In an industry that measures success by celebrity affiliation -- think Jessica Simpson's BFF and hair stylist Ken Paves -- and number of hours logged on photo shoots and film and tv sets, hair and makeup artists, wardrobe stylists, photographers, even manicurists need help getting their portfolios in front of the right editors and celebrity handlers. This kind of access takes relationships. Enter Ken Barboza.

For young designers who are starting out, it isn't enough to simply conceive and produce a beautiful line of clothes. Most aim to show their creations in a fashion show, although that's prohibitively expensive for many established designers -- easily in the tens of thousands of dollars for a simple show. And even if they had the money to do it, few young designers would know who to invite, where to hire models, how to hire a venue or who could handle their show's music.

Luckily for young designers there's Gen Art, an organization that supports emerging talent, perhaps most notably by mounting a group fashion show each season during New York Fashion Week in which they present a group of new designers in a runway show in front of press, buyers and just plain fans of fashion. In other words, they make a coveted fashion show a reality for many promising designers who otherwise would be unable to have one. Who's benefited from being shown by Gen Art in the past? Zac Posen, Rebecca Taylor, Hollywould and Chaiken are amongst the now-popular labels which helped get their foot in the door with Gen Art's help.

"What makes Gen Art unique is that we not only introduce some of the best new designers in the U.S. and abroad to the fashion press, buyers, and industry, but we also give them exposure before a consumer audience," explains Lee Trimble, its Fashion Director. "Most people don't know that we are one of the few fashion organizations to successfully bridge the gap between the fashion industry and the general public. By selling tickets to our shows, we are able to provide designers with much wider exposure outside the fashion industry to people who might be interested in buying their collections but aren't invited to insider fashion events."

The organization does much more than just launching those two influential shows during New York Fashion Week. Throughout the year, they help young designers in cities like Los Angeles and Miami as well as the Big Apple, sponsoring events like shopping nights in key cities across the country featuring clothing by young talent and offering advice and feedback. (The organization also has film, art, and music divisions, helping emerging talent in those media as well.)

Tomorrow night one of the organization's key annual events, Gen Art Styles, will be held at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom. This unique fashion show is a competition awarding promising young designers, who will display their entries in a colorful runway show. It's always an entertaining evening -- 'Fashion Police''s Robert Verdi will MC, and judges include designers like Cynthia Rowley and John Bartlett --which will show off lots of young talent in a variety of categories ranging from evening wear to avant garde fashion. Past Styles winners include the likes of Peter Som, Rodarte and Duckie Brown. This year's winners will each be awarded $5000 to reinvest in their business.



The competition to make it into tomorrow night's award show was fierce. Over 800 applicants from everywhere from the Netherlands to Uzbekistan entered to try for one of the evening's 30 spots. A panel of top fashion industry execs, including editors from 'Vogue' and 'Harper's Bazaar' and buyers from Saks Fifth Avenue and Henri Bendel helped choose tomorrow's finalists. At the helm of the decision-making process is Fashion Director Trimble, a Los Angeles transplant with many years of experience spotting new talent and helping it grow. She says there are many components to what makes a promising new designer.

"I look for a number of things: quality of construction and fabrics, innovation in design, and commercial viability," she explains. "I always ask designers where they are selling, where they hope to sell, and how they are staying afloat to help determine whether of not they have longevity in the business. It's unfortunate if a designer only has enough funding to produce their first run of samples and can't sustain the financial impact of producing an order for a store, so I always ask them how they plan for growth."



Trimble is excited about the caliber of finalists who will be shown at tomorrow's Styles show. As she puts it, "We have a really strong lineup this year. One designer finalist, Joel Diaz, who designs the line Jolibe, was head designer at Helmut Lang for four years before starting his own line. He has a strong outlook; his aesthetic is very current and I think he has a good chance at the show. I also like H. Fredriksson, who we've shown at our fall runway show in NYC. We're huge fans of hers are we're glad she was selected as a finalist."



In terms of advice for young designers, Trimble says it's important to be realistic, listen and pay attention to people's reactions, both good and bad. "Many new designers just starting out think that fashion is going to be all glamour," she says. "I recommend that designers listen to the feedback they are given from buyers and editors that see the line and don't take criticism personally. Industry feedback can be extremely valuable. If it helps you improve the line without losing your core vision, then I encourage it."





And when it comes to encouraging emerging designers, there is perhaps no organization that is more active than Gen Art.

For more information about Gen Art and tomorrow night's Gen Art Styles 2007 show, visit www.genart.org.

Plenty of designers make clothing with a rock and roll edge, but few can actually credit recording sessions and band rehearsals to help them achieve it. For Keanan Duffty, fashion and music truly go hand in hand.

(l to r: Clem Burke, Earl Slick, Glen Matlock, and Duffty)

(Phillip Angert)

This New Yorker (by way of his native England) balances designing a line of comfy-but-unquestionably-cool menswear for Target with playing in a band, Slinky Vagabond, alongside the some of rock's finest players (founding Sex Pistol Glen Matlock, Blondie drummer Clem Burke and David Bowie's guitarist Earl Slick). The band makes its live debut this Saturday at the Fillmore East in New York City for the Joey Ramone Birthday Bash, the annual charity concert benefiting lymphoma research, just as Duffty's spring and summer clothing essentials are filling the racks in the men's departments of Target stores across the country.

Duffty's Target line, which has been expanded every season since it launched last spring, is filled with pieces which are perfect to wear to a rock show, like shirts which are reminiscent of your favorite worn-in concert tee and cardigans which look just vintage enough without seeming forced. It's all designed for men, but you'll probably want to permanently "borrow" many of these pieces from your boyfriend's closet ... although, at Target's prices, you might as well just buy these goodies for yourself and team them with your own skinny jeans and denim minis.

Though Duffty's main focus is design, he has always played in bands and infused his work with his love of rock music. While studying at London's prestigious Central St. Martins College of Art and Design, he made records. In the mid-nineties, by which point he'd relocated to New York, he released another single and handled music for fashion shows. As well as designing casualwear, he has created stagewear for the likes of David Bowie, Aerosmith, Smashing Pumpkins and The Sex Pistols.

"When I was a kid it was musicians and their style that got me interested in clothes," he explains. "For me the line between fashion and music has always been a blur."

Duffty's designs, both for his own KD Collection and for his Target line, have a trim silhouette and intentionally-rough-at-the-edges finishes which are as hip as a hot buzz band playing a packed show in a sweaty Williamsburg club. There are plenty of distinctive details like British flags and crests, which make the clothing stand out (and the Target pieces feel much more substantial than their price tags), and most pieces are rendered in soft cotton which is cozy enough for a loungy weekend or as a feel-good layer underneath more formalwear.

Duffty is extremely happy with the alliance with Target. "Designing for Target is a wonderful opportunity to reach
out to people all over the country who may not otherwise have access to my designs," he says. "I often get e-mails from people who have bought my clothes and are complimentary and excited to see the next collection."

"The most rewarding thing about designing for Target is being able to take an idea from my main collection and to make it available to more people," he continues. "Growth is a challenge. It's a bit like an indie band that have a cult following -- after a few years you want to reach a bigger audience whilst retaining your authentic, core audience."

The audience for Duffty's band is just beginning to grow, with an album due out early next year. "We came together after I met Earl Slick, David Bowie's longtime guitarist, on myspace," he explains. "How modern is
that? We got along well and decided to record a few songs. I then called Glen Matlock, the original Sex Pistols bass player and songwriter, and he agreed to help out. I'd known Glen since I designed clothes for the Sex Pistols US tour in 2003. I also contacted Clem Burke, Blondie's drummer, and he too kindly offered to play with us. We
got together, recorded some songs and it really clicked as a band."

Duffty is excited about the natural evolution of both his clothing line and band. "Designwise I'm planning to grow the collection at Target -- we've gone from a presence in 200 stores to 1200 for back-to-school," he says. "I'd like to introduce other categories like sneakers, accessories and tailoring. Regarding the band, it's been very organic so far and we're all seeing where this project goes next. These guys are wonderful people and great musicians and it's a one for all, all for one spirit."

If you're looking for separates with that rock and roll spirit, it's definitely worth taking a look at Duffty's designs ...






Keanan Duffty's designs for Target are available at their stores nationwide and at www.target.com. For more information about the designer, go to www.slinkyvagabond.com. Additional details of his band's debut concert this Saturday can be found at www.joeyramone.com.

Jewelry is one of the most traditional Mother's Day gifts you can give, but that doesn't mean your mom's present on Sunday has to be stuffy or old-fashioned. Jewelry designer Joan Hornig takes components you'd expect and reinterprets them to be relevant and wearable: black onyx is finished with a matte patina and shaped into a chunky necklace, raw diamonds look as appropriate with a t-shirt on the subway as with a ballgown and fine strips of silver become a filigree bracelet which manages to be delicate and rugged at the same time.

But the most modern aspect of Hornig's creations is deeper than their surface beauty: 100 percent of the profits from each piece goes to the charity of the purchaser's choice. "Our mission is that beautiful things can do good deeds," Hornig, whose relaxed but always elegant style mirrors that of her jewelry, explains. "I wanted to take it to the next step where instead of me choosing the charity, the purchaser chooses the charity, so it's truly personalized."

"The only requirement is that there has to be something educational in the charity," she explains. "It can be in terms of research being done, publications that are put out, some outreach somewhere. I have yet to find one that doesn't have an educational component." When a customer buys one of Hornig's pieces, which are sold exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman, they can choose their charity at the time of purchase or think through some choices and allocate their donation at a later date. Since its inception, Hornig's jewelry line has generated over $300,000 in donations to a wide variety of charities.

In addition to their charity component, many pieces have small, somewhat hidden pro-philanthropic messages engraved into the gold on earrings and pendants or under the surface of bright lucite bangles, giving the wearer a chance to share that sentiment or just have a quiet but omnipresent reminder and karma boost for themselves.

Hornig attributes her ability to donate the company's profits to her own education, which set her on a path of over twenty years in the world of finance before launching her company four years ago. After growing up in the midwest, she graduated from Harvard University and Columbia Business School and headed to work on Wall Street in the mid-'80s. Her lifelong passion for nature and the decorative arts has fuelled the design of most of her pieces, and her financial background helped her structure her unique business model which prioritizes philanthropy over profit.

Hornig is very happy to have Bergdorf Goodman, where she will making personal appearances all week, as her retail partner. "Bergdorf Goodman is used as a shoppers' museum in New York," she raves. "If you're going to visit one store, you're going to visit Bergdorfs. You're going to see what's out there and be treated with respect, regardless of what you're wearing or what you look like. It's a very respectful place and I felt that was very important in my message. And the staff is fantastic here."

"This is a good fit for me because it a very sophisticated customer base of all ages that understands fashion, understands quality and believes in philanthropy," she adds. "That combines the three things which matter most to me."

Whether your attraction to Joan Hornig's line is doing a good deed or simply loving a gorgeous necklace or pair of earrings, her pieces unquestionably embody the motto which is engraved in the black diamond pendant she wears around her neck: "Philanthropy is beautiful."



Joan Hornig's jewelry is available at Bergdorf Goodman (754 Fifth Avenue; (212) 753-7300), where she will be making daily personal appearances through May 13th. For more information go to www.bergdorfgoodman.com. For additional details on the line and its philanthropic mission, go to www.joanhornig.com.

There are some designers who simply create pretty clothes, and then there are those who have such a clear vision of their customer that it's as if they're constantly sitting with the woman they're going to dress, egged on to come up with the perfect outfit for each specific occasion and need in that person's life. Firmly in the latter category is New York's Alice Roi, whose schoolgirl-with-a-spiky-edge creations are the ideal fit for an urban, bright, together young woman looking for unique clothes which don't scream too loudly but standout in their own subdued way.

(Designer, Alice Roi)



For anyone who's always wanted Roi's clothes but couldn't afford them, it's a great week. Her collection for the Japanese retailer Uniqlo just arrived at its SoHo flagship store a couple days ago and includes some refined (but not stuffy) summer essentials at admittedly bargain prices, like a just-blousey-enough sleeveless cotton top for $39.50 which you won't want to take off between June and September.

As is a constant at Uniqlo, the fabrics are beautiful quality (much better than, say, the Gap designer white shirts, which are over twice the price) and the pieces are constructed to last for more than just a few wearings in spite of the low prices. "It's amazing how two such different brands could create such a beautiful and cohesive collection," Roi reflects. "The collaboration was extremely rewarding. I cannot wait to wear the pieces." True to her word, she was spotted there the morning of April 27, 2007 as the first shipment of goodies arrived, grabbing a few dresses for herself as they hit the sales floor.

(A model backstage at Roi's Fall '07 New York Fashion Week Show wearing a dress from the designer's collection.)



This week also marks the launch of Roi's first-ever dedicated store, a pop-up boutique which will be open for just a few days (May 3-6) at 76 Greene Street. The store will offer key pieces from her Spring/Summer 2007 collection -- like a sexy high-waisted navy pencil skirt and a tweaked-out white tank top -- at shopper-friendly prices (starting at around $100).

"I'm very excited about the pop-up shop," she says. "It's so wonderful to walk into a store and experience a brand in its entirety. It is also an excellent way for me to get my feet wet in regards to opening a freestanding store in the future." As an added perk, Max Factor will have makeup artists at the store for complimentary makeovers and will be giving away selected items with purchases.

Roi, who was born and raised in New York, has been described as "the consummate New Yorker."

"I love the city because of the derelicts, the straight edges, the bodegas, the Whole Foods," she says. "It affects my work by allowing me to realize that unexpected elements can really compliment each other."

(A mix of textures makes this Alice Roi cardigan from her Fall '07 collection a super cozy style for beating the chill of a windy spring/summer night or a blasting air conditioner.)

But although the energy of the city informs her designs, she says the inspiration for her current collection comes from Europe. "The spring inspiration was 'La Petite Voleuse,' a French film in which Charlotte Gainsbourg stars as a young woman who steals to achieve adulthood and sophistication," she explains. "She finally grows up and leaves the thievery behind."



Although she has a clear and self-fuelled vision, Roi praises plenty of other designers. "I particularly admire Karl Lagerfeld because he can juggle ten different themes in one dress and make them appear as if they were always meant to be that way," she says. "I also love Ralph Rucci. His sense of architecture drives me wild!"

(This Alice Roi top is exactly the kind of fashion-forward yet practical style that keep her customer-base coming back for more.)



It's not a coincidence that Roi shares a key element with those two acclaimed designers -- an innate understanding of who she's creating her clothing for. As she puts it, "My customer is a woman who enjoys dressing with a sense of astuteness, but is constantly revealing her ever cool attitudes about the world."

And for this week at least, that customer can also enjoy the opportunity to pick up a handful of Roi's designs without breaking the bank ...

Alice Roi's New York pop-up store is open May 3-6 at 76 Greene Street in SoHo. For more information, go to www.aliceroi.com. More details of her collection for Uniqlo can be found at www.uniqlo.com.


Go Backstage at Alice Roi's Fall '07 Fashion Week Show

There are few names which are as synonymous with chic New York hair as Frederic Fekkai. Since opening his first salon here in 1996, this French hairstylist extraordinaire has worked with everyone from Martha Stewart to Liv Tyler to create looks which are as beautiful as they are seemingly effortless. But Frederic's work isn't reserved for the rarified world of celebs.

His true talent, which is shared by his team of stylists, is to make real women look great with a decidedly French je ne sais quoi that never seems forced or overly-glamorized. It's that skill which consistently packs his salon chairs with women of diverse ages and lifestyles. Nonetheless, that clientele share several common denominators. As he sees it, "The typical Fekkai client knows that her hair is [her] best accessory. She's modern, sexy yet timeless and casually chic. She knows how to embrace her personal style."

And for those of us without the budget or time to make an appointment at one of his salons, it's still possible to experience Frederic's touch with a collection of indulgent but effective treatment shampoos, conditioners and styling products geared to address each user's specific issues. "The Fekkai line is developed to meet the particular needs of every hair type," its namesake explains. "Each product is infused with nutrients essential for restoring and rejuvenating the hair. Before our products are marketed to the public, my stylist team and I personally test every formula to ensure the highest quality and professional performance."

The line is constantly expanding. Frederic recently launched MORE, a collection of products to deal with the prickly problem of thinning hair among women with as much glamour as effectiveness. The company has also expanded its line of summer haircare products (like Sun Bandana, a protective and moisturizing sunscreen gel for hair) which was originally introduced last year. In addition to haircare, Frederic also offers items for the body including shower gel and moisturizers and a selection of choices targeting men.

The list of Frederic Fekkai salon locations is growing as well. Last year, he opened a second New York location in SoHo on West Broadway. "The goal was to create a space that had the service and luxury of uptown with the edge and modernity of downtown," he says of that new salon. "It reflects the flavor of SoHo: artistic, loftlike and a little European. The hours are also extended -- Thursdays we are open until 9 pm -- so that it can serve as client's last stop before a night out." New branches in Los Angeles, Dallas and Greenwich, Connecticut are in the works for later this year.

Frederic's primary location in New York is in a large but inviting space on Fifth Avenue upstairs at Henri Bendel, where the salon moved in 2005 from its original spot around the corner on 57th Street off Madison Avenue. "Being inside Henri Bendel is the perfect marriage of fashion and style," Frederic raves. "We were excited to bring our most sophisticated salon experience yet to our clients, and to do it inside a dynamic retail setting that is always fashionable, ever-changing and fun."

Speaking of things which are fashionable and ever-changing, what does Frederic feel is in for spring/summer when it comes to hair? "This season will see a return of the classic bob with a more modern twist," he asserts. "It will be graphic, but full of body and with a distinct style. Hair will be well groomed but with movement and bounce, reflecting a spirit of easy sophistication. For longer hair, we will see a loose cascade of curls, but with a modern, stylish approach of being mostly smooth on top, with the curls starting near the top of the cheek, and cascading down."

Fortunately, with the help of Frederic Fekkai, those looks can be achieved in salons downtown, midtown or in the privacy of your own bathroom....


For more information about Frederic Fekkai's salons and products, go to www.fredericfekkai.com. Frederic Fekkai's products are also available at Sephora, Saks Fifth Avenue, Henri Bendel and other stores nationwide.

(Melissa Payner, President and CEO of Bluefly.com)

It ain't easy being a designer fashion addict. Whether your label of choice is Betsey Johnson or Yves Saint Laurent, it's prohibitively expensive and time-consuming for most of us to constantly visit department stores and boutiques in search of the latest thing to wear. Plus there are crowds to brave, parking and traffic to navigate and the harsh light of the dressing room to contend with. All in all, schlepping around stores can be aggravating and exhausting.



On the other hand, there's Bluefly, which offers current season, on-trend clothing and accessories by 350 designers for at least 40 percent off retail prices. This New York-based web retailer which launched in 1998 offers goodies by some of the finest brands in luxury fashion (like Chanel, Hermes, Marc Jacobs, Bottega Veneta and many more) alongside wardrobe-staple labels (like Petit Bateau and James Jeans), with new stock everyday.

"What makes Bluefly so unique is the combination of great products presented in a high-end environment with the value-added bonus of the 'hook-up'," explains Melissa Payner, the company's President and CEO. "A key distinguishing feature of Bluefly is that the new products come in every single day at 6:31 am. We've seen a feeding frenzy take place around 6:32 am, particularly after a big European shipment launches. It's uncanny: there seem to be legions of fashion addicts across the country who set their clocks according to when Bluefly's new arrivals go live."



Unlike some discount retailers, Bluefly is choosy about which designers, and which pieces by those designers, it will carry. "Every designer we carry goes through a very stringent filter both from a quality standpoint and a cultural one as well," she says. "While the brands range from European couture to West Coast contemporary, they are all relevant, current and desirable for our customers right at this minute."



Although the website attracts customers of different ages who have a wide range of budgets, Payner feels there's a common denominator when it comes to its fans. "She's best described psychographically," she says of the typical Bluefly customer. "She was born with 'the shopping gene,' so shopping to her is like sports are to rabid sports fans. She's up on all her pop culture, she goes out, sees the latest movies, reads every magazine and is incredibly social."



Payner, a 25 year fashion business veteran, joined Bluefly four years ago after stints at Ann Taylor, Henri Bendel, Chicos, and Spiegel Catalog. She's worked hard to make sure the site has new items first thing every morning and that the experience of shopping there is on par with high-end stores' websites. What advice does she have for Bluefly-aholics? "Shop early and shop often," she suggests. "Take advantage of our navigation system, which allows you to hone in on and refine your selections to the microdetail. For example, if you know you're looking for black evening stiletto sandals in a size 6, you can specify and go directly to an edited subset; If you're looking more generally, you can search for evening gowns in blue and see everything in store. We also have live chat capabilities where you can 'speak' to one of our FlyReps who can shop with you and help you find exactly what you need."



Although she runs the company, Payner admits the job doesn't have what might seem like the ultimate perk. "Most people think that since my team and I work here, we get first dibs on all the great merchandise before it goes live -- that is so not true," she says. "Recently an insanely fabulous shipment came in and we were all comparing notes the night before -- actually it was more like competing notes because we were all after the same few pieces. But we figured since we did have prior knowledge, we would just get up early and may the fastest fingers win."
Payner explains. "No such luck. by the time we all logged in, everything was gone. Those tireless Bluefly customers had beaten us to the punch ... and let me tell you, it happens every time!"



To find out more -- and enter to win a designer bag in the daily contest which is currently up -- visit www.bluefly.com.

Judging from appearances, Jeffrey Costello and Robert Tagliapietra are certainly unlikely candidates to count Vogue's Anna Wintour amongst their admirers. Big and big-bearded, usually found wearing flannel lumberjack shirts and well-worn jeans, the design duo look more suited to the Canadian wilderness than a design atelier. Yet earning kudos from the fashion intelligentsia makes complete sense.

Costello Tagliapietra, the line the pair creates, consists of sophisticated, fluid-and-feminine looks which are as delicate as the designers are sturdy. Modern but never trendy, it's a collection of beautiful clothing without bells, whistles, or a loudly-broadcast designer label. It's fashionable with a capital "F" without ever trying too hard or making too much of a statement.

For spring 2007, the pair created a line of flowing dresses and separates in a muted, soft palette. They are clothes which flatter every body type, going easily from a business lunch to a cocktail party with a simple change of shoes and jewelry. "We try and keep aware of the practicality of what we design," Robert Tagliapietra explains. "All design is a form of problem solving and fashion is the business of selling clothes. We try to offer options to a variety of body types. Everyone has their own comfort levels and we hope we can address some of them."

"Comfort also probably has a lot to do with the fabrics we choose," he adds. "Using high quality fabrics, luxurious weights and fine jerseys all contributes to the comfort level of our pieces." No wonder one of their nicknames in the press has been "Jersey Boys."

The pair garner inspiration from a wide variety of sources. What helped spark their spring collection? "Halston's '70s couture, Studio 54, Paradise Garage, and Aubrey Breadsley's Art Nouveau illustrations," Tagliapietra explains. "A return to the art and sensuality of dressing."

Art is a constant influence for the team, who met after Tagliapietra earned a fine arts degree at Parsons School of Design, as Costello was designing clothes for musicians and other clients. "Both of us grew up painting, and we both try and go to galleries and museums often, taking advantage of the many options in New York," Costello says. "We always end up loving the Metropolitan Museum of Art the most -- it's the easiest to get lost in and spend the entire day looking at art."

Their subdued color choices for spring are emblematic of the collection's strong roots in art. As Costello explains, "We used a color that we called 'greige,' which was sort of a metallic green-gray, but we offset that with what we felt were Art Nouveau colors in the line of [influential French designer Paul] Poiret, like a lovely petal pink, a rich deep red, and a flower-like lavender." It's worth mentioning that Poiret is the focus of the latest show at their favorite museum's Costume Institute, opening in a few weeks.

Costello and Tagliapietra are more than just nine-to-five business collaborators. They live together as well and seem as connected as twins. Does living and working ever get claustrophobic? "No -- for us it just comes naturally," Tagliapietra says. "We have lived and worked together for over 12 years." It's clearly a partnership which works. Since launching their first collection just a couple of years ago, the team has won a prestigious Ecco Domani award and their designs have been worn by the likes of Madonna and Debi Mazar, who attended their most recent fashion show in the Bryant Park Tents in February.

Costello says they work together seamlessly. "We both have very similar aesthetics," he explains. "We work together in every aspect of our business, and in every decision. One of us may suggest a color, the other a shape or silhouette, but at the end of the day when a collection is coming together it becomes hard to distinguish where one begins and the other ends."

And the team never loses site of the real focus of its collections -- the women who wear the clothes. "Our customers appreciate quality and tradition," Tagliapietra says. "She is a modern woman who is confident and brings her personality into everything she wears. When designing for her, we hope that she wears the dress and not the other way around. We have no interest in making our clients look like a science experiment."


Costello Tagliapietra's designs are available at Barneys New York and other boutiques nationwide. For more information, go to www.costellotagliapietra.com.

Let's face it. There are lots of great designers out there, but it's not all that easy to find someone who's doing something new -- really new -- with clothes. And then there's Angel Chang. Whether its a transparent raincoat embedded with tiny little LED lights around its collar (and a hidden spot with double A batteries to power them) or a nightclub-friendly dress which changes color as your body heats up, Chang's creations merge style with technology in a way which (in our iPod-and-cell-phone-era) is just plain modern. No wonder she was recently named a recipient of a prestigious Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Award, an honor which has been presented in the past to the likes of Proenza Schouler and Zac Posen.



Chang, who is in her late twenties, says she's creating clothing which speaks to her contemporaries. "My generation is always on our cell phones and on the internet, but the clothes that are out there have been designed the same way for decades," she says. "Our lifestyle is so different today, and we need to have clothes that can accommodate it."

Chang recently showed her third collection at a well-attended presentation in Chelsea during New York Fashion Week. It included feminine dresses with hidden compartments for perfume, just as her current collection offers sporty separates with iPod controls discretely tucked into waistbands and on jacket sleeves. The style is all hers, but she works with tech-savvy engineers on many pieces to create salient fabrics which add another dimension to the clothes. The pieces are often about subtle and truly original details, as is shown by a poufy, girly skirt with hidden 3D images of violent weapons on its trim. That 3D technology, the result of a collaboration with high-tech fabric whiz Adam Beckerman, has never been used in clothing before.

Chang, originally from the midwest but a New Yorker since attending Barnard College in the late '90s, says she was inspired to launch her collection while working as a design assistant at Donna Karan, where she worked after time in the design studios of Marc Jacobs and Viktor and Rolf. "Much of my job was buying vintage pieces for inspiration," she recalls. "it was strange to me. Now we're just copying and rehashing the past. For me it felt like, 'If there's a WWII bomber jacket and you're just copying that, you're not really listening to the demands of what people need today.'"

She says that her inspiration for many of her pieces, which are carried at Opening Ceremony and other tastemaker boutiques, comes from her own experiences. Case in point: that light-up raincoat, on which she collaborated with Ted Southern, who has created wings for Heidi Klum to wear on the Victoria's Secret runway. "9/11 happened and then the blackout happened in New York," she explains. "In those times, i felt really vulnerable in the space that I was in. During the blackout, I was fearing for my life, because I didn't know who was in front or in back of me. That's how the light-up raincoat came about. You don't really realize these things until you're put into extreme situations."

These days, Chang's extreme situations include the challenges of creating her line while running her own business. "It's so different on so many levels," she reflects. "A key difference was that when you're in a corporate environment, jobs were so compartmentalized that my focus was on [just] design, and to really understand clothing, you need to understand the business side."



Chang's business is in great shape at the moment, with a new sales showroom and the Ecco Domani honor added to the equation over the last few months, and she's working to design more unique collections. Who does she see as her typical customer? As she puts it, "When I think of the person I design for, I think of a globetrotter. She travels around a lot, she is very cosmopolitan and well-cultured. She's a fun, young, very hip and with-it kind of person who really loves innovation."

All of which describe Angel Chang to a T.

Angel Chang's clothes are available at Opening Ceremony and other boutiques nationwide. For more information, visit www.angelchang.com.