theasceticlibertine

He Who Seeks Beauty Will Find It: Bill Cunningham New York

 

Last night I had a lazy stay-in and was in the mood to watch a documentary (as much as I enjoy docus, these moods are rare), so I took advantage and watched Bill Cunningham New York which I cannot recommend highly enough.  As in, stop reading this and go watch it.  It is really, really wonderful.  The Telegraph had a great little write-up of it. 

For those who don't know who he is, Cunningham can best be described as the original street photographer.  Before The Sartorialist, before Tommy Ton of Jak and Jil, there was Bill.  He has been doing the "On The Street" column for the New York Times for over 30 years.

One of his quotes the Telegraph article mentions is one of my favorites:  "The wider world perceives fashion as frivolity that should be done away with. The point is that fashion is... the armor to survive the reality of everyday life!  I don't think you can do away with it, it would be like doing away with civilization."

He is incredibly egalitarian.  He really doesn't care who you are unless you're wearing something interesting.  In his own words:  "...I don't see the people I photograph. All I see are clothes. I'm only interested in people who look good. I'm looking for the stunners." And he has made it a policy to never accept anything from anyone at the events he photographs, not even a glass of water, as he says in the film, because if you're not taking their money, then they don't own you and they can't tell you what to do. 

It's funny to see this humble man at the Paris shows smiling as he's getting ignored/side-eyed by the door people until someone who knows better comes out and scolds the door lady, saying, "This is the most important person in the world!" as he escorts Bill in.

There is so much in the documentary that is marvelous and special; so much that I feel that writing about it does it no  justice.  Just know that I was riveted throughout, and I tend to multi-task when watching *anything.*  It is funny, and heartwarming, and enlightening.  I came away with so much respect for this man who has devoted his entire life to being the best fashion historian we have.  And we are so very lucky to have him.  Not everyone could or would devote their lives to doing something like that, to go out every day, rain or shine, on a bike in New York City, just to photograph what people are wearing.  It takes someone of vision and heart and integrity.  We will be learning from Bill's pictures for centuries to come.   Here's the trailer, so you get a taste:

 

Purple People: Praval Gurung Spring 2012 RTW

You know what is the most annoying situation of all time?  When you've written a brilliant post, and the browser freezes when you're in another tab (say, Photobucket) and the blogging platform (say, Typepad) you use doesn't auto-save, and you lose your work entirely.  I've tried to recreate what I wrote below, but it was much better the first time around and I'm frankly kind of pissed right now.  Anyway, onward...

Even if Prabal Gurung hadn't chosen my favorite color--purple--as a key element in his Spring 2012 collection, I'd still love it unconditionally.  The patterns on the dresses seem to reference McQueen, but in a much lighter and uplifting way, perfect for Spring.  The collection is exquisitely tailored; there are no moments of "if it looks that bad on the model, it's sure to be atrocious on a normal person" (which happens a lot more than designers would like to believe).  Mr. Gurung is expert at what he does--he interned for Donna Karan while still a student at Parsons, then designed for Cynthia Rowley and went on to head Bill Blass (successfully, I might add) for five years.  His collection for spring is so cohesive and crisp that there is literally only one moment in the show (a ruffled blouse) where I wasn't absolutely in love.  On the whole, it is a beautiful and flawless collection that embodies the optimism of spring.   You can look at the entire collection at NYMag.com.  It was very hard for me to pick favorites (I'm serious when I tell you I loved it all), but here are some below.

First, an overview (gorgeous, no?):

Then, onto the dresses:

 The same feeling, with separates:

 

And a bit of a departure, in black and white:

I Owe You, Plus Blog Love: Karla's Closet

More fashion week coverage, I know.  If you're starved, you can look here and here and here.  I'll be back with lovely thoughts on Prabal Gurung's show, which blew me away.  

You know who else is blowing me away, and has a lot to do with my current distraction?  Karla Deras, the phenomenally stylish blogger behind Karla's Closet: 

 

How have I been looking at fashion blogs for five years without ever coming across Ms. Deras?  Her style is flawless.  Even when I don't agree with it, she looks stunning.  There are very few pieces she chooses for herself that don't flatter her perfectly.  It helps that she studied fashion design and can alter her own clothing, especially since the majority of her picks are vintage.  I'm sure it also helps that she can afford some great--and super expensive--shoes.  But I can't begrudge a fellow shoe obsessive anything.  I am seriously, seriously inspired by all of her outfits.  For people who don't take this kind of thing seriously, I'm here to tell you that dressing yourself that well *is* an art form.  Dang.  I'm a pretty smart chick in real life, or so people like to tell me, and I'm having trouble wrapping my head around how perfectly this girl dresses.  Her way with color and shape and proportions render me somewhat speechless.  So instead I'm just clicking on page after page, and taking one from her handbook.  My outfit today is definitely influenced by her:  I'm wearing grey-green sky-high ankle boots from Lisa Pliner (wife of Donald J.), some baggy Gap cargos in this great dark khaki color (sort of like these Abercrombie's) cinched by a dark brown leather belt I bought at a saint's festival in the Caribbean, a heather grey J.Crew boatneck long-sleeved tee, with my (matching) beloved infinity cardigan (go-to sweater for everything).  As I mentioned, I'd been slacking a bit recently with the dressing-up, so it's nice to get an inspirational jump-start into fall.  More soon!

The AL

Silky and Slouchy: Band of Outsiders Spring 2012 RTW

I have this idea that I'm going to end up like Emily Dickinson, writing poetry in my bedroom, dressed in long white dresses, childless and unmarried.  Except for that last bit, I don't think it'd be a bad existence, especially if I could wear what Band of Outsiders is offering us for spring.  Operating from a palette of ultraviolet blues, blacks, florals, toile and the occasional neutral, the Band of Outsiders Spring 2012 collection is a mix of tailored, utilitarian tough chick and slouchy prairie princess.  If I had the abs, I would totally rock this leather-bandeau/long floaty skirt combo: 

 And this is the Emily Dickinson dress I am totally into: 

This sweet mini-dress is timeless:

And here are more of my fave looks:

 

(All pics courtesy of NYMag.com.)

Triangles and Color: BCBG Max Azria Spring 2012 RTW

From everything I can gather, we're going to be seeing a lot of color in the spring, and that's something that always puts a smile on my face.  What's the point of a rejuvinated world if we're all walking around in it dressed like shadows?  BCBG's Max Azria was influenced by triangular shapes, among other geometrics, and it is reflected in the top half of his dresses and blouses for his Spring 2012 collection.  There's also a bit of a Mondrian influence in the bold primary colors he used.  The floaty silk and chiffon provide a nice juxtaposition for such rigid forms.  Behold, my faves:

 

And I felt that these were also pretty cool: 

This blouse reminds me of a Tiffany lamp:

Sort of deco but modern all at once. Stay tuned for Band of Outsiders next!

(All pics courtesy of NYMag.com.  Their coverage of Fashion Week is still number one in my book.)

C'mon, let's dance: The Vandelles Play the Douglas Hannant Pink Collection

 

 

Douglas Hannant is a well-known couturier to the type of moneyed client that wants beautiful, well-made clothing without a lot of fuss.  He generally designs ball gowns and the like, with no ready-to-wear in sight.  You can read about the history of his label here.  The label recently made the decision to widen their reach to a broader audience, and so a diffusion line called Pink was born.  But to call it a diffusion line is almost a misnomer--the clothing is luxurious and gorgeously made.  And the spring collection is exactly what you would imagine his client would wear to her various vacation spots (that there is sand those models are standing in), or to less formal occasions around town.  I love that Hannant isn't afraid of color, and the use of  lace in such a summery, informal way (dress, shorts) was refreshing.

Said lace dress (on the right)--soooo pretty:

 
I was lucky enough to get an invite through my friends The Vandelles, who were playing the presentation.  The gorgeous Lulu (bassist) and Honey (drummer) were clothed in Hannant's creations, and looked stunning.  Here they are posing with the designer (apologies for the blurry quality of these shots--I was one-handing it with a smartphone):

 
I wish I had gotten more detail of Lulu's paillette dress--it was flawless.  The event itself was absolutely lovely, from the pink (of course) lemonade cocktails to the, if I may say so, kickass tunes my friends were playing.  Here's a shot of them during the show:

 

 

I Keep Up With the Fashions

 

Well, ladies and gents, Fashion Week has arrived.  The madness has already begun.  And there are Fashion's Night Out events all over the city, from Miu Miu to Coach.  Yours truly is getting to see the new Douglas Hannant Pink collection, which will happen tonight at the Hudson Hotel.  Exciting stuff.  You'll be hearing from me about that, plus reviews of my favorite collections as the week goes on.  (And yes, it will be very weird to think about spring clothing, esp. considering I just broke out my fall coat.)  Watch this space!

 

Fallspiration

The oh-what-to-wear dilemma is one that I have often, even though it can never be said of me that I don't have enough clothes.  Even with all of the stuff that is out of season or in the laundry basket or doesn't fit, I still have plenty.  But lately I found myself scrambling to leave on time in the morning, and therefore just grabbing whatever was handy and sorta matched.  This meant a lot of pants, boring shirts and random sandals or flats.  There was no "style" involved.  Even my outfit yesterday, which involved a modicum of thought (light-wash wide-leg jeans with a blush colored tank and a big grey-green cardigan that is perfect for summer coolness beause the breeze blows right through it, but it also keeps me warm, since I work in a fridge) didn't have that extra oomph factor because I didn't even try with regard to anything else.  My hair, a flat, just-washed mess that got slightly frizzy.  My face, no make-up, not even lipstick, and I'm usually a girl that remembers the lipstick.  And it struck me, with some horror, that I looked blah, and sort of dowdy, and if I had run into an ex or basically, anyone I was trying to impress, I would have run in the other direction.

The realization I had was this:  how I looked was not representative of me, or how I want to appear to the world.  And that's important, even if you pooh-pooh fashion.  And I haven't been in the greatest of moods lately and I do think, as silly as it sounds, that dressing like I'm a soccer mom shuttling 5 kids to school and practice everyday (no disrespect to moms, but when you have no time to dress, you have no time to dress) isn't helping matters.  I am not wrangling a brood to various activities, so I have no such excuse.  I was just being lazy.

So today I made an effort, which is to say I'm dressed like a French schoolgirl, which is probably not age-appropriate but is a heck of a lot better than just pants and some shirt.  And I am wearing the awesomest oxfords ever, and polka-dot happy socks, and I actually did something with my hair, and I feel pretty, which is important.  I was validated by the construction dudes on my block going out of their way to say hello and good morning.

And it occurred to me that the schoolgirl thing is just part of what I do; its uniform quality appeals to me.  And I wondered how that could ever possibly be done in enough of a grown-up way so that I don't look like I'm 16.   A friend had donated her Net-A-Porter Fall/Winter magazine/catalog to me, and as I browsed through it on the subway, I saw Giulietta.  And I realized it can be done. 

Perfect tailoring is a must.  Basic shapes also.  I was really, really impressed with the clothes.  Out of my price range?  Definitely.  But a great inspiration for fall, and for working with what I already have to create something similar.  Here's what Net-A-Porter has to offer from Giulietta:

 
 
 

 

Basically, I love all of it.  :)  That's the woman I want to look like.  Here's to that.