Mad Men Continues to Influence Fashion
With Mad Men set to air its fourth season this Sunday, fashion lovers anxiously await the newest wardrobes of the infamous Drapers and their retinue.
Unless you’ve been cloistered away on an intergalactic space shuttle, you’ve probably noticed that since the series began in 2007, Mad Men has successfully reintroduced the grace and glamour of the early 1960s style. We see the show’s influence almost everywhere: in beauty (boujour rouge!), fashion and even furniture. The full skirt is more at home on a push-pin settee anyway. Yet, what intrigues me most about the Mad Men phenomenon is that it has successfully transformed both men and women’s fashion. Not surprisingly, since every Betty needs her Don. I can’t help but admire how stylish men’s clothing can be, and I welcome back the attention to detail, from the tailored lapels to the French cuff.
There is no sign of the Mad Men craze slowing down either. Case in point, the many Fall 2010 collections from fashion’s top designers. The runways welcomed the female silhouette for a change, where the typical boyish figure has been replaced with the contoured Maidenform frame, replete with bounding cleavage and va-va-voom hips. Take a look at the recent Vogue photo shoot with Ewen McGregor and model Natalia Vododianova playing the typical late 1950s married suburban couple. The elegance of the era and restrained passion are both superbly captured in this layout. Ultimately, the modern interpretation of the mid twentieth-century clothing proves that class is indeed timeless.
‘Gilty’ as Charged
I haven’t seen this much shine since I visited the Swarovski headquarters in Innsbruck, Austria. Swarovski crystals have been embraced by this year’s greatest fashion designers. The God-given right to sparkle and shine is apparently no longer reserved solely for the Christmas season. The Spring 2010 collections are beaming with crystal brilliance and metallic hues. Check out the latest video from Elle Magazine.com that features the vivacious vim of the runways. To match the sparkle of embroidered crystals are the metallic fabrics also gracing the runways this Spring. Case in point: the divine new Balmain collection. The light-weight fabrics in bronze and platinum are counterbalanced by the Balmanian strong shoulder and elegant silhouette. If only Nefertiti could magically appear in the front rows this season. She would certainly show a lady how to sashay in crystals, gilt and gold! To be dazzled by the entire collection go here.
A Room of One’s Own
Virginia Woolf famously declared in her lecture ‘A Room of One’s Own’ that a woman requires but two things to succeed as a novelist “money and a room of her own.” This philosophy holds true for today’s modern woman seeking to style her wardrobe as cleverly as Woolf styled her prose. Enter the most exciting venture to happen in Canadian high fashion this year: the revitalization of the St. Regis Room at the Hudson Bay Company. This enterprise is the brainchild of Bonnie Brooks who recently took the helm of the historic retailer and has since embarked on a mission to breathe new life into the time honoured brand. ‘The Room’ (its charming new moniker) is an absolutely glorious space! When visiting the store we were impressed with the bright and modern design of the floor-wide displays. We instantly remarked that the space rivaled NYC’s most luxurious department stores. (more…)
Island Elegance
‘Tis true that I was on a bit of a hiatus over the last few weeks. I was visiting my beloved Isle out east and just got back to TO in time for the Film Fest. Although I mused about updating Livelovely on PEI, it was simply not conducive to blog while indulging in Malpeque’s finest oysters. The weather was divine and the Island’s russet soil, green vales, and hay-stacked fields were as breathtaking as ever. It was great to step out of one’s gladiators long enough to enjoy the beach like a proper East Coaster, and it was a great way to end the summer. Not to fear, my lovelies, the much awaited fall fashions were never far from my mind. Even though the feel of the surf was heavenly, the lingering thought of this season’s hottest footwear stayed with me. 
Last Spring, I had the very fortunate opportunity to have a tête-a-tête with Flare’s Senior Market Editor, Tammy Palmer, and I asked her to divulge, in a word, 2009’s most important autumn trend. Without missing a beat she replied – “Over-the-knee boots.” And then graciously tossed me another gem before bidding adieu: “Oh, and velvet, velvet, velvet!” Needless to say, I felt in the know all summer and therefore was little surprised to see September’s issue of Flare promote the thigh high boots in full force, as well as velvet! What delighted me even more was to see that the photo shoot, ‘East Cost Escape’, took place on PEI! Since Ms. Palmer also hails from the Island, it is no wonder that she would suggest to Fashion Editor Elizabeth Cabral and Photographer Max Abadian that they capture the beauty of the coastal region. I’m sure that Tammy felt the picturesque vistas would be a fantastic backdrop for these fabulous editorials. Bravo team Flare! I am very proud to have our modest homestead in one of the nation’s leading fashion magazines. Mind you, it would take me much courage and much vino to work one of these outfits in downtown Charlottetown. The rubber-booters, I fear, are not quite ready. Yorkville, on the other hand…
Cruel Intentions – Sarah Jessica Parker Horse Painting
The biggest question emerging from the Sarah Jessica Parker horse painting is: when it comes to celebrities, where do we draw the line? Sure they live in the land of fame and fortune and seem to have absolutely everything bigger and better than the average person, but does this make them impervious to derisive laughter over the way they look? Poor SJP, she’s simply trying to sell another perfume like J-Lo, Gwen Stefani and the countless other female stars out there, can’t she get a break? The now infamous artist of the gibelike painting, 14, thinks not. She posted it on her blog, Gallery of the Absurd, with every intention to provoke while denying outright cruelty. 14 tells E-Online, “I don’t feel comfortable teasing people about the way they look. But at the same time, my artistic mission for [the blog] is to observe and record the social commentary springing from celebrity gossip.”
So does this mean she’s just the messenger or the creator of the message SJP=horseface?
She said that she was initially going to paint Rumer Willis but decided against it, “Yes, I might giggle a little when a blogger posts a bad photo of Rumer and calls her a tater head,” she says. “But I feel like she’s still a kid and didn’t want to hurt her feelings.”
That seems a little unfair. Why conclude that SJP is less sensitive than a younger celeb and why deny Rumer of an adult celebrity roasting? If that’s all it is.
Many believe that stars ask for an uncensored lambasting the moment they claim the spotlight, but to paint someone as a blooming horse is just plain cruel. Heck, most of us are still wounded over something said to us in junior high school. I don’t think any amount of fame or fortune can take away the smarting slap of someone criticizing your looks. Nevertheless, it has been proven time and again that if people are not busy lauding the few they’ve placed on pedestals, then they are busy knocking them down with insults. The reasoning being that stars dwell so many levels above the rest of us and so can never really be hurt by what we hurl at them. This may be true. After all, I’ve never stopped an A-lister to ask. But in the end, are such efforts at blatant mockery necessary? I say neigh.
‘Honey, I’m on a Call’
Milla Jovovich is one of a few models who can grab your attention faster than the clothes they are wearing. She never fails to captivate us, and in Harper’s Bazaar’s latest photo spread, Mr. Big Gets Downsized, she combines her model presence with her thespian talents to portray the modern day power woman. Jovovich plays the role beautifully in a series of photos that follow a ‘day in the life’ of a female breadwinner. The clothes are superbly styled and succeed in reinventing what business attire means for women today. The sets are crafted to be tongue-in-cheek and show Chris Noth, aka Mr. Big, playing the bewildered homemaker, while Jovovich reigns as corner office queen. The contrastive roles are simply brilliant and it is particularly amusing to see Big miles away from the chauffeured limos and cocktail bars of Manhattan, and instead, elbow-deep in flour and Cheerios. 
See you in September
Marc Jacobs Fall 2009
Is it just me, or are we all waiting for the leaves to turn red? I’ve never sensed so much excitement over the emergence of Fall collections. Everyone is waiting with bated breath to wear the latest booties and luscious fabrics. Personally, I want to mimic the runways and wear jet tights now – with everything! Alas, it just looks silly in June, so I’ll have to wait, or at least settle for a pair of footless Wolfords. Pucci prints have never been so boring – give me Marc Jacobs yellow velvet and Chanel green tweed, thank you. Even celebrity stylists are skipping strait to Fall runways – think everyone at the Met Gala and celebs on talk shows (Gwenyth Paltrow in a fab Marc Jacobs on Conan O’Brien last week). If only we were celebrities or living in Alaska – then we wouldn’t have to wait!
1930s Revisted
“Oh Dahling – What recession?” – sigh the models from It’s a Madcap World in Vogue’s February 2009 issue. How apropos that designers, stylists and photographers alike have drawn inspiration from an era where the stock market was just as bleak, yet the fashion was as just as important.
The 1930s marked a time where the depressed economy reflected the world of dress as it has done today. It drew in the flimsy fitted flapper designs of the slapdash 1920s and formed a more conservative silhouette with immaculate tailoring in both their day and evening wear. We are seeing tighter lines today, compared to the Roman togas Rachel Zoe had everyone wearing a few years ago, particularly in the latest fall collections. Ironically, the fashion forum in the 1930s had a slightly different prediction for 21st century style. Take a look at this vintage footage where they envisage what dress would be like today. If only they knew that the their style would be our ultimate muse.
Strut your Stuff! Williamson for H&M
Channel your inner peacock this summer with Matthew Williamson’s lovely collection designed for H&M. A kaleidoscope of colorful prints infused with printed plumes and saturated graphics. The collection is fresh, playful and oh so summer set! Pick up a billowy tunic for your island vacation or a silk pink embroidered vest for a night out. Summer has officially arrived!