Fashion By The Rules – NY Fashion week, Norman Ambrose

There’s a new sheriff in town.

My first and last impressions of this show remain that Tony Duquette must have taken up residence in the creative mind of Mr. Ambrose. Other lasting impressions include clothing made to perfection which means the seams are pressed, the hems are pressed, the clothes fit the models and the tailoring is razor sharp. While I am on the subject of “associations” and impressions, there are some key words that come to mind, like soigne, slick, luxe, metallic and beading, and beading that becomes luxuriously encrusted onto the garments.

Mr. Ambrose is an old school designer locked in a young man’s body who understands “the ladies” who might be the gals of Texas or the chicks of California. No matter where they are, they know how they want to look and that would be tastefully glamorous, chic and not cookie cutter fashionable of the moment. These are not the clothes of the real Housewives of New Jersey or for that matter anyone on the Bravo network. The esthetic is rarefied and laser sharp in its focus on fine apparel, the type which might have sat in the likes of Martha, Lou Lattimore, Amen Wardy or Grace Jones. For the uninitiated, those were stores which catered to the richest and most discerning clients and only carried the finest from all over the world and they no longer exist. Mr. Ambrose can be found in Neiman Marcus which means that Bergdorf Goodman can’t be far behind.

As a little P.S., kudos to Mr. Ambrose for heaping on the Verdura jewelry and for scoring such a fabulous and appropriate accessory.

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FASHION BY THE RULES – Spring 2012 The Row – the Olsen’s

Well, the fashion train has started its journey for Spring 2012. The first stop is New York City, primarily at Lincoln Center. So if you are wondering why there are no hotel rooms or dinner reservations, or taxis, consider yourself informed. Fashion is in town!

See what will be filling your favorite shopping emporia; be it Bergdorf Goodman, Barneys, Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue or Fifth Avenue or Madison Avenue.

There is some sort of odd feeling attached to saying that this collection by the Olson twins is quite wonderful. Being of that age when the twins were the most saccharine of TV stars and then cashing in at Wal-Mart, I am a bit ambivalent about saying that the collection, The Row, is quite beautiful, sophisticated and refined.

One can only say that these 2 have set their minds to casting a wider net to capture an adult audience based on their vision rather than the vision of them. In a way, I have a problem admitting that these freshmen designers offer one of the most original looking collections. Yes, the overall look is somewhat derivative, but then again what isn’t? What sets them apart are the flourishes they use, like the mini ruffles, the diminished color palette and staying within the vision of their collection. It is very much them!

My take on this is very simple – they get it! They have built a customer base and they stick to giving them what they want and not the whims of the season. Difficult as it is for me to say, BRAVO!