• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Wendy Brandes Jewelry Blog

Never Is the Next New Thing

  • HOME
  • SHOP
  • ABOUT
  • FAQ
  • CONTACT

Designers Speaking Their Minds, and Me at Melina Bee

April 23, 2013 by WendyB

I enjoyed Isabel Marant’s interview with Telegraph Fashion last month. The French designer, whose wedge sneakers kickstarted the fashion sneaker trend last year, let her many imitators have it:

“Everybody who has the wrong one looks quite bitchy, very vulgar, when mine are not at all.”

I’m not 100% sure what it means to look “quite bitchy,” but I love the way she let her own inner bitch out.

marant

Isabel Marant sneakers. $640. Available at Net-a-Porter.

Some people responded online by pointing out that Marant didn’t invent wedge sneakers. Of course she didn’t! They’ve been around for decades. But it was Marant’s particular interpretation of the style, seen on the likes of Beyonce and Alicia Keys, that breathed new life into the concept at this particular point in time. Other folks complained that her sneakers were too expensive. I guess Marant is like the honey badger. She don’t care!

Shortly after that, Stephen Burrows — a groundbreaking African-American designer whose ’70s work is iconic  — spoke his mind to WWD, while he was preparing for a museum retrospective of his work. About celebrity designers, he said:

“They come up and just die. There are all these celebrity lines and in 200 days they’re gone. Meanwhile, someone else who does design can’t get going. The word ‘designer’ is so loosely used today.“

I appreciated his frankness, as well as his awareness of the challenges faced by new, non-celebrity designers. I thought, “I would like to let loose and say some of the shit that I’ve been thinking too.” Then the gorgeous Melina Bee came along and asked for an interview, so I told her what’s been bugging me of late. I also gave her a beauty tip and two lipstick recommendations. I’m bitchy AND helpful.

READ THE INTERVIEW HERE.

You might also like
Throwback Thursday: Old Interviews
A Fashion Playlist for My First YouTube-a-Versary
Vintage Moschino Picks of the Day

Filed Under: designers, interview, rants

Previous Post: « What Wendy Wore: The Crazy-Leg Boots Again
Next Post: The Fader, Trinidad James & Fashion Blogger Gangsta Boo »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mary Panjari says

    April 24, 2013 at 9:17 am

    And awesome! I have the IM ankle boots whatever the fuck they are called. Can’t remember, was so obsessed I had to have them. Cheapest construction,horrid everything for the price >> 500 au. Fuck off! Falling rapidly, what a wank.

    • WendyB says

      April 24, 2013 at 10:56 am

      No way! That sucks.

  2. fashion tidbits says

    April 24, 2013 at 1:40 pm

    LOL. what ms. marant said is pretty funny

    • WendyB says

      April 24, 2013 at 1:41 pm

      I was amused!

  3. stacy says

    April 25, 2013 at 7:19 pm

    You go Isabel!!

    • WendyB says

      April 25, 2013 at 10:43 pm

      The French are not afraid to be snobs.

  4. Brie says

    June 11, 2013 at 2:14 am

    I am just commenting because I had to say… my anti-spam word is “HATE YOU”.

    I found this amusing.

    • WendyB says

      June 11, 2013 at 2:21 am

      I must have been having a bad day.

Primary Sidebar

MEET WENDY BRANDES

Award-winning designer of fine jewelry inspired by women's history and pop culture. A former journalist who writes about jewelry, fashion, medieval history, news, feminism, dogs, cats and whatever else is on her mind. Blogging since 2007.
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

ARCHIVES

CATEGORIES

Facebook Pagelike Widget

POPULAR TOPICS

NEWSLETTER

Subscribe for Email updates.
* indicates required

Original jewelry designs, photos and text are © Wendy Brandes 2007-2016. All rights reserved.

© 2016 · FOODIE PRO THEME COPYRIGHT BY · SHAY BOCKS GENESIS FRAMEWORK · BUILT ON THE WORDPRESS