One ocean and one continent away, the couture shows are upon us, and Riccardo Tisci’s presentation for Givenchy 
is among our favorites so far. WWD has the collection in full (subscrip. required).
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One ocean and one continent away, the couture shows are upon us, and Riccardo Tisci’s presentation for Givenchy is among our favorites so far. WWD has the collection in full (subscrip. required).
I wanted to take a razor to GQ.com this morning.
From Yohji Yamamoto and Jean Paul Gaultier to Junya Watanabe and the Parisian street scene as photographed by Tommy Ton, I felt like I was reading a Bearded & Tschorn post from the World Beard & Mustache Championships.
Irony: I have stubble today. Non-irony: Voluminous facial hair jumped the shark in Williamsburg by my estimation last fall (though hold-outs are aplenty). Why is it all the rage in Paris? —Paul Dexter
I’m obsessed with all things Housewives (except for the thought of actually being a housewife myself, that is). And this season of the Bravo reality empire’s New Jersey incarnation has proved to be an even more pleasant surprise than usual, as there is an awesome, fashionable story line thrown in.
Crazy Danielle Staub (you know, the one who was arrested for — ahem, allegedly — kidnapping someone and selling drugs) has a stunning sixteen year-old daughter named Christine who has just been signed as a model to IMG. In addition to all the show’s standard table flipping fun, this season follows young Staub as she walks her very first show during New York Fashion Week, is featured in her very first photo shoot and gets the cover of The Daily.
Unlike most reality show plots that feel completely staged, there is no doubt in my mind that Staub is modeling because the right people actually think she has what it takes. She looked fantastic on last night’s show while walking Rebecca Minkoff’s runway and will probably go far as a face in the industry. Also unlike other reality show story lines, Staub is aligning herself with the right brands instead of the cheesetastic, press hungry names usually clambering to be featured on these things.
And as an added bonus, I’m pretty sure I spotted local styling superstar and Confederacy owner Ilaria Urbinati backstage at the Minkoff show on last night’s episode.
Best of luck to Christine. With a mother like that, she’ll need it.
For Stacey Clark, designer behind emerging L.A.-based line Odilon, the future is not pretty—though her clothes are. The 23-year-old Canadian transplant (and an accomplished equestrian champion in her own right) says she referenced both primordial times and the End of Days in the 12 looks shown at the Eighth Veil gallery in Hollywood on Wednesday evening. “I love movies like 28 Days Later,” she says, “this is what they’d be wearing—only chic.” Clark and assistant designer Harold Kuhn’s pieces are superbly constructed–as Harvey Nichols and Intermix have already noticed (both have picked up the line); she uses thick neoprene and fabrics more likely to be seen on the inside of running shoes for minimalist dresses, and partially dyed the rabbit fur on a $1,700 leather jacket (pictured) with a texture appears natural at one moment, and blaze orange the next (the color represents a nuclear explosion).
The collection was accompanied by a short film by Dual, a vivid short film by Alia Raza that featured, among other imagery, a model wandering in an arid wasteland and wearing an Odilon transluecent raincoat lined with spiderweb organza.
Kelly Cutrone was in a western mood last night, as evidenced by her rhinestoned cowboy boots at the Alternative Apparel fall 2010 show in a Spring Street loft downtown last night she had produced (no steel toes, thankfully). Models worked the parquet floors in loose overalls, Depression-era chambray button-downs and henley shirts resembling long underwear (in my experience, ultra-comfy too). The references were perhaps based on shows like HBO’s “Carnival” from seasons past—not groundbreaking, but the men’s slim chinos and women’s yesteryear floral print dresses were a nice change of pace from L.A. Fashion Week’s swank swagger elsewhere.
And serving popcorn and candy apples at a runway show = not a bad idea, especially if guests are traversing the city in order to get there. Nikki Reid and Ivan Sergei were among the front-row attendees.
Confused.
That about sums up our feelings on Yotam Soloman’s Fall/Winter 2010 presentation Thursday night. The confusion started with the location a private residence tucked high up in the “Bird Streets” section of the Hollywood Hills. After zig zagging through a massive line of traffic on stick-thin roads we pulled up to the valet only to be turned away. So we went in search of street parking. And during the 15 minute, uphill trek girls had to remove their heels. Eventually, though on the brink of an asthma attack, we arrived with a smile hoping to see some great fashion to match our travel efforts and the excellent jetliner views.
Then came a second round of confusion.
In lieu of a runway, models would be “milling about near the couches.” Uh, ok. And judging by our eavesdropping, it seemed we weren’t the only bewildered guests. This is ridiculous”… “Wait, where is the runway?”… “Did we miss the show?”…”Is there a show?”…
But even more confusing than the lead up to the “show” was the collection itself. A lack of cohesion made it difficult to discern Solomon’sdesigns from a random party-goer’s ensemble. Between a complicated satin mini, a fringed jersey dress and what looked like a skirt-suit for the club, we were left, dare we say it again, confused. On the upside, Solomon is only 22, which leaves plenty of room for growth. And his collection of shoes on display were promising.
Overall, the event fell victim to the typical evils of L.A. Fashion—lack of attention to design and detail for an excuse to schmooze and booze.
But at least we got a good workout.
The subdued presentation of McQueen’s fall 2010 collection — or 15 looks from what likely would have been a larger addition to his already prodigious ouevre — were shown Tuesday in a salon at PPR, the luxury conglomerate owned by Francois Pinault that counts the McQueen label among its holdings.
The collection is, as one would expect, miraculous. Oskar Weinstein has the full collection on his great website here.
It’s a shame we didn’t see McQueen’s work commemorated at the Kodak Theatre on Sunday. For most who vamp along the red carpet, perhaps he was just too “edgy” (I word I still don’t really understand when it comes to describing fashion, 
though I assume it’s something antithetical to pretty and safe).
On my count, Salma Hayek was the only recognizable face to wear McQueen on Oscar night (to the Elton John afterparty, and the posterior of the dress was delightfully not one most Hollywood actresses would want associated with them). Then again, Hayek is married to … Francois Pinault.
Our pal Adam Tschorn over the L.A. Times, cracked the code this morning on what’s happening so far for L.A. Fashion Week. Looks to be a mash-up of one-off events.
Here’s Tschorn’s rundown:
Although we’re told the full schedule won’t be released until later this week, the dates — for whatever shape the event takes (last season it was essentially an open-to-the-public photo shoot for an insert in Flaunt magazine) will run March 16 to 21 (presumably at its 1446 E. Washington Blvd. studio space in downtown L.A.’s industrial district).
Trend spotting/merchandise consulting firm Directives West (a division of the Doneger Group) will be hosting a runway show that focuses on the contemporary market’s up-and-coming design talent and fall 2010′s key merchandising statements. March 19, 5:30 p.m.(5 p.m. if you’re cocktailing at the Cooper Building, 860 S. Los Angeles St., Penthouse on 11. Invite only.
The short-lived, one-season, merger of Rock Media and Gen Art appears to be over (calling the phone number at Rock Media and Entertainment’s Miami office gets a recorded message that the number is “currently unavailable,” and e-mails requesting information haven’t been returned). Gen Art reps tell us that despite the single New York and single Los Angeles event, done jointly, the merger was “never consummated.” (More details on that, if and when we get them).
Gen Art plans to showcase 20 of its L.A.-based designer alumni poolside at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, and we’re told the event will consist of each participating designer showcasing a fall 2010 collection look on a “live model or muse.”
As of press time, names on the list included Eduardo Lucero, Elmer Ave, Endovanera, Erik Hart, Grey Ant, Jared Gold, Jeffrey Sebelia, Jovovich-Hawke, Katy Rodriguez, Louis Verdad, Rami Kashou and Society for Rational Dress. March 16, 7 to 10 p.m. Open to the public, and tickets can be purchased here.
Los Angeles Fashion Weekend at Sunset Gower Studios
The Gallery Los Angeles is producing its show at Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood for a second season. The roster is set to include runway shows by labels like A.B.S. by Allen Schwartz, Buffalo by David Bitton, Raw 7, and a something called the Green Initiative Humanitarian Fashion Show sponsored by the Green Youth Movement. March 19-21. All but the last production are trade-only, and tickets for the Green Initiative showcase can be purchased here.
Promising “LA Fashion Week in one night,” and billing itself as the incubator of fashion, music and art, Project Ethos is holding a 10-designer runway show bookended by musical acts and DJ sets, and surrounded by art. The designer line up includes two “Project Runway” alumni – Season 6′s Gordana Gehlhausen and Season 7′s Jesus Estrada. The event is scheduled for the Music Box @ Fonda, 6126 Hollywood Blvd., March 19, 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Open to the public, tickets can be purchased here.
Milan Fashion Week has offered various takes on the tough-as-nails aesthetic that’s been squatting in the fashion zeitgeist every since the recession started. And I’m all for the black-heavy, city-ready styles that make you feel as though you just stepped off a Herb Ritts photo shoot with a baby-faced Cindy Crawford.
Bottega Veneta’s variations (see center) felt especially young and urban, incorporating PVC leggings with power-girl boots and layer-ready tops and jackets. We’re all expected to be a little super-human these days, so why not dress the part?
Photo, from left: Looks from Missoni, Bottega Veneta and Salvatore Ferragamo. Courtesy of Style.com.
The men’s shows in New York haven’t been exactly revelatory statements, but then again not all of us want to wear some grand declaration on irony or consumption or whatever; we just want a decent fair isle sweater. Rag & Bone had them in spades in a tight collection. I can’t say I like their denim (ridiculously priced and not all that fashionable, steer clear). The fall pieces are striking, however. Thanks to Michael Williams of the incomparable blog A Continuous Lean for taking this video of the final walk at NYFW. — Paul Dexter
RAG & BONE AW10 from Michael Williams on Vimeo.
