Neiman Marcus fashion director Ken Downing knows which runway looks will travel briskly to the racks of top retailers. Why? Because as the person leading the buyers of one of the biggest luxury department stores int the world, that’s his job! Downing’s thoughts on Fall 2010, thus far: “There’s still the battle between masculine and [...]
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Fall 2010 Milan
Fall 2010 Milan
Jil Sander’s Top Ten Looks
I missed the Jil Sander press show because I got lost (some advice: do not use Google GPS in Milan) but Raf Simons’ staff was kind enough to let me watch with the buyers. I’m glad, because the show was bloody good. Simons’ aesthetic is certainly minimalist, but he’s also directional. Those two adjectives don’t [...]
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Fall 2010 Milan
Fall 2010 Milan
Hanging Out Backstage at Versace
Tonight, I got the chance to do something a writer rarely gets to do: Watch the runway show from backstage. Usually, the reporters typically visit before or after the show, desperate to get a quote from the designer–in this case, Donatella–or congratulate her on the collection. Instead, I walked around with my “prosumer” camera (I’m [...]
Read more »About a quarter way through Emporio Armani, people started clapping. Then, about three looks later, they started clapping again. This continued intermittently throughout the show. Was there something going on that I wasn’t catching? Was I missing some fantastic details on the looks that were undetectable from my perch up high? (Teatro Armani‘s auditorium boasts [...]
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Fall 2010 Milan
Fall 2010 Milan
So Prada Hired Girls With Boobs
On Wednesday, word leaked that Prada’s cast would be surprising and yesterday morning we listed a few things we’d like to see. In the afternoon, Kate & I sat in front of the computer and waited for a surprise. The clothes? Brilliant. The hair? Amazing. The camera’s focus on Lauren? Fun. But the surprise? We [...]
Read more »Most, if not all designers do a dress rehearsal. Some do it an hour before the show. Some, a day before the show. For instance, Versace held its rehearsal at about 4pm EST today. (That was 10pm for me.) The real thing takes place tomorrow at 5.30pm my time, 11.30am EST. (There’s another showing 45 [...]
Read more »As a whole, International Herald Tribune fashion editor Suzy Menkes’ latest piece–on why Milan Fashion Week is often overlooked by the fashion industry–really struck me. “Italy—like any other host country—deserves more from the fashion world than a cursory glance at the shows. The audience needs time to savor the city,” says Menkes, referring to the [...]
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Fall 2010 Milan
Fall 2010 Milan
Prada’s Pristine Pack
This was my first Prada show. It did not disappoint. The set. The patent loafers. The waxed leather suits. The Hitchcockian hair that was too modern to actually be called Hitchcockian. And the knee highs, oh the knee highs. But I think Kate summed it up best: Lauren: Did you like it? Kate: YES. Loved [...]
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Fall 2010 Milan
Fall 2010 Milan
D&G’s Seventies Ski Bunny
Milan’s weather was mild today, but the models at D&G were bundled up and ready to trek through snowy pastures. With images of white mountains on display screens behind them, Sasha and co. stomped down a stage crafted with hardwood planks. What I loved about the D&G girl this season–at least compared spring’s all denim-clad [...]
Read more »Yesterday we learned that the cast for the Prada show was being kept secret, so we had to make a list of what we hope to see. 1. Hologram models. Sure Burberry was in 3D, but imagine a runway consisting of nothing but colored light.It would be extremely cool, but it would make the clothes [...]
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