Missoni Resort...

For the new resort collection, Angela Missoni looked to Africa and the 60's as inspiration. Funny, considering that my first thought was YSL's 1967 African collection. It is amazing how so many creative people look to "exotic" cultures for inspiration in their work. You have Picasso with tribal masks, YSL and his various ethnic-centric collections, Coco Chanel and Chinese Lacquer, John Galliano and his Asian collections, as well as Dries Van Noten's sample of world cultures. I think a lot of this exploration comes from the remoteness of these cultures to western audiences, and their bold use of color, pattern, and texture. What about fashions obsession with people from these far off places? Take the up and coming fashion darling Hakaan. For years now he has been showing in his native Turkey, until this past season when he was in London. His past collections are not too remarkable, and his new one was filled with hits and misses. So why then is he gaining the praises of Kate Moss and Carine Roitfeld, as well as top models Anja Rubik, Lara Stone, and Mariacarla Boscono? Could it be that unexplainable draw to non-western cultures that is at play? As for Missoni Resort, I found it refreshing; a nice alternative to the waxing trend of 70's minimal, and the waning trend of 80's glam. I for one will be excited to see the accessories up close and personal.

$hut This Girl Down...

Where do you even begin with this? The poor choice of footwear? The unflattering leather leggings? A hot mess of a jacket? The overexposure of bra? The neo-Native American headpiece? Seriously, stylists are around for a reason! Please, Ke$ha, for the love of your nonexistent fans, GO AWAY! All you do is cause distress for my eyes and ears. 

Musical Chairs...

Fashion is notorious for playing this game with creative directors. The fact that so many brands are now owned by large luxury conglomerates doesn't help much either in the department of job stability for head designers. Today, the music played (It seemed like every hour I got a update on my phone about some new job appointment), then stopped... The next two seasons of shows certainly will be more interesting. 

Olivier Theyskens at Theory

It is about time somebody got this boy on board. I've been having major Olivier withdrawals since he left Nina Ricci. Although, I'm wondering how someone with such a dark and victorian vision and a love for ruffles and feathers will take on a brand that does simple clothing. 

Nina Ricci F/W 2007, Nina Ricci F/W 2009

Giles Deacon at Ungaro

Can we please forget the sequin heart shaped nipple pasties collection by everyones favorite hot mess Lindsey Lohan, and move to a more appropriate partnership with Giles Deacon. I'm crossing my fingers that his flair and wit will be a perfect fit for Ungaro so the house can get out of design limbo. 6 designers in 10 seasons is not a good thing. 

Giles S/S 2009, LiLo for Ungaro S/S 2010

Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen

I was hopping this spot would go to Olivier Theyskens, he has the romance and theatricality that was so fundamental to the McQueen brand, but Sarah Burton makes a good choice too. One of his closest friends and design assistant for 14 years, she has the experience and knowledge to maintain Lee's vision. I'm have the feeling though that PPR wants the brand to move in a more commercial direction. 

Alessandro Dell'Acqua at Brioni

My mom wanted me to get a cashmere Brioni sweater a few weeks ago. It was an XL... I am not. Other than that I don't have too much to say about this since Brioni was never really on my fashion week radar, although I guess I will have to make room for it now. 

Christophe Lemaire at Hermes

There have been two swirling rumors in fashion for a while now. Jean-Paul Gaultier leaving Hermes, and Karl Lagerfeld leaving Chanel to be replaced by Alber Elbaz who would then leave Lanvin. Thankfully this one happened over the other one. I like Karl and Alber right where they are thank you very much. I like to think of this partnership as the anti-Olivier/Theory. Olivier went from the luxury brands Rochas and Nina Ricci to the contemporary Theory brand. Christophe on the other hand is going from High-end brand Lacoste to super luxury brand Hermes. Christophe, in case you didn't know, is the reason Lacoste has made its huge comeback in the past few years (it was in a rut since its 80's heydays). I'll be excited to see him continue with his sportswear just sub the Lacoste cotton pique and linen for the Hermes alligator and calf skin. 

JPG for Hermes S/S 2008, Lemaire for Lacoste F/W 2010

Images from Style.com

Memories and Stuff Part 1...

Some people, when they travel, love to buy little souvenirs, be it thimbles, spoons, keychains, or other little objects displaying the name and a picture of the location they went to. For me, I will have none of that! When I travel I love to do what I do best, which should come as no surprise, shop. For me, souvenirs come in the form of clothing, shoes, accessories, and the things used to contain them. 

I don't even need to buy locally made items. Be it Lacoste in St. Maarten, Prada in Chicago, or  Hermes in Paris, each purchase stays in my mind forever. I have the horrible hoarding habit of saving all the boxes, bows, and bags that come with these items in one rather large box from gilt (it used to be a box from my first pair of Ugg boots [HEY, they are really comfortable!] but I eventually out grew that). This box weighs a good 20 lbs and contains all the bags, boxes, certificates of authenticity, receipts, tags, and lookbooks collected on my travels. Each type of item is put in a separate place for easy access. 

This box is my biggest guilty pleasure, and something that I cherish so much. I open it up every few months to put in newly acquired tags and spare buttons from recent purchases, and each time I spend some time looking through everything in there. I have stories for everything in that box. An Hermes S/S 2005 Lookbook brings back memories of me and my best friend Hannah on our trip to California. We spent hours in LAX playing "guess the price" with all the items in it. The feeling of awe when I first saw their saddles, one in particular which was painted with Koi fish that looked like old Japanese relief prints. Then there was my first big purchase when me and my other best friend Jenny went to Chicago on senior skip day just to shop, we went to the Prada store and it was love at first sight. I bought a saffiano leather wallet without even looking at the price, it gave me a feeling that I will never forget, a sort of rush or high of walking into a store you can't afford on a Buffalo Wild Wings salary, pointing at an item and saying "I'll take that" in the most blase way possible. As if I did that every day. Balenciaga is like a Francis Bacon painting to me, an object of such amazing beauty that feels out of reach to me. Prada, on the other hand, is like a piece of my own work. It is like an old friend of mine, which I can look back upon with all sorts of good memories, and imagine all the good moments to come. Some brands are on pedestals, and others are more down to earth. That Chicago trip in the spring of 2007 kicked off an amazing friendship between me and Prada, which has since amassed a large amount of lookbooks, catalogs (which they send me twice a year, with the most ornate packaging and envelope), clothing, and my personal weakness; the trick keychains and cell phone charms. 

Memories and Stuff Part 2...

Hehe, I'm surprised I didn't mention this earlier, like the moment when I got back from my quick trip to Paris but...

In between trying on the runways glasses (add the neon green pair to that need list [I was going to buy them there but all those art museums sucked up my money, I'm talking to you Lucien Freud exhibit at the Pompidou Center, and murder/torture in art exhibit at the Musee d'Orsay]), I managed to get my hands on the S/S 2010 lookbook! It seems to be somewhat of a collectors item seeing as they only had the one copy, and it is causing a huge buzz on the internet. Let me just get it out there... it is as good as everyone says it is.

Every page pushes the photography and clothing to a new level. Clothing patterns are distorted into new patterns, blending the line between the clothes and the background. What was once the print to the shirts is now used as a backdrop to show off the chandelier shoes (above). The styling was absolutely perfect, from the hair and lipstick right down to those supper amazing and anti-practical plastic toe nails (also above). 

The mens side of things didn't disappoint either. Muccia's vision was flawlessly transferred from runway to lookbook to art movie. Perhaps that is why I love Prada so much, because Muccia does such a great job of merging fashion and art. You see it everywhere in the brand; Fondazione Prada giving grants and exposure to emerging artists, all star architects designing the stores, and artist collaborations with the clothing, films, and lookbooks. While it is nothing new for designers to branch out into other forms of art (Helmut Lang does sculpture, Hedi Slimane and photography, Rich Owens creates furniture, and Italian mega personas Donatella Versace and Giorgio Armani dabble in hotels) none do it on such a grand and influential scale as Muccia. 

The lookbook sat on my bed stand for the past few months, but now it will reside in my box of memories. It gives me something new to look forward too when the times comes every now and then to pull out the box and rummage through its contents. So, question time! What types of things do you collect on your travels and how do you draw upon those travel memories?

... and What, is your favorite color? *spoken like the bridge keeper in Monty Python and the Holy Grail* For some reason question time made me think of that, and as a result, gave me a hearty laugh. 

Needs vs. Wants...

This gets put in the need folder.

Prada's new B.Y.O.Bags. They come in all the great prints from the Prada archive. I'm a huge fan of tote bags, and these ones are no exception. By the looks of them on the Prada website, they seem pretty roomy too. Nothing would be better to shove all my art supplies in while rushing to class on the busy streets of Paris. Plus at 200 euro, you get an inexpensive piece of Prada. I've been wanting a nice saffiano leather bag to match my wallet, but I think one of these would do just fine. 

As much as I love the printed bags, the canvas ones are just as dreamy. You can check them all out here... as for me I think a trip to the Chicago Prada store is in order when I go to pick up my visa. 

Neon Part Deux...

This collection is slowly becoming one of my favorites. I was a bit skeptical when it was first shown because it was such a departure from the traditional Valentino style. Once again the look is on another level off the runway. The always flawless SJP fills out the dress so much better than Elsa Sylvan did in the show. 

I'm telling ya, take away the makeup and the harsh lighting, and the dresses are actually stunning. I'm still up in the air though on the odd suits from the collection though, but I'll sure be interested in seeing who manages to change my mind on those... Charlotte Gainsbourg anyone?