Jonathan Simkhai

Jonathan Simkhai Review | Fashion Week Fall 2013 
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Jonathan Simkhai Fall 2013

Jonathan Simkhai may have made his New York Fashion Week debut just last season, but he's already been generating quite a bit of buzz.
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Jonathan Simkhai may have made his New York Fashion Week debut just last season, but he's already been generating quite a bit of buzz. And if the crowd — which included several notable fashion directors and stylists — at his Fall 2013 presentation at Milk on Saturday evening is any indication, that excitement doesn't seem to be in danger of dying down any time soon.

Not that it should. Simkhai — a member of this year's CFDA incubator program — seems to know exactly what kind of clothes his cool downtown customer wants, and he excels at creating edgy-but-easy separates that could easily make up a whole wardrobe. This season, those pieces include a structured cocoon coat made from panels of navy wool and checked tweed, a quilted leather bomber, a black leather sweatshirt with checkered intarsia sleeves, and asymmetrically ruffled taffeta skirts. Also in the mix were custom oxfords, flatforms, and booties created specially for Simkhai by Shoes of Prey; in black, white, and navy they complemented the offering perfectly.

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Jonathan Simkhai Spring 2013 Collection and Interview
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60 Seconds With Our Designer Crush: Jonathan Simkhai

He may not be a household name yet, but we'd recommend committing Jonathan Simkhai's name to memory.
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He may not be a household name yet, but we'd recommend committing Jonathan Simkhai's name to memory. Just one look at his latest collection and it's pretty obvious: the guy knows what he's doing, and we're all the luckier for it. Since launching his own label in 2010, the New York-born-and-raised fashion designer has quickly mastered the art of boy-meets-girl chic. Since age 14, he's been exposed to the fashion industry in some capacity, first assisting in a clothing store and sharpening his buyer skills, then studying at both Parsons and FIT. And now, you can find his eponymous wares in Barneys.

For Spring '13, his collection showed off ultrafeminine silhouettes streamlined against more traditional menswear-tailoring techniques. Example: a floral-printed wide-leg trouser gave way to something that was both structural and sweet. And did we mention it just oozed California cool, too? It's hard to put our finger on just one thing we love about Jonathan, and maybe that's because there's too much to chose from. Get to know Jonathan Simkhai in 60 seconds, including his design inspiration, the things he never expected to experience, and the celebs he'd most love to see wearing his clothes — it's all here.

  • On the things he never expected since starting his own label: I never expected to see some of my favorite fashion icons in my clothes. When Drew Barrymore wore one of my dresses to her engagement party, I was thrilled. And I still get goosebumps when I see my clothes at Barneys.
  • On who his fashion icons are right now: Taylor Tomasi Hill and Jayne Min of STOP IT RIGHT NOW.

Read on for his Spring '13 inspiration, dream clientele, and more.

Eva Chen Replaced by Elaine Welteroth at Teen Vogue
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Eva Chen's Replacement, Rachel Zoe's Underwear, and Gap's New Ads

Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.
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Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

  • It's official: Eva Chen is out as beauty and health director at Teen Vogue. She officially resigned in August and will be replaced by Glamour's senior beauty editor Elaine Welteroth effective Oct. 15. [Fashionista]

  • Jonathan Simkhai says he got his start as a designer because one of his girlfriends kept borrowing — and then not returning — his clothing. "There was a void in the market for menswear-inspired designer stuff, so I told her, 'I'll make a collection of clothes for you, and I'll get my stuff back,'" he said. [Teen Vogue]

  • Rachel Zoe now has an underwear collection to go underneath all those bishop-sleeved blouses. Zoe partnered with Jockey on a capsule collection of shapewear and underwear. [WWD]

  • The Gap became the first retailer to place ads on the front of New York City MetroCards this week. The cards, which tout the brand's Fall offerings, also act as a 30 percent off coupon. [The Huffington Post]

  • That's Sir Richest Man in France to you. LVMH chief Bernard Arnault will be made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. [The Daily Telegraph]

  • There's a reason the last pair of sunglasses you purchased were so expensive: one company, the Italian firm Luxottica, has a near dominance in the field, owning or manufacturing many of the world's best-known brands of sunglasses. [60 Minutes]

Photo: Elaine Welteroth in front of the the Yves Saint Laurent Beauté counter at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Jonathan Simkhai Spring 2013 | Runway
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Jonathan Simkhai Spring 2013

It was a laid-back tableau of Cali cool that met visitors to Jonathan Simkhai's Spring 2013 presentation at Milk Studios.
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Jonathan Simkhai Spring 2013 | Runway

It was a laid-back tableau of Cali cool that met visitors to Jonathan Simkhai's Spring 2013 presentation at Milk Studios. The designer took his inspiration from the '70s-era Venice Beach surfers that, thanks to massive droughts and low tides, were forced to take up skateboarding in Los Angeles's waterless pools. Thus Simkhai's models posed on steps stenciled with "no diving" and wore iridescent mirrored shades. There was even a shirtless surfer-skater model dude standing in the corner.

But even if Simkhai's inspiration was straight out of the West Coast, these were clothes that would also work quite nicely on the streets of New York; for every sunset hue or palm tree print, there was a downtown jacket or slouchy top in cool, slick leather.

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Designers Share Their First Fashion Week Experiences
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Designers Spill: Their Very First Times at Fashion Week

"At the time, I thought I was in the chicest place in the universe," said Peter Som of his first time at New York Fashion Week as a Parsons student.
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Designers Share Their First Fashion Week Experiences

"At the time, I thought I was in the chicest place in the universe," said Peter Som of his first time at New York Fashion Week as a Parsons student. In honor of that impending chicness, we spoke with him and others — veterans and newcomers alike — to hear the experiences of their first shows, their most memorable moments, and how they plan to recover after the madness of the week is over.

Pamela Love remembers being nervous the first time Anna Wintour attended one of her shows (who wouldn't be?), and Chris Benz told us about his very own House of Style moment at Marc Jacobs's Spring 2002 show. We also heard tales from Rebecca Minkoff, Rachel Comey, Yigal Azrouel, Jenni Kayne, and many others. Read on for a look at their most memorable Fashion Week moments — and find out who was so starstruck by Chloe Sevigny that they offered to let her skip the bathroom line — here, in the gallery.

— Reporting by Christina Pérez

Peter Som Pamela Love Wes Gordon Rachel Comey Chris Benz Lisa Salzer of Lulu Frost Yigal Azrouel
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