The Fashion Scholar

Der Rosenkavalier at the Met

2010-04-25T15:43:00.001-07:00

This has been a perfect ending to a weekend and an even better Sunday afternoon. My eyes and ears just feasted on Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier live at the Met this afternoon with Renee Fleming.

Renee Fleming certainly needs no introduction as one of opera’s greatest sopranos and this performance of her as Marschallin, once again, does not disappoint. This staging of Der Rosenkavalier was complete in its grandeur and rococo splendor of 18th century Vienna. The Shakespearean-style comic masterpiece was adapted from the novel Les amours du chevalier de Faublas by Louvet de Couvrai and Moleire’s comedy, Monsieur de Pourceaugnac and is 3 1/2 hours of glorious costumes and sets amid a story full of romance and intrigue. First performed under the direction of Max Reinhardt at the Dresden Operanhaus in 1911 during a time of rococo revival, it is easy to understand why its premiere was sold out. The story surrounds four main characters. Beside Fleming as the aristocratic female, this performance also features Susan Graham as Octavian, her young lover (played by a woman); Kristinn Sigmundsson as her cousin and womanizing oaf, Baron Oochs; and Christine Shafer as Sophie, daughter of a wealthy Viennese merchant and Oochs’s young prospective fiancée and eventual lover of Octavian. Edo De Waart conducts this internationally acclaimed cast, which also includes Eric Cutler as the Italian singer and Thomas Allen as Herr Von Faninal, Sophie’s father.

An opera in three acts, Great Performances at the Met are never to be missed. This happens to be one of my favorite operas, perhaps because I am an ardent lover of the rococo period and a great fan of Strauss’s waltzes. Renee Fleming and the entirety of the cast set amidst 18th century rooms, ripe with appropriate to the period decor and costumes of 1740s Vienna, is a feast for all eyes and ears and lovers of art and culture. Der Rosenkavalier made me so happy to wake to a rainy Sunday afternoon, which provided a perfect opportunity to stay indoors. Do not miss this on your local PBS station this week as Great Performances at the Met. Also, this week is RSC’s production of a contemporary Hamlet with Patrick Stewart and David Tennant (Dr. Who).

Enormous Loss to Costume and Textile Historians- Natalie Rothstein passes today.

2010-04-20T12:39:00.001-07:00

This is truly a day of mourning to those of us in this field. This great woman’s research was a cornerstone of my own 18th century research. Unknowingly, she was a mentor to me through her authorship in articles, books and lectures. She brought true scholarship to a field, which in most of the twentieth century was written about by historians who looked at the 18th century through a looking glass of nostalgia and revival. I am truly a more knowledgeable and learned historian because of her work. She is a historian who I have quoted as THE 18th century textile expert countess times in my papers and lectures. This is a sad loss to all of us who adore and respect 18th century costume and textiles and their cultural research. The following is her obituary which was released only about an hour ago in The Guardian at http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/apr/20/natalie-rothstein-obituary.

Natalie Rothstein obituary: Much-admired curator of silks at the Victoria and Albert Museum

Natalie Rothstein, who has died aged 79, was an outstanding curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum whose chosen field was woven silks. She focused in particular on the development of the English silk industry from 1600 to 1850. The core of her work was published in the magisterial and very beautiful book Silk Designs of the Eighteenth Century in the Collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, published in 1990 and accompanied by an exhibition entitled Flowered Silks. In the book, Natalie traced the emergence of the English silk designer Anna Maria Garthwaite, making clear her particular importance within the industry. Garthwaite's designs were bought by the major mercers, woven by master weavers and worn by men and women of the highest rank.

Natalie was a one-off: once encountered, never forgotten. She had a fighting spirit and a wicked sense of humour. As a curator, she was a brilliant all-rounder: practical as well as erudite; equally concerned with storage and access to the objects, caring for junior members of staff and suggesting projects that might encourage articles or provoke continuing research.

She was born in East Finchley, north London, to Andrew, a leftwing historian and writer, and Edith, whom he met at a meeting of the Fabian Society. Natalie was educated at Camden school for girls and St Hilda's College, Oxford, where she read modern history. In her second year, she decided to become a museum curator and set her sights on the V&A, a goal she achieved by winning an open competition to become a museum assistant in 1952.

Initially assigned to the art library, she transferred at the first opportunity to the curatorial department of textiles, where she was to work from 1955 until her retirement in 1990 – a sharp contrast to present-day concepts of career development. Natalie knew what she was about: the V&A was then part of the department of education, with responsibility as a national museum to serve the entire nation and be free of entry for all. These basic duties, which she later battled to preserve, suited the egalitarian principles that had been passed on by her socialist parents. The museum had been founded with the specific aim of teaching the importance of skilled craftsmanship combined with good design.

The growing collections were divided, largely according to the materials of which they were made, into curatorial departments. When Natalie joined the textile department, the postwar task of reinstalling the museum's collections was slowing and research into aspects of the collections increased. Peter Thornton, then assistant keeper in the textile department, was collecting material for his book Baroque and Rococo Silks (1965) and needed someone to identify and trace the people behind the names inscribed on the museum's collection of silk designs. The job was given to Natalie, enabling her to research lives and inter-relationships within the silk industry.

Despite the difficulty of finding a suitably qualified tutor, Natalie spent her spare time working for a research MA at the University of London, resulting in an impressive 1961 thesis, The Silk Industry in London 1702-1766. She seized every chance to continue her studies of silk production in England, and travelled to France to attend the technical courses held in Lyon that enabled her to master the terminology and to understand the working of the looms on which silks of varying complexity were woven.

Finding time for such excursions became more difficult as she rose through the ranks of the departmental staff. Serving the public, dealing with much more than woven silks, answering queries from around the world and training new staff leaves little time for detailed research. But, in 1987, Natalie edited, and wrote several introductory essays for, a facsimile of a fascinating manuscript in which a well-to-do 18th-century woman (Barbara Johnson) recorded in great detail the clothes she bought, with samples of the fabrics and trimmings.

After her retirement, Natalie was in great demand as a lecturer, writer and consultant. She travelled widely, often in search of wild flowers with friends, while she enjoyed time in her cottage in the Chilterns, with her cats, and her beautiful garden, in which she continued to host memorable parties.

Her brother Andrew predeceased her. She is survived by her sister-in-law, Maureen, and her nephews Henry and Tom.

• Natalie Katherine Anne Rothstein, curator, born 21 June 1930; died 18 February 2010

Jane Austen Lives in NYC

2010-03-15T13:43:00.001-07:00

This weekend was the last chance one had to visit the remaining letters and associated ephemera relating to Jane Austen at the Morgan Library here in NYC, titled “A Woman’s Wit: Jane Austen’s Life and Legacy”. I did get a chance to view the exhibit. It was spectacular, giving “Janeites” the opportunity to read the only surviving manuscripts, Lady Susan and The Watsons, and personal letters to her sister, Cassandra. These are items the Morgan has not exhibited in over twenty-five years. The exhibition was construed into three themes: her personal life and letters, her works including their monetary and inspirational details, and her legacy with a film video made expressly for the exhibition. The exhibition also draws from the Morgan’s collection of James Gillray prints and other contemporary sources regarding fashion and manners in both country and city life during the neoclassical period in England. First and early editions of her novels were also displayed along with original illustrations by American artist, Isabel Bishop.

Writers who influenced Austen were discussed, including Frances Burney, Dr. Samuel Johnson, Maria Edgeworth and Sir Walter Scott.

This exhibition gave the visitor a rare opportunity to have tangible insight into the personal world of a truly great author who, two centuries ago, depicted female life in the neoclassical period on a parallel plane with women today and tomorrow. I hope you didn’t miss it, but if you did, be sure to check it out on line at themorgan.org, listen to the curator and watch the accompanying film. Enjoy!

Chanel Auction today in Paris

2010-02-26T18:33:00.001-08:00

February 24th and 25 auctions at Paris’s Druout Richelieu ended today, but because of France’s fascist auction laws, we do not yet know the results of the 800 plus garments, shoes, handbags, costume jewelry and other accessories. In fact, don’t bother visiting Druout’s website. I already did. You cannot access the sale items before or after a sale unless you spend 100 euros to sign-up for their magazine/newsletter. I don’t think so.

Druout auctioneer, Pierre Cornette de Saint Cyr stated their low/high sale total estimate is $270,000-540,000. The AP reported some highlights. One of the pieces, I believe, is an iconic staple to the Chanel archive (don’t be surprised if they are not the purchasers, either), which is a black lace sheath gown with a black bow at the neckline from 1935 that includes its sewn-in couture number. The report also states there is a green leaf printed day dress with matching jacket, dated 1929.

I will let you know the results of this illustrious sale after they are published- not quite sure why the law prohibits news from being immediately disseminated in France. I love being an American and thank my ancestors for moving here from France. (Associated Press Photo by Jacques Brinon 2/25/10)

Pamella Roland Fall 2010- Smart Opulence

2010-02-16T18:09:00.001-08:00

As my decorative arts blog is titled, Smart Opulence, it just so happens that one of my favorite contemporary designers for today’s jet-setting woman is Pamella Roland who just so happens to embrace this sense, rather a sixth sense, that only some of us are lucky enough to be born with. She is a genius in understanding what her clientele desires in dressing for their careers and lifestyles. Always elegant, always relevant, Pamella Roland’s Fall 2010 collection showed today at Bryant Park’s Salon for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. Mrs. Roland continued to impress her viewers with glorious eye candy as they came away with long shopping lists. This collection takes a woman from day to evening without a hitch by using sumptuous fabrics in silk and wool, furs and leathers for daywear and ski wear, or rather for looking stunning, sipping toddies at the bottom of the hill. She showed shearling and leather coats, fur hats, slim fitting pants, sweaters and wraps in cashmere, ending with tailored dresses and pantsuits in luxe wool suiting. Her graceful asymmetrically-draped knifed-pleated strapless dresses in wool suiting, belted at the waist were a fresh take on after-work cocktail attire that can be worn with a gorgeous leather jacket and tall boots during work hours, taken off at a cocktail party to unveil a sophisticated look that is both upscale enough for drinks at the Old King Cole bar, yet laid back enough for late night downtown dining. Her evening attire tipped the scales of glamour for every woman with cocktail suits, dresses and gowns gilt to the hilt or drenched in gem-colors that were were just as stunning from the back as they are the front and succeeded in giving every woman their ultimate… leave them wanting more as you walk out the door. There is also no dearth in this collection for basic black, though there is nothing basic about these pieces. Her jazz-age inspired headwear paired with patterned tights and sleek silhouettes, such as a black wool cloche that topped off a slim-fitted black tuxedo inspired frock coat, channeled twenties femme fatales. Luxurious accessories, including the patterned tights (probably Wolford), glamorous sunglasses, three-quarter length kid gloves and over-the-knee, high-heeled boots, fur felt cloches, and fur hats and wraps add to the opulence of this collection.

Take a look at her collection at http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/AfrslYkzcq1/Pamella+Roland+Runway+Fall+20110+MBFW

Also, don’t miss her Spring 2010 collection inspired by Georgia O’Keefe that can be seen in stores this winter/spring. ( February 15, 2010 –All Photos by Jemal Countess/Getty Images North America)

Thanks to McQueen

2010-02-14T14:48:00.001-08:00

If any of you looked at my blog site when I began in 2008, I chose an image of a Hollar print from the 1640s and an image of an Alexander McQueen suit from the Couture Paris runway show, 2008, thanking him for such impeccable tailoring with an understanding of a woman’s body and taste. Again, I believe this image, above all of his over-the-top designs for celebrities, including most recently, Lady Gaga and Sandra Bullocks black gown trimmed cobalt blue she wore to the Golden Globes, defines what he truly contributed to fashion and why he will be remembered by most critics, collectors and historians. Thank you, Alexander. RIP.

My New Screen Saver

2010-02-13T17:03:00.001-08:00

In lieu of being overwhelmed with contemporary fashion this week during New York’s fashion week, I needed to feed my eyes with an amazing artifact from my favorite period, the 18th century. This is an image that I have saved for for my 18th century dress and textiles research, which was sold at Kerry Taylor Auctions in London in 08 Dec 2010 Passion for Fashion sale as lot 65. The cataloguing is a follows:

Robe a la Anglais, c. 1770s, made from white embroidered Chinese silk for the western market, c. 1755-60. Embroidered in imitation of a brocade with bouquets of flowers tied with blue ribbons; wing cuffs trimmed in brown fur, front-closure to bodice edged in dark green silk, gown unlined except the upper bodice lined in calico. http://www.kerrytaylorauctions.com/sales/detail.php?lotid=11358

Enjoy the eye candy.

Valentino Couture 2010

2010-02-10T18:34:00.000-08:00

It seems as though we have another design house that has fallen down the tubes of individualism with a team of a new, young designer who obviously is not staying true to the original reputation of the house with such obvious feminine ideals detailed with impeccable tailoring and glorious draping, only to worship a woman's body. Alessandra Fachinetti just couldn't make the cut and now, Chiuri and Picciolo seem to have ridden down the same path...Valentino was a master because he made luxurious clothes for women who love glamour. This display was just misguided, in the sense that the team was trying to be cutting edge in the new design format of, dare we say..."futuristic." From Lady Gaga resorting to Armani Prive to design her stage and red carpet costumes for the Grammy's to this disheveled mess of a couture collection, I think it is rather more of a retro look that we need to point towards rather than "futuristic." Rather than terming Lady Gaga being "futuristic," isn't she just updating the latter? Does no one remember Dale Bozzio from Missing Persons leading the pack of new wave bands into futuristic fashion for the eighties. Amy Odell of the New York Magazine commented that the Valentino team was tryin too hard; or was it that they weren't trying hard enough(http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2010/01/critics_call_valentino_couture.html)?

Pamella Roland

2008-02-04T13:55:00.000-08:00

If you have recently pitched items from your closet to take to Good Will and you are finding your fall duds a little sparse, good news. My advice is to empty your 401k (just kidding) and buy every piece from Pamella Roland's collection and as long as you never change your size, you have made your last Good Will donation of your fall closet. Roshumba Willims reported for American Express that this is a collection for the "high-end, jet-setting woman." Ok, who doesn't want to dress like monied-set with style and grace? If you read my first article on this blog, you have a sense of my style or what I aspire it to be. From Grace Kelley to Angelica Houston, this collection fits them all. I wish to have every piece. I guess, if I could only pick one, no two, I would pick her black jersey low-cut evening dress and the black suit with a ruffle detail and no lapel. Rolland is a purist and this collection is a true state of brilliant manipulation of the fabric through tailoring and detail. I would buy every piece of this collection, as nothing is off-kilter or disproportionate. Williams also reported that she has a business degree from Michigan State. In the article by James Covert in New York Post's Business section, "OUT OF FASHION
Labels Play it Very Safe Amid Economic Slowdown," David Wolfe, creative director of the Doneger Group, which forecasts fashion and retail trends, states that designers are inclined to "play it safe and also make it exciting" as retailers need to focus more on their bottom line. In reflecting what Ms. Roland must have had on her mind when designing for next fall, he also exclaims that "the idea is to produce very luxurious versions of ordinary clothes." Kathy Deane, President of Tobe, a global fashion consultanting business agreed, stating that "that's partly because consumers are looking for clothes that will last." Pamella Roland's certainly will. Applause to you, Ms. Roland, you are not only a fabulous designer, but also a fabulous business woman. What is your ticker symbol, because I want to be long your collection?

So Many Shows, So Little Time

2008-02-04T12:35:00.000-08:00

I need to do some serious catching-up from Sat, Sun and still view everything from today. I am seeing LOTS of narrow belts and strapless or assymetrical evening dresses with draping pulled to one hip. 60s/80s inspired color-blocking seems to also be popular. One thing I can say is that Peter Som did not dissapoint, starting the day off brilliantly. His pieces are gorgeous and then their is the every classic, Carolina Herrera. I am posed to watch Pamella Roland at 4pm, then Max Azria, again (his own line this time), and one of my favorites, Ports 1961 this evening. The sky may be gray in New York today, but these collections have put my mood in a sea of blue! Please tune back in after for my critical analysis and please comment!!!! Cheers!

NY Fashion Week FA 08 Friday Feb 1

2008-02-02T07:51:00.000-08:00

Let us begin with BCBG Max Azria. Usually a designer whose work I admire and have quite a few of his items. His fall 08 collection, however, is another story. Subdued colors; brown suede narrow belts knotted at center front with symmetrically hanging ends flopping about; bubble skirts with hem just underneath the round of one's bottom (perfectly highlighting any bit of cellulite a woman may have); and bodices covered with wide flounced pleates and ruffles hanging from deep necklines, creating too much fussiness, as well as assymetrical bodices, one shoulder necklines with sheer draped and pleated cape-like overlays from shoulder and necklines. In my humble opinion, Max was trying to create volume on the top and bottom, off-setting an odd length and silhouette. Dresses with length were about an inch below the knee and ended up looking sloppy and ill-fitted on the models, especially with pleated elbow-length pleated sleaves. Paired with dreary colors and belts used as an accessory that did not flatter a silk dress (what were the stylists thinking?), these oddly-shaped garments of beautiful italian fabrics came together to create an overall underwhelming collection, though he did throw in a gorgeous coat and a classic wear-forever pantsuit.

Onto Perry Ellis. Gorgeous menswear. I can't wait to shop next fall for my darling husband! These men look like men, the ones you want to snuggle up next to beside a fire. The clothes are wearable and women will love their men in them.

At both Rag and Bone and Nicole Miller, we saw leggings and sexy tight fitted dresses, 80s inspired. Palettes of charteruese, purple and black at both. Rag and Bone topped their leggings and dresses reminiscent of parachute pants with fitted military jackets. Their ensembles clearly had a Parisian or Berlin cabaret effect. Perhaps they were inspired by the band, Berlin with "99 Red Balloons?" They intermixed the school boy/girl look with ties, jackets and wool bermudas (I was sent home after wearing them to junior high school in 1984). Miller induced her tafetta dresses with stripes and 20s Orientalism in printed silk dresses--all very 80s. Have a great evening and party like the 80s tonight...its only the beginning of Fashion Week!!

Hat Chat

2008-01-31T12:50:00.001-08:00

Last February, I was pleased to see chic hats back on the runway for Fall 2007. They were the "headliners" at Marc Jacobs, Proenza Schouler, Max Azria and Abaete, completing their looks. Ann Klein also used some floppy knitted things that looked like dreadlocks on the model's heads and hats with brims that looked like visors are not even worth mentioning. With talk of Fall 2008 bound with cinched waists and stacked high with thicker heels, will designers give us that truly lady-like look for next fall? Perhaps in hommage to Valentino, red will pen the lips of many at the shows to go with luxurious cashmere suits. Gasp. As a milliner, I can only hope and be ready with some fur felts for blocking. I hope it will be a busy summer. At Proenza Schouler last fall, we saw gorgeous beaver fur cloches paired with strong red lips.

Kudos to Marc Jacobs for last Fall's collection as he used hats to top his clothes that otherwise, could have been a bit dowdy, but the hats made everyone want to look like his models. There was nothing more chic on the runways. I loved this looks so much I had to put in all of these images- I just couldn't help myself.

Unfortunately, hats did not bode as well in their Spr '08 collections. Proenza Schouler sported a military horseman's/British bobbie look, which looked like the designer was adding a tongue-in-cheek approach to their chapeaus. Marc Jacobs also added hats in his Spring '08 collection. They were cute little "mod" style hats, like they off of a Vogue cover from 1969 (Vogue Italia with Marissa Berenson, which I just viewed today at the Peroni/Vogue exhibition of Italian fashion photography at the Twelve 21 gallery space). However, they were often ill-proportioned and the way they were placed half-cocked on the model's heads with messy hair tucked underneath, the "hat" look failed to be a look for the street, which for milliner's is especially important. If designers choose to show hats as a comical and not a wearable accessory, they will never be an easy-to-wear trend again, no matter how easy-to-wear and flattering they can be. Well, at least they are still using them, which is better than most designers.

So please, please, Marc, please don't forget how great we make your clothes look and other designers, please take note!!!

Thank you, Mr. Valentino

2008-01-24T18:26:00.000-08:00

This week wraps-up the Paris Couture shows. What a week of glorious clothes. Too bad for film nominees who may not be able to wear a rented dress for a night. All of the collections take me back to a more glorious period in twentieth century fashion. In order to ready ourselves for the New York RTW week, I will write this weekend to give us a run-down on Paris, gearing us up for a full week of fashion. As my kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Heater would say "don't forget your thinking cap." One must brush-off the glitter and stardust of the celebrities, others' comments and be ready for critiquing the collections!!!

I would like to thank Mr. Valentino for an enormously fabulous 45 year career as a gifted artist whom understands women, perhaps more than any other designer. He took his final bows on the runway last evening, showing an incredible collection. His clothes are overwhelmingly beautiful and impeccably draped and tailored. The photograph to the right is a young Mr. Valentino in his workshop in Via Gregoriana in the early 1960s.

Fashion Journalists: please understand WGA strike

2008-01-23T14:36:00.000-08:00

Photo moments at the Oscars are legendary. So many of us recall the gold Vera Wang dress that Best Supporting Actress Nominee, Michelle Williams, wore to the 2006 Oscars with co-star and fiance, Heath Ledger on her arm. As the death of Ledger is on our minds, this brings to light the possibility of a cancellation of the Academy affair this year. I hope that we can all understand why and why the artist's plight in the film industry is so very important. Unfortunately, from the fashion front, I ran across an article from December 3, 2007 for New York Magazine that Plum Sykes wrote regarding what to wear to the "Picket Party". Ms. Plum states the following:

I’m 50 percent on strike. Meaning, half of my career, as a Vogue writer, I am merrily continuing with. The other half, as a screenwriter adapting my novel, The Debutante Divorcée, for HBO, is kaput, for now. Amy Harris, a television writer who lives on my block in GreenwichVillage, reminds me
that “We gotta go picket!” In a way, I am excited at the prospect—I’ve never
protested before.What do you do? Blow whistles like the French? Throw eggs
like the Welsh miners? And what on earth does a Voguette wear to a picket?

The fact that she actually believes that her opinion should be taken
seriously on any level is appalling. Her naivete is so overt that she probably
has no idea the cause of the strike. Any idea of fashion connected to this cause
is absurd and she is a disgrace to both professions. As a member of both AFTRA and the Screen Actor's Guild (SAG), I am embarrassed that she was a must-join for a guild of which I am affiliated and as a professional and studied actress/artist and guild member, I wholly support. I am extremely offended by her comments and are grateful to those who condemned her comments on their website. Her ingenuousness as an artist/writer of any sort is glaring, making anyone not want to read her book or screenplay. Go back to lunching on your husband's dime, Ms. Sykes.

The Bad: Spring 2008

2008-01-20T13:59:00.000-08:00

As in Sergio Leone's film title, "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", I believe that I should mix it up a little and begin with the bad. Let's get this out of the way, shall we?

We could start with the pairing of television and model scouting. Has Bravo/NBC heard of ratings? They will be at the bottom as "Make Me a Supermodel" is so bad and most of the models are so average and ill-suited for couture, my brain melted when I forced myself to watch half an episode. But let us stick to what is most important: the collections. As in every season and every collection, the already three mentioned adjectives usually apply and this season is no different. I cannot help but to be a little distracted with the bad when style.com, "the online home of Vogue" is highlighting some of the very worst in their "trend report." I pray none of their highlighted pieces for Spring 2008 will become a trend, ever. The silhouettes are bad, as are the hated neon colors of the eighties.

Their focus on "Nice Stems" I found particularly horrifying (http://www.style.com/trends/trend_report/011408/nicestems ). What woman wants to wear this? His garments are always over sized, but is he trying to be so artistic that he has gone overboard? The Dries Van Noten "stem" pattern throughout the collection is sometimes lovely. Some of the items have an exotic, Southeast Asian beach-like appeal with flowing silks fluidly draped around the body like something from "South Pacific." However, overall the collection is sloppy. The silhouettes of the elastic waist-banded skirt or culottes paired with an over sized connecting blouse/bodice with a matching men's style tie is my vote for the bad. The sack-style dresses in this collection look like just that: a silk sack making even a size 0 model's hips look wide. This garment looks like something from the old ladies department at Penney's only the poly was traded in for silk. Fortunately, this concoction is so sad, the only historical reference I can think of is that it is for senior citizens gone blind.

To see more editorial picks from this collection, the cover of January 2008 cover of Vogue is an image of Kate Hudson wearing a bodice from the collection. The shoulders are extremely wide. The colors look great in print and on Ms. Hudson, though could the stylists not find anything else from Spring 2008 collections to photograph for their cover shot? An interesting comment from Harper Bazaar's February 2008 issue is from J.J. Martin, Fashion Features Editor. She chose a lavender and yellow unfitted a-line calf-length dress with voluminous 3/4 length sleeves bound by wide tapering cuffs and a scoop neck. Martin chose this for their section titled "Contributors' Choice," stating that "'Dries has placed these different patterns together on the same bolt of fabric, so I don't have to deal with a 'does this work or not' dressing quandary'" (p. 68). Hmmm. Should not the "quandary" be her job to sort and critique as a fashion editor. Does she have no opinion of her own, but merely chooses what her favorite designers have offered the market?

What about the ensemble from Thakoon highlighted in the "trend report." Overall, I like the collection, but this is one of the bad. This looks like a cheap knock-off of a Zandra Rhodes pattern and if anyone were to find it in one's closet, they would think that they paid too much money for something from the eighties they never wore (or never should have) and it should be thrown out. Please don't send this one to the Salvation Army. It is cruel to think that anyone should be wearing it. This clam-digger trend must stop!

The only trend I see in these two ensembles is a fascination with clowns.

Tomorrow, I will post the ugly. It is also from the "trend report." I just can't help myself.

The Fashion Scholar

2008-01-18T09:23:00.000-08:00

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week is quickly approaching
The press is ready,
The models are not,
Designers are working around the clock.
I started this blog today in the name of dress.
And in the names of the historically fashionable,
Marie, Eugenie, Babe, Audrey, Grace, C.Z.,Nan, Lee and Jackie,
Surely, not to forget our Brits, Diana, Twiggy and Penelope,
We must march forth together into this journey
Seeking everlasting style and good taste throughout eternity.

As this is the first editorial of my blog, the following ladies are a few of my favorites. Their style is iconic as they are a constant measure for living and dressing gracefully. I hope you will agree and enjoy my site.

Here is Mrs. Paley as photographed by Horst P. Horst for Vanity Fair, 1946. Referring to Mrs. Paley, Bill Blass stated, “I never saw her not grab anyone’s attention, the hair, the makeup, the crispness. You were never conscious of what she was wearing; you noticed Babe and nothing else.” Her dear friend, Truman Capote complained that “ Babe Paley had only one fault, she was perfect. Otherwise, she was perfect.” I agree, she
did indeed dress perfectly.

Another photo that I could not resist to record in my blog, is that of Audrey in 1958 at a dress fitting with Hubert de Givenchy taken by Howell Conant standing in front of a Turner. He took some of her most famous photographs, as well as for Princess Grace. Simply "S'wonderful."

Princess Grace with Prince Rainier shopping in
London's West End, 4th December 1959

C.Z., chic, but not overstated, even at the
pool. This is why she is pictured in the Preppy Handbook.

Jackie and Lee walking the
streets of swinging London in Courreges.

Nan with one of her favorite designers, Yves Saint Laurent. He is also one of mine. Growing up in the 1970s and 80s, YSL, along with Mr. Valentino, best epitomized the glamour we remember from 1975-85 period.