FASHION BY THE RULES – Star Power

Most of this readership is probably too young to know who Mike Todd was or for that matter that there really was a Conrad Hilton, as in Hilton Hotels or more current as in Paris Hilton. Elizabeth Taylor was one of the last of the really great and true Hollywood stars. She is not comparable to anyone we really know of as a star in the Hollywood of today. She in her own way was the impetus for paparazzi coverage of a film star and defined Hollywood glamor for decades. Here’s something that most young people of this generation cannot imagine; she owned her own jewelry and bought her own clothes and owned them. There were no stylists and no Rachel Zoes. Another thing that you guys will find hard to believe is that her tabloid life was about her life and not only about the tragedies or addictions or divorces, which yes were a great part of her life but somehow she rose above it and became a legend when there were so many of her peers who faded into oblivion.

Anyone who only knows of Ms. Taylor from her Michael Jackson antics, her Larry Fortensky period or her AMFAR days, needs to have a look back on her life, her beauty and her celebrity. So many of the photographs are not retouched or were taken way before there was photo shop or airbrushing; imagine she never had a nose job nor did she ever have her boob adjusted. By 2011 standards she would almost be a freak of nature having never been “altered.”

It is sad that this generation has no one who can measure up to the star power of Elizabeth Taylor not anyone who had given of themselves in the same way that she did. The one thing that is blatantly true is that there is no stronger force than money, and with that there is almost no task that is impossible. She tirelessly raised and contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to the charity that was nearest to her heart. She did not just donate money and pay lip service to the charity, she didn’t adopt children to show her loyalty to a cause, and instead she went out and beat those bushes and used her power of celebrity to bring about a change and an awareness that affects our country and the world. The only one who “might’ hold a candle to Ms. Taylor is Oprah, but even there, it is a pale comparison. Sorry kids, you missed out on what real stars can do and what real stars are made of!

FASHION BY THE RULES – Paris Review

After the past seemingly endless stream of shows in Paris and after all the drama that took place there, what is left behind is the emerging trend aftermath, which will be seen everywhere (catalogs, stores, magazines and windows at every price) starting in a scant three months for Fall 2011.

Here is a synopsis of some of the bigger trends which turned up during Paris fashion week. This is not a comprehensive list by any means, but surely some that will find their way to every level of retailer and into the closets of fashion hounds all over the world.

There was FUR everywhere and most of it was real and will no doubt be one of the most important trends of the season. HATS and GLOVES of every description were piled onto so many runways that they will be the “must” stylish accessory.

Also be on the look out for animal prints which include REPTILE and LEOPARD which turned up everywhere from Armani to Prada, from Missoni to Mugler. There was as usual, great attention paid to the 70’s and 80’s as evidenced at YSL, Ungaro, Ferragamo, Gucci and so many more. At the same time there was a return to MINIMALISM, almost severe lines, as shown at Akris, Rick Owens while the DRAPIER and softer/looser sides turned up at Haider Ackerman and Alexis Mabille. Karl Lagerfeld had declared he was tired of stiletto heels when he showed couture in January and true to his word, he showed an entire collection in either a work boot or a kitten LOW HEELED D’Orsay black pump. Chanel gave us a taste of STREET as did Givenchy, if that’s what you love and then there were the dowdy LIBRARIAN looks from Prada and Bottega Veneta , just to name a few. Lastly, there was a preponderance of WHITE, and not that vanilla creamy white, WHITE, stark white which showed up, most effectively, at YSL and at Alexander McQueen.

FASHION BY THE RULES – Alexander McQueen by Sarah Burton

There’s an eerily odd feeling when you think you have seen someone who you know has passed on to the afterlife and it was that feeling that came upon me while looking at this latest collection of Alexander McQueen.

Sarah Burton is so much a part of the brand and the late designer that it seems she might just be his conduit to the lifetime he left behind just last year. To say that the clothes were “very McQueen” would be an understatement and to say that Ms. Burton drew on the vocabulary of the brand would be inaccurate, when in fact, she continued and expanded the language that can only be Alexander McQueen rather than having rendered homage to him.

That said, the rest is seen in the photos and make no mistake, Ms. Burton will triumphantly lead this brand and its late namesake designer well into the new decade and beyond with great finesse, great talent and with grace.
Lee McQueen, what a great friend and acolyte you have, indeed she is your future.

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