A great loss.....

I just got the news....it appears that one of my favorite designers, Alexander Mcqueen, took his own life last night.
The industry is surely in shock. This is a huge blow to the fashion world - not only was Mcqueen a respected and influential designer but also an industry icon who changed the way modern women dress.

Looks from Fall 2008

A proponent of statement making women's wear, Mcqueen dressed his woman in strong, feminine tailoring, exquisite draping, and otherworldly embellishments and prints. His collections were transportive - each one told an elaborate fairy tale in lazer-cut lace, embroidered silk and beaded chiffon. It is impossible to describe with words - his garments are artworks that have to be seen, touched, and worn.

Looks from Spring 2007

Fashion week is on the horizon, and in a time when the fashion industry is focusing on practical and wearable clothing, his whimsical, imaginative garments will be sorely missed. He was truly a great talent.

Looks from Spring 2008

Looks from Fall 2006

Cut Grass, Cut Grass!

Last Friday, I saw Dersu Uzala for the first time. Josh and I did a very New York thing and went to the Akira Kurosawa centennial festival at Film Forum (it's things like this that make New York such a great city - not just that there are events like this, but that there are also people who actually care....I mean, the theater was sold out).

I was both very excited and a little skeptical about seeing this film. It's Josh's favorite movie, so of course he's been talking it up to me ever since we started dating. It's not that I don't trust Josh's taste - quite the opposite, actually - but hype is easy to come by in this day and age, and generally the more I hear about something, the less I end up truly enjoying it.

But when the film started rolling, I was immediately captivated. It starts with a few different shots of hill sides and treetops, but instead of giving the viewer a sense of space or the expanse of nature, the effect is purely textural. In that sense, it reminded me of a Jackson Pollock painting. This sets the tone for the whole film - although 95% of the scenes are outdoors, the viewer is only allowed a feeling of closeness... both within the surroundings and to the characters themselves.

Screen Grab from Dersu Uzala

Jackson Pollock's Number One 1948

Kurosawa's delineation of space and expanse is one of the defining factors of Dersu Uzala. He uses many different visual techniques to draw the viewer in and emphasize this sense of closeness. One of these techniques that really stood out to me was his close and sometimes unexpected cropping.

Again and again, Kurosawa used composition to draw the viewer into the image. Here, by setting the horizon so low on the frame, the eye is guided down and into the picture plane. By putting the horizon at essentially eye-level to the theater goer, the viewer is made to feel as if she is on the snow with Dersu and the Captain. This technique really engaged me visually; I was completely pulled into the film. I find that many filmmakers today use plot twists and special effects to captivate an audience and suspend their belief, yet Kurosawa transported me with his lens alone.

Kurosawa's closely cropped composition also appeared in scenes with beautifully arranged figure groups (Something Josh's Uncle Ben has taught me to pay more attention to).

Even though there is a considerable amount of negative space around these figures, this forced sense of depth keeps the eye focused in a very specific area.

There were even a few scenes where the director had cropped a group of soldiers at the ankle - something that any young art school student is taught to be the cardinal sin of composition! But not only does Kurosawa make it work, he uses that framing to emphasize the feeling of closeness that permeates the entire film.

Kurosawa's command of all of the shapes in his frame demonstrated to me that he certainly must have studied the work of master painters. He has complete control of each frame, regardless of how much is going on. 

(sorry for the blurry image)

When I saw this scene, the intricate grouping of the figures and the forced sense of depth reminded me of...

Theodore Gericault's The Raft of the Medusa

Kurosawa's command of his medium is just obvious. This film is beautifully calculated and deliberate - it is pure vision. Just when I was starting to believe that film was only good as entertainment, I see a director that truly uses the medium as tool for creating fine art. 

Another demonstration of Kurosawa's visual prowess is his use of color throughout the film. Josh explained  to me afterwards that Kurosawa and his crew would wait months on end to get one shot with the right light to express a sense of the season. It worked.

And although I'm not sure if Kurosawa intended it, Dersu Uzala also offered something to my fashion obsessed side:

The double breasted coat with a narrow stance, those perfectly worn in boots, that amazing hat - if GQ got a hold of this image, they might have to change their panties.

The entire film presented some great style gems:

Hello to any menswear designers out there! Military might be old news, but this is great stuff!

You can't go wrong with a quilted satin shawl collar.

Undoubtedly, seeing this film was one of the most engaging art experiences of any kind that I've had in a long time.

iPlop

Let's get this straight, I am in no ways intending to venture into the realm of computer gadget journalism, but I do have feelings about the newly unveiled iPad that I think might appeal to people who don't have master's degrees in C++.

So, I've read some of the buzz. At first, as always, I was seduced by the beautiful luminescent color screen. I just can't help myself! My mind just stared swirling with scenarios of pulling out my iPad to do some very important in-the-moment blogging or something. Something that would be way too annoying to do on my puny little iPhone, but requiring a quick-draw that my Powerbook just wouldn't be able to accommodate.
You know - sitting front row at Dior for couture week in Paris, gleefully notating duchess satin whipped in to delicious swirling forms, like cotton candy or chantilly cream.

Yeah, this is a perfect moment for an iPad....

...except for the fact that there's no camera to capture the moment. Or video camera to record the way the cloth flows and folds as the model takes her pose. Apparently, there's only enough battery life to get through one 20 minute fashion show (maybe an exaggeration). Then, since there's only one imput/output port, I'd have to plug it in and wait for it to recharge before I can attach my external keyboard to finish posting.

Now, I have not abandoned all hope for the iPad. Personally, I think it's a wonderful idea, and once they give it some time on the market and really figure out how people can really used something like this, they can put together a much better product. It's got a strong skeleton, but it doesn't yet have the fluidity of their superstar gadgets like the iPod and iPhone. Right now, I see the iPad like a gorgeous sketch of an idea that has yet to be fully developed.

But, I admit, I'm a bit spoiled - I've seen some beautifully developed designs these past few days during Paris Couture week.

Givenchy showed a modern take on what I read to be a slick 1940s German caberet. Dark eyes, bright red lips, just enough embellishment to send home the showgirl reference - feathers, ruffles, gemstones. But that influence didn't dominate - Riccardo Tisci knows his audience. The collection was really about expert tailoring and beautiful draping, with sexy feminine embellishments.

 Over all, the collection seemed to tell of a high society woman, throwing her husband's Brioni tuxedo jacket over a beaded mini dress and some t-straps, and shimmying her way into a smoky jazz club in Montmartre. Wonderful!

Of course, I'm a big Dior fan, but I gave you some of my favorites from this season above.

Another collection that really spoke to me was Armani Prive. There was an obvious lunar theme that, although heavy handed at times, lent not only an ethereal quality to the fabrics, but also a type of space aged geometry to the tailoring that is refreshing for the typically more traditional house.

There were a many looks I liked! I could see these being worn equally by society ladies (black tie gowns), business women (feminine tailoring), and fashionistas (slim pants and jackets in space age fabrics). I'm adding that last suit to my fantasy wardrobe.

Important People

Every once in a while, I come across someone who I just know will make an impact on the world. It might be public or personal, but you know it's there waiting to happen.
This week, I've had the distinct pleasure to spend time with two of those people in my life - my friends Jason Roman and Chris Barnes.

I met Jason my sophomore year of college. He hit on me at the Diesel on 59th, across from Bloomingdale's. We went out a couple of times, but it never took. But I am so grateful for that - Jason has been one of my most loyal, constant, and supportive friends. And we have seen each other through a lot, even from a distance. When we first met, I was a college student fraying at the edges, and he was an attractive young man not quite sure what to do with all the talent that lay beneath his model-esque looks.

When Jason first took up acting, he immediately begun to display a focus and passion that I hadn't seen in him before. His whole being opened up - it was like he suddenly had a vocabulary with which to express himself. All of that creativity and sensitivity was suddenly illuminated. It's been one of the most joyous things for me to witness.
He and I got together on Friday evening and had a chance to catch up. It's like food for my soul to talk to him about music or movies or what our futures might bring. Spending time with him makes me feel hopeful and excited for the future - that if I stay focused, work hard, and stay true to myself I can end up where I want to be. Jason is one of those special people who you can look at and just know that he can achieve anything he wants.

Last night, I hung out with my good friend Chris Barnes. He and I met in high school - at the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities. There he was a senior classical saxophonist; I was a freshman ballet dancer. Chris is one of the most talented people I know. Now he is focused on jazz music and tabla (an Indian percussion instrument), and I have to say, when I heard his senior recital at Rutgers in December, I had the chills.
Since we both live in Jersey City met up at our local haunt, White Star. It must have been some kind of theme night, because they were playing every indie rock album from 2004-2005: Postal Service, Muse, Beck, Modest Mouse, Franz Ferdinand. It was total high school nostalgia!
Chris' character is of the highest caliber; he is kind, understanding, loyal. We talk about high school, and it's not just reminiscing - It's a whole exchange of thought...and it's a gift for me to be able to process such important moments in my life with someone who has experienced them as well.
There are few people I've met who are as dedicated to their craft as Chris. That has been such an example to me in so many parts of my life. Chris will succeed at anything he chooses to focus on, of that I'm absolutely sure.

I am so blessed to have so many people like Chris and Jason in my life. Although, I admit it's really difficult to do them any justice in words alone.

It's Raining Men

I've totally been slacking on my posts about the menswear shows in Milan, and now Paris. I don't know how Tim Blanks does it! (Let me just whine and moan a bit here......why in the world would they have the men's shows on men.style.com, but have the reviews style.com? It's completely counter intuitive. I suppose they're guessing it's actually women who read the real reviews, and men are happy enough with the sloppy rundowns they've labeled "The Vibe" on the collections face page? Somehow I know Josh Peskowitz is behind this logic.)

Nonetheless, I've discovered a few more things about the menswear collections thus far that I would like to share with you:

Not to get to self - referential here, but it seems that I was right about Milan this season - it was all about The Man (with the exception of Prada, which I will get to later).

At Dsquared:

Who knew a bloody face could be so sexy? The tough guy, hockey player's night out theme definitely presented itself as one of the more successful uptown/downtown mash-ups I've seen from Dean and Dan. The suit jackets and oxfords were worn with enough disdain to really make the believably authentic - I often find that Dsquared's attempts to accomplish an effortless cool such as this comes off with about as much authenticity as one of the kids from Bravo's NYC Prep having their driver drop them off at CBGB for the night. Of course, this is Dsquared's target audience, because we all know, no roadie for any indie rock band can afford to spend $4 g's on a pair of pre-distressed leather pants. Either way, I think they struck the right balance with this collection, and at least until I see the twins prance out together in the last frame, I am willing to suspend my belief and trust that these models actually are pro hockey players heading to a club for the evening.

Sorry guys, you lost me there.

Apparently, rough-and-tumble also struck a chord with Jean Paul Gautier in Paris. His boxing match themed collection sent out some interesting takes on gym clothes accessorized by bloody post-match style cuts and bruises.

Just when I start to think fashion has lost some of its fun, I remember that this guy can truly put on a show.

Note the padded shoulder details - again, this is menswear catching up to the shoulder trend that has dominated women's clothing in the past few seasons. I love the futuristic look of this jacket - cropped, minimal, with a sense of utility implied by the padding on the shoulders.

Chic sweatpants?!?! Frankly, I never thought it would happen. This look changes my mind - I could see myself in a pair of grey drawstring sweats, slim in the hips with a bit of flare at the bottom of the leg, tucked into my tassel boots, with a slim cut blazer on top. Hmmmm.

The double breasted blazer in sweatshirt fleece over some slim jeans could be a cool look as well. Let me try a couple of these out and get some pictures up.

Justin Bobby, anyone?

JPG himself got into theme with some battle scars.

And Now......to PARIS!

Well, remember all that jibba-jabba about Fall 2010 being about a reaffirmed masculinity?

..... those are some tasty words.

If Milan is a motorcycle riding, playboy bachelor, then Paris is a well-heeled creative/intellectual with a serious girlfriend.

Let me begin to illustrate my point with Louis Vuitton.

Of course we expect luxe fabrics and expert tailoring from this house, but there was a certain woman's touch this season that gave me fresh eyes for the collection.

I'm not sure what the inset is on the waist, but this nipped in silhouette could look even more beautiful and sensual on a woman.

I LOVE the shoulder detail here. Once again, I believe we're seeing a women's wear influence in the use of this detail. It's interesting, I started playing with this type of transition across the chest and shoulders in my own sketchbooks several months ago. I was thinking of a woman rising out of a pool of water - that sensual moment when her head and shoulders emerge, but the rest of her body is still hidden. It's lovely to see it executed with such elegance in men's clothing (also the construction of the shoulder on the 2 coats with leather is so masterfully done - you hardly see the seam at the cap of the shoulder, which really lends itself to this illusion of rising out of water.)

The knit shawl collar on this jacket is a welcome surprise. I love the idea of wearing a tailored piece with as much ease as a cardigan. Does it come in my size???

I could see any of these pieces on a woman - effortlessly worn with style and elegance. It's refreshing to see such sharply tailored clothing styled with ease - movement in the shirting, the pants tucked into the socks (This tailored trouser with ribbed cuff is something we've seen on the Lanvin runway fall 2008 - I feel this season the timing is better, no doubt because Lanvin eased us into the idea of it). It's both pulled together and personal. It tells of a man who is completely comfortable in himself, confident in his clothing - not trying to fit into a mould of prescribed costume.

Even these shoes are on trend for what's going on in women's footwear. It has that clog-style wooden base with nail head construction and the still-going-strong hiker boot look - slap a stacked heel on it and you'd have them flying out of the Saks shoe floor.

All in all, I think this Louis Vuitton collection is one of my favorites of the season.

Another collection that his on this feminine/masculine theme is Yves Saint Laurent.

The tasseled sash on the jacket and coat is chic, fresh, and wearable enough to actually see hanging on racks come September. It's also very feminine - tailored and sexy, not unlike the styles presented on the Balenciaga runway for Fall 2009. The pleated tail shirt would look great on a woman - as a tunic, with semi-sheer tights and pumps, or ankle boots.

There were a couple of mis-steps:

I don't now any man, who wears men's clothing at least, who would be a fan of tweed opera length gloves. On the other hand (no pun intended), sign me up! Also, as strange as it looks here, a catsuit in menswear fabrics- low cut, nipped at the waist, cropped leg - could be a great alternative to the traditional pants suit for a woman. Just a thought.

I'm a big Rick Owens fan. His clothing is so innovative and modern - you could throw on one of his jackets over your regular old jeans and t get up, and you're the epitome of futuristic cool.

His most recent collection is no exception.

I believe he has redefined the modern silhouette. Tight shoulder, long, flowing hem and, slim leg and sleeve. It's all about creating this sense of length - the high collars elongate the neck, longer jackets stretch the torso, boots lengthen the ankles and legs. This is the best argument made for a longer suit jacket - this one is tunic like in length, and layered over that long sweater, it transforms the proportions of the wearer. Imagine that with a dark jean and high heel ankle boots and a large hobo bag on a woman.....*sigh.*

That asymetric jacket in the center is heavenly- from the way it folds, I'm guessing it's shearling. It looks absolutely buttery. This could also look great with a dark harem pant tucked into boots - you'd get a very interesting silhouette, slim and tailored at the shoulders, long torso, a bit of volume around the ankles.

Finally,

Prada seemed to be the only Italian show to break the uber-masculine mould.

Sharply tailored pieces, with more than a dash of 60's London flare. The jacket and coat look as if they could have been cut from a cotton moleskin, which gives is a very polished shape. There's a charm in the flared trouser, paired with the chunky ribbed sweaters, that look as if they could have been borrowed from the girlfriend. That hot pink one might be a hard sell at that length, but if it hit at the hip and was worn under that nicely cut black jacket, I could see it being worn by an arty 9-5er, maybe an architect or graphic designer.