theasceticlibertine

Le Hard Act To Follow: YSL Runway Review

If I were Stefano Pilati, the minute I was told that I had won out over Alexander McQueen to take over head design for YSL (on the heels of Tom Ford, no less), I kinda woulda been freaking right out and not in the good way.  Taking over YSL, the legendary label helmed by the brilliant Yves, who gave us such lasting classics as Le Smoking and such memorable fashion firsts as the Mondrian dress, is something that would make even the strongest of designers falter.  (Except Mr. Ford, of course, with his outsized ego and incredible handsomeness, who took over Rive Gauche without seemingly batting an eye).  Pilati started off slowly (and some might say shakily) but I was quite impressed with his showing for Fall 07.  Fall's lineup included updated versions of Le Smoking, with a dash of somber grey thrown in for good measure.  Now, I'm pretty much done with neutrals for another few good years.  At this point, I could die of beige.  Every sweater, blouse, skirt, dress in any kind of knit this past fall was some shade of grey and beige, and seeing that it's going to be big again this fall is boring me already.  But black is the new black (again) and Pilati's YSL offerings were strong and even slightly dramatic.  He's no Yves, but give him time. 

YSLtuxdress

I am loving this Amelia Earhart moment.  I know it's a little wacky and just-for-runway, but I was seriously considering buying a leather aviator cap earlier this year and so I found myself just a little thrilled that it showed up on the runway.  The tie at the kneck, the trapeze of the skirt and the tuxedo-gone-girly vibe of the dress? coat? both? just does me in.  It pays homage to the great Yves but does something unique as well.

Sometimes you gotta give it up to something you know you could personally never wear, but would look slammin' on someone else.  This is that outfit:

YSLpantsuit

I know of a couple of people who could rock that long, lean look.  I am normally incredibly anti-tapered legs (hideous memories of the eighties resurface) but the proportions on this are exactly right.

I am a sucker for jumpers, especially grown-up ones that don't make me look like I'm starting kindergarten tomorrow:

YSLjumper

The flared skirt adds a playful touch to something that could be incredibly severe and somber.  And, to continue in the flared skirt vein:

YSLswing

It's lovely, but I'm not gonna lie--it reminds me of Donna Karan, circa 1994, but then, I love Donna Karan.  It's cute, simple, chic.  Dresses like this work very well on smaller women so it's cool to see it lengthened.  To all my tall friends who say never to short, a-line dresses, I give you this example.

A dress that only a teeny, tiny delicate person could wear is this one:

 

YSLbow

Even that crazy Busby-Berkeley water ballet cap on her head doesn't give me pause.  I love it.  I love how tiny it is and how adorable it looks even on someone so tall and lanky (the dress, not the cap.  the cap is ridiculous).

There were a lot of covered heads in this show, and most of them looked like this:

YSLhood

It reminded me of pictures of saints, or Frida Kahlo with her mantilla on.  I love the detail on the sleeves.

In the coat realm, these were my two favorites:

YSLpuff

YSLcocoon

The coat/dress/whatever on the top?  I love those sleeves!  I don't know if it's because I was a Victorian in a past life or what, but I love them to all kinds of death.  The coat on the bottom is more of an example of the silhouette favored by Pilati for this collection.  He's still playing with volume, and I don't know that he has it quite right yet but I do like this slightly oversized cocoon coat.  The gathering in the middle gives it the right amount of structure. 

Last but not least, my favorite example of the grey seen in the collection:

 

YSLgrey

That fabric can look very austere in the wrong configuration, so I loved that Pilati gave it a looseness and was a bit irreverent with it.  Such a cool dress.  I'd wear it today, tomorrow, forever.

That's a wrap of the None More Black collection...  Next up is:  Steeeeellllllllaaaaaaa!!!!!

A Woman Obsessed: The Miu Miu Bag Saga

And oh, what a saga it has become.  What has been holding me up from writing about Stefano Pilati's lovely Fall collection for YSL?  A Miu Miu handbag.  Not just any handbag, dear readers.  I'm convinced the handbag I have seen is the Devil's Instrument.  I have trolled the internet for days--days!--with zero luck.  I have typed in every combination of "chocolate brown miu miu slouch leather handbag purse" etc... and ad nauseum and looked up every link and mention until my eyeballs are at the point of bleeding.  And why?  Because this bag has bewitched me.  It is The Perfect Bag, and if you know me, you know that doesn't happen every other day.  

Handbags are not something I'm addicted to.  Shoes, yes, by the boatloads and when the Revolution comes, I'll be able to hand them out to the barefoot hordes, but not handbags.  To me, they are purely functional.  Which is why this bag has bedeviled me.  I was sitting on the train home, minding my own business when a girl wearing a hoodie, leggings, sneakers and a scowl sat down near me.  My own handbag, though beautiful, gorgeous, etc... practically plummeted to the floor in embarrassment after seeing its competition.  The bag she was carrying had the perfect amount of slouch, was just big enough without being too big (I hate enormous bags) and she looked like she was guarding it with her life, her hands clutching it protectively, probably to safeguard it from the likes of me.

I stared and stared at that bag, memorizing its chocolatey-brown richness, the soft, smooth leather, the way it fit perfectly into her lap, and then, when she got up, how it had three (three!!!!) straps, all made of leather, and the longest just long enough to go across her body, but not too long (no messenger-style hanging bag near the knees).  I purse-stalked this girl long enough to read the logo, barely visible, at the bottom of her bag.  Miu Miu.  Curse you, Miuccia Prada!!!!

Sigh.  The bag looks sorta like this:

http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/19860

Except not black, and the hardware was not brass, and it didn't have buckles and the longer strap was leather, not nylon. 

Oh, well.  I'm sure I couldn't afford The Perfect Handbag even if I wanted to, but at the very least, can I not have some sort of resolution?  If nothing else, I'd like to know what season it's from and what it's called.  That way, 20 years from now, I can tell my kids about the magic handbag that stole their mother's sight.  I only have eyes for Miu Miu at the moment and that's all there is to it.

Runway Report: Chanel

The Fall Collections were shown in Paris this past week.  I haven't read a thing about them, trying not to pollute myself with anyone else's opinion.  I want to be objective and decide what I think is fabulous on my own, dangit.  So I've looked through slideshows of my favorite designers' creations for this coming fall (my favorite season, fyi).  I'm going to take it one designer per post.  I've already shown some McQueen, so I'll move on to Chanel.  Of Karl Lagerfeld's offerings this year, these were my favorites:

There is a woman out there who can wear head-to-toe Chanel, and that woman is not me. But even Lagerfeld has said that he loves the mix-and-match thing that's gone down in recent years.  Realistically, that's how people dress, unless you're absolutely clueless and can't mix-and-match and then you're in head-to-toe Chanel and I can assure you, it's not as fabulous as you'd think it would be.  We're back to the black and white spat boot, which I am a bit of a sucker for, and I'm glad to see it in a knee length, as calf length is a little harder to pull off, never mind over-the-knee, which as I've mentioned before, is probably best left to amazonian model types.   I love that this suit jacket is so distinctly Chanel, but eschews the plaid that's all over the rest of the collection.  It's definitely a piece that can be worn on its own, with jeans or over a dress and can be fancied up or left to be quite casual.  The skirt is extremely high-waisted (another fall trend) and I'm not quite as crazy about it, though I really want to be.  A high-waisted pencil skirt can be the most flattering thing in the world, but I'm not sure this skirt does that.  It feels a little long and loose, even on the model, so it could be that - gasp! - a fuller figure is needed to fully appreciate its charms.  And I love black tights, for the record.  The fashionistas can go to hell on that one.  I love them, that's all there is to it.  I find they break up this outfit quite nicely. 

I liked this coat quite a bit, even though I generally don't like wide, chalk pinstripes.  The coat works with the outfit perfectly, though, and this is an instance where head-to-toe Chanel is quite fabulous indeed.  The different patterns work off each other perfectly, from the pinstripe to the patterned tie, to the sweater vest with the tweed/houndstooth print.  I can absolutely do without the scarf around his waist, but otherwise I'd consider this one a slam-dunk.  I work with someone who mixes patterns like this in his shirts, ties and suits and it's awesomely impressive.  It's a feat to do with color, where things run much more of a chance of clashing.  This black, white and coal grey palette is much easier to mix it up with, but it's still done very well. 

Of all the patterns that were present in this collection, I'd say this coat was my favorite.  It's absolutely wearable and I love the patent leather belt and the shorter sleeves. 

This coat I think should never have left the atelier, but the dress is adorable.  The empire waist and cute little pleats are a nice departure from the bubble-hems everywhere else.  (For the record, I have nothing against a bubble hem, but they are damn near ubiquitous at this point in time.) 

I kinda like this dress, too, even though with that crazy necklace around her neck it looks a little like a nun's habit.  But I like the slight puff in the sleeves and the pockets.  A girl would have to be very careful that she didn't end up looking like her grandmother in this dress.  This is an instance where the tights and boots don't help.  Some leg and a nice high heel are required to pull it off. 

It's a crime this coat was only shown on a man, but I'd rock it anyway.  

This is another strange dress I found myself admiring.  It's odd, alright, but I like it despite that.  It's got a lot going on, what with the bows and the belt and the velvet, but having owned a black velvet, satin trimmed Chanel skirt in the past, I know how absolutely exquisite the workmanship is and can only think that this would look stunning on the right person. 

These two dresses (above and below) need to battle it out and have a fight over which one was the dominant "little black dress" in the collection.  They were my top picks.  Both are cocktail-event worthy and both can be glammed up to the nines. 

I'm not a huge bow person, trust me, but there's something about these black satin ones that doesn't scream "girly" to me as much as bows usually do.

All pics courtesy of the wonderfully useful and complete NY Mag fashion show section.  Go see for yourself, you don't believe me.  And no, they are not paying me.  Up next:  Yves Saint Laurent.  Toodles!

Theatre of the Avant-Garde

I know Alexander McQueen is, you know, too high fashion to wear in everyday life unless you are a certain kind of woman and that woman, I might as well let you know now, is one I aspire to be.  Yeah, McQueen was sort of the brat of the new pack a while back but he always had the designs to back himself up, even if your average person likened his work to say, Bjork's swan dress or something.  I confess an unabashed love for McQueen and his outlandish creations.  He's right up there with Lacroix, Galliano and Gaultier for me.  Just so you know, I would totally wear this dress any time and rock it like you ain't nevah seen:

McQueen

Stop looking at me like I'm crazy.  I mean it.  I seriously would. 

I would also like to state for the record that the boot trend I have loved for ages and ages amen is definitely going to have its heydey soon and I can't wait.  Behold, the up-to-there boot: 

McQueen Cross

I don't ride a hog and I don't wear chaps (nor do I find any of that appealing), but a skinny thigh-high boot with a nice, solid heel just gets me where it counts.  Is that wrong?

Obsession From A Season Past...

Damn you, Chanel.  Damn you, Karl Lagerfeld, you genius man whose every creation I find myself coveting.  (Seriously, can I give the man a shout out?  He's in his seventies and his designs are so current and classy and beautiful.  Genius, thy name is Karl.)

Well, onto my obsession... the over-the-knee boot.  Not to be confused with thigh-high stripper boots, which are not the same thing.  I am *not* talking about this:

Which, you know, whatever.  Strippers need shoes.  Prostitutes do too.  So do the goth kids.  And it gets cold out there on those winter nights with the skimpy and/or zero clothing and all. 

So, yeah, this is the only blog where you'll see Chanel boots in the same post as those crazy boots by Pleaser.  When I got the catalog for Americana Manhasset that gets stuffed in with my Vanity Fair, I thought the circus theme was pretty cute which led to me rifling through its pages, scanning the designer goods that I will never be able to afford.  Then I saw these Chanel boots and cursed the gods that I wasn't born with the Hilton fortune (though if I was, I probably wouldn't have the excellent taste required to appreciate these boots):

 

Now, logistically speaking, I cannot wear these boots.  Love them I may, drool and violently shake my fist at the sky over the fact that I will never have them, yes, but that is a model, and the boots are probably as tall as I am.  Also, the dress?  Perfection.  I love it so much, and with the boots I could just about go cross-eyed from visual overstimulation.

They are just hot. hot. hot. and were I a 6 ft. tall amazon I would have put the car into hock to own them.  So it's a good thing I don't have a car.

Today's Obsession: The Belt

I don't know why, but I'm always a sucker for a nice, thick corset belt.  I think it's because I was obsessed with Sylvia Plath as a young girl and being fashion-conscious even then, I wanted her belt (which you can barely see here, but go with it):

 

Amanda Wakeley had a similiar but even more beautiful belt on a lot of her models at her Spring 07 show:

Amandawakeleybelt

All of which leads me to this nice little discovery.  I was walking in the West Village and saw Bryan with his gorgeous leather belts on display and I immediately came to a cartoon-style screeching halt.  If I can't buy couture, then at least I can support a local artisan.  It feels good and I get to look good.  Everybody wins!

The Frugal Fashionista

Retro-style bathing suits, I could write endless sonnets about your charms.  I'll spare you all any attempts at verse, but know this:  I am a sucker for a vintage bathing suit.  They're so ladylike and pin-up girl fabulous.  If you have a trust fund or a sugar daddy, then OMO Norma Kamali might be just the thing for you:

Normakamalibill

That is the Bill, ladies.  And it is awesome.  I've lusted after it for at least a couple of years.  But alas, it was out of my reach which made for many a sad, grey day.  Then, internet trolling, I found this website.  They make this suit:

And lo, the sun came out, and the skies were their prettiest blue and birds sang their chirpy little songs and I was happy.

It was YSL!

*smacks self on forehead*

And of course it was, and how could I have forgotten that, considering when I first saw the shoes they made a somewhat indelible impression (somewhat because I obviously have the fashion memory of a gnat).  

YSL chunky heeled pump:

and, in a T-strap:

And of course it was a Fall 06 trend, which is why it's slightly fresh in my mind, and why it's trickling down now in the form of knock-offs by Seychelles (see post below).    

All of which points to this "trend" being effectively dead, since by the time it reaches the mall, it's over.  I also know I've seen this shoe without the platform in front, by another designer, but my fashion gnat memory isn't working too well right now, so I'll have to update on that when it comes to me.  In my oh-so-not-humble-opinion, if I had them I'd still rock these shoes this spring, despite (or because of) all of the flats surrounding me. 

Speechless

There is a dearth of purple handbags in the world, which means I might just have to keep the Cole Haan.  Seriously, no one is making a purple handbag that matters unless it's thousands of dollars.  And speaking of thousands of dollars, Chanel has left me without words:

 

Chanel Spring 2007

I.... just.... oh.... my.... <faints from sheer fabulousness of bag>

Cole Haan: Temporarily Dead To Me

I am obsessed with purple. I can't even tell you when it began; so long has my love of all things purple been present.  My favorite purple is a deep, dark aubergine.  A purple-black.  I was lucky enough to snag a pair of Coach gloves last year that darkened to that color after a little bit of wear.  As a lover of the color, and a nearly compulsive shopper, I know what I'm talking about when I say it's more than a bit hard to find.  So when I saw this bag (sent to me by a friend, who was considering it herself), I nearly died.  Seriously. 

Yeah, that's not black.  It's purple-black.  I'm not a big fan of woven leather anything, but this bag sells me on it, big-time.  It's gorgeous.  Unfortunately, that is not the bag Cole Haan made.  This is the bag they made:

 

Purple Bag[1]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In what crazy universe are these two the same bag?  Not in mine, and not in yours, and not even in Cole Haan's, as the evidence shows.  C'est tragique, y'all.  Grey-purple is not anywhere near close to dark aubergine.  Suggestions?  Comments?  What should I do?  Return it?  Oil it?