Posts for September 20th 2012

Tom Ford on His Presidential Pick for 2012

Link Time Sep 20, 2012

Tom Ford's Presidential Pick, Tommy Hilfiger's Hotel, and Calvin Klein's GIFs

Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

by Justin Fenner

Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

"Are you kidding? If you have a social conscience, you have to vote Obama," declared Tom Ford at a fundraiser for the president's campaign in London, which he cohosted with Anna Wintour. [WWD]
Tommy Hilfiger will partner with hotelier Vikram Chatwal when Chatwal acquires 30 percent of the historic Plaza Hotel in New York City, according to reports. Should Hilfiger ever have to deal with the hotel's business directly, it'll be an easy commute to the office: he and his wife Dee already live there. [Page Six]
Calvin Klein tapped blogger Greta Larkins of FashGif to create moving images of the brand's Spring 2013 collection for its Tumblr. Our favorite so far is a black dress whose breast panels move up and down its shoulder straps. [Styleite]
The apple never falls that far from the tree. Betsey Johnson's daughter Lulu is staring her own fashion line, called Lulu and Allison, for "women who still want to be hip, sexy, and cool." [Racked]
For a fashion person, Erin Wasson doesn't shop much for garments. "I shop a lot more for furniture than I do for clothes," she says. "I much prefer going to an antique shop full of obscurities." [Elle.com]

Photo: President Obama and the first lady, wearing Tom Ford, at a dinner at Buckingham Palace in May 2011.

Preorder Cushnie et Ochs Spring 2013 Dresses

Shopping Sep 20, 2012

Shop It Now: Cushnie et Ochs Spring 2013

In this age of instant fashion gratification, it really shouldn't be surprising that pieces from the Spring 2013 collections — which debuted only a few short weeks ago in New York — are becoming available for preorder by the minute.

by Christina Perez

In this age of instant fashion gratification, it really shouldn't be surprising that pieces from the Spring 2013 collections — which debuted only a few short weeks ago in New York — are becoming available for preorder by the minute. Yesterday it was Proenza Schouler's lust-worthy Record bag; today it's nearly the entire Cushnie et Ochs collection — and it's just as covetable as those PS bags.

Available now via the latest trunk show on Moda Operandi, the collection is filled with sexy-sleek pieces in a monochrome palette (aqua, cobalt, black, white) inspired by the beaches and architecture of co-designer Michelle Ochs's home country of the Philippines. Click through to see the options on offer, and watch the video below for a behind-the-scenes look at the brand's Spring 2013 show, lensed by Bettina Santo Domingo. If you watch carefully you'll see cameos by Kate Bosworth, Lynn Yaeger, and Bill Cunningham who all sat front row.

View 31 Photos

fashion week Sep 20, 2012

Ports 1961 Spring 2013

White was clearly the color that designer Fiona Cibani had on the brain when designing for Spring 2013.

by Melody Nazarian

White was clearly the color that designer Fiona Cibani had on the brain when designing for Spring 2013. She sent down a handful of crisp pieces in the hue, including lace-sleeved jackets, boxy coats, lace-hem dresses, high-low dresses, and button-down blouses. But white wasn't the only shade that popped up on Ports 1961's runway; soft pink, bright pink, yellow, and black were also plenty present. Notable details were lace-and-pleated hemlines, sporty pants with elastic waists, and flowy dresses with a sheer overlay. And though solids were the centerpiece, a few subtle circle prints also made cameos.

View 33 Photos

fashion week Sep 20, 2012

Prada Spring 2013

After last season's dazzling, print-on-print pantsuit action, it was anyone's guess what Miuccia Prada would offer up for Spring 2013.

by Christina Perez

After last season's dazzling, print-on-print pantsuit action, it was anyone's guess what Miuccia Prada would offer up for Spring 2013. It's fairly certain, though, that an army of robotic geisha dressed in black, satin, and pale pink was not on anyone's list. Wearing teetering geta flatforms or slipper-like tabi sock shoes, they marched, faces deadpan and hair piled high in messy pixie spikes.

And as for the clothes, they came in vaguely Japanese silhouettes and slickly saturated hues. Crewneck tops, kimono jackets, below-the-knee shorts, A-line miniskirts, off-the-shoulder wraps, and three-quarter-sleeve shifts were cut in boxy shapes that hung crisply off the body in unfussy lines. But it wasn't all cold android emotion and dark sobriety; for a hint of playful innocence, nearly every look came adorned with cartoon-like floral appliqué or prints, and a series of pastel-hued pieces toward the end of the show were sculpted artfully in origami folds.

View 43 Photos

Prada Sep 20, 2012

Prada Creates Trippy, Digital Dystopia in Latest Film

For the newest installment of its Real Fantasies video lookbook series, Prada casts its Fall 2012 collection in the neon glow of a distant future that takes its design cues from the past.

by Justin Fenner

For the newest installment of its Real Fantasies video lookbook series, Prada casts its Fall 2012 collection in the neon glow of a distant future that takes its design cues from the past. Models — cast as "genetically perfected clones" — stalk around environments created by layering images and videos on top of each other, while ominous music plays in the background. One male model is seen wringing his hands while sitting on top of the world; later on, a woman pulls a wad of cash out of her purse and hands it to another woman in front of an ornate staircase. It's strange, yes, and thought-provoking, too.

fashion week Sep 20, 2012

Max Mara Spring 2013

Laura Lusuardi dispensed with this season's prevailing pastels and used leopard, plaid, khaki, and olive in her safari-themed Spring 2013 collection for Max Mara.

by Justin Fenner

Laura Lusuardi dispensed with this season's prevailing pastels and used leopard, plaid, khaki, and olive in her safari-themed Spring 2013 collection for Max Mara. The direction was obvious as soon as the first model came down the runway in a tone-on-tone khaki jacket with epaulets and plenty of pockets. Have pockets, will travel.

The journey continued with a variety of similarly militaristic looks (the multipocketed shirts continued, on occasion appearing in a cornflower-blue color that broke up the khaki and green well), but eventually spilled into ensembles that mixed prints: leopard mixed with plaid and with florals. Those materials appeared in alternating panels on skirts and in different sections of one wild trench coat. Just the sort of clothing the Max Mara woman will be hunting for come Spring.

View 48 Photos

fashion week Sep 20, 2012

Emporio Armani Spring 2013

Giorgio Armani called his Spring 2013 collection for Emporio Armani "Neat," and that was an apt description: the overwhelming lightness of color and the simplicity of the shapes he sent down the runway were very neat indeed.

by Justin Fenner

Giorgio Armani called his Spring 2013 collection for Emporio Armani "Neat," and that was an apt description: the overwhelming lightness of color and the simplicity of the shapes he sent down the runway were very neat indeed.

The show started with menswear-inspired separates (think Prince of Wales check shorts paired with blazers and jackets, and suiting in shades of taupe and olive green). This faded to airy pieces in the palest pinks and blues, like two short-sleeved cardigans cut from a pleated, sheer material and cocktail dresses so light they fluttered as the models walked down the runway.

But as with all of Armani's collections, this one was strong — not sweet. There was a toughness to a metallic one-shoulder shirt that suggested chain mail and a selection of gently pleated pastel shorts with sheen. There weren't any gowns in this outing, but with so many other ways to sparkle, who needs them?

View 60 Photos