Wendy Brandes Jewelry Blog

Never Is the Next New Thing

Todd Oldham Flashback

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I stumbled across a great video of designer Todd Oldham‘s 1993 Spring show here. The clothes are colorful, models are glamazons and everyone looks like they’re having a great time. So much better than a lot of shows today, where blank-faced, half-starved souls wobble down runways. And 1993 Todd is as cute as a button.

My vintage Todd Oldham skirt is looking a little rumpled from recent travels, but I always get lots of compliments on it.


Oldham shut down his top line in 1998. I previously wrote about him here and here, when he became the creative director of Old Navy, though I feel like I haven’t heard much about him since. Is everything okay, Todd Oldham?

UPDATED TO ADD: Well, where was I last month when the dude done up and left? Sounds like things were very NOT okay, according to this account. And here’s what WWD had to say on March 3:

LITIGIOUSLY YOURS: Todd Oldham’s departure from Old Navy last month might have been relatively quiet, but the potential for dueling lawsuits could soon turn the volume up on the split. L-7 Designs Inc., which owns the Todd Oldham trademarks and lists the designer as its president, brought a suit against the retailer in Manhattan federal court on Feb. 18. Lawyers for the company filed the complaint under seal. On Monday, the design firm would reveal only that the suit lists breach of contract and other claims as causes. Gap Inc. spokeswoman Louise Callagy said the company was disappointed by Oldham’s decision to take what it called a “business disagreement” to the courts. “We are confident in our ability to defend ourselves on all points and, in fact, we plan to file this week our own breach of contract claims against Todd Oldham’s company, L-7 Designs,” she said. On Feb. 20, with little fanfare, Oldham left his post as creative director for the Old Navy brand, a post he’d taken on in October 2007. At the time of his hire, the company spoke of eventually marketing clothes, and possibly home and beauty products, under the designer’s name. The branded line never surfaced in his roughly 17 months with the retailer.

I think I enjoyed the above paragraph far more than I could ever enjoy a schmatte from Old Navy, especially because, “The branded line never surfaced in his roughly 17 months with the retailer,” makes me feel like a really hard worker in comparison. If you gave me 17 months and enough corporate money, I’m sure I’d have “Brandes” stamped on everything in sight. Crappy t-shirts and shoes that smell like plastic? Bring them on.

UPDATED AGAIN TO ADD: When I said “shoes that smell like plastic,” I really meant “shoes that smell like a Union Carbide incident.” When I first opened up these shoes — my one and only Old Navy purchase — I was nearly knocked out by the poisonous gas that arose from them. Once they aired out, I liked them till after the first wearing, which stretched them out like crazy. It never seems to pay off when I get the cheap stuff.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Great nostalgic video. It really struck me how much Tyra Banks vamps on the runway.

    I’ve been looking for a spring 1993 or 1994 Vogue cover with Christy and Naomi in Todd’s western-inspired clothes for ages. At least that’s how I remember it, but perhaps the image was inside. Ring any bells for you?

  2. It won’t be so pretty but will you settle for a picture of me in one of the western jackets? 😉
    So funny that you mentioned that look in particular.

  6. Shrimpton, 17 months and then a big severance check sounds like a good plan to me. I would do that job.

  7. I LOVE that video from the Oldham show…. it's so nice to see the models with sass & wiggle to their walk and smiles on their faces. A great improvement over fashion shows today.

    The red vest, blue cropped trousers, and multi-colored coat towards the beginning reminds me very much of something you would wear…

  9. Fab skirt! Is there ever a clever dsigner who lives happily ever after whoen co-opted by a huge brand? (And don’t say Mizrahi, who can design for the masses but is not especially original.)

  11. You’ve got to love that he named his company L-7! What a square!

    I never saw any “OLDham” in Old Navy. Never. I wish I had.

    Your skirt is perfection. I’d love to see some photos of you in it. I bet you’ve done some great outfits with that skirt as the focal point.

  12. Wow, Old Navy sure got the fuzzy end of the lollipop with THAT deal.

    Additionally, I am considering breaking into your home to steal that skirt. Better lock it up.

  14. oh my god, turns, turn and a halfs, doubles, and attitude? I’m feeling so nostalgic!

  15. I love Todd Oldham. There’s something very sweet and genuine about him. I watch that Top Design show on Bravo sometimes and he’s on it. I wanna be his friend.

  16. Love it when you speak Yiddish, darling!

    That skirt is fabulous – no wonder why you receive so many compliments on it!

    xoxox,
    CC

  17. Maybe he was too busy being a reality TV personality to take his gig seriously? I often wonder about these designer collaborations at these high street retailers. How much work do they do, and how much is simply a matter of licensing and/or copying of old designs, I wonder?

  18. D.S., maybe! Having personally been hired for a job that didn’t really exist and more than once been hired for a job that I wasn’t really allowed to do, I give him some benefit of the doubt. Maybe the corporate culture is crazy. On the other hand, how hard is it to tell the Chinese factory to do, oh, one striped t-shirt and one ruched one and stick your Oldham label on it? You think SOMETHING would have happened.

  19. Love the skirt. Too bad about the lawsuit. Always a bummer for everyone by the lawyers.

  20. Isaac M. was helped by his association with Target. I think Todd could have soon been back in a high end line if the Old Navy line had worked out. He did do a Lazy Boy furniture collection which I find more disconcerting than Old Navy.

  21. We’re with La Belette on the Lazy Boy line, which just scared us silly when we first saw it advertised. Having said that, he really has done some great stuff, and we love the way he always played with color.

    Congrats on the Susanna post, whoo-hoo!
    tp

  24. uggh I know the EXACT smell you mean. Its the smell of chinese factories from hell. (no offense to anyone but there are some really really BAD and unregulated stuff that happens over there in some of the factories) I use to work for an importing company that did the giveaways for the major beauty companies and sometimes we had to open the boxes, let them air and THEN rebox and ship

  25. Gorgeous skirt….can i have it…lol. if no, i’m considering joining w/ sal and coming to steal it from you

  26. I love this skirt. And it does seem a bit odd that in 17 months there was no brand… (Not that I know from what’s really going on.)

  29. Every time I walk into Old Navy, and were talking single digits every year, it always seems like a good idea. All those value priced basics for the taking. But then I start to pick things up, and feel that shrapnel…ERRRR…cotton blend against my skin, and I remember how Old Navy is to clothes what McDonalds is to food.

  33. The nostalgia that this elicits is very huge. I think I’m going to go watch George Michael’s ‘Freedom 90’ video six times in a row and dream about the days I wanted to BE Linda Evangelista. I at least got the hair down.

  36. He was the shit back in the day, wasn’t he?? I kinda miss him! Didn’t he do something for Target, too?

  37. Cuuuuute skirt. Love the musings on Old Navy’s design quality (an oxymoron perhaps?)

  39. Hi there,
    I stopped at a yard sale and picked up 3 baggies of buttons, 2 of which are nothing but Todd Oldham. I can fill up 2 candle jars with them. They are heavy and some are painted gold and some are pewter color. I can’t seem to find anything about them anywhere. I am certain they are worth a lot. There are flowers, logs, leaves, paisley’s, anchors, a ladybug, crowns, birthday presents, trees, etc. They are stamped and most of them are dates. Some of the ones I have are not even stamped but look like the exact style of the others, maybe ones from before his designing days.

    Anyway, I wondered if you might be able to tell me anything… what you think about this, and if you think they would be in high demand, or maybe where I could locate people who would be interested in them.

    What an exciting find 🙂 Thanks in advance!

    Vivayne

    P.S. Your jewelry is awesome 🙂