Stacy Igel of Boy Meets Girl

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Last week I had the opportunity to attend the fashion shows at Los Angeles Fashion Week. I was able to get up close and personal to see all the HOT fashions for the well known clothing label Boy Meets Girl and see a sneak peek of the Spring 2010 collection as well as go back stage to get the thoughts and congratulate the master mind behind the successful line, Stacy Igel.

Boy Meet’s Girl’s Founder and Creative Director Stacy M. Igel began her career at the ripe old age of 4. She honed her skills further at the University of Wisconsin, where she triple-majored in Fashion Design, Retail and Business. Ms. Igel laid the groundwork for her own company while designing for mega-brand Izod and working closely with innovative designers and icons such as Elie Tahari, Zandra Rhodes and Elsa Klensch.
Boy Meets Girl® is a sexy yet wearable, edgy yet casually classic contemporary brand. The collection of tops, dresses, sweaters, sweatshirts & sweatpants, jumpers, skirts, outerwear & accessories appeals to a playful, flirty clientele with a confident and carefree spirit. For over the past 8 years, the collection has been featured in most major fashion publications and in countless premier specialty and department stores worldwide including Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue, Fred Segal, Lisa Kline and Intuition.

If you're a fan of Gossip Girl, Vampire Diaries, Sex & the City, America's Next Top Model and The City (and who isn’t?), you’ve probably seen the line before. The same is true if you follow the every move of Eva Mendes, Rachel Bilson, Nina Dobrev, Taylor Momsen, Anne Hathaway, Rose McGowan, Mischa Barton, Aubrey O’Day, Kristen Bell, Michelle Williams, Ali Larter and Lindsay Lohan. Note, however, that Boy Meets Girl® in no way promotes the following “of every move” of the aforementioned celebrities.
Boy Meets Girl® pays homage to boundary breaking women who are not afraid to be different and go against the grain.

After the hustle and bustle of putting on a successful fashion show I had an opportunity to get the girl behind the line...

1. Who is the Boy Meets Girl...girl?
She’s an energetic, playful young woman with a confident and carefree spirit. She is an influencer/tastemaker who appreciates, but isn’t defined by, trends. She is a doer – no wallflowers here. Life is not a dress rehearsal!

2. How did you come up with the name of your label? What’s the meaning behind it?
The first time I met my husband’s parents was for dinner at their apartment. While they were giving me the tour, I noticed a picture frame containing silhouettes of their three children from when they were younger. My parents had a similar picture of my mom, my sister and I when we were about the same age. I thought about us and how we still both still had these young, playful, carefree versions of ourselves inside of us and I knew right then and there my brand would be called Boy Meets Girl® and that I’d use our silhouettes for the logo.

3. When did you know you wanted to be in the fashion industry?
I began my life as a fashionista at the ripe old age of 4, outfitting my pre–K classmates and staging fashion shows in my school cafeteria. It’s been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember…

4. You’ve had so much experience before you started your own business. What was you most important lesson, and whom did you learn it from?
I learned the importance of hard work and customer service. There are a lot of amazing people in this world. While you may not always be the most creative, charming or brilliant person in the room, you can be the hardest working and most dedicated -- that is something that is totally within your own control. By working hard, my bosses took notice at my earlier jobs and my employees take notice now. Its leadership by example and I think it fosters loyalty and camaraderie.

My mentors like Ellie Tahari, Zandra Rhodes and Elsa Klensch were all hard workers even after they’d “made it” so that was an eye opener for me. I was smart enough to recognize that the hard workers were usually the individuals who got the big opportunities in life. They were also the ones who were prepared to capitalize on those opportunities.

5. What is you most favorite part of putting together a fashion show?
I enjoy casting, music selection, fitting and styling the models. I like to pick girls who fit the personality of the “Boy Meets Girl” girl – fun, energetic, spirited… Then I love to see them in the clothes. Putting all the pieces together is the end result of my vision for the brand.

6. What is your least favorite part?
Dealing with the unforeseen mishaps of every fashion show and Murphy’s Law in general: A model’s car gets impounded and she can’t make it to the show in time, a dress gets Orange Crush spilled on it and needs to be dry cleaned, the lighting isn’t working and almost falls on my head while being fixed (yes, sometimes the sky is falling on you)….

7. What is the most important detail in putting on a fashion show?
The music is every bit as important as the model in terms of how your clothes are represented. You can’t leave the music to the DJ or the show organizer because they don’t know your collection like you do. You’ve got to spend time on the mizes of the songs and make sure it fits your vision. Also, it goes without saying that you need to have a detailed, well-organized run of the show covering each and every second of the show day.

8. The theme for this for this collection is what?
Boy Meets MusicGirl.

I always listen to music while designing. I create my line each season with a particular soundtrack in mind. For Spring 2010, I collaborated with six inspiring women musicians, each coming from very different musical backgrounds. They are Jackie Tohn (plucky acoustic rock), Wendy Starland (electric world pop), Eunice Quinones (get-off-your-ass dance music), Jillian Rhys (smoky soul-siren), Tha ToOoNz (intelligent hip-pop), and DJ KISS (hip-hop commando).

Their music inspired me to create a collection that embraces individuality and a life well-lived. In addition to serving as musical inspiration, these musicians-turned-muses served as Boy Meets Girl® models this season as well – each was photographed with the man in their life for the Boy Meets Girl® Spring 2010 promotional campaign (let me know if you need pictures).

These particular artists have such passion, fearlessness and personality and I tried to feed off that. I think the edgy individualism of my tees, jackets and vests this season are totally inspired by these talented ladies.

9. Your favorite piece from the collection is?
The Black Warrior Trench Coat – the first outfit of the night – paired with my favorite tights this season from Steve Madden Hosiery, which sponsored the show (thank you Steve Madden ☺)

10. What is the best seller, and why do you think everyone is drawn to it?
The Alice tee (signature Boy Meets Girl® graphic tee that comes in an array of colors) . This has always been my best seller. The press love it, publicists call me for their celebrity clients for it, I’m so happy that people can’t seem to get enough of it even after all these years. I’m very lucky. I think people are drawn to the logo because of what it represents (see Question #2 above “the young, playful, carefree versions of ourselves inside of us” think bob Dylan forever young!).

Today, you can find it at Bloomingdales or you can check out our website www.BoyMeetsGirlUSA.com for a list of stores across the country.

11. After creating your collection, how do you come up with the concept for your fashion shows?
Each season I start with a theme to my line. Mood board inspirations, muses, etc. I create a world based around those ideas and create an overall inspiration of looks. This naturally extends to the runway. Of course when creating the concepts for the runway there are areas of embellishments that you add to enhance the attitudes ☺

12. How important is creating the right “Look” for your shows with Hair, Makeup, Styling, and Music?
It’s everything. I think I covered this above but the model, hair, mu, styling and music is all essential to creating the brand image you want others to see. It all has to work together and it has to be seamless. I think we did a good job of bringing all the pieces together for this show.

13. What was the “Look” for this show for the Hair, Makeup, and Music?
The same themes I covered above – energetic, playful, young, confident, carefree spirit. A doer, not a wallflower. Passionate. Etc., etc.

14. What was your favorite fashion show that you ever attended, and what made you enjoy it so much?
I attended a London fashion show when I worked with Zandra Rhodes for a designer called ELO. It was my first real fashion show.
It was in an airspace. It was grand and surreal and the perfect look into the world of Fashion. The fashion and fearless all attended. The energy was dynamic and the clothes were amazing.
The second runner-up was Marc Jacobs here in NYC when I worked with Elsa Klensch. I got to interview him backstage after the show and ask him his inspiration of the season. The show was dynamic and so Marc. This was in the summer of ’98. The most amazing thing was the show was about 40 seats downtown in Soho. It was small and intimate.

15. You’re a New York based designer. How does the vibe of the shows and the people that attend differ from East Coast to West Coast?
LIFE IN BOTH OF THESE CITIES IS SO ENERGIZING. THE PEOPLE ARE DRIVEN TO SUCCEED AND THAT’S INTOXICATING TO ME. LA IS FILLED WITH CREATIVE PEOPLE WHO SEEM SO ALIVE. I MEAN THEY'RE ALWAYS ON. NEW YORK IS SIMILAR, BUT THE ENERGY IS COMING FROM A MORE CEREBRAL, BUSINESS-ORIENTED PLACE. TALK ABOUT ALWAYS ON -- I LEAVE THE OFFICE AFTER MIDNIGHT MOST NIGHTS AND THE CITY IS STILL BUZZING. SO MY CLOTHES REFLECT THAT ENERGY. THEY ARE LOUD, BRIGHT AND COLORFUL. THEY ALMOST LOOK AS IF YOU MIGHT ELECTROCUTE YOURSELF BY SIMPLY TOUCHING THEM -- WATCH OUT GUYS! I LIKE THAT.

I THINK MAYBE IN LA IT’S A LITTLE MORE LAID BACK – WE DEFNIITELY HAD MORE COCKTAILS AFTERWARDS THAN WE USUALLY WOULD BUT THAT MAY BE BECAUSE WE WERE WITH SO MANY FRIENDS THAT WE RARELY SEE BECAUSE WE’RE SO RARELY IN LA…

16. Who is your fashion icon?
Ahhh.. This is one of the hardest questions for me. It is the same as who is your favorite designer or movie or musician. I always get stumped as I love many artists for many reasons. For this answer or for this moment I will have to say Coco Chanel. I agree with the below so much!
“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”
Coco Chanel

17. What color describes your personality?
Infra red and PURPLE passion

18. Your favorite fashion trend of all time?
Boy Meets Girl®! Lol!

19. Your least favorite fashion trend of all time?
Stirrups

20. If you were a dress, what type of dress would you be?
A vintage hippie sack dress!!!

22. What is a goal for yourself that you would like to accomplish?
OPRAH baby. I am a Chicago girl who came to NYC to pursue the designer dream. And I am doing it! I will bring all this knowledge back to Chicago if she gives me that interview. ☺

23. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I WANT TO EXPAND THE CORE BUSINESS HERE IN THE U.S. AND ABROAD. THAT SAID, I DID START A KIDS LINE, WHICH IS EXCLUSIVELY SOLD AT BLOOMINGDALES. I AM ALSO INTERESTED IN GROWING THE EXISTING OUTERWEAR AND ACCESORIES BUSINESSES BECAUSE I THINK WE'VE ONLY SCRATCHED THE Surface IN THESE AREAS. WE NEED TO GROW SLOWLY AND SMARTLY.

24. Favorite quote.
“A person is a success if they get up in the morning and get to bed at night and in between does what they want to do.” Bob Dylan