NEW HEADER

My new blog header comes from the Prada SS09 ad campaign, probably my favorite Prada collection in recent memory. The placement of the blog title was kind of happenstance, I never intended to put it there but after seeing how the letters kind of framed the models' faces, how it looks like it is indiscrimnately plastered across them... I kind of fell in love and decided to leave it that way.

DIEmonds

The first thing I found from this set was the Topshop jersey dress. Something like 68$, pretty darn good. Anytime you have a simple dress with this (but not too simple, of course, note the arm details) it screams, "I am a fresh canvas, encrust me with gems!"

So I went accessory browsing and lost my breath at the sight of this incredible Hermes Haute Joaillerie diamond, twisted silver cuff. It just might be the most incredible bracelet I have ever seen. And with such a loud presence on the wrist, I figured to complement it but not compete with it, just a simple pair of diamond studs in the ear would suffice. None of the necklaces felt right with the cuff, and a pair of diamond studs in the ear make the sort of diamond-connection with the cuff but don't compete with it. Oh, and obviously some Chanel pumps. Duh. I wanted them to have a little character but not too much.

Gothic Nautical

I decided to see what would happen if you were to combine two things that aren't usually combined: gothic Addams Family meets refined nautical? I don't know, but I think it really works. The shoes are these amazing Louboutins that look like you skinned some pretty little fish and put it on your feet. I love this cuff, looks like barnacles crusted over some old piece of jewelry out of the Titanic. And of course, it wouldn't be a Kingston ensemble without a (Rick) leather jacket.  Et, voila:

Jean Paul Gaultier top. Rick Owens peak-shouldered leather jacket. Burberry Prorsum knotted chiffon skirt. Christian Louboutin peep toe pumps. Olghina earrings (@Barney's). Darcy Miro for Unholy Matrimony cuff.

CFDA Noms

CFDA 2010 Nominations just came out. Interestingly enough, AWang is nominated alongside Marc Jacobs (yay) and Donna Karan (shmee). Heres the list of nominees, I've bolded the ones I want to win.

Womenswear Designer of the Year

Marc Jacobs
Donna Karan
Alexander Wang


Menswear Designer of the Year
Michael Bastian
Tom Ford
David Neville & Marcus Wainwright for Rag & Bone


Accessory Designer of the Year
Alexis Bittar
Lazaro Hernandez & Jack McCollough for Proenza Schouler
Marc Jacobs


Swarovski Award for Womenswear
Joseph Altuzarra
Prabal Gurung
Jason Wu


Swarovski Award for Menswear
Richard Chai
Patrik Ervell
Simon Spurr


Swarovski Award for Accessory Design
Eddie Borgo
Dana Lorenz
Alexander Wang



Read more: Alexander Wang and Marc Jacobs Lead This Year’s CFDA Award Nominations -- The Cut http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2010/03/alexander_wang_and_marc_jacobs.html#ixzz0iXxWGUaq

Rodarte (FW2010 detail shots)

I was just revisiting some of the detail shots from the Rodarte show on style.com and realized that every detail from every ensemble of the collection was given the utmost excruciating care. I had a hard time picking a few of my favorites, every shot from the collection was equally breathtaking.

This collection has been really well-received, but a lot of people have criticized it because it strayed a lot from the Gothic, hardcore vein that Rodarte has been exploring, particularly in last season. I think anyone familiar with what the word Gothic actually means would understand that although Gothic is frequently dark and black, it doesnt have to be. Gothic is anything to do with the sublime, that which scares us, and how people take that fear and fetishize it into something attractive. This collection, inspired by sleepwalking according to the Laura and Kate Mulleavy, is equally pretty and ghostly.

Delicate embroidery on the sheer pants, chunky put-your-coat-on-my-dear-or-youll-catch-a-death-of-a-cold knits, and pretty pretty prints radiate an aesthetic of an Ophelia like character, pretty on the outside but on the inside tormented by something much darker. So the color palette and use of draping might be a little less obviously Gothic from last season, but the heart of the collection is still black and ice cold.

shazam

Just came across this dress on the Bergdorf's website.

Nina Ricci draped tulle dress. Absolutely stunning. Just imagine how the dress moves when the wearer is walking. Incredible. Oh and I wish the picture was a higher quality so you guys could see it better. YOU LISTENING BERGDORF WEB DESIGNER?!

stop callin / stop callin

Gaga's new video for her record "Telephone" ft. Beyonce premiered last night. Still trying to catch my breath.

A true pop moment. A true fashion moment.

Gaga is changing pop culture. THE END.

here are some stills I really liked:

merci merci

Et merci à Lanvin pour ma nouvelle image. Il vient du campaign printemps 2010, grâce à Vinoodh Martin.

my end-all MONTREAL FASHION WEEK blog post

For me, Montreal Fashion Week is an interesting specimen. MFW feels like it could be so much greater. There is such a compelling energy that flows through everybody when it comes to fashion in Montreal. The media lounge is filled with people sporting their best dresses and shiniest shoes. It's quite the scene, lots of hustle and bustle and drama about who gets into what show and where everybody sits, blah blah blah, but the thing that kills MFW and that is holding it back, for me, is the actual quality of the clothes. After all, you can have all the scene and glitz, but if the quality of the clothes isn't there, what is actually driving the fashion week: the party scene or the fashion? A complicated, complex question for sure.


The clothes tend to be wayyyyyyyyy too commercial. Designers SELDOM push the envelope. And when they THINK they are pushing the envelope they aren't.  (case in point, the Helmer show. keep reading).


So here it is kids: THE PROBLEM WITH MONTREAL FASHION WEEK IS THAT THERE IS A DISCONNECT BETWEEN THE EXCITEMENT OVER THE FASHION AND THE ACTUAL QUALITY OF THE FASHION BEING PRODUCED. When you are in Montreal, you can actually feel that people on the street are enthusiastic about clothes and how they dress. The potential for Montreal to become a fashion capital is limitless. The problem is, if someone is a good enough of a designer, they tend to get sucked away to Paris or New York.


So by some act of God I received accreditation to attend the shows at Montreal Fashion Week. I guess I was pretty honored to have at least a little recognition that what I do here is somewhat relevant? Anyways MFW usually isn't my thing, I think it's a little too commercial and I actually question whether there are important people coming to the shows. Every person I met had received accreditation for their blog or for some campy website I had never heard of.


ANYWAYS I supposed it was cool just to get a vague sliver of a sense of what attending a fashion week is like. Lots of see-and-be-seen types, people dressed obnoxiously and reeking of failed attempts at being ironic. blah blah blah, everyone acting so casual and disenchanted and cool, but if you were too cool for school then why the heck are you at MFW?


OK enough of the snarky ranting, let's talk turkey.


The shows were for the most part crap. Someone needs to teach Montreal designers about proportions and how to make clothes that don't look cheap. I wanted at first to criticize msot of the shows for being too safe and commercial, but a lot of them were sending clothes downt he runway that at the end of the day just left me baffled.


Helmer, for instance. First of all, his show sold tickets for charity, so i have to commend him for that. But the charity was for handicapped people, and the clothes were inspired by Haiti. The clothes also had a lot of bizarre harlequin and even 1990s/Brooklyn references that left me wondering whether I was in a medieval court, cruising through Carroll Gardens, or stuck in some blighted third-world country. Here's one of my 'favorite' (barf) moments, very reminiscent of something one would find at an Osh Kosh BGosh sample sale: (this also feels vaguely like a failed attempt at a ripoff of Balenciaga Spring 2010):

ENVERS PAR YVES JEAN LACASSE: The only thing I liked from this show was the drop crotch pants that every male model seemed to be wearing.  Unfortunately, the man in charge of taking the photographs for which I was given access seemed to forget that this was a major element of the show. WHATEVER.


EVE GRAVEL: So cute, so wearable. Great show.

BARILA: For once, it feels like a Montreal designer is riding the same wave as the rest of the world. Barila had this great schoolboy look that felt fresh and exciting. Also lots of partygirl looks for when school isn't in session. This model's walk was killer, btw.

DIMITRI CHRIS: FAVORITE MENSWEAR OF THE WEEK. So great. Didn't really feel like the collection was following any sort of trend (which I still haven't decided is a good or a bad thing). Classic yet fresh menswear. Something I could see myself wearing. LOVED IT. Hellloooo velvet ties and sportcoat with hemlines like waistcoats!

And of course, both I and Montreal Fashion Week saved the best for last: DENIS GAGNON. This was probably the only collection I saw all week that I could envision being on the runway in New York. The collection showed signs of masterful craftsmanship and unique vision. He totally rocked these great draped zipper/metal/thingy effects I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO PUT IT INTO WORDS! Made me feel like I was in a Star Wars fantasy (the Princess Leia hair styling wasn't helping) but smoething about how different and futuristic the collection looked just felt so right....