1968 – Lauren Bacall (Click on images for larger views)

In the world of fashion there are two all important buzz words: fresh and iconic.  An item is either deemed cutting edge or old-hat.  Ideas and fashions that stand the test of time are classic.  If they wither on the vine and die they are “dated.” It is no accident that “young” and “vintage” apply to wine, apparel AND women.  I am reminded of this dichotomy in 2014’s infanthood yet I’m reflective about what attains iconic status in the “Polar Vortex” of this January.   Hence, the topic of Legends (with a capital L) and a fur coat tie- in seemed appropriate.

1973 – Liza Minnelli

Those of us who can recall the late 1960’s and its impending years, will immediately recognize the Blackglama advertisements.  Peering out from women’s magazines were the black & white ads featuring a woman of note in the public eye generally from Broadway or Hollywood, with the tagline “What Becomes a Legend Most?”  I remember being fascinated by these ads which appeared unfailingly in my mother’s Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar subscription.  I can recall questioning the wording;  not quite understanding the implied double entendre or the significance of what was to evolve into the most successful ad campaign spanning the decades.  All I can say is that these full page ads definitely left a mark on my forming psyche and in my early consciousness.  Didn’t every girl secretly want to be a “Legend” even if she was unsure what that entailed other than wearing a Blackglama mink?

1968 – Barbara Streisand

According to the 1979 book “What Becomes A Legend Most? The Blackglama Story”  written by advertising executive Peter Rogers, the campaign began when the Great Lakes Mink Association (GLMA), a group of about 400 mink ranchers, were looking for a way to “remodel public opinion.” This being 1968 it was, of course, years before PETA reared its head in 1980 and the subsequent red-paint attacks on fur-wearing women.  The campaign was conceived by NY ad exec Jane Trahey and executed by her associate Rogers who later bought out the firm and continued the campaign.  Trahey invented the “Blackglama” name and came up with the “legendary” tagline as well as the idea of spotlighting high-profile celebs clad in  Blackglama mink which they were allowed to take home after the shoot.  Initially, famed photographer Richard Avedon shot the ads until 1972.  The first ” legends” were Melina Mercouri, Lauren Bacall, Betty Davis, Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand (who at 26 was the most youthful of the lot).   It was also the year that propelled Ms. Streisand to mega-watt stardom as “Funny Girl” eclipsed “2001: A Space Odyssey” winning her an Oscar in 1969 so I guess it was a good luck talisman of sorts.

1976 – Martha Graham, Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn

The “legendary” ad campaign continued until 2012 although the original form varied a bit in the later years (the last one in full color didn’t bear the famous tagline) and featured Ginta Lapina (a Latvian model and hardly a household name).  In general the “icons” branched out into the supermodels and lesser illuminati at least in “old-school” terms.  In the 44 years of the campaign, actresses and performers mostly of “a certain age” included superstars such  as Maria Callas, Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich, Pearl Bailey, Lena Horne, Ethel Merman, Carol Channing, Leontyne Price, Elizabeth Taylor and even a few men such as Rudolph Nureyev, Ray Charles and Luciano Pavarotti.  As far as I know, no one complained about whether their photo was cropped in close or was shown full-length as is the outcry these days with magazine covers.  (Cue the controversy over Mindy Kaling’s Elle cover, Adele covering Vogue and stay tuned for Lena Dunham’s possible Vogue Cover).

1973 – Diana Ross

I found that there is a Pinterest page for the Blackglama campaign featuring many of the ads over the years.  I liked reading the Diana Ross anecdote as it is both funny and telling.  Ever the diva, Ms. Ross appeared in the ad in 1973 swathed in the lustrous black mink. Apparently after the shoot she announced that she would prefer sable and paid the difference.  If you google” fashion icons” the names that appear include Kate Middleton, Princess Diana, Audrey Hepburn, Madonna and even Johnny Depp.  There is an article on the movie “Clueless” and its iconic ’90s style while another article is devoted to Lily Collin’s iconic eyebrows.

Anna Wintour

To tell the truth, I’ve been obsessed with a coat of many colors and a woman’s face on it this week.   None other than the Prada Spring/ Summer 2014 fur (fur coats for summer?) that Anna Wintour stepped out in on Monday night for the HBO premiere of the third season of “Girls.”  The coat, a wonderful collaboration of street art  and feminist inspired beauty made me long for a new ad campaign:  one featuring iconic women in equally iconoclastic designs.  What becomes a legend most, indeed!

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Design by Chris Benz

To say that Fur Fashion Week ‘aint’ what it used to be is an understatement. But then again, what is? Having covered the fur market for Harper’s Bazaar decades ago, I can remember jam packed fur weeks that easily spanned one week, were comprised of ambitious runway shows (many of which took place in elegant hotel ballrooms), and were attended by editors-in-chief like Anna Wintour. That was then and this is now. But still, notwithstanding Global Warming and the downward turn of the economy, furs are still going strong: the customer (men and women alike) continues to embrace fur and recent runways (for fall winter 2008) which were filled with innovative and creative ways to use fur, were a testament to the designers’ continued interest and their ongoing desire to view pelts as, well, just ‘another’ fabric.

This year, fur fashion week, organized by FICA (Fur Information Council of America, www.fur.org) will take place over the next two days, May 13 – 14, during which time there will be 17 presentations, including those by Michael Kors, Bill Blass, Ralph Rucci, Isaac Mizrahi, Peter Som, Zandra Rhodes, Zac Posen, Angel Sanchez, Carmen Mark Valvo, Kati Stern for Venexiana. (Other fur houses to show: Cassin, Orlando New York, Saga Furs, Helen Yarmak, Byte).

To kick things off and to name the winners of the first annual Emerging Fur Designer of The Year Award, I, along with other members of the press, designers, and manufacturers, were invited to a lovely champagne luncheon at Sapa, 43 West 24th Street. (Speaking of Global Warming, it was so cool and damp on this late spring day, that the idea of looking at furs, or even wearing one, did not seem so far fetched. And in fact, one of my colleagues wore a short vintage astrakan coat with a fur collar to this luncheon and just recently, I’ve spotted many of this city’s best dressed social figures, wearing little fur pieces over their cocktail dresses and evening gowns to brave off the chill as they arrived at soignée events and galas).

Winner Chris Benz with FICA Director Keith Kaplan

There were opening remarks from Keith Kaplan, the FICA executive director, a short video which introduced the 12 nominated designers (96 editors received ballots and voted, factoring in creativity, wearability, and salability), and still another highlighting furs shown at designers’ shows. At the end, two winners were named: one for ‘Accessories’ (the honor went to Doo.Ri who was not present), and one for ‘Full Garment’ (the winner was Chris Benz who was there to pick up his award).

‘Future of Fashion’ winners: From Left, Paulina Bui, Sara Shahbazi, and Alisha Moten

In addition, there were three dress forms featuring the innovative fur designs of three young designers representing the ‘future of fashion’ (Sara Shahbazi and Paulina Bui from Parsons and Aisha Moten from Virginia Commonwealth). I was particularly impressed with Ms. Shahbazi, (she graduates this month), who handed me a very professional booklet which was filled with black and white photos (which she took) of her ultra modern, luxurious yet streetwise fall/winter 2009 collection, which is “based on her fascination with Richard Serra’s sculptors”. She explains that she was “inspired by the modern lines and curved hems of Richard Serra’s sculptors”, and to that end, she concentrated on an urban and neutral palette of shades of gray, silver, teal blue, and black.

Sara Shahbazi with her blue iris coat

Her work emphasizes fabric mixes and rich textures through the use of fine wool, cashmere, sequins, knitted stitches, leather, and of course, fur. In fact, two standouts in her collection which speak volumes about her talents, are the black lamb leather cropped jacket with over the shoulder curved panels and quilted detail, and the blue iris coat with mixed sheared and long hair curved pieces which was on display at the FICA luncheon. Mark my words; Sara is a name to watch.

Sara Shahbazi’s black lamb leather cropped jacket

In the meanwhile, (while I’m on the topic of furs) it’s ‘that’ time of year again. If you are searching for the best all inclusive fur storage company, one that offers a wide variety of services, expert leather cleaning and conditioning, top notch customer service, and will help you to restyle or transform any of your treasured pieces, look no further than Anne Dee Goldin’s GoldinStyle, http://www.goldinstyle.com/. For more information, call 212 239 0512 or email, info@GoldinStyle.com

-Marilyn Kirschner

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Upon entering Adrienne Landau’s light filled sprawling 8th Avenue showroom to view her ready to wear and home fall 2007 collections, a hot pink feathered hat displayed on a statue of Buddha greeted me as I entered, and I was immediately struck by the abundant and surprising use of color all around. This couldn’t have been more welcome given the positively beautiful spring like day which automatically made hot pink seem more appealing than wintry dark brown or black.

Hanging from racks and displayed on tables placed all around the sprawling, sun filled loft were fur coats, jackets, scarves, cuffs, hats, sporty hooded vests, as well as non fur items, many of which were literally transformed from the predictable and ordinary by virtue of their eye popping shades. In addition to red (which was all over the recent runways), there were hits of decidedly 80’s acid brights like emerald green (Adrienne’s personal favorite), fuchsia, bright blue, and canary yellow.

And though Adrienne was quick to observe that “it’s all about color this season”, this was not the only message. She also told me that “it’s all about Global Warming”. Yes, we had some frigid days this past year, but in general, it was pretty darn warm (not exactly to a furrier’s delight). And let’s face it, women don’t need big bulky, cumbersome furs any longer: they need lightweight, versatile, pieces that travel well and can be layered as one desires according to needs and temperature.

The fur veteran and pioneering innovator (Adrienne got involved with accessories and fur pieces long before anyone else) sees to it that she changes and evolves with the times, and always keeps her customer’s needs in mind. And so in addition to offering that customer the option of perking up their dark and somber wardrobes with colorful pieces, she has also made her furs as lightweight as can be (truly weightless actually) and has concentrated on smaller pieces.

In addition to her new fur hoods, Adrienne is enamored with a fur scarf which has pockets and can be worn in many ways (belt it and it becomes a vest). The hot pink fox version was arresting for sure, and in white Mongolian lamb, it is the epitome of sporty ‘Aspen Chic’. I can easily imagine either one worn for day or night, over a floor length gown for a glamorous black tie event.

Another idea AL has up her sleeves this time is transforming furs so that they look like something else. And so fox resembles sable, rabbit looks like vintage mink, Rex Rabbit appears to be chinchilla and mink looks like broadtail. Taking the hotter than hot shiny patent look, Adrienne used a high quality synthetic vinyl in black, red, and white to fashion a belted short trench coat with a leopard printed (what else?) lining.

And speaking of leopard, that all time favorite, what would an Adrienne Landau collection be without leopard? There was an entire group done in leopard printed furs and standouts include a sporty ¾ length leopard printed mink trench coat and another short coat made from leopard printed goat which was trimmed with Rex Rabbit and coyote and lined in menswear inspired herringbone wool. It could ostensibly be worn on either side (talk about chic).

As for the home collection, a group of amazing fur rugs were spread around the vast wood floors so that all could see, and my favorite was made from three shades of Australian shearling inlaid to resemble a glorious arabesque pattern.

By the way, Adrienne told me she is collaborating with famed interior designer Charlotte Moss on a small group of pieces for her exclusive new jewel like shop, 20 east 64th street. (She was sworn to secrecy as to what the items will be – but stay tuned). The preview party is tonight (for more information contact HL Group, tel: 212 529- 5533, ext 228).

And for more information on the Adrienne Landau collection, contact Nicole Abbatemarco, head of Public Relations, (Nicole@adriennelandau.com).

-Marilyn Kirschner

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