Wintour on McQueen

"We are devastated to learn of the death of Alexander McQueen, one of the greatest talents of his generation. He brought a uniquely British sense of daring and aesthetic fearlessness to the global stage of fashion. In such a short career, Alexander McQueen’s influence was astonishing — from street style, to music culture and the world’s museums. His passing marks an insurmountable loss."

RIP Alexander McQueen

He was brilliant and his work was consistently beautiful, original, and fearless. His clothes were regal, theatrical, ornate, historical but timely, and above all, never trendy. His death is tragic, and there is now a void of creativity in the fashion world that none could fill like he did.Read his obituary in the Times.
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Anticipating Reed Krakoff

Marc Jacobs has been the de facto face of American design for a while, but not since the days of grunge has his work been idiosyncratically American. Lately, his work has been overshadowed by his frequent tabloid presence. Zac Posen was thought, for a time, to be the new wunderkind of American design with the potential for knocking Marc Jacobs off his throne, but his star seems to have fallen. Thakoon is a fashion darling, but my impression is that his fame is due in large part to his youth and the consistently high quality of his work, rather than his exceptional talent for innovation. Older American designers rely on heavy-handed, sometimes literal flag-waving (Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger), but their designs are too cautious and conservative to be pioneering. Ditto Donna Karan and others, whose work is good, to be sure, but whose inventiveness is debatable.

After Reed Krakoff's fashion week debut in less than two weeks, the fashion world may have a new American design pioneer. The level of anticipation surrounding his show is palpable, and the amount of press it's receiving is a testament to that fact. Once the reviews are in, critics may find themselves shouting a collective "Go West!", and New York could reclaim its place as the global fashion capital, paving the design path for the new decade. But there's no telling till the last model walks down the RK runway, so stay tuned.

"Art, design, and architecture influence everything I do... Right now, for me it's about re-embracing design that is unmistakably American—reimagining and reconfiguring it, while simultaneously elevating it, in a way." Regarding this image of a Lee Bontecou sculpture, Reed Krakoff said, "I'm really feeling for these kind of naive, industrial textures, but executed in a more refined, unexpected way." - Vogue

The September Issue

The DVD of The September Issue is being released on the 23rd. When I saw it in the theater last year, I was frustrated by its overemphasis on the editorial process and its glossing over of moments that could've proved to be liminal and profoundly revealing of its central character. Although it was interesting to see Anna Wintour's selection process and the actual construction of a September Vogue issue, the subtext of the whole film was, supposedly, to provide insight into what makes Ms. Wintour function, and even -- some might say -- to humanize her.

Though her choices are interesting, more interesting is why she makes the choices she does. There is a particularly poignant moment in the film, in which she refers to the disparate career paths of herself and her siblings. Without ever changing her facial expression or tone, she seems to reveal a bitter sibling rivalry. She says, flatly and maybe sarcastically, that her siblings are saving the world, and they find her work vapid and meaningless.

I was stunned by her comment. As a middle child with five competitive siblings, this information was hugely revealing as it illuminated a great deal to me about Ms. Wintour's M.O.. But apparently it was not even slightly compelling to the director, R.J. Cutler, who let it come and go without comment and never returned to it. He seemed to find the dynamic between Grace Coddington and Ms. Wintour to be far more deserving of attention, and though it was interesting, how much more compelling would it have been if we were to have learned that Anna Wintour's decisions are influenced by a fierce desire to prove to her siblings, and the world, that fashion is neither vapid nor meaningless; or that it is, but who cares anyway when it is the source of her power?

Sophie Srej

It's been a while since I got excited about a model, but Hungarian model Sophie Srej has changed that.
I actually met her through mutual friends when she had only recently moved to New York and spoke just a few words of English. (Here we are in the Fall of 2008.)And look at her now, on Rodarte's runway! I was actually just flipping through the March issue of Marie Claire and came across a picture of her from this show. Keep your eye out for her! She's stunning, and clearly versatile.

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Peru

Okay, I promise I'll give Mario Testino a break soon, but I've been reading a lot about him lately. Despite being a big fan of his, I never realized he was born in Peru, and in fact has a photography book called Lima, Peru, which looks fantastic.

I was in Peru last year and found it absolutely breathtaking. It's no wonder people flock to it.During an interview with The Independent, Mr. Testino said, "I grew up in Peru in a very conventional Catholic upbringing, so sex was a taboo. But at the same time it was the 1960s; the sexual revolution. So I'm a contradiction."

Danish-Peruvian Helena Christensen was in Peru last year on behalf of Oxfam to document the effects of climate change in the country.

Read more about it here.

The Stuff of Dreams

I know I haven't updated in awhile. Life's been busy, etc., etc. But today I had one of those surreal New York experiences that begs to be written about.

This morning I was having brunch with a friend at NoHo Star. I glanced at the table beside me and who should I see but Mario Testino. I became instantly giddy. I excitedly told my friend who was sitting nearby and she didn't know who he was, but she said, "Go say hi!"

Without really thinking, I walked up to him and, unabashedly gushing, said, "I'm so sorry to interrupt, I'm just a huge, huge fan of your work. You're amazing!" He smiled kindly and said, "Well thank you! And I'm a huge fan of your style!"

I nearly threw my arms around him, but I managed to maintain my composure and I left him to his brunch.

Oh Mario Testino, I love you even more now than I did before!

Wearing Art

Many gowns aim for the appearance of grace, fluidity and movement. Rihanna's dress, at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards, seems to be going for a stop-motion effect.
Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2, by Marcel Duchamp. Anyone else see the resemblance? When Duchamp debuted this painting, critics loathed it and said it looked like "an explosion in a shingle factory." But, it turned out that the world had never seen quite an explosion, and the painting stuck and became an iconic image of the 20th century. I cannot help but feel the designer of Rihanna's dress was inspired, either consciously or subconsciously, by Marcel Duchamp.
If given the opportunity, go to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to see this painting. It's even better in real life.

What Should I Wear to a Premiere?

I have an extremely busy travel schedule coming up, which will include eight cities on two coasts in two weeks. Or ten cities, including layovers. It's hard to call that kind of travel vacation, but that's what I'm calling it.

I'll be vising friends and family in Seattle, and helping with a photoshoot. Then I'll head down to LA for a film premiere (and a total of thirty hours in LA). Then I fly back to New York, and six hours later take a train to New Haven, Connecticut. The next day I'll drive up to Montreal for a wedding, turn around the next day, and drive back to New York.

Then I move into a new apartment, and a few days later I leave for Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

I'm exhausted just talking about it. So, in order to cut back on things to think about, I'm requesting advice: what should I wear to the premiere?

Look forward to hearing feedback!

xo

Schlub

On Friday, Manhattan seemed to have been hit with monsoon weather. It was humid and miserable, and that was before the massive downpour of warm rain. I had been running around all day, getting soaked, stomping in puddles, looking like a drowned rat, but somehow my friends coerced my into going out. Despite the fact that I was wearing wellies and looking waterlogged, I agreed.

On the train into midtown, I sat next to this charming transsexual, who looked exceedingly glamorous, waving her black lace fan and wearing gaudy rhinestones. I felt like even more of a schlub.
Boots: Festival by Hunter. Bag: Garnet XL with chain by Coach.

Wherefore Art Thou, Summer?

Well, it's July 1st and this is the weather forecast for New York City:

Thank goodness my new boots arrived from Gilt Groupe. I jumped on them because they're so cheap off-season, but apparently, based on the ominous weather report, I won't have to wait till autumn to make use of them.

Waiting for the inevitable muggy heat are my other new shoes: python gladiators with gold lining. Every girl should own a pair, right?

Sustainable Sartorialist

"Here's how it works: There are 7 identical dresses, one for each day of the week. Every day I will reinvent the dress with layers, accessories and all kinds of accouterments, the majority of which will be vintage, hand-made, or hand-me-down goodies. Think of it as wearing a daily uniform with enough creative license to make it look like I just crawled out of the Marquis de Sade's boudoir."

What do you think? Could you manage, or would you get cabin fever in your dress?

Read more about The Uniform Project.
HuffPo

Daria's Derring-Do

Not too long ago, I was drinking tea in a cafe on the Upper West Side and Daria Werbowy walked in and sat a few tables over from me. Inside I was a bit giddy; it's fun to see the models I write about, and Daria is one of my favorites.

I see models somewhat frequently and my reaction is usually not, "Wow, she's so gorgeous!" but rather, "Wow, she is so extreme looking." Extremely tall, extremely thin, extremely angular, and extreme eyes (my sisters and I call them hammerhead eyes, because often models eyes appear to be practically on the sides of their heads).

Daria is no exception physically, but her demeanor seemed soft. While I acknowledge that my brief and impersonal brush with Daria didn't give me luminous insight into her personality, she struck me as gentle.

Which is why I love these pictures from French Vogue so much. Here she models swimsuits atypically, and in my opinion, much more compellingly than in the run-of-the-mill swimsuit spreads we're all accustomed to this time of year.
I would like this photoshoot to inspire a movie directed by Quentin Tarantino.
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Jam in Tam?

Michelle hosting a poetry jam
Possibly wearing Vivienne Tam

If anyone knows
The designer of those
Colorful threads she is wearing

I beg you to tell me
and end my inquiry
To save the rest of us guessing

Ikat

Ikat, or Ikkat, is a style of weaving that uses a resist dyeing process similar to tie-dye on either the warp or weft before the threads are woven to create a pattern or design. A Double Ikat is when both the warp and the weft are tie-dyed before weaving.

Ikat means "to tie" or "to bind" in the Malay language. Wikipedia

Ikat has various international incarnations, from Indonesia to Spain to Native American tribal patterns.

A few seasons ago it found its way to the runway...

Yesterday it found its way to the cover of WWD:
There are Ikat handbags from Coach and Target... ...and Fall 09 woolens (thanks to Pendleton for Opening Ceremony).

So what do you think? Is this trend worth ikatching up on? (Sorry, sorry...).

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Mummified Muses

I visited The Met this weekend to see The Model as Muse. I was able to sneak a few pictures before getting tsk-tsked by a docent.

Unfortunately, the show was desultory and uninformative. The rooms were extremely dim, making it impossible to view the intricacies of the craftsmanship. The mannequins were, obviously, cold and lifeless, and when paired with the dull lighting, the room gave off the aura of a tomb.
The exhibit winds down a narrow hallway with about three switchbacks, and it ends in a large room with a moderately impressive collection of early Nineties dresses (Anna Sui, Perry Ellis). Making my way down the dark hallways, staring at the frigid mannequins decked out in their finest, I felt like I was tunneling through a burial vault, surrounded by mummies who had taken all their lovely garments with them to the grave in hopes of recovering them in the afterlife. I was half expecting to see a little mummified pet along the way, too.
The walk is formatted like a timeline. It begins with the turn of the century, then almost immediately jumps to Dior's New Look, then it skips to Mod London (loved the YSL beaded silk organdy - part Mod, part Flapper), and then charges full speed ahead into the Era of the Supermodel.

The timeline is as rudimentary as Spark Notes for 20th Century Fashion 101, only it is evidently missing several pages.

I wasn't aware of ambient music in the first part of the exhibit, but once I reached the era of Cindy, Christy, et al., I was suddenly bombarded with Wham's "Freedom" and the ostentatious designs of Gianni Versace. I quickly edged into the next room where jubilant Wham gave way immediately to "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and the age of Kate Moss and anti-glamour.

The lack of segues was discombobulating and I was anxious to get away and on to something less bizarrely exhibited (like 5000 year-old Cypriot and Persian jewelry).

The Model as Muse, I believe, entirely missed its own point. It reinforced the stereotype of models being lifeless and personality-free clothes hangers, instead of vaunting the ability of rare models who surpass this lowly moniker by performing alchemy and bringing otherwise inanimate clothing to life. These models do exist and just might be worthy of their own show at The Met, but certainly not this one.

Purple Python

This week I noticed that the bag I've been carrying around for months now looks decidedly funereal. The sun is shining, people have stowed their eskimo coats, women are wearing breezy skirts, and I'm still lugging a black, wintery tote.

Time to revamp for summer.

I'm taking night classes, so I still need a bag big enough to haul text books, a laptop, and all the other things I'm compelled to drag around the city.

I figure purple python with gold hardware is about as exotic and exciting as a tote gets, and right now life is calling for something exotic and exciting. No more wintery black.

I might look like Elle Woods carrying this into my economics class, but Elle Woods is my generation's feminist hero, isn't she?

Bag by Coach.

The Model as Muse

As a lover of fashion and denizen of New York City, I am very excited about the latest exhibit at The Met. The Model as Muse opened this week with much hoopla and, of course, the rote drama.

Anna Wintour wouldn't acknowledge Azzedine Alaïa's genius by including him in the show, and Alaïa got his feathers ruffled and called her a dictator, and now everyone's all in a tizzy.

I'll go to see the show, despite being a loyal admirer of Alaïa's, and I will simply say this: Azzedine Alaïa is an icon and institution whether or not Anna Wintour cares to acknowledge him. In addition, the most powerful woman in fashion has his back: Michelle Obama.

In fifty years, when they release coffee table books of Lady O's headline-making fashions, there will be picture after picture of the First Lady looking smashing in Alaïa, and Anna Wintour will be rolling in her grave.

With the First Lady as muse, who needs a model?

Shoes of the Summer

The Luella wedge by Cynthia Vincent.

My first official purchase of summer attire. I am so happy to put my boots at the back of the closet, paint my toes a vibrant color and rock some almost-5" heels.

Anyone else finding great summer shoes that call for vibrant nailpolish?

Wooden wedge, leather. Four straps from toe to vamp, two straps around ankle. Small buckle closures. Zipper opening from toe to ankle. Closed back. Leather insole and sole. 4.75" heel.

Find them here.

The Not Fresa Tote

I'm typically one who shies away from patent products. Something about the high gloss makes me feel a little tarty, although tarty doesn't quite describe it. The best word I can think of doesn't really have an English translation, but in Spanish, it's fresa. Literally, it means strawberry. Colloquially, it means something like "entitled brat on The Hills." That's how patent makes me feel.

However, I just got this large patent tote (unlike the tote pictured, mine has brass hardware). I love it. It holds everything: large wallet, two notebooks, a 640-page book (Chasing The Flame by Samantha Power), a water bottle, and any number of tiny extras like chapstick.
Because it's so utilitarian, there's nothing fresa about it, and I'm learning that patent paired with matte and more industrial-looking textures is actually quite striking.