I love what lies ahead for Fall/winter fashion, but I inevitably always walk away from the launch of the upcoming season inspired by the currency of this season’s pulse. In a world of trying too hard, witnessing “contrived” hurts. I love the organic & fresh twists on what is trending and even what is not. What sticks, in my opinion, are those people & products that have a true context or connection to the origin of said fashion choices (and not just a quick google or wiki search), a strong sense of self (founded on real tactile in-the-flesh experience(s)), and understanding the beauty of classics. Putting together my inspirations for ss13 fashion…From the streets, my own closet, and in stores, here are my favorite SS13 wears:

I am still loving all of the leather. Keep it going. Motos in fresh new colors. Balmain moto in yellow is so fresh!

Leather socks too! Prada & Rachel Comey…

Perforated leather, especially in tote bags, shoes, & skirts. Querida’s perforated tote in crème, hitting stores next month!

The sorbet of pastels, whites & metallics in this season’s palette are dreamy. There are still strong silhouettes, but there is a softer side to femininity happening. I am a romantic, so soft & light always illicits a welcome homecoming from me.

Conversely, I appreciate the badassness of the strong heroine femme muses of my Alexes… Mcqueen & Wang. Coming from contrasting points of view, both are dressing a fearless woman. I relish this!

The statement coat at the beginning of the season was a must. Look at these “best of”s…

Adoring the statement clutch now.

Printed silks & denim are still calling my name. Textured textiles are essentials.

Brass & Rope jewelry. Adesso’s handmade Bixby necklace is perfect to ring in Spring.

Denim on denim. Bring on the Canadian Tuxedo! Don’t stop there…Overalls, bring your bad farming self.

Washed denim paired w/ lady heels.

Red Lips. Pink lips.

Center parts and loose chignons. Twists & updos continue creatively. Love the short bobs right now too, both messy & sleek.

Collars, short shorts, short skirts color blocked, hot pinks, oxfords & scholarly gems.

Black & white…

Lady like pointy toe’d skimmers w/ ankle straps.

And clogs! Can’t get enough of Scandinavia’s wooden beauty. It’s the 1970’s in me. The entire decade from earthy to disco. This sums up me in so many ways!

Ombre hair, please say goodbye. It’s too conformist. I do like the platinum & pink ombre, but that will fade, literally & metaphorically, quite fast. I actually am rocking a reverse ombre where my ends are darker. It’s not just in protest to this cookie cutter do everyone is donning, I am actually going lighter in color, so it just is… here is a nod to the fast fad…

Chambray.

Track pants. Silk & leather…

Rag & Bone

Ruffles. Chloe…

Navy, midnight blue hues. Joie for spring is a staple!

Rodarte SS13 has one of the best collections this season. Now if only the perfect occasion would present itself!

And lastly, but not least, on this St. Patrick’s Day post, the colour of the season: Green. Emeralds and mints.

Springing~

Next up sneakers, boots, & menswear…

x,

t

Ecliptic & daring…

Designers each had a clear & unique vision of Spring 13.

Hands down, the best in show for me was Dries’ grunge couture. The beauty of Dries Van Noten:

Other notable geniuses were Sarah Burton of Mcqueen’s Queen Bee collection. The double entendre (mc)queen bee(urton), the Apiology (the study of bees), & her impeccable understanding of the female form were winning from the beginning:

Hedi’s new dark, mysterious muse of Saint Laurent. What can I say I am a sucker for gypsy outlaws!

Celine’s subtle decadence, attention to detail, & those outrageous shoes!,

and the always provocative Comme des Garcons who illicits thoughtfulness in both those that admire her garments and those that wear them:

But I found myself not just looking ahead at the next season’s wears, my heart was feverishly beating to the current styles on the streets.

Fall 12 fashion of the moment is a playful concoction of contrasts that have me swooning. Here are some of my favorites from the streets at the recent shows~

What women are wearing now:

Statement Trousers, prints, pleats, leather skirts, dresses, shorts, & shirts, varsity jackets, short shorts, denim mixed with chiffon, asymmetrical hems, tights, oxfords, braids, booties, color, oversized architectural accessories, platforms, envelope clutches, high buns, dreamy silk overlays & lots of lace.

Love this time of year!

A time of transition that is a season all to its own…remarkable!

xo

t

H A N D M A D E in Sweden.
C U S T O M I Z E your own.

We are inspired by the rich practicality & raw fantasy

of contemporary Scandinavian design & style.

Our hearts are forever in Stockholm…

the P U L S E of now:
Maguba clogs,

the family of cobblers who hand-make them,

the sustainability of the materials,

& of all of the other delightful accoutrements…

We tip our hat to this delicious classic~

The Swedish Clog

by Maguba

&

the women who wear them!

When the Pagoda of the Japanese Gardens arises atop the trees or the expansive coliseum of gardens with its headboard of arched pillars to one end come into sight, you know you are approaching the de young. The de young sits quite oddly in all its heavy yet minimalist copperdom in the gardens against a backdrop of eucalyptus trees. This architectural gem, only about 7 years “young”is comprised entirely of copper. It evokes a sense of Mad Max beyond Thunderdome, if it weren’t for the palm trees flanked in the front & sans the dust of course…

When I think of my couture style, Gaultier is not the #1 on my list. Though I have always adored his ability to be forward and classic… and modern risque. Prada, Yves St Laurent, Miu Miu, Thakoon, Proenza Schouler, Balenciaga, & Lanvin have always come closer to my sensibility. However, Gaultier’s ability to deliver garments that are entirely not gender specific or ultra specific are precise & ever so alluring. After the tour, I realize now most of his artistic expression is rooted in his love for strong women and men…and paying homage to femininity & seduction. His mastery in tailoring is breathtakingly concise. Dramatic as these claims may be, I have never witnessed seashells, feathers, and silk, for example, constructed so beautifully. Gaultier is now atop my list always and forever. Avant Garde Femme Fatale is my new mascot. The first ever exhibit of Jean Paul, the man, and his designs est tres magnifique!

The first room of the exhibit will stop you in your tracks, for me, my Repetto flats. I will not ruin the surprise. Be prepared to witness brilliance. As a woman, a human, I think I speak for most of us, when I say that we desire to be sexy and to be romantic. And, I, personally, ultimately, want to be ultra feminine in both regards. Gaultier captures both in extremity with an intimacy that is so accessible  that one can taste & smell his fantasy. This is where I fell in love and really began to understand his hard core fetish and his contrasting swooning romanticism. His journey through the corset is a lifelong one of love…and one that reaks of fetish. The cone bra & underpinnings are clear in his subconscious from early memories of his grandmother donning his then future fortune & signature garment.I was transported to this time & place in his presumably voyeuristic youth…

Exaggeration & fantasy are deliciously present in his haute couture corsets. With a closer look… There is so much more going on in his work & craftsmanship than a first glance will justly explain. In one part of the corset exhibit, there are turning spindles of corseted bodices in a display of glass. A couple of revolutions and one will start to realize on an intrinsic level the impact of his visions & incarnations.

Lace stockings are everywhere throughout the entire exhibit, some full body suits, and some wrapped over the face.

Deeper into the exhibition, Gaultier’s cutting edge pieces that go against the grain of gender-specific clothing in society completely redefine gender identity as we are conditioned to know “it”. His position on creating garments that are not gender specific is genius. The skirt, the wide leg flared pants, the body suits and even the corset on men have seen the light of day and for incredible reasons, both artistic and social. Relinquishing the conditions of a sewn garment, so that anyone can wear it is so modern that the concept, response & direction surrounding this seedling of an idea goes beyond fashion and into sociology on some profound levels.

His fantasies that have conceived the ceremonial period silhouettes in modern fabrications are so incredible. Royalty, super heroine and a few villains too all in super technicolor. Victorian dresses of cable knit cashmere, denim or crocodile. Baroque velvet with religious connotations & gemcrusted metals, change the whole precept or context from which they were derived. Or his use of classic tulle, satin, velvet in avant garde designs that illicit daydreaming almost immediately. His warrior ensembles in a myriad of themes, and film costumes that decorate the idea of a far away future (or past) reality so remarkably.

His interpretation of cultures, for example through his Russian, Nordic, Spanish, & Japanese collections marry tradition with contemporary evolution. His Jewish ensemble complete w/ Payot rocks unbelievably. His Native tribal & ethnic designs resonate with an earthiness that are uncanningly decadent, yet primal.

His love for Paris & the Parisienne are embraced & showcased in almost all of his creations.Some abstractly, and some more impressionistic.

It’s his second favorite city, London, that comes alive in his Punk Cancan collection. Moulin Rouge and Johnny Rotten’s love children…

An honorable mention: I typically detest camouflage in fashion. Gaultier is one of the exceptions. There were 3 ensembles entirely in camouflage, and he made them exceptional, and no less Haute!

Films have been a great vehicle for his imagination. City of Lost Children is one of my absolute favorite films. Falbalas & The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover are films I am going to see! I will post later once I have seen these films to essay further on his cinematic “performances”.

The Stage has also been an ideal setting for his creations…and the artists:

Madonna,

& Kylie Minogue.

His incredible costumery is sensual and always sexual.

Bridging the gaps and playing in the fantasy worlds of Avant Garde and domestica/pedestriana, Gaultier remains an original! He has tapped into the subconscious desires of us all…who doesn’t want to be super sexy in the boudoir and also a glamourous super heroine on stage? I walked away inspired with the desire to just be…and to dare to be. There is a difference & a balance between the two. At home in your underwear or fighting crime in a cinematic graphic novel in your head…This is Gaultier and how he invisions us, the Femme.

The name of Luc Besson’s French sci-fi film for which Gaultier designed the costumes, ” The Fifth Element”,
and the famed character Leeloo (played by Milla Jovovich) lend itself to a summary of Jean Paul Gaultier & his creativity:

To be in your element, mind you, the fifth one, the one your inner most you dreams of, that is so far fetched, but so close to you…

This is the place from which Gaultier draws & transports us. He has kept the core of himself in tact to trespass these dreamy realms both here & far away…and call them each home simultaneously.

Gaultier exhibit @ de young, through August 19, 2012.