The ideeli Scoop with Audrey Schilt

Ever wanted to take a peek behind the scenes at the workings of the fashion industry? (And we don’t mean following Anna Wintour around with a camera!) Artist and designer Audrey Schilt has worked alongside such legends as Halston and Ralph Lauren, collaborating on and helping to create timeless pieces over the course of an impressive career. Her one-of-a-kind sketches (shop our sale here), drawn during her time at RL, are themselves works of art. We asked her what it’s like to work with fashion legends, dress the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Roberts, and how she got her amazing start.

Your first big break was working with Halston. How did that come about?
I walked around with my portfolio for 8 months before FIT [The Fashion Institute of Technology] sent me out on a freelance assignment for Halston! I was asked to sketch 85 hats at $1 each within one week. I finished everything on time, but Halston kept adding his ideas to the pile. He made change after change and, in the end, he didn’t want me to finish. So he decided to make a job for me. I started at $85 per week, and that changed the course of my career. Halston opened every door for me. He took me to Europe, took me to parties, introduced me to the famous people of that time—Jackie O, Diana Vreeland, Salvador Dali, Bette Davis—I was young and naive and thought this happened to everyone! All I wanted to do was have fun. It was only later in life that I realized the opportunities he gave me. He was truly my first and most important mentor.

How does the fact that you're also a designer influence your sketches?
When I started my career as an illustrator, I had to learn that there was little room for artistic license when the designer you are working for wants his vision translated. You sketch what is already designed and made. Illustrators interpret the design, but they do not create it. I create the design and then illustrate it. But most importantly, by knowing how to make clothes as well as illustrate them, I know that whatever I put down on paper can be made. I think about whether the design will sell and where someone would wear it. I know how to direct the pattern maker on how to expedite my sketch ideas and make the garment.

Was this what you eventually wanted to do when you attended FIT?
The first time I went to FIT I was training to be a fashion illustrator, not a designer. I started off doing ads for Bergdorf Goodman, but after 8 years the work became scarce. Even though things were tough for illustrators, it wasn’t until I started working with Halston on his very first women’s collection that I started to think more about design than illustration. I started to feel limited as my emphasis on the art did not balance with the mechanics of knowing how to make the garment. So I went back to FIT and took courses in pattern making and draping. That led me to change my focus to design.

Each designer's sketch has a unique flavor—the body positioning, the attitude, the way it's shaded. What's your particular style?
I think of myself as a purist. I can’t accept anything less than an accurate drawing in my sketch. I stress movement in my figure even if it’s standing still … it has to look relaxed in the pose; nothing is forced or over-exaggerated. The pose has to be modern, young and sexy but not overt. Often I will add my signature shadow to add to the drama. It all has to look easy, interesting and visually exciting. Just as you would want the design outcome to be.

What was the collaborative process like working with Ralph Lauren?
The collaborative process with Ralph was excellent. We connected on all the necessary levels, including aesthetics, taste, silhouette, sensuality and color sense. I knew how to design clothes before joining Ralph Lauren, but learning to design clothing in the lifestyle Ralph created pushed me to new limits. Ralph was my lifestyle mentor. I credit him for teaching me to become a complete designer.

The iconic pink dress Gwyneth Paltrow wore at the 1999 Oscars was a collaboration between you and Lauren. What's it like to see one of your creations in such a high-profile setting?
It was like winning the Academy Award! It was so exciting to be a part of that process. It’s nice that the dress is still being discussed today. I have the original sketch and fabric samples framed in my studio.

Learn more about Audrey on her site, AudreySchilt.com.

Gwyneth Paltrow At Adolfo Dominguez

Here is a head scratcher, why is Madrid Fashion Week colliding with London Fashion Week? Anyway, Gwyneth Paltrow attended the  Adolfo Dominguez show earlier today in Madrid. We are happy to report Ms Paltrow had an excellent style day, she looked stunning. Maybe it's because of all the advice she might be receiving from former Fashion Director, and now Contributing Editor of Vanity Fair, Elizabeth Saltzman.  Paltrow's Goop Newsletter tapped Saltzman for her favorite fall fashion trends this week.  Anywho, we find the photo above to be very interesting. What were all these ladies thinking when the photo was taken?

Alba & Paltrow Auction Items For Charity

Celebrity mothers Jessica Alba and Gwyneth Paltrow (aka GOOP editor in chief)  have donated auction packages to raise money for Johnson's No More Tears Clean Water Initiative. Proceeds from the items currently on ebay, will be used to provide clean drinking water to people without it.  Paltrow is offering a fitness package with her pilates trainer, Tracy Anderson (who also trains Madonna).  Alba is donating an assortment of goodies for highbrow mommies including  strollers, diaper bag packages, and a rain coat ensemble. So do good, bid to win!

Valentino,“The Last Emperor”

Thanks to ideeli’s fabulous PR Director, a few of us could attend the star studded premiere for the Valentino documentary “The Last Emperor,” at the MoMA Museum last night. Celebs in attendance included: Anne Hathaway, Gwyneth Paltrow, Claire Danes, Padma Lakshmi, Martha Stewart,  Helena Christiansen, Rachel Roy, and Michael Stipe.

The film focuses on the spirited relationship between the very tan Valentino and his long time lover and business partner Giancarlo Giammetti. Mr. Giammetti, who sat right behind us with Anne Hathaway at the premiere,  has been the business mastermind behind Valentino’s fashion empire, valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars for the last 45 years.  The film celebrates their “marriage” of art, commerce, and friendship. It is a touching film that even manages to portray Karl Lagerfeld  in a very endearing light. Valentino, retired from designing for his label after a no-holds-barred party in Rome that is featured in the documentary.

You can catch Valentino making a rare TV appearance on the Martha Stewart talk show, “Martha” on Friday March 21. “The Last Emperor” opens today, March 18th, in limited release around the country.