I had a good, thorough flip though the September issue of US Vogue over the weekend, and I was surprised to see how boring the advertising campaigns were. Firstly, Louis Vuitton was noticeably absent, which was very strange. And the magazine was also lacking in nice-looking campaigns, which, let’s face it, is usually the main reason we buy the September issues. I know that desperate times call for desperate measures, but the second, third, and fourth quarters of the magazine were crammed with tasteless, ugly campaigns from brands that are not “worthy of Vogue.” I guess they have had to drop their standards in order to fill their pages.

Before I go through my Loves and Loathes for the ad campaigns from the brands we know, I should point out that there was a very good article in Vogue about mothers in the US Army. Not only was it a riveting read, but it made me 1-feel so sad for children whose parents are in the military, and 2-hate the US Army more than words can describe.

I Love…

how amazing Karen Elson looks in this Balenciaga campaign. And the shape of that white furry coat is INSANE.

the way this ad highlights the unusual shapes Bottega Veneta is known for.

Roberto Cavalli at his best: glamour, leopard print, and fur.

these simple Celine ads.

that these Chanel photos look pretty relaxed.

the best trousers of the season, by Chloe.

that despite the fact that Gucci has basically repeated their Spring Summer photos, it still very luxury and on-brand.

Autumn Winter with Michael Kors. Only Carmen Kass can make grey jogging pants look great with a fur coat.

alien eye makeup at Lanvin.

gorgeous contrasts and hardcore hardware at Miu Miu.

that Nicole Miller suddenly looks modern and slick.

Prada's choice of models, Miranda Kerr looks amazing.

that Tommy Hilfiger does the American preppy look better than anyone else.

this beautiful photo. This Valentino dress looks absolutely stunning.

Cleopatra hair and dramatic stairs at Yves Saint Laurent.

I loathe…

the whole concept of this Bulgari shoot, plus the style of the photography, which looks quite tacky.

a boring Burberry campaign. Time to try something new.

ditto at Dolce & Gabanna. They also need to try something new.

when Hermes looks too equestrian.

this Jimmy Choo campaign. It is such a predictable fashion photo set-up, and the shoes look like nothing special.

when a campaign gets done too many times. The cute young Lacoste models jumping up and down were nice for a few seasons, but now they look like silly ravers.

that Ralph Lauren has chosen some of his most boring product for the seasonal ad campaign.

Kate Moss naked in this David Yurman campaign. She doesn't look nice at all, in fact, she looks a bit yuck.

I just finished reading Deborah Ball’s House of Versace. I prefer fiction when I am on holidays, so I wouldn’t say all of you should run out and buy this book for your summer vacation, but if you are at all interested in the history of the brand, it is definitely worth a read.

The book tells the story of the Versace siblings’ (Gianni, Donatella, Santo, and the others) upbringing and story of the Versace brand up to the present day. You can’t help but love Gianni, respect Santo, and despise Donatella, although I know the author has a great impact on how we feel towards them, since she definitely describes Donatella as a megalomaniac who nearly ruined the Versace brand after Gianni’s death. (By the way, Santo is the brother who controlled Versace’s finances.)

Alice Drake’s The Beautiful Fall had a similar tone. Her book, which traces the history of Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent, clearly favoured the latter. I am not surprised that Karl Lagerfeld kicked up a legal fuss and managed to get the book off the shelves temporarily, because she definitely portrays Karl as the lesser designer. Personally, I think Karl Lagerfeld is more of a legend than Yves Saint Laurent. They both played an enourmous role in forming the way women dress today, but Karl has had the longevity that Yves did not, which has meant his genius has spanned several decades.

Anyway, back to Versace. The company has been on the brink of bankruptcy for the past few years, and it seems pure luck that they have managed to stay afloat, no thanks to Donatella’s refusal to hand over the reigns to a qualified creative director. She is no Gianna Versace, and will never come close. Also, I feel sorry for Allegra Versace, Donatella’s daughter, who inherited Gianni’s share of the company upon his death. In fact, Gianni was quite idiotic to do that, who gives leaves their “favourite niece” 50% of a multi million dollar company, meanwhile leaving the rest of his nieces and nephews almost nothing? No wonder she suffers from anorexia, that’s not fair to any child.

So if you like a bit of fashion history and hearing about other families’ drug habits, eating disorders, insane spending habits, and murder, this is the book for you. I highly recommend The Beautiful Fall, which is also wonderful read about two of the fashion geniuses of the 20th century.

This Yves Saint Laurent menswear collection is a bit scary. If I ever catch my husband in high waisted, flared, polka dot shorts, he will be in big trouble. I guess if you remove some of the styling, you can find a few interesting pieces, but it is hard to ignore the hats and the defined waists.

I love…

a cummerbund worn over a jacket.

I loathe…

stupid hats and socks worn with sandals.

cleavage on men.

defined waists on menswear.

gathered waistlines.

high-waisted, flared, polka dot hot pants. I know a hundred women who would look great in these shorts, and not a single man.

See the rest of my menswear spring summer 2011 coverage here.

All images from Style.com.

The Christian Louboutin Clou Noeud shoe. Barneys can get them in black and in my size, and can ship them overnight...

I am supposed to be on holiday but I have had such an emotional shoe experience, it was essential that I share it with you, in hopes that someone will talk some sense into me, and reassure me that NOT buying the shoes is the best decision.

I am on holiday and my mother and I went shopping in the mall in Scottsdale yesterday.  No need to talk about the joys of an Anthropologie or a J Crew, I am sure you will all share the sadness I suffer that these stores do not exist in Vancouver. I went into Barneys to look at the shoe department. There were some amazing shoes in the sale. I decided to try on three pairs (a Proenza Schouler, a Balenciaga, and a Christian Louboutin.) But then…THE shoes caught my eye.

On the new season Christian Louboutin rack, there was a pair of pink shoes. The closest thing I had ever seen to the amazing Rodarte shoes Louboutin did a few seasons back, the ones that I have mentioned several times. If there was one pair of shoes in the world that I felt I needed, that would make my collection complete, it would have been those. And there I was, face to face with a similar pair. Not as many studs, and with a bow, and in a skin tone pink. But nevertheless, studded, and VERY high.

The guy looking at them told me “hands off” because he was buying them for the women in his life.  But I didn’t want them. I said, do you have these in black? The sales guy, the wonderful Niles, told me “they are coming in black very soon.” So I asked to try them on, and whether they would ship. He said yes.

While he got the pink pair in my size (to try on, just to check the size. And by the way, those were already taken, on hold for someone.) I started to formulate my plan. I would have them shipped to my friend in Seattle, to avoid the duty. She could bring them up to Vancouver on her next visit. My husband would be a bit surprised, but he would get over it. They were the missing link in my shoe life. But the price tag was well into the four digits, in fact, only a two hundred dollars short of the price tag I paid for the flights AND the four nights in a five star hotel in Scottsdale for my mother and I.

He brought the pink ones over. They were HIGH. But fabulous. They fit, and made my legs look like a million dollars. I told him to call me when he found a black pair in my size. Then we hit the rest of the mall. And then the emotional roller coaster began.

First, I was adamant that they were THE shoes, and I had to have them. My mother couldn’t argue with me, she was still suffering of shock over the price tag.  I went through an hour of confidence. They WOULD be mine. Then I texted my husband. “If it is your dream shoe, I guess you have to have it.” He is so nice. But he hadn’t seen the price.

Two hours later after shoe sighting, I called my husband. My husband is the best person in the world to talk me out of buying a pair of shoes. How does he do it? He says, “well, if you have to have them, get them.” The guilt associated with that comment, and the fact that he won’t tell me not to buy the shoes, is enough to talk me out of it straight away. I feel terrible. I mean, why should I have those shoes, when he doesn’t even have a smartphone?

We chatted for a few minutes. Then he started to sound doubtful. “It is a lot of money.” By then, the guilt had kicked in. I had to say no.

Of course now my holiday has been consumed by the shoes. I prayed to god that Niles from Barney’s wouldn’t call me. I had indicated that if there was a pair in the USA on Monday, they could have them shipped to my hotel room before I leave on Wednesday. And now I was living in fear of having to make the decision. If he coulnd’t find them, then I couldn’t have them, and there was no decision to make.

Meanwhile, my husband texted me and said, “It’s not a good idea.” How could I go against his wishes, when he has NEVER said no to a pair of shoes before? The D&G shoes: “They are really nice, honey.” The five pairs of Finsk shoes (bought on the same day): “well, you are helping a young designer.” The YSL and Dries double whammy: “It is true you haven’t bought shoes in ages.”

So it was settled, I had to say no. And now, it was the waiting game. Please god, Niles, don’t call me and tell me that you can overnight the shoes to me. Don’t make me have to say no.

I got back to the hotel room this morning after my morning swim, and there was a message on the phone. I checked it, a nervous wreck. It was the hotel PR, arranging to meet me this afternoon. Thank god. Then over lunch, my cell phone rang. I missed the call. It was Barneys. He said he could get the shoes. My heart sank.

But my husband had spoken. And I couldn’t go against his wishes, since he has always been reasonable. And do I really need those shoes? Really? No. Of course I don’t need another pair of shoes for the rest of my life. But I can buy three pairs of beautiful shoes for the price of those Louboutins. And I can buy my husband an iphone. And I can buy a new set of frames. And there are tons of great shoes out there, that cost less than a holiday and are still luxury and fabulous.

I called Niles and told him I had to pass. He was very kind and laughed when I explained to him that the husband had said no. But I know the shoes are still available. And theoretically, I still have 24 hours to decide . I could still have them shipped from Chicago tomorrow, to arrive at the hotel before we leave Wednesday afternoon. But they are not worth it, right?

Stefano Pilati has designed a beautiful Yves Saint Laurent resort collection, with great colour and simple, statement shapes.

I love…

this chic shortsuit.

the simple bandeau top and the beautiful colour contrasts.

an easy white strapless summer dress with a frilly pocket.

the sleeve details on this blouse.

I loathe…

the pierrot collar on this blouse, it is too much, especially when paired with bloomers.

this scary strapless strapless jumpsuit.

Read the rest of my resort 2011 collection reviews:

Donna Karan
Michael Kors
Burberry Prorsum
Alexander Wang
Bottega Veneta
Christian Dior
Chanel

All images from Style.com.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit took place last night. You would think that in this day and age, there would be someone, at least ONE person, who was actually wearing something dramatically interesting on the red carpet, rather than boring evening wear. (I am not a big fan of evening wear, its the most overrated fashion product.) I am not saying there wasn’t anything nice on the red carpet, there was, but it’s all the same repetive, boring tat.

I Love…

Anne Hathaway's fairytale Valentino dress. Yes, she looks a bit psychotic in this photo, and possibly too thin, but if you are going to wear a puffy, strapless, shiny evening dress, this is the way to do it.

Bee Shaffer in this Balenciaga dress. It is classic and flattering. But who the hell is Bee Shaffer? Has she done anything other than BE Anna Wintour's daughter?

Blake Lively in Marchesa. I was a bit torn on this one, but she looks great tanned with her hair slicked back, and she can get away with crazy dresses like this.

Carey Mulligan in Miu Miu. She always looks good, and it is really nice to see a young actress dressing appropriately young.

Chloe Sevigny in Proenza Schouler. It's a bit stuffy, and a bit weird, but at least she is making a statement that is not just "boring evening gown."

Diane Kruger in Calvin Klein. Fantastic, beautiful, and she is the best dressed of the evening.

January Jones in Yves Saint Laurent. OK, her hair and makeup look weird, and why is she standing like a robot? But at least the dress is beautiful

Jessica Alba in Sophie Theallet for Gap. I don't understand how this is very Sophie Theallet, or Gap, but it is a beautiful evening gown.

Jessica Biel in Ralph Lauren. Another classic one that looks good.

Oprah Winfrey in Oscar de la Renta. Only Oprah and her bust can get away with this OTT dress.

Sarah Jessica Parker in Halston. I am not a fan of SJP, but she looks naturally beautiful in this dress, with her lovely tan and the flower in her hair.

I Loathe…

Andre Leon Talley and Whoopi Goldberg. This is just bad, and are those women's shoes he is wearing?

Anna Wintour in Chanel Haute Couture. This looks a bit trashy, but also too "mature" (in this case, "mature" is a bad word.)

Coco Rocha in Zac Posen. A hideous gown, and as a model, shouldn't she know how to pose nicely for the camera?

Donatella Versace in Versace. Predictable. Wouldn't it be amazing one day if she wore Prada?

Emma Roberts in Burberry. The slit is WAY too high.

Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen in Alexander Wang. Even though she is back in shape, it just seems a bit trashy that she is wearing this tight, fringed dress.

Karolina Kurkova in Altuzarra. An apron dress gone wrong.

Kirsten Dunst in Rodarte for Gap. How is this Rodarte, or Gap? And it makes her look 20 years older.

Kristen Stewart in Chanel. Gosh, it's Chanel does goth, really badly.

Maggie Gyllenhaal in Louis Vuitton. Meringue dresses are evil unless you are acting in The Wedding Singer.

All images from Coutorture.

Madonna for Dolce & Gabanna, Spring Summer 2010.

I wrote earlier this week about the fact that the fashion industry seems to be changing, and that was in reference to the new silhouette and the use of the curvy models on the Fall Winter 2010 catwalks. But I also read some very interesting articles this week about how models seems to be back “in fashion.”

Vogue Paris almost always puts models on their cover.

I have always been quite anti-celebrity when it comes to the fashion industry. Basically, they’ve ruined it, and made it super mainstream. One of the things I mention when I lecture on fashion promotion is the concept of celebrities within the industry, and an interesting example I use is that a fashion magazine now sells more copies with a celebrity on the cover, rather than a model. (The only exception here is Kate Moss, but she’s a model and a celebrity.) Well, it looks like those days may be coming to an end (Hallelujah!)

Victoria Beckham on the cover of Vogue UK, April 2008. Apparently they lost 40% of their subscribers after this cover, the readers were not impressed.

WWD posted an article on Wednesday about the fact that most designers are using models for their Fall Winter 2010 advertising campaigns, rather than celebrities. Hopefully the magazines will soon do the same. This list, complied by The Cut, shows that most brands will be working with models (aside from Dolce & Gabanna.)

• Yves St. Laurent: Daria Werbowy
• Gucci: Raquel Zimmermann
• Chanel: Freja Beha Erichsen, Abbey Lee Kershaw, and Brad Kroenig
• Fendi: Anja Rubik and Baptiste Giabiconi
• Louis Vuitton: Christy Turlington, Karen Elson, and Natalia Vodianova (though these names are rumored, not confirmed)
• Balenciaga: a cast of ten models, including Elson and Stella Tennant
• Roberto Cavalli: Gisele Bündchen
• Dior: Karlie Kloss
• Dolce & Gabanna: Madonna

Lindsay Lohan for Miu Miu, Spring Summer 2007.

To be honest, the ironic or interesting use of a celebrity in a fashion campaign doesn’t bother me too much, like Lindsay Lohan for Miu Miu (which looked nothing like her) or Madonna for Dolce & Gabanna. But in general, I am thrilled about this news.

Kate Moss has been shot for MANY Vogue UK covers.

In the WWD article, “Lagerfeld notes there are “not so many” celebrities around from which to choose. What’s more, their “overexposure in ‘people’ magazines also makes it that one may be a little tired of celebrities and the red carpet.”

I think “a little tired of celebrities” is an understatement. I am bored to death of celebrities meddling in the fashion industry, especially when they have no business being there. So for fun, I’ve compiled a list of most annoying celebrity/fashion situations. This is by no means exhaustive, and I’ve only spent a few minutes on it, so I am sure there are tons of juicy, ridiculous examples I’ve forgotten. Feel free to suggest more!

Lindsay Lohan for Ungaro Spring Summer 2010: calling it a disaster is an understatement.

1. Lindsay Lohan for Ungaro: painful, embarrassing, and nearly ruined the brand.
2. Sarah Jessica Parker for Halston Heritage: she herself said  ”they’d be bludgeoned for it” and I hope they are.
3. Kanye West for Louis Vuitton: Does Kanye actually make any music, or does he just go to fashion shows and pretend he knows stuff about fashion.
4. “Diavolo So Sexy” by Antonio Banderas: The name says it all.
5. Lauren Conrad’s clothing collection: Lauren, you suck.

Kanye West's trainers for Louis Vuitton. Boring.

Thanks Dal for helping me brainstorm on the above.

Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood's SEX store on London's Kings Road.

There’s been so many interesting fashion stories in the news recently that I haven’t had enough time to cover, so I am doing a very quick summary on some of my thoughts on recent headlines.

Malcolm McLaren in the 70s.

• LVMH owns Louis Vuitton, Céline, Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, Fendi, DeBeers, TAG Heuer, and more.
• PPR owns Gucci Group which owns Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, and Bottega Veneta, Boucheron, Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent, and more.
• Richemont owns Alaia, Chloé, Piaget, Cartier, Alfred Dunhill, Net A Porter, and more.

Natalie Massenet, founder and CEO of Net A Porter.

So what happens when one of the big luxury conglomerates takes hold of the most successful online luxury retailer in the world? Well, I am sensing that LVMH and Gucci Group might be a bit worried…Neither has managed to successfully sell their products online, and now Net A Porter is owned by one of their competitors. LVMH has launched NOWNESS, described as ” an editorial website that offers an exciting new way to experience luxury lifestyle online.” Sounds a bit vague, yes? I haven’t had the chance to properly explore NOWNESS, but I do know that it is not the next Net A Porter. LVMH and Gucci Group are going to have to come up with a better concept to successfully sell their products online, now that Richemont owns Net A Porter. I’m still shocked at how slow some of the major luxury brands have been to warm up to online retailing.

Anyway, well done to Natalie Massenet, the founder of Net A Porter, for banking 50 million on a business that was “never going to succeed, because people don’t buy luxury online.”

Uniqlo campaign.

And finally, here’s something very exciting for North America, Uniqlo has just signed for a giant retail space in New York City, in which they will pay over 300 million dollars in rent for the next fifteen years.

“What’s set to be Uniqlo’s biggest store in the world, with a whopping 90,000 square feet of space in total between 52nd and 53rd streets, is a clear statement of intent. Fast Retailing (the company that own Uniqlo) president and chief executive officer Tadashi Yanai–Japan’s richest man, according to Forbes–is determined that the Uniqlo name will become as ubiquitous elsewhere as it is in Japan.”
-Wall Street Journal

Let us all hope and pray that this will be the beginning of a massive North American expansion of Uniqlo, including shops here in Vancouver. They are the best for basics, they do what Gap does, but way better and a bit cheaper. And they have Jil Sander designing collections for them. Yay!

Image sources:
Malcolm McLaren image.
SEX boutique on Kings Road.
Natalie Massenet.
Uniqlo image.

I’m a bit late to comment on this, but I still can’t believe that an American Apparel rummage sale broke out into a riot in London two weeks ago. Apparently several police officers were injured and a few people were arrested at the sale. I don’t quite understand how this could have happened, American Apparel isn’t that cheap, but surely it’s cheap enough that it doesn’t deserve a riot when the products are discounted. Although its not the first time something like this has happened, I recall when 3000 customers forced open the doors of the Primark store at Marble Arch at its grand opening in 2007. All this for cheap t-shirts and socks? The video is pretty shocking.

But this phenomenon certainly isn’t limited to the fast fashion retailers, The Cut reported that a fight broke out when a pregnant woman attempted to cut into the line for an Hermes sale. I do remember my friend Aimee telling me that she skipped the queue at an Yves Saint Laurent sample sale when she was heavily pregnant. I guess I am going to be a hypocrite and say that I would hate to see that happen if I had been waiting a long time in line, but on the other hand, if I’m ever pregnant, I’ll totally use it to skip line ups. Especially for Hermes.

Christian Dior haute Couture Spring Summer 2007: Probably my favourite catwalk collection ever. Exquisite.

I thought I’d write a Fashion 101 post about haute couture, as I often find that it is a sector of the fashion industry that is often most misunderstood. The term haute couture is controlled by France’s governing body of fashion, La Fédération Française de la Couture. (I studied at their school in Paris, Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, where I learnt all about the beautifully intricate yet scarily tedious traditions of haute couture construction.)

Haute couture was a much bigger industry in the 50s and 60s, when most wealthy people bought haute couture. Luxury ready to wear didn’t really exist at the time, and haute couture was somewhat more affordable. Brands also made money by charging American buyers from mass market brands upwards of $3,000 to attend the haute couture shows. They would sketch all the designs as they came down the catwalk, and go back to the States and make cheap copies. That all changed when Yves Saint Laurent opened his Rive Gauche store, which was considered to be the first luxury ready to wear brand. Nowadays the luxury fashion market is dominated by ready to wear, haute couture makes up a very small portion of the market.

Christian Lacroix Haute Couture Fall Winter 2009, his last show. For now.

In order to officially produce haute couture, you must be approved by the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, and follow their regulations, which include some of the following:

• You must design made-to-order clothing for clients
• You must have at least 15 people employed in a Paris workshop (or atelier)
• You must present two collections a year to the press, comprising of day and evening wear (the collections must have a minimum of 35 outfits.)

Chanel Haute Couture Spring Summer 2010.

You can see the full list of brands here, but the members are as follows:

• Adeline André
• Anne Valérie Hash
• Chanel
• Christian Dior
• Christian Lacroix (although I doubt he will be there next season…)
• Dominique Sirop
• Franck Sorbier
• Givenchy
• Jean Paul Gaultier
• Maurizio Galante
• Stéphane Rolland

Haute couture is shown in January (for the spring summer collections) and July (for the Fall Winter collections.) The audience of the shows include the usual fashion journalists, but unlike ready-to-wear, it also includes a lot of the clients, who then make appointments in the salon and choose the pieces they want to buy.

Each piece is made to measure for the client, and there can be usually be about 1 to 5 fittings during the making of an haute couture garment. Established customers will have mannequins made to suit their body, as most haute couture garments are draped directly onto the mannequin. The techniques used are sublime, using primarily hand techniques, and that is why the prices can start from $20,000 for a day dress to $60,000 for an evening dress, although the sky is the limit when it comes to beading and embroidery.

Valentino Haute Couture Spring Summer 2008, his last collection.

“Customers will pay anywhere from $25,000 upward for a couture gown; in extreme cases, the costs can reach into the millions. The Scott Henshall diamond-encrusted dress worn by Samantha Mumba to the 2004 premiere of Spiderman II was priced at approximately $9 million.”

“Clients who place orders must understand that it may take up to four months to construct a dress. Take one in particular, a 1920s-inspired gown made of dove grey chiffon. Decorated with delicate metal decals and a beaded fringe, it carries more than 50,000 Swarovski crystal beads, and took more than 150 man hours to assemble. It’s priced accordingly, at around $90,000″

-Forbes.com

Armani Privé Fall Winter 2007.

Despite these incredibly high fees, haute couture is not a lucrative business, in fact, clothing is rarely a lucrative business in the fashion industry. Although some brands manage to make a profit from haute couture, it is generally used to maintain the status and prestige of the top luxury brands, therefore ensuring sales of highly profitable products like fragrances, cosmetics, and accessories.

Anyone wishing to start their own haute couture brand should think again, its not easy to meet the requirements. Newcomers, like Alexis Mabille (who is a guest member,) were only accepted because the regulations were relaxed to encourage new brands to join. Anyone wishing to work in an haute couture atelier should definitely consider doing the course at the Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, because it is one of the few schools that teaches the techniques of haute couture construction. This is definitely not for someone who is not interested in “the details.”

Read other Fashion 101 posts:

Fashion 101: Where do Fashion Trends Come From?

Fashion 101: Designers with Two Jobs

Fashion 101: Magazines and their Advertisers

All images from Style.com.