The Last McQueen @3:55 PM
The last collection by Alexander McQueen showed today, privately, and the slideshow is really worth a look. That this is a gorgeous and sentimental occasion does not make him any less of a complete asshole as well. 28
White People Clothes and "Old Money Green" @3:54 PM
On the eve of my 28th birthday last month, I sat down to my computer prepared to purchase what my dad calls "proper pants." Closer to 30 than I'd ever been before, I decided I'd like to enter the next couple of years owning at least a few pairs of trousers that weren't denim, or at least not denim purchased at Uniqlo (one of the better reasons to live in New York, in my opinion). READ MORE 37
The Spandex Report: Williamsburg Fashion Weekend @1:50 PM
On Saturday night, about ten men and women in white body paint and blue lips were standing on a stage; they wore knitwear short shorts made from recycled sweaters. Only one was wearing a furry bunny mask but they all held croquet mallets. Surf music played in the background as styrofoam "snow" fell from the ceiling. Then Arthur Arbit bounded onstage holding a tallboy can of Pabst Blue Ribbon and welcomed us all to Williamsburg Fashion Weekend. READ MORE 16
Lacroix + McQueen Line Please ASAP @10:36 AM
If Gucci (Alexander McQueen's 51% stakeholder) doesn't hire Christian Lacroix to execute the ongoing, post-McQueen line of McQueen, I'll be very gay-upset. 10
Fashion Week and the Atrocity of Michael Bastian @10:50 AM
Fashion week is sort of a non-event this year, and I'm not even sure why. The clothes are okay? People went kind of nuts for Marc Jacobs but I found it pretty and cold and overly sensible (with one notable exception, pictured). And as far as stuff for men to wear? Hoo boy. READ MORE 6
Amy Larocca Does Some Serious Spade Work @12:50 PM
Here are my favorite five little bits in the profile of Kate and Andy Spade in New York magazine. I find the Spades actually kind of charming and even so this story is making me laugh and laugh. It's like taking a big branding-scented bath in word association.
1. The Spades took Bea to Disneyland for the first time at the end of January. A few days after they got home, Andy had a party at Partners & Spade to celebrate the release of the first two of six books of photographs he had taken with his iPhone. READ MORE 12
Badvertorial: One 'Esquire' Undermines the Other @11:00 AM
May I totally gay out on you for a minute? There are two Esquires, at war with each other. There is the magazine that published the Roger Ebert profile, which is, by all accounts, amazing. (I can't read it yet because I don't have any time for a meltdown right now!) Then there is the magazine that is producing "Inside Their Olympics: Get All-Access Analysis from Lovely Athletes at the Winter Games (Easier on the Eyes Than Costas, Eh?)," starring "North America's Loveliest Olympians," which, wow, seriously, stab yourselves, your ironic Mad Men shtick is not actually ironic. I think it is this latter Esquire that is giving away clothes today. READ MORE 23
Let's Not Forget That Alexander McQueen Worked For Worst Industry Ever @3:00 PM
It is sad that Alexander McQueen took his own life, says Telegraph religion editor/Anglican priest George Pitcher. But there's something he thinks that we're ignoring while we focus on the tragedy of a man at the top of his field who could not overcome whatever sadness he found too painful to cope with: The fashion industry is bad, bad, bad. READ MORE 13
Alexander McQueen Dead At 40 @10:22 AM
Alexander McQueen, the long-notorious English fashion designer just now reaching both commercial success and fame, committed suicide this week, his office confirmed today. 22
The Lindsay Lohan-Centered Biz Model Drives Ungaro Into Closing Madison Ave. Store @9:00 AM
Emanuel Ungaro, the once high-end line of the Paris-based designer who sold his name and company in 2005, made headlines last year for electing Lindsay Lohan as its full-time muse and, improbably, artistic designer. (The company even fired a designer who refused to learn from the wisdom of the Lohan.) The line, under Lohan… let's say it suffered? ("The collection was such a failure that we could not believe they kept her on," is how fashion publicist Kelly Cutrone put it.) And now, the business is making drastic financial arrangements—closing their Madison Avenue shop, according to a staff member. READ MORE 6
"Fashion police on the prowl for the latest trends were held captive at a Singapore prison recently when it housed couture instead of inmates."
—That's the worst sentence ever, ever, ever written, on the topic of the Calvin Klein Spring 2010 collection, which took place in a recently decommissioned prison. I mean, for starters, "ck Calvin Klein" isn't by any stretch of the imagination "couture"! @1:00 PM 17
Alexander McQueen's Men's Collection of Zombie Wallpaper @4:00 PM
This is very strange, this fall/winter 10/11 line of all-over print duotone wear with, um, face masks. The face-hoodies (I guess?) are practical in case you need to go looting. But my favorite part of the McQueen show in Milan is the DEAD EYES and listless walks on all the models. How do you explain to models how to do that? "We're going for very recently dead." 11
This Bill Cunningham video, on THE BIGGEST FASHION DISCOVERY OF THE MODERN AGE, is actually quite convincing! 12
Something Horrible Happened to Tom Ford! @12:28 PM
Tom Ford, whose movie A Single Man made $216,328 this weekend in its very limited release, makes, as we have noted, excruciatingly expensive and gorgeous clothes for men. (Women's clothes coming soon—as soon as he raises $50 million to do the line, which, oh my God, it's going to be all made out of ostrich saliva and platinum leaf, I guess?) In particular, in his recent seasons of ties, not a single one of them was bad. But, while my back was turned, apparently Tom Ford just dumped a bunch of men's stuff for next season on the market? And it is REVOLTING. READ MORE 83
Are 13-Year-Olds Taking Our Jobs? @4:20 PM
"You know that feeling when you're sort of floating around like a ghost and so exhausted that you consider drinking the Lola perfume in your goodie bag at Marc Jacobs? No? Me neither. Except this one time when I went to New York Fashion Week and it was sort of crazy."
Gah. I want to douse the flaxen-haired author with superspicy haterade, snatch her bag, smash the perfume behind me like a smoke bomb, and go legging it down the block cackling like a maniac—but can't. Because Tavi Gevinson, the writer, is a fashion blogger who's been featured in Teen Vogue, the Times magazine, graced the COVER of the POP magazine relaunch and IS A CHILD. Like a teeny wee baby person, who can't feel all that good to maul. Or at least it would feel FUCKING FANTASTIC but, like, only for a second. READ MORE 54
Tom Ford and Jason Reitman: Narcissism and Status Anxiety @9:20 AM
We have many, many things to say about Tom Ford, which we will get to over the next week. For now, we are confronted with a Times Styles profile. Let's put our concerns in order!
1. Let us look at the boys in the background of this on-set picture. Hot, identically-clad in high-end flannels… I see. Working hard, boys! I mean, I also enjoy hiring pretty, fashionable boys? (And from a quick overview of the crew list, it looks about 75% male.) But sometimes, in the real world, we find that the best person for the job is a not-pretty, unfashionable girl. READ MORE 19
Extra-Dumpy Pants Making a Comeback @11:50 AM
Stuart Elliott at the NYT is hysterical. Check it, he says, "FIRST, Justin Timberlake brought sexy back. Now, Dockers will try to bring khaki back." MAHAHAHAHAHA. Isn't that great? I mean, I don't know about you but I think mashing that message into the squarest lead ever is some boss shit.
The weird thing is, Dockers are absolutely ripe for return. READ MORE 74
Worn Out: How Much Does it Cost for Gareth Pugh to Get You Gaybashed? @1:30 PM
Designer Gareth Pugh really is wonderful because he makes really messed-up things for ladies to wear, hence why you see the Space Vampire Rihanna putting that business on. But the biggest problem in fashion (of fashion's eight biggest problems) today—designers who make great crazy things for women but can't figure out what to do with men—is his huge stumbling block. Let us take a tour of the floor of Barneys, and we will tell you how much it costs to dress up as a really gay guy from the future next Halloween. READ MORE 22
How Should One Dress Best for Civil Disobedience? @11:26 AM
"Clothes that look as if they were bought in Camden market (wacky-wacky, thumbs-aloft, baggy striped trousers; anything with a pompom) are obviously verboten. Unless you are Elizabeth Hurley, you probably will not be tempted to wear heels to a protest (and what would Liz be protesting about, do we think, people? Perhaps a criminal nationwide shortage of white denim?). Plain and practical are the obvious styles to aim for, but nothing in army green because that risks you being mistaken for a rent- a-protester, army green generally being their chosen colour. Similarly, no T-shirts or other paraphernalia that indicate you have frequented other protests: you think it proves your passion, others think you're just a protest slut in it for the exercise and the day off work." 11
eBay Maybe Has Degenerative Brain Disease @11:30 AM
BARGH, people. What in balls is going on? Why is bloated online swap meet eBay going all analog and erecting a store in midtown Manhattan? I mean, it's a pop-up and not a brick-and-mortar and it's SO special and open for ONLY a week but someone explain to me the crazytown collected hodgepodgery? An eBay exclusive Norma Kamali collabo, L.A.M.B. shoes, Anthropologie dresses and DOONEY & BOURKE? Who fucks with Dooney & Bourke other than people who say "pocket book" and think Coach monogram is like a real thing? Who is this person who'll go to 57th street during the week of Thanksgiving with the sole motivation of buying THIS crap? Also, "shoppers will have access to the entire eBay marketplace via Internet kiosks." So wait, you get to go all the way outside so you can stand thick in the pig-flu riddled shit and GO ON eBAY? Do these people really exist? Are they waiting for Wikipedia to come out with a hardbound? Should etsy maybe open a flagship in SoHo with a subbasement to store ALL the inventory EVER? Holy 2009… this is going to work isn't it? 37
Versace Makes Me Sadface. Skinny Sallow Sadface. @4:00 PM
Yesterday's news that the Versace Group would be cutting 26% of their international workforce—350 jobs—is deeply upsetting especially considering you can't google "Versace" without "Cunanan" coming up and especially considering their porcelain Medusa obelisk that they made in that one Rosenthal collabo was the hot sauce and matches my Medusa ashtray. (YES.) Versace USED to be cool. It was Linda Evangelista and Biggie Smalls and now it's not. Now it's old-timey-melanoma-white-pants-Euro and it's fun on some "look at me I'm smoking Capri's while wearing frosted coral-colored Revlon nail polish because I'm a fucking cut up" but is otherwise just super tragic. I mean, seriously, why isn't there a citizen's arrest happening on the coccyxtastic behind of one Allegra Beck Versace, a.k.a. Donatella's daughter, a.k.a. the classic type-a anorexic who holds a majority share of the company but can't grip it with her hands BECAUSE SHE IS JUST THAT HUNGRY. Hunger is bad for business. 39
Is Jean Pigozzi The Devil? @10:07 AM
Limoland (as in Limousine + Land) is "streetwear deluxe for prosperous people" and despite the promise of douche that lies in the description, their clothes are neatly beyond reproach. They've just created some fantastic outerwear in their fall '09/winter 10 collaborations with Penfield and Crescent Down Works but the part that I personally find interesting is that Limoland, despite sounding like the kissing cousin to Mark Ronson's super-secret supergroup Chauffeur, is owned by Jean Pigozzi who randomly holds the world's greatest collection of contemporary African art but is also the dude who bought and then killed Spy magazine. This venn diagram makes my brain bleed. To where I am staring HARD at the camera and wondering how the fuck this guy is quietly making a name for himself in a world overrun by blipsters, ex-graf derels, and a bunch of Asian kids born in the '80s. Where am I? 9
Super Young Designer Makes Ugly Stuff. Sorry. @4:30 PM
I'm sure Gabby Applegate, the 19-year-old designer of Witches, is a very nice girl. And as an older female I don't enjoy pulverizing the plucky spirit of the youf unless there's a cash prize but I just saw her 2010 spring/summer lookbook hoping to see dewy-skinned, clear-eyed promise and sadly didn't.
This stuff is fugs. And for the most part it's not her fault since it is a very specific Los Angeles flavor of bad. READ MORE 28
Skank Boot Attacks Paris @10:00 AM
The wonderful Times photographer Bill Cunningham has returned from Paris with an unbelievable slideshow of the world's worst thing: the over-the-knee skank boot. WATCH IN HORROR. And amusement. These boots really are disgusting! 51
'Mad Men': The Suit @12:00 PM
Hurry up, guys, you've only got until November 8th to pick up your limited-edition Brooks Brothers "Mad Men" suit. The "hand-finished, American-made suit is made from gray sharkskin fabric and its two-button jacket features narrow lapels, diagonal pockets and side vents," and will surely be a big hit with anyone who cannot distinguish a television character from reality. Failing that, you can always pick up a pair of those jeans that make your dick look bigger. 13
Skank Boot Evokes Rage @4:30 PM
I can't deal. It's fall 2009 and what they've predicted has all come true. I've seen 'em. They've officially descended upon us like the vinyl-clad seat of a dominatrix who mistakenly thinks we want our faces suffocated. They're everywhere. On the street. On public transportation. The sticky, deplorable, throbbing, bastard mass sprung from the loins of FASHION like so much Strangé perfume from Grace Jones' womb: the over-the-knee-boot. READ MORE 74
So Long, Paris Fashion Week! @12:20 PM
Paris fashion week slides to a greasy halt. Largely it was a tepid affair, punctuated by the saddening Chanel outing and the unbelievable Alexander McQueen show, and, let us be honest, I spent like 45 minutes talking about his shoes last night, again. And there were some other secret fashion week bits that we heard less about. For instance, the new Walter Steiger shop, where you don't know how much anything costs. "After all, why bother asking asking the price of a made-to-measure boot in astrakhan, shaved mink, and blond fox?" writes fashion week correspondent Matthew Hicks. Except don't you want to know that they cost something like $12,000 Euros? That is because, you know, it's a hard day's work to pull the skin off a baby and/or fetal karakul lamb! 19
Louis Vuitton Has Cleopatra Jones Riot Grrl Accident @4:16 PM
I mean, man, things are really happening over in Paris at the shows. First the Chanel bomb went off—Lily Allen, hay barns, ugliness—and now all this afro-headed girl-kitten post-early-Courtney-Love extremely inelegant and slightly militaristic business from Vuitton. Can you stand it? I think I cannot. Also here is the thing with the afros that every model is wearing on the runway: Vuitton is one of the only luxury brands that is happy with its substantial black client base, both here and in Europe. Is the afro thing a fun, knowing wink? Is it mockery? It makes me awkward. Also you know, maybe next time, black models—although at least they had some!—with long natural hair? No? And let us say it again: there is nothing for men to wear. 12
