NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: FALL 2011

I'm off this President's Week for some skiing in Colorado.  While I am contemplating slope styles, I leave you with some images from New York's Fashion Week for Fall 2011.

Nothing too inspirational.

I did like the bohemian layers of Rachel Roy (next 2 photos) which are practical and fun in the fall:

Herve Leger always does strong and sexy (next photo):

But what will women (especially the over-45 set) actually wear every day?  Michael Kors always seems to know (next 2 photos):

Fashion Weeks are hopping over the Atlantic.  I will keep watch over a cup of hot cocoa.

(All photos from Style.com)

LOVE-LY ON VALENTINE'S DAY

Valentine's Day is around the corner.  What mood are you after?  Are you trying to evoke sentiments of Juliet in your Romeo?

Warm, fuzzy feelings are kindled by soft, flowing fabrics.  Think georgettes, silks and chiffons.  It is amazing how a little ruffle here and there elicits the protective instinct.  Leave the slick, structured, power shapes for another time.  (Mood killers.)

Magenta chiffon dress,
tiny ruffle and lace detail on shoulders

Don't believe in the psychology of clothes?  A few chilly days ago, I put on a vintage coat straight out of a Hitchcock film.  The gallantry surprised me.  Doors were held open.  Even the barrista at Peet's Coffee etched a foam heart on my cappuccino.

Soft fur, wrists peeking out of 3/4 sleeves
lend femininity to this vintage coat

Of course, if "helpless" isn't your thing, finish it off with vampier details. A black, over-the-knee boot sends a strong message, as does a wide, leather belt for a more body-conscious silhouette.  Honesty is preferable to the old bait-and-switch.

If you are past the romancing stage, go full steam ahead on the sultry and glamorous looks.

Prabal Gurung
from gilt.com

COLOR BLOCKED SPRING

Spring is in the air.  That is, here on the West Coast.  Our thoughts begin to turn to vibrant colors, or the perennial springtime combination, black-and-white.

A surprise trend that came off the Spring runways is Color Blocking.  Nothing new, mind you.  Back in 1965, Yves Saint Laurent drew from the Art world and blocked out the famous Mondrian dress:

Mondrian Dress
by Yves Saint Laurent, 1965
from the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Stefano Pilati built on YSL's heritage and put forth some graphic black-and-white color blocking for Spring 2011.

Yves Saint Laurent Spring 2011

But other designers, including the very young and fairly new Prabal Gurung, showed geometric color blocks.

Prabal Gurung Spring 2011

down to the shoes

Nicholas Kirkwood for Prabal Gurung, Spring 2011

Even the tried-and-true Christian Louboutin went color-wild (beyond the fire-engine red soles) in his Spring 2011 collection.

Christian Louboutin Spring 2011

For those used to monochrome looks, particularly of the black hue, this may be a stretch.  But you may be ready to infuse your winter wardrobe with color.  This is simpler than it seems.  In fact, it's much easier than introducing prints.

Hint: Contrast solids across your outfit (see Prada below) and there you can begin.

Prada Spring 2011
See the dyed green fur

STREET STYLE: BILL CUNNINGHAM

If you have ever read the New York Times, chances are, you've glanced at Bill Cunningham's On the Street snapshots.  Cunningham --even now -- bikes around NYC to capture the sartorial trend of the moment.  This beloved photographer posited that the real fashion show was on the streets, not the runways.

Now, Zeitgeist Films presents "Bill Cunningham New York," a film by Richard Press.  As Vogue Editor, Anna Wintour, says in the preview, "We all get dressed for Bill."

Here's a preview of the film, opening on March 16th:




Cunningham photographs kooky old ladies and socialites alike.  The great equalizer is definitive Style.  Now in his 80s, it's high time someone documented his trailblazing street photography.  The Sartorialist and numerous other bloggers owe it all to him.



(* Press photo and Film Preview from zeitgeistfilms.com/billcunninghamnewyork)

PARIS HAUTE COUTURE WEEK 2011

Paris hailed its (sadly diminishing) tradition of Haute Couture this past week.  Haute Couture is, by definition, not Pret-A-Porter.  Haute goes beyond everyday fashion.  Designers use it as a venue to push their creative visions to the extreme.

So, while we did see the typically diaphanous and peachy concoctions for Spring,

Valentino, Spring Couture 2011
note Butterfly choker

Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel,
Spring Couture 2011
See the black Victorian-style choker

the real visual delight of Haute Couture came from Jean Paul Gaultier.  Fashion's enfant terrible did not disappoint.  

Gaultier delivered Moulin Rouge cross-bred with Punk, with all the attention to tulle petticoat layers and mohawk hairdos one can expect.  The collection was shown in absolute silence except for Catherine Deneuve's voice announcing the outfits.   Gaultier's theatrical finish was a Parisian cabaret dancer's can-can kicks to -- who else -- Offenbach.

(All following photos from style.com)

If you love the art and theater of couture, this would have been the show to see.

Interestingly, did anyone notice the prevalence of chokers and dog collars across designer offerings?  Perhaps, as we peel off our winter layers, attention to the graceful neck is the first sign of spring.

RODARTE ON "BLACK SWAN"

The Mulleavy sisters behind Rodarte commented on making the edgy, much-talked-about costumes for the movie, "Black Swan".  Known in the fashion world for their intellectual approach to design, they often appeal to the artier crowd, like (surprise) Natalie Portman.   See the New York Times' video from today:




As horror film aficionados, "Black Swan" was a natural extension of their vision.  The hand-made ballet costumes for the movie used materials like angora, spiky feathers, net, and metal to create the gothic swan images for the film.

For more on Rodarte's "Black Swan" tutus and the couture art of costume making, see the previous post: Black Swan Backstage

DESIGUAL MEETS CHRISTIAN LACROIX

Last year, I blogged about my pleasant surprise when I first encountered the explosion of colors that is Desigual:    Barcelona Buzz

Desigual Fall/Winter 2010

What's not to love about the Barcelona-based company's mixed print patchwork and rainbow palette.

Latest news is a resurrection for French couturier, Christian Lacroix.  Poor Monsieur Lacroix went through bankruptcy in 2009 and cannot even design under his name anymore.   Enter a made-in-heaven collaboration with Desigual.

Monsieur C. Lacroix for Desigual, photo from Desigual

Lacroix muses on the first time he saw a girl wearing Desigual in Paris (taken from The Telegraph, Jan. 21, 2011):

"As I watched her, I could recognise in her a member of my own tribe. It was an explosion of colours and patchwork under the elegant, discreet and always monotonous French sky. It was fantastic, truly love at first sight, a breath of fresh air, all multicoloured, scorching, revitalising, radiating Mediterranean colours and flavours and creeping into this global and colourless magma inhabited by zombies and clones."

Lacroix has renamed his label "Monsieur C. Lacroix".   I am excited to see what comes out of this collaboration!