The Hunger

21 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by in 1980's

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I guess I’m on a Catherine Deneuve kick right now. I thought this might be good for anyone working on Fall.  80’s goth + sexy vampires.

The thing I love most about Deneuve is that she’s undeniably gorgeous, but she doesn’t use it to define her film career.  If she were in America she’d be the girlfriend in many macho action movies or romantic comedies, then hit her 30’s and never work again unless it was as someone’s mom.  But being in Europe, and being fearless in her work, she’s played many varied and complicated women.  In Tony Scott’s, “The Hunger” she’s in her 40’s and playing a bisexual vampire!

You gotta love Bauhaus performing "Bela Lugosi's Dead" in the opening. The cage visual is repeated with the caged primates Sarah studies.

Miriam and John on the hunt.

A touch of the 40's through an 80's filter.

Leather jacket and mesh gloves. Love it! A very young Ann Magnuson.

Love her veil. Her wardrobe speaks to the fact that Miriam doesn't age. She just might be wearing something she wore in the 40's.

Another nice veil. It's also a subtle reminder that she is a vampire and must cover herself in the daylight.

A beautiful gown. Love the contrast lining.

Miram, Catherine, and John, David Bowie, are husband and wife and have been since 18th century France where they met.  Miriam is a never-aging Egyptian Vampire.  Her and John live in Manhattan and teach classical music.  John was promised everlasting life when Miriam chose him to be with her.  That did not mean everlasting youth, and John begins to age rapidly.  He seeks the help of Sarah Roberts, Susan Sarandon, a doctor who specializes on aging disorders, who thinks he’s a weirdo and blows him off.  When she sees him hours later and he’s aged decades she’s intrigued enough to look for him after he storms off.

A roller skater and a boom box. Ah, the 80's!

She goes to his house only to find Miriam.  Unknown to her, John has been placed in a coffin, still alive, only to be trapped in his decrepit body for eternity.

Simple but amped up with the shoulder pads.

Miriam and Sarah...

...End up hooking up.

After Miriam exchanges blood with Sarah, Sarah becomes a sweaty, twitchy, “junkie” badly in need of a fix.

Sarah returns after being turned into a vampire, angry. More 40's suits for Miriam. I love that they did her hair from that era too. It avoids the sad 80's hair that Sarandon has.

Miriam, outside moments later, with another veil.

Miriam about to give Sarah her first feed.

Deneuve's face. Her porcelain skin and red lips are such a great match for 80's glam.

Billowing curtains and white doves. Two things Tony Scott loves putting in his films. Why? Who knows?

The movie was release in 1983, just as AIDS was becoming an epidemic, a killer of gay men, intravenous drug users, and blood transfusion recipients.  Sex and blood are potent symbols of how dangerous sex became in the early 80’s.  Miriam is the aggressor, and she is the one to “enter” her prey, “infecting them” by biting them, penetrating their skin.  After feeding off their blood, they die.

In the end, Miriam meets a cruel fate.  Her undead lovers drive her to her death.  A metaphor of sorts of the Reagan era’s attitude on AIDS.  “These people” somehow deserved their pitiful fate because of the irresponsible and “immoral” actions.

Belle de Jour

16 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in 1960's, Women

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Coincidences abound. “Belle de Jour,” was in my queue and I had just read about how popular the BDSM book, 50 Shades of Grey, was with the soccer mom set. It’s was written by a British former television exec, and mother of two. And the fact that a real New Jersey soccer mom just got busted for being a madam at a high class brothel in New York. What is going on, ladies? I don’t know how you have the energy for sex, much less kinky sex? It seems like SO much work to me.

Soccer mom madam: http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-03-11/news/31144205_1_prostitution-ring-defense-lawyer-surrenders

50 Shades of Grey: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2012/03/bestselling-mommy-porn-50-shades-of-gray-.html

Anyhoo, here it is and I admit, film geek that I am, have not seen it until now. Always heard about it, admired Bunel’s work, but never saw it. Maybe the subject matter was a little to risque to be covered in school. It was also tied up in a legal mess and re-released theatrically in 1994, by Miramax Zoe. My limited French translated “Belle de Jour” as beauty of the day, which I thought was a reference to her working in a brothel. But it’s actually a reference to a day lily, which the French call belle de jour, a flower that only blooms during the day, and Severine only works during the day. But I think both interpretations work.

They start riding in a coach (a symbol of the rigid social class rules?), then Pierre gets mad at Severine, ties her up...

... and lets the men have at her.

Cut to her in bed, you realize she's just fantasizing. Isn't she GORGEOUS. It's really not fair.

There’s a quick cut and you get a glimpse of Severine in a questionable circumstance when’s she’s about 10 or 11. Maybe that’s why she escapes into her fantasies. Her husband comments that she’ll never grow up, she comes off childlike in many ways.

Love her tennis outfit. Not really made for playing.

Fab, fab, fab. YSL. Gimme. Now. And those Roger Vivier buckle shoes.

Her upper class clothes set her apart from the other girls. Love her chain belt.

So fantastic. The hat, the oversize glasses, the patent leather trench.

Here's a better shot of the trench.

The grey knit dress would be great for spring. Imagine it in white and pale blue with some striped espadrilles.

She agrees to participate in a stranger's yearly ritual. She dons a full length black veil. I think this part is another one of her fantasies.

An overt reference to "Breathless." This film is almost its opposite. A man selling the Hearld Tribune, instead of a woman, to an older, Belmondo-type gangster. Where "Breathless" is light, "Belle de Jour" is dark. Jean Seberg a pixie-haired, American bohemian, Catherine Deneuve, long-haired, proper French aristocrat. Seberg is free and independent, Deneuve repressed and trapped in her role.

These knitted shifts look so comfy and perfect for spring. Since they're A-line, they'd still great if you gain a couple pounds.

LOVE her in this. The satiny spread collar, the gold cuff links, and super fab hair.

...And the back. If only I knew how to do this French twist + bun and if only my hair would stay up!

When I read that Yves Saint Laurent provided her clothes, I was excited, but was disappointed that they’re aren’t that many wardrobe changes! WTF Yves! She was his muse and the face of his cosmetics line in the 70’s.

Severine gets involved with a gangster, and he shoots Pierre in a jealous rage. Pierre ends up blind and paralyzed. His friend Mr. Husson, knows what Severine’s been up to, and tells her that he is going to tell Pierre. Her actions have done irreparable damage to Pierre and their marriage. Only blinded, Pierre sees his wife for what she truly is. She has always withheld sex from him, and now he’s been deprived of his virility forever. Mr. Husson leaves, and Severine goes back to check on Pierre. She sits, then sees him take off his glasses and walk.

This ending is ambiguous, is she fantasizing? Or was Pierre being injured a fantasy? Was the whole thing a fantasy? I think her mind is fleeing reality by fantasizing that everything is OK, that Pierre is fine, and they’re the same as they were before. The film shows the gangsters in their element without Severine around, so I think Bunel is saying they are real.

Directed by Luis Bunel, 1967.

What a trip! Check it out.

Hollywood Reporter Top 25 Stylist List

15 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by in Uncategorized

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This is the second year they’ve been doing this.  I used to read this all the time when I was a development assistant.  It was strictly news, but with a dollop of party photos.  Now with Janice Min at the controls (she revamped Us Weekly) it’s way more glamorous.  I don’t think stylists have power per se, you hire them, and you can fire them.  But they’re definitely influential and can help you get attention, and that in itself is worth their expense.  They are highly connected, and this business, like any other, is who you know.

Being in the right dress, at the right time is like being Lana Turner at Schwab’s drugstore.  Not being in the right dress, at the right time?  Well, it’s hard winning the folks who pick spokesmodels and whatnot over again once you’ve made a bad impression.  Think about Eva Green.  Tall, thin, naturally buxom, striking green eyes, an ingenue everyone wanted in their campaign.  Armani used her right after “Beautiful Dreamers.”  Then she was cast in “Casino Royal,” as Vesper.

Why choose to look like this?

When you can look like this?

Or this? Patrick Demarchelier, Vanity Fair.

It seems she naturally gravitates towards gothic, so go ahead and do that, but you can do it with a dash of Dolce and Gabbana and a bit of Dita Von Tese.  She did get a contract here and there, Dior perfume for one.  But she could’ve done much better for herself.

Shailene Woodley is a young actress trying to establish herself in a sea of other ingenues.  What better way than to wow the powers that be on the red carpet?

But this dress is not going to do it.

If she worked with a different stylist, the result might have been different.  I’m not hating the dress, it’s just not right for the Oscars and for a young lady trying to make a global impression.  She’s tall with a great figure, she can wear anything and look good and they still managed to make her look, eh.  Maybe she wanted to look more grown up?  Why?  Enjoy being young and have fun with your clothes and hair.  Unfortunately, the world took notice of her, and quickly wrote her off.

This Proenza Schouler dress did little to wipe the white Valentino clean. See how they styled it for the runway? Hem below the knee, prim and proper, mixed with leather gloves and heels, naughty. It's always a balance you're trying to achieve. No balance on her look. Photo: http://www.redcarpet-fashionawards.com

It may seem like superficial nonsense, but trying to stay in the game, and get ahead for these ladies is Olympic-sized competition.  You need to stand out, and with today’s image driven media, you need a look that hooks.  For you it equals, contracts which means more $$, but also those ads will be see by millions, especially those who are casting.  Believe me, casting is like (now step back in time with me) going into a record store.  You’re overwhelmed with choices and get stuck.  Then you flip through a magazine and see cute Hailee Steinfeld in a Miu Miu ad, she’s perfect for it!, and that gets the ball rolling.  Also, think about how short some careers are.  These contracts are only going to come when you’re hot.  Better to cash in while that slot is still paying.

So in other words, it’s interesting to see the Hollywood Reporter start naming and giving recognition to the people behind the curtain.

On newsstands now.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/most-powerful-stylists-of-2012-299177

The Great Gatsby

12 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by in 1920's

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It took a while for this to come out on DVD. Adapted by Francis Ford Coppola, Directed by Jack Clayton, “The Great Gatsby” is a fashion lovers movie for sure.  Theoni V. Aldredge does a fine job representing the 20’s, but you can tell it’s seen through a 70’s lens.  The appeal is more about the 1%ers atmosphere of entitled luxury, luxuriating in it, and not giving a f**k how the other half (or 99%) lives.  THE fashion moment is when Gatsby tells Daisy and Nick he has a man in London buy him new clothes every season.  He showers them with shirts in every color under the rainbow.  If that’s not clothes porn, I don’t know what is.

Theoni used A LOT of Ralph Lauren.  So much so that Lauren really rode this horse to his credit.  Many people mistake him as the Costume Designer.  The credits are not clear in this regard. They state, Men’s Wardrobe: Ralph Lauren.  Women’s Wardrobe Executed by: Barbara Matera, Ltd.  I’m guessing they were the two brands Theoni used.  They don’t even have a Costume Designer credit listed in the film credits, but Theoni V. Aldredge is listed on IMDB.  Women’s Hats Executed by Woody Shelp.  Jewelry: Cartier.  I love that Jewelry gets its own credit.

You gotta admit, Daisy's wedding ring is a stunner.

I’ve seen this many times on VHS, but years ago, and on this viewing, I’m totally distracted at how sweaty the men are.  Clayton is either making a point of being 1) realistic, summer no AC, or 2) men are pigs.  They’re ruled by their impulses like animals.  It makes them violent/overly sexual/aggressive, or 3) All the love triangles make everything awkward and uncomfortable.  Not sure, but I want to throw all of them in the shower.  All the women are soft and dry even when complaining about the heat.

No, it's not the model for Ralph Lauren's Polo, it's Tom on his pony. Lauren must've been thinking this is kismet. It coincidentally mirrors his own life (without the crime/murder.) Ralph Lifshitz (I'm not kidding), nice Jewish boy, changes his name to Ralph Lauren, co-ops the WASP aesthetic in every conceivable retail avenue and becomes a kajillionaire. James Gatz (possibly nice Jewish boy) reinvents himself into Jay Gatsby, does some shady things after the war and gets rich quick. Lauren always seems to be channeling The Great Gatsby in every collection.

Who better to tell the WASPs how to dress than an outsider driven to be accepted by them?

Nick enters the world of the idle rich, old money.

Daisy wears delicate chiffons and silks as if her fragile nature couldn't tolerate anything heavier.

Ivy League shall collar sweater.

Daisy's dress in a wider shot.

The first glimpse of Gatsby, as he stares out to Daisy's house. He is new money.

Betcha didn't see this coming. I just like the layering and bandana.

Jordan and Nick in their tennis togs. Love it! I wish they offered a better shot though.

Daisy is always cocooned in fabric, she lives in a bubble, could never survive outside of it. I'm sucker for ombre (color gradation) anything.

Jordan in her backswing. I love 20's golf clothes for women. There's no reason we should be denied looking this good on the course. Just make it in sweat-wicking, UV fabrics, thank you.

Gatsby is gangsta. Or a gangster? Who knows?

Love the graphic design on her dress, and that the cape is attached. Jordan played by Lois Chiles. She, like her name, is both bland but spicy. JK. Her last name rhymes with "files." Flat delivery, husky, sexy voice, bewitching face.

Gatsby arranges to surprise Daisy at Nick's. He furnishes the silver tea service as a token of his new wealth. Doesn't he look great? I'm not wild about the wide mustard tie, but his hair, the cream suit, the pocket watch chain. Love it.

He's finally cornered her. But who is the caught one? Gatsby has been waiting for this day for years. To finally show the girl who left him because he was poor, that he made something of himself. Instead of spitefully rubbing it in her shallow face, he is still the lovesick boy she left. He will do anything for her and is blinded to any of her faults.

Clayton’s directing is very 70’s.  I like framing, but subtle framing.  He literally frames people with a window frame around them.  Why don’t you hit me over the head with a hammer?  He pans, then zooms into some random object to act as a transition, and sometimes in the middle of action.  That’s bothersome when there’s no rhyme or reason for it.

See what I mean?

And sparkly eyes. So 70's!

The eye sparkle.  Why?  Is Clayton suggesting Daisy is starry-eyed, not realistic to her situation, or that she’s like a fine doll, or a jewel, merely a pretty possession for these men to fight over?  Not sure, but again, it’s a little directing overkill.

Gatsby has waited years to show off his wealth to Daisy.

He can’t help himself.

Get ready...

And there they go!

I still don't know why Daisy is impressed. She's rich, bitch! So what?

And sommore. You notice Redford rarely smiles in movies? I think because he's so handsome, he's always trying to be serious, taken seriously. Too smiley makes him Tab Hunter.

Why is she crying? She regrets not waiting for him, and that everything would've been OK since he turned out rich? Shrugs. It's an odd reaction.

And I have officially shot my wad- on English shirts.

Ties have always been seen as a somewhat Freudian phallic symbol. The use the tie collar bars to suggest an erection is a subtle reinforcement of the man's animal nature.

I just like this shot. Her character is so independent and fun.

Gatsby made his American dream come true. He's finally made it in his eyes. The money, the house, the girl. Doesn't matter that it's dirty money, material things don't make you happy, and the girl is a vapid, histrionic twit. He's blinded by his own ambition and obsession. This is new money trying to become old money.

Clayton paints their scenes as innocent, true love. Soft light, out in the open, almost chaste.

While Tom's infidelity is in a dark, grubby hotel, wantonly sexual, hidden away shamefully.

I just like this shot, too.

Love this rain cape! With the gloves, rad. It's during a transition, sorry it's not clear, but this is the best view.

Daisy, cocooned again.

The back of Jordan's dress.

Daisy sheds her cocoon coat and shortly afterwards runs off with Gatsby. This decadent party is filled with Senators and lawmakers, and the booze is free-flowing, during prohibition. It shows the utter hypocrisy, and above-the-law attitude of the rich.

Everything is dramatic about Gatsby. Even his tux, with the pleated shirt and the quilted vest. Gatsby's thinks Daisy didn't enjoy herself, he vows to "fix" everything, and make it like before. Nick tells him he can't repeat the past. "Of course you can," he replies. It's clear that Daisy did enjoy herself and later Gatsby mistakenly accuses Tom of suggesting they all go to town when Daisy did. It's a subtle way to suggest that Gatsby's perception of things is skewed to the way he wants it to be, not the reality of what happened.

I think this is the one time Daisy and Gatsby are truly being themselves. They're alone. No one around to act a certain way. Stripped of artifice, he has on his military uniform and she dances with him sincerely, like she did before he left to fight in the war. If Gatsby came back to haunt his house, I'm sure he'd be dancing this dance for eternity.

Nick in another shawl collar sweater.

It's a perfect day for Gatsby, but perfection never lasts.

Love his scarf tucked in just so.

This foreshadows Gatsby's demise.

Like a strange reverse proposal, Gatsby gives Daisy a ring, she can't wear it because she's married, so she kneels, puts it on his finger.

A very young and doe-eyed Patsy Kensit.

Gatsby in a pink suit. Even Tom takes notice and derides him for it.

Personally, I love it. What balls to wear a pink suit (for a straight guy.) It's emblematic of ostentatious new money.

Another cocoon covering.

Jordan's dress, perfect for summer.

I love Nick's super high crewneck and slim fit sweater.

A beautiful tiered dress.

“Rich girls don’t marry poor boys Jay Gatsby.”  The class divide.  During the end titles, the song, “Ain’t we got fun,” there’s a line, “…The rich get richer, the poor get laid off.”  When Fitzgerald wrote this he believed America was in decline because of the great class divide.

Nick and Gatsby's father take his body to be buried through the Valley of Ashes. The industrial dumping ground that you have to drive through to move from West Egg to East Egg symbolizes the enormous gulf between rich and poor during this time. The ashes are the result of the pursuit of money at all costs with no regard for others. Wilson lived here with Myrtle, one of the poor trying to eke out a living, and when pushed to his limits, acts out violently towards the rich Gatsby.

West and East Egg also represent the West (West of Appalachia) and East of America. Gatsby and Nick are from the west.  They never quite fit in with the old established money set of the east. But Gatsby loved it so much his father buries him there.

We all are forced to read this book in high school.  But you know, it still holds up.  It’s an easy read, not too dense, and paints a vivid picture of the times that are oddly prescient to today’s hedge fund managers 1%ers vs. the rest of us 99%ers.  Occupy East Egg!

Baz Luhrman is directing the newest adaptation with Leo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan as Gatsby and Daisy.  I’m sure the clothes will be to die for, but I hope he delves deeper and gives us the full Greek tragedy.

A refresher: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gatsby/themes.html

Hedi Slimane in at YSL

07 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by in Contemporary/Present Day, Women

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Stefano Pilati out after eight years.  While a great designer, and former assistant to Tom Ford, Pilati never created that lust for a brand as Tom Ford did.  That itself is a tall order and Stefano did make some lovely clothes and accessories during his tenure.

In contrast, Slimane’s time at Dior Homme was earth-shaking.  Men and women wanted those clothes.  Karl Lagerfeld is said to have lost all the weight so he could fit into the Dior Homme pants.  I don’t recall anything like it other than the crush of Helmut Lang’s first few years on the scene.

Hedi Slimane never intended to be a fashion designer. Photography was his first love.

Dior Homme, widely coveted. A mix of rock n' roll, high fashion and punk.

He’ll still work on his photography: http://www.hedislimane.com/

The iconic (overused, but this time it's appropriate) YSL Le smoking suit.

Seems like a natural fit in hindsight.  So curious to see what he’ll come up with for the ladies!  I’m guessing some overt rock n’ roll sex covered up in well-tailored trousers and jackets.

Midnight in Paris

06 Tuesday Mar 2012

Posted by in 1920's, Contemporary/Present Day, Women

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Doncha just love Paris?  I do.  And I love that Woody Allen opens the movie with shot after idyllic shot of Paris and Parisians doing what they do best, being nonchalantly Parisian, even in the rain.  And getting some $$ and tax breaks for productions that shoot there makes it even better for the producers.

Costume Designer Sonia Grande not only did sumptuous work on the 20’s costumes, but gave Rachel McAdams a rich bitch, casual sexiness.  I apologize for some open-mouth shots, but it was the best frame for the look.

Shirtdress with low-slung belt and oversize bag.

The group at Versailles. Another shirtdress with wedges. Perfect for a hot day.

The group with tour guide, a.k.a. Carla Bruni Sarkozy (The French First Lady), love her! Loved her when she was a supermodel. And don't you love her unstructured blazer?

Zelda's lace dress details. I love the geometric shapes with the lace.

Josephine Baker shaking it. Everyone looks fab, from the extras to the stars.

Chanel jacket thrown over a loose, featherweight tee.

Here's the whole look with belt and bag.

Simple beading, simple sheath, big impact.

This is a tough dress. It could look too precious. But slip into some sexy heels and you can make it work.

Carla Bruni Sarkozy again, lovely.

Quintessential flapper dress. This is why the 20's continues to inspire. It's luxury (silks, beading, feathers) + comfort (loose) + sexy (short hemlines).

I have a fantasy about taking the little guy on a Parisian holiday, eating, running through the gardens at Versailles, climbing the Effiel Tower, but honestly?  He’d tear the place apart.  But I can watch movies until he gets old enough.

Terracotta Warriors, Miao People at the Bowers Museum

04 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by in stuff to see

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Last weekend to catch the terracotta warriors at this little museum in Santa Ana.  I went yesterday and was a wee bit disappointed.  There were only three dudes there.  They had wall-size photos to give you the full effect of the masses of them in the tomb, but yes, only three dudes hanging out.  No flash photography, so I used my iphone.

Lovely day in Santa Ana.

This looked like it was to scale, actual size. Hard to tell though, it was on a raised platform.

Polo player on plaster.

His opponent. The text said polo was a favorite sport and men and women played during the Tang dynasty. It probably came from Persia along the trade routes. I love the simplicity in the strokes still able to give you a vivid picture.

Golden dragon.

Gold filigree tree. I'm so sad that the light is blown out. This little tree is quite beautiful, delicate, someone should make a necklace charm with a shrunken version of it.

Gold ornaments. Such an unusual shape.

Headdress. OMG it was so crowded around this one and I didn't want to wait to read the placard, so not sure why all the pieces are loose.

This is a small bull with a picture behind him of the enormity of the tomb. And those are just bulls. There were goats, sows, sheep, and horses.

I exited the exhibit and it flowed into an exhibit of the Miao people of China.  This, to me, was actually more exciting.

The girls start weaving and embroidering at six (!). That's why when they're ready to marry their clothes are so exquisite. The clothes tell you what their social rank is, shows her talents, and creativity.

All silver. They were doing the big big statement necklace for forevah.

Woman's traditional dress. The embroidery is amazing.

Wow. This is an apron! This is the sh*t, non?

Another traditional garment. Those aren't prints, those are embroidered and batik pleated skirt.

More women's jewelry.

Look at the deadly haircomb.

That pipe with the pendants is rad. I want it!

More women's jewelry.

Tradional costume and jewelry. These use a lot of indigo.

Hand-dyed batik! That takes some talent.

Here's a closer view of the sleeve.

And the back.

This jacket has metal decoration sewn into it.

Here's a closer shot. All the silver was sewn into a pattern.

Ceremonial women's costume.

A Miao woman with her jewelry.

The Miao exhibit was small but each piece was a “Wow.”  I was intrigued by their indigo wax-resist dying technique.  It could be the next thing for denim.  No one has done that yet, and that’s hard to say because denim has been done in just about every way, stone washed, acid washed, faded, waxed, baked, dyed, overdyed, etc.  If you could figure out a way to do it on denim, in intricate or simple patterns, it could be rad.  Tattooed denim anyone?

Pretty Much Everything

02 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in Books

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Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin elevate fashion photography to art.  They work with what Inez calls, “… a duality.  There’s a gender shift, there’s beautiful and ugly.  There’s spiritual and mundane.  There’s tension.”  I love their work because they do the arty stuff but still make the clothes look good, and maybe that’s because Vinoodh was a designer first.

Their new book from Taschen, is $700 (!, well, it is Taschen), and three volumes.

Lady Gaga, V, issue 61.

Clint Eastwood, New York Times Magazine, 2005.

http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/photography/all/06352/facts.inez_van_lamsweerde_vinoodh_matadin_pretty_much_everything.htm

 

Ann Demeulemeester Fall 2012

01 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by in Runway Inspiration, Women

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If she were a contestant on “Project Runway,” she’d lose.  Too much black.  Too much leather.  One note, not enough variety.  What’s this girl going to wear to dinner?  Ann says, F**k you.  I love black, leather, and boots.  And that’s what this girl is going to wear anywhere.  If someone gives her crap- who are we kidding.  They wouldn’t dare.

Black on black, with more black, please. It's practical for winter, isn't it? Gloves and boots. Toasty. Not to mention, hot. You look like you mean business. Marcus Tondo/GoRunway.com.

Why don't women wear her on the red carpet? The dresses this year were such a bore. Marcus Tondo/GoRunway.com.

The sleeves, the extreme shortness, love it. Marcus Tondo/GoRunway.com.

I love that they put leather pants under it. Marcus Tondo/GoRunway.com.

She’s a badass.

Dries Van Noten Fall 2012

29 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by in Runway Inspiration, Women

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The Dutch were among the first Europeans to start trading with the Japanese.  The exchange of influences flowed both ways.  The Japanese were exposed to technological advances and the Dutch admired Japanese art.  Van Gogh was heavily influenced by Japanese woodblock prints, ukiyo-e.  I always thought a collection combining the Dutch penchant for the avantgarde + japanese art (woodblocks, painting, textiles) would be soooo fantastic, and now it’s happened.

An avantgarde sack coat but with Oriental embroidery on one side. It could work with jeans or a shift with tights. Yannis Vlamos/GoRunway.com.

Such bright, vivid colors for fall. Great layering piece. Yannis Vlamos/GoRunway.com.

Who doesn't want this coat? Isn't it so much better than boring 'ol gray wool? Look at the small details. The solid inside lapel. The banding at the bottom. Look at the model walking away behind her. The back has a solid on one side, print on the other. It's really amazing. Yannis Vlamos/GoRunway.com.

Repeated prints but in an unexpected way. Yannis Vlamos/GoRunway.com.

I looooooove this top. It's like he's taken part of a Japanese painting and blown it up to the extreme until it's like abstract art. Yannis Vlamos/GoRunway.com.

I love that this has an Japanese feeling (kimono top) but also looks like it's borrowing from traditional Dutch peasant clothing (the banding suggests an apron). Yannis Vlamos/GoRunway.com.

He’s a master.  He always has great prints and different cuts for pants and jackets.  But never showy or overblown, always subtle, and always in the most sumptuous fabrics.  Great ideas for us to try in our (budget) wardrobes, bright prints, turtlenecks with tunics, wide leg pants, and sack coats.  Why wait for next winter.  Do it now!