Custom Design

If you just can’t stop looking at the haunting pictures of Alexander McQueen’s final collection, I’ve got a little Friday treat for you. Originally posted by the crew at Fashionista, the video shows details of not only the clothing, but also the shoes, bags and accessories that are on display at McQueen’s buyer display in Paris. As expected, the tailoring and finishing are impeccable.

Video via Fashionista.com.

Original post by Amanda Mull

If there is a more haunting experience in fashion than watching Alexander McQueen’s posthumous Fall/Winter 2010 presentation to a very small group of fashion’s glitterati, I can’t imagine what it would be. Presented in an ornate salon owned by the brand’s parent company, the partial collection of 16 looks was brilliant, as we all knew it would be. It was also, in part, something totally unexpected: angelic.

The collection was inspired by 16th centurty painter Hieronymus Bosch, among other artists, who specialized in religious interpretation and commentary. Some of the patterns actually contained computerized and re-worked prints from the original artwork, including the Bosch masterpiece “The Garden of Earthly Delights.” Outside of the professed inspiration, however, it’s difficult to not ascribe a more personal and tragic meaning to the stylized angel wings that several models sported. Indeed, there were otherworldly aspects to many of the looks – pure while, gilded feathers. Perhaps the most pointed reference was in the show’s final look, a golden jacket that could have been made of wings, fluted at the floor by gobs of beaded white tulle.

But this collection was anything but one-note. Alongside the angelic whites were brocaded and beaded dresses in hues of red and gold, plus digitally printed short dresses, seemingly a continuation of the previous season’s much-lauded Plato’s Atlantis collection. The show displayed only a fraction of what McQueen had probably completed, but even in its abbreviated length, it not only demonstrated the designer’s unmatched technical prowess, creativity, and mastery of the female form, but also rendered in stark relief the stunning loss that the fashion industry and the world at large has suffered in McQueen’s death.

Original post by Amanda Mull

In a season where nearly every designer has put out clothes that are classic and subdued, it’s almost a relief to know that Christophe Decarnin is still making clothes for rock stars and supermodels at Balmain. I mean, someone has to, right?

Decarnin’s collection would look aggressively glam in almost any context, but the effect is only magnified a thousandfold when juxtaposed with the somber browns and midcentury shapes of many of the season’s other high-profile collection. Where others were doing ostrich leather handbags and tailored suiting, Balmain brought us rich brocade, gold foiling, leather pants and ostentatious furs.

Several recent Balmain signatures, like bold-shouldered, glimmering minidresses, heavily detailed military jackets, and skintight leather made their requisite appearances, but I was most struck by the slightly out-of-territory aspects of the collection. In particular, the gilded brocade jackets paired with skinny pants reminded me think again and again of Keith Richards, and several deep-v belted evening dresses made me wonder who would be so lucky as to wear them on the red carpet. A fitting collection for a culture that has replaced royalty with music and film stars.

Original post by Amanda Mull

By all accounts, the Dolce & Gabbana Fall/Winter 2010 runway show was very moving – it began with a video dedicated to the technical skill that goes in to creating the brand’s clothing and ended with an enormous herd of models taking the runway in all manner of black blazers. I can’t think of more fitting bookends to a fashion show in these uncertain times – celebrating craftsmanship and classics seems to be just the note to hit right now.

But what we’re here to talk about is handbags, and those struck a similar chord. Two basic shapes made an appearance: first, the Miss Sicily shape to which the brand has strapped their wagon for the past few season. It came in all manner of textures – leather, python, knit, lace, fur. Those materials were often combined into textural puzzles, but the feeling was mostly a little too similar to last season’s offerings to get me excited. What caught me by surprise, however, was the second shape – tiny coin purse/iPhone case hybrids worn across the body on long chains. They seemed supremely functional and current, while still being exquisitely detailed and luxurious. Modern functionality is something I wish I’d seen a bit more of during recent collections.

Original post by Amanda Mull

The more I see of the Fall/Winter 2010 shows, particularly the ones from Milan, the more I become certain that the fashion industry glitterati have clandestine meetings after the season has been presented to decide what the trends for the next season will be, just so everyone else is on the same page. That, or it’s secretly just one supergenius (or supercomputer?) behind every major collection, and that’s why everything from Gucci to Fendi to Ferragamo this season has been so cohesive – not just within each collection, but across much of what has been shown at Fashion Week as a whole.

So, this is what we know: the 60s and 70s are being brought back, this time in a conservative and subdued way to match the mood of the culture. Classic shapes, particularly in accessories, are as classic as they’ve ever been. Brown is officially a thing, as is suede. The look of sueded croc is also gaining favor, after being embraced for the past few season by the bag designers at YSL.

Ferragamo’s collection hit most of the high points of fall trendspotting, and the materials were lush and beautiful. A few of the shapes were too plain for me, but high points like asymmetrical croc clutches with tortoise shell closures made me forget all about them. That’s probably a good metaphor for how fall is shaping up, in fact – the key will be finding the bags that take tradition to the next level.

Original post by Amanda Mull

If the brands that I normally make fun of continue to turn out impressive bag collections, what am I going to crack jokes about? With the second lovely presentation by Fendi in as many seasons, it looks like before I know it, the only time I’m going to get to be nasty and snarky is when Versace puts forth a new abomination against handbag design. That’s bad for me as a writer (bad reviews write themselves), but it’s a net gain for handbag lovers everywhere.

Although we saw a logo bag or two in the Fendi Fall/Winter 2010 collection, the vast majority of the collection was comprised of clean, classic shapes, rendered in a subdued, retro palette of browns and orangey-yellows. The styling reminded me of Hitchcock classic Marnie, all mid-60s subdued tailoring and midcentury color combinations. The results were subdued and pretty, with impressive details that weren’t to be missed. My favorite among them was that the brand had embossed the models’ initials on the hang tags of several of the brown leather bags – I wonder if that’s a service that Fendi will provide to customers when these bags are sold at retail.

Photos via Style.com.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Let’s not mince words about the handbags that went down the Bottega Veneta runway last week in Milan: I cannot recall ever seeing a runway collection that included so many different kinds of bags, all of them utterly beautiful. I’m not even that enormous of a Bottega fan and I was still awed by the details that went into all of them, from oversized crocodile hobos to the tiniest embellished knot clutches. It was without question a pleasure to watch every look that came down the catwalk, and the bags were the icing on the drool-worthy cake.

I mentioned this tangentially in my post about this season’s Gucci bags, but the purses that grace the runways provide a level of luxury that can’t be matched. They’re usually the creme de la creme, made from the best materials and with the most attention to detail that a brand has to offer. Bottega’s outstanding collection, which was carried by nearly half of the models in the show, is perhaps among the best examples of a true runway bag collection that I’ve ever seen. The bags were expertly dyed candy-colored crocodile and snakeskin, mixed with browns and graphites and complemented by a few examples of the brand’s famed intrecciato weave in the best leathers available. They were so engaging, in fact, that I found myself distracted from the show’s gorgeous dresses – no small feat.

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Photos via Style.com.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Allow me to make one of my personal biases clear: I look forward to seeing the bags on the Gucci runway more than almost any other bag-including show at fashion week. The brand’s notorious sense for modern glamor and sexuality often comes through best in their runway bags, and seeing them is almost always a pleasure.

I wasn’t as excited by this season’s offerings as I was for last season’s technology-influenced collection, but they were still as luxurious and detailed as you could reasonably ask. Much of the collection, which was heavy on ostrich, was also sporting a slightly modified interlocking G logo that I’ve never seen before – could it be a vintage revival, as is popular with the brand, or something completely new? I’m not sure which, but whatever it is, I think its slightly curvier lines work well for the direction that the brand is going.

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Photos via Style.com.

Original post by Amanda Mull

In my mind, there are two types of designers: those that make us think about fashion and its relationship to philosophy and art, and those that make fashion accessible and wearable to the average fashion fan. Each pursuit has its own challenges, but it’s without question that Diane Von Furstenberg has the second type of clothing on lock.

Menswear was a dominant theme in DVF’s Fall/Winter 2010 collection, but it was styled in such a way that it would be totally accessible and wearable outside of an office setting. Blazers were layered over floaty chiffon, a girly rose-covered bolero was layered over a suit, and it all looked functional and fun to wear. The textural layering continued with chunky knits over sparkly patterned dresses, and Von Furstenberg threw in a few of her signature wraps for good measure. So what does this collection tell us?

First and foremost, it tells us that DVF is still, and will always be, a master of print. If I had the cash on hand, I would be the first to line up to buy every patterned party dress in this collection, and there were quite a few of them. They were styled more casually than they might have been in previous collections, but the presentation choice gave potential buyers plenty of ideas about how to get extra mileage out of a fun dress.

Wearability has always been a great part of DVF’s clothing, and this collection continues the tradition. I want almost everything that she presented in my closet now. Yesterday. It’s of-the-moment, richly rendered and will speak to a variety of customers.

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Photos via Style.com.

Original post by Amanda Mull

Does anyone remember a little film called The Craft, a tale of four goth-y, snarky teen witches and the classmates that they hated? You have to think back almost 15 years, to a time when I was merely a tween exploring my burgeoning love of black clothing that I have come to embrace now, at this later juncture in my life. I didn’t have any social problems in school, but I loved the idea of being disaffected and misunderstood. It seemed like all the coolest people were, at least in the movies, and it also seemed like something that was easy enough to strive for. Obviously, I loved The Craft.

Alexander Wang says that his Fall/Winter 2010 collection was inspired by Wall Street’s Masters of the Universe, but I think he might have secretly been a fan of a certain coven of mid-90s conjurers as well. The only things this collection missed were suspenders and Fairuza Balk.

And really, based on the styling, it looks like Ms. Balk had her goth/grunge hands all over it. All of the models were a few days past their last hair-washing, and the sunken-looking eyes and hollow cheeks made it seem as though it had been just as long since their last meal or nap.

As for the collection itself, it included lots of deconstructed suiting, pinstripes, and tweed – Wall Street with a significant punk twist. We would be remiss, however, to not point out all of the incredibly 90s touches – mini backpacks, bare midriffs, knee socks, velvet. Since the fashion industry has already done nostalgia for every decade up to the 80s, it only make sense that the 90s would be next, and it appears that Wang is one of the first major designers to usher in the trend. At an accessible price point and in neutral colors, I’m sure we’ll see plenty of this collection on fashionistas next fall. Do I like it? Well, sort of – it does remind me of my wannabe-disaffected youth, after all.

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Photos via Style.com.

Original post by Amanda Mull