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?

the quest

The awesomeness that is the website Lookbook.nu is a great place to showcase your own personal style and see the fabulous style of others all the while being able to comment and "hype" the looks that you like. Unfortunately you can only do one of those things if you are not priveed to being a member. For the people out there reading this in complete confusion: lookbook only allows members to show their outfits and comment (well you can also apparently comment via facebook... but that doesn't mean you are a member).

Hey lookbook let me in! (photo that was obviously on lookbook.nu)

SO you think, well easy, just sign up. No folks, unfortunately that is not how things work in that community. For you to become a member you must a. be invited by a current member or b. apply.

Let me tell you, I applied and still no answer. Is my style not what the people at lookbook want? I'm not sure, but I like to think that fashion is about personal expression and trying new and interesting things with your wardrobe and that's what I'm hoping they think at lookbook as well.

I desperately want to join and become a member. Why you might ask would someone put themselves through the hassle of applying? Well because being able to show my style and comment and hype and stuff on people's outfits seems pretty cool. Letting someone else know that you dig what they're doing is nice and gives you a way to express your opinion. Do we not compliment our friends on their new haircuts or cute new shirt? Well it's the same thing but on a different level.

I guess I could just give up wanting and wait and see what happens with my application. But you see that's not me. Let me put it differently, it's like when someone tells you there is something super cool inside a bag and just as you reach for it the person who told about the super cool thing tells you abruptly that you have to have the password in order to open the bag. Gah it's kind of frustrating, no?

Sorry, that was kind of a pointless explanation.

Needless to say I have set out on a quest to try and find someone who is already a member and somehow convince them to "invite" me because the whole waiting for lookbook to accept me, is slowing killing me... can you tell I just have so much patience (I hope that came across as sarcastic as it sounded in my head. I'm not really known for being the most obvious person with sarcasm).

So, if you or anyone you know is a member let them know about me, maybe they wanna give a girl a hand.

the hipster

When people hear the word HIPSTER, they automatically jump to one of three conclusion:

1. what the eff is that?

2. hipsters are pretentious wannabes and snobs and should all die

3. *sigh* I wish I was a hipster...

For those of you who do NOT know what a hipster is, here, let me break it down to you. You know those people who you look at and you kind of like their style even with all of the ironic glasses, t- shirts, facial hair (think handle bar mustache), mismatched colors (that somehow manage to look good) and pairing super expensive shoes with a thrift shop jacket.

They have an intense love for the off beat and unknown bands and movies. If their former band becomes popular and the mainstream start to listen to them they will automatically drop them in favor of a lesser known group. They hang out in grimy bars and associate with the artsy type (think photogs and musicians) all the while sipping their Pabst, Budweiser or something of that sort. They most of all pretend not to care about what they "throw" on their body (yes that ripped shirt is intentionally ripped in that exact spot) when they meticulously plan everything down to the vintage wrist watch they chose to wear that day.

Oh and don't forget tons and tons of plaid.

Look for them/try and spot them out in a crowd. Are they not exactly as I described?

For all the haters, you guys should just let them be. They've brought a whole style to the mainstream. Do I love a hipster? Well yeah. They tend to be great dressers and have their own sense of who they are (or at least who they are trying to be). They are THE re-inventors of the geek chic movement. They make it cool to be gawky and weird and have an off beat talent or interest. The hipster made being awkward a sort of exclusive club that everyone wants to be apart of... well not everyone.

Photo found on lookboo.nu via Bobby H (click picture to see full view)

The photo above is a perfect example of great hipster style. Note the low cut V-neck, the ironic eyeware (that isn't at all necessary for seeing) and the tightly fitting jeans.... GREAT!

The city where I go to school has a serious lack in hipsters (crazy, I know!) and so when Kiley and I see one when we venture to different places, we do not act like sane individuals. We stare, whisper to one another and then proceed to giggle as soon as we think they are out of ear shot (let me tell you, we never wait long enough and it is most certain that they hear us). Needless to say that I, not only like the hipster "culture", I love it and wish I was apart of it (but everyone knows that no good or legitimate hipster wants to be a hipster, they just are one)

Will I ever be a hipster? Probably not. Will I ever stop my fascination? Eventually, but until then I am content staring, admiring and wishing I could be both as put together and laissez faire as a hipster. Until then wish me luck.

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somewhere-over-the-rainbow

The Marc Jacobs show was put on a live webcast on Monday, and of course my computer decided to mess with my emotions and deny me the privilege to watch it with the countless other die hards. Thankfully the site now has the show posted and up for viewing. So if you haven't seen it yet, I advise you to check it out.

The colors were neutral and the fabrics were moveable and fantastic, what more could you ask for from a line. The show opened up with Marc (looking dapper as ever in a black fitted suit) and his business partner Robert Duffy tearing off a brown paper sheet to reveal a simple box filled with models that perfectly displayed the exquisitely simple, yet complex (I know oxymoron much... but it's the only way to describe it) mixture of clothing that would make up the Marc Jacobs fall/winter 2010 line.

The remixed "over the rainbow" music began and the show started.

The very feminine three buttoned coats shown were fantastic... never have I wanted to tuck see hair tucked into a coat more. Every model that was wearing a coat (and even some of them wearing sweaters) had this done and it looked great. The coats weren't the only jackets that were well cut and tastefully simple, there was also the countless fur ones that were able to look nice while remaining big and fluffy looking as opposed to bulky.

Marc kept things consistent by having everywhere you looked you'd see a model wearing socks and some form of flats (man does that guy want to pair socks with everything... we all know of his love of socks and sandals, right?). The look made it the right amount of girly, and when it was combined with the defining piece of the fur capes, it added that little bit extra to many of the outfits.

I love belting shirts this way and the long skirt paired with the metallic looking oxfords and oversized neutral socks makes me squeal of joy... this is my favorite outfit of the ENTIRE show.

The cashmere sweaters (well I can only guess that they were cashmere... they looked it and Marc tends to use cashmere frequently for his sweaters) looked great and were very simplistic in style and color (they were left in neutral colors) and went nicely with the long skirts.

The three quarter length leather gloves that were shown are FABULOUS. I just cannot get those out of my head. What would you wear them with on a daily basis? Who knows and who cares with gloves that looked that great I'm sure I could find a way to wear them everyday.

All photo's are from NYmag blog, the cut

Live Webcast Tonight!

Don't forget tonight Marc Jacobs Fall/Winter 2010 Runway show is doing a live webcast tonight at 8 PM EST on his website!

We'll be tuning in, will you?

http://live.marcjacobs.com/