Mr. Cunningham's Eye on...

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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Bill Cunningham, the original street style photographer who has worked for the New York Times for as long as anyone can remember, now does very irreverent and pitch-perfect video montages of his photos of stylish citizens of New York for the publication, and are one of my favorite things to watch one the Times website. I came across two great videos which seem to have captured my visual sense of style today in two very distinct ways for me: the ultra-feminine and perhaps the last bastion of gender-specific clothing, the Dress, makes its big appearance (again) at NY Fashion Week, AND, the direct influence of menswear/womenswear towards androgynous dressing, or, in my opinion, "dressing for You".

Enjoy these great video montages and the wonderful commentary of Mr. Cunningham:
"Fashion Week: Fantasy or Reality?"
The influence of menswear on womenswear, or is it the other way around? I think we have really reached the apex of "dressing for You". Look at how interchangeable it really truly is nowadays: men carry handbags/purses and wear color, and women are re-drawn to tailoring and wearing brogues better than ever.

"Zip It"
The return of the dress, in a big way, has not only transcended the runways but the closets of women everywhere. The "one-piece" does what it does without any other aplomb. It is stylishly simple and complete and the smartest move to make now.

-fggofstyle

Video: Cathy Horyn's Spring 2012 Report NY

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Saturday, September 17, 2011


Ms. Horyn's astute observations of the emerging trends from New York Fashion Week

Her analysis of the trends are of course succinct and spot-on, and I completely agree with her on the three trends that she mentions but I feel that "soft silhouettes" are a trend unto themselves, which I think we will see throughout the presentations in the coming weeks as a counter balance to the "sport" trend that is emerging. I think that when we get to Milan, the "sport" trend may die down, as by now the Italians have been doing "sport" but with severe sophistication that no one else has been able to master as well. The new "soft silhouette" I feel will hit its peak in Paris, where I see this trend really taking hold and being executed par excellence there. The jacket has never really gone away and it is definitely stronger than ever. I think in London we will see the real style and proper execution of the jacket come full tilt, as tailoring is the strongest point of London and no better place for the jacket to be down perfectly but, in Tokyo the art of the jacket will be seen.

 Enjoy the video and I'm looking forward to London Fashion Week this week.
-fggofstyle
(video via www.nytimes.com)

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Where Have All the Models Gone?

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Thursday, September 15, 2011

The Fall campaigns run the spectrum of many things that fashion companies want us to focus on--color trends, new silhouettes, the mystique of their brand, and, most importantly, the desire to spend your money with them. The ad campaigns do this by creating beautiful hair and makeup looks, cohesively edited and styled looks by a cadre of experts, eye catching graphics, and the all important brand logo. And now, and most importantly, by employing a celebrity. Um...where have all the models gone?!?

Its a sad fact that now you can't even buy a magazine with a fashion model on the cover, which is horrible to fathom to me. And now, you open said magazine and in the campaigns there is an overwhelming number of celebrities who are touting everything from fragrance to shoes to clothing. This is becoming even more a regular phenomenon. What happened to the suspension of belief and mystery of the fashion model? Do I need to apply an actual personality to the campaign who just becomes a running reminder of their latest musical or cinematic project to me? Is the choice of fashion models so slim that there aren't enough of them to employ in these campaigns? Have fashion models become too expensive to employ and the celebrity is the more economical representative ( I highly doubt it)? I applaud Vogue Magazine for going with a model (Kate Moss) on the cover of the September 2011 issue (a very long time coming) but not many other magazines have followed suit and the major campaigns fail as well by following the celeb-as-model trend. 
Yes, its nice to see Kate Winslet looking great but in three campaigns? Or Julianne Moore in another three? Drew Barrymore knocks it out of the park in the Neiman Marcus fall campaign but granted, she is an actress/model who has had success in her respective careers separately and not in concert with each other. Marion Cotillard also does a great job in her campaigns but she French and doesn't count (I'm kidding). And lets not even talk about the beauty campaigns, which has been over run with celebrities for decades now and seem to continue to give any new female musician or actress a contract at any given moment. Fashion models have been relegated to fashion shows and editorials, which yes, is the core of their work and where they really are the only pros who do that job and do it well, but who is to say that the next trend is to have the celeb in the ad campaign walk to runway next? This is the homogenization of the industry in the age of celebrity and I hope it doesn't go that route.

One of the best campaigns in fashion had to have been the Versace ads of the 90s that featured celebrities like Elton John or Madonna. Whats was great about that campaign was the idea (and fact) that the celebrity in the campaign was an actual customer of the brand and you knew it, believed it, and made you want to wear it. This same ethos even translated to the campaigns that featured the models of the time in the brands campaigns as well, making those featured models into Supermodels.  This held the allure of the brand and elevated it to status. I don't see this happening in today's campaigns and feel its become homogenized and very general. 

Its even more sad when you think about the state of the modeling industry, where to land a major magazine cover was an achievement and now its a rarity.  A top model is now lucky to get an editorial and even in that respect, its being dominated by a select few (of a happily diverse mix of) models.  But even still, models are in the job of inspiring us to explore our presentation of our inner selves and embody that, I believe. They capture, in that moment, what the brand's image and history convey, and present the objects of that brand in a distinct and different light than a celebrity does. 

Its time to bring back the fashion model. To the campaigns, to the magazine cover, to the forefront of the industry, and the front of our fashion minds often and again.

-fggofstyle

The Fur Flies

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Monday, September 12, 2011

Beginning as a trend in accessories during the Spring collections (and spearheaded by the irreverent Miucca Prada), fur has come full circle and full blown as an actual fact in fashion this Fall. For the past month I have been attending fall collection previews and the overwhelming trend is fur. This season, I have seen the gamut of fur: from good, expensive choices by Fendi to the horribly cheap looking faux by Rachel Zoe to the many grades in between. Every designer at every price point has some sort of fur to offer, real (mostly) or faux. I don't know why this trend has gone as big as it has but its seriously here to stay, at least for this season. My own personal feeling about it is strongly mixed. I can see how wearing a great mink fur chubby or rabbit vest can add posh and polish and season-centric fabulousness to your ensemble, but the ethics of the fur industry seem to creep up in my consciousness. Yet when I think about the choice of faux fur out there to alleviate this conundrum, I still just can't contemplate going through with choosing fur to top off my Fall look.
So what's a conscious fashionista to do? With fur going big this Fall, it really does mean that you have more choice. Look for quality, investigate how the fur is cultivated (cruelty-free is key), if vintage/recycled fur is the way you want to go, or if diving into the trend this season at all is for you. Explore your options, really.
model wearing an Oscar de la Renta fox fur vest
model wearing a Stella McCartney faux fur/3D knit  wool /cashmere vest
This came to me twice. While at the Oscar de la Renta Fur preview, out walked a model in the most fantastic looking fox fur I have ever seen, in a sumptuous color and hand that made me want to jump into the trend right then, ethical conundrum and all. In counter balance the following week while at the Stella McCartney Fall preview, where, not to miss out on the trend yet still offer a sustainable, responsible choice to her customers, presents a wonderfully woolly, raw, and chubby "fur" sweater as an alternative to this whole trend but is perfectly spot-on. It's furry and warm and cozy and says "fall" better than fur, in my opinion. And right there in that moment, the fur flies...for me.

-fggofstyle
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Video: Lanvin Paris Fall 2011 Collection

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Thursday, September 8, 2011




Full of fun and tongue-in-cheek humor, Lanvin Paris does their Fall fashion film to a beat unexpected of the famed fashion house's general public image of the ultimate in French decorum. Steven Meisel helps to break down this barrier by creating a fun and hilarious film for the season, and one of my favorites. There is so many things to adore about this: the models are perfectly coiffed, everyone is dancing naturally (albeit loosely choreographed) and the cameo at the end is the best part. Who knew Alber can get down..?!
Enjoy!
-fggofstyle

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Back to the '70s

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Wednesday, September 7, 2011

My favorite decade in style and substance is back (again) in full inspirational force for Fall 2011 as seen on the runways in NYC, Paris, Milan, and Japan. This great slideshow on NYTimes.com again proves that the well spring of carefree style and wide leg pants continues to lure us back to the '70s. There really is no other time in fashion history where the spirit of an entire decade evolved through '40s references, daring new heights (the high wasit trouser, even high stacked platforms), body consciousness (DVF's icionic jersey shirtdress), and solidifying the real importance of designer American sportswear (Halston, Geofrey Beene, et al) for everyone to see. The subsequent 1980s continued the trailblazing that the 70s established. Take a look at the slideshow here and get lost in nostalgia and move forward in your style by incorporating one or many elements of this great fashion era.
-fggofstyle

Video: 100 Years of Style in 100 Seconds

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Tuesday, September 6, 2011




Check out this great video from the UK to promote the opening of Westfield's new shopping center coming to East London on September 13, which takes us through 100 Years of style in fashion, music, and dance in about 100 seconds. This just puts a smile on my face as its a combination of a few of my favorite things: fashion and dance!
Enjoy!
-fggofstyle
(video via youtube.com/westfield stratford)





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Another Night Out: FNO Returns

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Another year, another night for fun and frolic on the one night a year that the fashion and retail industry lets loose and has fun: Fashion's Night Out, is just a few days away and is ready to launch worldwide. This year promises to be bigger and better than last and is sure to be fun (and lots of  hard work for the countless many who are planning and participating and putting the festivities on). Despite the impending reality of a failing global economy and a lagging depth of creativity found in this season's sartorial offerings, the big event is still going off to get you out and to spend. With the harsh realities of the "real world" (ie the non-fashion world lol) looming in the background, the main point of the whole event is to just simply have fun. The fantastic main website, FNO , incorporates many new features (like Android and iPhone apps) and lists of all the events taking place in your local area. Pick and choose what you want to do and let loose and enjoy. For more tips on how to do it right, click here for my personal guide on Fashion's Night Out. As for myself, I'll be doing my professional fashion thing as one of many stylists live-blogging on Stylelist and giving hands-on styling and fashion consultations to event attendees at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills. I'm looking forward to it and hope to see you out at Fashion's Night Out this Thursday. Happy Shopping!!

-fggofstyle
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