Spring Brings Colourful Things

As I look out at snow-covered rooftops (we haven’t had many in Canada this year, but we did manage to get a snow blitz the last few days), I am reminded by the colourful fashion images on my laptop that Spring is indeed around the corner.

In India today, they are welcoming Spring with the kaleidoscope of colours that is Holi – a festival devoted to rang and the welcoming of the season and all its glorious hues.

The recent Spring 2010 collections have virtually every colour within that kaleidoscope to choose from.

An illustration welcoming the season, from Satya Paul.

Poised in pink at Wendell Rodricks SS10.

Scarlet - not for the weak of sartorial heart.

Scarlet Lanvin SS10 - the full view, with shoes to match. Natch.

Extra strong mustard at Bottega, in the classic weave clutch.

Opting for drama at McQueen Pre-Spring 2010.

Stripes and structure at McQueen PS10.

Completely unstructured at Stella SS10. This dress needs an island breeze, n'est pas?

Miyake captures the Holi splattered shirt, perfectly.

Lanvin also does the one-colour look, complete with clutch. Drama at every angle.

A man all too familiar with drama - the demure kind. Haider Ackerman does haldi for Holi!

Galliano's 40s siren in fire engine red, for Dior SS10.

Slanted seductresses at Gaultier.

You don't need a ballgown for evening with this long jacket and flowy pants from Max Mara.

The classic Indian "combination" of fuchsia and hot orange at Stella.

Ballooned beauty at Gaurii and Nainika SS10.

McQueen's lemon yellow gown from PS10. Not a sour note around.

The 50s silhoutette at Rochas gets the floral treatment.

Love the minimalism of this dress with the perfect shoe at Ungaro - lets the colour speak for itself.

Chartreuse charms at Rochas SS10.

Liquid plum satin and the perfect shoulder at Talbot Runhof SS10. Je want. But please, not those shoes. I need the pointiest silver slings with mine.

The navy blue of the west, meets the navy blue of India - pink - at Ungaro.

A walking work of art, at Viktor & Rolf SS10.

Take mini, add colour, add frou and pouf! You have instant glamour at Valli.

Paisley perfection at Preeti Kapoor. I don't just want this. I neeeeed it.

Whether you celebrate it or not…

May your path be strewn with the petals of Spring and may everything you touch turn to exuberant, vivid, spectacular colour!

H O L I   H A I  ! ! !

Illustration courtesy of Satya Paul. India Fashion Week images courtesy of Yahoo India except for Preeti K image, which is courtesy of MSN India. All other images courtesy of Style.com.

Déjà Vu: Sole Similarity

Watching the Gucci live stream from Milan earlier, I did a double take when I saw these sandals from the label’s FW10 collection.

Sandals with socks @ Gucci FW10/11.

Well, they are the sole sisters (no DNA test required) of these Other Italians…by Miuccia Prada for FW07.

Two panel sandal with semi-socks @ Prada FW07.

I didn’t like the Prada ones at all until I saw Giovanna Battaglia in them, as captured by Sart. The lighter ones really do look like the Guccis, don’t they?

A sartorialist shot by The Sartorialist, September 2007.

Shoe shots from Style.com. Giovanna photo by Scott Schuman.

Daphne G’s Museum-worthy Wardrobe

As you may know from hanging out in this space from time to time, Daphne Guiness is one of my fashion heroes.

No one can put together clothes like this woman. She is planets ahead of us all when it comes to style.

And now, well, in  2011, we can all ogle the gladrags she dons so well (and maybe, if I am lucky, even the tangled web she weaves!) at an exhibition of (what is surely a tiny fraction of) her wardrobe at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.

The September 2011 ex will feature 80 to 100 pieces by McQueen, CDG, Alaia, Balenciaga and beyond.

Of course, the ex will be curated by the brilliant fashion historian and director/chief curator of The Museum at FIT,  Valerie Steele, plus a book will accompany the show.

I’ve already booked it off in my calendar.

Our dear, dramatic Daphne.

 Photo courtesy of Vanity Fair.

Day One at Milan Fashion Week Rides Into Sunset After All

I was about to declare day one at Milan Fashion Week a yawner…

Dolce and Gabbana did cable knit onesies, fur shorts and furrier mukluks. Practical, no? DSquared did apres ski much better in recent years. So did Valentino (sigh, that chalet in the documentary!) and Chanel.

Prada usually doesn’t interest me. A nice dress silhouette or two and the rest is frumpy to my eyes. Yes, yes, I know…Miuccia revolutionized fashion… (sorry, those seats are taken in my world).

Don’t care for Cavalli.

Fendi had some interesting layering but was ho-hum for the most part.

And then, ciao amore! Krizia saved the day.

Leather jodhpurs, olive leather (or is it satin?) bondage and a fantastic balloon sleeve.

Krizia rides high for FW10

It’s a little Montana meets Amelia Earhart meets cyborg. Love.

Image courtesy of WWD.

McQueen Being Laid to Rest Today

WWD reports that Lee McQueen’s funeral is being held today.

The service is for family only.

Another service for friends and beyond will take place later this year. No details for that have been announced, with the company focusing on getting ready for the Paris show on March 9th.

Sending the McQueen clan much love during this difficult day.

My thoughts on losing Lee.

Update: Kate, Naomi, Daphne and Stella also attended. Photos on the Daily Mail’s site.

Déjà Vu: Imprinted to a Tee

Is it me or do these two dresses from the recent Fall Winter 2010 collections look a little more than similar?

Betsey Johnson's animal print scoop neck t-shirt dress for FW10.

Jeremy Scott's scoop neck print dress for FW10.

The expression and hair on Scott’s model also reminds me of Supe, Karen Mulder.

Johnson image courtesy of Village Voice. Scott image courtesy of WWD.

Anna Enters Hall of Fame

Ahh-na is going to be joining the likes of Helen Gurley Brown, Hugh Hefner, Tina Brown and Martha Stewart. Ms. Wintour is the latest honoree for the Magazine Editors’ Hall of Fame.

She’ll be honoured in April, at the annual gala put on by the American Society of Magazine Editors, for her legendary work at Vogue, and at British Vogue and House & Garden before that.

I am guessing this is an additional feather in her cap before her next move?

But what will the hall of famer wear to the event? Oscar? Chanel HC? McQueen, as a tribute?

My bets are that Karl is already working on a gown.

Anna Wintour during NYFW FW10 as perfectly captured by Tommy Ton.

With files from AP.

Photo by Tommy Ton of JakandJil.

Harper’s Bazaar India Celebrates

…their one year anniversary. Or are they celebrating  big hair?

Judge for yourself. The celebratory issue features Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif (or as I like to call her – Katrina Coif), two of the best tressed in the business.

To me, it’s all about the hair!

Harper's Bazaar India March 2010

Tressed to Kill

Hrithik’s also got a killer bod – a shiny charcoal clingy sweater does not lie.

The Coatdress Returns at Berardi

London Fashion Week had frocks.

London even had smocks.

But for me, the talk and the walk stopped at these elegant coatdresses, which had all the elements of style, locked!

Purrrfect tailoring and details at Berardi FW10. Already on my Fall wish list.

Tuxedo dressing at Berardi. Just add boots and bag, preferably in a contrasting colour.

Don’t even get me started on the burgundy lip. For me, it’s never left!

Images courtesy of WWD.

Tell Me Why…

…I don’t like Mondays…

…but I do-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoooo…like Mr. Geldof’s offspring Pixie in this little number from Ms. Westwood.

Pixie Geldof, rocking the runway at Westwood FW10.

Classic Westwoood off the shoulder? Check.

Gothic black? Check. Military? Check.

Requisite tattoos? Check.

Bleached hair? Check.

Scowl? Check.

Cross to bear? Cross to wear? Definitely, both.

Image from Style.com.

Frocks Rock at London Fashion Week

Everyone in London was frocking out for Fall Winter 2010.

Girlishness is in – whether it’s the sweet girl next door or the bad girl of the rock star variety.

It doesn’t matter what type of girl you are – the London lot of designers want you to look like one.

In a proper dress.

Erdem Moralioglu continues his floral fancy for Fall.

While Erdem is known for his optical floral prints, a few others took a walk down the garden path also. Surprisingly, one of them was Christopher Kane.

Yes, the sunflowers are on black patent leather, but still they are flowers!

Christopher Kane FW10

Vivienne Westwood Red Label FW10

Auntie Viv optimized her florals and colours for maximum impact. These are more colours than I wear in a week, but I adore the in-your-faceness of the look. She certainly doesn’t bore you, does she?

As a side note, promptly after this show, Ms. Westwood advised us to put an end to consumerism and to not buy any of her clothes.

Oh, to have a pot of tea with my Auntie Viv one day – if only to intently listen to the best British accent. Ever.

Paul Smith's pretty ladies FW10

Speaking of proper Brits, Mr. Smith has come for dinner and he’s brought a few ladies with him. What’s a frock without some flounce, I always say. The rest of the collection was very English as well…I’ll show you more of that in context as the Fall Fashion Weeks actually start to contextualize as a unified story or three.

Softeness at Paul Smith, neatly belted.

The florals got curvier at Berardi – a man who knows how to cut a piece of fabric.

The panel chooses this panelled dress by Antonio Berardi FW10.

I love the echo of this past Fall and Spring’s big shoulder, the brocade mixed with what can only be a stretch crepe or jersey – it makes a vintage-y fabric wearable and young. The slit is perfect in its asymmetry and that neckline? That neckline is divine beauty. You wouldn’t catch me in sheer hose and  pumps with a dress, so I’d wear this with a pointy, butter-soft leather stiletto boot – in a forest green if I could find it – or in black, in a pinch. And remember that Tom Ford for Gucci long to there clutch? Can’t you see it here, held by the tip, sashaying with your walk?

This other option, also from Mr. Berardi is more true to his form – more structured and angular – but those angles never interfere with a woman’s curves. One of my favourite things in my own closet is a Berardi suit.

A complex form is as simple as black and white at Berardi FW10.

So, the London lesson for today is that frocks are props for all walks of life.

Mind your manners and pick up a few. Please and thanks.

Oh, but not Auntie Viv’s. We don’t want to be all consumer-y.

Westwood image from Style.com. All other images from WWD.

Mag Rack: Iris Does a Designer Double Take

As Spring approaches, so do the Sears Catalogue-sized March issues of the mags.

Picked up my first two the other day and loved this editorial by Karl Lagerfeld for Harper’s Bazaar US, featuring Iris Strubegger posing as a handful of notable designers.

Iris as Donatella. Extra collagen anyone?

Iris as John G. Even the pose is perfect.

Iris as Carolina. I need a million of these shirts.

Iris as Rei. It's very similar to the iconic shot of Rei.

Iris as Sonia. That hair is impeccable!

Iris as the photographer's subject - and as the photographer himself.

Iris as our fave Auntie Viv

Look for more mag coverage over the coming weeks. I am slowly starting to get back into the posting routine. Sorry about the lapse, my dears.

All images from the March 2010 issue of Harper’s Bazaar, photographed by Uncle Karl.

McQueen’s Thoughts on Brand Without Him

I came across this yesterday. It was posted by Fashion Television in response to the news that the Alexander McQueen label would go on without the designer, despite the fact that he has left us.

It’s from an interview with Jeanne Beker done in 2006.

A lot can change in four years, so not sure if this is how he felt in 2010….but it’s authentic Lee at the time, at least.

McQueen Brand to Continue

The legacy of Mr. McQueen will live on.

Gucci Group CEO Robert Polet told WWD today that the Alexander McQueen label and business will go on despite Lee McQueen’s death last week.

“We believe in the future of the brand. Lee was very proud of the people working in his company, and so am I,” said Polet.

The FW10 collection will be shown in Paris March 11th, a collection that McQueen had been working on before he left us.

I know it will be an emotional one for me to watch.

With files from WWD.

The Advertised

Taking an (ahem) departure from films for the moment, master film director Martin Scorcese is making television commercials.

No, really.

The bushy-eyebrowed cinematic genius is directing the latest spot for Chanel’s next men’s fragrance.

Smells intriguing and a little bit too much all at once, n’est pas?

The ads will hit the airwaves in September, featuring the face of the fragrance, French actor Gaspard Ulliel.

This is not the first time the House of Chanel has turned to the movie theatre for inspiration, but likely the most epic in proportion.

It’ll be interesting to see what Scorcese’s thick glass view will bring to advertising – and to fashion.

Scorcese with Ulliel on set at Chanel.

With files and image from WWD.