It Hurts A Little

Actually, it hurts quite a bit...

(Prada -- click for link)

Because I want them. A lot. But they are heinously, ridiculously, head-spinningly expensive and I'm not going to have them. They cost what a good chunk of my much hoped-for trip across the pond this spring would cost, and I'm not prepared to sacrifice that.

There are a lot of over-the-knee boots going on this fall & winter. They started popping up last year and I really like the look. I'm not sure, however, that I'll be able to work them. I worry about my big ol' runner's thighs not fitting into them. I think that means that I'm going to have to do some research. The trying-on kind of research. And we know how much I just hate that...

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

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

Everyone Loves A Challenge

I love -- no, adore -- Miuccia Prada as a designer. She's consistently in my Ideal Wardrobe Top Five. But I have to tell you, I'm not sure I ever want to have dinner with her. Not because I don't think she's a nice person, I have no reason to believe she's not; but because I'm pretty sure she's really much, much smarter than me. Too much smarter than me. I'm afraid our conversation would consist of her expounding on politics, economics, and art (the woman has a PhD in political science, for god's sake, and she and her husband are going to be opening a museum in Milan solely for the purpose of displaying their contemporary art collection) while I gazed at her like a lovesick teenager and occasionally piped up with inanities like, "Oh, Ms. Prada. I love your clothes so much!"

I do love her clothes so much, although sometimes, I'll admit, they're challenging. That's why I like 'em. This collection, as far as I could tell, might have been titled "Fall '09: Mad Max Visits the English Countryside by Way of the Coliseum."

Yeah. I know.

So, this was not my favorite look of the collection. I really don't think there's going to be much of a market for the upscale Italian leather fishing wader. (Although stranger things have happened.) There seems to be something being said here about returning to basics, and classic pieces of clothing, and the natural world... but I'm not sure what.

The collections started with a series of slightly oversized basics in a very heavy, stiff-looking blanket wool.

I liked these a lot; they were just a little twisted with some interesting seaming and that cool overlapping side seam

This silhouette, with a sort of thirties draped bodice of velvet that I really liked, made an appearance

and then the velvet morphed into some devoré pieces that are just stunning

She played with that dress shape in several different ways

I'm afraid I'm not down with the fur dress. Besides being impractical (seriously, if it's cold enough for a fur dress, girlfriend is going to need a much higher decolletage), it's just not... attractive.

This neckline is one of the few times we small-busted gals have it over on the curvy ones. You can't have much of a chest and wear a dress cut like that without looking extremely tarty. Sometimes it's good to be a member of the IBTC. (I wonder if the vee will come higher once they go into production, or if they'll leave it like that. Sadly, I predict a lot of women who shouldn't wear it would anyway, so who knows. It might actually be a selling point for some ladies who have added to their natural blessings by visiting the plastic surgeon's office -- a great way to show off your investment.)

The sequins & appliqués are stunning, and I was simultaneously confused and fascinated by the leather-strip skirts.

There's something very Roman Centurian about those dresses that turns me off, but the detail and workmanship

are dazzling. And there is something about the prim toughness of them I find very alluring. I think "prim toughness" is a good desription of this collection -- a weird sort of tea party barbarity. Is this what Miuccia is trying to tell us: "Be nice, but be ready to throw down"? According to Style.com, Prada wanted the collection to be about the outdoors, but also wanted to do a lot of suits and coats. And, as Miuccia herself has pointed out many times in her career, sometimes it's best not to think about it too much. Sometimes she just has an idea and runs with it -- playing with shapes & volumes & fabrics.

The leathers were gorgeous

and the fabrics were really wonderful

And how about this lovely thing

which I'm completely in love with.

Besides the wacky waders

there were some other interesting shoes

and also some really interesting shoes

I am tired of this conceit of the lug-soled dress shoe. I've never liked it -- I find it as forced as the high-heeled sneaker, and almost as ugly. As for the mohawk shoe, well... it's certainly editorial. You're going to see them in a lot of magazines, but I'm afraid I don't think they're going to fly off the shelves. They're going to cost a mint and they are not the sort of all-purpose shoe that's going to last for years that most women want to spend a mint on right now. Glorious, yes. Practical? Not so much. And I sure hope that leather is very, very soft and those studs are very very smooth because if you're anything like ankle-kicking me you'd cut your legs to ribbons with them otherwise.

Bags are always the steam behind the engine at Prada, and there were some very good ones

Those leather totes won't just be good for a few more seasons -- they're the kind of bags you can carry for the rest of your life. And while I find the little fur clutches kind of adorable,

I could do without the giant fur bag. I dunno. It's just a big hunk of... fur. Meh.

On the whole I think it's a great collection. It's a wee bit indigestible in places, but it certainly tickles my gray matter, and there's actually quite a bit in it I found very wearable. I don't think it's going to sell as well as some of Prada's previous work, or as some other designers this season. These clothes are not as obvious a response to the economic climate we're suffering through as Marc Jacobs' exuberant time traveling escape back to the nightclubs of 1980's New York, or the several-season bang-for-your-buck sleek basics of Michael Kors. Miuccia Prada, I suspect, is not that linear a thinker, and is a much more subtle designer. But I really liked these clothes, even the ones I didn't like, for simultaneously evoking the discomfort most of us are feeling these days and suggesting a balm for it.



Photos: Style.com