New Home!

I have been in hibernation for a long time. During the past months, I felt that my original fashion blog limited the content I share, so I decided to start a new blog to share all I love. Please visit the following link for my new posts. In the mean time, all old posts were imported, so we still have everything from the past years!

http://imcaffeine.blogspot.com/

Happy new year to all!

Finally, a bespoke suit for me?! (I)

I took a hard look at my closet and determined that I was in urgent need of at least one suit that would fit me really well. After seeing so many beautifully made men's suits on wall street, I realized that the suit options for women are pathetic: The best we can do are off the rack suits from designers such as Jil Sander and Gucci. Worse yet, at price tags of $3,000 and up, they are fused (the wool fabric is essentially glued with the canvas lining, as opposed to stitched to the canvas lining).

I went so far as to register at Styleforum.net, a men's fashion forum, to learn the ins and the outs about a good suit. I understand that a good suit needs to be fully canvased and with the right fit, so obviously I, a French size 34, can never find anything in America that will fit me right. And I'm not even talking about the construction yet.

Then I paid a visit to Jil Sander where the sales associate assured me that I can order my made to measure suit from the men's MTM collection. Hmm......I like the idea, but I'm not sure how I will look in a men's jacket, albeit to my measurements. Can I handle the shoulder pads?

So now, Seize sur Vingt is my last chance.

To my surprise, the shirts at Seize sur Vingt almost fit me. The arm length is just right (first time in my career) and the collar actually comes with collar stays!

I went through their fabric swatches and liked some of the Super 130s. After being assured that they will make fully canvased jackets for women, I made an appointment for next Saturday. Let's see how the measurement process works. I'm excited.

Off topic, but I can't help - a review of our anniversary meal at Per Se

Since we splurged so much on a meal (comparable to a pair of shoes), I might as well review it on my blog...huh?

We had a great time at Per Se for our wedding anniversary. They personalized the menus for us with "happy anniversary" on the top. Sweet.

It was a nine-course, three hour meal, but we didn’t feel particularly stuffed. What impressed us the most was actually the vegetable dishes, because we both dislike vegetables and we haven’t found any restaurants that prepare vegetables like Per Se does. The veggies were absolutely amazing and we, as veggie haters, loved them.

The meat courses were fine, but less impressive. I can point out at least one restaurant that could make meat dishes better than Per Se. For example, I think that the Foie Gras could have been cooked slightly more thorough (although it was not the standard preparation they offered in the menu). The “Caesar salad”(basically a slab of lobster) though, was incredible. The lobster was the most properly cooked and the sweetest among all lobsters I’ve ever had.

The bread was delicious. The Parker House rolls were served warm (again, best we’ve had), but the rest were served room temperature. DH believes that the “proper” way of servicing French bread is room temperature, and I agree.

The dessert was fine, but nothing blew us away. The cappuccino though, was the best I’ve had. They’ve got a fantastic barista.

I didn’t drink wine (allergies) and DH asked the waiter to pair three glasses for him. He enjoyed them. Per Se uses some very exclusive small wineries from California and the results seemed surprisingly good.

The attention to details is certainly first-class. There was a little stool for my purse which was convenient. They remembered all the diet restrictions and offered alternatives. They are very patient and the waiter could be talkative if you want to chat.

Overall it was a very satisfying meal. But I feel that for people like us who do not like every single edible thing on earth, a regular 3-course meal will serve us better. In addition, it seemed a little comical to me when I see a giant plate with only a tiny bit of food in the center. (I guess that we are just less cultured to appreciate such sophistication.) Having said that, Per Se is a must-try for any foodie. We liked certain dishes, so we’ll return to the saloon for a la carte. But I’m not sure if we’ll go back for the nine-course meal: A nine-course meal takes lots of energy and dedication. Perhaps it was due to my exhausting week of work, I fell asleep in the cab on the way home. If we decide to return for the 9-course meal again, I’ll certainly pick a Saturday instead.

To make it relevant to a fashion blog, here is my outfit for the big night: I wore my favorite Sophia Kokosalaki dress. The dress was paired with Wolford tights with flower patterns and Balenciaga heels from this season. I kept jewelry minimal as usual with my watch, wedding band and my Chanel 2.55 reissue.

Yohji Yamamoto, Alexander McQueen

Paris fashion week ended with the inevitable failure of the Yohji Yamamoto brand and the theatrical (as always) Alexander McQueen show.

Yohji Yamamoto is one of those cult brands that only a small circle of customers follow. However, when every other brand is creating a niche to support its vision, Yohji has failed to do so. Balenciaga has used its Motocycle bags and the capsule collections to make profit, Givenchy remains THE place for evening dresses following "Breakfast at Tiffany's", Lanvin's evening dresses make women feel sexy and special, YSL has a loyal following among the 40+ socialites and its bags are selling well, and the list goes on. Yohji has nothing but Y-3 yet it took on Limi Feu to burn cash. The price point is also off although it isn't a problem unique to Yohji.

McQueen, on the other hand, has learned to be theatrical yet maintain its commercial success. No matter how shocking his runway presentation is.

McQueen is a Savile Row educated master in cutting fabrics. This show is an apex of his work in past seasons: All he has been working on is to cut a piece of fabric and make it visually striking. The computer generated prints are cut, draped and sewn to enhance the 3-D like images. He also attempted to create very structured looks with soft fabrics such as silk chiffon. As crazy as the runway outfits look, his showroom was filled with adapted looks ready for a commercial success. His formula works.

Alexander McQueen - Show of The Decade

http://www5.streamingwizard.com/alexandermcqueen.html

I will comment on this later, but please reserve half an hour and watch. This will be THE show people talk about in the coming five years, if not ten.

Paris Fashion Week Hits and Misses – Luxurious Paris, Minus The Avant-Garde

While Nicolas Ghesquiere of Balenciaga has returned to his roots, some avant-garde designers are cutting back amid their financial challenges. They want to SURVIVE.

Yohji Yamamoto is perhaps the best example. While the clothes are poetic as usual, the pieces are extremely commercial. It’s beautiful, but definitely uninspired. I later heard that Yohji has incurred some financial challenges, which explained the collection very well.

Junya Watanabe, whose collections usually raise eyebrows, is also playing it safe. Junya showed his (commercially) greatest hits: form fitting jackets and biased cut trousers. It’s another collection many retailers will be very happy with, but the hard core fans are hardly satisfied.

Comme des Garcons, Ann Demeulemeester and Hussein Chalayan also followed. There is nothing wrong with being commercial, but when the Belgians and the Japanese are playing it safe, Paris has lost half of its luster.

And here comes the other half: pure luxury.

Dries Van Noten showed his masterful skills mixing beautiful Southeast Asian prints and Ikat. All looks appeared to be styled perfectly with a unique Dries touch. His shoes have improved immensely in the past seasons and clearly that has brought more financial freedom.

Alber Elbaz wrapped all his girls with silk and leather, showing another ultra luxurious collection. It’s undeniable that Alber Elbaz spoils his clients to the max, yet the collection looks repetitive and I’m hungry for something new.

What blew me away is Haider Ackermann’s latest presentation. Haider has gained tremendous publicity after Tilda Swinton wore his clothes to award shows. Haider’s clothing is full of beautiful draping skills, yet it always comes with a bit of a dark mood. The only downside to me is that most of the outfits need a tall lady like Tilda to pull off, the clothes are emotional nonetheless.

The collection that moves me the most is actually Sophia Kokosalaki. She understands what a woman wants. A dress would beautifully drape around a model’s body, feminine, but not too soft. After wearing my Kokosalaki dress to a few special occasions, I’m ready to splurge on a cream color summer dress.

SS 2010, Balenciaga Brings Back The Street Warriors

If nostalgia is Miucia Prada's prescription for a recession, Nicolas Ghesquiere is certainly looking forward and arming his girls with stripes of leather, bright colors and veggie dyed leather pants to fight the way out of it.

It was Nicolas' design in 2003 that brought me into fashion. I was attracted by his aesthetic of this lean yet energetic girl. It was natural for him to dive into the Balenciaga archives during an economic boom to study the old master’s work, but after the uber feminine drapy outfits shown for the FW09 season, it is about time for him to return to his true self.

Many (Americans) have argued that this collection reminds them of Rodarte. This makes me chuckle because the Rodarte sisters were perhaps still in school when Nicolas commanded the world with the tough chic image. I have always believed that Rodarte has copied Balenciaga way too much, but without the elegance or refinement.

One major difference between excellence (such as Nicolas Ghesqiere) and mediocrity (the Rodarte sisters, I’m afraid) is that the former keeps evolving and refining one idea with great attention to details. One can compare the SS2010 collection to Nicolas’ old designs presented for SS03 and FW03, and hardly ignore the difference in material, color and construction. The silhouette is the same, yet the technique has been significantly enhanced: Patience pays off.

The following tops are another good example:

(FW 2006, FW2008, Rst2009 and SS2010, pictures from style.com)

It is the Nicolas Ghesquiere aesthetic, with Cristobal Balenciaga’s sense of luxury. I have no doubt that it will be a very expensive collection, yet the spirit is so straight forward that the commercial lines will do extremely well.

SS 2010, Prada Gets Pretty

After seasons of ugly cloak for the sake of being ugly (intellectual, inner beauty, whatever), Prada finally returns to prettiness.

On the surface, this collection reminds me of the FW2004 collection. (Hands down, FW04 is my all time favorite Prada collection, and I pray twice a year that Prada pulls it off again.) Some of the looks influenced me in a great deal and a look like the following became one of my “uniforms”:

Looking closely, however, the 1960s beach prints look tacky and will last one season and one season only. Unlikely the more abstract prints she used in FW04 (and many other collections), Mucia Prada chose the tacky, if not borderline cheap prints. Here, cheap doesn’t mean inexpensive. Ms. Prada explained that she was doing nostalgia and interpreting rich and poor. She went so far as to ask the mill to weave nylon (a symbol of being poor) threads into silk duchesse (a kind of rich fabric that is often times used in couture clothing) fabric. It turns out that the "synthetic" fabric actually costs more than pure silk. How ironic.

Some, represented by Cathy Horyn, have criticized this collection as not sophisticated or intellectual. Tack prints aside, I do find the change refreshing: women don’t need to dress ugly to look sophisticated. Sure, those tacky prints won’t make any one look sophisticated, but the solid colors do. I am certain that the Prada boutiques around the globe will be filled with variations of the short jackets, with unfinished fringes hanging on the bottom, but in solid color. I found them refreshing and borderline office appropriate. There are simple little jackets that will just pick up your mood in a humid Sunday morning. Why not?

Some douches silk ensembles also reminds me of Cristobal Balenciaga’s creations, although one can be sure that corsets are absent. By the way, we’ve just watched the movie Coco Before Chanel, and I thank Ms. Chanel for liberate women from corsets. It was a defining event that made women more equal.

Mucia Prada certainly shares the business minds of Coco Chanel’s. I’m certain that the new collection will be a commercial hit. This will only help after Prada just gave up an IPO, for perhaps the third time.

New York Fashion Week - They Didn't Give Up

Everybody understands how difficult the retail environment is in the middle (end) of this recession. Some designers simply gave up. Their line ups looked as if the designers no longer cared; Others showed fewer looks but much better edited compared to previous seasons. In fact, some designers didn't give up and they shined!

Marc Jacobs

I've stopped guessing what he will do next many seasons ago. He always gives fashion a good spin and surprises us. Marc Jacobs has made his point: pretty ruffles are in and 80s shoulders are out. Take notes my friends: DON'T TOUCH THE STRONG SHOULDERS you see in stores this winter. They will be out before next spring.

Balenciaga

I know, I know. Balenciaga will only show in two weeks following London and Milan. What I am trying to say is that many designers were more or less inspired by Balenciaga's last end-of-recession looks from SS03 and SS04. There are many body-conscious and structured silhouettes. There are also printed A-line dresses. To me, they are all recycled Balenciaga looks. I like them and I can wear them all day long.

What does that mean? It means skinny jeans are still in and will stay. It also means that everybody needs to work hard to keep fit.

BCBG

BCBG showed many cute and wearable clothes on the runway. I was intrigued enough to search on their website, but I was disappointed by the disconnection between the runway looks and the final products. The FW09 clothes only looks 1/3 as good compared to their runway looks. I'm not certain what the causes are, but fabrics might be the reason. Or perhaps the models they used for their commercial website are somehow a little off?

Calvin Klein

The winner of the week. Francisco Costa has been playing with structure and volume for quite a few seasons. In the latest season, he also combined volume with some very interestingly crinkled fabrics. Fabrics were sewn in some exquisite method and that creates not only volumes but interesting moves when the models walked on runway. Models appeared to be sweaty but very fresh. This creates an interesting juxtaposition between sexiness and the futuristic nonchalance. The collection is mainly comprised of different versions of T-shirt dresses, but the volume and the construction interest me extremely. When is the trunk show?

Helmut Lang

Wearable, cool and affordable. I can see myself buying most of the clothes off their runway looks, and this is pretty rare. They actually use pretty decent fabrics, so that separates them from their competitors on the Barneys co-op floor. Yeah you'd better make nice clothes with that name!

The September Issue

I’ve just seen the new film featuring Anna Wintour and the process of making the September 2007 issue of the US Vogue. While many discussions have been focused on Anna Wintour the editor, the movie, along with all the concerted efforts to promote fashion in recent months, has exposed fashion’s fragile status in the new deleveraging world.

Vogue has been extremely influential in the fashion world, and the movie showed us the behind the scene story. In one of the retailer breakfast events, Anna commented that they have talked to Mrs. Prada about making a lighter weight jacket so that it’s more wearable. I was a little surprised by the degree in which Vogue is involved in the commercial process and I was actually very impressed by Anna’s influence. In situations like this, Anna is a spokes person creating a win-win situation for both the consumer and designer.

Have you wondered about the release time of this film? This movie is about the making of the September 2007 issue. Why did they wait for two years to release the film? It’s clearly a carefully chosen time as the world experienced a financial earthquake late last year. We’ve all heard of the stories, the 75% off sale at Saks, the series of department stores getting liquidated, delinquent shopping malls and the drained home equity lines as financial resources. What Vogue is trying to do now is to push the market again, but in a stronger force and from a wider angle. This campaign is not about a jacket or fur, instead, it’s about sending people back to the stores again.

Indeed, Vogue is hosting a “Fashion’s Night Out” event on September 10^th and even the mayor is participating. (Anna stalkers, she will appear in a Macy’s event in Queens with mayor Bloomberg.) In addition to the release of the film, the September 2009 issue has just hit the magazine stands. As you might have noticed, this issue includes a lot more affordable pieces to make the magazine more relevant. Anna also appeared on the David Letterman show to promote fashion. (No, I don’t think that Anna accepted the invitation to promote herself.)

It’s nice to see all the events leading to the fall fashion scene. At the same time, I feel that Anna is worried and the fashion industry is worried. After laughing at Andre Leon Talley’s tennis moves and the camera man’s belly, I smelled desperation and little irony in the film. (Did I say I strongly recommend it?) After all, it is the consumers who feed the entire fashion industry including Vogue and Anna. Where is the money when people don’t shop?

No matter how hard they try, it’s going to be another tough season for the retailers before it gets better the next spring. I’m one of the pessimists who are convinced that the consumers are still deleveraging. With the rising saving rate, disposable income dedicated to fashion will continue to decrease. That means designers will have to edit further and produce less.

The fashion industry is lucky that there are magazines like Vogue actively involved in the commercial process. I’ve been spending the past year decorating our condo, and it’s my feeling that the same push by the magazine editors doesn’t exist in the home “fashion” industry. I thought that Domino would possibly become the “Vogue” of home magazines, but unfortunately it was closed. So who is going to take the role in the interior industry, possibly a bigger business?

I’m convinced that Anna is God in the fashion industry, like it or not.

To increase or not to increase? That's the question.

Rumor has been circulating that Chanel will increase the price of their "classic" bags by 20% starting tomorrow. A bag priced at $2,850 will then be $3,420. 

Does that mean that the Chanel bag I purchased in Feb.2008 appreciated in value, and so I need to buy one more before the price goes up again? Hardly.

At the same time, consider the following case:

If you invested in Oct.2007 at the peak of the S&P500 of 1,565, your investment has been down 38% as of October 31, 2008, when the S&P closed at 968.75. 

Now, please compare the 38% stock market decline (interpretation - an average stock investor has lost 38% investments) with the 20% price increase by Chanel. Oh, by the way, did I mention that the Euro is depreciating? How disturbing is that? 

Not only won't I purchase a Chanel bag now, I would argue that the price increase initiated by Chanel is silly. I had this conversation with our retail analyst the other day. I told him that Chanel was being silly. But his answer is that I'm one of those "aspirational" consumers who are not the core customers of Chanel's. That's fair. However, I would also argue that some of the uber rich who don't even blink before shedding $3,500 on a bag are probably sophisticated enough to realize that they are better off walking a few blocks up to the Hermes store instead. By spending a few thousands more, they can bring home something better made, more exclusive and possibly more recession proof than the mass-produced Chanel bags. Assuming that the non-core customers contribute to 30% of the bag sales (by numbers of bags sold), and 30% of the uber rich crowd are more investment savvy, Chanel will only sell approximately half of the numbers of bags they used to. That's more than sufficient to offset the price increase of 20%. Furthermore, I am afraid that the brand will be damaged by its relentless and greedy price increase without offering better quality, product innovations or service improvements. 

CNBC just reported that Chanel has cancelled the plan of a price hike. But a peek at the Purse Forum proves that the Chanel sales force around the world haven't been informed about the final decision yet. To increase or not to increase? That's the question. If you find out what happens tomorrow, please post here and let us know.

Best news in the past months!

EUR (Euro) to US Dollar now is trading at 1.2856:1

That means all fashion goods made in Italy and France will see falling prices! Remember when Sex & The City just started showing, Manolo Blahniks were merely $300+ a pair? Now I see hope! Let's just try very hard to keep our jobs during this ugly recession and then we'll be able to enjoy the fashion heaven for the years to come!
SS09, or FW09 will be priced better. Or at least I hope! Unless houses like Chanel still raise prices relentlessly without any reason. In that case, I might just travel to Paris to get Hermes instead! Businessmen in Europe be aware!

SS09, The Summary

My favorites:

Ann Demeulemeester

Balenciaga

Chanel

Dries Van Noten

Hussein Chalayan

Louis Vuitton

Marc Jacobs

Undercover

Versace

Yves Saint Laurent

It's quite a challenging season. I think that most of the designers are aware of the financial situation around the globe; but few have offered clear visions. Maybe the buying managers have seen more commercial oriented choices in the show room, but a collection like Givenchy's seemed to be out of touch. 

I think that the New York designers will be particularly challenged due to their reliance on private equity money and debt financing. Small businesses will be challenged and fashion is no exception. We'll see more consolidations.

It's a triumph for Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs. I really like what Marc Jacobs did this season. Contrary to many who think that the LV collection is too similar to the Marc Jacobs collection, I think that this latest LV collection is actually Marc Jacob's best for the house. Some have said that the LV collection is more YSL than YSL, and I don't disagree. Stefano Pilati looks too much of a minimalist in comparison. On the other hand, I like his vision and his precise presentation. There is no confusion or ambiguity. 

Nicholas Ghesquiere has special eyes for the next new things. His designs are generally very current (except for the SS06 collection) and he's shown us some new fabrics along with some silhouettes and geometric shapes true to his roots. The venue completed the entire package. 

Ann Demeulemeester and Undercover both did lots of gorgeous white designs. White is not a non-color. It's extremely colorful without distraction when it's done right. The two showed us exactly what that means.

Chanel showed only three colors: black, white and pink. The venue reminds me of the Coco Chanel movie I watched on TV while switching the channel to CNBC to get updates on the Lehman Brother bankruptcy news during the too many commercial breaks. I could have been watching CNBC all along, but Chanel is just too much mystery to me that I had to watch to know her more. The SS09 collection is Karl's better ones. 

Moving on to the more colorful collections, Chalayan once again balanced extremely well between a creative mind and a businessman. Dries Van Noten, without trying too hard, showed a uber Parisian collection with delicious degrading colors and bold jewelry.

As to Versace, she showed what an Italian collection is supposed to be.  She gave us glamour and energy when we were mourning. Bravo and a big thank-you.

What a crazy week......

I didn't wear any colors Monday in mourning. Bless all the hard working people and the good souls at LEH.
London fashion week has been disappointing so far. I have seen Mac Women and animals from the jungle so far. But not a single beautiful dress in sight. It's been a long and depressing week for me. The worst part is that it's only Tuesday.

But I'm trying to keep my spirit up. We have the Milan fashion week next week and then the world-saving Paris fashion week the week after. Let's keep our fingers crossed that the financial market will stabilize by the time the Versace show starts. Then I will be able to go home before 9pm to browse the internet with you, my fellow fashion lovers.

Rodarte SS09 - The Easy Way Out

I was blown away by the sisters' FW08 collection. They were the real deal. The SS09 collection is equally gorgeous, but it leaves me a little bit empty. I can see Anna Wintour whispering to the sisters after the previous show "......well, why don't you guys keep the direction and refine it a bit for the summer season......""......look at what Nicolas Ghesquiere has done so far......That's all." I understand that designers need to be consistent and keep their directions clear, but the latest design from Rodarte seem to be lazy to me: They have taken the easy way out to recycle their ideas from the previous season and even borrow ideas from the signature Balenciaga looks. It's not even a remix. It's a re-release!


Question: which dress is from FW08 and which one is from SS09?
If you chose the first look the spring look because of the colors, you are WRONG. Nope, they are not from the same collection. The first is from FW08 and second is from SS09, shown in NYC yesterday. What's the point of doing the same look twice? U2 doesn't record Sunday Bloody Sunday every time they have a new album. Why do you, Rodarte?

Don't get me wrong, the dress is beautiful. The hard metal accessories and the fragile chiffon balance each other so well and the drape is so well done. But isn't it a little dishonest?Those two pictures, from afar, without contact lenses, look 100% Balenciaga to me .(the regulars here know how much I love Balenciaga.) Nope, they are also Rodarte. The first will fit perfectly with the looks from Balenciaga SS07 and the second look is produced by Balenciaga every single season.

So what's the verdict? 10 for execution. 2 for originality.

Marc Jacobs for President!

Some powerful fashion people please take note: never mess with Marc Jacobs. If Marc Jacobs leaves the New York Fashion Week, there won't be any point of putting up a whole week of events.

Marc Jacobs saved the New York Fashion Week, again.

Marc Jacobs for President. With all the politicians, business men and what not, Marc Jacobs is the only one who understands what America is all about.

I saw a mix of the "greatest hits" that work together beautifully and elegantly. There were metallic colors in deep red and blue with prints. There were also raised shoulders like what YSL did many years ago (but not those shoulders in the Seinfeld) and the silhouette was punctuated by wide belts. Skirts were kept long (mid-calf) but the entire outfits were fluid and lean. There was much oversized jewelry and large handbags were nonexistent. The espadrilles didn't do much for me, but the heels with a single stick of steel and a little heel pad extension look perfectly proportioned and they elongated the entire look.

Fashion designers always provide certain restraints during recessions. I was always wondering what designers would do for the coming season and here is how it’s done. The immigrants, the nostalgia and the mirrors. The beautiful women showed us what the great America is all about.

Marc Jacobs 2008!

Shopping report: Seize sur Vingt

Our office dress code will go back to "Business Formal" after the Labor Day weekend and it's time to stock up shirts again.

I've been buying shirts from the Thomas Pink store across street from my office. My sales associate, James, even has my measurements handy and all I need to do is to tell him which kind of shirt styles I'm looking for. I love Thomas Pink: their fabics are the finest and the colors will remain vivid even after over ten washes, the service is always just right - never too pushy yet always provide help when needed, they have practically all styles one can think of, and it's the only shirt maker that stocks odd sizes such as my husband's, super tall, and mine, super petite.

If there is only one thing that Thomas Pink can potentially improve, it is providing made-to-measure shirts for women. Seize sur Vingt does it (as claimed by Lucky Magazine) and so here came Jing, looking for the next perfect shirt.

The store is tucked in a row of NYC local boutiques on Elizabeth Street, just off Prince Street. I was at first a bit surprised by how plain the shirts looked. Well, it's their aesthetic, I suppose. Then I noticed that the white shirt hanging on the rack is so loosely knitted that the bra is guaranteed to show. I tried on the xxs, the smallest size, and realized that it was too roomy on me. To be fair, the length is fine but the body and the sleeves look way too big.

Well, that's why they provide made-to-measure service. But I quickly learned that the first order has to be at least five shirts. Their tailored shirts are from $260 to $490. Five shirts will easily add up to $1,500, before I see a single shirt that fits. What if they don't?

"Well you can have the shirt altered", said the salesman. I liked his British accent, but the math he demonstrated wasn't equally appealing. They would charge for alteration and my final bill would be around what a tailor-made shirt costs. Did I mention that the shirt fabric didn't feel luxurious at all?

Seize sur Vingt also sells suits and made-to-measure suits. A three-piece suit will cost $3,400 and up and require three fittings. The downside is that it's only partially hand-made. I guess that it's worth trying as long as the fit is good. And I don't have to order at least five of them to place an order. The lead time is approximately 10 weeks, so I guess that they are made off-shore. It's a nice concept, and I might give it a try next year.

As for shirts, I guess that I will see James tomorrow.

FW08 - Have the shoe designers gone too far?

The biggest let down from the FW08 collections is the shoe design. It looks like everybody has caught the disease "ugly". Just when you think that Prada has been doing ugliness for too long, others followed.


Yes, those are Pradas. Which kind of lettuce is it?
I've seen the short boots in person. They look very futuristic, but they weigh a ton. The big block of stone-like things on the heels are actually made of rubber. Each shoe probably weighs 10lbs. If you have skinny legs and need to built more muscles, get them.Those are Rick Owens. No more comments from me. The picture speaks for itself.
Yves Saint Laurent. I can tell that they are from the Tribute style, but they are not balanced. Clunky is an understatement.

So what do you think? Ugly or avant guard?

I'm back!

I can't believe how long I have not updated my blog! My apologies!

A few updates from me...
First of all, the financial market has not been doing well and that explained my busy work schedule.

...and my husband and I just purchased our condo in North Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY!

I have not shopped much (if at all) in the past months due to the home purchase. But that doesn't mean I no longer care about fashion. Quite on the contrary, I have just had my custom closet built and started tring different styling with my existing pieces. That's actually a lot of fun.

So I'm back, and I'll keep updating. Stay tuned, my friends!

LA Confidential & Alexander McQueen SS08 Trunk Show

The documentary Lagerfeld Confidential is extremely entertaining even if you know little about the designer. Karl’s brutal honesty is one of a kind and many words of his deserve to be written down and thought over. Without telling you too much about the documentary, let me just give you an extremely strong “must see” recommendation.

Film Forum was temporarily transformed to a fashion club because of the movie. My friend and I saw Lynn Jaeger, one of the very influential fashion journalists in this country. I actually saw Lynn a few times at Barneys New York on Madison Avenue, and I have been impressed by her personal style every time when I saw her.

An even more interesting fashion moment was the Alexander McQueen trunk show held in the meat packing district on the following Sunday.

Alexander McQueen is no doubt one of the best show masters among all designers. His design quality, to be totally honest, is not consistent, yet he never fails to deliver a grand show. When the design and the show are both strong, it will be an extremely gorgeous and touching collection. This SS08 collection is one of them.

The collection was to memorize the late Isabel Blow who discovered both Alexander McQueen (Lee, as a matter of fact) and Philip Treacy, and the clothes didn’t fail to show Isabel’s spirit and lots of Lee’s emotion.

The trunk show invitation is made of a piece of thick cardboard covered with feather prints, one of the motifs used in the collection. When I entered the showroom located in the meatpacking district overlooking the Hudson River, I was immediately energized by the crowd, the sunlight and the mini runway show setting. Aside from bumping into my old friends Alyssa (who used to work at the McQueen boutique) and Sara (who worked at the Balenciaga boutique and now Dior Homme), I noticed designer Philip Lim in his signature camel color wool coat and a navy color scarf, and the crowd was cool enough to leave him alone.

The show started with the original runway soundtrack. I remembered every single outfit from pictures online, yet looking at the clothes in real life was mind blowing. With the return of the shoulders, Lee was able to accentuate his sharp tailoring even further. The contrast between the sculptural shoulders and the tiny waist is fierce. If you remember Martin Margiela’s FW07 collection, you would be amazed by MMM’s vision. MMM is always a few seasons ahead of others, yet Lee is definitely not late in the game.

Based on my limited knowledge about McQueen’s recent collections, Lee doesn’t mess with his fabric like Miucia Prada does. (Thank God! We don’t need more toilet seats!) Lee knows his basic fabrics and he always develop his ideas around the fabric and utilize them well. Each season you would see the same silken light weight wool, wool crepe, Prince of Wales check fabric and tartan prints, although they came in different shapes and mood each season. They offer both a runway line and a commercial line each season which makes great sense. This time around, for instance, I fell in love with the short dress from the runway look, but I opted for the same style with a less dressy grey wool fabric. It’s a short dress, and I want the flexibility to wear it day and night.

The buying office at the McQueen store is very knowledgeable. Max, the business development manager at McQueen commented that they didn’t order dresses in a cotton fabric that were normally offered in spring seasons because they wrinkle. I am sure customers complained, and the team listened.

The colors are rich, the silhouettes are sharp yet the fabrics are soft. Lee depicted the perfect image of a strong yet fragile woman who probably lives in his fantasies secretly. Is it Isabel Blow?

______________

This is the dress I pre-ordered. I love a piece of garment with an interesting idea. This dress is a backward man’s blazer. The shoulders are padded and the waist is clinched.

The dress coat looks good. Why? Because it is heavily constructed with boning! The entire bodice embraces the body like a corset. It’s too beautiful.

It reminds me one of Isabel Blow’s outfits.

The jacket is SEXY. I see Cate Blanchett in it. It’s an unusual jacket due to the boning on waist and hips. It gives you curves.

The jacket is exquisite. I love the trims in patterned leather. The surprise is the feathers peaking out under the lapel.

One of the feather dresses with a leather cut bodice.

Can you tell that the skirt is made of laser cut leather?