Throughout the 1990s, I avidly watched E! Television’s runway show reruns on Saturday mornings and late at night. I also watched the E! fashion specials, like this retrospective on Azzedine Alaïa. I wish E! would bring this type of programming back, there’s definitely a market for serious fashion journalism. Oh, and last time I checked the ‘Style’ network was airing shows called “What I Hate About Me” and “Plastic Makes Perfect.” Um, NO THANKS.
Hearing Grace Jones venerate Alaïa, and watching him fit her, is everything.
If anyone in Chicago was going to own a custom python snakeskin Proenza Schouler PS1 handbag, it would be Jena Gambaccini of ChiCityFashion. It was a blast to finally photograph Jena with her new bag last weekend since I was one of the first people she told right after she won the CharityBuzz auction. She was very secretive about the process, which made her announcement last week so much better. As part of the prize, Jena flew out to New York to meet with Proenza Schouler designers Jack McCullough and Lazaro Hernandez to design her bag. The final product is a purple python bag with black python accents and a neon yellow silk interior. A dream come true, right? And all the money was donated to charity. Jena is one of the raddest and down-to-earth fashion lovers I’ve ever met. It’s not only because of a mutual love of neon colors, it’s because she kicks ass at life. I couldn’t wait to share my photos of her holding her custom PS1 with my readers!
From time to time, a fashion designer creates something so awe-inspiring, so breathtaking, that it transcends its identity as clothing and becomes art. Mary Katrantzou is one such designer with a gift for transforming the mundane – interior settings, flowers – into extraordinary pieces. This three-dimensional applique Jewel Tree dress is the crown jewel in the FW11 collection. Since it’s on sale, it can be yours for only $4,260 on Net-A-Porter. We can dream, right?
