once again

haider ackerman has me completely ready to sell off my own organs in order to buy his entire fall 08 collection.

who needs two lungs anyway?



fall 08:

i'm moving to paris

if only for fashion week.
who's coming with me?


issey miyake
fall 08:




































ann demeulemeester
fall 08:



























karl lagerfeld
fall 08:
























andrew gn
fall 08:



























lutz
fall 08:

i don't ask for much

just the ability to live out the rest of my life in these two lines...



isabel marant
fall 08:




































balenciaga
fall 08:

i've been waiting for this...

PARIS!!



balmain:




















rick owens:

hollywood schmollywood

i hate the oscars. the entire ridiculous production is just another way for celebrities to parade around and pump themselves up in front of cameras and an overly adoring american television audience. i have a serious problem with the growth of celebrity worship in our culture, but that's an entirely different argument.


unfortunately, as much as i despise them, i watch the oscars every year in the vain hope that this will finally be the year that they break out and blow my mind...and every year i am disappointed. it's become so predictable that it has reached the point where i can call what they are going to wear:

ladies: a versace dress, cartier or h. stern jewels and a clutch by someone like judith leiber or swarovski.
guys: armani suit.


hold on, you are telling me that those are the ONLY designers willing to let you borrow things for the BIGGEST fashion night in hollywood? and you're telling me that you're OK with that?? come on kids, there are hundreds of thousands of designers out there, good designers, who would chop off their own extremities in order to dress one of you for such an occasion. reach outside the bubble of ralph lauren and chanel for one year, i dare you! it's so disheartening to see a world of extremely talented people and for some reason only a few are continued to be relied on, and it's not even as if those old standbys are that amazing. what about some lanvin? or nina ricci? i would love to see one of you girls strut down that carpet in an alexander mcqueen getup or a liquid silver haider ackerman gown, even dolce and gabbana had some amazing spring pieces i would like to have seen. you have access to absolutely everything in the world and a night tailor made for you to wear the most stunning pieces that world has to offer, i just don't understand why you keep letting me down...





and in the spirit of it all, i will again hope that next year is better.



well...at lease heidi klum knows what's up.
heidi klum in custom john galliano:



the good ones:

marion cotillard in gaultier paris haute couture



cameron diaz in christian dior:





the predictable ones:

katherine heigl in escada:


hillary swank in versace:



jennifer garner in oscar de la renta:



amy adams in proenza schouler:







the wtf ones:

laura linney:
are you going to prom?




jennifer hudson:
this makes my boobs hurt just looking at it.



calista flockhart:
apparently just got out of the shower.
>


rebecca miller:
i just don't know...






not all that great, but at least they weren't boring ones:

cate blanchett in dries van noten:



tilda swinton in lanvin:



diablo cody in christian dior:





and dear god,
in my old age please let me be something like helen mirren.
she just keeps getting more stunning with age:

obsessed

i just can't get enough european design these days. specifically the scandinavians, from copenhagen to stockholm to helsinki, these kids have mastered the art of beautifully crafted minimalism. although my love for acne and hope will never die, my newest fixation is 5th avenue shoe repair. introduced to me last year by my dear friend taylor, i was reintroduced at this season's capsule show in nyc and the love affair started all over again. i can currently only find two stores in the us (bird in brooklyn and opening ceremony in both nyc and la) who carry the line, but i'm willing to save every penny i have and fly to each respective city with an empty suitcase just to have these pieces in my life.


love.


preview pics of fall 08:

addio milano

the last bits of milan fashion week.


iceberg:



























fendi:





















krizia:
























bring on paris!!
<3

my confession

i secretly envy the girl who can wear marni. and not just marni, but marni the way it was meant to be worn, the way consuelo costiglioni sends it down the runway: thrown together and off beat, like those cool artsy girls who always seem to get it just right.


maybe next lifetime.



fall 08:

gucci in milan

this collection isn't quite what i was expecting, but it isn't a complete letdown either. at this point the ethnic thing is a bit overdone, but there are still some absolutely gorgeous pieces.

fall 08:

fall in milan: part II

a little bit more...




6267 (from former maxmara designers Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi)





















bottega veneta:

that certain something...

what is it with french girls and their impeccably effortless style? they throw on paperbag dresses and parkas with mussed hair and no makeup and somehow come out looking perfect.



they must all live in isabel marant.
i want to as well...



recap of spring 08:

raf simons for jil sander

after studying industrial design at the royal academy of arts in belgium, in 1995 raf simons took up menswear and worked with flemish designer walter van beirendonck in paris. in 2005 he was appointed creative director of the house of jil sander, where he has crafted collections deemed perfect for the modern career woman. always detailed, minimal and completely wearable for the fast paced, frantic (yet ultimately beautiful) world we live in.


simon also designs a signature line which is carried at both barney's and seven new york.



jil sander
fall 08:

fall in milan

derercuny:


















emporio armani:


















moschino cheap and chic:

this is missoni?

yeah, i'm confused too. it's demure, it's sophisticated, and dare i say...a bit prada-esque??



definitely a step in the right direction.


fall 08:

finally hit their mark

is it just me, or is gucci really knocking it out of the park these days? i know a lot of critics are harsh on designer frida giannini for not being able to fill the shoes of tom ford, and while i will always be a tom ford fan, it's nice to see someone take gucci in a different direction. frida is less focused on sex and more focused on being a woman, and for a girl who likes to admire the ladies who can rock deep plunged v-neck gowns but never have the guts to throw one on herself, it's refreshing to see some gucci pieces i would actually wear.


excited to see what she drops for fall, in the meantime here's a recap of spring 08:

those brits sure are a quirky bunch

the best of london fashion week 2008


giles deacon:





















nathan jenden:





















louise goldin:


















ppq:


















jenny packham:

























roksanda illincic:

errrr

dem.



erdem moralioglu is a canadian designer of turkish and english descent. after graduating from the royal college of art in london, he worked for diane von furstenburg before launching his own collection in 2006.


fall 08:

massive attack to curate uk festival

london's southbank center's meltdown is an annual arts and music festival held every summer on the banks of the thames river in the british concert hall built in 1951 to replace the queen's hall, which was bombed in 1941. previously directed by the likes of david bowie, patti smith and morrissey, the festival brings together artists, djs, film makers and speakers for nine days of music, lectures and screenings. every year the center brings in a different artist to direct the festival in order to bring a brand new set of influences and direction for each presentation.



images from last year's festival, curated by pulp front man jarvis cocker:

trainwreck of the year

it's a close tie with miss britney, as their award show performances were equally awkward...but smoking crack on camera?


amy---2
britney---1








this has to be one of my favorite grammy moments EVER:







oh amy...

so torn

i have a hard time with diesel. i buy their pieces, i love their runway shows, their collections are getting better and better, but i step back and see the current american (particularly the southern) clientele and i want to immediately burn all said diesel pieces i once owned.


diesel is a conundrum to me because they are continually progressive in their aesthetic and their approach to marketing and cultural imprint, but it seems as though the people who typically buy diesel are not on the same wavelength. perhaps our european counterparts are more of what i picture when i think of the diesel customer. or maybe diesel has just found a way to become so appealing that they stretch from the fashion kids all the way down to middle-america consumers.

and for that, i commend them.



fall 08
the girls:





























the boys:

how every girl's wardrobe should be

some pieces to mix and match.
a few edgy dresses to turn some heads.
and classic frocks to wear to dinner with the family.



alice+olivia
fall 08


































<3

daft punk x playboy?

apparently playboy tapped a bunch of bands to create tees for the company's "rock the rabbit" collaboration series.


daft punk



new young pony club



margot and the nuclear so & sos



tokyo police club
>


hot chip






now all you dudes who say you read playboy for the "articles", can read said "articles" while wearing your "tees" and watching "art house films" (ie: look at naked chicks in your boxers watching porn)


peep the rest of what's to come here!


cheers.

how is it

that some newbie (so maybe he's not a "newbie", he has worked for both alexander mcqueen AND vivienne westwood...) little kid from project runway had me more captivated than any of the seasoned designers at new york fashion week??


the elders better step up their game...

christian seriano
fall 08

zero

born in chile, raised in england, currently crafting minimal, sophisticated creations in brooklyn new york and selling them in nolita and the west village, maria cornejo moved to nyc in 1997 after her career as a designer took her to london, tokyo, paris and milan. cornejo opened her first store in 2006 and continues to be carried in fine retailers like barneys, holt renfrew, dover street market and joyce boutique in hong kong.


fall 08:

shipley & halmos

after helping launch the california preppy-cool line trovata a few years ago sam shipley and jeff halmos decamped to new york to launch their own namesake co-ed collection: shipley & halmos.

always erring a bit on the conservative side, the line uses beautiful materials to craft simple, yet eye catching garments that are easy and classic.

no one is saying that these boys reinvented the design wheel, but they are making luxe a bit more youthful and accessible, and i'm always a fan of that!

vera wang

i don't want to like you!!


i associate you with snooty, upper east side brides and their overbearing mothers. i don't want to "oooo" and "ahhhh" over the artfully thrown together looks you send down the runway. i don't want to wish i could purchase (and thus have a place to wear) one of your beautifully draped satin gowns. and i really don't want to like your line for kohl's. KOHL'S??


does anyone know the name of a good doctor?
i think i need to have my head examined...

rodarte?

they have the fashion world buzzing and to tell you the truth i am a bit baffled by it all. to me their looks come off as an arts and crafts project gone wrong but perhaps my eye isn't trained enough?


am i wrong?

me and marc jacobs

we've had a rocky affair. when he's on, he's ON...but when i get let down it's the most heart-wrenching breakup a girl can go through. last time around i was disgusted with the overly grunged out, thrown together thrift store looks he sent down the runway for his marc by marc collection. this time he cleaned the kids up and they look pretty damn good.



i think marc and i are back together again.
at least for the season...


the girls:

































the boys:

new york: part II

thakoon panichgul:















doo.ri
by doori chung















malo:



















highlight of the day:
chris benz

oh, new york

how you disappoint me! i know it's only a few days into fashion week, but where is the passion?! on other occasions i find myself falling in love with everything you give me, this time around i find that i'm struggling to pull together a few pieces to share. is it that i am getting cynical, or is new york getting too somber? i am fully aware of the fact that your city is a tough one, and that you must dress accordingly, but does that mean you have to wimp out on the creativity?


show me more!!

an interesting take on androgeny from ruffian
by brian wolk and claude morais:
















a disappointing collection from threeasfour.

i was expecting more drama! all i got where a few ruffles...












as well as slim choices from jonathan saunders:













preen seemed to stray from the bondage dress silhouette of past seasons, showing a stronger range:






















highlights so far:


brazilian designer alexandre herchcovitch:























and alexander wang:

























wang's collection was one of the few that stood out because it truly captures the essence of new york. it's gritty, it's androgenous, it's beautiful but not too fussy. there are creative details in the collection although wang is careful not to let them overshadow the entire garment. he is a true city kid because of his understanding that girls need to look amazing and stand out from the crowd, but they also need to dash for the subway every now and then. his clothes speak to both sides of that girl...the side that wants to look amazing and the side that needs to be ready for anything because if there is one thing that you CAN rely on in new york, it's that you never know what the day might bring you...






more tomorrow
<3