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give the lady a hand

slip of the tongue

the tricks of the trade

Spending part of my childhood in Southern California, winter for me is not about snow but winter flowers in shades of lavender, yellow and gold. So Tsumori Chisato’s collection of mini dresses and coats that were tailored to look like winter blooms reminded me of home.

Chisato, who was a protégé of Issey Miyake before she launched her own label, has been a mainstay here in Paris for a long time now. Big in Japan and with a sizeable fan base in the U.S., Chisato has also become popular to the Parisian fashion crowd.

Tunics in degradé shades of yellow and green, embroidered dresses, graphic prints or appliqués on shirts, Chisato’s fanciful yarn is upbeat and whimsical.

Though the mainstream fashion crowd will probably miss out on this great collection because they could not understand the subtleties of the silhouettes, the cult following that Tsumori Chisato has continues to expand and pretty soon, the mainstream fashion crowd will learn to appreciate Chisato’s genius.

It was a red carpet triumph for both Jean Paul Gaultier and Dries Van Noten last week at the Academy awards. Best Actress winner Marion Cotillard donned Jean Paul Gaultier’s mermaid gown while expecting mom Cate Blanchett looked resplendent and named as one of the best dressed for the evening in her embroidered floor-length purple gown by Dries Von Noten.

Yet, fashion is much more than just the red carpet for both Jean Paul Gaultier and Dries Van Noten whose Fall 2008 collections are very strong statements in style.

Jean Paul Gaultier

Inspired by the 1970 movie ‘Donkey Skin’, the story of a princess who was forced to hide her identity using animal skin, Jean Paul Gaultier sent out animal prints and skins on the runway, that perhaps brought back memories to Catherine Deneuve who starred in the movie and was sitting front row at the show.

Though PETA would not approve, the heavily fur-trimmed parkas and structured capes shown on the runway looked great and would find their way into a woman’s wardrobe. And though this statement might sound unpalatable to die hard Jean Paul Gaultier fans, this collection is actually one of the most economically viable that the French couturier had done in recent memory.

It’s not to say that there is no artistry, because there is plenty of that to go around. We are talking about Jean Paul Gaultier after all. The structured coat in tiger stripes prints perched on the shoulder of a black lace top paired with a structured pencil skirt in gold – the color combination would not have worked if done by someone less masterful than Gaultier.

Decisive in his vision, Gaultier pulled everything tight and coherent, thus making the whole collection gel.

Dries Van Noten

If ‘Donkey Skin’, which is actually part of French folklore, inspired Jean Paul Gaultier, Dries Van Noten combined traditions from two cultures, the Chinese and Peruvian, and made it the basis of his Fall 2008 collection.

The Chinese chino became straight-legged trousers in modern graphic prints of paisley or marble that were done in the psychedelic colors of the 1970s. Peruvian emblems were referenced on the coats trimmed with fur and also on the prints used on tops and dresses.

Speaking of fur, though Dries Van Noten used them sparingly, it is how he used fur that is remarkable. Unafraid to experiment, he would use two different pelts in a single garment, thus creating texture in a different level.

It was during the Fall 2001 season when Angel Sanchez was seen at Bryant Park last. That time, the Venezuelan designer was known to the world as the one who dressed up Miss World 1995 (Jacqueline Aguilera) and Miss Universe 1996 (Alicia Machado) for their evening gown competitions.

A lot had happened since then, and right now, Angel Sanchez is known to the fashion set as the designer who dressed Grey’s Anatomy stars Chandra Wilson and Sara Ramirez, for the SAG Awards.

Now, if you are thinking that Angel Sanchez’s Fall 2008 collection is about red carpet worthy gowns, you are only partially correct. True, Sanchez sent out four luscious pieces, especially the striped golden gown that seductively curved around the model’s body then flares right above the knee that could easily be worn during the Academy Awards.

But, truth is, gowns are not Angel Sanchez’s focus this season. For Fall 2008, the Venezuela-native is launching his diffusion line ‘Angel by Angel Sanchez’ that features both daywear and eveningwear.

Proposing very structured silhouettes, the mood is classical but young. Stovepipe pants paired with long-sleeved turtlenecks with a matching short-cropped jacket; separates with A-line skirts and collarless tops, strapless cocktail dresses that hug the bodice, while the elaborate neckline also function as jewelry, Angel Sanchez had used his seven-year absence from the tents to hone his craft.

Though he did not break new grounds in fashion, what Angel Sanchez did is break new grounds for himself and for his new label. Yes, the gowns will get his name on the press, even get him editorials, but ‘Angel’ will be a true angel as this collection will be the one ringing up cash registers.

(Photos courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week)

Who would have thought that Mickey & Minnie will grace the runway? They did, via Vivienne Tam’s Fall 2008 collection wherein the New York-based designer created a capsule collection (9 pieces) and incorporated it to her runway show.

Officially, the year 4706 in the Chinese calendar began Feb 7. This is the Year of the Rat, and in honor of Mickey and Minnie, Vivienne Tam called it the Year of the Mouse. In collaboration with Disneyland Hong Kong and for its campaign to attract tourists from Mainland China to visit Disney HK, Vivienne Tam dressed up the park’s mascot Mickey and Minnie in a bright red Mao suit and in a cherry blossom dress, respectively.

Continuing that collaboration, Vivienne Tam also created the aforementioned capsule collection of Mickey and Minnie inspired dresses done in black & red graphics or embossed on the fabric. This nine-piece collection will be available in all Vivienne Tam stores by late spring.

As for her real Fall 2008 collection, the New York-based designer proposed mini dresses in luxe fabrics that are sometimes embossed or adorned with semi-precious and precious stones that actually work as the buttons.

Coats are also short, reaching just above the knee and features wide lapels and sheered skirts. Boots are flat and made of patent leather while the platform shoes come in the royal shades of purple and red.

(Photos courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

MILAN, Feb 23, 2008 / FW/ — For Blumarine, Anna Molinari’s premiere line, the Italian design maestro revisited the label’s core values, took the aesthetics that defined it, then reinvented it, resulting to a magnificent reinterpretation of her own work.

To Blumarine fans, the label is just perfect. And who can blame them? How can you improve on perfection? Anna Molinari did – by combining the grammar of elegant dressing with that ever-elusive allure while adding touches of our ‘plug-n-play’ high-tech world.

Case in point, the deceptively simple pink ruche dress was paired with a quilted down ski jacket trimmed with fur. How cool is that?

It’s formal and informal combined. It’s elegant yet rebellious at the same time. Anna Molinari just added new rules in the grammar of elegant dressing with this collection.

With colors in chromatic shades of yellow, peach, turquoise, strawberry, white and lilac, it is an ultra-femme collection. The use knee-high boots and duvet jackets add a masculine edge to it, thus the collection is not too girly and makes it attractive to the members of the Cashmere Mafia or the denizens of the Lipstick Jungle.