FALL 2009 RTW: NOTES

I stayed up all night brushing up on my Fall 2009 RTW lines @ style.com. There was not a single collection I didn't enjoy watching, but naturally certain shows shone brighter than others. These are my judgments and conclusions.

BALMAIN presents a mastery of the current trends. Tutus and low-slung pants bring a light, youthful twist to the sophisticated structure and intimidating, futuristic qualities of this collection. Spring's most successful trends are masterfully reworked and portrayed in Balmain's Fall 2009 RTW line.

DEREK LAM

Chanel Iman in this dress...knockout.

DRIES VAN NOTEN reminds me at first of YSL's Mondrian dress from the 70's. Colorblocking, high necklines, and clean silhouettes are conservative and classic: a theme also present in both Chloe and Bottega Veneta F'09 RTW.

ZAC POSEN brightens my day with this line. If the fluency and romance of his color combinations aren't enough to lift your spirits, turn your attention to the elegant feminine cuts and disciplined shape of the pieces... Flirty and flowy and fun were bonafide rarities this season... Back to black and back to business seem to be the story, but not here. Zac Posen's show was polished, refreshing and rich.

VENA CAVA: FRESH TO DEATH

Vena Cava always has something new and interesting to bring to the table, whether in the uniqueness each piece or the line's overall message. These designs apply a couture softness to an urban look without gaudy overabundance of definitively "urban" features. The less tangible aspect of this collection is revealed subtly or perhaps even unintentionally in the skew styling and absent attitudes of the models themselves. It may be marginally commercialized, but it is couture, and it is youthful, it is fresh, and it is smart.

Chiuri and Piccioli modestly embraced the embellishment trend and conservatively implicated the rest; leave it to Valentino to remain truly classic throughout the times. YSL's white blouses were stunning. The impeccably tailored suits were authoritative and sharp. Prada displayed some bold juxtapositions of color and boldly plunging necklines. Besides the designers mentioned above, I was most pleased with: Chris Benz, Christian Dior, Chloe, Emporio Armani, Jason Wu, Lanvin, Louis Vuitton, and of course Marc Jacobs.

Track the trends! After watching more than a few slideshows, sorting through which trends were most widely adapted was not tooo too difficult.
Tiered fabrics in silks, feathers, furs, and wool blends; accentuated waistlines cinched with belts and ties, over-exaggerated hourglass silhouettes, strong shoulders, shapeless frocks and ponchos, body-con, 'bondage' dresses, and sophisticated-sexy-chic. Fall '09 RTW is drowning in furs, velvets, metallics, gathered fabrics and monochromatic tones.

To be continued.

TE AMO TOPSHOP

Splendid Modal Lycra V-Neck Dress, $148; Topshop Batwing Jersey Dress, $53.

Betsey Johnson Color Block Jumper Dress, $300-$370; Topshop Bow Front Dress, $84.

Vera Wang's charcoal taffeta jeweled tie detail dress, $1,100. Topshop Organza Hem Dress, $69.

All three Topshop items available for purchase here.

UPCOMING DESIGNER: CHRIS BENZ

CHRIS BENZ SPRING 2009. All © Getty Images.

Chris Benz at the young age of 24 has already won an Emerging Designer Award from the CFDA. An intern for Marc Jacobs while merely a college student, Chris Benz has also worked with J. Crew. There, he decided to pursue the business aspects of the fashion industry with as much diligence as he does the creative designing itself. His pieces are casual without losing their class, young while maintaining sophistication. Evening dresses paired with flats and military-style blazers matched with oversized shorts are two of many different looks one can expect coming down the runway during Benz's show, which for two consecutive years has immediately followed Marc Jacobs' line.

Alex Gartenfeld interviews him here in an article titled, "Are you a Chris Benz girl?".
Teen Vogue put together a short and sweet bio of the designer here.
Read Benz's piece for the New York Times, "For the Moment".

WHAT!? Chris Benz was in Boston? With Ashley Olsen?
The Art of New American Fashion benefit was hosted at the Institute of Contemporary Art on Northern Ave. Did anyone know about this?? Read the full article here.

TRENDS FOR FALL/WINTER 08-09

Gucci's creative director Frida Gianni took the runway by storm with her F/W 08-09 collection. Beautifully crafted metal, sleek leather fringe, and elaborate suede detail suggest Russian Cossack inspiration in this fabulously ornate line. Below are images from the show. View the full line at Style.com. Models: Freja Beha Erichsen, IMG; Vlada Roslyakova (Muse of Christian Lacroix!), Women Mgmt.

"Be reckless enough to gamble all or nothing, to follow your dreams."

John Galliano

Fashion. Environment. Art. Giving Back. These four chapters of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's newly published book, Influence, contain interviews with some of the world's most respected designers and artists, previously unreleased photographs from the twins' private collections, and many original pieces written by Mary Kate and Ashley. Readers will promenade through the pages to learn about the celebrated lives of these two enterprising young women, from their acting career to their fashion line The Row and more. Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen are globally recognized as two of the most influential icons in fashion. Pick up Influence to reflect with them on the experiences that have made them who they are today.

On a similar note, look into:
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WHAT EVERY GIRL WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS

Christian Louboutin heels. Every girl on Earth should own a pair. There's not much else to it. Get a solid discount at www.bluefly.com. [Direct Link]

HOLLA IF YOU'RE BROKE

Are you fashion obsessed? Are you a label whore? Are you shamelessly materialistic? Are you broke? How about all of the above? We'd all love to have a closet full of YSL, Oscar, and DvF. If you, like myself, can't afford to have that, check out these gorgeous items and listen up for how to dress to impress without spending your life's savings.


The Versace croc stamped nappa tote, retail value $3500 Zara makes an almost identical tote for $189. See the Zara site for a store locator (you might need to change the language to English).


Gucci's black voile ruffle trim blouse, retail value $1050 Also at Zara, four different styles of this blouse can be purchased in black, ivory and maroon for $59-$89.


Alexander McQueen's red striped seersucker suspender shorts, retail value $315 Newbury Street's greatly underappreciated boutique LF carries these shorts in blue, red and green seersucker stripes, as well as (more stylish) black overdye denim, raw denim, and multiple acid washes. These are very in for spring, but mix with wool tights, a turtleneck sweater, long outerwear and thigh-high boots for a unique winter look. LF is located between Hereford and Massachusetts Avenue cross-streets in Back Bay, Boston at 353 Newbury Street.