Resort 2013 = Derek Lam

Derek Lam's Resort 2013 collection probably put a lot of retailers shaky hearts at rest for a few months. Knowing that they'll have a few deliveries of great items coming just in time for x-mas is always a good crowd pleaser, well at least when the crowd is made up of Bloomingdales, Saks... etc.. The easy breezy separates styled in such a no fuss way scream cool city mom that just started making more mulla than dad. With patterns sparse and sprinkled throughout the collection in an easy to layer way you can easily imagine on your clients. There was a bit of play with the x-model girl who made it on her "own" in NYC and wears a leather jumpsuit to go grocery shopping and the nice girl who's parents live on the Upper East Side who thinks edgy is wearing a sharp lined blazer. But after all of that, the outerwear in the collection was fantastic and the lines were great. And, as we all know in design, it really is ALL about the lines.

Resort 2013 = Chanel

With Lagerfeld on the rise in almost every known price point of the fashion industry, the opening of the Chanel Resort 2013 show seemed right in lieu of his Macy's line. By mixing the light washed and oddly bright blue denim into silhouettes that MIA would have worn after stealing Pink's wig from her first music video he really set a stage I'm not sure I would have paid to attend. The golden rays of the New Jersey sun screamed out in need of some of these pieces, as well as the Harajuku girls of Japan's youth. The garish and transsexual vibe was very Gaga-esque and seemed random and tasteless.  Despite all of that these party dresses will probably be swept up by every party "it" girl on pre-orders before they can hit the stores. The boyish proportions of Karl's designs don't allow for femininity in a sexy way, however smother a woman (or as seems much more appropriate for such a collection), a girl in an idea of femininity that only an aging gay man would find attractive. The last suit of wrapped black and mesh is so garishly hideous in everything from design to fit that I couldn't pry my eyes away from it.. All of that being said, I can't help but enjoy, smile to myself, at the complete lack of taste and complete dismissal of all of the cleaned up monochromatic trends that are happening at EVERY other fashion house for Resort 2013. 

Resort 2013 = Celine

Celine was angled for Resort 2013 this year. Using planes of black and white with dotted, spotted highlights the collection struck all the right notes for the right clientele. A queen of the monochromatic look, as is the Celine client, utilizes color-blocking as it is demonstrated in this collection. She layers her look in a censored and graphic way, instead of in the "hippy" boho way. In the haste of her daily life globe trotting from chic party to chic gallery to remote islands in the summer we can only dream of, a wardrobe that oozes cool such as this one, is necessary.

Sirenum Scopuli = Chanel Spring 2012 Fashion Show

For Chanel's Spring 2012 collection, Karl Lagerfeld took what was ancient to make what was new. Modernity can stem from many things. 
In this case, it was the innovative textiles engineered to recreate and simulate the ancient realm of underwater creatures and forms that was most "modern". The pearl encrusted models, now they, they were just beautiful and classically so. 


SHOWstudio said this of the collection "The collection is like a wave of refracted light and iridescence - think currents of phosphorescence, wind on water, sea spray - horizontal pleats, hologram chains, pearl piercings....and shells."

The most intriguing aspect of the pieces in this show, were the backs of them. Watch the Style.com video to see what I mean, then look more closely at the photos that follow. Enjoy...

Sirens
In Greek mythology Sirens were sea nymphs that lived on the island Sirenum scopuli, and were daughters of Ceto the sea monster and Phorcys the sea god. They drew sailors to the rocks by their enchanted singing, causing their ships to sink. It is uncertain how many sirens there would be, as different tales vary their number between two and five. Some claim the sirens where playmates of young Persephone, daughter of Zeus and Demeter. As Persephone was abducted by Hades to become his queen of the Underworld, Demeter cursed the sirens to become monsters of lore. Sirens were often depicted as women with the legs and wings of birds, playing a great variety of musical instruments. However, they may also be depicted as half human, half fish (see picture). Consequently siren is often applied as a synonym for mermaid, because many believe sirens and mermaids are similar creatures. In German mythology, sirens were known as Nixes, and in Welsh and Breton mythology as Morgans.

Oooooo Barracuda = Alexander McQueen Spring 2012

I am unabashedly biased towards LOVING the McQueen show above all others, EVERY season. 


This didn't just start. And it's not about to end, either. 


Sarah Burton had so much tact and skill in finishing where McQueen left off that I don't see why she won't develop into one of the most important of the timeless figures of fashion, standing right next to McQueen instead of just under him.

For Spring 2012, Burton let a bit of her dark side come out by enveloping the models faces into the garments themselves. I am always a fan of three dimensional dressing, where the garment is not viewed in two dimensions, as a front and back that hangs over a three dimensional form (the human body). But instead, I believe that the garment should become multi-faceted in which a three dimensional body is housed. Burton explored this by including all parts of the body within the construction of the pieces. As Burton states herself "I was thinking about a woman as an object of desire. We go to such lengths to adorn ourselves that we almost become our clothes or are taken over by them. This is a collection about excess - an exploration of ideals of beauty at their most extreme.” 


This season Burton definitely showed off some of the intricate craftsmanship she learned from her years under Alexander McQueen. And as Style.com's Tim Blank states of the collection she's not only replicating his techniques but is actually channeling McQueen.


"this collection proved how hot-wired into the core of McQueen Burton truly is. The color palette—as translucent as the inside of a shell—had the kind of unambiguous prettiness that McQueen himself might have felt inclined to disrupt in some way. Burton duly injected the glossy black leather—a sinister barracuda slipping through the shoals of shimmer, like the spirit of her erstwhile mentor. She'll never escape him; nor, it seems, does she want to."- Tim Blanks