karen + karl = bffs

**photos courtesy of the new york times @ nytimes.com

...or rather, my experience with his mobile art, CHANEL contemporary art container by zaha hadid, now in Central Park only until Nov. 9, made me feel 1cm closer to getting to know him. i felt really special to have attended this exhibit, because it's kind of hard to get into, being that you're on standby...apparently they sold out of tix "a while ago" and the opening window to get tix was between 8am-10am. um, no thank you, being that i'm your antithesis to "morning person." i'll stand on standby.

so the story goes, that my boss and i had planned to see this "container" the day prior as inspiration for our fall '09 collection. come friday, i ask her when she plans to head out, and she goes "oh, i have to stay and do this pattern for barneys japan....why don't you go yourself and report back."

hmmm. stay inside our studio on a beautiful friday morning? or get kicked out to see a chanel exhibit firsthand, for inspiration's sake? hmmmm.

off i go...boss' orders. *shrug*

upon approaching the exhibit, there stands a slew of black guards in front of the container...it's literally a gorgeous sleek white futuristic bulbous snake supported on a blacktop of the rumsey grounds...the entire view is black and white, and even without being a fashion insider you would think that something "major" was being put on display. i ask the guards what the deal is with the tix, and he explains the standby issue, saying that i would get in at, oh, 3pm...guaranteed. i look at my watch and it's 12:45. decision time: do i wait in line hoping to get in before 3, and experience this thing since i probably won't get the chance on the weekends, much less weekdays..OR do i scour the surrounding museums like the Met over the next 2 hours? i mean, i AM on assignment, no? i decide to stay and fight with time. it's like waiting in line forever for the rollercoaster at great adventure, for a three-minute thrill. i was hoping this was going to last more than 3 minutes.

anywho, i'm standing in line and pull out my sketchbook. Two girls behind me are blabbing about their art classes and pondering out loud if they sound professional...i think to myself, well, if you talk like a valley girl with a long island accent, it's kind of hard to sound professional esp. if your voice is soprano. i continue to sketch...and i must look like i'm a reporter or something because i'm people watching and sketching at the same time....and people are looking at me...i can sense these things...and i begin to see what mr. sartorialist sees on a daily basis....european style, american style, junior/college style, in their daily garb, whether they take it seriously or not. ooh, the line inches forward....3 specimens at a time. it's 1:20...really hoping this line moves a tad faster so i don't feel like i'm playing hooky. but i mean, i'm so not.

along the sidewalk of this line lay speakers that emanate a mix of sounds that cross between french star trek + serge gainsbourg + windchimes. it definitely sets a mood. i'm reeeally curious at this point to see what's inside.

1:40. fiiiiinally comes my turn. i'm the cutoff for the next group to enter, and black-clad guard turns out to be a cutie who chats with me for a bit...i mean, people know me...

i'm not going to give it away, but the exhibit is breathtaking, unique, sensory, and really beautiful at the end of it. each installation has its own surprise and you are guided along by the voice of jeanne moreau, a major french actress, via your own black mp3 player. oh karl, the whole black and white thing is so you! well done. she has the throaty, sexy, deep female voice that is super seductive and matches the vibe of the exhibit completely. it's rather appropriate, actually.

the last 2 installations were rather memorable...1 being a blow-up version of the black chanel 2.55 bag, lined with a rosy mauve rabbit fur and blow-up chanel compact. the other 1 being a "wish tree," where we were invited to write down a wish and hang it on a plant...oooh, i'm being part of history.

at the check-out counter before exiting i also received a fresh 11x14 magazine, of b/w pics of nyc...taken from the who's-who of the fashion/art worlds. olivier zahm, karl, etc. etc...u know, my pals.

....luck be a lady, i was. i returned to the studio with my gifts in hand, feeling like i had the best job in the world...to be paid to be inspired. now that's wack.

omg. it's alberrrr

**Alber Elbaz gives Lily Donaldson an adjustment before the show. (Jean-Luce Huré for The New York Times) ...by way of cathy horyn's blog.

i heart this picture because it's quintessentially the place where we all hope to be, as aspiring fashion designers...at the top, working with gorgeous models, working until the last minute of a runway show, and essentially expressing ourselves to the world thru clothes and having people listen, understand, appreciate, applaud..and wear. or at the very least, be inspired. i mean, it's a show. capital S.

and yet, on a simplistic level, stripped away of the perceptions of the glamour, press, partying, celebrity-ing, this is also a snapshot of what we as designers DO do everyday...fit clothes on a model to make sure what we and everyone sees is what we want them to see. the way we tuck something in, the way we combine colors, the way we choose to dictate proportions...ultimately, the way our vision translates onto people wearing them is our prerogative, as fashion designers.

as an artform, fashion is just like any other - a mode of self expression. it's not just clothes. each piece has a raison d'etre, a specialness to it that makes it worthy of making and creating. to see the results as a piece of wearable art is what drives the inner fashion-artist. and then to wear it and love it and have it be a part of your lifestyle is kind of the ultimate reason, no?

as a business, fashion is kind of crazy...and lucrative at the same time, if you succeed and become a somebody...with oodles of money and loyalty around you to sustain your creative vision. unfortunately, as a business, the clothes DO become just clothes. it's about production, quality control, sourcing economically and efficiently, what sells and what doesn't sell...

and then in the end of it, to have the creative vision intact, season after season, even after cycling through the laundromat of production and the press....now that's success.

oh, the dichotomy of fashion...

hm...i guess i also love this picture because it's alber elbaz and lily donaldson. i mean, come oooon.

shades and cash...mere

so i'm in new jersey for the weekend (everybody say yaaay), visiting my mum and basically taking a quick last-autumn breath away from the city. it's quite beautiful this time of year, probably one of my favorite times, because the leaves give their last burst of color before floating towards the ground...i remember driving back and forth from cornell during fall break, absorbing the rows of vermillion, canary, maple, pumpkin, and viridian along the highway...this was the pick-me up to the downside of almost failing a class......

alas, i digress. i'm getting to the good part about my shades.

as my mom picks me up from the station, the sun is blaring through the car windowshield and i unfold my 3.I shades, slickly framed with canary enamelled wires...i put them on, and my, how the leaves on the trees change from good to f*ckin great. gorgeous. explosions of color that make you go whoa. it's magical. i mean, really...i never thought nature was this pretty.

then i take them off and realize that my view of the leaves was simply glorified by the tinting of my frames. because what i actually saw was so much duller...flat...not whoa-worthy. like, wtf.

and i was bummed! because, what i had seen was just a fantastical-heightened version of nature thru "rose colored glasses," if you will...it had enhanced my viewing pleasure so much that i believed it to be real...and to realize that the reality of it was subpar was needless to say, disappointing. a bit sad.

and so i must reconcile, for the gazillionth time, the fine black lining that separates reality from fantasy. we can perhaps believe all we want, thus creating our own fantasy, and convince people to believe in it too, until we ourselves take off the shades to really see how it is. and sometimes, it ain't so pretty.

and another thing...i cannot find my cashmere fingerless "opera" gloves, col. Flesh. now would be the perfect time to wear them, as outside is transitioning to official sweata weather, yet inside my room it's fast forwarded to antarctica.

help.

rachel yamagata performs live quite well

what to wear, what to wear...this is a daily question i face as i wake up from the comfort of my down comforter (even in the summer), look out the window to ponder what the weather dictates, and decide whether to follow or rebel.

today is rather chilly; i just stepped out for a quick coffee at my fave coffee shop down the street and realized that it went from spring/summer '08 to fall '08 in less time than you can say i-wonder-if-i-can-ever-afford-a-dries-piece-de-la-resistance-circa-spring09...wearing my striped deconstructed off shoulder tee, loosely tucked inside the almost defunct "boyfriend jean" w/rolled cuff, strapped with a red pony-hair ribbon of a belt, nonchalantly cloaked under my 3.I leather bomber, feeling a bit jaunty from the crisp fall weather, i still feel like it's not enough. jeez. what's a girl to do...

i think i may just grab a scarf and weather the weather...sweata weatha.

on the sketching front, i think i'm stuck in a rut....when you've drawn a zillion outfits and find resemblances among them, it either worries me or confirms that a) a strong personal aesthetic is surfacing to air, (b) all the sketch refining at 3.I must've crept into my own aesthetic subconsciously and i can't shake it off, because i scan my collection and feel like i'm recreating phillip's collections of yester-season (c) i need some fresh air (aka traveling? san fran? visiting bffs?) and fresh perspective.

maybe all of the above....

quickie mcqueen

alexander mcqueen, spring 09:
encrusted dinner suits....(no pups allowed on the lap!)
fringe fabulosity...(c'mon, it's pretty fab...) and a dash of wheee...(models do smile...sometimes)

bridesmaid revisited

ah oui, bonjour!

i'm off to shop for bridesmaid dresses today....it's one week until the wedding and i haven't held up my part of the bridesmaid deal - to find my dress!

it needs to be purple, orchid purple, and somewhat simple, elegant, not overshadowing the bride...yet of all the shops i've scouted there isn't anything that fits the bill...like the never ending shoe search, there is always something....

perhaps there is no perfection obtainable in life. we all have to "settle" somehow....and maybe i just need to get over my idealism.

BUT, if i were to keep dreaming, (and i shall), these would be some viable dress options (oh, giambattista valli, you've done it again):

ok, maybe not #3. but i heart tanya d.

bring me bling, s'il vous plait

it's interesting to watch a chanel runway show to the soundtrack of the vp debate...

i shall never do it again. it's sooo distracting, to both parties. so much for multitasking.

it's also, amazing, that a runway show can hold 71 looks...the norm is anywhere between 25-40ish...even if you're reaching beyond 40 it's like "wtf." not to say i don't enjoy it...but for an industry known for its a.d.d., it's almost ironic for a show to be so lengthy. but alas i nitpick.

i did enjoy the show, for the most part. i couldn't get my eyes off the blingy necklaces - beautiful placemats of enamelled florals layed against the chest. on tweed! the "necklace" seems to still hold its stance as one of the statement pieces of the season...sounds like some fun d.i.y time for me. bold (refined, of course) bling in the form of large faceted crystals and metal...drool.

still on the search for the perfect bootie...mass market just doesn't cut it for me on this one. there is always something i want to change about what's out there. heel too high, too much detail, too gimmicky, too cheap looking....

...it's always a search, no?

i leave you with thoughts of stella's pretty pastels and ysl's stunning and always reliant take on refined, sensual, dressing (note the sequin collar! nonchalantly sewn over a sheer blouse...but of course):

brought to you by the stefano pilati.......and scene.

pleated pants anyone?

balmain, dries, balenciaga...drool drool drool...

people always ask me "what's in style" right now...being that they are not in fashion and they know i am. but i never have an answer for them, except to say "whatever works for you...there are no rules."

this is a hard concept for some people to grasp...because when it comes to clothes, they wear by the rules. certain things work, other things don't. whereas for me, fashion and style is all about bending the rules...flirting with them...trying to prove otherwise.

**disclaimer: i totally understand that career plays a huge role in wardrobe choices...so playing it safe may be a necessity....but how about the weekends?

a "fashion person" would say the look du jour is:

-sartorialist/androgynous/edgy/nerdy: high-waisted cropped pleated pants/harem pants, ankle heels/boots, boyfriend blazer, striped tee, a cool or sleek haircut, strong accessories, maybe dark framed glasses to boot...oh and esp. the jumpsuit/onesie.

a certain attitude of nonchalance is required...a la paris... shouldn't that always be the case when one decides what to wear?

a non-fashion person would say:

1) but i can't wear the jumpsuit..it's not flattering

2) can black and navy go together? what can i wear with grey? can i wear red shoes with this?

3) why would you wear an oversized blazer? how is that flattering?

4) i can-NOT pull off pleats

it's like an episode of "what not to wear." despite its entertainment factor, it does no good to inspire the true fashionista in us.

and then i have to say "dahhling, don't worry about it...it doesn't matter unless you feel comfortable in it." and that all goes to show that you need some serious confidence to pull off "fashion" looks. vice versa; if you are not comfortable wearing pleated cropped pants and heels, it will show through your outfit and that is never a good look for anyone, no matter how hot you really are.

maybe it's because i have a dual background in being totally practical and grounded (darn engineering degree) yet flighty and fantastical and dreamy (FIT, 3.I, zachary's), that this kind of discussion/reality creates some internal frustration. i, like everyone else out there, think about what to wear for the day/moment/event, but more from a perspective of "what's appropriate + what's my emotional status..." at the times when i can be myself (thank gawd my job is freethinking and creative), which luckily is every day, i'll mix it up with a sartorial/grunge sort of thing. or i'll play 3.I label whore (i can't help it...this is what happens when you amass the company's clothes as perks for making it through). of course, part of being stylish is knowing how to balance the outfit with the occasion, so on the flip side, if i'm going to be in a crowd of more conservative people (ie. a wedding of old college friends/acquaintances- read "conservative") i'll tone it down a tad. i have to....because i may have confidence, but not THAT much to totally completely stand out from the crowd.

luckily it's been working out so far....

genius, no?

hey you...soooo paris fashion week has begun...i'm a bit behind in my "research" but only because things have been busy at work (tech packs, waxing overseas poetic, pleading the patternmaker to "make it work!!"). anywho, it's really inspiring to be inspired by designers out there who flirt on this side of wearable, but push the boundary more than two steps ahead to be plopped in the visionary bucket.

case in point: ann demeulemeester, spring '09.

fashion shows are a delicate balancing act between fantasy and reality...from my knowledge, buyers and editors attend these shows to, well, select what the trends are and where they are going...sometimes designers are critiqued negatively for not being commercial enough, while others are critiqued for being too commercial and not moving forward. also, it's a fine line to design according to the public (without compromising/watering down the designs) yet fulfill the high expectations of said critiques...and to make a personal statement.

also, relatively speaking, newyork shows tend to be more commercial (hence "american" sportswear...wearable but sometimes too safe, therefore boring); london shows can be really out there, art-school-esque, to the point of wtf?? milan is more...streamline yet sophisticated, my fave is prada because she's reviewed as if she's royalty, she can do no wrong, and yet if you look at it you're also like "wtf" followed by "ah, genius" ; paris is just breathtaking and it's a bit more controversial, stimulating a fashion dialogue that brings the idea of fashion to a philosophical level (ie stefano pilati of ysl. fall 2008...bowl haircuts + black gloss lipstick + beauuuuutiful tailoring + directional sequinned drop crotch pants = unavoidable discussion of his undeniable genius and power to dictate trends and seduce).

when you hear stefano speak during his interviews, you can't help but pay attention to this man and the way he owns the responsibility of being a fashion designer (that's kind of an understatement...he's only the creative director of the house of YSL...a lot to live up to). He is all around romantic and seriously, every word and motion that comes out of him breathes a love of beautiful things, people, clothes, style...a person's cool romantic essence is what seduces certain designers and vice versa...making them so relatable and untouchable at the same time. they are the most insecure divas you will ever meet....i speak from experience, heh.

anywho, what makes fashion so teetering between sane and insane is that 1) sooo many people LIVE it, even if they don't want to admit it; 2) it can be so vain and frivolous, and is not helped by "those in the industry" who talk like teenagers who speak the fashion gossip language that you wonder if it's at all serious or just gossipy (but it's kind of funny...read fashionista.com and you'll know what i mean); 3) it is of the moment, can be inspiring for just that moment for a bit longer, but it shows you how 1 moment can be so uplifting, magical, illusional, and how so many people have lived off, and make livings of, that fleeting moment...it's quite masochistic, really. and yet fashion design itself is such a logical process, of business, of dressmaking, that it's mandatory to have clothing technicians (patternmakers, drapers, sewers) to make all of that momentary illusion exist and render possible. this psychotic and bi-polar dichotomy is what makes the fashion industry sane. it somehow, still makes money. because not everyone designs for illusion....as in any creative industry you will have your dreamers and your realists. but i shall save that rambling for another post...

alas, some more pretty pics...soak it in and enjoy the frivolity of fashion.