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Have your voice heard!

Haha, okay -- I promise to be less corny. Tell me: What's your favorite fashion week?

Is it New York? London, home of eccentricity? Milan? Paris? Do tell, in the poll over there --->

I'll be sure to share mine too!

London Fashion Week, Part 1 (Mary Katrantzou, House of Holland, Fashion Fringe, Basso & Brooke, Betty Jackson)

I'm finally getting to cover London Fashion Week! It's been a very busy week for me, so I had to step away from blogging for a little bit. But I'm back, so here we go...


All hail Queen Mary, sovereign of the digital prints! This time around, it's not perfume bottles, it's... pictures of rooms?? I guess Ms. Katrantzou picked up an issue of Elle Decor or Architectural Digest -- actually, the pictures look like they're from travel brochures -- and thought, "This is it!". I don't know how she makes her prints, but I do know this: they always merit a close look. Prints aside, I must say that she has some interesting touches here: pieces of fabric reminiscent of curtains, skirts that resemble lampshades, and fringe that calls to mind area rugs. I'd say this is much less wearable than her last spring showing, but just as intriguing.

I must say, this is a bit of deceptive editing by me. With just these pieces (and a few others not shown), it seems like Holland's SS'11 collection was somewhat 70's inspired, a little surfer and a little glam, too. That's not entirely wrong, I don't think, but the rest of the pieces were all over the place. Honestly, flat out ugly. If you want to see the rest, please head on over to style.com (which is where I get all my photos for FW)... but I hated the rest of it.





An interesting vibe at Betty Jackson... oversize is definitely in. Long skirts, either by dropping the hem or raising the waist, big pockets, voluminous sweaters, extremely wide-legged pants, and huge t-shirts.


Music day!!

In all the fashion week buzz, I forgot to post a new music video. My bad!

For your perusal, the Acid House Kings. Enjoy. :)


New York Fashion Week, Part 5 (Custo Barcelona, Chris Benz, Alexandre Herchecovitch

You know I love me some bright colors... and Custo Barcelona just about blinded me! Ah, retinal damage has never been so pleasant. But really, I loved the mix of color prints. If this is what Spring 2011 will look like, I can't wait to dress like a creamsicle.



There was definitely a mix of retro influences at Chris Benz. Just from a quick glance, I see some '20s influences (lowered waist, tennis sweater), some '60s (mod shapes, plastic/leather), some '50s and some '70s. I think what ties it all together, though, is the shoe choice and the overall bright colors. Hmm. It sure is a mishmash, isn't it?


[I was asked to remove the Barbara Tfank photos, which were apparently unauthorized (style.com's fault, not mine).]

New York Fashion Week, Part 3 (Gary Graham, Michael Angel, Prabal Gurung, Juan Carlos Obando,

A definite "disheveled ladies" look (ha, peep the alliteration!), but there's something weirdly attractive about this mish-mash of clothes. Actually, let me take that back. It's not a mish-mash, even though it does look like the way to achieve this look is to put on at least four pieces of clothing from your closet -- even if that means wearing three shirts. I'd say the most wearable outfit is the second to last, but even that has a lot of extra fabric. For translation to real life, I'd say just go with slouchy layers, not sloppy ones.


How can I put this lightly? Michael Angel hit it out of the park with this one. Caveat -- this isn't a collection for everyone. But who knew latex and florals went together so well? I would love to see someone experiment with this look in real life. Love the oxfords, and I absolutely adore the latex coats.



Usually, I can't stand Charlotte Ronson. I've never really gotten the hype. But this season, she went with a girly-grunge look, and if I may say so, she nailed it. There's nothing overly "I only listen to The Cure and paint my soul black" nor "Let's frolic in the Swiss Alps" about these looks (not that there's anything wrong with either) -- I find this collection to be firmly between the goth and girly. All in all, a good showing.

Check out that trompe l'oeil sweater around the hips! Very clever, indeed.


This was definitely love at first sight. I don't know what this material is called... it's that wetsuit stuff, I believe. Paired with softer fabrics, it stands out in an invigorating fashion. Ha, sorry -- I'm waxing poetical today. But really, don't you think this looks cool? Look at the second and fourth outfits. Those pockets! This would probably be an easy DIY to do (with a sewing machine. Don't be a masochist.)
Oh, and because someone always asks:

For the major Fashion Weeks, I take the photos from style.com. However, I do make the collages and add in the text myself. :)

New York Fashion Week, Part 2 (ADAM, Christian Cota, Ruffian, United Bamboo, A Detacher, Vena Cava)

More goodies from New York Fashion Week!

I guess we'll be seeing a lot of warm weather leather come springtime! Here in DC, I don't think that's a good idea, what with all the humidity... but one can dream, right? Anyway, other highlights at ADAM are khaki colors and lace. All together, this collection gives me a pastoral, go frolic in the fields kind of feeling. Not that I do that or anything...


For a label named Ruffian, the clothes in this spring collection are anything but. I'm not sure how I feel about all the satin that was being used here, but hey. Things I did like: the 70's/military influence, high waistlines, and gold hardware.

I wouldn't call United Bamboo a particularly trendy brand, but it certainly has a distinct look. This season, the same attention to construction is there, mixed with naturalistic/nature-inspired fabrics and color palette. If I had to peg United Bamboo as a certain look, I think I'd say "former schoolgirl". There's something very uniform-like about their clothes, but without the stuffiness. The person who wears United Bamboo is probably a little whimsical, and certainly isn't afraid of color. Long story short, I'm a big, big fan.


New York Fashion Week, Part 1 (Kimberly Ovitz, Frank Tell)

It's here! I have to admit, the shows I saw on Thursday were... not too impressive. But there were a few gems. Tell me what you think!

First up is Kimberly Ovitz's spring line. Well... nothing exactly screams spring here, eh? But still, I can see this being part of a transitional wardrobe (winter --> spring). Lightweight knits and jackets are paired with cropped or slim pants and those awesome wrinkled boots. To be honest, this part of the collection is more like fall/winter wear to me, and this is a silhouette I'd like to explore this fall, but I'm sure that some people would pull this off for spring.

The best piece here is the draped sleeveless dress shirt, but I think the appliqued squares on the dresses is pretty neat too.

I'm a big fan of Julian Louie, and I always look forward to his collection every season. Again, I see strains of Balenciaga in the clothing (especially in that second to last dress), but there is still innovation and individuality here. I appreciate the clean, simple lines that are made even more interesting by color choice and embellishments. A+!

Last but not least, we come to my favorite so far (Yeah, I know it's only been one day...) -- Frank Tell. I think this is a (relatively) new label, but I think it shows great promise. I love the mossy-looking, ratty knits and the super slim pants. On a random note, doesn't the second model kinda look like Kristin Stewart?

What about you guys? Any favorite collections so far? Did I miss something that you really love? Drop me a line!

Alexander Wang

Sorry, barely any writing or intro today as I'm in a huge rush. Enjoy the vid!


People, Get Ready!

Well, September is here, and we all know what that means -- Fashion Week is right around the corner. There's also Fashion's Night Out (Sept. 8). Is anyone going out for that? I would like to do something here in DC, but I don't want to go all on my lonesome...


Here's a little video that (very tenuously) fits this post's theme. Enjoy!







P.S. I will re-upload the Mini Editor so that you don't have to go hunting for it if you want to enter into the $1,000 sweepstakes. Woot!

Stockholm Fashion Week: Textilhögskolan

I love when fashion weeks include students' work. It's so nice to see the fruits of these extremely talented students' labor. I love the sheer...insanity in some collections and the understated beauty in others (not that beauty is exclusive to subtle clothing -- don't get me wrong). Enjoy these! Unfortunately, the names were not listed on the Mercedes Benz site, so you'll have to guess at them.








Textilhögskolan, I believe, is the Swedish textile school, so this showing is of graduate works. Please correct me if I'm wrong!


These photos from Mercedes Benz Stockholm Fashion Week are used here solely in an editorial, non-commercial fashion.