Alxander McQueen’s McQ line hits Target stores on Wednesday
Fashion followers across America have been waiting for the much-touted McQ collection to hit Target stores on Wednesday.
The exclusive McQ Alexander McQueen for Target collection draws inspiration from the British rock band The Duke Spirit. The collection is part of the Target Designer Collaborations, a program that features well-established designers who draw inspiration from a collaborative partner, muse or creative element. This is a different partnership than Target’s Go International initiative.
McQueen is one of the most respected designers in the world. He was chief designer at Givenchy from 1997 to 2001, and has created women’s and men’s ready to wear, accessories, eyewear and fragrance collections for the Alexander McQueen label, as well as establishing secondary line McQ Alexander McQueen in 2007. He has been named British Designer of the Year four times and was named International Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2003.
The collection for Target is a contemporary collection with a rock ‘n’ roll twist in muted shades of black, whtie, grays and tan with accents of cobalt blue and pink. Studs and mesh accent wardrobe staples. The essence of The Duke Spirit is captured in the iconic Liela silk screen T-shirt with necklace collar.
Prices range from $19.99 to $129.99. The collection will be at Target through April 14.
New York & Company outfits female cast of “All My Children”
If you thought the characters on your favorite daytime soap only wore designer clothes, think again. During March, New York & Company will be outfitting the female cast on ABC’s “All My Children.”
The women of the fictitious town of Pine Valley will deal with all the drama in their lives while wearing New York & Company attire. New York & Company is a national chain with stores in Penn Square, Quail Springs and Sooner malls.
Select items will be on sale through ABC.com. Click on the “seen on” section of the “All My Children” page.
Fashion Week: Rounding up the fall trends before we embrace spring
Here’s another trend story from Fashion Week fall ’09. This one is by Suzanne Brown of the Denver Post. I think this will be the last round-up piece from New York’s twice-annual event. I’m ready for spring.
By Suzanne S. Brown
NEW YORK — We’ve all been shopping in our own closets and avoiding frivolous purchases, but what’s a fashion-forward man or woman to do in the age of recession? During Fashion Week’s recent round of fall 2009 shows, we looked to see if designers were playing it safe or moving the style meter ahead and giving us a reason to buy.Some designers dialed back the glamour quotient, offering pared-down modern design in clothes that will cost less than they have in the past. Mark Badgley and James Mischka, known for gowns dripping with beads and glamour, showed a more restrained — and less expensive — collection that focused on tailoring and fabrics like charmeuse rather than pricey embellishments.Others used fashion
as an escape route, presenting unusual pieces a woman will be tempted to buy because she doesn’t already have something like it in her closet.
“They’re bringing faraway places to the runway,” says Robert Verdi, a stylist who works with such celebrities as Hugh Jackman and Eva Longoria. “We’re seeing some Tokyo influence with an obi, or ruffles that recall a Spanish dancer.”
Neiman Marcus fashion director Ken Downing says the chic retailer is “laser-focused on what the customer wants. She is re-loving her own clothes but also looking for newness and value.”
He thinks women will respond to clean, close-to-the-body silhouttes. “Overwhelming volume doesn’t feel in step with the times,” he says. Strong shoulders, a throwback to the 1980s, have been an influence for several seasons but are just now going more mainstream, Downing says. “It projects confidence and sexiness.”
There’s a cocooning quality to the new clothes. “It’s definitely a knit season, whether you like cozy cardigans or big comfy pullovers,” he says.
Here are some of the trend highlights from the shows:
GOLD DIGGERS: Metallic fabrics show no signs of going away, particularly gold ones, which popped up in many collections for fall.
Strong sleeves at Zac Posen. (AP | Seth Wenig)
Zac Posen presented an Oscar-worthy gown, while “Project Runway” winner Christian Siriano showed a skinny-legged pant suit. Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein paraded short gold evening dresses, as did Badgley Mischka. Among the prettiest gold was Ralph Lauren’s antique lace number.
We also saw a lot of silver, in everything from lame to foiled fabrics and jacquards from such designers as Carolina Herrera and Marc Jacobs.
Not into those metals? We also spotted bronze, steel and pewter.
SHOULDERING NO BURDEN: The other 1980s runway revival was for big shoulder and sleeve treatments. Sleeves were pleated, puffed, dimpled or otherwise designed to be noticed. We don’t relish the return of clothes like those on “Dallas” and Dynasty,” but
A bright poncho from Marc Jacobs. (AP | Seth Wenig)
there’s no doubt that the silhouette is back. Designers like Marc Jacobs and Zac Posen went to extremes is building up the shoulders on jackets, and Oscar de la Renta took the puffy route in sleeves on a dress or two, but others were just pumping them up with a bit of a padding. Still resisting? Don’t forget that a wider shoulder will make your waist look smaller.
THE POWER OF ONE: It wasn’t just big shoulders we saw, but a continuation of one-shoulder styling in cocktail dresses and evening gowns. The trend was ubiquitous and is a sure way to update your special-occasion wardrobe, if you haven’t already done so. We saw it everywhere.
CAMEL’S COMEBACK: Michelle Obama helped revive the camel’s hair coat when she wore a design by Narciso Rodriguez during the inaugural activities, and now they’re everywhere. Of course, designers had to be picking their fabrics and creating silhouettes months ago, but by the sheer number of camel coats on the runways we have to say they’re back, big time. Swingy silhouettes at Tommy Hilfiger, classic double-breasted versions at Michael Kors and DKNY, Derek Lam’s double-collar cape and Elie Tahari’s waterfall collar coat were standouts. By the way, “camel’s hair” as used today is often a synonym for soft silk wool, often in a pale or tan color.
NEON COLORS: It was impossible to ignore all the 1980s references at Fashion Week, but the most obvious had to be the return of bright colors. If you’ve always loved fluorescent yellow, shocking pink, cone zone orange and bright blue, these colors and others are back with a vengeance, touted by everyone from innovators like Marc Jacobs to classicists like Michael Kors and Oscar de la Renta. Jacobs made perhaps the biggest splash with his technicolor ponchos, dresses and separates, all shown with stiffened, exaggerated hairstyles and makeup.
KNIT PARADE: If there’s ever a time to envelop yourself in a big, soft sweater, this is it. Designers knitted, purled and produced cowl-neck pullovers like the “safety” orange style at Mich- ael Kors; sweater coats to toss over dresses, as shown by Tracy Reese and Nanette Lepore’s colorful cardigans. Adrienne Vittadini built its brand on knits, and designer Kristina Salminen showed simple dresses with beaded or ribbon trims, double- knit cocoon dresses and tunics, as well as overszied cardigans to toss over everything.
Heathered knits, marled yarn, cables and other effects added variety to the mix.
THE SKINNY ON BOTTOMS: To balance all those wide shoulders, pants were slim and body-hugging. They looked terrific on the stick-legged models, but women with hips and derrieres might be taking a pass unless the top is long enough to cover things up. Carolina Herrera, Michael Kors and Derek Lam liked the look, while such designers as Oscar de la Renta loosened things up a bit for his customers.
LEATHER OR NOT: With all the emphasis on keeping costs down, we were surprised to see so much leather on the runways. Leather pants were shown in collections by Nanette Lepore, Matthew Williamson and many others, while Max Azria liked the material for jackets and vests. Michael Kors showed a couple of sexy black leather dresses, as well as skirts. Anna Sui used black patent leather appliques on velvet jackets as a recurring motif.
And those thigh-high leather boots with criss cross laces doubled as pants at Rodarte.
If these ideas don’t have you digging around in your closet or making a list of what to look for next fall, here are a few other ideas we spotted:
• Slim jersey dresses looked chic and office-appropriate from such designers as Derek Lam, Michael Kors and Tommy Hilfiger.
• The pencil skirt you bought for fall 2008 will still be good this year. If you haven’t bought one yet, look for the hemline to dip a little below your knees.
• Prints added variety whether they were the romantic florals at Tracy Reese, the “spirograph” inspired looks at Matthew Williamson or the abstract florals, wallpaper motifs and plaids at Anna Sui.
• If you’re not the cocktail dress/ ballgown type, designers showed plenty of alternatives in tuxedo looks for women, as in Hilfiger’s gray flannel style worn with a a lame bow blouse, or simply a shawl-collared jacket tossed over a dress, as Tracy Reese showed.
• If you haven’t worn anything velvet in a while, get it out. We saw a knockout long red velveteen coat at Anna Sui.
Fashion Week: Celebrities and fall ’09 trends
Still interested in Fashion Week fall ’09? Here’s a story by Kim Crow, fashion writer for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, detailing the trends and her favorite shows.
Marc Jacobs sent out several looks that emphasized the shoulder through construction.
BY KIM CROW
OK, if you want my Deep Thoughts on Fashion Week, turn back to the front page of this section. But if you’re looking for the trends, the celebrities and some mean-spirited sniping, this is the story for you.
The trends
Strong shoulders: These are not your ’80s power suits. While some designers did indeed find inspiration in those ubiquitous “Dynasty”-era shoulder pads, the more creative among them use pleating, tucking, molding and airy volume to make the point. Why should we embrace this trend? As one Elle editor put it, “Hey, if your shoulders are wider, your hips look smaller.” Um, when can we start ordering these looks?
Touches of neon:
Recession? Check. Big shoulders? Check. Skinny jeans? Check. If we’re loving the ’80s right now, then neon clothing must be all the rage. But never fear; the 2009 version is more understated than in decades past, using chartreuse, hot pink and bright orange to punctuate the endless sea of black and gray clothing on the runways.
Perhaps realizing that their intended customers probably own enough black sweaters, designers sent out a tantalizing selection of accessories, all the better to update what we already have. Chunky, bold necklaces were the jewelry of choice, along with studded and oversize bangles. And interestingly, handbags weren’t as ubiquitous as in seasons past.
One-shoulder dressing:
While this may be a somewhat unfortunate trend for most women, there’s no denying it — especially after the looks on the Oscar’s red carpet last Sunday. Designers are loving one-shouldered goddess gowns. Come April and May, it should be the silhouette of choice for the most fashion-forward of prom girls.
Plaid:
Expect to see many, many “Mad for Plaid!” headlines come fall. Designers gave it edge with tucking and draping that evoked Alexander McQueen more than Eddie Bauer.
Futurism:
The trend that started in Paris has landed in New York. Designers are envisioning a future in which we roam a devastated landscape in tough-girl leathers and artfully patched and ragged knits. And no, I don’t think people will walk around in this look from head-to-toe, but there were some pretty cool pieces to pull out and wear on their own.
My favorite shows
Excuse the self-indulgence here, but this is a question I always get from readers, so I thought I’d share it with one and all. It was an unusual season in that many designers pared their guest lists to save on costs, so I didn’t get to see the shows that usually knock my stilettos off, such as Vera Wang, Isaac Mizrahi and Marchesa. Still, there was plenty, PLENTY, to love.
My favorites, in no particular order.
1. Chado Ralph Rucci — Incredibly conceived, beautifully designed mature clothing at the highest level of craftsmanship.
2. Rodarte – For vision and cohesiveness, no other collection came close to the Mulleavy sisters’ weird, fantastical world.
3. Michael Kors — Great American sportswear, period.
4. Ralph Lauren — Ralph Lauren knows who he is and what he sells — upper-class lifestyle, and the clothes to wear in it. A confident collection of dandified classics.
5. Yeohlee — Spare, stark and austerely beautiful.
6. Calvin Klein Collection — Similar in tone to Yeohlee, but with more experimentation in high-tech fabrics.
7. Lela Rose — A delight in textural opposites; think silk dresses layered smartly under ribbed cashmere coats.
8. Malandrino — A smoky, sometimes surrealist take on 1930s noir, making copious use of netting, veiling and tulle overlays on body-conscious dresses.
9. Thakoon – A fascinating collection, with sculpted pieces in felted wool and printed georgettes, with a handful of well-crafted capes and jackets.
10. Doo.Ri — Moody, beautifully draped jersey dressing gained rock ‘n’ roll glamour with subtle touches of fur and crystal-bedecked stockings.
Celeb sightings In keeping with the subdued nature of the shows this season, celeb sightings were as rare as a fat person in the tents. That said, I did spot Diana Ross (still fabulous), Alicia Keys, Kanye West, Eva Longoria, Blake Lively and Lucy Liu (both way more beautiful in person, if that’s possible), Nicole Richie (maybe pregnant again?), January Jones, Rachel Bilson, Elijah Wood (so small I could put him my pocket), Kirsten Dunst, Milla Jovovich and White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers (very elegant).
One man’s thoughts on the Oscar fashion parade
David Wolfe, creative director of the Donegar Group, a trend forecasting company based in New York, is one of my go-to sources when I’m writing about trends and fashon. Here’s what he had to say about Oscar fashion. Agree or disagree?
I was encouraged that there was more individuality (though it sometimes led the ladies astray). Not as much flashy vulgarity as we’ve come to expect, not as many actresses who could be mistaken for sucessful ladies of the evening. I liked the fact that messy hair finally seems passe. Kate Winslet’s gown I found matronly, Marisa Tomei’s quite overwhelming. Sarah Jessica Parker seems to think she’s a Barbie Doll. Ms. Streep looked elegant, age appropriate and lovely … unlike Sophia Loren who looked like a caricature of herself. By and large, I believe that the entire Red Carpet parade is looking out of synch with a nation in economic trouble…I kept thinking about Marie Antoinette … and look what happened to her!
Fashion Week: Over but not forgotten
Narciso Rodriguez
We’ll take a look at the Oscars later. Right now, here’s another Fashion Week story. Fashion Week rolled up last Friday, but there are still stories from there that you’ll find interesting. Here’s one from the Associated Press.
NEW YORK (AP) — Whether it was the urban warrior, a Stormtrooper, a rebel rock ‘n’ roller or the woman with the corner office as the muse, designers took an aggressive stance with the fall styles previewed at New York Fashion Week.
It’s what they can do to battle the recession.
The entire industry, including editors, stylists and retailers, all seem to realize just how important next season’s styles are to their livelihoods. And even though they took different approaches, there was one bottom line: They have to give shoppers something they don’t already have.
It could be an outfit with novelty, a special detail or an unusual fabric, or it could be a classic investment piece, but whatever makes it to the stores in the fall must give consumers a sense of value, even if they’re shopping at the highest price points, said Cindy Weber Cleary, fashion director at InStyle.
“Disposable fashion doesn’t seem attractive right now. You want something you’ll either wear the hell out of it every day, or get something you can have for many years,” she said.
The best of both worlds could be a coat — Weber Cleary particularly liked those at Derek Lam and Donna Karan — or a dress that makes you feel good each time you put it on.
The many slim sheath dresses on the runways could be a nod to first lady Michelle Obama, who wears them more often than not, observed Bloomingdale’s fashion director Stephanie Solomon. Moving forward, she suggested, add a belt to keep the silhouette fresh.
Candy Pratts Price, executive fashion director at Style.com, is one of those already in the market for a black dress, probably one from Calvin Klein, or a new suit with a long pencil skirt.
Neither she nor Weber Cleary are into fads like the futuristic football-player size shoulder pads on dresses or too much neon. A strong shoulder in a jacket, though, or a Day-Glo accessory would be a good compromise.
A leather-and-knit piece, maybe an outerwear sweater with leather trim or a coat with ribbed insets, is probably missing from your wardrobe, added Solomon, and it looks great with leather leggings — something else not yet in most closets. You could also wear those leggings with a crisp white shirt and a boyfriend cardigan — another must-have.
Suze Yalof Schwartz, executive fashion editor at large for Glamour magazine, thinks women will be able to blend the seemingly two separate directions of “tough luxe” and “power broker.”
“You can take a little bit of that punk, groovy cool girl and add that to the chic woman who wants the corner office. If you mix them together, you’ve got fashion gold,” Yalof Schwartz said.
Donna Karan
Actual metallics also had a strong showing on the catwalk even if the overall palette was unusual for fall. Other than a whole lot of black, there were the bright pinks, acid greens and safety orange, as well as the easy-to-wear teal blue, violet purple and bottle green, but there was hardly a rust tone in sight.
Designers had to walk a fine line between being too somber and too unrealistically optimistic.
“With all the neon, I understand the impulse for happy clothes but people probably don’t want to stand out that much,” Weber Cleary said. “But fashion also has to be fun and make you want to shop. I think there’s too much black, but I like it on leather and fur.”
There’s also the issue of cost. Allure editor in chief Linda Wells thought the designers turned in strong styles, but she said, she’s waiting to see what will happen with price tags.
“There needs to be a price adjustment. There’s no reason clothes should be so expensive,” she said
Limiting the embellishment on garments while emphasizing interesting shapes and flattering fits — which designers did — is a step in the right direction, Wells said.
Some of the key looks:
_The urban warrior: Corset-style bodices; camouflage prints; hard accessories; towering shoes and boots.
_Stormtrooper: Stiff, techno fabrics; metallics; shoulder flange and peplums standing away from the body.
_Rock ‘n’ roller: Leather — mixed with a little lace; black mixed with highlighter colors; miniskirts; tough metal hardware.
_Power player: Skirt suits with a long, lean silhouette; shoulder pads; fur-trimmed coat.
Fashion Week: Ralph Lauren
Fashion Week fall ’09 rolled to an end Friday, but I’ll continue to post about the shows and trends for a few more days. Then it will be on to spring.
Here’s an Associated Press story on the Ralph Lauren show.
NEW YORK (AP) — Ralph Lauren doesn’t do the high-low fashion thing, with each garment that bears his collection label as fine and luxe as the next.
On the runway Friday, however, as he previewed his fall collection, he showed off his hallmark version of fashion mixing and matching that keeps his look modern: town and country.
A belle-of-the-ball champagne-colored gown with layer upon layer of tulle was topped with a gold lame vest and a tweed jacket, while glamorous eyelash beading of a honey-hued charmeuse dress peeked out from underneath a cozy cardigan.
Satin jodhpurs could go to the office under a fair isle sweater — if you’ve got the figure to pull off those pants.
The clothes could be worn by a sophisticated woman of any age, proven by “Gossip Girl’s” Blake Lively, who looked both youthful and elegant in the front row wearing a long, slim sweater dress and cropped, buttery leather jacket.
Most looks on the catwalk were monochromatic, moving from black to gray to winter white, although he did add occasional metallic pieces, sparkly scarves and jeweled watches, part of his new timepiece collection, for a flash of splash.
A new fashion-forward outerwear silhouette was a short crisscross wool jacket that had a portrait collar and showed a sliver of skin when worn over backless eveningwear, but a cashmere turtleneck would look just as good underneath.
Chic winter-white embroidered and shearling coats seemed the ultimate luxury — you need to be a limousine lady to keep that clean in the city. Maybe that’s one piece to save for the country.
Fashion Week: Project Runway
“Project Runway” judges Michael Kors, Heidi Klum and Nina Garcia pose on the runway before the start of the fashion show in New York City.
Here’s the Associated Press story about the “Project Runway” fashion show and the legal battle that’s keeping the series in limbo.
NEW YORK (AP) — “Project Runway” taped its sixth-season finale Friday, but something was missing: the finalists.
Because of a legal battle, three unknown designers sent their collections down the runway at the tents in Bryant Park on the final day of New York Fashion Week. Since the cast has not been announced, the finalists stayed hidden backstage.
Host Heidi Klum told the audience that she was “a little bit sad” the finalists couldn’t have their moment in the spotlight after working so hard to get there.
This year is gonna be a little bit different for us, for all of you, for our designers backstage. … We’re all in a bit of a limbo and we hope that everything gets sorted out very soon,” Klum said.
The new season of “Project Runway,” which aired for five seasons on Bravo, has been delayed because of a legal battle involving NBC Universal, which owns Bravo; the Weinstein Co.; and the Lifetime Channel.
NBC Universal sued Weinstein after the production company made a reported $150 million deal with Lifetime for the series that features Klum, Michael Kors and Nina Garcia on the judges’ panel.
“It’s a show that is very helpful for the industry,” said Garcia, on her way to choose the winning designer after the show. “It’s very encouraging for young designers. It’s something that I think we all should be doing, supporting (the) young talent, now more than ever. We’re in this weird economic downturn and the fashion industry is suffering.”
The overall mood of the three collections was darkly glamorous, though one designer sent out brighter looks, including a turquoise gown and a gold cocktail dress, echoing the metallic trend seen throughout the week.
International Herald Tribune editor Suzy Menkes was a guest judge for the finale. The new season was filmed in Los Angeles instead of New York, home of the previous five seasons.
Last September, a New York Supreme Court justice issued a temporary injunction preventing Weinstein from taking “Runway” or any spinoff to Lifetime and contended that evidence showed that Weinstein violated NBC’s “right of first refusal” for the show.
Weinstein has said there was no right of first refusal in the contract and that NBC Universal was offered the deal and was outbid.
The sixth season had been expected to start airing on Lifetime in January.
Fashion Week: Isaac Mizrahi
Don’t get me started on how much I love designer Isaac Mizrahi. Let’s just hope he can inject some life in Liz Claiborne. Anyway, he presented his fall ’09 signature collection and, boy, do I wish I could have seen it. Here’s a story from the Associated Press.
NEW YORK (AP) — For a good time, call Isaac Mizrahi. The fall collection he presented Thursday at New York Fashion Week was dubbed “Smile,” and the audience couldn’t do anything but that.
Whether a surely pricey Christmas-tinsel coat would count as an investment piece, it was a gift to a crowd of retailers, editors and stylists who have seen their fare share of tough, no-nonsense styles.
And who else but Mizrahi would put handbags on models’ heads as hats?
A dress made of a patchwork of beaded plaids is probably more for the runway than the real world, but it’ll make for an eye-catching photo in a magazine.
There were, however, several wearable looks, especially colorful blanket coats, kilts in watch plaids and a knockout daytime wrap-style coatdress with pleats down the back that he called “butterscotch lozenge.” Soothing indeed.
It’s surprising that Mizrahi, who splits his time between his high-end signature collection and the mainstream Liz Claiborne label, isn’t more of a red-carpet player considering some of the gowns on the runway were knockouts — especially a one-shoulder gold satin number with a croc-style texture and an Asian-floral beaded dress. His “nuts and bolts” metallic sequin camisole and skirt of varying size beads also belongs on a Hollywood star.
Fashion Week: Vera Wang
Love Vera Wang? Here’s a story from the Associated Press.
NEW YORK (AP) — Vera Wang is likely to make a big splash with her water-influenced fall collection, which debuted on an intimate runway at her SoHo store Thursday morning.
The obvious reference was the scuba-suit fabric that literally molded futuristic pieces, including a (too-wide) hip-barrel skirt and corsets that slimmed down and jazzed up more traditional dresses. The best use was on a short-sleeve coat that mixed the fabric with black broadtail fur.
More subtle — and more beautiful — though, was the moire organza that Wang used for her signature artful dresses. As the light hit the models wearing a series of graceful dresses, ranging from shirtdresses to off-the-shoulder gowns, the image was of gentle water ripples dappled with sunlight.
One bottle-green cap-sleeve dress made of pieced vertical swaths of charmeuse was a feat of its own.
In her notes to editors, stylists and retailers attending the New York Fashion Week event, Wang said the use of varying textures and materials “provides the tension and sophistication of the collection.”
Meanwhile, the mood came from the late modern-art collector and philanthropist Peggy Guggenheim and her life in Venice, Italy, after World War II.
Wang concentrated on small details, such as the just right loosely tied bow on the front of a coat or the rumpled-tissue effect on a voluminous skirt. But the result was a look that oozed easy elegance.
