thoughts on style

Alexander Wang S/S 2010 Runway (photo from Style.com)

Alexander Wang S/S 2010 Runway (photo from Style.com)

What a more perfect nod to football-inspired style than Alexander Wang's Spring 2010 collection, which was widely referenced by this classic American Sunday pastime.

So last September I shot a ton o street style pics at Fashion Week, including this one of an anonymous individual I stopped on her way into a show. Little did I know at the time, this individual turned out to be Becca Shumlin, prep-school student and daughter of a Vermont politican, who allegedly crashed various fashion shows along with her bestie Remy Renzullo (not pictured). According to Gawker (via Fashionista), the two were spotted in the front row (and would they stop at anything less..so ballsy, I love it) next to LSD and Suzy Menkes on separate occasions. Scandalous.

I'm not saying Becca and Remy did the right thing last September, but hey, at least they did it with style. And the Sartorialist agrees.

National Wear Red Day is tomorrow, February 5th, and in honor of this great cause to build awareness and support the fight against heart disease (see more information here at the American Heart Association website), I've posted another tear sheet from my pile-o-castaway-magazines I found in the hallway of my building (explained in previous post) with this SMASHING red dress. The styling here is all about asymetry - the bow on one shoulder, the one visible earring and the hair swept to the side. But personally, all of the other elements are totally eclipsed by the color--when a woman wears a red dress, all of the details and accessories should take a backseat and let the color do the talking, because on its own, it has more than enough glamour.

The Bloomingdales flagship 59th Street store in Manhattan this evening was teeming with DIYers and fashion people mingling and getting crafty to celebrate the launch of Helmut Lang denim. Erica Domesek of PS--I Made This blogging fame was in the house to instruct and oversee said DIYers making bracelets and necklaces out of scraps of leather and denim from the Helmut Lang showroom. I made a black leather fringe necklace myself, which straight off the bat I could tell needed a little help...I think my late-night DIY project tonight will have to be fixing it to make it well, actually cool, like Erica's version. Maybe I will personalize mine with some silver beads or ribbon or whatever I can find in my apartment. I think it needs a touch of romance, which, knowing me, is a given. I will be sure to post the results eventually, but for now you're going to have to look at my initial effort. Such a hot idea though-- subtle yet edgy. It would go great with a super-basic outfit like a white v-neck Alexander Wang tee, some random jeans, a black boyfriend blazer and some hot as hell buckled, studded or destroyed wedge heels.

The windows at Bloomingdales featured mannequins wearing Helmut Lang and the PS--I Made This logo

Mannequins in the Bloomindgales windows wearing PS--I Made This DIY necklaces and bracelets

The scene on the 2nd floor of Bloomies packed with DIYers

The fabulous Erica, author of PS--I Made This

Leather, denim, and what I believe is some kind of holey canvas material for the jewelry

My effort at making one of the necklaces -- needs work, but it definitely has potential

Couture week is over, and that means the only thing standing between now and New York Fashion Week is about...a week. So before the madness of NYFW takes over Thoughts on Style, here is a look at some the best of the couture shows last week.

The back of this dress from Jean Paul Gaultier makes me wonder not only how many strenuous hours of labor it took to construct, but also how long it took for the model to get laced up in this. Regardless, the effect of this back is just mind boggling in its intricate, compicated beauty.

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The Chanel Couture Show. While this peachy pink color next to the silver details of this dress is extremely romantic and pretty, the thing that got me about the Chanel show was the hair. Swept up and with the sweet, doll-like bangs in the front, the models just have this whimsical charm.

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The theme of the Armani Prive show was the crescent moon, and this look is has that mysterious silvery white color surrounded by a transparent bubble. While avant garde and impractical, it just has that perfect lunar effect on the runway.

This look from the Givenchy show is a play on volume and color. The very au courrant sandy beige nude on top contrasts nicely with the black shorts and over-the-knee boots. Here is something I wish I could scoop into my arms, carry home, and wear the next day. But alas, I am but a lowly fashion blogger, no Tavi or Bravo reality TV star, and so I don't get these types of perks.

Found this tear sheet in a pile of old magazines I found in the hallway when someone moved out of my building. There's never been a time when "one man's trash is another man's treasure" has been more true for me...except the time when I found a really cool table on the street and put it in my apartment (this is New York people..before I started worrying about the threat of swine flu and bed bugs). So I do apologize for not being able to list the source here. There is something so excessively extragant about this super long statement necklace on the first page. It's just so fantastically, ridiculously huge. Which is what I love about it. But to me, the real mood of the editorial comes through in the second photo - with the bondage-esque jewelry extending over the model's shoulders, along with her waif-like body next to such a strong face, it really feels very glamorously dark, like the rebellious daughter walking around her Park Avenue apartment in a $2 million dollar necklace and floor-length black cashmere cardigan.

This image, taken from the pages of either Harper's Bazaar or Vogue (if anyone knows, please post your comment!) displays a color combination I would never think to arrange in the same outfit, but looks fabulous together. The mixed textures of the silk pant next to the softer feel of the coat provide the look with an attractive contrast. I approve.

I love this image from W Magazine. The gold, the black, and the spill of glitter over the model's face give it that unexpected whimsy. Heart <3