NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: THINGS THAT MAKE ME GO WUUUUU

Posted by Fashion Editor at Large

I am not at New York fashion week. Want to be there, but couldn't justify the cost in time out from LFW prep and cost. I try make myself feel better about the fact I'm not there by telling myself that - and this is purely personal - only two handfuls of NY designers showing are properly relevant to the global picture of fashion. The rest are successful and pertinent in their homeland.

My NY stars are Marc Jacobs (+ Marc by Marc Jacobs), Alex Wang, Jason Wu, Philip Lim, The Row, Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Diane von Furstenberg and Ralph Lauren. Also these days I can't not look at Joseph Altuzarra, Peter Som and Prabal Gurung to see what they are picking up on.

Though, as a side-thought, and in a kinda nostalgic way, I am loving that Tara Subkoff has properly brought her label Imitation of Christ (IoC) back to life in the form she originally created it back in the late nineties. Tara was feted then, and she and her friend Chloe Sevigny (who worked on the label too) were the coolest girls in NYC.

An older and wiser Subkoff did a runway show Thursday at the ballroom of the W hotel in Union Square that doubled as the actual wedding of model/actress Lydia Hearst to a man who, according to Susie Lau is called Miles. Though, from the impression I get no-one thought it was real at the time. Surely turning a genuine wedding into a fashion show (or is it the other way round?) is a fashion first?

N.B  SEPTEMBER 13th UPDATE, The Cut blog reported over night that Lydia Hearst claims she is not married after all, and remains resolutely single. So the most twsitedly cool fashion event of NYFW was a stunt after all!

Lydia Hearst and her un-identified new husband. (Image Racked.com)

IoC, in its original form, showed wonderful, crafty and romantic ways to re-work vintage, and seeing the girls dressed in1930s flapper dresses, and depression-era-seeming tea dresses as they wandered dreamily down the aisle made me wish I was at this particular happening.

I want it all. Imitation of Christ by Tara Subkoff

So, as I am not in New York, I use subscription only catwalking.com for visual close ups, flick onto Graziadaily.co.uk to see what our style director Paula Reed is up to and of course, for its complete hose-down of everything that breathes at any given fashion week, Style.com. I have been a fan of style.com since it began in 2000, and still miss my friend Sarah Mower's writing on there, (she's now at American Vogue's website, critiquing. A site, despite forcing myself to be patient with it, I find painful to navigate) though Tim Blanks and Nicole Phelps have stepped into the empty chief critic position at Style with aplomb.

ANYWAY..I've been dreaming of and waiting patiently for the day that on a catwalk site like style.com, a still catwalk image would be accompanied by a moving image, (what a geek). And this morning, when having some face time with the Jason Wu collection -  massive fan of his work and all that - I saw the day had come!  A button to the left of the image says "move It!" and boom, sure enough when you press said button on look 11, Jourdan Dunn - in a black lightweight parka with a decidedly 40s's hourglass/fishtail shape, gym shorts, and a pink lightweight knit over a cute-collared shirt - look, she walks!

Here are the looks from the show that made me go Wuuu...

Jason Wu SS12 (catwalking.com)

With his Spring/Summer 2012 show Jason Wu has picked up with some tiny trends that were emerging at the last shows, and run with them. Namely peplums, an hourglass silhouette of tiny waist and full volume at hips, pretty pink, acid-ish yellow, decorative collars and wearing the same print top-to-bottom. His look is very European American; and this collection is most definitely for a modern, young and cool version of Grace Kelly. Top marks.

FW11 STYLING TIPS #1: BLACK RIBBON

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

Here at FEAL, we are dedicated to bringing you the important over-arching trends of the new season (which is blustering and raining its ass off outside) so that you know what to expect in the shops, and what direction to take your wardrobe so you feel like someone living through September 2011.

 This week, though, we're going to veer off that track slightly because we want to show you how, by puchasing just one accessory and putting it on, you can become instantly fashionable. Yes, instantly of-the-moment! Our star fashion accessory is 1.5cm wide, three metre length of black ribbon, which we purchased for £1.75 from Paperchase. You can get a 3cm wide version too. Look, how just by tying a bow of black ribbon around a shirt, Jason Wu gave his looks edge...

Masculine, verging on bow tie, at Wu (image from catwalking.com)

How to give a really pretty and feminine dress at Wu the fash factor (Image from catwalking.com)

At the Jason Wu FW11 catwalk black ribbon was used as a finishing touch to a variety of looks from pretty feminine dresses to evening tailoring. At Wu, the ribbon was invariably tied in a neat bow at the neck, but that doesn't always have to be the way. At Prabal Gurung, they let it loose...

A wider black ribbon at Prabal Gurung FW11 (via catwalking.com)

From Orla Kiely's Fall/Winter collection

from FaceHunter in Auckland

We love how Auckland girl has left the ribbon longer and instead of keeping the look completely goody two shoes monochrome, the turquoise shirt pops nicely out behind the tie. I asked a couple of the girls here at FEAL HQ to show me how they'd slot a length of ribbon into their outfits today.

Intern Stella belted her shorts with the black ribbon

Bethan Holt a.k.a Me, the Fashion Junior at Large

And it wouldn't be fair if I didn't have a go myself. I went straight down the Wu route. My experiment makes me conclude that the black ribbon should not be allowed to blend into the background. It has to work too hard against my horsey print shirt. Stark against a plain or light background is best, as demonstrated by Monsieur Karl Lagerfeld, surely the ultimate icon for this single humble accessory...

Other ways to work your ribbon could be tying it around your wrists, under the bust to make an empire line, threading it through converse to create new laces, tied around a pony tail... Any more suggestions?

RESORT 2012: THE BIGHEADS ARE BACK!

Posted by Fashion Editor at Large

Oh, I just couldn't resist the lure of a Big Head post! What better way to celebrate my favourite looks from the Resort 2012 collections, I ask you?  It is a bit "look at me" as so many blogs and fashion editors columns are these days but Susie Lau, Lisa Armstrong, Jess Cartner Morley and Polly V have so much fun starring in their own personal fashion shoots, why not join in? This way I get to be skinny and jump around a lot in nice clothes without lifting more than a few fingers on photo-shop (well, ahem the Fashion Junior does that, so I can't lay claim to the effort). I've been confined to bed all week due to a rather unexpected turn of events so have had ample time to peruse the resort SS12 collections and formulate exactly where fashion is going. Here are my top ten personal picks.

Max Azria

The easy cotton shirt, tracksuit-ish trousers and little retro looking pumps are so SS12. Trust that sporty vibe

Celine

Phoebe is still leading the pack with her work. Love the trilogy of shirt, trouser and sporty jacket in an all over wallpaper print on black.The sporty track jacket is delicious.

Celine

Mmmmmmmmmmm.... Makes me want to break out  my copy of White Women by Helmut Newton

Gucci

I am a confirmed fan of Frida Giannini's work.Think what you like about that, as I'm not your cookie-cutter Gucci girl. This dress is proper great. I'm also in the market for a Gucci handbag. I haven't bought a designer bag for over a year because I cannot find anything I like enough.

Kors

This outfit has my name all over it, except the shoes. NO to them. I still love pink trousers, a year after first seeing them

 

Preen

Thea, Justin? Remember when I saw you the other night and said I loved your Resort coll? Well, this is my favourite outfit. OK?? (Mel, stop fantasising)

 

Vuitton

Marc has been doing patterned pajama's at Vuitton for a while. A lot more people are doing them now (Celine, Jonathan Saunders, Thakoon, Gucci to name a few) but his are still my favourites. I could do with a pair of these now, for looking stylish against the pillows, and enable me to pop up for yet another blood test looking cool)

Jason Wu

This guy is fast shaping up to be my second favourite New York designer

 

Lanvin

This is luscious

Lanvin again!

If you're going to buy a jumpsuit, this one with a matching turban has to be the ultimate. Looking at it makes me dream of the social events I might attend in it, and the things I would get up to and sod that its white. 

Photos: style.com