Rebirth of Spring 2013 and Prada

Imma start this post off with some non-fashion things. 1a. I was so excited to be posting all the time about Fashion Week but I just started a new job and classes started and I haven't been able to post as much as I want. Anyway, expect another post after the conclusion of Paris Fashion Week that will probably be me dying over the beauty that Karl Lagerfeld, Sarah Burton, and Marc Jacobs send down the runways at the conclusion of the best time of the year.
Which brings me to my question. I don't know what I'm doing on this blog (Clearly it's hot mess, party of one right now). For those of you that read this, tweet at me, or post in my tumblr (Links at the bottom of the post), or comment on this post telling me what you'd like to see here. Personal style, shopping picks, more reviews of shows, street style...etc. If you don't tell me I'm gonna do whatever the hell I want to do and this blog is gonna continue being a mess. But a wonderful, fashion-filled mess.

ANYWAYS

Goddamn this season has been so good. I'm really feeling pretty much everything that's been sent down the runways. Most of the shows are falling into one key trend: Black and white. But those shows that don't conform to that still feel fresh and exciting.
Spring 2013 is really about rebirth. Designers are making a clear departure from the direction they were going in. These past couple seasons have felt very antique-y -- Lots of florals and retro-inspired looks and it's all been amazing. The tweeds and tulle and velvet have been a good time. And they'll continue of course, albeit used in completely different ways.
Back to this whole "rebirth" concept. Ever since forever, but more specifically, since Bambi, flowers have been a symbol of the rebirth of spring. This shit is deep. Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking. Except this time it is.
No one can deny Miuccia's clever use of symbols or Prada's unusual power as a symbol itself. Lets take a look at Prada's spring collection as a continuation from her last couple shows.

From right: Fall '11, Spring '12, Fall '12, Spring '13 (All photos from Style.com)

Fall 2011: Lets throw on some sequins to show innocent, glamourous femininity.
Spring 2012: Throw together a shit-ton of patterns and pastels to show feminine sweetness.
Fall 2012: That wasn't enough patterns, we need more, and toss on some jewels too to show the bare pleasure of fashion.
Spring 2013: Strip that all off to show our yearning for innocence and dreams.

I know it sounds like I'm being facetious, but I'm really not. (If you don't know by now that nothing I say should be taken totally seriously, like, I don't know what to tell you), I literally die for Miuccia. Shes a genius.

Each collection has been just additions, add more and more onto these amazing looks. Sequins, fur, snakeskin, patterns, more patterns, jewels. Then came Resort 2013, in which Miuccia brought out 12 looks alongside her menswear show. Usually in a fashion show there is a sense of build to a couple over-the-top finale looks. Not so for resort, there was no build, the show ended with looks very similar to all the other looks in the collection. Miuccia herself said the show was a blank canvas.

A blank canvas for Spring 12. Where she showed looks unbelievably different from what she's been showing recently. And the flower motif (seen on 99% of the looks) is a symbol for this rebirth. Back to Bambi and the flowers: they show this rebirth out of the blank canvas she gave us at Resort. Fashion this spring is not meant to be a direct continuation of fall -- instead it is a time of change.

I declare upon Prada that Spring 2013 is a rebirth of fashion.

Designers have been pushing against the over-the-top fashions of earlier seasons and going minimal. Designers who usually throw on the colors and patterns stuck to white and monochrome prints. The sheer amount of black and white has been insane. This is a rebirth into modernity. Collections have been looking futuristic, but not like a futuristic costume -- more like we've finally made it to the future and these are the clothes we're wearing. Plastics; slick, glossy looks; cutouts; even glow-in-the-dark.
Prada gave us the blank canvas upon which to paint the new generation of clothes.

Obviously I can't list or show all the designers doing this, so heres some of my favorites. Not because they show the best examples but because they're the prettiest. And like, what's the point of a post about fashion if it's not maximizing the potential beauty it can show? Because without beauty, what is fashion?

From right: Marc Jacobs, Emilio Pucci, Oscar de la Renta, Gucci

Marc presented a 60's mod-inspired collection that felt completely modern instead of retro. Most looks were black and white, and featured sequins and tons of stripes (Read my full review here). Pucci, who usually shows colors and patterns galore stuck to white, black, and red in a stunning collection. Oscar de la Renta showed a collection packed full of beauty (Despite all the f-ing drama surrounding it with Cathy Horyn) and this black and white dress with the gold embellishment grabbed my eye. So glamourous. Gucci pushed away from the dark patterns of late and showed a bright collection with minimal patterns including this gorgeous white gown with the red/orange decoration on the neckline.

From Right: Chado Ralph Rucci, Alexander Wang, Roberto Cavalli, Burberry Prorsum

Chado Ralph Rucci brought it this season - showing futuristic perfection - lots of white, cutouts, and pink. Alexander Wang proved that glow-in-the-dark can be chic, it's not just for children's toys with his theatric finale. His collection full of cutouts dazzled. Roberto Cavalli's flawless spring collection started off white, then brought in color and futuristic patterns. This white look killed me. Burberry Prorsum's collection was largely full of color, but all of it was glossy and beyond modern. The modified cuts of traditional trench coats and dresses showed that Christopher Bailey is looking at the past for inspiration for the future.

Remember to tweet (@fashstylefab) or post on my tumblr (fashionstylefabulous.tumblr.com), or comment below what you'd like to see more of here! Otherwise this shit show will continue.

Marc Jacobs Spring 13

Mod Is The New Black

This is why I love Marc Jacobs so much. He literally always gives us exactly what we don't expect. After the extravagant, absurdist, fur-hat-filled experience that was his Fall collection, he pulled a complete 180 and brought out a collection that "minimal" can't properly describe. "Brutal in its simplicity" is how he characterized it. I think that is a much better label for the collection.
These overly-simple looks had so many details that they all remained beyond interesting. The variations on stripes, (which towards the beginning of the show were just variations on size evolved into changing the spacing, placement, repetition, and even shape of them) brought so much energy and cohesiveness to the collection. See-through pieces, midriff, and almost body-con-tight dresses brought some overt sex appeal to this harsh collection.

Look after look of muted dresses, tops, and skirts came down the runway full of thick, bold prison stripes, very pointy shoes, calf-length skirts, a couple peeks of leopard, and plenty of midriff. His resort collection was inspired by Cindy Sherman's clown series, and it seems he is still thinking about that. There were a few circus influences towards the middle of the show: the scalloped minidress on the right above alludes to a circus tent, and the looks with excessively-large collars (one shown on the left below) hint at the clown influence. (Who knew? Clowns in fashion? I'm still puzzled by Marc Jacobs Resort...Clearly I'm the one that's still thinking about it)

Sidenote: Mickey Mouse crop-top? I'm dead. So good.

Marc Jacobs designs by deconstructing vintage clothes and studying their construction and design, and then sees how he can modernize them. This unique design process has never been more evident. The 60s influence is everywhere here -- yet it all feels incredibly modern. The cuts and variations on materials (Sequined striped gowns - on the right below - closing the show killed me) brought those 60's fashion ideas into 2013.
Marc's shows are always good indicators of some of the coming season's trends. What I noticed here was a mix of 60's (mod) and 90's (midriff) influence, tons and tons of black and white (Which I've seen at pretty much all the shows so far), sheer fabrics, and this sense of intense minimalism. The finale, when the models walked out from behind revolving mirrors and filled the triangle-shaped stage - almost storming the audience - really nailed in the brutality of it all.

So it looks like Mod is the new black, at least for this season until Marc completely pulls the rug out from under everyone yet again.

New York Fashion Week So Far

So far, I've been blown away by most of the Spring shows. Like, I cannot with how stunningly beautiful some of the collections have been. Here are my favorite collections (So far of course).

Zac Posen

(All Photos from Style.com)

How can you not love Zac? Unbelievably sexy body con dresses, constantly using different patterns and materials, every show like an explosion of color, not to mention how handsome and dapper Zac himself is. His spring collection was no different, he played to his strengths - gowns and dressed dripping in sex appeal, gorgeous jackets on top of pencil and floor length skirts - extreme femininity. The gowns ranged from heavier materials to the most delicate tulle adorning one of his enormous-skirted finale dresses. I'm obsessed with the peplum-like hem of the top in the second look above, as well as the gentle floral at the bottom of the wedding dress on the right above. In short - this collection is just amazing.


Chado Ralph Rucci

I was honestly so taken aback by this collection. I was not expecting such an obscenely modern (I use that term in the best possible way) show. Ralph Rucci's clothes are always very modern and almost futuristic, but he really nailed that look this season. The colors! The cutouts! The cuts! The everything! Sidenote: who knew pink was so futuristic? The whole collection reminded me of The Jetsons - a 1950s/60s vision of the future. The jumpsuit-like quality of a lot of the jackets and dresses and the adapted A-line skirts encapsulate this. The future has never looked so good.


Jason Wu

Oh my god so sexy. Jason Wu served up S&M realness for spring, and it worked so damn well. When one of the first looks of a show is a transparent belted blazer (The first look on the right) you know it's going to be an amazing collection. He continued this see-through theme throughout the collection, including the shoes. Borrowing the mesh from the above-the-elbow gloves (as well as from the Versace fall boots) he created mesh pumps with crystals adorning the heel. And even though the collection was full of S&M and menswear references (Suspenders, blazers...) every look remained delightfully feminine.


Monique Lhuillier

I'm honestly at a loss for what to say about Monique Lhullier's spring collection. 'Etherial beauty' just doesn't cut it. Taking the aquatic theme present largely in last year's spring shows and putting an almost royal spin on it brought out some of the most stunning gowns of the season so far. Each look looks as if it floated down the runway, the materials were so light. Many of the floor-length gowns were transparent, giving a glimpse of the gorgeous strappy heels. The Monique Lhullier girl this season is a mermaid princess, stepping (or swimming) out in all manner of gold and seashells.

Spring 13 Menswear Trends

Shiny

Burberry Prorsum, Canali, Roberto Cavalli, Mugler (All Photos from Style.com)

When Christopher Bailey sent a bunch of shiny shirts and jackets down the runway, I was honestly just confused. What is this mess. But then several other designers followed suit, though in different ways (that I tended to like a little more). Canali and Roberto Cavalli's Shows featured a couple suits with shiny blazers paired with matte pants and shirts. Mugler had a different approach to adding shine, making some of the pieces look almost liquid. Hardy Aimes, Victor & Rolf, and Maison Martin Margiela also featured shiny pieces and looks.

Prints, not Patterns

Burberry Prorsum, Etro, Gucci, Bottega Veneta

Well, Prints In Addition To Patterns. Patterns became real big in menswear this spring and now big prints are joining in. Burberry's show was full of shirts and jackets covered in prints of all different colors, and Etro brought a bunch of Middle East-inspired suits down the runway. Several looks in Gucci's (beyond amazing) show had big, swirling patterns. And Bottega's suits had florals printed over glen plaid. This trend was also seen in Roberto Cavalli, Alexander McQueen, Moschino, Salvatore Ferragamo, and more. Read my full post on Prints here.

Monochrome

Ann Demeulemeester, Jonathan Saunders, Gucci, Hermes

Monochrome, the natural step after the color-blocking trend of the last couple seasons, started appearing on the Spring runways in all colors (but mostly blue and orange). Ann Demeulmeester threw some patterns into the monochrome looks, adding a splash of fun. Jonathan Saunders kept it cool in the classy blue looks above. Gucci's all orange looks were drop-dead stunning and sexy. And Hermes brought in this lime green color that I'm really really feeling and I hope it catches on. Monochrome was also seen in Alexis Mabille, Brioni, Mugler, Roberto Cavalli, and more.

The New Military

John Varvatos, Valentino, Belstaff, Balmain

Military? Isn't that a ubiquitous look that can't really be a trend? Well, yes, the military look is sorta always happening and I don't see it going away ever, but designers were taking a new look at it this season. Instead of army jackets and military green, they experimented with cropping (Balmain), Belting (Belstaff), new takes on Camo (Valentino), formalizing military (John Varvatos), and military looks in all colors. Military dressing has gotten exciting again. Maybe this is because of the repeal of DADT and now the gays have a say in military uniforms? I'm into it. This was also seen in Costume National, Dries Van Noten, and more.

Menswear - SS13

It's no secret that I love patterns. Actually, "love" makes it seem like I have a healthy relationship with patterns. I don't. I cannot get enough of them. "Obsession"sums up how I feel about them much better. Lets start over.
It's no secret that I have an obsession with patterns. this whole color-blocking thing that's been going on is not so much my thing. Pattern blocking is much more my style.  Patterns on patterns on patterns is how I like it. If your outfit doesn't worry someone with epilepsy I just don't want to have any part in it.

So I've been loving how, for the past couple seasons, menswear designers have been rolling out new takes on patterns. First it was florals and bright patterns for Spring 12, then they got darker and more geometric for Fall, and patterns have taken a new turn for Spring 13. Instead of small, repetitive patterns (florals, geometric prints, or otherwise) patterns shown in the Spring shows have been big and instead of just sort of happening over the whole piece or outfit, they are placed strategically and the pattern becomes the piece.

Gucci & Burberry Prorsum (All photos from Style.com)

Gucci and Burberry Prorsum (probably my two favorite menswear designers) showed some of the best examples of this. The prints on the shirts (and jacket, in Burberry's case) are these big designs placed on the pieces so that the design itself is an integral part of the piece. I would feel bad layering something over these because you would lose part of the print. That's where these new designs are different from past prints - before, they were repetitive and all over the piece. Now the design is just on part of the piece.

Bottega Veneta & Etro

Bottega Veneta does something similar with florals on blazers. Instead of just having a bright floral blazer, the floral is printed subtly on top of what looks like a even more subtle glen plaid. The floral is just on part of it though. For Bottega, just a couple flowers are necessary. Etro then has their trademark paisley just on the top half of the blazer and the bottom of the leg. The new repetitive patterns aren't repetitive at all - the happen just once and stay where they are.

Roberto Cavalli & Alexander McQueen

Roberto Cavalli did the same thing, except with a speckled pattern on the top and bottom of the blazer. Again, the repetitive patterns happen only in one or two places instead of all over. The second jacket is another big pattern on the piece. Alexander McQueen brought it with the Spring collection, showing lots of amazing looks and suits. The first blazer is just a great print with a defined center on the button, making it look like an explosion from the middle of it, instead of patterns with no start or center previously shown. I'm beyond obsessed with the second blazer. Dragonflies were a motif throughout the collection and this blazer was my favorite use of them. They're focused on the lapels and seem to be flying all around the rest of the jacket. Just perfection.

Moschino & Salvatore Ferragamo

Moschino showed both ways of using patterns - how it was done in FW and how they're being used in SS. Under the cardigan is a print that just repeats all over the shirt and, separately, the pants. Then on top is a cardigan with one big print coving the whole chest. This shows the difference in how the patterns are worn - with the repeating patterns you wear them to add some interest to an outfit with something that's not solid, then the big new prints are there to be there. You don't wear them under something else, the print exists as a whole, not as something to be covered. (Sidenote, this collection reminded me so much of D&G's FW11 collection. I'm still so upset over the loss of Dolce & Gabbana's diffusion line). Salvatore Ferragamo showed some more of the new patterns in different ways from the other designers. The cardigan looks almost like pattern-blocking as opposed to color-blocking. And the blazer is just a great print, and the painted-on look makes the outfit so much more than just a tri-color jacket.

Resort 2013 - The Season of Silhouettes

This resort season wasn't exactly what I was expecting. While I was expecting designers to play with patterns and textures (which they still did), many of them seem to be playing with silhouettes in fun, exciting ways.

Marc Jacobs

All Photos from Style.com

Marc took inspiration from Cindy Sherman's clown series, which, at first, seems like an odd place to take fashion inspiration from. Well, not just at first, it still seems very odd. The results are mixed, I'm not the biggest fan of the color palette (every color ever), but there were some pieces I loved. But I'm here for the silhouettes. Marc really played with different shapes this season - long tops over enormous, clown-like pants, lots of big skirts (though big seems like a too-gentle term to describe some of them), cap sleeves gone crazy, and long, rectangular dresses. The collection feels like a continuation from his Dr. Seuss-like Fall collection. It seems as if Marc Jacobs is having a lot of fun with his designs lately, and he doesn't want to leave any silhouette out.

Balenciaga

This collection was all about the mix of hard and soft. Light pastels with black accents, a flowing cream-colored dress with a leather halter, skirts that can only be described as "flouncy" with a form-fitting top, a light skirt with a highly structured jacket. This led to some very interesting designs and some really different shapes for looks. Nicolas Ghesquière has moved the peplum down from the waist and gave skirts a turn-up at the bottom (I've never been a peplum's biggest fan, I'm so excited about this) which adds to the skirt's interest, and, frankly, is just fun and adorable. The structured-sleeve jacket is something we saw a lot in the fall shows, and Ghesquière is continuing that, and doing so in different ways. The third looks above shows he has created the incredibly structured arm with a soft fabric - an unexpected juxtaposition that gives the arm and the entire look a new silhouette. The entire collection with filled with looks like that, introducing new silhouettes by altering old ones - the turned up skirt, the cropped, structured-sleeve jacket, structure with light materials, and, in that last look above, an oversized, light top with structured ruffles on the sides. By playing with old silhouettes and combining hard and soft materials, Balenciaga turned out an incredibly exciting resort collection.

Lanvin

Alber Elbaz followed his out-of-control-amazing Fall collection with this equally great Resort line. Elbaz did what he does best - highly creative designs and lots of dark colors and gilded touches. He also continued this mini-trend of silhouette play. Big, protruding shorts (first look on the left) and voluminous short sleeves (second look) mirror what Marc Jacobs showed. Then several of the looks had rectangular silhouettes, similar to ones shown both in Marc Jacobs and Balenciaga, but of course done in a way only Lanvin could do - a long square snakeskin jacket, and a flowing red dress with a square back. If the Lanvin resort collection is any indication of where fashion is heading soon, it is all about being bold with dark colors and materials.

Derek Lam

Derek Lam's resort collection is mostly full of neutrals, with lots of light blue and some bright reds. Along with that, there were a lot of rectangular silhouettes (the first two looks above), usually with some sort of twist - the undone light blue jacket in the first (kind of really amazing, turning boxy into sexy), and the wider bottom of the white jacket in the second. Again, he showed several exaggerated skirts, which I am such a fan of. And of course there were military details in almost every look in the line, because of course!


The consensus: Big sleeves, enormous skirts, and just new shapes and silhouettes

Resort 2013

DKNY

I feel very mixed about this collection. A lot of the individual pieces were great, especially the maroon blazer on the far left, the leather jacket in the third look above (leather is hard for me to ignore), and the contrast leather sleeve trench (again, leather is everything to me). My main problem with this collection is the styling. Much of it is fine, but many of the looks are styled so that there are several visible hemlines of shirts and tops. Like, lets tuck some shirts in! And black tights just feel too UES for the look of the clothes. But, that being said, the maroon that was central to many looks is just great.

Erdem

You're going to have to excuse me for a hot second, I'm currently dying over these patterns! It's like Erdem put the best prints from the fall collections on crack and acid. Every looks is overwhelming in the best possible way. I cannot wait to see what the shoes look like up close. Both Erdem and DKNY continued the fall trend of bright colors in cooler, darker hues.

Just Cavalli

This collection was kind of a hot mess. It was a mix of some pieces that I loved with a bunch of pieces I hated and lots of pieces that felt too familiar to other collections. Lets start with the pieces I loved. The white leather jacket killed me, as did the white crocodile-skin pieces (jacket and pants shown above) in the collection. The floral blazer shows on the right is also so good. It’s hard for me not to fall in love with a fun printed blazer. A large amount of the collection reminded me too much of other designer’s work though, especially the look on the left above (Versace, particularly their collection for H&M) and the looks with symmetrical floral patterns (Givenchy). All in all, I wasn’t the biggest fan of this collection, though some pieces stood out from the rest.

Oscar de la Renta

What to even say? This was Resort perfection. Amazing colors, amazing patterns, amazing textures, amazing Oscar. The collection moved from black and white to a parade of colors. Most dresses featured either a floral pattern or texture or a checked pattern like gingham. The way Oscar translated floral patterns into textures on the dresses was unreal. Then the green dress that looks like a flower itself…What even? The dresses shown in this collection show that floral can and should be taken to new dimensions. Hopefully we will see more of this in the spring shows.