Photo from the Barlow Spring 2010 LOOKBOOK
If you know me, you know I identify as a New Yorker with a certain sensibility and think L.A. fashion is a bit oxymoronic. Which is why I also love when I’m proved wrong. Designer Raquel Allegra opened me up to LA style last year, and this year I’ve discovered Barlow a new collection by Molly Girard Coonan. It’s tough, sexy and playful all at once. Some of it reminds me of early Daryl K (which is a good thing in my book) and it all feels imminently wearable on either coast…or somewhere in between! I asked Molly about her new collection and her thoughts on LA vs NYC..
The conception of Barlow stems from the friendship between designer Molly Girard Coonan, and muse Alice Barlow. Like their friendship, BARLOW is the dichotomy of “tomboy and vixen”, “sex and geometry”, “his and hers”, “avant-grade and traditional”. They are inspired by the unexpected, and find humor in everything, from marshmallow peeps to Bayside High.
My Q+A with Molly
What was the inspiration for this collection?
Chino biker, power 90′s and future parka
How would you define your collection?
Cool sportswear. Some cozy, some sporty, some sexy.
You used to design for Cynthia Vincent and also worked with menswear designer Andrew Buckler. –What’s the biggest change now that you design your own collection?
I don’t get edited.
How did designing menswear inform your current collection?
New shapes, details, construction
Your press bio says that Alice Barlow is your muse. What does that mean exactly?
She amuses me. hahaha she is able to be cool and unpretentious all at the same time.
What are you currently reading/watching/listening to?
**the lovely bones
**you tube music videos, Current TV’s Vanguard, Food Inc.
**Kleerup, the new Jay-Z and Rihanna albums, The XX, Miike Snow, Dead Mans Bones, Mayer Hawthorne
You’re in LA but were in NYC before. How do you see the difference in fashion/style on the 2 coasts?
**NYC- Comfort reins above sexy. You can’t as easily prance around in 4 inch stilettos and valet to your favorite club. Even fancy people have to do a lot of walking.
** LA- I’m still trying to figure it out. Lots of different styles- similarly to all the different architecture you see jammed into one neighborhood- confusing and interesting
Where do you like to go out in LA? In NYC?
LA- Music shows. People get into it and spaces are bigger.
NY- Beatrice. people danced on tables and didn’t care how dirty the floor was. Chinatown. Brooklyn always.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever given or received?
Own it.
WHERE TO GET IT
Barlow will arrive in stores worldwide this January including Fred Segal, Harvey Nichols Hong Kong, shopbop.com and more.
All photos from the Barlow Spring 2010 LOOKBOOK
