From Menswear to Couture

Our favorite times of the year always include the runways. Menswear just completed and some of our favorites include the pops of color at Bottega Veneta, the layers at Balmain, perfect coats and skinny trousers at Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana’s sequined jackets, the brilliance of Dries Van Noten, the Amish and David Lynch inspirations at Louis Vuitton, and I’m always a sucker for Lanvin and YSL.

The Thierry Mugler show, renamed Mugler, had a lot of hype with Nicola Formichetti , but as someone else had pointed out, it took three people to create that. A lot of the hype surrounding the show was from the soundtrack, a new release and remixed song from Lady Gaga. After all of the hype, I and many, were thoroughly disappointed by what was brought to the table. The masculine take on pearls were the highlight to me, but the rest could be thrown in the garbage to be honest. It was more spectacle and show and in the end bland. Not that I was expecting anything different.

Now to the glorious haute couture. Monday started off terribly boring and as the week progressed everything got more exciting. Galliano’s drama for Dior was ever present. Although it seems he’s been designing the same thing for quite a while now, his detailing is beautiful and the silhouettes are referential to the New Look and innovative within themselves. Chanel was a crystal dream, but do I really need to speak upon Lagerfeld’s behalf? Armani Privé was more futuristic than Mr. Armani has ever been, but no matter how far he goes in the future, it still seems slightly tired. Maybe it’s safe to say Anne Hathaway won’t be wearing Armani Privé at the Oscars. She’s co-hosting, so I’m sure she’ll have numerous changes, but it’s probably a safe bet that it won’t be in one of these.

Moving on. Valentino continued to grow with slightly less ruffles and lighter designs while Elie Saab rolled out another show of beautiful, yet yawn-inducing gowns, all with red carpet potential. Academy Awards viewers, if you pay attention to the red carpet, please place money somewhere that an Elie Saab gown will make it on the red carpet more than once. At least they’re pretty and not Oscar de la Renta. Finally, my beloved Givenchy. I don’t  care what anyone ever says about Givenchy, but the detailing is so intricate and exquisite, there’s more to appreciate than really meets the eye. One of the dresses with the red, hand-cut sequins took roughly 6,000 hours to create. The Japanese-influenced collection makes my mouth salivate and is such a fluid evolution from last couture season. Swoon.

[Photos: Style.com]

My Top 10 Resort Thus Far

At the moment I find myself being immersed and lost in the sea of resort/cruise collections while listening to the likes of Patsy Cline, The Beatles, to Kelis and Goldfrapp. The eclectic mix of  music is appropriate for the varieties of collections I have been studying. While fashion weeks tend to be Christmas to me, resort collections are essentially the pre-game to the whole extravaganza and gets me excited and fills my void until Spring or Fall fashion week comes around in the Fall and Spring respectively. Regardless how I fap to these presentations and jump like a schoolgirl, I believe I have created a list of my favorite so far into the season, even though after doing so I want to change a few. The list is my original list, but I feel I’d put Proenza higher with their amaze-ball bags and prints and I grow deeper in love with Stella McCartney with her rose, electric blue, and to-die-for florals. So here we go:

Honorable Mention – Lanvin

10 – Tied: Marc Jacobs

10 – Tied: Marc by Marc Jacobs

9 – 3.1 Phillip Lim

8 – Erin Featherston

7 – Proenza Schouler

6 – Giambattista Valli

I’m Back!

Back in the 317 from the East Coast where I would rather be living, but hey, can’t change everything yet. I’ve missed the Bottega Veneta and Christian Dior Resort shows while traveling DC up to Maine through New York again and countless magazine covers that I’ve been dying to see. Didn’t actually spot it, but I guess Legs McGee is on the cover of Vogue. While she is looking stunning, excuse me while I vomit. Girlfriend does not deserve the cover again for a long time. Change it up; take some chances. Like speaking to a wall, US Vogue. Like Glenn Close, I don’t like to be ignored…yet I’m still reading, because you’re the superior magazine to Elle anyway, although this leads me to my next topic.

I picked up some magazines before the trip and almost went the way of Vogue Italia/Paris yet found Elle UK: Collections, which showed the spring shows, previews, etc. and I actually read it through cover to cover. I’m looking forward to the fall edition in a few months. I also picked up BON International and RUSH, Swedish and Australian respectively. The formal had Eniko Mihalik and the latter with Jacquelyn Jablonski. Independent fashion magazines are always the best with photography, styling, and model choices. They take more chances with content and are generally more interesting. You don’t feel as bad for prices because you’re getting a quality magazine that has quality print that isn’t some glossy. My favorite in the states is Z!NK and I can only find them at the B&N at school and the Borders at the mall I work. Good stuff.

On the East Coast I took note and observed people’s styles. I saw interesting professional women in DC where the women would change it up and wear pearls. In Boston, you could tell when the women were on break when you spotted them in suits with skirts and tennis shoes power-walking through the park at Beacon Hill. One trend that is timeless that dominates the East Coast is actual my favorite trend that is also elsewhere: the horizontal stripes. These are the sailor stripes. Effortlessly cool and chic. It’s really hard to get it wrong for any age and sex.

I needed something else to read in the car when I wasn’t gazing at mountains and architecture. I picked up My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands by Chelsea Handler. I not only already wanted to be her friend from watching her show every night, I got to thinking about her wardrobe. Girlfriend has a killer shoe fetish so she’s fine their. At times her hair is flawless and it shows she likes to have fun. What’s not always good is what she’s wearing. Many times her tops or whatever flaunt things one wouldn’t generally and not show off what’s good about her body, although I will admit she shows her arms, which are really in shape. Love the woman, but she should seriously fly me out to style her. I’ll do it cheaper than any Rachel Zoe could AND we’d drink together as much as possible. I can see a blooming friendship on the horizon. Get on that, Handler. I’m waiting for my flight ticket.

p.s.

I can’t stop loving Proenza Schouler and their tie-dye. I see many DIY’s online and I don’t know if I can successfully pull them off. I just want the damn top. The places I would wear it and the people I would laugh at for their inferiority. Bwahaha. What I’m saying is Proenza Schouler need to contact me and send me one. The thought of owning one makes me wet.

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