Dreaming of Death Valley

Designers have become experts when it comes to bottling vague and random influences into stellar collections that may or may not actually look anything in reality like what they do in their minds. Anything from an Antonioni film to the lengthy neck of a tribally dressed African woman can be transformed into simple tees and short shorts. travel is a big one and as of late, my interest has been especially piqued by the constant recurrence of Southwestern locales, one such being Death Valley, California. Maybe it's just that I've become personally obsessed with the area as of late, but the place seems to fascinating that I vow to hit it next time I fly Westward. Sandy dunes as far as the eye can see and a topography that can only be compared to that of the Middle East - all located in Cali!


Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai often pull from the Southwest, and I spose its because they hail from Pasadena and Los Angeles. Resort 2010 was no different, as they referenced Antonioni's (I wasn't kidding.. ) 1970 Death Valley-centred film, Zabriskie Point. To my eye, I can't make the connection beyond the fact that the collection is full of easy, safari/vacation inspired pieces that feature slightly Tex Mex looking patterns... but I don't think I really care. I want to buy it all. Would you?


Fellow Pasadena natives Laura and Kate Mulleavy are similarly Southerwesternly inclined, most specifically with their Spring and Fall 2010 collections. For Spring, the sisters took a characteristically dark take on Death Valley, recalling its 'singed earth' by burning, ripping, sandpapering and painting cheesecloth, wool and leather. The models basically looked as dead as the earth, and certainly too dead for the rest of the state but not my closet, right?

Oh Haiiiiiiiii Opening Ceremony Fall 2010

Opening Ceremony's Fall 2010 book is out and all I've got to say is: why you got to do this to me? Tati Cotliar - my fave model of the mo - is jumping around in the most exceedingly covetable pieces I have ever seen (since this morning at least) like she don't give a flying hoot that the rest of us mere humans can't even see them in the flesh (or, cotton) for a few months! Waving those silver platform booties in my face and then telling me I can't have them until at leaaaaast July (at which point I will invariably huff and puff about spending so much cash that I potentially miss my chance to actually purchase them in my size...) seems particularly cruel, Humberto.

Until I get my greasy paws on these puppies (eww), I spose the best I can do is stare/dream/pick my faves with a pink arrow/re-post them unoriginally/die inside.

Toronto Fashion Week, The Rest of It... Kinda

The rest of Fashion Week was sort of more about which shows I didn't go to, rather than the ones that I did, which was partly due to my intentional skipping out on the 'tents' and partly because of ill-Jewish-Holiday-timing (note to the organizers: Passover is kind of, like, a big deal...) Anyways, aside from my totally AMAZE recap for Interview, here's the only thing I cared about (or rather, feel like talking about right at this moment...)

Last Friday night, co-owners of the amazing Toronto boutique, Carte Blanche, Tania Martins and Dan Augustino both debuted their Fall 2010 in-house collections in videos at a throwdown free-booze party which looked more like an abandoned factory but in actuality was a condo showroom.

Pink Cobra's Fall collection was business as usual for Tania, as her eye (and hand) for ultra covetable LBDs and sexxxed up see-through oversized shirts was just as sharp as ever. Tania debuted her collection in the creepy yet sexy video 'Maneater' (directed by Derek Blais and Carly Bangs), where a model with the uncanny likeness to Tania herself chows down on what we are lead to believe is a human carcass. Eww. Ooh!

Together with partner Corey Gibbs, Dan's debut Cult de Laissez Faire for Fall was just what every toughed out whisky drinkin SOB (buying in 2010, mind you) could ask for. Low-crotched, bagged and black seperates that recalled Mohammed Ali and Alex Wang just the same. The video was like the 2010 version of those old Frankie Goes to Hollywood t-shirts (you know, Frankie says RELAX1) in hyper-speedy and hollogrammed form.

The Future of Fashion as We See It

As I'm sure you noticed, I got a little lazy blogwise over the Euro Fall Fashion Weeks and as it turns out, so did my friend Sarah (aka. Sarah Nicole Prickett, babe of the century and seriously talented Toronto-based writer... check her out!) We got to talking one night about our love/hate for the return of simple dressing, our penchant for bright lips and of course, all those pesky Pugh for McQueen and Elbaz for Chanel rumours.

So, like any proactive and opinionated fashion writers, we decided for the future-good of all, who we think should really be at the helm of taking over these two houses... while we were at it, we planned the future of Maison Martin Margiela and resurrected our favourite legacies, Elsa Schiaparelli and Paul Poiret.

We disagreed on most, both seem to love Holly Fulton, writing in chart form, and doing blog posts by hand at Starbucks.

Here's how we weighed it out...

Toronto Fashion Week One and a Half

Fashion Week in Toronto is one helluva disjointed thing this season, with designers showing over the course of three weeks and 'official' (read: shitty for the most part) LG Fashion Week happening over a few days next week. Here are a few things to write home about so far:

Philip Sparks kicked it all off with a brilliant Moby Dick themed presentation. Brawned-up babes posed alongside an indoor loading dock-like structure of wooden carts, ladders and rope in everything from navy double breasted peacoats to simple sweaters. I'm assuming models weren't supposed to look at you... so obviously that was my mission of the night. That, and sipping on pink gin with berries.

Nada Shepherd launched her Fall collection Avatar style last Tuesday with fashion's first 3D film. The fembot themed work-in-progress burned my eyes real bad and the overwrought video game references were well, overwrought... but I've gotta say that heading to IMAX to see a fashion show was quite thrilling to say the least.


Greta Constantine's Friday night show went kinda like this: "let's get drunk and look at cars and then sit down for a while and watch some clothes". Held at the downtown Audi dealership that YOU CANNOT FIND FOR THE LIFE OF YOU, the Sin City inspired show of about a thousand jersey dresses and babealicious fur-leather getups for gals and zippered punk jackets for gals was a little derivative (ahem, Alex Wang Fall 2009, anyone?) but hella sexy and fun nonetheless.

ps. I stole Greta Constantine images off www.lostinthewilderness.com

The Faves of New York Continued...

Day Five: Marc Jacobs

For the first season in like a bil, I didn't have a complete faclempt-attack or mental breakdown on Marc Monday. Fall was easy on the eyes and easy on wearability (or at least dreaming of wearability) - just the way I like it once in a very long time.

See what I thought about the hyper-innocent makeup: http://www.interviewmagazine.com/blogs/fashion/2010-02-16/marc-jacobs-beauty/

Day Six: Rodarte

Jesus, this was a great collection... actually it was my fave of the week. I love that the Mulleavys were back in the romantic realm of their first few collections and I also loved the Texan Spanish Mexican narrative.

I make a little more sense here: http://www.interviewmagazine.com/blogs/fashion/2010-02-17/rodarte-nyfw-fall-2010/









Day Seven: Proenza Schouler

What the hell is it about a Proenza show that makes everything look hyper-familiar and just like you've never seen it at the same time. There were definitely shreds of it-girls like Alice, Chloe, and hell, even Lauren SD, but then there were those holy shit aspects like fun fur on varsity jackets and jagged swirl printed baby-doll meets sexpot dresses that made you do a quadruple take.

The Faves of New York. So Far...

Day One: Rachel Comey

My editor at Interview thought Rachel's gal took a page out of Faye Dunaway's book, but I kind of think that Rachel designs for our generation's heroine: the kind of girl who heavily layers, loves bunnies and always looks hasphasderdly perfect. I also think that Rachel knows that girl because she invented her. What do you think?

Day Two: Jeremy Laing

If they would have consulted fellow Canuck Jeremy Laing on how to inject some Canadian cool into the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver games, we would have been spared the neck-bearded poet, KD Lang and countless Native cliches. What we have gotten was amazing multi-layered rabbit, beaver, knit and Northern lit geometrics.

Day Three: Alexander Wang

A few things I hate: red velvet, ribbed chenille, odd fitting pinstripes. You'd think that I'd really hate Wing Wang's fall show... but think again my friend.

As if possessed by some otherworldly fashion god, I can't help but be drawn to the designer's naughty meets wall street 90's Le Chateau (shout out Canadians!) look. It really needs to be hanging in my closet like asaaaap.

For more Fashion Week commentary, check out my trend roundups:

http://www.interviewmagazine.com/search/randi+bergman/

A Sweet Dream or A Beautiful Nightmareeeee

'Either way I don't wanna wake up from you-u-u-u....' Beyonce was talking about McQueen's Spring 2010 collection, right? This collection is basically the Paris version of what I felt for Proenza, maybe even better. (Okay... better)

Most importantly though, I see it as the standout visionary collection for where we are actually headed with fashion in the 21st century. Marrying rich couture elements with high-tech prints… the collection was a real connection between the past, present and future. And if this is where things are headed… I’m happier than a pig in shit with warrior hair.

"What Is It With You, Plastics?"

As if everyone ever didn’t call this like a million times, Ungaro’s move to bring Lindsay Lohan on board as ‘artistic advisor’ officially just proved itself to be completely idiotic. As if the images above don't drive the point home, just take a look at last season's whimsical delight in comparison to this so-not-hot mess. Nicole Phelps put it mildly when she called it a “bad joke of a fashion show”. Like who the hell gets rid of the Tavi of designers, Esteban Cortazar in place for the girl who isn’t even relevant anymore? What the eff were they thinking?

Okay, So I Do Have A Comment On Milan!

I've been so busy celebrating the new year and fasting like all the other good Jews, that I almost skipped over 1/4th of the Fashion Month equation! So, here's the abbreviated skinny on what killed me....

First of all it totally cracked me up that almost every look on the Marni runway looked kinda like someone who I'd assume really didn't get it (the overwrought striped leggings, the polka dots) yet somehow they really did get it...probably so much more than me. And those shoes! Jesus!

Dolce & Gabbana totally slayed me for the second season running, which is amazing considering that I've never considered myself their biggest fan. The Masculin Feminin, the Spanish lace....ohmigod. I was really holding myself back from comparing the collection to Velasquez paintings....

Finally, Prada totally redeemed herself in my books from last fall's dowdy mess. If Resort was a little tease...then this collection was the full shebang, from the beach prints to the ridiculously fantastical chandelier dresses. Viva Italia!

London's Kaleidoscope Eyes

You know when a hopelessly uninformed relative asks you what the hot color for the season is and you're just like, shut up? Well, pleebs...that's because exploration of color (and I mean any color) is what's always hot, fresh, fascinating...insert adjective here. Take a cue from London, where any and every shade, pattern and shape is up for grabs....especially when thrown all together in one big explosion of fabulousness.

Clockwise from Yellow: Mary Katrantzou, Louise Goldin, Jonathan Saunders, Holly Fulton, Josh Goot, Louise Gray, Erdem, Basso & Brooke, Christopher Kane, Peter Pilotto, Burberry, Duro Olowu

The Best Collection Ever...Thanks Proenza!

I can die now. I've seen heaven...and it's Proenza's Spring 2010 Collection. Thanks for everything mom, but I've got what I need. Seriously though, I haven't been this orgasmified by a collection since Balenciaga Spring 2007 and so until my next fashion heart attack...I'm content to stare at this for the rest of my life.

Our Take: Rodarte Makes Death Pretty

We all know bad things are coming. Might as well make it look pretty, right? I'm assuming that the Mulleavy sisters agree with me, because a sort of beautified gloominess pervaded over their latest offering in a much more powerful way than in the last few seasons (if you're asking me, that is).

Everything about this collection was truly a work of cobwebbed art, from the precise draping to the haphazardly splashed sparkle to the tribal arm candy. Even right down to the faded red to black lipstick it screamed, "I am woman, hear me roar".

Even if the woman in this latest fairytale is roaring into the desolate dessert winds, I want to be her.

Thakoon's Killer Details

Let's call this a footnote, an aside, whatever...just - how stunningly perfect are these prints? Honestly, this whole collection was just wowowowowow for me, the prints are really out of this world, aren't they?...just wanted to say that. AMAZING!

Our Take: Marc Jacobs' Frothy Journey

Ok, you know what I said about dying for Marc one season and then being perplexed by him the next? Well, this season doesn't exactly follow that cycle...because I'm loving and perplexing all at the same time and I can't decide what side of the fence I'm on. But that doesn't really matter at all, does it?

What matters most is that I love where Marc's head is at. I love his modern twists on Japonisme and the Ballet Russes... all the frothy over-the-top references to movement and that. But what threw me off a little was the overall presentation. The makeup for one was just too unoriginal for a man like Marc. Also, I didn't love the dips into Marc by Marc territory....after all, isn't his eponymous collection supposed to take the lead?

Like I say, loving and perplexing all at once... but who really cares. Lighten up, it's just fashion!

Our Take: Alex Wang Goes Deep

Looking through Wing Wang's latest foray into beige Americana kinda felt like the first time walking through the halls of high school. I knew I'd kinda been there before, but it looked different and that was irking me out. And I always feel like that when a newish designer throws a curve ball like this. It's like 'wait, if I don't like this are you all going to judge me for being narrow minded'?

So, I'm just gonna put it out there....I expected slick body-con and what I got was bleached cheerleading...and actually you know what? I kinda liked it! There was just enough Wang angle-slashing to remind me of the good old days, but enough of a new direction to widen the horizon of Wang's future mass appeal. I'd give a whole-hearted bravo, but I'm still getting into it...

Our Take: Rachel Comey's Sunny Spring Offering

Welcome to another season of 'Our Take', where we blab about what we loved and bitch about what we can't afford. And while I sit here all bitter about the fact that I can make no use of my Fashion Week invites, I'm thankful that I can at least get into the spirit online. It's never stopped me from dissecting Balenciaga, so why should it stop me now, right? Anyways, thank goodness for people like Rachel Comey then, who's sunny dispositioned clothes act as a complete antidote to my frowny 'tude.

What I think is Comey's strongest suit is that she knows how to take the edge off. Never too put-together, her looks are always wearably quirky...kind of like what you imagine your ideal self wearing. I love everything about this show, from the frizz hair to the addition of bags, to the always-amazing prints. The prints! My god....if that middle skirt isn't mine by next April I don't know what I'll do!

Prada's Return to Pretty

Almost every one of my favorite designers has the ability to completely polarize me from my own feelings season to season, which is actually quite strange if you think about it. Like I mentioned in our review of Marc Jacobs' fall ode to the oversized, lopsided and colorful, "he makes me want to literally bleed for him one season and the next is like, 'why do i put all my faith in you!"

The latest example of my skitso appreciation is Prada's transition from fall's austere yuckness to resort's straightforwardly pretty collection. I love everything about this collection, from the classic Miuccia mix n' match to the undie-shorts to the flowery shoes. For some reason the whole thing reminds me of something Maggie Smith's students would wear in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie on a weekend picnic.

ps. we stole these pictures from style.com

Paris Nous Aimons!

After a wham-bam week of such visual stimulation, it's been beyond difficult to process all the shows, let alone pick favorites. So what conclusion we've come to is somewhere in the middle: instead of trying to decipher exactly why we love the shows that we do, we've handed out some much coveted Katie Girl Superlatives. Drum roll, please....

(clockwise from top left)

the comeback kid (aka third time's the charm)
Ungaro

most likely to don on a winter getaway weekend in another lifetime

Miu Miu

best drape of silk charmeuse

Balenciaga

best use of color

Dries Van Noten

TIE:

closest we've come to wanting to buy something with a logo

and

best use of 80's trends without looking like everything else this season

Louis Vuitton

best interpretation of the trend he started

Balmain

collection we want to wear right now. no, really. right now.
Chloé

TIE:

best farewell (?) we weren't expecting
&
most amazing shoes that we'll never be able to walk in

Nina Ricci

ps. we borrowed these pictures from style.com

Long Live Le Schiap!

When 50 Cent said "I love you like a fat kid love cake", he must have been referring to the Surrealist 30's. I, like Fiddy, am just a little more than obsessed with that era in art and fashion, as well as anything that is a throwback to the wildly creative time. Subtle references usually do the trick, but an overt ode, like Dolce & Gabbana's fall dedication to the queen of the movement, Elsa Schiaparelli, sent me soaring.

Ballooned shoulders and nipped waists were, of course, major elements of the collection, but what really had me tickled pink (or shall I say shocking) were the trompe-l’oeil accoutrements! Gloves were seamlessly transformed into headbands and scarves as well as lipstick cases and watches into necklaces - so seamless in fact, they had me wondering where the artistry ended and the design began...

Bravo, boys! Bravo!

ps. we borrowed these pictures from style.com