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subscribe to style file blog via RSSOveralls—Do They Work For You?
November 4, 2009 9:07 am
Come spring, the jumpsuit will be facing some tough competition from overalls. The utilitarian standbys got a makeover on the catwalks, with Ralph Lauren leading the way. The designer showed both beat-up denim versions and a glam satin style for after-dark, and he wasn’t the only one to sex up the look from its pedestrian origins. Altuzarra’s suede shortalls, for example, are definitely not meant for working on the railroad.
So what’s the appeal? “I’ve always loved overalls because they are a uniform,” Jean Paul Gaultier explains. “And being true to myself, I love making something different out of them—cutting them in Levi’s denim but with a conical bra. I love to subvert a classic.”
Click for a slideshow, then tell us if you’re ready to work the trend.
tags: Altuzarra, Jean Paul Gaultier, Overalls, Ralph Lauren, Style hunter
Will You Wear Spring’s Bodysuits?
October 28, 2009 5:07 pm
Back in the mid-eighties, Donna Karan launched her simple dressing system, Seven Easy Pieces, and made black stretch-jersey bodysuits (along with leggings and strong-shouldered jackets) part of the modern woman’s uniform. That’s Paulina Porizkova and assorted other runway lovelies modeling the look for Spring 1986. Lately, the one-piece has been revived by Dov Charney’s American Apparel, partly, it seems, for the opportunity it gives him to produce leggy advertising campaigns. Now, the look seems to be crossing back over from low to high.
There’s no doubt that a leotard sans pants is sexy; see Alexander Wang’s designs. But the bodysuit’s real appeal lies in its streamlined simplicity. Wear it solo for sleek lines, or layer on a blazer or a pencil skirt, as Francesco Scognamiglio and Hussein Chalayan did, respectively, on their Spring catwalks. Celine’s Phoebe Philo and Stella McCartney, both champions of practical chic, showed one-pieces this season. And Karan herself put Sasha Pivovarova in a sleeveless version with a breezy skirt.
Click here for a slideshow, then tell us how you rate the bodysuit’s high-fashion makeover. Will you wear one?
tags: Bodysuits, Style hunter
Utility vs. Fantasy: Which Side Are You On?
October 13, 2009 10:39 am
Call it optimism or call it escapism, but Spring 2010 is the season of the ruffled party dress: usually short, often chiffon, and almost always nude (we refer to both the color and the prevalence of sheer fabrics). Marc Jacobs—who else?—kicked the trend into high gear with his parade of ballet nymphs in New York. The frill lasted all through London, Milan, and Paris, taking in along the way Christopher Kane, Fendi, and Jacobs’ former protégé Peter Copping at Nina Ricci. But toward the end of Paris, a counterinsurgency. At Celine, Phoebe Philo cleared the collective palate with a collection that she herself described as “a kind of contemporary minimalism.” Hannah MacGibbon was of a similar mind-set at Philo’s former stomping ground Chloé, and, thinking about it, the groundswell of “utility chic” could be traced back via Junya Watanabe’s pantsuits to MaxMara’s back-to-what-we-do-best styles to…well, didn’t Marc put those plain little raincoats over his ruffles? (And was it just coincidence that the patron saint of contemporary minimalism, Jil Sander, chose this moment to re-emerge with her +J line for Uniqlo?) So, suddenly, two camps: one that flirts with frivolousness but that also has the potential to create romance and desire, the other practical but possibly in danger of coming across as too plain. Click for a slideshow, then tell us, which side are you on, and perhaps more pertinently, which approach will make you open your wallet?
tags: Celine, Christopher Kane, Fantasy, Fendi, Hannah MacGibbon, Jil Sander, Junya Watanabe, Marc Jacobs, MaxMara, Nina Ricci, Phoebe Philo, Spring 2010 RTW, Style hunter, Utility
Did You Spot Helmut Lang’s Influence On The Fall Runways?
August 27, 2009 7:57 am
So elusive is the designer-turned-artist Helmut Lang that we recently overheard one party photographer ask him to identify himself for the camera. Paparazzi might have short memories, but fashion creators—especially the young guns on the scene—have the work of the Austrian-born master of minimalism indelibly seared on their brains. The likes of Rad Hourani, Mark Fast, and Alexander Wang were barely old enough to vote when Lang was at the helm of his house, but his urban, industrial aesthetic is proving to be timeless—and timely in tough times. Click for a slideshow, then tell us if you see the connections.
tags: Helmut Lang
Two-For-One Dresses—Gimmicky or Genius?
August 17, 2009 9:26 am
Designers produced plenty of surreal fashion for Fall—Dolce & Gabbana’s glove hat, anyone? The most wearable take on the wackiness trend just might be the split-personality dress, seen, for starters, at Aquilano.Rimondi, Josh Goot, and Versace. Depending on your vantage point, the woman in Alexandre Herchcovitch’s little number is dolled up in sequins, or playing it simple in a silk print. And remember last season’s mullet gowns? Moschino Cheap & Chic’s Rosella Jardini has given the concept a new spin with her business-on-one-side, party-on-the-other skirt. Click here for a slideshow, and let us know what you think of the season’s off-kilter look.
tags: Alexandre Herchcovitch, Aquilano.Rimondi, Dolce & Gabbana, Josh Goot, Moschino Cheap & Chic, Style hunter, Versace
What Would Molly Ringwald Do?
August 10, 2009 9:55 am
The news that director John Hughes had died brought to mind some of the indelible images from his films Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and (our all-time fave) The Breakfast Club. And that in turn made us nostalgic for our own 1980’s school days. A quick study of the Fall shows turned up plenty of schoolgirl classics. There were pinafores at United Bamboo and Luella, crisp oxford shirts at Burberry Prorsum and Giles, and trim blazers at Dsquared² and the Gap. And can’t you just see a Pretty in Pink-era Molly Ringwald vibing on the quirky hat-scarf-belt-boots-stripey top combo at Marc by Marc Jacobs? Click here for a slideshow and tell us which runway look you like best.
tags: Burberry Prorsum, Dsquared, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Gap, Giles, John Hughes, Luella, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Molly Ringwald, Pretty in Pink, Style hunter, The Breakfast Club, United Bamboo
Would You Wear This Chanel Gown To Your Wedding?
July 22, 2009 3:42 pm
Having just tied the knot myself, I’ve still got canapés, floral arrangements, and, yes, dresses on the mind. I wore Fendi Spring ‘09 to my ceremony and 3.1 Phillip Lim for dinner and dancing, but I couldn’t resist cataloging the inspiring creations from the recent Haute Couture and Resort collections. From Christian Lacroix’s flight of fancy to Alexis Mabille’s garden-party-ready lace frock, here are the looks that caught my eye and the kind of settings they’d work in, should I decide to pull a Gisele and Tom and throw another wedding. Tell us which dress you prefer and why, but please, don’t mention this to my husband.
Click for a slideshow of all my top wedding dress picks.
tags: 3.1 Phillip Lim, Alexis Mabille, Chanel, Christian Lacroix
Is It Just Us, Or Was Lady Gaga’s Influence All Over Couture?
July 15, 2009 6:02 pm
It’s ironic that someone who is in a perpetual state of half dress is so strongly influencing fashion. Lady Gaga’s aversion to pants has been well documented, so it’s no surprise to read that the blonde balladeer is responsible for a huge increase in the sales of knickers in Britain. It’s another thing altogether to find allusions to this pop culture omnivore (who is attired by a Warholian gaggle of twentysomethings working under the moniker Haus of Gaga) at the haute couture in Paris. And yet it was hard not to detect a hint of the Gaga effect in Gaultier Paris‘ leg-bearing bodysuits, Christian Lacroix’s sculptural skirts, Givenchy’s dangling chains, and even the pouf-skirted finale dress at Chanel. Click for a slideshow, and let us know what you think of the results—sacrilege or a breath of fresh air?
tags: Couture, Couture Fall 2009, Lady Gaga
Tracking The Kate Moss Effect At The Resort Collections
June 24, 2009 4:36 pm
The notion that Kate Moss sparks trends is hardly new—see pirate boots, cutoffs, vintage dresses on the red carpet, etc. And it seems the supermodel’s innate style is more compelling than ever for designers as well as consumers. Case in point: the Gloria Swanson-channeling look she dreamed up with Marc Jacobs to wear to the Costume Institute Gala in May. A line-for-line copy made an appearance in Jacobs’ Resort collection, and we’ve glimpsed its shadow several times throughout the Cruise season—in the use of lamé at Roksanda Ilincic and Chris Benz and in the shimmering one-shoulder silhouettes at Michael Kors and Alexander Wang. And then there’s her turban, a version of which turned up at Yigal Azrouël topping a draped wrap dress—minus the Harry Winston sapphire, of course. Whether it’s all a case of direct homage or just something in the air, Kate as usual was the first to distill the mood.
Will you be adopting Moss’ silent film star look? Click for a slideshow and let us know.
tags: Chris Benz, Harry Winston, Kate Moss, Marc Jacobs, Roksanda Ilincic, Style hunter
The Rise And Rise Of The Little Sequined Dress
May 28, 2009 9:45 am
Celebrities (see Beyoncé, Rihanna, Michael Jackson, et al.) may be the only people who can afford Balmain, but the French house has helped ignite a passion for little sequined dresses that seems to be recession-proof. Crystalline creations from Thakoon, 3.1 Phillip Lim, and Emilio Pucci sparkled defiantly on the red carpet at the Met ball, and more recently at Cannes. Their appeal, explains Alexander Wang, lies in the way “you slip them on like T-shirts, but still get this hard-edged kind of glamour.” Inspired by armor, his shimmering minidress is made of graduated metal discs attached to slinky mesh and weighs in at 25 pounds. Are you willing to do that kind of heavy lifting for such a serious shot of razzle-dazzle? Click here for a slideshow and let us know.
tags: 3.1 Phillip Lim, Alexander Wang, Beyoncé, Emilio Pucci, Michael Jackson, Rihanna, sequins, Style hunter, Thakoon
