TREND I-SPY

I recently went to see the Met's Spring 2012 Costume Institute exhibition,  Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations  and was quite smitten with the striking head coverings and masks of the mannequins.  They were designed by the hair genius Guido Palau who also created last year's head pieces for Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty.  The Met has issued both prints and cards of the work with  illustrations by Miguel Villalobos.

I think it's safe to say that it has been a very snowy winter thus far, both in Europe and here on the East Coast of the US. Even "Down South", which never gets hit, has had more than its fair share of the white stuff this season. So it doesn't take much to surmise that this was a major influence behind so many designers sending so much fur and parka-type outerwear down the runways. Oh I hear you say, so what's new about that? Well, I'll tell you what and I think I know where it's coming from too, Snow Monkeys!!! Who can resist these exceptional creatures?; as gorgeous as any super model. I have been reading all about them. The Japanese Macaque lives in mountainous areas of Japan. It survives winter temperatures below -15 °C (5°F), and is perhaps most notable for the amount of time it spends in naturally heated volcanic hot springs in Snow Monkey Park located in the town of Yamanouchi , Nagano Prefecture , close to a historical hot spring area named Sh...

Considering her many God-given physical attributes, there have been occasions in the past when Angelina Jolie's appearance somehow misses the mark on the Red Carpet. The Golden Globes 2011 was NOT one of those times.  Her wonderful long-sleeved A telier Versace   gown, encrusted with Swarovski crystals, was arguably the best dress there. Its color, a deep emerald green, was a knock-out. Even though Hot Pink has been touted as THE color for 2011 in some quarters, it is already the wearing of the green that has had folks talking thus far in this Awards Season. It is a color that perfectly reflects our current fascination with ecology and sustainability. Green is the color of fertility and Mother Earth!  In the Middle Ages, wedding dresses were green as in the Jan van Eyck painting, The Arnolfini Wedding. Angelina Jolie in Versace Catherine Zeta-Jones in Monique Lhuillier Mila Kunis in Vera Wang SJP on the cover of Elle Jan 11 Mika...

Doutzen Kroes, US Vogue April 2009 Whatever the eventual outcome of the new health bill this historic occasion will, when it comes to matters of well-being, undoubtedly lead to a major shift in the nation's collective consciousness. It might even mean that the notion of needing to be wealthy to stay healthy will be turned on its head. A national survey by the CDC polled 79,000 Americans, ages 18 and up, from 2005 to 2007. The results reconfirmed other studies that found the number of overweight Americans has jumped. The CDC's last survey, released in 1997, found that 35 percent of adults were overweight. The new survey finds that 68 percent of men and 53 percent of women weigh too much. The good news is that fewer Americans are smoking. Twenty-percent are regular smokers, several percentage points down from the last survey, and 58 percent have smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime. Michelle Obama, Official White House Portrait 2009 The fight for fitness ...

Prada, F2010 And Miuccia created woman... Prada F2010 was shown on uncharacteristically curvaceous models. The celebrated designer used simple, womanly shapes offset with prints that harked back to the geometric patterns she made popular in the mid-nineties at the height of late-twentieth century Minimalism. US Vogue, September 1996

Like everyone else I am absorbed in the media coverage of the disastrous earthquake in Haiti. On one hand, the magnitude of the human suffering taking place is beyond belief. On the other hand, so is the enormous courage of the people there, from tiny children to the elderly. It has made me stop and think about nature and the place of man within it. It seems that the more we try to control it the less success we have! Some of the world's premier trend forecasters have spent the past few years contemplating this very topic. We believe that it has influenced every avenue of fashion and design, from color and print to fabrics and shapes. One early adopter was Miucca Prada. Her collection for F2007 showed a variety of garments made from intricately woven fabrics with special effects that turned mohair into moss and and shag pile into verdantly green grass. Prada F2007 Miucca Prada appears to have re-visited this man-in-nature theme for her men's F2010 show wherein she showed a fe...

US Vogue January 10 US Vogue's featured designers for this decade Alexander McQueen , Balmain (Christophe Decarnin) , Calvin Klein (Francisco Costa), Celine (Phoebe Philo), Dior (John Galliano), Dior Homme ( Hedy Slimane), Dolce & Gabbana, Dries Van Noten, Gucci (Tom Ford), Helmut Lang , Lanvin (Alber Elbaz), Marc Jacobs , Marni , Oscar de la Renta, Prada, Proenza Schouler, Rick Owens. Rocha ( Olivier Theyskens), Rodarte , Versace (Donatella Versace ), YSL (Tom Ford), YSL ( Stefano Pilati) . Just one GLARING omission, naturally I am referring to Nicolas Ghesquière's work for Balenciaga where he has been since 1997. More to come ...