The last (and best) of Cruise 2011

"A resort collection used to be the equivalent of staring at pictures of Bali when you lived in Kansas and the truck was broke. The clothes were for people who actually went somewhere, who made plans that included special wardrobes". That's what Cathy Horyn said about cruise this week on the New York Times. She talk about how it has become something completely commercial and how both renowned and new designers create resort collections. She also makes a really fair point about differencing collections within the 'seasonless season': "Depending on your perspective, resort collections can have either things you’re bored seeing or gems you can’t seem to find anymore because everybody’s become such big shots that they can’t do straightforward things". A description I love because it perfectly describes the collections I like and the ones I don't.

It did not even occur to me that Phoebe Philo would create a cruise collection for Céline. But it occurred to her. And now that we have seen the last of these collections I can officially say Céline is my favourite line. Philo created all the musts: a layered LBD in leather, a maxi dress, orange, a tailored trouser, a classic blazer with a twist and black basics to mix and match. A super well-rounded collection with a focused and fresh point of view.

It still feels a little weird seeing The Row among the names of designers whose collections are published on Style.com. The Olsens have steadily won their place amongst the big names of fashion to the point of looking forward to their new collections. Their Cruise 2011 line is mostly all black and white and features reinterpretations of garment's from Ashley's greatest hits. The cleverest part of the collection is the fact that a lot of pieces that work as long tops to go with dresses can also be worn as mini dresses. In fact, the collection seems to go from the 'mini' extreme to the 'maxi' extreme, which looks almost nun-like. All in all, I am very impressed. It isn't an unbelievable collection but it looks very very promising.
I'm off.

[Pictures: Style.com, Mary-KateandAshleyImages.com, Celebrity-Gossip.net]

Ticking the boxes

I am not sure there is such a thing as set standards for Cruise collections. Personally, I feel there are certain things that always must be present —a maxi skirt and dress, a cocktail dress, an LBD, a tailored cotton trouser, a well cut blazer, shorts and a slightly loose knit jumper. Then, of course, they are to be played with and more interesting pieces to go with them are to be added but I feel a good resort line must include all of the above to be considered so.
Looking at the Cruise 2011 collections shown so far I have to admit I am a little impressed with the improvement. I suppose designers are also learning what to make of these odd and season-less lines they must produce. Since we can't speak of trends per se, for that is the whole point of these collections, I looked at colour. Along with white and black, orange has been very present in most collections. It works in a multitude of tones, it looks fresh but it's not too wild, and is apt for any scenery.

YSL and Michael Kors are two of my favourite Cruise 2011 collections. The first felt very fresh, as Stefano Pilati rarely uses any colour, let alone bright ones. The designs were along the classic lines of the French house but had a very cool edge that I personally loved. Kors, who usually plays it ridiculously safe, really surprised me with his line. The clean lines and simple clothes were full of East-coast coolness. I want more of that in his regular collections!

Oscar de la Renta's show was odd. The first half of the collection was all over the place, with sloppy combinations of garments, colours and prints while the second was this explosion of glamour. Gowns in the best colours, prints and shapes walked the runway until the end. My favourite was the white polka-dotted one above.

I found Rachel Roy's Cruise 2011 collection absolutely stunning. There was a lot of maxi dresses and skirts and some very cool layering and see-through-ness. She really made her collection look completely new using wardrobe staples and twisting them with very chic hands.

Which collection did you love?
I'm off.

[Style.com]

Wang gets it

Sometimes I feel like the Gods of fashion never stop watching me and purposely put things in my way so I can see reason. I woke up to the looks from Alexander Wang's Cruise 2011 collection. A line that defies everything I said yesterday about Bottega Veneta and Burberry Prorsum. I don't always agree with Wang's vision or ideas but I always admire how extremely focused they are. His resort collection epitomises both who Wang is as a designer and what a cruise line should be like. He proposes basics with a twist (his) and made with light fabrics in muted colours. The knit dresses, the leather shorts, the cotton jumpers, they are all versatile and season-less. They are the sort of purchase you may make before going on holiday but one that can stay in your wardrobe as a utilitarian piece for a long time.

And what better moment than this to announce the winner of the ShopBop.com $100 gift card! Congratulations to Kristin, whose passion for Wang's creations was so contagious she almost made me buy something. She said:
"This past weekend I traveled to New York City for a couple of days and on one day I made the trek to Opening Ceremony solely to gawk at all of their Alexander Wang clothing, shoes, and bags in person. Needless to say, there was a lot of cuddling, groping, and staring (both by me towards all of the Alexander Wang pieces, and by people towards me while they witnessed my undying love for said pieces).
Alexander Wang produces some incredibly beautiful work, but personally I feel like his bags really steal the show. I've seen the Darla Pyramid Clutch online many times and although we've had passionate affairs during these viral visits, we fell in love upon meeting in person this past weekend. The clutch is surprisingly heavy with it's pyramid of stud-like protrusions, and this weight, paired with its unbelievably soft leather body is enough for me to feel confident enough to declare us soul mates!
Thank you for this giveaway, and for making those with fashionable desires, but smaller budgets, more capable of indulging in some Alexander Wang!"

You're $100 closer to your Darla clutch! Let us know when you get it!
Thanks a lot to the people who made this giveaway possible and to all of those who left a comment!
I'm off.

[Pictures: Style.com, Shopbop.com]

to Cruise or not to Cruise

Every year I promise myself I won't post about Cruise and Pre-Fall collections anymore. And every year I fail. It's not that I actually enjoy them, but I always end up finding something nice about them. It might be because of a kind of eagerness that follows the end of one fashion week season and the anticipation of the next. In any case, Bottega Veneta and Burberry Prorsum have been the only two to join Dior and Chanel in the wonderful world of Cruise 2011 so far. Bottega Veneta pleasantly surprised me with menswear-inspired silhouettes very much in the line of Phoebe Philo. Black and white dominate over the pretty amazing tailoring with the odd dash of bright orange and blue or the more restrained beige. And I was happy to find another of those breath-taking dresses they do sometimes, like the one from FW09 I posted about two years ago.

Burberry Prorsum, with all their talk of heritage and vintage and faded, was almost entirely boring. The colours and the shapes were mostly repetitions of those of either SS10 or FW10 and the belted trench coats never ended. But one thing I did love, the crochet dresses and trench coats. They added a breath of fresh air and showed how the combination of heritage and innovation is feasible.
What do you make of Cruise collections?
I'm off.

[Pictures: Style.com, tforlando.com]

shutting (it) down at Cannes

After almost two full weeks of never-ending premiers and their subsequent red carpets and parties the 2010 Cannes film festival has wrapped up. This year we have seen the unexpected style change of Kate Beckinsale (Coco's Tea Party explains it best) as well as other amazing fashion moments that I have religiously reported here. The closing ceremony, far from being boring clothes-wise, delivered some looks I did not see coming.

First of all, Beckinsale (who did not wear a white Marchesa) totally looked the part in a Nina Ricci from the FW10 collection that mixed layers of fabric with bits of lace and see-through material. She was desperately asking for that little bit of edge. Kristen Dunst went for a bright turquoise Chanel Cruise 2011 dress fresh from the catwalk. It is not a colour we normally see at this kind of events but I very much loved it, as I did the simple but interesting design. I did hate her shoes the hem of the dress, which looked lovely from the side but odd from the front. Diane Kruger joined the colour club for the evening, for which Giulia and I will be eternally grateful as we're tired of her black and white Chanel. Instead, she donned a fuchsia Jason Wu with dropped from a beautiful black bustier with lace and sequins.
All in all,  this was a very amusing year in terms of fashion. I am so intrigued about Beckinsale and whether she'll keep up the good work or go back to her old tricks. What do you think?
I'm off.

[Pictures: Zimbio.com, JustJared.buzznet.com]

Bow alert

In the last few months Carey Mulligan has gone from being this cute blonde dating Shia LaBeouf to becoming a respected star. She has, since then, moved all the way to the top of my style radar (yes, I have a list...) and really getting good attention for her fashion choices. Her Cannes premiere moment occurred a few days ago and consisted of a costume made navy Azzaro with a beaded collar and a bow at the waist. It made me think of Carey's BAFTA's dress by Vionnet that she recently donated to Oxfam and that also had a bow at the waist. She has the kind of romantic and elegant style can makes the bows look right instead of kitsch (like Hathaway at the Oscars in 2007).

Coincidentally, Dior's Cruise 2011 collection was shown yesterday in Shanghai. Bows were everywhere, as was the 60's inspiration, which is getting old. Galliano seems to only be editing his previous Cruise collections and pretending to be inspired from different parts of the world to create the new ones. In any case, I think that Carey would look quite amazing in some of these dresses. They look dated and verging on tawdry but Mulligan's figure could do wonders with them. Tiina Laakkonen, hope you're taking notes.

I'm off.

[Pictures: JustJared.buzznet.com, Gossip-Girls.net, WWD.com]

hedonistic ode

Some say fashion is not all fun and glamour. But it can certainly be for some. Karl Lagerfeld brought all his muses, favourite models, actresses and boy-toys to Saint Tropez for a triple date of bike rides, Bocce (a pétanque variety) and movie dates.

The night before the Chanel Cruise 2011 show Kaiser Karl gathered Diane Kruger, Vanessa Paradis, Karolina Kurkova, Leigh Lezark and Garance Doré (among many others) for a game of pétanque, for which the balls had been religiously engraved with the required C's. Please, do not miss Derek Blasberg's report for Style.com.

The collection wasn't too bad for a mid-season one. There was something slightly ironic about the 60's/70's vibe of the clothes. The awkward fits of the trousers and unfinished hemlines somehow reminded me of a 90's interpretation of hippy clothes. There was something deliciously bad about some of the pieces that contrasted well with the final more chic ones. A tasteful take on tackiness that restored faith in Karl inside me after the FW10 let down.

"Remember Now", Karl's short film, doesn't have a plot but it follows a coherent chronological line through which he portrays himself. It is delightfully Warholian in a 21st-century manner that would have moistened Andy's eyes. Lagerfeld lets us in into his hedonistic world (collection of iPods included) where beautiful people wear beautiful clothes in beautiful places. A place where Baptiste is omnipresent with a meticulously messy quiff and where the Kaiser is God and wears all-white, all-Chanel.

"You asked if I liked to dance.

I don't, anymore.

Now I like...

Age makes you voyeuristic"

I'm off.

[Sources: WWD.com, TheFashionSpot.com, Style.com]