Always Fresh, Contained, Smile

Lately I had been rummaging the last bits of the past shows, caught in the gray, uneventful area weeks after the runway and weeks before the campaigns. Actually I was meaning to write an in-depth analysis on the Always Fresh tv commercials, you know, the one with those green plastic containers that preserve cookies for 40 days.

 

The first line itself is food for thought and meditation - "Hi! I'm Susan Williams!" I mean who the fuck is Susan Williams? I googled, and nothing relevant came up. There's Susan Williams, Ph.D.; there's Susan Williams Professor of Mathematics; there's even a Susan Williams who offered a hitman $20,000.00 in order to kill her husband. "I want him gone", she said. But to my great misfortune there is no Susan Williams under tv celebrity, storage mogul or food nanotechnology pioneer. Everytime someone brings the whole Susan issue I get depressed and confused, and immediately start cross-checking the facts. Last time my friend Les suggested that this Susan Lady had to be a "Psychotic Bitch", judging from the rather abnormal amount of Always Fresh containers kept in her fridge and cupboard. Still none of those containers seems sufficiently large as to store a beheaded skull or limbs, so "Psychotic Murderous Bitch" is very unlikely. There isn't much road to go from there I'm afraid.
Leaving Susan Williams behind, for now, I'm glad to say that the gray, uneventful area has turned into a gray, eventful area. This particularly means going from ladies who lunch..

...to ladies who brunch. Or some point in between. At least that's the place I like to assume Thom Browne took the subject from for his first foray into women's wear this Spring 2011 season. And though I've been his long time acolyte, there was no way to foresee what the man who sent two guys in 1.5 pants to the runway would do.

The preview, photographed by Tommy Ton, from JakandJil is set on a thick, classy atmosphere, heavy social drinking and busy chatting. Like his men's anklepants and a little too small suits, this scenario conveys all the discomfort and angst of the 30's economically unstable American middle class, whose motto seems to be "Perfect smile now! Keep the alcohol coming!"

Source

On the runway, I first resented the white/red/blue palette, feeling that Browne's gray scales and fabric range should speak volumes, but after some consideration I fell for it. It's the portray of a classic, politic, almost presidential(?) American woman, á la first lady in the Mad Men era. And yes, so much patriotism is meant to mock itself a little, but that's just Thom being Thom. It's a small price to pay, and what you get in exchange is perfect tailoring for women.

The Red Ballon Soup/Dress

I was amusing myself by making a movie list the other day. I can't quite make the connection between making lists and crawling out from an existential crisis, but it felt very reassuring. Slight obsessive-compulsiveness does replace actual joie de vivre when one feels socially lazy, it seems. While going through the narcotic task of unnecessary itemizing I experienced a regression to "Le Ballon Rouge" (1956) by Albert Lamorisse

I saw it some months ago at my friend O's -to whom I own most of the 80's items in my movie list- while having the reddest soup ever thanks to the chef's fortuitous excess use of spices. "Red Balloon Soup", we called it. Two nights and several more alcohol in her bloodstream after our friend the chef would admit resenting our mockery. Good old times. Anyway the film reminded me of another set of balloons I saw recently walking down the runway at Jil Sander's spring  2011 show

 

source: Style.com

It's taken some time for it to grow on me, despite my fondness of Raf Simons' minimalism. I guess couturish maximalism is supposed to strike as unsettling at first, specially coming from him, but the more I see it the more I enjoy it. I would certainly enjoy escorting a girl wearing a balloon dress. Imagine how lovely it would be, striding along holding her arm fretting that she'd go flying upwards the minute I loosen my grip. Maybe they come with a GPS system?

If I Could live in Clothes

...and I mean literally physically live inside them, my choices would be 1. lying under the tree shades talking to snakes (surprised I can talk to snakes? well guess what I'm living in a dress) in any of these two Miu Miu summer/spring 2011 dresses

or 2. enjoying the view/having breakfast in any of these by Mary Katrantzou also Summer/Spring 2011.*

If you click on them you'll see how detailed the prints really are. The same with the Miu Miu ones. All images from style.it which has huge HD images *coughunlikestyledotcomcough*

NY Fashion Week: Day 5, Monday

It feels a bit weird to write about Monday's shows today.. so much happening so fast can make two days feel like a lot. This is a scheduled post, so by the time it gets up I'll be in the streets with my dearest Canadian anarchist friend L., and then staying over at a friend's and maybe, just maybe I'll be able to watch the Proenza Schouler livestream there.

Anyways I don't really know/care about Carolina Herrera (draped grandeur isn't my thing) but I can't help indulging myself with this model drama moment

What? It's just Catherine McNeal. No wait.. that's Freja Beha back there. Freja with a longing expression. Maybe she's missing the good old McBeha snugging.

On an entirely more relevant matter, Zero + Maria Cornejo. I love it. ALL OF IT. Color-blocking dresses, the silky and organic fabrics, the loose pants and those half-nude sandals. I'm super fond of architectural vibes, clean cuts, assymetric lines, everything that is bold and determined. And it's all here. I'm so ripping these looks off, I swear.

Also I watched the Marc Jacobs livestreamed show, in which I compulsively took snapshots of everyone including the Vogue gang.

I'm still digesting the clothes, so far I think it was a bit to couture-ish? but I'm hoping the collection will grow on me with time. The shoes are fetish-worthy. I'll get to it later. Anyways.. some more ex-sexual-diverse-couple moment at the show, courtesy of Elle's Style Editor

NY Fashion Week: Sunday

On Sunday I woke up really late and then had to travel back to Tegucigalpa after staying a few days at my aunt's house in a small town 2 hours away, so by the time I got here the VMAs were just starting. I think I tuned in exactly when Coco Rocha met Snooki.

Actually that's not true but I needed an excuse to post this picture. Anyway. Tommy Hilfiger's show was on Sunday. I'm not his number 1 fan but this show was flawless, the runway, the model cast, the background sky with sunset at the end, and above all, the soundtrack. It's what I'm planning to listen whenever I need a good possitive vibe.

♫♪ When the bee stings, when the dog bites.. I'll simply go to youtube.com and watch Tommy Hilfiger SS11 and then I won't feel like shit..♪♫.. that's what Julie Andrews said right? I'm pretty sure it was something similar. And so after Tommy, it was Tom's. Tom Ford. More exactly, Tom Ford's comeback to women's wear after 6 years, a super exclusive show in which attendees signed an agreement saying they wouldn't publish any pictures. But that didn't stop these ones from leaking

The cast for the runway. Yes. Celebrities. Beyoncé looks thrilled to be there. The show's official -and only- photographer was Terry Richardson, and his snaps are on exclusive for an all Tom Ford edited issue of Vogue Paris. DAMN.