Recently in Fashion Category

I have long been a fan of Milk, France's ultimate children's fashion magazine. They recently extended their publication to Japan, and the results are both inspiring and hysterical...and way better than most adult fashion magazines. Here's a look at my favorite spread. When I have a kid, I want a little Hockney...

The new Tatty Devine collection is available, and I'm screamin' for these:

Why not pair them with Bjork's new 3-D video?

"Please, please, please can I borrow your ticket? My girlfriend is stuck in STANDING ROOM. Ohmygod, you're a life saver!"

I was "Gabrielle" last night at the Alice Temperley show. I've been keeping it light this Fashion Week so I can swizzle my sticks in other cocktails, but being back in the ol' circus tent made me miss the soul sucking pandemonium of it all. There's something thrilling about ascending those concrete steps, flashing an embellished invitation, getting the nod, then being bombarded by girls in shaky heels brandishing the latest issue of The Daily.

When you get to the doors of the Bryant Park tents, you can already feel the energy pulsating on the other side. There's a two second check you do before going in. A quick sweep of the bangs, a secret tug on the skirt, one delicate smack of the lips. Once the door is opened, that's it. You're sucked into a twittering vortex of flashing bulbs, cacophonous chatter, swirls of colorful advertising, and a multitude of eyes all staring at you.

New stuff at Tatty Devine!

The new Built by Wendy fall collection is "trickling in!" I'm a long time fan of Wendy Mullins' quirky-classic sweaters, jeans, and movie inspired tees (hello, Mr. Wonka). Don't even get me started on the dresses. When you wear a Built by Wendy dress, people will sneak glances at you while you wait for the subway, full on accost you at the coffee truck, or punch you in the arm at a wedding.

"HEY! IS THAT MT. RUSHMORE ON YOUR DRESS?!"

"That would be Thomas Jefferson, our third President, an avid horticulturist."

Built by Wendy, people! You can learn something from it! You can school your friends! So, here's what I'm thinking. I'm thinking you should treat yourself to this Sailor Pullover right here.

Now, put it on, fluff up the couch, and pop in a DVD of "Niagara, Niagara" to witness Robin Tunney's fantastic and totally underrated performance. She's awesome.

Built by Wendy is awesome. Goodnight.

We were in London having expensive cocktails at St. Martins Lane when she walked in. My back was to the room, Jeff was facing out, but I felt the air shift when she entered. Skinny, with ink blot hair and a wispy confection of feathers crowning her face, she was unmistakable.

"Oh my God, Jeff. It's Isabella Blow!"

We watched her glide past us and duck into an unseen area in the back of the bar. My heart raced in her wake...this fantastical British style icon and Auntie Mame-ish wisp. She of the mystical hats and blood stained lips peacocking her way through Fashion Weeks across the globe year after year and, now, in front of us. For a li'l lass from West Texas who watched Style with Elsa Klensch religiously as a child, this sighting, this brush with Fashion Greatness, was my li'l dream come true.

She was with a few other people, and they were all dressed up for some fantastic party or event or something. I'd like to think she looked that way all of the time. Fluffed, puckered, and cinched...even when going for a quick cocktail after work or for the newspaper in the morning. I'd like to think that she lived in a white marble townhouse accented in black and white striped awnings with a gold leaf staircase winding up from a harlequin-tiled foyer floor. I'd like to think that she had a hat library next to her bedroom. That all of her hats were color-coded and displayed on crystal busts molded in her image. I'd like to think that she had 50 different types of red lipstick and that some were collector's items from the the 1920's that had never been worn. I'd like to imagine that on Sunday mornings, when no one was around, she'd host a parade of mini horses wearing tiny velvet top hats on their heads.

Isabella Blow, stylist, editor-at-large, former assistant to Anna Wintour before quitting to move to West Texas herself and work for designer Guy Laroche (yee-haw!), discoverer of uber-designer Alexander McQueen, muse to madhat milliner Philip Treacy, and all-around triumphant global style creature was pronounced dead at the age of 48 this past Sunday.

I'm really saddened by her death. She deserves to be remembered by style scribes the world over because, without her, there's nothing really EXCITING in the world of fashion right now. She wore what she wanted and demanded that attention be paid to individual style. Clothing as art. Image as sculpture. Shock and awe with detailed sartorial elegance.

I wish the papers, or at least the ones that are supposed to be devoted to the business of fashion, would have the decency and class to focus on that rather than speculation on how she died (which is what many of them are focusing on). A gruesome rumor pinned onto a death is nothing but a tacky accessory. If you're interested in learning more about Isabella Blow, I urge you to read the Daily Telegraph's tribute, "Death of an Original", written by an original herself, Hilary Alexander.

In the aftermath of a rather lackluster and utterly boring display of Hollywood-styled-to-death "fashion" at the annual Costume Institute gala this week (with the exception of the venerable Charlotte Gainsbourg), I, for one, am gonna miss the hell out of Isabella Blow. Who will show up with the Parthenon on her head?? Who will peek out from behind protruding dollar signs or pose with a mess of pink spaghetti over her eyes?

Who, just WHO, will fly down a red carpet under a giant crown of silver wings?

I'm guessing she's doing just that right now.

The search for the perfect dress for my friend's upcoming Vegas wedding continues. Sadly, as my funds continue to dwindle, so do my options. But if I were to win the lottery, I might just buy this Burberry Prorsum dress below. I know it's a dark color for spring, but I'd kick it up Vegas style with lots of gold accoutrements. And fun hair. Oh, and these, of course.

Hello, Gorgeous. Where have you been all my life, Li'l Oil Rig Dress? I know you're black and white and shy all over, but I'm not ashamed to say that I see the beauty in you. Ahem, I think I have to have you. I know you're feeling lonely, so how's about I give you a couple of these babies to keep you company? No? Ok, then how's about them apples! Oh, Li'l Oil Rig Dress, you are playing HARD TO GET!

One of my dearest friends is getting married in Las Vegas next month, and that means I've gotta find a dress in three weeks. Oh, and it's gotta be smashing. I always think of weddings as a time to costume myself...go for the outlandish. If I had my choice, I'd be in either Vivienne Westwood or some sort of Yohji mashup. Alas, my funds tend to lean more towards the Urban-Hennes-Anthropologie variety, and I've seen way too many same-dress mishaps that keep me from purchasing "the" dress from one of these otherwise dandy establishments. Usually, I lean more towards vintage, but I've got crazy time constraints in April that may keep me from finding hidden treasure. Thus, I'm thinking about ponying up a little extra cash to find something I can play up with accessories and also wear frequently. A.P.C., why can't you make make more fancy-party-friendly styles! Sigh. My goal is to find something with great shape and COLOR. Here's what I'm loving right now:

The AJUMA dress from Zero Maria Cornejo.

Ok. I cannot break my addiction to black clothing. I love this dress from Lyell. Simply detailed, beautifully cut, and classic without being conservative; in other words, an absolute dream. I'll be frank here. I ALWAYS wear black dresses, and it's high time I break my habit and go for color. The bright lights of the Vegas Strip shall be my inspiration! Urgh, I'm doing my darndest not to choose another noir number but this dress, people. I. Can't. Resist. It. And how cute are her Heidi braids?

The SERENA dress from Marc by Marc Jacobs, aka "Mr. Favorite". He's such a pudding pop! And I love this minty spring tuxedo dress...although, I don't think it's really my style. Hmmm.

The search continues...

Grab a strong espresso, a quiet nook (your desk space will do), and warm up to ten glorious pages of one of the greatest creative minds of the 20th and 21st centuries, Mr. Karl Lagerfeld.