The Love Thing

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a media whore.  I love commercials and the great music in which they are infused.  Hell, even Gaga's Telephone video made me want to buy a Polaroid and buy Miracle Whip.  This video came from one of Jason's contacts, and when he showed me, I was hooked.  It's an ad for Conde Nast's new UK rag mag, "Love", that features two of my fave models of the moment, Agyness Deyn and Alessandra Ambrosio.  They are styled in head-to-toe Prada (thank you Miuccia!)  Be warned, this video is NSFW, due to Britain's fabulous attitude towards nudity.

Guys, throw on your Louboutin's.

Yes, gentlemen, you, too, can now buy the shoes from the famed red-soled designer that your girlfriend loves.  And if you have been clueless to how much your chica has been spending on her shoes, the men's spring/summer 2010 collection from Christian Louboutin certainly will let you know.  These studded sneakers run for $1200 a pair and have been a favorite of Pharrell and Swiss Beatz.  There are some other offerings from the collection, including a men's gladiator sandal and shiny gold oxfords that I actually enjoy.  I am still on the fence about this small collection from Louboutin, but I have a feeling that they will sell, and future seasons will offer more fantastic kicks that I will eat nothing but ramen for.

The Met Gala

I don't normally coo over red-carpet events, such as the Academy Awards or The Grammy's, simply because evening gowns aren't normally ground-breaking.  But the New York Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute Gala is one of the few instances that I am thrilled to see the gowns, probably because the stars are more willing to take some risks, and also, the designers themselves walk the red-carpet.  There is also this glamorous yet cheeky attitude on the red carpet for the Met.  It's just a bit more fun.  Just look at model Coco Rochas (above) smoldering in Zac Posen, and damn, can she ever work the camera with those eyes.  Here are some of my  other favorites from last night's soiree.

Probably my favorite color combinations, January Jone's looks fierce in her fuchsia & black number from YSL.  She is seen here with YSL's designer, Stefano Pilati.

Harry Potter is definitely growing up!  That slit in Emma Watson's Burberry dress is dangerously high and dangerously fabulous.  She is pictured here with Burberry's genius Christopher Bailey.

Francisco Costa is proving the Calvin Klein is more than just hot underwear ads.  Costa poses here with Zoe Saldana and Diane Kruger, both in his designs for Calvin Klein.

Sex & The City 2 is just days away!  And SJP is not going to let us forget it in this lovely Halston Heritage gown.

Gossip Girl here, and Blake Lively is stepping out of the Upper East Side with legs for days in Marchesa.

An incredible off-the-cuff red-carpet look by the gorgeous Chanel Iman in Michael Kors.

How I do adore Chloe Sevigny in this Proenza Schouler with designers, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez.

This Marc Jacob's look made me forget that Nicole Richie was on that wretched "The Simple Life."

Elizabeth Banks electrifies in Gucci.

And Renee Zellweger was my choice pick for the red-carpet, seen here in an exquisite Carolina Herrera.

On the Fringe

We've seen leather letting its hair down for the last several seasons, all in varying degrees, and for some reason I haven't grown tired of it.  This Spring is no exception, with Mulberry (above), giving the ladies a sexy moccasin to wear with frilly mini dresses and daisy dukes.  It brings to mind sexy girls from the 70's in their aviators, hanging out at slightly low-brow burger joints in the deserts of California (think Gaga's Telephone video and D&G's Spring Show.)  The look can seem trashy, yes, although i prefer to call it "dirty opulence" and I  enjoy a little dirty opulence after such a doozy of a winter.

Mulberry

Jimmy Choo

D&G

Go beyond the fringe at www.mulberry.com

www.jimmychoo.com

www.dolcegabbana.com

These Rags aren't Raggedy

The other day, I met a pleasant young lady who works back and forth between here in LA and New York City.  We were discussing fashion when I noticed her fantastic luggage-colored Rag & Bone bone lace-up ankle booties, and I immediately realized that I needed to check out their women's ready-to-wear.  

Rag & Bone was started in 2002 by Brits turned New Yorkers, Marcus Wainwright and David Neville, we simply trying to construct the perfect pair of men's jeans.  Denim turned into a full-scale collection, with the touch of impeccable British tailoring.  The duo then added a women's collection in 2005, and for Fall 2010, they had their first full women's runway show, and was it a knock-out.  Style.com has already placed the collection in it's Top Ten for Fall 2010.  

What I love about this women's pret-a-porter is all the fabulous menswear pieces layered over women's basics, such as a waistcoat over a knit dress, a cropped sweater over a blazer, and a plaid button-down under a chunky knit poncho.  Menswear is certainly nothing new in women's fashion, especially as of late, but Rag & Bone's interpretation feels right on point, and looks like a lot of fun to wear.

Find more rags at www.rag-bone.com

Long Live McQueen

Gucci Group released this amazing tribute on the Alexander McQueen website, which demonstrates the artistry and creativity of Mr. McQueen.  The video is awe-inspiring and leaves me breathless each time I watch it, so I wanted to share it with you, my fashion friends in cyberland.

His final collection for Fall 2010 will be shown in Paris on March 9, and the fashion world is eagerly (but sadly) waiting to see what he designed for his women for fall.  As far as a successor, no one has been named yet, although, I am going to throw out Olivier Theyskens name, formerly of Nina Ricci, who in my opinion, would be a good contender to fill the the role.  I can't say that anyone will be a perfect candidate to succeed McQueen.  Alexander had a design sense that was so uniquely his own, that it will be incredibly difficult for anyone to be able to replicate that, but I feel that Theyskens will can make a darn good attempt, after his forward thinking designs for Nina Ricci.  The fashion world is waiting to see what will happen next.

Mr. McQueen, you will be greatly missed.

Today, we lost an incredible designer with an imagination that knew no bounds.  Alexander McQueen, the graduate from Saint Martins with the controversial edge captured the fashion world from the very beginning, and he took us for one helluva ride.  His masterful tailoring of menswear, his futuristic visions and extreme recollections of the past, his ability to make skulls, studs, and chains feel absolutely luxurious is what we will deeply miss.  His influence on other designers, the fashion press, the movie stars, and musicians, is what we will long for.

While reading of McQueen's passing, I found this stunning clip that Style.com posted from McQueen's Fall 2006 show, in which Alexander turned Kate Moss into a life-size hologram.  The ethereal imagery is melancholic yet breathtaking, such as McQueen's work, and some would argue is how is life was as well.

Amidst the sadness, we can celebrate the whimsical creations that Alexander bestowed to us.  Thank you, Mr. McQueen, L'enfant Terrible, for your beautiful gifts; you will be greatly missed.

Junya's Got Swagger

I first fell in love with Junya Watanabe when I saw his collaboration with Comme de Garcons at Fred Segal, when i first moved to LA in October.  I pined over the beautiful military and hunting jackets- imagine nylon camoflauge tailored impeccably as a blazer  For his Fall 2010 collection for his own line, I did a double-take again.  Not that it was necessarily out of this world, but this student of Comme de Garcons's, Rei Kawakubu, struck on note on his tailoring of some subtle yet seriously fabulous suiting.  Junya also puts in his Japanese hipster influences in his collections, which gives some of the suiting a bit of a New Yorker living in Tokyo feel.  As someone that has to wear suiting almost everyday, this is definitely a collection I see my self stepping out in.

Bailey Serves Up A Hot Fall 2010

One look at Christopher Bailey's Burberry Prorsum collection, and I was screaming "Yes...yes...YES!"  As I have said before, outerwear makes me salivate, and Mr. Bailey is a top chef cooking up some delicious trench coats to fill that appetite.  There is something so inherently sexy in a well dressed man in an incredible trench coat, especially when it's belted and navy blue.  But it's not just trenches, Bailey sent crisp blazers, leather bombers, luxe parkas, and Russian military boots that are highly desirable.  Fall 2010 is certainly shaping up to be a striking season in menswear.

Find more delicious outerwear at www.burberry.com

Prada's Classic Edge

I have always admired Miuccia Prada and what this former pantomime has done with her grandfather's leather goods brand, especially her fabulous shoes for her women's pret-a-porter.  Her menswear line, though, in season's past, has been very utilitarian and minimal, and sometimes androgynous - not what I personally desire in a menswear.  For Fall 2010, however, Miuccia has gone back to the basics with a bit of the Prada edge.  The camouflage trench coat is one of my favorite pieces in this collection.  There is a slight 1970s feel (a decade of fashion I love), with clean, tailored items that can be mixed and matched and stay relevent in your closet for many seasons to come.

See the video of the runway show at www.prada.com