Color Me Bad

March is here, which means so is spring.

But the shoes pictured below are for Fall '08, each a lovely, bright pop of color in a usual rash of neutral, darker tones for autumn season.

From left to right? Gucci, Sergio Rossi, Jenni Kayne, Versace, Cesare Paciotti and Christian Louboutin.

Color me bad, color me mad and color me happy.

ROYGBIV is back.







I'm Lovin' it: Thanks to my girl Cora at Mavi for the sweet swag at today's Mavi Store opening on Granville! Cora's the consummate PR girl: stylish, bubbly and happy with lots of air kisses and hugs. Loves it!!

I'm Over it: No ventilation fan in my kitchen, which means that everything I cook stinks up the apartment more than I'd like it to.

Music of the Day: Sam Spiegel -- aka. Squeak E. Clean -- is the producer/DJ brother of director Spike Jonze and former boyfriend of Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer Karen O. Together with Brazilian deejay DY Zegnon, he is N.A.S.A. (North America South America). The musical twosome work with other artists from rock and hip hop to create funky tracks mixing the old and new -- we're talking Sean Lennon, Maroon 5, Kool Keith, Fat Lip formerly of Pharcyde (check out the track "WhachaGoneDu?), Tom Waits, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Wu-Tang, George Clinton and De La Soul. Spiegel's website is the sh*t, too.








* Photo property of nytimes.com, pitchfork.com, dimmak.com and are used solely for commentary purposes

Wearing The Pants

So long, skinny pant.

I've been noticing a pant silhouette trend that's been running rampant across the catwalks of Europe -- big on top and small, short, tapered-ish on the bottom.

There's the dhoti, there's the modern Hammer pant and then there's this more tailored version worn by some chic Milanese woman -- photographed by The Sartorialist -- whose name I don't know.

See, the man behind her likes the, uh, pants, too.

PS. I'm not really getting rid of my skinnies.






I'm Lovin' it: Anything by Isabel Marant. Click on her website and you'll see why -- I would give my left arm for her clothes. Okay, not really, but I loves it anyway.







I'm Over it: What is famed product designer Marc Newsom doing wearing those shoes with those pants?!?






Track of the Day: Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody by Kid And Play from the late 80s, early 90s. Old schoooool!







* Photos property of style.com, thesartorialist.blogspot.com, vogue.fr and steadybootleggin.blogspot.com and are use solely for commentary purposes

Hood-Winked

I found it!

Or at least one of the Carine Roitfeld-in-a-hood photos I was searching for. The look was echoed -- in a maximalist way -- on the Parisian runway of Indian designer Rajesh Pratap Singh.

I'd also like to echo the look in my closet this coming fall.







I'm Lovin' it: Expanding my sneaker collection. Check out these Creative Rec babies -- gingham low Galows and blue Galow His -- that are arriving for me in the very near future:








I'm Over it: Waiting. As in waiting for contractual obligations to be fulfilled on time. Haute Hippie: Not happy.


Album of the Day: Marie Branellec -- the music engineer for the beyond-cool Colette boutique -- teamed up with Michel Gaubert (who picks the auditory for Chanel and Balenciaga shows) to release the double-disc "Colette No. 9". The first disc contains the duos song picks, while the second contains mixes by producer Mickey Moonlight, aka. Midnight Mike. If anyone happens to be in Paris, can you pick this up for me, s'il vous plait??







* Photos property of style.com, Creative Recreation, probusnyc.com and are used solely for commentary purposes

Shake It Like A Polaroid Picture

You better shake it fast, too, because the company announced recently that they are discontinuing production of all Polaroid cameras and film in order to focus solely on the digital world.

Expect everyone and their grandma to be scooping up the cameras and film via Wal-Mart and eBay up until 2009, at which point the company's stock will run out.

I'm not quite sure if this is really going to see itself through in the long run, because Polaroid just might be taking part in a little business tactic I like to call "The Disney Model".

You know how Disney always puts out ad campaigns every couple of years, encouraging kids to bug their parents into buying limited editions of The Lion King, Beauty & The Beast, Aladdin and Cinderella before they go back into "the Disney vault"?

If you ask me, it's a ploy to sell as many DVDs as possible before getting put into storage, only to get advertised in two or three years with the same schtick. It's a glossed-up cash grab.

Hey, I admit, it probably works well, and if Polaroid wants to make major dinero now and a few years down the road, then they're just being smart by discontinuing now. After all, didn't Ludacris once rap to the masses, "Shake your moneymaker like somebody's 'bout to pay ya..."?

In the meantime, what's Jeremy Kost going to do with himself??







* Photo property of corykennedy.com and is used solely for commentary purposes

A "WTF?? Moment" With Haute Hippie

Does this sound like a familiar story to you, ladies? See below:

Boy and Girl find out they are mutually interested in each other through a common friend.

Boy expresses interest in Girl, obtaining her digits from said common friend and leaving a voicemail at 6 am on Saturday morning -- WTF?? -- asking Girl to call Boy back about hanging out sometime.

Girl makes a semi-effort in response by texting back later that Saturday with a cute and funny response to said 6 am voicemail.

Monday has arrived and Boy has yet to respond to Girl's text message.

Once again, WTF??

Girl doesn't do the three-day wait game thing. She's too old for that sh*t.







* Photo property of allsux.com and is used solely for commentary purposes

Gucci Gucci Gucci Gucci Gucci

When you see what Fall '08 ready-to-wear collection I absolutely fell in love with, you'll understand why I call myself Haute Hippie.

Four words for you: Gucci Fall '08 RTW.

Or does that count as six?? Oh well.

For the past couple years, I'd sort of fallen off the Gucci bandwagon, but let me tell you, after this season in Milan, I'm back on.

In a big way.





















* Photos property of style.com and are used solely for commentary purposes

Feather-Head

As you know -- if you happen read this blog on the regular or are my friend -- I was on a feather necklace-making rampage a couple of weeks ago and ended up creating a fairly cute piece of jewelry for myself.

Then today I was searching the picture archives of Style.com for a particular picture of Carine Roitfeld wearing this fabulous hoodie dress to a Chanel Haute Couture show and came across this one of Roitfeld with fellow fashionette Sarah Lerfel, one of the co-owners of ultra-mega-super-hip boutique Colette in Paris.

Guess what Lerfel was wearing?? A dangling single feather necklace!!

Mon dieu, I knew my jewelry effort had to mean something...







I'm Lovin' it: No matter how you slice and dice it, Ryan Reynolds is completely irresistible to anyone who has XX chromosomes in their body. The funniness and charm helps heaps, too. And if you're wondering why this came up, it might be because I saw Definitely, Maybe yesterday.






I'm Over it: The incredibly inconvenient banking snafu from this weekend that left me debit card-less till today.


Shot of the Day: This amazing shot from T Magazine from the New York Times.







* Photos property of style.com, nytimes.com, uk.answers.yahoo.com and are used solely for commentary purposes

Tee Time

For me, having a My Little Pony and a Jem & The Holograms tee was better than getting a pack of Fun Dip as a kid.

Now that I'm officially out of childhood and officially fashion-obsessed, the kind of tees I'm jones-ing to have right now are these cheeky ones of Hamish Bowles of Vogue, Agyness Deyn and Andre Leon Talley of Vogue, all from Deer Dana.

Guess I just need a pair of black J Brand skinnies and an Alexander Wang vest to go with 'em.









I'm Lovin' it: I was telling my girl Aims today that I'm ready to rock this scarf-around-the-head look for Summer '08. Don't mind that gorgeous maxi-dress from Old Navy, either.






I'm Over it: Yesterday, I walked into a sharp corner of my bed frame -- it sticks out about three inches all around from the mattress for visually-pleasure purposes -- and basically gouged a small hole below my left knee. Clumsy much??


Film of the Day: Just got back from seeing artist-director Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Wow. Talk about a very, very French film. Slow, deliberate, beautiful, powerful. This on-screen adaption of the book with the same name chronicles the day to day events of Jean-Dominique Bauby after the real-life journalist suffered a stroke and was left paralyzed with Locked-In Syndrome. He could only communicate by blinking his left eye using a frequency-ordered alphabet method. Think I already said wow, but seriously...wow.







* Photos property of Deer Dana, Old Navy, firstshowing.net and are used solely for commentary purposes

Heavy Axcent

I can't believe it.

My search for the perfect, massive gold watch has come to an end.

Stockholm -based Axcent -- a Scandinavian brand that designs shades, timepieces and baubles -- has for me the Frank, a style that straddles the digi sport watches of the 80s with the polished look of right now. And it's huge, which has been the ultimate criteria in my timepiece hunt.

Axcent's portfolio of Scandinavian designers come from varying industries -- fashion, product, jewelry, interior and industrial -- thus giving the brand an array of aesthetics and construction. The Frank was masterminded by Daniel Jakobsson, a graphic designer and product developer from Gothenburg who is now Axcent's brand manager.

The brand is everywhere in Europe, but unfortunately hard to come by in North America. I believe the only contact for Axcent for this region is in Montreal.

Oui oui, time to brush up on my French.








I'm Lovin' it: The "Float Like A Butterfly" photo series from New York Magazine for their Spring '08 fashion section, shot by Andreas Sjodin, modeled by ballerinas from the American Ballet Theater and styled by Harriet Mays Powell. Breathtakingly beautiful.











I'm Over it: Being so far from my family. It's really starting to kick in. A year is a long time when you used to see them at least three or four times a week.

I'm Over it, Part II: A number of my good friends taking off for Europe sometime this year. Well, at least I'll have people to visit in Zurich, Amsterdam and London. Maybe I should've gone into accounting like them...nah.


Track of the Day: Hustler by Simian Mobile Disco, who are rolling into town this coming April 23rd. Enjoy the really, really eff-ed up video, y'all.







* Photos property of axcent.se, nymag.com, guardian.co.uk and are used solely for commentary purposes

He Blogs Too

Kanye West.

Hip hop impresario, fashion dandy and -- apparently -- a budding writer.

Mistah West has a blog on his official website that chronicles all the things he finds cool and Kanye-worthy (like this pistol picture camera), as well as pictures from his international adventures and with famous friends like Feist, N.E.R.D., Nigo from BAPE and Kim Jones from Umbro.

I initially thought his blog must be written by a weary assistant trailing him around all day, but the entries are so quick and candid, I sort of believe he might be the true blogger behind it after all.

So if you like fashion, music, product design, art and shoes, onto your RSS feed Kanye's blog goes.







I'm Lovin it: If I were to die today and wake up tomorrow, I wouldn't mind being reincarnated as a Parisian. And not just any Parisian, but French Vogue editor-in-chief -- and possibly the best stylist in the business -- Carine Roitfeld. Amy Larocca from New York Magazine did a great, great article on Roitfeld just the other day, accompanied by a two fantastic shots of Carine by Hedi Slimane (whose slim silhouettes at Dior were probably the reason for manorexic models on the runways of late).






I'm Over it: The Mos Def show last night was most definitely a disappointment. We even left before his set was up. Here's what I learned last night:

1. Don't watch a show at the Croatian Cultural Center ever again.

2. Hip hop shows are now overrun by 19 to 22 year old kids drunk on beer and oblivious to any of Mos Def's old -- and better -- songs.

3. Mos Def's handlers probably shouldn't let him smoke too much reefer before he goes on stage, because then he'll only do seven songs and dance the rest of the time.


Tracks of the Day: In homage to the Mos Def I know and love, here's Ms. Fat Booty (what K-Dizzle wanted to hear last night) and Travelling Man (what I wanted to hear last night).








* Photos property of razorapple.com, nymag.com, trace.tv and are used solely for commentary purposes

Grey Matter

Perusing The Sartorialist is my favorite way to find wardrobe inspiration on days when I have absolutely none to pony up.

With Fashion Weeks all over the place, Scott Shuman (the Sartorialist himself) has been snapping away at stylish peeps like crazy.

In recent days, he's been shutterbugging women wearing dark grey tights with whatever they have on.

And it looks tres, tres chic. You know what this means??

Haute Hippie's going to be at American Apparel -- the poor girl's Wolford -- picking up some slate-hued tights.

And some of AA's fabulous new thigh-high socks.

Now to go meet the gang for a little din-din action at Pinky's Steakhouse, sans the grey tights and thigh-highs.

Happy Friday, y'all!









I'm Lovin' it: More arts & crafts. With myself. I've been searching high and low for a great bracelet for months, but by yesterday, I grew tired of the hunt. So I took the detachable ankle straps from my faux snakeskin flats (which make me look shorter when done up anyway), buckled them them together and -- voila! -- I have a triple-looping faux snakeskin bracelet with double gold buckles. You know, those country folk have something right going on with this arts & crafts business...

PS. Yes, the flats pictures below aren't snakeskin, but I wanted you all the see what the ankle strap looks like.







I'm Over it: Rain. Ruining my grey boots. I really should've sprayed them.


Track of the Day: The Stereolab remix of The Avalanches Since I Left You, which I heard on Woxy today at the office. The only thing is I can't find it on the web anywhere, so you'll either have to download or purchase the promotional remix 12" somewhere off eBay.






* Photos property of The Sartorialist, audiblevitamins.files.wordpress.com, urbanoutfitters.com and are used solely for commentary purposes

Happy Happy V-Day!

Happy Valentine's, everyone!

I'm off to spend the evening (not) celebrating heart day with K-Dizzle, eating Malaysian and cheesecake while watching the hockey game.

It's a V-day well spent, no?

xo
Haute Hippie

La Bodega

Thanks to working with Jenks and Sandwich -- and to a new pair of rubber kicks from Christian at Creative Recreation -- I've developed a newfound appreciation for sneaks.

So when Jenks told me about Bodega in Boston -- run by the triad of Oliver Mak, Jay Gordon and Dan Natola -- I was ready to hop on a plane to Beantown.

Masked as a traditional bodega, you can walk in and pick up laundry detergent, chips, candy, toilet paper, soda and Spam -- if you're none the wiser. But step in front of the magic soda machine and it slides to the side, revealing a grade-A, hidden store-within-a-store full of 10deep, JB Classics, Puma, Still Life, Undrcrwn, Gravis, Nossa, Nike, Coup D'Etat, Mishka and the like. Shoes, jackets, hats and belts sit on shelves lining the walls, and by all accounts, the Bodega staff are super-stylish, super-cool and super-friendly.

Bodega's popularity started off by word of mouth (the place doesn't even have a sign), but grew to hardcore press as more and more sneaker freakers began populating the corner of 6 Clearway Street. The venue doubles as an art exhibition space, as well as a showroom for their own Bodega collection of designs, too.

So I'll get around to booking a flight to where the Red Sox are king.

Just as soon as I put on my Creative Recs.










I'm Lovin' it: My new gold ballet flats from Old Navy. Oh, and did I mention they were 99 cents?? For serious. I just showed my girl Sangria the flats -- and the price tag -- to which she exclaimed, "What, 99 cents?! You can't even get a pack of gum for 99 cents!!"

I'm Over it: Technical difficulties at work. Tomorrow is going to be a looooooong day for me, Jenks and Sandwich.


Track of the Day: I spent too many minutes of my morning today trying to find the Dan The Automator remix of Le Soleil Est Pres by Air. Unfortunately, the only clip I could find is this short one from Amazon (click #4). Muchas gracias to the uber-cool chick at Zulu Records who ordered me Dan The Automator's remix album "Wanna Buy A Monkey?" that has this track, which arrives in two weeks!







* Photos property of snickarsrecords.com, freshnessmag.com, ohmygowda.com, nytimes.com and are used solely for commentary purposes

New York Fashion Week, Fall '08 RTW: The Recap

The whirlwind seven days that make up New York Fashion Week are finito for now.

A lot of newsworthy tidbits come to the surface during this hectic, champagne-fueled time -- some are funny, some are snide and some are completely WTF??

Anyway, here's a small recap of what went down at the Fall '08 Ready-To-Wear shows at Bryant Park and surrounding areas:


1. Sophia Bush miraculously made it to nearly every show, making her the most ubiquitous attendee this time around.

2. Kevin Federline sat front row at both Marc Jacobs and Sean John. Who knew this guy, of all guys, would come out on top?

3. A fashionista snidely called Fergie "meth-face" behind her back the MaxAzria show. Being mean and Fashion Week are not mutually exclusive, apparently.

4. Carmen Electra's purple dress and matching shoes were really, really bad.

5. Suzy Menkes took back every spiteful word she said about Jacobs last year. Wow.

6. Jourdan Dunn was literally the only black model to stomp the runways, which were literally overrun by pale, blonde Eastern Europeans with last names ending in "-ova" and Americans with "Ali" as a first name (and Michael and Stephens as last names). Chanel Iman doesn't count because at 17 years old, the girl is already somewhat of a veteran. By the way, that IS her real name.

7. Pharrell Williams sat front row at Tommy Hilfiger. Weird, because isn't his Billionaire Boys' Club line way cooler??

8. Max Azria did an admirable good job of resurging Herve Leger. And now I need to go on an all-dust diet to even fit my head into one of those dresses.

9. Lydia Hearst is back to blonde.

10. Anna Wintour really does wear Prada. To everything.

11. The Trembled Blossoms short film from Prada is one of the most beautiful things I've seen in awhile.

12. Betsey Johnson did her signature cartwheel down the catwalk at the end of her show and nearly knocked someone unconscious with her shoe.

13. Model veteran -- and wife of Jack White of the White Stripes -- Karen Elson was the only model to fall on the runway. Good thing P. Diddy/Diddy/Sean John/Whomever was gentlemanly enough to help her up.

14. Victoria Beckham has such a fantastic personality when she speaks, but for some reason still refuses to smile for the cameras. Heck, if I were Marc Jacobs' new muse, you wouldn't be able to wipe a shit-eating grin off my face!

15. I fell more in love with Elise Overland and Erin Fetherston after their shows.

16. I finally fell in love with Rodarte.

17. Tommy Hilfiger's not-so-little-anymore daughter Ally wore those ridiculous thick-framed, indie glasses all over Fashion Week, though I'm pretty sure the girl has enough moolah in her Bank of America account to get Lasik eye surgery. Which means the frames were probably fake.

18. Terry Richardson is still cool -- and still going out with Jen Brill.

19. Chloe Sevigny, once again, is Fashion Week's reigning it-girl, especially now with her collabo with uber-cool lifestyle and fashion brand Opening Ceremony.

20. Marc Jacobs started on time, sacre bleu!! He managed to get his show going at 7:22 pm, leaving a very late Rachel Zoe locked out and very, very pissed.


Next on the list? London Fashion Week Fall '08 RTW.

See you in the UK, kiddies. Just kidding.







I'm Lovin' it: The new feather accessory I made! I tried valiantly to find a feather earring to make the process easier, but to no avail, so me -- of all people -- bought feathers from an arts & crafts store. Thus, I fashioned the accessory on my lonesome with black string and a gold chain. Hallelujah, it worked!! Thanks to Tyler, who patiently and diligently helped me find those feathers, when I'm sure he would've rather been watching NCAA basketball.


I'm Over it: The rain is ticking me off. A lot.


Outfit of the Day: This chica from New York Fashion Week looks so rock 'n' roll, glam-chic jetsetter that I'm literally turning green with envy staring at her picture. The fur, the boots, the sunnies, the belted dress, the tousled hair...








* Photos property of nymag.com, style.com and are used solely for commentary purposes

Laugh of the Day

My buddy Eric from university is currently working on his MBA at Stanford. Let me tell you, he's a smart guy, that one.

Anyhoo, he and his MBA buds did a video promotion for a fundraiser they're throwing called the "Ricecake Prom" -- and the video is pretty funny. I guess Stanford kids have a little time to have fun.

Eric's the dude wearing a maroon tee in the first scene and subsequently doing all the hilarious dancing in the scenes that follow.

I like how he throws out jazz hands while wearing a wifebeater in the third scene. Snazzy!

xo
Haute Hippie

Happy Friday!

New York Fashion Week for Fall '08 RTW is almost over.

I've been quite enjoying covering what's happening in the Bryant Park tents for Hollywood Life, not to mention looking at all the fun, fabulous ready-to-wear clothes that should be -- but won't be -- hanging in my already-squished closet.

The biggest show every New York Fashion Week is Marc Jacobs, who is always notoriously late -- last season he clocked in a two-hour tardiness and managed to piss off every bigwig editor and insider in the industry.

But they still love him, as does everyone else. In fact, Harper's Bazaar editor Glenda Bailey just completed an editorial spread for the March '08 issue re-enacting that dreaded night, right down to the people who were there, waiting for Marc's clothes to emerge from the shadows of the Lexington Armory.

Five minutes ago, I was jumping up and down in my faux fur ankle bootie slippers from finding out Erin Fetherston may be coming out with a fragrance, thanks to Coty. Everything about Erin and her line brings about such a light, you can't help but wonder if every day of her life is all sunshine and rainbows. And if that's the case, what water bottle is she drinking from??

Today, I'll be taking Jenks and Sandwich with me to view the Fall '08 Fred Perry collection down at Saltlik in Gastown. Will report back dutifully to you on Monday.

Till then, have a happy Friday and weekend!

xo
Haute Hippie






Dance of the Day: What do you get when you mix Gene Kelly, breakdance artist David Elsewhere and UK electronica group Mint Royale?? This amazing "Singin' In The Rain" commercial for Volkswagen using Gene's face super-imposed on David's body.








* Photo property of Gothamist and is used solely for commentary purposes

Uh, Yeah

One of my biggest problems is once I dig something, I have to find out everything about and everything related to it.

It's rather time consuming.

America's Best Dance Crew is my new favorite show, so in my downtime at home I've been checking out other dance crews on YouTube.

Not exactly that glamourous and fashion-like, is it? But hey, a girl's got to have a break sometimes.

Anyhoo, this crew from Japan does a nearly seven minute long routine doing the robot and it's AH-MAY-ZING. Fast forward to about two minutes.

You and I will probably never have moves like this -- well, maybe unless you're Shane Sparks.

State of Dakota

Yesterday afternoon, I was treated to a sneak preview of B.B. Dakota's new Spring '08 collection at the Opus Hotel.

And, like predicted yesterday, I saw bags and dresses I wanted so very badly.

Besides briefly catching up with other industry gals I hadn't seen in awhile, I got a chance to chit-chat with the brand's designer Gloria Brandes, who is most certainly a very nice woman (she's a Montrealer gone O.C.), as well as got to nibble on some scrumptious tea party treats (the mini scone stuffed with cream and jam was completely sinful, in a good way) and sip on orange pekoe tea.

The collection for spring was heavy on the blacks, whites and brights.

There was the black and white leopard print tent dress splashed with acid yellow and topped off with a long, black front bow. Then there was the electric blue patent purse with white piping that was three times the size of my head. Of course, the almost-sheer white dress with ruffles and red stitching drew awes from all us fashionistas, while the Miu Miu-inspired patent black bag with ivory handles had everyone rushing to talk to my friend Seems (the event's publicist) about putting it on backorder. Brandes turned out summer-worthy separates -- tie- shorts, flower-print skirts, sweet short-sleeve button ups and a version of Balenciaga's coveted nazy and white blazer from last season -- that may be Teen Vogue-approved, but can be worn by women in their 30s, too.

By far, though, the item I coveted the most was the Balenciaga Spring '08-inspired zip-up dress. Instead of the pastel mini floral prints Ghesquiere sent down the runway, Brandes made her floral prints big, splashy and eye-catching but kept the exaggerated armor-like shoulders and mini dress length.

Something tells me I really shouldn't have eaten that last mini scone.

PS. Thanks to Gloria for the new B.B. bag and to Stila for the cosmetics!













I'm Lovin' it: This picture taken at the Great Wall of China. Seriously, the fashionistas at Fendi's presentation last year on the Great Wall must've freaked out when they realized they had no choice but to hold in the liters of water and Slim Fast they consumed pre-show for a very, very long time.






I'm Over it: My broken vacuum cleaner. The mysterious white lint on my living room floor is starting to tick me off.


Art of the Day: This info comes from Wooster Collective, naturally. A Murakami billboard went up on Melrose Avenue in L.A. to announce the Louis Vuitton/Murakami exhibit and pop-up store, which subsequently got tagged by some famous local graff artists. Then the billboard went down, presumably due to the defacing. Turns out Takashi Murakami saw the vandalized billboard online and loved it so much, he got it shipped back to his studio in Tokyo. Now that's how you do an art deal.







* Photos property of Wooster Collective, B.B. Dakota and are used solely for commentary purposes

Dance, Dance

My roomie Steffie and I are currently obsessed with Randy Jackson's new show "America's Best Dance Crew".

Kaba Modern from Orange County, CA just KILLED it.

Check it out -- fast forward to the two minute mark to see their moves.

xo
Haute Hippie

Matthew 20:08

Brit designer and F.O.S. (Friend Of Sienna) Matthew Williamson is pretty much a master when it comes to luxe bohemian party frocks.

For Fall '08, Williamson took his usual brights prints and put them together with shorter hemlines, parkas, metallic nylon, fox fur and spectators (not of the black and white variety though). For a color palette, he -- like many other designers -- favored the brights blues and purples for layering season. The skirts had flounce and the dresses were loose, fluid and flattering.

Though I'm not quite sure where the few metallic outfits fit into the runway theme, all in all, I loved the kaleidoscope of colors and motifs for autumn times that are usually reserved for monotones and muteds.















I'm Lovin' it: The B.B. Dakota event this afternoon, thrown by my friend Seems. A fashion show and tea party? Pour me some peppermint, please! I'll pass on the cuke sandwiches, but will probably (as in most definitely) want some fab new dress or jacket.


I'm Over it: Trying to get myself to the gym downstairs. It's happening very slowly.


Art of the Day: At the Know?Show, a fantastic, hugely talented artist named Tim Barnard spent most of the three days drawing out a huge black and white mural with a black felt pen. His work made it as the cover of the show's magazine and is currently on the tees of a Montreal-based label called Evil Bad, as well as Vancouver-based Lifetime Collective. I won't be surprised in the least if he work generates more than considerable buzz this year. Wooster Collective needs to check this dude out ASAP.








* Photos property of style.com, Matthew Williamson, Tim Barnard and are used solely for commentary purposes

Pro-Proenza

Reviewing Proenza Schouler, my reaction has always been mildly lukewarm like.

I see why the fashion-obsessed love Jack and Lazaro's designs: excellent structure, precise cuts and rich colors, plus enormous editorial backing from Vogue and Anna W.

One click on Style.com today and I'm singing a whole different tune.

The Proenza Schouler Fall '08 RTW collection was fluid, sexy, masculine and feminine all at once. It made me want to throw out all my skinny pants and invest in more satin jewel tones, glitter, colored heels and big bows.

Guess I'm finally a fan.

















I'm Lovin' it: Alexander Wang is my absolute favorite "new" designer and has been since his last collection. Erin Wasson is one of my favorite models, simply because she's always so damn insouciant cool. I mean, who else would look amazing in a tank layered under an Alex Wang bustier with paint-splattered sweats and high heels?? Lucky for me and everyone else, they both happen to be best friends -- Wasson is Wang's muse and runway stylist. This picture is worth a thousand words, taken at the designer's afterparty yesterday night. So wish I'd been there. Sigh.






I'm Over it: Driving with Steve, aka. Sandwich. Today, he reversed backward onto oncoming traffic to snag a parking spot, geared down in an automatic car as we almost got t-boned on 4th Ave. (I was sitting in one of the death seats) and somehow managed to get a coffee stain on his interior roof (which he didn't notice until it was pointed out yesterday). It's like Deathproof, but in a Mazda and minus the skull hood decal.






Album of the Day: Hot Chip's new album Made In The Dark dropped stateside today. Check out the danceable "Ready For The Floor", chillaxin' "We're Looking For A Lot Of Love" and super-slow "Whistle For Will". The boys of Hot Chip are the true definition of dance rockers.







* Photos property of style.com, leftlion.co.uk, Hot Chip and are used solely for commentary purposes

NY Fashion Week, Day One

Fashionistas, rejoice!

New York Fashion Week -- Fall '08 RTW collections, to be exact -- is off to a breakneck pace, with Diane von Furstenberg, Rag & Bone, Herve Leger, Alexander Wang, Jovovivh-Hawk, Jonathan Saunders, Sass & Bide, Threeasfour, Miss Sixty, Thakoon, Rock & Republic, Peter Som, Oscar de la Renta, Erin Fetherston, Elise Overland, Duckie Brown, Lacoste, Preen and the like having already stomped the runways.

It's always a harrowing task narrowing down my favorite runway outfits, but here's a snapshot of what I have, thus far, drooled over today.















I'm Lovin' it: Leigh Lezark's hair. Lezark rocks the stick-straight angled hair better than anyone else, always looking coolly beautiful -- and slightly evil -- with her pale skin and fierce eyes. She's played some pretty dope music at Don Hill's in her short 23 years, too.






I'm Over it: Photoshop. For some reason, it decided not to work for me on Friday and today, meaning, I haven been unable to do any Hollywood Life posts. Argh!


Album of the Day: Jay Dee Donuts by J Dilla, nee James Yancey. Jenks had this CD playing in the office, so I naturally usurped it. Now playing on constant repeat in my car, each track is no more than two minutes, if that. Check out track #16, titled "One Eleven", with its mad wicked strings background and soulful vocals. This album, sadly, was the revered producer's last. He passed away early last year from lupus just three days after its release, leaving the hip hop world in tears. Dilla's tracks and beats will keep us vibin' for years to come. Rest in peace, J.







* Photos property of nymag.com, amazon.com, villagevoice.com, J Dilla and are used solely for commentary purposes

TGIF Because...

1. I'm tired of these goshdarn computer glitches I've been dealing with the last hour.

2. Then I have an excuse to lay in bed the entire day, trying to get rid of this effin' cold, without having to think of work (except for my Style Spy deadline).

3. It's my girl Sangria's birthday celebration tonight -- and it's gonna be a doozy. Time to load up on the daytime cold and sinus meds.

4. I really, really, really, want to rock the outfit all picked out and laying on my bed.

5. Sunday is Superbowl. Go Patriots! And Tom Brady.

6. New York Fashion Week mayhem has already begun.


Now to take a wee little nap before tonight's festivities. Till the next time!

xo
Haute Hippie







* Photo property of Great Ganesha and is used solely for commentary purposes