LONDON FASHION WEEK: FALL 2009

london fashion week was really short in comparison to new york fashion week. london fashion week definitely had it's own vibe--very european, eclectic, and carefree. if i had to pick one fashion week over the other i'd pick new york's because they had more options to choose from and i liked more of the shows from ny. i hope you enjoy the selections i put together.
♥ me

charles anastase- I LOVEDDDDDD THE HIGH HEEL PLATFORM LACEUP BOOTS! gahhh! they are so amazing. instant cool. you can see how much i'm freaking out about this. i love this grungy lolita look. i didn't think the confederate belt that was featured was cool though. the girl in the second look from the left just looks so geeky cool, right?

nathan jenden- i really loved nathan jenden spring 2009 and i am also loving fall 2009. nathan is a really talented designer with a fun, young, and thoughtful vision.

viviene westwood red label- viv westwood is such a rebel, and i like that and the fab schoolgirl looks she was churning out. i'd love to wear these looks to school, but it's like i'm living in the arctic circle up here in chicago.

twenty8twelve-i really liked this show. it seemed like it was based off of stuff sienna would wear all the time. this was a really good runway debut. look at jourdan's legs! she is the model to the far left and to the far right.

richard nicoll-this show was a really interesting take on clothes and the feel of the clothes was really fresh. i loved his corsetry and i hope to see some of these looks on the red carpet.

christopher kane- i absolutely love the skirt to the far left. i think i'm going to try and make it (i have no idea how to sew, but maybe i can make this my project). the only thing i hated about this collection was the multicolored velvet striped dresses. like narciso rodriguez's weird cow print suits, they made me a bit sick.

giles- the show was all over the place, but i liked it anyway. it was styled by the eccentric katie grand.

issa-i loved the flowing dresses and gowns and how effortlessly glamorous all the models looked. of course it's easy to look perfect when you have world class hairstylists and make up artists doting on you.

josh goot- clean and simply beautiful. the color palette included pale petal pink, nude, black and white.

louise goldin- i loved the futuristic knitwear line and the extra bright blue stripe of eyeshadow (hard to see in this collage) and the long bangs all the models wore.

luella- i love luella bartley, she has such a fun and young vision. it is totally unique and all of her looks always bring a smile to my face! she loves polka dots, and she does them well. i also loved seeing pixie geldof (farthest to the right) on the runway, i love her look.

marios schwab-this collection was perfect from the very start. this is another fall 2009 collection that i want to see on the red carpet often. the dresses were so well made and so creative.

ossie clark- i loved the cute cuts of the clothes and the colors and prints of the clothes. the curved collars of the coats were adorable.

peter pilotto-i loved his spring 2009 collection and i loved his fall 2009 collection. his looks remind me a bit of erdem and jonathan saunders, but of course he has his own distinctive touch that i love.

roksanda ilincic- zany, quirky, yet classic and cute. this collection is for the businesswomen, or working woman with a great sense of style and a bright outlook on life. one of my favorite pieces was the dress in the middle with the bright aquamarine top, nude skirt and burgundy band at the waist. this collection was also one of my favorite collections that were shown at london fashion week.

FASHION WEEK NOTES

central saint martins- they showed 179 looks. hoy mackarel! i barely liked any of the looks though, since the show was so abstract.

topshop unique- very 80s and most of the looks were hard to pull off. some of the individual pieces were great though.

todd lynn- it was a good show, but it seemed like a rip off of givenchy.

jaeger london- good but not great. the last few looks blew me away but for most of the show i felt like the designer was holding back. i get so annoyed when 3/4 of the show is boring and then 1/4 of the show is amazing.

erdem- i liked it, and expect to see some of these looks on the likes of thandie newton. all of the pieces weren't really my style though and i feel like i've seen this look so many times before from erdem.

danielle scutt- this was an ambitious collection with a color palette of red, white and black. there was obviously a lot of work put into this and i got the appeal of a few of the looks...but overall i just wasn't feeling it.

mary catrantzou- these ensembles were printed with robot armor, it was an interesting collection but not exactly appealing to me.

mark fast- things were so short, so tight, so ripped and so sheer that the collection was pornographic at some points.

graeme black- i liked the shoes and some of the finale dresses...but otherwise this collection seemed to be a mess.

sinha-stanic- i liked this collection. a lot of loose draping with chiffon, and cool prints.



NEXT STOP MILAN!

I am no longer an awards virgin!

Today I was awarded my very first fashion blog awards by the stupendous carrie of couturecarrie! i love reading her blog, make sure to check her out.

in the spirit of giving i award these two awards to the wonderful owner of fashionchalet. i love her cute and sweet entries and the fact that she always comments back. i also award this to maegan of love maegen and lastly the amazing artiste at emily so enchanted.

new posts coming soon dears!
love,
me

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: FALL 2009 PART III

this is the third and final part of my new york fashion week entries. i think new york fashion week went well and lived up to expectations. now on to london!
♥ me

william rast- laid back cool that erin wasson would be proud of.

Proenza Schouler- i think proenza schouler is on my love list. they never dissapoint me. never, ever. just like mr. de la Renta they're always just my cup of tea. i love this downtown casual cool look and their inventive use of wool, satins, and velvet (the velvet burnout detail on the farthest dress to the right is exquisite). i can't wait to see some of their accesories up close.

Oscar de la Renta- i would so wear that look that sessilee lopez has on (to the far left). in fact i wore something very similar to that last sunday--and i rocked it too, of course. and how hot is that suit arlenis has on (in the middle of the collage)? wowee. in this collection mr. de la renta showed just how great he is with color and cut. he is our american couturier.

michael kors- michael's fall collections always get me. his spring collection i wasn't really digging but i'm loving his vision for fall 09. and i loved his touches of neon--he actually did it tastefully! fur was also used in the collection, the colors ranged from natural camel colors to silver to neon orange or highlighter yellow. and like every designer this season he featured one sleeved dresses. i so need something one sleeved in my closet. it was so hard to pick just five looks. this is such a stupendous collection. mr. kors really knows his stuff.

marchesa- i always look forward to marchesa's collections, season after season. as much as i love hard core stuff like spikes and leather i also love girly things like tulle and sequins and high heels and pretty hair and makeup. this marchesa collection was terrific, that's why i'm making a collage for it. but i definitely expected more. some of these pieces did, in fact, look like crap (just a few though!). but the good ones made up for it. it was so hard to pick just 5 looks, and i probably picked the wrong ones. there was an amazing red jumpsuit. i want to own it, and i NEED to see that black drop waist gown with silver sequins on each tier on the red carpet. please go to style.com and take a full look at marchesa.

l'wren scott- l'wren scott makes the best dresses ever. i love all of her shows and the way she styles the models. and i loved the shoes in this collection too.

Juan Carlos Obando- ohmygosh, was this collection breathtaking or what? i'm inspired beyond my wildest dreams. i love the swirling colors on the first two dresses. it looks like a whimsical watercolor painting in which the artist let color bleed loosely onto a white canvas. the gowns he created were simple, yet chic. i loved this collection!

Douglas Hannant- this show was so well executed. it was organized and flowed very well. i can see how much precision and time he allotted to making this collection. hannant said that audrey hepburn was his inspiration for his fall 2009 collection. he also said,"if it's going to be elegant it can't scream". and he's right--nothing elegant can scream--it declares. i'm loving the use of bright pink on the runway. it's everywhere!

Doo.Ri- i am LOVING the whole gothic look right now and Doo.Ri knocked it out of the ballpark. the only weird thing is all of her models had scowls on their faces like either they had A. smelled something disgusting B. been hit in the face a few seconds before walking out on the runway C. seen someone they hated and all the models were scary skinny. how many times do i have to say it? you can be skinny AND healthy, and a lot of these girls just looked skinny. but how chill are those crystal sutdded lace stockings?! they are so amazing, i don't know if i'm cool enough to rock them.

behnaz sarafpour- behnaz really knows how to work shades of grey. i especially love the ombre grey fur jacket. it's incredibly well made and can dress up any ensemble.

badgley mischka- you can always rely on badgley mischka to come up with special event worthy clothes.

3.1 Phillip Lim- i didn't know it was possible for me to fall for a collection in a nanosecond. but i fell in love from the minute i saw the thumbnail pic for the fall 2009 phillip lim collection. this season lim was inspired by 60s london youth. everything was based on biba, sergeant pepper and jimi hendrix looks and it was all perfect. i really enjoyed this collection, it's everything i want out of a show. creativity, unpredictableness, good use of color and of course a chic classic essence. it was classic without being boring. i really love that white coat in the look to the far left.

victoria beckham- mrs. beckham is really holding her own as a fashion designer, and everyone has to recognize it. for her second collection we got to see a very nicely made group of gowns. these are definitely red carpet worthy! my favorite gown is definitely the one to the far right that is one shouldered and has sewuins along the sleeve and the top of the dress. and i love the red pencil dress to pieces.

vera wang- this was way better than her lavender collection presentation. she's returned to the vera wang look i know and love.

Thakoon- this collection featured subdued sheaths, cute bow cut outs, every color in the rainbow...and then some, mirror embellishments, fur fur and more fur and a full range of what thakoon can do. it featured one gown that seemed really out of place and as a desperate offering for someone to wear it to the oscars but it was still a good design. i love jourdan dunn in that black concoction to the far right.

rodarte- i'm in love. every recent season of rodarte i haven't liked until weeks after the show when other fashion bloggers are raving about how amazing the collection was. i've never really gotten the rodarte aesthetic until the next season came around, and some of the stuff they make i still don't like. but i've been warming up to them...i guess because i'm being forced to (and because they have the most amazing shoe collaborations). as kirsten dunst said, rodarte's clothes are very emotional. they convey so much feeling. i'm really satisfied with this collection and would love to wear the looks i picked. i'm sure if i wore those boots they'd reach all the way up to my hips :)

ralph lauren- it was just perfect. there were so many good looks it was hard to choose. there were ruffles, velvet, silks, languid and lush looks, etc. the palette was very light, and i love that he's keeping the palette light for fall. that's really original.

rebecca taylor- very feminine and light. i loved the use of bright blue eyeshadow and the beautiful ruffles on some of the pieces.

naeem khan- he makes the best red carpet dresses. there are so many great designers out there. the plethora of amazing gowns and dresses available for us girls just make me smile, and i'm happy naeem is out there to add his touch on things.

malandrino- the inspiration for this collection is surrealism, i really liked all of the special and unique touches. especially the sequined wings on some of the pieces.

katy rodriguez- the silhouettes really spoke to me. girly and cute is always good in my book.

Brian Reyes- this fall 2009 presentation had a slow start and i wasn't liking it at all. and then suddenly i saw that beautiful blue dresses with the slashes at the front. i love it. so much so that i'd love to wear it everyday. i want one in black and that beautiful blue. in his summary it says that reyes designs for a strong women--most designers do. i think reyes designs for a strong woman that is set on going somewhere. she might not know where she wants to go, but she is never waiting for things to happen. his designs remind me of a watered down version of de la renta with a few well placed designs of originality.

FASHION WEEK NOTES

Calvin Klein- for 3/4 of the show all i saw was black and grey and then a disgusting yellow was introduced. i'm hoping this collection will look better on red carpets and in magazines, and it probably will.



Isaac Mizrahi- i was dissapointed by this collection because it had such a slow and weird start. all the models looked like they were dressed in clothes meant for old people who were 20 sized bigger than them. at the end mizrahi decided to show some nice looking clothes, but by then it was too late to win my favor.



Julian Louie- it was a pretty good debut effort but at times felt overworked to the point that some of the clothes looked like robot armor made out of felt.

phi- i had deja vu. short skirts, leather leggings, leather jackets, straight hair and blank stares but no pep.

ports 1961- bright colors and languid designs inspired by india.

tommy hilfiger- classic and preppy, as usual.

zac posen- a VERY extravagant and lush presentation. lots of silks, blingy accessories, and crystal embellished tights were featured as well. however i didn't like most of the clothes. they were really overdone and sometimes mumsy and at times there was just way too much fabric.

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: FALL 2009 PART II

i hope you enjoy this entry as much as you enjoyed the last entry, thank you SO much for the comments. it really means a lot to me. it really motivates me to keep updating. just like all of you i am amazingly busy and just imagine how crappy i'd feel if i got zero comments after spending a lot of time and effort on an entry. blogging isn't all about the comments for me, i really enjoy blogging and being part of the fashion blogger world--but comments are like some extra fuel for when you're not sure you can make it through a certain blogging project. thanks for your support! :)
♥ me

Carlos Miele- every season it's pretty much a given that i'll fall in love with miele's collections, and it was no different this time around. mr. miele said the collection was based heavily on the idea of architecture, and this is evident in the graphic look of the clothes. this collection was so amazing. miele made the perfect choice of colors, cuts, and models. i love newcomer gracie carvalho (second model from left)--she is so cute! i can't really pick a favorite piece but i am very enamored with the print cutaway gown arlenis sosa is wearing in the middle of the collage.

Altuzarra- altuzarra featured well made, tight fitting clothes. i really want to own the dresses--i don't know how i'd bode in those super skinny suits though.

Herve Leger- recently herve leger by max azria has become an amazingly popular line. with it's signature bandage mini dresses that cling to every curve and show off lots of leg, it's a given that pretty young things are attracted to it. for fall 2009 the herve leger collection had a more serious and earthy vibe. bandage dresses featured stretchy thick knits with a few overlapping bandage straps and warm brown, green and gold toned colors. also featured were huge shoulders and embellishment, that reminded me a bit of balmain.

DKNY- blair waldorf would love most of the looks in the fall 2009 edition of DKNY. i really enjoyed everything too. everything was wearable and desirable, cute and classic. i also really liked the fashion show set. it was red, white and black and had half tone and opaque black artistry. i absolutely love the pairing of prints that was showcased at DKNY. would would think that zebra and leopard print mixed together and paired with tweedy plaid would look great? well it does! and i love the young pairing of a well structured sleeveless dress with a cute kelly green and grey striped turtleneck. and the headbands/hats featured were so ladylike.

diane von furstenburg- i love both the brand and the woman. this fall 2009 collection was so amazingly exuberant and edged with that signature DVF wash of class, grace, intelligence and devil may care attitude. the bags and hats were outrageously fun, covered with pompons and strings of yarn. i love arleni's gorgeous smile, and she is rocking that outfit! she is the second model from the left.

Carolina Herrera- i have six words for you: carolina herrera is a freaking genius. go view the whole show online at style.com. the swooshing skirts, the nipped in dresses, the dark but warm woody/mossy color palette (with some bright cerulean blue and fuchsia thrown in), everything comes together to create one of the best collections a girl could ever wish to have in her closet. just put on one look and immediately you become elegant, stylish: an icon--if but for a moment, or only a day. this collection was lush, exquisite, and fit for royalty. herrera time and time again proves that she knows how to dress women!

Erin Fetherston- from the first look, i knew this was going to be interesting. the heels are absolutely killer, i wouldn't even try to walk in them, but they are awesome. the show started out with dark gothic lolita looks, with models teetering on hooker shoes and legs wrapped in striped black and white leggings, or black stripe leggings, or black netted/dotted leggings. then the show took a decidely different turn and headed back to the erin fetherston look we are all more familiar with. pastels galore, heavenly blues pinks and creams, and the ultra short hems on the frocks made the model's pins look even longer. this collection was fit for a doll!

Donna Karan- DK sure knows how to work jersey and silk! this collection included really good items for a woman's closet. it communicated a non fussy and straight forward classy feel.

chris benz- chris loves color and he definitely knows how to use it! i also really love his model's expressions and poses. :)

Charlotte Ronson- for the tough sexy girl these looks would be perfect. i really want the knee high boots from this collection. they lace all the way up AND have studs! sweet! this wasn't my fave collection but it was good enough. i'm loving all the one shouldered dresses i'm seeing on these fall 2009 runways.

Jill Stuart- this collection was inspired by iconic women of music. it had a heavy rock chick aesthetic (as most collections seem to have lately) and i loved it. one of my pieces has to be the sheer lace dress (second from left, worn by cutie pie gracie carvalho) and the piece to the far right, that is sheer with a sequined pattern worn by super pretty model meghan collison.

Marc Jacobs- Mr. Jacobs did the '80s some good. only marc...only marc...only HE could do this collection with the full blown crazy 80s hair and makeup (blue eyeshadow, crazy gelled hair and all) and make me love it.

Miss Sixty- another '80s inspired collection. i'm really loving this look, and so is the rest of the fashion blogging world. it's fun, it's young, and it's confident! one thing i didn't like though...is that miss sixty had way too many scarily skinny models on the runway. there is such a thing as a healthy skinny. i don't want to look on the runway and see so many bones and spines and vertebrae and gaunt faces. it's gross.

Preen- i'm really loving preen. it's a quiet line and you don't hear too much fuss about it, but every collection seems to be so well done and collected and it has a crystal clear aesthetic. how awesome is that rainbow dress at the end? they had about four dresses that had a color theme similar to that. i really love the fourth look from the left. it's soft, simple, and kept interesting with the metallic detailing on the waist.<3

Prabal Gurung- Gurung described his debut collection as "clothes for a thinking man's sex symbol" and he described it perfectly. i'd most like to see the first look on the left on the red carpet. this is a great debut effort, keep your eyes open for him!



FASHION WEEK NOTES

Jeremy Laing- the clothes weren't really my style, but i think laing executed the collection well, and i got a pretty good vibe from the show. i don't remember having seen his work before but from what i'm seeing he does have some talent.

Betsey Johnson- Ms. Johnson put on a very bright and very betsey showing of 17 fall 2009 looks. however the show didn't really wow me or show me anything profound. however i would like to own some shoes and some leopard print sheer tights from this line. and the sequined leggings.

Jonathan Saunders- some looks were cute, most were atrocious. as regular readers may know...i liked the jonathan saunders spring 2009 collection much better.

Lela Rose- the collection was decent, but most of these looks could easily be reproduced for sale at any store.

Luca Luca- the show was inspired by the vintage screen sirens of glamorous eras past, and it was nice...but it's all been done before (and better too).

Reem Acra- i was dissapointed because i've seen so much better from this line, but the last four dresses were absolutely superb and i hope to see at least one on a red carpet.

Temperley London- temperley london fall 2009 was like a bad version of the recent bohemian gucci collections. there were some good pieces in there but they were far and few between. i think the styling was a bit off too. but, you know...when the pieces are worn in isolation on red carpets or to social events or wherever they'll probably look better.

Tuleh- there were a few great gowns at the end of the show but the rest of it was pretty boring.

derek lam- showed a range of nudes, a little wine red, mustards, black and metallics. it was a good collection but it had a really slow and uncertain start. i wish the whole collection had more of the drapey and beaded frocks that emerged at the end. i'm sure we'll see this collection being worn a lot. we're in a recession, so we go back to basic colors like blacks and nudes.

halston- this season's collection was much better than last season's (spring 2009) collection. it had more creativity and thought to it and there was a nice range of looks. the house still needs to improve though.

marc by marc jacobs- i loved the cute furry flat boots. i'd love to own them. also featured were cute wool empire waist coats and lots of plaid flannel made into cute ruffly blouses.also featured were incredibly bright print tights (bright purple with orange squares on the knees, multicolored stripey ones, etc.). the show was cute and young, but very similar to what he's shown before.

matthew williamson- lots of bright colored fur in orange, red or blue and crazy psychadelic/geometric prints. some things looked a bit pucci to me.

max azria- new at max azria was a very dark palette and a usage of lace. the collection was good, but not good enough to make me want to make a collage for it! i would wear some pieces from the line though. i loved the white dress with black lace detail and a fluttery hem, as well as a mini with strips of leather and lace sleeves. and there was good use of embellishment as well.

narciso rodriguez- i really wanted to like this show, since i liked his spring 2009 presentation but i really didn't like this collection. only a select few pieces. he saved some of his best looks for last, and paired them with stark white tights/leggings which was a horrendous choice. he also featured weird abstract cow spot print and hats that covered the eyes and had eye slits cut out. thinking about those looks make me physically sick.

anna sui- i liked it and din't like it at the same time. it was a mix of bohemian, folksy, medieval and all kinds of stuff. showcased were beautiful printed or sparkly tights, printed everything and amazing shoes. jourdann dunn looked great in her looks but there was something i didn't like about the collection. i think the pieces would look better when worn individually and not as a whole look from the collection.

j. mendel- you can always rely on gilles mendel for classic shapes like cocktail dresses or cute skirt suits or pant suits with shrunken blazers, and of course red carpet gowns. however most of the collection was boring. more classic shapes and more fur--this is what i've been seeing from mendel every season. but, he knows how to make nice clothes and he does it well. it's just that i crave excitement in life and this collection didn't excite me except for the last dress du juan wore. it was sooooooooooo beautiful. one of the most creative dresses i've ever seen in my life. i'll be posting a picture of it.

Nanette Lepore- everything was uber cute and uber tasteful...but after seeing marchesa and michael kors directly before this...there was no way i was going to put this down as a collage! it was good...but not fabtastically great.

Richard Chai- it wasn't horrifyingly bad...but...it didn't appeal to me at all (save for one look), i think it's the dull color palette that did it. althought he used multicolored prints they are all dim versions of the hues. if he had brightened it up a bit it would have been more a hit with me. the tailoring was nice though. he knows how to make good slouchy trousers.

Tory Burch- i LOVED the accessories and most of the collection but it seemed that the collection was an oxymoron. it was preppy and clean while trying to be grungy and hip at the same time. sometimes this worked, sometimes it didn't.

Vivienne Tam- beautiful craftmanship as usual but the collection felt cold for some reason? i did view it when slightly sleepy...maybe that played a factor? but these clothes are well made, they just don't have that special twinkle that really grabs my attention.