Wrapper's Delight.

Alber Elbaz is a genius with the fabrics. He's been heralded by the press du mode as the only dressmaker currently in the dressmaking business (quite a compliment, or a low blow depending on whether or not your name is Alber).

His latest collection at the Spring shows in Paris was yet another showcase of his deft talents. With an embellished, decorated sophistication, Elbaz's looks are based on a simple technique taken to its extreme deployment.

Every designer learns the basic skill of draping, but few--if any others at all--take it to the upper limit that Lanvin's current captain does. In fact, he's distinguished his technique of draping as a subcategory, it's more of a wrapping. Pick up a fabric, grab a body, and begin twisting, encircling, and layering. Finish with the finest details known in fashion's universe of colors and textures, and voila! You have a dress that most manic fashion fans would mainline if they could.

For now though, they seem to be settling for the contact high of wearing them.

Photos from SHOWstudio.

Sketch Me A Dream.

I have to admit, my love for Marc Jacobs is often tempestuous, like a storm that I can't really predict. Sometimes praise and adulation for him torrentially pours out of my being, and other times the feelings are cold, dusty, and dry. Although I'm not always a personal fan of his offerings (I did not for the life of me understand or desire any of his '80s on steroids garb from last season), I nearly always find something in either of his collections that indicates his preternatural ability to single-handedly push mass fashion culture in a new direction. He's on the crest of the wave of popular opinion, in fact I think he may be creating it at this point in time. He gets what women are willing to wear and gives it a thorough dusting of his brand of "be cool now". It takes a special kind of designer to sell all sorts of ephemera simply because it's stamped with a name, and Marc is king of the heap on that level. That, however, is not all he's capable of; if it were, there would be no real interest in him as a fashion designer, he would be more of a salesman, a businessman. Marc can sometimes hit both notes, the sellable and the awe-inspiring. When he does strike that chord just right, it's a beautiful thing. Take for example, the closing dress from his most recent collection:

It's a shame that this image is so small (catch a bigger glimpse here) because the dress is a masterful example of lightness. It's layers of sheer fabric are edged in thin, black, border stitching.

The effect is of a designer's quick ink sketch come to full, diaphanous life. It's remarkable. It's a wearable line drawing. I can almost hear the scratch of a calligrapher's pen against a fine quality cotton paper when I look at it. Worn over loose, sheer leggings, and with simple, pretty flats, it's a whisper of chic. It's as light as the sigh I'm breathing imagining wearing it. Ah, sigh...

Photos from Style.com.

Christopher Kane Goes Ape

While beautiful, structurally fresh dresses like the ones below would not have given away Christopher Kane's Planet of the Apes inspiration for his SS '09 collection:



Looks like this made it a bit more obvious:


And some of the looks just plain went ape themselves:


Overall, the pretty pieces and new ideas succeeded and outdid the overdone.

I want to run down the street in it.

I want to twirl in it.

Two Dior dresses for two very different day(or night)dreams. A dark train rustling behind me as I run barefoot down a cobbled street at twilight in some glowing European city. A light, sparkle sprinkled confection of a dress built for twirling. A girl can dream...