My Love For Isabel Marant Grows Stronger Everyday

Finding myself in Beverly Hills yesterday, with a little extra time to kill, I decided to visit my good friend, Michelle Goodman, at Barney’s. Not that I need an excuse to go to Barney’s;  the store is not only magical but is a feast for the eyes – I always feel special when there.

I was intending on just stopping by to “say hello”, but the new embroidered jeans by Isabel Marant (above) – white on white with studs – had my name written all over them. I knew I would be taxing my credit card to the limit, but those puppies were coming home with me!!

While my limited credit card funds confined my shopping to solely the Isabel Marant jeans, it did not hinder my imaginary Barney’s shopping spree. Which looked something like this!!

Isabel Marant Galix Embroidered Jean $540.00 Barneys 310 276 4400 Ask for Michelle Goodman.

Clockwise from top left: Nina Ricci Side Sheer Panel Skirt $1990.00, Nina Ricci Studded Pleat Back Sweater $890.00, Balenciaga Montre Acier Silver Watch $1945.00, ALC Striped Arm Sweater $295.00, Acne-Studios Two-Button-Blazer $520.00, Chole Banded Block Heel Sandal $625.00. All available @ Barneys.

Resort 2013 – European Invasion Part 2

Riccardo Tisci was thinking gypsy for Givenchy’s pre-collection with scarf prints being the collection’s dominant motif. Once again the opening dress is etched in my mind and not likely to leave anytime soon, a “scarf” print belted evening dress with long sleeves slit all the way to the shoulders. This capelike look repeated itself throughout, showing up on shirts and outerwear with much aplomb. This concept along with the extended tail coat details and eye-popping prints (paisley patchworked with geometric shapes in solid tones—scarlet, black, white) made for a dramatic and impressive collection.

“Resort,” Alber Elbaz said over the cello accompanying his presentation this morning, “is about solutions.” And sure enough, this collection which was comprised with two modes of thought had something for everybody. The color palette was bold - ultramarine, grass-green, poppy red, and for every loose-fitting silhouette, there was another body-conscious one. Take the black and white striped mini dress – mod and seductive at the same time – it’s another example of a show opening show stopper. And the electric blue pant ensemble which is easy enough for day but dressy enough for evening was dreamy enough indeed!

“Beach to night and the seventies” were Peter Copping’s starting points for Resort, making for one of his sexiest collections yet – petal pink camisole and slip combos, peekaboo raspberry lace dresses and a long tiered black lace dress. Some of the lace came with stretch built-in, which created a relaxed, almost sporty vibe.

One of Peter’s talents is knowing when to dress up a look or not to, giving it just the right amount of Parisian insouciance. As style.com reported, ” Along those lines, for the first time this season Copping played with sportswear touches. Lean, lightweight suits were intricately tailored, a tuck here, a pleat there, while never looking fussy. It all created a mood of confident femininity that followed through on fall’s promise of strength in delicacy, and a wardrobe that proves a whisper can be as powerful as a shout.”

First group of photos – Givenchy Resort 2013  Second group – Lanvin Resort 2013  Third group – Nina Ricci Resort 2013.

From My Closet To Yours – Styling Tips By Kristin

  Favorite Resort 2012 Looks

It’s a new year and a time to look forward towards new beginnings, and what better to start us on our journey than the prelude to spring – Resort 2012. These our my 21 favorite looks from the Resort 2012 collections, the ones I would die to add to my wardrobe (hopefully a few of them will). But even the ones that don’t make it into my closet will make for great inspiration while I am planning my spring wardrobe and updating my style.

I recommend going over to Style.com and perusing the Resort and Spring 2012 collections to get your inspiration. It’s a wealth of imagery that will inspire many ideas. Which designer is your favorite? Whose collection resonates with you? Do you see a style that “says you” or maybe there’s a designer whose “look” you’ve been wanting to try?

Whether you want to fine tune your style or do a total overhaul – a fresh, new beginning – this is a great time to start! Let me know who inspires you this season.

Happy Shopping!!

Clockwise from top left: 3.1 Phillip Lim, A.L.C, Alexander McQueen, Chanel, Helmet Lang, Gucci, Givenchy, Balmain and Celine – all Resort 2012.

Group 2 – Clockwise from top left: Jenni Kayne, Johnathan Saunders, Lanvin, Peter Pilotto, Theyskens’ Theory, Zac Posen, Vionnet, Valentino,Preen, Matthew Williamson, Nina Ricci, Rachel Zoe – All Resort 2012

First Rate Sale Finds You Won’t Want To Miss

Black Friday may be over but the sales continue on through the weekend with some awesome deals to be found. Don’t want to mess with the masses, the long lines or the push and pull over the latest trend in short demand ? We’ve curated a selection of sale finds, whittled it down to our top 6 favorites, that are guaranteed to wet your appetite.

If none of these tickle your fancy, don’t fret, you’re bound to find something that will on one of these websites. Barneys, Net-a-Porter, Urban Outfitters etc. have added a plethora of goodies to their sales. Don’t procrastinate, visit your favorite on-line store (chances are, they too are on sale) or any one of these fabulous stores before your “gotta have” item is gone.

Clockwise from top left: Dress With Flared Skirt $59.90 on sale for $49.99 www.zara.com, Nina Ricci Ballet Flat With Ankle Straps $520.00 on sale for $309.00 www.barneys.com, Burberry Pointed Toe Leather Boots $650.00 on sale for $325.00 www.netaporter.com, Rachel Zoe Frankie Printed Peasant Blouse $295.00 on sale for $177.00 www.neimanmarcus.com, BB Dakota Channing Leather Jacket $249.00 on sale for $159.99 www.urbanoutfitters, Rebecca Minkoff M.A.C. Clutch $295.00 on sale for $170.00 www.rebeccaminkoff.com

Trend Report – LadyLike Fashion

What makes fashion so exciting is that it never stays in one place for long. Trends may carry over from one season to the next, but the difference in those seasons spares the trends from a copycat existence. The ladylike trend has been slowly introduced back into fashion and has hit a fever pitch this Fall/Winter 2011 ( and stayed for Spring/Summer 2012).

Just to be clear, we’re not talking dowdy or matronly, but more along the lines of feminine and soft while retaining a healthy dose of sex appeal. It takes more than fashion to make a women “ladylike”- I’ll never forget Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady repeating, “The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plane”, over and over again or learning to walk with books atop her head – yet there is nothing like the feeling of wearing a chiffon or lace dress to make you feel feminine and womanly.

Perhaps, Ken Downing, the senior vice president and fashion director at Neiman Marcus summed up the Ladylike trend best when he was quoted as saying, “Coming out of a challenged economy, designers have given great thought to what women want to wear. The clothes are ladylike, closer to the body and designers are really embracing color. Colored pants are everywhere in the market and everyone is doing a trench with trim. Feminine blouses with ruffles and lace are a continuation of dressed-up looks”.

Clockwise from top left: Juicy Couture Guipure Lace Dress $330.00 www.netaporter.com, Enzo Angiolini Cornell Pump www.dsw.com, Banana Republic Tie Neck Blouse $49.50 www.bananarepublic.com, Love 21 Knee Length Pencil Skirt $17.80 www.forever21.com, Nauticus Pleated Dress In Mocha $49.95 www.shoprouche.com J Crew Edie Purse $238.00 www.jcrew.com.

100 Unforgettable Dresses – Hits Book Stores Today

Hal Rubenstein’s, fashion director for In Style magazine since it’s inception 15 years ago, new book – 100 Unforgettable Dresses – hits the bookstores today. When Hal, an expert on red carpet glamor, calls a dress unforgettable, you pay attention. When he calls 100 dresses unforgettable and binds them together into a smart, funny and extremely informative book, if you love fashion, pop culture or a witty turn of phrase, you’ve got to love it.

Published by the HarperCollins imprint Harper Design, Hal’s “100 Unforgettable Dresses” is described by WWD  as a “joy read, one that has him on a holiday-timed press offensive” with the author himself stating, “No vanity project here; “I want this book to sell”. To that end, and because of admitted populist proclivities, he rejected the publisher’s original pitch, finding it too insider. “I didn’t want this to be a book for the 500 people I sit with at fashion shows,” he says.

What makes a dress “unforgettable”? According to Hal it’s the coming together of the right dress, the right wearer and a great story. Basically, the starts have to be aligned. Our favorite story involves one of the great all time fashion icons – Audrey Hepburn. Per WWD the story goes like this, “Hepburn, just 24 and working the power of her Oscar win for Roman Holiday, told the studio that for her post-Paris wardrobe for her next film, Sabrina, she wanted to work with Givenchy, 26, rather than with stalwart Edith Head. The studio consented, though Givenchy would get no credit and Hepburn had to finance his work. All agreed. When “Sabrina” won the best costume Oscar, Head accepted without mentioning Givenchy’s name.

The Star, the designer and certainly the story. I believe that”s what they call a trifecta!!

Clockwise from top left: Rita Hayworth in Jean Louis for the movie Jezabel, 1946; Reese Witherspoon in Nina Ricci, 2007 Golden Globes and Kate Middleton in Alexander McQueen, 2011.

Paris Fashion Week–Spring/Summer 2012 RTW

Another fashion week has proven successful and Paris may be one of the last cities…but it certainly has proven to be one of the best.

Nina Ricci’s designer Peter Copping named his Spring collection Zina after the artist Zina de Plagny, who collaborated with Nina Ricci in the 1930′s, designing prints. According to Style.com, “Zina’s florals had a second life on Copping’s runway, cut into a sexy sheath with a scooped-out back, a printed top and matching high-waisted shorts, and most interestingly, a coat that was sandwiched between two layers of gray chiffon quilted with silver thread.”

Models donned dressy stretch satin skirtsuits, delicate and lacy slipdresses,and even lingerie–not a big surprise coming from a design house known for a refined, romantic, always feminine feeling.

Lanvin’s designer, Alber Elbaz, described his initial vision for the Spring/Summer 2012 collection as “an angel in hell”, but as he drew and drew, the angel returned to earth. You could imagine that the snakes coiled in appliqué across a dress or in a print down a pant leg were prime examples of that vision coming to life. The shoulders that gave the collection its epic silhouette could be the vestiges of wings.

Lanvin has traditionally been all about “The Dress”, but this time, Elbaz tackled tops and bottoms in a new light by mingling day wear with evening wear.  Models also paraded down the run-way in sheer tulle dresses that conveyed a nothing-to-hide vulnerability.

Get The Look For Less – Emmanuelle Alt Voque Paris Editor-In-Cheif

Vogue Paris editor-in-chief Emmanuelle Alt attended her first New York Fashion Week since assuming her new role with the magazine back in early February. She looked stunningly awesome in her signature rock and roll style that she describes as “British high street”… “My jeans are Topshop – I love Topshop. When I go to London my first thing to do is I put my stuff in the hotel and I run to Topshop – they have the best jeans!”

Alt became obsessed with the world of fashion after seeing her first catwalk show at the age of 19. Alt recalled that time saying, “My first fashion show was a Jean Paul Gaultier show when he was at Porte de la Vilette and it was crazy outside. I loved it! I was like ‘Oh wow, this is really funny!’”

Before becoming Editor of Vogue, Alt climbed her way up in the fashion world holding prestigious positions with the magazines Mixte and French ELLE. The business of fashion runs in the family as her mother, Françoise, was a Lanvin and Nina Ricci model in the ’60s and ’70s and her husband, also in the fashion business, is Franck Durand, the artistic director of Isabel Marant.

Pictured here (the paparazzi went crazy for her) at New York fashion week, she donned an Isabele Marant chambray shirt, Joes Jeans and Givenchy ankle booties. Don’t have the funds for Emanuelle’s tres chic look? No worries, we’ve come up with a selection of great finds to get Emanuelle’s look for less.

Ann Taylor Refined Chambray Shirt $74.99 www.anntaylor.com, Free People Skinny Cropped Jean Orig. $68.00 on sale for $39.99 www.freepeople.com, Avon Lace Bootie $44.99 www.avon.com, Zara Belt with Contrast $19.99 www.zara.com.

Spring’s Top Ten Trends

1. White/ Nude  2. 70′s Inspired  3. Color/Color Blocking  4. Geometric/ Tribal Prints  5. Denim  6. Flowers  7. Cross-Body Bags  8.  Lace  9. Wide Leg Pants  10. Flat Sandals/Wedge Platforms

 

The predominant theme for Spring is the influence of the 70′s; you see it in the eye-popping colors, wide leg pants that sit high on the waist, color blocking and skirt lengths that have reached midi proportions.

White is worn alone and paired with nude. Nude and beige in sheer fabrics are also worn with vibrant colors which tones them down and at the same time adds a very cool contrast.  Lace, especially in white, will be big this Spring.

Bags are decidedly more “lady like” with sizes much smaller and embody the infusion of color from Ready to Wear.  Another accessory to watch out for is the platform shoe with a solid wedge; the look is more modern and are easier to walk in!

Top- clockwise from left: Theory Ludivine Poiblanc Suit and $650.00 Derona Top $200.00 www.theory.com, Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2011  http://www.marcjacobs.com, Stella McCartney Spring/Summer 2011  http://www.barneys.com,Diane Von Furstenburg  http://www.dvf.com

Bottom- clockwise from left: Derek Lam Denim Pants and Top www.dereklam.com, Calypso Edie Mandala Dress $450.00 www.calypso.com ,Nina Ricci Lace Dress  www.ninaricci.com, Joie Lali Savory Silk Printed Tank $158.00,Chelsea Brentwood (310)471-4770 ,  Derek Lam Wedge Platform Pump $590.00 www.saks.com, Kate Spade Cobble Hill “Ellen” Cross-Body Bag $225.00, www.katespade.com