… Jordan Epstein! Jordan chose Yves Saint Laurent’s Cocoon wedding dress from 1965. Not only could Jordan’s choice most definitely be included in the Impossible Collection of Fashion -  she took the time to draw it and her sketch is beautiful!! It was clear that she put a lot of time and thought into the submission – we even learned a few things from her explanation. So congratulations Jordan!!

It was very hard for our judges to pick just one – you all submitted such amazing, gorgeous dresses! Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to enter the contest – we hope that it inspired you!

And a HUGE thank you to ASSOULINE for making this contest possible! You have been such great friends of the School of Fashion and your generosity is greatly appreciated. Your books are a constant inspiration in every way possible and we feel so lucky to be able to share them with our students – thank you so much! Students – be sure to check out all of the amazing books over at ASSOULINE.com and in the library at 180 New Montgomery!

Below are a just a few of the amazing entries – they were all so wonderful!

Zangchi Wang – who submitted an original piece from a design project. She was inspired by 16th century fashion as well as contemporary sculpture, and the concept was “quiet movement” – the pieces look as if they are blowing in the wind. These are so amazing – thank you Zangchi!

Follow the jump to see more! Read more…

We know that you have all been working so hard for finals and finishing all of your projects – and you’ve all been doing such great work! Because we know how busy you’ve been, we’re extending the Impossible Collection of Fashion Contest with ASSOULINE until this Sunday, December 18 at 12 PM. You can let your mind unwind from the all the stress, and let it wander to a place where everything is beautiful, innovative, and exciting – The Impossible Collection! You may think that you need a break from fashion after all that work – but let’s be real – you can never really forget about it, you all live and breathe it. So take a few moments to think about a dress that truly inspires you, a dress that sums up all the reasons you love fashion – it’s that simple.

TO ENTER: Send a picture/sketch of a dress that you think could be included in The Impossible Collection of Fashion and write a few sentences as to why you think the dress has what it takes. Send your submission to aaufashion@assouline.com, with your Name, School/Major, and ID Number.

THE PRIZE: The winning student will receive three books from ASSOULINE’s CFDA Collection (amazing books about fashion, style, décor, and more!) for their own personal collection, and The Impossible Collection of Fashion will be donated to the School of Fashion in the name of that student.

You can view the complete rules and regulations here.

To view a complete list of The Impossible Collection of Fashion, click here.

The incredibly stylish woman above is indeed Elsa Schiaparelli – which was correctly guessed by Aja! (Sorry, we don’t have your last name on the comment!) Mrs. Schiaparelli was born in Italy, but her true artistic talents were realized when she moved to Paris. Mrs. Schiaparelli first began designing with encouragement from the famed couturier Paul Poiret. Unfortunately, after only a few years her business closed despite glowing reviews. Not to be deterred, she launched a collection of knitwear in 1927, featuring sweaters with surrealist images. Her first collection was featured in Vogue, and her career took off. She expanded her line to include sportswear and evening wear – a few of her evening wear pieces even made it into The Impossible Collection of Fashion. Schiaparelli was lauded as one of the most innovative fashion designers of her time, which brings us to the clues.

Follow the jump to find out the significance of the clues! Read more…

Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçons – 1997.

Have you entered the School of Fashion and ASSOULINE’s Impossible Collection of Fashion Contest yet?! We have been getting some amazing submissions, so keep sending them in! You may have seen me going around to classrooms, showing students the gorgeous book. It truly is a work of art in and of itself – just what ASSOULINE is known for – not to mention all of the gorgeous dresses inside.

Some students have asked about a complete list of the 100 dresses included in the Impossible Collection of Fashion, so here it is! I’m sorry that we cannot include pictures, but I have typed up descriptions of each dress. I hope that this is helpful as you think about what dress you would add to the Impossible Collection!! And if you have any questions about the dresses included, feel free to comment below or on our Facebook page.

1. House of Worth – 1900 – Ivory satin dress embroidered with pink and blue garlands, tulle, and lace.

2. Jacques Doucet – 1903 – Black silk lace with bead embroidery and velvet; silk chiffon sleeves with lace inset; belt of gold grosgrain ribbon.

3. Paul Poiret – 1907 – Black satin, chiffon, pearls, gold thread, and mink gown.

4. Callot Soeurs – 1908 – Evening cape in satin, with embroidered tulle and beading.

5. John Redfern – 1909 – Silk chiffon dinner dress with rose silk taffeta, black silk marquisette, and aubergine silk velvet; gold metallic lace and cream Alençon lace trimmings.

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Emilio Pucci, 1967. Photo Courtesy of Kishin Shinoyama.

Today’s edition of Monday Morning Photos features a few of the dresses included in ASSOULINE‘s latest stunner, The Impossible Collection of Fashion. The book chronicles the 100 Most Iconic Dresses of the 20th Century, selected by Valerie Steel. In case you haven’t heard (but we hope you have!!), ASSOULINE and the School of Fashion are holding a contest in celebration of this gorgeous book.

We are asking students, “If you could add one dress to the Impossible Collection, what would it be?”. You can submit a sketch or photograph of an original design or a dress from another designer, with a brief explanation of why you think it should be included in the Impossible Collection.

We hope these photos inspire your submissions for the contest! Good luck!

For details and rules/regulations, visit the School of Fashion’s Facebook and Assouline’s Facebook. We’ll be adding more images from the book each day, so be sure to “Like” the School of Fashion and Assouline’s Facebook pages and stay updated!

Marc Bohan for Christian Dior, 1947. Photo Courtesy of Laziz Hamani.

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We are SO excited to finally announce this contest with ASSOULINE!

ASSOULINE, a leading publisher of luxury books, has recently released The Impossible Collection of Fashion. The book chronicles the 100 most iconic dresses of the 20th century, with text by Valerie Steele, Director and Chief Curator of the Museum at FIT. The “Impossible Collection” includes dresses from Cristobal Balenciaga, John Galliano, Vivienne Westwood, Yves Saint Laurent, and many more.

Contest Details:

In celebration of this book, ASSOULINE and the School of Fashion are holding a contest. We are asking all Academy of Art University students, “What would you include in your Impossible Collection of Fashion?” Students can submit a photograph or sketch of an original dress design or something created by another designer, with a brief explanation of why they think it deserves to be included in the Collection. All submissions can be sent to aaufashion@assouline.com.

Prize:

The Impossible Collection of Fashion will be donated to the Academy of Art University library in the name of the winning student, and the student will personally receive 3 books from Assouline’s CFDA Collection. This contest is only open to Academy of Art University students.

About Assouline:

Renowned for their highly original graphic concept, ASSOULINE books and luxury gift items are works of art that capture culture and bring it to life. The spirit and savoir-faire of the company have contributed to the creation of a unique and eclectic, chic and elegant brand that is immediately identifiable. ASSOULINE has published over one-thousand titles across international markets on subjects including fashion, art, architecture & design, gastronomy, photography, travel, and viticulture.

For more information & to view the entire Assouline collection, visit www.assouline.com.

Submissions for the Impossible Collection Contest will be accepted from

November 24th to December 15th, 2011

For details, rules, and regulations, visit www.facebook.com/academyofartfashion and www.facebook.com/assoulinepub

 BONNE CHANCE!

Below are some of the gorgeous dresses included in the Collection.