The fall 08 couture shows in Paris have begun! The couture shows are like Halloween for us fashionistas; elaborate costumes to gawk at, wicked use of fabric and technique, and styling treats to incorporate into your own personal style. Due to some technical difficulties, I’m not able to show you all the looks I am obsessed with thus far from the shows. In the meantime, Style.com has all the reviews and looks for your viewing pleasure. This weekend, in response to my glee over the upcoming shows, my bf asked me what the point of such shows were. As in, no one wears these creations in real life, so why bother? In case you are asking yourself the same thing- besides bringing lots of joy to those of us who consider such shows to be works of art- the couture shows bring a sense of prestige to the houses that present them as well as press coverage and set a mood for their ready-to-wear shows. Custom clothing rarely makes any money for the houses, and in fact often cost more than they make in direct sales; yet the couture distinction adds to the aura of the brand and can increase sales in other areas such as ready-to-wear, shoes, perfume and other luxury goods and licensing ventures. There are some lucky ladies out there- usually regular clients- who can afford to purchase these magnificent creations which made out of the best materials and by skilled specialists who spend hours painstakingly fitting the garments to the client and perfecting every detail. To learn more about how the term “haute couture” is legally protected in France, the designers who are official members of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, and the history of the custom, expertly crafted clothing you should check out books such as The Golden Age of Couture by Claire Wilcox and How Fashion Works by Waddell. And stay tuned, because as soon as my image uploading is back in action I will be posting all my favorite looks from the latest collections.

A mere week after proclaiming my love of Paulo Melim Andersson’s fall 08 Chloé collection, the house unceremoniously dumped him as the creative director. Like many of Chloé’s devotees, I had been skeptical of the modern shapes and clean lines that he brought to his collections, having been a fan of Phoebe Philo’s bohemian girly aesthetic. Yet, his fall collection was a step in the right direction- beading, floral appliques, statement shoes and billowing chiffon felt distinctly Chloé. However, the powers that be must have already made their decision. Hannah MacGibbon, his replacement, is no stranger to the brand, having worked under Philo for 5 years and recently consulted for Chloé as creative director of its signature perfume. Her pre- spring 09 collection, she characterizes as “Seventies and Eighties clichés”- lace, polka-dots, stiff linen and stylized animal prints. I do hope that Chloé doesn’t turn into a revolving-door house, constantly trying to re-create the magic of Philo. I felt that Melim Andersson was learning how to walk the fine line of staying true to what Chloé’s customers love while moving the house forward and thinking towards the future. That being said, I am a fan of the few images I have seen of MacGibbon’s pieces thus far, such as these structured high-waisted shorts and girly-yet-modern blouse:

To see more of the collection visit WWD.

If you can’t get enough of the Chloé look, be it Philo, Melim Andersson or MacGibbon at the helm, but can’t quite justify the splurge- See by Chloé is a great, pocket- friendly option.

Photo Cred: WWD

Daphne Guinness, the couture loving beer heiress and film producer debuted a new short-film, The Phenomenology of Body, on the The New York Times Style magazine website last week. The film explores the politics of fashion through time- from Eve to Joan of Arc to a 50’s housewife on different models all standing on a rotating platform juxtaposed against a black background. Set to the LCD Soundsystem tune “Great Release”, the film is best at full volume and the images are beautiful, if not exactly ground-breaking.

To further explore fashion throughout history, illustrated books such as An Illustrated History of Fashion and The Complete History of Costume & Fashion are great resources.

Photo Cred: Fashionation

A couple weeks ago, I suggested investing in a cute leisure outfit to throw on when feeling under the weather to help beat the runny-nose-blues. It never occured to me to suggest purchasing a satin or silk pajama set because, to be honest, that is really not my lounging style. However, the resort 09 collections may have me second guessing my stance on such garments as this one from Barefoot Dreams:

Silk pajama sets were all over the runway this season- styled and cut so as to be a night out-on-the-town kind of look rather than a night-in-bed one. I can’t help but wonder if some cute accessories, a little bit of DIY tailoring and a lot of confidence could make the pajama set I posted above look as chic and au courant as these from Lanvin, Diane von Furstenberg, Zac Posen and Cynthia Rowley?

Photo Cred: Style.com

Before their rise as a tour de force of fashion, Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren used to dream of the success that was to come. They would put together elaborate collections, and then they would make their visions a reality, in miniature. Produced on an exact scale of 1:10, the pair created not just several dolls wearing their clothes but also model catwalks, a small shop complete with glass windows and even a little perfume bottle, with ad campaign and press release. With the new Viktor & Rolf retrospective in London, named The House of Viktor & Rolf these miniature presentations are on display, as well as new dolls on a scale of 1:3 who showcase looks from past collections:

With fashion shows that feature models walking down the runway with heavy steel rigs, tungsten lights and speakers attached to their shoulders or bedding, including lace-edged cotton pillows and neatly folded-over sheets inserted into the neck of coats- the duo definitely lean towards the more bizarre side of fashion, to the delight of fashion critics and fashionistas all over the globe. This new exhibit, focusing on their dolls is no exception and for those lucky enough to see the exhibit while it is at the Barbican in London, it will certainly not disappoint.

Much like their dreams of haute couture, catwalks and their own stores came true- so did their dream of having their own perfume. The feminine Flower Bomb is a favorite of mine:

Image Credit: Wallpaper.com

Jimmy Choo’s fall/ winter 08/09 advertising campaign finds the lovely Angela Lindvall traipsing around the Plaza Hotel, surrounded by Jimmy Choo accessories in shots taken by the king of smutty snapshot-photography, Terry Richardson. “I chose to work with Terry Richardson because of his inimitable style and the way he captures women as modern, glamorous and independently confident,” said Tamara Mellon, president and founder of Jimmy Choo.

The shots are supposed to tell the story, in moments, of one evening spent at the hotel. My favorite has to be the bathtub shot- at the same time a bit naughty and incredibly chic. Quintessential Richardson. This campaign isn’t Jimmy Choo’s first risque story- telling campaign. For fall 06, the brand hired Brett Ratner to shoot Quincy Jones and Molly Sims and featured images of the duo in the desert that ended with Jones pictured sitting next to Sims’ seemingly lifeless body with a shovel in his hand. Keep an eye out for the ads in August issues of the fashion mags, and as part of the brand’s strategy for evolving into a key lifestyle brand, they have taken four consecutive advertising pages— the biggest unit of advertising it has taken to date— in the September issue of Vogue.

I’m thinking that these Jimmy Choo satin sandals would go great with my own bathtub…

Photo Cred: WWD

The Hong- Kong based retailer Lane Crawford has caught Olympics fever. In March, the retailer placed it’s first American advertising campaign- a 12-page insert in Vogue’s March spring fashion issue. Realizing that well-to-do Americans would be traveling to Beijing this summer for the Olympics, the one-time-only advertisement sought to entice those visitors who might be interested in shopping for luxury brands while in China. Now, the store has enlisted many of these same brands to take part in The Collective: Synergy in Fashion. The designers each created a one-of-a-kind garment that brings to life their take on a particular Olympic event. Participating designers include 3.1 Phillip Lim, Alberta Ferretti, Alexander McQueen, Burberry Prorsum, Costume National, Emilio Pucci, Givenchy, Maison Martin Margiela, Neil Barrett, Rick Owens, Stella McCartney and Yves Saint Laurent. The looks will be displayed at various events and at Lane Crawford during the Olympics, after an unveiling at the Today Art Museum in Beijing. Later, they will be auctioned, with all proceeds benefiting UNICEF. A sneak peak of Stefano Pilati for YSL’s running outfit, Burberry Prorsum’s sailing outfit, Stella McCartney’s equestrian outfit, and Givenchy’s archery outfit:

For those of us with pockets not quite deep enough to participate in the auction of these amazing garments, we can at least still get great athletic gear dreamed up by Stella McCartney for Adidas, like this cute ‘Yoga’ layer tee:

Image Credit: FashionWeekDaily

For your viewing pleasure, I am posting parts 1-3 of the video’s made at Bruce Weber’s recent shoot in Miami with Kate Moss, Sasha Pivovarova, Lara Stone and Daria Werbowy. The shoot, in W Magazine’s July 08 issue features the models lounging around only half-dressed (and sometimes not at all, but at least when they are it’s in fabulous clothing) with some of the coolest new designers- such as Jeremy Laing, Alexander Wang, Jason Wu, Gareth Pugh, etc- and a hand-full of hot, half-dressed men under the Miami sun. The videos have commentary from the designers and models, a behind-the-scenes look at the photo shoot, great summer music, and best of all- a vintage shopping montage with the models! Yay!

Part 1: Meet the Designers

Part 2: Scenes From Summer Camp

Part 3: Fashion Field Trip

While these videos don’t quite make up for my own lack of summer camp or a fashion road trip in the coming months, they certainly do make sitting in my still-hot-at-10pm apartment on this summer night a lot more fun. And there are more to come, so stay tuned!

This simple yet fabulous shift from featured designer Alexander Wang is perfect for your own summer adventures:

I have been in love with every collection that designers Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai have produced since I first discovered them in a Los Angeles boutique in 2006. They created their first collection on their living room floor three weeks after graduating from Parsons, in 2003, and their talent has taken them far in just a few short years. Their upscale yet laid-back aesthetic is a dead giveaway, to me at least, of their Southern California roots. Their use of crepe de chine, and light weight knits in muted colors in the resort 2009 collection is exactly what I would love to find myself in all summer long.

These cute blouses from the quirky duo will have to do until the resort collection hits stores:

Arclight Blouse:

Boudoir Blouse:

I just moved to a new apartment last weekend and have been searching for some artwork to hang on my bedroom wall. I am thinking of buying 2 to 4 prints to hang together in a cluster over my bed. I had a great poster from the Met’s Poiret exhibit framed for that spot, but the Jewish mother that lives inside my roommate came out and told me the large frame wasn’t very earthquake safe. It now resides in the living room. In my search, I came across the work of the immensely talented Emily Martin and I absolutely adore her paintings- they are whimsical, beautiful, have great musical references, and can be a bit dark and lonely at times (yet manage to not be depressing). I highly recommend checking out her wonderful craft on her blog Inside A Black Apple. While looking at her work, the outfits on her girls made me think of one man: Marc Jacobs. Case in point:

I’ve been crushing on this Marc by Marc Jacobs dress for months, the painting above immediately made me think of it. The aesthetics are quite similar, and both quite wonderful.

Image Credit: Emily Martin