Paris Review: Spring 2010

Oh my...I just love Paris! The energy and the lights create the perfect background to all of the fashion that happens this time of year. This Paris fashion week was no exception to its predecessors, stunning from beginning to end. Here are some snippets of the trends I picked up on:

Color

Color on the runways seems to sway between minimal or absolutely exuberant. There were no in-betweens. For Color Anne Valérie Hash is a must see. She nailed it on the head, check it out:

What can I say? Wonderful! Amazing! Tres manifique! This was by far my favorite collection. It took Phoebe Philo's phenomenal collection for Celine from two seasons ago and brought it further into fashion's current direction. It was minimal, but soft, and large on skill and craftsmanship. It was above all things how a woman is going to want to look next season. Color and cut were both right. and were simply exquisite. Please note the color focused on what was aptly described as "make-up tones" on Style.com. Powder beige, blush, and slate completed a soft, focused palette.

Now, on the exuberant end (and in this case I don't mean just color), please note the following designers:

Manish Arora

Limi Feu

Zac Posen

I questioned not just the palettes these designer chose, but their overly exaggerated shapes. Seriously? I thought the 80's had come and gone. Twice now. Designers: y'all need to quit all your clowning around. No one wants to leave the house feeling like they're heading for the circus, and that's how these girls look. I was also disappointed in Limi Feu's decision to just create a strict palette of just black and whites. When they say "austerity measure" in Europe, I don't think anyone meant to take it quite that far. Otherwise from her a strong collection.

Print

Prints were almost non-existent on the French runways. The few exceptions included bits of graphic plaids here and there, and some snippets of snakeskin by Barbara Bui (the perfect evolution from last years leopard).

Overall I felt as if the cries for beauty and subtlety (Anne Valérie Hash, Barbara Bui) were right on the mark. The party dresses (from Zac Posen, Manish Arora) had a bit too much 80's attitude which has been done so many seasons now. They felt quite passé. Those looks need to walk right of that runway and walk far far away.

In it For the Long Haul

Excerpt from You Tube Video OPI and China Glaze Haul

What an interesting report on npr.com today. NPR highlighted the new and disturbing trend of "haul videos". These videos of young girls displaying what they picked up from the mall get thousands of hits a day. With all of the media outlets out there these days it is a disappointment that it's other people's purchases that are attracting viewers. And full disclosure: I was one of these girls at one time. No, I never made a video but I once thought my life could change from one new purchase.

Being a teenager is tough, and it is hard to distinguish a burgeoning interest in fashion as self expression from the constant need to consume. After all, you need to buy something in order to wear clothes. But instead of being happy with whatever I purchased I always felt as if I needed and wanted more. Wanting one shade of nail polish went to wanting ten. And perhaps I would receive much complementary attention about said nail polish, but unfortunately that type of attention doesn't earn you anything tangible.

Despite the attention I received I would be home with 10 shades of new nail polish and no radical life change. Just colored nails. You have to be realistic about what a new product can do for you. It's fun to have new things, but it's not going to change your life. This girl and her viewers have lost sight of that reality.

I love this picture, and I love the color story in this. :)

Freegan Disestablishment

The beautiful pictures by Greg Halpern accompany article, NyTimes

Freegan is a term for a freewheeling, dumpster diving, abandoned-house adapting band of outsiders taking advantage of the numerous items scavenged for free where ever they reside. The article Freegan Establishment from the NyTimes highlights them beautifully. It also connects a constellation of interesting trends I have noticed emerging in America lately. While we all pursue our version of the American Dream, which is usually trying to buy a house, a car, etc, the Freegans spend time doing invariably the same thing with little or no money at all. By sourcing and making the things they need they acheive the same sorts of things, but without conventional jobs.
They live richly. These particular ones live in a mansion, and gorge on an unlimited supplies of food. They live more grandly than most, rent free. These people may not live like you and me, but they are not as far on the fringes as you may think. Their lack of wastefulness, and do it yourself, craft aesthetic ties in with many contemporary ideals of do-it-yourself sustainability. Home gardening ties in with Locavore sensibilities. Their craft room is a scrapbookers dream come true.
While barrel after barrel of oil currently pours into the gulf, hopefully causing many to question the ultimate sustainability of their lifestyles, the Freegans offer an alternative. These young kids are proving just how much you can do with what others waste, show how much is possible with out money, and give us more ways to lessen our eco-footprint. Whether their alternative is viable for others is questionable, but as many struggle in a weak economy many more may start to question what we really need to get by. These Freegans may be able to show us the way.

I Am Love

Photo from May 2010 InStyle

Here at the society we make no bones about loving Tilda Swinton. No one does cool-eclectic better than her. That's right, I said NOBODY. As such, I just wanted to point out that our first lady of fashion will be wearing none other than Jil Sander for her upcoming film "I Am Love". Raf Simons says in the recent InStyle magazine that the wardrobe was especially designed for Tilda's character. Color and silhouette where chosen with the thought in mind that that movie takes place in the early 2000's. Mr. Simons really wanted to reflect that, and I'm interested in seeing if he succeeds. Tilda, on behalf of fashionistas everywhere I just wanted to say: we know you are love. And we love you too.

Going Native

Typical Nez Perce, 1910

Tsawatenok Girl, 1914

Nez Perce Baby, 1900

Nakoaktok Painting a Hat, 1914

Wishram Bride, 1910

I love this book I purchased by Taschen, "Native Americans". It features the photography of Edward S. Curtis. Curtis worked in the early 1900's documenting Native Americans and their respective cultures north of the Mexican border and west from the Mississippi River. What began as simply a photo project later segued into ethnographic work. I enjoyed the photos very much and encourage any interested to get the book as there were many, many more photos in it I couldn't share.

Sheer Love

Besides having love affairs with Courtney Love (see below) Kate has been stepping out as of late to promote her line at Top Shop. Here she is at the Knightsbridge store opening party, as reported on in the Daily Mail. I have been telling people when there's a little bit of a nip in the air to not be afraid of hosiery. Ladies: if Kate can do it you can too! Here's the secret: keep them sheer. That way there is coverage but it is still sexy. Well done Kate.

Hands Down Beauty

From the recent article on NPR about the Grand Trunk Road in Pakistan. The caption in the article states that burgundy and gold are the traditional colors for brides there. I love how every last detail including the nail polish is thought of. Spellbinding photo, and great article that I highly recommend reading.

Up-And-Coming Designer Alert: Kelacala Q

I am so excited to have the following interview with Lara Kurtzman from Kelacala Q. I met Lara a few years ago through her former classmates from the Rhode Island School of Design. When you meet her, you just can't help but notice her easy but edgy sense of style. Her jewelry is definitely an extension of her personality: eclectic, fun, with an unequivocable sex appeal. The following is an excerpt from an interview I had with her the other day.

1. You have an unusual name for your jewelry line. How did you come to the name, and does it hold any special meaning for you?

Kelacala Q is an anagram using the first initials of my dad, mom, me, my sister, my grandparents and my cat Quincy.

2. Where do you start your design process, as in where and how do you find inspiration? And what have you felt inspired by as of late?

My process usually begins with a tiny little spark that ignites as a response to something, it could be anything, a unique material that I have on the "drawing table", a outfit that I put on that is missing a key element, or a shopping trip where I find an incredible piece that I'll spend weeks playing around with.

Lately I've been inspired by McQueen's final collection. His last show was so ground-breakingly futuristic that I became obsessed. I was crushed when he took his own life.

3. Where can my readers find your jewelry? Where is it sold?

Right now you can find our lines in Manhattan at Sucre and Ibiza and on Long Island we're at DeNatale and Tauk. We're also at Moda in Nashville. To see all of our collections or for weddings and custom designs, customers can visit us and shop online at www.kelacalaq.com.

4. I just did an article on American fashion icons inspired by the Costume Institutes recent exhibition. Who is an American icon who inspires you?

A list of my inspirational icons could literally go on forever but like most of my generation, I was influenced by early Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson but for the past years I've had an obsession with Meryl Streep. It's so amazing to see someone embody and express so many human dynamics... and then there's Johnny Depp.... Oh, Johnny. Add Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Patti Smith... you get the idea: strong, sexy, independent, talented... a great description of the kind of people who wear Kelacala Q jewelry.

Ooh Baby Baby...

From article on NPR.com, photo Michael Ochs Archives/Stringer/Getty Images

...mamacita likes. Alot. And I have seen people re-appropriating style similar to this little bit here on the streets of New York City. So maybe we'll see more looks like this in the future.

Not So Gaga For Gaga Anymore

Sorry, but this isn't fashion it's just weird. It's fine to be weird, but please, lets not confuse the two. Pic from promadvice.com

I love this post from Pitchfork media where Joanna Newsom totally calls out Lady Gaga for being formulaic and disinteresting as of late. She says the following "...there's not much in her music to distinguish it from other glossy, formulaic pop. She just happens to wear slightly weirder outfits than Britney Spears. But they're not THAT weird--they're mostly just skimpy. She's fully marketing her body/sexuality; she's just doing it while wearing, like, a 'fierce' telephone hair-hat." Way to call it out Joanna Newsom! I was previously a fan of Lady Gaga, but find myself so disappointed with her lately. And the same issues that Joanna has with her music I absolutely have with her fashion sense: it's formulaic. We all know she's going to be out there somewhere clad in her skivvies with some stupid accessory. Her looks don't even seem to be related to 'fashion' any longer, just some superficial look at me cry for attention that doesn't have to do with the ideas relevant to dressing in our time. What could a telephone hat possibly have to do with current ideas, or even self-expression for that matter? When did Gaga become so out of touch?

Dressed For Success

Photo from Zimbio.com

I just saw returned from the Marina Abramovic exhibit "The Artist is Present" at the MOMA. What a eloquent, moving exhibit. I just don't think words or pictures can describe it. Imagine a room. It is gray, large, spacious, airy. Sunlight streams in on this woman, who appears at first to by sitting alone in this space. She is at once diminuative and larger than life. At first all you see is her, and the room is quiet, except for a mechanical sound pounding softly from above. She sits across someone, both appearing to be deep in comtemplation. Her dress is large, similar in shape to what I would imagine someone from medieval times would wear. It has pronunced shoulders, a high neck and heavy draping, adding to the drama of the scene. Many have reported seeing this dress in many colors. This day it is cream. It adds so much to the art work. So I wonder: what is the meaning of the color she choses to wear each day? What is the significance of the chosen silhouette? Is it meant to reference a particular period in history? And why did she choose to do this particular performance clothed rather than naked? Who created the dress for her? If anyone knows, or wants to speculate, please comment!

Back Again: Vintage Shopping In NYC

Picture of Edith Machinist from NyMag.com

Interesting article in the NyTimes today about prospecting for vintage finds in this city--no easy task if your experience has been anything like mine. I found their choices novel and interesting, but felt like maybe they missed out on a few top-notch choices as well. Like, what about Beacon's Closet, which can only be described as a vintage emporium. It may sound stereotypical to you New Yorkers, but c'mon....where else are you going to get such fabulousity at such prices? I've bought cashmere sweaters from TSE ($20.00) and button downs from Theory ($15.00) in addition to choice vintage picks. You can't find good quality stuff for less than that anywhere. Lets give credit where credit is due. Or how 'bout the Lower East Side? I can think of 3 great shops, right off the top of my head. For shoes I always reccommend Edith Machinist on Rivington btw Ludlow and Essex. Her taste is top level and always seems to reflect what's currently on the runway. Ellen (Ludlow btw Delancey and Rivington) is also nice for high-end accessories and sweet dresses. And Narnia (Rivington St. by Clinton) is cool too, more for a girl who wants to take a trend and run with it. Go there for your next ethnic print dress--you won't be sorry. Any other ones that I missed? Put a comment! I would love more vintage suggestions.

Avi Buffalo

New Avi Buffalo video posted on Pitchfork today. I couldn't help but post some photos I took of it. You don't know how much I long to be part of this rainbow fantasy world.