Justin Giunta to Tory Burch

Hot off the WWD press this morning?
Subversive designer Justin Giunta, has been scooped up by Tory Burch to become the design director of jewelry. His first collection will hit Holiday-Resort. Justin will continue to create his own line's Subversive and his new diffusion line Deviated by Justin Giunta. While Giunta has done collaborations in the past for various designers runway collection, this will be his first full time gig with another designer.

Burch tells WWD:
“I have always been passionate about jewelry, and it’s a category we want to expand,” said Burch of her new hire. “Justin’s talent and handcrafted aesthetic will take us to the next level.”

While I am not a huge Tory Burch fan, I am a Justin Giunta fan, so I can't wait to see what's in store for the line.

And the winner is...CFDA Awards

WWD just announced the winners of the CFDA awards.

Congrats to sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte for winning Womenswear Designer of the Year Award!

Meanwile Scott Sternberg for Band of Outsiders and Italo Zucchelli for Calvin Klein Collection tied for the Menswear Designer of the Year Award.

And guess it was an amazing year for the Proenza Schouler boys and their PS1's, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez won Accessory Designer of the Year.

The Swarovski awards for emerging talent, meanwhile, went to Alexander Wang for Womenswear, Tim Hamilton for Menswear and Justin Giunta for Subversive Jewelry for Accessory Design. Yay to Justin who I met back in September :)

Anna Sui was honored with the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award.

Marc Jacobs, looking adorable with Lorenzo won the The International Award, for his work at Louis Vuitton.

Other awards went to First Lady Michelle Obama for the CFDA’s Board of Directors’ Special Tribute. While, WWD editor in chief Edward Nardoza was honored with the Eugenia Sheppard Award. GQ Creative Director Jim Moore took the Eleanor Lambert Award.

Vena Cava After Party

This post is long overdue...the Events of September 7, 2008 below:

Arrived at the scene a bit early and was taking in the impressive scene. First thing I noticed after I climbed up the stairs to get to the roof is the Grassy Hill, complete with real grass, lighted plastic seats and platform on top. It’s truly impressive, yet no one is sitting here. As I continue to walk I notice a Stage on my left with giant screens playing random scenes from the past, there is a bar to the far left with a real lemon tree in the middle and bowls of fresh citrus fruit ready to go. To the right by there is a lounge area with white cushioned benches while above there is a rectangular cluster of lights flashing in patterns. There is a great view of the old New Yorker sign behind the hill.


After a couple drinks people have started to trickle in and near the bar surrounded by a group of girls I spy a print that I know is straight off the runway of Vena Cava and killer shoes. I ask my companions how could she have something straight off the runway and that is when it suddenly dawns on me that one of the designers herself in the flesh. Sophie Buhai wearing black pants, silk ethnic print blouse and studded black heels, looking youthful and fresh surrounded by people congratulating her on her collection. Feeling a little intimidated I clumsily try to sneak a picture that needless to say didn’t turn out very well. It's funny, I am not afraid of celebrities, but designers make a girl feel weak in the knees!



Later on as the evening progresses I find myself sitting on top of the platform on the hill and people climb up to meet us because they say that we looked like we were fun. A couple of guys join us and in conversation I discover one is a jewelry designer.

Guy 1 – I work at Tailor in Soho
Me – Cool I love to eat! What does your brother do?
Guy 1 – Oh he’s a jewelry designer
Me – What kind of jewelry do you do?
Guy 2 – Sort of like what you are wearing, only nicer
Me – Oh yeah? So what line is that?
Guy 2 (Justin Giunta) – I design a line called Subversive
Me - NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Really?
Friend (simultaneously) – I LOVE SUBVERSIVE!!! I LOVE YOUR STUFF!
Me – Yeah! I think it’s great I love admiring your stuff in Barney’s but I can only afford your line from Target
Justin Giunta – Well Target is great!
Guy 1 – Don’t worry all my friends could only afford his collection from Target too!

Later on I learn that Justin did the Jewelry for the DKNY show this season and in addition to being a great jewelry designer he’s super nice too! Not only did he say, I’ll see you guys downstairs to me and my friends, he actually meant it and was waiting for us downstairs to see which direction we were headed. I had to say I thought they were fabulous and took a picture with the 2 brothers.

Justin saved us from walking from 2 Avenues in heels as he grabbed a cab and offered us a ride (on him) towards 6th Ave where he was going. As he left the cab Justin said to me, "I hope that you get a really good job one so that you can afford to buy all my stuff". As an afterthought I should have replied, "I hope I become a really big designer one day so you could do the jewelry for my show". His brother later walked my friend and I to the train and made sure that we got home safe. Those Giunta Boys are so sweet!


BTW something else really exciting thing happened. I was in Daily Candy seen at this event. Can you tell? I know the pics are really small, but it's kind of fun anyways!