Worst of New York, Fall 2009

1. Not sure what to make of this Duckie Browne ensemble other than think of Marvin the Martian.

(Duckie Browne, Fall 2009)

2. This slickster reminded me of Tommy Lee Jones' dreadful performance as "Two-Face" in Batman (except that Two-Face actually had one normal half to his suit).

(Lbertine, Fall 2009)

3. The next time your office holds an "Ugly Christmas Sweater" party....

...Thom Browne offers at least two very viable options:

(Thom Browne, Fall 2009)

4. Question- The model below is missing:

(a) a sense of dignity

(b) protection for his fingers

(c) a kick in the head

Wrong! the answer is (d)-- a Pink umbrella!

(Libertine, Fall 2009)

5. For anyone concerned that the one-piece jumpsuit had gone extinct....

...Thom Browne has revived it. The hat is a nice touch too:

(Thom Browne, Fall 2009)

6. Some disturbing arithmetic

+

+

=

(Nice Collective, Fall 2009)

-The Scandal

Balmain RTW, Spring 2009

As the head designer for the French label "Balmain", Christophe Decarnin is most certainly making a house hold name for himself. After all, he was the first designer to bring the most sought after high-heel ankle boots which were last season’s most wanted item.

In all its entirety, the collection was very reminiscent of the good old 80’s including the shoulder pads (yuck). Aside from the shoulder pads, I think the collection was very inspiring.

I noticed the metal studded stilettos in Zara on Bloor St. for $169.00.

Mariya

Elie Saab Couture Collection, Spring 2009

If I were to be the wife of a Prime Minister or a Queen, Elie Saab would most definitely be my preferred designer. In this collection, as in many, each garment was carefully hand crafted to the smallest detail. However, his choice of colour was more demure than usual starting with a palette of pale beige to nude and dusty, barely there tints of violet, pastel blue, and oyster.

Elie Saab became an overnight success after he became the first Lebanese designer to dress an Oscar winner, Halle Berry, in 2002. Berry wore a burgundy gown by Saab to the 2002 Academy Awards when she won for Best Actress. Berry later wore another dress by Saab, this time a gold dress, to the 2003 Oscars.

Justin Timberlake, William Rast Fall 2009 and GQ

Justin Timberlake appears on the cover of the March 2009 edition of GQ (above) wherein he has been named as America's Most Stylish Man. I think I'm going to have to disagree with GQ on this one. It seems to me that Justin is dressed by a stylist, which means he looks good, but in a bit of a manufactured manner (just like the Jonas brothers or the latest American Idol finalists).

Sure JT sports all the trendy accouterments favoured by Hollywood stylists: the vest, the scarf, the sneakers, the dorky trilby hat, etc., but contrast that look to truly original style icons, such as Kanye, Andre 3000 or Johnny Depp. Whatever- I'm just glad they didn't name Obama!

By the way, doesn't he look weird in that cover pic?

JT also co-founded a label called "William Rast". I think Johan ("J") Lindberg had a hand in the Fall 2009 show (shown in the pics below)

-The Scandal

-The Scandal

Thom Browne, Fall 2009

Is anyone tired of Thom Browne 's shtick? We get it. You're a misunderstood creative genius: capri-length suit pants, obsession with grey/white and red/white/blue colour combinations and fashion shows that are weird for the sake of being weird. I wish he'd stick to the basics, because he does it rather well. I particularly like the Black Fleece line that he does for Brooks Brothers.

That reminds me--there is Brooks Brothers store opening in Toronto in the Royal Bank Plaza.

-The Scandal

Calvin Klein Collection, Fall 2009

CKC creative director Italo Zucchelli has been recently known to experiment with "modern" fabrics". In this show, there was a lot of use of this material that looked like Cooperall hockey pads (Do you fashion types know anything about hockey pads? Thought so).

There was also a whole lot of grey. In general, the collections have a certain pleasant plainness to them, though I generally prefer my clothes a bit livelier, either in tone or the cut. I did however pick up a really nice black leather mesh bag at the CK boutique on 5th ave in NYC a few years ago.

A couple of other observations:

I find CKC to be, like Hugo Boss, generally priced cheaper than other haute couture labels. It may not be in the same category as as the Guccis, Pradas, Dolces etc.

Also, be careful of the "Calvin Klein" label. I'm not familiar with all the different brands in the family, but I know that I used to see cheap Calvin Klein suits for sale in large department stores. These guys really prostituted their name, however the more premium "Calvin Klein Collection" is still nice.

-The Scandal

Z Zegna, Fall 2009 Men's

In Canada, we pronounce it "Zed Zegna" ;)

The Z line is Zegna's sportier, fashion forward child. I see the stuff heavily marketed at Harry's, but I don't see the edgier pieces of the collection. I guess that wouldn't fly with their Bay St. clientele.

This particular collection was intresting, albeit very black. Most men's magazines will tell you not to wear an overcoat past the knee, but this collection (as well as many others) violate that rule. As for me, being a shorter dude, I would never wear anything past my knees.

-The Scandal

Michael Bastian, Fall 2009

Nobody does casual better than Michael Bastian. MB was the men's fashion director for a few years at Bergdorf Goodman prior to launching his own line. I particularly like the fit of the clothes and the way he layers them.

His line is carried in Canada at Holt's

-The Scandal

John Bartlett, Fall 2009

From wikipedia

"The newsboy cap is a casual-wear cap similar in style to the flat cap. Sometimes also referred to as the: Baker Boy, Apple Cap, Eight Panel, Jay Gatsby (from The Great Gatsby), Fisherman's Cap and Lundberg Stetson."

You gotta love the 20'3/30's retro look in this collection. A couple summers ago, I decided to try suspenders, and last year, fedoras (not worn together). Both turned out to be a great accessories. I've never tried the newsboy cap (mainly because I think it would make me look too much like a newsboy). Andre 3000 seems to be quite fond of it, and pulls it off rather nicely. Hey yeah!

-The Scandal

Spurr, Fall 2009

It's been fashion week this past week in New York. New York fashion week is a bit different than Fashion Week in Paris and Milan in that though there are some well known names (e.g Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren), a lot of the labels that are featured are up-and-comers, such as this one, Spurr.

I don't know much about the label "Spurr", but I did like the collection and decided to profile it.

According to the website (http://www.spurr.tv/), the designer is named Simon Spurr and he's worked at Ralph Lauren, Bergdorf and Barney's. I don't know if it available in Canada.

-The Scandal