Fashion Blog

Here’s the latest from Fashion Week Fall 08:

Betsey Johnson was her classic self, with an over-the-top, but still pretty wearable collection. I loved everything about it, from the beatnik theme to the sampling of every decade since Kerouac and the beat ruled the underground. Check it out!

At Marc by Marc Jacobs, punky plaid, zipper details and voluminous collars were on display. Bows, sequins and….are those pantaloons I see?

I know! Red dresses on Valentine’s Day–how predictable! But, I’m thinking that it’s so obvious that it might actually be cool in an ironic way.  Plus, these dresses are cute any day.

Diane Von Furstenberg Coen Cashmere Dress, $495

Okay, so it’s a little lot pricey, but a red cashmere dress in a such a flattering shape.  Can you put a price tag on that???

Old Navy Black Leopard Dress, $29.50

Old Navy is really shaping up. Here’s something I’d actually want to wear from the discount chain.  This is also a really  subtle way to do red.

Marc by Marc Jacobs Raised Silk Twill Dress, $348

So, this isn’t a red dress, but it does boast a red sash.  That’s an easy way to get the V-day spirit, without feeling like a box of chocolates.

WD. NY Ponte Sleeveless Dress $49.00 (was $138)

There’s nothing wrong with a little Mondrian print on Valentine’s Day.  Is there?

Forever 21 Balloon Tube Dress, $22.80

Okay, so this isn’t red either, but hot pink on Valentine’s Day totally works! Totally!

Here’s a cute, easy and flattering dress from Marc by Marc Jacobs. It’s a great color for the upcoming spring transition, and it goes from day to night pretty nicely. I follow the rule that you can never have too many cute print dresses, and this one has little spades all over it. Adorable and silk.

MARC BY MARC JACOBS ‘Ace of Spades’ Dress, $142 (was $358)

The deals keep coming this season! The latest is at Bloomingdale’s, where you can get 20% off all purchases up to $299 and 25% if you spend over $300 (until Dec. 4). I always sock away a little money before December just to be able to take advantage of sales like this. Last year, for instance, I got a pair of perfect Marc by Marc Jacobs patent leather pumps for $100 off by combining two discounts.

You can really make your money go far with these deal and treat yourself to something you could never justify paying full price for. Thing like this, for instance:

Tibi Deco Print Shift ($375- 25%=) $281.00

Marc by Marc Jacobs Turnlock Teri Tote ($428-25%=) $321

Stuart Weitzman Patent Riding Boots, ($525-25%=) $393

The 11th Annual ACE awards took place Monday with Marc Jacobs taking home the “Designer of the Year” Award. The honor is particularly interesting due to Jacobs’ recent string of rebellious acts, including starting his spring show two hours late, sticking his tongue out a fashion critic Suzy Menkes (who, along with others, panned his spring collection) on his Paris runway and, of course, dying his hair with Punky Colour. Nonetheless, despite such debacles, which many are chalking up to a mid-life crisis, Jacobs and his coveted handbags received a well earned award for excellence in accessories.

Other winners include Mandy Moore, who was given “Fashion Innovator” honors and Heidi Klum, named a “Fashion Influencer.” Tory Burch got the “Accessories Brand Launch” award, which makes perfect sense considering the pandemonium her bags and doodads have caused as of late. On the flipside of the launch award was the “Lifetime Achievement” award, which was presented to Valentino, who didn’t show but sent Helena Christensen and Lucy Lui in his place and couture gowns.

So, not only did Marc Jacobs show up 2 hours late to his show this week, but he also presented his audience with some pretty wacky stuff–wacky even for high fashion. It left some people, like Victoria Beckham for instance, pretty confused:

Oh, just look at her, poor Posh is beside herself. And that was just the first look, which was a black dress ornamented with silly string appliqué. Imagine how she felt when she got wind of these accessories:

This purse looks dangerous. I can see myself tripping over those multi-colored strings and causing serious damage.  Not that I would carry it in the first place.

Talk about killer heels.  These look more life-threatening than the handbag above.  The last thing women need is a heel that’s harder to walk in.  The backwards heel is just silly, and the other one looks like a recipe for disaster. If you trip in that thing, you will die a catapulting death.
Now, the best thing about this hairband (?) is the Goody metal barrette attached to it.  Wow.

It wasn’t all bad though, there were definitely some gems in the bunch, which you can see on Style.com.

Diane Von Furstenberg

The queen of the flattering dress has done it again.  This time around, there was hardly a signature wrap dress in sight, though, and the replacements were super delish.  The looks were ladylike and ultra-chic, of course, and the colors were fresh and unexpected, muted for the most part but hardly subtle.

What the Diane Said:The program said this collection is about “the fantasy of escaping to exotic islands, and the wilder shores of love.”

Celebs Who Showed: André Leon Talley and a bunch of socialites.

Runway Trends: White and flowy, below-the-knee hems, ruffled skirts, tropical prints, maxi dresses, puffy shirts, halters, graduated color, one shoulder, yellow (of course), wrap skirts, muted colors, sack dresses, and bold patterns.

Marc Jacobs

This show had a fun concept–it went backwards. That’s right, first Marc Jacobs came out and took a bow then his models did the “finale” walk, then it started from the last look to the first. That crazy Marc Jacobs. Is that what getting skinny does to a person?

What Marc Says: “It’s cartoon versions of all the women I know—conservative types, vamps, everybody….”

The Celebs Who Showed: Of course they all came out for this. Victoria Beckham, Mischa Barton, Courtney Love, Carmen Electra, Padma Lakshmi (Top Chef), Sheryl Crow, Vincent Gallo, Kim Gordon (yay!), Elisha Cuthbert, Michael Stipe, Russel Simmons, Michelle Rodriguez, Michelle Trachtenberg, Amy Poelher (double yay!) and Princess Deena Abdulaziz.

Runway Trends: Silly string detailing, black lace, layers, large collars, floral mixed with black, oversized jackets, shimmer, deconstruction (oh maybe that’s why they started with the end first), see-through stuff, asymmetry, flower applique, high-waisted shorts, sequins, lilac and muted colors.

I recently came into a little bit of free and unexpected money and decided to blow it on a new bag. I don’t usually go around buying expensive handbags, but this was a special occasion and this was a special bag…or so I thought.

I’d been eyeing this Marc by Marc Jacob’s Lovely Behati Tote ($458) for awhile–I even included it in a post not too long ago. At the time, I thought it was perfection. I told my friends about, had daydreams where it played a staring roll, and often found myself gazing at it lovingly online.

So, when I got the money, I thought why not? Sure it costs bundle, but I said to myself, it’s classic, neutral and delicious. It will bring me joy for years and years…or so I thought.

I chose to buy it while on a company trip in Las Vegas. They’ve got a pretty good mall there with lots of high-end stores, and after a bit of searching, the Lovely Behati was right in front of my eyes and it was beautiful. It should have been a moment of retail perfection, I should have been euphoric, but after the initial delight of seeing it in the flesh, reality set it. Though “lovely,” that bag was freaking gigantic!

Here it is in full scale with a human being:

This bag is pretty big on this model though not too crazy, but I’m only 5′2, so you can imagine how it looked on my shoulder. And oh, how I tried to love that bag and make it work. I stood in front of the mirror, willing it to not look ridiculous but to no avail–I looked like I was carrying mommy’s purse. A really big mommy.

The girls who I was shopping with tried to be encouraging since they knew how much I’d been lusting after that thing, but there was no getting away from the awful truth. My frame was no match for that bag. “You could fit in it,” was one comment, along with “It’s half the size of your body.”

One friend pointed out how lots of teeny celebs shoulder giant bags and pull it off, but I just didn’t feel up to the task. I’m no Mary Kate or Ashley, and I don’t want to be. Instead, I set about coming to grips with the sad facts…it just wasn’t meant to be. The Lovely Behati was meant for someone else… someone taller.

It was a sad moment, indeed. I looked at other bags, considered buying them, but none were the Lovely Behati. They all paled in comparison. Tears.

Tory Burch, $175

My love for the tote bag has been documented here already, but I will reiterate: I LOVE TOTE BAGS. That’s why I’m not sure whether I’m pro or con on the current tote bag mania that’s occurring. I think my ambivalence all started with Anya Hindmarch’s I’m Not a Plastic Bag tote, which I adore but could never buy because it’s just too dang trendy. And there’s the rub. The totes that are streaming out of the minds of designers are really hip, and even just a few months ago if I saw one in a thrift or vintage store I would have snatched it up in a hot second, but I shrink away from the total tote saturation that looms. Plus, some of them are super pricey, and the great thing about a tote is that it’s not super pricey.

But, still, a tote is always better than a plastic grocery bag:

Louis Vuitton, $1,720 (woh! It’s just a tote bag, right?)

Marc by Marc Jacobs, $12 (only available in MJ stores)

Esprit, $12.50