Milan Highlights...

"It's a famine of beauty honey! A famine of beauty! My eyes are thirsty for beauty!" - Andre Leon Talley

Thank the lord for Milan because without it, all the fashionistas around the world would be running around in minimal daywear. Trust me, I love a good minimal trend, but my eyes were getting parched and they really needed some feathers, crystals, fringe, and sequins. You can tell by the lack of Prada and Jil Sander in my list that I am serious about this glamour thing. There is a time and a place for intellectual design, and this Milan season I want none of it. Lets bring out the glitz and the glam.

Alberta Ferretti

Soft, flowing, feminine, and chic. This was Alberta doing what she does best. The tromp l'oeil jewelry around the necklines were just the right amount of sparkle to these party frocks. I'm sure these dresses will be snapped up for the red carpets in no time. What is so great about Alberta is that the same dress can be worn by Dakota Fanning, Calista Flockhart, and Meryl Streep and still look entirely age appropriate on all three. 

Emilio Pucci

Leave it to Peter Dundas to quench my beauty thirst. The house has had a rocky past, but I think it is in good hands now, and Peter is really making a turn around. In a season where the hemlines are falling below the knees, a thigh bearing mini skirt feels like a breath of fresh air. As if things were not dangerously low in the front already...

Oh yes, lets see how little fabric we can get away with. Someone needs to keep the party alive beacuse Donatella Versace was certainly not doing it this season. The sequin work was breathtaking, the feather sublime, and the archived house prints updated to perfection. This is perhaps my favorite collection thus far because it blatantly breaks every trend. It's like a fish out of water... a brightly colored flashy tropical fish... not some flounder. 

Gabriele Colangelo

Another collection that has taken my breath with each texture look was Gabriele Colangelo. I'm sure the pictures don't even do it justice. If I saw these in person I would want to have a magnifying glass with me just so I can inspect the subtile embellishments and expert furrier work. The layering of wools and chiffons created such amazing depth to even the most basic dress. This was one of the best examples of pared down design I have seen this season. For a new designer a few seasons in this will be sure to get the buyers attention. 

Gucci

Usually Frida Giannini is the type to shamelessly go all out on night time party outfits, not quite so this season. She certainly didn't leave out the glam, but this time it was in a much more mature way. It's hard to break away from a house image that has been doused in Tom Ford's greasy chest oil one to many times, but Frida is finally making the house her own. A pair of trousers always make an unexpected evening look, but no one ever does them quite like Frida. A slightly lower hem length paired with the Gucci thigh high boot was more modest than seasons past, mostly because you loose the little sliver of skin that would show when she did them with mini skirts. 

Drawing Portfolio...

So I finally finished putting together my portfolio for Parsons Paris and thought it would make for a nice break from all my fashion nonsense. All the pieces are 18x24 or bigger and done within 8-16 hours. The six at the end are gestures that are done between 30 seconds and 5 minutes. It was really weird documenting two years of my work and seeing how much my drawing has developed, then having to pick out 17 that best represent me out of  40 something pieces. Hope y'all enjoy em. 

London Highlights...

Mary Katrantzou

I've been slightly fascinated with Mary's work since she graduated from Central Saint Martins, and judging by the fact that her digital dresses were featured on Ugly Betty, I'd say she is doing pretty well for herself. London is really becoming a mecca for digital printing, and Mary is right there on the forefront creating some of the best prints. This season focused on Rococo artwork, a far cry from the 90's minimalism that is running rampant through fashion week. The results of her labour created some truly beautiful pieces that gave a slight nod to Gianni Versace (perhaps she was looking to a different part of the 90's). I think a few of these will find a happy home in the closet of Anna Dello Russo. 

Pringle of Scotland

Clare Waight Keller has one of the hardest jobs in the design industry if you ask me. Each season she must take the 190 year history of the Pringle brand, and move it forward. Each season she also moves forward in a flawless manner, avoiding all cliched images of fair isle, argyle, and fisherman sweaters. The paneled skirts reminded me of gladiatorial F/W 2009 Prada show, just sub Prada's studded leather with Clare's woven cashmere mesh. 

Shao-Yen Chen

The Central Saint Martin's MA Graduate show (hopefully I will be in it one day, considering I want to get my MA in fashion design) is always great to look at because it is a look into the future of what fashion design will be. This year, there was a disregard for the body, and the proportions and volumes of the clothes ran wild. Shao-Yen Chen piled on the yarn into some fantastical shapes, which was a pleasure to look at. I will be excited to see where she goes after this. 

Todd Lynn

Hunter gatherers and climate change for inspiration? Ok, but only as long as there is fur involved. This show hit all the right notes for me; minimal design, fur, leather, combat sneakers, fur, draping, and did I say fur? Oh, I did? Did I mention the fox fur caplets? No? Well let me tell you about them. I just finished transferring my clothes from one closet to another, and I felt like something was missing. My feeling is that is that the void could easily be filled with some sort of pagoda shoulder fox fur (upper right). just a feeling. I mean, all those bunnies, sheep, cows, and raccoons must be feeling really lonely in my closet, perhaps a fox could spice things up a bit? 

Cause Me Pain Hedi Slimane...

Hehe, I've been meaning to use that as a title for something since House of Holland started making that t-shirt. The only problem was Hedi Slimane is a sneaky little fellow these days so as soon as style.com put out The Future of Fashion, Part Three: Hedi Slimane, I had to jump on the naming of this post. I frequently say that I admire some designer, but truth is, there are only a select few that make the cut; Martin Margiela, Alexander McQueen, Karl Lagerfeld, Helmut Lang, and perhaps most of all Hedi Slimane. I could write a short story about how much Hedi has influenced me not only in fashion, but in art and culture. Ok, maybe not a short story, but I  can accurately say 14 pages, size 12 Helvetica, single spaced... I wrote that paper for my History of Modern Art class last year. Any ways, Hedi was insightful as ever into the world of fashion, art, music, and culture, and provides a really interesting read about where fashion is going in this modern era. So yeah, go check it out.

Burberry LIVE...

So Burberry did their show live on the internet, and in 3-D in various cities throughout the world, which was fine. There wasn't as many kinks as some shows, but the live feed of peoples comments got annoying after a while. "Love the bags!", "the coats, THE COATS!", "Oh Christopher, love ya!". Yeah, kinda annoying. Maybe this is a show I will have to re-watch, I was, dare I say, bored out of my mind watching it. Who said that? Surely not me? While It was nice to see aviator jackets from the mens show return, I wish they were not the same exact jackets. As for the boots? Take the mens boots and add a 4.5 inch heel. I know Christopher has revived the Burberry brand like no other, but I wish he could switch it up a bit more. I mean, how many Prorsum Collections has it been that he has shown a tattered ruffled chiffon dress? I'll give this show a couple more days, hopefully time enough for me to get over this awkward bout of bitterness towards a show that has done nothing to me, although, I do think first impressions say a lot... we'll see...

Texturally Amazing...

Jeremy Laing F/W 2010

I'm adding this to my list of NYC highlights. It showed on the first day and my mind was with McQueen then, everything else was a blur so I seemed to have forgotten about it. Then I saw some detail pictures pop up online today, which reminded me of how amazing this show was. Not only where the colors refreshing with a palette of rich ambers, icy blues, ruby reds, and some really sumptuous brown tones, but the textures blew me away. So often "architectural" design opts for simple fabrics so you can focus on the cut, but Jeremy really pushed both this season. The luxurious fabrics comprise of beaver, muskrat, raccoon, cowhide, coyote, and crocodile, which were paired with chunky bobbled knits that left me salivating. This truly was a feast for the eyes.

Hairspiration...

I think the epically amazing fantastical hair at Patrik Ervell is in need of its own post so we can take a couple moments to sit in awe of these perfect pompadours. You may also admire Matvey Lykov (top left) and his perfect facial structure. I think he may slowly be taking over the spot of my favorite male model, sorry Cole Mohr. Of course, Ranya Mordanova is still my favorite female. Think of what a perfect model couple they would make. Anja Rubik and Sasha Knezevic would have nothing on them. 

New York Recap...

So, I realized that it is a lot of work to go in each day, pick out my favorite collections, gather the images and stick them through the Photoshop machine, and do a little write up all while trying to juggle school and homework. Therefore I have decided just to do a big week end post of my favorite collections, it gives me time to re-watch some shows and figure out which ones are really noteworthy.  

3.1 Philip Lim

Perhaps the most european of the collections, and really hitting hard on the futuristic military trend, Philip Lim produced a very well thought out show. Like in Milan there were strapped up boots, knee length fur vests, and leather, leather, and more leather. There was a real industrial working feel to the leather jumpsuits and utility belts, and heavy straps gave off a Matrix vibe. 

Alexander Wang

Three words; velvet knee-high socks. I'm sold. I'm still curious as to how in fashion we went from hardcore 80's rocker last season to Medieval Gothic Victorian this season. Of all the NYC designers embracing jewel tone velvet, I think Alexander Wang did it the best. Some, like Altuzarra, felt more at home in a Ren. Fest. setting, were as Wang was the perfect look for those young urban party kids. Underwear as outerwear seems to be staying put, and thanks to the velvet the trend still felt fresh and new. Another highpoint to this collection seemed to be the slouchy knits, which really helped to set the dark mood of the show.

Michael Kors

Michael did what he does best, and did not disappoint. His classic American sportswear for the jet set get a heavy dose of fur this fall, which was seen everywhere from small mufflers to one fierce skirt. The beige color pallet was the perfect base for touches of rusty reds and earthy greens. While Kors shined with his day wear, I think he really excelled for evening, providing a plethora of slinky sequin and knit dresses that will be perfect on the red carpet. *winking*at*Diane*Kruger*

Patrik Ervell

Please let my hair grow fast so I can start swirling it in every direction possible like these boys. If I were made of money I would highly consider getting a weave to satisfy my wind swept hair appetite right now. Oh well, I only have an inch to go before this dream will become reality. Hair aside, I loved this collection from start to finish. It was simple, clean, youthful, and modern all rolled into one which is not an easy task. The trousers were not to tight, and not to loose, jackets were perfectly tailored, and the latex coats were quirky, but not over the top. 

Preen

Normally I have an easy time picking out my favorite looks, but with this show I had a hard time; every look was phenomenal. This was one of the few shows that I think hit the nail on the head when it came to model casting. Once more we saw the underwear as outerwear, revealing just enough skin to keep the look classy and chic. The cuts of the jackets were modern without trying to hard, just check out that curved hem in the upper right. 

Richard Chai

This was the show that provided the cool, young, American vibe that I look for out of NY Fashion Week. Perhaps the best interpretation of this was the color blocked shirts in various plaid patterns. The easy layering of the pieces will transfer well off the runway. 

The Row

If Phoebe Philo (Celine) and Thomas Maier (Bottega Veneta) had a baby, I'm most certain that Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen would come out. Their first runway presentation of The Row was certainly a high point of the week for me. Every look was understated and luxurious, and the beautiful blue python used without restraint was sublime. The minimal styling and color pallet mixed with the relaxed tailoring had a distinctly chic European feel while maintaining the Olsen's unique style. The python dress in the bottom left gets my vote as the best look of the week. 

The Show Must Go On...

Gucci Group announced today that the doors at Alexander McQueen will not be shut. They plan on showing this season in Paris, his final fittings for the clothes actually took place a week before he took his life. They have not announced yet who will replace him though, my bets are on Olivier Theyskens (formerly of Nina Ricci and Rochas). Tomorrow there will be a wall set up at London Fashion week for people to leave notes for McQueen, which will then be put in a book for his family. British Fashion Council President, Harold Tillman, will also make a speech.


Also, Lady Gaga reportedly did not want to go to the Brit Awards because she was still devastated about McQueen's death. She ended up attending, winning three awards which she dedicated to McQueen, along with a performance for him complete with an oversized model wearing his infamous S/S 2010 shoes. The performance was originally supposed to be big and lavish like she usually does, but the day before insisted upon changing the entire thing, much to the dismay of the shows producers. 

Weird...

I was working on drawing homework, typing away things in google search, and my blog keep popping up. Does this mean I can cite myself as a reference? 

Love Is In The Air...

Light a few candles, turn on some soft tunes, dim the lighting, and throw in some frilly floral prints and you got yourself a romantic show with the Mulleavy sisters. 

*Drooling*...

Behnaz Sarafpour F/W 2010

Thakoon F/W 2010