Prada Fall 2011 Video

Don't Waste Your Youth Growing Up

I ran into this video at Like Cool today, and am super inspired by it. It's all that great 70's-meets-90's, California cool inspiration all rolled into one fantastic video. So I'm gonna go let my wavy hair down, throw on some bell bottoms, a sarcastic motorcycle t-shirt, and a cargo jacket, and wreak some havoc around town with my friends. While I'm doing that, enjoy Youth by Tommy Petroni.

Thoughts on Fall 2011

"Just like artists make paintings to go on a wall or perform in a way to fit a space, they're designing clothes to fit people's bodies.  It's like watching a moving sculpture."

As much as I hate that it's true; my life is pretty hectic right now.  I returned home from New York yesterday to knocked down curtains and unraveled toilet paper thanks to my rambunctious kitten, I have a decent amount of schoolwork to do, I still haven't unpacked from my trip, and I desperately need a trip to the gym.  All that, plus it's a beautiful 60 degrees and sunny here in southern Kentucky today, and all that I really want to do is sit outside on my balcony and read a good book.

So in lieu of reviewing any shows for now, here are some of my favorite NYFW moments so far: a quote Kalup Linzy gave at the Cynthia Rowley show; buns woven with fabric at Thakoon; Kate Foley's outfit that she wore to Lincoln Center on Sunday; looks that appear to be layered, but are really all one piece so that you don't have to deal with actually putting together layers yourself at Preen; and Alexander Wang's outstanding fall collection that has completely renewed my faith in the young designer.

Sources: first three, the Cut; Preen images, Style.com

Our View at Jill Stuart Fall 2011

As I mentioned before, Katie and I had the honor of attending the Jill Stuart fall/winter 2011 show earlier today at Lincoln Center, and it absolutely did not fail to impress.  The collection showcased some of my favorite current trends such as below-the-knee hemlines and graphic color blocking, but the real standout aspects were the knife pleats and unexpected pops of metallic gold hues.  Being that this was the first runway show that we here at Les Deux have ever seen in person, the experience really made the clothes that much more special to us.  Also, on top of getting free Frappuccinos and Fiji Water at the event, we managed to snag some gift bags with Jill Stuart makeup (it doesn't take much to excite us).  Luckily, from our position in the venue, Katie and I were able to document some of the show.  Above, you can see some photos taken by yours truly, and below, you can watch a video of the finale shot by Katie.

Prada Spring 2011 Commercial

Such a great departure from the usual fashion commercials that can often come off as trying to be avant garde.  This take feels fresh and matches the collection perfectly.

fashionologie via the cut

Thierry Mugler Spring 2011 Menswear

If you ignore Nicola Formichetti's creepy new "muse," Rico, the clothes themselves are actually good.  Also, you get to listen to a remixed track from Lady Gaga's forthcoming album.  Enjoy.

stylelist via the cut

Calvin Klein Spring 2011 Commercial

Calvin Klein Collection Spring/Summer 2011 tvc from Patty Huntington on Vimeo.
via fashion gone rogue

Forget all these new ad campaigns; this is what the world's top model gets.  A television spot.  God, Lara Stone is perfect.

Tom Ford Womenswear

Yes! Finally, the most buzzed about collection of the year is here in motion. Tom Ford has finally released his Spring 2011 RTW collection video, and it's stunning. Take a look below, and be sure to watch the HD version for full effect.

While the pictures have been out for quite a while now, they don't do the designer's work justice. The colors, the textures, the patterns all jump out while in motion. When I first saw the images of the collection, I really didn't like the fringed pieces, but on the runway, they were by far my favorites. I could speak similarly for the sequined looks or the leopard print that was so frequent throughout the collection.

I would write more on how I feel about Tom Ford's womenswear label (all good things), however I am currently very sick with what I am sure of is the flu, and I feel like I'm going to pass out any second now. But good or bad health, it's always important to keep up with fantastic fashion.

Katie

Cerulean

My favorite scene from The Devil Wears Prada by far.

Jax

Everything That Shines Ain't Always Gonna Be Gold

I've been listening to Lissie for a while now, and this is probably one of my favorite videos of her (which I found here).  She makes me wish that I had long hair and played the guitar.


Jax

McQueen Tribute & Fall 2008 RTW

JAX

Nick Knight's tribute to Alexander McQueen, which was shown at today's British Fashion Awards.  McQueen was honored at the ceremony posthumously with an Outstanding Achievement in Fashion Design award.  The above video features some of the designer's most iconic pieces, and is set to music by Bjork.  Knight was quoted as saying that, "[he] felt it was important to have the clothes featured one last time on flesh and blood," before they were to be taken to MoMA for an exhibition that will feature McQueen's work this coming spring.  Charlotte Cowles of the Cut accurately describes the video as simply, "haunting."

Watching this tribute piece made me reflect upon my own favorite Alexander McQueen moments.  While I have more than just a few, if I had to pinpoint my one favorite, it would have to be the first time I saw the looks from his fall 2008 collection.  As a naive fifteen year old, who thought she knew much more than she actually did about fashion, the images of this runway show affected me so profoundly that I never looked the same way at clothing again.  I distinctly remember being curled up on an old burgundy love seat next to my mother, reading what was probably my first collections issue of a magazine (W Collections, if I remember correctly), when the tiny pictures caught my eye.  I had never seen looks so avant-garde, yet so wearable, made of materials that I didn't know could exist in fashion.  Of course, the royally romantic dresses from this collection were what stood out to me the most at the time.

I was so excited about these clothes that I immediately had to discuss them with my mother, whom I'm pretty sure said that they were something along the lines of, "very lovely, but a little much for [her] taste."  More notably, I also told my mother that the yellow feather bouffant dress with tulle underlay worn by Lily Donaldson (top, left) would be my wedding dress, displaying what little I knew about fashion.  I'm sure that dress (quite possibly the only one ever made) is carefully stowed away in a temperature and humidity controlled storage room as I type this.  Anyway, I have much more realistic dreams for my never-happening-wedding dress now:

Freja for Style.com

JAX

I've been obsessed with Freja Beha Erichsen since I was sixteen when Katie introduced me to her.  She will easily always be one of my favorite models.

I Hate Halloween, Except...

KATIE

So Halloween is my least favorite holiday. Despite my overwhelming love of all things sugar-filled and dressing up in ridiculous garb, I've never enjoyed this creepy holiday.

That said, I do love witty costumes. And so seeing this shot of Brad Goreski from Lanvin's Halloween party really lessens my hatred for All Hallows Eve.

Tavi Gevinson. Genius. I wish I'd been that creative instead of quickly putting together a Zenon (Girl of the 21st Century) costume and then taking it off because of it's lack of wow-factor. Go Brad!

I hope everyone had a happier (and wittier) Halloween than I!

Another thing that really makes Halloween a little more tolerable. Oh, 30 Rock...

(Image from styleite)

-Katie

Gareth Pugh Videos: A Comparison

JAX

In lieu of a runway in Paris this season, Gareth Pugh choose to show a video (first, above), featuring his spring collection, starring Kristen McMenamy. I thought that it was pretty cool and a nice way to showcase the clothes, but it was then brought to my attention that he did something very similar for Fall 2009. Not that they're the same by any means, but they do both feature a lot of the same; trippy music, one model, kaleidoscope effects, etc. What do you think: expansion on a concept, or just some clever recycling?

spring already sprung.

BY KATIE

As much as I claim to love everything about fashion, the one thing I will probably never have any interest in is actually designing, which is funny, because without that there is no fashion. I love to draw and doodle, but making things has never appealed to me; it seems too difficult/time-consuming.

 However, a few months ago I found these timelapses of growing and dying flowers and was immediately inspired to find a designer and request that they make clothes that imitate the process of flourishing and fading away. This is definitely the closest I've ever come to wanting to design any type of clothing. How would this be done? I don't know; maybe make dresses that move like dying flowers or use skewed prints of full peonies or dying irises. Either way, I was really, overwhelmingly inspired by these videos, and now that spring essentially gone and replaced by summer where I live, I'm inspired to see more blooming and fading flower in my life, whether they be in real life or on the runway.

I hope you like these. They're just a sampling of the beautiful timelapses done by Alexander Stengel that I found on vimeo. I definitely suggest checking out the other timelapses here if you have some time.

Orange ranunculaceae / timelapse from munich timelapse on Vimeo.

This orange ranunculaceae almost looks like it's breathing as it blooms.

Iris blooming / timelapse from munich timelapse on Vimeo.

This one would certainly make a beautiful gown.

White cherry blossom / timelapse from munich timelapse on Vimeo.

Like little, white, flowery explosions.

And finally, my favorite, the pink peony:

Peony flower / timelapse from munich timelapse on Vimeo.

Absofreakinglutely gorgeous.

katie

katie dislikes...animal cruelty.

i want to start off this post by saying that i am not one of those crazies that stands up on a soap box every time there's a slight issue that offends me. in fact, unless i'm being sarcastic, i'm quite a passive person. however, the issue of animal cruelty has always really bothered me. i'm not opposed to man using animals in an efficient manner (example: native americans hunting the buffalo for meat, clothing, dish ware, etc.), but i am really bothered when humans abuse our sense of logic to exploit animals in a cruel way.

the other night, i watched the new discovery channel show life (yes, i am a discovery channel/history channel/science channel/animal planet nerd), and the second episode focused on reptiles and amphibians, opening the show by saying that, despite the fact that these groups of species are difficult for humans to comprehend or feel compassion for, they are animals too, just like the prettiest butterfly or the fluffiest bunny rabbit (i added that part in myself). after spending an hour of my life learning (or trying to learn) to love reptiles, seeing this video really made me feel for them. while i won't by any means claim that i don't own any animal skins or hides (mostly leather on shoes and belts), this video has definitely pushed me to stop buying animal skin as clothing all together.

if you're squeemish, don't watch:

video from proletkult

i don't want to force my opinions on others, so if you still want to buy snakeskin bags, be my guest. i just hope i can help knock some sense into at least a few people out there.

okay, getting off the soap box now.

katie.

katie likes...garance doré & a list.

really, this article should be titled that i love garance doré! such a witty and creative woman; kind of makes me think that if tina fey had been bred and raised on fashion, this is how she would have turned out. not only are her drawings and videos incredible, her writing style is just brilliant to read. here's a video she made at lanvin for the fall rtw 10 collection:

magnificent, no?

while browsing through her blog, i noticed that she had done a list of 10 fashion staples that she can't live without. while reading it, i realized that a simple list of 10 can tell you a lot about a person, and despite the fact that jax and i are rather unforthcoming about our own lives, we'll be supplying you with our top 10; here's mine:

KATIE'S TOP 10 FASHION ESSENTIALS:

1. blonde bobby pins - i know, lame first essential, but i really wear them everyday. i always tell myself i'll leave my hair down one day, but i can never seem to stick with the resolution. having dark brown hair, i like the subtle elegance that the gold gives it.

2. brown knee-high boots - real leather, fake leather, suede, or cardboard (not really); it doesn't matter what they're made out of at all. brown looks great with any color, and no matter what they're worn with, i feel like boots add a more put-together feeling than flats or sandals can.

3. flowy white tunic - in an almost entirely neutral toned wardrobe, a simple, flowy, white top goes with every outfit i can imagine. i have one from j. crew that's going on 5 years old now and i find myself wishing every day that i'd bought 5 or 6 from the store.

4. shoulder-strap bag - i have a pale blue, leather one that goes everywhere with me. it's the perfect size for holding all of my essentials (keys, wallet, chapstick, etc.) without being overbearingly large or way too tiny. also, i love to be hands free, so something that stays attached to me with no effort is a must-have.

5. a good, chunky scarf - mine is a beige circle scarf from the gap, and i LOVE it. seriously, i got this thing at christmas and i've worn it more than any other item of clothing i own.

6. silver cuff bracelet - it's a simple accessory, but it makes a big difference.

7. medium/dark wash slim jeans - go with everything. my favorites are a pair of free peoples that i got a while back, but they are perfect. they are a wonderful color and, unlike some jeans can, don't make me look like i'm about to go work on a farm or anything. lately i've really enjoyed cuffing them just above the ankle.

8. hanes white tanks - i wear one of these almost every day. they're for men, but they fit me really great and add are so comfortable.

9. well-made tights - another one of those things that just makes you look more put together. if you can't tell, i'm all about finishing touches. also, these are an essential for winter; how could you wear a dress/skirt without them?

10. black pea coat - always a good go-to when it's cold out. simple and will be chic forever in my book.

so i guess the list is a little more winter-based than i'd hoped, but what can i say - at the moment, all my essentials are warm. making this list has made me want to make all sorts of lists! makeup, accessories, food, lists galore!

no worries, i'll refrain.

i definitely recommend checking out garance doré's site (here it is in english). i'm sure you'll fall in love with it if you haven't already.

katie.

katie likes...kate moss' hologram.

i find it much too difficult to believe that this is only a hologram. i'd read about and viewed pictures of the kate moss hologram that was featured in alexander mcqueen's fall 2006 RTW collection, but haven't viewed footage of it until tonight. i was so blown away, i literally watched this video 4 times in a row.

it's like kate moss is an impossibly beautiful woman-octopus hybrid, floating around in the greatest depths of the ocean.

i don't know...maybe i've been watching too many octopus videos à la jane aldridge lately...

katie.

katie likes...chanel spring 2010 RTW.

source unknown

i can't for the life of me remember where i found this video; i accidentally exited out of the page and i'm so sorry to the poor, nameless blogger that i promised i'd give some recognition to. karma's coming after me.

anyway, this chanel spring 2010 rtw video is really great. it certainly gives a better feel to the collection than the show did. as compared to lily allen and the cheeky models strutting down the runway, this much calmer rendition of karl's collection kind of breathes life into the clothes for me. seeing the garments in a more natural environment (even though it's the exact same barn the show took place in) definitely makes me see it in a different light. i couldn't take it very seriously at first, but now i definitely can.

katie.