Salt and Pepper

From left: Chloe, Preen, Osman, Preen, Narciso Rodriguez

Day to Night

Last night we glided over plush red carpet to settle in the gilt chestnut that is the Metropolitan Opera. For three hours we sat enraptured in Wagner and the proximity we shared with tenors strung on a set that would have made M.C. Escher gasp. Before I knew it, we were back in the cab rushing home past midnight like I imagine Cinderella would.

What led up to the event was havoc, enough: Two hours of primping, steaming, and brushing. We had been out since the morning, rushed home with the sun still in the sky to prepare for our plans at night. I dream of days eventual when with YSL in the closet, I'll glide through hours in one simple suit.

Dior, Lanvin, Yves Saint Laurent

OpaCity

For a moment, let's indulge in soft, spring dressing. One trend on the Spring 2012 runways we saw (that cropped up in last week's fall collections, too) was opacity: little pockets of peek-a-boo, mesh, and organza that, like mist on a tulip, add a dimension of delicate beauty.

Zac Posen, Marni, and Peter Som

Chanel, Prabal Gurung, and 3.1 Philip Lim F/W 2012

In the Details

3.1 Philip Lim: As usual, near perfection. I'm used to falling for his downtown-cool looks, precise with modern cuts and materials. What hooked me this season was the footwear.

I love the little white slip-ons Lim paired with an all-black getup for fall. They remind me of the first pair of shoes I bought with my New York life in mind. A month out from moving to the city, I found a pair of slightly metallic, marshmallow-soled oxfords in Virginia. That first spring and I wore them with everything: silk skirts, baggy jeans, shorts while bike riding. I remember on the first run of a series for TimeOut, interviewing the French owner of a gallery and store in Boerum Hill, called The Invisible Dog, and feeling perfectly dressed, like a character in the life story I'd always wanted to live. I wore the white shoes with a black top and a deep scooping back, a black skirt, trench coat, and colorful thread belt wrapped around my wrist my mother had gotten in Nepal decades earlier. In the showroom, there was gorgeous handmade jewelry that glittered in the soft lighting, the warm spring night breezing through the open door into the immense first floor. Lucien draped one of the necklaces around my neck and I stared back at the picture in the mirror.

How beautiful the dressings we find to decorate life.

Back to the Basics

Of the designers that have already shown at F/W 2012 Fashion Week, quite a few are embracing the dark side and sending moody, dark looks down the runway.
 

Alexander Wang played with a palette of black and crimson and a few inclusions of white, which was used just as strongly as a neutral. Though it didn’t surprise as outerwear, Wang transformed leathers into sumptuous paneled tops, fluid-looking pants, and high slit skirts. Face masks, too.

Prabal Gurung used metallic cobalt as a foil and created a collection that invoked 1980s galactic time-travel. White satiny pants and gold two pieces made an appearance for a Jetsons meets McQueen moment.  

Boxtrot

May I remind you: It's 2012. It's so de rigueur to go slinky and slim, or hip-grazing and flouncy. Let's study shapes that are architectural--flares, spires, arches, boxes. Forgive me if I'm using this word all over the place, but it feels especially modern to see shapes other than the hourglass.

I just finished an article in February's Bazaar called "Spring's New Look," comparing, of course, Dior's watershed 1947 New Look with styles from the spring 2012 runways. This year we saw updated versions of the paradigm shifting collection of "exaggerated womanly looks that outmoded the spartan wartime silhouette and provided the broad strokes for the elegant uniform of the baby-boom era". Now, Rochas, Dior 2012, and Jonathan Sanders might have created looks that could have appealed to a clientele in 1947, but in this post, we're going to obsess over the very-new millennium looks.

Balenciaga hooked me, hard. Classic and of-the-moment at the same time. The fabrics look like neoprene-silk. The shoes, phenomenal; sculptural and almost utilitarian in their reference to boots.

Simple, uniform hair and an artillery of wrist decorations.

More Balenciaga- this helmet-like hat might prove too theatrical for life off of the set, but it reminds me of a shield, or hood--perhaps a wartime reference. The patches of fabric sewn together inspire an image of  rationing; an important factor the original New Look followed. The altogether surplus of fabric seen with the Band of Outsiders look (right) could possibly reference the end (or hopeful cessation) of conflicts abroad with the inclusion of extra yardage-- a shape reminiscent of tunics-- and red and white pants that mimic the colors of a traditional bidah. 

Phillip Lim 3.1 took things to an airier place. The fluid cuts spoke volumes of modernity. The wearer is not weighed down by constraints, or notions of femininity. She is bold while being relaxed, pulled together without ties or attachments. The ends always taper to a slim, defined point.

Celine's collection was also a study in strength and shape. I'm reminded a bit of nun's habits here--or the idea of a uniform. (Note the shoes are the same.) Wouldn't be too terrible to have to wear either creation day after day. As little as two generations prior, our grandmothers might have had just one day dress. We're not so far away in time.     

Cropped Up

I'm going to have to start doing some sit ups. 

Top row: D&G. Middle: Donna Karan, Proenza Schouler. Bottom: Pucci, Nina Ricci. 

Pale Pallor

No snow on the ground just yet, but that won't stop us from the adoration of its hue: white.

There's something dangerous about wearing white. You have to be mindful of all your moves. Where do I sit? Can I sit? I can't order pasta, red wine, or anything drizzled in chocolate sauce. (You might think it's not worth it, just based on that.) But, it's so chic!

I'm already a huge fan of monochromatic looks, though I admit I'm tired of seeing all-black get-ups on the street (or on me). For spring, I'm going with top to toe white, especially with direction seen here from the runway. Gradations of color, tiny silver boots, and-pop!- the use of one colorful accessory is too tempting (and easy) to pass up.

Karl Lagerfeld's use the hue for Chanel was simply gorgeous:

... and diaphonous and ethereal and...like a pearl. Just check out the set:

Attention to detail & unified theme, perfect:

Plus, Lagerfeld didn't use unadulterated white. There were gradations of pale blush, blue, and grey. It's a timeless way of dressing. I can imagine looking back at these photos in five decades and still being impressed with their beauty.

Hakaan went less lady-like with his use of white, and definitely embraced the year 2012. This peplum-hipped birdcage skirt reminds me of a 21st Century Mad Max, especially with the shoes.

The color here is a brilliant white, as was the lighting. I think it helps with the crispness of the look. Otherwise, it might look a but like a crocheted skirt made by grandma.

This last look might be my favorite. (I'm such a fan of Ports 1961, can't you tell?) It's just so clean.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that the accordion purse is gorgeous and hello- so are the shoes. Luckily they'll work with my blush Ports dress from the last post... both are which sit in my virtual dreamworld wardrobe.

Tangerine Dream & Sci-Fi Florals

One of the lovely truths about spring dressing is that its prescribed Fashion Week takes place in the midst of what is typically a dreary, cold fall (though that wasn't the case this year. Thank you, global warming). Time to dream of sunny backdrops and future attire.

One of the freshest hues to come off the runway for spring was the shade of burning sunset, a blush tangerine:

Ports 1961 does tailoring so well. Not only is this peach dress a phenomenal hue, but it's cut to perfection. Paired with simple red and black heels that are just as sleek, the look is minimalism at its best. 3.1 Phillip Lim has its own recipe: white, blush, and lavender silk.

Why hello, J. Crew. Nice to see you looking fantastic in the showroom. Ok, so I'm not done with my tangerine obsession but let's take a moment to ingest this gorgeous lemon skirt. Again, we're seeing a modern approach to color--it's bold but sleek. Note the yellow shoes and white purse. No black, clean hair and makeup. The second look incorporates a few of this season's trends: the peplum, the printed two piece, and gorgeous sci-fi florals.

Valentino's blushy strapless dress is another example of  the power of an intense color, one that I can't help but compare to Jil Sander's dress from spring 2011 (right). They're both perfect. I think the Valentino can appeal to an older woman, while Raf Simons' rotund cut requires a svelte, younger frame and possibly the disposition to want to pull it off. 

And alas, Peter Som's acid floral dress, replete with turquoise oxfords. 

let's talk shop

Prada shop. I go immediately to Milan when I hear the name, see tawny, bronzed shoulders sloping with easy elegance. This spring's looks were some of the most exciting I've seen from the house recently. Part Milanese housewife, part tri-athlete toting stones of colored jewels. It had me convinced.

I loved the unexpected modernity of this collection which, we should point out, included pleated skirts, '60s style leather purses, and pinwheel lace. It was ladylike but tough. There was more than one leather skirt, plenty of midriff, and the most convincing female rendition of the thunderbird slick-back I've ever seen. (Bonus points for those of us growing out our bangs.)