Bright Lights, Big City

Givenchy shirt, Ralph Lauren Blue Label jacket, Guess skirt, Proenza shoes

(side note: I said I would wear these mandals with a suit and I did, kind of--I WIN?)

Let me recant a bit of what I said in the last post--I'm kind of "eh" about everything EXCEPT DRIES VAN NOTEN.  Holy Batman!  It was a veritable visual AND intellectual delight.  If I could meet/marry anyone in the world it would be Dries (sorry, bf, sorry Dries's bf).  I don't have enough superlatives to even describe!  But you know what?  It is exactly a collection that is TOO cool for superlatives.  So I'm not going to even try. But I will say: the juxtaposition of the old/new, natural/man-made photo prints was brilliant on so many levels. The splashes of turquoise, magenta, and cinnamon perfectly enhanced the clash of civilizations from which the prints were sourced. And the wit: the "Circus Circus" coat with peplum pants look is my aspirational image for the year.  I want to be the woman who wears this.  Oh and also the woman who wears pink rose outfit.  And the entire collection.  My favorite moment, however, was, upon watching the video, discovering that some of the the skirts and shirts I thought were festooned with "chopped up" city lights (which I thought was a great nod to the increasingly fractured nature of life) were actually flashing crystals that mimicked the effect of the real artificial thing (which is an even better nod to ideas about authenticity and artificiality).  It was something that left me actually thinking about how our relationship to nature and history is influenced by living in midst of the scraps and monuments of the man-made world--and about whether all these legacies and futures can coexist in harmony.  If only it were a Dries world, they could and would magnificently!

                                                                        (via vogue.com)

Oh Well, Whatever...

 YSL trench, Rochas dress, Alexander Wang boots, Dries Van Noten bag

 Apologies for the lack of new non-NYFW material, but it has taken a while to get out from under the life-hangover that it left.  Now that things are somewhat back in order (notable exception: the apartment), I thought it was more than overdue.  I was also hoping to have some inspirational and aspirational thoughts after my first bona fide experience as a fashion week attendee--but unfortunately, all I can muster is an "eh" for now.  Of course, there were a lot of pretty and/or cool things, but nothing that need be described in more detail than it already has (although I MUST have this unphotogenic, but super-amazing-in-reality Derek Lam look asap).  It seems I am more enamored of the new tv season (Parks? Downton Abbey?  Boardwalk Empire?  Dexter? Anyone?) than I have been of Spring 2012.  Part of me wonders if this ennui is the inevitable consequence of actually working in fashion; but, most of me thinks it's just that things are very safe right now in general--whether it be in music, fashion, or what have you--and that never is good for the inspiration department.  It will be a challenge to take away something new for the season based on the shows so far (notable exception: Prada, although it was very Prada), but I'm hoping that this dearth of blockbuster ideas might lead to some unexpected delights in the end!   

The Sartorialist, Part Deux

via The Sartorialist.com

OK I promise no more (maybe one more) Fashion Week posts, but I just have to because I'm so excited.  Two Sartorialist postings in one fashion week ain't bad right? ;)

Ok done with the geek out...

NYFW SS12 - Day 6

(via Vogue.co.jp)

Balenciaga shirt, jacket, and bag, Narciso Rodriguez pants, Dries Van Noten shoes, Ray-Ban sunglasses (that were stolen at a show!!)

Yeah, you've seen this one before, but I love it!

NYFW SS12 - Day 5

Beautiful photos courtesy of Citizen Couture:

And An Unknown Quantity:

 And Guerre/Marie Claire:

Prada sunglasses and shoes, Brooks Brothers top, Erdem skirt, Edie Parker clutch

NYFW SS12 - Day 4

(via cn.wsj.com)

Alexander Wang cardigan, Soundgarden t-shirt, Rochas skirt, Underground shoes, random ebay houndstooth clutch

(via Flare.com)

NYFW SS 12 - Day 3

(via Mr. Netwon/HarpersBazaar.com)

Alexander Wang robe dress, Prada shorts, Miu Miu shoes, Asos clutch

NYFW SS 12 - Day 2

(via Phil Oh/Streetpeeper/vogue.com)

Proenza Schouler dress, Dries Van Noten shoes, Asos clutch

NYFW SS 12 - Day 1

(via The Sartorialist)

Dries Van Noten pants, sweater, and sandals, Edie Parker clutch

Are You Ready?

 Olivier Theyskens leather top, J. Crew t-shirt, Derek Lam shorts, Chloe shoes, Swatch watch

Are you READY?!  NYFW is just around the corner, so this long weekend was spent hibernating and being as unfashionable as possible.  Although I did make the rounds to see if I could/should pick up some new pieces for Fashion Week (it's a great excuse, right?), I spent most of it eating (oops) and... playing my new drums!  Of course, living in New York they're electronic, but, let me tell you, that doesn't make them any less enjoyable.  The bf (who is a bona fide real musician) has been patient in teaching me the ropes, so hopefully we'll have a legitimate side project going soon!  Don't worry, I won't be subjecting anyone to that on the blog (at least just yet), but I'm super excited to be starting on a new creative endeavor--I haven't really indulged  my "musical side" in quite a while.  What I will definitely be subjecting you to, however, are posts of  my show outfits on a hopefully semi-regular basis. While some may think fashion week has generally become a circus, I just love the "anything goes" M.O. and I'm really looking forward to playing around with new pieces/motifs.  I may sacrifice commentary for the sake of timeliness and just post the pics themselves, but I'll be sure to do a round-up of the week, especially now that I'll be attending as someone working in the fashion industry.  Should be interesting...