thoughts on style

The September Issue - Sneak Peak!

thoughtsonstyle — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:21:19 -0400

Fashion Exhibit: the Model as Muse at the Met

thoughtsonstyle — Thu, 07 May 2009 08:07:22 -0400

"The Model As Muse: Embodying Fashion" Costume Institute Gala - Departures

Just opened on May 6th, the Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute has a new exhibit - The Model as Muse. The opening night gala was packed the the who's who of the fashion and modeling world, and is sure to attract the likes of those who admire them. The exhibit follows the role of the model in fashion throughout time, and is a must-see for any fashionista in the city or those visiting this summer. I am planning to visit soon, and will write my reviews. In the meantime, have you seen the exhibit, and what are your thoughts on the model as muse? Post your comments below.

Review: The New Yorker Style Issue

thoughtsonstyle — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 21:59:05 -0400

Last week I was excited to pick up the annual Style Issue of the New Yorker, since I was looking forward to some enlightening articles on the subject. So I bought my copy, featuring first lady Michelle Obama splayed across the cover, and proceeded to make it my mission to read every article pertaining to style over the weekend, and whatever else interested me (i.e., some morbid poems by John Updike). I am sorry to say that in the end, I was slightly disappointed. Let me explain why. First I have so say, my reading experience started off on a positive note, since I jumped straight to the profile of Alber Elbaz, designer for one of my most coveted labels, Lanvin, which was an interesting look not only into his life, but also into the reasons why Lanvin has evolved from a one-woman millinery in Paris to the phenomenon it is today amongst the fashion intelligentsia. Next I went right to an article about Bill Cunningham, the man behind the "On the Street" audio slide shows in the New York Times Fahsion & Style pages whose slide shows I watch religiously (seems to me he was the original Sartorialist, as far as style-on-the-street photos go). And then the annual Style Issue began to slip right off the pedestal on which I had put it with the lamely ironic "Confessions of a Pilgrim Shopaholic" article, a transparent reference to the rampant consumerism that preceded the new mindset of the recession. So finally, after realizing that I had yet to find the article about Mrs. Obama, cover girl of the issue, I leafed through each individual page until I found it - a one column, paltry attempt at including Michelle Obama in some sort of story. A brief mention of her arms, of Thakoon Panichgul and Jason Wu, and already the article was over. All that fanfare and the New Yorker did not deliver. I could not believe it, especially since I've already read countless articles examining her style with just several months in the White House, enough already to fill a novel, and this article could barely muster a few paragraphs?

It may have been called the "Style Issue," but with little substance and such lacking photographs they wouldn't even make it on a sidebar on the pages of Vogue, I find the cover story of this week's New Yorker to be the worst of both worlds - lacking in both substance AND style. Thank goodness for Alber Elbaz for making this issue worth my $4.99.

What is your favorite fashion film? Here are some you should add to your Netflix Queue

thoughtsonstyle — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 02:30:15 -0500

Let's face it - your netflix queue is destined run out of popular box office movies, and the Devil Wears Prada isn't exactly an accurate interpretation of the fashion industry (although it comes close in some instances). So why not learn something about your favorite fashion folks? I've seen several of these lesser-known fashion films, most of which are documentaries, and the rest are on my queue.

My recommendations

1. Yves Saint Laurent: His Life & Times (2004)

2. Lagerfeld Confidential (2007)

3. The September Issue (2008)

4. Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens (2008)

5. Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton (2007)

6. Seamless (2005)

7. Coco Chanel (2008)

Have you seen any of these films, and what did you think of them? What is your favorite fashion film? Post your comments below, and I will add any relevant films to my list!

This winter you should...build a style library

thoughtsonstyle — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:08:10 -0500

Anyone worth their Louboutins should at least know the story behind the red soles (rumor has it that old CL had once been adoring the red nailpolish on a model, so he proceeded to paint the soles of his shoes with it, and voila, the rest is history). That said, in order to truly appreciate style and fashion and the entire universe that surrounds it, I find it necessary dig deeper into this vast black hole of the fabulous. So I started collecting style & fashion books. As a semi-closeted intellectual, I pride myself on my overfilled, about-to-fall-through-the-floor-and-down-to-the-apartment-below-me bookshelf. Scattered amongst works like Dante’s Divine Comedy, Valley of the Dolls, and 1000 Places to See Before You Die are the scattered few style books I’ve collected: Eccentric Glamour, Style A to Zoe, The Fashion Dictionary, In Vogue, Chanel, & Kate Spade’s trio: Manners, Occasions, & Style. Through these books I’ve expanded my knowledge and come to be a more discerning, educated shopper, and so much more. The only problem I find is that style books tend to come in coffee table book form, and why I don’t know. This has prevented me (more than once) from taking a book like In Vogue (weighing at least 20 pounds) on the subway, or Starbucks, or the beach, or anywhere worth reading for that matter. And this is why fashion books are so full of photos - without them what is the point? How enjoyable can it be to lug around a 20 pound brick? So I stick to the small ones for reading, and let the big ones collect dust on my bookshelf…or coffee table. And why not? A coffee table book is just another accessory, as far as accessories go. Just make sure you find the time to read it…at some point.

Upcoming Exhibit: Year of Fashion at the International Center of Photography

thoughtsonstyle — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 19:51:08 -0500

Photograph from Weird Beauty exhibit, Michael Thompson, Ruffled Neck, New York City, 2007

Calling all New Yorkers - starting January 16 and continuing through September 6, the International Center of Photography will open its Year of Fashion exhibits. Four exhibits will be shown from January 16 to May 3, then the remaining three will be shown May 15 through September 6. This is a must-see for anyone interested in fashion, because photography largely tells the story of its history, and how we arrived at where we are today. It has changed the way our society understands clothing, not only though styling, but choice of model, location, mood and the story it tells.

Exhibits include:

Edward Steichen: In High Fashion, The Conde Nast Years, 1923-1937

Weird Beauty: Fashion Photography Now

This is Not a Fashion Photograph: Selections from the ICP Collection

Munkasci's Lost Archive

Avedon Fashion: Photographs, 1944-2000

David Seidner: Paris Fashion, 1945

John Wood: Quiet Protest

International Center of Photography

1133 Avenue of the Americas at 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036