Monday, March 29, 2010

LA Style

So this is the most I've traveled in two weeks before. I went to LA for a few days to visit family. I did some shopping of course and here are my thoughts on Tinsletown.

All the guys wear tight pants! No joke. And in West Hollywood punk is the main style. Boots were very common. And one day it was 60 which is warm for me, but cold for LA-ers so I saw people wearing their Burberry coats while I was wearing a skirt!

Overall it was so different than what I'm used to. NYC feels like home when I go there, but LA was like another country. Once an East Coast Girl always one I guess.

Rodeo drive was impressive though!



That's me in the red sweater.

Oh! I this is on my most wanted list:



Apparently they're so exclusive that I can't find them on the internet right now. But Dolce and Gabbana made $800 limited edition t-shirts with the Steven Klein ad campaign on them and it comes with a print of the picture! I wanted it so bad!

What I did buy:
I went to a used-clothing store called Crossroads Trading in West Hollywood and found some really great stuff there. See by Chloe jeans were like $35 dollars!
I got:



A Marc by Marc Jacobs trench

and an Anna Sui top which I'm wearing now so here's a picture of the print:

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

NYC Style

I just got back from New York City the other day for the CMA conference. I went with my school newspaper and it was a lot of fun. I learned a lot about the magazine industry and life in New York overall. I cannot wait to move there!

It rained a lot while we were there so I didn't get to go to all the stores I wanted, granted that list was a mile long, but I did take a few pictures of the stores I did see.

The window at Lord and Taylor:


Windows of trendy boutiques in Soho (taken with my photographer friend's fancy camera):





I saw some really trendy people there. One lady, who I considered pulling a Satorialist for, was wearing skinny jeans, ankle boots, and the most fabulous fur vest. Others went sensible and wore Burberry rainboots.

Friday, March 12, 2010

The biggest trend at the NYC, London, Milan, and Paris shows

FUR!

That's right. Be it faux or real it was everywhere this season. Personally I prefer the faux kind, but they're all pretty. There were touches of fur in some shows were as other designers went all out.

New York:

Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, Oscar de la Renta, and Proenza Schouler






London:

Burberry



Milan:

Gucci and Moschino





Paris:

John Galliano



Backstage Pics from WWD.com

Thursday, March 11, 2010

The Last Hurrah

Paris fashion week ended yesterday and that means the end of the Fall/Winter 2010-2011 fashion show season. Here are the last 3 most important collections:

Louis Vuitton:

LOVE THIS COLLECTION.
Vuitton is not known for the clothes, but head designer Marc Jacobs is slowly changing that. The pieces were very "Mad Men" inspired and oh so chic and wearable. The first model was even a little bit curvy! Things are definitely changing. I think it's because of the recession. Designers know they need to get real in order to stay a-float. Marc is definitely embracing this in all of his labels. The bags are great too. A new take on the classic ones. The prints were very fall, but at the same time colorful. The collection was filled with beautiful jackets as well. Pretty knits, too and the evening gowns were exquisite.







Miu Miu

Minimalism and the 60s were the main themes for Miuccia Prada for her baby line this season. Though most of the dresses were minis they were made out of sturdy fabrics, like wool, so they are more practical for those cool Fall days. Blacks and bright colors were the scheme and like most other designers she offered lovely outwear.





Paul & Joe

All the elements to a good Paul & Joe collection were here this season. Fun birds. check. Tiny Floral Print. check. Knits. check. Bright colors. check. and last but not least structured pieces. check.





What will I do with my life now that fashion week is over? I don't know, but I'll make it somehow!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Elie Saab

I seldom look at any of the Elie Saab collections, even the couture ones, but I was so starved for new collections while waiting for pictures to be released on style.com or wwd.com of the Louis Vuitton collection that I decided to check it out and I was not wasting my time doing so.
Most of the collection was black, my go-to color for fall and winter, but each piece had its own texture so the black was never boring. There were many sheer pieces, a reoccurring theme this season, as well a very gauzy colored dresses.

My favorite outfits were black, but I did show an example of one of the colored pieces.







photos: WWD.com

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

If The Yeti Wore Chanel

That's what this collection reminded me most of all is the Yeti because krazy Karl made fur pants of all things!! Once I got over the initial shock of that I loved the collection. Every collection Karl does has that essence of Chanel the is necessary. I wasn't blown away by it, but I liked it. I have a feeling I would have appreciated it more in person because Karl had a iceberg, yes a real live iceberg, imported from Sweden and he had it placed on the runway. A statement against Global Warming? Or frivolity? Who knows.




The Queen's Final Collection

I can hardly find the words to describe how I feel about the last pieces designed by the late Alexander McQueen. Knowing these are the last pieces he touched and imagined is heartbreaking and powerful at the same time.

The collection only consists of 16 outfits, but they say so much more about him as a designer and a person than a huge collection ever could.

He was at the same time forward thinking and reflective on the past. For this collection his inspirations came from the rococo for his patterns and prints and his construction was modern and futuristic.

I had tears in my eyes while I looked at the show and while reading WWD.com's review. I would have given anything to be at that show and I am sure it is something the people present will not soon forget.

The pieces were wearable and simple by McQueen's standards. I would wear the first dress proudly to a party or any event. I hope Sarah Jessica Parker wears something from this collection to an event or on the red carpet somewhere.




Paris Fashion Week Jackpot

The past few days several of my favorite designers have had shows:

Simple Elegance at Stella McCartney:
McCartney went with mainly neutrals this season, but there were some bright colors stuck in there. She had a lot of classy laid back pieces perfect for work and play.




Modern Paris Meets Classic Paris at Yves Saint Laurent:
What the reviewers at WWD.com called dowdy I call avant-garde. I loved the conservative sensibility of Stefano Pilati's collection. I admit some of them were a bit over-the-top in the covering up department, but I loved the pieces which might look less dowdy apart. The final sheer pieces were anything, but conservative, however.




Classy Sportswear at Givenchy:

Riccardo Tisci's collection was very understated, in a good way, as far as design goes, but it was bold in his choice of prints and colors. There was lots of black to be found, but spread throughout were bold prints and bright reds. The trend of the sheer fabric was in this collection as well and so was the bright red lip that I have seen in other shows.


Saturday, March 6, 2010

Horse Sense

Only John Galliano would think of putting leather riding boots with sheer gauzy dresses. He went off of his recent couture collection for Dior and kept with his very equestrian theme.
Overall was the collection wearable? Sort of. If you layered I'm sure some could get away with his dresses on the red carpet, but as they stand no way.
Other individual pieces are very wearer friendly. Skirts, boots and jackets that will all be very fashionable workwear.