DO. WANT.

I've been scanning the highlights from the Fall 2011 fashion weeks in NYC, London, Milan, and (this week) Paris. I have only seen a few items that really gave me kerwallops of the heart, and this little number from the Prada Fall 2011 Collection just sends me over the moon.

Okay, first, the obvious references to Piet Mondrian... done in desaturated colors rather than the in-your-face primaries Mondrian was so famous for using... but then that saucy red belt just sticks its tongue out in a nyah-nyah gesture! Delightful.

But then the shape of this dress makes me think of the late 1960s and very early 1970s... think "Jan Brady"...the big wide schoolgirl pleats, the big round buttons on a wide placket, the dropped waist. It's a shape I haven't seen at all since that time and I guess I didn't realize how much I missed it!

I would wear this with a dark heathery turtleneck, dark opaque stockings, and knee-high leather boots with a low chunky heel and a rounded stubby toe. I'd even be tempted to wear stub-toed Mary-Janes, but that would depend on how I felt about my legs that day.

Dresses I like

This one's by Juicy Couture. I'm not into the *color* so much as I like the *shape*. I think that, in general, I tend toward Boho in my personal style. I would wear this with a dark turtleneck and nubbly leggings and knee-high low-heeled boots.



Found this one on Etsy. Just wow. The color is fantastic and, again, the shape is one I'm fond of. I still wouldn't wear it without some sort of undershirt, however. Old-lady arms, is all I'm sayin'.



I'm in love with the loose-hanging tunic shape (or shapeLESS), apparently. I'm not in love with gray. I would prefer this in some sort of bohemian or hippie print, not overly loud or large.

Oscar winners

No, not the actual winners of the statuettes... I'm talking about the dresses I liked best.

Yeah, I'm doing a lot of fashion-blogging lately. Deal widdit. I'll be done soon and go back to catblogging and kidblogging and schoolblogging and foodblogging.

Anyhoo, where was I?

Oh, yeah. The Oscars dresses that I liked best.

First up: Mariska Hargitay. The "in" color of the year was nude, beige, pale flesh-tone... and she fearlessly rocked the red carpet in this sumptuous navy number from Vera Wang:

Definitely befitting the daughter of the shapely buxom Jayne Mansfield... what a rich color, and so different than most of the others. I like. I wish MH would've put on a bolder lipstick, but that's minor quibbling. At least she didn't look orangey-spray-tanned like Sarah Jessica Parker. [shudder]

Rachel McAdams' watercolory fantasy-dress by Elie Saab was a floaty dream. I love the criss-cross bodice:


Amanda Seyfried's pale-pale-pale-green textural paradise from Giorgio Armani Prive was spectacular:


Anna Kendrick wore the pale-pink-nude popular color to great success, although I am not thrilled with the chunky platforms she chose to go along with the tremendously beautiful dress by Elie Saab:

I think that the lovely split up the front (with the delicious lacy doily edging -- nice!) would've been accented better by some sparkly gold or blingy stilettos. The platform heels just look awkward, in my opinion.


She's not my favorite actress ever, but Cameron Diaz was particularly stunning in this Oscar de la Renta strapless sparklefest:


Sandra Bullock was nothing short of stunning in this lacy column number by Marchesa (although I am NOT a fan of the asymmetrical sleeve thing, I think she pulled it off well by pairing it with asymmetrical hair):


But my favorite just might be what Demi Moore wore, by Atelier Versace:

She looks like a Grecian sculpture in a French Rococo painting. Absolutely lovely, and it's the embodiment of the nude/peach/fleshtone color of the season as well. It just isn't fair that she can rock such an amazing figure in her forties. The dress doesn't look too "young" on her, but isn't the matronly thing that other older actresses sport, either. The bodice is fresh and interesting without being a distraction. The ruffly off-center rose accentuates her amazing waist and hip-line (something I have never and will never have -- I've always been rather triangular, larger on top than on bottom, and no waist or butt). The diagonal way the fabric drapes is just perfect.

Yes, I know -- Hollywood is full of narcissistic scum. But I believe in finding the beautiful, and when I see beautiful couture, I'm going to give it a shout-out, regardless of who's sporting it.

Viva Galliano!

I love-love-love John Galliano's Fall 2010 collection. The shapes, the colors (or lack thereof), the textures -- pure artistry and awesomeness. AND APPROACHABLENESS. Is that a word? I don't know. If not, I just made it up because it fits here. I may not be able to buy any of Galliano's pieces, but I can easily approximate this look.

I am especially fond of the little orange number. I don't wear orange, nor do I really even allow orange in my home (see "OU Sooners Fan" and "red-head"), so I'd probably want to veer toward the greenish or goldish instead of the orange, but the collar? LOVE IT. The length? The fabric texture and the nifty henna-tattooish trim? Awesome. I love that it's paired with gray leggings.

Some of the pieces are definitely more sumptious than I'd probably wear -- think "My Fair Lady" vibe, almost, especially in that first top-row left-side number -- but gorgeousness and richness abound.

Galliano is often known for being a bit, er, outrageous in his collections, but I didn't get that at all in this. Sure, the hats were goofy, but they weren't really part of the collection, so I hardly noticed them at all. Bravo, Galliano. Me likee.

SRSLY?

Yeah, I get it. These runway shows aren't REALLY about showing us what we're going to be wearing in the next season. They're about putting forth an attitude, a "feel", a way of thinking that translates into the look. Certain of a designer's pieces may exaggerate this in order to get the point across.

Also, the photos really don't do the show justice. You get none of the music, none of the ambience, none of the audience reaction. Some day I'd like to go to a Balenciaga runway show, but I have the feeling I would never EVER qualify to score a seat.

I will tell you that, looking at the photos of the Viktor & Rolf Fall 2010 collection, I get the "badass" black leather attitude. I love me some biker bully chic, honestly. But there were a couple of their pieces that I really, REALLY don't get.

I put them together in a composite:


Several designers have done the leotard with boots look... you know, where it looks like she's wearing no pants? I do not like that look, regardless. I don't think it translates to "badass." I think it looks as if she couldn't decide whether she wanted to go to the pool or the office and now suffers a bad commingling of the two.

The big furry behemoth look? Or the fullback rain poncho look? Nope. Doesn't say "badass." Looks like a cartoon. Maybe that's what V&R wanted, I don't know. Again, I know that they're not meant to actually be worn off the rack; they're exaggerations which should translate into themes across the fashion universe next season.

The weird Cardassian clothing, though? I will say that if I ever met someone wearing the coat in the middle on the bottom row, I'd probably run screaming. The similarly-themed dress, on the right on the top row, gives off more of a steampunk sex-kitten vibe. For me, they distracted from the theme rather than added to it.

The one on the bottom right is the only one I'd consider wearing of any of the ones I pictured. I do dig the all-black or mostly-black look, and I like the narrow-legged image with boots (ankle-height or knee-height, both make me happy), and I like the leathery, zippery look. Except for the weird distracting ones, I like V&R's Fall 2010 collection.

Oh, wow

I was browsing the NYT's photos from New York Fashion Week and the Fall 2010 Balmain show caught my eye. Actually, most of the collection didn't excite me THAT much, but this outfit? I want to wear it TOMORROW:



Just gorgeous.

Balenciaga's collection was quite interesting... very futuristic and funky-retro at the same time... but nothing I felt like blogging. But when I saw the Balmain ensemble above, I nearly fell out of my chair. That doesn't often happen.

I WANT THIS. Obviously I won't GET this exact outfit, but by next fall I'm going to own something that approximates this look.

A little local color

A few snow creations I saw in Denton yesterday when I went to my cardiologist appointment:

Snowboarder?

Ummm... wedding cake? It was quite nicely done, but I wasn't sure what it was supposed to be. Robot snowman, maybe? I dunno.


The Flying Tomato!!


When I stopped for milk at Braum's, the employees had put together this smiling creation atop one of the shrubs.

I love Braum's. I really, really do.

I hate snow, of course, but I still have a sense of humor and I still appreciate a good photo-op. Plus, I had my green & brown plaid Wellies on, so my feet didn't get cold OR wet. That, coupled with the moderate temperatures, made it bearable. If it had been minus ten out, you can bet I wouldn't be shutterbugging outdoors.

I bought those Wellies on 6th Avenue in NYC, about two blocks south of Central Park, because my feet were wet in the rain when I was walking to the MMA. I love those boots sooooo much... not only are they kickin' awesomely cute, but they evoke very happy memories, too.

Whass happenin, hot stuff?

My sister's little punk kid, Ava, was sporting her brand-new pink boots on Christmas Day. Every little girl who grows up in Fort Worth, Texas oughta have a pair of cowboy boots. And she instinctively knew how cool they were, because as soon as she opened the box, she began trying to put them on. Girlfriend's got style and fashion sense, that's what, even at one-and-a-half years old.

Really?

InStyle chose this as their "Look of the Day."

I'll say.

What the HECK was Sandra Bullock THINKING when she went out in public looking like this? The outfit may be Lanvin, but it's one of the lamest looks I've seen in a while. And the ankle boots! WRONG.

Yeccch. Sandra Bullock is super-cute; she doesn't have to resort to this kind of what-the-heck-is-that outfit to get attention. I'm not against bucking the traditional and the expected, but at least make it look fun or funky or cute. I wish I could think of something snarky and funny to compare this to, but words fail me in this instance.

The shape is like she's wearing a shower wrap from the health club. The weird Valentine thingy on the torso defies description. The ankle boots just scream CHUNKY ANKLES.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no. NO.

UPDATE: Jessica over at Go Fug Yourself agrees with me.

Ummm, okay

Behold, the Sock Monkey Dress.


For just $1500, she'll spend eight weeks custom-knitting one of these amazing creations just for you. I wonder what my knitter pal RedFish has to say about this.

The model in the photo could stand to brush her hair, I think, too.

Here's another version by the same knitter, modeling her own creation this time:

The saddle oxfords really set it off, I think. And the butt-mouth. And the monkey-face boobs. The sock-monkey backpack gives it a very weird geisha vibe.

Prom Night

Last night was the Ballyhoo Prom... I donned my Little Black Dress™ and toted the Nikon D80 up to the venue to consort with the Beautiful People. There were some VERY lovely dresses this year; I am still sorting through all three hundred plus photos and I will come to a conclusion as to whose dress was the winner this year. Then I will ask her permission to post it here.

Until yesterday, I actually didn't have a Little Black Dress™, but I went shopping with my mom and my girls to see if I could find an appropriate one that would work well in a variety of situations. I was tickled to find this one, which on first glance didn't seem like The One, but when I tried it on, it just worked. It actually hasn't got sleeves, but my upper arms are in a terrible state thanks to the weight loss, and I just don't have the heart to make people look at them, so I bought a little knit bolero to top it off. Mom gave me a pair of simple black pumps from her closet to finish the look, and I was all set.

I didn't stay for the duration of the event this year; last year I did, and I was pretty wiped out afterward. But this year I had already taken so many photos by ten-thirty, I decided that was enough and I could head home.

I sure hope all the kids have a safe night and don't end up in a wreck somewhere.

The art of laughing at a bloviating blowhard without him even knowing you're doing it

While riding the Metro in DC this past weekend, we were sitting in a seat and a couple of professional-types got on. The man stood right next to me and proceeded to yammer and name-drop politicians and policy-wonks as if he worked right alongside all them. I think he was showing off for his female counterpart.

I thought it was annoying to have to listen to him; most people on the Metro keep their own counsel and don't say much of anything.

And then Cindy noticed something that broke us both up. So I put the camera down and pretended to take silly pictures of myself, all the while surreptitiously changing the angle to include the item which brought us much sniggering and snorting:





Yep, that's a dry cleaning tag.

This photo was taken at the END of the work day on Friday. So this idiot walked around ALL DAY LONG and didn't have a single person at his workplace who liked him enough to inform him that he was WEARING HIS FARGIN' DRY-CLEANER TAG under the belly overhang.

Pathetic.

This season's Crazy Hat Runway Show Award goes to Michael Kors

Newsday calls the Kors show classy with "chutzpah"... [holding my sides]

NY Fashion Week

It's time for the Fall 2009 collections to get trotted out onto the runways in NYC. This year's horror of horrors?

SHOULDER PADS.

The loathsome 80s stand-bys were to be found all through the Herve Leger collection, above, and the Jonathan Saunders collection:

The Diane von Furstenberg collection looked like a lot of very tall, leggy bag ladies wearing their wadded-up laundry on their heads:



Donna Karan was a bit classier, with some lovely Audrey Hepburn-esque selections like this one:


I absolutely love the fur cowl thing that she put on a lot of her outfits, and many of them even used the elegant black arm-length gloves and black leggings with black boots that just make anyone look very classy. But even DKNY wasn't immune to the horror of the SHOULDER PADS:

Subtle shoulder pads, to be sure, but they're there. Oh, yes, they're there. And is that a JUMPER? Is the "Homeschool Mom" uniform coming into vogue? I love the close-fitting long-sleeved shirt look underneath many of the DKNY collection pieces. Probably because that's how I have to roll these days since I don't have bare arms that can be seen in public.

Nonetheless, I thought I'd sound the warning: Run screaming from the room, y'all. The shoulder pad is coming back.

A real-life Cinderella?

From sifting through bins to the catwalk: The poverty-stricken teenager poised to become a top fashion model

Stunning Daniela Cott, 16, is tipped for super stardom after being signed up by the world's biggest modelling agency Elite.

Daniela, who stands 5ft 10ins tall and has emerald green eyes, was spotted two years ago as she sifted through rubbish on the streets of Buenos Aires.

She and her family were among 10,000 'cartoneros' who survive in the city by selling scraps of cardboard and used cans and bottles to recycling plants.

But the youngster's life was transformed overnight in 2005 when necklace designer Marina Gonzalez spotted her going through a bin in the fashionable Palermo district of the city.

Ms Gonzalez noticed her natural beauty through her rags and tangled hair and told her: 'You should be a model'.

She even had to undergo treatment on her hands because they were covered with calluses, cuts and scars. When she got her very first paycheck, she took her family to an all-you-can-eat buffet to celebrate.

I wish her all the success she can manage. You go, girl!

Kreepy Karl calls PETArds "childish"

Okay, Karl Lagerfeld creeps me out in much the same way that Donatella Versace does. But anytime someone tells the PETA weirdos the truth, it's always fun, particularly when it's from someone like Lago.

Karl Lagerfeld defends fur industry saying 'beasts' would kill us if they could

The Chanel supremo said it was "childish" to even discuss the issue of wearing fur in a world where eating meat was normal.

German-born Lagerfeld, 75, a contemporary of the late Yves Saint Laurent, said that he did not himself wear fur. But he defended the practice, saying there was "an industry who lives from that".

Hunters in the north "make a living having learnt nothing else than hunting", he said, "killing those beasts who would kill us if they could."

Animals should be killed "nicely" if at all possible, said Lagerfeld, who admitted to being queasy about eating meat.

"I can hardly eat meat because it has to look like something what it was not when it was alive," he said.

He concluded: "In a meat-eating world, wearing leather for shoes and clothes and even handbags, the discussion of fur is childish."

He misses the mark, however, in his comments about the furor over too-thin runway models.

Doctors have criticised the use of size zero models, saying it has contributed to a rise in eating disorders among girls who feel pressured to conform to this idea of beauty.

But he said: "In France there are, I think, less than one per cent of people who are too skinny.

"There are nearly 30 per cent of young people who are too fat. So let's take care of the zillions of the too fat before we talk about the percentage that's left."

The point, Lago, isn't that we're worried about the tiny percentage of the population who are models and who are ultra-thin. It's that these ultra-thin models are the ONLY body image that's considered to be legitimate, encouraging young girls everywhere to starve themselves to achieve the look. There's a reason that foot-binding is only very rarely practiced anymore...

I really really really wish people could just embrace the size they are RIGHT NOW, work to be healthy if they need to, but quit obsessing over their size and shape. You will be beautiful to people if you believe you are beautiful, because you will project beauty.

My classroom door decoration says, "Make Your World Beautiful." A big part of that is to learn to discern the beauty that's all around you, and the beauty that's IN YOU, too.

Caturday Catwalk

I'm not sure what Ralph Lauren was going for in his Spring 2009 collection on display at New York Fashion Week, but my first impression is that he was trying to distract us from the eternal sameness and boredom of his horsey-set couture by adding funky turbans. This first one looks like a chick from Hyannisport got caught in a sandstorm in Afghanistan:


And this one apparently forgot that a turban won't win you any Muslim pals if your neckline leaves nothing to the imagination:


Fashion is so weird.

I actually don't mind the fabric head-wrap in certain circumstances. I wear one myself sometimes. It just seems, well, out-of-place in the preppy couture of Ralph Lauren's collection.

OK, just one more

I just saw this picture of Sarah Chalke (Scrubs doc) over on InStyle's web site and felt my heart leap with joy. Is it simply because I'm wacky for colorful things, because I'm thinking it's entirely possible this is the fugliest dress EVAR and I'm blinded to the fact because of the PRETTY COLORS -- OOOHHH LOOKY!!!

I. HEART. THIS. DRESS. I heart it hard. I think Sarah looks positively radiant wearing it, too.

Is this more evidence that Love Is Blind, or do you agree with me?

More inexplicable fashion

I guess it makes for an easy way to get your contact lenses out... [shudder]

h/t BlogDog

Inexplicable fashion trends

Apparently the housedress is back in fashion.
I hope it goes out. Soon. (photos from InStyle)