Third Wave Fashion

Fashion Icon Friday: Elle Macpherson

Her nickname is “The Body,” and rightfully so. Elle Macpherson is still one of the most stunning women in modeling and entertainment. Born Eleanor Nancy Gow, this Australian lingerie goddess did not stop at the photo shoots, she has gone on to be the founder and creative force behind a number of business ventures.

Her rise to fame began in New York City when she signed with Click Model Management, which helped her land the covers of Elle (how fitting), GQ, Vogue, and Playboy. Eventually her body gained her superstardom when she first appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s annual Swimsuit Issue in the 80s. She helped mold a new outlook on supermodels by catapulting their image to celebrity.

Today, you’ll find her overlooking her businesses, which include a lingerie collection, Elle Macpherson Intimates, and a number of TV series, that includes NBC’s hit show, Fashion Star.

Fashion Icon Friday: Erin Wasson

It’s 1997 and a polaroid of “this skinny girl, all legs and short, curly hair” comes across the desk of Tammy Theis, then staffer at Fashion!Dallas and today co-founder of Wallflower Management.  This was the picture of current supermodel bombshell, Erin Wasson, and because we’re all about Texas this week, we’re giving an extra special shout out to the beauty from down south.  

She was born and raised in Irving, Texas and found superstardom in her mid-teens with campaigns for J.Crew, Tiffany & Co. Rolex, William Rast, and Michael Kors, amongst others.  She even followed in the timeless footsteps of the greats before her and modeled for Max Factor.  Still early in her career, there isn’t much to say about the blonde sex symbol, but one thing’s clear: she’s here to stay, expanding her career now into the film industry where she appeared as Vadoma in the 2012 horror flick, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.  So we’ll be watching, and for now, we’re giving her all the credit in the world to become the icon we know she will be.

Got a little bit more time?  Check out this piece from the Esquire video series, Waking Up Next to a Beautiful Woman: Erin Wasson.

Fashion Icon Friday: Suzy Parker

Known for her carrot red hair and pale green eyes, Suzy Parker nearly missed her chance at super stardom.  The younger sister of renowned top model, Dorian Leigh, Suzy only met with Eileen and Jerry Ford (of Ford Modeling Agency) because Dorian arranged the meeting.  

Before agreeing to go to Ford, Dorian phoned in to the agency and said that she would only sign with them if her little sister was brought on as well.  And in an anxious move to secure Dorian, they agreed to include Suzy in the deal without even seeing her.  To their pleasant surprise Suzy was not only a bombshell, but her good looks and hard work made her more famous than her beautiful older sister.

At the age of 15 Suzy appeared in Life magazine and would go on to be in a campaign for DeRosa Jewelry, she would become the face of Coco Chanel, as well as be featured in the pages of Vogue, Elle, and advertisements for Max Factor, and Revlon.  She was the first model to earn $200 per hour and $100,000 per year — a true achievement of the time.  Parker would also be in such films as Kiss Them For me, opposite Cary Grant, and Funny Faces with Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire.  Suzy also did not hesitate to venture into the silver screen acting in The Twilight Zone, and Tarzan amongst others.  

With a career that spanned nearly two decades, Suzy Parker not only made a name for herself but ensured that her legacy would live on.  Her achievements combined pushed her into the fine pages of the fashion history books and today we regard her as a true symbol and icon.

Fashion Icon Friday: Natalie Wood

Probably best known for her role in West Side Story as Juliet like character, Maria, Natalie Wood got our attention because of her known tirelessness and the innate ability to make audiences fall in love with her characters time and time again.

Wood made her film debut in 1943 at the age of about 7 years old after she was discovered by director, Irving Pichel and immediately garnered the attention of Hollywood and the world.  Little did America know that she would have a career that spanned 40 years catapulting her to the top of the entertainment industry’s food chain. Other titles she’s best known for include Tomorrow is Forever, Miracle on 34th Street, Rebel Without a Cause (where she co-starred alongside another fashion icon in his own right, James Dean), The Searchers, and The Great Gatsby.  Because of her talent, fame, and fortune she was able to surround herself with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Christopher Walken and even the infamous Rock Hudson.

Today, Natalie Wood lives on through her daughter, Courtney Wagner, and the dreams and aspirations of young, rising stars.  Katy Perry, for one, recently told People Style Watch that Natalie Wood is one of her fashion icons because she’s one of the few women in Hollywood that was able to “adapt and evolve and change.”

Tech Crush Thursday: Matt Edelman

This week we’re crushing on Matt Edelman, the CEO of Glossi. We were lucky enough to meet Matt at the recent IFB conference, as well as watch a presentation of the publishing platform.

Glossi allows users to create their own online magazines, essentially cutting out the need for an editor in chief. Like Tumblr, Glossi offers everyone a chance to be his/her own content organizer, but instead of scrolling vertically, Glossi offers the experience of opening a magazine and “flipping” the pages by mouse or swipe.

Edelman has said the company offers a seamless interpretation of the traditional magazine layout onto a digital platform. The best part about Glossi, however, is you don’t have to be a big brand or retailer to use the technology. Individuals can upload images, music, videos and text into folders, then page-by-page drag and drop into a format of choice, and essentially write and edit their own publications.

Although Glossi was just introduced in late 2012, Matt Edelman is certainly not new to the publishing industry. Prior to Glossi, Matt ran the Publishing and Business Development groups at a premier mobile games and publisher, as well as acted as the Vice President (and part of the founding team) of Marvel Studios. Matt has also served as a business parter and advisor to retail, media and entertainment brands including Nordstrom, Gap, JCrew, Nike, Lucky Magazine, Seventeen Magazine, and MTV, to name a few.

With great success thus far, Glossi is set to introduce new applications and features throughout 2013. So far, we like what we see. Current publishers on Glossi include DKNY PR Girl, Nine West, ThreadSence, fashion blog On the Racks, and so many more.