Films for Fashionistas -- C 'est Un Rêve!

Here's my latest fashionista film discovery:


Yves Saint Laurent - His Life and Times/5 Avenue Marceau 75116 Paris

This DVD contains two documentaries by the same director. The first is a fairly traditional sit-down-with-a-camera-and-interview-the-subject-and-those-close-to-him sort of summation of, well, his life & times. There are interviews with Saint Laurent himself, his business & personal partner of many, many years, Pierre Bergé, muses like Betty Catroux & Loulou de la Falaise, and other people who worked with Saint Laurent during his 50 years in fashion. The interviews are intercut with wonderful footage from past fashion shows, odd old black & white television advertisements, clips from interviews with Saint Laurent when he was a young, young man, and other fun historical nuggets. Saint Laurent talks -- quelle surprise! -- about his mother and in this film we actually get to meet Maman. (And she is lovely.)

It's a short film (the two together run less than 90 minutes) and far from a comprehensive study of Saint Laurent's influence and influences, but it's well worth watching. It's a little stunning to realize just how incredibly young he was when he took over Dior (barely 22).

It's also fairly apparent that M. Saint Laurent suffered from a mood disorder, undergoing bouts of depression that his friends speak of in guarded and elliptical terms. His struggles with substance abuse in the 70's and 80's have been well-documented, and he was hospitalized for "stress" and "exhaustion" and the like repeatedly over the course of his life. By the time this film was made (in 2001) he is obviously ill and at times seems terribly frail. There are many poignant moments in the film when he talks about his (happy) childhood and both the joy and sadness that his life in fashion have brought him. Saint Laurent seems all-too-terribly human in this film -- not a fortress of ego like Karl Lagerfeld or a marketing machine like Marc Jacobs, but an artist at times bewildered by his own talent and often hostage to his own demons and black dogs.

The second part of this DVD is the fashion documentary I've been searching for. Ten minutes in, I hit the pause button on my remote, marched over to my computer, and ordered the DVD from Amazon. I needed to own it. If you are a fiend for the actual design and construction of clothing, this is your movie. The process being observed is the run-up to one of Saint Laurent's final Haute Couture shows (one of the reasons YSL is so important to fashion history is that he is usually credited with being the first haute couture designer who opened a full-fledged ready-to-wear business, but he continued to design haute couture until 2002) and if you're a construction ho like me, it is absolutely enthralling. I watched this film like a 13-year old boy watches his first dirty movie -- on the edge of my seat, mouth agape, wineglass forgotten on the coffee table in front of me. This is hard-core fashion porn. Designs are followed from sketch to toile to final fabric choices, with models parading before Saint Laurent and Loulou de la Falaise (who wears a seemingly endless series of perfectly-fitting trousers and blouses with big statement-y pieces of jewelry tossed on in just the perfect way -- oh, I want to be her when I grow up!) and Anne-Marie Munoz, who worked with Saint Laurent from his early days at Dior. Bless director David Teboul's heart, he just plunks the camera down on a tripod and lets it roll, showing us long, uninterrupted, unedited takes of staring, judging, tweaking, and discussing the designs. You get a real feel for how painstaking and stop-and-go the process is as Saint Laurent and his sidekicks chat about the placement of a pleat or the shape of a collar. But it's not just talk. Teboul also goes into the workrooms and films the garments actually being made. We get to see the hands and hear the voices of the tailors and seamstresses who construct these beautiful garments. Saint Laurent , at least in this film, is a kind and respectful boss who beams at the employees who bring his designs to life and thanks them profusely. The appreciation seems reciprocated -- there is no disguising the pride of one of the head seamstresses as the gorgeous dress she has nursed into creation swings and sways and swoops across the salon in front of Saint Laurent, followed by a murmured string of his favorite compliments: "Ravissant! Ravissant! C'est un rêve!" It's by far the best representation I've seen yet of what goes on deep inside an atelier and made me want nothing more than to go and sit quietly on stool in the corner in that studio and just watch & learn. These men and women have already forgotten more about design, construction, ornament, fabric -- all the building blocks of fashion -- than I will ever learn in my lifetime. It's awe-inspiring, at least to me. Click here for a sample of what I'm talking about.

These films are definitely worth your time, especially if you're as big a fan of Yves Saint Laurent as I am, or if you appreciate the skill and time that goes into creating a truly artful piece of clothing. This DVD, especially the "Avenue Marceau" segment, is going to be one of my rainy-day movies -- you know, the ones you pop into the player when it's gray & rainy & you've got nothing to do but stay home and snuggle into the couch and entertain yourself with your favorite dish of cinematic comfort food. Highly, highly recommended.


Images: Guardian.co.uk, elle.com

On the Wish List

My birthday's coming up.

I'm just sayin'...

Vintage YSL gown from Decades. Dizzying.

Click photos to buy this for me.



Images: Decades, Inc.

YSL, Meet JNY

Wow. I am rubbing my eyes in disbelief. I mean it, my mouth is hanging open.

I was reading Sydne's great blog Think Through Fashion when what to my wondering eyes should appear?

This cute top from Jones New York. Of course, that in and of itself would not cause disbelief, Sydne posts lots of great stuff. The disbelief is because of this




Yves Saint Laurent skirt that I own and have posted about here once or twice.

Um, yeah. That is the same fabric.

My skirt is from YSL Resort 2008. The Jones New York top is current. How on earth did it ever come to pass that the mill that created this fabric sold it to YSL and then two years later to a mid-level department store line? I am puzzled by this. Don't the high-end houses get exclusives on their fabrics? How did this happen? Anyone have any ideas about this? I think I'm going to try calling the YSL boutique in New York tomorrow and see if I can get any info.

So -- good news! If you loved that skirt but didn't manage to scoop one up, well, here's your chance!

The even better news? It'll only set you back about an eighth of what the YSL cost.

Seriously, I'm slack-jawed. Mouth. Hanging. Open.



Update: Have just spoken to an extremely nice young man named Chris at the Mad Ave YSL boutique about this. He took my information and is going to pass it on to someone else, who I hope will get back to me about it. I'll keep you posted!

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

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!!

Another Little Something

Looking for a superb LBD? Look no further:



This is a fabulous black wool knit YSL sleeveless sac dress with leather trim and a banded hem. What's that you say? It doesn't look like much on the hanger? Well, here it is on a body:



That's better. Even so, the dress does have belt carriers attached to it, so obviously it's supposed to have a belt. Here's what happens when I put on a nice leather one with some cool-yet-subdued hardware:

(If you click the photos they'll get larger. Please pay no attention to my hair -- it was in a mood.)

Now we're cooking with gas. (And it appears to very much like my leopard-print pumps, doesn't it?) You might find, as I did, that the belt loops are not in the right place (the almost never are for me), but because they're little braided thread loops on the side seams instead of proper carriers they would be easy to just snip right off. Why doesn't it have the matching belt? I dunno. Maybe that's why it wound up at the Neiman Marcus outlet. Belt or no, this is a fantastic dress, very much an investment piece. It's made of beautiful lightweight merino wool (sooooo soft, not even remotely scratchy) and the leather on the collar is butter-soft. There are no fasteners or zippers or complications of any sort -- it pops over the head and that's it. You're dressed. Impeccably. The tag on the dress says it's from 2008, I'm not sure which season specifically. Although it really doesn't matter, because this is a twenty-year dress, it's never going to go out of style.



Sort of a modified mandarin collar, a little bit of gather around the neck, perfectly cut armholes make the shoulders look gorgeous but still allow for a Support Mechanism. So simple, so easy, so perfect.

The bad news? Well, it's pretty small. The tag says it's an XS, and it fits me, so I'm calling it a 4. I think it would work for a 2 provided you belted it, and I think it would work for a 6 provided you're fairly proportional (it's straight up & down). The other thing, of course, is that you cannot alter this dress -- it has a banded hem (like a sweater) and it's knit. It is what it is.

But what it is is pretty darned wonderful. I really love this thing, it's so soft and snuggly and chic at the same time I can hardly stand it.

So why aren't I keeping it? Well, for much the same reason I'm not keeping the Origamis -- I have plenty of stuff and besides, I really don't need to be spending the money right now. But I had to pick it up and bring it home and give one of my readers a shot at it, because I really think this is the kind of thing you should have in your closet if you can manage it. Original retail on this dress was $1185, but thanks to a missing belt and the NM outlet, it can be yours for $249, and that includes shipping for my readers. Like the Origamis, this is a limited-time offer and also like the Origamis, if not sold here it will wind up on an auction site where the price will be higher; so if you're interested or have any other questions, act fast.



Photos: Style Spy

Your Feets Too Big

YSL Resort 2008 was a great collection with some fun, classic clothes (my fabulous red & khaki pencil skirt came out of it) and an inordinate number of really, really great shoes.

These sandals are called "Origami." I loved them when I saw them on the runway and I loved them when they showed up at the NM outlet, but even at the outlet, they were more money than I could justify paying for them. (Original retail was $970, and the first price point at the outlet was $582. Forty percent is a nice discount, but they still weren't exactly bargains.) So I kept watching & watching them and finally, two weeks ago, they dipped to my price-tolerance point and I snagged 'em.

Oh, they are lovely, and what's even better is that I managed to nab a YSL dustbag and a box (it's not the original box for these shoes, but it is a YSL box) -- this is not always easy to do at the outlet because part of the outlet-ness of the sitch is that they take all the shoes out of their original boxes & shuffle them around. I'm not sure what the reasoning is behind this, but there you go.




Here's the problem, though. These are 38s. Which is just a teeny bit too small for me. (It translates about to an American 8, and I am more of an 8.5/9. But there weren't any 39s left.) They don't feel bad when I wear them around my house, but I'm worried that on an evening out that half-size might start to catch up with me and make me sorry.




So, I'm going to give you guys a crack at them. It seems the least I can do, because they're amazing and they're a fantastic bargain.

They do amazing things for the pins, even in a bathrobe.

YSL black patent leather and wood platform sandals, leather soles, gold-tone buckle. 5.5-inch heel with a 1-inch platform results in 4.5-inch lift. YSL box and one dustbag included. Original retail $970 (they're still going for over $700 on Bluefly), Style Spy price: $250 plus S&H.



Yep. That's about 75% off. For YSL sandals. Which is crazy. In a good way.

If you're interested, you can contact me in the comments section or e-mail me through my profile and we'll chat about details like returns & whatnot. There is a time constraint here, so if you think you might want them, act fast.



Photos: Style.com, Style Spy

One Year Later

Yesterday was April 7, and it was the one-year anniversary of my achieving my goal weight. It's probably unbearably narcissistic of me to even mention it, so please forgive me, but I'm rather proud of myself. I lost 30 pounds and I have kept them off for a year now. I bounce up & down a few pounds depending on how much wine I've drunk lately and where in my menstrual cycle I am (Who knew I retained that much water??? With thirty extra pounds I didn't notice it so much!), but basically I am where I triumphantly arrived a year ago.

So. How to celebrate? Seems silly to celebrate a weight loss with the traditional big meal and bottle of wine -- kinda counter-productive, and besides -- this Sunday is Easter & I plan on eating a trough of food then.

I took myself out for a nice, long, leisurely, sunshine-y run and that was good. And treated myself to some sushi for lunch, which is the yummiest bang for my caloric buck I know of. (Mmmmmmm, unaaaaaaagi...) Seems pretty tame, I guess, but full disclosure: last week was pretty stressful and that combined with knowing my anniversary was coming up gave me the perfect excuse for a little pre-celebrating, the Style Spy way -- by retailing. And I am not apologizing, 'cause, dudes -- I scored.

First score:


Nummy red & tan silk YSL pencil skirt with slightly high-ish waist & belt loops. It's pretty fantastic. It's going to be divine with my nude Atwood sandals. I could cop out & go the easy route with a white blouse, but I'm thinking I like the idea of matching this up with a navy top. (Which I don't, to my surprise, have. Darn. More shopping.)

I should say, I don't have a solid navy top, but I do have this




little Marni wonder that I love like a boyfriend. This blouse was worth Every. Single. Dime. I paid for it, many times over. I wear this and wear this and wear this. More of this ilk is definitely at the top of my Want List.

I know that combination is going to give some people indigestion, but I am extremely intrigued by it and can't wait to try it on. I can't do that right now (and take a picture to show you) because A) the top is at the cleaner (did I mention I wear it a lot?) and B) the skirt is at the tailor's. They didn't have it in my size, they only had it one size up. However, after multiple discounts, said lovely garment that was originally priced at about 900 smackers rang up at... $47.41. Including tax. So, yeah, I'm okay with dropping a few bucks to have it taken in a bit.

Score numéro deux:



Most excellent Graeme Black nubby cotton pencil skirt. Not a great picture, sorry, but we've talked about my photographic skills (or lack thereof) and I'm trying to make this blog interesting to look at as well as read! Here it is with better lighting:



Does nice things for mon derrière, n'est-çe pas? Note the adorable double vent in the back -- I've always loved the way that looks and it gives such a nice flip when you walk. This fabric is really great, sort of a canvas-y heavy textured cotton and that black stripe has a wonderful hand-painted effect to it, imperfect and sort of Marni-esque.


Just swell. My only complaint is a usual one -- no lining. The fabric is pretty heavy, but it is white. And this silly thing retailed for a cool thousand bucks originally, so to my way of thinking they could have spent $7 of that on a yard and a half of polyester to line the thing. But I'm not going to whinge too much -- it settled out at $64.73, post-discounts & markdowns, and for 65 bucks I can wear a slip.

So there you have it. Retail therapy and rich reward, all for just over 100 bucks. Added to that was one more bonus -- a reminder not to take the size thing too seriously. When I was in that dressing room on Sunday, there were clothes that ran from size 2 to size 6, size 36 to size 40. There were 2s that were too big and 6s that were too snug. The YSL skirt? A 40, and needs to be taken in. The Graeme Black? Also a 40, and absolutely perfect. That isn't about me or that extra glass of wine or piece of chocolate cake, that's just the Randomness of the Fashion Universe, about which I can do absolutely nothing. I am more than my number, I have finally come to know.

Although I will say that when I rule the world, there will be universally consistent sizing. Honestly, I could probably get elected to the Presidency just by running on that platform, huh? "Vote for Style Spy, and all your pants will be the same size!" Record numbers of women voters would sweep me into office in a landslide.

Hmmmm... That might be my next career move. Who's with me?


Photos: Style Spy

Further Befuddlement

Somebody help me out here.

I do not understand this ad:


Um, what????

That ad does not make me want to wear Diesel clothing. All it does is make me nervous about going over to that guy's house. "Gee, thanks, Sebastian, I appreciate the invite, but Saturday is the day I... uh... push back my cuticles."

I thought perhaps I just didn't have the context, and so I took a look at the Fall 09 Diesel Black Gold runway show.

Nope. Not helping.

.

Still not helping.

Droogs gooly down the runway in Diesel platties!

Right, then. Well, still confused about the advertising (but completely clear on how much I don't want to wear the clothes). I will entertain any & all theories or clues the rest of you might be able to provide.


You know what makes sense to me? This:

This gorgeous navy silk kimono jacket from YSL, which is part of an exclusive collection of YSL offered currently by Net-A-Porter. It's a kimono jacket. With a drawstring waist. And a notched collar. It shouldn't be right, but it is! It's so, SO right!!! (::insert whimpering noises here::)

Also chock-full of sense, a thing of Aristotelean beauty, nay -- perfection?

From the same collection. The day that came to live in my closet might be the day I stopped shopping. Seriously, what else would I need?

Okay. My world makes sense again. Have a great weekend, everyone!


Photos: Diesel, Style.com, Net-A-Porter.com