J.Mendel F/W 2012: Intricate Craftsmanship

Several inspirations come to play for couturier Gilles Mendel as he delivers his F/W 2012 collection for the J.Mendel brand. Fondly reminiscing at a black metallic boucle suit by Courreges his mother donned when he was 14 years old, and the genius of Diana Vreeland and Helmut Newton in the pages of Vogue, Gilles Mendel remains true to 5 generations of intricate craftsmanship of light and feminine silhouettes.

As I waited impatiently for the show to start, I spied with my two eyes 2 equally amazing talents, both stars in Hollywood as well as the fashion world. The Olsen Twins! Mary Kate and Ashley sat directly across me and in the same row as Kelly Osbourne, Nicole Trunfio, and numerous other celebrities and fashion socialites. I thought if the audience was an indication of what one can expect from the show, then it surely will be awe-inspiring!

Furs have been the foundation of J.Mendel and this season proves why the house is synonymous to luxury and finely tailored fur, all woven intricately into ready to wear creations. Textures come in forms of fine embroidery, leather, and the most tantalizing alligator skins. This season J.Mendel evokes several inspirations from the 1920’s as well which lends well to the theme of luxury and opulence. Also this season, J.Mendel introduced for the first time a handbag designed by the house- a crocodile bag accented with mink and alpaca furs.

J.Mendel was truly an unforgettable show, from one ensemble to the next one was mesmerized by the luxurious feel it invokes, a true testament to the house and Gilles Mendel for steering it in the right direction.

Norisol Ferrari F/W 2012: Seductive Power of Glamour

"Jean Harlow meets Tina Turner in Mad Max." It's funny how the previous night I made a comment to another fashion week attendee how I wished someone would bring back the hard edge fashion in Mad Max specially the low cut chain mail dress Tina Turner wore during the thunderdome fight scene, and behold early the next day the fashion gods have heard my comment and brings Norisol Ferrari.
The idea of bringing seductive glamour and marrying it with a hard edge produces such a spectacular 'coat of armor' as Norisol's design exemplifies. In this case several marriages work perfectly together, Vintage+Modern and Glamour+Edgy. One particular piece that caught my eye instantly was "La Donna" the floor length chocolate cashmere coat with the fox collar trim. Its silhouette is sleek and modern, but with vintage details of the fur collar and the bell sleeves. Even next to a hard edge design with a stunning head piece, the La Donna's regal simplicity still stood out to me because it just had a feel of luxury and timeless quality.
Another standout piece was the "Lana" a python and lace strapless gown in nude with a
complementing high collar bolero jacket. Though another nude seems monotone it is the intricate lace details in the dress coupled with a python detail that makes this dress red carpet worthy.
Overall, I understood the story Norisol Ferrari was trying to tell, and I felt the collection kept a nice balance of strong and delicate and vintage and modern.

DSQUARED2 F/W 2012: Class in Session

Class is in session and the subject is 'Cool Style'. The reality is that no matter what the story line, DSquared2 always marry cool and sexy effortlessly, and its F/W 2012 menswear collection is no exception.

Slim fitted sihouettes define what DSquared2 is about, and eye catching trims are the proverbial icing on the cake for each piece that Dean and Dan Caten create. My personal favorites in this collection are the metal and jewel studded jackets. The heavier fur lined and fur hooded jacket is a definite fashion must have, unlike other overly decorated jackets this one does actually does its purpose of keeping one warm, but still keeps an edge with its eye catching sleeves.

Another personal favorite is the green mohair sweater, its simple but has the feel of luxury. Many would feel they have to stay away from this kind of texture fearing it might be uncomfortable or bothersome, but from personal experience it's not as difficult to wear or take care of as many people claim.

All I can say is that if all schools specifically where I went is this fashionable, stylish, and well put together, I may have never left! When class is in session and DSquared2 is teaching, all fashionistas and lovers of style need to pay attention.

Trussardi Menswear F/W 2012 : the 70's Live On!!

Trussardi continues to draw inspiration on retro styles for its menswear F/W 2012 collection. The flambouyance of the 70's era with Trussardi's refined impeccable aesthetic becomes a marriage of fashion perfection.
From oversized lapels, trench leather coats, checkered suits, and overall a suave sense of style, these are all characteristics that make the 70's such a great fashion era for men's style. A sleek turtle neck paired under an amazingly tailored double breasted jacket brings back the days when men actually took the time and cared about their style and appearance.
Fur collar trench coats and heavy velvet blazers keeps that edgy cool and effortless style. Although I am a little bit unsure about the revival of the 70's signature 'bell-bottom' I am surely a huge fan of the jackets and tops reminiscent of the era.
Trussardi is definitely pioneering the resurgence of vintage style, and I for one am loving all the fashion that comes from it; I love the idea of turning a 3 piece suit into a casual everyday ensemble by simply using fun vibrant textiles and modernizing it with today's silhouette.

Helen Yarmak S/S 2012..Fur Galore: rich, luxurious,stunning!

Nothing speaks luxury more than a well tailored, impeccably constructed, top quality, and unrivalled design fur coat, and Helen Yarmak pioneers an amazing selection of luxurious fur. From Alpaca, to rabbit, to mink, and Fox, each well crafted coat is to die for in every color. Several key pieces from the collection which I found interesting are the convertible jackets that can be worn with the sleeve, or with arms outside of the sleeves thru the slits and use them like butterfly sleeves. I fell in love with the stoles from the chocolate browns, to the ravishing blacks, and tantalizing reds, but my favorite of the collection hands down is the lavender and brown fur vest, it had depth in layers and simply amazing. I wouldn't mind borrowing one just for a day!! Helen Yarmak though noted for its fur creations also showed amazing RTW spring dresses and jewelry; for more info visit www.helenyarmak.com