If you happen to be in the Bay Area before April 5th, I highly suggest you make a stop at the de Young museum in Golden Gate Park and check out the amazing Yves Saint Laurent exhibit currently taking place. I saw the exhibit this weekend, while on a short vacation to the Bay and was completely mesmerized by the genius and spectacle of the designer. The exhibition contains nearly 130 accessorized garments and sketches illustrating the lines, colors, and fundamentals of Saint Laurent’s work. Included are such famous and iconic looks as the Mondrian, hand-knit bridal gown, pop art, Van Gogh, safari, the black dress with huge bow, Africa, and of course, le smoking.

Seeing these amazing works of art up-close was an amazing experience. I could have spent all day admiring the tiny details in the garments. I was reminded that couture, and ready-to-wear, collections are the outcome not only of the designer’s creative vision, but also the painstaking, detailed work of his team. The bead work on the Van Gogh pieces, for example, and the way the beads are chosen and embroidered, perfectly re-creates Van Gogh’s brush strokes. It is truly incredible.

Unfortuntely, the de Young is the only venue for this exhibit in the U.S. If you can’t make it, you can still indulge in some YSL history with Yves Saint Laurent: Style, Style, Style which I perused at the museum gift shop before ultimately deciding on a poster and YSL paper dolls book (I knew I could find Style, Style, Style on PriceGrabber for a better price!).

Image credit: Style.com

I came across a great nostalgic holiday gift idea on Fashionista, fashion paper dolls! As a little girl, I love loved lovvvved paper dolls. And my mother loved buying them for me because they weren’t as expensive as real dolls, so I could collect them to my hearts content. Fashionista has pointed out that there are some really cool paper dolls out there these days, such as Chanel Fashion Review, Fashion Model (with glamorous wigs!), British, American and French Fashion Designers, Great Fashion Designs of the Seventies and Eighties, and Art Deco Fashions.

I have already come up with a few crafty ideas for them. I am thinking they would be really cute as fridge magnets, all you would need is some thin magnets and superglue to transform them. The recipient of your paper doll magnets can play stylist as she cooks breakfast! That is, if you can bear to part with your handiwork. You could also create a very cool framed paper doll collage, the Art Deco fashions would be great in an Art Deco inspired frame and the Chanel fashions in a bold black frame, perhaps with a silk camellia glued to a corner. An even simpler holiday idea would be to use the fashions as gift tags (maybe not so much the underwear clad dolls). To: Lucky Friend From: Crafty Fashionista.

Source: Fashionista

I came across these images in an issue of WWD we had lying around the studio and had to post them, which led to a little cut, paste and Photoshop action to make the ripped out images look, well, a little less like I had ripped them out of a magazine. But I digress… How much fun are these spring 09 fashion show invitations?! The best invitations I get are either of the wedding/ baby shower or witty evite variety so I must admit I am a bit jealous of the lucky ladies and gents who received these in the mailbox (among other reasons). My favorites have to be the Moschino Cheap & Chic paper doll (I wonder if it came with different outfits?), the Stephen Burrows’ “Afro Summer 09″ pick, and Stella McCartney’s voice changer. Definitely a great way to start buzz, set the mood, and get people excited to see your latest collection.

Didn’t get an invite either? You can console yourself with a little retail therapy… May I suggest a cute sequined party dress from puzzle lover Betsey Johnson?

Image Source: WWD

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

With Dior’s 2009 resort collection, Galliano clearly took his inspiration from the Palm Beach and Beverly Hills ladies who lunch. Some of the bright prints and bold colors seemed as though they may have been made out of the wallpaper these ladies stripped off their kitchen walls back in the 60’s. These textiles, paired with shaped such as capri pants, caftans, little peplum jackets, and tunics was a bit too Stepford-wife-on-a-technicolor-cruise for my taste. However, there is no denying Galliano’s genius. For an intermediate season such as resort, a designer can get away with having a good time and present a world of luxury, leisure and fun, rather than pushing sartorial boundaries. Galliano’s vision for resort was definitely all these things:

Swoon worthy:

A litte scary:

Wallpaper:

A little Valley of the Dolls thrown in:

The bright color and embroidery on this Tory Burch tunic and the ornate beading on these Bo’em Allure sandals will give you the Dior resort look:

Photo Cred: Style.com