coutorture --

Five Key Fall Trends: Winter's Summer

coutorture — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:34:14 -0700

This past Spring we thought we'd never survive the floral madness. When Spring 08 was editorialized with every kind of floral pun and relative aesthetic concept ('English Garden', 'In Full Bloom') the editors could conjure, we thought by the time the clothing delivered, we'd be too worn out to participate.

What happened though, was that Fall 08 shows started percolating in our subconscious early leaving the bright, summer florals relatively little much mind-space. Yes, we wore floral this summer but it didn't feel over saturated, at least not given its build up. That said, the Fall 08 floral trends didn't irk us as much as we would have thought. In fact, the brooding, romantic, more dense florals that we see this season are even more interesting and dynamic than those which we saw for spring. It feels, despite all of the floral chit chat in 2008, decidedly fresh.

For our Fall's Top Five: Past & Present photo shoot our stylist, Liz Baca, pulled a vintage Yves Saint Laurent dress from Rock It Retro and an Erdem frock, with a floral print that was inspired by scenes from a moving train (we'll be covering the Erdem show this Spring, we are big fans). Below, check out some of our favorite 'winter's summer' trend pieces and, below that, our previous roundup of the florals we saw in the fall shows. We don't want to make you tired of it--but we just can't help ourselves.

Immaterial: Erdem's Taroni Silk Print Dresses

coutorture — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:15:04 -0700

Walker Percy said in The Moviegoer that there is a particular gnosis that comes from train travel. This spiritual knowledge must be Erdem Moralioglu meant he said his printed silk dresses, like the one featured in Fall Top Five photo editorial, are "like a landscape speeding past when you're on a train." Ephemeral, delicate, and deeply moving, these dresses speak to us.

Now, our experience with Amtrak is not quite so beautifully blurred, but a Bullet train's swooshing seems a delightful metaphor for a kind of European modernity that takes a high tech perspective to an aging tradition. You see, Erdem was able to design this series of dresses using double duchesse Taroni silks. Integrating bracing modern lime, purple, acid yellow, and orange prints with silk from Como's oldest operating weavers is exactly the kind of lateral thinking we embrace here at Coutorture. Indeed, we we have already featured the Fides Silk gown once in an Immaterial post while promising to use it in a wider editorial. The variety of silhouettes Erdem features using the same basic pattern showcases just how flexible this print series can be. Thus when we were able to feature the Statina Dress you can imagine we were pleased as punch.

What Got Bought?

coutorture — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:31:54 -0700

It feels like just yesterday (ok so maybe it was a month or so ago) that we were enjoying our first looks at Cruise 2009. The multifaceted offerings of the season have been distilled faster than you can say "merchandising" three times fast into the buy. We had a chance to peruse Net-A-Porter buy for Cruise 2009 yesterday afternoon. Net-a-Porter has become such a presence in retailing, online or otherwise, that their buy is of of particular interest to see how a season has coalesced long before the editors have gotten their gummy paws on the goods.

We saw a few familiar garments like this rainbow Oscar De La Renta cap sleeve sweater amid the very showy, very bright, picks. . But it wasn't just about the tropics for Net-a-Porter. The publicist we spoke to said that Cruise and Holiday have become somewhat intertwined for designers and with the similar delivery dates buyers are now thinking how to service wardrobes for destinations from Mustique to Aspen. Given that variety we were impressed with the holiday frocks available and even, shock, a fur coat.

Quite a few new faces are in this seasons cruise buy including Cosabella, Maje, Rachel Gilbert, Luc Kieffer, La Perla and Lover. We were particular impressed with the exclusives Net-a-Porter will be selling from Britain's favorite hipster line Preen. The royal blue dresses are perfect for any occasion, cruise, holiday or otherwise.

Chloe Joan Shoulder Bag

coutorture — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:13:58 -0700

This wonderful bag is color blocked and a hybrid of two popular handbag shapes. For that reason, the tonal Chloe Joan shoulder bag feels like a fresh design to us. In terms of the shape it's a mix between a bucket bag and a tote. It's a bucket bag in its cylindrical shape and cinched opening but tote-like in that the bottom of the bag has no perpendicular panel of leather. So it's bottomless bucket or some such thing. Anyway, we like it. We're also big fans of the color combination on the bag. We usually carry big, solid color bags and it can be inconvenient. Like, for instance, when your blouse is the same color it can give you a monochrome block-person look without warning. Having a bit of color on your handbag will help break up your look a bit. Net-a-Porter says the hardware is equestrian-inspired which didn't occur to us at first glance but they're right. Anything equestrian has long been across the board okay in Coutortureland, making this handbag next to perfect in our minds. Sigh, if only we didn't see the Forever 21 knock-off coming down the conveyor belt.

A Classic Re-Did

coutorture — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:51:20 -0700

Miu Miu, as part of pre-Fall, pushed out some lace-up riding boots: the kind girls round these parts have been wearing every winter for the past 6 or 7 years. Alas, we're sure they will sell this classic boot like hotcakes. To be honest, there are some designs that are sharp and ought be offered at every price point. If your average shoe allowance hovers around a thousand, why should you have to slum it and buy the real-vintage version (that retails, even in perfect condition, at no more than $200). Where there is a need...there is a Miu Miu version. Which is, if you ask us, as it should be. Look at it this way, as long as Miu Miu and like keep producing the classic styles, it will give our daughters, when they are in their twenties and living in New York, some sick vintage riding boots to wear during the winter months. It's the circle of boot-life, folks.

The Lucilla Halter Gown & Net-a-Porter's Big Sale

coutorture — Tue, 20 May 2008 07:01:00 -0700

The infamous red dress from Temperley's Spring 08 collection is now on sale at Net-a-Porter. Granted, it's still over two thousand dollars, but that's about a thousand less than it was originally. The warm toned silk chiffon gown has an old-hollywood feel with its structured bodice and floor sweeping length. The crinkled chiffon is sewn in a ruched diamond pattern and is marketed by Net-a-Porter as 'body-con'; a term they use quite frequently. The Net-a-Porter sale includes a large selection of recent Spring deliveries, marked from 25 to 50 percent off. That means Fendi bags, Bi La Li frocks, and Chloe pumps are just a little bit less than they were before. Let the rationalizations, the concessions, the 'just this once'-s start now. The official send off to any season, no matter how many times you're told it's the runway show, is, indeed, the sale. In other words, now we'll actually see fashionistas wearing the clothing they've been talking about for six months. For more, check out our spread of Net-a-Porter's best markdowns, and, a gallery of the Temperley Spring 08 collection below.

'BOBO' Via Net-A-Porter

coutorture — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:00:57 -0800

'Bohemian Bourgeoisie' is the slogan for Net-A-Porter's sling of S/S deliveries. The point, though, seems slightly redundant. Anyone who can afford a 3,000 dollar beaded top probably doesn't have to worry to about whether their wardrobe is 'luxe' enough for the season. This person doesn't ever say "Hmm, I wonder if I should go for Hobo or Bobo this S/S?". It's not as if we entirely disagree with the slogan though. Yes, bohemian sensibilities crop up every S/S. Yes, if we visit Net-a-Porter, some part of us either wants to be 'luxe' or already is. It's redundant but you can't fault them for knowing their customer base. The tricky situation, of any e-commerce site, is making a direct connection between the glossies, the look books, the runway shows, and, uh, the shopping carts. It's the combination of aesthetic escape and consumer reality, an unattractive discord indeed.

Coutorture Editorials