TREND I-SPY

Derek Lam S2010 This post is for those of you who think that directional runway trends don't make it on to the street. Here in New York City we were barely into the warmer weeks of Spring when the streets started to swarm with young women who had seemingly forgotten to wear pants. Of course, followers-of-fashion and trend-know-it-alls knew what was up as this no-pants look has been shown on many runways over the past few seasons. Dolce & Gabbana S2010 Chanel S2010 Last November, Carine Roitfeld's son, Vladimir Restoin Roitfield, presented artist Nicolas Pol's exhibition, The Martus Maw . Not to be upstaged, even by her own flesh and blood, the French Vogue doyenne went to the opening sans culotte. If Vladimir was mortified at the sight of his mother showing up in something resembling Spanx under see-through black lace I guess we'll never know. Carine Roitfeld in Dolce & Gabbana, Nov 09 And then of course there's GaGa, who never misses an opport...

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...

Just received the December issue of Harpers Bazaar and one of my favorite pages is devoted to Lady GaGa, who clearly influenced those designers infatuated with lingerie, leather and lace during the Spring 2010 runway collections.

Marc Jacobs S10 Marc Jacobs is another designer with a fascination for emphasizing classic women's underthings. He styled his models with old-fashioned, satiny underwear over the clothes in Spring 08, a theme he repeated with gusto for Spring 10. Marc Jacobs S08 Unless your name is Lady GaGa (who sported the look at the Ace Awards this month) you're probably not planning on wearing this look but let's revel in the fact that there is a current celebrity who does. Marc Jacobs S10, Lady GaGa November 09 Runway shows aim to create a mood for the season and send messages about a designer's influences and future direction. Visible panty lines allude to freedom of expression, power and strength (Superman anybody?), and applaudable eccentricity (can't you just see the ladies of Grey Gardens prancing around the house with knickers on their heads?). Vivienne Westwood 1982 It's not the first time a designer has shown this "...