Monday, February 4, 2013

SNOW FALLS IN SAN FRANCISCO: 4th Annual “Snow” Fashion Show Showcases Six Bay Area Designers



SAN FRANCISCO, CA February 2, 2013 - San Francisco and New York share something more than $3,000.00/mo. studio apartments and carless denizens: Snow.  Yet, the snow that fell on San Francisco this past weekend falls but once a year, and for it the city’s fashion conscious donned their finest white apparel and settled into an all white venue for a fashion show featuring all white designs.



“Snow: A White Fashion Event,” now in its fourth year, was organized and presented by the San Francisco Bay Area Fashion Network, a trade association dedicated to promoting the business of fashion in the Bay Area. Snow brought together the talents of six noted San Francisco designers: Cari Borja, Jake Wall, Julie Schindler, Cana Klebanoff, Neide Hall, and Joseph Domingo.   



Setting the tone for the evening was Cari Borja, who sent bare-shouldered models draped in gowns of flowing, white ruffles down the runway. Borja’s style encapsulated delicate femininity while hinting at some unspoken, underlying edge. Jake for Artful Gentleman - bespoke craftsmen - selected sharp, tailored shirts, slacks, and vests evoking nostalgia to a time when everyone wore suits. ( Think Justin Timberlake in his and Jay Z’s Single “Suit and Tie,” but in all white.)  Neide Hall’s swimwear showing was a fresh take on one- and two-piece classic designs; the beautiful and bare-it-all cuts left little to the imagination for the fashionista bold enough to wear them.  Cana Klebanoff anchored his line with modern, structured jackets suitable for work and weekend. As with much of this young designer’s work, the pieces made a statement without being overdone.  Across the showings, winter's cool was the evening’s theme, while subtle individuality was the norm.

Finally, Joseph Domingo closed the evening, presenting couture pieces with luxe feather accents and beading details.  Domingo’s eye for classic beauty melded with modern aesthetics to delight the audience with a-line hems amidst clear, plastic capelets. The resulting white gowns were gaze freezing and put a fine point on the night’s festivities.

Over the past four years, Snow has grown in popularity and come to epitomize the vibrancy of the San Francisco fashion community—a community that feeds off of the same spirit of creativity and innovation as the city's startup entrepreneurs in bringing about “the next great thing.”  Indeed, the venue itself was a testament to this; SNOW’s producers turned Cowden Automotive - Shipley Street’s local auto repair garage - into an ice-white fashion runway befitting a Chelsea studio loft.  

Y’Anad Burrell, founder and creative director of Fashion On The Square, the largest and longest-running fashion show on the West Coast, captured this sentiment: “Snow 4 is one of the most amazing experiences of a fashion show in San Francisco. Joseph Domingo’s vision of creating the San Francisco Bay Area Fashion Network was genius and it has proven to be an great addition to the fashion industry.”  Meanwhile, Laurie J. Wright, Sponsorship Coordinator for Snow, beamed, “I’m already looking forward to Snow 5.”  Given the growing popularity of the event, she surely is not the only San Franciscan eagerly awaiting the next snowfall.

Anna Katz, Esq.
Lord Bertram Law Corporation, Associate


About Lord Bertram P.C. 

     Lord Bertram is a California law practice servicing the Fashion and Creative industries with a focus in the Law of Fashion and Design and Entertainment law. The firm maintains a select, accomplished client base consisting of artists, designers, film and music producers, authors, models, and creative entrepreneurs.  Lord Bertram goes beyond strictly legal work to offer clients business & strategy consulting, and ongoing support.  Founded in 2009 in San Francisco, the firm provides services to clients throughout California.  

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Rising Star Designer DIERDRE WALLACE’s deeFind Shoes Enjoy Success: Winning SF RAW Awards, Featured on “BASKETBALL WIVES,” and in STEVIE BOI’s Show During New York Fashion Week


SAN FRANCISCO, CA December 4, 2012 - Local fashion designer Dierdre Wallace has much to be happy about this holiday season. Not only has her young shoe label, deeFind Shoes, performed strongly in its debut freshman season, but Wallace’s bold designs have received attention from national designers like Stevie Boi, who having learned of Wallace through celebrity stylist Joe Exclusive out of Los Angeles, invited Wallace to New York Fashion Week where his models adorned the statement-making heels in his show “54.”

Most recently, deeFind won the San Francisco RAW Awards for Best Accessories Fashion Designer of The Year. She was in the company of other notable artists and designers, including Antonette Streeter for Photography, Eleonore Santos for Fashion Design, and Ashley Bell for Visual Arts. Wallace states she was humbled to win it, acknowledging the wealth of accessories design talent in the San Francisco Bay Area. She attributes the win to dedication and hard work. “When you put your heart, sweat and tears into your passion, receiving an award like this is extremely inspiring,” says Wallace. “It keeps you focused on what you’re trying to achieve and fuels your desire, continuing your hunger to work even harder to make your dreams your reality.”

And Wallace’s dreams have made it all the way to the Reality Television airwaves. deeFind has been featured on VH-1’s Basketball Wives of Los Angeles, worn by Gloria Govan and Brooke Bailey. Wallace was thrilled to see her shoes adorned by the opinionated and fashion forward ladies. As to how she felt when friends called her to congratulate, she merely states “I was in total disbelief.” Yet despite her recent success, the young designer remains humble. “I felt such an extreme gratitude to have been gifted with these opportunities,” says Wallace regarding these accomplishments.   

Wallace shows no signs of slowing down. Despite the positive attention, she strives to hold true to her brand’s meaning: “empowering and encouraging women to define themselves by stepping into their identity.” Wallace feels that it is important that “women be empowered by a ferocious thirst, and never hold back.” This ethos is embodied in the sophomore season of the brand debuting in 2013. Forward samples freshly unboxed from the small Portugal manufacturer evidence new takes on her already successful designs. “It shows my growth and potential,” says Wallace as she holds one of the new designs for our inspection ( though we had to promise to be tight lipped until the debut ). “As an artist you are always growing and refining your skills, reflecting on what works, and what doesn't.”

            Fortunately for Wallace, there isn’t much that doesn’t work for her brand. She intends to expand upon her past successes by producing a limited run of tank tops  ( “for the ladies” ) and a couple of “fabulous” tote bags.  After all, someone needs to produce accessories fans find fierce enough to match their deeFind heels.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

LADY GAGA Wears IIMUAHII Dress by ELENA SLIVNYAK, Lord Bertram Client & Project Runway Contestant, at Her London FAME Premiere



     SAN FRANCISCO, CA October 10, 2012 - Bay Area based designer Elena Slivnyak awoke on Tuesday morning to find a personal fashion life ambition fulfilled – and the news came to her via a tweet.  In a posting from “@GagaFashion,” she happened across a blurb about Mother Monster (the moniker Gaga fans attribute to Lady Gaga) and a tea party hosted by the multi platinum selling singer and songwriter at Harrod’s department store in London. But it wasn’t until Ms. Slivnyak read what she was wearing that the morning became once in a lifetime memorable.

     “I screamed out so loud that it scared my poor boyfriend awake,” said Ms. Slivnyak upon reading that Lady Gaga had worn her label, IIMUAHII. “I could not stop shaking for an hour,” continued an elated Ms. Slivnyak, “I called my mom and best friend to tell them the good news.” 

     Lady Gaga wore the “Domini” dress from IIMUAHII’s Fall 2012 Collection. Inspired by the bold, yet elegant, contours of a fencing suit, the all black dress is as unconventional and fashion forward as Slivnyak herself. Unlike many up and coming designers based in the traditional fashion capitals of New York and Los Angeles, Ms. Slivnyak decided to base her IIMUAHII brand out of San Francisco. An alumna of FIDM and the Academy of Art University, her talents as a designer were quickly appreciated, eventually landing her a spot in this current season ten of Project Runway where she advanced to the final six contestants.

     “I always thought that Lady Gaga was the perfect person for IIMUAHII and always considered her one of my muses, ” says Ms. Slivnyak. When asked what she would say to Lady Gaga for choosing to wear IIMUAHII, she said she would tell her “Thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting a black sheep like me.”

     Far from a black sheep, Ms. Slivnyak has experienced a wave of popularity and attention after being eliminated from Project Runway at a point fans considered premature.  Selected as "fan favorite" based on audience online voting, many expected her to win the competition outright.  Elena has not let it slow her down and is turning her attention to the future.  She has signed with the San Francisco fashion law firm Lord Bertram, PC and is using their legal and business resources to maximize the fashion and entertainment opportunities coming her way.  

     “Elena is a phenomenal talent,” said Brad Carrick, a partner at Lord Bertram, PC. “It is fair to expect that we will be hearing much more about IIMUAHII in the coming year”


About Lord Bertram P.C. 

     Lord Bertram is a California law practice servicing the creative industry with a focus in Entertainment Law and the Law of Fashion and Design. Exercising proficiency in intellectual property, company formation and negotiation of complex contracts, the firm maintains a select, accomplished client base consisting of artists, designers, film and music producers, authors, models, and creative entrepreneurs.  Lord Bertram goes beyond strictly legal work to offer clients business & strategy consulting, and ongoing support.  Founded in 2009 in San Francisco, the firm provides services to clients throughout California.  

Contact:

Gregory B. Lemmons, Esq.     Gregory@lordbertram.com 
(213) 453 - 9380

J. Brad Carrick, Esq., MBA     Brad@lordbertram.com

(415) 986 - 7131

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Our Mission


      Lord Bertram was founded to be the preeminent Entertainment, Fashion & Design law firm and business consultancy in California.  Our purpose is to enable creative artists and designers to do what they do best – create.  We are here to work alongside our clients and assist them with navigating the complex business and legal matters necessary for them to succeed and make their dreams reality. 

     We believe that the fashion community in California, and in the San Francisco Bay Area in particular, is underrepresented and could be elevated to a more vibrant and internationally prominent position.  In order to achieve this potential, we must work together and in mutual support whenever possible.  We must combine our wealth of diverse talent, technology, resources, education and energy.  Lord Bertram is here to fill a void in the area of tailored legal and business professional services for our shared community.  We are honored, and excited, to be at your service.

Your success is just our style.