Cast your vote for Lam

SUZY MENKES
International Herald Tribune
02-21-2011
Cast your vote for Lam
Byline: SUZY MENKES
Section: Special Report: Fashion
Type: News

EBay collaboration with Derek Lam; a tote via Internet, and an Ellis offspring.

Vote for Lam's latest
By March 1, the designer Derek Lam will have the answer to which of his 16 summer dresses will be best sellers. After all, the 60 million users of eBay can't be wrong.

The collaboration on dereklam+ebay.com is an example of fashion's recent enthusiasm for crowdsourcing: Offering the consumer a chance to judge whether a short, snappy city dress or a long romantic Boho style is more to taste -- and letting the designer judge reactions to this low-priced line. The winning dresses will sell at $125 to $295, exclusively on eBay.

This foray into affordable fashion is part of a larger initiative -- to introduce a second Lam line this summer, with a significantly lower price point than the upscale collection he showed in New York or the elegant pieces he produces with the Italian shoe brand Tod's.

"But I am so excited by the eBay project -- it's something that could never have happened even five years ago," said Mr. Lam, who claims that the result of the public choice is a mystery yet to unfold.

The family tree

"This one is the 'Edwin,' after my grandfather; the purple one is 'Winifred,' for my grandmother; this crocodile one is 'Barb,' for my mother -- and this is the 'Perry'," said Tyler Ellis, who may have an independent spirit but wanted some reference in her debut handbag collection to her famous father, Perry Ellis.

The fashion icon died in 1986, soon after his daughter, now 26, was born. Ms. Ellis never expected to become a designer but, after studying film at Boston University, following the screenwriting career of her mother, Barbara Gallagher, she succumbed to her fascination with fashion.

The Tyler Alexandra range of haute luxury clutches and larger handbags sells from around $1,500. Each has twin wing tips as an aerodynamic design element.

"They are my signature," said the designer, who put her bags, with their rich colors and textures, among a tabletop arrangement of hyacinths and spring flowers. Another private showing will be held during the Paris collections. Suzy Menkes

Scarf magic

Waris Ahluwalia has as many facets as his signature gems: actor, jeweler -- and now scarf maker.

Drawing on his Indian origins, the Waris (as he is known) introduced fine cashmere shawls and silk patterned drapes with the same bold shapes as his jewelry, which he describes as "exotic madness." The scarves will go on sale in selected stores like Barneys New York and Dover Street Market in London.

Whatever the craftsmanship and Indian heritage, the young women who wrapped the scarves around swimwear atop the Museum of Arts and Design, with the New York skyline as a backdrop, did not seem to be launching anything exceptional. But the Waris jewelry, also on display, were three-dimensional sculptures with prongs like claws -- as artistic as they are wearable. Suzy Menkes

Keywords: Fashion Week (Des)

Copyright International Herald Tribune Feb 21, 2011