Aptos natives Kate and Laura Mulleavy have won this year’s fashion equivalent of the Academy Award for Best Picture.
The sisters, who design in Pasadena under the label Rodarte, won the prestigious Womenswear designer of the year prize for 2009, presented by the Council of Fashion Designers of America last week.
Rodarte is primarily known for its ethereal gowns and couture-level details. The intricate floral appliqués on the dresses and the color combinations of the knitwear have made the expensive label popular with celebrities and magazine fashion directors and photographers.
In just three years, the Mulleavys have attracted the kind of global fashion following among high-end retailers that usually takes decades to build. Winning the top prize is even more significant given the competition: The other two nominees were Marc Jacobs and Narciso Rodriguez.
The awards are given by the CFDA membership, comprised of fashion designers and select fashion retailers, press and stylists.
Malls finding new ways to draw customers: The profitability of malls has been mauled by the downturn, with many shopping centers reporting vacancy rates approaching 10 percent or more, reports Women’s Wear Daily.
So mall developers are becoming more aggressive, staging concerts and offering classes, cupcakes and other incentives to boost traffic and help retailers stand out in challenging times.
There’s even thought of U.S. malls going the way of their Australian counterparts and attaching grocery stores.
Malls are also utilizing social networking as a way to drive traffic and boost sales. Silicon Valley’s Santana Row was among the first to use Twitter and Facebook. The Macerich Co., one of the nation’s largest shopping center owners with 70 sites, including in Capitola and Carmel, is also tweeting and using Facebook.
The Simon Property Group, the country’s largest mall developer and owner of Stanford Shopping Center, is in the midst of staging Simon Fashion Now, a series of runway shows and makeup demos. So far, it’s in five cities, but Palo Alto isn’t among them just yet, a spokesman said.
Every item in the show can be bought, and all price points will be represented. The company says it considers its fashion focus a way to recast its malls as community centers, as well as the place to find the latest fashions.
As shopping weakens, sales per square foot in non-anchor mall apparel stores in January 2009 dropped to $314 from $346 in 2008 and $371 in 2007.
Music festival at Santana Row: The French international music festival known as Fête de la Musique will be celebrated at Santana Row from 1 to 9 p.m. today.
It’s the first time the Silicon Valley shopping and dining complex is hosting the free event, produced in partnership with the French American Cultural Society and San Jose Jazz. It will feature world-class French and Franco-American performers, as well as top Bay Area musicians performing on four outdoor stages.
Fête de la Musique (The Music Celebration) started in France in 1982 and has caught on in more than 500 cities in 100 countries. It takes place each year at the summer solstice.
Among the artists performing at Santana Row will be platinum-selling French soul and R&B star Tété and French singer-songwriter Eric John Kaiser. Local musicians set to perform include Fear and Fancy, Danny Hull and Kurt Anderson, the San Jose Jazz Youth Latin Ensemble, San Jose Jazz Youth Orchestra, Jerry Snyder, and The Algorhythms.
For information and performance schedule, visit SantanaRow.com.
Contact Donna Kato at dkato@mercurynews.com.
