Coutorture

Shopping: Dark Paisley Dresses

coutorture — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Nanette Lepore $348 @ Bloomingdales, Marc by Marc $550 @ Net-a-Porter, Etro $1,245 @ Bergdorf Goodman

When the fall color palette starts to feel dull, try a rich wintery print to enliven your wardrobe. We love the look of a romantic paisley frock worn with black tights and ankle boots or platforms. Throw over your investment outerwear--perhaps a 1940's-inspired coat or a brave statement fur--and you'll stand out in the sea of black and navy.

The Family Print at Etro

coutorture — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:54:24 -0700

When Gimmo Etro founded founded the company in 1968 it was as a small textile division specializing in silks and satins, so its no surprise that the Spring 2009 collection included many fine silks in the houses signature paisley print. The Spring 2009 collection was filled with just the sort of St. Tropez bohemian wear that never gets old for a certain kind of lady. Whether she lives a live of leisure or works hard for the privileges these clothes clearly say I have more time to consider yacht options.

Its not intellectual taxing but simply good fashion fun, the kind that unabashedly borrows from other cultures (in this case the paisley is an ancient Indian tradition inspired by the palm tree) because really why should we have to work? After all, reconstituting and repurposing is plenty taxing. And really we don't mean to be glib, knowing how to remix a cultural artifact into current relevance is tricky.

Its comforting to know that an old school textile famiglia can still succeed in the cutthroat world of luxury. The Etro clan includes Kean the creative director of the fashion house, Jacopo who deals with the textiles division and foreign affairs, Ippolito who manages company administrative and finance, and Veronica who is in charge of the design.

Couture in The City Shoutout: Fun Out Of The Sun

coutorture — Thu, 01 May 2008 09:09:33 -0700

We clearly love hats here on Coutorture. Thus we found ourselves getting a bit silly looking over Couture in The City's Fun in The Sun list. She has plenty of sunglasses and sandals on display but we were mostly interested in her hat choices. With the 134th Kentucky Derby to look forward to this weekend finding a few floppy hats is a perfect fashionable diversion. Apparently there isn't that much to know about picking a hat for you. We personally are leaning towards this Kokin Floppy Ribbon Hat. With a little paisley dress and some cute neutral heels it is perfect for cheering on that 30 to 1 shot pony. Don't forget to pick up a Mint Julep! More Shoutouts

Fasshonaburu Shoutout: Paisley Interpreter

coutorture — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:41:31 -0700

Paisley, admittedly isn't our favorite print. We talked about this at length yesterday, when one of us picked up a Paisley number at the Dolce Vita sample sale. The verdict: exceptions can be made (the quality of fabric is key, and paisley bathrobes are always okay, also 'digital paisley' or 'pixelated paisley' is just fine). Our network partner, Fassonaburu, gave a shoutout to a Vera Wang skirt (also in blouse form below) with a paisley print and so, like your next door neighbor that you finally decide to make out with, we've decided to just give the print a full-fledged chance. Below, our favorite paisley numbers (yes, there was much trudging through the yucky ones) for this summer.