Results tagged “designers” from Styleblog

A first of its kind, Viktor & Rolf decided to eschew the notion of a traditional show and present their clothes from SS 2009 in an online only format that transports the viewer front and center. The beauty of this is that you can watch the fashion show from anywhere - including your work station while you procrastinate. Watch it here.

Watching this, I came up with a few observations. I think these online shows definitely are the wave of the future, as you can do a lot of things online that you can't with just a traditional show. For instance, there are lots of close up and detail shots of the clothing that allows the viewer to pause and look at the clothes while the model walks down the runway. Such a level of detail would never be possible at a real show, not even from the front row. Furthermore, the designers accomplished this entire show with the use of only one model - the inimitable Shalom Harlow. In certain shots, multiple Shalom Harlows walked down the runway one after the other, a creepy yet interesting effect. I also like the universality of this format, and the democratic nature of a show where everyone, no matter who they are, is ostensibly invited. Viktor & Rolf's online show definitely addresses the question whether fashion shows are still relevant in the age of the web, and from what I see here, they are skeptical.

On the other hand, I don't see how a traditional show and an online show couldn't exist simultaneously. There's something magical about seeing clothes in person - even if it's from far away. You get sensory effects from live viewing that you simply can't get from looking at a screen. In person, you get a sense of immedicacy, for one. You have the ability to judge the weight of the clothes. You can see the clothes move and float in person. You can watch the clothes against a live human body, and judge how they look on a real person. These things cannot be replaced.

I'm interested in seeing what happens next season. Will Viktor & Rolf return to form with a live show? Or will they use this as a precedent for their future showings? Only time will tell. In the meantime, we can all agree the web is a very exciting prospect for the future of fashion.

Sofia Coppola will add a new title to her already formidable list of accomplishments! The very artistic Sofia has been tapped by Marc Jacobs to design a line of handbags for Louis Vuitton. Sofia is Marc's friend and muse, and I think the collaboration between these two will be great for the brand. Having starred in many MJ campaigns, and currently starring with her father in Louis Vuitton's "core values" campaign, Sofia is a familiar face to the company. Lending her artistic hand to the design house seems the next logical step in her already extensive collaboration with MJ and his design team. According to WWD, the bags will launch in Japan and then be sold worldwide.

Black and white is hands down my favorite color combination to wear together. Snejana looks lovely here from the Gareth Pugh SS 2009 show in this beautiful Elizabeth I meets the Mod Squad outfit that perfectly embodies the postmodern idea of pastiche.

Pugh's outfits were all black in the back and all white in the front, which symbolized for him an idea of emerging into light and optimism, from a place of darkness.

I love smart fashion with a concept, but what was even more arresting to me was the realization - in Pugh's show - that fashion can be cerebral while still being, at the very same time, incredibly physical. While Pugh's models were styled in clothes that evoked an image of a woman warrior (Queen Elizabeth herself often dressed in knight's armor), at the same time his garments respected the physicality of a woman's body. The models wore sky high heels and figure flattering leggings. More than any of his other recent collections, this collection might even be called sexy! Wow - what a first for Gareth Pugh. Bravo.

Maison Martin Margiela you crazy freak, I love you! Check out the other pics from the SS 2009 Margiela show on Style.com. Margiela's finale look was a walking birthday cake - like WTF? Beautiful, ludicrous, completely serious and yet completely tongue-in-cheek, ironic and sincere, whatever - this stuff is totally indescribable. Let's just settle for "insane" as our adjective of choice, and enjoy the genius of Margiela. Now I just need to go to the wig surplus store and get myself a new face.

Something tells me these shoes aren't going to sell well. Two models fell and countless others stumbled their way through Miucci Prada's SS 2009 show in Milan. One model even had to be helped to her feet by audience members. One model fell OUT of her shoe. Embarrassing. Due to the models' falls, Miucci Prada promised the shoes would be lower when they hit the stores. She claims it was the little socks the girls were wearing, and not the horrific nature of the shoes, that caused the falls. Below, a video of the Prada show that includes the frill and trip-pery.

Weird hair is one of my favorite looks. The odder, the more conceptual, the less accessible, the more adored. It takes so much effort to have beautiful 'shampoo commercial hair'. I know people who even take pills for maximally shiny hair. But pretty shiny hair is so boring. I'd pick interesting over pretty any day, and the bigger, messier, wilder hair can be, the more I naturally gravitate toward it. So it should come as no surprise that I loved the hair at Fendi's SS 2009 show, which looks like a modernist take on a Trojan helmet. Women warriers, indeed. Rawr.

The above is a vintage YSL bag, called the Nadja Rose bag, which debuted in spring 2003. It was - for a while - a major design obsession of mine. I thought the buttery leather was so beautiful, as was the concept. Fast forward to 2008.


Above, Valentino's Fango Nappa Blossom Petale. available at Saks for $2,395. Valentino's bag is beautiful, no doubt. But I MUCH prefer the YSL variety. The beautiful, fluffy YSL rose looks squashed in the Valentino design, and the annoying hand stap with a 4" drop makes the Valentino bag much less convenient to carry than the YSL one, which comes with a shoulder strap that includes some pretty hardware. Also, I prefer the soft caramel brown of the YSL bag to the sheeny clay of the Valentino. All in all, this lesson shows us that if you can't beat the original, don't copy it!

My friend once saw Kim Gordon on a plane and described her as being "really, super hot". Kim Gordon, otherwise known as the bassist of Sonic Youth, is not only "really, super hot," but also seems really classy, healthy, and normal as well. Instead of grappling with rehab, messy relationships, or scandals, Kim has been married since 1984 to her bandmate Thurston Moore. The two have a daughter, and they live in a small town in Massachusetts. Now, Kim has come out with a clothing line called Mirror/Dash. Mirror/Dash is inspired by Francoise Hardy, because - in Kim's own words - "there's a need for clothes for cool moms." So far, the jacket pictured above is the only item available through Mirror/Dash, but expect to see more items on the site soon. Kim Gordon might be the only rock'n'roller in the world who can have a cool-moms-clothing-line AND still have the massive critical acclaim and street credibility of being a respected and relevant musician. She's hip no matter what she does. It's not fair. Plus, the jacket, which retails for $415, is super cute.

For those who need an extra fix of Kim Gordon, who Flavorpill calls the "benevolent queen of gracefully aging art-rockers," she's playing at the Montalvo Arts Center in Silicon Valley this Friday. Check Flavorpill for more details.

Tonight is the Fashion Week episode of Gossip Girl (called "The Ex-Files" ooh la la, more Blair and Chuck drama anyone?) and I am BEYOND excited to see Tinsley Mortimer front row at Eleanor Waldorf's fashion show, which will consist of 9 real life looks from designer Abigail Lorick of Lorick New York.

I am so looking forward to another dose of my favorite Upper East Siders. Will Blair and Chuck finally do the deed - without Chuck having to fake a British accent? Will Dan and Serena patch things up after last episode's elevator debacle? Will Nate finally stop the gigolo act and just get with Vanessa already? Can't wait to see.

It love these headpieces from Danielle Scutt. The green pineapple thing is phenomenal. I need one! Spring summer 2009 fashion has been all about crazy headgear, from Diane von Furstenberg's rock goddess headbands to Topshops great Aunt Jemima scarves to the great hats at Marc Jacobs. It's official. Heads are the new necks. Who needs to accessorize with baubles on their necks when you can just throw something wacky on top of your head?

I really love the monochromatic makeup with the rust colored lips at Proenza Schouler SS 2009. I was looking at this the other day and thinking that the makeup was very early 80s. There's something very cold about the way it looks, despite being done in all warm colors. "So young and so cold." It's very new wave, very modern, very The Face. The washed out effect is great - it reminds me of looking at a real-like Juergen Teller photograph. Unfortunately, this look would be completely different on someone who didn't have medium to light colored hair. On me, for instance, it wouldn't have the same effect. It requires an almost anemic beauty to make it work, but on models like Heidi Mount and Olga Sherer, it's exquisite.

OMG. Wingtips + socks + shorts = my new favorite menswear look for SS 2009. Thank you 3.1 Philip Lim, for the styling in your show. The beautiful shoes paraded in the Lim show were made by Christian Louboutin. Good luck getting your hands on a pair without breaking the bank (though maybe it's worth it - they're fabulous). For a more realitistic take on this look, Rachel Comey makes beautiful lace-ups that are reasonably affordable.

James Perse, best known for their criminally soft t-shirts and knits, has finally launched their online store. James Perse knits are spare, sophisticated, elegant, and streamlined - the perfect way to wear do luxe-casual. (Note: the BEST shirts for those nights when you and the boy decide to "oh let's just say in and watch a movie except not pay attention to the movie at all"). James Perse is also available at online boutiques like Shopbop and eLuxury, as well as high-end department stores like Saks, Neimans, and Barneys.

Proenza Schouler's art deco pants make me want drink absinthe, smoke cigarettes out of a gilded holder, get Man Ray to take my photo, and then go act supremely bored at a fabulous party with my beautiful friends. As much as I love my skinny jeans, they've become too much of a daytime pant for me to ever want to wear them out at night. For when the sun goes down, I need some slouchy harem trousers in shiny metallics to get me dancing like I'm the Mayor of Leg City.

Is multiple belts the new trend for SS 2009? These photos are from the Marc by Marc Jacobs show, and it's gotten me inspired to try the same look with multiple belts myself. One thing I love (and sometimes don't love so much) about Marc Jacobs is that his shows are HUGE on the accessorizing. We're talking hats, scarves, gloves, and limbs dripping in costume jewelry. And as my personal style can be at times 'everything and the Marc by Marc Jacobs kitchen sink,' I am loving this play on belts.

The way to do this look is to go simple on everything else, and while I like the belts with the jacket on the left, I think - for womenswear - I'd prefer this look with something less bulky. Maybe a simple shift dress, with a ton of belts on the waist, two or three wristwatches (and no other jewelry), and a really hot pair of ankle boots?

I'm digging all the headgear in Diane von Furstenberg's SS 09 show. The tribal look was one of the biggest trends of SS 08, so it's interesting to see the tribal headband carried over for another year. I guess the headband (or 'scene-band')  look isn't going anywhere just yet.

What's unique to see is that the new style of headband has a Grecian air to it; whereas before, the look was strictly hippie/tribal before, now - with all those floral festoons - it's almost Hellnistic. It's like Flower Child meets Athena the Warrior. DVF's theme for her show was "Rock Goddess" and I can see the goddess element, clearly, in her use of these laurel-like headbands. I'm getting a heavy Serena at the White Party feel. She had her beautiful Oscar de la Renta Grecian column gown accessorized with a gold chain headband that draped down her back. Is Greek the new way to wear tribal?

Vogue Hommes Japan is out today, but sadly only in Japan. Can someone tell me when I can find an issue in the States?? Hedi Slimane did the cover plus 24 pages inside the periodical, so obviously I'm on pins and needles to see it. Male models plus high fashion plus Slimane's photography, does it get better? The cover model is Ash Stymest, who channels Jesus Christ in this stunningly shot photo.

Ahh, we are well into New York's Spring 2009 Fashion Week and the designs are pouring in. Some were exquisite, like Koi Suwannagate's butterfly-themed fairy tale for spring. Some were inexplicably bad, like William Rast, the new design house run by Justin Timberlake, which reminded me more of Abercrombie than pret-a-porter. Many were hit-and-miss, like Alexander Wang's show, which had some phenomenal pieces and so not-so-great ones thrown into the same mix.

For instance, I am really, really into this cut-out sweater by Alexander Wang. I'm super inspired by the grunge look, and oversized holey sweaters really bring out the Pearl Jam fan deep inside me. But check out that atrocious styling. While those fringed gladiator platforms are incredible, the rest of the styling is - to be frank - appalling. I don't think any respectable woman would wear sweatpants and a do rag out in public. I get the whole 'urban' thing, and Alexander Wang really knows how to push the envelope, but pushing the envelope shouldn't mean making someone as stunning as Jessica Stam look like a crackhead. I mean, look at the expression on Stam's face. She's all like, "You have GOT to be kidding me."

Look at the gorgeous and ethereal model, Tanya D, wearing Giambattista Valli's angelic frock. She's got the face of a Valentine's Day cupid, and the delicately perfect feature needed to pull off this dress. Now, brace yourselves, and glance at the horror below.
 


While I applaud Victoria for putting her, um, unique twist on things, you do not wear a dress that is intended to evoke ANGELS in a manner like this. The sky high silver Louboutin "Pigalles"? Really? And the oppressive make-up, that ludicrous pose, and the strange thing in her hair that makes her look more like an alien with an antenna coming out of her head than ever before? Ugh. I know she's selling her jeans at Harvey Nichols now and she's trying to be more high fashion, but she's doing a really bad job at it. For someone with all the money in the world to buy beautiful Giambattista Valli dresses, she doesn't have a clue how to pull it off. Poor (rich) thing.

I read an interesting article in The New Yorker yesterday - "Sole Sisters" by Patricia Marx - where she lists more types of shoes (the article is literally six magazine pages long) than I've ever seen in one article before, in my entire life. She talks about Roger Vivier kitten heels, Dolce & Gabbana gladiator sandals, Tod's loafers, Masai Barefoot Technology sandals, Cole Haan tortoise-patterned patent leather OT Air Pumps, d'Orsay pumps at Dusica Dusica, Taryn Rose chocolate-colored ankle boots with a padded foot bed, a whole slew of Louboutins, John Fluevog's upturned booties, R. Crumb capitalist oxfords, Sigerson Morrison desert boots, trompe l'oeil patched shoes at Berluti, ribboned heels from Irregular Choice, Guiseppe Zanotti silver stiletto sandals, Jimmy Choo lizzie pierced-toe pumps, millions of dollars worth of Blahnik strappy sandals, Mobius shoes by Rem Koolhaas that are formed by a single band of carbon fibre, Belgian Shoes from the Upper East Side Belgian shoe boutique, Swarovski-crystal-studded sneakers by Christian Audigier, and even shoes from Payless -- AMONG MUCH MUCH MORE.

How can one man be so quotable in just one article?

• "I'm mad for books. It is a disease I won't recover from. They are the tragedy of my life. I want to learn about everything. I want to know everything, but I'm not an intellectual, and I don't like their company. I'm the most superficial man on Earth."
• "I buy my shoes a size too small. I like the way it feels."
• "I have no problem with journalists - many are friends. Only if they are really stupid, or if they've got bad breath, or if they smell. Yesterday I had a problem. I said, 'I'm sorry, you've got to tell this woman that she needs to be taken away. Her smell is not possible.' "
• "They sent a private jet. I said, 'It's too small. I need a bigger plane.' It's fun, no?"
• "My sisters were sent away because my mother thought they were boring. I was not boring."
• "Chanel is an institution, and you have to treat an institution like a whore - and then you get something out of her."
• "My mentality has a touch of the professional killer. I'm like a mercenary, hired to kill."
• "I don't need meetings. I'm only interested in my own opinion anyway."

This man is insane. I loves!!!!

Hahahaha! From Purseblog.

Oh no! First, Jovovich-Hawk, now Mayle. Jane Mayle is closing Mayle after ten years of business. I love Mayle, and I especially love the British 'magpie aesthetic', so this is really sad news. Her line was a favorite amongst fashionable women like Sofia Coppola, Helena Christensen, and Rachel Bilson. According to WWD, "The economy, the challenges of running a fashion business, debt and the inability to secure financial backing can all factor into a designer's decision to close shop, but for Jane Mayle, an out-of-control fashion system was the ultimate trigger behind calling it quits on her business after 10 years."

This means that now is your last chance to snag that adorable Itati camisole top. Or one of my favorite dresses, the Ninel dress with its beautiful geometric design. Throw on the eclectic satchi paradisco jacket and you'll be turning heads left and right. Mayle will be no longer come February, so what are you waiting for?

This blouse is too cute for words. I want it! But it's $695 at Shop Jake. Who can afford that? There are, however, alternatives to spending $695 on a blouse.

My new project is to make a blouse that looks like this one, with my own materials. First, I'll have to go to the fabric store. Then, I need a pattern. You can buy vintage patterns online, like these pattern books for 1950s style blouson-sleeved, bib-yoked blouses. The Chris Benz blouse at left as a modified bib-yoke, and you can use a basic pattern as a drawing board to build off of, as you make your blouse more elaborate.

It's not very difficult to make your own clothes. Of course they won't come out looking couture - at least, not at first. There will be some funkiness going on in the beginning. But after the first project, things get easier and easier.

If you're interested in making clothes, you can take sewing lessons right here in San Francisco. The Sewing Workshop has a lot of classes geared towards beginners - like me. Come take a class and run into me!

Gareth Pugh's black lamb leather jacket is 50% off at Seven New York. 50% off of $3950. That is more than my monthly rent. But a girl can dream, right?

I love this romper by Samantha Peet. It looks like the mix between a Civil War uniform, a Victorian bathing suit, and a young English boy's boarding school uniform. It's so ugly-beautiful that it's amazing! I'd pair it with a straw fedora, a pair of super high-heeled spectator pumps, a thin gold belt, and a boxy vintage handbag. I have a lot of things in my wardrobe, but I have yet to include a turquoise corduroy romper. After seeing this weirdness, I think that will have to change. I also need to get asked out on a date so that I can wear this and thoroughly creep the boy out.

At right is a Hockley advertisement for a fur coat, worn with a Stella McCartney bra. Apparently when Stella McCartney saw this ad, she went "absolutely ballistic when she saw it" according to the Daily Mail.

Designer Stella McCartney has furiously demanded that a leading fashion house drop one of its adverts - because it features a model wearing lingerie from her collection beneath a mink fur coat.

Ms McCartney - an ardent supporter of animal rights who refuses to use fur or leather in her own designs - is said to have hit the roof and threatened legal action after spotting one of her bras in the advert for Hockley, a fur boutique based in Mayfair.

It's interesting that Stella was so dogmatic about pulling the advertisements for Hockley. Her items are often styled with leather and fur for magazines like Vogue and Harper's, but the spreads still run with her permission. Stores like Neiman and Saks sell Stella McCartney but they also sell fur - and she has no problem with that.

However, Stella is so adamant about her beliefs that she refuses to use any animal products in her designs. According to insiders, she even gives her friends like Madonna a hard time for wearing fur.

Stella has told reporters before, "Madonna won't wear anything she doesn't eat. But the other day she was wearing this coat made from baby lambs that hadn't even been born. So I said: 'I didn't know you ate foetuses.'"

I am really into these Giuseppe Zanotti mirrored ankle boots. They are gaudy, they are goth, they're so Elvira. They bring new meaning to "silver tranny ferocia." Who's going to give me $995 so I can get them at Net-a-Porter? Any takers?

Luella Bartley's Urban Outfitters line is finally available! In case you didn't know, Luella Bartley is an extremely influential British designer who is known for designing beautiful clothes that are just a little bit twisted. In the words of the designer herself, the clothes she makes are "cute but always a little sick--that's my girl." That's my girl indeed. I love her decidedly unheimlich approach to style. The orange plaid pieces above perfectly display the designer's fascination with that which is "a little sick" - orange plaid always makes me think Halloween, which in turn makes me think of witches and goblins that poison little children in the night.

The bad news is that none of these pieces are available in the USA - yet. Urban Outfitters UK doesn't deliver internationally. Boo. But, as if I could afford the exchange rate anyway!

Michael Kors is going on Gossip Girl! Whoa! Big news. According to the designer himself:

I was glued into 'Gossip Girl' from Day One...I think it truly is the 'car-crash-that's-glamourous.' Probably to the consternation of certain people on the Upper East Side, they really get it. It's a pretty clear picture of how a lot of these kids really are... I love the clothes, everyone is good-looking, the plot line is a riot. I love the show. They called and said, 'You are very Gossip Girl.' I thought, 'Finally, I am a teenager.'

The new season of Gossip Girl starts September 1. I'm so excited to see what Michael has to offer. Season 2 of my favorite show promises to be rife with celebrity, celebutante, socialite, and designer cameos. Like Tinsley Mortimer, who was spotted filming on the Hamptons set of Gossip Girl. I wonder who they'll play? Possibly they'll just play themselves. But even better! Lend some credibility to the show.

One tiny request. Can we have a cameo by Michael Kors' mom too? Because ever since seeing Joan Kors on Project Runway, I've thought she was seriously awesome. She's like the chain smoking older female version of Michael himself, and someone has got to get her on Gossip Girl, maybe as Blair Waldorf's grandmother or something. I can totally see that.

I wish all editorials look like this. This set of photos is called "Suite Suit." Ethereal, minimal, metaphysical (a photo within a photo), gorgeously shot and styled -- this is one of the best catalog editorials I've seen in a while.

Milla Jovovich explains to Lucky magazine that Jovovich-Hawk, the fashion line she started with model friend Carmen Hawk five years ago, is over: "It's like, when one door closes ... I'm in a time of rediscovery, from my career to my personal style." I have no idea why it's all coming to an end, because it seemed for a while like Jovovich-Hawk was so popular. All the it-girls were wearing Jovovich-Hawk on the town and the clothes were flying off the racks at high end department stores and luxury online boutiques. It was even nominated for a CFDA award for best new design line. The two designers ladies got so big they even created a diffusion line for Target - along with designers like Proenza Schouler and Behnaz Sarafpour.

I guess what this means is that you'll have to snap up all the Jovovich-Hawk you can before it all goes off the assembly line. Like this adorable 70s inspired white pleated minidress.

Or this precious floral number that just screams 'first date'.

Or this sexy cut-out blouse with the vroom vroom factor.

Ok so you get the point, which is that now's the time to get it cuz it's not here to stay. Sob.

Karl Lagerfeld's Guide to Life is a hilarious blog written in the voice of "Fake Karl Lagerfeld," a man modeled after my very own favorite fashion couturier. While he pokes fun at the real KL, it's all in good fun and very tongue-in-cheek. The faux raconteur drops some gems like, "God, I hate the smell of food. It's almost as bad as eating it. So I'm not really eating, but you know what I mean. Other people are. Well. Other people, being one person. And he's fat, hmm?"

Fake Karl is now being interviewed for fashion blogs like The Fashion Time. Maybe I can arrange an interview with Fake Karl for Style Bay Area?

Some highlights of the FT interview:

The Karl hair is in the air, it is part of the very fabric of fashion. One does not "get" Karl hair, one obtains it from being fashion.

I keep personal life personal and private life private, hmmm? When you are as busy as me- work is sex. Oh, the chiffon.

The Prada women...she's like the god of the homeless. Yohji Yamamoto...the god of the rain. Tom Ford...the god of plucked eyebrows. Oh, most of the designers are gods. Even Yves is a kind of god. But it doesn't mean you have to worship them, hmm? Look at the churches of Chanel- and then the cold, cold churches of Gucci.

Chado Ralph Rucci

Gareth Pugh

Alexander McQueen

Giles

Yohji Yamamoto

Images courtesy of Style.com 

 

 

Viktor and Rolf are coming out with three different styles of women's eyelashes, which will drop this August at Shu Uemera.

The eyelashes are Swirl, Wing, and Rhombus. Swirl is a girly fringe of flirty lashes, Wing is inspired by a dove's white feathers, and Rhombus is all drama: wild lashes rimmed with diamond-shaped, mirrored gold sequins.

The designers were inspired by Pierrot, a stock character in French miming art - ie, the sad clown.

According to W Magazine:

And yes, the designers do imagine real women wearing the lashes. "They can be worn as an accessory, when a woman is feeling festive," said Snoeren of the flutterers, which will be available in August ($95 per pair, shuuemura-usa.com). Then again, nothing's quite ordinary in their world. "We rarely have the feeling that anything is too much," he admitted.

Have you seen a cuter bunny? These bunnies model Proenza Schouler. Fifi Lapin is a blog I found via Coquette and which I've been addicted to ever since.

According to the De Young's website, "In the 1960s Yves Saint Laurent made an indelible mark on fashion with clothing emblematic of the new modernity. Yves Saint Laurent, organized by FAMSF and The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in collaboration with the Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent, explores the designs that made Saint Laurent famous, and his inspirations drawn from art, theatre, history, literature, and nature. This exhibition contains more than 100 accessorized garments and sketches illustrating the lines, colors, and fundamentals of Saint Laurent's work. This is the only U.S. venue."

The exhibit will be divided into four main themes. La pointe du crayon (the pencil tip) will look at the progression of design from the starting point of a YSL sketch. La révolution Yves Saint Laurent (The YSL revolution) will examine the designer's menswear inspiration for his womenswear - i.e. Le Smoking. La Palette will look at his métissage and use of color. Les sources lyriques (The lyrical sources) explores his inspirations, literary and otherwise, for his designs.

It gets even better. On the opening day, the museum will host a symposium of speakers, including Hamish Bowles. Yep, I'll be there. You better be, too.

I absolutely cannot get enough of the gorgeous architecture of this dress. It is so incredibly stunning. For her exquisite collection, Iris van Herpen was influenced by the crow - a mysterious, intelligent, dark animal.  Her golden dress comes from the old alchemists' idea that it is possible to turn lead into gold - thus, she has turned crows into gold. Under the golden rods, there is another dress made of black leather, and like the flap of a bird's wing, the golden neck of the dress comes detached and forms folded wings on the body to reveal the black dress beneath. The brass spokes on this dress were gathered from children's umbrellas and give the appearance of a finely-boned bird's skeleton. It's as if Herpen is creating a golden crow from the inside out, and in revealing the concealed, she creates something magical and golden for out of air - an alchemist's tale. The collection is called Chemical Crows.

YES. YES YES YES YES YES YES YES. This is great news for two reasons. First, people don't get more gorgeous than Takeshi Kaneshiro, and we can see him modeling Armani underwear. Second, it shows that the modeling world is slowly becoming more diversified (or such is the trend right now with the all-black Vogue Italia and more South and East Asian models coming onto the scene). I really hope the fashion industry continues to highlight more minority faces.

Congrats to Takeshi - who's pretty much a household name in Asian cinema - for being named the new face of Emporio Armani.

"I am excited to collaborate with Takeshi on this new advertising campaign. He is a film and style icon in Asia where his fame transcends cultures both East and West. His sense of effortless style is very contemporary and sophisticated and together with his good look makes him the ideal testimonial for Emporio Armani," says designer Giorgio Armani.
 
In the meantime, for your Takeshi needs, catch some of his movies, listed here on IMDB.

Calvin Klein is re-releasing CK One and instead of using Kate Moss and Marky Mark in the ads, he'll be using Kristen Owen (minimalist 90s darling), Guinevere van Seenus (she just looks grunge rock). and Agyness Dean (London punk glam). I love this pairing. I've always thought Aggy had a serious 90s look to her, probably because the lead singer of The Offspring was the only person with bleach blond hair I was familiar with in my childhood, which was (and now I'm giving away my age) in the 90s. I'm so old! And I'm still in my early twenties!!!

I know one thing's for sure. I'm old enough to remember the original CK One androgyny ads. And I have to say, they've picked the three fiercest and most androgynous female models out there to represent the brand. The 90s are officially back folks.

Glory be Hallelujah. Luella Bartley is bringing her creative genius to Urban Oufitters! Can we get a collective "Yay"?

Of course, like all the best diffusion lines, this collection hits stores in London first, but I expect we'll see some of Bartley's creations in the USA after not too long. The collection will feature Bartley's signature whimsy and feminine detailing.

Prices start at £39, and as there is only one Urban Outfitters in downtown San Francisco, I expect it's going to be a fight to the death for the best pieces.

Also, can the people at Luella Bartley take a request? Can you bring a version of the Batman shirt to Urban Outfitters? Pretty pretty please?

StyleGirl loves Batman. LOVES.

John Galliano is going through a serious 50s kick in his 2009 Dior Couture collection. This collection all about wasp-waisted refinery - swanky, polished, and glossed with vintage chic to an inch of its life. Galliano had two muses for this show: Lisa Fonssagrives (wife of Irving Penn and Dior model herself) and the First Lady of France, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.

What I love about Galliano is that he can take a basic template - like wholesome 50s conventionality - and tinker with it until it becomes something different, strange, and even deviant (in a delightful way). The perversions are apparent here: in the see-through skirts, the gauche make-up, the ultrafeminine waist-hugging coats, and heels so sky-high they'd please the most finicky of fetishists.

This ensemble worn by the inimitable Coco Rocha obviously draws some elements from the wicked witch of the west, as well as Gareth Pugh's Fall 2008 ready-to-wear goat's fur coat, but I think it's one of the most representative in his entire collection of the aforementioned aesthetic that governs Galliano's work. It's theatrical - yes - and anachronistic - double yes - but in its own way, it's absolutely wearable and, despite being couture, shockingly appropriate for the day-to-day. Can I envision Carla in this look, standing next to her husband on a stage? Not really, but I can definitely see where Galliano is going in his wishful thinking.

Thierry Mugler closed up shop for the last five years, but he's back with a new capsule collection. Thierry left fashion to focus on perfume, which makes up 80% of his company's revenue, but he is back to clothes. Naomi Watts donned one of Mugler's designs to the last MET gala, and a new interest in Mugler has surged through the fashion industry. The capsule collection is designed by Rosemary Rodriguez, who worked closely with the company between 1994-1999 as artistic director.

That is all okay and well, but does anyone remember when Thierry Mugler gave himself a makeover back in June 2007 and transformed himself into a horrifying, completely NSFW monster?

Maybe with the help of beautiful and classy Naomi Watts, as she steps in as the new face of Angel perfume, Mugler can bring himself back to A-status in the fashion industry.

Richard Chai's new diffusion collection for Target is my favorite of all the GO International collections yet. NYLON has the first look, and you can 8 Chai outfits previewed on their site. The outfits cost about $90 for the ENTIRE head to toe look, and the clothes are so so so cute.

I especially like this look to the right. Rich yet muted colors are a theme in Chai's Target line, and I love the way the purple on the vest pairs with the dusty lavender of the skirt. The geometric tank is also adorable. I can see it dressed up with a skirt, like in this picture, but also casually thrown over a pair of skinny jeans and some ankle boots for a more rock'n'roll vibe. The collection drops at Target in August. In the meantime, get the new NYLON for the in depth article about Chai's collaboration.

Dear Richard Chai and Target. I love you.

Oh my GOD! Yes! Vivienne Westwood sent us a bear on her runway show in Milan. I love it!!!! Not that I don't love the parade of svelte, petal-faced Eastern European boys who sashay down the catwalks in skintight pants, but the hirsute Sergio Lo Re (a model and bodyguard, no less) shows us fashion from a different, meatier perspective - and it's fantastic. He's even wearing mandals, a favorite look in my heart for summer. It just goes to show, you can still be a macho man and still wear buttery brown, ankle-strap sandals in the summer. Now - men - please do us all a favor and throw away those gnarly Reefs and Rainbows. Invest in something that will make you look like less of a San Diego frat boy and more like a Greek sailor.

I could only wear this if I had done several rounds of tequila shots and lost all my public inhibitions am decidedly not the type of person who could wear this bodysuit without feeling desperately self-conscious, but part of me (the masochistic instinct) likes this look somewhat. I can sort of see where Alexander McQueen is going with this - it combines the idea of protective body armor (scuba gear or spacesuit) with the naked, obvious vulnerability of exposing the body itself. The model appears as strong as a new age space cadet, and as defenseless as an acrobat suspended in the air, without a net. The play on significations and contradictory suggestions is, admittedly, interesting.

However, as appealing as the theoretical explorations of this ensemble happen to be, it's an entirely unwearable piece of art. I mean, you'd practically have to get naked just to use the loo, and it presents an abominably unrealistic expectation of what a woman's body ought to look like - flat of stomach, trim of thigh, protruding of hipbone, and all around reed thin. I can see this being layered under, say, a diaphanous high waisted skirt, but by itself, it makes the model look like a very big orange salamander.

Not to mention, if you wore such an outfit, you'd run the risk of alienating everyone around you. No matter how many protestations of "but it's McQueen" you sputtered, you'd still be wearing a bodysuit in public, and that may - the some people - be labeled as arrogant and overly self-certain inappropriate.

People generally think that high fashion always trickles down to street fashion, and never vice versa. In many peoples' minds, YSL or Dior or Chanel walks something on a catwalk in Paris, and two years later, replicas are sold in suburban malls all across the world. But fashion is also very much inspired by street culture and the idea of 'youth culture.' Designers are constantly ripping off trends they see on the streets (and now, in street fashion blogs) and marketing them to the masses. These clothes from the Gucci Spring 2009 collection, which debuted yesterday in Milan, show this phenomenon. Models strolled down the catwalk to the tunes of MGMT, and the press notes called this show an exploration of "the new way in which youth and luxury can seamlessly coexist." Gucci is obviously jumping on the hipster fashion bandwagon.



In true Gucci fashion, everything was completely over-the-top and accessorized beyond an inch of its life. Also, I don't know what their market is going to think about this. When I think about guys who wear Gucci, the idea of urban hipster doesn't exactly come into mind. If you want to dress like a hipster that badly, just keep your wallet safe and shop at thrift stores.

HauteLook is my an amazing place to online shop if you like designer sales - all they sell are things on sale! Register online and shop sales at up to 75% off. They announce their sales one week ahead of time, and you can hear about them on the website. Right now, there's a Foley + Corinna sale I'm absolutely digging.

This dress above retails for $495 and sells on HauteLook for $173.

Quick - go register on HauteLook now!!

"It's yellow, it's ugly, it doesn't go with anything, but it could save your life." Karl Lagerfeld appears in a campaign by the French government to promote road safety. Road safety authorities hope that Karl Lagerfeld can convince drivers to wear reflective yellow vests while on the road.

Does the French government also want people to wear dark sunglasses while driving at night? Because Karl is wearing those too.

As iconic as Karl is, I don't know how many people will be persuaded to don a construction vest while driving...

Devi Kroell started out by making handbags - deliciously beautiful ones like this crystal wooden clutch, available at Net-a-Porter. Devi states, "I think it's a really natural continuation of what I have been doing so far. I started with bags, and then my clients asked for shoes, so I started making shoes." Now, those same clients are hankering for clothes, so Devi is going to dust her magic on ready-to-wear. Her separates, dresses, and suits will go for $790 to $2,000, and the collection drops in January and will be available at high-end department stores like Barneys, Neimans, and Saks. A small preview will show at New York Fashion Week this September. Kroell started selling handbags in 2004, and in the past four years her company has really taken off. Her vision is embraced by the fashion community, and I'm excited to see what she'll bring to the world of ready-to-wear.

 

 

Hadley Freeman (pictured at right), the fashion critic for the Guardian UK, has been banned by yet another fashion house for giving it a poor review. This time, it's by Paul Smith, who was angry that she used terms like "strange and furry", "quite ugly" and "Desperate Dan" to describe his last collection.

She also has an enemy in Jean-Paul Gaultier, who banned her for life from his shows, because she penned "rarely can an animal have died in vain as sadly as did the fox, whose top half, head to tail, was splayed across an evening gown" about one of his dresses.

As she writes in her thought-provoking article, "...it seems pretty ridiculous to invite critics to a show, but only on the understanding that they will write gushing hyperbole."

"Fashion magazines and some newspapers are financially dependent on fashion advertisers, which muffles the writers who work for them. They are unable to say anything remotely negative about the clothes, out of fear of losing that precious £100,000-a-year advertising account, which is why so much fashion coverage often reads as little more than advertorial puff and fluff. Designers then get used to such obsequiousness so that any words of dissent are treated as a shocking display of heresy."

Designers - stop banning the press from your shows just because they give you a bad review! It's not a personal attack against you if they don't like your clothes. And even if they don't go to your shows, they can still see the photos all over the web. Blatant censorship of the press just sends a bad message to everyone.

Would you wear this bag? It's Takashi Murakami's latest collaboration with Louis Vuitton. Murakami, a famous and prolific Japanese artist, is a darling amongst the fashion set for his Warhol-like contributions to art (with his postmodern approach of repackaging lowbrow art as high art). Murakami has hundreds of people working for him and has become something of a corporation, in addition to an artist. With Marc Jacobs, he's created camouflage bags printed with the traditional LV logo, which they now call "Monogramouflage." I don't know what I feel about this bad, honestly. I never liked the camo trend, and I don't feel there's anything particularly artistic about using a camo print and layering an LV print over it. Did MJ really need an internationally famous artist to come up with that? Or does putting the "Murakami" name with the "Louis Vuitton" name make it an even bigger brand, which people will be more willing to shell out the big bucks for? An interesting thought. I liked Murakami's cherries a lot better, the last time he worked on bags for LV, though I've never been a big fan of his work.

The above is Victoria Beckham dressed like a hobo, lying on her side, and sucking her thumb for a Marc Jacobs ad. Your StyleGirl posted last month about how she believes Marc Jacobs is purposely making fun of Victoria Beckham in his new ads, and it seems she's not the only one with this theory.

Today, The Daily Mail came out with an article about how Posh Spice's MJ campaign is a classic "case of playground bullying." Liz Jones writes that Victoria is the "not-so-pretty, awkward, desperate-to-be-included nerd who so wants to play with the cool kids she will do anything to ingratiate herself  -  even against her better judgment."

"And there she is striking a pose  -  arms out-stretched, one emaciated thigh peeping through a split in her skirt, a stupefied look on her pale face  -  that is a parody of all she stands for, seemingly worshipping at the altar of designer fashion."

True true. Nothing she says is wrong, except one thing: they call this a "new theory." It's not new!! You heard it HERE first! :)

From October 12, 2008 through December 26, 2008, Target will be offering a line of handbags by Anya Hindmarch and shoes by Sigerson Morrison. Diffusion lines are the only things that keep me alive, and I have a feeling these will be amazing collections. Target is so on top of their shit.

Sigerson Morrison is the brainchild of Kari Sigerson and Miranda Morrison, and they make beautiful shoes, particularly their flats. Their flats are girly, elegant, and have the effect of making everyone's feet look daintier and smaller than they actually are. I am really really praying that a nice red ballet flat makes its way into their Target collection, just in time for Christmas.

These flats are $469 at Zappos Couture. They're lovely, but tres tres expensive. I can't wait until Sigerson Morrison's trademark craftsmanship goes for $30 at Target.


Anya Hindmarch makes gorgeous bags - and everyone remembers the "I'm not a Plastic Bag" phenomenon that took off last year. Her beautiful calfskin leather mirror bag is $1,195.

 

Maison Martin Margiela is - of all designers - the crazy genius who sees the future of fashion first, before anyone else does or can even conceive of it. His absolute disregard for current trends puts him in that island of designers who is inspired by their own imaginations, that strange realm removed from the world, and this is also what makes him unquestionably one of the most brilliant designers on the planet. Rather than following fashion, or conceding to it, Maison rebelliously transforms it. He forces fashion, with his incendiary designs, to question itself. And his cerebral, theoretical clothes force us to question our concept of not just the fabric or the body, but also of the signification of clothing and what meanings we project or take away when we are in the presence of his clothes.



His silhouette is all about volume on top - of the power of the shoulders. Amongst this maelstrom of volume, the face emerges like the center of a flower as the fabric blooms, at once revealing and concealing the woman under the clothes. Yet, for all its oddness, even the most skeptical mainstreamist should begrudgingly admit it's beautiful, or at the very least, exceptionally well-crafted. I for one think his work is exceedingly lovely, as if these very folds of fabric have become through their transformation into clothing something much, much more. Art, even. Beautiful, wearable art.

I don't know what Maison Martin Margiela looks like, because he does not come out after shows nor has he ever been photographed by the press. He does not deal with the press in person, and all correspondence is done via fax machine. He is intensely private yet his clothes make such a splash that everywhere, people are taking notice. Who says you need good PR when you have a talent like his?

The CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) Awards, often referred to as the 'Oscars of fashion,' were dolled out tonight at the New York Public Library in New York City. Francisco Costa was awarded the night's top honor of womenswear designer of the year.

Costa, the designer of Calvin Klein and a regular on Project Runway, also won in 2006. Costa is an extremely talented designer whose clothes are elegant, graceful, and effortlessly chic.

(Side note: Nominee Marc Jacobs lost out this year, AGAIN. He was embarrassingly the ONLY designer who lost last year, since the CFDA awarded the Womenswear Designer of the Year award to both Oscar de la Renta and Proenza Schouler as a tie... leaving MJ the odd man out. Awkward. I was really hoping he would win this year, considering Costa just won this award in 2006, and Marc Jacbos hasn't won Womenswear since 1997. Oh well, there's always next year.)

Winners of the CFDA Awards 2008:

Womenswear Designer of the Year: Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein Collection

Menswear Designer of the Year: Tom Ford

Accessories Designer of the Year: Tory Burch

Swarovski Womenswear: Kate and Laura Mulleavy for Rodarte

Swarovski Menswear: Scott Sternberg for Band of Outsiders

Swarovski Accessories: Philip Crangi

BTW, I am so thrilled that Kate and Laura Mulleavy won the Swarovski Womenswear award for their brilliant work at Rodarte. This particular award is given to emerging new talent, and the Mulleavy sisters are beyond genius at what they do. When I look at a Rodarte dress, I see so much more than just the fabric. These dresses are so exquisite, they're like dream images. When you look at their clothes, you get the sense of looking at an impressionist painting - it's just so much more than it seems. These ephemeral dresses tremble around the body like a mist, as if at any moment they'd flutter away, and the type of girl who would wear Rodarte is one strong enough reveal such delicate vulnerability. The Mulleavy sisters my favorite new designers of the last five years, and they continue to impress, season after season.

Below, courtesy of Style.com, my favorite Rodarte dresses of Fall 2008.

Yves St Laurent, a seminal designer of the 20th century, died last night after struggling with brain cancer for the last year. St Laurent was a visionary, who used menswear techniques in his designs for the female body - instantly showing how pants and tuxedos and safari jackets could be as chic and feminine as a cocktail dress.

This Forever 21 dress is a perfect example of what a relevant impact YSL still has on mainstream fashion (Forever 21 is ripping off his designs... 45 years later!!!!). He was a creative genius, and will be sorely missed. RIP Yves!

Posh, he's making fun of you. STOP POSING FOR HIM! Below, the two latest in the Marc Jacobs' completely bizarre Posh Spice campaign. As my friend Eliza put it, "It's so crazy it almost swings back into genius... except not."


She has that vacant look of the girl who got too drunk at the party and for laughs her cruel friends make her do weird shit that they subsequently capture on videotape and put on YouTube. Whereas models are generally made to look good in designer campaigns, Victoria Beckham looks absolutely loonytunes in these ads for MJ.

Do you love it or hate it?

I'm leaning towards hate. Below, the previous installments of this ongoing trainwreck.

I always though maxi dresses made me look like I was pregnant. The billowy waist is comfortable and conceals a wealth of sins -- you don't have to suck in your stomach after a big meal -- but, more often than not, it just makes women look like they've got a bun in the oven. Also, petite ladies, avoid this look the way you avoid McDonald's french fries and whole milk lattes, because it will make you look at least 30 lbs heavier than you really are.

See photographic evidence on right: In the black, we have a slender, non-pregnant girl, who is wearing a dress that completely suggests otherwise. The only reason to wear this dress is to get people on the bus to give up their seats for you.

Luckily for women who ARE pregnant, the maxi dress is the ultimate, stylish way to show off that baby bump. Gwen Stefani is gorgeous in this yellow printed maxi dress. Angelina Jolie was radiant at the Cannes Film Festival in this green empire waist gown. I mean, pregnant ladies do the whole maxi dress thing so well, that I don't understand why those who aren't preggers can't just leave this trend alone. This Anni Sui Fall 2008 dress is so voluminous, that it even makes a 5'11", 114 lb model look like she's in her third trimester.

This Marc by Marc Jacobs ring (pictured at right, from ShopBop) is adorably art deco and goes perfectly with his printed Ottoman tunic. The art deco thing is huge right now, but too bad MJ's tunic is a pricey $1,050. At least his ring is a very do-able $38!

I adore this Kennith Jay Lane amethyst ring, priced at $70. The amethyst (yeah it's real) measures one inch, and there's no better way to dazzle with a cocktail stone bigger than the ice cubes in your cocktail.

This can tab ring by Maison Martin Margiela is so cute and clever and reminds me of the irreverence of a Marcel Duchamp or Andy Warhol art piece. Also, I used to make can tab hemp necklaces when I was in junior high, and there's that whole 90s fascinating with can tab jewelry that I'm glad is making its way back. Margiela's ring is $135 and is guaranteed to attract attention when you sport it around town.

Is it lame of me to admit I'm a little bit obsessed with Disney Couture? They have great costume jewelry with Disney themes, and has the ability to bring out the pretty pretty princess inside any jaded twentysomething urbanite. My favorite? This white leather Alice in Wonderland wrap bracelet. It's got the 80s rock and roll thing mixed with my favorite Disney film of all time, plus it's got little charms on it that say "Eat me" and "Drink me." Precious.

I am going through a serious 90s kick, and I'm happy to say I'm not alone. The 90s hold a special place in my heart (and the hearts of 20something everywhere) because it's a nostalgia we can legitimately recall. Who doesn't want to relive their childhoods? But enough with the philosophy; let's get down to business. And that business is... MC HAMMER PANTS!
Everyone rags on them, but the haute designers are already starting to come around. All the way back in 2006, Marc Jacobs was already debuting parachute pants on the runway at fashion week. It won't be long before everyone will be in paracute pants, from the hippest club kid in San Francisco to someone's mom in Ann Arbor, Michigan. They're all the rage in Paris, and Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior have already gotten down to designing them. Seriously, can't touch this.