General Fashion (Page 12)

As a slavish fan of the Tom Ford era at Gucci, I’ve got to say that Spring 2010 is easily the best collection we’ve seen from current designer Frida Giannini.

Instead of the girly, at times hippie-chic clothes that have come out of her tenure at the company so far, what we saw this season was modern, athletic, and a tad science fiction. Normally those would be words from which I would shy away as descriptors of beautiful clothing, but the high-waist leggings, voluminous jackets and body-conscious dresses make sci fi chic and aspirational – if only Ra’mon from Project Runway had made something like this on last week’s episode, he might not have been auf’d.

But he didn’t, and Frida did, because there’s a reason that she’s employed by one of the largest and most recognizable luxury brands in the world. She started, as has proven popular this season, with white (it would be a full nine looks before another color appeared) and slowly moved herself into light greys before going for bolder books in black, orange, and even a little bit of pink. Print was limited mostly to ikat here and there on smart shift dresses, and the majority of looks were solid and neutral.

The Marc by Marc Jacobs RTW Spring 2010 collections presented most all of the female models wearing gigantic bows on their heads. You’d have to be blind to have missed the neon fuchsia, red and blue swathes of fabric walking down the runway. It was all in tune with the very prevalent ’80s theme. Or perhaps it is an ode to Madonna. Can you say “Desperately Seeking Susan” or ginormous bunny ears at the Met ball, anyone? Thus, we are also seeing a common trend in bow-embellished handbags. Perhaps it is part of the ’80s revival as well. We found a few bags with a serious bow element to them.

At this point, what is there left to say about Oscar de la Renta? He’s a designer that mostly bucks trends in favor of his own ladies-who-lunch aesthetic, and if it’s brought him this far, who am I to say that’s not exactly what he should continue to do?

When it comes down to it, the man simply makes beautifully tailored, beautifully realized clothing for whoever is lucky enough to afford it. He may not be as innovative as some of the younger designers that have just come on the scene, but innovation isn’t always what we want or need. Sometimes, “pretty” is all anyone can ask for, and de la Renta brings the pretty.

As always, his collection is full of sumptuous fabrics, delicately constructed evening gowns, and careful embroidery. There’s more color present here than in many of his recent collections, and it’s all vibrant and lovely. Most women don’t realize how wonderful brights can look on them, and the notable lack of black here might help convince a few people.

And when he uses black, de la Renta makes it count. One of my favorite looks of the entire show was a black lace cocktail dress that I will probably continue to lust after for years to come. It’s the kind of dress I hope to eventually have occasion to wear at some point in my life, and when the time comes, I hope I’m skinny enough and rich enough to have something like it. I know that Oscar wouldn’t have it any other way.

After a long day of classes, well, you need something fun and different to perk you up, especially if it’s the start of a long weekend. So when Shannon and Megs told me about a press preview held by fabulous PR firm Bsquared, I jumped at the chance.

The brand of exotics, Adriana Castro was featured alongside up-and-coming handbag designer Zara Terez. The loot was displayed all over the hotel room. Have you ever imagined being Nicole Richie and having your Balenciagas and costume jewelry just littered about all over the place? That’s what this was like, albeit much neater and more organized. It was quite the haven. Just imagine- Adriana Castro’s fuchsia Glazed Croc Lola Tote, the Modish clutch, a few Glazed Python Coco clutches, and a plethora of belts and bangles and Lady Zip wallets- all splayed on a bed. The effect was quite vibrant. I asked about my current favorite, the Glazed Python Annie Clutch in Purple, but publicists informed me that it’s on loan to Gossip Girl at the moment. Well. I suppose us bloggers can have good taste too, right?

When the world ends, and you survive it like a giant cockroach or Cher or something, what do you wear afterward? Rodarte‘s Spring 2010 line, if you’re fabulous.

Set against a dystopian, foggy, grit-strewn runway, the sisters Mulleavy presented what is possibly their most well-realized collection in New York on Tuesday. It was clothing fit for a woman living in a wasteland – deconstructed and reconstructed into something that is far more than the sum of the materials that went into it. And those materials were many and varied, and all individually treated and ruined before they were incorporated into the clothing. We saw things as familiar as leather and plaid and as unexpected as cheesecloth, worked into some of the most interesting and intricately constructed clothing of this Fashion Week.

The combination of patterns, textures, and colors in these clothes is enough to make anyone’s head spin, but look closely and it’s all done with such obvious care and thought that I’m in awe of the post-apocalyptic art that they were able to create out of their many and varied scraps of fabric. These are the kinds of clothes that a casual observer may not understand at first look but that fashion people absolutely salivate over.

As they appear on the runway, most of the dresses may not be particularly starlet-friendly, but I hope that a few stars out there that enjoy challenging, innovative clothing will take the plunge and strut a red carpet or two in some of these dresses. Surely some alterations to make them more buyer-friendly will be made before they go to distribution, and with an edit here or there, I think they would look fantastic on a statuesque risk-taker like, say, Charlize Theron.

Pictures via Style.com.

What is Fashion’s Night Out, you ask? Bedlam. Chaos. Hundreds of people lining up to see Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen only to be yelled at by a security guard who said that the event was closed. He also added that we, as spectators, were a fire hazard and we were all shepherded back down the escalators. That, my fellow friends and purse lovers, is the essence of Fashion’s Night Out.

Sure, the promoters say that it’s all about making shopping fun again, and that it is. But between you and me, more “shoppers” were hounding celebs and snapping up shots on their digital cameras than were forking over the plastic. I think I saw transactions taking place about three times, and one doesn’t count because my pal bought a Fashion’s Night Out tee shirt. Which, by the way, is extremely soft and comfortable.

That’s not to say that out night was a failure. Oh, it was quite the opposite. It was success, but a very different success than that which comes from receiving a good grade or finding the perfect pair of jeans. This was unexpected success- that satisfied feeling that comes after what you know has been a good, good night, even though you didn’t get the perfect shot of Victoria Beckham (I only got three pictures: one dark and two blurry).

The fashion world has convened in NYC for the past week for the Spring 2010 showing of some of our favorite designer labels. While Vlad and I could not make it this year, we have been glued to the computer checking out all the shows, events, trends, and celebs! One of the biggest parts of Fashion Week is the who is who. Bloggers are now being given first row seats to some shows, while the celeb presence continues to remain a constant. Of course there are the top fashion editors and magazines in attendance as well. One of the most notable faces of the fashion industry has made her appearances at fashion week, Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue.

What do you think about New York Fashion Week: Which shows left you wanting more and which shows did you adore?