Second City Style Fashion Blog - Style, Luxury, Beauty & Shopping

Paris Couture Fall '09. Valentino Takes Risks With 'Story of Shadows'

The designer duo behind the current Valentino label, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, had a lot on their plate for this couture season. As WWD noted, the designers' "homage phase is over" after their debut collection last couture season looked like a textbook collection of the label's aesthetic. So this year the two had the heavy task of carving out a stylistic name for themselves, while still remaining true to the signature theme of the label. What resulted was an interesting collection that paired a more artful technique with considerably younger shapes and silhouettes. They also stepped away from Valentino's typical use of vibrant colors in favor of mostly black, nude, and sheer pieces, forgoing what WWD called Valentino’s "carefully balanced, color-rich equation — day + cocktail + evening = a lineup the ladies will love." According to Picciolo, the collection was aptly titled "A story of shadows."

The collection was made up initially of A-line minidresses swathed in lace and tulle ruffles that provided views of corseted boning. The designers were true to the Valentino ateliers such as beading, flowering, bustling, and feathering, most to extravagant measure and topped off by elaborate head pieces. The latter portion of the collection took a turn into what WWD called,"a full-fledged assault on the notion of restraint, and in some cases, common sense" with flagrant, costumey pieces that seemed more editorial than actually wearable.

The general feedback from the show was that fashion media experts considered the two designers to be still in the process of finding that balance between appeasing Valentino's existing clientele with traditional looks, while also breaking through to more edgier designs in an attempt to attract a new demographic.

Photo Source: WWD

-Alia Rajput

Paris Couture Fall '09. Elie Saab's Vision in White.

 

For his 2009 couture runway in Paris, Lebanese designer Elie Saab decided to play around with his range in style, if not in color. Famously known for his breathtaking gowns that often grace the red carpet, Saab used this couture show to experiment with various lengths, silhouettes, and cuts to his pieces.

The overall theme for the collection, however, was purity, which was seen in the monochromatic palette. The all-white lineup, Saab noted, was inspired by Art Nouveau master Alphonse Mucha and architecture. Saab channeled these structural elements through multiple draping effects and the meticulous placement of sequins, feathers, or paillete fringe.

The pieces themselves covered Saab's regular ground of whimsical, floor-sweeping gowns, but also included a bevy of crisp separates, as well as heavily embellished minidresses. Many attendees wondered, by the end of the show, if Saab had not also gleaned some inspiration from Chanel. The French label held their couture show in the same space behind the Ritz Carleton last season, and coincidentally featured all white collection as well.

Photo Source: WWD
-Alia Rajput

Paris Couture Fall '09. Chanel Goes Flap Happy.

Chanel chief Karl Lagerfield set the stage with a dramatic effect for his Paris couture show yesterday. Literally. The runway emerged from between four towering Chanel No.5 perfume bottles with the kickoff time at 10 p.m. Though despite the amped up drama surrounding the show, the collection itself was described by WWD as "low key". The designer seemed to take cues from the label's exclusive, country club clientele with a slew of tailored suits, cropped pants, dapper coats in fine wool and tweed, and feminine, round-shouldered dresses. The motif conjured terms such as "classic" and "timeless", though there was one unexpected element that Lagerfield meant to stand out.

Lagerfield seemingly meant to introduce an new angle of haute couture design by incorporating a loosely hanging fabric flap to almost every look. WWD described the phenomenon as, "Almost every outfit sported said appendage, cut clean and rectangular, and attached in back at shoulders, waist or hips, sometimes with bold contrasting facings." Although the designer played with various lengths and dimensions of the flaps (some even appearing from inside the garment), it reportedly worked the best when kept to skirt length on suits and dresses. There were a few looks that boasted a floor length flap for an extra dose of drama, though Lagerfield made sure to remind the press it was different from a train. "Trains," Lagerfield noted, "sounds pretentious."

Lagerfield broke loose a bit more with his collection of evening wear that ran the gamut from long, sweeping gowns with "pinwheels" of Lesage embroidery to fun, flirty cocktail dresses in vibrant hues. He had cream colored, ruffled confections and space age, sparkly nude bodysuits. His personal homage to the time-honored couture tradition of featuring a wedding gown as the finale featured a multi-tiered dress in a circles-skirted retro shape. Trailing behind the dress was a cascade of ruffled tulle in what appeared to be a, dare we say it, bridal train! 

-Alia Rajput

Paris Couture Fall '09. Christian Lacroix Forever.

On Tuesday afternoon, designer Christian Lacroix held a couture runway show that some dubbed as "his last", and many more referred to as "perfect." The celebrated French house has been battling with bankruptcy for the past several months and many of Lacroix's devoted following are worried that the label may not weather the financial storms much longer. Yet as his models took the stage yesterday all other thoughts melted away and the only thing that mattered was the transcendent beauty that made up Lacroix's signature designs.

The collection was full of pieces boasting traits that Lacroix had used to build his own name like "romance" and "boundless extravagance", as described by WWD. Both the evening and daywear pieces contained elements of old world elegance, laden with embroidery, lace, and layers of embellishment. WWD quipped, "If his evening creations were the stuff of glorious dreams, a day jacket, all beribboned and jeweled brocade, might have been plucked from an 18th-century portrait."

Yet despite the various ornate qualities, many thought the collection was somewhat subdued for the typically envelope-pushing designer, perhaps due to the house's current economic climate. Much of the evening collection was in black, a departure for the designer known for his love of color. And where an asymmetric cocktail dress or drop-waist coatdress would have been typically brimming with embellishment, those featured in yesterday's show were far more minimal and controlled save a few well-placed ribbons or hint of jewels.

But the effect was still stellar—instead of compromising his image due to more limited resources, Lacroix used these apparent cutbacks to his advantage and as a result, created pieces that still displayed his signature ethereal look but were more grounded, realistic, wearable. Lacroix's finale featured a jaw-dropping testament to a timeless couture tradition—a brilliantly floral Baroque wedding gown.

Lacroix is still hoping for the prospect of investors saving his label. And though many are calling this the worst of times to be banking on a buyer, WWD sent out a notice to what they refer to as, the "deep-pocketed and curious." Aptly put, they state: "Consider this collection one spectacular employment pitch."

Photo Source: WWD

-Alia Rajput

Plans Officially Underway for Fall's New York Fashion Week!

The fashion week tents in Bryant Park, New York City

The 4th of July is over; and as great as the holiday weekend was, its passing officially marks the beginning of the countdown to New York's Fashion Week! Now on the heels of this week's Paris couture, the September shows are shimmering faintly on the horizon and everyone is starting to prepare. Given the current financial climate, many media sources have speculated on the participation of certain designers. But to our surprise (and glee!), the fall lineup for both inside and out of the Bryant Park tents is shaping up to be even stronger than the February shows.

Although official dates, times, and locations of the shows won't be released until mid-August, the houses of Vera Wang, Betsey Johnson, and Donna Karan have already confirmed their collections will be shown outside of the traditional Bryant Park venue. It seems so far that the roster of shows and presentations will be even longer than last seasons schedule of 86 presentations and 159 shows across the city, said Ruth Finley, founder and publisher of the Fashion Calendar. More designers, especially younger ones, plan to host multimedia presentations. Finley has encouraged those planning presentations to block out 90-minute time slots so that attendees who also have runway shows in that time frame will be able to get to both events. Although Finley expects a significant surge in these presentations over the traditional model of runway shows, rest assured there should still be about 150 to 160 shows, which would lift this fall’s total turnout well above last season’s. So without further ado, let the fashion week anticipation begin!

Of course Second City Style will be there to cover as many as we can once again!

Article and Photo Source: WWD
-Alia Rajput

New Sponsors Save Carmen Marc Volvo From September Show at Citrine

Carmen Marc Volvo's model displays at New York nightclub Citrine

All designers, even high end ones, need to make sacrifices to adapt to the current financial climate. Some, however, are more unfortunate than others. Thus was the case for the house of Carmen Marc Volvo who had to make budget cuts, resulting in offsite runway shows last February's Fashion Week. After an offer allowing them to showcase their wares for free, the label ended up at downtown New York nightclub Citrine. Described by New York Magazine as "douchetastic", the downtown digs were hardly a prime spot for Carmen Marc Volvo's elegant designs in their opinion. Mind you, Second City Style was there and appreciated the drink and the break from the tents. So we are a little less critical and understand that some designers decided to forgo the spectacle of the tents to save some cash.

Now, with the September shows on the horizon, the label has been seemingly saved from another pro bono location. Two new event sponsors, World Gold Council and NASDAQ, have stepped up to help field some expenses for September's Fashion Week and have provided the Carmen Marc Volvo house with a neutral solution—the label will tape a runway show of his spring 2010 collection and show the video to about 300 people at a cocktail party in the NASDAQ building in Times Square. While its not exactly the tent in Bryant Park, its at least an upscale environment more befitting of the label's image. Plus the views will probably be great. The World Gold Council will also be providing the opportunity for the Marc Volvo house to broadcast runway show footage across various screens in Times Square. Who knows, this could even be the makings of a new Fashion Week trend.

Article and Photo Source: newyorkmag
-Alia Rajput

Designer Preview Fall 2009 at Nordstrom Chicago. Trunk Show Continues Today

A large crowd of 500 showed up for the annual Nordstrom Designer Preview last night, the first time this event was held at the store. Attendees enjoyed cocktails, refreshments and browsing the boutiques and the designer collections on the third floor.

This event was an opportunity to view the Fall 2009 designer collections from New York, Milan and Paris together on one runway. Featured collections included Marc Jacobs, Andrew Gn, Burberry Prorsum, Donna Karan, Nina Ricci, Missoni, Stella McCartney, Redux Charles Chang-Lima and Oscar de la Renta. There was verbal crowd approval of Donna Karan's raspberry knits, Missoni's patterned prints and breathtaking evening gowns by Nina Ricci and Oscar de la Renta.

Marc Jacobs

Andrew Gn


Burberry Prorsum


Donna Karan


Nina Ricci


Missoni


Stella McCartney


Redux Charles Chang-Lima


Oscar de la Renta

After the event many of the (always helpful) Nordtrom consultants were on hand with clipboards with the looks of the show to assist with fittings and to taking orders. Customers earned Twice the Rewards points when they used a Nordstrom credit or Nordstrom MOD card on any Designer Collections purchase made or order placed, at the event.

It's not to late to shop with the same rewards! Today the Designer Preview Fall 2009 Trunk Show will still be at Nordstrom, 520 N Michigan Ave from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm. For more information call (312) 464-1515 x1350.

—Carol Calacci
Photos: Second City Style

Driehaus Awards for Fashion Excellence Gives Back More Each Year

The Winners Circle: Miriam Cecilia Carlson (second from Left), Danielle Wyman, (third from right) and Hector-Javier MonArrez pose with models wearing items from their prize winning collections at the Eighth Annual Driehaus Awards for Fashion Excellence. Photo: Allen Bourgeois

This is the fourth year I have attended the Driehaus Awards for Fashion Excellence and it appears to get bigger (and more elaborate) each year. Over $100,000 was raised for three Chicago charities this year: The Enterprising Kitchen, Bottomless Closet, and Graffiti Zone.

Another addition this year was the spotlight on Driehaus Awards Alumni designers. Dress forms displaying their designs were surrounded by Driehaus' collection of antique cars while cocktails were served and appetizers passed. That's four of my favorite things: fashion, cars, drinks, and hors d' eourves! This year a new award statue designed just for for the event  was presented, and there was pre and post-show entertainment by Extreme Dance Force Group.

Richard Driehaus has honored fashion designers with this competition and prize awards now for the eighth year. Whether this is because he supports the arts and design or because his young daughters love fashion (they got to walk the runway wearing age appropriate designs), who cares? For whatever his reasons, I am glad he continues this event to give young designers a chance to succeed. He even increased the prize money this year to $5000 to the first prize winner, $2500 for second prize, $1000 for third prize and $500 for honorable mention.

All student designers or recent graduates they represented Columbia College, Dominican University, The Illinois Institute of Art, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), and The International Academy of Design and Technology. It was a difficult task for the judges chose who would be bestowed awards. Everything was not apples to apples. In some cases they were comparing various design assignments and different approaches from the schools. They had to really decide where the talent that truly stood out. I could see the time and effort put forth in the designs of all of the competitors and to be included in this show is a great opportunity for all of the participants.

A jubiliant Hector-Javier MonArrez, 1st place winner, walks the runway with a model wearing a design from his collection. Photo: Allen Bourgeois

Congratulations to this years winners. 1st place:  Hector-Javier MonArrez, International Academy of Design and Technology; 2nd place, Danielle Wyman, The Illinois Institute of Art; 3rd place, Miriam Cecilia Carlson, a 2009 graduate of Dominican University. 

Danielle Wyman, 2nd place winner, with a model wearing a gown from her collection. Photo: Allen Bourgeois

Miriam Cecilia Carlson, 3rd place winner, with a model wearing a gown from her collection. Photo: Allen Bourgeois

— Carol Calacci

Chicago Fashion Show Featured America's Top Model Jaslene Gonzales

The Edge, 1700 West Divison Street, hosted by charming owner Anastacio Gonzales, presented a fashion show produced by MGO Salon where designs by Freddie Rocha, Wanda Cobar, and Michelle Gomez were presented on a rose petal strewn black runway featuring the beautiful Jaslene Gonzales, winner of the 2007 America's Next Top Model alongside her equally good-looking modeling brother Javier Gonzales. They arrived in a white limousine amid Hollywood style klieg lights and the excited crowd was treated to champagne glasses filled with pink Nuvo Sparkling liquor.

 
 

Photos by Steve Starr

Fashion Columbia 2009. Columbia College Chicago Fashion Week

Fashion Columbia 2009, Reginald Ilagan Design, Photo: Bob Kusel

On Tuesday Michelle Alegria of ABC’s 190 North (Columbia College alumnus) and Susanna Negovan, editor in chief of Michigan Avenue magazine hosted Fashion Columbia 2009: The Best Of Ready To Wear at the Harold Washington Library Winter Garden.

Proceeds from the fashion show and lunch benefited the Nena Ivon Scholarship Fund for fashion design and fashion retail management. Fashion Columbia is an annual juried fashion show that showcases the senior collections of 13 fashion design students. Students are selected by a group of Chicago’s leading fashion industry professionals.

Saks Fifth Avenue hosted a patron's party on monday. Columbia College alumnus and WGN’s Entertainment/Critic Reporter Dean Richards hosted and Columbia College alumnus and local fashion designer Anna Fong gave a fashion preview at this cocktail party.

Anna Fong Fall 09 - That's zipper detail at the waist on the dress!

Terri Stevens (a Columbia graduate) and Steven Rosenberg from Project Runway, and Anna Fong at the Saks Patron's Party

The fashion week is not over at Columbia College! On Friday, May 15 a new tradition, LAUNCH will begin as part of college’s Manifest urban arts festival. LAUNCH is a runway fashion show that features the work of the college’s graduating fashion design and fashion retail management students.

LAUNCH will be held at 618 S. Michigan Ave., 2nd Floor. The matinee show begins at 1 p.m. and the evening show will start at 5:30 p.m. Both shows are free and open to the public; however reservations are required. To reserve a seat call Columbia Ticket Center 312.369.6600 or visit www.colum.edu/tickets.