TREND I-SPY

Burberry Fall 2011 The European men's runway collections for Fall 2011 are underway and I really enjoyed watching the video of the Burberry show It began with a group of terrific coats, a perfectly balanced mix of new organic shapes in traditional materials including a buffalo plaid that has been popping up all over the place recently. I love the way this Balenciaga version from Pre-Fall 2011 looks shown against a Chinoiserie-patterned seamless and miss-matched plaid mittens. Balenciaga Pre-Fall 2011 I did some research on Buffalo Plaid and discovered that it is in fact an ancient tartan that traces its legacy to 8th century Scotland and the legendary warrior leader, Rob Roy MacGregor. It is believed that the large sized red and black plaid known as Rob Roy MacGregor Tartan arrived in America after the Battle of the Little Big Horn in 1876. But buffalo plaid didn’t become a fashion craze until 40-years later, when a giant, mythological lumberjack named Paul Bunyan made ...

At this point, with over a decade on the job behind him, it's clear that Nicolas Ghesquière's design heart lies at the intersection of Fashion (Capital F) and active sport. His Pre-Fall 10 Collection for Balenciaga included many of the signature design devices we've seen in seasons past; technical fabrics, molded volume, leggings, sweats, skinny pants and mini wrap skirts. Most notable perhaps was the use of bold color and the sort of slightly tacky foliage prints usually associated with off-duty surfer dudes. What is somehow comforting is that delve back into the designer's widely-ranging repertoire of the past ten years and the seeds of everything shown here can be found in a previous collection. Balenciaga Pre-Fall 2010

Architectural minimalism, body-conscious bell shapes, innerwear-as-outwear, tartan and plaid, sparkle and shine: All recently popular trends, all seen first on the runway of Balenciaga. Certain designers are known for having a signature style, while others seem to spearhead whatever is the most important trend of the season. In the case of Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga, he is more often than not ahead of the curve. I found some great examples when I scoured through Style.com. Francisco Costa was lauded in S2009 for his architecturally-biased collection for Calvin Klein. Three years before, a very similar dress appeared in the S2006 Balenciaga show. The innerwear-on-the-outside trend was the overwhelming success of the S2010 Collections. Balenciaga showed a version with an exposed bra back in Spring 2006! For Pre-Fall 10 Vera Wang twinned a sparkling shift with a fine knit cardigan resembling a dress with a similar feel from Balenciaga's Spring 06 show. Balenciaga's collect...

American Vogue glaringly omitted Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga in its "The Designers Who Defined a Decade" feature so I delved into some back issues of the magazine and found the following great shots! This is Keira Knightley in a black wool-crepe molded dress from Balenciaga's Fall 2008 Collection. Its to-the-knee length, squared-off neckline, peplum and slit make it an L.B.D. of the most flattering sort. This fashion story, set within Berlin's art scene was called "Wanderlust", styled by Grace Coddington and shot by Mario Testino. "Pale Fire" shot by David Sims for the March 2009 issue of Vogue focused on the tea-stained and blush-toned shades of the season. Even this high-tech, jersey-crepe jacket and pant suit gets a soft spin thanks to its vintage peachy hue. The top has attached gloves and the heels, attached tights. Grace Coddington was the fashion editor. For the September 2009 issue, Steven Meisel photographed...

Royal Variety Performance December 09 The Queen meets Lady GaGa December 09 Glenda Jackson in Elizabeth R, 1971 Cate Blanchett plays Elizabeth 1, 2007 Elizabeth 1 1533–1603 In Blackpool last week Queen Elizabeth II met Lady GaGa dressed as Elizabeth I. No, it's not a bizarre dream, it actually happened at The Royal Variety Performance, and here are the photographs to prove it! GaGa's red latex dress had a gorgeous ruff which made me long for one myself. When I googled, I found two things, first, that Suzie Bubble of Style Bubble (one of my favorite fashion blogs) was onto this trend two years ago and second, that she already did the research and found them at The Very Merry Seamstress. British l'enfante terrible, Gareth Pugh showed ruffs for his infamous S09 collection in Paris. Gareth Pugh S09 The Very Merry Seamstress, $50-$60 Another good looking ruff can be found at Clockwork Couture and it's versatile too! It can be worn either of the ways shown here. Cotton Ruff...