RedPoppy Fashion: October 2009

Saturday, October 31, 2009

More Sex And The City!

Sex And The City has taken a temporary break from Manhattan and is filming in another big city: Marrakech, Morocco! Glad to see stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Nixon dressing in modest attire. Love the kitschy Moroccan Nights pouch SJP is toting...

Photos courtesy of dailymail.co.uk

Friday, October 30, 2009

Project Runway Episode 11: Best of the Not So Best

This week’s episode starts off with Christopher waxing philosophic about how the judges used to love his designs and now all they do is complain, they just don’t get his runway visions. Dear delusional Christopher: they do get it, your stuff is mostly pretty fug….Well brace yourselves dear Project Runway viewers, there are six designers and only one challenge left after this, and I’m still not sure which incompetent designer will be heading to Bryant Park thanks to some stellar irrational judging this season! There’s no question that Althea, Irina, and Carol Hannah all deserve to be in the top three, but whether design-challenged Gordana, repeat ‘bottom-two’ designer Christopher, or uninspired hot mess Logan will show at Fashion Week still remains to be seen…

It seems to be backwards day on Project Runway as the designers are presented with their new challenge while facing backwards. And hey, hasn’t Heidi worn that dress before? Anyways, Heidi wheels in their surprise in the form of dress forms displaying the designers’ best looking pieces from previous challenges, and they must create a companion piece that best compliments their original look, kinda like building a collection. Hmm, that sounds pretty boring, however maybe the point is to weed out the best from the not so best. For instance, Logan’s best look was a gown of cheap grey fabric and a single diagonal zipper, so Logan proceeded to purchase 40 zippers from Mood. Good luck.

Back in the workroom the air is filled with a little more competitive tension than usual. First Logan tells an unimpressed Althea that the pants she has draped look like Malvin’s pregnancy-chic ‘egg’ pants which got him eliminated in Episode 2. Then Althea secretly accuses Logan of stealing her ideas as his heavily zipped collar looks very much like one of her previous designs. I need to point out that in addition to Christopher, Logan is also delusional as he's confident he should show at Fashion Week because he has such a strong point of view. Wait, I’m sorry but I can’t remember any point of any of his views yet…

It’s Critique time and Tim helps Carol Hannah make some magic with a fabric addition suggestion. I can tell he really respects her as a designer. It’s really sweet and I’m jealous. Meanwhile Tim thinks Althea’s pants “look like they’re waiting for a diaper,” and Tim tells Christopher that his dress looks like the mother of his much younger winning dress from Episode 1. As Irina puts it perfectly: “Why is one dress throwing up the other?”

Talented Christopher at work on way too many petals

It’s Runway time and why on earth is Heidi wearing silver Bermuda shorts? Nick Verreos (PR alum and former host of my design school’s fashion show) and actress Kerry Washington (Why, why are you a fashion judge? Especially when we all know you have a stylist???) are this week’s judges, and all I’m saying is Michael better be back for next week’s final judging. Or else. So we begin with Logans’ zipper fest which is just tacky and overkill. Nina thinks it looks like an unflattering student fashion project while Nick envisions Judy Jetson. Irina’s tapestry dress and oversized camel sweater has a bit of the ‘unexpected’ but it’s oh so glam and very Aspen luxe. Meanwhile Gordana’s grey jacket with darts looks depressing as hell. She even managed to make her gorgeous Israeli model Matar look like Former U.S. President Grover Cleveland's wife Frances. Nina thinks the overall look is outdated and uninspiredly opposite from her original edgy and youthful look. By opposite I mean on a completely separate planet, filled with downers.

Carol Hannah’s cute cocktail dress with youthful oversized pockets is super chic and reminds Nick of Ava Gardner. Back on the ranch, Christopher’s dress is a tasteless disaster of Little House on the Prairie meets your wedding cake, with 3000 petals on top. Nina thinks it looks like a carnival float and the rest of the judges see two different gowns in one, one being a bed skirt. On a good note Heidi loooooves Althea’s sack-waisted pants and saggy oversized sweater look, which Irina then accuses Althea of copying from her Episode 10 Aspen winning look. Irina, you know there CAN be more than one sweater in this competition……

Christopher's original dress and 'inspired look'

Althea's Winning Design

I think the winning look really belonged to either Irina or Carol Hannah, but Heidi almost fell off her chair raving about Althea’s baggy outfit, so yes Althea is the Winner this week! In the bottom two are Gordana and Logan, and don’t even get me started on Christopher. Yes I know, he’s still in this competition. Can someone please call his parents to come pick him up already? Now for this week’s loser: Logan is finally OUT. Sorry Logan, you’re cute and all but you’ve put me to sleep more times than I can remember with your super blah designs and major lack of vision. It’s really too bad they couldn’t kick off Logan, Christopher, and Gordana all at once, kinda like an airline companion package. Three for the price of one……
Photos courtesy of mylifetime.com

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Karen Elson in Lula Magazine

Redhead model Karen Elson in some gorgeous clothes and retro redhead curls for Lula magazine. PS. Please ignore the bunny ears headpiece trend. I am....

Photos courtesy of fashionising.com

Doc Martens Nostalgia

I'll always remember that crisp winter day in London's Covent Garden when my mother took me and my siblings to the Dr. Martens shop to buy me my first pair of Made In England Collection Classic 3 eyelet Gibson Docs in Cherry Red smooth leather. I wore those iconic shoes with the distinct yellow stitching for years until I discovered heels. The point is Doc Martens have been part of British and world subculture ever since everyone went wild for them in the 80's & '90's, and thanks to this Fall/Winter's 1980's fashion resurgence I have a feeling these pavement kickers will be enjoying the spotlight once again. Available at the official Dr. Martens store online.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Fendi Details Spring 2010

Karl Lagerfeld's Spring line for Fendi gives us more delicate pastels, insanely beautiful wrap platforms, and some very amazing glass-like Perspex clutches (the same material Lagerfeld used for his clever briefcases for Chanel's Fall 2009 RTW).

Raquel Zimmermann for Vogue Paris

Brazilian stunner Raquel Zimmermann wows in Vogue Paris' Graffiti Couture shoot, photographed by Mario Sorrenti and styled by Emmanuelle Alt. Incredible clothes. Very cool art...

Photos courtesy of fashionising.com

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Grace Coddington: Legendary Red

Vogue's fiery redhead Creative Director Grace Coddington has been the styling genius and editor behind some of the magazine's most memorable romantic and artistic photo shoots for the past 15 years, and I absolutely love her! With her fabulously unruly redhead mane Ms. Coddington has inspired me to lay off the anti-frizz hair products and embrace my natural kink. The British former model is also refreshingly real, bitingly honest, and unaware of her own celebrity wattage in an industry filled with fashion egos and pretentiousness. As the reluctant star of fashion documentary The September Issue, Ms. Coddington has gained a new generation of followers while continuing to wow her fashion peers she's worked beside for the last 30 years. Your Grace, I salute you....