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subscribe to style file blog via RSSYea, 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
Yea, Nay, Or Eh: Camilla Belle In Alexander McQueen
November 4, 2009 5:43 pm
Camilla Belle certainly caught our eye when she showed up at the L.A. premiere of 2012 in a ruffled and crystallized Alexander McQueen dress (look 26 from Spring 2010) accessorized with Cartier jewels. Minus the alien makeup and the insanely high platform shoes, the effect is much softer, dare we say sweet. What do you think of the look? Are you missing the prosthetics, platform booties, and Princess Leia-on-acid hair?
tags: Alexander McQueen, Camilla Belle
The Goody Bag: Alive And Well
November 3, 2009 2:40 pm
We were convinced the goody bag had gone the way of cheap credit, but we were wrong. At last night’s party in a West Village studio, RxArt unveiled its newest charitable puzzle by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, but what really had people talking were the pricey gift bags courtesy of Shiseido and their new Future Solution LX line for fall. “The bag is worth like $500!” said one PR. In fact, a little price check reveals that the retail value totals $665.
The contents:
Five ounces of Concentrated Balancing Softener: $90
4.7 ounces of Extra Rich Cleansing Foam (that’s face wash, if you forgot): $55
1.8 ounces of Daytime Protective Cream SPF 15: $240
1.7 ounces of the Total Regenerating Cream: $260
One custom wooden container: price N/A
RxArt’s artist coloring book Between the Lines: $20 online, with proceeds benefitting RxArt’s cause
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Two questions: Does this mean the recession is over? And just how much of Future Solution will end up on eBay by tonight?
tags: Shiseido, Yayoi Kusama
Yea, Nay, Or Eh: Lady Gaga At The ACE Awards
November 3, 2009 9:57 am
Lady Gaga accepted the Stylemaker Award from Marc Jacobs at last night’s Accessories Council ACE Awards, and her speech won’t soon be forgotten. She called Hedi Slimane “a palm tree” and David LaChapelle “a creature, a liberation, a half lie, a half truth.” Revealing the until-now unknown name of her Haus of Gaga designer, Matthew Williams, she said, “I call him Dada. He is my Jean-Paul Goode, my everything.” Alexander McQueen, the photographer Araki, and designer Nasir Mazhar also got shout-outs. But she saved the best for last: “Remember, the most important fashion accessory is a condom.” All of this came after she glided onto the stage and—poof—spilled white powder from her hands. “I felt like the outfit needed gloves, so Nicola [Formichetti, her stylist and “fuse”] painted me white. I guess that’s what happens when you don’t have the right accessories.” The real spectacle, though, was her getup. She was pants-less, as usual, and wore a satin bra and briefs (MJ Spring 2010?) over her button-down top. A swath of black lace covered her entire face and part of her huge platinum blond Afro. What do you think of her latest look? Too far-out? Not far enough?
tags: Hedi Slimane, Lady Gaga, Marc Jacobs, Matthew Williams
Yea, Nay, Or Eh: Lady Gaga’s Star Turn
October 27, 2009 4:48 pm
Milan up-and-comer Francesco Scognamiglio might not yet be a household name, but it looks like the stars are aligning for him—literally. Madonna and Chloë Sevigny have already worn his frocks, and we hear that three major pop stars all called dibs on this draped goddess dress from his Spring 2010 show. Long story short, the Lady won out (oh, the power of the disco stick!). We think the dress deserved a red-carpet venue rather than a stop-by at a radio station’s morning show, but Gaga looks gorgeous—sophisticated, even. Are you tuned into the Lady’s look?
tags: Chloe Sevigny, Lady Gaga, Madonna
Fashion Is Going Country, Australian Label Lover Catches A Ride
October 27, 2009 10:05 am
Gingham check at Christopher Kane. White eyelet, Swiss dot, and jagged swaths of suede at Altuzarra. Crochet at Alberta Ferretti, peasant dresses at YSL, clog heels and hay underfoot at Chanel. After several seasons of urban warrior looks, fashion is teasing out a more bucolic mood for Spring ‘10. Add the desert-inspired looks from brands such as Erin Wasson x RVCA and Apiece Apart and the Mad Max vibe at the Rodarte and Balmain shows, and it starts to seem as though we’ve got a full-blown rustic revolution on our hands. Australian label Lover has certainly picked up on the trend: Its new collection “The Harvest” takes its inspiration from Terrence Malick’s Days of Heaven, conjuring the film’s turn-of-the-century farmstead setting in earth tones, peasant-inspired embroideries, and loose lace dresses. “The last couple seasons have definitely been a bit more ‘hard,’ ” notes Lover co-designer Susien Chong. “This time out, we felt like we could lean on our DNA and go back to a more innocent look.” Or, as Chong’s partner Nic Briand elaborates, a look of innocence lost. As is true of most of the pastoral-themed collections that have hit the runways and showrooms thus far, the Lover Spring ‘10 collection picks up on the grit required of a woman who’s working the land. “You look at the woman in Days of Heaven,” Briand says, “she’s not dainty. She’s layering on a jacket to go out in the fields when it’s cold.” Urban warrior vs. country tough: Place your bets—the fashion wrestling match has already begun.
tags: Alberta Ferretti, Altuzarra, Chanel, Christopher Kane, Erin Wasson, Rodarte, Yves Saint Laurent
Yea, Nay, Or Eh: Amber Valletta Takes The Wrap
October 26, 2009 5:45 pm
Is it just us, or have recent red carpets been a sea of banded body-con frocks, strong-shouldered sequin minidresses, and other paparazzi-provoking looks? While we’re not immune to the appeal of a little (or even a lotta) va-va-voom, we have to applaud Amber Valletta for striking a blow for originality with this Etro wrap gown. The design is quite unlike the in-your-face wares currently out there and yet still of-the-moment—ethnic-inspired wares are a key Spring ‘10 runway trend. Do you agree that Valletta’s pick is a refreshing change of pace? (And who are some of your other favorite fashion renegades?)
tags: Amber Valetta, Etro
Yea, Nay, Or Eh: Balmainia, In Real Life
October 23, 2009 5:18 pm
It’s not even the end of October, and we already feel as if we’ve seen every last dress from the Fall 2009 Balmain collection on the red carpet. Don’t believe us? Click here for a slideshow of Balmain babes on parade, from RiRi to Blake Lively.
Last night, though, Sienna Miller one-upped her fellow starlets, wearing look 8 direct from the Spring 2010 catwalk to the opening-night party for her Broadway debut, After Miss Julie. Christophe Decarnin’s hypersexy designs don’t always make an easy transition from runway to reality, and in this case, we’re not sure the usually style-setting Miller has pulled it off (something about the shoes). But what do you think? Yea or nay?
tags: Balmain, Blake Lively, Rihanna, Sienna Miller
Yea, Nay, Or Eh: A Woman In (Urban Warrior) Uniform
October 22, 2009 4:46 pm
Having lived in New York City for over a decade, we completely understand the need to feel somewhat armored when hitting the street. (We often liken our sunglasses to the Manhattan version of the car window. Both are just glass, but they serve as an extremely effective barrier all the same.) And so we’ve been thrilled for the past several seasons, watching the dark and lean urban-warrior look of boots, leather jackets, and jeans handily topple all things ladylike. But of late, the look has become cliché. Pardon the extension of the metaphor, but it seems like there are literally armies of women constantly dressed in nearly identical tough-chic ensembles. We spotted Gwen Stefani and Naomi Watts both today and Rihanna a few days ago. And sure, we love Rihanna’s shredded jeans and buckled Balenciaga boots, but it’s still not enough to rouse our fashion fancy. What do you think? Does the urban warrior need to turn into a civilian for at least a few seasons?
tags: Gwen Stefani, Naomi Watts, Rihanna, Urban Warriors
