Karlie Kloss - FIERRECCCEE!!!

Remember the model who Tyra Banks mocked because of her walk at the Jill Stuart show a few seasons back. Her name was Karlie Kloss. She is 5'11", 16 years old and the girl is FIERCE!

If you've not seen her walk, the Kloss walk features a kind of stoned death stare; she moves in slowwww motion, swaying her head and arms from side to side in such a way that you feel if she looks at you, you will be struck down to your death.

I want you all to take note of her because while she is already pretty big, she can only get bigger.

....anddddd apparently her and I have something in common. Her favorite model is COCO ROCHA!

MARGIELA S/S 09 - SPEAKS FOR ITSELF!

Martin Margiela showed his S/S 09' collection yesterday in Paris and I have to say it was true eye-candy. I love when designers make us wonder, "How did they think of that". As a creative person, it is a great feeling when my creativity is challenged. The first thing I should point out is how Margiela covered the faces of all the models in the show. For the 20th anniversary collection, he decided to let the looks speak for themselves. I thought it was brilliant. So many times we fall in love with a look because of what a particular model brings to that look. No faces = No distractions.

For this season, Margiela really took us on a joy-ride. He pulled inspiration from some of his most ground-breaking looks of his previous collections. For instance, he started with a slightly puffed Edwardian-shouldered jacket that dates from his first Spring collection, designed in 1988. Ironically, the jacket can still be worn today and would not come off at all as vintage. He also showed us the pointed shoulder pads of 2006 and the circular-cut leather of 2005.

Just about every look had a feel of familiarity about it, and all of it was carried off without Margiela having to compromise his previous looks to make them relatable to today's market. As usual, the show ended without anyone coming out to give a bow or to take credit for the collection. It would have been great to finally see Margiela come out after 20 years, but I assume he was backstage, basking in his glory as the crowd roared and cheered after the show.

Yohji Yamamoto S/S 09'

If you read my review on Rick Owens' S/S 09' collection, you know that I ended it with...

"I am curious as to what Demeulemeester and Yamamoto will show? Will we see this more refined girl or should we expect that signature girl who is a bit grungy and gothic?"

Well the verdict is in, as expected Yohji Yamamoto's S/S 09' collection was much more refined than usual. The show did not necassirly give use anything new in regards to silhouette but something about it was calm, peaceful and refreshing. There was almost a meditative feel to it. Yohji = Yoga?

The show started with interesting black asymmetrical suits; while the asymmetry has become a Yamamoto signature, this season he managed to add some eye-pleasing aspects to it. Really interesting sleeves, lapels and tails really added a fresh touch to the collection. The jackets were paired with either slim silhouette pants or the classic Yamamoto full skirt. Next, Yamamoto showed a few ivory dresses, which surprisingly managed to remain edgy while still being quite feminine. The dresses were actually constructed by piecing together white & cream fabric swatches; which I found incredibly interesting. He then took us into a more casual phase, with great white over-sized shirts, irregular shaped vests and pants that were made of ultra-light and sometimes sheer fabrics.

It was refreshing to see Yamamoto give us something that was so wearable. Again, I am really enjoying seeing this more refined girl. She tends to still take risks but knows how to remain polished through it all. I have a feeling that Demeulemeester will be quite similar in regards to the refinement of her girl.

Margiela bows out to Raf?

Tonight Martin Margiela will present his "20th anniversary" spring 2009 collection during Paris Fashion Week. The buzz around Paris is that Margiela is looking for his successor. The 51-year-old designer met with fellow Belgian designer Raf Simons (who we LOVE) earlier this year, when Simons was renegotiating his contract with Jil Sander. I believe Raf Simons would be an extremely competant successor to Martin Margiela. Will it happen? We will have to wait and find out.


Just FYI, Simons has since signed to stay on at Jil Sander for another three years; this does not mean he can not sign on to Margiela as well.

ACCESS DENIED!!

I just confirmed a story from one of my friends; who is a Fashion Editor at Vogue Italia.

The security guards at the Rick Owens show closed the doors SUPER early and ended up turning away Emmanuelle Alt, Kate Lanphear, and Diane Pernet; just to name a few.

After the Bruno Pieters show, many of the attendees piled into the Fashion Week transportation bus and began to head over to Rick Owens. When they arrived, they were told by security guards that the doors were closed and they were not allowing anyone else into the show. Someone on the bus ended up calling one of the PR reps and informing them that they were all not being allowed into the show. Get this, the PR rep then comes out to let them in and the security guards tell the him that he is not allowed back in! CRAZINESS!

Standing room guests who did not make it in were so disgusted that they began to throw their invitations at the entrance doors.

Seriouslly, how do you turn away the Fashion Director of Vogue Paris?

GARETH PUGH S/S 09' - FABULOUS!!!!!

One of our favorite Englishmen, Gareth Pugh showed his collection this season for the first time in PARIS! The London based designer has some of the most avant-garde pieces London has ever seen, so quite naturally the opportunity to show in Paris was inevitable.

Some of you may not be familiar with Pugh, his line is not as popular in the United States as it should be. Pugh won the 2008 ANDAM award; which gave him a 150,000 Euro package which enabled him to develop his label and show in Paris. The Central Saint Martin's graduate has shown on-schedule at London Fashion Week five times. Gareth was named Designer of the Year 2007 at the Elle Style awards and was featured in the acclaimed exhibition Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Moving on to the show. BEYOND AMAZING! The first thing you will notice is that each look was black and white. If you look closer, you will realize that each look, from the shoes to the hose to the clothes, was white in front and black in back. Pugh said he had the idea of focusing on emerging from darkness. FABULOUS! right? He played romance against aggressive futurism with exaggerated ruffles which were masterfully tailored into collars, vests and skirts on the first looks; sculpted dresses and suits peaked at the shoulders and ridged up and down the thighs, some done in plastic coated EEL, that with the slicked hair, made for a wet look, think "Lady of the Lake". Pugh is a true showman and I am so proud that he got to experience the dream of showing your collection in Paris

Amen, Rick Owens!

Rick Owens' S/S 09' collection was themed "Priestesses of Longing". I found it to be very interesting. I have a love for eastern designers who pull inspiration from the west; in this case, western religion. For the first time, I feel Owens gave us a collection that is extremely wearable. I would actually go on the limb of saying the very high majority of the collection is wearable. While the nun headpieces and the slouchy footwear seem quite dramatic, the actual garments are a bit more refined.

The color palette was simple, either all black or all gray. However, there seemed to be an overall lightness to the collection. Typically when designers use all-black for a collection, they tend to lose the chic and read a bit gothic. This did not. It was sexy, sophisticated street that segued into a more covered-up moment; which still had an overall chicness.

I am curious as to what Demeulemeester and Yamamoto will show? Will we see this more reformed girl or should we expect that signature girl who is a bit grungy and gothic?

MILANO falls short YET AGAIN on DIVERSITY...

We all remember the all-black Vogue Italia published a few months back. I would have thought this would have opened the doors allowing more black models to walk in the Milano shows. I was wrong.

The Milano shows continue to be the most undiverse of all major fashion capitals. I know it sounds weird because everytime you hear of a black model "breaking barriers" it seems to take place in Milano; Chanel Iman in Gucci and Jourdan Dunn in Versace and Prada. However, these are only 2 black models who are working major shows; in the country that just gave us an all-black Vogue. Interesting, no?

I will go on record and state, I am not one who believes that black girls should rule the runway and take over the modeling industry. To be honest, I believe designers have the right to choose who they want in their shows. As a black person, if you are offended by the designers choices, you have the right to not support that designer by not purchasing his/her merchandise. I find it very ironic that black people complain about shows like Gucci not using black girls yet, if you walk into the NYC Gucci Flagship, the majority of the consumers are black. I believe if you want something to change you must stand up for the cause. I know Gucci makes some amazing handbags, but don't give hundreds and thousands of dollars to a brand and then turn around and complain that the designers are racist.

Moving on....I just want to point out a few statistics from a few of the Milano shows.

Kudos to Bottega Veneta who really stands out in a positive way; they used 4 black models and 1 Asian model in their S/S 09 show. Gucci Prada, Fendi, Missoni and Versace all had only 1 black model; while Giorgio Armani, Marni and Jil Sander had no Black or Asian models at all.

Hopefully, things turn around in Paris.

BREAKING NEWS!! Project Runway says "Auf Wiedersehen" to ELLE

It's official!! No more ELLE! Marie Claire will be the new sponsor of Project Runway once it moves to Los Angeles and Lifetime next season. While this is breaking news, it really does not come as a suprise because just recently Nina Garcia (who we knew would remain a judge) was named Fashion Director at Marie Claire.

HIGH TOP FADES = HIGH FASHION? LOVE!!!

So I recently seen these images on another blog. I think the hair is FABULOUS!!!! It is absolutely to DIE! The shoot is from the great Australian magazine; Oyster.

Kudos to the Hairstylist Benjamin Pinon for serving us something new and edgy!

Photography By Christopher Katke
Styling - Michael Angel

Thoughts?