A Guide in Badassery: Haider Ackermann Fall 2011 RTW

I was delighted to see how many rich, saturated silks, knits and leathers were popping up in the Fall 2011 Ready To Wear shows. Obviously, these are some of the big trends that this season will be known for. Colombian designer Haider Ackermann does not disappoint in this respect--rather, he demonstrates the ability to work with a season's trend and pretty much kick ass at it. Haider's line seems to be an escapade into the world of bad-ass chic. And what a wonderful world that is.

It doesn't hurt that Ackermann's name  has been thrown around by none other than Karl Lagerfeld as a possible successor to the Chanel throne. Ackermann has also be rumored as a potential replacement for John Galliano at Christian Dior. Not too bad for a guy who launched his brand in 2001 and has been on the Vogue radar since 2004.

Here are some faves from the show:

Posted by: Carla

Christian Dior Fall 2011 RTW

As I mentioned a few days ago, Christian Dior's creative director, John Galliano has been fired after having gone on an antisemitic rant in Paris. His outburst was caught on tape, as was his remark, "I love Hitler." Dior CEO Sidney Toledano made the following statement at the Fall 2011 show,


"What has happened over the last week has been a terrible and wrenching ordeal us all," he said to an audience of about 1,000 who gathered to watch the company's 2011-12 ready-to-wear show. "It has been deeply painful to see the Dior name associated with the disgraceful statements attributed to its designer, however brilliant he may be. Such statements are intolerable because of our collective duty to never forget the Holocaust and its victims, and because of the respect for human dignity that is owed to each person and to all peoples. These statements have deeply shocked and saddened us all at Dior who give body and soul to their work, and it is particularly painful that they came from someone so admired for his remarkable creative talent." 


Galliano allegedly checked into rehab yesterday. He may still face up to six months in prison. 

Because of these events, the fashion house was apprehensive about how the Fall show would go. Nevertheless, Galliano's garments were presented to an audience of about 1000 people. The show was slightly less spectacular than Galliano's spring couture show presented a few months ago, but was brilliant nonetheless. It was a fusion of rich fall colours and fabrics (think leather, velvet and silk) with more spring-like looks (sheers, pastels, draping). It was a bit of an odd, yet welcome, mix that made me wonder whether John foresaw his future termination from Christian Dior and designed a spring line on top of the fall one....just in case. 

Too soon to joke? Check out some of my favourite looks: 

Posted by: Carla

Zac Posen Fall 2011 RTW

Zac Posen has had quite the decade. He became a fashion heavy hitter about ten years ago, and now he's become a major name. On top of being lauded by people like Naomi Campbell, Posen also has the cred to design a line for Target that has fabulous fashionistas like our very own Kiran pledging to camp out on Seattle sidewalks just to get at it. Did I mention Posen is only 30 years old?

Posen's Fall 2011 breaks away from traditional warm fall tones and explores greens, turquoises, metallics and this (and every other) Fall season's mainstay: black. What is most interesting about most of these silhouettes is that they seem to intend to add curves to the models' already tiny frames. Indeed, it seems almost like an homage to the classic hourglass figure. Just a pro-tip for Posen, maybe hire a few more Christal Renns and a few less Coco Rochas to bring this image full circle. Just sayin'.

Some favorites:

Posted by: Carla

Reem Acra Fall 2011 Ready to Wear

When I pulled up the slides from Reem Acra's latest fall collection, I expected to see a lot of sequins. The Lebanese designer has become synonymous (in my head, anyway) with sparkle. Hence, I didn't expect to see anything different. I was, however, pleasantly surprised to see that of 37 looks, less than five were composed entirely of glitter.

This collection shows that Acra, who is best known for wedding dress design, was not afraid to step away from an aesthetic that has proven very successful for her. This suggests that she is favouring the creation of art rather than sticking to what is safe. I didn't love every look in this collection, but I respected what Acra seems to be trying to do.

My major complaint with this collection was that many of shorter skirt hems fell just below the models' knees, and were paired with high heeled booties. This combination of a higher ankle boot with a lower skirt hem made the sought after 5'10'' models look much shorter than they should have. The textured tights were a bit of a turnoff for me as well, which is probably why none of the shorter dresses made my list of favourites:

Posted by: Carla

Galliano Dumped by Dior

 Fashion house Christian Dior has terminated John Galliano due to his recent antisemitic tirade (or 2).  According to the house, 


“In light of the deeply offensive statements and conduct by John Galliano in a video made public yesterday, Christian Dior has commenced termination proceedings against him.” 


Galliano has been with the company since 1996. Natalie Portman, the face of Miss Dior Cherie has also spoken out against the designer, saying,


"I am deeply shocked and disgusted by the video of John Galliano’s comments that surfaced today. In light of this video, and as an individual who is proud to be Jewish, I will not be associated with Mr. Galliano in any way. I hope at the very least, these terrible comments remind us to reflect and act upon combating these still-existing prejudices that are the opposite of all that is beautiful."


This all comes as pretty sad news to those of us (ie. me) who think Galliano is one of the most brilliant designers of our day. At the same time, it is nice to see that brilliance in art doesn't protect you when you're truly being an asshole. 


Posted by: Carla

D&G Fall 2011 Menswear for Women

Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce offer up a Fall collection that's half chic, polished and inspired. The other half is adorned with cheesy stars and bold prints. The good half is menswear inspired, but also reminiscent of the large, unfitted and bubble shaped silhouettes present in many other Fall 2011 collections. That's not to say D&G's menswear inspired looks are without innovation--particularly sleeveless and cropped elements. Overall, they remind me of that girl who worked at the record store in Pretty In Pink. You know, the totally badass one.

Instead of the not so good, this is the great:

Posted by: Carla

It Girl: Emma Watson

My (guy) friends and I like to argue over whether Emma Watson looked hotter with long hair or short. I always vote short, but honestly, girlfriend looks pretty amazing no matter what these days. Its pretty awesome to see a former child star not quite stumbling around drunk and checking into rehab. With Emma, it seems like the best is really just yet to come (fashion wise, anyways.) And not for nothing, Emma's been the face of Burberry and has been involved in working with the Fair Trade brand People Tree. (Check out some fab pics of her People Tree looks HERE)

Reasons why I love Emma's look (and fierce hair!):

Posted by: Carla

Coats So Hot, You Won't Need Pants: Burberry Fall 2011

Christopher Bailey for Burberry Prorsum, Fall 2011 offers up a line almost entirely composed of coats. This is unsurprising since the founder of the company, Thomas Burberry was known for his iconic trench coat, and because Burberry, as a brand, is so darn good at making outerwear beautiful.

Bailey presents many different colours and silhouettes, all of which are reminiscent of both the 1960s London look and the exquisite saturation and apparent quality that the brand is known for. 

Here are of my favorites: 

Posted by: Carla

Jennifer Hudson's Grammy 2011 Red Carpet look

Jennifer Hudson was another red carpet favourite. She showed off her new svelte figure in a beautiful deep blue Versace. At the same time, I'd say its about time for Jennifer to bring this weight-loss to an end, because she looks amazing, but could seriously take things too far. (Read: Star Jones too far.)

Posted by: Carla

Kelly Osbourne - Grammys 2011

I cannot believe I haven't mentioned how much I'm loving Kelly Osbourne these days. She is looking so fabulous! Although only a few Grammy red carpet looks are popping up online so far, hers really impressed me. Loving the lilac, which is helping to remind me that spring might really be on its way!


Kelly O in Tadashi with Alexander McQueen heels. 

More fabulous red carpet favorites to come! 

Posted by: Carla