coutorture --

Four Corners Without Leaving Your Four Walls

coutorture — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:28:11 -0700

Your editor just came back from a very curious little vacation. She went on the ultimate search for the ultimate bar food munchie: the chicken wing. This strange journey upstate to Buffalo is somewhat indicative of the perplexing situation of plenty amongst the possible ruins that typifies our current climate.

Though not everyone is able to take a vacation this summer. In fact, we have taken a shine to a phrase that is all over the news media. Many of us are supposedly going on staycations to save on gas, airfare, and other overpriced travel problems.

We find this humorous because fashionistas have been playing at escapist fantasies without ever leaving our four walls for years. That is why we play dress up in the first place as far as we are concerned. But its nice to know that our ability to play with perception is finally gaining credence with the rest of the world. Thus we give you are first attempt at the escapist fantasy dress up game in our staycation series.

We love deserts, rafting, and cowboys. The allure of that lifestyle is one we continue to chronicle. Thus we give you Four Corners Without Leaving Your Four Walls. Cheap dungarees, fast fashion southwestern themed accessories (totally called that one) and one very pricey but awesome Phillip Lim western shirt will take you to a dive bar that plays both kinds of music (country and western) or maybe a movie night at home. May we suggest a few dude ranch westerns?

Mostly Holes

coutorture — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 07:26:52 -0700

We have been leading up to a lace filled fall for some time now. Community member, Style...A Work In Progress has been scouring ecommerce land for the best buys and a few delightful remarks such as this quote from Mary Wilson "it is difficult to see why lace should be so expensive, its mostly holes."

We have already established just how this particular material makes so much sense in the here and now so it's interesting to note the trickling appearance of fall deliveries and just how they work with this precious textile. We in particular like the nearly ubiquitous appearance of the practically cliché black lace granny dress. Everyone from Derek Lam to Phillip Lim has one. The dowdy staple brings somehow manages to evoke sexual fetishization and the appearance of frugality, all while suggesting that aren't we naughty for thinking its either. With the pressure to remain practical in a recession that just begs us to remember the precious its going to be an interesting season indeed for lace. Its just too bad the first inklings of the buy are so damn boring. But we are willing to bet its going to sell very well indeed, its so easy to justify the purchase when really its mostly holes anyway.

3.1 Phillip Lim Resort 2009

coutorture — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 08:23:31 -0700

As a point of inspiration, Phillip Lim imagined the woman who might best wear his mid-season offerings. Frankly, the designer couldn't have been more candid, as he said she would be, "young with an old soul". We think this best describes the transformation we're seeing from Lim as the seasons pass. From his flirty days at Development to his current collections, Lim's aesthetic has grown increasingly mature. His first few collections out of the gates (those that had every twenty-something dropping hundreds--even if it meant eating Ramen noodles for a month) consisted of 'fun and flirty' belted frocks and guazy blouses and the young fashionistas rightly ate it up. A few seasons later things turned out a bit more menswear inspired, a bit more rock n' roll, and we can't help but wonder if this wasn't Lim's subtle (or subconscious) way of weening us off the flirt-factor. Now, starting with Spring 08 and ending with this most recent Resort collection, we feel like Lim has hit his stride and positioned himself exactly where he wanted to end up in the first place. Namely, dressing a wealthy, and more conservative, customer. Sure, she could be in her twenties, but she certainly isn't the sort who also wears Ella Moss and LaRok (and she was before). Now, that is, she's the sort who wears brands like Marni or YSL and when she drops cash on vacation gear, she's not going to have to eat Ramen for the next month.

Phillip Lim Silk Clipped Shift Dress

coutorture — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:26:51 -0700

We're not huge fans of how overexposed Phillip Lim has become but, once in a while, we're feeling his frocks. This neutral Silk Clipped Shift Dress has beautiful texture and would look sharp paired with those bright colored heels you'll surely pick up at some sample sale or another. Another nice aspect of this dress are the 3/4 length sleeves that eliminate the cardigan factor if you feel like covering up. For his Spring 08 collection Lim put out quite a few whites and tans, punctuated with poppy red and acid yellow brights. His theme was escapist, which translates to anal-retentive magpie, where layering and thrown-together looks were not exactly unruly, though they were certainly fun. The color story was right on, pants were rolled, harem trousers appeared, there was transparency and maxi dresses, in other words, basically all of the Spring trends were touched upon. Thank god he didn't do florals, one more spot-on top-ten would have sent all of those twenty-something girls running for Mercer Street with reckless abandon. Our gallery of the Spring 08 collection below.

Hip(ster) Hip(ster) Hooray, Pant Rolling Is The New Popped Collar!

coutorture — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 09:06:21 -0800

We love styling trends. This 2008 (both seasons, though more predominately for Spring 200 the styling trend is rolled pants. Let's clarify the technique first, that is, this is not folding nor tight rolling. The look is a bit messier, a little less type-A, and makes you appear as if you're two seconds away from jumping into the ocean like a crazy person. This Spring 2008, the young designers jumped on this trend (Alexander Wang, United Bamboo, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Preen, Y-3, and Sari Gueron to name a few), possibly out of a dependence on the skinny jean and a reluctance to embrace the new wide leg silhouette. Expect, for that reason, that those who wear skinny jeans will follow suit in transition. We love this trend because it makes us feel like a nerdy English tomboy (academic and rosy cheeked) and effects our gait such that we feel like stirring up schoolboy mischief. Our gallery of the trend, from Spring (and little Fall) 2008, below.

We also have impressive designer video interviews and original editorial spreads. May we cordially suggest perusing our selection? Enjoy New York Fashion Week Designer Video Interviews from Oscar De La Renta, Donna Karan for DKNY,Michael Kors, Isaac Mizrahi, Nicole Miller, Erin Fetherston, Ashleigh Verrier , Adam Lippes, James Coviello, John Varvatos , Monique Lhuillier, Joanna Mastroianni, Tory Burch, Neeam Khan

Fall 08 Trends Via Oscar de la Renta: Layering Texture

coutorture — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:03:33 -0800

Peter Som, Zac Posen, and Phillip Lim did it too, the streamlined magpie. Perhaps one of the most interesting visions during New York Fashion Week was that of layered texture. Layering and texture, two relatively ambiguous terms, combined this Fashion Week as an exercise in personality. As for layering, it's mostly the sort of slouchy-chic Americana aesthetic, which appears season after season, and as for texture, the ability of technology, art, and architecture to inspire the most innovative textiles (or at least, those reimagined through pairing). The Oscar de la Renta Fall 2008 collection gave us one of the best examples of this theme. A buttery soft plum leather skirt with tulle overlay was paired with a cashmere knit sweater in purples and greens. The mixture of these fabrics, the layering employed, was delivered seamlessly. Never has magpie been so streamlined.

Links:
Oscar de la Renta Fall 08 Backstage
Oscar de la Renta Fall 08 Photo Gallery
Oscar de la Renta Fall 08 Video