sundance

It’s a Wrap — See you in November.

I will admit that I am feeling extra sentimental lately. Yes, because ALL ON THE LINE wrapped its first season but it’s also most likely because I spoke at the commencement ceremonies of the Fashion Institute of Technology, my alma mater, recently. At the graduation festivities I concluded with the turning of the tassels and my parting words of inspiration, motivation and passion. Or at least I hope I did. I told the class of 2011, this was not the end of school. No, in fact, the learning will continue — for the rest of their lives. And I’m speaking from experience. Life education doesn’t end when the instructors have packed their papers and gone home. No, instead, their methods and reasoning will hopefully live on in everything you do. I wasn’t inspired by every instructor I ever had, but the ones that did affect me, stayed with me.

And in some ways, my personal success is a testament to them.

Cut to the AOTL designers.

Sundance Channel Sews Up Another Season of Joe Zee Fashion Series ALL ON THE LINE

BEGINNING NOVEMBER 2011

Original Series Starring Creative Director of Elle Joe Zee

Will Conclude its First Season on May 24^th

New York, May 24, 2011 – Sundance Channel announced the renewal of ALL ON THE LINE, the fashion-rescue series starring Creative Director of ELLE Joe Zee. The series wraps its first run on Tuesday, May 24^th at 10:00PM ET/PT.

Since the series premiered in March, Sundance Channel has exposed viewers to the always intense and not so glamorous, behind-the-scenes world of fashion designing. Behind the glamour of the red carpet are tears, hard work and passionate designers struggling to shine in a world of hopefuls. In the second season, Zee will be faced with the daunting task of working with a new group of designers with the same problem; a glitch in their design or business that is putting them at risk of losing it all. He hopes to encourage designers to stay true to their vision, while recognizing when their design or business plan is standing in the way of their commercial success. Feeling like experts in their own right, not all of the designers will be up for the challenge of accepting Zee’s constructive criticism, causing tension and sparking emotion.

Sundance Channel EVP and GM Sarah Barnett commented, “ALL ON THE LINE stands out among fashion programs because it’s based in the real world, with real stakes and real results. Viewers have embraced this authenticity, are enamored with the unpretentious fashion genius Joe Zee and look forward to seeing him back in action.”

Don’t Miss Your Chance at this $2,500 Gift Certificate!

The season finale of ALL ON THE LINE airs May 24th at 10p! Don’t miss your chance to vote for your favorite designer for a chance to win a $2,500 gift certificate from Rent the Runway. Click here to check out each designer’s collection and register for your chance to win. The designer with the [...]

Episode Recap – Julia Alarcon – Too Pricey for Nordstrom

I said it to Dana-Maxx, I said it to Leila Shams, and I said it to Julia Alarcon. There will always be something special about a woman designer designing for other women. There’s that innate, intangible quality of understanding what exactly another woman wants. With Julia, I felt she had a double advantage. She also – after starting Act 2 as a designer in her 40′s – had the advantage of her maturity.

Julia wasn’t a kid figuring out her life. Sure, she shared a lot of the same woes (freshly graduated, struggling to keep her business afloat, building accounts) but she was never wishy-washy in her approach. Her life was mapped out; she knew exactly what she should be doing and designing was it. This was a quality I would come to admire greatly in her but be equally frustrated by at the same time. She was so aware of what she wanted her collection to be, what it should cost (most of the time, too much), and who should wear it. Even during the times we disagreed, Julia, always courteous and polite, stood by her designs and her convictions.

Which may not have had quite outcome I had hoped for.

It’s Like a Weird Freaky Friday Moment. Tonight at 10p.

In an effort to not date myself, one of my all-time favorite movies is the Mike Nichols-directed WORKING GIRL with Sigourney Weaver and Melanie Griffith. For me, it reeked of all the right elements: money, power, New York skyscrapers, sharp dialogue, good humor, strong women. It was all about big furs, big breaks and big perms and I loved it.

My favorite scene (duh! of course!) was when Tess McGill (Melanie’s character) had the run of Katherine Parker’s (Sigourney) closet after assuming her identity. The minute she threw open those closet doors you could smell the authority. There it all was: a lady in charge as embodied by a closet full of chic gowns, lush furs, immaculately tailored pantsuits and pencil skirts. You wanted to rummage and try everything on as much as Tess did because like Tess, these weren’t just clothes. No, it was more than that. It was the symbol of that ultimate chic working woman.

Episode Recap – Leila Shams – Slutty vs. Sexy

I was not kidding when I told Leila Shams that the difference between slutty and sexy is three more inches on her dress. In the world of fashion, those three inches can mean a completely different customer, a different store and ultimately, a different type of business. In her heart, Leila knew exactly what I was talking about.

Leila was a designer who designed for herself. This became quite evident to me during our time together (heels were her sneakers and minis were her comfort clothes!) and that philosophy of design usually works for me, except when you need to expand. Despite any of my initial impressions of Leila when we first met, she’s actually a very hard-working, bright girl and even under all her funny moments (ace bandages!) I knew she had talent. Talent that could make her stand out – if she could just elevate her sensibility.

And I’m so glad that happened and the items that Intermix responded to was exactly the direction I was pushing Leila towards. That hammered satin green dress was a good catalyst to the beginning of a quieter, chicer Leila. While the dress wasn’t perfect, it was a great start.

Overcoming Visual Insanity. Tonight at 10p.

Keith Pollock, who you see every week, is an old-friend and a trusted cohort of mine, who generally has no trouble telling me exactly how he feels about my work. If I style a story that looks a bit lackluster, he won’t mince his words. Same said for something he likes. He’s been so familiar [...]

Episode Recap – Jedda-Kahn – Selling Out or Selling Smart

During the course of ALL ON THE LINE, many people constantly ask me what the most common problem among all the different designers were and while each one had very different issues, the most unifying thread – no pun intended – was arguably, finding that perfect marriage of art and commerce.

Of course, whenever I explain this, the one designer that comes to my mind is always Jeddah-Kahn. This is, of course, not a problem unique to him but a struggle constantly battled by all designers. Jeddah-Kahn was just the one designer that would, at times, drive me to the brink of frustration battling this point. I admired him for not wanting to give in but at times, as you saw on this week’s episode, we would wind up talking in circles, sometimes to a resolve and sometimes not.

You Can’t Fight Destiny. Tonight at 10p.

There are many triggers that usually helps peak my interest with designers I’ve yet to discover. It can be anything from a unique name to innovative designs to a brilliant a-ha marketing idea that I wish I had thought of or just something as simple as their backstory.

With Jeddah-Kahn Blue, I will admit I was intrigued by that name but more so, it was when I discovered that he came from a long line of tailors and dressmakers. But it’s important to note that he wasn’t designing to get into the family business; contrary, he was designing clothes because he knew that was his destiny. There’s something quite admirable about it.

Episode Recap – Dana-Maxx – They’ll Be Watching

This was clearly not my favorite part of this week’s episode: Dana-Maxx not getting an immediate pick-up by Bergdorf Goodman. But the silver lining in this week’s episode is exactly what I had explained to her right after our presentation to Linda Fargo: That Bergdorfs may not have committed to the collection this season, but Dana-Maxx is now in a better position. She has the eye now of one of the most powerful Fashion Directors in the business.

Huffington Post calls ALL ON THE LINE “A Must-See Show”

Fashion journalist Blue Carreon loves reality shows — especially ALL ON THE LINE. Find out why he thinks you should be watching: What All On The Line does is give another dimension to the fashion industry. Zee lifts the veil of glamor often associated with fashion designers — especially in an age when many kids [...]

It’s Time to Grow Up! Tonight at 10p.

I am always intrigued by up-and-coming designers who have worked under major designers with strong, distinct styles. Case in point: Dana-Maxx, who peaked my interest for this week’s episode when I heard she had once done stints at Betsey Johnson and Marc Jacobs, two top-of-the-game designers with unique but very different sensibilities. I find designer apprenticeships extremely interesting because I am always curious to see how much of their former employer’s voice they actually retain, or in some cases if any at all. Some new designers can take several seasons to wipe that ingrained training out of their own DNA while others can find smart new ways to adapt it into their own work.

Episode Recap – Gemma Kahng – “I was misty-eyed!”

I think the interesting case here with Gemma wasn’t necessarily so much what she was going to learn from ME, but what she had hopefully also learned from her own past experiences. Gemma is by far the most mature and most successful of all the designers featured on ALL ON THE LINE, which can be an advantage and a disadvantage. Yes, she had the experience and know-how of making it happen again but the disadvantage laid in trying to make that happen in a very fickle and unforgiving industry. An industry she was trying so hard to impress once again.

There’s no denying that the fashion industry is always chasing what’s new and what’s next and not necessarily looking for what’s yesterday or once upon a time. She would need to jump that very hurdle and start being seen as relevant, welcomed and most of all, important again in the eyes of the fashion world. This would be my biggest challenge yet.

Bring on the A-List. Tonight at 10p.

Deciding to work with Gemma Kahng was a no-brainer. She was, in my mind, a creative fashion force that may have dimmed over the last decade or so, but had the potential to shine bright again. This wasn’t just an assumption; it was a fact.

You see, Gemma had already tasted the success I try so hard to help the designers attain each week.

I met Gemma Kahng back in the early 1990′s when I was just starting out as an assistant for Polly Mellen at Allure magazine. Gemma was one of those names that were always tossed out whenever Mrs. Mellen was conceptualizing her shoots and needed clothing called in. This was commonly heard at her run-throughs: “What about those incredibly chic suits from Gemma, Joe?”

Obedient, I would head up to Gemma’s headquarters at 550 7th Ave — a landmark garment district building that houses the showrooms of only A-list designers, among them Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan and Oscar de la Renta. Gemma’s vast showroom there would have plenty of staff buzzing about and racks and racks of her new collections. She was the game back then.

In those days, Gemma was everywhere. I remember seeing her clothes make the cover of Vogue worn by supermodel Christy Turlington and a year later, it would be a butt-exposing jumpsuit worn by Madonna in the pages of Vanity Fair. And her clothes would fill the floorspace of every major department store from Bergdorf Goodman to Bloomingdale’s. To say Gemma was successful back then is selling her short.

Then one day it all just disappeared.