IF I WERE A GIRL : CHANEL, of all things . . .

chanel has long struggled with the fact that it is viewed as an "older" brand,

suitable for a certain chic woman of a certain age

with a certain income to afford it.

-

this spring show we saw a lighter,

younger,

insouicant chanel.

-

and thanks to kaiser karl,

a host of ideas about how to make fashion,

true, high end fashion,

desirable even as it is wearable.

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not an easy feat.

-

but, here is what i would buy from chanel:

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this cardigan is so cool, i'd wear it even as a boy.

seriously, karl, gimme.

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ditto for the leather topper.

makes the dress younger,

makes the patterned tights cooler.

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i don't know.  i love a slouchy pant and a tiny jacket.

even a tiny tweedy fey jacket.

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then there was the whole bell skirt thing.

i liked.

and i began to see how the layers of texture and craftsmanship

made all the neutrals interesting.

-

and this, it's like a post modern punk chanel girl

out to run this town tonight.

rihanna, take note.

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guys,

take these notes:

1) neutrals, again, better with texture and details.  think nubby and linen and texture.

2) black balances and grounds everything here.

3) a little bejeweled wheat hair adornment really helps kick an outfit up a level.

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IF I WERE A GIRL : meet HAIDER ACKERMAN.

this guy,

haider,

he kind of rocks.

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he's a little bit lanvin,

a little bit rick owens,

and for me to say that is like a blessing from the pope in red shoes on a sunday.

-

he followed the military/safari theme that popped up,

but kept it light, sensual, and sexy.

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i'd buy these:

military meets the Met

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a little halston meets a little dust

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reminds me a little of early dries (van noten.  google it.)

looks like you could wear it to bed.

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ok, i'd wear this just for you guys.

because you've been so nice.

-

watch this man to go on to impressive things.

IF I WERE A GIRL : CELINE, and why it matters again.

follow me here.

-

there is a designer named phoebe philo.

she used to design under stella mccartney (yes, THAT mccartney)

at a label called chloe.

big success.  launched stella into her own line.

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then phoebe took over and a funny thing happened.

chloe got even better.

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then one thing led to another, she left to raise her child.

women mourned.

who would make the cool, but goes with everything clothing they loved.

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now, phoebe is back,

at a label called celine (CHUH-LEAN).

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and in her first collection, she nailed every spring trend,

and made it work in a way women will want to wear,

not just look at on blogs.

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this is your label to understand spring,

this is what I would buy from celine

were i a girl:

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this opening look combines leather, black (the spring secondary color), short, minimal.

it's a home run.

-

no, she (i) won't wear it like this.

but the white shirt is timeless and amazing,

and the skirt is too cool (leather trim.  sigh.)

worn with a tee, it's perfect.

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the lacquered black mattelasse (dimensional pattern) coat

will last until you wear it out.

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same with the dress.

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a little fashion forward,

but every woman wants a piece in their wardrobe

that makes their girlfriends go

"damn. that's cool. and she pulls it off."

guys should learn from this.

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and, done.

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guys,

learn from this the following things:

1) black and white and beige are best when teamed with unexpected texture, color, or silhouette.

2) one strange piece sets the others in your closet into contrast, and elevates opinion of you.

3) phoebe philo is fun to say out loud.

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IF I WERE A GIRL : shut up, you know what i mean . . .

not to belabor an obvious fact,

but paris fashion week just wrapped up,

and my inner fashion whore kind of went rampant this season.

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often i have bemoaned the fact that men's fashion is so torpid and stale,

and tim has thanked god that i'm not a woman,

(for obvious reasons, yes),

because the budget for shoes alone would screw us in a month.

-

looking at spring was fascinating though.

you saw designers struggling across a spectrum on how to SELL,

and how to EXPRESS.

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but sticking with the point of this blog,

here's what we can learn from women:

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1) stick to the neutrals this spring.

the runways were awash with neutral colors, with more beige than a sandstorm,

and with black used as an "accent" more than as a statement.

and when it wasn't beige, it was gray.

retailers are going to struggle with this, as sales floors will look horrid in a wave of beige,

even if it is on trend.

look for "new neutrals" in every editorial spread.

dread it.

but wear it.

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2)  the classics made a comeback.

chanel was hugely youthful and inspirational.

ysl carved out modernism and pushed forward.

phoebe philo was back at celine, and nailed it.

the old guard proved why they are timeless.

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3) lindsay lohan is not a designer.

enough said.

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4) for women, short is the new long.  still.

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5) on the beauty front, natural looking makeup is IN.  eyebrows are OUT.

i have no idea.  you figure that one out on your own.

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6) the label to name drop if you want to appear in the know,

or at least turn a woman's head,

is BALMAIN.

think dusty military looks with chain mail accents,

everything skin tight, battered, and sexy.

from there, it's GIVENCHY,

for black and white, geometric prints, and sophisticated draping.

bu for the truly elite,

it's still LANVIN.

with a show that pushed the most beautiful dresses and accessories

into another stratosphere with beading, beading, and color.

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the next few days, i'm shopping the girl's side of the aisle,

to keep you and your eye on guard

for when your girlfriend sits down and expects a compliment this spring.

what we can learn from women - anna della russo

this is an "icons of style" post in the making,

but anna is first, in a field where fashion is critical to her survival.

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not husband hunting.

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not envy-inducing.

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she is the fashion director of Vogue Nippon, 

and they take their fashion deadly seriously.

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still,

we can learn from her that a fearless approach to fashion,

that wearing what one loves

(here's the key with anna)

WHEN

one wants to wear it . . .

-

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well darlings, that makes all the difference in the world.

-

(bright red lanvin coctail dress, mid-day, paris fashion week.)

ICONS OF STYLE : the curious case of victoria "posh spice" beckham

please,

take this for what it is.

but one has to admit that ms. beckham

has in a far shorter time period,

and with far greater grace notes,

eclipsed her dandified arm-candy

to become a stylish,

interesting

fashion icon.

is she a true icon, hitting all the notes of our previous members?

non.

does she have potential?

oui.

so let's look at this as a lesson.

in how one can evolve,

and develop the footsteps towards fashion icon status.

little vickie began to enter my consciousness somewhere around here-ish:

post music career, new hair, lots of designer label.

level: attention whore.

then this, which i saw in person at the mtv awards two years ago:

level : whore

but then, curiously, she began mingling with marc.

and this stuff began:

level : celebutante

ok, you say, dressed BY a designer does not make one stylish.

but off hours, we saw this happening:

a little rick owens.  a little hermes.

not bad.

 love or hate the choices, they suited her.

they carried some edge.

they took some guts.

and then, she designs her own clothes,

and they aren't horrible.

in fact, they are surprisingly chic.  and pretty.  and desireable:

i gotta say, i LOVE a charcoal pencil skirt, deep vee and fur shrug.

and as long as she can still wack out and do this every once in awhile:

i'm giving miss vicky an upgraded level.

level : icon, in training.

what we can learn from women - BOTTEGA VENETA RESORT 08

let's face it,
guys just don't get the options or the range women do,
and even though that is changing rapidly
(roland mouret is doing menswear!  look it up.  it's major.)
we are still left out of many of the changing whims of fashion,
for better or worse.

resort is actually an example of the "worse".

a season that used to be primarily for the very very wealthy who would escape to resorts during the holiday season, "resort" has become a fourth season in fashion, primarily due to the shifting nature of both weather (thank you global warming), and the travel patterns of the world's influencers, with clothing that is almost season-LESS.  think great infusions of color in the middle of a drab winter, and great pieces to layer. 

witness bottega veneta for women.  it's a lesson in indulgence, timelessness, and the use of COLOR:

use this as inspiration for HOW to use color.  note the grounding of gray.

note the classic cut on a leather coat, but the new use of color. 

craftsmanship.

and color.

again.

and hell yeah.
a sense of humor, baby.

cause you might be a guy, but the best way to do color,
is to NOT TAKE IT SERIOUSLY,
and suddenly, it all loosens up.

luxury is not knowing that you have anything on, baby.

act naked, and anything can work.

uniform redux : the angelina example

HERE,
this is what i was talking about.

rumor has it that angelina used to have it in her contract that she ONLY would wear black or white,
no matter the role or the event.

seems she's branched out a bit over the years (though knowing that and seeing her films, it seems pretty precise), but there is a definite limitation of silhouette, palette, and mood to her clothing.

a "uniform" if you will:

the deep v gown,
or strapless,
nothing fussy:

she loves a good trench coat:

VERY rarely (because even a uniform needs some flexibility),
a pop of color:

course,
it doesn't hurt to pop this doll head on top of the simple dress code:

FALL COUTURE : an art form, up close

the couture shows for winter were what they always are:

an unattainable, yet lovely,

expression of all that a couturier can dream of,

and then make real, for a moment.



most of us won't have lives where we ever wear this stuff,

(not the least reason being that it's women's clothing only . . .)

but it surely informs and influences every aspect of fashion downstream,

from colors to textures to lengths . . .



after all, that's what dreams are supposed to do,

seep into daily consciousness.



your homework here is to look closely,

and tell me what you see that inspires you.

what can men learn from a frothy, imaginative rundown of women's fantasies?



in some ways, guys need to spend more time seeking inspiration,

and less worrying about what works.



my mother (who, among other things, was a very successful interior designer in the eighties),

once made me pull every page from every kind of magazine that i liked,

then lay them on the floor,

step back,

and see what rose to the top.

that way, i would know what i consistently was drawn to,

be it color or shape or lighting.



for the record, i liked red sofas,

violet walls,

dark wood floors,

and alabaster.

(i've moved on.  but it was a stunning apartment.)



here, a few snippets from lacroix and chanel

that should make you yearn a bit

for reasons to keep this art form

alive:

ICONS OF STYLE : CATE BLANCHETT

well it wouldn't be me if i didn't include someone

this fearless,

this timeless,

and this chic,

would it, now?



cate blanchett has proven time and again,

over and over,

that with the right confidence and knowledge of yourself,

almost any fashion risk can be ridden to harbor,

and any occasion should inspire you to rise to the new.



she easily fits the five rules,

but she also inspires across gender with the radiance of her attitude.



her true gift?

she transcends whether you "get it" or not.



she makes you understand

that true style

is about the wearer: