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Alexandra Tomlinson

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Chanel's Spring 2009 Couture Paper Party Causes Model Fall
Chanel's Spring 2009 Couture Paper Party Causes Model Fall January 27, 2009 12:18 pm >> Karl Lagerfeld recently proclaimed "bling is over.  I call it 'the new modesty.'"  His Chanel couture collection was certainly pared down compared to seasons past, from the smaller venue to the colorless palette and egalitarian inspiration: paper.  Appearances may be deceiving, however; Karl still has no financial constraints at Chanel: "We have no budget, we do what we want and throwing money out the window brings money back in through the front door.  The bottom line is that I don’t deal with the bottom line."
Roland Mouret, Still Sticking To What He Knows
Roland Mouret, Still Sticking To What He Knows July 3, 2008 2:04 pm >> Amongst significantly less hubbub — no Net-a-Porter selling his clothes right off the runway this time — Roland Mouret debuted his second collection yesterday under his new RM by Roland Mouret moniker.  The new set of dresses are definitely cut from the Mouret cloth — sheaths tailored with precision, oragami shapes — but for a man who's been using the same silhouettes since 2005, it's time to grow the aesthetic, not stand still in time.
Alessandra Facchinetti Tries Her Hand at Valentino Couture for Fall 2008
Alessandra Facchinetti Tries Her Hand at Valentino Couture for Fall 2008 July 2, 2008 1:22 pm >> Alessandra Facchinetti's first couture collection at Valentino represents a nerve-racking, generational hand-off, but Giorgio Armani was there in the front row to lend support and represent the old guard.  The collection had the palpable feel of a different designer, as it should — more structure and pared-down tailoring, with most of the detail left to the back of the garments, and more subdued colors than the pastels Valentino had been playing with.
Riccardo Tisci Readies For a Vacation with Givenchy Fall 2008 Couture
Riccardo Tisci Readies For a Vacation with Givenchy Fall 2008 Couture July 1, 2008 10:38 pm >> Riccardo Tisci is taking a trip to Peru in August, and his anticipation birthed the Incan prints and alpaca blanket stripes that pepper his latest couture collection for Givenchy.
Christian Lacroix Bugs Out for Fall 2008 Couture
Christian Lacroix Bugs Out for Fall 2008 Couture July 1, 2008 2:38 pm >> Usually Christian Lacroix's designs are a little too overwrought to speak to me, but something about this set sits just right.  Maybe the scarlet backdrop is to blame, setting off all the intricate detailing with its vivid hue: the peekaboo lace sleeves, the bell-shaped cocktail dresses, the gossamer tufts; or maybe I've just gone buggy for Lacroix's insect-inspired fantasy world.
John Galliano Plays Peekaboo with Fall 2008 Dior Couture
John Galliano Plays Peekaboo with Fall 2008 Dior Couture June 30, 2008 12:42 pm >> Transparency is still the word, in John Galliano's mind.  The beanie-sporting designer had Lisa Fonssagrives, wife to Irving Penn and oft-credited as the first supermodel, in mind when producing his typical voluminous dresses, but with layers of light chiffon, rather than the heavier, stiffer fabrics Christian Dior couture has boasted in recent seasons.  Frequent collaborator Stephen Jones, meanwhile, looked to Eduardo Garcia Benito, famous for his '20s Vogue cover illustrations of women in cloches, when creating the accompanying skull cap-cum-cloches.