How the West was Won

To my loyal readers, I apologize for my brief hiatus.  I have been busy prepping for my move to the City of Angels, but never fear, I have been flipping through the runway shows from NYC, London, and now Milan, from my Blackberry, so I am eager to bring you my favorite looks for Spring 2010.

As I had mentioned in an earlier post, I am drawn to the edgy looks of D&G, and this Spring is no exception.  Perhaps it stems from my childhood fantasy of moving to the Wild Wild West, or that I secretly adore Carrie Underwood songs, this Spring collection from Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana is home-on-the range meets LA chic, and does it ever pack some horsepower.

Nothing is more American west than denim, and there is denim all over this collection.  We have been seeing a big trend of boyfriend jeans this Fall, and D&G has come out with a great interpretation for Spring 2010, along with some fantastic denim mini's and tops.  But what has me enchanted about this collection are the fringe boots.  I love a boot, especially when it can be worn in Spring & Summer, and with the yummy browns, and delicious fringe, these boots are the perfect pair to wear with your denim cutoffs next year.

Rope in the style at www.dolcegabbana.com

Wu the crowd!

And wooing the crowd is exactly what 26 year old, Jason Wu, is doing at New York Fashion week with his Spring 2010 collection.  From the new Spring collections that I have view thus far in NYC Fashion Week, Wu is definitely one of my early favorites.  Even our first lady, Michelle Obama, is a Wu fan - she wore a beautiful white one-shouldered gown to the Inagural Ball.

Wu has a very flirty but lady-like sophistication to his designs, definitely a throw back to the day dresses and party dresses of the post-World War II era.  My favorite look from this collection is the nude-pink feathered party dress that closed his show.  Delicious.

 

  

  

Be wooed over at http://www.jasonwustudio.com/

"Black Friday is so retro wack...We can call today Fashion Christmas!"

The Fashion Christmas phrase is what Sean Combs tweeted on Twitter tonight at New York's Fashion Night Out.  This marks the beginning of New York Fashion week (and also many new blogs this month about my favorite new looks for Spring 2010).  Even though it may have been a rainy evening in The Big Apple, it sounds like one helluva party was going on at all the best fashion houses and boutiques.  There were special appearances from the Olsen Twins, Samantha Ronson, Hugh Jackman, and of course, THE Anna Wintour.  Style.com, one of the very best websites to view the collections, has been posting the Twitter feeds from their fashion friends running around the city, going from store to store, party to party...some of my favorites from tonight include:

glad it's raining felt like an ass in rainboots.

about 3 hours ago by Fashionista

 

Dudes are shotgunning beers at Prada. For reals.

about 2 hours ago by Fashionista

Blake Lively at the Ralph Lauren store on Bleecker. "It feels like Halloween, with all the people and live music and excitement," she said.

about 3 hours ago by Womens Wear Daily, WWD 

Fundamental issue with Olsen [twins] melee: The girls are simply too short to be visible when surrounded by a crowd. Midget fail. 

about 3 hours ago by The Cut Blog, New York Magazine

Vena cava/bird FNO event.sadly missed celeb dunking.Face paint in full effect though: Lisa's got sparkly whiskers, Sophie psychedelic swirls

about 3 hours ago by Refinery 29 

Zero cabs on Fifth Ave. Pedi cabs are looking mighty tempting -- except they're all taken too. Anna, what have you done to us? 

about 3 hours ago by The Cut Blog, New York Magazine

Reading the feeds makes me feel like I am there, apart of the party, and I am definitely there in spirit!

Read all the Twitter posts at http://fashionfeed.style.com/ 

I can't HARDY wait!

No, I am not referring to that sparkly t-shirt brand.  I am referring to the artistic stylings of Pierre Hardy. He is definitely a Parisian man that you need to put on your designer radar.  Hardy, who once was a dance student, started his fashion career designing shoes for Christian Dior.  He has done shoe collections and fine jewelry for the famed Hermes house, and in 1999, he unveiled his first collection under his own name.  His collections are a fabulous mix of funky and high-fashion.  For his Fall 2009 collection, I have simply fallen in love with his paillettes sandal (seen above).  They are simply stunning, and all you need is a little black dress!  Gentleman, you haven't been left out.  Pierre Hardy has a cult following for his sneaker collection - check out the brilliant checkered high-tops he has for Fall.

And, ladies, if you aren't quite ready for the high prices for his shoes, Mr. Hardy is once again creating a small collection for The Gap this fall.  Check out the three exclusive styles below.  The suede ankle boots are going to blow out of the stores.

 

 But my favorite collaboration, the reason why Pierre Hardy became one of my personal favorite shoe designers, are his visionary shoe collections that he creates for Balenciaga.  Hardy has been working with Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquière since 2001, and it has truly been a genius marriage of talent.  Ghesquiere's futursitic, chic collections, and Hardy's keen, cutting-edge, and sometimes quirky, designs, make for a perfect blend of footwear that the fashion press, and customers, go wild for.  Take a look at his Fall 2009 designs for Balenciaga below.  They are sheer insanity, and I love it!

Go wild at www.pierrehardy.com and www.balenciaga.com .

La Dolce Vita!

 

Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana are back at it again for Fall 2009.  And in this fantastic men's ad for D&G, which could easily be a cover shot for a Coldplay album, it's apparent why this design duo gets so much love.  Now to clear up some confusion, Dolce & Gabbana and D&G are two separate lines created by the pair.  Dolce & Gabbana is Prince William, playing polo and then having tea with Miss Middleton.  D&G is Prince Harry, playing polo and then getting blitzed with a couple of the Balmain girls (see previous Balmain post).  Both brands, especially the menswear divisions, are dripping with luxury, but it's the irreverent take on classic sheen that I love about the D&G line.

The old-world style military jackets, mixed with gorgeous ox blood leather weekend bags is what I shall covet this Fall!

 

 

 

See both collections at http://www.dolcegabbana.com/

The [bal]Main Attraction

Balmain! Balmain! Balmain!  What Christophe Decarnin has done with his Balmain collection for Fall 2009 simply makes you want to party, and he has made me obsessed with this fashion house.  His take of the 1980s silhouette, mixed with 70's disco chic, is not only wildly fun, it is also quite wearable.  This is what girls want to be seen in at the hottest clubs in the world's chicest cities.  Micro-micro mini skirts, high-shouldered boyfriend blazers, harem pants, and that traffic-stopping electric blue he used throughout the collection, Decarnin made pieces that you want right now and you want to wear tonight.  And we musn't forget those boots...oh those boots with the straps, they were made for walking.  The Balmain girl is getting down and dirty to Benny Benasi and David Guetta tracks, and she is not coming home 'til 10 in the morning.  Even in Madonna's new video for her single, Celebration, (posted below), she is wearing one of the micro-mini dresses from the runway collection.  We may be living in a recession but the clothes from Balmain make you want to forget all that.  They make you want to Celebrate!

 

 

Come join the party at http://www.balmain.com/