Arbiter Elegantiae: Fashion

Showing posts with label Fashion. Show all posts

23.7.11

Lost in Translation: Saturday Adventures

Update: So in my tired state yesterday I completely forgot to mention purses! Much like every woman in British Columbia seems to own a Coach purse, every woman here owns a Longchamp purse. Big, small, neutral or colourful these were on the arm of nearly EVERY woman I passed. Only a very particular version of the Longchamp bag though, which is the canvas (?) style with chocolatey brown leather straps. While the bags are fairly cute and functional they aren't an item I felt particularly drawn to. In fact, Longchamp makes a lot of other much nicer purses, so I can't quite grasp this style's popularity. But to each their own.

Hello all!

So at long last I can give you what I know you've been waiting for: the down-low on European style. I will say that I haven't been here too long though (obviously) so all I can offer at the moment are my immediate impressions and observances.

Since today is Saturday I decided I'd use the extra time to get some shopping done in the downtown tourist area. Ordinarily this wouldn't be an all-day trip but because I'm a huge coward I didn't feel up to using the transit system just yet.... so I walked (it's about 4km each way). On the way there this just meant a pretty long trip, but after several hours of wandering through stores I managed to forget my way home and got completely lost. My favourite part was when a crazy looking lady wearing a multi-coloured poncho and accompanied by a dog started lurking in my peripheral vision. At this point I was carrying several shopping bags and frowning into my copy of Lonely Planet's Guide to Germany so I looked very much like a vulnerable tourist. So, since I was already lost anyway, I just started walking in circles until she wandered off somewhere else. While it's perfectly possible that I'm just paranoid and she was just a harmless pedestrian I figured I'd rather not find out the hard way. Anyway, thank god Hamburg is so flat, because I was able to spot a familiar skyscraper and from there figure out how to get back to my apartment.

But that's really not the point. The point is that I finally got a taste of the main shopping district and had a good look at what everyone was wearing and selling. The first thing I've noticed about German style is every woman seems to own a military-style jacket. Not the trench or Imperial styles, but rather the World War II style army green kind. I would say about 65-75% of the women I passed today were wearing some interpretation of this trend. So, of course, I bought one. The other ubiquitous item I noticed were Oxford flats. Much like military jackets these were everywhere, and while I didn't get any today (my feet were swollen so there was really no point) I have every intention of getting some later.

Another popular item here are trousers. In particular a specific kind of trousers, which I believe are sometimes referred to as "Jodhpurs". These are slightly baggier at the top and taper down at the ankle. While it's a style that no doubt would look awful on me, both men and women alike are sporting this look here in Hamburg. So far that's what I've primarily noticed, though one woman at work has a really interesting way of pairing neons with dramatic black and white patterns: more on that later.

During my adventures I also picked up an ivory lace dress, which is a trend the world round this season. Also some black jeans, because work is actually unbelievably casual and they're a useful item to have anyway.

And so this brings me to the last of my purchases: books! I really needed some entertainment at home besides German TV and the internet, so I went and found the most ridiculous romance novels I could find (set in Europe of course). I figure maybe if I spend enough time reading about fictitious dates then maybe I'll manage to get myself a real one. Though with this whole culture difference right now that feels rather improbable. Who knew?

25.5.11

Shopaholism Strikes Again

I blame my sister. After pulling double-shift I arrived home with diminished resistance to all things shiny and she showed me the most beautiful shoes, on sale for 53% off on Haute Look (if you don't already know about Haute Look you should). Now normally I don't buy shoes online because you can't try them on and that's important. However, as luck would have it sister dearest has some boots by Pour La Victoire (the brand in question), so I was able to try them on and determine my size. Between that and my general addiction to flats - which I really do spend my life in - there was no chance I could say no. Plus, I can wear them to work in Germany, so it's totally practical.... So, in a few weeks' time (maybe a month, their shipping takes FOREVER), I'll be the proud owner of these beauties:

SO EXCITED.

29.4.11

A Royal Victory: Alexander McQueen hits a home run

It is ten to five in the morning and I have just finished watching several hours of live footage of what can fairly be called the wedding of this generation. Hailed as the "resurgence of the British monarchy", the events of this morning, April 29th, have reached a rumoured audience of two billion people around the world. The pageantry, music, and setting combined to create an undeniably moving spectacle that drew upon hundreds of years of tradition and history.

One of the best moments must have been the long waited for reveal of Catherine Middleton's (now the Duchess of Cambridge) wedding gown. As it turned out the rumour mill correctly guessed the dress's designer: it was created by Alexander McQueen's new Creative Director Sarah Burton. I can hardly imagine being happier with the design Kate ultimately settled on: the cut, fabric, and design were perfection. The dress balanced taste, romance, and modesty in an artful blend, invoking both a Grace Kelly-like aura and a pleasing modernity. It wisely excluded overtly trendy features which might date it (like Diana's or Sarah Ferguson's). Having watched my fair share of Say Yes To the Dress I was so delighted to see long sleeves - which I feel have been tragically overlooked in favour of strapless designs - and a higher collar. Hopefully this will encourage further innovation and variation in wedding apparel.

I would say more, but I've been awake for almost a solid 24 hours now and am having trouble stringing together coherent sentences. So, without further adieu here are some photos of what you all want to see most - the dress. Once I've had some sleep (and the photos are finally up!) I'll do another post on the fashions sported by wedding guests (Victoria Beckham's outfit was so glamorous!).

Update: Photos are now circulating of Kate Middleton's reception dress (a more modest gown for the after parties) which also happens to be designed by Alexander McQueen. While I think the dress is pretty (rather simple), I absolutely HATE that shrug she's wearing. It looks like those terrible furry sweaters that seemed to enjoy a short-lived popularity around the early 2000s. Of all the cover ups she could have picked that has to be the worst. Cringe.

18.4.11

They left out the part where Shopaholic becomes a Call Girl to fund her addiction

There's a show on A&E called "Intervention" which I'm sure many of you have seen or heard of. It's interesting to watch every now and then because you get an insight into the bizarre things people will do to accommodate their addictions. In one episode a bulimic tells the cameras about how she secretly works as a stripper to pay off her thousand-dollar-a-week grocery habit from when she binges. It now seems like this may be a glimpse into my own future, but replace "binges" with "expensive clothes habit".

In my last post I made a confession about my addiction to shoes. I am now thinking, however, that confessing to a shoe addiction was a little misleading of me. It would be more accurate to say that I am addicted to clothing in general. Unfortunately this isn't the kind of addiction that can be sated by a quick stop a Walmart or something like that. No, instead I have fatally expensive taste, which I'm sure is going to get me into all kinds of trouble at some point.

Today I left my little corner of the world to take the forty minute trip into the city, with the intention of catching some films to review (more on that later). I went in with the girls (AKA my mother and sister), so of course I managed to get side-tracked early in the day. We were just having fun looking around when I found the sartorial equivalent of the Holy Grail: a Dolce & Gabbana black silk pencil skirt in perfect condition for 60% off. This was an opportunity too good to pass up. Who would pass it up anyway? Things like this don't come along every day, or even once a year. Not to mention it was a size small which was even rarer (small is generally the first size to get picked off) and black pencil skirts are a wardrobe staple, so it was a totally practical purchase... right? Well, regardless, it is now my baby and is comfortably snuggled up with my BCBG dress in its garment bag. Consequences be damned!

I looked (very thoroughly) for a picture of it but I'm afraid that despite my creative google searches I wasn't able to find the exact one. It's the skirt pictured below but without the gold embellishments. It has two lovely little pockets and the softest lining you've ever felt in your entire life. If I weren't afraid of crinkling it I might cuddle it while I fall asleep tonight. Anyway, thought I'd share the small fashion victory with you all. Consequences be damned!

17.4.11

Crippling Addiction

I have a confession to make, dear readers. You are already aware of my total weakness for nail polish, but I must admit I have another weakness: shoes. I am a terrible shoe-a-holic, and this weekend I totally caved (yet again) and bought new shoes. Now in my defense I was shopping with my mother, a notorious enabler of this weakness of mine, and the shoes were from Michael Kors' MICHAEL line, and he just makes beautiful things always. If anyone from Michael Kors ever reads this, please reciprocate my love and send me something free (my shoe size is 7.5).

Anyway, the shoes I bought are peep-toe espadrille wedges in an off-white colour with silver and caramel leather accents. They're wonderfully comfortable and espadrilles are an on-trend item for this summer, but I confess when I brought them home (after one of those gut-wrenching impulse buys) I was stumped as to how to wear them. Jeans (obviously), floral dresses (yes), army green (interesting), but what else? Anyway, usually I can find answers to these questions by prowling celebrity street style or checking my favourite fashion websites/blogs, but this time I had no such luck! So, I figured I'd pose the question to all of you and see if anyone had any interesting ideas. Below are the new shoes, and I encourage you to share any thoughts you have of how to style them!

Designer Obsession: Gareth Pugh

The other day I was entertaining myself by watching an old-ish episode of Fashion Television. When I started watching they were interviewing Karl Lagerfeld, so I spent a while laughing to myself at his accent, his ugly ugly clothing, and that the interviewer was asking where his "genius" ideas came from.

Anyway, what caught my attention was the segment that followed, which was dedicated to up-and-coming designer Gareth Pugh (pronounced "Pew"). The episode was from early last year, and they were talking about how he was a designer being eyed to take on Alexander McQueen's design house after McQueen's suicide in early February. Anyway, while conducting their interview they were showing some of Pugh's collection and WOW. I was blown away by the lines, the ingenuity, and the variety in Pugh's designs (which are almost exclusively monochromatic and most often are black). While some of his designs verge on a fashion closer to Haute Couture, many of them are absolutely wearable and undeniably cool. He will definitely be on my watch list in the future. For your own viewing pleasure below I have posted my favourites from his Fall 2010 and Fall 2011 runways.

Fall 2010

Fall 2011

10.4.11

Art & Infamy: Christian Dior Fall 2011

Over the last couple of months many of you will have heard of the café incident in which John Galliano - head designer for Dior for the last fourteen years - went on an anti-Semitic rant which bought him a one-way ticket to unemployment and social exile. His termination and disgrace did not, however, stall the presentation of his final collection for Fall 2011. While there has been all kinds of debate surrounding the moral implications of supporting his most recent work, no consensus seems to have been settled upon in the fashion world or otherwise. It's a hard line to draw between appreciating art without acknowledging its source and contributing to the affluence of a shameless anti-Semite. It would be much easier if Galliano's last collection had been an unmitigated bunch of shit, but I have to admit I found it quite the opposite.

My personal solution is to remove the creator from the equation and appreciate the clothes for themselves and not the unrelated ideals behind them. That said, I have to say that thus far (I have already combed through seventeen Fall 2011 collections) Christian Dior's show is my stand-out favourite.

While many other designers are pursuing a Mad Men-esque '60s look, Dior has turned the clock back to eighteenth century France. It is quite possible that I am so enamored because I have been waiting for just such a moment since I first developed an interest in fashion. For me the 18th century has always represented the most flamboyant and luxurious of historic fashion. It was the age of Marie Antoinette and the Duchess of Devonshire, two women who left an indelible mark upon the sartorial world [on that note, I recommend Evelyn Lever's Marie Antoinette: The Last Queen of France and Amanda Foreman's The Duchess, two excellent biographies]. Dior's Fall runway featured heavily-dyed luxe fabrics, jacquard patterns, silk bows, rich velvet, gauzy silk and delicate lace. Designs alluded to the unabashed opulence the mid-18th century, transitioning into the more muted romance of the late-eighteenth century's Napoleonic France, which featured the advent of the empire-waisted muslin gown (think Jane Austen). The show had drama and flair, while blending history and modernity in a tastefully grandiose ode to the glories of yesteryear. (Photos courtesy of Yannis Vlamos from style.com)

7.4.11

Worth the Wait

So I know I haven't posted anything today, but I have been working on some new material. For those of you who are impatient for another fashion post, something will be coming in the next couple of days. As of today I've started combing through the Fall shows and if I don't post a Runway Review or two I'll definitely be getting to a Fashion Forecast in the near future.

30.3.11

Spring 2011 Favourites

I have now covered about all the Spring 2011 trends I plan to, and will soon be moving on to Fashion Forecasts for the Fall 2011 season. However, before I do I wanted to do a post on my favourite Spring looks. Not all of them fell into a particular trend, but they all spoke to me, whether it was through a well-chosen colour palette, graceful lines, or general ingenuity in their design. So without further adieu, these were - in my opinion - the best of Spring. (Photos from www.style.com)

3.1 Phillip Lim

Badgley Mischka

Burberry Prorsum

Carolina Herrera

Christian Siriano

Derek Lam

DKNY

Dries van Noten

Giorgio Armani

Gucci

Jason Wu

Jean Paul Gaultier. I feel this probably needs a little more of an explanation. I love the inclusion of The Gossip's Beth Ditto because it felt like such a giant "fuck you" to people like Karl Lagerfeld who are so against using healthier-size models (not to say that Beth Ditto is exactly "healthy"). The celebration of all forms as beautiful is a big leap forward that will hopefully lead to less stress upon women to be unrealistically thin in the future.