Golden Girls

Forget adopting seventeen Malawian babies, I’ll leave that to old lips and gristle.   I want to adopt someone more established.
Why have a rubbery cheese slice when you can have an aged Gouda instead......are you picking up what I am putting down?

So yes...it’s true...after much deliberation, I am expecting...oh god no...not pregnant....you couldn’t get me near a woman’s Coco if you paid me...but yes, its true, I'm adopting fabulous women of the golden variety.

I'm predicting it to be the next big thing...and quite frankly, it’s easy.  Bugger all that red tape and bureaucratic paperwork, I’ll leave that for old mate Ange and Madge. All you need to adopt a fabulous elderly lady is an open ear, an opinion and piping hot cup of tea. 

Muses. Fashion forecasters. Ladies who lunch. boutique owners.   Golden women who know good clothing and how to wear it well.  Introducing my top five adoptees

Lynn Dell Cohen A.K.A  The Countess of Glamour

ORIGIN: New York, U.S.A

AGE: 77

OCCUPATION: Boutique Owner

Now, on a recent expedition to New York I was lucky enough to stumble (and I mean stumble, it was raining hard and I was wearing pretty swish shoes that look great but have no grip...fashion = pain right?) upon Mrs Cohen’s store ‘Boutique Off Broadway”.

Her boutique on the Upper West Side is an Aladdin’s cave of colour excitement and drama with a mix of new design and Vintage clothing.  Lynn Designs and sources a lot of the pieces herself and has done for the last 42 years. 
As the Dulcet tones of one Ms Barbara Streisand played in the background (papa can you hear me?) I sifted through racks of exciting colour, bold shapes and over the top statement jewellery, I felt as though I was in the wardrobe department of ‘The Nanny’.
She lets it be known that just because you get old, you shouldn’t have to resort to leisure suits to get by on the streets on N.Y.  Her slogan is ‘New York is a fashion show and we should dress for the theatre of our lives’...now isn’t that just fabulous?  High kicks ladies.


Visit Lynn's website http://www.boutiqueoffbroadway.com/

Iris Apfel

ORIGIN: New York, U.S.A

AGE: 88...she owns it

OCCUPATION: Enigma of style

We are quite sure that pint size blogger Tavi is just an elaborate copycat...it’s flattering, but Tavi love, there is only one Iris Apfel.  Her trademark over sized glasses enter the room before she does, and you are quite sure that she may just falter under the weight of them, not to mention her fabulous, and extensive, use of over sized jewellery pieces.  ‘I worship at the church of the accessory’...I want to put her in my pocket right now.

I give you the Irreverent Iris Apfel.  She’s like the elderly equivalent of Ms Frizzle from the cartoon and Book series ‘The Magic Schoolbus’.  The way she puts together outfits is intelligent, witty, original and exciting. 

Impeccable sums it up.  So much so that the Metropolitan Museum of Art created an exhibition and book around her whole ethos of dressing. 

Tavi’s of the world take note. 

Gitte Lee

ORIGIN: Denmark


AGE: Fabulous


OCCUPATION: Timeless model

She has that eternally chic look about her....the type you grow into, not purchase.  Phoebe Philo was wise to this and snapped up Gitte for her print campaign as the embodiment of all things Celine.  Of course this is nothing new for Lee, who started out as a model in Denmark in nineteen....well...a Lady never reveals her age...it does however prove that once a model, always a model...we just hope that some models don’t catch on to this...

And another interesting nugget on Gitte is that she is in fact wife of Christopher Lee, the actor, usually a villain...you know...star wars... Lord Of The Rings... to mention a few....   Turns out living the model lifestyle pays off....Ladies, you can have it all.

Anna Piaggi

ORIGIN: The mind of god..

AGE: Anna has no age....she just exists

OCCUPATION: Contributor to Vogue Italia and Front Row fixture

Style Icon.

Anna Piaggi owns this title.  No two ways about it.  There are only a handful of people who can get away with such fusion of style... Ms Piaggi is one of them.    Creation of such a look takes a particularly trained eye, and luckily enough My Piaggi has two of them.

She has her core essentials of course.

Blue wave fringe, check.
Jauntily placed hat (undoubtedly a Stephen Jones number. They’re close friends of course) Check.  Fingerless leather gloves and cane. Check. Check.
Stained lip, blush and blue eyeliner, Check. Check and check. Good to go.

But let’s get down to business. not only does she look good, Her knowledge and influence of all things fashion have made her, as close friend Manolo Blahnik puts it, ‘one of the last great authorities on frocks’ With, Kaiser Karl also considered on the in.
She takes her position at Vogue Italia very seriously and her double page spreads are considered as one of the most succinct fashion barometers in the industry. 

Betty Cartroux

Origin: Paris


Age: Like a fine wine


Occupation: Muse


If Paris were a Lady, Betty Catroux would be her. 

She has lived the charmed life of a Parisian model, starting out in the Chanel cabine as a favourite of Coco.   She didn’t do catwalk for long at Chanel but said she learnt a lot from the dame herself.  

It was later in a Parisian nightclub that Yves Saint Laurent saw her across the room and enchanted by her androgynous look, asked her to walk for him (I get similar offers all the time)
She shot him down with a flat ‘non’. From that day on the two were inseparable, he loved the fact that she didn’t care who he was, she became his best friend and muse.  The two lived very full and dramatic lives, frequenting the highest of highs and lowest of lows. One low period resulting in the two sharing a stint in rehab.

She was there for him in the good and the bad and ultimately was one of the few people by his side when he passed away.  Her style has inspired countless designers, none more so than Tom Ford in his role at YSL.

The Tourist

Only because I am slightly obsessed with Alexander McQueens body of work, I strongly recommend that you watch the tour of his retrospective held at the Metropolitan Museum Of Art, narrated by Andrew Bolton, The curator of the Costume Institute.   Click the link below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg0HwLAJyV0



Haute Couture Fall 2011

Christian Dior

John Galliano's reign at Dior was always going to be a tough act to follow.  You could realistically liken it to the grand scale of a dramatic Opera.
A cast of hundreds of dedicated atelier staff, performances from the best in the business like pat McGrath, Stephen Jones, Orlando Pita, Michael Howells and the lead himself... John, who, much like in any good opera,  came to an untimely end.  

We now cut to 51-year-old Bill Gaytten, the new lead (or temporary understudy..?). He has been named the new creative director for the brand and had been working alongside Galliano for near 23 years. 

So as the audience took their place for the performance, did the understudy live up to the high expectations?
It appears not.  The main problem being the cohesion of the collection, where was the definitive storyline? it seems without a vision savant, the house has lost its way.

Gaytten said post show that his collection was based on the architecture of Ettore Sottsass, French art director Jean Paul Goude and Toronto-born architect Frank Ghery. However instead of the operatic feast that Galliano would offer (and lets face it, Galliano will be a stick against which all others are measured), Gaytten's performance was more the opening credits of "Saved by the Bell'  complete with Formica colour palette and crazy mosaic pattern.  The classic house shapes were there, but the refinement was not. 

So as Gaytten takes his bow this season, we are left to wonder if the lead role has been filled permanently or are there others waiting in the wings for the audition... Or can LVMH forgive and forget?
One thing is for sure, I have taken all the sad clown I can handle for one season...


  

   



Chanel

A Chanel show is always somewhat of a spectacle.
First you have the set, usually something on a decadent scale that fills the Grand Palais, secondly you have the faces of the front row which has more imports than your local duty free store and thirdly you have the clothes. 

Kaiser Karl set his sights on Fritz Lang's futuristic film Metropolis this season....think Madonna's video for 'Express Yourself' except with less gyrating. 

A modern take on the Chanel classics rendered in black, white, grey, midnight blue and intense splatters of Fuscia. There was the staple suiting which introduced a new look dropped peplum (seen across a number of shows). Being cut just above the thigh, it exaggerated the hip and lent to evening out proportions of ruffled necklines or dramatic fishtail hems, the best example being worn by Stella Tennant in an all black number.

As modern as it tried to be, it couldn't help but feel somewhat clumsy at times with ill fitting 'sacky' looking pieces or over-styling with full head to toe look, this was not helped with the fact that the boots lit up as the models walked in the finale.  I have always felt a gimmick hides/says a thousand things. Come on Karl....I know you can do better.


 

  



Azzedine Alaia

A polished, carefully edited collection that has you wanting each piece more than the next.  Its the type of clothing you would marry an elderly billionaire for just to get your hands on it.

This is what Azzedine Alaia presented after an eight year hiatus from couture, but it certainly wasn't from lack of inspiration.  His triumphant return heralded a new sophisticated plug for the creative hole that has been cut in couture this season.  Perfect renditions of the coat dress delivered in the most gorgeous jewel box of colours, and innovations in knitwear that gave a new lightness and movement when executed in flamenco ruffles.

We can only hope another hiatus isn't on the cards for Alaia.


 

 




Valentino

Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli have had their finger on the pulse of the new wave of  'youth couture' since their takeover of the house back in 2009.   Having struck the balance between the house values and their own unique aesthetic, they are becoming a design team to be reckoned with.

This season the duo had their focus on the last Tsar's family and a world lost, but instead of travelling the cliche Faberge egg path, Chiuri and Piccioli took it to a hauntingly refined level.   A dulled colour palette and a simplicity in embellishment ensured that this reminisced Russian princess was more a memory and not a costume.  Particular standouts were the white cashmere cape that fell as though it had been carved from milky marble and a feather hemmed, long sleeved evening dress shimmering in subtle gold lace.



 

 




Givenchy

Ricardo Tisci's Haute Couture has somewhat of a Monet effect. Effortless and beautiful from afar but a complete ant colony of chaotic perfection up close.

It is when you learn that one garment alone took eight months to complete intense hand caviar beading, that the appreciation for his art kicks in.

For his ten looks, Tisci stayed true to his classic shape, but entirely indulged in all things embellishment employing the use of beading, feathers, silk tulle paillets and cascading fringe which was poetically used in floor grazing clutches.  His palette ventured from white to ivory to washed gold  and was fused by subtle degrade effects.

It is clothing like this that keeps the argument alive of whether fashion is art....ummm I'm pretty sure its another collection from Tisci like this that makes a strong winning point.

 

 




Armani Prive

 

 




Elie Saab

'History repeating' seems to be Elie Saab's theme song and it would seem it has been on high rotation around the Saab atelier.
There is no doubt Saab knows how to make a stunning gown, red carpets across the world are evidence of this but with the same plunging necklines, thigh grazing slits and CD shuffle of shapes, Saab borders on safe to boring.  On a positive, his usually heavy embellishment was back but felt somewhat lighter and airier in its application along with a soft fresh palette of sunrise silvers, midday golds to midnight blues.
Regardless, Saab is a safe red carpet choice for predictable Celebrities.


  

  

All images from style.com

Its Raining Men, You may want a stronger umbrella...

Mens Spring 2012 has just wrapped and it is time for the doe-eyed clean cut male models to migrate   (seriously, they fall into V formation and head North...haven't you ever seen a Dolce and Gabbana finale? its the beginning of model migratrion...)
Not to worry, we have a collection of sparkly, shiny things to lure them back in for next season.

So as the models take flight, they shed the skins of the new season, what are we in store for this coming summer?

Initiation of an Era:

Key Climates: 60's Britain Mod, 60's U.S Kitsch, the Greek aisles, 40's Africa

My god, just seeing the models on the catwalk had me on the phone to my travel agent booking a round trip from the sun drenched seaside boys of the Greek isles to the fabulous, fancy free flare of the American 60's, a stop over on the plains of 40's Africa on to the moody working class dandies of the British Mod era....

It was at that point that my travel agent informed me that she could not in fact book me a holiday back in time and that I should stop calling her,  harassing  her to do so....

But why should I go back in time when I can clearly dress the part with summer's new offerings?

Screw you time and your ever forward momentum...

Colour blocking:

Seen strongly last season for the girls, Colour blocking is back for the boys this summer seen in head to toe hues or in bold proportions.  No matter how you wear it, you will be noticed.

Pyjama Party:

No this isn't the kind that sees you awake until 3am in a sugar induced mess in the corner while others watch trashy horror films. No, There are no pillow fights here. This is the new relaxed mood for summer.  Still dressed up, this boudoir movement is as literal as a pyjama stripe or as loose as the fit of a lounge pant.
Bring it on...I'm all for a night cap.



Double the fun for Summer:

Double breasted.  No...that's not what it sounds like if you are a straight male reading this. It is in fact the referral to the double breasted jacket.  Modernised with sharper lapels and a clean edge cut, it is seen in both long and short versions, six and two buttoned varieties.

This will be the jacket-de-jour for summer.

Hawaiian Tropic:

'Hello...yes....I ordered the Mai Tai...'  My god, if I'm not brave enough to wear these OTT Hawaiian florals I sure as hell am going to get into the Hawaiian mood another way.

Florals made a quirky bloom back onto the scene with Mother Miuccia reliving the kitschy days of Hawaiian print shirts at Prada and Ricardo Tisci cultivating Hawaiian exotics at Givenchy. While Marni served it in black and white, Jean Paul Gaultier gave us the Beach suit, complete with floral boardie style shorts and matching shirt....who said beach weddings couldn't be formal?..... REFILL!

  All images from http://www.style.com/