Male Box: J’Adore Couture

My readers know what a rapid fashion Francophile I am when it comes to fashion, but you may be asking yourself why. As all my fellow fashion editors are reeling from the recent offerings at New York Fashion Week, why am I still waxing rhapsodic about the Paris couture from last month? In the “new obsessed” world of fashion, why do I seem to care more about spring couture than fall ready-to-wear? The answer is simple. Diffusion!

In the old days – I mean 100 years before my time – Paris dictated fashion to the world. A year later American fashion would follow. In recent times, American RTW designers’ February shows for fall might show influences of HC designers’ January shows for March delivery. With the advent of fast fashion and twitter and instagram, diffusion from couture to mass production is much faster than ever before. Of course, only elements of couture design are incorporated by mass manufacturers, but if you know what you’re looking for you can jump on a directional trend as quickly as any haute couture customer.

Bill Gaytten’s second collection for Christian Dior was even more hotly anticipated than his first following the scandalous “departure” of his predecessor. For this, he explored the archives to analyze the DNA of the brand while it was still under the direction of Monsieur Dior himself. What emerged on the catwalk this season is a deconstructivist treatise on the essence of  Dior. Before you go thinking that he brought grunge to couture, let me tell you that he used cutaways and sheer fabric to reveal the masterful workmanship that underlies couture. We even see the point d’esprit lace that appeared on several New York  runways by the end of fashion week. See what I mean about diffusion? You don’t have to pay Parisian couture prices to have this by March or even American prices to have it by August. You can go find it right now!

Riccardo Tisci has masterfully helmed Givenchy since Alexander McQueen’s departure. This season he presented 10 pieces of haute couture that combined required more hours of artisan handiwork than an entire 38 piece ready to wear collection. One crocodile inspired evening gown required over 300 hours to hand treat and apply individual “scales”. The truly “directional”  story at this house is the “new” bare and the artful draping that reveals it.

The design duo at Valentino showed a much larger haute couture collection, reflecting perhaps the emergence of a new  generation of customers coming of age or perhaps a renewed interest in the brand since the recent auction of Elizabeth Taylor’s vintage couture collection. Regardless of the reason, three distinct trends emerged from the more than 40 looks. For  comparison, the average American RTW runway show has 36 looks. Long sleeves for evening are a must for the Valentino woman. Whether they are opaque or sheer and applied with lace is a matter of her personal preference. Sheer high collars over strapless dresses are another key to Valentino’s signature demure but sexy style. Finally, the old spring standby of floral is given a breath of freshness with old world embroideries and hand techniques.

Giorgio Armani is among the few Italian designers invited to show during the Paris couture. Signore Valentino paved the way in the 1960s that has since been well trod by the likes of Armani and even Donatella Versace. Futuristic shapes, artful draping, and knife edge pleating were the key elements to take away from the Armani Prive collection.  Armani is known in America as a staple of the red carpet. We will surely see some of his evening gowns at the Oscars next month.

No round up of the haute couture season would be complete with Chanel. The key trend here is blue – 150 shades of blue to be exact!  Blue appeared in all its permutations from retro to futuristic. Portrait collars will be another staple of the well dressed woman this season. With all the emphasis on statement necklaces (instead of rings) in recent seasons, it’s about time that  fashion caught up and created the right frames. My personal favorite is the return of the bateau neck. This oval stand up collar reveals the most flattering parts of a woman’s neck and collarbones without being too revealing. Finally, full short sleeves from cap to bell shaped add just the right amount of femininity to spring fashion.

If you are wondering where all the color is, the answer is Alexis Mabille. While all the other designers kept to pretty spare palettes to better highlight their expertise in design and construction, Mabille put every color in the rainbow – and then some – into one collection. Each of the twenty one head-to-toe monochrome looks explored various signature elements of haute couture from draping to tailoring to volume.

This spring, the best dressed women in the world will be sporting these looks. Why not pick an element – like the first flower of spring – and get the jump on your fellow fashionistas wherever you are? Six months from now you can “compliment” them on their newest looks which you’ll already be discarding as you adapt the fall couture from the shows in July.

– Joseph Ungoco

Photos: Spring 2012 Couture, Style.com

Male Box: New – Times Two – for 2012!

Fashion types are always obsessed with what’s “new” but for Spring Summer 2012 everything old is new again. Brands that we had come to think of as reliable old standbys are suddenly fresh again thanks to a healthy dose of new – to the brand – design talent.

Rocker chicks from LA to New York may have been a little worried about the changes at Balmain, the brand they had come to rely upon for high fashion with an edge. They need not have worried. Olivier Rousteing rose to the challenge of his sudden promotion after Christophe Decarnin’s unplanned departure from the label. Some designers choose to play it safe and carry on when they take over, waiting a few seasons to introduce their own design aesthetic. Not so with Rousteing. He kept the rocker chick silhouette, but immediately introduced his own viewpoint with the Spring Summer 2012 collection, hoping to bring a little “class” back to the brand.

To find that intangible quality, Rousteing looked to the archives and drew inspiration from Pierre Balmain himself and from the designs of a young Oscar de la Renta for the storied label. What emerged was a perfect fusion of modern edge and old world craftsmanship. Gone are the spikes and pyramid studs and here are the intricate embroideries once so clearly a hallmark of the brand. The cantilevered jacket shoulders are softer this season and long western fringe adds a bit of swing to the Balmain woman’s swagger.  Even the old Paris spring standby of floral for spring is edged up and given the full Rousteing treatment. The result is a collection that feels familiar, yet utterly fresh.

Fans of Christophe Lemaire’s designs and high production value fashion shows  were slightly worried last September when we walked in to see a bare runway. Who could forget when it snowed on the runway and the front row in Bryant Park?  For several seasons, Lemaire’s sporty tableaus of shiny happy models in bright colors had even sulky, jaded, all-black-wearing New  Yorkers believing that the clothes brought their own fun. Lemaire’s designs had fashion editors – myself included – wanting to sign up for tennis and ski lessons in droves just to have a reason to wear the clothes. No one can deny that Lemaire brought the sportiness back to sportswear.

Such a solidly established image can be a tough hurdle for a new designer, especially for a Portuguese one stepping into a French fashion house. Felipe Oliveira Baptista took the challenge head on by keeping the fit and bringing on the sexy. What? Sexy, you say? At Lacoste? Inspired by the South of France in the 1920s, Baptista relaxed the fit and slashed at by now all too  familiar proportions. The classic polo falls off the shoulders and is cropped to just below the bust line. The shirtdress is hiked up above mid thigh. The anorak becomes a full coverage slip dress with slouchy sleeves and a kerchief hem. The look is pure Lacoste – bright colors, color blocking, and sporty trims – but the feel is more “just rolled out of bed” than bounding onto a tennis court.

Whether your style is edgy or sporty, Spring 2012 has some great new options for you. The new designers at old brands will keep you looking fresh. If “new” is your black, you’re in for a very fashionable spring!

1. Balmain Spring 2012 RTW
2. Balmain Spring 2012 RTW
3. Balmain Spring 2012 RTW
4. Lacoste Spring 2012 RTW
5. Lacoste Spring 2012 RTW
6. Lacoste Spring 2012 RTW

—Joseph Ungoco

Image Layout: Kristine Horton

Male Box: Naughty Can Be Nice! Wear Python.

Each year, as sure as your doddering great aunt will show up in the ugliest and possibly battery-operated Christmas sweater ever – IF she doesn’t show up actually wearing the Christmas tree skirt – naughty girls act out at holiday parties. How do we spot them? Invariably, they’re the ones wearing leopard spots as proudly as Hester Prynne wore her scarlet “A”. Just as surely, one girl takes the party too far and the next thing you know everyone who wore leopard is blamed. How do you separate yourself from the pack?

Thankfully, this season chic naughty girls can ditch the spots and go for scales. Python is twice as sexy and oh-so-subtle!  If you’re a Jersey Girl – I mean the fabric, not the shore – then opt for Roberto Cavalli’s V-neck Jersey Dress. As flattering as any of Donna Karan’s Ten Easy Pieces, this dress will make you stand out and still be the most comfortable woman in the room. The bracelet sleeves are perfect for an armful of attention-grabbing bangles. If tight is never tight enough in your book, then go for broke with Herve Leger’s signature bandage dress with the strappy halter top. Pair it with your favorite boyfriend blazer and you’ll be able to go from office to after hours with ease. Finally, if ladylike is your chosen style, then Chloe has the answer. The Chloe shirt dress in snake print with its pointed collar, long sleeves, and mid calf length provides full coverage but amps up the sex appeal for all you Charlottes out there.

If shoes are your fashion passion, then you have many on trend options this season. Early adopters are already sporting next season’s closed toe pointy stiletto and debating the relative merits of toe cleavage, but I’ll leave that for another day. This holiday season, Enzo Angiolini offers the Metz with wide straps to hold you securely atop a narrow four inch heel. If you’re true to OPI’s Chicago Collection and can’t imagine calling it a party without showing off your pedicurist’s artistry with Lincoln Park in the Dark, then Mark & James by Badgley Mischka has the perfect hybrid for you.  Their d’Orsay pump features a single strap that will perfectly frame your pedicure. If you plan to dance the night away, then you probably already know that the wedge is your best friend. Steve Madden’s Wicked wedge features a 1.5 inch platform that makes the 5 inch heel more than manageable, even on the trickiest dance floors.

Even if you are in an unhealthy co-dependent relationship with your LBD, you can still update your look with accessories. This season’s must-have baton clutch plants you firmly on trend, and serves as a handy weapon in sticky situations!  Most evening bags are barely deep enough for a credit card but this Jimmy Choo clutch will fit your smart phone, keys, and lipstick – everything you’ll need for a great night on the town.

Remember, if you choose to wear snake this season, you’ll be able to slide chicly by the passed out girl in her unwrapped wrap dress lying on the office couch like a discarded Secret Santa gift, with your pride and your fashion reputation intact!

1. Roberto Cavalli Snake Printed V-Neck Jersey Dress, now $703

2. Hervé Léger Snakeskin-Print Bandage Dress, now $1120

3. Chloe Python-Print Silk Dress, now $1800

4. Enzo Angiolini Metz, now 66.99

5. Mark & James by Badgley Mischka, Mark & James Paris, now $126.99

6. Steve Madden’ WICKED-S, now $99.98

7. Jimmy Choo ‘Reese’ Snake Print Clutch, $625

Male Box: Ciao Milano. Milan Spring 2012 RTW Review

Milano is the word on everyone’s lips these days, and not just the late night cookie addicts among us. Lately, all things chic, sophisticated and sexy seem to be flowing to the far reaches of the known world from the tiny city in the north of Italy. In general, the Italians have long been known for expert tailoring, sizzling sexiness and more than just a touch of sparkle. Now, Swedish retailer H&M has put the name of one of the most respected of the relatively “new” guard on absolutely everyone’s lips. The history of the house of Versace can be easily divided into the Gianni and Donatella eras and fans of one are rarely fans of the other. Say what you will about her personally – and believe me people do – but no one disputes that she took a huge company with a really strong brand identity, steered it though a potentially fatal transition and brought the brand forward into a new century.

For Spring 2012, Versace offers a sort of Greatest Hits mixed with a fresh take on essential elements of the brand. The now classic gold studs are there but the pattern isn’t the iconic Greek Key. Instead it’s a whole new pattern that is a decidedly feminine take on what makes women look – and feel – sexy.  The pale pastels are there but in fabrics that look very “now” – or rather will in the spring. Next season’s bare shoulders and midriffs seem the antithesis of the strong shouldered tough girl supermodels of the 80s runways. The thigh high slit seems to have not lost any steam as Versace moves into a new era. Undoubtedly, we’ll see a little bit of next spring’s runways on the sidewalks soon.

Dolce & Gabbana is another purveyor of Italian sexiness that has imprinted itself on mainstream consciousness.  The design duo behind the brand always seem to have tongues wagging whether they’re designing green scarves for Confessions of a Shopaholic (under the pseudonym Denny & George), buying twin penthouses with en suite “Sky Garages” at 200 Eleventh Avenue in New York, or publishing coffee table books that feature – ahem – very little clothing. For Spring 2012, the designers played to the American “idea” of Italy in the 1950s. Corset topped day dresses feature fully flared skirts that Lucy would have loved. Fitted day suits with pencil skirts would have looked equally at home on Sophia Loren or Gina Lollobrigida in their glory days. The prints couldn’t be more Italian, featuring tomatoes, eggplants, and chili peppers! If you want to put a little humor in your ladylike dressing, then you’ll need to sport this brand in the spring.

Miuccia Prada, the woman who singlehandedly brought us Italian minimalism in the Post-Gianni Versace era of fashion history, brings us more ladylike dressing – with an edge. Think equal parts Marilyn Monroe and Grace Kelly. Sheer-on-sheer twin sets meet accordion pleated skirts and the overall effect is proper without being prim! My absolute favorite look of the show is the pale pink day dress with the bracelet sleeves that Edith Head could have easily designed for the actress Grace Kelly’s trousseau – had she decided to elope to Vegas with a Hell’s Angel instead of setting sail to Monaco to wed His Serene Highness.

New York is abuzz with chatter about the new Bottega Veneta boutique, the one that was personally edited by Thomas Meier for New Yorkers and our lifestyle. This is not to be confused with the Fifth Avenue flagship which is strictly tourist land. It’s like having a super chic corner bodega where we can get “needful things” whenever we need a little something to freshen our wardrobes. Meier fused his own love of color blocking with the sophisticated vibe of the brand to create an effortlessly stylish collection.  

Anyone who has ever entered the Jil Sander boutique in New York can tell you that the shop is a metaphor for the brand. You approach it like a museum where you are confronted by flawless mannequins standing impossibly tall on pedestals like Soviet era monoliths, but eventually you find yourself upstairs trying things on and realize that utilitarianism is something that you can introduce into your wardrobe without going all the way into a lifestyle. Raf Simon’s collection for spring is a study in design.  Yes, of course, there is black and fuschia and even prints but the real genius of the designs shows best in the all white looks. Yes, Virginia, even minimalists can go ladylike next season!

Yes, dear reader, I know that every month you come to my column to see the latest and greatest of fashion, but you and I both know that you also enjoy a little dish – and knowing who is in and who is out. Well, at the venerable house of Gianfranco Ferre, Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Raimondi are decidedly “fouri”!  It wouldn’t be Italy without the drama, after all. What’s “in” at Ferre are the classic staples of the brand – the white blouse, the sharply tailored suit, and the asymmetric day dress – sleeveless on one side and draped on the other. Stefano Citron and Federico Piaggi have brought the DNA of the brand into the new millennium with their interpretation of the Ferre woman who doesn’t’ need a shoulder pad to show herself or the world that she is strong, self possessed and powerful.

I hope that you have enjoyed my little treatise on the best that Milano has to offer for Spring 2012. Keep these trim and unforgiving ladylike looks in mind as we enter the carb fest that is the American holiday season. Commit to the spring fashions now before you indulge and you won’t have to make (and try to keep) a bunch of New Year’s resolutions about dieting and working out. Stay strong!

– Joseph Ungoco

Photos: Milan Spring 2012 RTW, Style.com

Male Box: La Femme Parisienne

Paris has been recognized as the global center of fashion since long before the dawn of the jet age. In recent years, Paris Fashion Week – whose exact dates are set by the Fédération Française de la Couture, du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers et des Créateurs de Mode – concludes “the season” for fashion folk which begins in New York, continues in London, travels to Milan and ends in Paris. This schedule ensures that Paris always has “the last word” on fashion. Those of you who actively follow the shows, waiting breathlessly for the first images to trickle onto the internet or shaky handheld videos to hit YouTube, know that editor types like myself are hesitant to call anything – no matter how prevalent in New York and/or the other fashion capitals – a “trend” until we see it on a Parisian catwalk.  Thus, for many of us, the Paris shows provide the final confirmation of the direction that American fashion will take in the upcoming retail season.

With both the American and French Presidents up for re-election next year, their respective First Ladies will surely be clad in the best fashion their respective countries have to offer. Not since two-term First Lady Nancy Reagan was compared to Madame Chirac has the national fashion rivalry been stronger.  Mrs. Obama and Madame Sarkozy have both national pride and their respective national fashion industries to uphold.

That said, here is my take on the Paris shows and the trends for Spring 2012 that I saw emerging on the New York runways. No doubt we’ll be seeing these designs on Madame Sarkozy as her husband’s re-election campaign gets under way. Ultimately, these are the clothes that fashionable women on both sides of the Atlantic will be clamoring to own and wear.

Color blocking was a very important trend in American fashion that began in Fall 2011 and will continue into Spring 2012. The French designers however have given it a uniquely Continental twist and the result is delightfully fashion forward. Each season since his appointment as Creative Director there, Nicolas Ghesquiere has culled the Balenciaga archives. He punctuates his original designs with mid-century archival designs reinterpreted for a new century. For Spring 2012, he outdoes the American designers by using secondary colors and introducing metallic as a color block. The result is decidedly nostalgic yet utterly futuristic. Christophe Lemaire’s second collection for Hermes was hotly anticipated this season and he did not disappoint. His version of the trend betrays his sportswear roots at Lacoste, yet ups the ante by introducing the house’s signature patterns into the color blocking.

The real story from Paris is the return of femininity. The global recession took its toll on fashion everywhere and we are finally starting to see a return to luxury in the US and a return to fashionable feminine excess in Paris. If Christian Dior’s Corolle collection marked the end of post-World War II restrictions on fabric, then the recent Paris collections as a whole mark the end of post-Recession minimalism in fashion.

The jolie jeune filles of Paris have been known for rocking a skirt better than any American woman possibly could since the days when stockings had seams. Once again, just as hosiery is returning to fashion, French skirts pull ahead in the fashion races. The skirt in question is the pencil skirt which severely restricts a woman’s ability to move and is generally considered too restrictive for the American lifestyle which lends itself better to sportswear. The reason that the slim straight skirt – whether at or below the knee – is so important next season is that it plays a supporting role to the peplum jacket that we saw in both New York and Paris. The American version pays homage to the 1930s original while the Parisian version seems entirely fresh and new. With well-tailored natural shoulders, the ruffled peplum brings attention to the waist and hips, not unlike the shirtwaist dresses of the 1950s. Ricardo Tischi’s designs for Givenchy include layered satin and chiffon in silk and asymmetrical ruffled lapels and peplums. Sarah Burton has been much celebrated since her bridal gown for Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Cambridge, was unveiled to the world. Her collection for Alexander McQueen included the best peplum of the season – a double layer of patterned ruffles – paired with a pencil skirt with a ruffled kick pleat. Both of these designers provided the best possible interpretations of this key trend for spring 2012.

One would expect ruffles from that bastion of femininity, Valentino, but the real story next season is lace – prim and proper lace, that is! While designers have used lace in recent seasons for a sexy peekaboo effect, next spring sees lace emerge as a continuation of ladylike dressing. Can you imagine a devoted political wife accompanying her husband on the campaign trail? Even the trademarked Rosso Valentino is given the lace treatment for evening. While much speculation surrounds the future of Marc Jacobs in Paris, no one can deny that his design sensibility for Louis Vuitton is distinctly French. For next season, he employed oversize lace in loose shapes that recall the Spanish infantas in Renaissance paintings.  Individually applied ostrich feathers complete the look, adding a distinctly French level of chicness.

Bill Gaytten’s first prêt-a-porter collection for Christian Dior was destined to be the subject of the fashion world’s intense scrutiny. After all, John Galliano’s successor would undoubtedly be subjected to the same level of scrutiny as say a young Yves St. Laurent when he took the reins from Monsieur Dior himself. While Gaytten’s Haute Couture collection last July clearly bore his own mark on the venerable brand, this ready-to-wear collection for Spring 2012 was tame by comparison. One look combined both key trends for next year – ruffles and lace – as well as the high-low skirt that has been simmering just below trend level on both sides of the Atlantic. This design may just push it over the edge for the following season into a full blown trend!

Regardless of which side you take in the Franco-American fashion wars, there’s no denying that lean times are over. It’s OK again to look like you spent money – serious money – on your clothes. After all, what could be more forward thinking than “investing” in clothes that you’ll have for a lifetime!

— Joseph Ungoco

Photos: Paris Spring 2012 RTW, Style.com

Image Layout: Amy Newling

Male Box: The ABCs of NYFW

In the aftermath of the whirlwind of runway shows and presentations that was New York Fashion Week for Spring/Summer 2012, my fellow fashion editors and I agreed that American designers were playing it safe. Many carried this fall season’s must-have color palette of black-and-white into next year, occasionally punctuating their collections with bright monochrome pops of color. Silhouettes remained spare; embellishment seemed a long forgotten memory. Chalk this lack of directionality up to the recession. That said, there was an air of hopefulness for the future in the tents and some of the offsite venues.  Designers explored construction in all its forms from street-inspired fashion to haute couture.

With over 400 designers showing during the seven days of fashion week, many of us find it nearly impossible to distill an overall message, let alone discern solid trends. Come next spring, I’ll help you navigate the tepid waters of American fashion and remain stylish and fashionable. For now, I’ll walk you through a few of the most hotly anticipated collections.

A is for Alexander. All hail Alexander the Great!  Like the conquering warrior before him, Alexander Wang magically gets his subjects to obsessively support his design efforts, whether under his own name or the T by Alexander Wang line. He drew inspiration for this latest collection from the street, specifically from BMX and motocross. While designers like the Caten twins of D Squared have done this before, something about Wang’s collection seems infinitely more wearable today. The ethnic print inspired look executed entirely in leather was a standout.

B is for Bibhu. Bibhu Mohapatra, if you must know – and you MUST. Renowned for his evening wear designs, Mohapatra has made excellent use of his time in the CFDA designer incubator and makes a strong foray into daywear for Spring 2012. His use of luxury fabrics and his attention to detail extend faultlessly into his designs for day time. His high-low hemlines will be instantly recognizable on fashionable avenues everywhere next spring.

C is for Carlos Miele. Miele’s woman bring the party with her wherever she goes. For Spring 2012, Miele layered construction techniques over custom prints to glorious effect. Even simple black-and-white prints took on added complexity with round florette appliqués. For the fashionable woman on the go, clothing has to move, even when she’s standing still.

C is also for Chado. Chado Ralph Rucci never fails to disappoint and his latest collection earned him a standing ovation from those fashion insiders lucky enough to attend. Even the most jaded of fashion folk leapt to their feet to applaud the sheer artistry of his work. No wonder he is one of only two American born designer to ever be invited by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture to show in Paris. For those of you who aspire to be fashion historians, the other was Mainbocher. Rucci usually employs a spare color palette,  the better to showcase his luxury fabrics and couture level construction techniques. Horsehair and silk gazar are staples of his collections. This season, he dresses his lady in chic suits for ladies’ luncheons and in breathtaking gowns for charity balls. His cocoon sleeved silk matelasse skirt suit redefines the classic silhouette created by Madame Chanel. What really excited me was the return of the ball skirt to evening wear. Those of us who are old enough recall vividly Candice Bergen’s Murphy Brown looking excruciatingly chic in Ralph Lauren’s evening skirt. Rucci’s version employs the same lavender as the Christian Dior high-low hem one that SJP’s Carrie Bradshaw wore to explore the souk in Abu Dhabi, but Rucci’s with its obi-inspired high waist, overlap full length skirt, and perfectly proportioned color blocking is infinitely more chic.

I have so many more highlights from New York Fashion Week to share with you, but you’ll have to wait. Right now, you should be very busy changing your closets over to fall. It’s time to put away all the summer clothes and break out all your recent purchases for fall. Before you know it, you’ll be calling cold storage to send for your furs. Fashion never stops to rest – and neither do we!

— Joseph Ungoco

Photos: Style.com

Male Box: Back To Fashion Time!

As summer draws to a close, school children everywhere are doing their back to school shopping. For fashion types, the mad scramble to figure out what we need for fall begins. Here is my cheat sheet for the fall ’11 fashion trends.

The new silhouette for fall is long. Think pants and coats that graze the ground, but don’t think for a second that you can drag out your old palazzo pants because this season is all about long – and lean! Alexander Wang’s skinny rocker pants are the perfect example of a long trim line with just the right amount of stack at the ankle. Olivier Theysken’s much acclaimed collection for Theory features several options for ankle-grazing coats. Feel free to go as short as you dare under these maxi coats.

After last fall’s all-black and this spring’s all-white trends, we finally meet in the middle. The new color palette for Fall 11 is – wait for it – black-and-white!  Feel free to mix-and-match pieces from the past two seasons or opt for the latest offerings for the world’s top designers. Chanel, Christian Dior and Carolina Herrera are the obvious go-to brands for this trend, but if you really want to push the fashion, then splurge on Lanvin’s signature volume.

Wait a minute! Where has all the color gone? After pushing you last season to buy pop color accessories to accentuate your all white dresses, you’re probably wondering where we’ll find color in the fall. The answer is the coat and the color of the season is my all time favorite. Orange isn’t just for Hermes anymore. Burberry Prorsum offers a great tailored coat in bright orange, but the chicest coat of the season comes from that excruciatingly Parisian brand, Celine. The relaxed, menswear-inspired double breasted overcoat is the perfect topper for their black-and-white outfit options.

The Chinese calendar my call 2011 the Year of the Rabbit, but the International Fashion Calendar says Fall 2011 is the Season of the Snake. Python coats have long been prized among fashion folk despite the difficulties in traveling to certain US states and foreign countries. Unfortunately, your circa 2004 Calvin Klein python coat is too trim and tailored for this season. Keep it in storage a little while longer. This season, you’ll need a more relaxed fit like Prada’s fur-trimmed version made of the instantly recognizable grey-and-white python reticulatus.

If a full skin python coat is too much for your taste – or your budget – then take on the snakeskin trend with accessories. For Fall 2011, snakeskin is the new leather. Bottega Veneta python tote bags are the perfect way to rock the trend without breaking the bank. If shoes are your thing, then everyone from Missoni to Valentino has something for you, no matter whether you want python toe cap patent pumps or knee-high high heeled boots.

Turtlenecks are one of my favorite fall items and a staple of every fashionable woman’s wardrobe. No doubt they’re already your go-to layer under the season’s must-have jackets or coats, but this season turtlenecks have a very special moment all their own. Early on in New York Fashion Week, Jason Wu broke the trend that would soon appear on the runways in Milan and Paris – lace turtlenecks. Likened to Elizabethan collars by the world’s fashion writers, this season’s lace collars are feminine yet ultra-modern. Pair it with a white skirt or slacks and you’ll hit two trends in one this fall.

Fall is upon us and today’s summer dresses and strappy sandals will soon be a distant memory. Enjoy these last few days but get ready to go Back to Fashion!

Pictured (left to right):
Alexander Wang Fall 2011 RTW
Theysken’s Theory Fall 2011 RTW
Lanvin Fall 2011 RTW
Celine Fall 2011 RTW
Prada Fall 2011 RTW
Jason Wu Fall 2011 RTW

— Joseph Ungoco

Image Layout: Molly Murphy

Male Box: Vive La Couture!

In the world of high fashion, July is Haute Couture month. The world’s most celebrated designers present collections that represent the highest standards of design and construction. If you work in the industry, you’re probably inspired to art direct new fashion editorials for the fall issues.  If you are an ultra fashionable “civilian”, you’re probably frantically trying to figure out how you can work the high fashion trends into your everyday wardrobe. If you’re Daphne Guiness or Catherine Deneuve you’re probably standing on a block in a couturier’s atelier enduring endless fittings for your fall wardrobe.

For those of you who weren’t glued to your computers waiting breathlessly for the latest slide shows to be posted, here is an Haute Couture primer for the Fall Winter 2011 season. This is what the world’s most fashionable women – the names you’ll see on the Best Dressed list come March 2011 – will be wearing.

Chanel has long been go-to brand for “conservative” women of style – if that word can even be applied to the select group of women who can afford both the cost – in money and time – of maintaining a couture wardrobe.  Karl Lagerfeld never fails to disappoint his couture audience, somehow melding the DNA of a brand that is deeply ingrained in the minds of fashion folk with the future of fashion. This season’s offerings stayed in a moody palette of black and midnight navy with one notable exception – magenta.  Couture customers may have followed slavishly through recent forays into pink and fuchsia (and purple before that), but those “investments” will have to be archived or donated to the Costume Institute for a tax write-off.  This season, magenta will reign supreme.  Those who donned last season’s ruffles and volume are probably distressed to realize that this season’s new silhouette is streamlined a la Flapper. The “new” volume is tromp l’oiel.  Ruffles, volume, and movement are now suggested by intricate beading on slim sheaths.

The fashion obsessed have followed the Givenchy Haute Couture shows since Hubert himself dressed America’s favorite gamine, Audrey Hepburn.  The reins have changed hands several times since then.  Most notably, Givenchy was Alexander McQueen’s first gig on his way to his eponymous line.  The current exhibit of his work, Savage Beauty, at the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute here in New York is literally leaving fashion folk gasping for air as they experience the transcendent beauty of his designs.  Current Creative Director, Ricardo Tischi, continues to leave the fashion world breathless.  His personal vision of Paradise for the Fall Winter season included tromp l’oiel ostrich skin, painstakingly created by setting Swarovski crystals into faux pearls then beading them onto tulle.   Another showstopper in the tightly edited ten look collection is a dress featuring thousands of hand-cut and hand-sewn square silk tulle paillettes that create an ombre effect from white to ivory.  No doubt the phrase “a vision in white” will apply to more than just brides this season.

With all the controversy swirling around the former Creative Director, the Christian Dior Haute Couture collection was easily the most hotly anticipated of the season.  Newly elevated assistant designer Bill Gaytten put his own spin on the iconic silhouettes of this legacy brand.  Skirts, whether short and flirty or luxuriously long, had the very same effect of shocking indulgence on today’s recession-weary fashionistas as the New Look had on those who survived World War II.  Gaytten may have worked within the framework of the iconic brand’s silhouettes, but he undeniably put his personal stamp on the collection by drawing inspiration from the swirling architecture of Frank Gehry.  The effect is decidedly post-modern.

Every season, even since the retirement of the storied brand’s namesake, aficionados of Valentino Couture keep an eye out for at least one creation in Valentino Red.  The formula for this particular shade is trademarked and instantly recognizable whether on the grand staircase of the world’s great opera houses or peeking out from under the hem of a burqa.  The dynamic design duo who currently head the brand – Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli – paid homage to the founder with a thoroughly modern gown with a draped plunging neckline in the house’s signature color, Rosso Valentino. They also took another step forward with the brand by offering one look in the most luxurious of velvets.  The bandeau vaguely evokes Josephine Bonaparte, but in a fresh and up-to-date way.

Any follower of red carpet fashion is familiar with the other Paris Haute Couture show that is designed by an Italian.  Each season, looks from Giorgio Armani’s Armani Prive collection appear on the most celebrated actresses and musicians of our time as they attend awards shows.   For Fall Winter 2011, Armani’s showstopping color choice is Safety Orange.   Ombre sequins soften the shade and give it beautifully sense of movement.   For the woman who really wants to stop traffic, Armani also offers a slim strapless gown covered entirely with clear square plastic paillettes in this vibrant hue.

No matter how you choose to draw inspiration from the great design houses of our time, be confident in your choices and boldly lead the way for other fashion pioneers wherever you are.  You can swallow these trends whole or just pepper them into your existing wardrobe, but, no matter what you do, fashion marches on.  You either evolve and adapt or risk becoming as obsolete as a rotary telephone.  I, for one, already have a head start on the safety orange, having ordered several things for fall – including a collar and leash for my dog!

1. Chanel Fall 2011 Couture
2. Givenchy Fall 2011 Couture
3. Dior Fall 2011 Couture
4. Armani Prive Fall 2011 Couture
5. Valentino Fall 2011 Couture

—Joseph Ungoco

Photos: Style.com

Male Box: Remembrance of Things Past – The Knees, That Is!

Proust is one of those great literary masters that “serious” writers like myself always reference. At the beginning of this summer, when my new iPad2 arrived, I had grand plans to download Proust’s masterpiece and perhaps even Tolstoy’s epic War and Peace – and actually get through them by Labor Day! All those grand literary plans got sideswiped by the Royal Wedding. In prepping for my “day of” coverage, I kept running into terms like “modesty” and “propriety” in the official palace press releases – words, I might add, that don’t really apply to what city women wear in heat of summer. A chance find at a favorite thrift store secured me a matched set of hardbound palm size volumes of England’s best loved novels. Thus, my summer went from Proust on an iPad to Jane Austen in original typeface.

Despite my longstanding appreciation of the evocatively written word, I find myself increasingly an avid participant in the new media revolution. So, with a quick trip to the PBS store online, my throwback summer quickly became supplemented with the circa 2007 BBC remakes of the entire Austen oeuvre on DVD. I didn’t want you to think I was sitting around reading novels by the light of candles I had hand dipped myself! What the movies make instantly clear that the novels assume you know are the standards of dress of the day. “Modesty” definitely ruled supreme over the much loved romantic heroines of Pride and Prejudice, Emma and Mansfield Park.

Ever since the fall Paris shows for Spring Summer 2011, I have been a huge advocate of Jil Sander’s orange maxi skirt, plugging it here in my column and using it as inspiration for all the spring photo shoots I art directed and styled. With summer fully upon us and the oppressive heat in force, I know that many of my friends and readers are at a loss as to what to wear around the city that is comfortable and still chic. What follows is my summer shopping guide to the maxi skirt.

Austen’s heroines may have struggled with Sense and Sensibility, but you’ll have no questions at all about being fashionable even in the debilitating heat of summer. A vast array of options is available to you this summer. Juliette sleeves and empire waists on ankle length dresses may have been the fashion in the 18th century, but today’s “modesty” is defined by the 40” – or longer – skirt.

Richard Nicoll’s coral silk crepe de Chine maxiskirt is the perfect option for the woman who loves color but wants something a little more subdued than the bright orange and fuchsia Jil Sander originals. You’ll look perfect strolling a city avenue or swirling through a summer garden party. If you’re a Missoni girl, you’ll love Alice & Olivia’s multicolored striped maxi. The skirt has just enough swing and sway to draw all eyes to you wherever you go.

If you’re more at home in a mini – or a micromini – and this whole maxi thing has you fretting about being fashionable and showing off your best assets, then opt for the high slit or side slit slim maxi skirt. My favorite is Helmut Lang’s brushed jersey side drape version. The draping at the hip is slightly more forgiving than straight cut versions and the peekaboo high slit will put a little sex appeal in every step.

Many designers offered pleated maxi skirts but I honestly think that volume can be very tricky. Instead, go for ultra-lightweight tiered ruffles. The movement is much more flattering for all types of figures. Lanvin’s Blanche maxiskirt in white silk tulle is light as a feather and ultra-feminine.

If you need something dressy for a night out on the town, channel Bianca Jagger and Jerry Hall in circa 1970 Halston in Donna Karan’s hammered stretch satin maxi skirt. Pair it with a vintage YSL le smoking or a Balmain blazer for the perfect au courant tuxedo look. If you want real drama, then go for broke with Jason Wu’s silk lined black tulle maxiskirt with mini train.

The maxidress of Austen’s circa 1770 heroines may have been the penultimate in modesty and femininity, but the denizens of Studio 54 circa 1970 showed us that the maxidress can also be sexy. Today’s maxiskirt is the perfect combination of all three. Pick the right one for you and you’ll be the heroine in your own personal summer romance novel!

1. Jil Sander Spring 2011 RTW, Style.com

2. Richard Nicoll Two-tone Silk Crepe de Chine Maxi Skirt, $625

3. Alice & Olivia Shannon Printed Maxi Skirt, $485

4. Helmut Lang Draped Brushed-Jersey Maxi Skirt, $370

5. Lanvin Silk-blend Tiered Skirt, $3240

6. Donna Karan Hammered Stretch-satin Maxi Skirt, $1595

7. Runway to Green Jason Wu Tulle Maxi Skirt, $3050

—Joseph Ungoco

Male Box: Top Off Your Outfit With A Hat!

Between the recent royal wedding and the U.S.’ own Triple Crown racing season, hats are on everyone’s minds. June brides all over America have their wedding planners scrambling to get “that dress”;  women who were dreading sitting at the singles tables are now focused on finding the right hat to nose out their competition. My friends and clients are all begging me to help them find the right hat to go with the dresses they bought or ordered months ago. I thought I’d share my advice in case you were are about to embark on your own personal wedding guest – or garden party – season. Here are a few great basic hats that will get you through wedding season – and the rest of summer.

If the idea of wearing a hat has you worried about standing out too much, then opt for keeping it all very neutral. Eugenia Kim is the go-to milliner for high-end department store shoppers. Her straw fedora with the red and blue faux hat band and bow that is actually dyed onto the straw is the perfect option to enliven any neutral outfit. A regular fedora adds a dash of attitude to any hairstyle. If you wear your hair down and full, you may want a hat with a higher crown like Burberry’s red Trilby, which also features a shorter snap brim. The bright pop of color will be dead on for the season.

If summer means spectator pumps to you, then opt for a two-tone fedora. I just ordered a fresh pair of white bucks with a chambray saddle to get me through several upcoming destination weddings whose climate simply demands seersucker! For those events, I’ll be sporting a navy-and-white fedora similar to the one pictured. If you plan to wear your hair back or up, then a fedora that features a crown of one color and brim of another is the perfect option. The lighter brim will create a halo that will have you looking like the freshest thing at any wedding short of the microvegetable salad at the singles table.

If fedoras simply aren’t feminine enough for you, fear not!  The cloche is the perfect shape for you. If you’re planning to wear floral flounced chiffon a la Daisy Buchanan, keep your hat solid.  A straw cloche will instantly solve any hair dilemmas and keep you looking your Great Gatsby best. Who knows? You may even kick up a Charleston or two – or wind up doing the Bunny Hug with your handsome dinner partner.
If you’re no stranger to drama, then why not go bold with a wide brimmed Missoni? Keep your hair pulled back and the signature wave pattern will draw all eyes in the room to your face. Remember, you’ll be seated through most of the ceremony and reception, so even the most attention calling dress won’t have any effect until the dancing starts. By then, you’ll have already locked up all the eligible possibilities.

By far, my favorite hat of the season in the Lanvin’s floppy brimmed straw number.  Think of it as the summer version of J Lo’s Gucci felt version. The neutral color ensures it will go with anything all summer long. Take off the removable bow and dress it up with one or more amazing statement necklaces around the crown or consider wrapping your head in your favorite vintage Pucci scarf before popping it on. This hat will carry your through the entire summer season!

1. Eugina Kim Max Rafia Fedora, $275

2. Burberry Synthetic Straw Trilby, $250

3. Nordstrom Two Tone Straw Fedora, $29

4. Nordstrom Two Tone Straw Fedora, $32

5. Nordstrom ‘Summer’ Straw Cloche Hat, $48

6. Missoni Crochet-Knit Sunhat, $495

7. Lanvin Swarovski Crystal Pin-Embellished Straw Hat, $945

—Joseph Ungoco

Image Layout: Molly Murphy