Spring 2013 fashion season wrapped up with the Paris shows earlier this month. From larger-than-life bags at Chanel to Raf Simons’s Dior debut, here’s a look at what went down the runway – and what you’ll be dying to wear once the weather warms up.
“I went through the closet of SCAD’s growing collection of couture examples for the costume department – I think we have 150 world class pieces of couture – and found so many great examples of the little black dress. That was the moment the seed was planted in my brain that this should be an exhibit.”
So said Vogue Contributing Editor and Savannah College of Art and Design trustee André Leon Talley of the idea behind the just-opened Little Black Dress exhibit he curated for his eponymous gallery at the SCAD Museum of Art.
We sat on the back porch of his guest cottage at Savannah’s historic Magnolia House the morning after the opening, which had drawn several of his Vogue colleagues, designers, and fashion-world stars, such as Dr. Lisa Airan, who gamely posed beside the Rodarte and Tom Ford creations she lent André for the exhibit.
One of the most striking things about Little Black Dress is that while offering a smattering of historical dresses from Madame Grès, Fortuny, Chanel, Valentino, and Balenciaga, the majority of the 80-plus dresses on display are from the 21st century, be it the Prabal Gurung décolleté evening dress worn by Zoe Saldana to the 2012 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards, the 2007 Lily et Cie feather-trimmed dress named for André’s late grandmother, or the lace Comme des Garçons number Marc Jacobs wore to the Met Gala earlier this year.
And at least one of the dresses here isn’t even a dress at all, but a spider-structured crinoline undercarriage (a.k.a. the prototype for a dress-in-progress) that André spied during a visit to Zac Posen’s studio to preview the spring 2013 collection and immediately liberated for his exhibit. Then there’s Anna Wintour’s dress from Chanel Haute Couture c. 2006, which André claims is the LBD that started it all (hence its position of honor in a plexiglass frame hung high on the red lacquered wall).
“I kept thinking this is not an academic point of view about the black dress, and I’m not going to try to create a show that’s academically correct,” explained André. “We want to give people something they’ve never experienced.”
Continue reading “André Leon Talley’s “Little Black Dress” Exhibit at SCAD” »
London Fashion Week is, probably more than any other fashion capital, all about freewheeling freedom of expression. Here are some highlights from the recent spring shows.
So New York Fashion Week has come and gone, and that can only mean one thing: time to talk trends. Here are my picks for the top 10 trends you’ll be seeing a lot of come spring:
Continue reading “Catwalk to Sidewalk: NYFW Spring 2013 Fashion Trends” »
Along with all the fashion trends stalking the New York runways (which we’ll get into next week), there was plenty of news on the beauty front, too, with these landing as the top ten hair and makeup trends for spring.
Continue reading “Best in Show: NYFW Spring 2013 Beauty Trends” »
Sure, it’s been fun to look at the new spring fashions coming down the New York runways this week. But it’s been equally fun to look at all the celebrities sitting ringside. Or hanging around backstage. Or chilling out at events around town. Here are a few of the notables I saw out and about at the shows and the after parties. Honestly, it’s like the whole city was one big red carpet during NYFW. And that’s just the way I like it!
Continue reading “The Celebfest That Is New York Fashion Week” »
Though designers are moving away from mailing hard Fashion Week invites (preferring to send e-vites instead), there’s still a wealth of creativity on display, whether they come through the letterbox or the inbox. Here are a few of my favorites for the Spring 2013 shows.
Simply put, Rue La La Contributing Editor Lauren David Peden is a Fashion Week pro. For the past eight years she’s been right in the fashion trenches, reporting straight from the front row – this week alone, she’ll be attending more than 80 shows. So, with her veteran status, I couldn’t help but ask for a few fashion week tips. From front row faux pas to clutches vs. hobos (and even the curation of her How To Dress For NYFW Boutique on Rue), she shares all the Fashion Week secrets I’ve been dying to know.
I want everything from your NYFW Boutique – can you tell us how you went about the curation?
First, I started with what I – and other editors, stylists, and fashion insiders I know – actually wear to the shows. So lots of black, lots of big, stylish bags, and chic yet comfortable shoes. I also wanted to include some of the big fall trends that I love, such as graphic print dresses, metallics for day, oversized sweaters, and the season’s new color: oxblood.
Does your style change depending on whether it’s a morning, afternoon, or evening show?
During Fashion Week, I usually leave the house for a 9AM or 10AM show and don’t get home until 9PM or 10PM, so there’s no time to change during the day – even if I’m attending a party at night. Thankfully, most of the other people covering the shows are in the same boat, so we tend to dress in a way that’s appropriate for every occasion.
Since you’re running from tent to tent, it must be hard to wear heels 24/7. Do you tough it out or wear flats when going from show to show?
I’m a huge fan of wedges and flatforms, and I also love lace-up oxfords in fun colors, which happen to be a major fall trend.
Hats were a big trend this year, but are they a fashion faux pas when it comes to the front row?
YES! This is actually a pet peeve of mine. Remember that brouhaha a few seasons ago when Tavi wore a bow hat in the front row of Dior Couture and the people behind her couldn’t see? Not cool. I’m a big fan of hats, but everything has its time and place – and Fashion Week is not the time for hats that are so ginormous they obscure other people’s view. So go ahead and wear your hat – just take it off when you sit down.
Continue reading “Lauren David Peden Dishes New York Fashion Week Secrets” »
As summer draws to a close and New York Fashion Week kicks off next Thursday, we’ve asked some of our favorite designers for a sneak peek at what they’ll be sending down the runway for Spring 2013.
