Woman’s Wear Daily (WWD) Fashion Director Alex Badia chats trends, film and top dressed celebrities in this exclusive.
Newport Beach Fashionistas got a treat on Saturday having the chance to hear from Woman’s Wear Daily (WWD) Fashion Director Alex Badia where he chatted about everything from new trends, celebrities to his favorite fashion movies. Cherrese Pentella the PR manager for Neiman Marcus managed to chat with Alex about his days following fashion week in Paris before needing to get on the next flight back to New York with a bag full of negatives, through to the impact social media has on fashion today.
1. Trends to look out for:
With the speed of consumer habits, Alex stated “we have really moved into a season-less type fashion market, with fans creating a constant conversation with what they want”. This means it’s totally acceptable to break some rules these days with what we are wearing. Alex states “who cares if you wear white after Labor Day anymore?” So; with that in mind, he did point out that that the 80’s resurgence is set to stay right where it is, with lots of sequins and plaid “sequins are like bubbles; they just make life better” he laughed. He also mentioned the importance of knowing your own style and feeling ok with fashion having no boundaries; and that those bright yellows and oranges were also here to stay.
2. Fav films
Trying to answer the question about the top fashion film which impacted him; was a really difficult question for Alex to answer. He mentioned “it really depends what my focus is on at that particular time” when he is talking to young millennials he tells them they “they have to watch Perfect” as there are so many perfect elements in the film related to fashion, but then he said the same goes for Staying Alive and Jane Fonda videos. He did mention that growing up loved film director Pedro Almodóvar, specifically in the way he used color and mixing of patterns as well as the make-up. Aex stated “he had a big impact on the way I see color and even mix patterns and prints”. He went on to mention other top highlights; Alfred Hitchcock, Catch A Thief and of course Audrey Hepburn with Givenchy.
3. Top dressed celebrities
The celebrity he thinks who has never missed a beat in terms of street style as well as red carpet was Alexa Chung. Alex went on to state “one thing we do at WWD is a report card, I grade red carpet is outfits; it is part of my every day job”. What he loves most about Alexa Chung is that she puts a trend in context, Alex stated, “context is so important; Chung does a lot of research and creates a context around the item and builds a story for you to choose if you want to be part of that conversation or not”. Another all-time stand out for him was Nicole Kidman specifically where it all started in the green Galliano dress in 1999 where she literally became a fashion icon. Alex mentioned that he was waiting in anticipation for The Met Gala this year with the theme Heavenly Bodies set to raise many eyebrows.
Alex finished on a note mentioning how much retail had changed over the years with the arrival of social media. He reminisced about the days where we would literally save up and wait weeks before being able to buy that gorgeous item we had seen in the window, seeming almost nostalgic for a bygone era. He also made a bold remark saying it was up to retailers to take us on a journey when we enter their establishments, we as consumers what to know what the conversation is about and if we want to be part of it. We have become quite the astute savvy shoppers indeed!
Words: Carly Vidal Wallace
