@ FASHION WEEK WITH THE FORMER ASSISTANTS...

Ian MacKintosh

Director Robert Jason

Diana Wright Milkowski

backstage filming at Academy of Art University Student Show

We started filming for the EMPRESS of FASHION documentary on Friday night. It was a great way to start off filming -- interviewing my former co-workers from Eleanor Lambert Limited.

Coming to work each day was inspiring and exciting... I often say that we knew we were living history working for a legend like Miss Lambert. It was a very exciting time in all our lives -- we were all young, adventurous and our careers in New York were just beginning! For me, it was an honor to work with Ian Mackintosh and Diana Wright. It stuck us all that here we were at New York Fashion Week for the Spring/Summer 2011 shows speaking about our former boss who created the first Fashion Week in 1943!

Ian now works for the Academy of Art University of San Francisco -- they put on an incredible student show each season at New York Fashion Week and Diana Wright Milkowski is always right there alongside him making sure things go smoothly. Diana has written an incredibly funny book... details forthcoming upon approval by Diana!

Many times when we worked together back in the 1990s.... (gulp!) we would say... "Someone should tell Miss Lambert's incredible story..." So it was not lost on any of us that finally... we have begun to tell it -- and what better way than by those of us who worked with her every single day and learned her story firsthand!

I could never have started this project without the support of Ian and Diana who are truly magnificent people -- they are both funny and intelligent, smart and driven, and I am proud to say - my incredible friends -- they are a lot like Eleanor Lambert!

For additional photos from Friday's show, become a fan of EMPRESS of FASHION on Facebook by clicking here...

A very special thank you to our friend Robin Marchant for being part of our production team on Friday night and capturing the amazing images above! Thank you Robin! Log on to Robin's website to see more of her incredible work: www.robinmarchant.com

A special thanks to the entire Brainchild Films Production crew... Director Robert Jason, Sebastian Piras, Sulay Gonzalez and Lidia Jimenez-Vilabella!

HEAR HOW NY FASHION WEEK STARTED... LITERALLY!!

Eleanor Lambert

World War II helped turn the spotlight on American designers when Paris fashion was not available. Eleanor Lambert saw the absence of French couture as the perfect opportunity to organize American designers (many of whom, including Charles James, Adrian, and Claire McCardell, were among her clients) and start New York Press Week, a twice-yearly showing of designer collections for press and buyers and the model for what is now New York Fashion Week. Via Press Week, Lambert strengthened the American position in fashion and elevated American designers to a level at which their names were recognized and they could finally vie with French couture for attention. She gave American fashion credibility. Listen to this incredible audio -- The whole piece is AMAZING! Miss Lambert comes in around the three minute mark. The actual audio of Miss Lambert was recorded in 1943!!! AMAZING!

What a GREAT way to start off the Spring/Summer 2011 shows... NEW YORK FASHION WEEK has started... game on!

Special Thanks to: WNYC 93.9 FM for audio & Conde Nast Archive Blog

THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT....

HAPPY 107th BIRTHDAY ELEANOR LAMBERT!

Today I have a big announcement to make... I have been excited to share the news for a few days now but strangely enough... everything did not fall into place officially until just a few hours ago... right before the clock ticked to August 10th which is Miss Lambert's 107th birthday! For those of you new to the EMPRESS of FASHION blog, scroll down and read the very first post and learn all about Miss Lambert's belief in the number 7....

I have been working to produce an online documentary that will give an in-depth look at the incredible life of Eleanor Lambert and today I am excited to announce that the Eleanor Lambert: Empress of Fashion pilot episode has been funded! We immediately start pre-production this week and will be filming during New York Fashion Week this September!

I want to thank Lidia Jimenez-Vilabella for kindly underwriting our initial pilot! Muchas Gracias Lidia!

In the days and weeks to follow I will be introducing you to the whole team - that is the Brainchild Films production team -- headed up by award-winning director Robert Jason. The team and their list of projects and awards is truly impressive -- but more importantly they share my incredible passion to tell Miss Lambert's story.

In the next few days I will be posting the preview trailer of the project, so keep checking back! And as always, I look forward to your comments and feedback!!

I would also like to thank my friend Andy Morris for suggesting that I blog and of course Eleanor Lambert who showed me that persistence does pay off. Unfortunately, Andy and Miss Lambert never met, but I am sure she would have approved of his advice as well as his chic art-filled offices!

UNDERSTANDING TODAY

Eleanor Lambert and John Tiffany, photo by Patrick McMullan

If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday.

-Pearl Buck

When my brother Thomas saw this picture, he told me that he really admired the fact that I moved to New York City and worked for "that lady with the turban." Later on, he told me he was impressed and inspired that I had done something I really wanted to do in my life - which was to work in fashion. I told him that one of the things I also really wanted to do was create a film project that would capture Eleanor Lambert, her life, and all of her accomplishments. He thought it was a great idea and said he hoped I would do it, I promised I would. This was the last conversation I had with Tom before he died on this day nine years ago.

Today, this project of telling the story of Eleanor Lambert has grown into a few big pieces. Not only is there the Empress of Fashion blog, but I am also in the process of producing a documentary and book on her incredible life. The response lately has been incredible!

I would just like to say THANK YOU to everyone who has logged on, sent emails, become fans of this blog, the FaceBook and the Twitter this first week! I hope you will continue to share this blog with your friends and come back in the days, weeks and months ahead as more will be shared and revealed...