Worst of New York Spring/Summer 2010

1. Thom Browne (part 1)


Disturbing arithmetic:



1 pair of men's short shorts





+ one lil red riding hood

=

2. Thom Browne (part 2)

I wonder what was going through the mind of the bank teller who was the victim of this robber with a nylon stocking mask. If she reads this blog, I bet she was thinking "omg! what a terrible outfit!"

Fortunately, Thom Browne has now given us two fantastic looks for smartly dressed bank robbers:

3. Patrick Ervell (part 1)

Q: What do you get when you combine John Lennon, Harry Potter and a brown cardigan?

A: This wierd-ass look

4. Thom Browne (part 3)

Q: What would the offspring of Lil Dot....

...and Dumb Donald (from the "Fat Albert" cartoons) look like?

A: Thom Browne once again answers this question:

5. Phillip Lim

More disturbing arithmetic:

1 UPS uniform

+ Leather

=

6. Thom Browne (Part 4)

More disturbing arithmetic:

Weird lipstick

+ Wizard costume

+ Kangol

=

7. Duckie Browne (part 1)

Q: Imagine you're a 4,000 year old Egyptian Mummy and you need some stylish beachwear--what do you wear?

A: You wear this:

8. Patrick Ervell (part 2)

Ever wonder what a tuxedo with a toilet splatter pattern would look like?

Look no further:

9. Thom Browne (part 5)

Who among us can truly say that they have never wondered what Dave Navarro...

...would look like wearing a striped speedo, see-through mesh pants, wool cumberbund and flip flops?

Well, here is the answer to that age-old riddle:

10. Thom Browne (part 6)

Q: What is a man to wear if his date is wearing an "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini"?

A: An itsy-bitsy black polka dot suit:

11. Yigal Azrouel

Q: How do you sex-up Barney Rubble?


A: Just add some sexy pajama pants:

12. Duckie Browne (part 2)

2 Essential shoe rules:

-Yellow shoes can only be worn with boxer briefs and a condom hat (pushed in)

Light blue suede shoes can only be worn with a big, manly bow across your crotch:

-The Scandal

Tommy Hilfiger Spring/Summer 2010

A few years ago (~2005), Tommy Hilfiger launched a more upscale label, known simply as "H". I actually dug the collection, but was disappointed to learn that the collection wasn't available in Canada--not even at Tommy stores. I did however manage pick up a white "H" dress shirt in NYC that had a candy-coloured buttons.

Eventually, the "H" label seemed to disappear as quickly as it appeared and I haven't really dabbled in Tommy since.

I've noticed lately that the label seems to be once again trying to position itself as a dressier (shirt and tie) label. I have no idea about the quality of the clothing nor its price point. I suppose it's worth checking out.

Anyways, I've included some pics from the recent Tommy show in NY. I thought the collection was nice enough, if not a bit plain-- it reminded me a bit of the CK collection in that regard.
I liked the suede desert boots, which have been making a huge comeback, in case you haven't noticed.

-The Scandal

LG Fashionweek, October 19-24

The Toronto LG fashion week is scheduled for October 19-24.

What I just realised is that the venue has changed.

Think that's bad? Wait 'til you find out the location of the new venue: 1040 King St. Do you know where that is? Nor do I. That's why the fashion week website has resorted to publishing a freakin map for the place.

According to their website "The new layout, comprised of tents and permanent structure, will add the opportunity and ability to create new spaces for new events at LG Fashion Week."

http://www.lgfashionweek.ca/venue.aspx

I think the decision to re-locate the venue outside the downtown core is terribly misguided. As far as I was concerned, the city hall location worked very well. You couldn't get any more central than city hall, which made the location pretty darn convenient. Plus there was some element of cachet, not to mention good pedestrian visibility. Furthemore, the complex itself (the "tent") worked really well.

That's my rant for the day.

-The Scandal

Michael Bastian, Spring/Summer 2010

Another cool collection by Michael Bastian, who really seems to be coming into his own; The look offers a little bit of Ralph Lauren preppiness and little bit of the DSquared rocker look (and of course, so much more. One of the things I like about Bastian is the boldness of his collections. There is none of the preciousness that you see in a lot of the other current fashion designers (e.g., Lanvin).

Some interesting highlights of this collection:

-the ankle-high length of the pants, though to me, this seems to have more in common with high-end Milan than it does Thom Browne ;

-quirky pastel colours (which seem to be popular in other NY shows such as Loden Dager and Victor Glemaud);

-frayed shorts (not shown because I didn't approve);

-The Scandal

Photos: Marcio Madeira, all images style.com

Ralph Lauren Spring/Summer 2010

It's no secret that Ralph Lauren is one of my favorite designers. I wouldn't have said that a few years ago. At that time, I thought the clothes were too plain. I favoured the the shock and awe doctrine by flashier designers such as Dolce, Gucci, Cavalli, etc.


But most of Ralph's clothing is pretty plain. What makes it so cool is how you put it all together. A yellow cashmere sweater isn't terribly interesting, but when you pair it with, say, navy pants, an orange belt, and red polo shirt, the outfit suddenly becomes a lot more interesting (or "whimsical" as Mr. Lauren calls it).


What makes Ralph Lauren so intriguing then is that you can craft an outfit as plain or as interesting as the wearer decides. It's a versatility you simply don't have with the flashier designers.

So the genius in the brand lies in assembling the clothing, and nobody does that better than Ralph himself, which is why I love leafing through the photos from the fashion show.

As for this year's collection, some of the notable features included belts with silver and turquoise stone (in the Back Label collection, I think), prominent use of the colours yellow and lime, and paisley ties (ugg). I usually love RL's colour combinations, but I thought some of this year's combinations fell a bit flat.

On the whole, of course, I enjoyed the collection.

-The Scandal

All images from style.com, courtesy Ralph Lauren