Archive for February 2012

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Rue du Mail RF12 2143
Reviews

Rue du Mail Fall 2012: Track Jacket Chic

French-Moroccan designer Martine Sitbon’s label, Rue du Mail, conveniently located on the street of the same name, escapes precise categorization. Well, you could say it’s very French, with its eclectic mix of rock ‘n’ roll sleekness and tailored ladylike prim. You could also note that Sitbon’s strengths lie in her dresses, from laser-cut cap sleeves to cheerleader-inspired skirt slits—but then again, the subtly flared ankle trousers give her signature A-line dresses a run for their money. With a front row mélange that included the stunning Clarins sisters, the editor-in-chief of Vogue China, Angelica Cheung (and her son), and blogger Susie Bubble, Rue du Mail appeals to a wide and varied audience.

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  • Noel Duan
  • Wednesday, Feb 29, 2012 / 9:59 PM
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Damir Doma RF12 4296
Reviews

Damir Doma Fall 2012: Minimalist Renaissance Woman

PARIS–You had a sense Damir Doma’s fall collection would be rather subdued and soft–even comfortable–just from the invitation. It was printed on a thick piece of white felt. The runway and the first row benches were also lined with it. And when the clothes came down the runway it made sense. Models were draped and swathed in soft loose silk knits first in black, then a soft blush, then something called “cornelian orange” in the line sheets, and even suede. They walked slowly, serenely, padding along the felt runway in flats–all flats! A nice change from impossible-to-walk-in stilettos (ahem, Zanotti for Vaccarrello).

Damir Doma’s woman was “adorned with the symbolism of culture in between–from oriental tradition to the weight of the cross,” the line sheets informed us. “Reveling in the rituals of the sacred feminine, she clasps a secret at her bosom.” A little weighty, sure, but so were the crosses worn around the models necks.

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Reviews

See by Chloé Fall 2012: An Online Fashion Show With a Secret New Designer

By Wednesday, Feb 29, 2012 / 9:36 PM

Besides offering a more affordable yet still chic alternative to Chloe’s main line, See by Chloé is currently on the forefront of a couple of trends this fashion month: online fashion shows and Paris’ increasing acceptance of designers’ second lines. (Suzy Menkes wrote in today’s International Herald Tribune about a new “parallel fashion universe” being created with secondary lines offering more accessible French fashion.)

See by Chloé, which launched 10 years ago while Stella McCartney was still designing the main line, is now in the midst of a bit of a revamp, hence this online runway show–a deviation for the brand, who have previously never formally shown. A recent press release about the brand mentioned new creative direction and Menkes also slipped in the fact that Chloe has refocused the collection with a new “designer rather than a team in charge,” but, strangely, not even Menkes can get anyone to divulge the designer’s name.

Whoever it is seems poised to take See by Chloé into the new “universe” of accessible French labels that run parallel, rather than second-place-to, luxury ready-to-wear labels. The fall 2012 collection, which debuted this morning both through KCD’s Digital Fashion Shows and on Chloe.com, is exactly what See by Chloé should be: a fun, girly, wearable collection that also captures the chic Parisian energy of Chloé proper and can go head-to-head with labels like Étoile Isabel Marant, Sonia by Sonia Rykiel, Vanessa Bruno Athé and Carven, which, while not a diffusion line, occupies a comparable price range.

While the jersey pieces may have been a bit too commercial for our taste, we loved the flowy tie-waist chiffon dresses, strong blazers, a surprisingly chic corduroy suit and great calfskin and suede pointy ankle boots. It’s all pretty and effortlessly chic without being too precious. Click through to see the full collection.

Launch Slideshow »
Fashion Week

What I Saw at Paris Fashion Week: Day 1

By Wednesday, Feb 29, 2012 / 7:53 PM

OK, so today wasn’t technically day one of Paris fashion week. Anthony Vaccarello started the week off with a bang yesterday–Karlie Kloss‘ first appearance of the season and falling models, oh my!–and Cedric Charlier debuted his first solo collection. But things really got started today. From vintage Zandra Rhodes on the runway for the first time in over 40 years, to Dries Van Noten, to Rochas, to posing with my favorite street style photogs Tommy Ton and Phil Oh, to an impromptu modeling session with Into the Gloss‘s Emily Weiss…here’s what I saw today.
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Photo: Courtesy
The Business

Five Fun Facts We Learned About the CFDA’s Steven Kolb at Last Night’s Event for Harlem’s Fashion Row

Harlem’s Fashion Row (HFR) is a 5-year-old organization whose mission is to increase diversity in fashion and to provide support and education for emerging designers within Harlem’s community. Last night Steven Kolb spoke at an event, called “Conversations,” for HFR in Harlem at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (which literary fiends may be excited to learn is also the resting place of Langston Hughes’s remains.) Kolb was interviewed in a one-on-one format by HFR’s founder, Brandice Henderson. The evening served as an educational forum for those in the audience who have their sights set on design and future CFDA membership. (Not to mention we learned five cool things about Steven Kolb himself. Like that he used to play football. Seriously.)

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  • Misty White Sidell
  • Wednesday, Feb 29, 2012 / 7:25 PM
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Fashion Is Fun

Happy Leap Year! Here Are 29 Pictures of Models Leaping

By Wednesday, Feb 29, 2012 / 6:45 PM

Arthur Elgort, Vogue

In honor of leap year, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to gather 29 pictures of some of our favorite models, you know, leaping. Can you think of a better way to celebrate?

As everyone knows, models love to leap–and they do it all over the globe too: In the desert, on the beach, and in the snow. From Naomi Cambell‘s splashy jump to Caroline Trentini‘s ballerina jete–check out our favorite bouncy editorials. Vogue.com kinda owns the leap but it’s made its way to Harper’s Bazaar, Purple, and more.

Now, get leaping!
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Reviews

Dries Van Noten Fall 2012: Asian Influence, Bon Iver, and a Slower Pace

By Leah Chernikoff Wednesday, Feb 29, 2012 / 6:45 PM


PARIS–You can count on a few things from a Dries Van Noten show: masterful prints, relaxed masculine tailoring, and for the past few seasons, a decadent ornate multi-crystal-chandeliered setting at the Hotel de Ville. So today, four distinct observations from Dries Van Noten’s fantastic 2012 show:

1. The Belgian print master took a trip to Asia for fall. According to Cathy Horyn at the Times, the Asian influence is quite literal: Van Noten told her the prints–Japanese, Chinese and Korean–came from photographs he took of costumes at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The brightly colored prints were chopped up and cut and pasted on silk tops and pleated skirts, on dresses and tunic tops, on pleat front trousers and on belted blazers with sharp lapels.

2. The collection was set to Bon Iver’s “Woods” a somber counter to a colorful jumble of prints–not Kanye as Amanda Brooks Tweeted (she later realized Kanye sampled Bon Iver). The pauses in the song made for silences so long you could hear the clicks of heels and cameras. And I couldn’t help but think that the lyrics–”I’m building a sill to slow down the time”–repeated over and over might be some kind of commentary on the too-fast disposable-designer pace of fashion right now.
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Me and Designer Martha Medeiros
Designer Studio

Get to Know Brazilian Designer Martha Medeiros (Then Go Buy Her Clothes, Which Just Made their US Debut)

While in Sao Paulo a few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting designer Martha Medeiros, who, in addition to being one of the sweetest, cutest persons I have ever met, also happens to be one of the most talented and unique designers in the country. In short, I kind of fell in love–both with Martha, and with her clothing. And now that Medeiros’ designs will be available for the first time ever in the USA–they debuted at Bergdorf Goodman yesterday–here’s why you need to get to know this designer. Stat.

There’s a lot of awesome fashion design going on in Brazil, and as the shows during Sao Paulo Fashion Week evidenced, the clothing has a pretty international appeal to it–as in, the collections would feel as at home in New York or London as they do in Sao Paulo. But if you’re looking for a label that’s authentically, and uniquely Brazilian–something that’s Brasilidade, as they say–well, look no further than Martha Medeiros.

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Getty
The Business

More Dior Rumors: Bill Gaytten Signed On For Six More Seasons and Raf Simons Asked For Too Much Money

Those hoping for a Dior announcement this week may not want to hold their breath. In a blog post based purely on rumor and speculation (sorry, Suzy), Hint Mag claims that Dior CEO Sidney Toledano has just signed on Bill Gaytten, who most assumed would only be a temporary replacement, for six more seasons as creative director.

Hint’s source claims that Raf Simons, a frontrunner who we assumed would take the reigns after his departure from Jil Sander, was close to an agreement with Dior until he asked for too high a salary. This reportedly “outraged” Toledano, so he halted the company’s search for new talent and instead gave Gaytten the job for three more years.

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Entertainment

Hunger Games Fashion: More Crazy Looks from the Capitol

By Wednesday, Feb 29, 2012 / 4:30 PM

New Hunger Games stills are out, lovingly scanned from the movie’s companion book by fans and posted on Oh No They Didn’t. Obviously we’re all over it, considering our obsession with the soon-to-be-released movie. We knew the Capitol’s fashion would be totally nuts, but the recent images have upped the ante a little bit. Read more »

Magazines

Celebs Are All Over the Spring Glossies: Check out Jennifer Lopez on V, Mary Kate Olsen on Elle UK and More

By Wednesday, Feb 29, 2012 / 3:45 PM

It’s not even March yet and here in New York we’re already getting two kinds of April showers: The kind that is water falling out of the sky, as well as a downpour of noteworthy celebs on fashion magazine covers. April looks to be eclipsing March with big cover stars like Jennifer Lopez on V‘s Spring issue (styled excellently by Carine Roitfeld), Angelina Jolie on Vogue Turkey, Cate Blanchett on Harper’s Bazaar UK, Julia Roberts on Vanity Fair, Taylor Swift on Harper’s Bazaar Australia and more. Read more »

Collection

Sneak Peek: Mad for Maje for Fall

By Wednesday, Feb 29, 2012 / 3:00 PM

Thank goodness Maje, the French high street label, has an outpost in New York now. The brand, and its sister Sandro (literally the two brands are owned by sisters), both showed up stateside this year to well-deserved buzz. Both labels consistently put out luxe looking pieces– boiled down looks from the best of the last season’s runways–and voila, instant Parisian street chic! (You can shop both brands online, too).

We previewed the fall collection yesterday and, yes, it’s really good. Read more »

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