Jil Sander S/S 2011 Milan

Image source: The Catwalking, Bergdorf Goodman

There's a sense in current fashion in which minimalism holds the center stage right now. It's all about a lack of fussy couture-ish embellishment, about the purity of line, about garment as an art-form, about a sense of ease and classic simplicity modernized. Whether one designer decides to follow, react against, or even redefine it, it's at the center of engagement, which defines the current language of fashion.

Along with the precise tailoring work, Jil Sander as a fashion house had always been characterized by a certain pragmatism, practicability and modesty in design. But for its S/S 2011 presentation, Raf Simons delivers a collection which shapes are definitely work against any of those values, with a strong couture reference; such a departure from the usual pure, sleek Jil Sander look.

On first impression, I think this is a collection that is likely to continue to grow on me - there is intrinsic beauty and integrity of fashion with the superb tailoring work in the pieces shown here. Some might not favor this for its lack of figure-flattering proportions, but the form and line which retain to essential simplicity, and the combination of minimalism and the voluminous silhouette which brilliantly combine couture fashion with outfits that customers can easily envision being worn definitely feels like a very fresh and smart way to channel a reinterpretation of minimalism reference.

But the biggest feat here is probably the interesting bold color palette. To repeat a palette of purity and nature (white, sand, beige, and flesh - as seen on S/S 2010 at Celine or Calvin Klein) would have been dull and repetitive and seen minimalism failing to develop and to retain interest. The interesting question is whether you can have quite this much bold bright color and still 'says' minimalism. I guess Raf achieves that here. Neon as the new natural; a minimalism that can carry a bright color, a stripe, even a print here and there. Yes, it can work. I think. A new level of minimalist fashion can be accomplished only in the hands of a designer who really gets how to deliver minimalist forms; it might take a little bit of adjusting too, but I think in the end of the day we will find Raf's collection feels increasingly 'now' and surprisingly 'right'.

Illustrators Drawing Illustrators

Image source: The Catwalking

Few weeks ago, Meagan from 'TravelWriteDraw' asked me to join in her illustration project, called 'Illustrators Drawing Illustrators'. Basically she would put all of the participating illustrators' names in a jar, pair each with another illustrator to draw, and on Jan 11th we all post our illustrations and link to the person's blog, making some kind of a blog-crawl. According to Meag, I replied her email only few minutes before she pulled the names from the jar, so I'm glad that I could participate in this project after all; it was definitely fun. Thanks Meag (:

So anyway I was chosen to illustrate Meg from 'The Jersey Gem', whose blog I have been following and regularly visited for quite sometime now. Meg provided me with only a close-up picture of herself as reference, so I decided to draw her in this layered chiffon dress from Sonia Rykiel S/S 2009 collection. I think it's quirky, fun, very Parisian, and definitely one of my favorite Sonia Rykiel's show. I also tried to collage the illustration with some doodles from my scrapbook and photograph archive, just to give some breath of fresh air to my illustration. I hope you all, and especially Meg, like it!

Alexander Wang S/S 2010 New York

I have always had a fascination in general clothing that sort of lacks a sense of glamour. You know, the kind of street-style idea of just randomly wearing what you want effortlessly and not doing it to look sexy. I think that has to do with a matter of taste anyway, some may like that sort of stuff, I personally do, or some may prefer Versace red carpet gowns or that sort of glam rock Gucci type of thing.

Therefore when Alexander Wang tried something slightly different than his normal clubby downtown chick looks for his S/S 2010 show, I just couldn't help but loving it. I guess it's also because of his all-American football inspiration; I've always been a huge sucker of all sort of romantic fantasy of high school drama: the handsome jocks, the beautiful cheerleaders, the cliches... Letterman jackets, homecoming and prom night. I like how Wang has taken bits and pieces from the football uniform (and what is worn underneath the football uniform) and created a cohesive collection of young and hip clothes... and I like that this time, the girls looked a little cleaner. In fact everyone looked really fresh, and I love the side braid hairstyle.

On the down side, although there were some really adorable pieces, the styling on some looks were so contrived and heavy-handed, that it detracted from the collection overall. However I applaud Wang's smart move that he didn't want to dwell on the hype he had gained over past seasons (Hello, Mr. Decarnin), instead he made an unexpected turn by trying to update the image of his brand and push his image towards a wider range.

Celine S/S 2010 Paris

Image source: www.vogue.co.uk, Jak&Jil

In 2009, Phoebe Philo, one of the biggest fashion stars of her generation whose hip-yet-girlish clothes and coveted bags catapulted Chloé into the designer big leagues, said she’s ready for her comeback after three years out of the spotlight to focus on her young family. Her first creation as the head designer for Celine was being one of the most anticipated collection during S/S 2010 fashion week.

The result wasn't disappointing at all. In fact, Phoebe Philo simply took this work to another level. Her take on the asymmetrical closures and hems looks refreshing. I was totally enamored with this summer leather trend, and Phoebe has done it better than what I've seen almost anywhere else. There's such precision to the leather looks presented here that they have the longevity to get worn over one's brisk spring ensembles and carried right over to one's fall/winter wardrobe seamlessly. The overall feeling was a mix of clean lines with femininity: it was beautiful and very womanly without being overtly sexual or placing an unnecessary emphasis on the form. The clothes simply evoke the feeling rather than visually asserting it.

I have always loved Phoebe Philo. She's smart and sharp about taking the design directions - keeping the Celine ship steady and following the direction of the more respected French collections: neutrals, minimalism, classic with a modern approach. The fact that I didn't see any of the old Chloé spirit in this collection was actually making me glad. I respect her a lot more for going for a more sophisticated, minimal look this time instead of the old giggly-girly Chloé. This will sell to the old Celine customer, and win over some of the old Chloé customers as well who are die-hard Philo fans, so in all business calculations, this works even though no grounds are broken. I appreciate that fashion often goes a bit minimal during recessions,and I can't really blame the houses for wanting to make money and cashing in on their designer's popularity!

I Miss Luella! Luella Bartley S/S 2009

image source: www.elle.com

Think of a nice, polite, knee-length dress you might find some royal duchess wearing to a garden party, add three of those, mash them together, add an ample amount of sickly sweet confectionery color, and a bit more, then look at it through psychedelic tinted glasses, give it a matching handbag, shoe and hat, and Luella's S/S 2009 character is born.

The color was bright, garish, sick, and the styling was so done to punk proportion. On first glance, everything is rather English and proper, but there's a strange, wonky undertone. There's bow fronted blouses, paneled tweed and lace skirts, retro handbags, and multi-colored heart fronted heel at the bottom. There's randomly pleated, floral paneled dress which graduates into a gray jersey sportswear tanktop.

Last year, the designer behind the label, Luella Bartley, announced that her fashion label has ceased trading after a key financier pulled out. Club 21, the company which holds the license to supply shops with Bartley's preppy, punky ready-to-wear clothes and accessories, decided not to invest any further with the designer. Named British Designer of the Year in 2008, Bartley regularly receives rave reviews from press and buyers alike for her English eccentric style shows.

So it was such a relief to hear that recently Target has tapped 17 designers to introduce the Go International Designer Collective line, and Luella Bartley was on the list, among Jonathan Saunders, Proenza Schouler, and Erin Fetherston. I always love the Luella character and I hope that Luella girl can have an exciting future ahead of her, whichever incarnation she takes on next!

Lanvin ♥ H&M

image source: Coute Que Coute, www.hm.com

...and He rested on the seventh day from all his work which He has made,

but only after creating Alber Elbaz with his charm and bubbly personality, and blessing him with the talent to create something as beautiful (and affordable!) as these Lanvin for H&M collections.

Then, and only then, did He rest.