Symbols of Wealth and Fantasy

Considering the state of affairs around the world, I find it hard to believe there are people who still desire if not lust after the most expensive money can buy. Most importantly buying a designer label so famously expensive, everyone knows the cost. There is a psychology behind owning an item that displays a big ticket value. Purchasing "labels" fills a character void, that is psychologically well understood. Designer ads creates life and lifestyle association with their product. Consumers feel buying the label attached to that lifestyle will lift them to that level; or at the very at least, make them feel like they have been lifted to that level. That consumption fantasy is what corporations bank on.

Can you guess the $25,000.00 real Hermes Birkin bag from the $399.00 copy ?

Perhaps there is truth to that thought. Just recently there was an article about women who interview with designer handbags will be offered more money when negotiating. It makes me wonder however- does carrying a designer bag gives the owner more confidence, or per-chance is it possible a woman who can afford a designer handbag, won't be interviewing for the average job?

Just in case you didn't guess the bags are in the center side by side. The $25,000 bag is left center and $399. is right center. The other two bags are Hermes bags as well, both in the $10,000 range. If you want to try your hand and create your own Hermes purse, the company offers a pattern - http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Weekend/story?id=7488477&page=1

That old saying "you are what you wear" also applies to what you drive . According to Toyota, young children are being encouraged to embarrass their parents into buying a cooler and hipper car- Toyota's Highlander ad is has the most obvious- which in my opinion is really low end selling . The young actor Riley Thomas Stewart is pandering for Toyota :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80pNUxIczig

It's a corporate myth of a better life that has people selling their souls to own a label. Purchasing an expensive handbag, shoes, or a car has very short lasting gratification. Happiness isn't purchased. Martha Stewart still went to prison owning a Birkin bag and David Beckham cheated on Victoria and she owns several Birkins. As for the children, spare them the myth their life will be better with a label on their ass.

Disaster for Jeremy Scott Fall 2011

There is nothing like a disaster to kick off the Fall 2011 runway season . Jeremy Scott must have been trolling close out sales for anime dolls to come up with his Fall collection . It's easy to find this look on Hollywood Blvd. without the high end price tag. Great for the club, but on the runway, one would hope for fashion with a little more sustenance.

The fabric and colors are a cross between futuristic costumes and Easter candy . The pink "costume" group above looks like in my opinion, an anime burlesque show. Perhaps Jeremy was thinking of selling at Adult-Con ?

Where to wear these outfits maybe Coachella, EDF, or Bonnaroo ? But then I would hope those outfits would be original artist creations-not fresh off the runway.

Dear Jeremy,

Stop playing with your anime dolls . There is a reality out there.

Xoxo,

-G

Edward Gn Spring 2011

Edward Gn suit collection

Edward Gn's Spring 2011 reflected the 1930's, 1940's and 1970's. His inspiration for this collection was fashion designers Jean Muir and Ossie Clark. Gn's black and white eyelet suits, left and center and brown suit on the right were some of my favorite tailored pieces from his collection. Below is a glance at Gn's inspiration for his collection from Ossie Clark . His 1960's-70's-all have obvious 30's and early 40's silhouettes .

Ossie Clark collection from the 1970's

Ossie Clark played with color and pattern to emphasize the great details in his designs which clearly hold up today. Looking at the vintage patterns below it is easy to see Clark's inspiration. The 1930's depression and the 1940's WWII had much in common with the Vietnam war and recession of the late 1960's -early 1970's when Ossie Clark and Jean Muir were designing.

Vogue and Simplicity patterns from 1930's and '40's

Gn's Spring collection 2011 also finds a similar world : A massive recession and a long standing war in Afghanistan . His floor length dresses in muted colors have clear 1970's Jean Muir influences. What I like about Gn, is his ability to give a fresh modern look to a vintage silhouette .

Gn's long dresses Spring 2011

The clean lines of these Jean Muir dresses below from Vogue Couture patterns, hold the test of time. Easy to see why Gn was inspired by her designs.

Jean Muir 1970's Vogue patterns

Below, the jewel tone dresses from Gn's collection are classics updated with a nice twist of vibrant color. Feminine ruffles were popular with many Spring runway collections, a detail that is very reminiscent of the 1930's.

Gn shows ruffles and and jewel tones for spring

Using one of these vintage patterns below from the 1930's and '70's , one could easily create their own great look for Spring 2011 .

Patterns from 1930's and 1970's

Spring 2011 Overall Review

Gucci, Hermes ,Valentino -My favorite collections of this season.

The beauty of not being owned by a corporation is I can speak from the heart. I have no fear of loosing magazine ad sales from design houses who are angered by a scathing review of their latest collection.

After viewing Prada's Spring collection, I was convinced we were in for another dismal season of designers dropping to the lowest common denominator while desperately trying to find a trend that would stick with consumers. In 2010 many of the collections were senseless and lacked direction. They seemed to be a mirror image of the world economy.

After looking over twenty one collections (with a hundred plus still to look at), the majority were actually wearable. Many of the designers featured beautiful details. Of course there were still mediocre collections, but that is not unusual. The common ground I found throughout the Spring 2011 collections was a return to the earlier designs that made these fashion houses great in the first place. Yet there was a definite fresh look throughout. It is hard to understand why so many of these fashion houses had deviated from the silhouettes and cuts that made them famous in the first place. Gucci, Valentino, and Hermes get my vote as favorite collections, and Stella McCartney, Viktor and Rolf, and Hussein Chalayan my least favorite. Prada is still winning as the worst collection of the season for me.

Stella McCartney, Viktor&Rolf, Hussein Chalayan

-After Prada these are my least favorite collections for Spring 2011.

When money is tight most people look inward for comfort and safety. Classic design was key this season. Costume frivolity is not for recession times. It took a few years for many of these designers to get the clue. The big trend I would say is saturated colors coupled with barely there colors.

Ready to Wear means just that. Fortunately I'm happy to say that there should be some wonderful and interesting pieces coming to the stores for Spring.

Prada Spring 2011 Industrial Uniform meets Animation

Vibrant color is definitely on my radar for Spring 2011. The primetime show I design for, "The Defenders", is all about color and flash. I'm liberally using saturated colors on the characters, which is a big switch from the years of black and gray that has dominated TV dramas.

For inspiration, I was excited to see what was being shown for the Spring 2011 runway collections. Prada was on my radar as the first show of the season to blog about. Clearly Miuccia Prada forgot she was designing fashion for real people, not a Disney animation film or industrial uniforms. Her collection was a bold mess of nonsensical designs. The saturated colors, with bold stripes, and wallpaper prints, completed the animated look. In the real world, wearing any of these outfits, would dash all hopes of attracting a mate. Hard to imagine her inspiration for this collection was the sexy Josephine Baker .

Can you guess the Prada 2011 collection from the $39.99 catalogue uniform ?

What's adorable for animated characters doesn't translate to the runway-

Dinner ? Work? Clubbing? Sleeping? Working out? Out for Drinks? Lunch? Ok- scratch all of that. Let's try - Fly trap ? Bee attractant ? Wallpaper? Beauty and The Beast?

For that very important interview -would you wear a Power suit or Power sack?

Other than the hair do, I can't imagine Josephine Baker wearing any of these.

Thank you Prada for giving me the first humorous look of the Spring 2011 runway.

Autumn colors 2010

Labor day 2010 felt like the perfect day to discuss Autumn fashion and what is currently showing up in the stores . A recent article in the LA Times stated longer skirts were the trend for Fall a sure sign of a slow economy. On a foray through the stores I found saturated colors filling the racks a pleasant surprise. This is similar to what was shown at the the Spring Mercedes Benz Fashion Week for Autumn 2010 . On that runway an explosion of looks short and long skirts as well as uneven hemlines were the highlights. (Reference my Mercedes Benz blogs 4/12 ; 4/13 ; 4/14 ; & 4/20 ) This was a reflection of an unsure but optimistic look at the future and economy. It was a nice change from the somber dark colors and long skirts which were shown on the European runways.

Unfortunately the world economy is still in an upheaval, and economists predict yet a possible second economic slump. With money tight, and Americans saving more than they are spending, fashion trends will continue to remain flat as I predicted in my May blog on economics. Refashioning old pieces from the closet will have to satisfy the fashionistas on a tight budget. Rit dye, did you hear that ? Perhaps bathtub dying will make a comeback.

Americans are generally an optimistic group, so I believe the strong saturated colors will be popular. The intensity is still dark and respectful of the fragile economy , but the color is fresh and not as depressing as the overall use of black and brown that the Europeans used on their runway.

Rethink, Restore, and Restyle, the Wedding Dress Tradition

 When Chelsea Clinton marries Marc Mezvinsky she  won't be wearing her mother's wedding dress, (circa 1975) for her nuptials, however that's of no surprise. Women rarely wear their mother's wedding dress anymore. However the bygone tradition of saving a wedding dress and handing it down to the next generation is still a wonderful idea. That's where restyling comes into play.
In this era of reduce and reuse perhaps it's time to rethink this lost tradition. Below I have included a photo timeline of wedding dresses dating back to 1900.

(Wedding dresses from '60's, 70's and '80's )

With so many wedding dresses boxed, preserved and in limbo, what happens as styles change, daughters are two or three sizes larger than their mother, or the children turn out to be boys not girls? There is also a negative aspect to wearing the same dress mom did if she is divorced from dad. Restyling a dress can be a wonderful way of preserving the sentimental aspect of mom's dress and also rescuing the dress from a lifetime of deep storage. Diamond rings are restyled all the time, why not the wedding dress?

(30's, 40's, 50's )

The current style for wedding dresses is the strapless gown. Some dresses can easily be cut to create this look. For other gowns, removing the sleeves or changing the neckline can dramatically update the look. In the case of a less formal wedding, the dress can be shortened to the knee. The remaining fabric should be enough to create a flower girl's dress. For those who want a complete change in the look, removing the lace and using it on a newly designed dress is another way to retain the heirloom sentiment.

(1900-'20's )

I have used all the above techniques at one time or another and even dyed wedding dresses from thrift shops to create completely new looks. Fun, creative and smart.