New York - Spring/Summer 2007, part 3

Sorry for the delay - hectic week. I'm behind and the number of covered NY shows borders on the ridiculous. Therefore, my comments will be reserved for the shows that produce strong reactions (good or bad)...which goes against a lot of my beliefs, but at the same time, I think a lot of designers spend money on shows that would be better off spending the money on...

Anna Sui- I'm in a footwear state of mind, and ohhhh the Pirate boots and ripped fishnets. Anna Sui's dresses are, as per usual, fantastic and on-the-surface girly and sweet (oh but tulle petticoats!), and the shoes are tough and easy and sexy and rough.





Behnaz Sarfpour- How we all would like to dress, when we're in a classy girly mood. Very rich-girled-down versions of fashion-forward, but as with Oscar and Carolina, it's hard to criticize perfectly pretty and elegant and respectable (not sexy).



Bland, boring, dated, or old. I'm not getting excited. These sheer and simple straples dresses are quite appealing, though the remainder of their designers' collections are not too exciting.
Chaiken:

Derek Lam (pretty good collection actually):

Jason Wu (pretty party dresses):

Marchesa (pretty party dresses to be worn by Miramax actresses):

Michon Schur:

Monique Lhuillier:



Is it just me or are we seeing a lot of late 90s Helmut Lang?

Doo Ri- Futuristic, comfort, pretty girl uniforms. Skinny knit pants (almost leggings, but sexier and more now), loose but sophisticated blouses, sexy dresses.



L.A.M.B.- I'm really itching for leopard print and I can always feel wide-leg trousers. The dresses look easy and dressy and only minorly obnoxious (unlike some of the casual stuff...eep).




Lela Rose- More pillowcases, but pretty pretty.

In how many shows have we seen this exact coat though? I didnt like it the first time.


Marc by Marc Jacobs- Those sandals! Those 60s pillowcases! They come across as more vintage and casual here. It looks wearable and easy though the danger of frumpiness is extremely high (though I do think it's on purpose here).



Marc Jacobs- 30s glamour mixed with 30s safari/flight/desert-gear. Often in old-lady sparkles. And more 90s Helmut Lang?!??!??



Matthew Williamson- Classic Matthew dresses in loud, colorful prints. This season the prints look so fresh and appealing. I'm even digging those loud leggings. I'll ignore the insanely ugly sweaters.



Are you disappointed yet?

New York - Spring/Summer 2007, part 2

Carolina Herrera - Gooooorgeous fabrics (particularly the acid pink toiles), elegant lines, belted and fitted - but not too tight or short or spindly. Extremely work-place wearable and just plain pretty.





Jenni Kayne - It's hard to get past the eye makeup and heavy tans and the sheer dress with bear fur patches (???) and the vision-impairing hats, but the majority of the looks are easy and post-beachy.



Jill Stuart - Lace pillowcases. Fairytale princesses underpinnings. They're not bad, just a little repetitive and not really flattering on most.

Does this really count as design?:



Josh Goot - Slinky silver and white pieces tied with obi-belts. Crowd-pleasing trenches, springy blues and yellows and greens. Pretty and easy. Maybe just bras next time, k?




Jovovich Hawk - Quirky, frilly, girly, cool. A little too layered and sheer. Old fashioned lace and vintage in-a-good-way, but very very simple.

New York - Spring/Summer 2007

Alexandre Herchcovitch - An unsurprising combination of super skinny legs and pillowcase torsos. The skinny legs come in the form of super tight knee high boots or super skinny pants. The surprising parts are the unappealing primary-colored-and-too-busy prints and LaToya Jackson-worthy captains' hats (IN THE SAME PRINTS).

As horrible as it seems, I'm oddly attracted to the skinny overalls. Then again, I have a secret passion for skin-tight jumpsuits.


Alice Roi - Butter yellow, black, khaki, and cream separates, a little Prada nerd-chic, and a little disco slink. Skinny highwaisted leggings or saggy wide-legged trousers, platform black ankle boots. Basically, what we were expecting to see, just in a simple and pretty manner and not too uglied up.



Costello Tagliapietra - Everything belted! Wearable dresses that are loose fitting and textured to provide ample camouflage. Perhaps a bit too vintage looking in an 80s-not-good-way.



Diane von Furstenberg - Easy and sexy as always. She can do the pillowcase proportions, but somehow pull off sex appeal too. Dramatic and happiness-bringing color combinations and prints. I love that pink. 60s prints, grecian gowns, 80s hard-edged glamour, bubble skirts, 50s beach picnic dresses. Love it.

August Harper's Bazaar

If you're not a subscriber consider yourself lucky, as this is what tumbled out of my mailbox on Friday[image from PITNB]:


Yipes.

Update!
I forgot to mention, in the accompanying interview, some choice quotes:
"I go to [her baby's] closet and just bleach everything."

"Preston's just like a rocker kid...Hopefully next year we'll have a fashion show, maybe at Disney World or something like that. We'll have them onstage, and they'll have mini guitars. Everyone needs a mini guitar."

Holy Christ, the mental images. What is she bleaching? Will the line include acid washed jeans? Mini guitars. Babies with mini guitars. I'm willing to bet there will be some backwards denim baseball caps in that show.

Autumn/Winter 2006 Couture, part 2

Christian Lacroix - The new, fuller silhouette, electric tights, ribbons and sequins. Beyond elegant with sumptuous fabrics and furs - as classic as Chanel, as vintage feminine as Anna Molinari, and ballgowns like extravagant nightgowns.




Elie Saab - The usual: elegant, sheer, body conscious, pretty. Perhaps just a tad more intricate in the detailing than Ready to Wear. The beaded lace (or beading that appears to be lace) is quite lovely.



Eric Tibush - Smiling models can be freaky. A 20s-30s look with feathers and furs and wasp waists. I cant decide if it's the model or the dresses that have a bit of a tough muscle vibe.


Galliano - Ok. Hrmm. I dont get it. We know that Galliano knows what Couture is, so what the hell is this? I feel like I'm looking at a Heatherette collection. Someone explain, please.


Givenchy - Models with facial hair are scary. Elaborately sleeved jackets (I know that sounds odd, but have a look), exotic skins, shaved furs, serious glamour hidden behind the serious religious?/tribal?/weird? looks.




Jean Paul Gaultier - Luxe and playful (sometimes sexy!), wacky but classic. Gorgeous cuts and opulent details. Looooove.




Valentino - Sophisticated glamour with a dash of Dynasty edge and wit. Just beautiful.

Autumn/Winter 2006 Couture

Anne Valerie Hash- Frilly french maid skirts and hot-pants length bloomers give this collection a Spring feel.

Ruffles, bibs, girly suspenders, bubbled and banded skirts (how to describe??)

I feel like this is a really great collection, but for Spring. I'm trying to be more open-minded for Couture. I was just rereading an old article with Alber Elbaz discussing the original intent of Couture. I think of it as opulent and decadent, but really it was intended as a luxury of individuality. The runway should give a direction and idea for the wearer, but over the course of her fittings, the look is modified and tailored exactly to her own taste and body.

Armani Prive- Zigzag 40s glamour.

Exotic skins and feather details are not my cup of tea, but it adds to the richness. Elegant, a little old-fashioned, but I guess that's what you'd invest tens of thousands of dollars in though, no?



Chanel- Ladylike tweed suits with oversized buttons worn over skinny, skinny jeans and denim boots and denim fingerless gloves. Forgive me, while I like the aesthetic, the actual items are rather cheesy. And a bit too reminiscent of Mr Lagerfeld's look. I think I can safely declare that not many women are angling to look like him. The dresses are rather sweet on their own, however. The beading and bows and embroidery are simply breathtaking (when one ignores those damn boots).






Christian Dior- Definitely fantastical. Definitely surreal. Definitely reminiscent of Viktor & Rolf.

A little late 90s Kate Moss bleached punk hair and heavy black eyemask makeup. If we force ourselves to think of this as merely the dream before the clothes...I just wonder what the ordered pieces will look like.

What would you like to see here?

I'm having difficulty deciding what to write about during non-fashion weeks...Let's brainstorm.

April W - For the Kate spread alone

We have to take a moment of silence to mourn W's decade-long streak of disappointing me by putting low-rent tabloid fodder on its cover. Jessica Simpson.

Ads:
The ubiquitous Ralph Lauren ads are working on me. I'm positively drooling over the Ricky bag. It's $3000+ price tag (for calf!, not croc!), not so much.
St John - are those scars on Angelina Jolie's arms? cutting?
Prada - oh how i love knee socks and sandals! justified!
Coach - as much as I hate Coach (a bad experience), they have some of the most unfailingly appealing ads. These black and white - I just want to be this girl.

News:
McQueen has a new diffusion line, McQ. Priced 40% below the signature line.
A little late, but just a name to remember: Frida Giannini is the sole designer of Gucci now - formerly the accessories designer.
Paper Denim & Cloth has lowered their prices from $150-240 to $100-160.

Layouts:
Performance - Photographed by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott - Kate Moss in a blonde wig, heavy liquid black liner, and a pink pout. An absolutely gorgeous Marilyn Monroe. I'm ripping out every single photo (30 pages!). If you missed this issue, this layout is worth hunting down. Particularly the yellow-toned sleepy shot (how wonderful is flickr??).

Les Demoiselles de la Nuit - Photographed by Juergen Teller - A 26 page supersizing of the Marc Jacobs ads that have been forced upon us for the last few years. The heavily medicated random shots in luxury hotel/apartments (i cant tell) in 1984. Overly bright, small photos centered on a white page. Lots of red-eye and sprawled women. I'm sort of over this aesthetic, though the girl in the closet photo is sufficiently creepy enough to rip out.

May W - a little delayed

I am sometimes overwhelmed by my subscriptions and find myself a few months later ripping out articles and layouts. My hope is to create a regular posting of those of note in order to keep on top of the talk.

W - (the Lindsay Lohan - Meryl Streep cover)
Ads:
I'm getting tired of the Louis Vuitton ads - even with Giselle, it seems like the same look for seasons. The denim is hot though.
Naomi Watts in David Yurman - Can she close her mouth? She's so very pretty, but also a little generic. I had to think about it for a minute before I could place her.
Tiffany: Gehry Collection - Pretty wood/resin pieces.
Nars - I love this makeup brand so much - particularly FunnyFace lipstick and the disco pencils - but the ads are beyond boring. A sullen model - never a favorite - with very natural makeup without airbrushing (I can see the hairs above her lips)

News:
LL Cool J has a women's clothing line called Todd Smith. Not urban - very 7th Avenue. We'll have to keep an eye on this.
Converse and John Varvatos are teaming up for a clothing line. Casual contemporary sports-inspired apparel. Apparently theyve been doing Chuck Taylor designs for a while now.

Fall-Winter 2006: (to keep you excited in the interim)
Poetic, dark, sober, crusades, gothic. Prada - aggressive knitted knights' caps, furs, and bustiers. Christian Dior - goth warrior, big belts (though not the Heavyweight champions of past seasons). Gaultier - wild and ghostly. Dolce and Gabbana - Napoleonic embroidery and faux military. Alexander McQueen - fitted suits, edwardian collars, accessorized with feathered hats. Chanel- ghostly white lace with long black lace gloves, black hair ribbons and high collars. All. Very. Belgian.

Runway Makeup and Hair: (if you have, say, a Sephora gift certificate burning a hole in your pocket)
Bright rose blush - seen at DVF, McQueen
Crimson lips - Lancome Behnaz (available in the Fall), Red Stiletto - seen at Behnaz, Tuleh, MaxMara
Brown eyeshadow - Chanel Cinnamon (available in August) - seen at Temperley, Marni, Chanel
Dark nail polish (not Vamp, like Boot Black) - Wet n Wild Caribbean Frost - seen at Monique Lhuillier, Alice Roi, Versace

Layouts: (the real delight)
Cornwall - photographed by David Sims - Pagan rituals and altar still lifes, windblown hair, cresting waves over craggy rocks, black and grey wool dresses and sweaters, velvet trimmings, and touches of laces and corsetry. I'll rip out the nature photos, but I'm not crazy for the models or the styling.
Morph - photographed by Inez van Lansweerde and Vinoodh Matadin - layers and layers of pants and thigh high boots and leggings and dresses. And mulitple bobbed wigs. Very anti-pretty and very wrong. I will rip out the photos with tulle skirts and skintight leather boots. Again, not crazy for the styling.

Interviews:
Matthew Barney
Lindsay Lohan + Meryl Streep