coutorture --

Chanel Fall 2008 Runway Video and Karl Lagerfeld Interview

coutorture — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 06:00:19 -0800

Karl Lagerfeld meant it when he said in our video interview that he had a new proportion for Chanel RTW. The attitude and the mood of that proportion is "we are longer and leaner than anyone else."We suppose that is why the models looked so tiny against the giant 2.55 purses. And as he said it was not overcharged with details. And while Karl, ever the marketing genius, had a few new "it" items like the little beret and the two colored stocking, the collection itself was not overcharged. The message was loud, clear, and slim.

Fashion in 50 Seconds 9/3

coutorture — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 06:35:34 -0700

Despite Isaac Mizrahi's noncompete with Target a few of his sketches for Liz Claiborne have made their way into the open. The consensus from WWD is that they are fresh and very much in the spirit of Isaac.

Lynn Yaeger prepares for Fashion Week at Zara in order to avoid the fuel versus food dilemma.

Which might be fine since apparently it's all just a case of history repeating with this season's trends.

If we are all just lemmings then its no surprise
Japan Fashion Week is being called quirky and derivative.

Or Japan's independent shows are getting lambasted because its just too expensive for many designers to show in the traditional style, taking away valuable resources for real creativity to spark. Even a bare bones show costs $100,000. To which we say just host a nice intimate presentation guys, your editor REALLY prefer the low key stuff. Though we still prefer at least a market appointment not just an video.

In retail news, Chanel is getting more space at Saks and Bergdorfs, ostensibly because they need sage superstar brands in this downturn.

Moschino has opened a new Meatpacking District Flagship. It will carry the full collection as well as diffussion lines like the inappropriately named Chic and Cheap which is only one of those things.

Chanel Haute Couture Spring 09

coutorture — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 08:08:34 -0700

It was like an army of Anna Wintours at this season's Chanel Haute Couture show. Lagerfeld, who recently styled a show after a pop singer, and Chanel, a house who knows how to style in homage to icons (pre-Lagerfeld), has sent down the runway a legion of Wintours a la that eponymous bob. We wonder if Wintour, who wore one such Chanel incarnation at this year's Met Gala, was somewhat peeved at the honor. Was it not a little creepy? Perhaps not to her.

Otherwise, you know, it terms of the clothes, the palate was black, white, with some nearly purple greys and a scattering of pink tones. Folds of fabric adorned many of the looks and served as an occasion to cinch in waists and otherwise shape the body. A couple of garments featured the same futuristic tailoring at the shoulder we saw on Wintour's frock at the Met Gala. The details of each piece were enough to inform an entire ready-to-wear collection and were so diverse that it's a challenge to pull them into one qualifying theme. Such is the marvel of couture; the details, no matter how varied, simply are the collection.

Fashion in 50 Seconds 5/27

coutorture — Tue, 27 May 2008 06:42:29 -0700

It would seem that being nominated for a CFDA award just isn't enough anymore. Nominees are being given a book featuring Raquel Zimmermann in their various designs. Styled by Karl Templer and shot by Mikael Jansson, the keepsake came together under creative director Trey Laird. The book contains essays written by David Colman on all the honorees and abstract flower shots by Kenji Toma. This explains why the tables are so expensive at the benefit we imagine.

Russian oligarchs aren't being hit by the recession. Chanel is opening up its second Moscow boutique.

Cruise is so popular because of global warming. Every time a fashion writer pens this piece Al Gore sheds a tear and nobody gets their wings.

The Scottish Fashion Awards have released their list of nominees. We are gunning for Jonathan Saunders for designer personally and not just because he has a hot new collaboration in the works for Target's Go International. But our favorite award is for best use of Tartan by an international designer.

We love that it is news when a designer decides to go back to a traditional two show a year fashion schedule.

The house of Blass is under pressure as NexCen looks to sell. Potential buyers being floated are Designer Licensing Holdings, Windsong Brands, Tharanco Group, headed by Haresh Tharani, and Iconix Brand Group. And what of poor Peter Som? It looks like he can keep his own line just fine. Richard Baker, ceo of NRDC Equity Partners, isn't interested in buying the Blass business, said a spokeswoman for Baker. NRDC owns Lord & Taylor and Creative Design Studio, and also has invested in numerous designers, including Peter Som, who designs Blass' women's line as well as his own.

Lutz and Patmos collaborate with a train conductor? No it isn't a joke or a publicity stunt. Amtrak conductor Chris Waugh became friends with Lutz as she rode the train to her Rhode Island home and the Shoreliner sweater was born. Named after the East Coast train, the $495 hoodie sweater, which has five buttons on the side and raglan sleeves is being sold to benefit Parkinson's Disease Foundation

Fashion in 50 Seconds 5/13

coutorture — Tue, 13 May 2008 06:00:35 -0700

Cruise season has officially begun! Fendi, Escada and Elie Tahari showed off a few of their designs to Women's Wear Daily. Karl Lagerfeld went straight to the 70s for inspiration but thankfully kept things clean at Fendi. Escada was a little more scattered but played it safe with color. Tahari went with florals.

Chanel is taking over Miami with its preparations to show their Cruise collection on Thursday. Chanel is launching a widget the day after the show. It will allow Chanel fans to view clips from the show as well as interviews. Taking the bloggers right out of the equation.

Burberry will open a boutique in Cannes just in time for the film festival.

Bottega Veneta is releasing an eyewear line.

Dov Charney, CEO and Chairman of American Apparel, was honored as Retailer of the Year at the 15th Annual Michael Awards for the Fashion Industry.

Take A Dip For Chanel Cruise 2009?

coutorture — Thu, 08 May 2008 07:48:06 -0700

Cruise 2009 shows are nearly upon us and judging from Chanel's extravaganza last season in the Santa Monica airplane hanger they will be leading the pack this season as well. For Chanel Cruie 2009 Karl Lagerfeld is taking the brand to Andre Balazs luxe Miami hotel, The Raleigh on May 15, where Lagerfeld’s ladies will apparently be making good use of the pool. Chanel has released a 22 second teaser podcast to tantalizing rabid fans and give us poor daily editors some content.

The extravagance of cruise season has become a little alarming. We are half expecting a giant Chanel branded above ground pool with the models wading through a watery catwalk honestly. With the constant media attention to what feels like a never ending parade of Fashion Weeks, larger fashion houses are leveraging every opportunity to get their message across. And Chanel is taking better advantage than most of the intense scrutiny with their impressive new digital presence. With Cruise season just around the corner we will certainly be paying attention. But then we already feel like we got a jump on what indulgent off season trends are most important thanks to Australia Fashion Week. We expect that the only ground breaking Chanel Cruise 2009 will do is for some elaborate installation. And just for memories sake we are including a host of images from Chanel Cruise 2008.

Fashion in 50 Seconds 4/29

coutorture — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 06:00:08 -0700

Solar powered handbags? That is a totally killer idea! C'N'C Costume National designer Ennio Capasa has designed a Solar bag with fine strips of mini solar panels that decorate the front of the bag provide power to a supply concealed in the lining. We are thinking this could be super useful for powering that Macbook Air during fashion week.

If the bloggers with laptops photos cliché wasn't yet dead Vogue Australia is intent on bringing it back. Apparently editor Damien Woolnough is quite fond of his Mac Book Air. We don't notice him twittering though so we are still siding with Patty Huntington on the tech savvy editor front.

Nolita-chic shoe line Sigerson Morrison is opening up shop in Malibu at the Malibu Country Mart. We so want to make sure sort of joke but none of them sounded funny but we think you will get where we are coming from. The store will carry the full Sigerson Morrison line as well as lower-priced Belle and their handbag line.

Its a tough time to be in designer retailing. And not just because the dollar is so weak. Supply chain issues thanks to expansion in the far East may be causing several large design houses to miss delivery dates. Rumored late are Chanel, Zegna, Nina Ricci, Roberto Cavalli and Prada.

American Eagle is so not frat boy chic anymore. In fact they seem to be taking some very scary style cues from on neighbors in Williamsburg. Or at least the ones not so up on the trends. Not that we have anything bad to say about scarves in the summer or blue pastel framed glasses. Just saying the merchandising is dated.

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MISS Crew and Shiny Style Love Chanel's California Lacquers

coutorture — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:02:52 -0700

Miss Crew and Shiny Style are both very excited about the new Chanel's new nail colors designed to celebrate the opening of its second Lose Angeles store. The polishes are priced at $25 each and carry iconic City of Angeles names like Melrose (hot pink), Rodeo Drive (pastel purple), LA Sunrise (neon yellow), and LA Sunset (deep red). While the product will initially be available only in-store, Chanel.com will stock the polishes starting in June.

The store certainly sounds lovely. Located on North Robertson Boulevard, the 5,395-square-foot Peter Marino designed space will carry the full range of Chanel ready-to-wear, fine jewelry, shoes, and fragrance and beauty. Though the collection will be rotated more frequently to reflect Californian's love of planned obsolescence. The store includes a 1,000-square-foot courtyard and 625-square-foot terrace. With all the emphasis on grander and grander spaces, we wonder how long it will take to get a manicure/pedicure space in a luxury goods boutique. Just think of the possibilities for $500 pedicures.

We would LOVE if Chanel offered acrylic nails with interlocking Chanel "C"s. It something we are sure the MISS Crew girls would love and would look particularly dope over the hipster pop yellow LA Sunrise. Though MISS Crew is coveting Rodeo Drive so we think it might be a toss up. Karl might find it quaint for about twenty minutes. A little bit of camp never seems to deter the Chanel folks as no one does manages to combine classic with kitsch quite as well as they do.

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Beauty Is Within Shoutout: Chanel Summer Makeup

coutorture — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:50:12 -0700

Our network partner, Beauty Is Within, has given us a reason to look forward to Summer makeup. Usually, when we think of Summer, we imagine mascara running down our faces, we imagine the dreaded sweaty upper lip or the horrendous sunburns we get when we forget our sunblock. Chanel, always the purveyor of poise and beauty, has caught Beatuy Is Within's attention with their Summer colors. Now, we envision a scene from Fitzgerald's Tender Is The Night, the Chanel woman lounging under a parasol with the perfect light pink manicure and brown matte lipstick to match her slightly tanned skin. It's amazing what Chanel can do to a girl. Check out Beauty is Within for even more makeup and beauty knowhow.

Coutorture's Morning Must Reads 1/23

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:20:49 -0800

Urban Socialite loves eco-friendly label Mixmind.

Shoe Blog reviews Chanel's Spring 2008 show.

Kiss Kiss - Trendinista has the best kiss inspired accessories.

Dior's Couture runway makes Fashion Orgasm wonder if the bubble skirt isn't dead after all.

Grooveeffect knows you don't have a subscription like this.