Dupli-CAUGHT: Zara vs Alexander Mcqueen

Monk strap shoes have been making a splash the past few seasons in men's footwear.  It's a dapper look that I personally can't pull off - until now...enter the monk strap book with three buckles à la McQueen.  I love this boot - it's classy and has just enough rugged appeal to move it out of the traditional dapper realm and into street wear.

The above boot comes in burgundy, brown, and black and will set you back $795 (you can purchase them at Mr. Porter or Bergdorf's). 

Go: Alexander McQueen–Savage Beauty

This weekend I trekked from Brooklyn to the Upper East Side in spite of shuttle buses and re-routed train schedules to feast with my eyes on Alexander McQueen’s work in all it’s visual glory at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The exhibit organized by The Costume Institute launched earlier this month to record number of visitors will continue on until July 31, 2011.

The exhibition features 100 ensembles and 70 accessories created over the course of McQueen’s 19-year lifespan from Central St Martin’s to Givenchy to his final collection. It’s actually quite an extensive exhibit and room after room I found myself filled with awe and at times even disturbed. McQueen has always been my design hero in so many ways and to see his life’s work compiled together with words from the designer’s own lips was a glimpse into the designer’s psyche, vision and world. It’s a world full of contrasts, full of darkness and light, a romantic world that almost breaks my heart and yet fills it with delight in the same instant. I am filled with sorrow that the world cannot exist in real life and sad that the storyteller is no longer with us.

After a quick stop at the ladies room, I joined the queue for the exhibit and after 35 minutes of being briskly herded through a line, I found myself inside the exhibit. While crowds whirred around me, I took my time. Inch by inch my eyes drank in all there was to see and I marveled at the craftsmanship of every piece. I was also delighted to hear fellow enthusiasts around me talking about how certain pieces were made. One piece in particular from the final collection stood out because the print was seamless, and yet somehow so effortlessly a printed linen became an airy chiffon.

Not only is McQueen’s own work on display but the exhibition features several installations that showcase how garments might have originally been displayed. There is a 2-way mirror that goes from a dark box, to displaying the clothes, to showing the box shattering to reveal a different kind of untraditional beauty. There is the famous hologram of Kate Moss from 2006. There is the Shipwreck dress filmed under water that captivated me as the fabric swirled on a screen over my head.

The clothing is frighteningly soft as a whisper at times and at others a modern kind of armor that protects you from the harshness of everyday life.

“When you see a woman wearing McQueen, there’s a certain hardness to the clothes that makes her look powerful. It kind of fends people off…It’s almost like putting armor on a woman. It’s a very psychological way of dressing.”

The exhibition also offers a closer look at some of the amazing accessories created in collaboration with Phillip Treacy, Shaun Leane and others. I loved seeing the amazing skeleton corset and whimsical butterflies turned into a hat.

It was amazing to see the collection in person and honestly photos do not do the level of detail or the colors justice. All the hallmarks that make McQueen, McQueen including perfect tailoring, deconstruction, unexpected materials, beauty in the unbeautiful and unwavering romanticism did not disappoint. When I was finished the exhibit, I was sad to leave it behind and I consoled myself by already planning for subsequent visits.

Since photos were strictly forbidden all of the above photos are courtesy of The Photograph Studio, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The photo’s in the album are a few I thought I’d share from the exhibition catalogue that I just had to get. The cover features a holographic image that changes when moved between McQueen’s face to a skull. While it’s not the same seeing it in person, it gave me joy to take a little piece of McQueen home with me. Hope that you have a chance to see it for yourself...even my non-fashion inclined boyfriend recognized that he was in the presence of the work of a genius.

		McQueen Savage Beauty VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

CFDA Awards Winners & Red Carpet Trends

The CFDA Awards last night celebrated designers and members of the industry across various categories. Congratulations to all the winners!

The CFDA Award Winners:
Marc Jacobs - Womenswear Designer of the Year
Marcus Wainwright and David Neville for Rag & Bone - Menswear Designer of the Year
Alexis Bittar - Accessory Designer of the Year

The Swarovski Award (honors emerging talent):
Jason Wu- Womenswear
Richard Chai - Menswear
Alexander Wang - Accessory Design

L’Oréal Popular Vote Award:
Ralph Lauren

Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award:
Michael Kors

International Award:
Burberry’s Christopher Bailey

Eleanor Lambert Award:
Vogue’s Tonne Goodman

Eugenia Sheppard Award:
Paper magazine’s Kim Hastreiter

Fashion Icon Award:
Iman

The Board of Director’s Special Tribute:
Alexander McQueen

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

So with it being such a designer-centric fashion affair you would expect that the fashion would follow suit but I found that most people took a safe approach to their dressing and black, white and silver were the dominant dressing themes.

Sparkling Sexy Black

Left - Michael Kors with Gwyneth Paltrow in custom Michael Kors and Fred Leighton.
Center - Lara Stone in Calvin Klein Collection and Fred Leighton.
Right - Molly Sims

Textural White Minis

Left - Amanda Brooks in Thakoon.
Right - Hana Soukupova in Marchesa.

Shining in Silver

Left - Constance Jablonski
Center - Donna Karan
Right - Whitney Port in David Meister.

Printed Columns

Left - Sarah Jessica Parker in Alexander McQueen and Stephen Russell.
Right - Jessica Biel in Diane von Furstenberg.

Left - Diane von Furstenberg
Right - Tory Burch

Blush/Nude

Left - Linda Fargo
Right - Alexa Chung in Marc Jacobs and Atelier Swarovski.

Left - Brooke Shields in J.Mendel.
Right - Maggie Grace in Notte by Marchesa.

Left - Alexis Bledel in Benhaz Serafpour.
Right - Carmen Kass in Michael Kors.

Statement Necklace

Left - Jessica Stam
Right - Sasha Pivavarova in The Row.

My Personal Favorite

Rachel Weisz in Jason Wu.

All images courtesy of WWD

A Few More Sales This Week

Who: Gant Sample Sale
What: Up to 80% off on Spring/summer 2010 clothing and accessories for men and women. Shirts $25 (was $99 to $175), blazers $95 (was $695), cardigans $45 (was $225)
When: May 12-14, 2010. Wed-Thurs 8:30am-6:30pm, Fri 8:30am-5pm
Where: 20 West 55th St (nr 5th Ave) 22th floor. 212-230-1949

Who: Custo Barcelona Sample Sale
What: Womenswear, menswear, and accessories starting at just $19!
When: May 13-15, 2010. Thurs-Sat 1pm-8pm
Where: 474 Broome St (b/n Broome & Wooster St) 212-274-9700

Who: Buckler Sample Sale
What: Menswear from NYC based designer starting at just $15! Cotton V-neck sweaters$25 (was $225), seersucker blazers $50 (was $400), plaid shorts $15 (was $150)
When: May 13-16, 2010. Thurs 6pm-8pm, Fri 10am-9pm, Sat 11am-7pm, Sun noon-6pm
Where: 13 Gansevoort St (nr Hudson St) 212-255-1596

Who: Global Fashions Showroom
What: Up to 70% off women's ready-to-wear, outerwear, handbags and accessories. Collections include Alexander McQueen, Anna Molinari, G.F. Ferre, Just Cavalli, John Galliano, Love Moschino, M, Valentino Red and many more
When: May 11-13, 2010. Tues-Thurs 9am-6pm
Where: 49 West 38 Street (b/n 5th & 6th Ave) 4th Floor

Dressed to Kilt and Pop-Up Shop

The famed charity Dressed to Kilt event on April 5 at M2 Lounge will be hosted by Sir Sean and Lady Connery this year. Sponsored by Friends of Scotland, a non-profit organization, the event Proceeds will benefit the Paralyzed Veterans of America and its Scottish equivalent, the Erskine Hospital of Scotland, along with the Wounded Warrior Project. The event features a fashion show that showcases some of Scotland's finest young talent and top designers take on the Scottish Kilt. For more info click here.

Who: Dressed to Kilt/The Friends of Scotland Pop-Up Shop
What: Scotland’s finest textiles and designs with Manhattan. The best in Scottish fashion, including past runway designs from Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and Deryck Walker.
When: March 22-April 12, 2010
Where: 13 East 69th Street, (at Madison Avenue) 212-452-3177

A Farewell Kiss: Alexander McQueen

all images via WWD

The presentation notes at the final collection designed by the late Alexander McQueen simply read, “Each piece is unique, as was he.”

His imagination and mastery of historical references never fails to take you on a journey to the future of fashion. Beautiful, bold, gothic fantasies where old world paintings, gilded embroideries and feathers float to the heavens. Heartbreakingly stunning.

Au Revoir to my beloved fashion idol. I thank you for leaving us this final fantasy...I will savor your parting present to the world.