Espresso Kentia

Top: Espresso pure chiffon shirt has banarsi lining inside, with bateau keyhole neck. Floral embroidery on front and on hem. Full sheer sleeves. Dull meadow applique with antique gold edges. Fully lined. Concealed zip closure on back

Bottom: Chocolate brown crepe silk snug fit pyjama having light gathers with dull meadow applique detailing on cuffs. Concealed zip closure on side.

Shawl: Espresso and dull meadow crushed silk dupatta.

Embellishment work includes sequins, beads, kora, cut-glass, kamdani and applique. 100% handmade embellishments. 100% pure imported fabric.

Burgundy Kentia

Top: Burgundy banarsi jacket having heavy embellishments on closure borders and hemline. 3/4 sleeves. Piping edges. V front. High back neck. Fully lined.

Inner: Gypsy violet crepe silk strapless inner.

Bottom: Gypsy violet crepe silk snug fit pyjama having embellished cuffs. Concealed zip closure on side.

Shawl: Gypsy violet chiffon dupatta having sequins spread all over.

Embellishment work includes sequins, beads, kora, dabka, Swarovski crystals, kundan, cut-glass, and kamdani. 100% handmade embellishments. 100% pure imported fabric.

On the hunt for cute & comfy flats!

I'm one of those girls that flip-flops her way down the street almost every day of the year, provided there is no snow or sleet on the ground and it's not 20 degrees. Flip-flops are really amazing shoes, if you think about it.

It's easy to find a cheap pair that's cute and comfortable. Plus, they last a crazy long time, even if you wear them every day (don't know how they manage to make them so darn sturdy!) In fact, my two favorite pairs ever are from Target and Payless.

Talk about a bargain! As much as I adore effortlessly sliding my way into a pair of these things every morning, I think the time has come to break the habit...the flip-flop habit, that is. Don't get me wrong, they're still great and perfect for the beach, for weekends, and even for walking the 15 blocks (wahh!) from my house to the train every day, but when I'm in the office I want a pair of shoes that make a little less noise.

Know what I mean? And they are just a tad too casual for the CG! offices. Don't get me wrong, we are a casual bunch but rubber flip flops just don't work for work. Since my entire shoe wardrobe consists of 4-inch heels and super flat shoes (nothing in between), I want your help! I know you girls love to shop til you drop, so you can definitely give me some great suggestions. Where can I get a cute, comfy, wear-with-almost-everything pair of flats? Do you have a pair? If so, post below to let me know where you snagged them. And since I don't have a money tree in my yard (heck, I don't even have a yard!), nothing over $100, please!

Boat Shoes

Half of my friends don’t go boating, even if they do, they’re not super intense about it. However, more and more I have seen both my guy and girl friends wearing "boat shoes." I don’t myself own a boat (crazy!), but I think I'm into it and will soon buy a pair of my own.

I’ve seen Sperrys on Zappos.com and at Nordstrom, as well as Aldo's original version. They’re supposedly very comfortable and perfect for summer! However, I wonder, how long this trend will last...Are they another UGG, crock or moccasin?

They’re preppy, but like a polo shirt — anyone can wear them! They are versatile, and instead of living the summer in flip flops or sandals you now can spend your summer nights wearing these.
So what do you think of boat shoes? Would you wear them?

Adidas

Adidas Emotions in Motion Collection:

Tropical Passion, Pure Lightness, Floral Dream and

Fruity Rhythm (from $20, at Shoppers Drug Mart)

Wear it to: A sporting event

Why we love it: Whether you’re playing soccer or watching a baseball game, the fragrance collection is fresh enough to be any athlete’s stylish accessory

Estée Lauder Sensuous

Sneak Peeks for July
Estée Lauder Sensuous (from $57, at department stores)

With notes of: Amber, magnolia and sandalwoodWear it to: A date

Why we love it: With this mature, bold and sexy fragrance, we promise your summer nights are about to get even hotter.

Dolce & Gabbana

Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue (from $77, at department stores)

With notes of: Bluebell, bamboo and amber

Wear it to: A picnic

Why we love it: An oldie that’s definitely still a goodie, this clean and crisp scent finds a spot on our shelves every summer.

Boss Femme

Boss Femme (from $72, at department stores)

With notes of: Blackcurrant, white flowers and satinwood

Wear it to: An evening gala

Why we love it: The scent is simple yet boasts confidence and elegance—the best accessories for summer evenings.

Dior Addict 2

Dior Addict 2 (from $50, sephora.com)

With notes of: Grapefruit, lily of the valley and cedarwood

Wear it to: A shopping date with your girlfriends

Why we love it: We know an afternoon with your girlfriends is anything but innocent, so let this flirtatiously sweet fragrance be your master of disguise.

Ralph Lauren Wild

Ralph Lauren Wild (from $70, at department stores)

With notes of: Watermelon, cherry blossom and creamy musk

Wear it to: A weekend at the cottage

Why we love it: Whether you’re wakeboarding or riding the trails, one spray turns the most timid into an adventure seeker.

Roxy Love

Roxy Love (from $53, at Sears and Shoppers Drug Mart)
With notes of: Tangerine, peony and musk

Wear it to: A day at the beach

Why we love it: The citrusy floral scent carries you through lounging in the sun to a game of pickup volleyball.

Lacoste Dream of Pink

Scents of occasion

We've rifled through our beauty closet to find the best summer fragrance for everything from a picnic to a black-tie gala.

Lacoste Dream of Pink ($72, at Shoppers Drug Mart)

With notes of: Sweet red berries, lotus flower and sandalwood

Wear it to: Get an ice cream cone

Why we love it: It whisks us back to our youth. Fuzzy Peach candies or jawbreakers, anyone?

Marios Schwab picked to design for Halston

Marios Schwab picked to design for Halston

London-based designer appointed creative director.

Models display designs from the Halston spring/summer 09 collection. Centre: newly appointed creative director Marios Schwab

Halston with Bianca and Mick Jagger at Studio 54, for Bianca's birthday party in 1977. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Models display designs from the Marios Schwab spring/summer 09 collection at London Fashion Week. Centre: Schwab takes a bow. Photo: GEOFF PUGH/ JEFF GILBERT
The London-based young designer, Marios Schwab, one of the initiators of the 'body-con' craze, has been named as the new creative director of the legendary American luxury brand, Halston.
Schwab, 32, who celebrates his 33rd birthday next month, will present his first collection for Halston, at New York Fashion Week in February, 2010

The Austrian-born designer intends to continue his own label, which he launched in London in 2005, and will commute regularly to New York.
Schwab, a graduate of Central Saint Martins fashion college in London, succeeds Marco Zanini who left Halston last year.

Halston's president and chief executive officer, Bonnie Takhar, said Schwab's spring 2009 show at London Fashion Week had caught the attention of Halston executives.
"He used a lot of jersey in a very modern way," Takhar said. "The silhouettes were also very fluid, and we thought they had a very modern Halston interpretation."

Roy Halston Frowick, a former milliner who designed the pillbox-hat Jacqueline Kennedy wore for the Presidential Inauguration, in 1961, founded his label in the late 1960s. He became the 'wardrobe master' of the Studio 54 Generation, dressing a blue-chip portfolio of celebrities and stars including Liza Minelli, Lauren Bacall, Bianca Jagger, Angelica Huston and Elizabeth Taylor, among others. His signature was the ability to engineer apparently seamless, fluid dresses in silk jersey, which used no buttons or zips. Halston died in 1990 at the age of 57, from lung cancer resulting from complications with Aids.

Speaking from his London studio this afternoon, where he is currently working on his own spring/summer 2010 collection to be shown at London Fashion Week in September, Schwab said Halston was one of the three designers, along with Helmut Lang and Yves Saint Laurent, who have most inspired him.

"Halston, for me, is such a momentous label. It defines a moment in time, the 1970s. It epitomises the glamour and pleasure-seeking of that decade, a beautiful fantasy moment, something that is lacking in fashion right now."

Schwab conceded that, on the surface, his own design signature might seem at odds with the Halston ethos, but added: "I would never intend to go to work for a label that was the same as my own, there would be no challenge.

"But I am passionate about long-lasting research and technical innovation and this is what I can bring to Halston to bring the brand forward. I will approach it with respect. But in a manner which will refresh."

"What we have in common, was Halston was strict and disciplined and his designs were deceptive in that what appeared to be simple was, in fact, intricate and involved a high degree of craftsmanship. I admire that.

"The magic was in the way the cut enhanced different shapes of women, without overtaking their own style. This to me is very important, especially now when the time has come for women to shape their own opinion on how they want to dress."
Halston was bought by Hilco Consumer Capital and The Weinstein Company two years ago. The British shoe queen, Tamara Mellon, is a member of the board and creative consultant.
Plans are also in hand to launch a Halston Heritage collection based on original Halston designs from the archives.

Scents of occasion

We've rifled through our beauty closet to find the best summer fragrance for everything from a picnic to a black-tie gala.

Vera Wang Bouquet (from $90, at the Bay)

With notes of: Sicilian bergamot, honeysuckle and lavender musk

Wear it to: A wedding

Why we love it: You don’t have to catch the bride’s bouquet to be the next lucky lady; with a spray of this fragrance, you’ll have all of the bachelors lining up.

Ageless Style: 40s

Ageless Style: 40s

Nathalie Bondil is inspired by the art of fashion.

Fashion isn’t always taken seriously at Canadian museums. But when Nathalie Bondil, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts’s racy new director, kick-started her mandate with the Yves Saint Laurent retrospective, it was clear that change was in the air.

“I’m interested in fashion as art, as a form of expression,” muses Bondil. Inspired by the Met’s Costume Institute and the Louvre’s Musée de la Mode et du Textile, Bondil is determined to bring more high fashion to the museum—she cites Gaultier and Alaïa as personal favourites. Right now, she’s working on a major Chinese costume and fashion exhibition for 2010. “While in China, I discovered an avant-garde Chinese designer, Ma Ke, who makes haute couture with the simplest materials. Extraordinary.”

Bondil always brings back traditional costumes and accessories from her exotic voyages. “I keep my baubles, purses or scarves around as memories of my trips to markets or antique dealers. I have a collection of necklaces from every country I’ve visited. I deeply admire the know-how of traditional craftsmen, whose livelihoods are threatened. Later, I’d like to look like an old suitcase covered with stickers from all over the world.”

You won’t see this director sporting a Dolce & Gabbana pantsuit or an Armani tailleur for her many meetings. In fashion, as in life, the 42-year-old South of France native does things her own way—with a très Latin touch of humour. Elsa Schiaparelli, Frida Kahlo, Björk and Vivienne Westwood are among her style inspirations. “I’m a bit of an eccentric. For day, a man’s waistcoat is less serious than a woman’s tailored vest—I’ll combine it with feminine shoes, and a smile.” So, of course, high heels are the most important items in her closet.

“They give you extra inches and a slim silhouette. I wear them all day and plan on keeping them on even in my grave.”

Bondil is unlikely to tone down her eccentricity as she gets older. “Others often end up telling you what they think is inappropriate—your daughter, for example. It doesn’t mean you have to listen. Mine is only 10, so I still have a few years of respite!”

And the best thing about being in her 40s? “I don’t have to worry as much about my looks as I used to when I was 15. After all,” she concludes, quoting Saint-Exupéry, “‘What is essential is invisible to the eye.’”

Brad Pitt Hits the Red Carpet in Cannes

Putting on a “glourious” impromptu show for screaming fans, Quentin Tarantino and Mélanie Laurent — his latest muse — cut some serious dance moves on the red carpet in Cannes Wednesday for the premiere of the much-hyped “Inglourious Basterds.”

Even the decidedly mixed reviews for the film couldn’t distract from the main act: Brad Pitt (wearing a Tom Ford evening ensemble and who now goes by the flattering moniker “the main Basterd” after his character in the movie) and Angelina Jolie, who wore a sensual tea rose chiffon Atelier Versace dress that showcased her shoulder tattoos.

Diane Kruger channeled her glamorous German movie star-cum-double agent role in a cowl-back, silver-embroidered Marchesa gown, while Laurent, who plays a vengeful young Jewish woman, pulled off an ivory Yves Saint Laurent le smoking.

“None of us have seen the film yet. Quentin’s kept it under wraps, so it’s really nice for us all to see it together tonight,” said Pitt, who plays a bloodthirsty Nazi hunter, at a press conference earlier in the day, where he looked at ease in a different Tom Ford suit. “You know, we wrapped it three months ago and we shot our respective parts and, suddenly, here we are.”

Part homage to the Spaghetti Westerns of Italian director Sergio Leone, the almost three-hour World War II epic is the typical Tarantino blend of blood-and-guts scenes with comedy and multiple cinematic references. Star performances among the international ensemble — all speaking in their mother tongues — include Austrian actor Christoph Waltz, who stars as a witty yet evil Nazi officer, and Daniel Brühl, who plays a soldier turned movie star.

“I am not an American filmmaker; I make movies for the planet,” said Tarantino.

Perhaps why the whole world, it seemed, wanted to rub shoulders with the cast at the film’s after party, sponsored by Belstaff, The Weinstein Company and Universal, held at Baoli Beach.

Christian Dior – Escapist Expressions

Christian Dior – Escapist Expressions

If any fashion show these past weeks said it loud and clear that we are in the age of escapist fashion it was the fall 2009 collection of Christian Dior seen Friday, March 6, in Paris. . .

If the last Depression taught us anything, at least aesthetically, it's that people want to forget about their everyday blues, so magazine covers of that era feature woman as Alpine ski goddesses or fearless aviator explorers. Dior's creative director John Galliano did not have any active wear on his catwalk in the Tuileries Gardens tent, but the escapism was as loud and clear as the grinding Laurent Wolf dance cut that climaxed Jeremy Healey's dramatic soundtrack.

On the catwalk, Dior looks for autumn were heroic yet chic. Batik beauties in curvy, beehive sleeve jackets or tops, tulip skirts and Tartar princess spherical hats began a hike up the Roof of the World.

Covered up in coats with oriental embroidery, Orson Welles' femme fatales slinked from Ascot across to Shanghai. Beaten silver Nepalese pendants, layered over “Empire of the Sun” frocks caught the mood of elegiac summers, those of a certain gentility. A great ocre Astrakhan vest over billowing silver satin pants was an ace look.

“I don't want to work today... I don't want to waste my time,” belted out the final song of this splendidly presented show. The memorable hair, a Marlene Dietrich Expressionist look with a waxed skullcap of hairpins, was a striking coup by Orlando Pita.

Several score of PETA - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - noisily protested outside the gate of the city's central garden. PETA's presence notwithstanding, it's probably fair to say that fashion's elite appears to feel the storm of anti-fur feeling may be abating, and that their argument - that fur is a renewable material - is slowly winning more supporters.

Balenciaga's Rajasthan Ripples

Balenciaga's Rajasthan Ripples

Balenciaga, the stylish French fashion house presented a fall 2009 Sari Silhouette collection in the Crillon Hotel Thursday morning, March 5. . .
This was not designer Nicolas Ghesquiere‘s greatest collection yet, however it will still probably be considered as one of the half dozen most influential anywhere this season.

For fall, Ghesquiere got inspiration from things Indian, in particular the drape of a Sari, which he saw lots of on a fall trip in India. There was nothing literal about this collection, floor length saris were imagined by Ghesquiere as delectable minis or slim, soaring jodhpurs, paired with Jaipur jazz gold bracelets, ribbon belts and great glistening Maharani tops. Unlike in India, the women were not overly covered up. Lace bras peeked out of satin tops, draped like temple arches.

Ghesquiere's footwear was sensational - fishing net covered knobby platforms with more ribbons, or heels in abstract volcanic marble prints, some Indian-inspired, others inspired by Balenciaga archival origins. The Balenciaga beauty will be color-coordinated this fall, with matching abstract dresses in the finest of sequins.

“India was something that was always there in the archives of the house. But only after going there did I realize how deeply,” Ghesquiere explained backstage after the show.
Yet, while thoroughly chic and rather distinguished, the collection did not quite hit the heights that Ghesquiere can reach, where the fertility of the concept and panache of the execution makes his shows truly thrilling. Today we had to settle for excitement.

Loewe: Overloaded Leather Luxury

Loewe: Overloaded Leather Luxury

This weekend's big catwalk debut was Stuart Vevers Cafe Society fall 2009 collection for Loewe, staged in a somewhat eccentric triple header in a cut stone hall of academia near the Odeon in Paris Saturday, March 7. . .

The series of mini-shows was billed as a key moment of re-emergence for his Spanish label of German origin. Executives of LVMH, Loewe's corporate owner, sat with Peter Marino, the architect of boutiques for sister firms like Christian Dior and Fendi.

The audience perched on round French cast iron terrace tables as waiters served ladylike nibbles, miniature avocado sandwiches, tiny profiteroles, champagne and Italian espressos. One could not fault the setting or the casting, since Stuart smartly hired a dozen of the best 20 runway models to wear his clothes.

The collection however, while accomplished, stylish and equipped with a certain vision was a hit and miss affair.

Vevers has plenty of talent. He has already created some great accessories for Loewe and showed more in this show, such as his snappy boxy bags with silver acorn and mink paw accompaniments.

Vevers' looks have plenty of polish. He cut come great wraparound coats, sent out clever, almost cyber skirts in suede with studded appliqués. But too often the silhouette and finish seemed heavy - solid black calf tops that were overly authoritarian or dusters that engulfed the models rather than highlight them.

Vevers said he was inspired by Italian director Antonioni's "Red Desert," a tale of provincial alienation in an industrializing Italy, but what came out on the catwalk was less iconic design and more rich merchandising.

Moreover, the hair and casting, chignon and coal-dark eyes, was very much in the current fashion spirit. But if Loewe really wants to set itself up as the pre-eminent Spanish label, perhaps it should be offering something different.

Vevers did, however, manage to pull off his first runway outing. No home run, but proof that with a little more courage and a lighter hand he could become a major player.

Lanvin: Cine Noir Chic

Lanvin: Cine Noir Chic

A great fashion moment by the house of Lanvin was witnessed on Friday, March 6, in a mammoth warehouse on the eastern edge of Paris. . .

This Cine Noir cyber countess collection for fall 2009 seemed to announce a new era, where wisdom and discretion are of the utmost importance. Assured cocktail dresses with fallen stack of cards necklines, wilting flower cut bows, perfectly scrunched knots, this was somehow the right shape and finish for autumn, the distillation of the current graphic trend into contemporary clothes. The collection had presence, whether in razor cut felt dresses with glitter gold trim or cocktail dresses with distorted wing collars. In the general there was a return to furs, as Lanvin creative director Alber Elbaz suggested the scarf jacket, part cashmere, part graded mink.

Talk about brilliant staging: a scaffold – almost half a football field in length - with angled lighting created a dappled “Touch of Evil” glow. Dry ice fog, sprayed wet runway and DJ Ariel Wizman at his best – stripped-back, sinuous instrumental versions of tunes like “Fifty Ways to Lose your Lover.”

Half way through the show, the backdrop disappeared, revealing a whole railway depot; track, platform and signals, in a magical play on perspective.

The clothes were print-free, and not natural magazine cover material, but in terms of style, their sheer beauty was special. The models had a look which added to the sense of things being just right.

“I don't want powerful women, I like strong ones. If they say you have a million dollars, you are powerful; if they say you are beautiful, then you are strong,” Elbaz said backstage, after his traditional bashful advance half up the catwalk.
And strong is what, and for whom, he delivered.

Dries Van Noten: Francis Bacon On a Baltic Cruise

Dries Van Noten: Francis Bacon On a Baltic Cruise

Francis Bacon sounds a tiny bit unlikely as a source of inspiration for a fashion collection, but filtered through the canny brain of Dries Van Noten, staged Sunday, March 8 in Paris, the result was a chic and sophisticated collection, albeit one more suited for a Baltic cruise than a backstreet art gallery opening. . .

Bacon got ideas from the magazines, images, art books and postcards that littered his legendarily messy studio, incorporating them into his disturbing figurative works.

In preparing this fall 2009 collection, Van Noten's staff crumpled, bent and twisted images and materials, then photographed the results, mixing the fabrics throughout the show. Even the invite was a folded card with distorted script.

“Francis Bacon and the way he destroyed and connected things, creating something new and stronger,” was Van Noten's explanation of his starting point for this collection.

But where Bacon's figures were generally grotesque, Van Noten's were generally beautiful. Van Noten established his reputation with masterly use of prints and a sense of bohemian exoticness. But his last few shows have shown a designer maturing into a more sophisticated soul and one who keeps the prints in check. Frequently the only florals in a look for fall 2009 were the Baconized trompe l'oeil flowers on cloth covered high heels. Yet his monochromatic pagoda shouldered double-breasted pink mannish jackets, his pinched at the waist machine green cardigan jackets and his mid length “mixed-media” skirts had plenty of excitement in their very understated purity. Bacon used stuff like gouache, pastel, oils and pen and ink on paper, board and canvas in his art; Van Noten played with satin crepes, silk velvet (the fabric of this season), alpaca and, according to his program notes, “fake plasticized snake print, woven ‘Couture' croc and....silk ruffles as fur.”

One had to appreciate the elegant staging, where just placing a huge tilted Kevlar mirror at the beginning of the runway created the neat effect of magnifying each look as it first appeared, or an excellent soundtrack that morphed back and forth between the serial music of Steve Reich and the theatricality of Laurie Anderson.

Irish-born Bacon frequently painted triptychs and used to say he saw things “in series,” an apt parallel with most shows that are a series of ideas imbued into clothes.
But, let's not extend the analogy too far. Where Van Noten's Antwerp headquarters are as ship-shape as an admiral's cabin; Bacon's studio, lovingly installed for posterity in Dublin's Hugh Lane Gallery is one of the scruffiest dumps on the planet.

Karl Lagerfeld: Princess Leia Goes to Rome

Karl Lagerfeld: Princess Leia Goes to Rome

A futurist princess landed in Karl Lagerfeld's show Sunday morning in Paris - one keen for a Vespa ride in the Eternal City. . .

Lagerfeld had the right gear for the blue bloods and her court – motorcycle helmets in chinchilla combined with fur stoles, mink breastplates and fox shoulders. Talk about opulent and way over the top, but dramatic and edgy too.

Lagerfeld's galactic gals, in big, big Thunderbirds hair, worn pewter-hued heels with faux wrought iron spiral accoutrements and covers in clear plastic.

But when they had the crash gear on, the models looked comfortable and cool in tweed boucle safari jackets with cut off arms. The helmets were the latest Lagerfeld link-up, a deal with French luxury crash helmet manufacturer Ruby, and look liked instant collector's items.
With fashion executives nervous about collapsing stock and property values and declining sales, it's instructive to remember how things looked the last time we had a depression. Then, the iconic women of that era were explorers or lady down hill racers – and Karl had a ski motif in this collection – lots of sleek après ski jackets, though designed for downtown clubbing not Courcheval.

These young women were definitely on their way to party as they strutted out before speakers blaring a remix of Roxy Music's classic “Do the Strand.”
And, in the smartest witticism, many of the models had ornate silver ear caps, in which one imagined were tiny headphones, the better for Leia to listen to, well, the Strand.

Giambattista Valli: Homage to Yves

Giambattista Valli: Homage to Yves

Giambattista Valli, the designer who boasts the hippest local "it girl" support group, evoked Yves Saint Laurent in Paris at his grand fall 2009 collection on Monday, March 9. . .

“It's part homage to YSL,” the designer said amidst a swirling pack of camera crews in his traditionally chaotic backstage, as TV reporters scuffled for their interviews with Valli.

But this was the late Saint Laurent rarefied through the Valli aesthetic prism, so we opened with the Italian designer's signature bubble coats. This was volume with a capital V, and clearly wowed the front row of ambitious women.

His debut passage, a coat splayed like a mansard roof, was in a deep sunset red, the same hue as the backdrop of this show staged in the Ephemere Paris show space in the Tuileries Gardens.
We also got a couple of shots of a huge trend on the European runways – fur arms on coats, jackets and boleros - a Yeti gal look that is protective, posh and appeals to certain longing for a return to nature. In Valli's case, we witnessed a mini bolero with orangutan arms, which sounds absurd but look very, very cool.

The riffs on Saint Laurent were fairly apparent – from giant plaid mohair skirts to the truncated, loose trousers to the overall color scheme.

Models with artfully twisted-at-the-back chignons and lilac eye shadow, had a light, easy air. Not so, however, always the clothes. The show had a tricky middle period when the silhouette was just that bit too heavy, ageing the models – never a great thing - and making for a stuffy atmosphere.

But Valli righted himself with one of those finales you only see in Paris, with ball gowns in magnificent ombré, color graduation, fabrics, that were finished with passmenterie belts that recalled the authority and poise of important Saint Laurent collections.
And, sending us out into the chilly Paris air on the right note, Giambattista finished with some wondrous birds of paradise, gowns, columns and coats in a mix of peacock prints, with peacock and marabou that packed great punch.

Saint Laurent's Mannish Femmes

Saint Laurent's Mannish Femmes

Paris enjoyed another bona fide fashion moment Monday, March 9, courtesy of the maison of Yves Saint Laurent, with a super sophisticated mannish fall 2009 collection that seemed two steps ahead of 95 percent of everything else we have seen in the past month on both sides of the pond. . .

With designers grappling with the whole new financial paradigm and swerving between creating serious “investment” clothes and disco dancing dreams, it was stimulating, invigorating even, to see these latest clothes by YSL's creative director Stefano Pilati.

Created in black, chalk-stripe and various hues of industrial gray, the collection was a cerebrally chic response to the new realities.
And while clearly in step with the whole YSL oeuvre, the collection was highly contemporary, in particular in its fabrics. Pilati worked with auto makers, using materials more normally used in high-end cars in some remarkable bomber jackets or posh motorcycle looks that were a fresh take on tough chic.

There was an executive feel to many of the opening looks, with mannish lady bosses in to-the-knee skirts, and broad lapel jackets all in chalk-stripe, yet one that did not hide their sensuality. So his next CEO came out in a borrowed-from-the-boyfriend oversized jacket paired with a mini and a Gattaca-style, patent leather spike-heeled platforms. Coming in a season when Saint Laurent's CEO Valerie Hermann announced that the house had finally made it into the black after a half decade of financial losses, the show trumpeted the whole YSL renaissance.
Pilati changed gears one third through, attiring his female patricians in “architectural” white blouses, the sort of self-assured look that was multi-functional and plausible at business meeting, art gallery openings or after hours.

“Masculine, Saint Laurent, independent, oh, and indie!” laughed Pilati backstage, as Kanye West and Claudia Schiffer posed for photos, before he slipped into his private den for a Marlboro light, the one smoking space in the Palais de Tokyo, the modern museum where the show was staged.

Oh, and by the way, it's official, Pilati is the best stylist in fashion. Practically every designer in the world has a stylist - they are the people who create a fashion vision for editorial shoots in magazines, and help designers edit their shows - but possibly the two most noted exceptions who don't use stylists are Giorgio Armani and Pilati.

Pilati is in a period where his runway antenna seems flawless. From the chignon hairstyles capped with black leather knots to the bee stung lipstick and pale makeup, these models looked, well, perfect. And, his choice of soundtrack, sections of pianist Keith Jarrett's Bremen Concert and chunks of Alice Coltrane, lent the event the drama and gravity it merited.
But the highlight of the show was the finale, where Pilati re-worked Saint Laurent's most famous contribution to fashion, the tuxedo.

Made in Stefano's auto accessory materials, these peplum hemmed, curvy shouldered, padded looks were the must-have of the week. In short, a fashion home run from a mega hitter.

Belle Brummell Chanel

Belle Brummell Chanel

If anyone doubted that a masculine moment is marching through women's fashion, any remaining skepticism would have vanished after seeing the unveiling of the Chanel fall 2009 collection inspired by the most legendary dandy of all time, Beau Brummell. . .

Credited with inventing the modern suit, Brummell was famous for wearing beautifully fitted tailoring, full-length trousers and a grandiose knotted cravat - just like the models on the Chanel catwalk this morning in Paris, Tuesday, March 10.

“I was thinking of Beau Brummell, but from a Coco Chanel point of view, which is why I'm calling this Belle Brummell,” said Karl Lagerfeld, the eye of the storm in a paparazzi and TV camera blizzard that looked more like a street brawl than a chic fashion media moment.
The scuffling for a good vantage point broke out before the show had even begun. Several score of photographers went into a feeding frenzy for snaps of Claudia Schiffer, Frieda Pinto, Milla Jovovich and, above all, Kate Moss. In a huge show down between lensmen and security, a section of the runway – in black and white, of course – broke off.

Order restored, Lagerfeld send out the belle dandies in a masterly lesson in the art of cutting suits and a salutary example of how smart editing can make the addition of a few well-chosen accessories seem smart and new.

Cut with the leanest of silhouette's made in boucle wool and cashmere, kitted out with a series of sassily cut and knotted foulards, cravats and scarves and finished with rosettes and carnations, Coco's fetish flower, they all looked mighty fine. In a way, like the very beautiful kid sister that neither Lagerfeld, nor Brummell, ever had.
For evening, Lagerfeld kept it lean, adding chiffon epaulettes to slinky columns, but even these had white cravats.

The color palette was almost totally black and white, except for a few hints of lawnmower green and kissing pink, the latter worn by Dutch model Lara Stone, who sported a see-through handbag that revealed a pink quilted leather clutch, scent bottle, iPod and Chanel lipstick.
There were even had four male dandies, all in black with white socks, who marched out with the requisite arrogance of a true dandy. Adding to the witty atmosphere was a great soundtrack by Michel Gaubert, a “chunked up mix,” in his words, of Donna Summer's classic “Love to Love You Baby,” with the singer's ecstatic finale echoing through the room.
Noted fashion photographer and Academy Award-winning costume designer Cecil Beaton did call Coco Chanel the “female Beau Brummell,” so this show made lots of sense, and for fans of the 1954 movie, "Beau Brummell," with Stewart Granger in the title role, the whole event made for a great morning.

Femme Fatale Fantasy

Femme Fatale Fantasy

The Fall 2009 fashion week term finally ended Thursday evening, March 12, in Paris with the last major show on the Paris calendar, Miu Miu, which turned out to be a lesson in fashion creativity and a ground-breaking affair. It confirmed the label's designer, Miuccia Prada, as the reigning heavyweight champion of style. . .
All season, from the opening shows in New York on Feb. 12th to this Miu Miu display in a enormous private mansion on Avenue Foche, Paris' most expensive real estate, designers have been grappling with the question of how one dresses women for the new economic and political realities.
Prada's solution: Become a femme fatale. If that sounds like a somewhat backward step, then so be it. According to Prada, what matters most is that you look great in the new era. Her models certainly did this evening in Paris, traipsing out in a plethora of variations on Himalayan carpet prints that were dyed, faded and cut into some remarkable dresses and skirts, the latter paired with semi-sheer tops. Moreover, she spray painted the models gold, then showed lots of their flesh and cut most looks with deep front gorges, right to the belly button and had skirts way above the knee.

“I wanted to send out the biggest sluts imaginable, but then everyone came in backstage and told me how chic the girls looked!” Prada said, a bit mystified by the reaction.
A brainy collection like Miu Miu can evoke widely different reactions with the same outfit. A sleek, three-inch below the knee skirt with a high waist can telegraph school marm, but a sheer, deep gorge top in mesh says tart.

Prada also presented a slew of great new shoes, from thick heels with fur trim to zig-zag fur clutches in the most subtly colored show so far.

While perplexing in terms of social commentary, Prada's choice of femme fatale as role model did lead to an intriguing collection. Allied to her stellar show in Milan with Prada, it maintained her status as fashion's most influential designer even if it put in doubt her reputation as a standard bearer for independent women.

Latest fashion obsession: michelle obama's clear belt

Latest fashion obsession: michelle obama's clear belt

Much has been made of how Michelle Obama presents herself. From her buff upper arms (Bare today? Covered tomorrow?) to how she mixes items from the J.Crew catalog with precious designer pieces and whether she's doing enough – or if it is truly her responsibility to do more – to support American designers. Girlawhirl has no intention of entering the fray. She loves Mrs. Obama's breezy attitude towards fashion – that she makes it all look so easy – and hasn't seen an outfit yet (including that Tracy Feith number that provoked an internet uproar the morning after the inauguration) that she wouldn't love to wear herself. But the one item from the First Lady's closet that Girlawhirl intends to incorporate into her own wardrobe? That clear plastic belt…

Of course Girlawhirl has no intention of a simple case of style subterfuge. It would be too easy – and quite frankly too much of a strain on her budget – to just purchase the Sonia Rykiel belt that Mrs. Obama owns. Instead, she's found a crafty way to create her own one-of-a-kind version.

It starts with the clear belt itself. Once Girlawhirl was able to find it online, it turns out that it's not really all that expensive: $9.99 at LuxuryDivas.com. For the buckle, she found a pretty red antique Bakelite buckle in a local second hand shop. All kinds of buckles are available at fabric, knitting and craft supply stores, and online AcmeNotions.com has some antique Bakelite options.

It really was that simple – she snapped the clear belt around her buckle, trimmed the end with scissors – the clear rubber belt comes in one size, 46.5” long – and she was finished. Her antique belt buckle doesn't allow for holes, so Girlawhirl didn't have to make them, but if she had needed to, all she would have done was poke them through the rubber with a good sized nail and hammer.