Fall 2012 ready to wear | yohana
Walking into the Marc Jacobs show tonight, a retailer remarked, "We have to come here in order to find out what we'll be seeing next season." His point: The lush colors and Lurex that have been everywhere this week were inspired by the ode to the 1970's Jacobs delivered last time out. Well, come next fall, you'd best prepare yourself for plenty of polka dots, a good deal of latex and lace, and a much more fitted silhouette. Backstage, Jacobs himself said the new collection was a reaction against the loose, fluid feeling of his Spring outing. "I wanted something strict and severe," he said.And not without a healthy dose of kink, it would seem. Jacobs worked with the British company House of Harlot on the show's latex button-downs and "rubber to look like sequins" dresses. With all that plastic—not to mention the taut chin straps attached to Stephen Jones' vinyl berets, and Marilyn Manson screaming about "The Beautiful People" on the soundtrack—it was tempting to think Jacobs was making a comment about our contemporary fixation on self-betterment.
The idea of personal improvement played out in another way, because many of the things the designer put on this runway were redos of his own oeuvre. Take the polka dots, for instance. The first collection he showed in New York 20-odd years ago was covered in spots. Here, they appeared large and small, even in three dimensions on a ponyskin sweater and skirt studded with plastic cabochons. Jacobs is always playing with high and low, and he was back at it tonight, cutting a sweater in Shetland wool on the front and cashmere on the back, or trimming a mock-croc bomber jacket in real fox fur.
When he dipped into his own archives for his Fall show of a year ago, the results were nostalgic and romantic. With its stride-defying hobble skirts and wedge-heel patent boots, this offering demands a little more commitment from the wearer. It was provocative and somehow more precise, and all those slick surfaces had a hard allure. Backstage, Jacobs talked about the discipline of fashion, pointing out the rigor of fitting 63 girls in one day. Disciplined is a good word for it. He had his uncomplicated fun last season, and now he's prepared to get sweaty in a latex shirt buttoned up to his throat. Give the rest of us a few months and we'll be right there with him.
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There wasn't a pencil skirt in sight at Marc Jacobs' Resort presentation. The designer, who will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the CFDA tonight and is in the running for Designer of the Year, made another 180, trading in the precision and severity of Fall for a collection of easy, washed, and bleached-out separates with a youthful feel.
The Proenza Schouler boys are tired of leggy. For Spring, they went lady, or at least that was the initial impression at today's delightful, inventive show. The first look out was an ivory tweed jacket in the Chanel mold worn with a skirt hand-dyed from lavender silk in the traditional shibori style the duo experimented with for Resort. The models' simple pumps were about as far away as you could get from the hyper-designed platforms and wedges the designers have favored the last couple of seasons.
Look around at the collections this month and you see a lot of Proenza Schouler-isms. If you recall, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez did tribal for pre-fall; half a year later, other designers are falling into line with ikats and ethnic embroideries. In fact, McCollough and Hernandez did a little riffling through the back catalog themselves, redoing the sold-out Baja jacket from last year's Resort line in a ropey yarn. They've definitely found a groove, delving into traditional textiles like last season's Navajo blankets and coming up with something hip and young, and yet quite couture in terms of the work involved.
Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez set the scene for their Spring show by laying down an orange shag carpet and installing retro light fixtures high over the runway. To this reporter, it felt like a suburban rec room straight out of the seventies, but we were only part of the way there. Backstage, Hernandez said the duo's starting point was Googie architecture. Googie what? "Mid-century road-stop architecture," he said. "It was once cutting-edge, but now it's decrepit. Lost optimism."
When word got out about a month ago that Derek Lam was releasing a diffusion line, the fashion set put it in the win column. Named 10 Crosby after the address of his company's headquarters in New York, Lam's new collection is inspired by the cool, downtown girls he sees around the neighborhood—girls like top model-with-a-personality Hanne Gaby Odiele, who helped style the lookbook that she stars in. Tailored raffia trenches, denim tweed suiting separates, and cropped DB jackets in canvas have the same DNA as the designer's namesake line. Ditto goes for a signature one-shouldered goddess dress in olive matte jersey that'll set you back around $495.
Forget about Thanksgiving. Last night at Barneys, Christmas was in full swing. Lady Gaga, decked out in Chanel Haute Couture, was on hand for the ribbon cutting and opening of her workshop on the fifth floor, where the likes of Blake Lively, Prabal Gurung, Carolyn Murphy, and Alan Cumming had all gathered to scoop up everything from $25 finger pops and $95 chocolate heels to enormous Gaga candles that drip wax out of her eye sockets and limited-edition heel-less leather shoes. Twenty-five percent of the workshop's sales will go to the pop star's new Born This Way Foundation, which focuses on youth empowerment.
"Sweetness." Miuccia Prada's summation of her new collection was surprisingly direct. But only she could add a contrary gloss to an idea that, on the surface at least, seemed entirely benign. She'd been trying to wrap her head around this paradox: Why should a quality that the world at large considers such an asset to womanhood be so shunned by the fashion industry? That state of affairs is unlikely to prevail for much longer, given the crazy level of influence Miuccia wields over fashion (her dropped waists from Fall are other designers' big statement for Spring). So better ready yourself to Celebrate the Sweet.
The carousel that team Louis Vuitton set up in the Louvre's Cour Carrée was echt Marc Jacobs. The designer has made an art form of the fashion 180. Last season's fetish-y rubber boots sold 2,000 pairs in the first week they were available, Jacobs reported, but he was ready for a change nonetheless. "After the hardness of Fall, we wanted something gentle and kind, fragile but strong, too," he said, touting the workmanship that went into not only the clothes but also the bags. Matte crocodile coats painstakingly hand-pieced together so that the scales match; an eggshell lacquer bag made with the assistance of the last man in Paris still in command of the 1920's technique. That sort of devotion to craft would come in handy were Jacobs to land the top design spot at Christian Dior and the couture atelier that comes with it. No?
"The last in my couture trilogy" was Raf Simons' description of today's Jil Sander show. His fascination with traditional couture codes and the women who followed them has transformed his approach at the house, compelling him toward his best work. With this new collection, Simons pulled a whole lot of threads together to tie up his story. One thread was his undiminished sensitivity to the Sander legacy: the purity, the elitism, the artistry. But another, more interesting one was his own wonderment at the world of women and the closed societies they create for themselves.
Other designers may be going print-crazy for Spring, but Riccardo Tisci—he of the ubiquitous rottweilers and panthers—is moving on and focusing on tailoring. The designer claimed surfers and mermaids as influences, but we've never seen either species in sexy suits quite like these: jackets that were sharp and soft at the same time, with strong, confident shoulders, and, for contrast, suggestive, undulating lapels and come-hither peplums trimmed not in leather but eel skin, shark, or stingray. Speaking of exotic materials, the jackets themselves weren't exactly cut from workaday fabrics. Chiffon sequins and lasered leather cutouts recalled the most stunning creations in his July couture show.
For today's Chanel spectacular, Karl Lagerfeld recast himself as Prospero, conjuring a magical underwater world from the raw stuff of fashion. The Grand Palais was transformed by huge, blinding white sea shapes—corals, shells, sea horses, stingrays—and Florence Welch arose like Botticelli's Venus on the half shell to sing "What the Water Gave Me." It was a bravura performance all around.
Since her debut at Celine two years ago, Phoebe Philo's legions of fans have gotten used to all things sleek and streamlined—be it the unadorned leather Classic box bag that launched so many imitators or the racing-stripe pants from Fall's car-inspired collection. But for Spring, Philo is thinking about shape. "It's just very sculptural, very three-dimensional," she said afterward. "We accentuated the bits that felt strong to accentuate, tried to create some new proportions."
With all the real-time tweeting and Facebooking and red-carpet YouTubing and Instagramming that wrapped today's Burberry show in a great big techno-bow, it's no wonder Christopher Bailey wanted to step back and, as he put it, "celebrate things that take time to do." Following on from his last men's collection, his latest was a paean to handcrafts: crochet, beading, carving, weaving, braiding, printing. And it was a smash.
If the day began with Prospero's aquatic sorcery at Chanel, it ended with a different kind of underwater magic at Alexander McQueen. Lagerfeld's models were nymphs; Sarah Burton's were goddesses. She based her collection on the three Gs: Grès for the pleating and draping, Gaudí for the architecture, and Gaia for the sense of all-encompassing oceanic life that infused the clothes, like the outfits composed of coral or shells. Or the incredible engineered matelassé jacquard in a barnacle pattern. Or the silk chiffon in an oyster print, which had been layered, cut into circles, and ribbed (though that hardly even begins to explain the complexity of the result). And if you carried the analogy still further, the black leather appliqué that infected a lace dress could be an oil slick; the Fortuny-pleated organza woven with copper, silver, and gold was like a pirate's buried treasure.
"What would happen if Madame de Pompadour met Madame Butterfly?" That was the question Andrew Gn asked himself for Spring. He answered it with a collection that married the opulence of eighteenth-century rococo with the construction of Japanese kimonos. It was a return to lavish form after the more ascetic (relatively speaking, of course) show of jackets and pants he did for Fall. Necklines were ornately beaded or accented with origamilike folds, squared-off sleeves were laboriously handworked, and skirts blossomed beneath wide belts. But the real story was the fabrics. Gn had many of them woven specially for the show.
Adam Lippes' design offices overlook the High Line, and he can't help but take in and fixate on his view of that "runway in the sky." Perhaps it had something to do with all the buckets of rain that have been coming down lately, but the ADAM Spring collection was in full bloom. Backstage before the show, Lippes explained one of his floral prints—a rock rose that he "blew up and made pointy," which made a convincing statement on both an ivory silk column dress and a slouchy suit. There was quite a bit of flower-screened denim, which looked best on an A-line knee-length skirt paired with a silk polka-dot pajama top. The designer also paid lip service to the ongoing neon trend (has anyone else noticed how many of those electric Cambridge satchels are floating around Lincoln Center this week?) with the trim of a transparent sleeveless trench, as well as a hot pink long-sleeve tee.
Earrings made a big comeback—”big” in both size and scope—at the Spring shows. Marni’s Consuelo Castiglioni led the way, accessorizing her Fall collection with door knocker-sized baubles and making ear candy in the form of mod, colorful hoops a big part of her story this season. Boho glam chandeliers punctuated every look at Oscar de la Renta and Emilio Pucci, while Dolce & Gabbana and Missoni turned up the kitsch factor with garden vegetables and gilded critters, respectively. Needless to say, street-style darlings like Shala Monroque, Anna Dello Russo, and Miroslava Duma kept up with the runways, showing off their jumbo-sized earrings in many a front row. But we’ve got to give props to stylist Catherine Baba, whose rotating collection of shoulder-scrapers is arguably as signature as her ubiquitous two-speed bike.
After today's eating extravaganza, changing out of your sweatpants to hit the stores tomorrow is probably as welcomed as another scoop of mashed potatoes. But as any true STF knows, those Black Friday deals are hard to come by and that's where this next outfit idea comes in, courtesy of Rachel Bilson. Take a look and get inspired to stay comfortable while you shop tomorrow (we can't promise it'll do the same for the crowds). 
Labels from to Norma Kamali to Forever 21 have been experimenting with 3-D techno magic to enhance their brands this year, like when Burberry put on a virtual spectacular of epic proportions in Beijing back in April). At the Spring shows, tastemakers like Balenciaga’s Nicolas Ghesquière and Marc Jacobs performed optical illusions of their own with iridescent cellophane looks that glinted with each step down the runway. Other designers, including Derek Lam, Olivier Theyskens, and Manish Arora, went for a more holographic effect. Lady Gaga (who else?) noticed. The pop supernova borrowed a dress from Arora’s Paco Rabanne debut for a performance at the MTV Europe Music Awards.
Hurricane Irene is barreling our way, which means we’ll be hunkered down in our apartments this weekend like the rest of New York City, our crazy surfer friends excluded. What better way to remember the summer that was than look back at some of its finer red-carpet moments? Our favorite shot of the season has got to be co-stars Emma Stone and Mila Kunis redefining the term Friends With Benefits in punch-colored Giambattista Valli and Lanvin, but we won’t soon forget the image of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in a see-through Gucci finale dress or Zoe Saldana giving her lamé Lanvin number a twirl, either.
The boy-meets-girl look has been bigger than ever the past few seasons (for proof, see the Tux Love story in our Fall trend reports), but the dandy-ish neckties we’ve been spotting on celebs lately are something new. Both Diane Kruger and Jaime King wore Jason Wu looks knotted at the throat last week. Kruger topped her shorts suit from Resort with a classic bow tie, while King kept things feminine with a satin ribbon that played up her lacy dress. On the Chanel Couture runway, meanwhile, Karl Lagerfeld showed a long jacket with a flared maxi skirt and a loopy tie that was right up Janelle Monáe’s alley—the Chanel muse, like the Kaiser himself, has a known penchant for black-tie ensembles.
Is the high rise era over? For several seasons, designers have focused on the natural waist. Some incarnations, like dresses cinched to create hourglass shapes, were figure-flattering; others, not so much (see: high-waisted skinny jeans, Mischa Barton). Enter the new-again drop-waist silhouette. Miu Miu’s flippy miniskirts and a clean Celine shirtdress had a touch of the sixties. At Marc by Marc Jacobs and Stella McCartney, meanwhile, romantic frocks with relaxed waists evoked the twenties. Thakoon Panichgul (left) cited a new focus on ease and nonchalance as a reason for the down shift. “For me, it’s the attitude,” he told Style.com. “The drop waist has a laid-back jeans-and-T-shirt feel to it, so you’re able to get a mix of casual and dressy.” Who can resist a two-for-one deal these days?
Once, only the brave wore white after the first weekend in September (and by brave we mean French and/or those in possession of a generous dry-cleaning budget). But that old edict hasn’t really applied for a while, and judging by Fall collections from the likes of Thakoon Panichgul and Gucci’s Frida Giannini, a pair of white pants is now a winter wardrobe essential. According to Jill Stuart, though, the shade’s prominence has less to do with breaking rules than harmonizing palettes. “Loden green and camel are big this season, and white freshens those darker shades up,” she pointed out to us. “A creamy color makes everything brighter.” That was certainly the case at Reed Krakoff, where full, ivory trousers were paired with a swaggering navy coat and charcoal sweater. And, of course, white jeans, like the cropped ones we’re coveting from Isabel Marant, can freshen up any outfit. Just remember to factor your cleaning bills into the purchase price.
Anything goes when it comes to dressing up on Halloween. That’s why it’s the fashion flock’s favorite holiday—well, that, and the once-a-year guilt-free opportunity to eat as much candy as possible. If we’ve seen a few too many Karl Lagerfelds and Donatella Versaces on the costume party circuit in recent years, the Spring runways and front rows were rife with alternative possibilities. Anybody dare to imitate the self-proclaimed Lady Gaga of fashion, Anna Dello Russo? Or a certain mutton-chopped, plaid shirt-favoring photographer? Or perhaps Louis Vuitton zebra paint is more your thing?
It was probably inevitable: After realizing they couldn’t make shorts any shorter, designers have flipped the switch and dropped hemlines, making a sliver of stomach the new erogenous zone. The Spring collections found everyone from the Mulleavy sisters at Rodarte to Donatella Versace at Versace showing suggestive slices of toned (but of course) midriffs. While bandeau and lingerie-inspired looks have abounded the past several seasons, this time around, designers were careful to expose just the right proportion of skin. (We’re not talking Britney Spears redux here.) For Vena Cava’s Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock, the key is keeping the belly button under wraps. The design duo told Style.com, “Showing the lower portion of your midriff is tacky, but the upper portion feels very chic, like something Bette Davis would’ve done with high-waisted shorts and a printed bandeau.” For those skittish about exposing so much skin, they suggest layering the tops over bodysuits and leotards. As for the rest of us, let the crunches commence.
We never thought we’d see denim on a Valentino runway. But there it was, paper-thin, deep indigo, and spliced into shirtdresses and a shorts suit. Valentino’s Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli weren’t the only ones to dress up the forever-practical fabric. Stella McCartney, Celine’s Phoebe Philo, and Thakoon Panichgul cut it into full trousers, tunics, and tailored vests. For Derek Lam, who was inspired by all things California, denim was a natural, even though his ultra-chic trench is a long way, baby, from Levi Strauss dungarees. Part of the draw is the material’s versatility. “It’s a very honest fabric,” Lam told Style.com. “It stands the test of time in its endurance and functionality.” If you ask us, it just might be one of the hardest-working wardrobe investments you could make come spring.
Knife, accordion, box, plissé—however they executed them, designers sent pleats aplenty down the Spring runways. We’re not talking about the stiff folds of your starched schoolgirl uniform here. Haider Ackermann and Chloé’s Hannah MacGibbon showed fluid, body-skimming incarnations that swished with each step. Richard Nicoll achieved a similar effect with sun-ray pleats that fanned out from the waist. “I used pleats to create architectural necklines and flattering volume,” he told Style.com. “They add a mathematical, modern-looking edge to longer lengths and ethereal fabrics.” Others gave classic creases an update by using Day-Glo brights. Miuccia Prada’s sweet shirtwaist dress at Miu Miu, for example, came in an acid green. And at Rue du Mail, Martine Sitbon created a unique patterned effect by layering micro-pleated aqua tulle over a graphic shift.
Nothing says New Year’s Eve like a look-at-me metallic dress, and Spring gave us plenty of glittery possibilities. We wouldn’t have any issues finding a suitor to smooch at the stroke of midnight if we looked like Britt Maren did in Donna Karan’s marbleized copper silk. Ditto Shena Moulton in Thakoon’s thigh-grazing electric python dress. But the real eye-opener this season was the way designers cut the shiny stuff into wearable looks that aren’t just for after dark. Paired with an easy flannel shirt and Western belt, Ralph Lauren’s silver tinsel skirt delivers a bit of flash with a dose of informality. Tory Burch, left, hit the same note with lamé pants and a baja jacket.
It’s a new year, and what better way to wipe the slate clean than with a crisp white men’s shirt? For Spring, designers focused on classic sportswear, and they put that perennial favorite, the button-up, front-row and center. At Akris and Dries Van Noten, seriously oversized shirts—worn as a day dress and over a sequined skirt, respectively—riffed on the borrowed-from-the-boyfriend look. Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren based their entire collection on the men’s shirt, though in typical V&R fashion, the results were anything but basic: A cuffed oxford paired with black pants seemed simple enough from the front, but it turned out to have a cascading train in back. There were also plenty of more straightforward options, including Michael Kors‘ untucked take. With so many designers embracing the timeless trend this season, maybe we can live out our Mad Men fantasy (well, one of them, anyway) and keep a stack of pressed shirts in our desk drawer—just like Don Draper.
The Golden Globes are this Sunday and the Oscars will be here in a flash, which means the red-carpet speculation has begun in earnest at Style.com’s offices. From what we’ve witnessed at our pre-fall appointments, the A-lister every designer is angling to dress seems to be Best Actress nom—and expectant mom—Natalie Portman. How else to account for the return of the empire waist, as seen on Valentino’s long and lacy black gown (left)? We can’t say for certain that Marion Cotillard, Jennifer Connelly, or Penélope Cruz will be showing off their baby bumps in the coming weeks, but if they do, body-skimming halter gowns from Derek Lam and Reem Acra are two flattering and comfortable options. On the other hand, a bit of flash is always welcome, and Peter Dundas’ neo-hippie number for Emilio Pucci would look great on a wild child with child—Kate Hudson, we’re talking to you.
It’s been a golden year for David Bowie references on the runways. Dries Van Noten and Lanvin’s Lucas Ossendrijver channeled DB’s Thin White Duke persona at the Fall 2011 men’s shows, as did Richard Nicoll at his Spring women’s presentation back in September. And the pop star’s 1983 flick, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, proved inspirational to Roland Mouret’s latest Mr. collection. But a stroll through the Style.com archives indicates that it was always thus, and it’s not just his satin jumpsuits, sharp-shouldered jackets, and jaunty hats that have influenced men’s and women’s fashion. If you look closely, you’ll notice he was rocking the no-eyebrow look way back in 1973.
Spring is usually the season for long white dresses. So why all the ivory gowns on the Fall runways? We’re chalking it up to royal wedding fever. It’s just over two weeks until Kate Middleton walks down the aisle, and while it isn’t likely that Prince William’s betrothed will do it in any of these dresses (she seems poised to follow in time-honored royal footsteps and choose something more conservative), there are other high-profile, fashion-loving brides tying the knot later this year. Kate Moss and Lily Aldridge are marrying their musician boyfriends Jamie Hince and Caleb Followill, respectively, and we could see those catwalkers rocking one of these frocks. You?
Sequins? So last year. But that doesn’t mean the Fall runways weren’t a sea of shimmer, and we’re not just talking about party clothes. Alexander Wang and Marc Jacobs showed Lurex-shot separates for day—sparkly stovepipes and zip-up hoodies, respectively. Those have serious It potential, and so do Miuccia Prada’s glinting, glitter-dipped ankle-strap heels at Miu Miu. A personal favorite? The metallic blush pink pantsuit that Caroline Brasch Nielsen rocked on Peter Copping’s Nina Ricci catwalk.
It’s time to put away those dangling pendants and dainty chains. For Fall, designers are hot under their collars for fierce, face-framing choker necklaces. Whether they came with door knocker-sized ornaments like Lanvin’s, Wilma Flintstone-esque pebbled jewels à la Bottega Veneta, or in fetish-y leather as they did at Emanuel Ungaro, it was all about achieving a snug fit that sits atop the collarbone. And chokers aren’t just for the runways. Street-style fixture Taylor Tomasi Hill repped a Masai-inspired number during fashion week, and we spied our industry crush Virginie Mouzat wearing her gold necklet in Moscow.
“Revenge is beautiful.” It’s more than the tagline for the new Zoe Saldana film Colombiana. It’s the operating principle behind the female badass movie. Recall Angelina Jolie’s Lara Croft in short shorts and a low-cut tank that revealed décolletage and deltoids in equal measure. As Colombiana’s costume designer Olivier Bériot put it, the wardrobe in these movies is “a little bit unreal, but that’s as much for the men in the audience (’she’s sexy!’ [they're thinking]) as it is for the women (’she’s powerful’).”
The start of fall’s transition into winter is cemented for us when we have to switch concealers to account for the complete disappearance of the remnants of our summer tan. That sad day happened last week, dear readers, and while we mourn the loss of any semblance of a golden bronze, we’ve come to the realization that the only thing that will help our increasingly pallid complexion through the blustery months ahead is a concentrated dose of cheek color. We’re talking blush, highlighters, and contouring powders—anything and everything to add back a little bit of rosy-hued animation. Cream color sticks, sculpting powders, and the like have therefore made their way into our makeup bag en masse, although we’ve found that there’s an easier way to get the warm finish we’re looking for on a daily basis. Behold, NARS’ new Danmari All About Cheeks Palette. Based on Monsieur Nars’ fascination with the tradition of Kabuki theater and getting properly primped like a performance artist, the palette includes six face powders that allow you to play up your features with pigments like NARS’ classic Orgasm (a peachy pink with golden shimmer) and Desire (a cotton candy pink) to Casino (a dark brown with gilded flecks) and Hungry Heart (a golden ivory). A little Orgasm on the apples of your cheeks blended into a wash of Casino below your cheekbones will make you almost forget about a natural, sun-kissed glow. 
