Bottega Veneta .. resort 2015 by Tomas Maier

Every season I am reminded that Bottega Veneta by Tomas Maier is an acquired taste. Each season my eye adjusts a bit more and each season the clothes do not seem to be as strange as they were from seasons past.

Apparently, without the press release the 2 reviews I read would not have had a clue as to what the collection was about ... sadly the reviews were almost identical and they did not have a chance to speak of front rows or venue since the photos were sent by BV so it was all about spitting back the information that was fed to them.

Having had some experience with bleach, I understood the prints and the effects all too well. The prints can sort of be described as deductive or subtracted as that is what happens if you would paint with bleach. The authenticity of the procedure is enhanced greatly by the fact that you don’t get pure white but that pinky beige color when you apply the bleach.

Okay, enough of this, let’s talk clothes which were the usual fare of a somewhat artsy craftsy incarnation and yet very played down, very sort of retro 50’s suburban chic if you will. I hope that makes sense to you. Maier never loses sight of the luxe factor which he delivers in so many ways other than just the obvious bells and whistles. The palette is soft and very inviting not mention truly evocative of the season. Maier reminds us that the devil is always in the details and not always in your face screaming look at me! The serpentine bias tape detail on one dress is just superb as are the “stripes” and combinations of fabrics.

Bottega Veneta is not just about clothes and here is where Mr. Maier truly reminds us of the heritage of the brand. The shoes and handbags are just beautiful and very signature trademark Bottega intricato. The flats, the sandals, the heels, the totes, the hard constructed bags and the minaudieres are perfect no matter what you think of the clothes. 

That about wraps up resort 2015 from Bottega Veneta... The journey continues

Dior ..resort 2015

Paris, Milan, Abu Dhabi, Los Angeles or Timbuktu, the problem was that the collection belonged to Raf Simons and Dior. Even with all the hubbub about being shown in Brooklyn, which  is such a “me too” move that one can only laugh, the clothes remain the product or end game for a designer who would rather talk and enthuse and intellectualize than design flattering clothes that might even be vaguely associated with a brand that has survived world wars, endless fashion trends and even disgrace.

Supposedly the overriding inspiration was the scarf and supposedly this was some sort of exercise to extrapolate that into this mess of clothes that went from true Dior classics to this notion of the so called new modern  Raf era Dior. Frankly, the new Dior, if one is to judge from yet another yawn worthy collection, is one that seems to be generic as it could the clothes of any brand and any designer. The fawners will carry on about the prints which were surely less than stellar and newsworthy and the techno fabrics and all the nonsense that is part of parcel of Raf Simons but the end result is the same ... yah so?

In essence, since I don’t discuss front row and venue, the show was okay for me... nothing more and surely a lot less. Besides showing 66 pieces which were mostly far from earth shattering or exciting, one might say the show was extremely commercial and as always some very difficult to wear or very unflattering. In this case if you don’t take in to account all the intellectual gymnastics that are employed and accompany a Simons/Dior collection, you might say this collection is very Macys advanced sportswear!! Aside from a few beautiful jackets and coat dresses and coats this was just another “who cares” collection just not as confrontationally or blatantly unattractive.

The reaction is one more time the same... Take away the press release, all the cerebral exercises, and the front row and what’s left… ho hum!

Meet Sandy Linter .. a living legend of fashion

At a time when models were what magazine covers were all about and when models were indeed the high-water mark of beauty there was one of the unsung heroes, well heroines, well hero person ...  She painted ( like a Renaissance portraitist) the faces of some of the world’s most beautiful women. When I say painted, it is to say that Sandy Linter made the plain … beautiful, the beautiful … exquisite and the exquisite … masterpieces.

Ms. Linter’s resume reads like a who’s who of fashion when it comes to publications, photographers, stylists, colleagues, advertisers and editors. Her “canvasses” included the greats and legends of modelling and she has created some of the most memorable and iconic countenances that ever graced a magazine page. Let’s just say that to name names would be absurd as then there would be no space for the article and would seem like a terminal case of braggadocio.

Sandy is an enduring presence (Lancôme Beauty at Every Age spokesperson) in the world of fashion and make up and continues to dazzle us on a regular basis within all media , so rather than gush any further I present to you... Sandy Linter … legend of fashion.

What is the most treasured possession in your wardrobe?

Treasured possession in my wardrobe? A black cape with fox collar by Adrienne Landau. A gift from a close friend

What is your most sterling trait and what trait do you treasure most in your friendships?

 I treasure being able to trust someone... I guess I'm very honest, as a sterling trait.

What is your guilty secret?

I'm thin and my secret is I don't eat much at night. Now it's not a secret!

Where is your ideal home?

I'd love to live downtown. I've been living on 52nd street for over 30 years. Very nice, too

What would you say is your greatest accomplishment to date?

My first Vogue Cover 1974 and my first cosmetic contract with Lancôme 2008

What is on your bedside table right now?

Bedside table holds a glass of water for my cat Squeek a telephone, glasses ugh, the remote 

What do you wear to bed?

My favorite tee from the 1970's … but I will also wear pj's 

What if any, book are you reading now or last read?

I love autobiographies I'm reading a bio about Johnny Carson

What’s your advice to the “newcomer?”

 Always say the job was terrific. Don't talk about any of its problems. 

Who or what is your inspiration/style icon?

My style icon had been Marilyn Monroe, then Debbie Harry and Michele Pfeiffer 

In 3 words or less, describe the current state of fashion.

A free for all (which is good)

If you won a $200,000,000 power ball (lottery), what is the first thing you would buy or do?

Pay the taxes on the money

If you could invite up to 4 people for dinner, who would they be…dead or alive?

 Gia, Chris von Wangenheim.... Johnny Ramone and Linda Ramone

What is your favorite movie /or movie star?

The Godfather and movie star 

What is the one thing you would change about yourself?

I'd like to be quicker in every aspect of my life. Or get over things quickly and move on

Whose opinion do you value most and why?

 Anyone who speaks the truth... Howard Stern for example and my friend Linda Ramone

What store or which designer do you most like to shop in or wear?

 I love to wear Jill Stuart and love to shop the Versace and Miu Miu stores at the outlet malls

What’s your take on magazines, books versus the internet?

I love magazines and big art books. Although my apartment has no more space for the art books

Do you have a dream collaborator?

Hell no

What’s your music library like?

Oldies, Hendrix, Beatles, Stones, Neal Young, Blondie, 

What and where is your favorite meal?

Milo's on West 55 the street all the fish dishes divine. Patti Hansen took me there and so did Stacy Mackler from Lancôme

Harry King .. a living legend of fashion

Too often in fashion, when we read a fashion  magazine or even see a fashion image on our computer screens, we tend to only see what we think is most important .. Mainly the clothes and the accessories. We somehow take for granted the hair and makeup and usually only take note if the model is painted like an African tribal shaman or the hair is teased until it is skyscraper high. The point is simply that Harry King was probably responsible for how one wore their hair when fashion was at its apogee.

Harry King is legend who rose to international fame and notoriety in a time when the names like Way Bandy, Diana Vreeland, Avedon, Polly Mellen, Penn, Suga, Vogue, Bazaar and many many more were the bellwethers of fashion. They were selling the fantasy and reality that was all part and parcel of fashion... as Grace Coddington said “when fashion came first” and I say when “fashion was fun.” The total look!

We boomers who were paying attention in those years know that Harry King was one of the great “hairstylists” of the 20^th century who counts more “important” credits in his portfolio than any 20 of today’s current crop.

With all this said Harry King has been an integral part of fashion for decades and continues to inspire those who are savvy enough to recognize the enormous contribution he made to fashion in the most glorious of eras. It is my pleasure and my honor to call him friend and to offer a peak into his “head!”

1-What is the most treasured possession in your wardrobe?

Maybe an Armani jacket I bought in the 70's from his first unconstructed collection

2-What is your most sterling trait and what trait do you treasure most in your friendships? Honesty

3-What is your bliss?

my dog Jet

4-What is your guilty secret?

too guilty to say

5-Where is your ideal home?

 the one I’m in now

6-What would you say is your greatest accomplishment to date?

possibly a social worker ( somehow I think Harry answered the wrong question here !!)

7-What is on your bedside table right now?

 a light, vaseline, jojoba oil,  clock

8-What do you wear to bed?

white tee shirt white cotton boxers

9-What, if any, book are you reading now or last read?

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

10-What’s your advice to the “newcomer?”

 leave your ego at home

11-Who or what is your inspiration/style icon?

all that is around me

12-What is the best advice you ever received?

 go for it

13-In 3 words or less, describe the current state of fashion.

 not much

14-If you could select a dream project, what would  it be?

 If I was a retailer i would make sure I sold stuff I LOVE so I would wear it

15-If you won a $200,000,000 power ball (lottery), what is the first thing you would buy or do?

 help my friends and family in need

16-If you could invite up to 4 people for dinner, who would they be…dead or alive?

 Frank Sinatra, Jesus, Marilyn Monroe, Charles Dickens

17-What is your favorite movie /or movie star?

 too many to answer that

18-What is the one thing you would change about yourself?

 hahaha my mind just went there!

19-Whose opinion do you value most and why?

 my best friends because they are honest with me

20-What store or which designer do you most like to shop in or wear ?

 Uniqlo

21-What’s your take on magazines, books versus the internet?

 don't really look at magazines much anymore, do like a book opposed to the internet but internet is so fast

22-Do you have a dream collaborator ?

 right now I would like to be able to collaborate with the illustrator Antonio

23-Have you ever wanted to just throw in the towel and why?

 I've had many highs in my career and couldn't pinpoint one but saying that it could have been the first day I started work when I was a shy 15 year old who didn't know his ass from his elbow or being able to work with the great photographers, models, editors, make-up artists, movie stars

24-What’s your music library like?

 eclectic many centuries, classical, Sinatra, Billy Holliday, Cole Porter, Jobim, jazz, Rolling Stones, Little Richard, Doris Day, Lambert Hendricks and Ross so much more

25-What and where is your favorite meal?

 at friends or chez moi

Harbingers of design.. Kerry MacBride

If you are unfamiliar with the name then it is time you get your savvy on and know who this jewelry virtuoso is!! For more than just a few years, Kerry has designed collections for women even though an odd piece here and there has shown up on a man or two. His jewelry has been seen in stores like Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf’s, Saks and in magazines such as Vogue, Bazaar and ELLE. His clients have included Bill Blass, Madonna and even Truman Capote.

 

His current focus is MEN!

The latest collection consists of primarily bracelets and may have been conceived with men in mind but I see them as wonderfully asexual and so in tune with the times we are now experiencing.

“My goal is to make jewelry as sexy and powerful as a great tattoo.”

As I just said, with the popularity of tattoos on everyone, this may the time to own “a sign of the times!”

 

With the onset of spring and so many reasons to give gifts (mother’s day, father’s day, graduation, and confirmation)... why not give a gift that is memorable, fashionable and most of all...original! …. and it is as easy as a click… here’s the link to the newest collections and while you are there have a look around… mine is only a sampling

www.kerrymacbride.com/pages/sterling-bronze

PS. If you tell him I sent you  ... I am pretty sure custom colors are available

Anna Wintour.. "the never gonna happen" chat

Due to a slight bit of misinformation, this conversation can be shared today. Please take note that this "chat" is fictional but it is based upon my research  and from others who have known her during her career. Please enjoy..

1-Who would you want to follow in your footsteps?

REALLY!! What kind of question is that to ask me?? The only logical reply is that there is no one who could do what I have done and surely no one who could be as powerful as I have become and with only an eye on the bottom line. As you might have guessed ... I groomed no one to proceed me.

2-What is your favorite color and why?

GREEN!!! It’s the color of 2 things I love the most... money and envy. Well I do mean everyone else’s envy of me, after all who wouldn’t be envious of me? No matter what they say about me, I am the most powerful person in fashion; more powerful than Arnault or Pinault or any “O” hahahha

3-What do you think of the current level of taste/style in the USA/Europe?

It so doesn’t matter, I tell them all what is good taste and who is chic and who is not and if I need to sell more magazines I just wing it like that low life trash couple I put on the cover. I needed to get Vogue a larger presence on the internet and in social media so I used that garbage as a vehicle to get my way. Who cares what everyone thinks, and if that couple thinks they are now hot stuff ... they are the same filth they always were just all dressed up and on the cover of Vogue because I want them there for my own selfish reasons... Think of it ... it is deliciously evil of me  ... true … yes??

4-What is your least likable quality?

Without question of course it is my screw you attitude and the fact that everyone is cared of me. You know of what I speak... the one that says I really don’t give a crap what you think of me! It isn’t easy being me after all, look how fabulous I have become all because I had to prove to daddy that I was able to make something of myself even it meant crushing people under my feet like insects, which I do sort of love as it only reinforces my powers.

5-What quality do you most loathe in others?

Their disdain of me, after all they should be thrilled for me.  Bollocks! I have accomplished what no other woman nor man has ever achieved and that is to have so much  power over so much media and the entire fashion business that I can control what you see, buy, think, read and more. As I said it is difficult to be such a megalomaniac and to be so deserving of it

6-Do you think of yourself as a star/celebrity?

Darling now really, of course I am all of those things and I am a media mogul... a titan of power ... I just own nothing ...well of course that doesn’t count all the graft I get behind closed doors as you know I have to give the appearance of being impartial but we all know how long that lasts and after all who can be in this only for the glory!!!! I have transcended mere celebrity and am an icon for the ages ... c’est vrai!

7-During your career … who were your favorite colleagues?

Of course there is Grace, dear sweet Grace who still wants to believe in fashion, so I let her have her way and allow her the luxury of thinking she is contributing but alas she is at my mercy and my whim as they all are. I mean I have lackeys and toadies like that oaf Andre who is now gone as I just had to because he thought he could eclipse me … hahahhahaha (and now he is history like old news) … and that limp fish Mark but they are just my pawns so I don’t have to get my hands dirty. Then of course there is dear Hamish who I allow to write some puff pieces, review some shows and have some fame on his own as it is cheaper to do that than pay him more. After all darling, money is key… I need all of my perks so the others will just have to do without... n’est ce pas cheri??

8-What are your feelings about the press/media in today’s world?

I “own” the fashion media... anything that is worth anything is under my thumb ...isn’t that just delicious? Sy was such a dear to give me so much power. He actually thought I would leave but I would be mad to leave and give up all this power, the limelight and all these perks... I mean really!

9-Who did you have a crush on?

Well of course there is Roger and Rafa but I do love me some Roger... sweaty young thing …just makes me tingle!! Yes it is true... even if people think I am ice goddess I still perspire at the thought of a young Roger with a turgid member …OOPS! My bad??

10-What is your biggest pet peeve?

People who doubt me in my decision process or those who think I am overstepping my boundaries. Well, darling, I have no limits; I am Anna freakin Wintour, the kaiserine of fashion, I am omnipotent. Look at how fabulous I am and look at what I accomplished and ‘’they’’ all want a piece of me... so what if I destroy some people and magazine on the way … just collateral damage leading to my brilliant success.

11-Do you think your career would be different if there was an internet during your life?

This internet rubbish will be the death of me and yet if not for it, I wouldn’t be half as world famous as I am today so it is my job to figure out how to make myself look social media savvy without knowing a blessed thing about it ...after all I can’t ruin a manicure pecking at keys on a keyboard …that’s for my lackeys and editors and beside I am almost 65, can you imagine that I of the dark glasses and sleeveless will have turned senior citizen age??

12-What talent do you wish you possessed?

Any artistic talent other than my manipulative people skills and of course my business acumen. People think I am creative... bollocks ... I am the CEO of a brand not a mere fashion editor like Glenda or Jay. And well, I really want youth but that’s not a talent is it?

13- Who are you sorry you missed during your career?

Between you and me, I would have loved to have worked with that old broad Vreeland so I could show her that I was the new sheriff in town. Imagine the look on her face when they named the Costume Institute after me and not her. I raised the money and all I had to do was send invites, wave my wand and dictate to those who wanted to be included in my inner circle…… as if!!  I mean really, DV gave it a face and might have really invented it but I gave it money, of course none of my own and of course I did it as a side line while she HAD to work...poor old girl full time for the museum. Imagine she wanted the masses to enjoy it...bollocks!

14- WHAT WAS YOUR CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT?

Quite simply being me... and now I am part of history with my name emblazoned on a gallery at The Metropolitan Museum of Art … ha! Immortality!!

15- WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE DESIGNER?

Are you asking me ‘’who is my favorite designer this month or this year or ever?’’ I mean I have so many I have created and yet they disappoint me so often. Look at those fat girls in California who I made superstars after they created those dreadful raggedy thread bare sweaters and now look at them... they think they are designers showing that cowgirl trash.. Pathetic!! Many of my favorites are those who know it is wise to lavish me with their latest wares (Thanks Miucc!)... I mean imagine if I had to waste my money actually buying this crap ... that’s for other people... not me.

 

16- HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME BACK IN A SECOND LIFE?

AGELESS!! It saddens me that I have this frozen botoxed  face and I have turned into caricature of myself. Haven’t you noticed darling, ‘’I can barely smile these days.’’ Then of course there is the matter of my skin draping and my constant fight to stay anorexically thin. I am not sure I would know what to do if I have to cover my arms and have a face with movable parts. Alas, very soon I am 65 .. a senior citizen!!

****** compilation art by Mahyar Kalantari .. Wintourisover  by Christopher Lee Sauve

 

the Vogue Obit.. an open letter to Anna Wintour

Dear Madame Putin Wintour

I want to personally thank you for taking the fashion business to its low ebb. This can only prove that everyone is a whore and the only thing that separates them is the price. You have single handedly diminished and denigrated one of the great fashion institutions of this country.

 

One must ponder how far off the announcement must be of the KK costume galleries at the Met or the Anna Wintour Wing of the costume institute. What a disgrace you are to have sold out a business for your own personal gain. I can only hope you will be remembered for the evil twisted narcissistic bitch that you are. You have thrown every designer to the curb and under the bus in your quest for notoriety. Shame on you!!

Recognition within in the once hallowed pages of Vogue has suddenly become a deficit rather than an asset as who needs to be featured in the fashion world’s version of the National Enquirer. What was once an aspiration and goal for so many has now become shattered if not just a laughing stock.

My ONE and biggest prayer is that one or more  your primo advertisers will feel the same way that I do and withdraw their ad $$ from any magazine where you exert any influence. One can only pray that all this manure  you have slung during your tenure will bury you forever and may shame be upon you in indescribable quantity  and oblivion and silence will be the new standard operating procedure for Nuclear Wintour

Chew on that honey!