k8 says.....

I've been wanting to post about Angelica Houston for a long long time.....I finally found a few pictures that depict her coolness back in the day. she can pull off just about anything
kinda wish her and jack would have stayed together.........

k8 says...........spotted!!!

So August has been a month of concerts - it's been great. It started with the National in Central Park, All Points West was somewhere in the middle, and then Neil Diamond rounded it out last Friday at MSG! I have to say that the concert looks at Neil were to be expected(lots of khaki's, collared shirts(tucked in of course), and the occasional side pony tail and frosted lipstick(usually worn together). On the other hand, the scene at APW and national was a mix of the usual hipster stuff you see, and really cool, original, off-beat looks, usually worn by girls with short hair(ok, I'm bias but whatev - sometimes you have to toot your own horn). One girl who caught my eye, was rockin' this gold "wing-ed" headband of sorts...........and it must be her show attire, because I saw her at both concerts. Most of us would give anything to pull this off as effortlessly as she has.......kinda makes me want to get a little extra crazy with tomorrow's outfit.....

XXX

K8 says.......

I love collaboration in fashion - it's the best. I especially love when designers step out of their comfort zone(and when I mean comfort zone, I mean budget) and create for target(Proenza Schouler) or Gap(Pierre Hardy - if you haven't nabbed a pair from his new shoe line, get some ASAP). It's important not to assume anything in fashion because you never know when one of them is going to pull a fast one.....Which brings me to my latest fascination, an ultra lux, "preppy with an edge" collection designed by Thom Brown for Brooks Brothers. TB, traditionally a menswear designer, is the 1st to design for BB's new "Black Fleece" label, in which he blended prep with cool untouchable designer undertones. It's tailored, slim cut, with newer proportions, everything comes back to those classic Ivy League colors. It's a collection of extremes, but if you were to wear the pieces seperately, they'd fit seamlessly with most anyone's wardrobe. I chose several a few of my favorite looks - one of them reminds me of the final scene in "Beetlejuice" when Winona Ryder dances in front of the staircase with the dead football players as a reward for getting a good grade on a test. Those who have seen it, know exactly what I'm talking about.

ciao for now

k8 says.....

Outerwear winter dressing should be considered very thoughtfully. if you live in a large city, take public transportation and generally walk everywhere, you know what I'm talking about. a great coat, no, a great couple of coats, is essential from october through march(hopefully by april it's warm enough to dust off the really great trench at the RL sample sale). i mostly notice sweaters when I'm out and about, but lately, it's coats, coats, coats.......and more coats. if anything's worth spending the most money, is a well designed, well made, this has got to be it. color doesn't really matter, as long as the lines are clean, simple and you can layer numerous sweaterrs, tanks and the occasional blazer underneath. sonia rykiel is famous for her knits, but she had some ubercool wovens on the runway - ok....so the white coat is a little impractical, and I threw in the picture of the dress because to me, there's nothing better than navy and black. if i were come cool, parisian girl, and money was no object - as I dream it won't be one day - sonia would BE my wardrobe. she's got to be over 70 years old, but hasn't lost her cool factor....something to aspire to.

her and her daughter also design a "slightly" better priced collection called sonia by sonia rykiel. check it.

xoxo

k8 says.....

I'm in love with menswear. it would be all i wear but I have to be careful(what with the short hair and all). there were only about 12 looks in all but i think that Boy by Band of Outsiders did the best menswear for fall. it's super tailored, extra clean, mostly dark(black and navy - my favorite), but then femmed up with touches like a fur collar and satin oxford pumps. the other day, i saw a woman wear a vest and a tie better than some men I've seen. it was inspiring - and she probably thought I had a staring problem. picture it: dark jeans, tall black boots, white shirt, navy vest(5 button) and a black knit tie.....I really don't know if it gets any better than that.

k8 says

so this was one of the first things I saw the other morning.....all I have to say is that is that I wish I had this outfit(especially the horns, excuse me, antlers) for the Burns dinner a few weeks ago. check out the rest of "House of Holland's" Fall 08 show - the brights are cool, but they freak me out. there are a lot of things that would look really cool if they were paired down and worn with other things.

xoxo

k8 says....

well, fashion week has ended and overall, i thought the mood was mixed - somber, thoughtful, safe and reminiscent. some of what I saw reminded me of past seasons(duh, fashion repeats itseld and this is bound to happen but usually more time has passed between). donna karan was a good example of this. one reporter was quoted as saying that "whenever donna doesn't know what to do, she just grabs a bolt of fabric and starts draping." this was a very accurate description of her fall 08 collection - and i loved it all the same. it felt truly beautiful and luxurious. the colors were what you would call "off-palette" but sometimes the weirder the better(just be sure to throw some navy blue or black in there and you'll be alright. of coarse i have to say a little something about ralph lauren. there were several definite themes and he managed to transition from leopard to buffalo checks brilliantly. i loved the hats(although it was obvious that him and carolina herrera were sold the same story), and I loved the coats. ralph does coats well and can layer anything with anything. marc was good too although i have to consistently go back and look becuase his collections need time to grow on me. enjoy the ralph pic - definitely what I want to be wearing right now.

xoxo