Posts for October 23rd 2008

L'Oreal Toronto Fashion Week: Mango Spring 2009
Mango

L'Oreal Toronto Fashion Week: Mango Spring 2009

Aside from a few nice coats and some passable separates, we were unimpressed with the Spring 09 Mango collection.
by coutorture

Aside from a few nice coats and some passable separates, we were unimpressed with the Spring 09 Mango collection. Just look at the Banana Republic Spring 09 collection or the Topshop Look Book from this fall and you'll see why. The only thing you really have to sacrifice when you shop mass-market is a little bit of quality (you get what you pay for) and the knock-off problem. Otherwise, the stores are, in our opinion, fine places for trendy wardrobe-filler. The problem with Mango is that you get the feeling that even if Mango weren't a mass-market corner cutter they'd still lack sophistication...whereas Topshop and Uniqlo and Target are all stores that don't, actually, give you that feeling. 

 

 

Inspired By Marc Jacobs Spring 09
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Inspired By Marc Jacobs Spring 09

It might not be the cheapest outfit in the world ($940 to be exact) but you get the idea--the Marc Jacobs Spring 09 show was such an across the board hit, we are determined to break down its finer points.
by coutorture

It might not be the cheapest outfit in the world ($940 to be exact) but you get the idea--the Marc Jacobs Spring 09 show was such an across the board hit, we are determined to break down its finer points. That said, it is not easy to mix metallic brocade, metallic plaid, and enough accessories to fill a vendor's stall--and still make it feel like a feasible outfit. To really get your head spinning, check out the entire Marc Jacobs Spring 09 show, right here.

Toronto Fashion Week: Carlie Wong Spring 2009
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Toronto Fashion Week: Carlie Wong Spring 2009

Carlie Wong, we discovered this morning, was something of a Project Runway contestant on the first season of the Canadian spin-off.
by coutorture

Carlie Wong, we discovered this morning, was something of a Project Runway contestant on the first season of the Canadian spin-off. Her designs are among the best to come out of Toronto this week, we think, mostly because they are so sophisticated. The long silk dresses with grecian like tailoring were exceptional and her separates look well made and rightly proportioned (as short as those shorts to the left may look--remember the model is taller than your average woman). If television shows give talented designers a platform on which to make better clothes and those clothes give recognition to smaller, lesser known fashion weeks...we think that's wonderful.  

To see more galleries and reviews from L'Oreal Toronto Fashion Week, click here. 

Brian Reyes Fall 08 Deliveries
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Brian Reyes Fall 08 Deliveries

Sometimes you see a collection at fashion week and then accidently forget all about when the season comes around.
by coutorture

Sometimes you see a collection at fashion week and then accidently forget all about when the season comes around. We found ourselves checking out Brian Reyes's Fall 08 deliveries today and remembered how much we liked his collection in the first place! Whether it's a cocktail dress, a staple cardigan, a luxurious camisole, or an outerwear piece-Brian Reyes has consistently offered investment-worthy designs to young, refined women. To see the entire Brian Reyes Fall 08 collection, click here.

Banana Republic Spring 2009
Banana Republic

Banana Republic Spring 2009

Is it just us or is the Banana Republic Spring 2009 collection as chic (if not more so) than some of the Spring 09 collections we saw in the tents this year?
by coutorture

Is it just us or is the Banana Republic Spring 2009 collection as chic (if not more so) than some of the Spring 09 collections we saw in the tents this year? The gliding silks, the rolled up sleeves, the  jumpsuits, the color palette of mint, ice blue, nude, and white--it's all too much to handle! As Simon Kneen first full collection for for the brand, we are now prepared to belive that Banana Republic will be the chicest new style destination in the contemporary price bracket. Which makes us wonder if Kneen has been at the helm since January (even if this is his first full collection) have they been achieving this level of chic for months now? We've just been distracted by their sale section (which is so unsightly!) or the fact that the closest one to us is on Broadway which is the Bermuda Triangle of tourist shopping. As a penance, we will be making a stop at their store this weekend...if Spring is this fantastic there must be something to tide us over from the Fall collection.