Monday
Sep282009
The Influencer: Ikram Goldman
Monday, September 28, 2009 at 12:16 PM We know that Ikram Goldman, the Chicago-based boutique owner with the creative, discerning eye, is tops on Mrs. O’s list. After all, Ikram has been helping Mrs. O discover her inner chic self for years now. And the ever glamorous Ikram is tops on our favorite people list, too.
Now the current issue of Elle magazine names Mrs. G to its It List. Her moniker in the magazine: The Influencer. Elle rightly acknowledges that Ikram, with her inspired selection of designers and accessories, is helping show all American women how to dress. Let’s see: brooches; statement belts; bold color combinations—our closets couldn’t agree more.
tagged Ikram
Ikram
Reader Comments (15)
YAY Ikram! I can't wait to read about the story of Ikram and Mrs. O and how they decide what Mrs. O should buy. This is no doubt a unique relationship and one that is intriguing, yet it works for what Mrs. O wants to portray.
Ikram should remember that in fashion, one size definitely does not fit all. Just because an item is "in vogue" does not mean that it will be flattering on every woman.
I do not think you realize that your constant mention of body size and what does or doesn't fit really speaks volumes about how you must feel about yourself. Something about your comments scream projection.
This is wonderful. I've also seen her profiled in the March issue of Vogue, the same one Mrs.O was on the cover of, and she mostly talked about her other clients and how she helps dress them. I always hope she'll gives us a little insight on how she and Mrs.O choose her clothing, on the other hand I'm kind of happy that she doesn't because it shows that she is loyal and trustworthy to protect the privacy of our First Lady, which is important.
Mrs. Obama seems to trust Ikram's choices, so I am happy for her.
I just wish that she would utilize someone else also. I wasn't crazy about Maria Pinto, but her clothes looked much better on Mrs. Obama than some of the choices that Ikram are suggesting.
Could someone help me find the proper link to Mrs. Goldman on the "It List"? When I click on it, I get a wonderful photo of the very smart and classy Rachel Maddow.
I'd also like to say that I'm sad for our many posters who seem to have been so heavily and negatively influenced by the fashion industry, or maybe by those "fashion police" shows that air after every awards ceremony. Ick! The catty young people on those shows have incredibly narrow taste, and they are downright nasty about women's bodies. They reinforce over and over again the idea that a woman must look like some kind of unnatural being to meet with their approval.
Mrs. O has a great body and she's happy with who she is. She is liberated enough from the "fashion police" to wear whatever suits her fancy. She doesn't bother herself constantly with how it makes her hips, her waist, her bust look. THAT LIBERATION is the ideal we should all be moving toward.
@ Willow. Here's the link. http://www.elle.com/Fashion/Fashion-Spotlight/The-It-List-2009/(imageIndex)/24/(play)/false
I'm not sure if it'll take you directly to the Ikram page, but if not, just hit the arrow that says "next" and she's Number 25 of 27.
IVA: I said nothing about body size, and that was the farthest thing from my mind. I was actually thinking about some of the accessories...LOVE the brooches, the belts...not so much.
A video about Ikram, the store from CityBuzz. Ikram also speaks in the vid.
http://citybuzz.com/2008/01/ikram-goldman-2/
I don't know about Ikram teaching ALL American women how to dress. Some of us have been dressing... WELL.. for a long time. We are just not in the public eye. Some of her choices are questionable.
Photo of Ikram Goldman with Vogue's Hamish Bowles at NY Fashion Week last February:
http://fashionrules.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/456623696_632a0f5e73_o.jpg
Another photo here (scroll down):
http://runwaytoretail.blogspot.com/2009/01/mcas-dry-ice-gala.html
Interesting article from last February. Detailed and several pages long, it tracks Ikram's fashion roots as well as her relationship with Mrs. O.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/chi-0225-ikram-and-michelle-obamfeb25,0,6113472.story
Some of Ikram's choices will be questionable to some of us, some of the time. For different reasons. That's why life is rich - because we all see things differently.
Christen I've always felt that one of Ikram Goldman's great talents is dressing individuals. I don't think she says - or has ever said - that everyone should wear exactly what she might show to Michelle. If I recall correctly, she's become known for sourcing clothes for a lot of different women in a lot of different professions, all of whom have very different taste. That's what makes hers one of the most Go To-able boutiques in the world. I wouldn't go there because I want to be dressed in exactly the same stuff as Michelle Obama, or because she'll put me in stuff that's just off a weirdywoo catwalk cos it's quirky and "new!". I'd go because I know she'll see things that would speak to me, flatter me, and make me look really good. And in case you hadn't noticed, Ikram is not the lady who will be wearing Fashion's Latest Look herself. She's a true individual. I get that you may not have liked everything you've seen on Michelle, but there are three things to bear in mind. Firstly Ikram sources clothes for a LOT of strong women with different personalities and requirements and secondly, these women won't be backwards in coming forwards with their own opinion i.e. if she tried to dress them all the same, she would hardly have the reputation she does. Lastly, I don't believe that Michelle gets given a picture of how the outfit should be worn mailed to her. I think she often wears what she wants, the way she wants to. So anything you don't like is just as likely to be Michelle's idea as it is Ikram Goldman's. For myself, I think Michelle looks great because Michelle looks great.
I believe that Ikram does not have a sense of what is appropriate for FLOTUS and doesn't understand time of day, event, fabric, fit or how an outfit photographs in video or print. I don't think she serves Mrs. Obama well.
As many have noted, a stylist "pulls" outfits from which clients make a selection. As a boutique owner, Ikram "pulls" items from a set of sources that she has developed. I think this focus is too limited...and most very upscale boutiques serve sizes 0-6, bone thin society "ladies who lunch" outside of Rodeo Drive where such places are designed for starlets, most of whom are rail thin. Such clothes do not work on a 6 ft tall woman. I think Mrs. Obama needs custom couture designed for her. She is fabulous and can carry colors and stylish clothes very well but she is not a starlet or a "lady who lunches".
Well I still say thank goodness for Ikram, because my guess from the mostly positive comments about Michelle's style and wardrobe that most people feel Mrs O looks great most of the time. For a start we wouldn't have this well attended blog.
I'm not sure how you can say Ikram is "limited". She pulls from designers all over the world!! Well, I had a little giggle at that one. Japanese label Undercover, for example, or Christopher Kane, who is English, but was showing in Paris when Ikram first saw his work. Lanvin, Watanabe, Rodriguez, Pinto, Reese, Soronen, Feith, Roy, MDLR, Wu, Thakoon, McQueen, Proenza Schuler.... Hardly "limited"!
As for the ladies who lunch, rail thin celebrity types... well, Ikram also dresses Desirée Rogers, Vicki Hood, Mellody Hobson, Linda Johnson Rice and Valerie Jarrett. They're all different shapes and sizes. As is Ikram herself. She's no rail thin celebrity type. Neither one has similar style and I expect they are the tip of the iceberg for her clientele. You can't say that all her clients will be rail thin ladies who lunch. We already know about the above women and NONE of them fit into that category. These are women who earn a fabulous salary working their socks off in various industries and companies. You insult them all when you sweep them under the carpet like that. Maybe that's your goal.
I'd also like to show here the list of designers that Ikram carries:
Alexander McQueen
Alexandra Rivera Jewelry
Azzedine Alaïa
Balmain
Blayde
Bottega Veneta
Christopher Kane
Chrome Hearts
Comme des Garçons
Darlene DeSedle Jewelry
Duro Olowu
Erdem
Erickson Beamon
Fabiola Arias
Ganryu
Givenchy
Halston
Hanii Y
Hussein Chalayan
If Six was Nine
Isabel Toledo
Jason Wu
Jean Paul Gaultier
Jonathan Saunders
Junya Watanabe
Lanvin
LGB
Limi Feu
Liz Goldwyn Jewelry
Loree Rodkin Jewelry
Kaviar and Kind Jewelry
Martin Margiela
Nagano
Narciso Rodriguez
Nina Ricci
Ohne Titel
Peter Soronen
Proenza Schouler
Rick Owens
Rodarte
Rodnik
Sacai
Tao
Thakoon
Ten Thousand Things
Toga
Tom Binns
Tom Scott
Undercover
Viktor + Rolf
Yohji Yamamoto
Zero | Maria Cornejo
That's more than 50 designers. 23 of whom I don't think we've seen Mrs O in. Which for me argues the toss over whether Ikram just puts Mrs O in the the same limited array of stuff that she'd put everyone else in! Perhaps as I suggest - gasp, shock, horror - she makes suggestions according to Mrs O, her style and her taste. And not yours or mine?!