Dossier Item: Trend Report

Wondering what's on the fashion horizon for next summer? What will boutique customers be looking for next season? Let the Indianapolis Fashion Collective help you be ahead of the trends with the Summer 2012 Trend Report and Mixer on August 29. 

Forbes ranked Indianapolis the 5th best city in the nation for shopping, so let's prove them right by dressing a season ahead, by stocking our boutiques with the latest and greatest. With 5,955 retail locations at our finger tips, that should be no sweat. The ranking is like a test to Indianapolis' retail prowess, and Fran Yoshioka, trend expert from Chicago, will be here to give us all the answers.

Click here to purchase tickets
See the above flyer for all the deets.

About Fran Yoshioka
With seven years of experience as an independent consultant, Fran specializes in fashion and
color trend forecasting, merchandising, and design development. Her expertise lies in the abil-
ity to research and analyze seasonal trend direction, and package ideas into compelling and
actionable information. She provides power point presentations with clear visuals and an in-
teractive webinar series of reports including seasonal trend direction, retail trend reports from
London and Paris, women’s apparel, accessories, home furnishings, visual merchandising.

Fran has over 30 years of experience tracking color and fashion trend direction in the apparel,
home furnishings, and retail industries. She analyzes and interprets the big picture movement
of trend from season to season with a history of knowing what works and doesn’t work.

Fran’s past companies and clients include: Calmar, Fossil, Sears, Crate & Barrel, BonTon
Stores, Beall’s Department Stores, Walrus Brands.

Designers to watch: Holli Hildenbrand and Jessica Beck

Dainty Distractions by Jessica Beck

Gold Girls Guns by Holli Hildenbrand

Last week I had the pleasure of participating in senior portfolio evaluations at the Art Institute of Indianapolis. As I sat in the frigid classroom, clutching my coffee for strength in the mercilessly early morning, I didn't know what to expect. I've been around fashion my whole life, but I've never been to fashion school, so this process was new to me. 

The four hours I sat there with my fellow evaluators went by blindingly fast. Not only are the senior students at AII exceedingly talented and creative, the discussions we had over their collections were productive and just plain fun. 

For one narcissistic moment, I wondered if this is what it feels like when someone like, oh, I dunno, Diane Von Furstenberg discovers fresh talent. 

Two collections, by Holli Hildrenbrand and Jessica Beck, contain pieces I would not only wear, I want them right now. Hildenbrand's take on Steam Punk is both approachable and edgy while Beck's romantic pieces makes nods to vintage attire seamlessly modern. 

Both collections are still in the conceptual stages, but we should all fasten our seat belts for when the real thing hits the runway. 

Bravo, ladies. 

Bill Cunningham New York opens in Indy Friday, GO SEE IT

Photo courtesy of Zeitgeist Films

It's possible you've never seen Bill Cunningham's "On the Street" page in the Sunday Style section. It's possible you don't read The New York Times, which would be reasonable if you don't live in New York. It's also possible you don't care about fashion, which would be unreasonable if you're reading this blog.

However, even if all of the above statements are true, you should still go see Bill Cunningham New York, which will be at the Keystone Art Cinema for a week, starting Friday. (June 24)

Simply put, Cunningham is a guy who rides his old Schwinn around NYC, taking pictures of what people are wearing. You don't have to be famous to be in his picture, and you certainly don't have to be rich. You just have to be stylish and different. He's not a clothes snob and he'd never dream of telling people what they should be wearing, he only tells us what people are wearing.

"A lot of people have taste, but they don’t have the daring to be creative," he said. 


Long before there was The Sartorialist, who's garnered more than a little celebrity off of his street style photography, there was Cunningham, who wears a blue smock and a plastic poncho to take pictures between $3 lunches.

Playful clarinet music accompanies his sprite-like movements as he hops over a puddle, his poncho billowing after him, or circles a group of women, photographing their shoes. The film is a fitting testament to this man's delightful existence. 

If you have the slightest interest in people, in fashion, in New York, in film, in art, please do yourself a favor and see this film. By the end, you'll care for Cunningham as deeply as those interviewed for the documentary; individuals who range from drag queens to Vogue editor Anna Wintour.

Show times for this Friday are 2:00, 5:00, 7:00 and 9:10 at the Landmark Keystone Art Cinema in the Fashion Mall.

**Members of the Indianapolis Museum of Art Affiliate Group Fashion Arts Society will be attending the 7 p.m. show on Friday, and gathering at the theater for pre-show mingling at 6 p.m. Join in on the fun!

Design a bag for Bags2Riches

Have you ever fancied yourself a handbag designer? Now's your chance to shine, and for a good cause! Design a bag for Trusted Mentors' Bag2Riches event, and you could be selected to win $500, furnished by IndySwank and Aesthetic Design Style. Proceeds from the event benefit Trusted Mentors.

Read the flyer above for details, or visit bags2richesindy.org

What I Wore is giving away 10 books!

illustration via whatiwore.tumblr.com

Bloomington-based personal style darling Jessica Quirk's newly-minted book is due out on shelves in just two weeks! To celebrate, she's giving away 10 copies of What I Wore: Four Seasons, One Closet, Endless Recipes for Personal Style, plus one fashion illustration depicting one lucky winner. It'll look something like this, only more like you:

illustration via whatiwore.tumblr.com

To enter: REBLOG or REPOST this giveaway on your site and link back to Jessica's contest page. (If you don’t have a blog, you can e-mail whatiworebook(at)gmail.com your pre-order receipt as well.) You must enter the link to your post in the comment section (so she can find you!)

Contest Ends July 12, 2011 11:59 EST. Official rules here. 

Good luck everyone!

Frankey's is closing :(

The ever-growing Indianapolis retail death toll has claimed one more.

Local boutique, Frankey's, announced via Twitter today that it will be closing its Broad Ripple location on June 30. The Nora location closed earlier this year.

The boutique, known for carrying edgy brands like Geren Ford, Robert Rodriguez and Elizabeth & James, began its eight-year reign at its Nora location and later expanded to Broad Ripple.

Frankey's, I'm going to miss you even though I couldn't afford you in the first place, which is why I'm already saving up for the going-outta-biz sale.  The beautiful Elizabeth & James tux jacket I scored at the Nora sale is one of my favorite pieces of clothing.

Seriously ladies, you'll want to be there. Sale dates have not been announced yet, but stay tuned....

Best bet this weekend: Antique Market in Battle Ground, Ind.

Logo via Hot House Market

There are few things I love in this world more than antique-ing (namely clothes and fancy cheese), so naturally I'm hitting up the Shoup House Summer Tea Party tomorrow in Battle Ground, Ind.

Photo via Shoup House Website

A vertiable antiques destination in its own right, Shoup house is home to a treasure trove year-round. But once every summer, the shop opens its front lawn to local artisans and vendors.

Among them, Hot House Market, one of my favorite Indiana sources from antiques and vintage. Not only does the Lafayette-based husband-and-wife duo sell cool stuff, they're cool people. Among their cool activities: Regular travel to the Brooklyn Flea to sell their wares.

The deets:

Shoup House

100 N Winans St.

Battle Ground, IN

Saturday, June 18th 

10 am ~ 5 pm

Hot House Market has a blog, too. You should check it out. 

Zoobilation: black tie optional?

Photo courtesy of Patron Social Club

As I strode down the red carpet, flanked by my two besties, cameras flashing, I thought to myself, "this is the greatest gala in Indianapolis." And after spending several hours sampling local food and drink at the Zoo's annual fundraiser, Zoobilation, I'm still positive that's true. If only everyone would dress appropriately.

Sure, the only animals I saw on the Zoo grounds were two ice tigers in the Indiana Live! tent and this fellow:

but somehow all the, well, jubilation, made up for the lack of wildlife sightings.

I came with my cellphone camera at the ready, itching to document what Indy's rich and famous wear to the more fabulous event of the year. And yet, not one ensemble warranted I snap that little button. Instead of a menagerie of designer gowns curated from Chicago and New York, the crowd was rife with little satin numbers from places like Macy's. On top of that, guests to the $250-per-ticket affair apparently take the black tie dress code as a suggestion, because I saw a number of sundresses and even one woman wearing shorts.

Call me old-fashioned, but a women has nary a reason these days to don an evening gown and look her finest. Surely dusting off the sequins once a year isn't too much to ask? After all, most men suffered the 90-degree heat in tuxes and bow ties! Ladies, please, let's not be shown up by something as straightforward as a penguin suit. No offense, gentlemen, you looked fabulous.

Yes, I realize this event is outdoors, and involves a lot of walking, and the novelty of wearing flip-flops with formal wear seems to delight Hoosiers to no end. Great! Wear those flippies! But would it kill you to wear something killer from the ankles up?

Disclaimer: There's no humanly possible way I could have observed every guest at this enormous event. If you were wearing something awesome, or photographed someone who was, please post a photo in the comments!

Also worth mentioning:  As a reminder that fashion is mercilessly subjective, myself and my above-photographed besties were voted worst dressed by this woman--------->
who said on her blog we looked like Fergie's daughters.

Does that mean we're...Fergalicious?! I sure hope so.

Indy Fashion Time is good for the soul

Yes, I know this event happened over a week ago. That makes me a naughty little blogger. And really, I have no good excuse for taking a little vacation from the ol' H in the H, except that I've been tired.

Boo hoo, right? Well, I'm back.

And I have things to say.

By newspaper standards, Indy Fashion Time is old news, as it didn't take place today or yesterday. But by Indianapolis' standards, it's completely fresh, not to mention relevant.

Was the opening evening on the canal a perfect event? No. Were the clothes flawless? Not really. But was the show had heart, and organizer Dlang Ferguson is very intuitive when it comes to her audience. For example, it's early summer and the weather is breathtakingly beautiful. Therefore she had her launch event at one of the city's more valuable (and most underused) assets: the downtown canal.

Myself and a few friends laid out a picnic blanket, poured the wine and watched a spring fashion show as it should be watched; outdoors. The setting allowed for conversation about the styles parading by, not to mention open socialization and hearty laughter.

I'd like to congratulate Ferguson on a job very well done. Wherever there's fashion and room enough for a picnic, I shall certainly be there.

All photos by Marc McCoy.