MAD ABOUT DAD:
FATHER'S DAY GIFTS
When you were little, he took you
fishing. And tucked you in at night. A little later in life, he
embarrassed you in public. And scared your dates off. He’s your dad,
your own personal Superman, so get shopping. Father's Day is June 20.
Bowtie
or no tie.
Located on Chicago's West Haddon Avenue, Bird Dog Bay specializes
in whimsical ties, especially the bowtie, which BDB may have
single-handedly revived in Chicago.
SHOP:
Bird Dog Bay,
$48 for a bowtie. ("Big Five," shown here, is one of many funky but
somehow still classic patterns available).
Change
agent.
For the green dad, Trees For A Change replaces trees that have
been destroyed by wildfire or disease, using your donation.
FASHION WORD WIKI
Expand your fashion IQ with our
monthly(ish) vocabulary word.
Knife
pleats: You’re probably most familiar with
the classic, vertical knife pleats seen on a cheerleader’s uniform or
bag-piper’s kilt. They were also popular on 16th century petticoats, you
will recall.
When it comes to design details, we like to shake
things up, so we've used the pleating technique horizontally here, on
the back pocket of our Martha’s Vineyard Pant.
Why we love them: Knife pleats add interest without
adding bulk, since they don’t jut out from their gathering point.
ABOUT US
Crescendo
Apparel, designed to fit and flatter women with small waists and
full hips, is sold in studio, via trunk shows and at private events.
To shop our collection or find out more, call us at
888.215.0270. Through the month of May, you'll enjoy a 15% discount off
your first Crescendo order. Just mention the eZine discount.
Shown above, Crescendo model Vikki in our Kayla Pant
(Finally, a white pant that lengthens your lines!). We've paired it here
with our Zen tank in cobalt.
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Kathryn McKechnie, Crescendo's Founder and
President
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Welcome to the May issue of
Crescendo's eZine. We have a great read in store for you, and I mean
that literally. In "The Haute Reader," we present our favorite summer books about
fashion and style. In fact, we have so many
hard-to-put-down picks that this issue marks the first in a two-part
series on summer fashion reads.
It's one thing to read about fashion and style, another
thing entirely to pull it off, what with all that can go wrong.
Deodorant leaves white marks, bra straps wander and sweaters snag.
So we've compiled a list of the best quick fixes for fashion emergencies.
Each is economical and, in at least one case, high on the glycemic
index: Did you know that rubbing white bread on a deodorant mark will
remove that chalky residue? Strange. True. Read on.
We also checked in with designer/consultant Jane
Hamill, who helps
fashion designers run profitable businesses. She's
turning MFA's (or MFA-types) into MBA's by teaching them business
strategies they didn't learn in art class. But you don't have to be a
designer to benefit; Hamill's ideas apply to any creative entrepreneur
who seeks to sharpen her business chops.
Finally, Father's Day is coming up. Our gift guide for pop,
left, has something for every dad: green dad, DIY dad, and good,
old-fashioned, necktie-wearing dad. (A bowtie, like the one we found,
gives that typical father's day gift an atypical twist. Literally.)
Enjoy the issue.
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FASHION EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS!
CHANNEL YOUR INNER MACGYVER
Death, taxes and fashion emergencies: These are the certainties of
life. If you own pantyhose, in other words, they will run. If static
exists (and indeed it does), it will cling. And if you find yourself
mournfully late for a career-making appointment, you can expect your
fashion emergency to strike right then and there.
The way around such untimeliness: Make like MacGyver and
improvise. In our careers, we've diverted all manner of fashion mishaps
with miscellaneous items like double-sided tape and Band-Aids®. We've gathered our
favorite fixes (some are old standards; others will be new) and present
them to you in this stockpile of solutions.
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Let's face it. Brilliant designers
aren't always bottom-line "quant" people. Enter consultant Jane Hamill,
whose strategies for fashion entrepreneurs apply to all creative
entrepreneurs who break out in hives at the sound of "P&L
statement." (Or they would if they knew what that meant.)
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TURNING MFA'S INTO MBA'S
In 1992, designer Jane Hamill launched her wildly
successful, eponymous line of women’s dresses and sportswear. She
carried the line in her own Chicago boutique, also called Jane Hamill,
and in stores like Marshall Field's and Saks until 2007, when she sold
the business. Cha-ching.
Instead of establishing permanent residence on a Monte
Carlo beach chair, Hamill took up teaching at
Columbia College, where she remains an adjunct faculty member, and
started a consultancy to help fashion retailers manage inventory, cash
flow and other business minutiae.
Now, she’s bringing her accumulated wisdom to designers
specifically. In this new branch of her consultancy, she works
with designers who want to (or already have) launched their own clothing
lines.
The premise? Being a visionary designer does not
necessarily mean you'll be a great businessperson. And that's okay. You
can't learn to be visionary, but you certainly can learn QuickBooks.
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THE HAUTE READER
It's summer reading season. To make sure your fashion IQ
doesn't melt during the hottest months of the year, we’ve compiled a
two-part series of some of the most entertaining, informative,
fashion-centric page-turners on the shelves. You'll find how-to guides,
tell-all tales and coffee-table books that inspire.
This tome delivers total retro glamour via Norman Parkinson’s
photography, dating from 1930's Britain. Why he matters: Parkinson was
among the first to shoot models outside of the (yawn) studio, setting up
editorial fashion shoots in down-at-the-heels, working class
neighborhoods. Which was marvelously scandalous, love. ($43.55,
hardcover)
A thorough, yet still surprisingly readable take on the
politically empowering aspects of Marie Antoinette’s fashion choices.
Whatever her reputation, this queen controlled her image down to the
last detail. ($11.56, paperback)
A hilarious, honest guide about how to use fashion (and
particularly shoes) to divine the truth about your date. ($12.95,
paperback)
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Give your living room a dash of
London brio, with this compendium of imagery shot by British fashion
photographer and pioneer Norman Parkinson.
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DID
SOMEONE SAY FREE CLOTHES?
Have you sent in your Crescendo Woman Competition entry
yet? We're giving away a free Crescendo outfit, plus a one-hour
consultation with a wardrobe stylist. Learn more.
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