the dean and dan show

The two Canadian designers, Dean and Dan, of Dsquared have risen in the crazy world of women's fashion since their debut showing in 2004. They are always doing something new and innovating that manages to capture the eyes of fashion-a-holics and Joe Blow down the street, when they had Rihanna going down the runway, you tell me half the world did not know about it (their marketability is so incredibly amazing to me).

Their recent fall/winter showing was no different than any other, in that it was AMAZING! It was leather, red, fur and fierceness all wrapped up into one. Their clothing is always very edgy and aggressive but somehow they put it all together and are still able to make their line very wearable. Although there were a couple of pieces that I thought to myself, "when the hell would someone wear that?" but with a beautiful design and and great fabric who wouldn't want to wear it (or at least try).

When would this be worn,I don't know but isn't it crazy?

The thigh high (and I mean literally upper thigh length boots.... no exaggeration) were incredible and seemed like something that a stylish dominatrix would wear. They were high and gave the illusion that the models were nine feet tall. While we're on the topic of the heel height, I have to tell you about the heel itself. It was so crazy, it was white and looked like it was a curly/wavy stem. I have no idea how those girls managed to stand, let alone walk in them. I am by no means a "heel" person but for some reason, these heels spoke to me and said, "Venetia, buy me". If I could afford these beauties, I would for sure pick them up.

And the amazing brown fur coat that they paired with the delightfully bright red strapless mid thigh length dress was superb. It was just so big and with an outrageously large collar that you couldn't help but love it. I'm sure Ms. Wintour loved it as well, and not just because it was fur people but also for the great shape and fit.

They also showed THE cutest little black gloves imaginable. They were cropped gloves (I have no other idea about how to describe them) and it looked like there was some sort of little bow on them, cute right?

Check the gloves

O000, and the cropped grey pants that they paired with the sequined bow tie were masculine with a feminine twist all at the same time. Loved it!

If you get a minute check out the show on their website here.

guido's cinema italiano

Nine, the broadway musical that has recently been made into a movie is FANTASTIC! The acting, the singing, the songs and best of all the costumes were right on point with the glamorous lifestyle of Guido Contini (played by the always great Daniel Day Lewis). It's not a wonder why the film was nominated for best costume design in a motion picture.

The film alternates between dialogue in the "real life" and the singing and dancing world where characters are able to express themselves to the audience without the knowledge of other characters. Both worlds show very different costumes ideas but are equally fabulous.

The real world is full of 60's inspired clothing. The suits that Guido wears are great in showing European fashion, from the tailored jacket and slacks that hit just below the ankle with pointy leather shoes, all in black, with a gorgeous (and probably cotton) dress shirt and black tie that hits just above the belt and is a square cut finish. All of which is topped off by one of his many italian-esque hats and a pair of what look to be rayban wayfarers. His character is just oozing with effortless cool and I loved every moment of it.

Then there's the women of guido's life, his mama, his wife Louisa, his mistress Carla and the countless others that he cannot live without.

Marion Cotillard plays Guido's wife and I think she is one of THE best outfitted characters in the film. Her style is simple and tasteful, with her simple black dresses, pinned back hair and her effortlessness of it all are very parisian in style (go figure her character was raised in Paris).

Judi Dench's character plays the costume designer for Guido's films (if you're confused read the synopsis here). The countless outfits that her character makes, range from being extravagant and vegas showgirl like the sequiny feathered number to a long creme colored gown that she designs for Nicole Kidman's character.

Top all of the outfits off with a coffee and a cigarette hanging out of EVERYONE's mouth and you got Europe.

This movie was so good, and I am trying to get everyone I know to watch it. So if there's anyone out there who have not seen it yet, go, check it out. You'll love the "glamorously Latin world that only Guido can portray"

burberry... yes please

I absolutely love men's fashion, the cut of the clothing, the style and the masculinity (and sometimes feminine flair) drive me crazy, in a good way of course. My taste in men's fashion ranges from the clothing over at The Row and Rag & Bone to that of Dior Homme (at it's height with Hedi Slimane), Marc by Marc Jacobs and last but certainly not least there is Burberry.

Christopher Bailey, creative director of the Burberry Prorsum line, never lets a men's fashion lover down. From the coats to the fabulous mid calf lace up boots, the entire collection for the fall/winter 2010 season was fantastic.

Ever since Christopher Bailey's first show for Burberry, he has been praised for his innovation of their signature piece, the trench. He is able to give a modern twist to this classic yet still keep the long standing tradition of great traditional style that Burberry lovers adore. The military inspired greenish knee length coat was gorgeous. The oversized collar and intricate detailing on the buttons were nice added touches to the slim cut jacket. Then there was of course the navy blue double breasted jacket that had the embellishment around the cuffs, I am not really a fan of a lot of shiny additions to men's clothing but this coat is so simple in design that the gold circles spruce up the coat and add a certain je ne sais quoi to it. Bailey kept with similar colors for the many of the jackets and choosing to pair them with the fur lined leather boots gave us a ready to deal with the cold in style feel.

Many of the outfits modeled showed these great slacks...

They seemed perfect for everyday and were just tight enough to create shape and show a great leg line (I hate when pants are so baggy you don't know where a persons butt and legs start and finish). They were done in a great dark grey fabric with a pleat down the front and looked comfortable and moveable. There were also many different styles of jean shirts. I noticed that over the last year jean shirts have been really making a comeback (apart of me misses the good ol' days of jean everything... jean shirts, jean jackets, jean, jean, jean, love it!) and the trend keeps on with this season. There was both a dark wash and lighter wash shown at the show (both buttoned up to the very first button) that made the look very casual and stylish.

And then there were the many belted trenches...

Finally it's time to discuss the boots. They looked great and seem like they can be paired with many different outfits which is always great. They appeared in both black and brown leather and laced up only half way. Yeah I know, mid calf boots that only lace up half way do sound a little too feminine for a man to wear without looking like he's borrowed a pair of his girlfriends shoes (don't get me wrong I love when guys wear women inspired clothing and vice versa for the girls but shoes is where I draw the line for guys). But take a look...

All images are from outside sources

Bailey is able to give them a trench/military vibe that makes them oh-so masculine. It was great the way he made the top part looser as they got closer up to the calf so that pants were able to be tucked in and to showcase them.

Great show, great models and fantastic clothing. What's more to love about the Fall/Winter 2010 Burberry Prorsum show?

model nation

The constant buzz surrounding models and their eating habits is as tired as the Jersey Shore cast's attempts at being famous. We all know that not all models live healthy lifestyles (let's face it we've all seen one too many photos of models' limp wrists dangling while clutching a half demolished marlboro light). There is absolutely no way that a healthy lifestyle can produce a 5 foot 10 woman who weighs 130 lbs, I don't care how great of genes you have. None the less we know how things work in this industry and the thinner models are the ones who book the jobs while the curvier ones are (usually) left in the dust.

Don't get me wrong there have been numerous attempts at trying to change things; Milan raising BMI's so that it is slightly above the level of an anorexic person. I'm sorry but raising a BMI to borderline healthy does not mean a person is actually living healthy.

Another feigned attempt to prove that the curvier models deserve a spot in the world of high fashion is the somewhat recent editorial spread in V Magazine where they paired a thin model next to a curvier model in the exact same outfits. Who modeled the outfits better... well it's safe to say the curvier model did. So, why bother even showcasing them side by side? I propose just giving the better model the job. Whoever is better at selling the clothes and making them look good is the person who should be chosen, regardless of size. Take Gemma Ward, a terrific model and a beautiful woman. She gains a bit of weight and loses her 14 year old prepubescent body and she is pretty much forced into early modeling retirement. Not even Heidi had to do that and she is older, way older and has had a bazillion kids.

V Magazine spread

The models of today seem to be formed by one mold, thin and it's too bad that the fashion industry cannot see another side. Even todays male models (love them but they too are taken hostage by the skinny obsessed world we live in) like Cole Mohr, Luke Worrall and Ash Stymest are absurdly thin. I get that there aren't as many male models to their extreme boyishness but none the less male models do tend to be thinner than the average male, and never have I seen any male model that was a bit heavier than the body type that Dolce ads use (I find their models are more muscular than those of say for example Rag and Bone).

As a society we are taught from an early age that thin is good, it's healthy and what little girls are supposed to aspire to be ,while being a bit on the heavier side (not even heavier, just a normal size for the average woman) is not the typical pretty anymore, it's all about smaller this, smaller that and you can wear this but only if you lose 10 lbs. I know it's a bit of a tired subject but if the issue is still the same then what's stopping the change? Is the consumer the problem? I adore today's models, Chanel, Daria, Karlie all have their place amongst the top models but is it really that horrible to have one model that is curvier (and if I hear one more person refer to Lara Stone as curvy I'm going to scream).

This sounds more like a rant doesn't it. Well let's just clarify. I love models and am often envious of all the fantastic clothes they get to wear if only for a few short moments but I just wish there was more diversity when it comes to sizes, they occasionally let slip a 5' 6'' waif-like girl so why not a size 6 and don't tell me because that isn't the sample size. Being the better model should equal getting the spread, ad or cover regardless of size.

The College Kid

Hey All!

Well this is my very first blog.... I've been super interested in fashion for awhile now, so I thought this would be a great way for me to to organize all my thoughts and opinions on the new (and old), the designers I adore and my love of street fashion. Hope it works.

'Till the next post, Adieu.