MATCH PLAY

lace, suede, golf? what do these three have in common? well miuccia hates all of them! and as usual, it becomes the starting point for one of her critically lauded collections. the latter jump starting one of her most exuberantly joyful collection to date. prints versus prints on colour versus fabric. tacky much? perhaps, but no one can make tacky on point and as sophisticated like the grand dame of milanese fashion can. after all, this is the same woman who bravely challenged our notion of good and bad taste those many moons ago. and its her special sort of genius that can time and time again force us to change our opinion about the ugly and the beautiful. armani probably think its straight up atrocious, but tell that to her billion dollar listing at the hong kong stock exchange as she laughs her way to the bank!



photos: style.com

THE BEAT

bless christopher bailey's heart for bringing back that quirky, english eccentricity he once brought to this institution of british-ness. while there were still loads upon loads of delicious trenches and macs, the collection didn't turn into a procession of outerwear (unlike last season, and the season before, and the season before that). it actually felt like this collection had a specific point of view. and more importantly, a story to tell. which frankly we haven't seen since his derek jarman's garden inspired collection three years ago. the artisan details, the brilliant use of colour on those drool worthy jumpers, ethnic inspired prints, and the footwear which will be next season's equivalent to this season's prada espadrilles, there were so many elements here that harmoniously worked together into one confident idea. it served as a reminder that bailey is capable of doing so much more than fashionable raincoats. i dunno about you, but my faith has been restored!



photos: style.com

TAIT MODERN

my oh my! canucks are running rampant in ye old london towne! did all the good designers abandon the great white north for the promise of england? following erdem, mark fast, and todd lynn's yellow brick road is young upstart thomas tait. a young man who holds the title of the youngest designer to graduate from central saint martin's grueling m.a. in fashion design. architectural cuts that frame knife pleat skirts and razor sharp trousers brilliantly mixes experimentation with old world technique. while his contemporaries in fashion's most exciting city are favouring wild abandon, the youngest of them all is a study in masterclass and restraint. and we all know that it's those sort of fellas that have the longest life span of them all.



photos: style.com

LITTLE WOMEN

lolitas in spades! if a modern adaptation of nabokov's scandalous heroine were to ever grace the silver screen again, miuccia prada is the most obvious choice for the costume designer. who else but her can so brilliantly summarize the connection between youth and sex? between the ugly and the beautiful? between the past and the present? while the prada signature has always been that of a girlish naivete, underneath it all is an exploration of the things that women usually associate with femininity (this season it was the tactile suggestion of furs and python, plus the shimmering glamour of paillettes). it gives it that tension between girlishness and grown up that always gives her collection its erotic charge. it's always quite naughty but you can't exactly pin point what it is that makes it slightly perverse. regardless of all the sexual subtexts that underlines each prada collection, the end result is always beautiful.


photo: style.com

MERLIN

i'm alive. apologies for the well long hiatus but i guess you can clearly understand why i've been m.i.a. this little guy whose name is merlin has pretty much taken over my entire life.

in fashion related news, i cashed out kirsten owen at my store about a month ago. i cried a little down there. she was lovely.