Rising Star

Many of you may not know the name Giambattista Valli, but he is the next "it" designer in fashion. This Italian oozes talent from every part of him. His clothes have elegance of Givenchy, mixed with the creativity of Lacroix. Valli's Spring/Summer '09 collection kept with the same colour pallette of other collections, with many black, white, and champagne colours. However, unlike other collections, there wasn't anything simple about Valli's vision. With all the ruffles, fur, and maticulous detail, it resembled more of a couture collection than ready-to-wear. I simply love Giambattista and hope that he can someday take over the reigns from Valentino or Armani because he makes romantic and whimsical clothes that are just to die for. My only negative comment about his collection is the fact that some of his knee-length cocktail dresses resembled the Alexander McQueen collection from a year back. Other than that I loved everything about it, especially the shoes. To watch the full runway show, click here and here:

Howdy Partner

For Spring/Summer 09, Jean Paul Gaultier decided to do a Wild West theme for the House of Hermes. Personally, I'm not a fan of fringes and cowboy hats because I think they look tacky on anybody who isn't a cowboy. Especially fringes -- they are as bad as corduroy. The whole collection wasn't bad though. For me, I personally liked all the shirt dresses that they had, and in the end, they had very colourful, striped outfits. I especially loved all of the leather and suede pieces that came down the runway. But let's be honest. Hermes is not known for their clothes. They are known for their accessories, and when it came to this collection, Gaultier did not disappoint. I loved the suitcase looking bags that they had. I especially loved the crocodile Birkin bag. The belts and the shoes were understatedly stylish and not the exaggerated styles that we've seen from other collections. When it comes to this upcoming season, I would probably stick to more of the accessories -- except the cowboy hat. To watch the full show, click here.

My Fair Marc

Marc Jacobs has done it again with his new collection under his own line. One thing I love about Marc is the fact that he does not care about trends and follows what he imagines women to look like. For Spring/Summer 09, the clothes remind me of Mary Poppins and Eliza Doolittle partying at Studio 54. The collection was very Victorian-style but with an edge. So far, Marc is the only one to use plaid and gaucho-ish pants. He stuck with his signature layered look by putting vests on top of tops on top of t-shirts and what not. But in this collection, it still seemed very refined and elegant instead of the grunge look that he was famous for creating in the late 80s/early 90s. The accessories were absolutely fabulous. I would want to wear that hat forever. And the shoes, although beautiful, looked a bit tricky to walk on. All in all, I think this is the first collection that everyone could wear, no matter height, weight or age. The only thing I was underwhelmed about were his gowns at the end that looked quite matronly. To watch the full runway show, click here and here.

The best of the night

The Screen Actors Guild awards took place last night. For the most part, all the dresses on show were either really ugly or really simple. In my opinion, Anne Hathaway was hands down the best dressed of the entire evening. I love how the dress is flowy to keep with the season's trend, but is belted to accent her small waist. The little detail that is on the waist and neckline give the whole dress a little bling to bring the whole look together. It seems as if all the great styling that went on during the filming of the Devil wears Prada rubbed off on Miss Hathaway. To read more, please click here

And now we come to the worst

Angelina Jolie is ususally one of the most best dressed celebrities on the red carpet. Her and Brad are considered American royalty. She also has one of the best bodies in the world, and yet she wore this atrocity. Even though tent dresses are in trend for the summer, I would not expect that people would actually wear them to award shows. Dresses like these are best left for the beach, or if you're pregnant. So unless Angelina is expecting baby number 35, she should hide this outfit in the back of her closet. To get another persons take and more pictures, click here

J'adore Dior

John Galliano has produced another fantastic collection for the house of Christian Dior! His Spring/Summer 09 collection for the house is very similar to his couture collection for Fall/Winter, except with a lot more vibrant colours. There was no tent dress in sight. Even though a lot of the skirts and dresses were made of flowy chiffon and lace, there was also a lot of corsetted and belted tops. The obvious sentiment that Galliano was trying to portray was that of sex, sex and more sex. It was quite interesting coming from a very edgy designer and at certain times, it felt like he was channeling Gianni Versace as inspiration for the collection. The accessories were lovely, but I must warn you about the shoes, which were so high that professional models had trouble walking in them! So tread carefully. Even though I loved this collection, I must admit that most of the clothes seemed better suited to young, tall, slender girls. For those of you that do not fit in this category, maybe the accessories are better suited. If you wish to watch the full runway show, click here and here.

The End of an Era

The Emilio Pucci's Spring/Summer 2009 collection was the last that Matthew Williamson will do for the famous Italian house. What I love about the Pucci collection is the fact that it is bright and colourful all the time. For the summer of 2009 we have seen nothing but somber and quite frankly dull collections from other designers. The house of Pucci stays true to its vibrant geometric prints. This is the first collection that truely looked like a summer collection. In his own way Williamson is saying forget about the recession. Other trends that were prevalent in the collection were that of dresses and tailored suits. There were also a lot of oversized bags and bulky accessories such as belts. The standout in the collection for me were the shoes. Even though they had metallic colours (ugh, metallics are truely back) I loved the way that they were above ankle and yet had a cut-out for the toes as if a new approach to the open toe shoe. I also loved the cut-outs that some of the outfits had that brought a certain sex appeal to the dresses. So far my favourite collection has to be Pucci and hopefully the designer who takes over from Williamson will be just as good. To watch the full runway show click here and here.

Fashion Faceoff

Dolce and Gabbana Menswear Fall/Winter 2009

Armani Menswear Fall/Winter 2008

As many of you may have heard, there has been a little disagreement between Armani and Dulce & Gabbana over a pair of male trousers. Milans' Men's Fashion Week Fall/Winter '09 just wrapped up and Georgio accused the italian duo of copying his patchwork pants from last season.
He said in an interview;

Now they copy, later they will learn

Dolce and Gabbana were not about to take this lying down and have retaliated by calling Armani irrelevant and saying;

Surely we still have much to learn, but definitely not from him

There hasn't been a dispute of a copyright when it comes to fashion since Ralph Lauren and Yves Saint Laurent battled in court over the issue of female tuxedos more than a decade ago. My question to you is this. Can fashion or style really be patented when designers seem to find inspiration from each other? To read more on this story click either here or here

An Armani Summer

Georgio Armani's collection for Summer of '09 was very much about comfort. Long gone are the corsets and tight dresses. Instead, there was a lot of tent dresses and Aladdin-type pants. Now the Aladdin pants and tent dresses can only work on a tall slender person, but Armani's loose slacks and flowy skirts with the tailored jackets would work on any size. The colours were the same as the other collections: black, white and pastels. You can tell that fashion has decided to go to more of a sombre minimalist type elegance for Summer of '09. I don't know if it's the economy or if it's just a trend, but it does resemble (strictly by the colour choices) more of a fall/winter type look to it. I especially love the oversize purses at Armani and the minimalist jewelry that he sent down the runway. All in all, it was a very elegant and beautiful collection by Armani. If you wish to watch the runway show, click here

The Valentino Mis-step

This is the third collection for Alessandra Facchinetti at the house of Valentino. Seeing as how her previous ready-to-wear and couture collections have gotten lukewarm reviews at best, many thought that this was her "make or break" collection. In my opinion, I think it broke her, because even though it was a nice and summmery type of collection, it just fell short. Valentino is known as the King of the red carpet in glamour and opulence. Facchinetti's choices for Spring Summer '09 seemed like a cheap knockoff of Valentino's original vision. While I admire her efforts, I just don't think that the house of Valentino is the best place for her, and would rather see somebody like Giambattista Valli because his look is similar to that of Valentino's. My heart goes out to Alessandra because she wasn't a right fit at Gucci and I don't think she is a right fit at Valentino either, which must do a number on her self-esteem. Maybe it'd be best if she just finds a financial backer, and does her own clothing line. To see pictures of the collection, click here and to watch the video click here and select pret a porter's spring/summer '09 in motion.

Dolce & Gabanna Girl

I was very surprised with the route that Dolce and Gabanna took for their summer 09 women's collections. The Italian duo are ususally know for their very sexy commercial style clothing. However, thing time their clothes seemed far more avant garde look that would usually come from McQueen or Viktor and Rolf. The key theme for this collect is: volume, volume, volume, usually in the shoulders and the skirts. Even though I love his collection's edgey look, its probably best suited toward women of slender and tall frame otherwise it would make you look fat and paunchy. The same thing at Versace, Dolce and Gabanna decided to use lots of balcks and white with a little bit of flower and metalic-like colours. Their shirts seem to have a komono wrap style to them which to me resembled more of a house robe than an outdoor top. I absolutely loved their bags and shoes that they had this season, it was beautifully done and over the top but not costumey. Unfortunately their necklaces and belts were a bit culky and seemed a little to Mr. T. All in all it was an inventive collection by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabanna. If you wish to watch the runway show for yourself, please click here and here.

Continuing A Legacy -- Looking at the 10 Best and Worst Dressed of '08

Seeing as how the incredibly talented and insightful Mr. Blackwell has passed last year, so has his annual 10 Best and Worst dressed lists. Since I'm a huge fan of Mr. Blackwell, I've decided to make a list of my own, which I hope he would agree with. So let's start the countdown on an uplifting note, with the Best Dressed of 2008:



At #10, Suri Cruise has to be one of the most adorable creatures that ever lived. The little dresses that Suri wears on a daily basis adds to her appeal because it makes her so beautiful and elegant. One would hope that for the future, whoever dresses Suri could take the time to dress Katie as well. continue reading further

At #9,

Penelope Cruz is certainly one sultry senorita. Everytime this woman hits a red carpet, especially the Oscars, she definitely dresses to impress. This dark Lagerfeld number makes her look sexy as well as sophisticated which embodies Penelope's personality through and through

At #8,

Cate Blanchett is not only statuesque, what I love about her is that she's not afraid to take risks. This McQueen outfit is so elaborate that it would overshadow most people. But Cate, unlike many others, has the confidence and personality to pull off even the most costume-ish looking outfits. She proves why she is one of the few people that is deserving of the fashion icon title.

At #7,

Scarlett Johansson is one of my favourite celebrities because not only is she against the size 0 bandwagon but she also dresses respectfully. Scarlett always manages to look sexy, yet sophisticated. Instead of shoving her rather large assets into tiny outfits that look like they need the jaws of life to contain, Scarlett goes for the more understated sex appeal, reminiscent of old Hollywood.

At #6,

Meghan Fox is exactly what her name says. Not only is Meghan an Angelina 2.0, she has this great sense of style to her. She wears things that are youthful and sexy, but not vulgar like some of her contemporaries. Even though her tattoos are a bit of an overkill she is still Hollywood's newest sex kitten.

At #5,

who can forget this year's biggest fashion film Sex and the City! I remember cancelling a doctors appointment just to go to the very first screening of the movie because I simply could not resist. Seeing as how the show was such a fashion plate, the women of SATC did not disappoint when it came to the red carpet attire. My absolute favourite though was the first red carpet premiere in London where they all wore standout outfits probably to garner each person more accolades and press than the others. Hopefully they will do a second film.

At #4,

what best dressed list would be complete without the soon to be first lady of the United States? Michelle's clothes were rightfully compared to those of Jackie O by the world's media. While you won't find her taking any risks with her wardrobe, it is still pleasurable to observe her evolution through the election process. Although I doubt that she will be as fashion forward as Jackie was, she just might be able to revise the New York fashion industry with her outfits.

At #3,

Gweneth Paltrow has taken a long hiatus from the film industry and therefore the red carpet, but while promoting Iron Man she has come back to the fashion arena with a bang! I completely forgot how long and lean her legs were until this past summer. Also the fact that she's worn a lot of tremendously high-heeled shoes has boosted the popularity of dominatrix-style footwear, it is obvious that with Gwen's wardrobe choices that she wants to steal back the title of 'the most fashionable leggy blonde'from Cate Blanchett.

At #2,

Dita Von Teese embodies what it means to be effortless chic. This is a woman who is constantly dressed to the nines with make-up and hair, and yet doesn't look contrived like a Mariah Carey. She's the type of person that will make everyone's best dressed list for every single year. She may pick the wrong men (ie ex-husband Marilyn Manson), but she will never pick the wrong outfit.

Finally, at #1,

I picked Halle Berry as the best dressed of '08 because she was the only female celebrity that made pregnancy sexy. Every other starlet thought that once they were "sperminated", they had to wear these tent dresses and over-sized tops to conceal their bump. Halle on the other hand, wore tight, low-cut outfits that displayed not only her bump, but her fabulous breasts! Halle Berry proves that just because your pregnant, doesn't mean that you can't be stylish.

Now I will look at the biggest fashion disasters of 2008. At #10,

starting off the list is the resident bad girl from The Hills, Heidi Montag. Ever since Heidi has been blessed by the hands of silicone, she has worn the tightest, most revealing outfits known to mankind. This is the woman who takes the expression, "if you got it, flaunt it" as her personal mantra. There has not been a pair of halter tops or booty shorts that Heidi doesn't seem to like. In fact, she came out with a clothing line called Heidiwood in which she created her own hooker outfits for the masses to enjoy.

At #9,

every time I look at Katie Holmes' outfits, I just imagine Nicole Kidman rolling around laughing on the floor. Unlike Nicole, the closest thing that Katie can get to being a fashion icon is when she gave birth to one. The problem with Katie is when she's not morphing into Victoria Beckham on the red carpet, she's just plain wierd in real life! During the summer, Katie wore these pants that were obviously too big for her, and then on top of that she rolled them up on the outside! I mean for God's sake, even homeless people know that is a crime of fashion.

At #8,

Victoria Beckham, also known as Katie Holmes' bestest 'frenemy', was Mr. Blackwell's #1 choice for worst dressed last year. Even though she wasn't the most horrific celebrity of 2008, she definitely wasn't the best. Victoria's problem is that she suffers from extreme delusions. In her mind, she sees this young sexpot who is still a Spice Girl circa 1990's. But what the rest of the world sees is an anorexic, mid-30's, mother of 3, who at certain angles is a dead ringer for Cruella De Ville. With all the tight dresses that she wears, it's no wonder she's so skinny because food cannot physically travel down her esophagus. If she wishes to be this generations Audrey Hepburn, then she really has to tone down the high-class hooker look.

At #7,

the possible future Queen of England, and therefore Canada (as horrible as this sounds), is Miss Kate Middleton. I always assumed that when Prince William got married, he would pick someone that is fresh, unique and would breathe new life into the stuffy royal family. But then all hope was dashed when he met this woman. Kate is less like the spunky and vivacious Diana and more like the frumpy, aging Camilla. In fact, the only time that I ever liked Kate's wardrobe was when William dumped her for a month or so in '07. If your clothes are supposed to represent who you are, then Kate is portraying the fact that she is completely devoid of any personality.

At #6,

it is obvious Lady Gaga wants to be noticed as an individual. But her clothes are less unique and more freakish. This woman is so consumed by her stage personality that she wears the most awful clothes on a daily basis. Someone needs to tell Lady Gaga that outrageous costumes are meant for the stage, not the red carpet. So next time please, wear some pants.

At #5,

it is obvious that Beyonce's little sister is trying to escape Beyonce's bootylishous shadow, but her attempt has left a lot to be desired. Instead of asking if Solange dressed in the dark, the more likely question is if she dressed in a coma. Solange probably thought in her own mind that all the outfits she wore in 2008 were edgy and fashon forward. But in reality, they were just stupid. Each outfit she wore completely overshadowed her, and half the time, I was more consumed with the outfit that I didn't even notice she existed! Solange should do what Beyonce did and let their mother dress her. That way, at least she'll go from wearing ugly outfits to hoochy ones.

At #4

if one Khardashian wasn't enough, thanks to reality TV, humanity must suffer the presence of all the Khardashian sisters. The three sisters seemed determined to find the tightest, ugliest dresses in the world. I understand that they want to flaunt their famous derriers, but have the decency to put something good on top of it! And while your finding better clothes, do yourselves a favour and get careers as well.

At #3,

the sometimes actress, sometimes model is a full-time fashion disaster know as Bi Ling. This is a woman who is determined to make a fool out of herself every chance she gets. At this point, she's known less for her Z-list film career and more for the atrocities she wears on the red carpet. Everytime I see a picture of Miss Ling, I ask myself, who is inviting her to these events? And are they that desperate for publicity? Quite frankly, I don't know what Bi does in between her guest spots on TV, but she needs to spend that time finding a stylist.

At #2,

I was a toddler when Paula Abdul's career in music first started. And I thank my parents everyday for not concieving me sooner. What is interesting is that most singers' fashion sense is worse in the beginning but then it gets better over time. Paula on the other hand, seems to be working backwards. Ever since she came back onto the public's radar thanks to AI, she has worn one disaster after another. So the question is, whether she just doesn't care what people think about her clothes, or she's completely oblivious. Either way, she needs to stop shopping at the local costume shop.

The Worst Dress of '08

At #1, even though she had one of the highest selling albums and the largest selling tour in '08, it was Madonna's fashion choices that really grabbed my attention. Madonna may be the Queen of Pop, but she's also the queen of "What were you thinking?" She does not have the body or the age to pull this particular outfit off. I understand that she wants to compete with all the young starlets, but she just comes off looking like she's trying to hard. First of all, she's so toned, she's practically a man, and to make matters worse, she wears a see-through lingerie outfit. I'm sorry but I don't care who you are, no one wants to see Grandma's underwear!

The Versace Woman

For the summer of '09, designer Donatella decided to keep it minimal. It is refreshing, in my opinion, to see a little bit more of a conservative sexy to come from the house of Versace. They've always been known for their flesh-baring, tight garments that left little to the imagination. The colours, for the most part, are also very basic with blacks, whites, and pastels. The dresses in the end, however, had an array of colours that were just beautiful. I especially loved the last few dresses that were very flowy and tent-like. The structure and tailoring were very well done and I liked the fact that Donatella created an hour glass figure by creating a bubble area around the hips. All of the little details such as the cut-outs and heart-shaped pieces on the outfits gave it a distinctive summer, romantic feel. The only criticism I would give is the fact that some of the outfits had a metallic feel to them. I personally believe that the metallic trend has been played to death and that it needs to go away for a few years. All in all, it was a nice collection from the house of Versace. Watch the runway show here:

Sleeping with the Enemy

The media industry is fast becoming one of the largest industries in the world. Many people use the media in order to get information on an array of topics. I recently saw a documentary piece that criticized Rupert Murdoch and his approach in managing Fox News. Mr. Murdoch is never subtle about his pro-Republican extreme right wing views, but one would think that a news organization should try to appear impartial. Fox News is always adamant that they have fair and balanced approaches to the way they collect and distribute information. What I found most interesting was the fact that people believed such false information that Fox News was reporting, for instance, the fact that Iraq and 9/11 were somehow connected. What disturbed many of the commentators during the documentary was that Fox was influencing every other news station when it comes to the way they report. I, for one, understand why news Medias would be more forgiving in their reporting to whatever political group was in power at the time. This reminds me of the fact that many fashion critics are becoming a lot more lenient when it comes to their critique of celebrity fashion lines. It seems that every second another celebrity is producing a fashion line as a means of revenue rather than craft. In the beginning, many of the high-ranking fashion critics from magazines, such as Vogue, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar, would have ripped people, such as Victoria Beckham, a new one. However, it seems that any A-lister who produces a fashion line is almost guaranteed good critiques. For a long time it baffled me how these people received such good reviews, but then I realized that these magazines and newspapers needed the celebrities in order to sell issues of their publication. Established designers themselves, for the most part, remain quiet on the issue because they fear that if they criticize these celebrity “designers” it would mean fewer endorsements. It seems that now the only group that are willing to give an adequate critique are those that have blogs, and therefore, have no financial obligations to fulfill positive relationships with celebrities. Not to say that people, such as Beyonce and Gwen Stefani, are not talented, but their skills are better suited in their own field whether it be music or movies. When it comes to being a designer you need more of a qualification than just owning a credit card.

Welcome All You Fashionable People!!!

This blog is designed to inform all the fashionably conscious people out there on the net. I will critique notable designers from Lagerfeld to Jacobs, introduce new fashion trends, highlight up and coming talents such as Rodarte, analyze the abundance of celebrity fashion lines as well as fashion hits and misses on the red carpet. If it has to do with fashion, we will discuss it here. So welcome to the fashionable life!
Love,
Fashion Fantatic