My Favourite Dress by Gity Monsef, Samantha Erin Safer & Robert de Niet

My Favourite Dress by Gity Monsef, Samantha Erin Safer & Robert de Niet

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FASHION BY THE RULES: FLOTUS / OLIGOVILLE

Jason Wu, Thakoon, Alaia, Naeem Khan, Isabel Toledo, Narciso Rodriguez, Issac, Donna Ricco, Moschino, and J.Crew have been linked to The First Lady of The United States. Michelle Obama has single handedly restored glamour and fashion to the White House, to Washington D.C. and with it some of the home grown fashion talent from New York and her hometown of Chicago.



With her statuesque carriage and with extreme grace and charm, she has certainly made the fashion community take notice. I applaud her daring and varied choices while I can honestly shake my head at others. Mrs. Obama is far from a model type body but makes up for it with her height, bravado and her unconventional tastes. As we have seen, she is a fierce supporter of sleeveless tops and dresses as well as fitted waists and she does love her accessories.



Another thing we have noticed is that she certainly is not shy when it comes to designer names………….and by no means does she confine her choices to designer names that are well known or even on the lips of the most seasoned fashion addict. She has certainly let it be known that she will wear what she pleases and will buck no interference from her critics or any fashion types. I believe that her sartorial choices are greatly influenced only by Ikram Goldman and from her eponymous store in Chicago. Ms. Goldman has obviously been extremely helpful in shaping the image of Mrs. Obama and to very favorable opinion.



I would only suggest a couple of things that might enhance her overall look and the biggest would be to lose the belt. Her love of “the belt” does her a great disservice as she is very short waisted and constantly makes her waist appear to right under her chest. One of the other ideas I have so that when she wears a fitted sheath dress, the color should not be too bright since she, like most women who have had children, is a bit broad in the beam and she does have a butt………..all of which is fine except she must leave a room or a stage as well as enter.



Even with these minor flaws, I find her to be refreshingly non self conscious and with a great flair for her presentation as First Lady. Give me one Michelle every 4 years and then we might be known as country with good taste.

HOUSE OF VERSACE

http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/2010/03/house-of-versace-untold-story-of-genius.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NewYorkJournalOfBooks+%28NEW+YORK+JOURNAL+OF+BOOKS%29

MEET THE BLONDS

http://www.oligoville.com/2010/03/22/fashion-by-the-rules-meet-the-blonds/

THE ALLURE OF CHANEL

http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/2010/03/allure-of-chanel-by-paul-morand.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NewYorkJournalOfBooks+%28NEW+YORK+JOURNAL+OF+BOOKS%29

SJP STRIKES AGAIN ...AND NOT IN HALSTON!!

Someone will have to explain to me what is the reason that you appoint a high profile actress as your President and Chief creative Officer if she seems to never be photographed in the brand that has offered her the top 2 posts and a financial stake in the company. At Sho West in Las Vegas, she managed to get photographed in Marchesa again which happens to be the company of Harvey Weinstein's wife who happens to be a part owner of Halston. One more time I must say that Ms. Parker seems to want to show off her ignorance of the business by promoting a company with which she has no involvement .

PARIS FALL 2010.............HERMES

HERMES

I would be a master of understatement if I refer to the newest collection as divine. Mr. Gaultier infuses just a bit of his wit and charm into his collections for the revered house but he never dilutes the ultimate luxury and riches of the brand. The Fall collection is rife with extraordinarily y tailored leathers, sumptuous knits, enough crocodile to think there will be a world wide shortage and enough Kelly bags to make a devoted fashionista swoon. Nothing is spared and yet the chic of it remains that the clothes are discreet in only the best way. So maybe he strayed just a bit with the heavy handed mohair skirts but that is easily excused when you view the collection as a whole.

FALL PARIS 2010 LOUIS VUITTON, ELIE SAAB

LOUIS VUITTON

It might be suggested to the house that this show should have been cast as a backdrop for the handbags as the clothes were nothing short of absurd. If I could find one thing that might be redeeming, it would be the jackets and outerwear pieces and very few individual pieces after that. One is reminded that all of it really doesn't matter as these clothes have limited distribution at best and if they are sold outside the network of Louis Vuitton stores, they are sold in leased departments which are controlled by LVMH. I just question why spend the money to display some paean to the 50's when the only things missing were saddle shoes and poodle skirts.....................and all at stratospheric prices. One more time ..................it is a good thing they depend on bags and not on apparel.

ELIE SAAB

If this is restraint then I say bring it on !!! With the renewed focus on "daywear" this season Mr. Saab serves up many tasty chic dishes on his menu. While the evening portion may not have been as over the top as usual, it hardly ignored the glamor quotient. He is laying the ground work to become a major player which would be a welcomed addition to the usual suspects.

PARIS FALL 2010 CHANEL, McQUEEN, VALENTINO

CHANEL

It would be an understatement to say that this collection was fabulous or would it just be redundant as most of the Chanel collections are fabulous. Complete with ice fantasy Mr. Lagerfeld brought the feeling of fall with the visuals of how sees Fall 2010. He is a man of endless imagination and endless ideas of how this famed house should progress with each season. for fall he mined the classics of Chanel and advanced them with technology of fabrics and especially with the advanced take on fake fur which he used without restraint. The shows are a tour de force as they encompass all things Chanel, whether it be shoes, handbags, jewelry or clothes.....................it is all Chanel fall 2010.

ALEXANDER McQUEEN

The 16 styles which were shown, or better yet exhibited , could only give us a glimpse of what would have been.....................These pieces were of such exquisite beauty tha one would be hard pressed to know whether or not they were couture. It is as if he decided that he would do couture on the sly but oh how lucky we are that he did. I truly would have loved to have seen what the buyers saw as there were 200 other pieces that were offered to buyers. as far as farewells, this was might spectacular............................it is just too sad to think that there will be no more of his greatness to appreciated .

VALENTINO

As the new designers try to reach their younger audience, it would have been nice if they had included some more of the Valentino vocabulary. Yes, the ruffles were there, minor touches of red and the femininity that was omnipresent for years, but the clothes lack the finish that was associated with the house. There were only a few pieces that looked like they were perfect, I kept seeing clothes that were packed and just pressed but not pressed properly. Ruffles are not "new" if you curve them around the body or conform them into a shape................I believe that Valentino was a great lover of women and he knew them all too well. The new duo need to refine these clothes and give them that slick chic look of the original .

PARIS FALL 2010....STELLA, YSL

STELLA McCARTNEY

At first I was not a fan of hers, but as time has passed I have seen the collection develop into what i would consider a retail power house. The clothes invite sales with simple, tasteful, refined clean lines and shapes. There is no hidden agenda..........these are clothes that go to work, lunch or out in the evening.

YVES ST LAURENT

In a season when the true vocabulary of YSL should have been used with great aplomb, Mr. Pilati was on the right track but then it seemed to never get to the destination. What shoud have been a wow collection turned into a slightly better than so so collection which barely scratched the surface of what made this brand great.

PARIS FALL 2010 CELINE--AKRIS--ANDREW GN

CELINE

The brand will be the comeback brand of the 21st century now that it has found its voice and designer Phoebe Philo. This lady has single handedly revived and rejuvenated this sleepy brand with just 2 shows. There was the brilliant Spring which is followed by an equally brilliant Fall collection that will surely delight the retailers and their customers. The spectacular collection is plain and simply wearable and chic..................no tricks, no muss, no fuss. There have been very few full collections this season that can rival it.

ANDREW GN

Usually known for his octane take on glamour, I found this season to be severely lacking in what he is most known for. For Fall, there was a preponderance of draping, black and poor styling which all drowned out his trademark beauties which came too late to save what had already happened. Plainly put.......................where was the chic?????????????

AKRIS

its all about the fabrics and simple lines that make the collection so beautiful. It seems that only a handful of words can be used to describe Fall 2010..........lush, luxe, clean, butter soft leathers and brevity of extraneous decoration.

UNGARO

THE PARTY IS OFFICALLY OVER AND HOPEFULLY NOT TO BE REPEATED ANY TIME EVER!!!!!

PARIS FALL 2010 .. AZZARO, LOEWE, GAULTIER, VIKTOR&ROLF

AZZARO-While i usually am a fan of the collection, I must say that I am sorely disappointed by its latest offering. Sometimes when you look to tone down the glitter/ glamour quotient, you can almost obliterate it, which is exactly what has happened here. While the clothes are still pretty, there is that excitement and splash that is almost completely gone which sort of makes the brand seem very ho hum

LOEWE

Last season, I was all excited to see what had been done to resuscitate this brand, this season I was anxiously awaiting the reincarnation of Loewe. Well, much to my dismay, what had started out so promisingly in October, certainly disappointed in March. Again, seemingly ho hum which does not bode well for the brand.

VIKTOR & ROLF

Bravo to the performance artists who revisited the "Russian doll" routine for this season. I can only be sure of the fact that the show was a spectacle..............the clothes were not without their certain charm and beauty but one has to question who wears these creations. I am hoping that there is an audience as it would be such a pity to lose these guys. I laughingly refer to them as the titans of tulle as no one comes to mind, other than Capucci, who could construct some of these unbelievable costumes. In a sea of black, they sure do know how to stand out.

GAULTIER

For fall, global fashion has taken on new meaning with the latest group from the bad boy of fashion . One must always be able to strip away the excess and find the beauty which is Gaultier. His superb tailoring is there,the colorations, the embellishment that is all part of the show and yet the pieces are pure Gaultier once dissected........................they just sometimes get a bit hidden within the themes of each season .

DIOR

Returning to familiar territory for Fall, Mr. Galliano presented the "jacket centric" collection with the focus on the equestrian. For lack of a better way, let's try word association for the collection.....fun, ruffles, knits, leather and georgette dresses. The collection was shown without a preponderance of black and by DIOR standards without a lot of fanfare. One has become accustomed to the extravaganzas of years gone by so the presentation was a bit disappointing........by theatrical standards but the content remained as always.......................beautiful !

ROLAND MOURET

Mr. Mouret has been expanding his day wear in recent collections and this season he has accomplished a full segment.............................but unfortunately he did it at the expense of his cocktail and evening clothes which one has come to expect at every showing. The clock stopped around 6:30 unfortunately, especially because one had the feeling that the evening segment was coming and it never arrived

LANVIN

I am always biased when it comes to this collection and Mr Elbaz so it should come as no surprise that the collection was purely Lanvin and purely Elbaz with just a couple of notable changes. The adornments and embellishments of the clothes were much more obvious , meaning that this season it wasn't the necklace or the gloves, but it was part of the garment and not removable. The feathers and fur were evident as they have been everywhere for the season but the clothes remain to be recognizably Lanvin.

PARIS FALL 2010....BALENCIAGA, BALMAIN

BALENCIAGA

Nicolas Ghesquiere will be the man to watch in the 21st century ..............He has taken the ART of fashion to new dizzying heights. This doesn't always translate to the most wearable or the most salable but what is does translate to is ..........BUZZ !! He creates for the future with the latest high tech methods offered in the manufacture of clothing and he takes his inspiration this season from everyday items such as bubble wrap and biscuits. What spews forth from the mix can only be classified as wearable art, but upon examination there are incredible feats of clothing design. The collection has a hint of Courreges but with softer edges and unimaginable effects. Love it or hate it, this is awe inspiring given the end results.

BALMAIN

It's sex, drugs and rock n roll at this revered old house. It's flashy , it's wild, it's sexy hot and it's in your face. There is some fascinating appeal to the line up of the collection ..........it is certainly not without great tailoring and great dressmaking and most importantly it all comes with quite a hefty price tag from what I am told. So if flash and sex race your motor.............get on line for the latest frocks from Balmain

PARIS FALL 2010---GARETH PUGH, DRIES VAN NOTEN , GILES

GARETH PUGH

It's a long way from spikes and studs but he has grown up and this aggressively designed collection owes some of it inspiration from vintage Versace and Ferre. The clothes are extremely potent with great presence but there still needs to be some part of a collection which is distinctly wearable. There are some star pieces such as the finely quilted backed leathers and the chain embellished pieces at the end of the show. The hope is that Mr. Pugh will mature and grow this collection the same way that Mr. McQueen grew his so many years ago.

DRIES VAN NOTEN

It's a no muss and no fuss fall from him. The clothes are simple familiar shapes in appealing colors with some high shine metallic and lots of leopard thrown in for good measure. It surely is a watch em and wear em collection ...............but wear them as you see fit, there is no wrong way. The mood is comfortable and familiar .

GILES

Giles Deacon has to be given award for presenting a collection with that was almost completely void of black. Unfortunately, the clothes while appealing, seemed to take their inspiration from the 60's, 70's, and 80's but not the Fall seasons. The torn edged pieces were fun but not explosive nor was all the corsetry which seemed just a wee bit of been there and done that .........thank you JPG.