Fashion Show – Sometimes Yaya

Milan Fashion Week – Colorful Males

Milan Fashion Week for Spring/Summer 2012 is going full steam ahead, just as the first days of summer are registering on the calendars. The front rows for the shows seem to be more star studded than New York Fashion Week (and I’m surprised because it’s all the US people taking up the seats!).

The men’s shows are nothing new in the realms of structure and sewing techniques. If you ever doubt the dependable nature of a man, don’t doubt the menswear. From button downs to blazer, every tuck is in the right place for perfect draping. Once there, the standout becomes the styling and pairing of the outfit with (or without) accessories… and color!As you may have found out through several rants about the love of color, yours truly is a fan. Make it bright and it’s all right. But on men? I can dig a pink shirt or pastels, but when the fellas start encroaching on floral territory, or pairing on trend hues straight from the girly racks, my eyebrows head upwards. Designer Enrico Coveri‘s collection was decked out with the best of the best sun-kissed colors and (tastefully) bright pairings.I’m just not sure I’m sold on a guy in floral pants. The above paisley and graphic linear prints in vibrant colors (or the pairing of khaki and coral) are a great infusion of fashion into what is normally seen as drab navy and browns of the menswear, but florals? Verdict is still out.

Image credit: Zimbio

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Blonds Just Want to Have Fun

I’ve been on a severe hiatus the past two weeks. Valentine’s Day Guides and photography took a back seat to a trip out of town, some serious germs in my nasal cavities, and a work and school load allowing for only eating and sleeping in between. And then fashion week hit. Sheesh! When it rains it pours!! I’ve started to overhaul the priorities and make time for it all, so enjoy the coming photos in the meantime.
The Blonds have a cannot miss show every season. It’s a breathtaking, whirlwind party worth missing class or work or sleep for.

I had a team help with covering shows I wouldn’t be able to attend (thus the delay in photos!), but this bad boy? I had to be there myself. The show had an oriental inspiration – the show started with dragons! The Blonds are famous for the craftsmanship and attention to detail of their bodices and dresses. Every celeb who had an unforgettable getup has befriended the brand (think RiRi, Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, etc.). As a matter of fact, the headpieces for the show made me think of Miss Nicki.

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Lipstick Organization

Forgive me the length of time it took to gather myself mentally and health-wise, but that is one of the downsides of being the sole person behind a site – there is no one to pick up slack on off days. My cold is all gone, and I’m back in business!I’ve been a bit obsessed recently with an image from the past. Backstage at the Spring/Summer 2011 Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week Argentina Group Show, I saw a makeup artist organize their lipsticks in a small palette reminiscent of an empty nail tip box, or paint palette without dividers.

The ease of use coupled with the aesthetic greatness had me reeling ever since. I wanted the same for myself, but with more dividers between each color, to prevent losing it after mixing colors at the edges too often. I haven’t had luck – even with bead organizers, the containers are too tall or too wide, and end up being more bulky than comfortable, which was one of the original goals. My search is ongoing for that perfect product, but the search did find other clever ways to organize though.

You can:
Melt your lipsticks down into small containers and store them in VHS boxes (video)
Make an organizer for the actual lipsticks(video 1 video 2)
Melt into an empty lip palette (video)
You can even use a shotgun shell container (interesting!)
Add tabs to the front of lipsticks and swatch (genius!)
Or… into small jars (video)
Another shot from backstage at the show, this time with skincare. This is much more easier to accomplish – just get a palette and smush cream products in.

I’m still holding out for that perfect container. Until then, share your experience, how do you organize lip products?

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China’s Fashion Week Trumps All Makeup

Fashion Week in China started off with a bang with bright colors and high hair for the EONFASHION AWARD 2011 China Fashion Week Make-up Styling Contest during S/S 11 presentations on October 25, 2010 in Beijing.

Photos Courtesy of Zimbio Graphics Courtesy of MyOwnJudge.net

I am unsure if there was a running them for participants, but the looks vary from plant/sea/nature inspired with bright colors and a technological/alien inspiration. It’s amazing to see what each country contributes to the Fashion Week merry go round.

Which look is your favorite?

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Grass Is Greener Across the Atlantic

The American men’s collections during fashion week are usually full of casual and sportswear. There is no drama, no flair. Just cute boys and clothes. Guys almost always get a natural look, some ruffled hair (or super quaffed) and bam, enjoy the runway. In Europe? They dress them up in flowing capes, tight cardigans, Chaplin hats, and scarves that verge on being called headpieces. Where’s the love?

Photo Credit: WWD

Majorly impressed with three (notorious for great shows) brands, as well as a new name to my vocabulary, the Parisian men’s shows (Jean Paul Gaultier, Dior Homme, Boris Bidjan, John Galliano) were more than just eye candy. This was real fashion; equal opportunity style.

Which country’s style do you prefer?

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Paul Smith does a Double Wrap

Trending on the streets originates from heavy research and people watching. People invariably end up ruling on which trends they want to appear next, but in cycles. The colors, the fabrics, the shapes, and the accessories; they all get a vote in one way or another, even if you don’t notice your impact.

The Paul Smith collection featured plenty of menswear inspired pieces for women, but most interesting was the use of belts in the show. Gone was the large belt used to suck in a third to half of the female ribcage (and how wonderfully do they do it!), and instead there were two to four belts layered and criss crossed over one another to take up just as much space, but in a new and more interesting way.

Photo Credit: Style.com

Michael Kors, Madewell, LOFT, Charlotte Russe

Belts by Michael Kors
Belts by Asos

If you’re looking to double or triple up on your belts, you can start your internet shopathon searching for “double wrap” belts. These are made in twice the length of a normal belt, and thus you can wrap it around yourself and make it double. Pockets feeling the pinch (or you want to create your own color combo)? Use regular belts (especially mens) and wrap it around and criss cross. Voila!

How do you belt it?

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McQueen Rises

I don’t think any show was as anticipated as the McQueen show. Following the memorial service, the show went off as both a tribute to the designer and a rebirth of sorts for the brand with British designer Sarah Burton at the helm.

Photo Credit: Style.com

The white colors throughout the show reminded me a bit of funerary traditions where attendees wear white to symbolize angels welcoming the passed into heaven. The look and garments had soft factors with interesting embellishments and lots of belts and hardware to accessorize.

As with the past McQueen shows, the ants in your pants are from waiting for what the shoes will look like. Burton’s shoes weren’t claw shoes, but they were interesting enough to get the welcome card. I really like the shoes in the bottom images. Granted, they’re not your everyday shoes, but they don’t look painful to wear, and have a similarity to coral reefs. If I had the extra cash, I’d so get them.
What was your favorite?

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Hakaan has a new accessory for SS11

The entrance of fall is also a festive time for fashion week. The world celebrates as a whole as the week jumps from country to country, across continents, to bring people out of their assigned seats with the bright colors, beautiful fabrics, and statuesque models.

Photo Credit: Style.com

The clothes are usually styled to their best possible presentation, with precise attention to shoes, jewelry, bags, etc. But piercings? My first experience with the sort was looking through the photos of the Parisian fashion show for Hakaan. The nose bridge piercings looked very interesting as they were placed on each model walking the runway (though they weren’t real). I’ve previously seen piercings like these on arms and the back of the neck, but never on the nose. Though not something I’d get for myself, I prefer the nose the best for this type of piercing. It adds a whole lot of character to the face, don’t you think?

Photo Credit: Freakinfrench.blogspot.com

The show had different carefully tailored shapes worn by models, most of whom had killer guns (I need me some biceps and triceps like those!). Though the garments differed from pant suits to dresses, the colors didn’t veer far from white, black, and a gray/slate shade in between. The buildup with the garments in color order added to the presentation of the collection. Another highlight? A sighting of hot mama model Jourdan Dunn!
Check out the full collection on Style.com and let me know if you have any favorite looks!

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Gucci’s bright take on SS11

My favorite luxury brand (Gucci) had their spring and summer show in Milan and as I clicked through each look from their main website, I was overjoyed to see the supersaturated bright colors and the precise details visible on accessories and head to toe.(Photo credit: Gucci)

The pieces had interesting draping and creative techniques for cinching in the waist or feet of the pants, as well showing off an open back. Check out the money shots for yourself here. The best part may have been though, that the runway was in perfect harmony with the brand’s colors.

How do you like it?

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AMEXNYFW SS11: Andy & Debb

On the last day of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, my body was starting to act a little funny about this whole walking and waking deal. Try as I did to utilize alarms and whatnot, by the end of the week, four hours of sleep per night did not sit well with my body. It revolted like never before making me miss nearly every morning show (if they started at 9am) and nearly every backstage preparation sequence (if the shows started at 10/11am). Terrible of me, I know.

As I jumped up in a panic on the last day, I made a mad dash for the subway and thankfully it brought me to the tents in the speediest fashion. Sometimes public transit chooses to work against you instead of with you, and nothing can spoil a day faster! My perfectly tardy day must’ve been aware of the Andy & Debb presentation. How lucky was I that it was a presentation?

The clothes were a bit prim and proper with a twist. Very no nonsense lines for the jackets, tops, and dresses, but with plenty an interesting panel or cutout to play with the eyes.

The backless garment sucker that I am, this was my favorite. I just can’t ever get enough of backless pieces and feel like they exude the most effortless sensuality than any short hemline or low cut top.

The designers were answering questions about working with each other for so long. They mentioned that after all this time, it’s easier to be on the same wavelength and to understand what one means, and is thinking.

The beauty look was a sleek ponytail on top and a bit unruly at the tail end. Teased to a bit of a bedhead, this is the easiest style to reconstruct when attempting to copy a runway look. Shoot, I do it on all my lazy days.

Check out the shoes. I was digging them. All the models had the same style, and it really unified the collection. The mod feel of the shoes connected to a lot of the shift style dresses in the collection, as well as the funky prints.

The makeup was a coral flushed cheek and a stronger pop of a similar shade on the lip. The skin looked fresh and flushed. Like the girl spent so much time looking good she had to run up the stairs for happy hour. (Just sayin’).

The nail color was customized by celebrity nail technician Pattie Yankee along with the help of Dashing Diva dream team. The designers had requested a color similar to that of the customized shoes, and as you can tell by my close ups, they didn’t disappoint!