3.27.2010

clouds. chains. and leather.


Just as we get excited about Spring, bright colors and warmth, It's time to look to the future, as is usual in fashion. The Fall 2010 season was packed full of beautiful collections, to no doubt be seen on the beautiful fashion crowd as well as on the city streets. These five were my favorite of the season.

1) Rodarte
Rodarte Fall 2010 Ready-to-WearRodarte Fall 2010 Ready-to-Wear
Rodarte Fall 2010 Ready-to-Wear
Kate and Laura's Rodarte collection was ghastly and magical, girls glided out in Mexican adornment like ghosts through the Sierra. Editors left the show silent, mesmerized. Bringing glassy attendees to tears.

2) Celine
Celine Fall 2010 Ready-to-WearCeline Fall 2010 Ready-to-Wear
Celine Fall 2010 Ready-to-Wear
Phoebe Philo, designer for Celine, has an aesthetic that seems to be everywhere. Minimalist, beautiful, clean clothing has never seemed so fresh and utterly cool.

3) Rick Owens
Rick Owens Fall 2010 Ready-to-WearRick Owens Fall 2010 Ready-to-Wear
Rick Owens Fall 2010 Ready-to-Wear
'Cult of nuns' said Rick Owens about his new collection. Mixing the severity of Christian robes, tribal aspects, and his neo-gothic beauty made for a stunning result. Never have nuns looked so fierce.

4) Mary Katrantzou
Mary Katrantzou Fall 2010 Ready-to-WearMary Katrantzou Fall 2010 Ready-to-Wear
Mary Katrantzou Fall 2010 Ready-to-Wear
Mary Katrantzou, a progressive London designer, has hit it out with her technological prints season after season. This time around, her futuristic signature was brought back to the victorian era with applique lace and ruffly layers. Her witty mix seemed so odd it came off new and completely beautiful. Lovely.

5) Givenchy
Givenchy Fall 2010 Ready-to-WearGivenchy Fall 2010 Ready-to-Wear
Givenchy Fall 2010 Ready-to-WearGivenchy Fall 2010 Ready-to-Wear
Riccardo Tisci is one of the most religious of designers, translating his Catholic beliefs into his beautiful yet dark design aesthetic. Tisci's collection for Fall 2010 was a mark of territory, strong and severe, with asymmetrical silhouettes and blood colors. His tense clothing makes women feel powerful, giving Givenchy top ranks on the runway and in retail stores every season. I couldn't help but add an extra picture. Bravo.


Now for my three least favorite.


1) Blumarine
Blumarine Fall 2010 Ready-to-WearBlumarine Fall 2010 Ready-to-Wear
Italian label Blumarine is so unbelievably horrifying I can't even believe I'm mentioning it on my blog. The company's image, from their badly styled ad campaigns to endangered lizard boots are beyond tacky. Their Fall show was no exception.

2) Balmain
Balmain Fall 2010 Ready-to-WearBalmain Fall 2010 Ready-to-Wear
Balmain is a fashion label that relies solely on It's young wealthy clientele to support their offensive + $20,000 price points. The rocker 80's vibe was cool four seasons ago, but today, when the words are 'clean' and 'minimal', tacky party dresses just don't do it. I mean really? purple and gold? no thanks.

3) Emanuel Ungaro
Emanuel Ungaro Fall 2010 Ready-to-WearEmanuel Ungaro Fall 2010 Ready-to-Wear
Ungaro was just ugly.

3.23.2010

Recycle me


. ::: '''......"~~~"....''' ::: .

Recently, I was generously invited to The Re-make 2010 Chicago fashion show to take notes and pictures for this here blog. The Re- Make show held the collections of ten Chicago-based designers who all constructed their looks out of recycled materials. The clothing was very nice, but the group of the people I encountered were less then friendly. Taking the chance at this 'fashion show' to seem more important than others, and not grasp the fun aspect of this unique concept. The so-called afterparty gave off snobby attitude as well. I, however, ignored them and focused on what I was there for. The designers I think overall did a good job on constructing looks out of these given materials, although some were a little lackluster. Most of the garments were oddly fitted and plainly styled, leaving the overall look more dry then inspiring. I think when working with such a great theme, and array of materials, It's important to bring drama to your look in some way. Especially when working 'green', the environment is such an active theme all around our cities that these clothes should inspire. My favorite looks and designers did somehow incorporate dramatic elements inspired by recycled materials into their looks. Some of the best included.




Other great pieces included a poufy skirt embroidered with paisly pattern, quite beautiful. A mellow white evening number, styled with chains and white fur, totally Gucci. As well as a brown jumper embroidered with thrifted doilies, which was very whimsicle. Overall the show was fun and witty, the concept I loved, and the clothes were nice, beauty and music making up for lack of styling and fit from some designers. But sour attitudes made the show stuffy and the after party even more so, snobby bartender refused drink orders and most people involved with the show appeared when I left an hour later. The evening was overall a fun celebration of fashion, and the nice people and clothes I did see made up for the rest. Although I do still wish I took pictures from the "After Party". I hope they continue this tradition in the future, because I will always gladly support anything that remains eco- friendly and fabulous at the same time.













Moi in the background.

3.20.2010

... on the setting sun ...

A film by Rodarte in collaboration with artist Todd Cole. Enjoy

3.19.2010

.... I see rainbows ....

On a shopping trip with ma' gurl Courtney we made sure to make a stop into Prada to take a look at the new Spring collection. The clothes, of course, were fabulous, but what we didn't expect to walk out with was a beautiful, rather large, look book from the new mens and womens lines. Inside this delight were wonderfully shot, and artistically styled, spreads of Miuccia's best spring looks. The inspirations for this collection were chandeliers, finding a steady balance between the soft iridescence and the hardness of a crystal. This came out artistically through the beautiful imagery. The graphics being a wonderful highlight, that my intellectual brother no-doubt obsessed over. Take a look for yourself at some of the best pages from the Prada book.

(Click to enlarge the beautiful details)


Chandelier shoes, so sick
(All photos courtesy of Hapsical)