Met Gala 2012 & Contradictory Kanye

This year's Met Ball focused around Italian design legends Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada. Titled : "Schiaparelli and Prada : Impossible Conversations" in which there are simulated interviews between the two women about fashion, technique, & art/design. 

First timers debuting with very important dates such as Lana Del Rey with Joseph Altuzarra, Lena Dunham with Hamish Bowles (who even picked out her shoes for the event), and Azealia Banks with Alexander Wang were among some of the most interesting in attendance last night. Dark, statement colors, Avant Garde, short, odd, classic, and futuristic were only some of the themes some of the guests displayed with their wearable art to one of the most important events of the year for Fashion and Art.  

| The Dark Beauties | 

 

(Lana Del Rey in Joseph Altuzarra - Rooney Mara in Givenchy)

| The"Girls" in Statement Colors | 

(Allison Williams in Ralph Lauren)

(Lena Dunham in Wes Gordon with Hamish Bowles)

 | The Avant Garde |

(Chloe Sevigny in Miu Miu - Christina Ricci in Thakoon)

  

| The Short yet Elegant |

 

(Emma Stone in Lanvin - Gwyneth Paltrow in Prada)

| The Odd |

(Mary Kate Olsen in The Row and Anja Rubik in Anthony Vaccarello)

Anja - "Angelina at the Oscars much?"

(Brooke Shields in J.Mendel - Kirsten Dunst in Rodarte) 

Brooke - "Why the cane?!" Kristen- I usually love all things Rodarte, but this is so aging on her.

| The Flowing Beauties | 

(Florence Welch in Alexander McQueen - Leighton Meester in Marchesa)

| The Classics | 

(Marina Abramovic in Givenchy with James Franco in Gucci - Sarah Jessica Parker in Valentino)

 

(Dakota Fanning & Jessica Chastain both in Louis Vuitton)

| The Edgy & Futuristic |

 

(January Jones in Versace (per usual) - Jessica in L'Wren Scott)

(Kristen Stewart in Balenciaga)

Kanye West has never been a favorite of mine mostly because he seems to poke his head in all aspects from fashion, art, and music and also seems to embarrass himself at the same time. He recently tweeted (possibly kidding), about his "fashion dislikes"... nonetheless I decided to try and show how obnoxious and contradictory he is. 

Here goes...

"I hate khaki trench coats with jeans" (*Yes, this is a camel/fur lined yet still khaki colored.) 

"I hate hoodies with sport coats." (*Not a sport coat, but I'm pretty sure he supported the "hoodie under anything" look when it started in 2005.)

I hate big ass striped scarves. (*Yes, it's Louis Vuitton, but still a contradiction.)

Courtney Love's attempt at a new medium & Anna Dello Russo for H&M

Courtney Love is no stranger to all things controversial, and now she is giving her go at another medium. "And She's Not Even Pretty" is the title of the artist's art show on display in Manhattan at Fred Torres Collaborations. The collection consists of about 45 or more drawings/paintings mostly female nudes draped with lyrics and poems. Many of the pieces seem to be small scale depictions of famous females in art's past (nudes, nude women weeping, nude women on couches) - all done with great proportion in shape. Of course the collection is sexualized and explicit or it wouldn't be Love's! Those who have even seen Love's "Dirty Blonde" book released in 2006 will be able to recognize her raw penmanship in the pieces. The collection is only display until June 15. 

 

May 1, 2012

Jane Sterling's Futuristic princess/"Dinner with a side of LSD trip" outfit on the April 22 episode of Mad Men. The glitter mid-drift cut-out and color palette is reminiscent of Marc Jacobs' Spring 2010 collection. Too much, and too good.

After 34 years of wild-child fashion, Betsey Johnson has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. She will reportedly still be designing sportswear for the Steve Madden line. Sure, designers such as Jeremy Scott, Meadham Kirchoff, and Jean-charles de Castelbajac will continue to use color and pop culture iconography in fashion, but there is only one Betsey Johnson.

The Fall 2012 Alexander McQueen collection behind the scenes video with DAZED which Stylite referred to as "fashion porn", and I agree. Also, the very interesting spread in May 2012 VOGUE, "Jewel in the Crown" which focuses on the headpieces/art created by Julien d'Ys.

Photo credit: AMC, Vogue, Stylite, DAZED Mag

These are few of my favorite things...right now! (April 2012)

April 20, 2012

Jessica Chastain for NY Times Style Summer 2012 Issue.

That hair, the classic Balenciaga neon animal prints, those red lips. Not to mention that she was one of the most stunning at the Oscars this year in Alexander McQueen (what looks like a custom mix from Resort 12 and the original color palette used in McQueen last collection for Fall 11).

The explosive fashion of ABC's "GCB" this past week in which Marisol Nichols' character wore Mary Katrantzou to play rehearsal of a conservative Texan church - proving that those prints can work ANYWHERE.

Giorgio Armani's outfit sketches for Lady Gaga's Born This Way Ball...!

Music in my head:

"Youth" - Foxes

"Young Adult" - Voltaire Twins

"Lady" - Chromatics

Photo credit to: Vogue.com , ABC.com , Fashionista.com, NYTimes.com

The Story of the "Marc Jacobs hat" & review of Fall 2012.

(Marc Jacobs Fall 2012)

The History of the Marc Jacobs hat is a journey that has been with Jacobs' persona through his line. The accomplished designer has used hats to express his ideas and visions into his collections. While also pulling the reigns at Louis Vuitton since 1997, and progressing the couture line with his collaborations with artists such Takashi Murakami and Richard Prince. The work of Marc Jacobs has become a recognizable work of art within the world of fashion. The hat adds to the telling of the story the collection is expressing.

(Marc Jacobs SS09)

(Marc Jacobs FW09)

(Left to right: Marc Jacobs SS11, LV FW09)

(Left to right: Louis Vuitton FW11, LV SS08)

Whether it's "Marie Antoinette" - (Fall 2012), "Mary Poppins" - (Spring 2009), highly paid escorts - (Fall 2011,Vuitton), eerie/artsy nurses (Spring 2008, Vuitton in collaboration with Prince) they all seem to complete the looks. Imagine how differently the collection would be seen without the hatwear.

The hats in the Fall 2012 collection MAKE the looks and bring a certain image from the hat as an accessory to a main attraction of the outfit. Jacobs' styling with looks is impeccable and the way of pairing pieces with looks can create a look with 7 complete pieces involved.

(AND IT WORKS!)

Only true artists can see their vision for what it is.

Bold colors, big hats and scarves, and the always play on print on print is there and always on point in flattering the female figure while staying sophisticated at the same time.

Style.com Review for Marc Jacobs' Fall 2012

NEW YORK, February 13, 2012

By Nicole Phelps

Marc Jacobs earned his reputation as New York fashion's consummate showman and then some tonight. The set was spectacular and huge. Dreamed up at the designer's request by his friend, the artist Rachel Feinstein, the construction paper folly looked like a broken castle. "Marie Antoinette's version of ruins," she said. A pretend fountain was perched halfway down the curving runway. But we weren't in eighteenth-century France. Seventeenth-century Plymouth Rock meets the twenty-first-century street-style scene is more like it. Jacobs' models wore pilgrim shoes, of both the flat and stacked heel variety, affixed with giant rhinestone buckles. And their wild outfits, the designer said backstage, were inspired by the likes of Anna Piaggi and Lynn Yaeger, fashion eccentrics of the first order and mash-up artists long before the Sartorialist arrived on the scene. Piaggi has never gone anywhere without a hat, and Jacobs had some doozies on the runway. Made of multicolored mink, they tilted this way and dipped that, like something out of Dr. Seuss. The getups were just as off-kilter: Wool stoles were buttoned over wool coats worn on top of patchwork skirts above cropped pants. Colors were all over the map; prints ranged from oversize paisleys to floral pencil doodles, and holographic appliqués dripped off dresses. Tinsel turned up everywhere. And volumes, in marked contrast to his strict, severe collection of a year ago, were turned up, too. Padded hips? Prepare yourselves, ladies. It was fearless, just like Piaggi, Yaeger, and co. And it made you fall in love with fashion and Marc Jacobs all over again.

(Photo credit: Style.com)