Sharp & Steely

Saturday evening, while waiting to meet the fabulous Plumcake at one of my favorite places here in Austin, I pulled up a miraculously empty barstool and perched carefully upon it (above-the-knee skirts call for careful perching). The nice gentleman to my right, after a few bar-neighbor pleasantries, asked me if I worked in fashion in some way. Well, blushgiggle, yes, I do, as a matter of fact! (I'm pretty sure it was the hat that inspired his question. No one else was wearing one, and people do notice a hat.) This led to a conversation, specifically a conversation about fashion for men, which was a happy coincidence considering that the Spring 2010 men's shows were happening in Paris and Milan the last couple of weeks.

Bar-neighbor Ken & I discussed how fashion can be tricky for men -- there is a uniform, which can be a good thing because men don't have to think all that hard in order to look presentable. On the other hand, because men's fashion is a bit more circumscribed than women's, it's easier to fall into a rut and just wear the same old thing day after day. And, as Ken pointed out, women are the peacocks of our species -- we're the ones who are trained to preen and display. A man who dresses flamboyantly is much more likely to be looked at askance than a woman who does. Men in our culture are not taught to place as much of a premium on their appearance as women are, and so a man who does can be seen as a bit... suspect. That's if, of course, he can even bring himself to step out a bit -- most men, in my experience, are deathly afraid of dressing in a way that sets them at all apart from the crowd.

But yours truly believes that everyone, regardless of gender, deserves to look in the mirror and see something that makes you smile. Our clothes are the face we present to world, and we should like what our closets say about us, male or female.

So let's take a look at the Prada Men's Spring 2010 collection and see what lessons we can learn.

Tim Blanks' excellent review of this collection on Men.Style.Com reveals that my girl Miuccia decided to push the boundaries of the gray suit for men, and so the entire collection is black and shades of gray. Now, we all know how much Style Spy loves color, but I also love the play of multiple textures in a monochrome color scheme, and this collection has that in spades.

Gray, yes. Boring, no.


Prada also played a lot with sheerness and perforation in this show, which further contributed to the depth of textural detail.

And of course the tailoring is impeccable, because one of the things Prada does best is take a recognizable shape and execute it in a new way. So while she may be pushing the boundaries a bit with a perforated shirt, she tucks it under this gorgeous balmacaan and it's a little less scary. Although I think that coat may have some sheerness to it, as well -- I'm pretty cheesed at Style.com for not posting any detail shots from this show. Regardless -- that is one good-looking coat.

More layers and textures and prints. This one is a little riskier, with the giant herringbone of the pant, but the color scheme makes it go down a bit easier, I think. I for one would raise an approving eyebrow if my dinner date showed up wearing this.


Sleeveless for men is so tricky...

As forward-thinking as I like to believe myself, I don't think I'm quite ready for the sleeveless mock-turtleneck for men. (The fact that it's being modeled by Lurch doesn't help, either.)

This is a bit better:

Although, guys? Don the Full Blues Brothers at your peril. It almost never doesn't look ridiculous. I fully & enthusiastically support hats, as we all know, but a black fedora, even a beautiful woven one like this, is risky unless the rest of your outfit in no way makes you look as though you're about to break into a chorus of "Rubber Biscuit." Which means no Ray-Bans under the brim.

Okey-dokey. Here's where we take a runway look and dissect it into parts:

First -- theoretically, I really love that mesh polo. It's interesting and kind of bold without being at all femme-y to my eye, and I think it's really cool. However. Most of the men of my acquaintance are not barely-post-adolescent runway models with alabaster-smooth chests , so the guido potential is off the charts here and probably not worth the risk. (Once again I raise the clarion call for real, live men modeling men's clothes -- these boy-children are not the sort of eye-candy a grown-up wants to nibble!) Also... well, I'm just going to say it: nipples. Call me a prude if you will, but I don't want to see anyone's nipples except in very specific circs, and those circs are guaranteed never to happen in public. But I think I could really dig this polo over a t-shirt -- not just a plain old cop-out of a Hanes undershirt, but something with a color and maybe even a design that says, "I layered these shirts on purpose for visual interest." I think that could look pretty cool.

The cardigan I just full-on love. Love lovety lovelovelove. I want one for me, and I want one for all my man friends, because I think it is beautiful and eye-catching and elegant. It would look gorgeous over a colored dress shirt, or even just a nice t-shirt. It's different and interesting without being even close to over the top, and I just can't say enough how much I love it, and would love to see a man wearing it.

The mesh pants? Well, probably the less said about those the better. Again, pretty cheesed at the lack of detail shots for this show, although maybe these pants are the reason -- perhaps Style.com didn't want to risk an X-rating. Still -- wish there was a shot of him walking away because I'm dying to know what he's got on under there. Whaddya reckon -- boxers? Briefs? Thong? (Personally, I really hope it was a thong -- it's 2009, friends. It's time for Equal Opportunity Whale Tail.)

So. What can we take away from this lovely collection of men's clothes to add spark to our real-life Y-Chromes' wardrobes? First and foremost, good fit and tailoring are the one crucial element that must always be present. Next -- using texture and pattern to create visual interest can be easier to do well if the color scheme is monochromatic. Lastly, a classic clothing item like a cardigan or an overcoat done in an unexpected fabric or color can up the ante of an entire outfit without resorting to gimmickry. Clothes don't have to be costume-y to be special -- as a matter of fact, they never should be.

But the most important rule for men is the same as for women -- feel good about what you wear. If something sparks you, put it on and wear it. Don't rob yourself of the enjoyment of a great garment by saying, "I never wear this sort of thing," or, "It's not me," or, "I'm afraid of looking like a fool." Because A) there's a first time for everything, B) it's you if you choose to make it you and C) trust me, no one's paying as much attention as you think. And those of us who are? I promise we'll appreciate the effort.

Images: Men.Style.Com

Wherein Style Spy Selflessly Volunteers for a Good Cause

As you may have heard, Christian Lacroix is in trouble. His company filed for the French equivalent of Chapter 11 bankruptcy in late May and the company is currently shaking down and possibly undergoing some major re-structuring. With all that, M. Lacroix has declared that he still intends to hold a couture show this July in Paris. He says, "It can't cost us a single euro to put this show on, because I'm not having my workers lose a penny from their pockets, but so far, it looks like thanks to other people's kindness – friends and suppliers working for free – it might happen." This means that everyone associated with the show, including models, will have to volunteer and work without pay.

Okay, where do I sign up? Seriously. This is a cause for which I have absolutely no problem volunteering. I will more than happily do my bit to save Fashion. Yours truly has absolutely no extra money right now, but I would beg, borrow, or steal a kidney to get a ticket to Paris in order to amble down the Lacroix runway in something like this:

(Because I? Would ROCK that suit.)

or this

(I'll even let them put a little cinnabun thingie on top of my head if they want. I'm cool.)

and if they wanted to gimme a little sumpin'-sumpin' to take home as a soovie, these would do juuuuuust fine:

So.

I've taken the liberty of contacting the nice people at Christian Lacroix and volunteered my services as a model. I don't feel this is completely out of the realm of the possible, since Lacroix publicly supports British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman's call for models who are not so cadaverously thin as the current trend demands: "Very skinny women don't look beautiful in clothes. What I cannot stomach, because it evokes the war to me, is when you can see a woman's kneecap protruding in its entirety, skinny elbows, or a woman's chest bones." (See? This is a man whose company deserves to be saved!)

If you'd like to support your Style Spy's efforts here, please feel free to contact them via e-mail to advocate for my cause. If they let me do it, I promise to take lots & lots & lots of photos and come back with the fashion scoop of a lifetime, so everyone wins! (Just be aware that if they agree, I'll be hitting you all up for frequent flyer miles!) And remember -- this isn't about me, or my selfish couture desires -- it's about saving Fashion!!

In the meantime, you can do your bit to help save Christian Lacroix by doing what we love to do best: shopping! How about these? (click photos for links!)

J'adore beaucoup this beaded Eiffel Tower motif, and have shown you the high-heel version of these shoes before. But these are even better because they're flats, so I wouldn't need a special occasion to walk around with my favorite icon on my feet -- I could wear them to the grocery store! Oh, so love!

Or these lovely things

which I featured a runway version of on this blog many, many moons ago. Such a pretty boot. Wouldn't those be great with a black pencil skirt and a charmeuse blouse? Just a little extra sexy added to classic. ::sigh::

At the very least, let's all hold a good thought for M. Lacroix, a man who is generally considered in the fashion world to be a genuine sweetheart. Lacroix is one of the truly great creative minds in fashion today, his designs season after season represent the limitless possibilities of couture -- the wild flights of fancy, the exuberance, the astonishing eye for detail, the riotous colors, the tumult of pattern and fabric and texture all meticulously crafted by artisans at the pinnacle of their crafts. Losing Lacroix would bring us one step closer to the demise of that brilliant, beautiful and necessary species called couture, one step closer to a uniform world of gray jumpsuits and workboots.

Images: Style.com

Internet Porn

Hey -- everbody got they thang, that's what I always say. Don't judge. But if you, like me, really enjoy some good, juicy, full-on sweaty palms, hide-it-in-the-drawer-of-your-beside-table shoe action -- go here.

Don't be ashamed if you like it a little too much. We're all friends here.




IMages: Obessedwithshoes.com, awomanandhershoes.com

Films for Fashionistas -- Teutonic Edition

I don't think there's any argument that Karl Lagerfeld is a hugely talented individual. (And if you have one to make, please feel free.) I for one wouldn't balk at the adjective "protean." He designs three separate fashion lines with very different sensibilities. He also has a full-fledged career as a fashion photographer, doing editorial work for magazines as well as a good chunk of the advertising for the lines he designs.

And I'm not even going to get into the DJ-ing and the art & architecture collaborations and whatnot. It's always something with Karl. So, yes, protean, and probably genius.

I also don't think there's any argument that he's... well, an odd duck. How odd? Eh. Maybe a little less so than I thought.

Last weekend I finally got around to watching this:

Lagerfeld Confidential

Considering its subject, this movie should have been more interesting. The promotional materials talk very proudly about how the filmmaker, Rodolphe Marconi, spent three years filming hundreds of hours of footage for this film and if that is in fact true, I'm afraid Mr. Marconi needs a new editor. I'm probably being unfair here, because one of the other things that gets said a lot in the press material is that Mr. Marconi wanted to approach a documentary in such a way that "broke all the rules" of documentary filmmaking. Production notes state that "He demonstrates a delicate and subtle touch by deconstructing the documentary style and the conventions of portraiture; he chooses not to be polemical; he will show no insolence or disrespect. He rejects the style of television investigations and concentrates on what he feels as an artist about the Lagerfeld legend." That's a valid artistic ambition and all (love the Pompous Artspeak couched in that wonderful, awkward, hilarious French-to-English Translate-ese), but the thing about a movie about Karl Lagerfeld is that probably most of your audience is going to be hard-core fashionistas and design geeks and we want a little more than a tone poem.






I want to know how the guy works. I want to know what his design process is like, what his studio environment is like, just how many design assistants does he have, how on earth does a person maintain the kind of artistic output that Lagerfeld is generating? I want to meet the people he works with and hear about what he's like as a boss, I want to see how things go from ideas to plans to garments on a hanger. I want the down & dirty details of how Lagerfeld makes fashion. I don't, honestly, care all that much about his relationship with his mother.

And there is a LOT of talk about his mother. She sounds fascinating, don't get me wrong, one of those classic beaux monstres that are almost a cliché of the Artist's Mother -- a kind of post-Weimar Sally Bowles meets Auntie Mame. If Lagerfeld is to be believed, he's been openly gay since he was pre-adolescent, and his family, especially his mother, were always perfectly okay with it, even blasé about it. Given that this would have been mid-1940's Germany, that seems remarkable. On the other hand, Lagerfeld does seem an extraordinarily singular personality, so I guess it stands to reason that he was raised by unusual people.

Still, the fact remains that I personally am much less interested in finding out what makes Karl tick than seeing how he ticks, and there's precious little of that in this film. We do get this delicious nugget, footage from what I think is a Chanel Couture show:








::sigh::

I'd sure like to see more stuff like that rather than what I presume are home movies of the child Karl frolicking in the surf somewhere. (Are they Karl? Where was the surf? Who took these? We're never told. That really annoys me. It's pretty to look at, but Style Spy wants information.)

My favorite section of the movie comes exactly midway through it. It's a short interlude of Lagerfeld talking while he sketches.

He works in marker and correction fluid, mostly, and it's fascinating to watch. He's an extremely sure-handed sketcher, the pictures takes only a few minutes to complete and there is no hesitation whatsoever in Lagerfeld's movements. In my ideal version of the Karl Lagerfeld movie, we see him make that sketch, and then we find out how that garment is realized and see it worn by someone with a pulse.

But this isn't my movie, it's Mr. Marconi's movie, and in his ideal Karl Lagerfeld movie it's more important to know what Karl thinks about love, and whether he likes living alone or with someone else.

I'm not not recommending this movie. It's lovely to look at and is more information about Lagerfeld than I had before, even if it wasn't nearly all the information I wanted. It will not be a wasted 90 minutes, I assure you. (Unlike, say, the first two episodes of "True Blood," which I also watched last weekend. That's two hours of my life I'm never going to get back.) I honestly liked Lagerfeld more after watching it than I did before, and that surprised me. Yes, odd duck for sure, but his oddity seems genuine and somehow gentler than I expected it to be. I didn't get the feeling from this movie that Lagerfeld is putting on a show -- he really is this off-kilter, singular, visionary guy who lives in his own little world, but he doesn't seem particularly impressed by himself. He does make a lot of pronouncements about Life and the Way Things Are, but hell, he's earned the right. Most of his life and its activities seem motivated above all by a strong desire not to be bored or complacent, and I understand and even admire that.

So. Style Spy rating? One stiletto up (out of a possible two). Have you seen this movie? Tell me what you thought about it. Or give it a watch and report back, I'd like to hear your opinions.


Images: chanel.com, karllagerfeld.com, fendi.com, all via models.com; lagerfeldconfidentiel.com

Shop Style Spy's Closet -- June 23

More closet purging from Style Spy! And this time I'm busting out some really good stuff... (Click photos for links that have more details.)



Red leather Adrienne Vittadini knee-high boots, size 40.

Gorgeous. Too big for me.

NEVER-WORN Marc Jacobs skirt from his spectacular S/S 2008 collection (size 4).



This is an incredible piece, and an incredible bargain.


Beautiful camel silk Stella McCartney blouse (size 8 or so)


A lovely thing that I never wear because it's just too big for me.



The most adorable leopard-print calf hair pumps EVER:

Giuseppe Zannoti, size 40.

A pair of Jimmy Choo flats (size 39) that will become your best friends:


Seriously, you will wonder how you lived without them until now.


All these things are guaranteed genuine and in excellent condition. Check out Style Spy's Closet and give them a good home!


Images: Style Spy

Precious

I get asked occasionally, and today would be the day to answer...


It's my father's wedding ring. I wear it most of the time -- not always, because my greatest terror is losing it, so I don't wear it when I'm running or things like that. It is my most precious possession and the thing in my entire wardrobe I would most hate to be without.

My dad died almost five years ago. I don't miss him any more than usual on Fathers' Day, because I miss him every day. And I don't need a piece of jewelry around my neck to remind me of how much he gave me in his too-short life, but I do like having it. Our relationship was complicated and not perfect, but I loved him, and he loved me, and we both knew it.



I hope everyone reading this has a memory of fatherly love that warms you today, whether your father is still with you or not.

Spill Your Guts

Inspired by dear Polka Dot, herewith find a photo of Style Spy's guts:


My purse guts, that is. This is the usual stuff that fills my handbag. Any men reading this blog right now will be scratching their heads thinking, Who cares what this wackdoodle carries around in her purse? Why would she show anyone that? But what I know about women is that the only thing that fascinates us more than what kind of handbag a woman carries is what she carries in it. Am I right? Men don't understand -- looking into a woman's handbag is like looking into her soul.

So what's in mine? (If you click on the photo it'll get bigger.) From top-ish to bottom-ish:

*See-through plastic zip-thingie with all kindsa stuff: band-aids, wet-wipes, various painkillers, Beano (Hey, I'm mostly vegetarian -- you'd thank me if you were my IRL friend), Emergen-C, Blister Block, toothpaste, floss, panty shields, fat-free salad dressing packets... You know, the basics.
*The little pink thing holds a couple of emergency tampons. Because we've all learned that lesson the hard way, haven't we? (I also have an emergency tampon stash in my car.)
*Gum (sugar-free, of course!), as well as sugar-free mints & hard candies. I'm addicted & trying to quit, I swear.
*Make-up bag: Burt's Bees balm (always & forever), whatever color lipstick I'm wearing that day, YSL Touche-Eclat, contact lens drops, blotting papers, a nail file, a nail clipper, a couple of bobby pins, a mirror, Shu Uemura concealer, an eye cream sample from Clarins, often a decant of whatever perfume I'm wearing. I'm not much of one for re-applying makeup during the day. If my mascara can't last a few hours, I need a new mascara.

(The clear zippered bags are very important. I. CANNOT. STAND. Having to root around in my handbag looking for shit. I have ZERO patience for that. These are my solution. Plus, it means I don't have to transfer everything into zip-loc bags before I get on an airplane.)

*Sunglasses (these are Miu Miu & they have teeny rhinestones all around the frames and I am totally in love with them) in a hard case. I'm compulsive about my shades -- they always go into the case before they go into the bag.
*Wallet. It's pretty much empty these days, but still...
*Phone
*Tiny notebook (from a Neiman Marcus goodie bag) in case I need to jot something down.
*Couple of pens
*Keys
*Red leather business card case (with cards, natch)
*Small tube of hand lotion
*Handkerchief (I like hankies. I get vintage ones because they're fun & colorful, and people always comment on them. It's interesting to make someone smile by blowing your nose.)

That's pretty much it. I will cop to having removed all the bits of paper & candy wrappers & receipts that were lurking in there for the sake of neatness, but other than that it's what lives in my bag day to day. It doesn't change a whole lot -- if I'm not going to be out long (say, just a run to the grocery store), I might leave home the notepad and the first zipper bag. For evening, it gets much smaller -- phone, keys, blotters & lippie, mirror & eye drops (I have a tendency to dry eyes, which gets unpleasant, especially in the over-air-conditioned Antarctica that is Austin in the summertime), and I have a smaller wallet that goes into an evening bag.

So. Now it's your turn. Spill your guts for Style Spy. If you're so inclined (and I really, really hope you are), take a picture of your purse guts and send it to me in an e-mail to shine at austin dot rr dot com. It's okay if the photos are large -- I can size them down. Don't forget to tell me about the contents. I'll be posting a few of them on the blog. It's a fun way for me to find out a little more about my readers.

Have a great weekend, everyone!



Image: Style Spy

Are You a Good Boot? Or a Bad Boot?

Hmmmmmmm... I dunno about these. Theoretically, I should love them. I love the idea of them.

But I just don't know. They may be just a little too Pleaser USA, if you know what I mean.

They are not Pleaser USA (the $800+ price tag is your first clue there); they are actually Giuseppe Zanotti, a shoe label that is really marvelous when they get it right and pretty tragifying when they get it wrong. I'm on the fence about this one.

Tell me what you think. Vote in the poll in the top right corner!


(With thanks and apologies to lovely Stephanie at Style Odyssey!)

Amended to add:

Just to be clear, I'm not contemplating purchasing these boots. I just saw them on Stephanie's blog and they made my mind whir. I don't think I'd ever buy shoes I was that doubtful about, especially not at that price. Besides, I already have these:


My Stuart Weitzman Goliaths, which have given me nary a moment of doubt and many an hour of joy, for a fraction of the price. What more could a gal need?

Un Chapeau Pour Monsieur Blue

My friends Mr. Blue and Mr. Blond are going to Paris and London this September. I don't hate them for this (she said through gritted teeth) because they are two of my most beloved friends and of course it makes me happy when people I love go to my favorite places on Earth (even without me).

Recently, Mr. Blue sent me a note about the trip:

"I'm wondering if I'll need a hat, since we'll be walking around a great deal and, well, Mother Nature no longer covers up my scalp the way she used to. Will sunburn be a factor in September? And if so, can you recommend a certain style of hat for me?"

Well, good heavens, I told Mr. Blue, when don't I recommend a hat??

September in Paris could be summery and could be autumn-y, but I think they're more likely to have warmer weather. (Those with a better knowledge of Paris, please feel free to correct/amplify on this. I've been there in August, and I've been there in October, so I'm extrapolating.) Of course, they will be much further north than they are at home in Dallas, so the sunshine won't be anywhere like as intense, but it's never a bad idea to protect the scalp. I would suggest a trilby. A trilby is always sharp, covers the ol' headbone, is not as affected as a fedora. I think for these purposes something made of fabric -- it's really a little late in the year for straw (summery) and too early for felt. (And god forbid you should ever, EVER even contemplate a leather fedora. Just put a knife in my heart & be done with it.) Knowing Mr. Blue's wardrobe & coloring, I suggested blue or gray.

I love a trilby because it takes a guy's wardrobe up a teeny notch -- with a nice hat on your head, you feel a little less inclined to wear dirty sneakers and cargo shorts, but it's not so snazzy you can't wear a pair of jeans.

Hats are funny. People can be very resistant to them, but once they start wearing them, usually I find their response is, "Oh, of course, why haven't I always been doing this?" Many people think they will feel self-conscious wearing a hat, but I find that while I do sometimes get attention for wearing one, it is without fail positive attention. And in Paris or London? Pshaw. Seriously, you could die from how chic the Parisian men are. And Londoners? Nothing phases Londoners, fashion-wise.

So, yeah, absolutely. Hat it up, baby!! Here are some ideas:

Vintage Denim Jean Cotton Trilby

Houndstooth Tweed Trilby Crushable

Cotton Plaid Tweed Trilby Dark Brown

Classic Jacquard Plaid Trilby

Metallic Gold Mesh Trilby Crushable

(This isn't for Mr. Blue, of course, this is for ME! How fantastic is this?? I am SO buying this hat!)

Linen Cotton Ribbon Band Trilby

(This one is also a bit femme-y for a man, probably. But all of these hats would look great on a woman.)

Stingy Brim 3 Pleat Swirl Trilby

And how did all this hat talk turn out? Well, see for yourself.

M. Blue dans son nouveau chapeau.

This is deeply satisfying. Because the only thing Style Spy likes more than telling people what to wear is having them listen to her and actually wear it!

Bally-Who?

Ya know what? Christophe Decarnin can kiss my fashionista butt.

As we all now by now, this Balmain jacket is All The Rage.

And as we all also know, it's expensive as hell. (More expensive than hell -- I dunno about you, but I'm sure I could achieve eternal damnation for lots less than 11 large.) And we also know that Style Spy has a thing for jackets of the quasi-military/musical sort.

She also has the best shopping kung-fu, even in a vintage store, because last weekend I got my grubby little paws on this:




Eh-yep. From my favorite vintage dealer, Connie Ray, over at the Austin Antique Mall. (I love the Antique Mall. I love it for its many and varied treasures. I also love it because they almost always have a candy bowl filled with those teeny Tootsie Rolls on the counter where you check out. Style Spy does loooooove her a Tootsie Roll.)

I'm crazy about this silly thing, I think it is fantastic.




It's a tailcoat! How fab is that?! It is an authentic band jacket (made by a company called Sol Frank) and it's in brilliant shape. Also, it came with this:


It's a dickey for the jacket and when it's all buttoned on it looks like this:



Which is not really the look we're after, but I get a tremendous giggle out of the fact that it's there at all. It's just one reason this jacket is better than the Balmain. Another reason? This:



This is the tag on the inside of the jacket. According to the tag, this jacket was part of the band uniform for a school called "Bellville," and was made for a young lady named Connie Prokoff. It says here that Connie was 5'2", weighed 120 pounds, has a 26" waist and a 28" inseam. Which is a lot of information to get about someone from her jacket, huh? But I am utterly and completely charmed by it. What instrument do we think Connie played? Petite as she was, I'm going to guess flute. See, this is the great thing about vintage clothes -- they have a soul, and a history.

The last reason this jacket is better than Balmain is that it did not cost anywhere even close to $11K. This is a very good thing in a jacket, in my opinion.

Now. Being as I already have a great band jacket, I'm feeling a little guilty about adding this one to the wardrobe. So I've decided to share the wealth and put it on offer to any of my readers who are ballsy fashion-forward enough to wear it (frankly, I think it's got Wendy B written all over it, but that's just me). If you love this jacket as much as I do, it's yours for 50 bucks and the price of postage. (It's heavy, I think once boxed up it's going to be about five pounds -- click here to calculate the cost of a five-pound package from Austin to wherever you might be.) I will send it internationally, provided you pony up enough postage, and don't forget to include the price for insurance in the postage calculation.

It's a fairly small jacket (like I said, Miss Prokoff was petite) -- it fits American size 4 me pretty perfectly. It isn't made to close up in the front unless you wear the ruffled dickey with it, so take that into account. If anyone has any questions about it, feel free to leave them in the comments here or contact me at shine at austin dot rr dot com.

I'll tell ya, between this and my lace t-shirt DIY, I'm starting to feel like I could take over at Balmain...



Images: Streetpeeper.com, Style Spy

The Other End of the Island -- YSL Resort 2010

Not too long ago, a couple of friends of mine went to Honduras for a vacation. They stayed on one of the islands and had a wonderful time snorkeling and swimming and all the things a person does on a tropical vacation. About midway through their stay, they found themselves on a charter boat ride with a bunch of folks who were at a different resort, one on the opposite end of the island from where my friends where staying. Everyone was talking and laughing and having a good old time, but mid-way through the cruise, something started pinging my buddy's hinky meter and he began to get a smidgen uncomfortable. Not much later, after some well-placed and careful questioning, his suspicions were confirmed. His new friends weren't just from any ol' resort -- they were staying at a nudist resort that's evidently located there.

Happily, the situation didn't go worst-case-scenario on my friends. The naturists were respectful of the fact that this was not a nudist-organized activity and kept their suits on. But it's hilarious to hear my friend tell this story, describing that moment we've all had where it begins to dawn on us that the situation we've just found ourselves in is not... quite... what we expected. Which is kind of the moment I had looking at the YSL Resort 2010 collection. Because about, oh, two looks in I found myself thinking, "What the heck kind of "resort" is this, anyway?"

I don't think we're in Palm Springs anymore, Toto...

While it's obviously not a nudist resort (way too many layers for that!), it certainly doesn't strike one as the sort of lounge-around-the-pool-with- umbrella-drinks vibe that one often associates with the idea of "resort." Obviously Pilati is not thinking of this collection so much as the clothes you pack for your midwinter getaway as simply clothes for midwinter.

Or not. I don't know. Honestly, I don't know what's going on here. I do know it's awfully directional for a mid-season collection. I thought Fall 09 from YSL was actually more filled with classics and "basics" (as basic as you get from Pilati) than this one, although this is far from bereft of gorgeous, timeless pieces.

All three of these have that classically chic Parisian thing I love so much. I wish I could get a better look at the fabrics (Attention, Style.com! Fashionistas everywhere beg you to please put up detail shots from the mid-season collections!!) and the jewelry, which looks fantastic. Also, Style Spy thinks she very much loves those oxblood closed-toe ankle wrap shoes. Mmmmmm, yummy.

I'm nuts for this trench, with its great big shawl collar and the trumpet sleeves. And goodness knows I love a good slouchy trouser. There's not really any woman, no matter what size or shape, who can't look great in something like this.

This pant is a familiar shape from the last few seasons.

They're quite high-waisted and a bit boxy and obviously not for everyone.

He's also still on this zouave thing which I know most people still hate and I still like. I find this terribly chic, with all the flowy layers and the sheer fabrics.

Even if you don't go for that, you couldn't hate this:

Although you might be a little skeptical of those... leggings? Jodphurs? Pants? I don't know what those are, but I don't really think I like them. The fabulous orange trench, on the other hand? Yes, please.

Speaking of orange...

Love the slouch in the jacket. And, huh. Lace leggings. I keep thinking we've reached the apotheosis of leggings whenever I see some new type in things like metallics or leather or sequins or macramé, but the legging tide continues to roll in. I like them in theory -- I like that they're a pretty low-investment item that can be used to radically change up a look. Strangely, though, I haven't bought a single pair for myself, even though I've seen some that made me think, "Ooh, cute! I really could work those!" I think for me it may be more about the weather than the fashion aspect -- it was over 100º here today, and we're only midway through June. (I do wear a lot of tights in "winter.")

There was more color in this collection than last (which isn't saying a lot -- if memory serves it was entirely black), and they're quite beautiful.

Amethyst and jade -- lovely, and I so love the brown with them instead of black. I wish more women would think more of brown as their baseline neutral, instead of black. It's warmer, and with a lot of colors so much better.

More green, emerald this time. My one quibble with YSL is that Pilati does work mostly in neutrals, especially black. Of course, this makes sense in investment pieces that you want to last for many years, but Style Spy loves color. Style Spy also loves an Important Shoulder, and this is certainly that. The entire fashion world still seems to be in love with shoulders, which is just fine by me.

More shoulder interest of a different sort. Good googly-moogly, do I adore this dress. This has everything that I love about YSL and love in a dress, especially an evening dress -- it is so sexy without being revealing, or skin-tight, it looks like it would feel dreamy to wear, you don't have to do anything to it to make it look great (no styling or belting or foofing around required, just put it on), and it is, let's face it, just a wee bit weird. I like a wee bit weird. Omigosh, do I want to stand around in that with a glass of wine in my hand and discuss art or politics or the price of apartments on the Left Bank (C'est un scandale!) or something equally grown-up. Augh!! Killing me! Killing!! Me!!!

Here it is in the chiffon print shown earlier:

Seriously -- could you just die? I think this dress is part of YSL's Edition Soir line. This line features 25 or so evening looks that can either be bought off the rack or semi-custom ordered in a range of fabrics and colors. (They're calling this "demi-couture." Which is funny. Because a lot of companies have been doing that for years: "Here's a sweater we make and you can choose what color you want." Sound familiar? Yeah. It's called shopping. Does that mean that Eddie Bauer and the Gap count as demi-couture?) But of course this line can't have a show all to itself because it's not really a season, so I guess some of them crept into the Resort Collection presentation, and...

Oh, I dunno. I give up. I know all these many, many "collections" are making a lot of designers crazy (although they're good news for all those up & comers spilling out of design schools all over the world -- more seasons mean more opportunities for more design assistants). Some of it is due to demand from retailers who apparently don't believe that their customers can be relied upon not to grow so bored in the space of one season that they stop shopping (gasp!) and so must be tempted with more & more new goods all the time. Some of it is pressure from huge multi-headed corporations who own fashion lines and whose bottom lines demand that sales stay up up up and therefore new goods must be churned out incessantly. I don't know how much longer this can be sustained -- pretty soon it seems like the irresistible force of these snowballing fashion shows is going to come up against the immovable object that is a globally depressed economy wherein luxury spending has taken quite a hit in the last year. (However, there are people who seem to think this is only a temporary dip and that we'll soon be back to our spendthrift ways.) What I know is this: fashion bloggers the world over are probably facing an epidemic of carpal tunnel syndrome as we try to keep our readers abreast of the newest & latest.

But back to the topic at hand, YSL Resort 2010. Overall, I'm going to give this collection a grade of "C." The thing about Pilati is, even when he's not at his best, he's still better than most of what's out there; but I've never agreed with grading on a curve, and this is not his best. There's some really good stuff, but it lacks the greatness I've seen from him at other times.

What do you guys think? Let me hear it!


Photos: Style.com

Style Spy Does the D.I.Y.

Sometimes your friend Style Spy isn't very bright. And sometimes she gets lucky & figures stuff out. To wit:

I bought this Alice + Olivia blouse... oh, a while ago. Months. Longer.



and I've never worn it. I bought it because it was down to nothing at the NM outlet and I liked the way it fit and I liked the lace and thought it would be a great layering piece. But I never wore it because of those sleeeeeeeeeves.



That is a lot of sleeve. It's pretty and all, but really not my thing. I'm way too grown up for that whole Stevie Nicks/Renn Faire thing (Hear ye, hear ye! If ye can legally rent ye olde automobile, ye are too old for princess clothes!!); not to mention you can only wear this if you know you're not going to be eating anything, and who wants to limit herself like that?

(Style Spy gets her Stevie Nicks on)

(Remember how I told you the Wacaol nude was perfect for me? Check that out. I forgot to put on a camisole before I took these pictures, but you can barely see that bra!)

So the top has been languishing in the closet all this time. I've put it on a few times & tried to make it work, but it just never did.

In the meantime, I've fallen for this lovely, from Balmain.

I don't like to jump on the All-Worship-Balmain bandwagon, but I do really love that lace t-shirt.

So. Inspired by some excellent D.I.Y. I've been seeing on some of my favorite blogs, like Garance Dore's, I had lightning bolt and realized how to solve both of these dilemmas in one stroke:

(Two strokes, actually. One for each sleeve.)

And the result:

(Remembered the camisole for this one.)

Muuuuuch better, wouldn't you agree? Pretty, stylish, and useful! I do feel a wee twinge about the loss of all that pretty lace, but I'll hang onto it. It'll make for a lovely pocket square or something. I also think I'm going to go back & shorten the sleeves just a bit more -- this length is just not... quite.

It was the right thing to do. I've already worn it. I wore the night I did it, as a matter of fact, out for a glass (who are we kidding, a bottle) of wine with a friend.

(Gap shorts, Golde sequined vest, Marni platforms, various vintage necklaces)

I really liked the way this outfit worked, except the sequins snagged a bit on the lace, so I may not wear it with this particular vest again. It's still the look I was after -- I need to continue t keep my eye peeled for a vest with this silhouette, sans sequins.

So. I'm officially crafty. Whaddya think?

Images: Style Spy, Polyvore.com, Style.com, Vogue

3.1 Phillip Lim Resort 2010 -- Put That In Your Pipe

Phillip Lim showed his Resort 2010 collection in New York Monday. I won't go so far as to say that it's my favorite collection ever, or even my favorite Lim ever, but it doesn't do anything to dissuade me from the fashion crush I have on this very talented designer.

I think I've stated before that I feel like Phillip Lim is our next Oscar de la Renta. He makes chic, gorgeous clothes that most every woman admires when she sees and looks good in when she wears. There is a definite, inescapable femininity and youth in Lim's designs, but he is very young himself and there's no reason to imagine that his clothes won't mature as he does. (Lim is 35. His company, 3.1 Phillip Lim, is called that because he was 31 years old when he started it in 2005. There -- you learned something today!) And while they are youthful, they are not childish or twee in the way many labels at this price point often are (I'm talking to you, Marc by Marc!) and most of the clothes can be worn successfully by a woman of any age.

The collection starts out with some really, really gorgeous lace.

I'm a big fan of lace in general, especially tape laces, and this looks like a really nice one.

Of course, we have the problematical length to deal with. They may call this a dress, but we grown-ups know that in no world we want to live in does that actually qualify as a dress. On the other hand, it's too long to be a top unless you are 6 feet tall and have a way with belts. Still. It's pretty, non?

We're just going to ignore that hideous patchwork denim mutant masquerading as pants. Everyone is entitled to a miss now & then.

Also, the jumpsuits seem still to be with us. Just hold tight and ride it out, ladies. This too shall pass.

This skirt strikes me as very "Lim-y." Love that sensuous drapey-ness, he's really good at that. Mr. Lim is a dab hand with chiffon. And I always love a dressy skirt paired with a loose, casual top.

Speaking of chiffon, I'm all excited about that polka dot blouse. Wonderful.

Speaking of excited -- can we talk about the polka dot trench coat? ::swoon:: Actually, I don't want to talk about it so much as I want to own it. Fantastic.

Honestly, I don't know what's up with this. I believe Lim is putting out (or has recently put out -- who on earth can keep up with all these people?) a lingerie line, and this collection had a few pieces that seemed to be playing on that with big loosey-goosey chiffon bits attached to lingerie-like top gizmos. Whatever. Roll on.

But hooray for lamé pants, and hooray for the cropped narrow pant, which I am still craving, especially paired with that prim/sexy blouse. I love this.

More lamé pants, still narrow, longer but again with that looseness at the waist and the slouchy top. I'm still in love with this whole silhouette, and I'm dying to see these pants up close & get a feel for the fabric.

At this point, I can't say that Phillip Lim is pushing the boundaries in the way that a lot of designers do. Sure, it's wonderful to be Rei Kawakubo or Hussein Chalayan and have your raison d'etre be to challenge people's perceptions of what fashion is on a daily basis. On the other hand, it is no mean feat to make beautiful, wearable, desirable clothes that are not off-putting and yet not boring year in and year out. It may in fact take more genius to ongoingly move the generally accessible forward in small increments than to burn the house down & start over every season. Sure, there is a tiny percentage of people for whom it is realistic to sport $5000 Balmain jackets. * The rest of us? We just need a good pair of pants and a pretty blouse that's going to get us through more than one season. Phillip Lim is both talented and savvy, and he's hooking a generation of young (and not-so-young!) fashionistas with his pretty, wearable, reasonably-priced fashion crack.

I for one am not going to tell you to Just Say No.



*(Please note that that bad boy is sold out. Seriously. Also seriously? My car is worth less than that coat. There are a myriad of reasons that tragifies me -- I can't even begin to decide which is the worst.)



Images: Style.com

Listening to Polonius

To tell the truth, it doesn't look like all that much on the hanger.




But I had a feeling. I found it in Barney's the same day I bought my beautiful yellow Philip Lim top, and while it wasn't what I was out looking for that day, I went with my gut and tried it on. So glad I did.

(pics will get bigger if you click them)

Some things are just perfect. This is a simple dress -- just a little sleeveless, scoop-necked nothing with vertical tucks all around the waist and a bit of a gather in the skirt. But when I looked at myself wearing it what I saw on my face was a mixture of consternation and deep satisfaction. Consternation because this was money I hadn't planned on spending that day, but satisfaction because it was going to be money very well spent. Denim Guru Broc came in to take a look and we stood there nodding in silent agreement at my reflection. I kinda had to have this dress. It was like they made it for me.

It's Theory, and it was way on sale (which is the only way I'll buy Theory -- I like their stuff, but not as much as they do) so it wasn't even terribly spendy. It's a rayon blend with a tiny bit of sheen to it -- not dressy but I can make it dressy. It's good with flats, but when I wore it into the closet the Gucci Floras started singing for attention and they were right to, they're perfect with it.



I (over)pride myself on my Fashionista status. I like to be all cutting-edge and challenging and avant & whatnot as far as clothes go. I love the wild & the whacked-out; the high-concept stuff is fun for me. I can pull off the big crazy things if I want to, no problem, but honestly, this is what suits me best. Sometimes, simple is the way to go. Sometimes the low-design item is the one that really lets you shine, and we all need to remember that our clothes are just the frame -- we are the picture.

So I love my little purple dress. Don't worry, there will always be things in my closet that cause my friends to scratch their heads, but this? No head-scratching needed. This is perfectly me, and perfect.

Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not expressed in fancy; rich not gaudy.
For the apparel oft proclaims the man...

This above all, to thine own self be true...

Hamlet, I:3

Images: Style Spy

Style Spy Supports Support

Thought you might like an update on what our drawing winner Marsi did with her loot.

She went with a gift certificate from here:

and she bought this:

Felina Ria Unlined Underwire Bra

Hot-CHA! Atta girl, Marsi!

(That picture is not Marsi, by the way. I was going to ask for a picture of her in whatever goodie she used her GC for, but I let her off the hook. This is not That Kind of Blog. However, Marsi, if you'd like to send in a review of the bra & let us know how you like it, that'd be great. It's all grist for the mill here at Style Spy Central, and there is no such thing as too much bra knowledge, as most women will attest.)

I have to say, I am delighted to have supported (HAH!) this purchase. Not only do I firmly believe in the necessity of a good bra, I also firmly believe that a good bra that's pretty and makes you feel gorgeous & sexy underneath your clothes -- well, that's darned near Nirvana. And that really is a beautiful bra. So I applaud you, Marsi!! Well-shopped!

In that spirit, I thought I'd show you some other winners they have currently at the Bare Necessities site. Take a moment & do a mental inventory of your bra collection. Are you set? Or are you depending on the same old threadbare, stretched-out sad sacks you've been wearing for three years? 'Cause here's a hint: bras aren't meant to last three years. They're not like pencil skirts or wrap dresses -- you don't buy that one classic and expect to wear it for the next ten years. Every bra, no matter how wonderful or expensive, sadly, has a life expectancy. Ignore it at your (and your silhouette's) peril.

Herewith, some inspiration to make sure yours are up to date. All except the last two are on sale at Bare Necessities -- you can click on the photos or hypertext for links.

Lily of France Bump Pad Demi Invisible Bra

Love this pretty color and the satin trim.

Calvin Klein Perfectly Fit All Day Lace Underwire Bra

I've had good luck with Calvin Klein bras -- they fit well, they wear well, and they're reasonably priced.

Calvin Klein Danube Underwire Bra

And sometimes they're sexy, too!

Panache Carnation Underwire Balconette Bra

I see a lot of bras for larger cup sizes that are... well, geriatric-looking, frankly. (Also, really, really pointy. What is up with that? I thought we didn't do that cone thing anymore...) This one goes to an H-cup, is more than 50% off, is also available in black, and is gorgeous. (Note: this bra comes in UK sizes, make sure you check the conversion chart before you order.)

OnGossamer Calypso Garden Bump It Up Push-up Bra

I have this bra in a few different colors. Theoretically, if you twist the center knot further it increases the push-up effect. I haven't bothered to try that since the bra fits me so well just as it is, but it's an intriguing idea.

Wacoal Embrace Lace Contour Underwire Bra

Wacol is my favorite brand of bra. This is a great everyday bra, but still really pretty.

OnGossamer Sheer Link Mesh Curvy Demi Bra

I also have & love this bra, which is a great style for someone like me who is small-busted with wide-set breasts. Doesn't hurt that on top of fitting so well, it's dead sexy.

Wacoal Petite Contour Underwire Bra

This is my go-to bra, my very favorite in a drawer full of good options. (I am a slightly compulsive bra-buyer, due to wearing a difficult-to-find size. If it fits, I tend to buy multiples. Which is not a bad idea for anyone, honestly, no matter what your size. I think I have four or five of these now.) The Wacoal nude matches my skin tone almost exactly, it does not show under even a sheer white blouse, and this is the most comfortable bra I own. It's darned near perfect.

Wacoal French Garden T-Shirt Contour Bra

This looks like the non-petite version of my bra, and if it's anywhere as good it's worth checking out.

So there you are! A handful of great-looking support mechanisms, most available at discounted prices. You now have no excuses for wearing a less-than-stellar bra. So, go! Shop!!

The Want Monsters Sings "God Save the Queen"

I am obsessed with this jacket. Obsessed, obsessed, obsessed!!! Argh!

It's from Topshop, which is part of the problem. Topshop does great fast fashion, but the quality isn't of the highest. I know that the whole fast fashion thing emphasizes the "fast" bit -- we're not talking about investment clothing here, but still... After I paid for the thing and had it shipped here, I'm probably looking at 150 bucks. Certainly not a mint, but do I really want to spend a day in Paris on a jacket that I might not be able to wear for more than a year or two? I mean, look at it -- it's not even lined.

To which many will respond, "Style Spy! Be realistic! If you only spend $150 on a jacket, of course you can only expect to wear it for a year or two!" To which yours truly replies in turn, "Not if you're a bargain shopper like me." See, I have a gorgeous vermilion-red velvet Alexander McQueen blazer that I -- unbelievably -- got on sale for just a little more than what this one would cost and you can bet your sweet Miuccia I plan on wearing that for more than two years.

So probably I've answered my own question here, but still... I waaaaaaaant it. There are some things in my wardrobe I would very much like to top off with that jacket. I don't exactly know why, but it's really speaking to me.

I think some of it is leftover want for these:

These are McQueen and they were insanely expensive even on sale and I would never, EVER buy a pair of McQueen's shoes without trying them on first because as much as I love my boy Lee, every item of footwear from his label that I've ever pushed my little toesies into has caused me to swear under my breath and remove them quickly. Not. Comfy. And I have a pretty high Footwear Discomfort Threshold, as we know. But they certainly were cool. Even cooler were these:

An all-black version. Those were so cool they made my eyes water and my hands twitch. Good googly-moogly, that is some Good Boot.

But. I cannot have the boots. So I seem to have transferred my desires onto the jacket. Three out of four of my trusted Fashion Opinion Posse gave it the thumbs up, although one says it's too costume-y.

What do you think? Tell me! For god's sake, talk me down!!!

Perhaps I can just be contented with something like this:

Perhaps, she said nonchalantly, one of my friends in the UK could be persuaded to keep an eye peeled for something like this for their pal Style Spy... I like the all-over Union Jack that takes up the whole shirt, rather than a smaller one that's pasted on the middle of the shirt. I do find the British flag really compelling, design-wise. It's an awfully good graphic.

So that's that, then. No Union Jacket for me. The ol' Want Monster needs to shove off & go have a pint at the pub. Unless, of course, my readers talk me into it...


*********************************

Updated to add -- this is the velvet McQueen blazer I mentioned. I'm a little worried that I'm going to disappoint some folks who are no doubt expecting some design extravaganza, but here it is anyway. Just a beautifully-constructed, ruby-red cotton & silk velvet blazer.


Here it is on. You can see how the waist is emphasized when I'm wearing it -- it's such a well-shaped jacket.



It's a teensy bit big on me now, but of course I usually wear more underneath it than the tank top shown here.

There ya go, kids!

What's On My Mind

My Inspiration Board, as of June 4, 2009:

(click photo for a larger view)

Anything on there ring your bells, too? What's inspiring you these days?

Have a great weekend, everyone!!



Image: Style Spy

Prada Resort 2010 -- In Palm Springs with Nijinsky

Good googly-moogly. More runway. Believe it or not, it's resort collections in New York already. Honestly, it's enough to wear a gal out. Resort I kind of can go with, because it historically was the summer-y clothes that appeared in winter to be bought by ladies who actually "resort-ed" by decamping to Palm Springs or Las Vegas or some other warm-weather winter hideaway. And while certainly lots of folks still take mid-winter vacations to beachy locales, something about "resort" feels a little anachronistic to me, a little old-fashioned. But every collection is a new money-making opportunity for its producers, doncha know, so I'm sure we won't be seeing the end of these little inter-season shows any time soon.*

Marketing device or no, I'm always happy to look at whatever my girl Miuccia sends down the runway. I liked this collection, and it occurred to me that if the concept of "resort" seems "old-fashioned" as in "mid-20th century" to me, this collection takes it several steps further. The shapes reminded me of fashions by Paul Poiret in the late 1910's leading into the Flapper-esque 1920's, and the patterns reminded me very much of the Orientalism popularized by Poiret and other designers who were influenced by the Ballets Russes and Leon Bakst's costumes for that company.

Pretty! This just seems like something Anna Pavlova would have tossed on and then worn while she wandered around in her garden drinking champagne and striking graceful poses.




See?


This dress (and several others) borrows with very little alteration a silhouette she used extensively in her last Fall collection:

Resort '10

Resort '10

F/W '09

but the colors are much yummier. I love the colors she's using for Resort -- they're straight out of a box of Ladurée macarons.

Okay, now I really want a salted caramel macaron in the very worst way. Waaaaaaah!!!

There was a section of black dresses that looked really nice -- the silhouettes were similar to the previous dresses, but they were black so A) they didn't photograph as well and B) ::yawn::; then things moved into a more schoolgirl (well, schoolboy, actually), tailored thing that I've really been loving lately, but done in those delicious colors.

(I think I'd go ahead & wear this blouse with pants, but it is a resort collection, so...)

I love these super-neat sweater-dresses with the scarf-y overskirts, and I also love the way the scarves are translated into those ankle-tied shoes. I'm looking forward to getting a closer look at those shoes -- I couldn't find better pictures yet.

Glorious prints...

These were the things that called to mind the Ballets Russes costumes for me:

Costume design by Léon Bakst from 1911

Costume for "Scheherazade," 1910

Costume for "The Firebird," 1910

Costume for "La Peri"

See what I mean? There's something very vintage-y about these prints and shapes, something even further back than the mid-50's starlets lounging around a Las Vegas hotel swimming pool that the idea of "resort" conjures up for me. I think it's just beautiful, in a very simple and elegant way. At first glance, these clothes felt very young to me, but I think that's because Prada seems to favor extremely young models wearing extremely plain makeup, which has the effect of making them all look like they're 12 (and some of them probably aren't all that far removed from that). But taking a second look at, I think they're very sophisticated and subtle in a way that might be a bit wasted on someone too young. Even Miuccia's carefree clothes seem a little cerebral to me, and while they look great on all sorts of women, to me they really shine on someone who has the brains and experience to back up her looks. I think Prada's clothes look best on someone who's not just a pretty face -- they take a little presence to pull them off properly.

So what do you guys think? Would you wear any of this? All of it? None of it? Tell me your thoughts!

*And you don't even want to get me started on "pre-fall." You know what we call "pre-fall" where I come from? Summer.



Images: Style.com, National Library of Australia, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Films for Fashionistas

Last weekend I watched this:

Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton

My denim guru Broc turned me on to this movie and I'm really glad he did. Here's a taste:





If you have any love for or curiosity about fashion and what goes into the creation of a collection and a fashion show, I highly recommend this movie. If your interest in this sort of thing is strictly that of a love of documentaries, ehhhhhh, not so much. The filmmaker also serves as the narrator for the movie, and while he provides a pleasantly casual, slightly quirky tone, I'm not always sure of his point of view of his subject. Nonetheless, there is a lot of juicy footage in here for fashion lovers.

The thrust of the film is preparations leading up to the Spring 2007 collections for both Jacobs' namesake label and Louis Vuitton. It's worth looking at those two collections side by side to get a good feeling for the overlap and intersect that seems to happen with Jacobs and the two lines he creates.

Louis Vuitton, S/S 07

Marc Jacobs, S/S 07

I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing, and given that Jacobs' design seems to come so much from his interior world & imagination, it makes perfect sense. He seems less concerned with making a commercial product than many designers working today, and he truly does seem to pull his work from some personal well of inspiration. Whether his so-far excellent track record of producing Just the Thing That Everyone Has to Have This Season collection after collection is a result of an uncanny ability to read what's in the air or an equally uncanny ability to create something so irresistible that everybody wants it is impossible to determine, of course, and probably not important. The fact of it -- that's what's important.

I've made a lot of cracks about Marc Jacobs on this blog, because despite having no problem giving him props for his amazing talent as a designer, what I read of his real-life behavior makes me think I wouldn't be crazy about him as a person. I have to say, in this documentary he comes off as not such a bad guy. I'm well-aware that skillful editing can create just about any tone a filmmaker desires in his work, but there are an awful lot of people in this film saying awfully nice things about Jacobs, and he has a good many employees who've been with him for a very long time, which says a lot.

And he works those employees -- hard -- in the run-ups to the two shows. There are sleepless nights and blistered fingers and seamstresses & assistants so exhausted they dissolve into helpless fits of hysterical giggles over their work. Garments are being sewn right down to the wire and appear backstage at the very last millisecond and sometimes not at all. This is a great behind-the-scenes look at exactly how much backbreaking work goes into these productions on every side, and suddenly Jacobs' famously-late show starts make sense. The exhaustion is palpable -- even the models can sometimes barely hold it together. There's a scene in which one of them (Tanya Dziahileva, I think) is backstage before the Marc Jacobs show, face blotchy and eyes a positive waterfall of tears -- so much makeup has been troweled onto and then scraped off this poor girl's face by the end of NY Fashion Week that her body appears to have simply thrown in the towel and rejected it in a massive allergic response. It doesn't look all that fun or glamorous from that vantage point.

(She recovers, bless her, and gets to wear one of my favorite looks in the show.)

There's a lot of time spent on the creative process of the collections, which is fascinating. We also get a good dose of "What Inspires Marc," from stories about his impressive personal collection of art and meetings with his heroes and heroines of the art world like Takashi Murakami, with whom he made those famous must-have LV bags.

They appeared on the runway in the S/S 03 shows and spawned a frenzy of frothy-mouthed bag lust, waiting lists as long as a supermodel's legs, and a million counterfeits & knockoffs. After these bad boys, my guess is the PTB at Vuitton basically handed Jacobs the keys to the kingdom and went & had themselves a Pernod. I don't even wanna know how much money those things brought in to that company.

Speaking of bags, if you watch the film on DVD, do not ignore the "Special Features" section, which has some clips that didn't make it into the main body of the movie. My favorite is a long section detailing the construction of this monster

The amount of blood, sweat, & tears that goes into the creation of this bag will blow you away, as will the pride and dedication of the craftspeople in the Vuitton workroom, who struggle for days to build this thing in time for the show. It's a hugely complicated piece of work, and watching this does go a long way to explaining the prices on those dingdong Vuitton bags. (Only 12, I think, of these bags were actually produced, and if memory serves they sold for €35,000 apiece. That roughs out to about 50,000 bucks.)

There is an engaging moment when, asked about his inspiration process, Jacobs comes out and confesses that it's really not anything all that complicated or magical. He takes stuff in, he thinks about it, ideas percolate in his brain, he puts them on paper. To his credit, he doesn't seem overly impressed with his own genius.

It's doubtful this is a perfectly accurate portrait of Jacobs. For one thing, Bernard Arnault, who is Jacobs' boss at Vuitton and makes several appearance in this film, is a guy with a LOT of drag in France. My guess is that a doc originally produced for French television that shredded the prize horse in his stable would have been a notion quickly quashed. And obviously it wasn't Prigent's purpose to make a warts-and-all kind of film. From a purely film-review perspective, I'm not entirely sure what Prigent's aim was, because the tone and the techniques of the thing can jump around pretty wildly. Despite this, it really is a fascinating couple of hours spent looking into the inner workings of some pretty fashion-y goings-on.

So. Style Spy says: Two stilettos up for this film! Absolutely see it if you get the chance.


Photos: Style.com

::cue trumpet fanfare::

Good googly-moogly, I'm such a flake! I nearly forgot!! The winner of the drawing for the Style Spy World Fashion Domination challenge is...

MARSI!!!

Three cheers for Marsi!!

So, here's what you need to do, loyal, prize-winning reader:
1. Choose three of the affiliates from the list on the right side of the blog that you would like to receive a $20 gift certificate from.
2. Send me an e-mail at shine @ austin.rr .com listing them in order of preference.
3. Include your snail mail address so I can send you a little parcel of sample goodies as well.

I have some pretty darned good affiliates listed over there, as you can see, including my two newest:

Chickdowntown.com has tons of really, really great contemporary designers who make really, really cool clothes, like this dress from Tibi that I am over the moon for:

I'm still looking for great, easy summer dresses and apparently still being influenced by my visit to the Modern in Ft. Worth. Doesn't that look like a painting? Love!



Another new affiliate:

Luxury Chocolates at Vosges Haut-Chocolat

Yes. Because I am wicked, wicked, wicked and could not resist. Does it have a thing to do with fashion? Absolument pas. So why take them on as an affiliate? Um, because it's chocolate. Do we really need further explanation? I didn't think so...

All right then! Thanks to all who helped me to spread the word about my quest for World Fashion Domination. Our work is not yet done, but rest assured that Style Spy soldiers on!!

La Ceinture

If you go to Etsy and you type the word "Paris" into the search box, you will get a lot of dreck. A lot. Believe me, there is no shortage of cheap, brow-furrowing, WTH?-inspiring plastic & base metal trinketage out there for you to blow your hard-earned centimes on.

But. There are also some really, really nice things.

Comme ça:


La ceinture de Paris! How marvelous is that?? This is from an Etsy shop called Bare Tree Apparel, which has some very, very cool stuff in it. It's mostly hats, t-shirts, and belts. The designs are beautiful and clever, and the goods are extremely high quality.

I found this shop a while back while I was looking for a gift for a friend's birthday. When I saw this belt my jaw fell open and I knew it was the perfect thing for her. Also, it was the perfect thing for me! Alas, there was only one of them available, so after a brief struggle with my conscience I contented myself with this t-shirt,

(Charmant, non? Click photo for link).

ordered the belt for my friend, and then pestered Saul, the designer and artisan at Bare Tree, mercilessly until he made me another one. (This Paris-o-phile fashionista will not be denied!!) The great thing about belts like this is that they are infinitely adjustable -- I can wear it with all my jeans, no matter where the waist falls. Best of all? SO not expensive, this stuff.

My friend loved her belt, and I love mine, and so all's right with the world. Mind you, I'm no Thumbelina as far as working the belts goes, but I must say that I get a major thrill threading this one through my loops. So thanks, Saul! And the rest of you -- go check out Bare Tree!



Photos: Style Spy, Bare Tree Apparel

Look Before You Leap

You know that old saying about looking before you leap?



Gorgeous -- I mean, gorgeous -- skirt that I got on eBay for a ridiculously low price. And the thing is, it's this close to perfect. It is a flawless, perfectly preserved vintage black wool YSL pencil skirt with side slash pockets. It's in pristine condition -- even the lining is perfect. And it's actually even better in person than it was in the photos. It has the same construction front & back -- four slight gathers, channel-stitched waistband, beautiful, beautiful high-quality wool fabric. It's a classic, it's perfect, it will last for years.

It should have been a no-brainer, because it's a YSL size 40 and I'm typically a perfect YSL size 38 and for the price I would have been happy to take it in and have it altered.



Except.

Apparently vanity sizing is not a strictly American phenomenon, my friends.

Dammit.

Apparently even in the bastions of French high design, they are experiencing size creep. This is disappointing and disillusioning, but nonetheless useful information to have. (It's just a shame I had to learn it like this.) The skirt is actually okay over my hips, but the waist is too small. I can get it fastened, but just barely, and heaven help me if I wanted to sit down & eat. Or move. Or, ya know, breathe.

(That giant sucking sound you heard? That was me.)

The waistband is all one piece and there's no overlap -- there's nothing to be done in the way of alterations unless I wanted to put an entirely new waistband on it and I do not.

This is my own dingdong fault. I bid on the skirt after I saw that it was a 40, without reading the auction listing carefully. Post-bid I saw that there were actual measurements listed which should have indicated to me that there was trouble coming, but I had sniped the bid and I thought, well, maybe the measurements are inaccurate and it was such a great skirt at a great price and blahblah coutureinducedhazefishcakes blah. Long story short, I was not a careful enough shopper and now I have this gorgeous item hanging in my home taunting me with its just-barely-not-wearable-ness. Serves me right, I should know better.

So. Who's a size 2? This thing needs a home with someone who will appreciate it. I'd say to wear it comfortably you'll need a 26" waist and hips not much bigger than 38". If you are that person, this fantastic garment can be yours for $25, and that includes shipping, which will just about cover what I dished out for it. (Minus the stupidity tax I'm imposing on myself.)

If you think you'd like to adopt the skirt, leave me a comment or drop me a line at shine @ austin.rr.com and let me know. If none of you wants it, it's going back on the block.

And don't forget -- read the fine print!!