Wunderland

Hi, sorry about the delay. I was taking an extended vacation from all obligation, which I think is acceptable, right?

Anyway, I thought yesterday after watching Gossip Girl about how much I had missed and shuddered, so now I am back at mon ordinateur for an update, and these are my findings.
And by the way, I know I haven't posted any of my own outfits in positively aaaaaages, so I'll see if I can do that, but my camera is stone age, so don't get your hopes up. Naw, just kidding. But I still hate my camera.
I had a browse on style.com....

This is Wunderkind ss11. It is also the most amazing collection ever, although I overuse that phrase to the point that you should just ignore whenever I say/type it.
But seriously, they're cherries. CHERRIES. Printed on chiffon. How much more adorable can you get? I also love the cute Dutch-maid hair, even though its kinda strange, in a good way.

But, you'll notice, as you have probably noticed my obsession for Lolita-esque clothes with a tough undertone, that these garments are exactly that. The cherry chiffon is layered with shades of gray, making it bittersweet, and the shapes alternate between flirty 50s-style circle dresses and loose, tomboyish getups, and also tight, structured trousers, amongst other things.
The layering is not always present, but it reminds me of a beautiful image in the Friedrich Christian Flick art collection, which I'll see if I can fit into this post.

There are variations in the attitude of the clothes: some are pure, childish, buttercream sweetness, whilst others are much more mature, sharp and hard-edged.

This is one of the latter.
The collection then progresses to psychedelic bright blooms (as seen above) on all manner of backgrounds.The shapes become less floaty and more edgy, incorporating a myriad of fabrics into the mix in true Wunderkind spirit, giving the second part of the collection a more pronounced modernity. The prints also become progressively darker, and power-suit shapes start to creep in. I'm still partial to the cherries, though.

I think this has been my favorite collection in the past 3 months -- it has absolutely everything I love, from cherries, flowers and chiffon to "BOOOM get out the way" shapes.
And another thing on the spatial aspect of this whole affair:
There's something about the pairing of a sharply tailored jacket, a voluminous mini and sky scraper heels.... which is why I think this is the piece with the most attitude and fearlessness in the whole dang thing.


Maybe its about stylizing the human figure, or the instant masculinity of the shoulders (not that I'm saying that men are more powerful than women -- HELL no!)... maybe its just the whole darn amazingness of... everything!! GAHH I'M OVERWHELMED

PS. The lace up shoes are pretty awesome also, and the color of the aforementioned jacket is the absolute epitome of pulchritude. I was gonna do Mohapatra ss11 too, but I'll do that tomorrow.


E.C.

New Stuff

Ready-to-wear baby!!!

Excuse the idiotic 90210 reference. Not that I actually watch the show, or anything.
No way! Ha....ha.....So, moving right along. This is part one of many parts soon to follow all about the new Ready-to-wear collections (thanks for the pics, Style.com, babezz).And by the way, I am sick, which is why I have time to blog on a Thursday. It is also unfortunately the reason that I have lost my voice. So I am going to have to do all my usual vocal expostulations that I usually do while blogging in my mind, or, if that gets too strenuous, on paper (or screen, rather).
First up: Rachel Roy.


I was flipping through the slide show of the collection going "shett man this is boring" (in my head, of course, not my current hoarse, disturbing tracheotomy-esque whisper. I wouldn't want to frighten the black cat that is, at this moment, staring into my window. No joke). This collection consists mainly of one-toned, flowy evening gowns. While this is definitely not a bad thing, and I do love long flowy evening gowns, shett man, I'm bored with them. And I know I have the attention span of a lightning bolt, to quote someone (I forgot who), but so does the public, unfortunately. But as I was about to kill the slide show, I stumbled upon these two nuggets of sartorial gold. Literally, they are both gold. In the above photograph, it was the blazer that caught my eye. And is that a transparent belt I see before me? If mine eyes do not deceive me, yes, it is. I'm not wild about the pants, but the blazer looks like something I would wear if I were a very powerful chief executive in a very powerful company and had just come back from vacation in Berlin and Ibiza, and had only just had time to wash the funkayy green hair dye out of my hair. Gaze with awe upon the way the way the neckline gives way the tan line. Too cleavage-y for a first-day-back at work? Shut up.


My favorite thing about this one is the barely-visible shirt (pretty much the opposite of the other outfit). This combined with the rest of the outfit, the sunglasses and the model's lack of makeup (or visible makeup, anyway), not to mention the simple center-parting, say: "I am so much more bitchin' than you many lady-clones because of the fact that I don't feel the need to squish my boobs to gross proportions, hairspray my tresses into Snookiedom, and I won't even deign to look upon such vulgar things, and therefore I will wear John-Lennon-y glasses and avert my hipster gaze. This also gives me the privilege of being able to use 70s slang without reproach (unlike the author). YAY FEMALE EMPOWERMENT". Yes, novice, clothes can be that expressive. And also a little full of themselves.

--------> ANNA SUI


I really didn't think I would like this collection very much at first, because it seemed kinda like a parody of, well, say, the last Dolce &Gabbana collection (the one with all the denim and stuff). Also, it was too busy for my taste. But I do like the choker on this one, and the shorts paired with something more more subtle would be sheer hottness.


But I definitely came 'round when I saw this frilly frippery (in a good way). I just... love it. Its kinda hard to explain. I've always been one for nude lace in moderation. It reminds me a bit of a sexed-up Wendy-type nighty. My scenario is if Wendy went "Uchh this long skirt is so dang irritating *rips it off*. Oh well, now I'm in my undies, but in Neverland nobody cares, right? And I might as well pull on these sturdy boots if I'm gonna be grappling with evil fairies and such. OK, Peter, bring on the fairy dust."


There are several reasons I love this so much.

- The printed chiffon is is psychedelic in a way you never see in the 21st century. Or at least I haven't seen it this year. God knows Alexander McQueen, bless his eternal soul, had it all up on the runways in 2008.

- The boots, I want them. They look so comfy and and well-made and leathery and cowgirlish and I am gonna unearth a certain pair of tan leather boots my grandma handed down to me this winter.

- Lindsey Wixson is modeling it and she is the most adorable little thang. Plus I love the hair in this collection. It probably took about 5 hours to achieve, but it looks so easy and carefree and happy. And I love it. Wait... did I say that already?

- The blouse is poufy. Enough said.

- SHE IS SMILING!!!!! I haven't seen that sort of unabashed, roguish grin on a model in donkeys' years. That's a British expression for a very long time. I'm talkin' like a native, huh?


These boots are made for beating heels any day.

This dress is pretty simple, so it would be applicable in many a situation. Love this hair too. Its so... long. Not so keen on the sandals, but liking the feather necklace.
Until next time!
EC

TREASURES

She loves to talk on the phone

while washing the dinner dishes,

catching up long distance or

dealing with issues closer to home,

the reconnoitring with the long lost

or a recent so-and-so. She finds it

therapeutic, washing down

the aftermath. And that feeling

she gets in her stomach with a loved one’s

prolonged silence. And under the sink

in the dark among the L-pipes, the confederate

socket wrenches, lost twine, wire lei,

sink funk, steel-wool lemnisci, leitmotifs

of oily sacraments, a broken compass forever

pointing southeast by east, mold codices,

ring-tailed dust motes from days well served,

a fish-shaped flyswatter with blue horns,

fermented lemures, fiery spectres,

embottled spirit vapors swirling in the crude

next to the Soft Scrub, the vinegared

and leistered sealed in tins, delicious with saltines,

gleaned spikelets, used-up votives. . . .

In the back in the corner forgotten

an old coffee can of bacon fat

from a month of sinful Sundays,

a luna moth embossed, rising—a morning star.

--Catherine Bowman

GROWING//ALBERTA FERRETTI

A lot of people think that Alberta Ferretti, though an icon, is perhaps a little behind the times with her simple, classic, Grecian-inspired dresses and clean shapes. Most people I know who are under the age of 40 think this, in fact. People nowadays want fast, flashy, flamboyant fashion; they want to be zipped, scraped, sprayed, slicked, pinned and sucked into 'hip', young, sexy minidresses that 'say' things like 'flirty', 'fun' and 'not afraid to get up on the club stage and belt out ABBA or Cyndi Lauper'. Well, OK, maybe not the latter -- and don't get me wrong; there is nothing (and I repeat, NOTHING) wrong with donning that cute pink mini with the cutouts from Topshop now and then. But don't you ever long for the good ol' days when there were no statement jewelry pieces, no goth-chic, no sky-high platforms? 'Cause that's what begins to bother me after a few seasons: the fact that the bare bones of style have been concealed with layers of frou-frou and sequins. And it is oh so nice to be back where we started again.

What always strikes me about Ferretti's clothes is that the sweeping gowns in particular seem to be shaping and molding themselves to the wearer's physical and mental contours -- meaning, be it Taylor Momsen or Tilda Swinton, the dress seems as though it has been expressly made to fit their style and personality.

While some of the dresses are more architectural, like the one pictured above with its linear and geometric appearance -- pleats thrown into sharp relief, an interlocking pyramid pattern subtly revealed beneath the bust, a diagonal trim -- (notice, though, that it still retains a certain fluidity, asymmetry, a certain feeling that Ferretti has made her own), countless others, mostly of the more flowing type, seem as if they had taken root and sprouted out of the models' skin and can change, on a whim, into a completely different garment, or rather, a garment that says something completely different.

Take the dress pictured above as an example. With the scooped, folded sleeves and collar opening like a flower bud to reveal the perfect amount of skin -- so as not to seem prudish and neither sleazy -- followed by the main part of the dress, simple so as not to distract from the genius of the neckline and hemline, but still intricately ruched at the sides (as the wearer moves about, these little details would become more noticeable), and finally, the wispy hemline, delicately skimming the kneecaps but revealing a good couple inches of skin, and hanging slightly askew, and having the same effect as the neckline. This designer has found the perfect balance between sexy and sophisticated. But of course you already knew that.

The more I look at this, the more I love it. A periwinkle-blue pillar of a gown, simple enough, but revealing a playful flash of collarbone here, and a glimpse of leg there...

This piece stands out, although it isn't one of my favorites. The shape is amazing, but I don't think the fabric suits it.

A stately dress of midnight blue, topped off by a darling little capelet-thingy. LOVE IT, enough said.

I could rant about how exquisite this is, but I would just be repeating myself. I'll shut up now.

But one more thing -- I just love the way the satin and the way its crimped, I guess, works with the light -- a waterfall of stripes.

Thank you, come again.

EC

OMGOMGDIEHYPERVENTILATE

Here. Look, listen and hate yourself that you aren't a genius like ol' Miuccia here.

The shoes. The shoes, the shoes the shoes the shoes THE SHOES. They are bright and have a great print and they are sky high. And so how could I not absolutely adore them. Foot candy, man. I tell you, there is no way a human couldn't love them, unless you are one of those annoying sophisticated people who give everyone who sees them an inferiority complex and wear nothing but black Manolos and dark Topshop biker clothes and shun Vogue magazine because its too "mainstream".
God. Please get over yourselves. Yes, you, Taylor Momsen.Anyhoo, wherein doth the true genius of the fashion lie? The eye-popping print and nude combo, if you ask me. And the bangles: do I even have to explain? Yes? Ok, fine, I just want to ramble on about them now. Although there isn't really much to say apart from..... MY PREEECIOUSSS........

The thing I love about Miu Miu (which is this here brand I'm talking about, in case you're a bit slow on the uptake) is that it is unashamedly girly. She don't listen to the tuts of the likes of people who think that black stuff is better than sparkly stuff. Cause they're just plain crazy. What is the point of going to fashion week or whatever if all you do is criticize the good stuff and go back to burrow in the Topshop Moto racks? I don't have anyone particular in mind, by the way. My irritation at Balmainettes is merely coming to a climax.

Another pair of stunning shoes. And bangles. And EVERYTHING. God, those bangles. We WANTS it. Again, the creamy neutral colour of the skirt suit is played up by the supreme over-the-topness of the other colours. And I am now going to use a word which I hate using. Because it is infuriatingly stereotypical and portrays that teen mall-girl attitude towards fashion that we so hate. Dare I say it, the clothes are CUTE. But, hey, wait, before you close this browser window with the rapidity of a speeding bullet, its a good kind of cute. Like, these kiddos don't care about what people think of them, from their clothes to their behaviour. They're not worried about jumping around in fruit-printed rompers and having people think, "These girls need to grow up" (nod to the teachers at school there) or "Why are they so disturbingly happy? God, my life sucks" or "I think they're just fashion-conscious lesbians, honey." It isn't just the clothes that are so undeniably fabulous, its the attitude. See, people used to think that attitude was wearing 'edgy' (goth) and 'sexy' (skanky) clothes and looking moody and nonchalant and lounging on the streets of Paris. But I can not stress how much I mightily disagree just now. This is the new summer attitude: bouncy, warm, giddy and ferociously girly.

By the way, a note on hair and beauty. This is almost EXACTLY what I want to look like when I head to the beaches of Europe this summer. Enormous swooshy poofy hair. Kinda like big golden clouds. And really girly sparkly makeup in bright colours, but maybe a little toned down. Because people like me just can't wear too much makeup without looking like pantomime drag queens (Mom says its because I'm naturally beautiful, but that's crap. I just have awkwardly shaped features. Well. Sorta. I kinda hope I don't actually and that its just me)

And by the way, lookin' goooood, Lindsey Wixson. (She's the one on the right with the slightly gappy teeth. Sorry.) Seriously, though, this girl I do adore. She is just such a well-deserved break from Agyness Deyn and stuff. Just look at her. Who could resist that face? She looks like a li'l cherry. A really, really tall cherry. And I'm sorry, and I do love you Georgia-May Jagger, but she's prettier than you.

This would conclude this post. Be assured that I am still in raptures about this collection but if I say anymore I shall go on all night. And can I just say that I loved that spring/summer collection of Miu's too. Its the spring equivalent of this collection and I was all over it. Style.com it if you don't know what I'm talkin' bout. And also I'm loving wetsuit-inspired bikinis like this one by Lisa Marie Fernandez.


More on that later.
X
EVC

Suited and Booted

Hello readers,

Here are my very favourite resort pieces so far. And seriously, I'm not just doing them because Tavi did.

SONIA RYKIEL

This isn't my very favourite collection but it is pretty swell, kids. Mostly I loved the pillbox hats -- I have a thing for hats, especially pillbox hats. But I hate it when they lose their shape. For example, I went to Paris a few weeks ago and I packed a vintage pink quilted pillbox beret with a matching hatpin (!!!!!!). And then I ended up not being able to wear it because it was all squished and I hadn't brought my non-existent portable steamer.
So, always bring a mini-steamer. And to go back to the subject at hand... it is a very wearable, very chic, very French, very Sonia collection. And that's pretty much all one can say on the subject.

PROENZA SCHOULER

When I first heard about Proenza Schouler, I was reading a copy of German Glamour. I was eight and to my inferior mind the clothes were boring. Sorry 'bout that, Jack and Lazaro. You'll be happy to know that I have completely reevaluated my hypothesis over the last few years. I mean, this is like, slightly-dorky-in-a-cool-way 80s schoolgirl goes on safari and marries an Arabian prince. I love the cuts of the shorts and how very un-Topshop they are. (I'm kinda starting to despise Topshop because they are so darn repetitive with their clothes and also their jeans always have the same cut. Still semi-stylish, but.. well... yawn.) And the blazers are. A. M. A. Z. I. N. G. You could just kinda through them over pajamas and look instantly cool, especially the whitey-silver and black one.

BALENCIAGA

Again. This is why today's post is entitled 'Suited and Booted'. I love suits 'cause you can through them out and look instantly put-together. Nicholas Ghesquiere even manages to make them playful with eyeshadow and dizzyingly printed blouses. See, this is the kind of thing that makes me jealous. Why the hell didn't I think of that?? ARGHHHHHHHHH.

Whatever. And to finish off, lets have some good ol'fashioned sleek, chich Burberry Prorsum magic. Because I need a trench coat, and I can totally afford this stuff. Totally.