The Collection: 3.1 Phillip Lim, Resort 2011
The Model: Belgian-born Pauline Van der Cruysse (ELITE)
The Location: Lightbox-NY studio, Bronx, NY
The Hair & Makeup: By Nico Guilis
The Soundtrack On Set: Otis Redding’s soulful tracks.
The Lunch: Italian
The Gossip Between Takes: James Franco’s hotness.

Fresh-face Pauline Van der Cruysse walked the Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, and Prada spring 2011 runways (among others).

Shopbop models Elena and Iskra were featured in today’s New York Times Styles! From the article:

“A daily e-mail featuring either of these women acts as a Pavlovian trigger for customers to examine new arrivals on the site.”

Read it here.

We play favorites in this feature every week, but this one’s extra shameless special: the woman behind Shopbop’s standout style, Style Director Morgan Wendelborn. (We really are her biggest fans.)

Twitter Name: @momothestyler

Real Name: Morgan Wendelborn

Occupation: Style Director at Shopbop

Favorite Designer(s): Derek Lam, Lanvin, Les Chiffoniers.

Last Purchase: A Lindsey Thornburg cloak.

Next Purchase: A velvet maxi skirt by Kimberly Ovitz.

Song/Album on Repeat Right Now: Otis Redding’s “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long.”

TV/Movie Guilty Pleasure: Two and A Half Men. It’s so clever!

Style Crush: Emmanuelle Alt

Your Style in 3 Words or Less: Classic on acid.

When you’re not tweeting you’re: Tripping over inspiration.

Inspiration boards are a great way to pinpoint one’s own personal style. They’re also an important part in creating the look of Shopbop. So I asked Style Director Morgan for some insight into what’s sparking the creativity of Shopbop’s team of stylists this season, and how these bits and pieces of inspiration trickle in to our lookbooks, trend reports, and thousands of individual product shots.

The studio has always used magazine tears, photographs, and found objects as styling inspiration throughout the season. This is a really fun process where we can all dig around to discover what works for our sensibilities and share them with each other. To help us get ideas for product shots, we print out looks from runway shows and our favorite editorial campaigns, and take pictures of each other’s outfits. We also post styling details that look fresh and catch our eye–for this fall, some of our favorites were cape layering, knee socks with booties, and layering neutrals.

For our features projects, Sullie (our Stylist Project Coordinator) and I have a corner devoted to our upcoming features, ideas in the works, and anything that fascinates us. Our current board is made up of several upcoming shoots we are working on, plus ideas that are still being fleshed out. Sometimes the idea comes before the inspiration, and other times it comes from just one image, movie, or thought that sets us off in a specific direction.

We never stop shooting over here so we always need new inspiration–next week it'll look different!

--Morgan

Last night, more than 150 New York-based online editors, bloggers, and Twitter personalities gathered at the Club Monaco 57th Street flagship store to celebrate the launch of Club Monaco on Shopbop. (The weeks leading up to the event, Twitter was abuzz with chatter about #shopbopclubmonacolaunchparty.) Sipping on a signature drink—fall punch with Vision vodka—and nibbling on mini grilled cheese and ahi tuna tartar, guests mingled among mannequins decked out in looks currently available on Shopbop, then it was over to the photo booth (check out all the shots here) for their own turn in Club Monaco duds, styled by Shopbop Fashion Director Kate Ciepluch.

It was a great night of food, friends, and fashion! Check out the Club Monaco lookbook and collection, online only at Shopbop.

--Michelle
Shopbop

P.S. Enter for your chance to win a NYC shopping spree!

Last week I stopped by the JNBY store in Soho to talk about a few of my favorites from their fall collection, and today, I’m honored to share the first installment of their Fall Style VIP video series, featuring my picks. Grab your own cropped trench at Shopbop now, and check back soon for the sweater dress and leather jacket!

--Kate
Shopbop Fashion Director

Shop JNBY, online only at Shopbop.

Shopbop Style Director Morgan Wendelborn (far left) and Fashion Director Kate Ciepluch (far right) take a break from NYFW for dinner at Pastis with Katherine Power (center left) and Hillary Kerr of Who What Wear.

Shopbop’s Kate, Morgan, Darcy, and Jane after the Jill Stuart show on Saturday.

Outside Rag & Bone. At left: Fashion Director Kate and Apparel Buyer Jane. At right: Style Director Morgan.

Read the On the Runway blog post.
Read the NYT article.

I have wanted to shoot a story inspired by one of the images burned deepest into my brain for a long time: Marlon Brando in The Wild One. Not his best movie by a long shot, but the vibe and style has always inspired me, especially the women in the picture. They are demure and ladylike, with feelings of rebellion brewing under those knee-length circle skirts, wool coats, and fitted sweaters. Badass doesn’t have to mean short. Longer hems, higher necklines, and long sleeves never had so much attitude.

Those feelings emerged on the fall 2010 runways, and in collections by Marc Jacobs and Isabel Marant, we saw that sometimes silhouette can speak louder than skin. The looks are sophisticated, chic, and sexy. Not bossy. Confident.

And they look damn good with a leather jacket.

--Morgan
Shopbop Style Director

Setting up the first shot. Joyriding!

This is me getting excited.

Latex never looked so daytime!

I like the way she’s ridin’…

Shopbop Fashion Director Kate Ciepluch with Elle Accessories Editor Kyle Anderson.

This past Thursday, Shopbop insiders, actress Melissa George, and fashion editors from some of the industry’s top glossies (Elle, InStyle, Vogue, W, Women’s Wear Daily, Glamour, to name a few) got together for an intimate dinner at The House in NYC to celebrate Shopbop’s exclusive fall fashions. Conversations were great, and everyone was very excited about the exclusive pieces that will be hitting the site in the next two months. Be sure to check What’s New daily to catch them as they come in!

--Michelle

Christian Stroble and Jenn Ford.


The placesettings at the event.


Shopbop General Manager Jeff Yurcisin toasts the attendees.


A preview of fall pieces, coming soon and exclusive to Shopbop.


A preview of fall pieces, coming soon and exclusive to Shopbop.
Photos by Ryan McCune/PatrickMcMullan.com.

Warehouse Operations Manager Sarah with Shopbopper in Training Wren before the race.

Since our website was founded ten years ago, Shopbop has supported breast cancer awareness by selling pieces with proceeds benefiting Breast Cancer Network of Strength. Who can forget the Marc by Marc Jacobs bracelet, the Bop Basics celebrity-designed tees, or most recently, the Elizabeth and James feather necklace? This year we decided to take our support to the next level and participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. We set a goal of $10,000 and happily surpassed it!

--Michelle

Shopbop Fashion Director Kate Ciepluch wearing the Nightcap Clothing Victorian Lace Dress.

Wednesday night I had the pleasure of attending the AAFA 32nd Annual American Image Awards at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in NYC, where Shopbop was recognized as E-tailer of the Year. I sat at a table with a key representation of the Shopbop crew, including our NY-based buying team, Shopbop General Manager Jeff Yurcisin, Amazon VP of Apparel Cathy Beaudoin, Shopbop Head of Marketing Chris Ryskiewicz, and Haute Hippie Designer/Founder Trish Wescoat Pound.

The night was special for so many reasons, and aside from the opportunity to get dressed up and go to a black-tie event on a Wednesday night, what really struck a chord was how far Shopbop has come in ten years. To be among powerhouse honorees like Gap and Steve Madden was undeniably flattering.

Jeff accepted our award, telling the story of Shopbop founders Bob Lamey, Ray Zemon, and Martha Michelson, and their vision to provide the coolest fashion to women around the world 24 hours a day. A very special thanks to Trish for presenting us with this honor—your words were so thoughtful and genuine—and to all our amazing vendors who showed their support.

The night was a charitable one as well, benefitting Autism Speaks. I wish you all could have heard Tom Brokaw’s heartfelt speech highlighting Suzanne and Bob Wright’s commitment and passion to raising awareness and research funding for autism, a disorder that affects an estimated one in a hundred children.

Check out more pictures from the event on the Shopbop Facebook page.

--Kate
Shopbop Fashion Director

Shopbop congratulates all the winners of the 32nd annual AAFA American Image Awards!

Fashion Director Kate Ciepluch is attending the event tonight. Check back later this week to see what she wore.

Up at 5 a.m.—it’s the magic hour!

For our swim lookbook this year, we were lucky enough to have the rooftop at the Soho House in NYC all to ourselves for a few hours. It’s an oasis in the city, a great place to chill out in the middle of the day. We really lucked out, too–the weather was totally on our side, the models were amazing, and so were the suits!

Marah Hoffman, Brette Sandler, Martha Rey, Zimmermann, and Red Carter provided the perfect looks for a hot time in the city. Special thanks to the Soho House, we had the best time! (Can’t you tell?)

--Morgan

Tea and wedges, breakfast of champions.

Tie one on! Let’s shoot!

The beautiful rooftop.

WGACA’s Jackie Karas and Shopbop Fashion Director Kate Ciepluch at the Shopbop and WGACA vintage Chanel party.

On Wednesday night Shopbop celebrated the unveiling of the newest estate collection of vintage Chanel from What Goes Around Comes Around at their store in Soho. Music provided by DJ Harley Viera Newton, fashionable folks (including celebrities Molly Sims, Becki Newton, and Melissa George), and to-die-for vintage set the stage for a great evening. Partygoers sipped on Pop Champagne and oohed and aahed over the jewelry and handbags.

You can’t go wrong with Chanel jewelry and handbags, especially vintage styles. They’re ageless, the perfect investment piece. Keep an eye on What’s New: much of the vintage showcased at the fête will be available at Shopbop very soon.

--Michelle

A toast with Pop Champagne.

Shopbop buying assistants Danielle and Jenny with Thayer designer Marsha Welcher.

Alice + Olivia is always a fun brand to play around with, and for our spring 2010 lookbook, Stacey Bendet gave us some of her favorite new pieces to style out. Camo colors and cargo silhouettes lent themselves to an urban jungle vibe, all with the sensibility of the A+O girl in mind. Here’s a glimpse behind the scenes at the shoot.

This month in Studio Style we picked stylist Bobbie’s fashionable brain. What did we learn? Edgy comfort isn’t an oxymoron; if you can still see your fingers through your rings, you may need to stack on a few more; and backpack purses are making a comeback!

Suzanne: You look appropriately edgy yet really comfy. What’s the key to pulling this off?

Bobbie: I think the key is finding a look you’re comfortable in and sticking with it. I take a few edgier pieces I love, like my combat boots and knuckle rings, and wear them with everything. This gives a not-trying-too-hard edge.

S: I like the smattering of fashion glossies across your desk. Which magazines are your inspiration favorites?

B: Actually, I usually go online for my inspiration. I love checking out all the runway shows and building my looks straight from the source. Otherwise, I just hit the town and do some serious people watching.

S: When it comes to accessories are you a “take one off before you leave the house” or a “more is more” kind of girl?
 
B: I’m obsessed with rings right now. I stack on as many as I can find and wear them with everything, so I guess more is more!

S: What handbag are you currently carrying?

B: An Alexander Wang backpack! I love it! I can actually wear it while I’m tooling around town on my cruiser, feeling comfortable and looking cute.

Bobbie wears:
* ALC cardigan
* Jersey maxi dress
* Citrine by the Stones, Jules Smith, and Made Her Think rings
* Jeffrey Campbell boots
* Alexander Wang backpack

--Suzanne

Dashing between shows and showroom visits demands a versatile ensemble. Here, just a sampling of what Fashion Director Kate and Senior Stylist Morgan wore during Paris Fashion Week.

At left, Morgan wears: Derek Lam jacket, Rag & Bone sweater, Of Two Minds cargo pants, Vince scarf, Chanel sunglasses, vintage cargo belt, Derek Lam booties, Elisa Atheniense handbag.
At right, Kate wears: Faux fur vest, vintage army jacket, Rory Beca dress, Chloé sunglasses, IRO boots, Mulberry handbag.

At left, Morgan wears: Beckerman plaid coat, vintage dress, Philosophy over-the-knee boots, Bop Basics gloves, Paula Bianco scarf, Chanel sunglasses, IRO handbag.
At right, Kate wears: Alice + Olivia sweater and blouse, Elizabeth and James vest, Vince jeans, DVF leather gloves, Oliver Peoples sunglasses, Frye boots, Alexander Wang handbag.