Fashion Funhouse Emporium

An Exclusive Fashion Funhouse Emporium Two Part  Interview:
David Blond, one half of the Spectacular Design Duo, The Blonds
By Amber Stolec

Photo Courtesy of Mao Public Relations

PART 2

David and Phillip Blond know how to put on a runway show, design for the stars, and can make anything sparkle. But what do you know about them? Along with finding out what happens when the two sit down to create, I wanted to find out what they do on a day off, what they wear and what it really means to be "blond."

If you had to wear one designer for the rest of your life, who would it be? You cant pick yourself.

Oh, God, I can’t pick myself? [laughs] Tom Ford is my staple. He is, to me, just it. It’s pretty much my uniform. Anything he’s ever done, whether it’s been with his own label, Gucci, Yves St. Laurent, it’s my look: the blazer, the button down and the black trousers.

I can’t speak for Phillipe though. He wears so many different things. Though he loves the Christian Louboutin shoe. That’s his staple! It’s funny, we are both kind of inspired by shoes, in particular high heels. Its something we both love. We both have a shoe fetish. He loves wearing them and I have fun seeing him wear them. It’s a match made in heaven, if you will.

My sister and I are both natural blonds. We've both been dying our hair red for years. Is that blasphemy?

No! No! I love that! Phillipe and I are both Hispanic and we have dark hair and we both dye our hair blond.  What we are trying to say with The Blonds is that it’s a state of mind. You don’t have to be blond to be “blond.” Its about having fun. We want to inspire people to use fashion as an escape. Fashion is like a legal form of a crutch or drug. It makes you high, it makes you giddy and it makes you feel beautiful when you are wearing something you like. Don’t be afraid to try different fashions. Everything is temporary.  It’s the quickest, simplest, and easiest way to have fun. If you put on a sequin scarf, or skirt, its something that will make you smile and make other people smile too.

Everyone has some sort of pet peeve. What is yours?

Mine would be a lack of creativity, just a lack of glamour. It’s someone being totally disinterested with what they look like. I know were not supposed to focus on the outside. It’s a big no-no, to look at the outside. But, fashion is so important because we live with it everyday. It’s an extension of you and what you are like on the inside as well.

I don't like tracksuits!

No. I totally get the tracksuits, though there should be a little twist there, something to make it look interesting. Like looking dirty on purpose, like Kate Moss. You know a lot of work went into that hair, but it looks dirty as hell!

Let’s say you have a day off. What do you do?

We rarely have time off, but when we do, sometimes we do movie marathons. We’re really into films. If it’s nice out we’re out walking around. I love New York because you can do anything at almost any time.

One of my favorite things to do this summer, a friend and I joined a community garden on 6th Street between B and C. It’s tiny but its really beautiful. I swear to you, walking in is like walking into Alice in Wonderland. It’s so insane! A morning ritual has been to get our coffee, take our dog [a Chinese Crested named Bijou] and go there. It’s a decompression.

This is not David and Phillipe's dog...but its the breed. Theirs may have a blond streak and spiked collar.

Betty White of the Golden Girls, recently took the media by storm with her appearance on SNL. What would you design for Betty if she approached you?

I love Betty White along with everyone else. I would make something for her in a minute, no questions asked. I would do whatever she asked for! I don’t think she’d be able to handle one of our metal corsets, but I’m sure we could cinch her a little bit and pull off a Marlene Dietrich look if she wanted it…or a Pavé pantsuit, and since its Betty White, we’d make it all white. She’d look amazing in that.

From The Blonds first collection in 2008. Photo: theblondsnewyork.com

So there you have it. David and Phillipe Blond will be around for a long time, making the world a happy, shiner place through fashion.

Betty White's people, get in touch with David and Phillipe's people. Lets do this!

What inspires The Blonds? Read more here.

Credits: Be Cool! Please do not re-post or republish any portion of this copyrighted interview or photos without crediting and linking back to the author, Amber Stolec, the website, Fashion Funhouse Emporium, and the photos to Mao Public Relations.

A special thank you to Matt at Mao.  Best of Luck on your travels! And a HUGE thank you to David Blond for being an awesome, sweet and inspiring interview. So much so, I made it two parts!!

An Exclusive Fashion Funhouse Emporium Two Part  Interview:

David Blond, one half of the Spectacular Design Duo, The Blonds

By Amber Stolec

Photo by Mike Ruiz, courtesy of Mao Public Relations

PART 1

Phillip and David Blond of The Blonds have been creating in-your-face spectacular designs since 2008. Yet some still describe the two as "up and coming." But, they are already "there." After all, they've dressed the biggest A-list celebrities:  Britney Spears, Christina Augilera, Fergie, Rihanna, Debbie Harry, Dita von Teese, Katy Perry.  And most recently, some of their designs can be found on Carrie and Samantha in the upcoming movie "Sex and the City 2."

I was at your Fall 2010 New York Fashion Week show. I have to say, it was the most fun and energetic show of the season that I saw. The crowd was just crazy! I loved the cricket noises playing when I walked in!

Yes, the crickets! [laughs] We wanted to relax everyone to a point they were so serene that when the show started, it would be this huge impact. Mr. Wilson DJ did the soundtrack. He’s done the music for shows like Gucci and YSL He does the music for all of our shows.

Your shows remind me more of European runway and couture. Do you consider yourselves more of fashion designers, couturiers or costumers?

We feel like a show is a “show". I feel like we actually are beyond the idea that buyers are coming to shows just to purchase from the runway. They go to designers after the shows and do it there. Buyers just don’t do that anymore.

Basically the whole fun of the show is to be able to add creativity, and to be able to express yourself in front of an audience. We are a combination of all these different things: designers, couturiers, costumers. We don’t like to box ourselves in with labels though. I think that’s where it can be cut short and limit creativity. If we said we just did evening or club wear, or evening gowns, that’s when it stunts ideas. It becomes cumbersome or suffocating.

You've designed for everyone from Britney and Christina, Rhianna, Debbie Harry, Fergie. What inspires you?Tell me about what goes on when you're asked to make a design.

The core of our inspiration comes from film and music, and women in general. We [Both Phillip and David] like that old Hollywood glamour mixed with a modern edge. It’s very much a showgirl aesthetic, not like traditional Vegas, but with an impact and individual flair.

For instance, Katy Perry is coming out with her next album. The theme is kind of this candy, rollerskating, fun in the California sun vibe. This is where she comes in. We listen to her, we do sketches, work with the stylist—her’s is Johnny Wujek. We take all of that into consideration so we can make the entire package. Then it’s always the artist that brings the garment alive.

What is in the works for The Blonds right now?

For Katy Perry’s new album release, we are doing a bunch of things. Rihanna will be wearing some of our new stuff coming soon. We’re still working with Fergie on her tour. And we’ve always been a huge fan of Kylie Minogue and she actually came into the showroom recently. We were invited to her concert and got to meet her. We thought we’d never see her again. One day we got a call to get to the showroom because Kylie was coming in. We dropped everything and ran over. She is so beautiful, like a little fairy. You can’t take her eyes off her. She ordered pieces and then she disappeared. Sigh.

Are you currently working on RTW? Can you give me the low down? There’s a lot of interest in Carrie Bradshaw’s embellished jeans from “Sex in the City 2."

What we do right now is all made to order. We work with each client individually. At this point though, we’d probably work our way into fragrance and accessories. Maybe after that there is a possibility that we might do ready to wear, maybe a line of party dress, or even other types of collaborations. Hopefully that will be coming soon!

The“Carrie” jeans, unfortunately you can’t buy them in a store. We’ve had a couple of calls for them, but I keep telling people that they are made-to-order. They have to wait about two to six weeks to get even a piece like that made. People want instant gratification though!

Phillipe started out as a M.A.C. Makeup artist and freelance fashion Illustrator and you did displays and windows for Macy’s and Saks Fifth Avenue, but how did you begin to design?

We met ten years ago, out one night and we hit it off. We didn’t start really working together until a few years after. We were always creating things, clothes for ourselves and clothes for friends. It wasn’t really until Pat Field suggested that we make a few things for her store that we even considered thinking about making a line. It was always in the back of my mind.  Phillipe was always interested in doing it. I took a year off my job to help Phillipe get started doing his own thing, but working with him made me realize it was something that I wanted to do as well. We officially launched the line in 2008 with our show. We did a few things before then, but it was more like working out the bugs, making pieces here and there. Some of it was kind of scary...you have to polish the penny!

Read more on The Blonds Fall 2010 fashion.

Check out The Blonds fashion video lookbook starring Phillipe Blond and directed by Fashion Photographer, Mike Ruiz!

Credits: Be Cool! Please do not re-post or republish any portion of this copyrighted interview or photos without crediting and linking back to the author, Amber Stolec, the website, Fashion Funhouse Emporium, and the photos to Mao Public Relations and Mike Ruiz Photography.

A special thank you to Matt at Mao.  Best of Luck on your travels! And a HUGE thank you to David Blond for being an awesome, sweet and inspiring interview. So much so, I made it two parts!!

New York Fashion Week: Fall 2010

Designer: The Blondes

Your  mall-shopping cousin from the mid-west may not know of The Blonds. But if you are, say, um....Brintey Spears, Rihanna, Fergie, Beyonce, Katy Perry, Christina Augilerra or Dita Von Teese, not only have you heard of the bleached top duo, you've worn their creations.

Phillipe and David Blond are the design team behind the label that is synonymous with the flamboyant and over the top glam.  They started their label around 2004 with their specialty being hand made intricate corsets (which can take 4-8 weeks to create) and evening gowns. Though, they may not rule out the idea of creating ready to wear.

Colors

Is shiny a color?

Loved Looks

I planned on having fashion week off to go to shows and cover for this blog. But as it goes in the world of freelance stylist assisting, when I get called to work I must go.  I was dead tired after a good ol' 10 hour day of picking up garment bags, emailing press requests, and packing trunks but there was no way I would skip out on seeing The Blonds.

I knew to expect painstakingly embellished works of art worn on the body. Phillipe and David Blond delivered...and then some.

The collection was inspired by a cult movie called The Lair of the White Worm.

The show started off with Phillipe, incognito. In a gorilla suit. Burlesque-style strip tease.

Photo via Zimbo

Photo via Zimbo

Photos via The Blonds Facebook. Become a Fan!

Unloved Looks

One could argue that The Blondes are costume designers rather than fashion designers.  To me however, The Blondes are  true haute couturiers, which seems to be missing from fashion design in America. But, I can't say there were looks I didn't love. Were there designs I wouldn't wear? Yes, however, you're reading the words of a girl who wore knee boots, a t-shirt and jeans and enjoyed lurking quietly in the back row at a show and crowd of endless creativity. Would I love to own a studded corset hand-made by the design duo? Shit yea. It could just live on a mannequin in my office where I could look at it and be inspired.

I think the "fashion" world needs to pay more attention to The Blonds, since they, and designers like them are where it all begins.

Music

F*cking crickets as show -goers entered the venue. Awesome. You could actually hear instructions given to the models on  how they should walk...like "hard." If you own a white noise machine, then you own a piece of The Blonds show soundtrack.  When the show started, in came the club music featuring sounds like "Have Mercy on Us" by the Bloody Beetroots

People and Scene

Drag Queens galore such as Amanda Lepore in all her Jessica Rabbit come to life glory. A guy in Swarovski crystal Mickey Mouse ears, another in pink football shoulder pads over top a sequin shirt--to summarize anyone that had a hot glue gun. The usual famous eccentrics showed up front row such as Miss Jay Alexander, Jay Manuel, Patricia Field and her fire red hair, and Adam Lambert wearing The Blonds claw glove.  I spotted a dude in just every day clothes (khakis and a button down) exiting the show. What a freak! The crowd was anyone who wanted to look and those who wanted to be looked at.

The energy was intense. It was the way you'd hope a fashion show would be. At the end of the show the entire audience gave the designers a well deserved standing ovation. I can't say that I've ever seen such a response in my three years of attending shows.

To Gift or Not to Gift

I laughed out loud at the stripping Gorilla. What more can I ask for to end my New York Fashion Week Fall 2010 adventures.