Todd Snyder FALL 2019 Menswear

Sometime in 2017 Todd Snyder gave up big seasonal inspirations and started mining his own personal history. The strategy has worked swimmingly, leading Snyder to one of his best collections ever for Fall 2019. Boiled down, the lineup was a ’90s-does-’70s rendition of Midwestern Americana, with lemon and sky striped grungy sweaters, wood-paneling-color grandpa cardigans, rock star shearlings, Western shirts in dusty azure and pale rose, and an Iowa State sweatshirt (his alma mater).

Snyder’s own life story is so richly intertwined with that of America’s sportswear obsessions; since he started by producing smart menswear at Polo Ralph Lauren and then The Gap many years ago, each piece here felt like a walk down memory lane. Only rather than sepia-toned, this bit of nostalgia was in Technicolor: On the runway it was a rainbow of fluorescent lights to evoke a suburban basement, in the clothes it was a rich palette of jewel box colors.

In addition to these clever twists on menswear staples, Snyder also offered some more challenging ideas. Will dudes come around on superwide-wale corduroy trousers or an amazing technicolor puffer? On the runway, the collection was optimized for Insta-appeal. That’s a pro for the lethally suave gents that dotted Snyder’s front row, snapping away on their phones like dandy paparazzi. But for the consumer not familiar with the fact that underneath that street style coat is a pair of plaid trousers that evokes an Iowan fall made with tender love and care? Well, maybe they’ll never know. The high gloss of a fashion show has a purpose, but Snyder could benefit from being a little scruffier, a little more soulful around the edges.

Source: VOGUE RUNWAY

FASHIONADO

Off-White Spring 2020 Menswear

The opening look and most of the closing, women’s included, at this Off-White show were made in collaboration with the New York artist Futura—aka Lenny McGurr. His vivid spray strokes and sleekly alien Pointman figure were incorporated as print or jacquard into suiting, soft trenches, cycling vests, denim, a blanket, and evening dresses. As Virgil Abloh sketched it in his long sentences backstage: “In his lifetime, and in the culture that we come from, which is a segment of hip-hop and graffiti, [his work] started out being seen as a form of vandalism, not art. . . . But as well as painting on the side of subway trains, he was part of the scene and showed with Basquiat and Keith Haring. . . . . He was on what was once thought of as the fringe. . . . but now, through time, we can see that the beauty of Basquiat is also the beauty of Lenny, Futura.”

That transition from the counterculture—the fringe—to become both the subject of establishment acclaim and an agent of change within the establishment mirrors Abloh’s own path: In the 10 years since he was photographed by Tommy Ton with Kanye West and crew outside Comme des Garçons, Abloh has completed the full loop. But reflecting on the longer span of Futura’s journey—combined with his own recent project curating his past body of work for the “Figures of Speech” exhibition in Chicago—has made Abloh consider a bigger picture. “When I make things, I look at it on a scale of 30 years. What gives the esteem and the energy . . . I know the work has to mean something now, but I’m also thinking about what it means when you zoom out.”

There was certainly a sense of space in time in some of this collection. Its span of reference was broad but as legibly interconnected as the branding on the new Nike Dunk, codesigned with Futura, that made its debut on Abloh’s carnation-field runway. The chain-link fence pattern on bags, jackets, and a semitransparent poncho played nicely against the densely hand-knit sweaters that bore patches declaring membership in the “Off-White climbing club.”

Climbing was not only this collection’s second big theme—reflected in the drawstrings worked into suiting, the technical luggage, and the nylon patched knit faux fleeces—but it was also part of the broader metaphor at play. A sky blue suede trench with detachable front pockets, a double-layered floral-print down jacket and shorts, a chain-link knit off-white shirt and shorts, plus the recut denim template workwear in washed and treated technical fabrics were all highly polished and finished pieces. Conversely, the tie-dyed cargo pants (sometimes crystal set) and denim, the bandana-patched T-shirts, those dense knit sweaters, and bleached flannel shirting were all designed to appear roughened and weathered.

In a piece of tape played before the show, Bjork spoke about the “spaced-outness” of perspective, nurtured through the landscape of Iceland, that helped her learn songwriting. Abloh seems to be in search of a similar panoramic point of view—an apex position—and the topography of the clothes he is producing as he makes that ascent is benefiting from it.

Source: VOGUE

FASHIONADO

CHANEL Fall 2019 Ready-To-Wear

In a show that was somber yet serene, a capturing of airiness and substance, of shrugged-on elegance and insuppressible delight, the farewell to the immense talent of Karl Lagerfeld was framed just as he’d imagined. He took us to a place high in the mountains on a beautiful day. It was a snow-bound haven—a slice of Chanel heaven, viewed from a distance that was poignantly difficult to bear.

There was an icicle-like tinkling on the soundtrack. Models assembled, one by one, on the snow-covered steps of a faux alpine hostelry, the Chanel Gardenia. It was hard, the suppressed anticipation of what was going to happen next. What is the correct form for honoring someone at a fashion show, someone who was always so fixed on waving away vulgar sentimentality, and who always had something hilariously skewering to say about the posthumous hagiographies of anyone he cared to mention? Karl Lagerfeld was the least sentimental of people. He loved his job and always regarded it as the task of continually living in the present. He reveled in letting it be known he had a “contract for life” with Chanel, which he enjoyed to the maximum moment.

Well, this is how it went. There was a minute’s silence. And then, Karl Lagerfeld’s voiceover, from a recent Chanel podcast (this man loved every tech advancement). He spoke in French, until the last sentence, where he burst through in English about his pleasure in imagining the detonation of a surprise on an audience in, “Oh! It’s like walking in a painting!”

The Chanel girls—his crew, the latest generation he’d encouraged and quipped with in the Chanel studio since 1983—were clearly conscious of the ceremonial responsibilities they had. They trod the “snow,” hands in pockets, insouciantly proving what a perfectly considered collection of wide-legged trouser suits these were—with long, swirlingly soft, checked tweed coats he’d envisaged in tandem with his longtime right-hand Virginie Viard.

That section was amazingly poised. Tailoring is a subject du jour, but through the filter of Chanel consciousness, we saw tradition, femininity, and an energetic projection of the shape of today. Let’s put it down here: The opening, some of the wide, pleated trousers, was incredibly on point—a flipping of the Chanel tradition of opening with tweed skirtsuits—with playful snowballs of tulle and crystallized snowflakes thrown into the back of the girls’ hair.

What Karl Lagerfeld never forgot—he was a rare intellectual pragmatist who frequently ridiculed high-concept fashion—is that clothes are nothing unless they are worn. That was Coco Chanel all over, too. It should be remembered that, by the late 1970s, few cared about her legacy. Her canon had been put in the shade by Yves Saint Laurent until Karl Lagerfeld was hired into the house by the Wertheimer family in 1983. It was Lagerfeld who irreverently illuminated the codes of Chanel—irradiating them in the constantly changing sidelights of the events of four decades’ worth of current affairs, the serial revolutions of fax, the Internet, social, and the global reach of fashion to new generations in Asia, and beyond.

He was always up for a topical gimmick and a punning accessory, but he also knew about emotional intelligence—that, and his connection with nature and nuances connecting the dots of his past, came through in his last few collections. The last big break he’d given his audience—the sight of barefoot girls running on a Caribbean beach—was superseded by this immersion in alpine sunlight.

So this collection was Lagerfeld at his uplifting best. No matter how dark the days were, his ability to throw on the icing of a ruffly white organza blouse, to sparkle up embroideries with a deft hand on a Nordic sweater, or to conjure dream dresses within any theme to which his huge imagination traveled. These were the gifts he gave to fashion. Today, as always.

As the models dashed away tears, and the audience stood in gratitude to applaud, the unforgettable memory of Karl Lagerfeld’s elegant, frivolous mind was lifted onto the Olympus of the fashion greats.

Source: VogueRunway

FASHIONADO

Tory Burch Pre-Fall 2018

“A charming wardrobe based on essentials. Pre-Fall 2018 is about the neo-bohemian: Silhouettes are relaxed, the mood and palette are clean. We focused on crafty details — smocking, patchworking — and found inspiration in my love of gardens, from florals to modern updates on gardening workwear." ~Tory Burch

Tory Burch Pre-Fall 2018 - see collection.

fashionado

The Met Gala: "Beyond Fashion" 2014

Sarah Jessica Parker / Oscar de la Renta The 2014 Met Gala is one of my favorite events of the year. Of course, if I'd be invited it would be my very favorite event, ever. So for now, red carpet photos will have to suffice. This year's theme was a tribute to legendary, American couturier Charles James. His tastes went 'beyond fashion.' Guests were encouraged to experiment with major color and decoration. Few really got it, some took it too literal. Either way, it's one of the most glamorous nights of the year.

Take a look:

met-gala-2014-vogue-fashionado

Anna Wintour / Chanel

Lupita Nyong'o / Prada Lupita has been on the best dressed list for a solid year. We can overlook a mishap, right?

Amy Adams / Oscar de la Renta

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Anne Hathaway / Calvin Klein

 If the theme had been minimalism, Anne would've nailed it!

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Dita Von Teese / Zac Posen

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Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds / Gucci

 Head-to-toe perfection.

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Emma Stone / Thakoon & Andrew Garfiled / Band of Outsiders

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Jay-Z & Beyonce / Givenchy

Florence Welch / Valentino

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Lena Dunham / Giambattista Valli

Maggie Gyllenhaal / Valentino 

I love this. From the neck up.

Jessica Lange / Marc Jacobs & Marc Jacobs / Saint Laurent

Ashley & Mary-Kate Olsen / Vintage Chanel

 Would Middle-earth hurry up and swallow the twins. 

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Naomi Watts / Givenchy

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Kim Kardashian & Kanye West / Lanvin

 Well, lookey who got an invite this year. They look gorgeous, though I wish Kanye had worn a bow tie.

Kristen Stewart / Chanel

Marion Cotillard / Dior

French snob wore a cocktail dress to a ball.

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Rihanna / Stella McCartney

Flawless!

Neil Patrick Harris & David Burtka / Thom Browne

I am so torn and confused and upset. [You know] I LOVE all things Thom Browne BUT you never wear him runway style AND Neil, you're too OLD to pull this look off. Do you realize that your boyfriend looks like a harlequin?

Sarah Silverman / Zac Posen

For MORE Met Gala photos, sans my commentary, visit VOGUE.

fashionado

Vera Wang NYFW Fall 2013

The show began with a series of black and white structured garments, capelets and fur. But it wasn't until Vera Wang gave vibrant color that she really held me captive. Brilliant pops of glimmering magenta and orange florals lit up the runway, capturing the light and mesmerizing the crowd. Rich brocades, sumptuous textiles, tulip skirts, chiffon and sequins gave way to a very beautiful collection. [The highlight of the Vera Wang show for me, to be completely honest, was crossing paths with a non-sunglass wearing Anna Wintour and getting a smile! Her red fur vest matched my red bowtie.]

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Gwen Stefani: Rock Chic in January VOGUE

Note to self: When attempting a comeback, get on the cover of the biggest magazine, be photographed by a renown photographer and wear clothing from one of the most highly anticipated fashion collections. I guess only time will tell if it worked for

No Doubt's

Gwen Stefani

who is featured on the January cover of

Vogue -

photography by Annie Leibovitz and glammed out in Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane. *Read full Vogue article 

here

.

[One of] my fashion pet peeves below:

[caption id="attachment_18608" align="alignleft" width="194" caption="Learn how to wear a hat properly Gwen! Unless if you're Boy George in the 1980s, you can not wear your hat that way. "]

[/caption]

For your reference Gwen (and stylist) notice the runway model wearing the same outfit. Hat worn correctly... Look & learn!

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