Christopher Kane worked the sense of irony and revelation he is famous for in his Fall collection, juxtaposing elements of naughty and nice.

Black lace, patent leather and dominatrix-style lace up shoes were teamed with girlish silhouettes and quaint floral embroidery for a quirky look: think Gothic schoolgirl with tongue firmly in cheek.

Capped sleeves, collars and shift dresses informed the main silhouettes while texture was key with peek-a-boo lace panels, embroidery and crystal embellishments.

At Michael Kors, comfort and sophistication reigned, with relaxed pieces that could take you from the woods to Manhattan.

A restrained palette of olive, khaki, taupe and charcoal complemented the relaxed draping and knitted layers.  Extreme cowl neck sweaters and fur coats and clutches lent a touch of Dr. Zhivago while military influence was noted with khaki and gunmental shades.

Winter accessories were layered with zeal but the neutral palette kept them from being  overbearing.

 The show took a futuristic turn with gravity-defying silver puff jackets, metallic and sparkles for nighttime wear.

In a couple of months spring will no longer feel like a light year away and you’ll finally be able to ditch that winter coat you feel like you’ve been wearing for an eternity. Spring is always an exciting time of the year for a million different reasons, and my favorite one happens to be the opportunity it brings to revamp your closet and update your look. The ability of a new wardrobe to lift your spirits and boost your confidence is severely underrated.

It is the perfect time of year to take a long and hard look at what’s in your closet as well as your everyday
getting ready routine in order to figure out what changes need to be made so you can fulfill your greatest potential and look your absolute best. There are so many little changes that can go a long way in allowing you to become a better updated version of your past self. Too many people are afraid to try something new, to think outside of the box or to switch things up and they miss the chance to feel that sense of accomplishment and excitement that comes from doing something good for yourself and changing things for the better. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the results!

Spring 2005

Alexander McQueen was found hanged at his home near Hyde Park in London on Thursday morning, February 11. He was only 40 years old. There is speculation that the suicide was in large part connected to the tremendous grief  he experienced over the death of his mother Joyce, who he lost only a week earlier after a long bout of illness. McQueen had also been devastated by the 2007 suicide of renowned fashion journalist and stylist Isabella Blow. Blow, a close friend, had been his primary champion and had brought his designs into the public eye.

McQueen is best known for his at once dark and playfully spectacular, theatrical esthetic.  A self-proclaimed anarchist, he had a great spirit of rebellion paired with impeccable craftsmanship. From a working class family, he left school at only 16 to apprentice on Seville Row. McQueen became not only a master tailor but also an artist’s artist. He brought and artist’s touch to an increasingly humdrum fashion design world. McQueen always imbued his collections with deep meaning and symbolism and he was especially interested in the plight of living in the female form and often experimented with semi-masochistic dress.

Spring 2007

The death of Alexander McQueen is a tremendous loss for the fashion community. There has never been a designer quite like him and he is positively irreplaceable. It is speculated that the McQueen label might now be shut down completely as the Gucci Group, the label’s owners, are not sure there is anyone quite capable of picking up where he left off. It is said that the designer’s overflowing creativity came at a price and that along with his talents was the burden of extreme fragility. He reportedly battled drug and body image issues throughout adulthood. In any case, it seems that there have been a tremendous amount of celebrity deaths over the last two years and it makes one take pause and wonder why. Why are these people, with seemly everything, so very unhappy? What makes them feel beyond the scope of help? I’m not sure there is an immediate answer but perhaps this is an indicator of a greater societal problem for which we should all take some responsibility and work together to answer.

As part of Target’s new Designer Collaborations program, in which the mass retailer collaborates with established designers, versus its Go International program with up-and-coming designers, WWD breaks the news that Anna Sui will be its second designer, hitting 250 stores as well as online from September 13 until October 17.

Sui is following in the footsteps of Alexander McQueen, and similar to McQueen’s inspiration by muse Liela Moss, Sui has also found her inspiration in a rocking chick. Or, make that four rocking chicks. Sui’s choices were the four female leads on the CW’s hit TV show Gossip Girl. Sui told WWD, “It is an exciting challenge to try and interpret my aesthetic into a mass-produced product with a specific inspirational source as the focus.” Sounds like someone’s quite the Gossip Girl fan…

By Liz Black