Andrew Gn - I'm probably going to contradict myself later...but I really really love this guy. He can pull the best from previous and (seemingly) this season and tweak it just right to make it completely wearable. Photo 19 is last year's Chanel but not so precious. The whole beginning is Moschino but not so silly. Photo 25 is what Barbie would wear if she had a non-Vegas stylist. And I totally dig the flowers at the end. Mmmm.
[ok, Marc and I are watching the Wade Robson finale and can I say that JC Chasez is the suckiest singer/performer/person I have ever witnessed on tv? Pure shit. He even looks cheesy ugly gross.]
Celine - Michael Kors is the abs master of rich bitchiness. I love his color scheme and he stays true to his aesthetic. He *always* does this, but is there anything more decadent than cashmere with a bikini (photo 21)??
Chanel - Hohum. I do not believe I have ever felt so blah about a Chanel collection. Nothing is wrong, but nothing is right. No fantasy and considering the perfection of the previous few collections...I'm very surprised. The trench in photo 36 is just shy of perfect though.
Chloe - I can get behind the high-waisted pants but I cannot get down with the Mom pants in photo 4. Ick ick ick. I did not enjoy this collection.
Christian Dior - I cannot get enough of his signature silhouettes. I fully respect how he really stands behind his designs...he's not just throwing ideas at us, he's creating a legacy. I totally love the Gaultier-esque tattoo shirts too.
Ungaro - The abs final word in elegant sexy. I cant criticize this collection and I adore that shade of pink.
Givenchy - I guess there's nothing wrong with this unless you dont particularly feel like being Charlotte from Sex and the City every fucking day.
Helmut Lang - I get a strong tennis vibe. This is not necess a bad thing. I was just sayin'.
JPG - Another designer who stays true to his aesthetic...bondage/fencing/aeon flux.
Lanvin - Gorgeous draping...I love the bustle in 45 (check out the back in photo 46).
Louis Vuitton - The continuing saga of the disappointing Marc Jacobs. The color scheme is nice but it's totally frenetic. Trying a little too hard, a la Carrie Bradshaw. Ugh.
Martin Grant - These are classically simple, nicely executed, but a little not very original. Why do I say the same thing about Gn but in a positive way? I dont know...I guess this isnt very scientific.
Nina Ricci - Faerie-wear...lovely...angelic. I'm glad Lars Nilsson still has a job.
Stella McCartney - Faerie-wear too, but different. Gorgeously dreamy. Satisfies my fantasy while staying perfectly wearable. I would wear this every single day.
Undercover - This show will give me nightmares for sure [as will this Transsexual DiGiorno commercial].
Valentino - Sexy sophisticate, but what the fuck is up with that lace. First half and the end are a thousand times better than the middle. I guess that's why most designers show 30-40 looks and not 81!
Viktor and Rolf - Love the bows. Love the red shoes. Totally could wear this everyday. Though I hate their coats. I wanna go to a ball! (47 and 49)
YSL - Disappointed. Seemed frumpy and uncool and a little cheap on the models!! That's not a promising observation, ya know.
So...I guess my thoughts on Spring - Summer 2004? Mainly shocked and disappointed. The infallible seemed to have failed and a few that I had written off as talentless, completely surprised me. There are always good things and always a few things you didnt know you were craving...but very few gasps from this side of the shows.
Thursday, October 16, 2003
Sunday, October 05, 2003
Ciao Bella
Some notes on Milan:
When I grow up, I definitely will dress in Alberta Ferretti. She has the 30ish, stylish, still-slightly-messy girl down just perfect. I would definitely wear any of her clothing today, but I'm on a tight schedule of getting as many too-tight, too-short, too-young outfits in before I really start looking my age. Hopefully, by then, 'looking my age' will involve me starting to resemble 35-year-old, voluptuous Italian women with long black hair and oversized lips. Photos 40 and 44 are pure dreaminess.
How is it Italian designers can make even the blandest idea or trend seem like the most cutting-edge yet somehow timeless cool girl gear? See all of Anna Molinari. Those belts! Moschino! Those shoes! Those tights! Those everything!! Seriously, I love each and every photo. You must view the entire thing. Trust me. DSquared2 appears to be the general exception, except in photo 14. I would maybe kill you for those hot pink sandals. Oooh wait...photo 16! I take it back...the show starts off lame, but now...I wanna be some greaser's hot Italian vixen! Oh wait, it ends kinda lame too.
Why does Burberry, the British label that markets itself as the quintessential British brand, show in Milan? This turns me off, even if they started the show with dear Kate. The ho-hum, art-school offerings turn me off even more though.
The D&G show appears a little chaotic, or a lot chaotic, and some bits seemed to be trying too hard to be shocking or tarty, but I really feel inspired by the whole thing. These arent clothes to aspire to purchase, but looks to aspire to assemble from your closet's offerings. It's really very hard for me not to worship the first 24 photos. Really.
I despise when designers show men's fashion on the runway. Despise. Armani? 103 photos? No thanks.
As obvious as it sounds, I really respect Miuccia Prada. She somehow, season after season, creates clothes that no one would ever want but they cant live without. And always with a 50s kiss, which inspires instant affection from me. I usually enjoy her lower-line MiuMiu more, but this time it's all about Prada. Whereas MiuMiu was a little dull, Prada is all 50s picnic-in-the-park or a-stiff-drink-after-getting-fired-from-my-job-as-a-typist fantasy. There are even a few yes-I'll-accompany-you-to-a-cocktail-party-so-your-boss-believes-you-are-married-or-not-gay dresses to swoon over.
I am far too big a snob to even comment on Roberto Cavalli. Pish-posh designer ha.
Versace has surprised me yet again...whatever lifestyle I need to adopt to wear/be photo 10, I'm in. I'm totally digging Versus even.
I think I'm going to plot out a pleated skirt with random fabric panels on the side.
When I grow up, I definitely will dress in Alberta Ferretti. She has the 30ish, stylish, still-slightly-messy girl down just perfect. I would definitely wear any of her clothing today, but I'm on a tight schedule of getting as many too-tight, too-short, too-young outfits in before I really start looking my age. Hopefully, by then, 'looking my age' will involve me starting to resemble 35-year-old, voluptuous Italian women with long black hair and oversized lips. Photos 40 and 44 are pure dreaminess.
How is it Italian designers can make even the blandest idea or trend seem like the most cutting-edge yet somehow timeless cool girl gear? See all of Anna Molinari. Those belts! Moschino! Those shoes! Those tights! Those everything!! Seriously, I love each and every photo. You must view the entire thing. Trust me. DSquared2 appears to be the general exception, except in photo 14. I would maybe kill you for those hot pink sandals. Oooh wait...photo 16! I take it back...the show starts off lame, but now...I wanna be some greaser's hot Italian vixen! Oh wait, it ends kinda lame too.
Why does Burberry, the British label that markets itself as the quintessential British brand, show in Milan? This turns me off, even if they started the show with dear Kate. The ho-hum, art-school offerings turn me off even more though.
The D&G show appears a little chaotic, or a lot chaotic, and some bits seemed to be trying too hard to be shocking or tarty, but I really feel inspired by the whole thing. These arent clothes to aspire to purchase, but looks to aspire to assemble from your closet's offerings. It's really very hard for me not to worship the first 24 photos. Really.
I despise when designers show men's fashion on the runway. Despise. Armani? 103 photos? No thanks.
As obvious as it sounds, I really respect Miuccia Prada. She somehow, season after season, creates clothes that no one would ever want but they cant live without. And always with a 50s kiss, which inspires instant affection from me. I usually enjoy her lower-line MiuMiu more, but this time it's all about Prada. Whereas MiuMiu was a little dull, Prada is all 50s picnic-in-the-park or a-stiff-drink-after-getting-fired-from-my-job-as-a-typist fantasy. There are even a few yes-I'll-accompany-you-to-a-cocktail-party-so-your-boss-believes-you-are-married-or-not-gay dresses to swoon over.
I am far too big a snob to even comment on Roberto Cavalli. Pish-posh designer ha.
Versace has surprised me yet again...whatever lifestyle I need to adopt to wear/be photo 10, I'm in. I'm totally digging Versus even.
I think I'm going to plot out a pleated skirt with random fabric panels on the side.
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
London Calling
Maybe it's cuz I'm in a bad mood, but I am terribly bored by London Fashion Week for the most part.
betty jackson (photo 4) - perfect summer dress, 41...a little british girl obsessed with fairies in 40s english countryside
boudicca (photo 4) - love the stiff modernism
eley kishimoto- while they're clothes that i would prob be drawn to in a store, i'm not so excited by them on the runway...gimme a little fantasy, please
elspeth gibson (photo 19) - modern 60s, sexy-cute
emma cook - i hate everything about this show. the ugly-ass models (check out photo 4), the horrid hair and makeup, and -worst of all- the trailer park (and sooooo not in a vegas-good way) design and fabrics. ick.
hamish morrow - not certain of the clothes, but there are some really cool photos (photos 38+)
paul smith - it's hard to not get excited by his clothes. wrong but clean pattern combinations are so comforting - tho the first half is much better than the second
sophia kokosalaki - similar pallette to others whom i've labelled blah, but she's managed to make it far from dull. the twists and drapes are so sensual...seemingly ancient and futuristic. a lesson for me in being subtle to be fabulous.
betty jackson (photo 4) - perfect summer dress, 41...a little british girl obsessed with fairies in 40s english countryside
boudicca (photo 4) - love the stiff modernism
eley kishimoto- while they're clothes that i would prob be drawn to in a store, i'm not so excited by them on the runway...gimme a little fantasy, please
elspeth gibson (photo 19) - modern 60s, sexy-cute
emma cook - i hate everything about this show. the ugly-ass models (check out photo 4), the horrid hair and makeup, and -worst of all- the trailer park (and sooooo not in a vegas-good way) design and fabrics. ick.
hamish morrow - not certain of the clothes, but there are some really cool photos (photos 38+)
paul smith - it's hard to not get excited by his clothes. wrong but clean pattern combinations are so comforting - tho the first half is much better than the second
sophia kokosalaki - similar pallette to others whom i've labelled blah, but she's managed to make it far from dull. the twists and drapes are so sensual...seemingly ancient and futuristic. a lesson for me in being subtle to be fabulous.
Friday, September 19, 2003
Obligatory Spring 2004 Fashion Breakdown
When I lived in my parents' house, my mom sewed most of my clothes. We would go to ClothWorld and I would search the pattern books for the clothes that were going to change my life. For the most part, they never actually did. I still have a lot of those dresses and skirts and they still make me happy, though. It's extremely difficult for me to get rid of anything my mom made for me. They have so much sentimental value and are of such great quality. Moving away, I quickly learned the value of custom-made clothing. She still surprises me with things every once in a while. A pair of pin-striped trousers, a lilac silk shell...always perfect.
As you can maybe guess, my mother made me into a bit of a clothing fanatic. Perhaps it was those days looking at pattern books and fabrics or the boxes and boxes of doll clothes (mine and Tara's and also those from her childhood), but I am definitely one of those girls who truly believed I was going to grow up to be Barbie. This probably explains why I am actually crying for this one particular look. Photo 39 from Anna Sui's show perfectly illustrates what I always dreamed of wearing. Equal parts Malibu Barbie and exotic genie-wear...perfect dress-up clothing. Now if only this was acceptable office-gear...
I have quite the wish list for next Spring (pretty much anything from Diane Von Furstenberg [sexy-dressy-caszh], Oscar de la Renta [for all my formals, ya know], and Doo Ri [for everything else])...I plan to attempt to make a pair gold/black acrylic pants. I'm going to use this standard pattern that my mom has been using for years...I'm going to cut them a bit lower though. The hard part will be finding the exact fabric I'm imagining...like a 70s acrylic sweater - black interwoven with gold. Also, I want to modify that same pattern for a pair of trousers that buttons up both sides (thigh to waist...the pattern currently zips up the back). I want to find a pair of dove-grey wide-waisted trousers, too. And a bunch of bright v-neck pullovers to wear over oxford shirts.
And a quick rundown of my impressions (or at least all the ones that compelled me to jot down notes, even during my .NET lecture) of the NY shows:
Unfortunately, for the most part, I'm feeling a little bored again. The trend I'm seeing is "the same thing done better by another designer 3 years ago" - see Tuleh [though I'm a sucker for gingham], DKNY, Luca Luca [umm...everything ever done by Tom Ford?], Betsey Johnson [I do like her and I like these clothes, but arent these exact rip-offs of D&G about 4 years ago??]. Not that any of these clothes are bad, I would die for any of them...but as a whole their shows just felt a little bit retread.
Dont get me started again on Imitation of Christ, blah blah blah. We've even seen *her* wearing this crap LAST YEAR.
Anne Klein is the only one that seemed to get a lot of criticism. I dont really think there's anything wrong here, but as I said above...I've just seen it before. Someone else did it better already. Though the hair and makeup - swoooon!
Zac Posen - I'm never one for bandwagons, but I dare you to criticize this collection. I admit it's pure jealousy...how can a cool kid with rich parents who grew up in Soho and is only 24 years old actually be talented??? Unfortunately, he is. He *is* the future.
Matthew Williamson - I've always loved his color (actually, that Anna Sui dress is pure him), but I really like the subtleness of this season. The pink edgings give just enough personality to a well cut jacket, as do the little pink belts to simple dresses and trousers.
Tommy Hilfiger - I like this stuff more and more each season...I want to find out who is actually doing the design. Whoever it is has an absolute talent for likeable, wearable. I would never believe it possible to pull off genie pants, but there you are.
Marc Jacobs/Marc for Marc Jacobs - Blasphemy, I know, but for the second season in a row, I'm totally not excited about any of this. For so long, it seemed that he was incapable of producing one bad piece. But read the reviews, what do I know? I guess I do know what excites my eye, and this (sadly) is not it.
Badgley Mischka - Is this the ugliest dress you've ever seen?
Calvin Klein - The new designer gave a surprisingly gorgeous collection. Some might say it's a little boring or lacking in spark (but isnt that very Calvin??), but I am drawn to so many...photos 24, 34, 37, 38, 39. I dont think I'll be missing Calvin.
Peter Som - This is the girl I want to be: elegant with lotsa leg. And I think I may sell my kidney for a pair of these ribbon sandals. The perfect pink, and blue, and green. Sigh...
As you can maybe guess, my mother made me into a bit of a clothing fanatic. Perhaps it was those days looking at pattern books and fabrics or the boxes and boxes of doll clothes (mine and Tara's and also those from her childhood), but I am definitely one of those girls who truly believed I was going to grow up to be Barbie. This probably explains why I am actually crying for this one particular look. Photo 39 from Anna Sui's show perfectly illustrates what I always dreamed of wearing. Equal parts Malibu Barbie and exotic genie-wear...perfect dress-up clothing. Now if only this was acceptable office-gear...
I have quite the wish list for next Spring (pretty much anything from Diane Von Furstenberg [sexy-dressy-caszh], Oscar de la Renta [for all my formals, ya know], and Doo Ri [for everything else])...I plan to attempt to make a pair gold/black acrylic pants. I'm going to use this standard pattern that my mom has been using for years...I'm going to cut them a bit lower though. The hard part will be finding the exact fabric I'm imagining...like a 70s acrylic sweater - black interwoven with gold. Also, I want to modify that same pattern for a pair of trousers that buttons up both sides (thigh to waist...the pattern currently zips up the back). I want to find a pair of dove-grey wide-waisted trousers, too. And a bunch of bright v-neck pullovers to wear over oxford shirts.
And a quick rundown of my impressions (or at least all the ones that compelled me to jot down notes, even during my .NET lecture) of the NY shows:
Unfortunately, for the most part, I'm feeling a little bored again. The trend I'm seeing is "the same thing done better by another designer 3 years ago" - see Tuleh [though I'm a sucker for gingham], DKNY, Luca Luca [umm...everything ever done by Tom Ford?], Betsey Johnson [I do like her and I like these clothes, but arent these exact rip-offs of D&G about 4 years ago??]. Not that any of these clothes are bad, I would die for any of them...but as a whole their shows just felt a little bit retread.
Dont get me started again on Imitation of Christ, blah blah blah. We've even seen *her* wearing this crap LAST YEAR.
Anne Klein is the only one that seemed to get a lot of criticism. I dont really think there's anything wrong here, but as I said above...I've just seen it before. Someone else did it better already. Though the hair and makeup - swoooon!
Zac Posen - I'm never one for bandwagons, but I dare you to criticize this collection. I admit it's pure jealousy...how can a cool kid with rich parents who grew up in Soho and is only 24 years old actually be talented??? Unfortunately, he is. He *is* the future.
Matthew Williamson - I've always loved his color (actually, that Anna Sui dress is pure him), but I really like the subtleness of this season. The pink edgings give just enough personality to a well cut jacket, as do the little pink belts to simple dresses and trousers.
Tommy Hilfiger - I like this stuff more and more each season...I want to find out who is actually doing the design. Whoever it is has an absolute talent for likeable, wearable. I would never believe it possible to pull off genie pants, but there you are.
Marc Jacobs/Marc for Marc Jacobs - Blasphemy, I know, but for the second season in a row, I'm totally not excited about any of this. For so long, it seemed that he was incapable of producing one bad piece. But read the reviews, what do I know? I guess I do know what excites my eye, and this (sadly) is not it.
Badgley Mischka - Is this the ugliest dress you've ever seen?
Calvin Klein - The new designer gave a surprisingly gorgeous collection. Some might say it's a little boring or lacking in spark (but isnt that very Calvin??), but I am drawn to so many...photos 24, 34, 37, 38, 39. I dont think I'll be missing Calvin.
Peter Som - This is the girl I want to be: elegant with lotsa leg. And I think I may sell my kidney for a pair of these ribbon sandals. The perfect pink, and blue, and green. Sigh...
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