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:

 

1960s Fashion

Fashions in the early years of this decade reflected the elegance of the First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. In addition to the pillbox, women wore suits, usually in pastel colors, with short boxy jackets, and oversized buttons. Simple, geometric dresses, known as shifts, were also in style. For evening wear, full-skirted ballgowns were worn. These often had a low décolletage and had close-fitting waists. For casual wear, capri trousers were the fashion for women and girls. Short dresses were also very trendy in the 60s. Stiletto-heeled shoes were also very popular.

The 1960s featured a number of diverse trends. It was a decade that broke with many fashion traditions that mirrored social movements during the period. Early in the decade, culottes were in style, and the bikini finally came into fashion in 1963 after being featured in the musical Beach Party. Also, the 60s gave birth to the skinny jean, worn by Audrey Hepburn, which is again popular with young women today. In Britain the Mods subculture were a fashion phenemenon with their trademark anorak jackets, tailored Italian suits, and scooters. Their rivals, the Rockers, instead wore the same black leather jackets, Levi jeans, and pompadour hairstyles worn in the 1950s. Mexican ponchos, mocassins, love beads, peace sign and gold medallion necklaces, chain belts, culottes, polka dot printed fabrics, and puffed “bubble” sleeves were additional trends in the late 1960s. New materials other than cloth (such as polyester and PVC) started to become more popular as well.

Fashion in the 1920s

Women’s fashion in 1920 was all about the flappers. These liberal, free-thinking women wore short skirts, short haircuts, sheer stockings–and, most shockingly–make-up. The style of the flapper is most often described as being youthful and boyish, as these young women were abandoning the popular curves of early generations for straight lines and loose clothing.

Although seemingly harmless by today’s standards, women’s fashion in 1920 was controversial and looked upon with disapproval by conservative men and women. Prior to the flapper movement, ladies kept their legs covered and abstained from drinking or smoking, especially in public. Now, young women were exercising their independence and developing an entirely new fashion statement.

A Little Bit About…Abigail Lorick

 

The mastermind behind “Lorick” is Abigail Lorick. Born on Amelia Island, Florida, Abigail knew the South couldn’t contain her. At the age of 18, she moved to Paris and Milan to model for designers such as Alberta Ferretti and Mossimo while appearing in acclaimed magazines French C’osmopolitan, American Elle and American Harper’s Bazaar. Working as a model only enhanced her love of fashion and led her to move in 2003, to New York City to study at the Fashion Institute of Technology while working simultaneously at T.S. Dixin. By 2004, Abigail was designing T.S. Dixin’s entire collection. After proving her vision over a few seasons, Abigail’s production manager in India, Verma Singh, approached her to createa collection of her own. Quickly thereafter in the Spring of 2007, she conceptualized and launched the Lorick brand.

You’ve probably seen Abigail Lorick’s designs on Gossip Girl.  When the model turned fashion designer started her line, the producers for the show quickly grabbed the attention of the new and fresh collection. They were looking for a real line to dub as the Eleanor Waldorf Collection- for the fictional character/designer Eleanor Waldorf. The designer even got the chance to play Eleanor’s assistant in the series. Where do we sign up for that life?! Blair (Leighton Meester) wears a lot of Lorick designs, and there are scenes where she gives away Lorick clothes to Jenny (Taylor Momsen) as hand-me-downs. Most of her pieces are classic and timeless, but there’s always a twist to them, like the backless dresses that Serena and Blair wore in the park. From the front it’s a classic and then from the back it’s sexy. She really finds that line — keeping that timelessness but being sexy, fun and quirky at the same time.

 

“I’m hoping to inspire women to dress-up again, to wake up in the morning and throw the scarf on, wear gloves in the summer or pair a T-shirt with a full skirt. Women today don’t embrace that excitement.” –Abigail Lorick

Trench Coats

Trench coats are -and have been- the most popular coats in America. The first trench coat was actually developed as an alternative to the heavy serge “greatcoats” worn by British and French soldiers in the First World War. The trench coat was created by Thomas Burberry, who submitted his trench coat design for an army officer’s raincoat to the United Kingdom War Office in 1901. The trench coat has had a big role in fashion: from comic book mystery characters to the last scene in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Audrey Hepburn!). Like the Chanel suit and the Birkin bag, the trench coat will always be one of fashion’s most iconic pieces.

Manolo Blahnik

Manolo Blahnik is a name that has become synonymous with mainstream high fashion footwear since the late nineties. In 30 years, the Manolo brand has surpassed all ideas applicable to luxury footwear and continues to establish itself as a stylish art form, revered by all fashionistas, trend setters, and worldly critics. The aura has been exacerbated by such popular culture acts ranging from Sex and the City to Jay-Z. And now, he has created some of the most exquisite shoes that the fashion world has ever seen.

Mr. Blahnik’s origins, however, are far from the world’s fashion centers of New York, Paris, and Milan. This gentleman is of mixed descent, born in 1942 to a Czech father and Spanish mother on a Canary Island banana plantation. The family frequently traveled to Madrid and Paris in order to purchase clothing. Young Manolo remained captivated by his mother’s fashion magazines and learned the craft of shoe making by observing the woman construct her own footwear from ribbon and lace.

Originally, Manolo’s parents envisioned a career as a diplomat for the youngster and he acquiesced, enrolling at The University of Geneva to study politics and law. However, Blahnik quickly rejected the coursework in favor of literature and architecture after one semester. He then relocated to Paris to study stage design at The Louvre Art School. Manolo moved to London in 1970, following his father’s advice that he improve his English. He was employed as a photographer for The Sunday Times and thereafter became a staple of the jet setting art design community.

Manolo Blahnik attributes his status as a leading authority of style to serendipity. In 1971, Diana Vreeland, editor of Vogue stumbled onto his portfolio of drawings and set designs while Blahnik was on assignment in New York City. Vreeland encouraged Manolo Blahnik to dedicate his life to making shoes, rather than garments.

A Little Bit About…Tory Burch

While living in New York city, It-Girl, Tory Burch, has maintained personal relationships with a series of extremely wealthy men. With the financial savvy of her former second husband, she began a fashion label in February 2004 in New York City. It was an immediate success and was even endorsed by Oprah Winfrey the following year. Her label has opened stores in several large American cities and has lines that are sold in several upscale specialty department stores.

She is most famous for her affordable, modernized classics, from trademark patterns to easy-chic flats topped with her graphic hardware logo. For an overnight sensation, Burch’s formula for success is as close to home as it comes. She draws inspiration from American icons of the sixties and seventies, including her fashionable mom—but ultimately, she is her own best muse. Tory Burch has won many fashion awards for her designs, and she continues to be involved in high profile personal relationships within the social elite of New York City.

Lilly Pulitzer: Fabulously Modern Clothing

It all started with a juice stand in Palm Beach. Lilly, a young, chic New York socialite had eloped with Peter Pulitzer and settled in Palm Beach to live the life of the rich and famous. Peter owned several Florida citrus groves, but Lilly needed a project of her own. So in 1960, with Peter’s produce, she opened a juice stand in Palm Beach.

Lilly Pulitzer’s business was a hit, but squeezing oranges, lemons, limes, and pink grapefruit made a mess of her clothes. Realizing that she needed a juice stand uniform, Lilly asked her dressmaker to design a dress that would camouflage the stains. The result? A comfortable sleeveless shift made of bright, colorful printed cotton – pink, green, yellow and orange. The dress even had custom dressmaker details like lining and lace seam bindings. It was perfect for the job and became Lilly’s first Classic Shift.

Although her customers liked Lilly’s juice, they loved her dress more. When people began to ask if they could buy the dress, Lilly had a few more made up to sell in the stand. Soon Lilly was selling more dresses than juice, so she decided to stop squeezing and to focus on designing and selling her “Lillys.” Before long, Jackie Kennedy, an old school friend, began wearing Lillys and as First Lady, she was featured in Life Magazine wearing a Classic Shift. Then, of course, everyone wanted one and Lilly Pulitzer became a fashion sensation.

In 1984, however, Lilly closed her doors to settle into retirement with her second husband, Enrique Rousseau (her marriage to Peter had ended in 1969) and to enjoy her grandchildren. For the rest of the decade, Lilly devotees were left to scour flea markets and re-sale shops to find their beloved vintage Lillys.

In January 1993, the Lilly Pulitzer line was revived. Now, Lilly Pulitzer is more popular than ever! The Lilly Pulitzer line is now available in 75 Signature Shops, major department stores, and fine specialty stores nationwide. Its popularity continues to grow among those who knew it years ago and those who have just discovered the timeless fun of Lilly Pulitzer apparel.

Fashion Illustration

Fashion Illustration is a medium in which creative expression can be given free rein and designers can explore ideas before the realities of budgets, fabrics, or physics intervene.  Fashion designers’ sketches reveal inspiration as well as color and style. When learning to transfer ideas onto paper, designers are taught to find their own style. Each designer should have theier own unique design that sets their designs, or even their drawings, apart from any other designer. Nothing captures a fashion moment or mood quite like a designer’s first drawing for a dress.

Here are a few pictures of distinct fashion illustrations. (I couldn’t find many specific designer sketches.)

 

Dress Patriotic This Week

The ‘We Are One’ concert held on Sunday at the Lincoln Memorial was a star-studded event to kick off a weeklong celebration of Obama’s Inauguration on Tuesday, Jan. 20^th. Thousands upon thousands of concert-goers braved the cold to see the biggest names in music and entertainment including performances from Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, U2 and Mary J. Blige; as well as speeches from Martin Luther King III, and actors Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks. In celebration of the inauguration week, we should all wear a little red, white and blue! Patriotism is defined as love of and devotion to one’s country.

Ralph Lauren has created many beautiful collections with patriotic colors taking over.

 

Chanel has an overindulgence of patriotic shoes. If you go for this look, please lose the ankle purse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even celebrites are going for a patriotic look!