L’Wren Scott Fall 2009 Runway Show

A L’Wren Scott event is one of the most eagerly awaited presentations of the week. Undoubtedly, it’s the winning combination of the perfectly executed lunch, a quick fashion show that starts on time and star wattage without the fanfare. Dustin and Lisa Hoffman, Kyra Sedgwick, Scott’s boyfriend, Mick Jagger, and son, Gabriel, were all sitting front row to see her lineup of unapologetically body-conscious coats and sheaths or severely cut suits in leather, silk or wool, inspired, explained the designer, by “the changing leaves and bare trees that I see outside the window from my Paris office.” Her palette of dark greens and blacks, spiked with red, did indeed reflect the designer’s ideas for fall, as did the sensual and sinuous lines of the clothes. But she generously made room for body types other than her own with more fluid long coats and even a shirtdress or two.

Zac Posen on the Runway (Fall 2009)

Zac Posen’s fashion shows are always an extravaganza of girly-glam, and as over-the-top as New York fashion gets. His approach makes for lots of fun, if not always a lot of sense. This season, moments of pretty sanity tempered the mayhem, some of it approaching chic. Among the hits: coats, including a silvery metallic jacquard and a romantic, big-collared number in gray felt. Posen also showed a restrained wool sheath and appealing tailored jackets.

Napoleon’s first wife Joséphine de Beauharnais inspired hair and makeup fit for royalty to complement Zac Posen’s Fall collection. “It’s French courtesan opulence meets punk,” said Odile Gilbert for L’Oréal Professionnel. They used Expansion Body Activating Mousse for volume and then swept hair high into a “large chignon” after it was teased at the roots. Extreme Holding Spray sealed the look and a braided headband with studs added a rocker edge to the elegant bouffant. Makeup, which was done by done by Lucia Pieroni for MAC, pushed the look into modern times with a fresh orange lip (MAC’s Morange lipstick) and a carbon-colored eye. Pieroni rimmed eyes with black pencil and used Blackberry shadow on the lid. “My inspiration is a Tim Burton girl with huge, big smoky eyes, lashes,” said Pieroni, who added false lashes. “She looks a little hollow, a little Gothic.”

 

Celebrities Rachel Bilson, Zoe Saldana, Claire Danes, Santigold, Nicole Richie, Alicia Keys and Leigh Lezark were all spotted Posen’s runway show. The starlets weren’t the only ones getting attention at the show. When model Coco Rocha took her turn on the runway, a photographer in the pit shouted “Now that’s a woman!” at her, causing the audience to break out in laughter. Ever professional, Coco Rocha responded with a sly smile, though she later confided backstage that she hadn’t understood the snapper’s catcall. “I thought he was being cheeky, so I smiled,” Rocha said. “Then everyone started laughing and I got worried and did a body check to make sure the clothes were still on.”

 

Tracy Reese

A graduate from Parsons School of Design, Tracy Reese has become a fabulous designer. She ranks as one of the fashion industry’s most successful African-American woman designer whose realm is not relegated to the runway. Tracy Reese has two clothing lines, Plenty and TR, which have been sold at Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, and many other top retailers since the mid-1990s. Her company’s sales topped $12 million in 2003, and it launched a Plenty-label home line that same year and a footwear collection the  following year. She has a great eye for what women will buy. “I don’t want to design a skirt just because a skirt is needed to go with a particular jacket,” she told Essence. “The skirt itself has to make you want to buy it. 

This model actually smiles!!

Chloé Spring 2009 Runway

Chloé’s spring 2009 Ready to Wear show was out of this world! The garment’s scallop-edge coats, rounded-shoulder blouses, and high-waisted flared shorts, interspersed with ruffle-necklined dresses and jumpsuits with an eighties kind of gathered swell in the thigh region, certainly had an air of summery freshness about them. The contrasts of chartreuse, beige, cream, bluebell, green, and a particular apricot (the exact shade that appears on Chloé packaging) were rinsed of any print and shorn of the embroidery that is a usual feature of the chic brand.

 Here are a few of my favorites:

 

Hermès Scarves

Do you remember that silk-patterned scarf, from your childhood, that your grandmother would always wear around her neck? Scarves actually originated to keep your neck and head warm, since that is primarily where all of the heat is lost. But soon after they were popular, silk scarves became a fashion accesory for every woman. Woman would fill up their closets with numerous scarves just to have at least five in every color. Founded in 1837, by Thierry Hermès, Hermès scarves were considered Luxury fashion items. Each scarf measures 90cm and is woven from the silk of 250 mulberry moth cocoons. All Hermès scarves are hand-printed using multiple silk screens and the hems are all hand-stitched.

Did you know? An Hermès scarf (pronounced Air-Mez) is sold somewhere in the world every twenty-five seconds.

Academy Awards Fashion for 2009

The Academy Awards’ red carpet was filled with complete glamour, lots of sparkle, bold colors and trains galore. There were no full-on fashion disasters on this beautiful Sunday night.

Who got it RIGHT?
In a dress fit for a winner, Penelope Cruz sported a romantic vintage gown by Pierre Balmain, full of brocade and sheer touches. Taraji P. Henson looked gorgeous in an off-white, tiered gown by Roberto Cavalli and a statement necklace. Amy Adams worked a bold necklace as well, along with a stunning red dress by Carolina Herrera. There was finally a red carpet win from Marisa Tomei in her gorgeous and unusual pleated Versace gown. Anne Hathaway picked a dress that didn’t wash her out completely. Her mermaid-esque, sequin-embellished gown by Armani was glamorous and flattering. Angelina Jolie worked her old standby, a sexy black dress and voluminous hair. I am glad to see her red carpet style back on track. Diane Lane looked fabulous in a classic black dress by Dolce and Gabbana. Robert Pattinson and Robert Downey, Jr. were both dreamy and surprisingly clean cut in their tuxes.

Who got it WRONG?
Beyonce hit a sour note for fashion police in a black and gold incar nation that was less than sophisticated. Melissa Leo did not impress, sporting bad ’80s hair and a dress in baby-food brown. The fit and cut of Viola Davis’ dress were great, but the metallic color of Oscar gold and the shiny fabric were all wrong. I was not a fan of Jessica Biel’s column dress with its attached floppy half bow. And Tilda Swinton was equal parts kooky and creepy down to her ill-chosen red lipstick. It’s hard to be critical of the legendary Sophia Loren, who still looks great at 74, but I could have done without all those ruffles.

Who ALMOST got it right?
Miley Cyrus wore an overly ornate dress by Zuhair Murad. Her hair and makeup were sweet and youthful, but the heavily layered gown was too much for the petite star. Freida Pinto didn’t quite hit a home run in a cobalt John Galliano gown. The color was stunning, but I would have preferred it without the one lace sleeve. I was okay with Kate Winslet’s gray and black gown, but the space-age helmet hair was a wrong turn. Heidi Klum looked modern in a bold pink gown and loads of jewelry, but it was too much look for the Oscars.

90s Trends

The most significant event was the rise of grunge fashion in 1992. In the late 1990s there was a move away from grunge. Retro clothing inspired by the 1960s and 1970s was popular for much of the 1990s.

Wearing bright colors, such as neon colours proved popular. Also clothing with abstract, multi-colored designs were also popular.

In the early 1990s, the tight lycra or black leather mini skirt, also known as a tube skirt, which began as a trend in the mid-1980s, continued to be popular, especially in Europe. These were often paired with long blazers, which would continue to be worn throughout the decade. Tank tops, often of silk or synthetic silk were in style. The cinch-belt was a trendy accessory. Mini dresses in Lycra were also worn, and these often featured built-in bra cups. Sequined and lace cocktail dresses were also briefly popular in 1990-1991.

Inspired by Michelle Pfeiffer’s performance of Catwoman in the 1992 film Batman Returns, the catsuit, enjoyed popularity. British singer Victoria Beckham would later be seen wearing a black catsuit in several Spice Girls videos. These were usually made of latex, PVC, or Spandex and often worn with high-heeled boots. From the beginning of the decade, boots were to be popular winter footwear throughout the 1990s.

The black leather jacket for men and women was a popular trend. As in the previous decade, the American singer Madonna continued to be a fashion inspiration for girls and young women.

Belly button piercing became a hit in 1991 among teenage girls and young women. This led to the introduction of belly shirts that left the belly uncovered to expose the belly button. Other types of body piercing became popular later in the decade, and lasted into the 2000s.

Fashion in the 80s

Like the fashion of all modern decades, 1980s fashion in popular culture incorporated distinct trends from different eras. This helped form a cultivating movement of style. The most conservative, more masculine fashion look that was most indicative of the 1980s was the wide use of shoulder pads.

While in the 1970s, the silhouette of fashion tended to be characterized by close fitting clothes on top with wider, looser clothes on the bottom, this trend completely reversed itself in the early 1980s as both men and women began to wear looser shirts and tight, close-fitting pants. Men wore power suits as a result of the greater tendency for people to display their wealth. Brand names became increasingly important in this decade, making Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein household names.

In the United States, Madonna was titled the “Material Girl” and many teenage girls looked to her for fashion statements. The rising pop star proved to be very influential to female fashions. She first emerged on the dance music scene with her “street urchin” look—short skirts over leggings, necklaces, rubber bracelets, fishnet gloves, hairbows, long layered strings of beads, bleached, untidy hair with dark roots, head bands, and lace ribbons. In her “Like a Virgin” phase, millions of teenage girls emulated her fashion example that included brassieres worn as outerwear, huge crucifix jewellery, lace gloves, tulle skirts, and boytoy belts. Gloves, sometimes lace and/or fingerless, were popularized by Madonna, as well as fishnet stockings and layers of beaded necklaces. Short, tight Lycra or leather mini-skirts and tubular dresses were also worn, as were cropped, bolero-style jackets. Black was the preferred colour. Another club fashion for women was lingerie as outerwear. Prior to the mid-1980s it had been taboo to show a slip or a bra strap in public. A visible undergarment had been a sign of social ineptness. In the new fad’s most extreme forms, young women would forego conventional outer-garments for vintage-style bustiers with lacy slips and several large crucifixes. This was both an assertion of sexual freedom and a conscious rejection of prevailing androgynous fashions.

The Thriller look was inspired by Michael Jackson’s record breaking album Thriller. Teenagers would attempt to replicate the look of Jackson, which included matching red/black leather pants and jackets, one glove, sunglasses, and jheri curl. Leather jackets popularized by Michael Jackson and films like The Lost Boys were often studded and left undone to create a messier look. Oversized, slouch shouldered faded leather jackets with puffy sleeves from Europe caught on. Gloves, sometimes fingerless, would also accompany the jacket. Late in the decade plain brown aviator jackets made a comeback, styled after World War II fighter pilot jackets. Already popular aviators were joined by other forms of sunglasses. It was not unusual for sunglasses or shades as they were known, to be worn at night (I Wear My Sunglasses At Night).

Fashion of the 1970s

The decade began with a continuation of the hippie look from the 1960s. Jeans remained frayed, and the Tie dye was still popular. In the autumn of 1970, ankle length dresses called maxis made a brief appearance. These were topped by fitted coats of the same length. Tunics and Indian fabrics continued to be popular. Jeans waistlines lowered to 4 inches or even less as “hip huggers” with “bell-bottoms” became the height of denim fashion. Altering the appearance of jeans with bleach and tie-dye techniques, embroidery, decorative patches, and metal studs was popular as well. Tight-ftting ribbed tops were worn by both men and women. Polyester “doubleknit” fabric was coming into its own, with many clothing items for men and women being produced in this modern easy-care fabric. In 1971, extremely brief, tight-fitting shorts, called hot pants, were a fashion craze for girls and young women. By the mid-Seventies, as the economy improved, silhouettes narrowed, and hemlines dropped again from mini skirt to just below the knee, and later to midi (mid-calf length).

In Britain and the urban United States, from 1972-1974, fashions were inspired by extravagantly-dressed glam rock stars such as David Bowie and Roxy Music. Glitter was in vogue. Women wore high-waisted, flared satin trousers or denims, the latter usually decorated with rhinestones, tight lurex halter tops, bright lamé or antique velvet dresses, whose hemlines normally ended just below the knee, satin hot pants, sequined bra tops, and occasionally they wore ostrich- feather boas draped over their shoulders or turbans on their heads. The 1930s and 1940s look was also popular, and many women bought their clothes at second-hand shops. The short, imitaion rabbit-fur jacket was a hot fashion item during this period. Make-up was garish and glittery, with eyebrows thinly plucked. Bianca Jagger, who often used an ebony walking stick, wore peacock-feathers in her cloche hats, green sequined shoes, transparent blouses, and carried an ivory cigarette- holder, was a fashion icon. The men often wore lamé suits, silver astronaut-style outfits, wide-legged denims, and rhinestone-studded shirts. Their hair was long and softly layered, or spiky and sometimes multi-coloured.

Fashion Week!

Here is the schedule for this week’s fashion week!!!

Monday, Feb. 16–> Alexander Wang

Tuesday, Feb. 17–> Carolina Herrera & Thakoon

Wednesday, Feb. 18–> Marc Jacobs & Rodarte

Thursday Feb. 19–> Michael Kors & Oscar de la Renta

Friday, Feb. 20–> Phillip Lim & Proenza Schouler