Rags To Riches.

The fact that Rodarte shows as a ready to wear concern is quite astonishing. The much loved sister act of Laura and Kate Mulleavy get their hands dirty in every single scrap of fabric they use to construct their incredible garments. The shredding, dyeing, stitching, smudging, scaling, sanding, and staining are all done by the ladies of the line. The results are incredible to see in person. In fact, I venture to say that if you are a fashion fan, you haven't quite lived until you've experienced a Rodarte garment up close, with all of your senses, especially your fingertips. Theirs are the only garments I've seen in a long time that don't induce rage at a high price tag. You can see the work, the time, the effort in their clothing. It's a work of art, and priced accordingly.

This season the ladies showed a collection that emerged from a runway clouded in green mist. With the backstory of abandoned women crafting together their own wears from bits and pieces of found clothing after an encounter with some detrimental forces, the show featured overtones of warrior women. Inked in thick black tattoos and donning black-blood-red lips, the post apocolypse catwalk looked punk rock and heavy metal. Studded, zipped poured on pants met ankle high, equally studded stilletos that can only be called hardcore. Dresses were pieced together of variously tortured fabrics.

It's interesting to me that the clothes actually swirl around a sentiment that's been popping up in fashion coverage lately, the idea of streetpeople as inspiration. I'm not talking about hip streetstyle, I'm talking about actual homeless people. People who make outfits out of something most would think of as nothing. There was a recent article penned by Cathy Horyn in The New York Times about this very subject and I think the Rodarte collection falls right in line with this. Now, the juxtapoition of those down on their luck and dwellingless, and the superriche garments of a design duo that go for thousands on the well constructed minimalist floors of Barney's isn't made as an insensitive or naive comparison. I'm not saying that the homeless are cute, fashion source material. Not in a trite way, at least.

In terms of the Rodarte collection, the idea that the materials were treated as scraps and refuse individually and brought together to make something functional, something beautiful, is really what draws the line of conncetion. Well, okay, maybe not the straightest line. Let's scale back on the severity a bit. How about the idea of making the best of what you have, when you don't have much? That's the place a lot of us shoppers are finding ourselves in now. Without the disposable income, our disposable clothing is also not being disposed of quite so often. How do you take what you wish you could get rid of, what you were intending to wear once and toss, and make it fresh? New? Like new? If you are the Mulleavys you weave and stitch and sew. You dye and bedazzle and wrap. You shred and burn and scissor. You make materials raw and you build things anew from scratch.

Models backstage at the Rodarte show.

That is what I love so much about Rodarte. You can see the creativity so evidently, so clearly, so wonderfully. Also, they seem like they would be excessively cool to hang out with.

Runway photos from Style.com, backstage photos from nytimes.com.

The Horyn Gives The Horns In Paris.

New York Times fashion critic Cathy Horyn gets into trouble because she says stuff like this:

"Recently, however, it has become clear that Paris fashion is less the creative hub of the industry than an isolated universe whose weakness can be sensed even by children."

Her wrap-up review of the Men's collections in Paris takes the hard line, dissing designers for their "naive" and un-in touch collections. But, she gives little wiggle room, razzing others for their predictable, unremarkable rehashing of things boring and staid. Her commentary, via this article and her On The Runway blog, has caused a bit of a stir in the media. With people reiterating Horyn's tendency towards the barb and her lack of qualifications for a post as influential as she holds.

Looks from Rick Owens.

I, like any good fan of anything good, love to see brilliant minds clash over matters of fashion, and Cathy's piece of mind always seems to be clashing with someone else's. She's caught major flack from designers for her harsh commentary, even being banned from Armani and Vera Wang shows. In all honesty, sometimes I think she does go a tad too far, and her voice sounds so haughty it could school Upper East Siders weekending in the Hamptons, but I'm all for point counter point. I'm all for the wind coming out of the fashion sails every once in a while. Actually, it's hot air coming out of inflated heads in this industry. Horyn's lack of qualifications to some, make her an ideal voice of criticism to others. She's enough of an outsider to see fashion for the zoo that it can be if no one puts a thorn in its side every once in a while.

Pieces from Tisci's collection for Givenchy.

Sure, her skewering of Riccardo Tisci's collection for Givenchy comes off a bit heavy-handed, but her point that he's "utterly humorless as a designer" has some legs. Menswear is such a tricky vehicle of expression. Try as they might, designers pushing prints and bodycon cuts and skirts at the male species, are really pushing a little far. Women have so much more freedom of expression when it comes to dressing, and so the more ridiculous flounces of the industry's offerings become a bit more apparent to the outside world when it's men they're after. It's humorous to most to see what is being sold as the new men's look, and when it's done without a hint of irony, humor, or lightness, it can be a very awkward pill to swallow.

Gaultier's look. I think the one on the left is wearing a tube top.

I'm all for men wearing whatever the heck they want. I'm a champion of men's freedom of expression, but to an uninitiated fashion viewer an opinion like Horyn's may make more sense than what's being sold to them. The Times is a newspaper, it's a venue for the average folk to find information and read about the goings on in the world. It is not the industry insider-geared Vogue, W, or Bazaar. It's a populist vehicle. The Times is more elite than most papers, but still, it's an outsider's informant. Horyn's opinions may be built more of personal preference than industry know-how, but there is enough of both to qualify her statements as the right fit for her paper post. No?

And the debate rolls on...

The Model Maker.

Mr. Steven Meisel is unparalleled in the field of popular fashion photography. He is the industry's greatest living, working talent. He still uses his genius eye to pluck girls from relative obscurity and sky rocket them to fame via his covers of Italian Vogue (of which he has shot every single one since 1988), or his shoots for American Vogue. Just like the models say in the Cathy Horyn praised May Vogue profile of the super photographer, Meisel changed my relationship to fashion. In fact he opened my eyes to a whole new world. This exact shoot, for the pages of Vogue's December 1992 issue, was my first addictive dose of amazing fashion photography.

I was 10. I was so besotted with Kristin McMenamy's eyebrowless, chiseled face, and her dark hair, and pale skin that I clipped her picture from the glossy mag and taped it into my grade school diary (see first photo above!). There was something absolutely magic about it. I can even feel it now when I look at it. I think the idea that a woman could look that strange, that different, and be the main attraction in a Vogue portfolio just totally cracked my ten year old world view wide open. That's Meisel's magic; take the quirky beauty (or classic, whatever) and highlight her amazing features until she looks like an otherworldly creature who somehow alighted on earth through divine intervention. His talent for doing so is unmatched and has been for about 30 years. Kristen and the elusive Steven creature are both snapped by the photog in the new May Models issue of Vogue.

In his profile writer Jonathan Van Meter makes much of Steven's reclusive nature, and I'm thinking maybe I've discovered the reason behind it. Maybe Mr. Meisel is just hiding from this cameo he made in the 1983 film Portfolio, which has surfaced on the internets thanks to Youtube.

I must admit that I cannot say with confidence whether this video is the real deal or not, but I think it could be. Either way, don't worry Steven, your genius far outweighs your early penchant for frosty lipgloss. And anyways, it was the '80s! We as a nation were in love with Paula Abdul and puffy sleeves, thus all indiscretions are null and void. You can come out of hiding. Have a splashy museum retrospective, put out a giant book, or maybe dance down fifth avenue with Linda on your arm. Whatever you want. You can do no wrong.

Questioning Cathy.

Honey-voiced Cathy Horyn, the outspoken and oft-chastised fashion critic for The New York Times is taking questions for the paper's Talk to the Newsroom feature. I've already submitted my question, wondering why the fashion industry so often states that she's unqualified for her powerful position. What do you want to ask her?

I just hope they do the Q&A in one of Horyn's signature audio slideshows. I could listen to her lilting, slow speak for days. Here are two tastes of her delicious delivery:

Her On the Runway blog for the Times is also a must-read. I'm excited to hear her two tons of sense as the feature unfolds beginning today through the 27th.

Click either image to launch audio slideshows. Both images from NYTimes.com.

Why I Had to Go...

My friend Neil nearly killed me for being away during the Obamas' big day, and I will say that a part of me wishes I had been here to witness the joyous mania live, but this is how I just spent the last few days:

So, I had plenty of fun daydreaming about Michelle's possible gown choices with sand between my toes. I have to catch up on all the things I've missed and get back into my groove. But, in the meantime watch this audio slide show about Mobama from Cathy Horyn over at The New York Times. It made me misty-eyed. Horyn's excellently raspy voice and poigniant commentary are great.

Ok, back to re-entry into the City's atmosphere. I'm sure I'll be up and running in no time! Well, give me a little time...

Proud to Be An American

A Marc Jacobs show has become the apex of fashion week. So much anticipation, so many celebrities (how happy does Martha Stewart look next to hockey hunk Sean Avery?), and so many looks. Layers upon layers of influences, references, and patterns were put through the spin cycle of Jacobs' brain and came out looking like the melting pot that is America.

Aprons in flannel flashbacks to Marc's grungier days, turn of the century nip-waisted jackets, and de-reconstructed calf-length skirts were accented with chunky accessories.


Those are the real money makers that Mr. Jacobs is so good at creating. He ended the show with simpl(er) column dresses in a 30's nod, and even a skirt of his own.


Head on over the the Times for Cathy Horyn's review of the show, which spins it into an intriguing comment on a woman's right to vote.