new york cares

The fashion world has moved on to London, but I think it's been decided that the blogs will skip it in favor of our anticipation for the big mama and papa show that is Milan and Paris. As a form of closure of New York, I will say that it was exciting to look at as many collections as possible but there were only a handful that stood out and had something really captivating and relevant to say. For me the show of the week that didn't have to rely on tricks, gimmicks, or front row celebrities (save for one truly smoldering Academy Award winner), was without a doubt the clean and confident beauty of Narciso Rodriguez. His design philosophy of functionality and utilitarianism is necessary in a world where we eat, sleep, work, and breath in a bubble that has become increasingly more commanding in its technology, economy, and geo-politics. We need clothes that will adapt with us in all of these cultural circumstances and his clothes have a very modern, no bullshit perspective that will take us anywhere we need to go.

This collection was a startlingly different one for Rodriguez as he showed us new colors, new shapes, and new lines that we haven't seen from him before. With a recent investment from Liz Claiborne and inspiration ranging from ninjas, architect Santiago Calatrava, and a subtle take on transparency, this collection felt full of new life, spirit, and emotion. It's all in the details for Rodriguez when you get closer to see beaded bursts of optimism in the form of tie dyed flowers on the sleeve of a suit jacket or dancing freely on a white dress. The way a collar drops or a shirt is constructed. The seaming and construction are undeniable when you look at all the folds, structure, and heights that he's offering us. The menswear was the strongest he's ever shown with impeccably cut suits that are striking in their natural shoulders, nipped waits, and slim fit.

There is no way you can understand the deft combination of the structure/loose aesthetic that Narciso does so well via pictures. These are clothes that demand movement and as we may soon become nomadic creatures due to the environment, the influx of immigration, and poor leadership in our nation's office, we might need clothes that carry with us and if they are as pure, contemporary, and cool as the collection Rodriguez sent out, I would be more than obliged to wear them.

And with that here is the best spring collection New York had to offer:


The other two standout shows were Marc Jacobs's sex comedy and Preen's soft looseness. Both of these collections had a definite point of view and created something new with their less is more approach (less clothes and more underwear at Marc Jacobs and less structured hardness and more cleavage and exposed skin at Preen) as their central theme. It appeared as if in both shows that the clothes were falling off the models, and I liked that. When the weather warms up, loose clothes are essential, but both of these collections posed the question, what's going on underneath it all?

For menswear I loved Marc by Marc Jacobs, Rag & Bone, and Tony Melillo. Each were youthful, masculine, and wearable, which is what I want out of clothes. They expanded on traditional ideas like shorts, Safari jackets, and scarves. Unwavering in what they had to say, these are the clothes that seem spot-on for next season.

And remember, Milan is only a week away.

videos, duh.

The Go! Team
"Doing It Right"
dir., Good Times


Interpol
"No I In Threesome"
dir., Patrick Daughters


M.I.A.
"Paper Planes"
Live on The Late Show with David Letterman

ENJOY.

calvin klein

As an antidote to the frill and costumey embellishments that permeate throughout many collections in New York, it's refreshing to see something so pure and reduced of excess. When you take away everything and leave very little, what are you left with? I would say something a little more uncompromising and precise. For that you can assuredly turn to Franciso Costa of Calvin Klein and his long, languid shapes for spring. This was a collection about the beauty of movement and looseness but in a minimalist controlled sense. Many of the looks had the same effect of water pouring from a glass. The curved seams that fell and cascaded around the model's bodies, the similarities between the look of silk and water, and the long, straight hair that looked as free flowing and still as a body of water concluded into something very contemporary and spot-on for the season. Lithe halter dresses, high-waisted trousers that moved with the body, and slinky t-shirt dresses gave the show a singularity and a variety of looks that didn't exist on any other runway. It's feminine and refined, but fluid in its specificity. The color palette gradated from snowy whites (ironic for spring, right?), pale cements, flesh, and shades of lettuce and steely blues. Costa's minimalism isn't a hard edge version, but a slight sensuality that is as attractive and simple as those sexy little slip dresses.

Bitch, Please on:
Marc by Marc Jacobs

marc jacobs

Have you ever wondered what must like be to in the mind of the wildly transgressive mind of Marc Jacobs? Judging by his spring collection, it percolates with a feverish intensity for the ironic, bizarre, and mundane but most importantly, tinged with a smack of sex. The two hour wait that will surely gain infamy for years to come was the foreplay that lead to a unique climax of deconstruction, revision, and interpretation. It was a bold move after the sublime 70s French Vogue/"The Conformist" show from last season. Millinery that payed homage to Elizabeth Taylor, slashed seams, innovative shoes that scream pleasure/pain, video projections of the models in their undergarments, and the show in complete reversal. The sum of the shows parts added up to a complicated and broad end that as all good art should, provokes us to think in a new direction and push us along for the fantastical ride. But what does it all mean?

The past few years Mr. Jacobs has become increasingly a provocateur of American ideas and traditions in the form of performance presentations. (past shows have included the University of Penn marching band, lawn inspired runways, and homages to himself) As his brush stroke has grow into something more dense and probing, the canvas becomes just as grand to reveal his narrative for the season. For spring a Marc Jacobs woman is dashing into her cab after a night of joyful sex. The proper dose of skin, the high slits, and unusual layering and draping look as if a woman has reassembled her clothes into a surreal cocktail of exposed primness. The whirl of the night remembered was the spirit of the show. The mood was also extremely post-coital and I get the impression Mr. Jacobs wants us to not just see sexy clothes but think about these sexy clothes. These are clothes that will stay with us, much in the same regard as memorable and rewarding sex. The memory may fade or confuse over time but the mussed hair, the ripped clothes, and the panties (those panties!) will always linger. Mr. Jacobs referenced Elizabeth Taylor's raw sensuality in the slip dressing from "Butterfield 8", but made it extremely modern and avant garde. This isn't your traditional take on sportswear. It's a little dirtier and appropriate for a cab ride home when the hem of a skirt is the source of constant fidgeting and the zipper on a dress doesn't want to comply. It's activewear and luxury in a new context. It's also a very personal statement as we have the privilege of visiting Mr. Jacob's wicked wet dream that leaves us feeling as if this might be one of his most personal collections, which in essence is as revealing as seeing Mr. Jacobs himself in his underwear.

The right amount of indulgence, spectacle, thought, and execution established this as one of the strongest shows of the week. However, I do pose the question, are such antics only acceptable because it's American fashion's leading enfant terrible? Jacobs can keep us waiting for whatever mood he's in for the season because as we learned from his show, the payoff is always a little quirky, a little awkward, and a lot sexy.

And for your viewing pleasure because so much of this show is about its stunning visual communication:


Bitch, Please on:
Heatherette
JustSweet
Thakoon
Anna Sui

Gold Digger on:
Marc Jacobs post-show fallout gossip

first look: funny games

"Funny Games"
dir., Michael Haneke
2007

A Cronenberg and Haneke film in the same year? Damn, Naomi.

g.o.o.d. l.i.f.e.

"Good Life"
Kanye West feat. T-Pain
dir., Jonas & François with animation by So Me

Will this be the video that finally wins Mr. West his precious Moon Man? After the meltdown at the MTV Video Music Awards and his ensuing comments about the show, all signs point to probably not. If anything, it's fun to watch and reminds us once again of the awesomeness that is J.U.S.T.I.C.E..

P.S., I've been working a bunch but I still have quite a bit to say about some of the collections from New York Fashion Week. Hold on tight and fashion talk with resume before you know it.

first look: atonement

"Atonement"
dir., Joe Wright
2007

With an overcrowded summer at the multiplexes, fall doesn't look short on must see films either. Kiera Knightley has been drawing some of the best reviews of her still growing career with The BBC describing her performance as "sterling" and grounds the film's raw power. James McAvoy is also receiving strong notices for which I have no doubts because of my recent discovery of his refreshing charm in "The Last King of Scotland", a film that he was unjustifiably overlooked for such an unshowy, convincing performance.

thom browne

What would fashion be without a little bit of fantasy? Thom Browne has a recognizable silhouette that's narrow, short, and something Tony Curtis would have worn in "Sweet Smell of Success." It's nostalgic, modern, and oddly romantic. His recent collaboration with Brooks Brothers would lead one to believe that maybe he has softened his typical display of completely unwearable almost couture like pieces that he masterfully crafts for his idiosyncratic shows. His focus is not only executing his aesthetic vision but giving the clothes a weight and statement that makes them more than rehashed looks from days gone by. For spring the puzzling details were there and the message was no less potent than in past seasons.

Using activewear (swimwear, tennis whites) as his starting point Browne pushed his audiences to think about what it means to be American in the world right now, or if it's even possible due to its vague and ever-changing definition. The activewear and other traditional pieces were shredded, shortened, tied behind models backs, or shrouded in rosettes. What does it all mean? Living in a country under the "leadership" of bullish, wannabe alpha male who is often characterized as weak, indecisive, and without direction (stereotypical adjectives we unfortunately associate with women) could be a good start as it has set a new precedent for neo-models of masculinity and its connection to power, prestige, and privilege. Ideas of traditional maleness are antiquated because of the incompetence of our dearly beloved Mr. Bush, hence the irreverent and subversive use of red, white, and blue Americana schmaltz that was found in almost every look. Browne was also smart enough to realize that fashion is a perfect platform for his political message because the very idea of fashion being something accessible, attractive, and alluring for men is an instant demerit of their supposed masculinity.

There were wearable pieces such as the trench coat with epaulettes, a neat black-and-white raincoat, and those great diagonally striped polos. It's easy to dismiss what Browne's adventuresome, frothy confections because you have to really look at what his clothes mean because he is one of the few menswear designers with a specific point of view that dares to exploring new territories of presentation and using it as a forum for ideas, concepts, and much needed discourse. With a collection like this, silence is not an option.

Bitch, Please on:
Marc Jacobs

Gold Digger on:
Nicholai by Nicky Hilton
3.1 Phillip Lim, pt. 2

proenza schouler

If it weren't for the sky high minis, one would think the Proenza Schouler spring show was actually intended for fall. The return of the body conscious shape, a neutral color palette, and feathers are big for fall and made their way into what Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough have in store for next season. It was a notably hard show with aggressively short hems and cinched waists, but there was a lightness to the edge that made it something quite different from what everyone else showed this season. Although their trademark bustier didn't make an appearance this season, there was a feminine structure that accentuated the waistline and gave the models a fuller looking shape. The shoulders were strong and the legs kept bare to speak for themselves. It was a total look. Light cotton puffs were tucked under double layered vests and blazers with short-sleeves worn over long-sleeved tops. Mustard, gold, khaki, and black dominated the collection and continued the trend of Fall colors but shown in weightless, breathable fabrics that are more appropriate for the season. The only elements of the show that kept it from being truly great where the lackluster sunglasses, silly hats, and pantless presentation that would have given the show depth and range. However, those gold feathered pieces at the end were standout in their meticulous precision that makes you think the Prozena Schouler woman is an elegant warrior in all of her gold-dipped glory.

Bitch, Please on:
Tuleh

Gold Digger on:
Rodarte

john varvatos

The past few ad campaigns for John Varvatos have featured Alice Cooper, Chris Cornell, and Iggy Pop. Could it be that he has semi-good taste in music or maybe as a designer he touches on the idea of the tension that exists between young and old or cultural movements that fully realized themselves and those eclipsed and co-opted by mainstream culture? Cornell was crucial in the grunge movement in the early 90s, Pop profound in the punk era of the late 70s, and Cooper a consummate showman during Glam Rock in the mid 70s. But now these men are a little older, a little gray around the edges, but nonetheless committed to their edgy attitude and rocker aesthetic. You could say the same for Varvatos's clothes. They are definitely grown-up looking clothes but fit for any young punk or rebel rouser in his later years, and that is one of the many strengths and appealing aspects of his label. For Spring, the neutral trend that we've seen the past week of shades of smoky grays and tamed nut browns continued but were presented in a way that is wholly Varvatos. Suits were trim and paired with striped t-shirts for a casually rakish look. (the shawl collared look above is a prime example) Jackets were also in order in cropped trench form or short, zippered pieces that were usually punctuated with a linen scarf. All of it was fine and dandy, even in the colors were too muted and drained for Spring, but it was his secondary line, John Varvatos U.S.A., that was ultimately a more convincing argument for a sporty version of Spring. Lightweight hoodies, shots of red, and vests worn with shorts were nice, if not a little too derivative. A dramatic parka did speak a little louder than the rest of the pieces, showing us he does have the promise of something a bit bold like his idols.

Standouts:
A billowy parka
A simple black cardigan
A wispy scarf with a plaid coat

Bitch, Please on:
Twinkle
McQ