McQueen was named British Designer Of The Year 4 times

Fans found this sad note today on the company’s website

These have to be the most talked about shoes of the last year, often jokingly described as ” lobster claws”.

McQueen had become the master of spinning together the world of nature with dramatic fashion.  His forward designs, colors and fabrics were leaps ahead of his time, his runway styling was that of a fashion editor’s dream.

R.I.P Alexander

If you would like to know more about his life and see his past designs- NY Magazine has a very good write up on him today as does the Huffington Post.

All fashion images from Elle.com

image of A. McQueen from fashionbank.ru

The Spring/Summer 2008 collection called ‘Purple of Mogador’, is inspired by an African legend about the black alchemist Amogador, who as legend goes, discovered how to create the color purple.

Mogador is also the ancient name of a Morroccan city, which today is a creolised urban meeting point for traditional Africa and the urbanised West.

The collection is describesd as, “Informed by the process of creolisation – whereby two different cultures meet and blend to create a new culture that is unique, yet displays traits of both backgrounds – Carin Wester’s summer ‘08 collection blurs boundaries, juxtaposes influences against each other, and resists definition.”

I’m not familiar with the legend of Amogador and a quick search on the Internet hasn’t left me any better informed. It looks like I’ll have to pay a visit to my favorite research librarian unless one of our readers can point me to an online source.

While I run off to do more research you can enjoy a slide show of Carin Wester’s Spring ‘08 line. Enjoy!

Case in point… when I woke up this morning and began researching floral bouquets for a post I was working on for Valentine’s Day I discovered every bouquet I liked had a fashion reference….have I gone completely mad… or do you see it too?

Lavender cool water bouquet from Eco Bouquet and Prada

Assorted Tulips from Pro Flower and Louis Vuitton

100 blooms of Peruvian Lilies from Pro Flowers and Carolina Herrera

Valentine Roses by Jane Packer from 1-800-Flowers.com and Alexander McQueen

Big Hug bouquet from FTD.com and Badgley Mischka

Dendrobium Orchid from Telaflora and Balenciaga

fashion images from Style.com

I woke up last week to the flu with teeth chattering, chills and sweats. You know when you feel so bad, that no matter what age you are, all you want is your mom and ginger ale? So when the phone rang, hoping it was her, I answered in a pathetic tone, “Hello…” [very weak and self pitying.]

On the other end was not my mom, but someone talking about rings, deadlines, and [did I hear correctly] Zac Posen’s runway show!? Zac needed 8 cocktail rings in less than a week. Could I make this happen?

I love a good challenge so I downed some DayQuil, bundled up and headed to Zac’s studio. The show must go on!!

A designer’s studio right before fashion week is something to experience. Feathers are literally flying through the air. The energy is palpable. Zac’s very talented team is hard at work sewing, draping, pressing and bedazzling. Gorgeous finished pieces are hung on racks in a large room flooded with sunlight where models are fitted and “the look” for the show developed. This is where the magic happens.

When I entered this room, Zac walked over and introduced himself. Very friendly, genuine and dressed impeccably. He adored my purple eye shadow! Before leaving my home I loaded on lots of mascara and Mac purple pigment – a great diversion from dark circles and a sallow complexion.

On a long table we set to work. Alex White who is the fashion director for W magazine and Zac’s stylist had an idea for the ring inspired by her huge Lanvin stud earrings. I do not know how she wears these clip on studs! I tried them and they came right off.

What they wanted was an “over the top” cocktail ring. It should sit tall on the finger in a caged setting. The stones to be set were antique Swarovski Hungarian cut crystal, out of production and apparently hard to obtain. The crystals were huge, a 27mm round beauty. Six were clear crystal with lots of flash and fire, and two were shiny jet black. They loved my suggestion to fabricate them in sterling silver. Why not? It was just for the runway but I believed the execution should be done as meticulously as the rest of the collection.

I set to work right away. The construction was challenging, lots of geometry, not my strong point. The first ring reminded me of the leaning tower of Pisa. The second was beautiful. It was a 6 prong stunning setting, sure to be a “show stopper.” I wanted it to be seen from the back row, most likely where I would be.

Now the hard part. I had to plead with Joe, my caster, to get these pieces done in record time. I would still have loads of finishing work to complete once casting was done; Ring shanks soldered on, stones set, polishing and finally a patina creating an “antique” finish. Time was not on my side.

Joe, a wise old man, reminded me that the important things in life are health, family, etc…. “Yes, yes, I completely agree but can you get these done in two days!??”

Miraculously, I completed the rings and watched proudly as my creations came down the runway. Some were on bare hands, others on kid skin gloves. They complimented the look of the show perfectly.

The models had slicked back hair adorned with pom pom puffs, resembling Minny Mouse ears.

The Weimer period came to mind in some of the pieces. Sheer sheaths with glimpses of garter belts evoked Anita Berber and a decadent pre-war Berlin.

Then fast forward to a “southern belle” sensibility with swinging hoop skirts- perfect for a modern party at the plantation “Tara.”

A few key shades used strategically give hope for a colorful fall. Long legs strutted the runway in vibrant shades of yellow, orange, and purple.

The yellow was a perfect primary yellow with just a hint of mustard. The orange was a mix of pumpkin and red, more tomato soup than Halloween.

The purple was a gorgeous hue of the night shade aubergine, dark and stormy. Of course black and white were everywhere. Intricate embroidery, gems, lattice patterns, and sheer organza necklines with high collars were beautiful details on a magnificent collection.

The models navigated the runway wearing very tall platforms with a strap; the type of shoes I refer to as “ankle twisters” and three of the models did just that. The entire audience gasped in unison!

The last look of the evening was a long frilly, gray frock resembling a wedding dress. The lovely Karen Elsen with her bright red bangs and pale skin wore it beautifully. A mere three steps onto the runway and she went down like a house of cards! Again the crowd gasped. As she put her hand out to be assisted by another model and Sean, [P Diddy] Combs, there it was, perched high atop her outstretched hand – my cocktail ring!

The crowd cheered as she made her way down the runway. Even in ankle-twisters I’d like to have been “wearing her shoes” that evening. Falling on Zac Posen’s runway then later being consoled by sexy husband Jack White. I can dream right?

Of course because dreaming is just what the runway is for. Beautiful, over the top clothes that hardly anyone can wear with many of the pieces just for the show, never to be made again. It’s the allure of the fantasy that transports us to another place and time, if only for a brief moment.

Back to reality. Outside the tents at Bryant Park was a madhouse. The night was chilly and getting a taxi impossible. I had been waiting about 10 minutes when a few 6 foot lithe beauties, still in their Minny Mouse ears, were next to me. An empty taxi was making it’s way up the street. One of the models explained in a thick German accent how they needed to make it to a party.

I waved my rolled up brochure in a “no, no” gesture and ran to the taxi. My legs were not as long as theirs but I was determined. I weaved the traffic like a gazelle. We were no longer captived by the mystique of the runway, this was the streets of New York and I was there first! As I pulled away in my yellow chariot I mouthed the words “Auf Wiedersehen”

If you are equally smitten as I am with this gem of a show, you probably remember it as the “outdated trends” episode.

Jillian diligently working in her overalls- she shouldn’t have felt too ashamed though, as it appears Karl Lagerfeld is on her side of this “one minute your in, the next minute you are out” dilemma.

If you’ve never watched… a quick run down.

Nine designers, each assigned with a popular fashion trend from the last two decades, or so … trends that seem to warrant giggles, snickers and even some personal embarrassment for designer Jillian who discovers she is wearing one of these taboo outdated looks herself- denim overalls.

The designers are asked to divide themselves into teams of three ( each with a team leader) and reconfigure these “dated” once popular fashion trends into a cohesive collection of “looks” fit for a modern-day woman.

The first two times I watched the episode I was too caught up in the drama of the sewing room to really give the trends any thought but the third time around, as the designers were pleading their cases in front of the judges ( which this week included guest judge Donna Karan), I was taken aback by how many of these “dead” trends I had recently spotted while clicking through photos of the Spring 2008 collections on Style.com.

In or Out?

In the minds of the judges, Team Jillian took denim overalls to a whole new level and won the challenge…

…and for Spring 2008 Karl Lagerfeld put the “Chanel” spin on his own version of this “outdated” trend

Team Christan attempted to bring zoot suits and menswear as woman’s wear back…

…and Haider Ackermann seems to have had the same agenda.

Team Ricky was given the trends neon colors, cut-outs and underwear as outerwear- three trends I’ve just recently been writing about…

…in fact, I think Anna Sui could have been the fourth designer on their team.

And poor Chris March, his team was on the bottom this particular week and his personal attempt at breathing life back into the trend of larger than life “shoulder pad” sent him home…

…ironically Nicolas Ghesquiere’s vision of bringing fashion focus back on “shoulders” for Balenciaga has got to be the most talked about silhouette of the season.

So the questions is– “Who’s to say if a trend is in or out?” Are there any trends that you wish would stay “out” rather than come back “in”?

Resources:

Project Runway gallery photos from Bravo.com

All Spring 2008 collection photos from Style.com

See the colors here…

Download a copy of the report here…

I love the unexpected combination of brown with the red-orange and fuschia.

This warm neutral with metallic sparkle also caught my eye.

Discover the DIFW planned for October 2008