Peter Dundas gave the hippie-deluxe look he’s made his signature during his two years at Emilio Pucci the old heave-ho tonight. Call it a case of quitting while you’re ahead: Sales for Spring and orders for pre-fall are way, way up. But the designer has already moved on to new inspirations. For Fall he’s thinking along more refined yet altogether decadent lines. Before the show he rattled off a list of reference points: hunters; Tyrolea; winter palaces; Romy Schneider as Sissi; Victoire de Castellane, the designer of Dior’s haute joaillerie; and a Parisian figure known for flaunting her very belle poitrine. That’s right, a bare leg may have reigned supreme at this Florence house since Dundas’ arrival, but no longer. This season, the bust is it. He framed it with corseted hourglass dresses that had long sleeves and a little collar or a bow, and sometimes both, at the neckline—one part temptress, the other part decorous. These came in all manner of materials, from practically humble loden wool to positively sumptuous black velvet embellished with crystals arrayed in diamond patterns, as well as in the familiar Pucci prints. Well, make that not so familiar. To emphasize the rustic, raw part of the story, he reintepreted the prints in hand-painted renderings. As for all those sharp-shouldered, double-breasted Pucci blazers in the front row? There were still some rigorously tailored examples on today’s runway, but they were part of the capsule collection for men that Dundas was debuting alongside his womenswear. His female fashion fans, on the other hand, will have to do some updating before next season. His new jackets come with a little puff at the shoulders. A suede version with leather appliqués worn with matching knickers edged into costume territory, but it was a rare misstep in a terrific collection. The Hollywood set that’s gone gaga for Dundas will be looking for red carpets to wear his dresses on all year long.
(by Nicole Phelps – style.com)

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

L.A.M.B. closed out New York fashion week (only a small Finnish label followed it), and the show suggested that there was some poetic justice in that: Gwen Stefani’s collection cycled its way back through not only the trends of the season, but of past seasons, too. The show was divided into six groups, each with its own look, its own soundtrack, and its own models (often, a little oddly, grouped by race). The “Soldier Girls” wore military looks. The Rasta “Ragga Muffins,” Navajo print. Some “London Girls” had menswear-inspired suiting, and Malcolm McLaren-style “Buffalo Girls” were outfitted with outdoorsy blanket plaids. The “Mod Girls” wore leopard, stripes, and dots, and the “Glamour Girls” who closed—all Stefani-blonde—had seventies jumpsuits and halters in basic black. It’s a worthy validation of the concept that fashion should be fun to suggest, as L.A.M.B. does, that there’s no need to lock yourself into one specific look. Try boho one day, Charlie Girl the next. For any and all, L.A.M.B. is there. (by Matthew Schneier – style.com)

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Once upon a time, not all that long ago, there was one thing you could be sure of at a Proenza Schouler show, and that thing was cool. Now, there are two things: cool and craft. Last season, designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez obsessed over Japanese shibori dyeing techniques and the process of making guipure lace. For Fall, inspired by a road trip they took to Santa Fe, where they were hipped to the beauty of Native American blankets, they hit the computer to design their own prints. And if that doesn’t sound crafty, wait till you hear what happened next. “Then we exploded them and we pixelated them,” McCollough said backstage, pointing out the geometric embroideries of a long-sleeved jacquard sheath and the hand-painted panne velvet of other dresses. Jack and Lazaro weren’t the only designers turned on by textiles and tribes this season (see Thakoon, for one), and yet the kaleidoscopic results look unmistakably theirs. Chalk that up to the slouchy cut of their pants, the undone way the ragged back hem of a black suede camp shirt was shown untucked over a slim pencil skirt, or how a party dress with an asymmetric neckline was layered over a black tee. In a word: cool. Not everything will be quite as palatable to their fans. We’re talking here about the overwrought trio of densely patterned leather and viscose knit sweaters and pants. On the other hand, the glazed silk blanket-stripe cocktail dresses look destined for a red carpet near you. Amid all the clashing prints were a pair of comparatively understated dresses with bias cuts that spiraled up the body like a double helix. In fashion parlance, that’s apparently called an “easy sew, tricky pattern.” Whatever you call it, the results were impressive. (by Nicole Phelps – style.com)

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

SHOP ALL ANALILI DESIGNER FASHION – CLICK HERE

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Sally LaPointe, the designer for S.LOVE, is bringing her aesthetic to SALLY for S.LOVE, a new line of pieces with a slightly more casual flair and younger sensibility.  This new line consists of nylon jersey dresses, long silk shifts, XL cotton jersey scarves and bubble lamb leather clutches.

SALLY for S.LOVE has a very graphic color palate of black and white and monochromatic designs that conjures up images of the aerosol work in graffiti murals and shadowy scenes from film noir.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

What’s the reigning queen of artsy dressing supposed to do when fashion starts heading in a cleaned-up, spare, decidedly un-artsy direction? If she’s astute, and Vera Wang is nothing if not that, she starts making cleaned-up, spare fashion of her own. The first look out was a black wool pantsuit with a narrow, slightly elongated jacket, its shoulders trimmed with organza corsages. (Hey, no one becomes a minimalist overnight.) Tailoring was a focus of this show, but Wang put her luxurious, ultra-femme stamp on it: cutting the sleeves off one of her coats at the elbows so it can be worn with opera gloves and affixing sequins to the mesh pockets of a charcoal felt double-lapel jacket.

A pair of her easy paper-bag-waist tuxedo pants, worn with a draped one-shoulder top in white linen voile or an ivory silk faille tucked bustier, would make fabulous alternatives to the little black cocktail dress—though Wang showed quite a few of those, too. Among the best was a simple twisted and draped jersey frock that fell to just above the knee. Others, with their mosaics of metallic sequins and swags of black tulle (accessorized with piles of pearls), erred on the fussy side. “Less is more” is not a concept that feels entirely natural for Wang. Still, she nailed it with a scalloped black organza gown that looked practically weightless as it glided down the runway. (by Nicole Phelps – style.com)

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Whoever does Marc Jacobs’ research for him is a genius, with an ability to nail a mood that is pure gold. The new Marc by Marc Jacobs collection perfectly captured the moment when stylish boys and girls were picking up Iron Curtain army surplus after the Wall came down. It was all spookily close to the source, which was kind of in keeping with the theme of Jacobs’ signature show on Monday night: There’s no place like home. In that case, “home” was a serene, almost dreamlike reminder of timelessness and enduring value. Here, it was a distillation of the thrift-shop spirit that has shaped the Marc by Marc collection from day one.

It could seem a little listless, except that everything about Marc Jacobs is a package, so the soundtrack was a relentlessly upbeat modern surf sound (the Drums were featured). That shoved the energy levels skyward and underscored Marc by Marc’s fundamental charm and prettiness, both assets clearly highlighted by the fresh-faced and bed-headed cast of models. The pie-crust frilling on blouses and pants might have been a little obvious, but a blanket-striped sweater dress over leggings was girlishly cute. And the military references were artfully tweaked – all reasons to like this collection more and more each season. (by Tim Blanks – style.com)

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

“Everyone says to back off aesthetically,” said Phillip Lim, days before his show. “But that’s not what’s selling.” Clearly, that counseling script should be flipped, and “everyone” should instead be heeding Lim, he of the stellar sell-throughs. The designer said he had been thinking about recasting basics, and working on a kind of primitive collage concept inspired by a visit to the Picasso: Mosqueteros show at the Gagosian. But unlike Fall’s collection, with its bohemian rock-chick vibe, Spring wasn’t about an overarching theme or look: It was about giving them a reason to shop, and as such, there were many arguments here for a girl to unfreeze her AmEx.

NEW YORK, September 16, 2009 – By Meenal Mistry – Style.com

Be Sociable, Share!

•