More Mad Genius!

Yippee! It's Couture Week -- Spring 09 is already upon us -- in Paris and it started off with a bang at the salons at Dior headquarters on the avenue Montaigne. Instead of the usual enormous show venue, Galliano presented his collection in a much more intimate environment.

Which was appropriate...

...given that a lot of the clothing was, well, intimates.

Inspired by photos of Dior and his models & seamstresses in the 1950's, the collection mingled the wild fantasia of Galliano's Dior with the images of half-dressed models preparing for presentations. Does that sound outlandish?

It was, a little.

But in the most wonderful way.

Stephen Jones did the hats, which were magnificent.


Some of the lingerie references, like the one above, were blatant, but if that was too much for you, how about this?

Just a hint of a slip in the most gorgeous, creamy silk with lace that probably cost my rent peeking out. Lovely.

I have a lot of slips, but none with this kind of quality. Suddenly I'm really feeling the lack.

Oh, that hat!!

Where on earth does a person wear such a thing?

Wherever it is, I want to be invited.

I'm not a big bustier/corset person ordinarily -- frankly, I don't have the bust to make it worthwhile. But this? Is so beautiful that this weekend is going to find me rifling through my favorite vintage stores looking for something along these lines to play with.

Look at all this beautiful hand work -- just stunning.

Not every look featured lingerie. Some of them were just plain old garden-variety heartstoppingly beautiful clothes.

There was a lot of super-saturated color, which I of course loved

along with the details you only find in couture.


Cathy Horyn talks about this dress in her review of the collection.

This is a deceptively simple dress, but as Ms. Horyn points out, it's all about that lapel. Look at it -- how it starts off as a traditional notched lapel and then somehow melts into a cowl. That is amazing.

I sew -- I've made a few notched collars in my time -- and I can't begin to imagine how that was done. Look also at the set of that sleeve, how it elongates the line of the arm. These are the things that make the difference in clothing, and these are the things we have almost completely lost thanks to mass production. Why do designer clothes cost more? Because of this. Yes, the Dior dress you buy at Saks is still going to be factory-produced, but not at the same scale as your average department or discount store garment. And before it got to the factory, more time was spent on these sorts of details -- the placement of a seam, the set of a sleeve, the angle of a collar. Those things take time, skill, and money, and there's no getting around it.

Plumcake and I are going to get together with a bottle of wine and hold hands and look at this collection and cry, I think. I do believe she & I could get into one mighty girlfight over this here dress. (I'd put your money on me -- I'm scrappy and not above fighting dirty, especially where couture is involved.)

A lot of the looks fell somewhere in between on the lingerie scale, using sheer fabrics to reveal just a little.

Yes, please...

This makes me want to run mad...

That blouse is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Like I said, I'm not a big one for underwear as outerwear, it's just not usually my thing. But something about this positively intoxicates me. I love that it doesn't really shoot for "sexy" in the way we've come to think of it -- the overexposed bosom, the thigh-high slit. This is coquettish, a bit naughty, amusante. These clothes are a light-hearted afternoon tryst in a sun-filled pied-a-terre with the curtains open on French doors that overlook some grand Parisian boulevard. That kind of joyful, giddy sexy when you're laughing out loud and not in the least ashamed.

And what's completely insane? I'm looking at this thinking, "Hmmmmm... I have a couple of great jackets. Maybe I need to get some tap pants. I won't go the whole garter belt route, but maybe some opaque tights instead..."

But there you go. I'm seriously, insanely considering it. Like I said -- intoxicated.

But the best bit? The whipped cream on the sundae? The shoes. THE SHOES!!!!

Aaaaaiiieeeeeee!!!! LOOK AT THEM!

They have those tiny little rubber snap closures like you find on old-fashioned garters & girdles!! And that pink!! That perfect nude/ballet pink!!! What is prettier or more feminine than that? Oh, I cannot express how these shoes have shredded my sensibilities -- I'm going to start saving NOW for a pair of these.


So there you have it -- more of our boy Galliano's wizardry. I've read a few reviews and comments complaining that this is nothing groundbreaking, it's too retro, that Galliano is revisiting old territory. And no, it's not cutting-edge fashion. It's a glorious tribute to a beautiful tradition designed by a wonderful mad genius. Which is sure as hell good enough for me.


PS... (And remember how I told you Cathy Horyn's commentors could be long-winded & tedious? You must check this out. I mean -- what the what???)

Images: Style.com

Wherein Style Spy Overshares a Bit

The noise I made when I saw these shoes for the first time was positively pornographic. I know this because I was unfortunately in public when I discovered them and my, er... vocalization elicited comment from a few of my neighbors.

Black Skye Pump

Yeah. The shoes. I loves 'em a leeeeeetle too much.

A Quick Note

I'm doing a little bit of gradual re-formatting on the blog this week, so you may notice a change or two here & there. For example, I've eliminated my ENOOOOOOOOOORMOUS blogroll and created a link so that you can look at all the blogs I follow. If you're a fellow blogger and were on my blogroll, now you're in my followed blogs list -- you haven't disappeared! If you're a reader of my blog and you haven't checked out the other blogs on my blogroll, I hope you will. There's an awful lot of good stuff out there that inspires and tickles me every single day.

A few other small changes will probably show up over the next week, so bear with me!

Me & Cathy Horyn Are BFFs, Me & Ricardo Tisci Are Not

Cathy Horyn is my favorite fashion journalist. If you aren't reading her blog in the NY Times, you're missing out. Last week, reviewing the men's shows in Paris, she called Ricardo Tisci's collection for Givenchy "just plain tedious," and my heart warmed with fellow-feeling. Horyn's post caused a tornado of comment on her already comment-heavy blog (While I really love Horyn's writing, I'm less enamored of the commentary that her regular readers provide. There are a lot of folks who seem to know a lot about fashion and they want you to know it, too. It is not uncommon for her readers to post comments that are a good chunk longer than the posts they're ommenting on. Frankly, that gets "just plain tedious," too.) and she followed up with a post wherein she spoke at greater length about "the insecurity of a designer who doesn’t have a meaningful, real vision." Bells chimed in my chilly little fashionista heart when I read that, because for several seasons now I've been looking at Tisci's work for Givenchy and thinking, "I don't get it. There's no there there."

Here are some of the looks from the collection:

Okay, nothing wrong with this, basic black suit, skinny trouser silhouette which is fairly common these days. It's hard to tell from this photo with the model's hands in his pockets just what exactly is going on with the tailoring of the jacket, but it looks inoffensive enough.

On the other hand...

Um, WHAT???

Ooooooh, for pete's sake, why not just put a frame around your johnson and be done with it? Honestly...

Much has been made of the fact that Tisci was supposed to be designing costumes for the late Michael Jackson's scheduled tour this year, and that this collaboration inspired many of the flashier pieces in the collection.

But I cannot for the life of me feature the King of Pop in this rig. Leather shorts and leggings. What. Ever.

I mean, really -- what am I supposed to do with this??

This I just showed you because... well, you know the because. Gracious.

Now. I know a lot of silliness shows up on the runway during all seasons, men & women, ready-to-wear and couture -- everywhere. And at first glance, you might look at John Galliano's collection and think, this is every bit as ridiculous as Tisci's stuff.

But it's not. It might be styled in an extreme way, but the clothes are actually really, really beautiful.

This collection was inspired by Napoleon, of all people. The runway show was divided into three themes: his early years in Corsica, his campaign into north Africa, and his time as the ruler of France.

Does this seem silly to you? I suppose in a way it is. But the up side of this is that it gives a designer a skeleton to hang his ideas on, and a way to indulge in higher-concept design than he could if simply presenting a bunch of clothes to wear. And as far as I'm concerned, the genius of Galliano is how far he can push the fantastical boundaries of an idea and still have beautiful, wearable clothes buried in it. The styling of the three outfits above is decidedly extreme, but it's easy to see how it is in service of the ideas of the collection, and it doesn't rob the clothes of their impact. The leather safari jacket in the first photo is a thing of real beauty, as is that gorgeous embroidered shirt in the second.

The second section of the show was my favorite.

I just love this. I'm always a fan of a monochromatic palette done in lots of different textures, and I think these desert-inspired clothes are simply gorgeous.

That jacket is fantastic. FANTASTIC.

No, of course no one is going to walk down the streets of Manhattan swathed in mosquito netting, but it makes for a lovely effect on the runway.

Aside from the Lawrence of Arabia headgear (and probably the sandals avec chaussures), if a man showed up to take me out to dinner wearing this, I wouldn't bat an eye. Okay, I would bat, but in the good way. He would be ill-advised to leave that embroidered vest unattended, though. I would gank that in a heartbeat.

The other thing I love about John Galliano? Sense of humor.

C'mon! That's FUNNY. Nothing Tisci showed in his collection had even the tiniest bit of humor about it. Okay, sure, it was funny, but not in the way you want.

Pat McGrath did the makeup for Galliano's show and as usual it was great, but it was in this last section that she really got to go to town and show what a genius she is.

Voila! Napoleon himself! If you are a hair stylist or makeup artist, it must be a dream come true to work with Galliano.

Normally I don't go for the sort of goth thing we're edging into here

(unless it's a certain Billowy Coat King of Pain TV character whom I still miss), but I think this is beautiful. I doubt there are very many men who will be willing to take the time to wrap themselves so artfully about the waist with a shirt like that, but I really think they should. (Yes, it's a shirt. Look closely. Talk about working your wardrobe resources!)

I also don't think any of the men in my life would be willing to go with this look, with the embroidered lapels and the layers of what looks like tulle, but again -- just gorgeous. As we know, any designer gets extra points from me for things that reward movement, and even this still photo makes me want to put on this coat and run across the moors or some such.

So.

Gallliano's shows and styling -- nutty, wacky, OTT. But that's okay with me. Galliano views every runway collection, for any of the labels he designs, as a laboratory for cooking up new ideas. You can see it quite clearly in his Dior Couture collections, and we expect to see the wildest flights of fantasy in couture, but he brings that to all of his ready to wear, too. He pushes everything to its most extreme and makes an enormous spectacle, but you can always see the bones of what he's doing inside it. Strip away the makeup and the mosquito netting and the laurel crowns on the models' heads and what you can see the beautiful clothes that are going to show up in the stores and the overall feeling of the season that he's created. Nothing Tisci showed is anything but a weak attempt at trendiness and shock value, and to my eye every single one of the exits from his show looked more ridiculous than any of Galliano's theatrical Corsairs with their inch-thick eyeliner. (And don't even get me started on how much it bothers me that Tisci seems to have no relationship What. So. Ever. To the history of the house of Givenchy; a designer, you'll recall, who was a protegé of Balenciaga and a favorite of Audrey Hepburn. Fancy Audrey wearing this. I don't think so.)


A note: Sorry I was AWOL all last week. It got a little hectic around here!


Images: Style.com

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