Isaac Mizrahi, A Man Of Many Talents!
July 7, 2009
I have to admit, I had never heard of Isaac before his run with Target, but I do not feel as bad because most of his success became before I was even born or able to talk properly. In Isaac’s lifetime, success can not simply be measured by mastering one craft but by doing everything you ever dreamed of doing. Isaac is one of the few people who I know that has been thoroughly involved in every aspect of pop culture from movies, to books, to fashion, and television. He has done it all! Let’s take a stroll down the path of his tireless journey.
Isaac was born October 14, 1961 in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Ocean Parkway New Jersey. He must have been born with a fashion gene because at the age of 4 his mother began to notice his attraction to the details of her shoes. His mother often took him shopping with her at Saks and Bergdorf’s and ,honestly, who can resist falling in love when introduced to these fashion paradises at such a young age. His father was a merchandiser of children’s clothing, so design was nothing new to this semi-traditional Jewish family.
By the time Isaac was 10 years old he had moved back to Brooklyn and had been given his first sewing machine from his father. He made clothing for puppets to wear during birthday party appearances. By 13, he was making clothing for his mom, dad, and his mother’s friend Sarah Haddad.
While in Brooklyn his parents wanted him to attend a Jewish school, however his rebellious personality got him kicked out on numerous occasions. His mother had to come to the school and bail him out of trouble constantly. Finally, Isaac had enough. He enrolled in New York High School for the Performing Arts to persue his passions in drama, music, and dance. Isaac lost 75 pounds his first semester and gained it all back in confidence.
While in high school Isaac took some evening classes at Parson’s. Upon his high school graduation he studied full time at Parson’s developing his skills that would one day land him the title of one of the Best American Fashion Designers of his time.
After his third year at Parson’s, he got a part time internship working with Perry Ellis. Mr. Ellis became his mentor and after graduating from undergraduate, he went to work for him full time. Isaac worked very hard for Ellis and in return her received experience and training that would be priceless in this industry.
After he left Perry Ellis, he worked for Jeffrey Banks and Calvin Klein. Not long after , in 1987, Isaac started his own line with financial support from family friend Sarah Haddad. He began small designing in a small loft and selling from the back of a car. In the spring of 1988 he had his spring show. There were few guests , only there to see if anything interesting would come from this new designer. All the guests were floored with surprise at the fresh feeling he brought to fashion, Isaac became an over night success story. From that moment forward, his life began moving full speed ahead.
He began to win awards and designing costumes for ballets and theater in the early 1990’s. In 1994 he was going to introduce his fall line and his preparations for his line would be filmed for his hit documentary called Unzipped. The documentary was directed by Isaac’s ex lover Douglass Keeve and it was released in 1995. It contained footage from his childhood and footage of his life as a designer working with models and at shows. This documentary took him from beloved fashion designer to beloved celebrity fashion designer.
In 1997 he wrote a comic book series called Isaac Mizrahi Presents the Adventures of Sandee the Supermodel. The series featured the supermodel facing all the stereotypical problems that a supermodel would face in the industry. Critics and fans alike loved his rendition on the life of a model. This was a cherry on top of his sweet career.
Little did he know that in 1998, Chanel, his financial backer, would pull out and cause him to have to shut down his business. He had other options that would possible keep the company rolling, but he decided to move on. Which today has proved to be a good idea.
In 1999 he started in a one-man off Broadway cabaret act that critics called charming and engaging. From there he was given his own talk show on Oxygen where he had a plethora of celebrity guests and a wide array of activities.
Reverting back to designing, he signed a five year deal with Target to design a line of affordable fashions ranging from $10-$70. I have to say that he made some really cute things for target that were sold out in a heart beat. In 2007 he made wedding gowns for Target as well. He made target more than $300 million per year. He also had his own line which he referred to as Isaac Mizrahi to Order where he designs gowns starting at $4,000 a pop.
In 2008 he split with Target and went over to Liz Claiborne to resuscitate her dying line. He has made a fall 2009 line which has won rave reviews. He is now the host of a show called The Fashion Shows on Bravo, which is a different spin to the once hit Project Runway. Isaac has made many appearances on all the fashion forward shows and movies including Ugly Betty and Sex in the City. Today he is in the works of directing his first movies, The Extra Man.
Though we all know Isaac as an outspoken and almost flamboyant person, you can’t help but love him . However, in the 2006 Golden Globes I couldn’t help but shutter with horror at some of the things he was doing, such as squeezing Scarlett Johansson’s breasts, looking down Terri Hatchers dress, and asking people if they had undies on. I am willing to look past that if you are 😦
Recently, Isaac Mizrahi has been named to a newly created role of Senior Vice President, Managing Director at Alma DDB effective July 13, 2009.
1996 won the Eddie for Best Edited Documentary.
1995 won the audience award for best documentary.
1991 won CFDA Womenswear designer of the year award
If you wanna keep up with Issac, watch him at by clicking HERE.
I chose Isaac for my blog because he embodies what it means to follow your dreams and that anyone could do anything as long as they want it bad enough. He had a few hurdles, some avoidable and others not so much, but he came through them better than ever. It is not always about how someone does while they are already successful and loved, but how someone does when they are going through hard times. He has shown his dedication to the arts and his passion to do any and everything he set his mind to. We should all be so lucky to accomplish the things this man has. Here’s to you Isaac, ” Fat is the new black.”
LOOK OUT! It’s Stylist Eric Daman’s Time to Shine!!!
June 5, 2009
Eric Daman is a stylist that is not new to the scene, but his presence is now being felt. He is the star stylist of the hit show Gossip Girls. He has also collaborated with Patricia Fields in styling for Sex and the City series. Eric has styled for other movies such as 40 shades of Blue, The Door in the Floor, The Adventures of Sebastian Cole, Quip Pro Quo, and others.
Eric’s career began when he was studying in Paris at Sorbonne and working as a buyer at Magic Circle. He was spotted by Steven Meisel in 1993 who was a model scout. Steven saw Daman in a store and next thing you know, he was casted with Kate Moss.
After moving to New York as a full time model he was able to secure the editorial shoots for Rolling Stone, Spin, The Face, and Visionnaire Magazines. While he was in New York living the fab life of a model, he ran into an acquaintance, Patricia Fields. She immediately hired him as her assistant in styling for SATC. It’s no doubt he took a few pointers from our favorite, Ms. Fields, and used them when concocting styles for the Gossip Girls crew.
Eric has proven to be a very interesting stylist because that he likes to mix the expensive fashion with the thrifty. He believes ( like we all do in times of economic turmoil) that it’s the way of all stylish women and men to mix YSL tops with H&M bottoms. Those outfits not only look great but allow those of us with a limited budget to get a cute look for less.
Something else I absolutely love is that he aspires to have a mass line that will go in Kohl’s or Target. He has shown his commitment to affordable fashion which is admirable. Now a days, this is the route a lot of designers , such as Vera Wang and Isaac Mizrahiare, are taking. He has recently landed a deal with Charlotte Russe to make some fashion forward/affordable designs. (Thank God, they need some help!) His contract will last through December 2010, we should all be looking out for some changes in their clothing lines.
Regardless of where Eric ends up, he will always be known for his A class work with Gossip Girls cast. He was even given the opportunity to designe a window at Henri Bendel (and afterward he was giving a huge bash). 
He had fun, huh? Anyways the window was fabu.
He played up to the teeny-boppers with his use of text phrases. I must be old because I have no idea what these letters mean! Moving on :-)….
His styling on Gossip Girl has landed him a lot of press, which is well deserved. He does such a great job capturing the characters and making statements through their wardrobes that the scripts don’t include. His favorite character to dress is the nonchalant, yet sweetheart in his own mean way, Chuck Bass. He shows that a straight guy can and should use color to his advantage. Chuck’s character never strays from color and outstanding outfit choices. They suit him well… get it “suit.” ehh I tried.
Doesn’t he just look like a modern day Fonzi ? Ugh, you have GOT to love him. Additionally, He believes that Serena is hardest to dress, but he does such an amazing job with her too.( I have been sinspired by some of her outfits.) He says that the cast gives their opinion about what they want to wear, but ultimately they trust him, as they should–I mean he has only been doing this FOREVER.
My blog is focused on the people behind the fashion, and that is Eric Daman, however he does have a team of 25 helping him along the way. Let’s not forget the effort they put in to make this show the most talked about fashion television series since Sex and the City.
Who would have ever believed that a rural Michigan native like Eric would be so influential in the fashion world today? That just proves that anyone can make it. In his case connections and being in the right place, at the right time in addition to true talent has made him into the renowned stylist and costume designer he is today.
It is important that we don’t forget his face or his name because I guarantee he will become even more successful than he is today.
Eric, here is to you! Your quirky, individual style and outgoing personality will keep you in the spotlight and we like having you there. Please keep styling our favorite prep school kiddies ( now going to college) the way we love it!
Work the pants, doll!Behind the "Style Icon": Mariel Haenn
June 4, 2009
Mariel Haenn is the perfect example of a stylist under wraps. She has unmistakably changed the look of pop icon Rihanna from girl-next-door to girl-that-would-never-live-any-where-near-you-because-she-is-too-famous.
With a recent birthday (May 25, 1979) she just reached her 30 year old mile-stone, but she looks no where over 23. She had her birthday bash at the Roosevelt Penthouse in LA ,with the theme being Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, this past Saturday and from her facebook and twitter messages, it was an epic party.
A little on her background: Mari ( can I call her that? ) attended the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in the class of 2000. This half Puerto Rican chica has made her way in and through the celebrity and fashion community. She has worked with starts like Jada and Will Smith, Ciara, Kanye, and most inspiring, Rihanna. She told Latina.Com that her favorite Latino designer would be Esteban Cortazar, who had his own line and is now creative director for Emanuel Ungaro ( who is now trying to work with Lindsey Lohan… idk if that’s a wise decision but…). Some of the designers she is feeling are Christian Dior, YSL, Zac Posen and Givenchy.
I absolutely wish I had more info to share about Mariel, but she simply has no information about her on the Internet. I had to dig through her facebook and twitter account to scoop up the information I have found.
It tells me that the people who are working the hardest behind the scenes of these “fashion-forward” stars get absolutely no play. For example, I googled her and all I got was mentions of her name and no pictures of her alone. That’s a shame. She doesn’t even have a WIKI page, seriously, why are we ignoring her. She is influencing the world in fashion and she doesn’t even have a wiki. I am floored. I do have some pictures that I manage to dig up from her facebook and twitter.
( Mariel on the left with her friend)
Mariel Haenn, stylist, costume designer the life of fashion as it is today, influencing those that influence to masses. Luv ya girl and keep up the good work!
Style: Live it, Love it, Own it 