The Great Manhattan Caper: NY Fall 2013

Yes, Capes! They are all over the runway in New York for the Fall '13 collections. Capes as chic dress covers seen at Zac Posen and Naeem Khan or as utilitarian outerwear presented by Vera Wang and Derek Lam to bejeweled boho versions at Oscar de la Renta. There is nothing quite like the movement from a long, flowing cape; it seems to add so much mystery and elegance. My favorite capes from the New York collections are the dynamic jersey versions from Donna Karan (see previous blog entry). So bold yet so feminine.

I can't help but think this trend was inspired by none other than the fabulous Tom Ford; his stunning white dress/cape ensemble worn by Gwyneth Paltrow at last Year's Oscars was at the tip of every fashion editor and fashionista's panting tongues - it was just a question of time before his vision would surface with an encore from his peers.

Now to find out what Paris, Milan and London have (or rather, don't have) up their sleeves for their Fall 2013 collections.

photos from style.com

Gwyneth Paltrow in Tom Ford

Donna Karan Fall 2013

I am so thrilled the Fall collections have kicked off today in New York! The first collection I had to review was that of one of my most favorite designers, the irreverent Donna Karan. Her brilliant silhouettes, drapery and color stories are always so inspiring and feminine.

Her collection for this fall is a sweeping orchestra of browns, charcoal grays and seductive blacks. The most powerful looks for me were the amazing draped dresses; the juxtaposition of sheer inserts, body hugging jersey drapery and the loose fluidity of the attached capes are at once wondrously lyrical, sexy and ultra-feminine. These pieces evoke to me an image of a mirage; a vision of a seductive woman traipsing through a torrid, dusty terrain, her cascading cape undulating against the wind. 

Now I want to sew capes into all of my clothes.

photos from style.com

lace, lace, baby.

Lace. Elegant, seductive and acutely feminine.   

The Pre Fall and Couture 2013 collections explored lace's ultimate elegance with a discernment for it's sexy, edgy side. Sheer lace and cutouts were seen from Michael Kors to Emilio Pucci to Valentino and back to Elie Saab; the playfulness between the alluring flashes of skin beneath the luxuriously intricate and traditional craftsmanship provided a feminine strength perhaps not typically associated with one's idea of lace.

Of course, the daring runway presentations will be mostly reinterpreted for the non-red-carpet-super-hero elite, with solid linings shielding unwitting citizens from the provocative bare flesh. Even Jennifer Lopez lined those infamous legs in her recent Golden Globe Elie Saab dress ... and it still harmonized with it's original, sexy runway version.

photos from style.com

Jennifer Lopez in Elie Saab at the 2013 Golden Globes 

I am waiting in quiet impatience for the Fall 2013 collections in the coming weeks. Hopefully, there'll be more lace.

... till then,

Mel

Jean Paul Gaultier SS 2013

Oh, Jean Paul Gaultier! How we adore your humor and enthusiasm ... at least I do. Gaultier's latest collection was a tribute to some of the great pop stars of the 1980s. Models sauntered down the catwalk as replicas of such artists as David Bowie (Ziggy Stardust persona to be precise, which is not from the 80's, but this was so cool so who really cares?), Annie Lennox, Grace Jones, Boy George, Michael Jackson and one of Gaultier's most famous collaborators, Madonna.

Gaultier used the collection as a literal walk down memory lane, embracing the style and personas of these famous musicians; the clothes shown here were not the result of mere inspiration but seemed to appear out of  a time capsule closet from the 1980's Gaultier must have kept aside and decided to present to us for this spring's collection.

Ziggy Stardust model

Boy George model

Annie Lennox circa Eurythmics model

Grace Jones model

Michael Jackson model

photos from style.com

The Return of the Native

... and here's another post about jewelry! I must confess I'm a bit obsessed with jewelry at the best of times. My love of adornment began at a very young age, like most girls I imagine, and was greatly catalyzed by my beautiful and brilliant Grandmother, Onnie Millar, who made her own jewelry. My Grandmother favored large and colorful jewelry often made from wood, ceramic, shells and glass; she loved natural and organic objects. She fashioned beautiful sculptures of people from stone and made pendants of painted portraits on sea shells and wood. Her preference for the natural always reminded me of the spirit of Native art;  where found objects were turned into figurative and literal representations of man, nature and the earth.

There is a definite trend of Native inspired jewelry proposed by many designers for Fall 2012... and I love it.
Am I convinced of the practicality of some of these pieces? No, but that doesn't matter. The point of fashion is to express artistic visions and what is practical for some may not be for others. I enjoy these European adaptations of Native adornment - I would love to see someone wear one of these pieces with a tank top or poking from beneath a suit!

Akong, Fall 2012

Dannijo, Fall 2012

Aurelie Biderman, Fall 2012

Akong, Fall 2012

Pamela Love, Fall 2012

Pamela Love, Fall 2012

Lulu Frost Fall 2012

photos from style.com

Mary Katrantzou (... I heart you)

Speaking of gorgeous statement jewelry, I thought I'd share some samples from Greek designer Mary Karantzou's first collection made for Fall 2008 while graduating at Central St. Martin's. There are so many things I love about Katrantzou's work: her predilection towards bold, bright colors, geometric shapes and patterns, and of course its all about those prints, prints, prints! Her prints are perfectly drafted to caress every curve of the body. The technical prowess to achieve such mastery is simply astounding. 

She is steadfast in her aesthetic, which affords all fashionstas the ability to immediately identify a Karantzou from the rest of the pack. Her love of shift dresses and peplums combined with her fantastic prints and elementary color sense creates a  perfect marriage of contrast between minimalism and kitsch. If you took away the prints, I feel her work would resemble Calvin Klein or Gianfranco Ferre. If you took away the silhouettes, I'm left to compare her work to Versace, Pucci or Jean Charles de Castlebajac.

In her first collection, Karantzou utilized in her prints trompe l'oeil variations of massive statement necklaces. What's not to love?

Mary Katrantzou Fall 2008

photos from StyleGuru

Heaven Tanudiredja

Why have I not heard of Heaven Tanudiredja until now??  I am completely enthralled and inspired with this designer's gorgeous jewelry! The Balinese born designer studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and since has worked for Christian Dior and now Dries Van Noten where he is part of the creative team and is supported in his own line Heaven Tanudiredja . Learning of his work with Van Noten, I silently nodded in affirmation of the seamless aesthetic exchanged between the designers, as if it were the most logical and obvious thing ever. It all just seems to make perfect sense!

I am compelled by Tanudiredja's work for his brilliant fusion of materials such as plastic, metal, glass, his lively mix of colors and for the juxtaposition of the  aggressive, almost militant spirit (many of his pieces look like beautifully beaded and jeweled armor) with the feminine tradition of adornment. I am always personally attracted to jewelry that is chunky, bizarre and that manages to capture various tribal semblances and/or sci-fi/futuristic qualities. Lucky for me, these sort of desires seem to be trendy in fashion design right now and I'm finding more and more designers to placate my fantasies. More posts to come!