Under the sea

Who were those off-world sea creatures at Alexander McQueen S/S 2010?

Yesterday's collection set the standard for the future of fashion. The event was live-streamed on Nick Knight's SHOWstudio.com although the video lagged a lot and was choppy, and thanks to Lady Gaga's tweet, crashed the site so many people weren't able to see the video.

I was stunned by what I did see: The models walked to the sounds of drums, airy flutes and breathing in a sort of space jungle trance.

The first thing I noticed were the shoes. At first I thought they had a very alien-like appearance, tall stilettos with a wide front, but then from the side they looked like elegant hooves in reptile skins. Whatever they were; they looked literally out of this world. And kudos to the models for being able to walk in them and make it look effortless; almost as if they were floating in water.







And then there were the dresses. In 3D, computer graphics, laser-cut glory. Nipped waists on dresses with very short hemlines, emphasis on hips and shoulders, liquid leather dresses, outfits that were half-suit half dress, shimmering pants, sheer tops, flowing and bubble skirts and string-like gauze blouses. Colours started off with a mix of reptilian yellow, jade and bright yellow, and then dirty brown (like you would find under the sea,) and stunning blues (which reminded me of the upcoming movie "Avatar") and some midnight black.

This is a collection I will be looking at over and over to try to digest what it means. But what I do know is that McQueen has changed the way I will look at fashion. Here's to forward thinking!

Update: You can watch the show here









(Photos: style.com, @mcQueenWorld)

Lindsay Lohan and Ungaro

There has been quite a big hubbub over "artistic advisor" Lindsay Lohan and designer Estrella Archs' collection for Emanuel Ungaro; most of the critics panning the collection.

Style.com called it a "disappointing debut" and "a bad joke of a fashion show;" WWD said the clothes looked "cheesy and dated" and the New York Times said the collection looked "as if a McDonald’s fry cook had been installed as the chef of a three-star Michelin restaurant."

Ouch.

I read all this before I actually saw the collection so when I took a deep breath and plunged right into the photos, I tried not to let the reviews colour my opinion of it.

The first dress, a skintight fuscia mini dress with patches of light pink I actually liked. I could see young Hollywood wearing it; however I felt that I had seen it done before (at Balmain and countless others) and better. It reminded me of something GUESS would design.
But after that first dress, it all went downhill. The second look was another fushia dress with an bias-cut neckline and a twisted belt. However the dress fit awkwardly on the model.

Most of the colours used were hot pink, neon orange, white and black. And while in the hands of an able designer, the colours could have been stunning, here, they were disastrously paired together, for example a look that had tulip pink drop-crotch balloon pants, dark red bra and a neon pink bolero looked like it came out of the dumpster of a bad '80s TV soap. The colours clashed!

And I'm sure by now you've heard about the hearts. Specifically, the heart pasties. I didn't find those offensive as much as the hearts hastily pasted onto the models' foreheads.

This whole offensive spectacle reeked of greed. CEO Mounir Moufarrige, clearly looking to the success of celebrity American lines such as Justin Timberlake's William Rast and Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B., is hoping to cash in on Lindsay's name; not because she is a good designer, but because she is an actress who makes more headlines throwing hissy fits than for her movies.

It's offensive that this collection was thrown by a French fashion house during the world's most prestigious Fashion Week. It's a slap in the face to all the other real designers.





(Photos: style.com)

This is what we call a masterpiece

Lanvin S/S 2010.

I don't think I've ever been as excited about a collection as this one. I've always been a fan of Alber Elvaz's trademark ruffled, dainty dresses but they always seemed out of my reach; they represent ladies who lunch in Yorkville, go shopping at Holts and have a driver. In other words; beautiful but not for most of the population.

This collection started out that way; with elegant ruffled dresses in black bone and salmon and stylish suits paired with one leather glove but what transpired after was a triumph of dress-making.

Masterfully draped knee-length dresses in nude, blush, light pinks, peach and poppy red; one-shouldered jumpsuits, floor-length dresses filled with gold sequins and belted leather pleated cocktail dresses and puckered quilted jackets.

What made this collection was so great was that it was completely unexpected. Each outfit was different and shocking.
I had to go through the collection several times to catch all the details; I'm sure the photos don't do it justice.

And let's talk about jewelry: Art Deco huge necklaces, cuffs and belts in jade, purple, red and gold.
The shoes were stunning: chain-links draped down the front made them edgy but elegant.

I think this is one of the best collections I've ever seen. Bravo Monsieur Elbaz. Bravo.




(Photos: style.com)

The sexiest collection I've ever seen

And it's not Balmain! Rick Owens S/S 2010 was all geometric angles, layers of fabric that whipped awkwardly between models' legs and asymmetrical cuts; that doesn't sound too sexy right? But even though it wasn't obviously beautiful, the trapeze shapes, the angular leather motorcycle jackets and the spiky cuffs made me want to rip the clothes off the models and put them on me for a steamy night out.

There is something to be said about clothes that don't show off the figure of a woman's body; the shape may look odd but it's in that quirkiness that I find beauty and femininity.

Here are some of my favourite looks:






(Photos: style.com)

The best Rachel Zoe parody ever

I've been having a hell of a time trying to watch the new season of The Rachel Zoe Project. The new season is only airing in the U.S. and is not available on iTunes Canada. Therefore I have had to resort to more sinister means of acquiring the series. You all know what I mean. And in the process, my poor computer has come in contact with several viruses, some of which are still lingering. But it's all worth it because I finally discovered how to get the show.

This season is really different from the last one; Rachel has moved her studio to a loft, there are a lot more employees, Taylor and Brad actually get along and there is even more drama.

But I think I have found my new favourite pastime: watching Rachel Zoe parodies.

Comedian Beth Crosby writes, produces and stars in The Rachel Zoe Project Parody and she is brilliant. She enunciates "may-jor" with the right Zoe flair, she wears the huge sunnies and she even bats her eyelashes in the exact same way Zoe does.

The people who play Taylor and Brad are also hilarious; "Brad" has an awesome meltdown and Taylor feigns disinterest at everything.

Watch it!

Toronto Film Fest

This is really off topic, but I've got "She's Like The Wind," "Hungry Eyes" and "Cry To Me" on rotation. RIP Patrick Swayze.

Back to the topic at hand.

The Toronto International Film Festival has been keeping me very busy at work; covering the premieres and red carpets, but also covering the fashion scene.

Celebrities at TIFF usually go all out; sometimes with amazing results and sometimes they make me question their sanity (or their stylist.)

Here are some of the ones that made me take notice:

Tilda Swinton

Not many people understand Tilda's style and believe that a lot of what she wears is ugly. Her style is very different from what most celebrities wear. She isn't trying to cater to the masses and that's one of the reasons why I love her style. It suits her. If she wore a ballgown it wouldn't work but what she's wearing here is perfect for her.


Penelope Cruz


Penelope just glows in this outfit...or might that be because she's reportedly pregnant? Either way, she looks cute and chic in this dress.

Grace Park

I had to throw Grace in here because she plays Sharon/8/Athena on my favourite TV series, Battlestar Galactica. I hate the outfit though. The lacejust looks cheap and the skirt is out of place. She's gorgeous but has no sense of style here.

Eva Green

It's hard to tell what she's wearing but I can't just blame it on the photo. She's wearing all black and the clothes are shapeless! You can't even see her gorgeous figure. She needs to vamp it up à la Vesper Lynd in "Casino Royale."

Drew Barrymore
I had a very strong reaction to this Dior dress: Yellow. Like in "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" all I could think was that colour. But I really like it; it suits Drew's quirky personality and it reminds me of tattoos.

Colin Farrell
The open collar does it for me. That's all.


Carey Mulligan
She's touted to be the next "It" girl like Ellen Page was last year, and she looks so uncomfortable on the red carpet that it's very endearing. I really like what she's wearing here; a twist on the classic little black dress and shiny red shoes. I wish I could pull off short hair.

Amanda Seyfried
I love this look so much. A chic blazer over a blouse and skirt and killer bondage-esque heels makes for a seriously sexy look.


The colour alone makes this dress hot. I love how she doesn't have to show off a lot of skin to look sexy.

Pretty young things

I'm sure most of you have seen the cover of I-D's Sept. issue starring Chanel Iman, Sessilee Lopez, Jourdan Dunn and Arlenis Sosa. But since we don't see covers featuring black models often, I wanted to post the cover here.

And WHAT a cover it is! i-D's covers are usually really saucy, with models winking and giving smoldering looks. This one is no exception.

The colours really catch my eye. I love the metallic makeup on the models' skin contrasted with the graffiti background. It's such a sexy cover.

I haven't bought the issue yet so I don't know what's inside or whether the girls give interviews (I hope they do) but the cover alone makes me want to buy it.

i-D usually has that effect on me; the covers always lure me in. Like this one. Models winking! They get me everytime!





So here is a behind-the-scenes video of the girls at the i-D shoot:

A Valentino surprise

A year after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, Valentino The Last Emperor is finally coming out on DVD Sept. 8 (I pre-ordered mine already!)

Last September, I was very fortunate to screen the movie, in the presence of Valentino himself, then party with him and his posse at the after-party, and finally, to cap off a crazy weekend, interview him, his partner Giancarlo and Emperor director, Matt Tyrnauer. That was probably the highlight of my career. How can I top that? Maybe if Karl Lagerfeld gave me a call...

So it goes without saying that if you are a fashion lover, then you must see the documentary.

And now I have some cool news! The team behind the movie, in partnership with Phase 4 Films and Decades Inc. are giving away a vintage Valentino gown! The winner will also receive the DVD.

All you have to do is send an email to valentinodvdcontest@phase4films.com with your name, address, phone number and email by December 31, 2009. You must be at least 21 years old.

Unfortunately this contest is open only to residents of the United States (sorry Canada!)

So fellow Canadians, even though we can't enter the contest, I strongly suggest getting the book Valentino Themes and Variations which has beautiful detailed photos of his couture gowns. It's almost as good as the real thing...right?