scottish thistles, Welsh daffodils, and Irish shamrocks. The symbols were individually cut from the lace, and hand appliquéd onto the satin organza bodice and train by experts at the Royal School of Needlework, producing a truly stunning effect.

The influence of the dress is undeniable. It sparked a reverence for handcrafts and artistry that has been endangered in recent years, and ushered in a new era of modern elegance, with Kate Middleton leading the charge.

To read the full article, click here.