subscribe to style file blog via RSSYea, Nay, Or Eh?: Twin Set
November 18, 2009 3:58 pm
Johnny Depp and Patti Smith are two of the most oft-referenced style icons in the world, so no big surprise that they’d also turn out to be potent influences—on each other. At MoMA’s party for Tim Burton last night, the frequent Burton leading man (in Tom Ford) and the still-punky chanteuse (in what looks like Ann Demeulemeester to us) go for such similar basic-black ensembles, you could almost mistake them for twins. (More easily than you could, say, the actual twins in attendance.) We know they’re each wearing their signature outfits—Johnny loves an open-necked suit look, and Patti’s been rocking the nouveau-Amish thing for some time—but taken together, two might be just too much. What do you think: Is what’s good for the goose good for the gander, or are Smith and Depp angling for roles (a second one, in Johnny’s case) in Burton’s upcoming Alice in Wonderland—Tweedledum and Tweedledee?
tags: Ann Demeulemeester, Johnny Depp, Patti Smith, Tim Burton, Tom Ford
Yea, Nay, or Eh: Dakota Fanning Gives Us The Slip
November 17, 2009 2:10 pm
On a red carpet populated with the likes of Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner (vampire, moody starlet, and werewolf, respectively), the best strategy for a secondary star may be not to show up at all. Not so Dakota Fanning. We barely recognized the teen thespian at New Moon’s L.A. premiere (Fanning plays a pint-size but sinister bloodsucker), but that’s only because her slick-straight locks and grown-up poise are such a far cry from the adolescent Marc Jacobs model we once knew. We love the peekaboo lace Valentino dress but wonder if the camp that denounced Miley Cyrus’ precocious turn in Vanity Fair will find it too risqué for Miss Fanning. She may look like a mini Gwyneth Paltrow, but she’s still only 15. What do you think of her nighttime look? Leave your comments below.
tags: Dakota Fanning, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
Yea, Nay, Or Eh: Chloë Sevigny and Liz Goldwyn Razzle-Dazzle ‘Em
November 16, 2009 1:57 pm
Spotted: Partners in scene-stealing, Chloë Sevigny and Liz Goldwyn. The pair turned heads at back-to-back events in L.A. this weekend in some straight-from-the-runway Miu Miu and (we’re guessing here) trademark quirky vintage. At Friday night’s Prada book launch, Sevigny’s Fall ‘09 Miu Miu navel-plunger with exposed bra (see here on how to rock the lingerie trend) would be an obvious choice for most daring ensemble, but Liz’s fully covered cat-print dress is just as sexy—the red lip and tousled hair don’t hurt. The next night, at MOCA’s 30th anniversary party, the duo both showed more skin. Goldwyn’s flamingo pink harem pants ensemble drew attention to her, um, palm trees, while Sevigny’s Spring ‘10 Miu Miu look was all about her California tan and long gams. (Ed.’s note: Both of Sevigny’s Miu Miu looks were number 34 on the runway. Coincidence?) What do you think of the friends’ attention-grabbing looks? Leave your comments below.
tags: Chloe Sevigny, Liz Goldwyn, Miu Miu
Faster Than Fast Fashion
November 13, 2009 6:10 pm
We take our hats off to Marylou Luther, Fashion Group International’s creative director, who was able to come to a summation of the Spring 2010 collections in tweet format—140 characters or less. Here it goes: “Squeeze/ease. Goth/froth. Drape/shape. Reality/romance. Transparent/apparent. Undies outed/utility touted.” But as neat as Luther’s summation is, the panel discussion that followed it at FGI’s Trend Overview presentation was just as open-ended. Moderated by Donna Karan, the panel’s speakers touched on everything from the necessity of educating customers and salespeople about quality and inspiration to the phenomenon of information overload. Nothing was off-limits. Karan even introduced a seemingly untouchable topic when she went so far as to wonder if pre-season—which is shown intimately, is on the sales floor for a long time without markdowns, and generates the lion’s share of profits—should take the place of the Spring and Fall collections.
Timing, as they say, is everything. The experts worried that media-savvy consumers want the styles they see immediately and don’t account for what Bergdorf Goodman’s Linda Fargo calls “fashion’s gestation period”—that is, the time it takes to manufacture them. Ikram Goldman, Michelle Obama’s go-to woman, explained that she can be on a buy for the coming season and get a call from a customer already armed with look numbers from Style.com to request. (We think that’s pretty cool, but we’re not exactly unbiased.) There’s no solution in sight, but one thing is clear: Today’s fashion-hungry consumer has more outlets than ever to feed her yen for the latest news, and many think that’s a good thing. “We’re talking to the world now,” said Style.com’s Candy Pratts Price. As for too much information, there’s an easy solution for that: “unplug.”
tags: Bergdorf Goodman, Candy Pratts Price, Donna Karan, Fashion Group International, Ikram Goldman, Laird Borrelli-Persson, Linda Fargo, Michelle Obama
Candy Pratts Price Talks Accessories
November 11, 2009 5:54 pm
The Spring 2010 Accessory Report that went live earlier today is Style.com’s most comprehensive to date, featuring over 80 designers from New York, London, Milan, and Paris, and—count them—478 bags, shoes, and baubles. In her accompanying CandyCast, our executive fashion director riffs on the biggest trends of the season. She discusses white, nude, and saturated color, but futuristic cars, a fantasy/horror awards show, and sci-fi worship are on the menu, too. As for where she stands on the great mule versus clog debate, well, you’ll just have to tune in. Click here to watch.
tags: CandyCast
Yea, Nay, Or Eh: Kristen Stewart Has All The Luck
November 11, 2009 3:56 pm
Love it or hate it, there’s no escaping the power of Twilight. Nor, it seems, is there any escaping the power of Kristen Stewart. The vampire-loving starlet has been linked to her broodingly handsome co-star Robert Pattinson (the tabloids’ infatuation with their boyfriend-girlfriend status makes Brangelina-baiting look tame) and gets to cozy up to super-ripped teen heartthrob Taylor Lautner in New Moon, out next week. But the kicker for fashion folk came today in London, where Stewart walked the red carpet in brand-spankin’-new Spring 2010 Proenza Schouler. And not just any Proenza Schouler. The young lady got her hands on Look 20, arguably the best look in a show full of serious contenders. Before we consider how Stewart snagged the goods before more diehard (no, not twi-hard) Proenza fans like Chloë Sevigny or Kirsten Dunst did, let’s open the comments up to whether or not she pulled it off. Does Stewart’s red-carpet innocence work with this graphic look, or does she need to channel her inner surfer girl? Leave your comments below.
tags: Chloe, Kirsten Dunst, Kristen Stewart, Proenza Schouler
Yea, Nay, Or Eh: Rihanna’s Life Aquatic
November 10, 2009 11:33 am
At last night’s Glamour magazine Women of the Year Awards, Rihanna ditched the tight, black body-con look that’s been her hallmark for the past few months and opted for a tight, white body-con look. To be fair, this is the most demure look we’ve seen from Rihanna in a long time, and we’re loving the, yes, glamour. The fishtail gown is from couturier Stéphane Rolland’s Spring 2009 collection, and while other women might get lost in all that sculptural detailing, Rihanna looks like a sci-fi warrior out for a night on the town. Well, a semi-restricted night on the town: When the singer accepted her Woman of the Year award, she admitted that she had to get to the podium from backstage, as opposed to the stairs, “I couldn’t possibly make it up here in this dress. As usual, I decided to wear the tightest dress I could find.” Hey, whatever works. What do you think of Rihanna’s mermaid gown? Leave your comments below.
tags: Rihanna
Yea, Nay, Or Eh: Mendes Misses A Button
November 9, 2009 1:52 pm
What happens when a noted Latina siren tries on the uniform of a celebrated Latina designer? Eva Mendes put her spin on the trademark look of Carolina Herrera (the envy-inducing crisp-and-chic tailored white dress shirt and polished black slacks she wears for every runway bow) for the NYC premiere of Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Mendes is undeniably smokin’, but we sort of wish she’d shown some Herrera-esque restraint and left a little more to the imagination. Ingenuity is always welcome on the red carpet—cocktail dresses can get so snoozy—but this look could have benefited from a clever support system. What do you think of Mendes’ sophisticated attempt? Leave your comments below.
Update: Mendes is wearing a white shirt and a ruched taffeta skirt from Donna Karan’s pre-spring 2010 collection, but, either way, we still think she needs a bra.
tags: Carolina Herrera, Eva Mendes
Yea, Nay, Or Eh: Katy Perry At The 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards
November 6, 2009 4:45 pm
Katy Perry’s one star who inspires some pretty heated style debates. She may have kissed a girl and liked it, but for fashion choices, she tends to leave people either hot or cold. At the MTV Europe Music Awards last night (the EMAs, to cognoscenti), Perry rocked 12 different outfits—including some of the best of Spring 2010, from Viktor & Rolf’s showstopping hacksaw ball gown to a prim and pretty floral Marchesa stunner—but the one we’re stuck on is her bustier-and-shorts combo, which picks up the season’s omnipresent lingerie trend in Perry’s usual take-no-prisoners style. Frankly, we’re more nay than yea on this. Yes, it’s young and fun, but it feels calculated to shock. (And the less said about the geometric pyramids jutting off the bottoms, the better.) What do you think—should barely-there go everywhere, or is this one style best left in the boudoir?
tags: Katy Perry, Marchesa, Vikto & Rolf
Yea, Nay, Or Eh: The Tom Ford Effect On The Spring Runways
November 5, 2009 5:30 pm
Tom Ford’s debut movie, A Single Man, makes its U.S. premiere at the American Film Institute Festival tonight in Los Angeles. We’re sure it’ll be an insanely glam affair, like everything the designer-turned-filmmaker touches. We wish we could be there, and we don’t think we’re the only ones under Ford’s spell. Remember the killer white jersey column dress with hip cutout that Georgina Grenville originally wore back in 1996? We detected several riffs on the unforgettable look on the Spring runways. From left to right, there’s Emilio Pucci, Gucci (by Frida Giannini), Versace, and a 2004 update on the gown from Ford’s Gucci swan song. It’s hard to compete with the simplicity of the original, but our vote goes to the Pucci. Which do you prefer?
tags: Emilio Pucci, Frida Giannini, Gucci, Tom Ford, Versace
