As a devoted follower of the great and powerful Karl, I’m a bit apprehensive to say that I find the Chanel Fall 2010 RTW collection to be rather horrendous. It’s been out for months, but I’ve just been trying to ignore it and hope it falls into some black hole of hideous fashion. Needless to say, it didn’t, and as the cold months start approaching at a faster rate, I must prepare myself to see these hot hairy messes more and more often. It might take me awhile to get used to this new kind of Chanel (or as I like to call it,”Chewbacca Chanel”), but maybe that’s just because I don’t like looking like Sasquatch. I’ll admit, there are a few beautiful and wearable pieces in the collection, but I use the words “beautiful” and “wearable” quite loosely here.

If you are someone who routinely reads fashion sites or lives in New York, you may remember that big hubbub when Karl was in Soho shooting the campaign.  I too was excited to have the great Karl shooting in our territory, but unfortunately the results aren’t fantastic. The setting looks pretty mundane and much to my horror, the furry boots make multiple appearances (although I’ll admit I’ve seen even more ugly things walking around Soho).  Seriously, who thought it would be sexy to put Margot Tenenbaum on top of an ewok? WHY, KARL, WHY?!

But I forgive him. Although it’s a little late, I couldn’t resist doing fashion formulas for the collection. Yeah, they are quite obvious, but seriously folks…  look at these ugly monsters (and I’m not talking about the wampa).

And to mix it up, here’s a dandy…

Comments (0) Aug 27 2010

From the farm land to the high seas, Chanel always makes a big splash. While it seems the theme of most resort 2011 collections could be “What Not to Wear on a Boat,” the creative geniuses at Chanel decided to show their nouveau collection on the shore of Saint-Tropez with models that arrived on actual speed boats. The surprisingly laid-back collection features flowing floral gowns, sporty checkered swimsuits, and a few airy pajama-like ensembles, quite a different direction from the masculine-tailored suits and tight-fitting dresses seen at shows like Alexander Wang and Rachel Roy. The classic Chanel tweed made a few appearances in the form of girly mini-dresses and even a mustard full-length jumpsuit, while gladiator sandals and beaucoup de denim made the collection look a bit more casual. (even enough to wear on a boat!) In the spirit of all things summery and Karl, let’s take a look at some of the collection along with the crazy influences that I like to imagine.

Comments (1) Jun 07 2010

Who doesn’t love the Met Gala? It’s the time when the world’s most beautiful people bring out their best style and the museum is completely free of tourists. This year most celebs did a pretty good job at dressing for the occasion, but in the spirit of this website, I still have to poke fun at them in some way as I’ve done times before. I guess comparing outlandish gowns to characters from Spaceballs and Animal House never gets old. Well, not for me at least.

Comments (2) May 04 2010

Peanut butter and jelly. Milk and cookies. Gin and tonic.  Some things just go better when mixed, as demonstrated in Alexis Mabille’s Spring 2010 Couture show. The French designer, with a resume that includes YSL and Dior, is relatively new to the fashion world and one of the few brave enough to compete in the woefully fading world of couture. Mabille’s spring collection showcased the young designer’s skillful cutting and attention to detail with geometric shapes and color blocking from head to toe. Here are some mixed-up looks that go together better than lox and cream cheese. Well, maybe not that well….

Comments (0) Feb 10 2010

Poor celebrities. If they didn’t have it rough enough making millions of dollars and dating each other, they must succumb to our piercing judgment during award shows. Some come out on top, while others become the object of never-ending ridicule for us media junkies. Now that our post award show buzz has finally worn off, we can assess what we really saw during the 2010 Golden Globes. Here it is: the good, the bad, and the totally bizarre.

January Jones

Anna Paquin

Cher

Jayma Mays

Drew Barrymore

Don’t cry for me, Atelier Versace…..

Comments (1) Jan 20 2010

Only Karl Lagerfeld (see post below) could make romping around in hay and dirt look so haute.  The Chanel ready-to-wear Spring 2010 show was based around the designer’s idea of a “modern sophistication to the eco approach.” The setting included a barn adorned with the double C’s and a runway of hay and grass, a strange sight to see in Paris’ lavish Grand Palais.  Putting kitsch aside, Lagerfeld managed to pull off the country aesthetic as models strutted with cheeky smiles down the dirt-covered runway in everything from Chanel’s signature tweed to prairie prints.  Perhaps the most striking aspect of the farm-like adventure was the humor of it all, a total contrast to the seriousness that most would associate with high fashion shows. Here is a look at some of the collection along with items that may (but probably not) be related. Yee-haw!

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For a full taste of farm freshness, check out a video of the show here.

Comments (1) Jan 05 2010

Several of fashion’s prominent offbeat designers sent their models strutting down the runways of Paris fashion week adorning some rather peculiar coiffures. Although the focus should always be on the clothes, a few hairstyles seemed to take the spotlight. Vivienne Westwood gave her models tall flaming locks, Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons chose clown coifs, and Marc Jacobs went with the ‘fro for Louis Vuitton.

Vivienne Westwod

Comme des Garçons

Louis Vuitton

Fortunately all three of the designers have experience dealing with crazy hair…

Comments (0) Oct 06 2009

As New York Fashion Week quickly approaches this Fall, we are finally able to wear those autumn pieces shown last Spring.  One collection that comes to mind is the Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2009 ready-to-wear show inspired by the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Elsa Schiaparelli.  The show featured surrealist elements on exaggerated silhouettes making for quite the glamorous showcase.  Although each look was truly distinctive, I couldn’t help but be reminded of some old familiar characters….

Comments (0) Sep 07 2009

There’s a lot to love about luxury Italian brand Blumarine’s fall 2009/winter 2010 ad campaign.  Photographer Patrick Demarchelier shoots Lithuanian beauty Edita Vilkeviciute with a striking resemblance to Richard Avedon’s jumping shots of supermodel Veruschka from the 1960’s.  Vilkeviciute nails the sixties vibe with big hair, chunky jewelry, a bright mini dress, and crystal-studded stilettos. What’s not to love?

Comments (0) Aug 21 2009

John Galliano found inspiration for his Hermès Fall 2009 Ready-to-Wear collection from the flying aces of yesteryear.  Masculine tailored suits, aviator goggles, and leather jumpsuits were some of the main features of this aeronautical runway show. Each piece was exquisitely crafted from the leather and textiles that Hermès is known for. Although some thought that Galliano went a little overboard with the aviation theme, I think there was much more to his inspiration.  Below you will find how some cinema stars (and Amelia Earhart) could have influenced this killer collection.  Now if only you could fit all your flight gear in a Birkin bag…

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Comments (0) Jul 23 2009