Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Zac Posen resort 2014



My Darling Zac boy,

I am very proud of you child for showing the world that you indeed can make another style dress other than the hourglass or mermaid silhouette with fishtail back.  Now kiddo, don’t get me wrong this was not a groundbreaking collection but maybe, just maybe  if you quit thinking how great you are and start thinking that you need to FINALLY build your business… MAYBE, I repeat maybe, you’ve got a shot.  Keep in mind, don’t think you are not a star because you got some ink about your business because it really shows you off as the media whore and party boy that you are and not as a serious creative force.

For some reason when I was looking at the presentation these words came to mind when sane by the late Otis Redding: I may get weary …Women do get weary … Wearing the same shabby dress  … But to one who's weary … Try a little tenderness. If you don’t know who he is that may be part of the problem as you didn’t invent fashion nor did todays singers invent music.  Instead of “tenderness” you tried a new dress!  I know you think Charles James is a worthy resource for your “inspirations” but some of us have longer memories than others.

So listen doll, yes the collection finally looks better with some variety in shapes and fabrics and varying degrees of softness and structure but you know once again some references, like Madame Gres might have appeared a bit obvious and literal to some.  I was hoping you might have done more with the tweeds as they had a sort of daytime sexy vibe going on but nooooooooooo, you went right back to what you always do.  The prints were a nice change let alone a welcomed one.  By the way, just so you don’t think I a total bitch, I loved loved the orchid georgette and a few of the other georgette pieces that were NOT your usual bill of fare as they showed  a much less sex kitten vibe and a more grown sophisticated look.

Lastly, my dear boy, one can only construe that using Patty C and daughter as your models for the look book is yet still one more attention grabbing ploy for media coverage.  I may not be PC’s greatest fan but she does liven up the clothes and she certainly looks fabulous despite being photoshopped to look the same age as her daughter.  Honey, this is the kind of stuff that holds you back from being considered a serious designer.  If you want to be held up to the greats, then start behaving like one and quit being so “royal” if you catch my drift!

So…………. Precious, when do we get to have a drinkipoo together?? I am longing to hear some dish of which you are always so well fueled with and let’s get silly...a bottle of champers ... my treat and we are off!! 





Let me know when you can escape…. Kiss kiss... ciao ciao and big hug
Love
Me

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Michael Kors resort 2014

 Dear Mikey,
I am always reminded of the curly blonde headed mop top bee bopping around the dance floor at Studio 54 when I see your collections; it is an indelible image especially now that you are a mega power house in the word of fashion and not the window dresser from Lothar’s on 57th street.  Ahhh...   what once was… but I digress so here goes …

Well MK I am thinking that you have done better and that you have done worse but sometimes so so is just not enough.  Yes, the clothes are pretty and yes they are wearable but honey, talk about not setting the world on fire... this is barely a spark.  Yeah yeah I know you have leopard and giraffe, always favorites of mine, but if you don’t mind me telling you, just a deux, they look sort of common and cheap.  You are so much better than that and then there is this color blocking theme you seem to have picked up which , now dear,  I say this in the kindest and most loving  way I know how, that stuff looks heavy handed.

Arghhhhhhhh, I don’t really want to sound negative but listen kiddo stand back and have a look at this collection; it almost looks as though there are 2 seasons/collections working simultaneously here and not in a good way.  Now I know you love all this project Runway crap that you do but why resort, pun intended, to cheap tricks like the pant lengths which are just so “Zoe-bot” (thank you MK L.A.).  really now, you are smarter and classier than that bimbo and know your way around the business so why do stuff like that?

Honeybee, I hope you are not offended by my honesty but I really expect more from you than most of the others and even though I am trying very hard to say that there is your usual casual chic here, I just can’t seem to find it.  There were a few and I stress... A FEW very chic slick outfits but for the most part doll face it is a yawn and some... well, downright meh!

Well pet, hopefully we can have a summer cosmo at some watering hole in town this summer but until then... love ya to death see you soon.. Kiss kiss






Love
Me
P.S. GET RID OF THOSE GOD AWFUL SHOES!!

Donna Karan resort 2014



Dear Donna,






I have been breathless just to tell you what I thought of the latest collection… Resort 2014.  I always say that when you do it right it and usually it’s great or borders on it.  I am so happy that you gave up those heinous tribal prints, over worked wraps and drapes and those awful sack like things you usually pass off as Resort.  This is so much better but after seeing you last night at the CFDA, you might want to reconsider if this collection was “made” with you in mind.

So, honeybee, did you find some new brand of ganja or is it your yoga master… I know you little devil you .. you found a sweet young thing to play with?  Well doll, whatever it is you need to keep doing it as the collection was so you.. Well you, when you are on top of your game.  My biggest criticism is that you got a little crazy when it came to those 70’s disco handkerchief hems; yes I do happen to like them but a little variation can be a good thing.  I know we all get twisted up in an idea or concept but I am sure you must employ a few people who can reason with you when things get out of hand...well, as I write this, it is obvious, based on some past stinkers...no you don’t!  So. Pass on that thought!

Loving the simple graphic quality of the collection, the unobtrusive prints and your mix of hard and soft.  Doesn’t matter if it is not late breaking news, it looks great, even some of the draped dresses which have a habit of being a bit de trop!  You hit the right balance in the collection.  There is a great ease and softness to the overall collection which is very refreshing coming from you doll!

So listen Donna, all I am saying is whatever kool aid you are drinking these days...keep drinking it because the end result is nothing but good.  Granted the clothes are a far cry from “however many easy pieces” but this time around you are champ!  Ya think you can stay on course for Spring?

Now, with all this being said, let’s hook up for a snack in Southampton or whatever Main street out there very soon and maybe share a doobie and giggle about Babs and Bernie.. They are such characters those two.

 Love you lots, kiss kiss, ciao for now
Moi

Monday, June 3, 2013

Meet Gladys Pering Palmer .. a force of fashion



Gladys Perint Palmer is the rarest of a species known as “fashion folk!”  Here is a woman who studied on both sides of the Atlantic at 2 of the world’s most prestigious “colleges” and has been giving back to her passion/art/craft/profession ever since.  She has lived internationally and has been a chronicler or maybe a diarist of the world of fashion.  The one thing you can never say of Ms. Palmer is that she was an observer who sat by and watched!

With this in mind, she has been an illustrator, educator, editor, friend and so much more to so many within the international world of fashion.  She remains as active as she has always been; after all, fashion is in her genetic make-up, it is not just her profession.  She is immersed, engaged, intertwined and is an integral part of fashion as we know it today.  In much more common vernacular... “She is a player!” …no dilettante is she.

To highlight her appearance tomorrow, Tuesday June 4, at Neiman Marcus (SF) which celebrates the release of her newest book Adam & Yves, I introduce you to Gladys Perint Palmer whom I suspect will be a good friend of mine for years to come.  My advice is to pay close attention to her as she not only brings her knowledge and talent to the table; she brings her unrestrained wit and encyclopedic insights!  Brava! Bravo! And Kudos to you Gladys





1-What is the most treasured possession in your wardrobe?
Silver ribcage wheelie by McQueen.
2-What is your most sterling trait and what trait do you treasure most in your friendships?
Honesty and irony.
3-What is your bliss?
Fresh snow, empty piste, no snowboarders.
4-What is your guilty secret?
Two Mont Blancs– a chestnut and cream confection at Angelina (café on the rue de Rivoli in Paris); and my fat Mont Blanc pen.
5-Where is your ideal home?
An island a thousand miles North of California  
6-If you could not be a designer/retailer/etc:, what would you be
A detective because I enjoy research and discovering things.
7-What is on your bedside table right now?
Clutter observed by a curious peacock outside the window
8-What do you wear to bed?
Valentino bed-jacket, if it’s chilly.
9-What if any, book are you reading now or last read?
‘The Hare with Amber Eyes’ by Edmund de Waal.
10-What’s your advice to the “newcomer?”
Persist, Push, be Patient.
11-Who or what is your inspiration/style icon?
Muriel Pemberton, my mentor, my teacher, a great artist, who invented fashion education
12-What is the best advice you ever received?
“Go to the head of the river, darling, and wait. The bodies of your enemies will float past.”
13-In 3 words or less, describe the current state of fashion.
4 Too much.
14-If you were a retailer, would you wear your own designs or shop in your own store? or where would you shop?
I’d shop when I travel, as I do now, and buy only what I cannot resist.
15-If you won a $200,000,000 power ball (lottery), what is the first thing you would buy or do?
Underwrite small opera companies.
16-If you could invite up to 4 people for dinner, who would they be…dead or alive?
Jesus Christ, Buddha, Mohamed and Moses – to enlighten me
17-What is your favorite movie /or movie star?
Beverly Hills Cop with Eddie Murphy
18-What is the one thing you would change about yourself?
Never gain weight.
19-Whose opinion do you value most?
Those who know me well and wish me well.
20-What store or which designer do you most like to shop in or wear ?
Picasso said, “I don’t look for things, I find them”.
21-What’s your take on magazines, books versus the internet?
I like books, I’m addicted to Facebook;  magazines are for the bath (if too heavy, I rip out the ad pages).
22-Do you have a dream collaborator?
No.
23-What is your crowning achievement thus far in your career?
My sons, Tim (left) and Barnaby Palmer.
24-What’s your music library like?
Classical.
25-What and where is your favorite meal?
Foie gras at La Cordonnerie, 20 rue Saint Roch in Paris.