Designer Interviews

September 9, 2009

HauteLook: A Fashion Week Presence, An Online Shopping Destination

Fashion Pulse Daily recently had a chance to chat with Carlota Espinosa, Vice President of Fashion at HauteLook, an online shopping site that offers it members incredible fashion and beauty deals from established and up-and-coming designers. HauteLook will also have a presence at New York Fashion Week this season by hosting a Fashion Week Lounge and a selection of invite-only fashion events such as collection previews and presentations. We learned about how much HauteLook values the online community, a tip on the upcoming sales on Hautelook, and Carlota’s spring 2010 runway predictions – enjoy!

1) What was your experience in the world of fashion before becoming VP of Fashion at HauteLook?
I began my career as a producer for Fox in Los Angeles and later as a producer for Style File on Good Day LA. I covered all the award shows including the Oscars and the Golden Globes. I also covered New York Fashion Week. In October of 2007 I left Fox and came to work with Adam Bernhard to help launch HauteLook.

2) As the Vice President of Fashion, what does your role entail?
I am passionate about fashion and feel everyone should be able to look and feel stylish. My role is to convey that message through every medium, from the website to special events.

3) Being an online company you obviously understand the importance of social media and bloggers; what made Hautelook decide to sponsor a blogger’s lounge during fashion week?

This summer we were brainstorming on how to offer bloggers and media a really great space to go and relax during the hustle-and-bustle of the shows. We decided that having a presence at Fashion Week would be a really great way to remind everyone that style and affordability is possible, and that HauteLook is a great destination for those who love fashion. It seemed perfect for us. As our company has grown, we understand what a crucial role bloggers have played. They’re often the first to write about our sales and through their viral messaging, we get so many new customers and members. We wanted a way to give back to them for the incredible impact they’ve had on our business.

4) What is the number one thing that makes HauteLook distinct from its competition, all of the other private sale sites on the web?
The main thing that makes HauteLook different is that we’re the destination for the casual chic, wearable style. I like to think that HauteLook sells your favorite brands, the ones you already have in your closet, and the ones that you go to time after time. We offer an accessible style that is quintessentially West Coast —pieces you can wear to the beach and then wear at night with a great pair of heels. For that reason, we like to offer shoppers both established and emerging brands, chosen by us to match how our members like to shop! Our partnership with brands also gives shoppers a wider selection of products (and more sizes) during the sale, and at those fabulous discounts!

5) What are some of the brands/sales coming up in the next month or so on HauteLook that customers can look forward to?
Well, we’re always offering great sales every day, but some of the sales we have lined up for apparel include Calvin Klein, William Rast, Michael Stars, and Luca Luca (among others). For beauty, shoppers should keep an eye out for Cover FX, Lorac, Basq and Go Smile. And if you’re look for a little something to spruce up your home we’ll have DL&Co. and Marlo Lorenz.

6) What are the top three items that you’ll be wearing this fall?
I definitely cannot get enough distressed denim. My friend John Eshaya makes the best skinny versions for his line JET and I am dying to grab some more pairs to round out my fall essentials. I am also looking for the perfect pair of boots, that I’ll end up wearing through winter. The perfect pair of boots is essential to any woman’s wardrobe and my hunt is on for the ideal pair to wear with a great skirt or with a pair of skinny jeans. And of course, yummy cashmere sweaters are on my wish list year round, perfect for layering through fall and bundling up during winter.

7) What do you predict will be a hot trend on the runways from Spring 2010?
I hope there is a return to feminine dressing. There’s been a lot of androgynous looks of late. And while I love the menswear appeal, I’d love some really feminine silhouettes in both dresses with cinched waists, tailored fits, and some skirts!

8) What is a trend you wish would go away?
Shoulder Pads! The look didn’t work in the 80’s and it still doesn’t.

9) What was your latest fashion indulgence?
I can’t live without my most recent buy: a pair of luxe shooties. They’re the perfect shoe/boot hybrid and I can wear them all year round, whether it’s with a great dress for a night on the town, or with a great look for work, they’re so versatile!

-Julia DiNardo

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August 20, 2009

FPD Editor Julia DiNardo Featured on Looking Sharp!

by fashionpulse

Get to know me a little better, your dedicated FPD editor, via this fabulous profile posted on Looking Sharp!

Looking Sharp!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Neighbor gal

You know those Neighbor Teaze I just can’t get enough of? Well, Julia DiNardo is the mastermind behind the hood-tastic teaze and much more. Editor of Fashion Pulse Daily, freelance writer and designer, this Steel City gal is livin’ the NYC fashion dream. Accessible to runway shoes, sample sales and designer stores, Julia a fashionista I definitely aspire to be one day.

She hope’s Fashion Pulse Daily will be seen as an authority of fashion and hopes to use the site as a platform to work with and encourage students with a strong fashion interest to be entrepreneurs and gain experience in the industry via mentorship and internship programs, specifically targeted toward college-aged and high-school students in Pittsburgh.

Julia defines her personal style as a chameleon, ranging from a vintage collection handed down from her fabulously stylish aunt, to designer pieces and staples from Forever 21, Old Navy and Gap. She mixes streetwear with dressy clothes to produce “tomboy chic” and “girly quirky” looks. Also, she is inspired from Sonia Rykiel’s legacy, Parisian chic designs and perseverance in the industry with an independent company for over 40 years.

With September quickly approaching, I asked Julia what her top fashion picks for fall. Her must-haves include:

· An off-kilter handbag color

· Textured tights galore

· Anna Sui for Target collection

· Leggings with wild prints, tie-dye, burn-out and more

· The new designer collections from Payless, specifically Abaete and Christian Siriano (fierce)!

Julia’s teaze are all around the city, with new hoods Fox Chapel and Strip District to be launched later this fall. She also is the designer of an organic tote bag line, Proscuitto & Melon, done in shades of metallics and graphics used from vintage stationary or textile prints.

This Pittsburgh girl definitely has it going on in the fashion world. Make sure you check back next week for a fantastic P&M bag giveaway!

Photo Credit: Thomas Cantley

October 8, 2008

Designer Q&A: Justin Giunta for Subversive Jewelry

by fashionpulse

Image from JustinGiunta.com

We’ll admit it, we’re biased — we LOVE Justin Giunta. Winning the Ecco Domani award and designing a capsule collection for Target is just merely the tip of the iceberg for Giunta. Talented across multiple disciplines, his work spans jewelry design (Subversive Jewelry), industrial design, lighting, and painting. Fashion Pulse Daily caught up with the Pittsburgh native to learn more about the man, the inspiration, and what he absolutely can’t live without!

FP: I love your company name – how and when did you come up with Subversive? I read this in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “Choosing the name was easy. It just alludes to my personality in every way.” – Can you elaborate a bit?

JG: Subversive literally means to overthrow an established institution or idea. By employing cast-off jewelry and base metal chains into intricate (one-of-a-kind) compositions, I force the wearer to reassess the traditional value system behind jewelry, costume and real, valuing design over materials.
Additionally, there is an array of narratives strung through my work. By combining disparate materials such as classic “presidential” pearls and Tribal beads I have made collections like the “South American General’s Wife”. I try to highlight a paradox then bury it in burnished beauty.

Images from SubversiveeJewelry.com

FP: At what point did you realize that jewelry was your calling?

JG:I don’t think I have yet.

FP: Does it sometimes happen that you make a piece of jewelry and don’t want to let it go because you love how it turned out so much?

JG: This is a two part question and I will answer it backwards.
First: No I never make a piece and then fall in love with it so much I won’t sell it. I really believe in the concept of, “if you love something, let it go” I really believe you have to purge the new for even newer and that which is to come.
Of the thousands of pieces I have made, I have kept only two physically for my ultimate archive of artwork. One is a wrapped pearl and chain necklace that I made for the ”Alireza” runway in 2003, Then Lanvin ran with the idea, the other is a wreath necklace made with embroidered coral and findings, it is a piece that embodies my paintings, like a mini sculpture more than a necklace, and I won’t part with it.

Image from SubversiveJewelry.com

FP: What was the learning curve like for you, switching from fashion to industrial to jewelry? Was there some trial and error involved, did you have a mentor who guided you along, etc?

JG: I learned a lot on the street, just trying to sell my wares. I have been fortunate to have had an immense amount of support from some older friends throughout my young adult life. I had tons of encouragement, and they made sure I wasn’t out on the street. The business stuff, I had to develop through experience. Irregardless of the industry, the role of the creator is the same, and so are the challenges that face them. I learned to rely on my own judgments.

Image from Target.com

FP: How have you grown, since you initially started the line (in 2003, correct)? When did you move from doing everything yourself to the team I saw in the studio today?

JG: Every part of my business has been grown from the ground up. Often in the first years I felt like a ‘one-man-sweatshop’ filling orders from my place in Washington Heights. As the attention shifted to my larger pieces I was really making jewelry 24/7 to fill demand. I never made a sketch of the design, I would just make the pieces. I have been fortunate to have some great interns from the fashion schools around the city. By taking on a creative staff, I have been able to translate a composition, or tableaux, with a rough sketch, or description.

Image from SubversiveJewelry.com

FP: What would you say was the biggest turning point — when you knew that the line began to rapidly grow and garner press/more retailers? The Ecco Domani nomination? In 2003 when you made a piece for a stylist friend?

JG: I have grown my business past several milestones: moving downtown allowed editors and stylists to access my designs through my studio space. An article in the New York Times brought several big buyers through which helped propel my unique designs into the realm of the multiples (small editions or variations of the same). This prompted me to start a secondary line, clinically named, “Line-sheet Collection”. Being nominated for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund in 2006, and winning the Ecco Domani prize also gave my brand the industry credibility, which has been an important turning point for the brand. Winning the Ecco Domani Prize enabled me to stage a live show to showcase my jewelry during Fashion Week in New York. I feel this was a pivotal moment for an Accessory designer to show in the context of the traditional fashion presentation.

Image from Target.com

FP: Where have you traveled and collected pieces from? I know a bit from Pittsburgh, and you mentioned Morocco – where else?

JG: Buenos Aires, Brazil, European Flea markets: Berlin, Vienna, Paris.

FP: I love what you have in the works for the next season – what theme did you have in mind when creating these pieces?

JG: Topography. I wanted to take the well-traveled life and make each style reflect a destination in sync with my travels.

FP: So what’s next for Justin Giunta? Would you consider going back to doing t-shirts? Industrial design?

JG: I am constantly working on my studio art, paintings, drawings and prints. Additionally I am going back to some industrial design. I am currently collaborating with an interior designer from L.A. on a chandelier.

FP: What websites do you frequently visit for fashion coverage and inspiration?

JG: Style.com is pretty efficient for my needs. It serves as a non- biased archive of fashion.

FP: What are the three items you always have with you/can’t live without?

JG:
Pens
Paper
Paper Towels
The first two ensure a great idea never gets away, the last is to clean up the mess I create!

Special thanks to Justin Giunta for sitting down with Fashion Pulse Daily!

–Julia DiNardo