one world.

Create a Free Slideshow

tonight i attended a trunkshow at clary sage organics, a great organic apothacary and clothing store on fillmore street for the brand edun, hosted by co-founder ali hewson. hewson, wife of u2's bono (another co-founder), teamed with rogan and loomstate's rogan gregory to develop not only an organic clothing line, but one that would give money back to the communities who help develop and manufacture the collection. the spring/summer line's theme is "origin of the species," where african themes were merged into the romanticism of european fashions. for women, airy tanks had beaded beetles, dotted tops had a trim of animals around the top, and tunics were in colorful leopard spots. for men, there were tees with tribal masks or river graphics, pinstriped chambray shirts, and easy linen cropped cargos.

hewson said that edun works with factories that are already in emerging countries, but what those countries really need is more business and more trade. she, bono and the rest of the edun team spend time to understand the culture of the country and collaborate with the factories to help them grow on their own rather than accepting charity or handouts. it's a very intereresting concept that hopefully more clothing manufacturers will adopt.

check out the edun and nude skincare (which hewson also co-founded) pop-up shop at clary sage organics through april 9.

mix and match.

last night in new york, j.crew creative director jenna lyons hosted a preview of the fall collection for a select group of customers. from the pics it looks like in addition to their standbys (boyfriend khakis, graphic t-shirts, striped knits, comfy cardigans), she drew inspiration from the runways. there was a s/s 08 burberry-ish thatched tulle skirt, a fluffy fur vests, a tapestry printed bustier, and a tiered lace cami ala dolce & gabbana.



a big part of the displays were the accessories, which included colored leather gloves, chunky crystal necklaces, layered pearls, leather belts, and crackled metallic pumps. as lyons said to wwd in yesterday's issue, “everyone needs a little levity right now.”

each guest left with a gift bag including lookbooks of the mens and womens collections along with the pearl cluster necklace...i wish i could have gone!

leigh at jcrewaholics has more pics (including crewcuts) from the night...what do you think? is it too fashion-forward, or are you excited about the crew branching out from khakis and polos?

pics from glamour.com

holy moley...a model!

ever since glenda bailey took over at bazaar, she's stuck to the tried and true (and profitable) formula of putting celebrities on the cover. but when she has diverged from this path, there is one model she turns to again and again: gisele. for the april issue, she turns to the new mrs. tom brady again, and her energy and range of looks reminds me (and everyone else) why models are better at modeling than celebrities.




for an interesting twist, in her ed "supermodel muse," she poses not only as herself, but as other one-named models from throughout the years. she nails brooke's calvin pose, along with those from jerry, veruschka, penelope (tree), lauren, and others.



the issue is a tribute to photographer peter lindbergh, who shot all of the editorials inside and is also featured in a the gallery of images features some of his most iconic images, like the gathering of supermodels in a new york alley, an angelic amber valletta, and baby-faced kate moss in suspender jeans. even though his images don't have a ton of variety, they are raw yet manage to bring out the best in each subject.




two all-american brunettes, one a new(er) face and one a lindbergh fave have solo eds. hilary rhoda looks stunning in "spring's hottest looks" while crawford is featured in "great style at great prices." both show off the great natural beauty both have...i just wish crawford's ed was longer.



lindbergh also shoots what bazaar deems "fashion's fresh new faces." magdalena frackowiak, sessilee lopez, heidi mount, liu wen, and sigrid agren have all seen success in recent months: lopez was on the cover of last july's vogue italia, mount is the current face of chanel and alexander mcqueen, agren is in the latest prada campaign, and wen and frackowiak star for gap. it's interesting to see lindbergh to shoot "regular" fashion photography, because he has a way of still bringing a cinematic quality to the images.

overall, it's a great issue that lindbergh lovers will definitely want to pick up (there's also an ed with lily donaldson) and if you're not, you'll appreciate the beauty of seeing real models doing what they do best.

gisele editorial images from harpersbazaar.com; rhoda scanned by vampirehorde at bellazon.com; all other images scanned by sedirea at thefashionspot

long overdue...and huh?

after multiplatinum albums, hit movies, a clothing line, not to mention being one half of one of the hottest couples arouund, you'd think beyoncé would have scored a vogue cover by now. i mean, if britney, the spice girls, lisa marie presley, melania trump, and blake lively can get a vogue cover, so should b. she looks elegant and sophisticated, the way she should on every red carpet. maybe vogue should style her more often.

but then i see "real women have curves?" what is vogue trying to imply? considering that most of the editorials inside have girls with no curves, i think it's funny for anna and co. to say what constitutes a "real woman." my guess is that like last april's cover, that line will garnish alot of comments.

pic from image music board

f/w 09.10 paris: louis vuitton.

marc jacobs has the luxury of living a dual life: spending time at the mercer, getting inspiration from the streets for his namesake line, and living in paris, adding european flair to louis vuitton. the vuitton girl has always always been prim with an edge, but this season, she was definitely more french. jacobs cited loulou de la falaise (a ysl muse) and ines de la fressange (chanel and roger vivier) as inspiration, but to me it was definitely more of the modern french eccentric (think lady amanda harlech).



the looks included chic wrap coats, tiered skirts, poofy hem tunics, dresses with lace or that looked almost shredded, sexy ruffled collar suits, hammered silk tulip skirts, lamé trenches, knitwear woven with metallic threads, and gorgeous balloon skirts with nude underlayers. and since this is vuitton, the girls were accessorized up. bags came in stamped velvet and leather, patchwork tapestry, or in an overprint monogram in gold, cone heel tapesty mary jane platforms and thigh high boots had pearls in the heel) and necklaces were rubber and metal "chain" necklaces, just like you made in third grade art class. it was a happy end to a somewhat moody paris, and it was only fitting that marc was the one to bring the party favors.



runway pics from coutorture; accessory shots from style.com

f/w 09.10 paris: yves saint laurent.

for most fashion houses, it takes a while before you are actually making a profit, even if you're as well known as yves saint laurent. the fact that they were able to in an economy as crappy as it is should make stefano pilati happy (especially since it took ten years--and not tom ford--to do so). judging by the collection he presented for fall, pilati was feeling somber, as the looks were mostly black and grey and very masculine in feeling. it started with leather--a trench, bomber, embossed belted coat, even a one piece swimsuit--then evolved into more sophisticated fare in flannel or crisp white shirts. i loved the oversized pinstriped blazer over a mini, the suit with a curved cutout hem jacket, the high funnel collar shift, and the two "le smoking" looks at the end. although there were pieces i liked, i did feel that it missed the spark that some recent ysl collections had. was it the economy or was that stefano feeling the pressure of profit?



pics from style.it

f/w 09.10 paris: dries van noten.

one thing you can always count on in fashion is change, and that's exactly what i saw in the dries van noten fall collection. gone was the lightness and subtle print mixing and in its place were things that you probably don't consider "pretty": some harsher prints (the snakeskin looked especially out of place) and a palette that's nothing if not colorful. the combinations together are definitely too much for daily wear, but on their own, are an interesting change in a season where i've seen alot of black. my favorite pieces were the pleated tapered trousers, the slightly oversized belted coats, the bias cut dresses, and the ones trimmed in tulle, like a blazer with a tulle "scarf" that wrapped from front to back. from the images, it may not be alot to look at, but i'm holding out until trunkshow season, when i can see them in person.



pics from style.it

f/w 09.10 paris: lanvin.

there are times when you see a collection and it just makes you stop and admire the beauty and loveliness that is fashion. i think that every time i see a lanvin show. ever since taking the reins of the house, alber elbaz has created a language that is all about appreciating women. he understands that every woman is different but that every woman wants to feel beautiful. no matter if she's wearing a day dress, suit, coat, lbd, or gown, each piece is designed with the lines and the curves of a woman in mind. he knows that sometimes a woman wants simplicity (as seen in simple silk bias cut dresses, a slit neck suit, or a sleek single breasted coat) and sometimes she wants opulence (an amazing tulle dress with side ruching, cashmere and mink scarves, gold beading and devore velvet). in today's economy where spending money on real fashion is a real luxury, the clothes you buy should be equally luxurious. these are those clothes.



pics from coutorture and catwalking

shoe candy.

tonight, barneys hosted a cocktail party with creative director simon doonan that was all about shoes. while drinking rosé champers, i wandered around the mezzanine paradise that's also home to dries, balenciaga, manolo, yves, and others. the sandals from balenciaga were insanely gorgeous--one delicate yet strong, while the runway's futurism seemed much more realistic.



the cage booties from ysl were pretty cool but are probably not very comfortable. after oogling some neoprene pierre hardys, i chatted to simon (looking quite dapper in a velvet blazer, dark jeans and hogan sneakers) about some black patent louboutin simple pumps i had my eye on, which he said were the quinessential shoe. too bad i forgot my gift cards that i got over the holidays.



there was a raffle at the end of the night, and simon was as cute as ever, saying if you won "you have to scream like you were called on the price as right." some of the women obliged. unfortunately, i didn't get the chance to. but as simon said as we headed out into the night "we're all winners."

brand new.

vanessa traina, spotted wearing proenza schouler booties that were on the runway less than 3 weeks ago at the balmain show earlier today. so fabulous.

pic from jak & jil

f/w 09.10 paris: balenciaga.

just when you thought nicolas ghesquiere had us all living in a 3010 utopian society where everyone wears shoe-stockings, he brings us right back down to earth by showing a balenciaga collection where you feel like you're in late seventies/80s paris. in the show at the crillon (same place where the debutante ball is held), ghesquiere was clearly inspired by saint laurent, showing lots of draped skirts and trousers which flowed softly over the hips and into a narrow leg. jackets had puffed shoulders but all tied (great leather obis) or had nipped-in waists. i loved the dresses (nicolas commented that the prints were pulled from the archives), the slim (but not skinny) pinstriped trousers, and the lace bandeaus peeking out under the dresses and wrap tops. overall i loved this new softer side of the balenciaga woman, a woman who is constantly evolving.



pics from coutorture

f/w 09.10 milan: prada.

when the going gets tough, the tough keeps going. and what better way to do that than to put on your prada leather wader boots and your armour, and get right in there. miuccia prada showed variations of the same double breasted suit and loose deep v-neck shift (flannel, leather, tapestry, beaded), using the same jacket as a coat, and adding a dress that looks like separates, also with a deep v-neck and thick ribbed cardigans with short-shorts worn over. the end section, of hellenic armour inspired dresses made of leather, was gorgeous, as were the trojan horse mary janes.



pics from catwalking