Paris in the Spring Time

To quote the song, I love Paris in the spring time -- especially spring couture time. Having just perused the handful of collections to float down the runways over the past two days, I can easily say that I am enchanted. If you shut out the noise and close your eyes for a second, you can almost pretend you are in a salon 50 years ago seeing the latest trends before the world even knows they exist. Exquisite nostalgia.

My favorites so far: click on images for a larger view; and do yourself a favor, turn on the music in the lower right column. fashion requires a soundtrack...

Chanel

Two of my all time favorite models, they look the part of the dark rebel and the silver ghost.

I really love the l'theatre feel of this collection; it lacks the severity that usually exists in a Chanel show. This is somehow simpler, a bit younger, and much lighter. The flats really exaggerate that and of course now I want ballet flats for everything (though my feet highly disagree). There were reportedly 10,000 beads used in this collection -- amazing the hours and time that go into couture garments.


Givenchy






Can I just begin by saying that although I do not always understand the millinery genius that is Philip Treacy, his "hats" (and that feels entirely too simple a word to describe them) really mesmerize me. This collection by Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy was said to be inspired by Japan and more specifically by toy robots and the Butoh dancer Kazuo Ohno. At first glance, to me, I certainly can see that but I also see an entomological extravaganza. Each one looks like a still insect of a rare breed about to take flight. Amazing architecture, that I cannot begin to understand the complexity of when it comes to cloth, deserves much credit.

Bouchra Jarrar


Bouchra Jarrar is fascinated with asymmetry -- which is a beautiful thing. I love how unbalanced an asymmetrical garment can seem but, as he put, so harmonious. These pieces are all so very easy and sexy. I am a big fan. Can I please have that little black dress in every color?

Alexis Mabille


Mabille actually constructed each piece first in stark white and then duplicated it precisely in rich, attention demanding color. Obviously, the white frocks didn't get my attention as much as the color and at times it was a bit confusing. But I do love the boldness of these designs. They look as if they were made for a duchess.

Jean Paul Gaultier



Congratulations to Jean Paul Gaultier who will have his first museum retrospective at The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts this year. It's about time. This collection was standard JPG blended with what seemed a bit of punk, a bit of burlesque and a bit of lady-like sex appeal. So, yeah, basic Gaultier. He does it like no other.

Armani Prive





Again, major credit to Philip Treacy for creating such excellent and perfectly matched headpieces for this very unique Armani Prive collection. Armani was apparently inspired by the hues and glimmer of gemstones, which is terribly apparent. The slinky sheen of each piece took me a minute to completely adjust to but after the first few images, I was kind of hooked -- especially to the classic cut of all of the suits. It's very futuristic in its aesthetic but the actual tailoring is classic and impeccable. There was also the rumor that it was a bit "Lady Gaga" and we know that the designer has collaborated with her for some of her looks, but I really was reminded more of Debbie Harry -- especially with the super metallic leggings under skirts. Blondie, the original, 20 years from now.

Elie Saab





There's a reason the Oscars are strewn every February with Saab gowns. He definitely knows his away around a woman's body. And, as usual, his collection was a crayola-soaked line up of colors but I especially loved the blush. It draws so much more attention to the actual detail of the dress because you aren't overpowered by the hue. It's all very sexy but simultaneously very lady like and that, honestly, is so much sexier.

Valentino





Since Chiuri and Piccioli's promotion to head designers for Valentino, I have been repeatedly on the fence about their collections, if not one foot on the side of complete indifference. Slowly, I'm adjusting. It's a hard change to absorb -- Valentino is Valentino and to think of anyone else in his shoes (as if they could fit their feet) is still somewhat mind-boggling.

At any rate, I pseudo-like this collection as I did their A/W 2010. So that's two for...? Well, who's counting? But do let me explain my definition of pseudo-like. I actually love the details of every single piece above. I love the color, the weight, the delicacy, the complexity, and the juxtaposition of all of those things within one piece. But it seems to me that each show is struggling with an identity crisis of sorts. It borders tween and borders matronly at the same time. So, is that their version of staying current (tween) and keeping with the maturity (matron) of the line? I'm not sure but there are elements of both in almost every dress and it almost throws me off. Therefore, I am pseudo-in like.

Of course...I'd take any of them if you gave them to me. More from Paris tomorrow...

Bonne nuit!
xoxo,
kvlm

J'Adore Dior

That's not news, of course. I should have probably just dedicated every word herein from the onset of this blog-addiction to M. Dior. He was, by far, my favorite -- with a close second, third, and fourth being Chanel, Valentino and Vionnet respectively -- as far as the original sculptors of everything we know fashion to be now go.

While there have only been four shows out of Paris' Spring 2011 Couture, I can unequivocally say that this one left me palpitating. It feels like a talc powder dusted hat box filled with plastic pastel framed glasses from the '50's and it looks like a fashion illustration from 1952 come to life underneath a halo of aubergine and cerulean. Decadent, all of it. Right down to the model's perfectly gestured hands, each gloved tip reminiscent of a time gone by; their molded hair and wax red lips exquisitely coupled with ivory coated skin and stark black lined eyes.

Yes, it smacks of vintage and, yes, historically, that is kind of my thing. But I think Galliano's return to a canon of absolute genius is a wise choice for the House of Dior. The quintessential elements of the 50's (and every other notable decade of our last century) are certainly not going any where. And speaking of historical references, is it just me or do I see some classic Valentino references in these frocks...?

breathtaking, truly...

Dear Anne Hathaway, dress on the left. Oscars.

*sigh* Just makes the imagination run completely wild. If ever that was a choice on a designer taking over a House that was just meant to be, then surely it is Galliano for Dior. The King reigns supreme.

More from Paris tomorrow....

xoxo,
kvlm

Time to Make a Change?

Sadly, it's too late for model Isabelle Caro who is gone at the age of 28. Though her death is just making the rounds today, she reportedly died in Tokyo in early November.

Why is the death of this particular model so poignant? Well, because Isabelle suffered from anorexia -- she, like so many in the fashion and entertainment industry, was the victim of a mentality that needs to stop. The mentality that to be beautiful, one must be thin.

From the early couturier houses in France, the need for a model to be thin can be documented. But there was a reason for that -- rations, manhours, expense, and the simple fact that the industry then was an 1/8 of the size it is today. Say you are starting a fashion house in the early 20th century, we've been through one war and about to enter into another one. You have little money, maybe one backer, a cramped room full of seamstresses that need pay, and, if you are a lucky, a small list of clients. Makes sense for your models to all be a size six, no? Less cloth? Less time on the machines? A quicker line to walk out to a potential buyer? Sure. I can appreciate that.

But we aren't exactly in those times now are we? And to throw in more causation, we certainly didn't have the media then that we have now. So you then throw in the Karl Lagerfeld's (who seems to be changing ever so slowly on this subject) and the Kate Moss' with their elite commentary on how important it is to be skinny and it makes the rounds to hundreds of thousands of young girls and women and you have yourself an epidemic of eating disorders, dysmorphia, obsession, body issues and low self-esteem.

Thankfully there are some in the industry that are doing things to change the perception of what makes a model, or a woman, beautiful. Those people I salute. But it's not enough. There needs to be an all out strike when fashion industry insiders take time away from the Starbucks or Grey Goose long enough to insult a 14 year-old reading Vogue in Wisconsin who then decides not to eat for a week.

Or, as in the case of Isabelle, a law needs to be passed. After losing friends to the disease and struggling with it herself, she offended the Milan fashion set in 2007 with these No Anorexia Ads:


Additionally, Isabelle was lobbying the French government to pass a law that would prohibit models from working in the fashion industry if they did not weigh enough. Her bravery, amazing. Her death, unnecessary.

Surely her passing will not be in vain and the example she was trying to set in France will resonant in the other fashion capitals. If not, I feel even more sorry for what we are doing not only to the beauty and innovation that is/was the fashion industry, but what we continue to do to our kids. And, let's face it, the adults. Afterall, we are just kids in grown-up skin.

Be healthy but most importantly, be you. That's really the most beautiful thing you can do. Let Isabelle be a reminder to us all that fighting for what you believe, standing up against antiquated principles, and embracing who you are are what make us strong and beautiful -- it's quite simply not your dress size.

kvlm

Ringing in my Ears

No, this is not a post about jewelry (speaking of which, I cannot bring myself to wear more than one kind of jewelry at any one time but that is another blog for another day). This is to refresh my presence in the blogosphere and perhaps to reaffirm for myself why I maintain this site.

And how did I happen on this little nugget of enlightenment today? Well, I'd like to give my thanks to Nashville. Having moved here six months ago, I wasn't entirely sure what I was in store for. The first few months proved to be a tremendous acclimation not only for myself but my family as well. Nashville is truly unique -- in a lot of great ways and a lot of ways that make you occasionally speechless.

Well, now that I'm over the hump of adjustment and have developed my very own personal Nashville (read: outskirts and neighboring counties) filter, I can finally see the budding cultural delicacy for the trees.

Even still, I have moments where I wonder...what am I doing here? There has to be a bigger meaning to why my path kept steering itself in the direction of this city. Yes, for starters, it was the job; and certainly having family here only made the path shine a little bit brighter but, being the introspective thinker that I am, I knew there had to be greater meaning somewhere.

I don't seriously deign to think I've discovered all of my silver-Nashville-lining but I know I've discovered part of it and that is in this wonderfully encompassing, bohemian, supportive, artistic, proactive, ambitious community of designers, artists, musicians, stylists, and all-around art enthusiasts that continually find their way into my day. Have I delved in deep? No, not yet. Do I want to become a part of what will utlimately be the shift for this city to not just been seen as a country music haven? Absolutely.

I am quite blessed in my job to be around so many artists -- people I work with and who frequent our building. I've met so many singer/songwriters, artists, writers, designers...it seems like every day I find myself being inspired by what's around me. And that, my friends, is quite irreplacable.

I've suffered from writers block for many years now -- off and on -- and if there is such a thing as a creative block, I'm pretty sure I've suffered from that as well. But maybe it wasn't so much about what I could or couldn't do but more about where I was or where I wasn't. Not to say that my previous residence didn't have its very own distinctive creative vibe but it was never one that I fit into rightly.

So...this is a fashion blog, where's the fashion in this post? Well I've just stumbled across a post on elle.com celebrating some of the popular hotspots in Nashville for just the thing I've been talking about. Nashville also recently announced their nationally recognized and corporate sponsored Spring Fashion Week. And I say, it's about time!

Will these things pacify that artists' nature that's starving within me, you know the one you repress time and time again because of those things we know and love that people call "grown-up responsibilities?" No. Not entirely. But I certainly hear, ringing in my ears, this line which has followed me around for many years: "go confidently in the direction of your dreams; live the life you've imagined!"

best wishes to all of you for a happy, healthy and successful new year! may it be all that you wish it to be!

xoxo,

kvlm

Met Costume Exhibition: 2011

The news broke today that New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual costume exhibition will highlight the legacy of the late Alexander McQueen. Given the universal adoration for not only McQueen's design aesthetic but also for the designer personally, I imagine this will be one of the most well attended exhibits the Costume Institute will ever have. Like going to see a Pollock restrospective, reverant in the knowledge a brilliant mind was taken from the art world before its time, the McQeen exhibit will no doubt inspire us and move us. His death, a shock that will take years for the industry to overcome.

Lee McQueen was certainly one of my favorite designers. His flare for dramatic, voluminous, historically punctuated, and terribly sexy -- and terribly sought after -- fashions hold their place rock steady in the history of costume, the history of the industry, the history of the UK, and the history of art. There aren't enough words for those who followed his climb to the hierarchy of the fashion world to express the impact he had.

As such, I've put together this (albeit) small restrospective of some of my favorite McQueen moments and motifs. I'm sure these will be plentiful over the next year, especially after the exhibit opens in May. Until then...McQueen:
















xoxo,
kvlm

French Vogue Turns 90 and American Fashion Puts Me to Sleep

Let me sum up paragraph one in one sentence: I'm ages behind writing blah blah blah.

Ok, so we cleared that bit up. Sorry for the fashion hiatus, I am sure some of you have just been sitting around wondering...where is that kvlm?? How dare she leave us hanging at the edge of the fashion pinnacle that is Spring 2011 Ready to Wear? I mean really...the world needs to know what's going on on those runways.

Or not. Yes, I'm behind. Does it matter? No, not really. Not when we have heightened security encompassing the whole of Europe while the fashion set frolic around Paris as if it's 1927.

I've got this mad OCD issue that only allows me to peruse the runway shows as they hit the press in the order that they occur. If I deter from that, something snaps in my brain. So while Paris is in fact turning out some beautiful things even as we speak, I'm barely through New York's Fashion Week let alone London or Milan.

I'm gonna wrap New York fashion week up for ya though -- get used to these things: white, ethereal frocks, orange sun soaked textiles, and our continued attempt at "fashion forward" thinking otherwise known as deconstructed minimalism (zzzzzzzzzzz). Honestly, it was one extreme or the other. But then when is it not? I know it makes me a horrible American to say this but AMERICAN FASHION IS SO BORING (with the exception of a handful of designers). I mean really...we either need to get out more or get thee to a library. It's unimaginative and uninteresting. PLUS...is there a reason we have to have 198,000 runway shows in one week's time as opposed to the 40 the other cities have? Oh, right, because we are a land of more is better. Right.

I say we scale New York Fashion Week back to those designers that really set trends, have a solid reputation, and realistically break open the proverbial box, and sprinkle that with a healthy does of newbies. All of these other shows that seem like maybe they only occur for the sake of a few or at the want of someone's grossly over-funded semi-imaginative thought processes could be housed either the week before or the week after. But then I'm not in charge...so...moving on.

So, yes, I prefer Parisian fashions. Who doesn't? They are colorful, sexy, charming, witty and wildly unique. What I love even more is when you toss Parisian fashion with a little masquerade and you get a culmination of the elite fashion set looking either perfect or perfectly inane. Behold La Bal Masque (du French) Vogue:



(HRH) Carine Roitfeld, Editor Extraordinaire, rocking a chic 1960's cat woman look:



And with Jean Paul Gaultier:


Gisele Bundchen. We have a rule about Gisele. Her name should always be said very quickly and with a German accent. It hasn't quite taken on verb form in the household yet but I fear it will. And she's Brazilian. Go figure.





I'm neither here nor there about her ensemble (although I'd like that mask, please...I am sure it would go over really well at our neighborhood Publix). What strikes me is how ridiculously thin she is. Maybe she should have spent the money she spent on her frock on an all you can eat buffet. I prefer my Gisele with curves, thank you very much. If I need to cut a window out of my car, I'll call a professional. I don't need Gisele's shoulder blade or clavicle to do it for me.

And speaking of skinny...Anna Dello Russo, Editor at Large for Vogue Japan. I kind of love her. She might be my current fashion hero. And I don't know what's going on with this hat but I do know if anyone can wear this, it's her.



Diane von Furstenberg obviously went to the same milliner. Of course, Diane can do no wrong, either, and that lovely bloke on her arm, Zac Posen, looks eerily like he wandered out of a Dracula film for this shindig. Not that there is a thing in the world wrong with that (is it just me or has Zac been skipping dessert?)



All hail Dita Von Teese.



She's magnifique! Always. Adore her, adore her, adore her.

But then there was a lot to adore. It's Paris, it's fashion, it's divine, it's everything you want your fashion to be. But there's always got to be a couple of people who maybe read the invitation wrong or had some sort of fashion catastrophe immediately proceeding said ball. In this case, those people are Karolina Kurkova, Kate Moss and Tyra Banks.


When you Google Karolina Kurkova, one would think Victoria's Secret would be the first thing to pop up. But, yeah, no. It's "Karolina Kurkova Weight"...the untold secrets of her weight problem. Folks, if she has a weight problem then I, and many that I know, must be prepping for our roles in Shamu's show down at Sea World. She's gorgeous and curvy -- in all the right spots (though not in this shot...she obviously needs to hit up that buffet as well). Really, you people need to watch Mad Men and get on with the clue that stick insect/no curves is NOT sexy. It's boring. And kind of scary.

But then so is this ensemble. It's like Batman ate Big Bird. Or similar. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be scared of her, ask her to protect me, or put her in the oven with carrots. It's very confusing. Much like her "weight problem."


I'm no Kate Moss fan. I never have been, never will be. Sure, I get the appeal and the whole "look at me, I'm a waif" thing but the whole "doing drugs when you are a single parent" thing...yeah, that I cannot support in any facet. I don't care if she's in an orange jumpsuit at county or in a orange Lacroix at the Place de Vendome. Call me old-fashioned.

And this photo is such a great example of that sort of reckless Kate we all know and are tired of hearing about. How she still lands campaigns is beyond me because she looks a hair away from a spoon and a candle in some dark hotel room with a Billie Holiday record skipping in the background. There are just so many other interesting people in fashion. Please put Kate in rehab and let's all agree to move on.


Let me first disclaim that I am a huge fan of the TyTy (or Tyra as she is known to the outer circle). I don't always agree with what goes down on her shows, but I like that she is doing something to transform the way people see "pretty." However, throwing a fishnet over your punim and mixing that with soft-Bob Mackie is not a look I can get behind. She looks like she went swimming and got her face caught in a tuna net. And in a last ditch effort to draw attention away from her aquatic faux pas, she hit up the costume rejects from the made-for-tv-movie, Merlin.

Dear Tyra, you are friends with Andre. Please consult.

So tomorrow...ok, maybe not tomorrow, but soon...I promise highlights from the runways. There is much to share but so much to not bother you (or anyone) with. Sadly. Of course Vogue (American, French, Japanese....) may beg to differ that point but they are just selling you magazines and, well, I'm not selling you a thing.

xoxo,
kvlm