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It's in the bag!
For Spring 2002, the best solution to looking great and carrying a lot of style is in the bag!!! Fashion favorites are Gucci, Prada and of course, Yves Saint Laurent...
For the office, it's all about le sac ...they're bigger, bolder and stylized bags that get you to work and get the job done. Fringe makes handbags fun and gives movement. Buckles and pockets make them efficient and officious while embroidery and beading give an extra splash of personal style. I love Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton and Valentino's.
It's not just your black leather purse anymore, though leather bags are always "in." For this season, get brown, burgundy, white or camel. Now, they're accentuated with metal grommets or piping in a contrasting color. Soft, subtle suede suits any style council or PTA meeting. Look for whipstitch detailing, straw, weaving or even the unexpected handle to carry your keys for the carpool or your key to the city…oops my bag... Donna Karan, Ferragamo, Ralph Lauren and Fendi are "hot" right now.
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The Blouse is Back!
To top off your fashion hits for spring, the blouse is back and ready to go wherever you do…the office, a cocktail party, lunch, a picnic or an intimate dinner for two or ten. Or, just as a cover-up over a tank or tee. Fashion insiders are dying for Prada, Dolce & Gabbana and Calvin Klein's sleekness and simplicity.
Floral tops are in full bloom. Ruffles on shoulders, cuffs or accentuating necklines are packing a powerful punch under this season's baggy jackets, over mini-skirts or under fitted blazers over baggy pants. After all, these are the new silhouettes in suits but to be perfectly proper don't forget the classics. A man-tailored shirt can add just the right touch of femininity and flair to show you care…best bets: Dior, Chloe, Chanel and Escada.
For something more you and with a touch of difference look for the same detailing you would in your bag. It's all in the subtle difference... contrasting stitching, embroidery, beading, etc. The ubiquitous peasant blouse (this season's must have) or fitted blouse with ruching will turn many heads your way this season. Try BCBG , Tahari or Bebe.
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Denim Rules
Brooke Shields once said nothing comes between her and her Calvin's, I was a Jordache model in the 80's and this is one look that is so American and so comfortable it keeps coming back even stronger and redefined. Athletes, dilettantes, artists, poets, rock stars, silver screen sirens and hunks all just love designer jeans. Fashion magazine editors and starlets, alike, fight for Seven, Earl and Gucci jeans. Hollywood hunks and all-star pros can't get enough Diesel, Sean John and DKNY denim.
They may have gotten their first chance back on the farm but, nowadays, jeans go everywhere. From the ranch to restaurants. From safaris to school and from the city to suburbs. Some have stretch for just the right fit and some are pre-washed to look like you've had them for years. Great with a suede or leather blazer for casual chic or paired with a stark white shirt or preppy blue chambray for casual Fridays. My days are the weekend-mix them with a tank or tee and just let them be. Got to have Helmut Lang, Marc Jacobs and Juicy Couture.
But don't just think your designer jeans have got the blues. They now come in a great variety of colors: white, black, brown or try green and take them out dancing to a club or a great party just to show off your cute butt. Dolce & Gabbana, Versace and Roberto Cavalli are great for rock & roll style. Paint on them or even bedazzle them as I did on MTV's House of Style. Be anything but boring in them.
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| phillip bloch |
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Hurrah for Hallewood!!!
For the past four months I have been caught…in a whirlwind of glamour and fashion, (Who am I kidding? I've been there all my life.) It all started with Halle Berry's Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in Monster's Ball and reached "fashion icon" proportions when she stepped on to the red carpet in her rich, burgundy, sheer yet embroidered couture gown and carried Oscar home.
How does one pick a dress that will be a part of history? The dress must be: elegant but youthful, chic but funky, artistic but sleek, couture but comfortable, sexy but respectful,
memorable but not over-shadowing of the importance of the beauty of Halle and the event. Basically, the dress must be like Halle herself…
A wise bit of advice that anyone can use... dress not unlike dating and love-take time and choices to find the right one. My office and I saw the best that America's classic designers had to offer for "evening wear" in chiffon, silks, satins and jersey. With beading and lace from Vera Wang, Richard Tyler, Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, Bill Blass, Carolina Herrera and Halston. We then surfed the Internet for that touch of European glamour that they do so well... like Valentino (who designed Halle's Golden Globe dress), Armani, Versace, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Karl Lagerfeld, Dior, John Galliano, Celine, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Prada, Roberto Cavalli, Vivienne Westwood, Ungaro & Lacroix. We looked at new designers like Catherine Malandrino, Eric Gaskins, Balenciaga by Nicholas Ghesquiere, and a list as long as my arm.
Next, we thought... well, if not new…what about vintage? No stone was left unturned. We saw hundreds of dresses, sketches, photos and fabrics…but one always stayed imprinted in my mind. An unknown designer from Lebanon created it, and it was a dress like none I had ever seen. The dress fit all of the criteria, and best of all; it made Halle feel, as she should-like a princess.
As we know, no fairytale night can begin without a glass slipper so we looked at shoes from Christian Louboutin, Dior, Manolo Blahnik, Giuseppe Zanotti, Sergio Rossi, Chanel and Stuart Weitzman. They offered us beading, embroidery and hand-painted stilettos, flats, ankle straps and wraps, mules, satin boots or thong-like sandals. We could have even sewn diamonds on her pumps (which brought the total value of one pair to over 1 million dollars) but less is often best so we opted for a sleek but comfortable Jimmy Choo sandal-dyed to match, of course.
Next was in place but the bag… Swarovski, Fendi, Badgley & Mischka, J.P. Tod's, or Judith Leiber and various merchants I found on eBay all had the right delicate antique feeling we wanted to be chic yet simple. But, it was Larissa Barrera's turn of the last century bag that was just what the fashion doctors ordered to make this "Operation Oscar" complete…and I think we'll just let you, the magazines and history be the judge of our success.
Dreams do come true. |
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