L.A. Fashion Week: Gypsy 05 Fall 2011

Launched in 2005 by sister/brother team Osi and Dotan Shoham, Gypsy 05has become a line favored by celebrities like Kare Hudson, Jessica Alba, Amanda Seyfried and Miley Cyrus.  And, Gypsy 05 is not just for the girls, with a line for men that has been well received.  Their Fall 2011 line was attended by quite a few celebs, including Glee cast members Mark Criss and Dot-Marie Jones. Epitomizing the Los Angeles life style, Gypsy 05 has gained wide appeal as a line that is easy-to-wear, comfortable and still extremely fashionable.  With an emphasis on...

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Fashion's Elite Launches Tumi Tag Graffiti Collection

Corporate-friendly luggage manufacturer Tumi celebrated the launch of its collaboration with street savvy graffiti artist John Matos last week.  The artist, better known as “Crash” produced an edgy print inspired by street culture and a woman’s eyes for a limited edition collection. The original artwork for the collection is being auctioned off on Artnet to benefit ACRIA, the AIDS Community Research Initiative of America.  The organization was founded by physicians, activists and patients living with HIV to pioneer new treatments for the disease. The event was held at...

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Shop to Help Japan - Designers Save For Tsunami

In times of need, the fashion community gets together to help those who require it most.  Designers and retailers across the board have banded together to produce fundraising events.  Others have donated product for sale with the proceeds going to Tsunami victims like H & M and Uniqlo.  Shopping sites like Ideeli and Gilt have created portals to donate directly. United Bamboo, Philip Lim body held sample sales to raise aid money.  Theory set up drop boxes for direct donations of items. If you want to shop for a cause, some designers created a specially-designed...

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FREE EVENT TONIGHT: New York Fashion Film Festival

Join Rory Satran of uber-cool store Opening Ceremony, fashion mag star Emma Reeves and Swell's Tarik Malak for a reception and screening of curated fashion films.  The Fashion Film festival will  be followed by a panel discussion.  StyleCaster, NARS cosmetics and the School of Visual Arts are sponsoring the free film-meets-fashion festivities. When: Tuesday, March 29th, 2011 at 6:00 PM (reception) 7:00 PM (screening)Where: SVA Theater, 333 West 23rd Street (near 9th avenu...

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Ann Demeulemeester Fall 2011

How often do Belgians go Native?  As in Native American?  While the Fall 2011 shows in New York showed collection after collection of Americana with tribal influences.  Avant-garde designer Ann Demeulemeester put a dark twist on what was going on overseas.  The jet black feathered hairpieces were a shadow version of the ones seen at the Byron Lars show.  The corset styling gave a Gothic fetish edge. Leather and tinted fur gave some wild luxury.  A few dresses had ruffled details for a softer feminine edge.  As usual, black was the dominant...

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L.A. Fashion Week: Stop Staring! Fall 2011

The passing of Elizabeth Taylor this week has turned my thoughts to old-school Hollywood Glamour and how little is left of it these days.  The days of stars, perfectly coiffed in sexy ultra feminine outfits, seem to be a thing of the past.  Today, more often than not, our female stars are photographed in jeans and t-shirts with mussed hair and no make-up.  While the move to casual and relaxed is liberating in some ways, I can’t help but long for those days of yore, when a perfect image was what one strived for. Thankfully I am not the only one who feels this way.  There are...

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Rebecca Taylor Meatpacking Boutique Launch

Chic designer Rebecca Taylor arrived on a glittery silver (not red) carpet for the opening of her new boutique last night.  Amid the hail and high winds, fashionistas flocked downtown to shop the feminine items for Spring 2011.  New York celebrities came out in support of the designer like Gossip Girl's Michelle Trachtenburg, Tika Sumpter and 30 Rock's Katrina Bowden. The store interior had beautiful moldings on walls of off-white rose.  The clothing racks were undulating shapes to give a rhythmic flow to the boutique.  Ms. Taylor explained that...

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Cynthia Rowley Fall 2011

People love Spring, but I just patiently wait out the warm weather until Fall clothes come back.  Otherwise, I just  wear inappropriately unseasonal fabrics to make me happy.  The Cynthia Rowley collection for Fall 2011 is the perfect example to demonstrate why...  The wooden runway was a backdrop for lots of silk velvet (one of my favorite fabrics). The silhouettes were maxi-length dresses and skirts.  Flowing as opposed to tight and skin-bearing.  The colors were dark and painterly indigo, blue, grey.  There were some lighter yellows and beiges at the...

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Daryl K Fall 2011

Downtown Daryl K.  The label was the synonymous with hipster cool in the 1990’s.  Easy, slouchy, Bohemian yet urban, the designer herself embodied the ideal customer.  Flash forward to 2011, the designer has grown up, become a mother.  The trendsetting items she made cool are now considered basics for a NYC uniform.  Leather leggings and military-inspired utility wear were brought back into spotlight. Daryl Kerrigan took the season of fall quite literally as inspiration.  The studio runway was strewn with dried leaves and branches.  The backdrop was a collage...

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Edition by Georges Chakra - Fall 2011 collection

MsFABulous had an exclusive invite to preview the Edition by George Chakra Fall 2011 collection at the designer's showroom in New York City. George Chakra is a well established evening designer who is based in Lebanon and introduced his RTW collection named the Edition by Georges Chakra in 2009. We had previously enjoyed his collection in past Mercedes-Benz Fashion Weeks in New York.  It was a pleasure to enjoy the tactile feel of his stunning pieces in an intimate setting of his showroom. The attention to great workmanship and quality linings and deft design touches defined the Edition...

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Karl Lagerfeld Sketches Chanel for Bio

Is there a bigger fan of Gabrielle Chanel than Karl Lagerfeld?  The atelier has millions of fans around the world.  Coco Chanel's story has been played out as a pop history fairy-tale in movies and books many times over. British journalist Justine Picardie wrote a new biography of the designer that Mr. Lagerfeld liked so much that he contributed several illustrations for the new French edition.  The new tome will be feted at a cocktail bash/signing in the Galignani bookstore (Karl's fave) on the evening of March 24th. ...

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Fabric of the Garment District - 100th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

New York's most tragic fire, a tragedy that hits at the heart of anyone who works in the garment industry meets its 100th anniversary this week.  The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was in the Asch Building, one of the lofts specifically built for the garment industry.  Director of Historical Preservation at Columbia University, Andrew Dolkart explores the legacy and geography of the fashion industry in NYC tomorrow night at the Museum of the City of New York. If you can't attend the lecture, I suggest you check out HBO's incredible documentary, Schmatta: Rags to Riches which also follows...

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Richie Rich Styles Speakasy Moderne for Swiss Global

Fashion is theatrical.  How often does fashion actually elevate theater for a good cause?  Designers Richie Rich and Angelo Lambrou outfitted performers at the Midtown Lofts Saturday night for a “Speakasy Moderne” fundraiser benefitting the Swiss Global Artistic Foundation. Guests were asked to dress in classic Broadway glamor for an event that honored theater legend Larry Fuller.  The evening was full champagne, haute hors d’oeuvres, jazz and amazing performances by up-and-coming pop artists and established theater stars.  The Swiss Global Artistic Foundation was created...

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Yohji Yamamoto Exhibit in London

Artist, innovator, designer.  Yohji Yamamoto's clothing blurs the line between art philosophy and functional garments.  The Victoria and Albert Museum in London launches an exhibit of the designer tomorrow.  The show focuses on his creative process.  Signature Yamamoto techniques are examined, from traditional Japanese Shibori dye process to knitwear to embroidery. Another section of the exhibit demonstrates his various collaborations with photographers such as Nick Knight. If you want to explore the work or not content just to view it, sign yourself up for the many events...

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Gaga for Mugler Fall 2011

Were you waiting to feel too funky again? Or am I just dating myself?  I miss Thierry Mugler’s hyper-sexualized fashion rocking the runway.  Lady Gaga’s longtime fashion collaborator Nichola Formichetti was appointed creative director to the Mugler brand and brought it back to the catwalk at Paris Fashion Week. The show was a mix of Gothic fetish evolved from the slick spirit of classic Mugler.  The backdrop was a stage of pointed cathedral arches.  Formichetti showed alien-like exaggerated shoulders, a signature look of Lady Gaga’s.  Latex-shiny fabrics, dramatic cut-outs...

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Custo Barcelona - Fall 2011

The attitude was wild and brash.  David and Custodio Dalmau’s show for Custo Barcelona is one of the most anticipated during fashion week for its vibrant outlook.   For me, it was the first time seeing them live on the runway.  My eyes were blinded from the swirling patterns. There were several pieces that evolved from last Fall’s ‘it’ item, the fur vest.  For the upcoming season, there was a feathered, halter vest, looped wool jacket, layered faux fur stripe cape and stripes of bleached white.  Their signature mix of prints this season included 1960’s geometrics mixed...

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Marchesa Fall 2011

Every New York Fashion Week, I attend as many shows as humanly possible.  Some designers are past favorites and some are designers new to me.  In all of these cases, I am looking for designs that will excite me and in turn be able to share that excitement with you.  Sometimes the shows are good, sometimes forgettable and sometimes they are true revelations.One label I seek out season after season is Marchesa.  It is hands down THE show that I look forward to every season.  I wrote to them requesting an invite for their presentation, despite not knowing if and when...

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Vivienne Westwood 1980's - Exhibit at FIT

She claims she never intended to go into fashion…What a thought.  One of the most original characters of the punk 70’s, flamboyant 80’s and the decadent 90’s got involved in clothing design to “help out her boyfriend”.  Of course, the designer is Vivienne Westwood, and that boyfriend was Malcolm Maclaren, manager of the Sex Pistols.  The Museum at FIT is launching a small exhibit next Tuesday showcasing her iconic looks from the decade of the 1980’s.  That’s when dressing like a Pirate was considered chic and English tweed could actually be made edgy.Exhibit runs from March...

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Sachin & Babi Fall 2011

Sachin and Babi Ahluwalia are the role models of how love and work can go together.  The husband and wife team specialized in textiles together and created home décor brand Ankasa.  They then ventured into fashion several seasons ago.  Their expertise in the traditional arts of Indian embroidery had me expecting a more traditional ethnic collection.  I was surprised to find a very sleek, modernist presentation of sportswear that was desirable to any urban woman.   Simple, wearable silhouettes had delicate embellishments that made the piece special.  There...

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Rebecca Taylor Fall 2011

Bohemian sophisticate...Or maybe just a jaunt down Paris streets?  Rebecca Taylor's Fall 2011 collection had a dark, romantic look.  From rich chocolate browns to deep bordeaux colors, muted floral patterns and airy fabrics, I just wanted to lounge in an underground salon of artists.   The designer always has a flirtatious, but slightly edgy look that is accessible to a lot of women. I appreciate the artsy slant that her clothing projects and hope it inspires me to get back to sketching. Am I asking too much out of a dress?  Perhaps.  Maybe I just need to get...

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Chris Benz Fall 2011

The David Rubenstein Atrium was packed beyond capacity on Valentine’s Day.  The occasion was the presentation of Chris Benz’ Fall 2011.  Crowds pushed their way slowly through the exhibit, frustrating photographers and celebrities alike.  Susan Sarandon was spotted swimming with the tide.  Fashion blogger BryanBoy was observing the collection while inexplicably dressed as a lion.  The clothes themselves were a representation of two of the top trends of the season…Americana and the 1970’s.   The color palette was warm, with a mix of cozy textures.  Wool...

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