The Future of Fashion (with a side of Emmanuelle Alt)

I have been invited by FIT to attend the 2013 Graduates’ Collection fashion show called “The Future of Fashion.” How exciting! FIT has an impressive list of former graduates including Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Nannette Lepore, Reem Acra, Francisco Costa, Brian Atwood, Ralph Rucci, Norma Kamali, and Stephen Burrows, among many others. These designers have shaped the direction of American (and international) fashion so it’s thrilling to think of what this year’s graduates will show and how their careers will develop over time. Is the next great American designer among them?

I had to laugh when I received a press release saying the show will be live streamed over the web. One of my favorite things to do during fashion week is to watch live streamed shows. And my favorite part of that is the time prior to the show to watch the attendees as they take their seats, chitchat, eye each other, text, tweet, fake smile, jockey for position (the photographers, anyway). It’s usually hilarious stuff. It makes me laugh to think I will be in that crowd for the first time.

So if you are free tomorrow, May 1, at 6:30pm EST, check out the live stream and look for me before the show! I will be the one with the bemused look. (I will also probably be way, way in the back.)

Mildly unrelated side note: I’m thinking of kicking it Emmanuelle Alt-style at this event. She is the Editor-in-Chief of French Vogue and I like her aesthetic at the shows—very simple jacket, blouse or tee (with the half-tuck!), skinny black pants, high heels, sometimes her Hermès Collier de Chien cuff and always her Cartier Tank watch (gold, with a black alligator strap).

Emmanuelle Alt. I am digging the simplicity of this look. And I love those shoes.

So in that spirit, which vibe do you like better? Pops of color under the jacket or neutrals?

The jacket and T-shirt are both by J. Crew.

Next to the polish is a leather bracelet that wraps around the wrist four times.

Tune in Wednesday at 6:30pm EST. You should be able to access the live stream by clicking here.

Grace Kelly Style

Grace Kelly Style by H. Kristina Haugland.

For a volume devoted to the particular components of Grace Kelly’s look I highly recommend Grace Kelly Style, written by H. Kristina Haugland, the Le Vine Associate Curator of Costumes and Textiles at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, with contributions from Jenny Lister, a Curator of Textiles and Fashion at the V&A in London, and Samantha Erin Safer.

The book is divided into the three most famous chapters of Grace’s life—the Actress, the Bride, and the Princess—and is further broken down into mini lessons about the particular designers whose clothes she wore—from Hollywood costumers Helen Rose and Edith Head, to Oleg Cassini, Marc Bohan for Dior, Givenchy, Balenciaga, and Maggy Rouff, among others. It holds up Grace’s biographical facts through a prism of style and shows how she used clothes to maximum glamorous effect.

This gem of a book is full of interesting facts about Grace I have never read about anywhere else. One of my favorites is that she had a bit of a shopping accident in Paris while at Hermès with the legendary Edith Head:

“Paramount sent Edith Head on location for the filming of To Catch a Thief; en route, the costume designer and Grace Kelly went shopping in Paris, where the actress indulged her weakness for buying gloves at Hermès to such an extent that she had to send for more money.”

Grace with Edith Head, 1955. © Rex Features

My other favorite is that Grace wore a dress made from a McCall Pattern the day she met Prince Rainier III of Monaco in May 1955, a meeting arranged by the magazine Paris Match:

“…the dress was not a designer creation but an ‘easy to sew’ dress from McCall Patterns made of 5 yards of 35-inch-wide material; the actress had worn it—with white gloves and a close-fitting asymmetrical floral headpiece—on the cover of McCall’s pattern book of spring 1955.”

An illustration of the McCall Pattern Grace’s dress was made from.

A page from the book showing the day Grace and Rainier met in 1955.  © edwardquinn.com

This is the catalog that accompanied the exhibit Grace Kelly: Style Icon at the V&A in London in 2010. When I interviewed her for my article on Grace and her Hermès Kelly, Ms. Haugland was not sure if this book would be available for sale this summer at the McCord Museum in Montreal or this fall at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, PA, when each hosts From Philadelphia to Monaco: Grace Kelly—Beyond the Icon, since the exhibit will be altered from its original version seen in London. I hope both museums do offer it for sale in their gift shops—it provides a unique look into all the aspects that went into Grace’s style over the course of her remarkable life.

Chanel Peridot + QVC Cocktail Ring = Mama Like

Mmmm, metallic nail polish. This is Peridot by Chanel, with a nice big turquoise and diamanté cocktail ring from QVC. Doesn’t this combination remind you that summer is on its way? I’m ready for sitting outside with friends, with glasses of Limoncello all around!

Consider this your friendly reminder that the next “How I Wear My” post is devoted to metallics. I’m starting with nail polish and will go from there into metallic accessories.

Send a photo to me or Adrienne of The Rich Life (on a budget) by April 30. We want to see how you incorporate metallics into your look!

From Punk to Gatsby

A 2011 Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci ensemble of leather and chiffon.

Talk about whiplash.

I expect to feel a bit of style whiplash in May when two events are going to leave me thinking about two very different styles.

The first is the opening of the exhibit Punk: Chaos to Couture at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. I can’t wait to see it. God knows I never get tired of black so I’m sure the clothes will inspire me. I better break out the Chanel Black Satin nail polish and black leather Hermès cuff to wear on press day! This 2011 Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci ensemble was featured in the exhibit Fashion, A-Z: Part One, at The Museum at FIT in 2011. I don’t think it will be included in the Met’s exhibit but it could be since it certainly has a punk edge.

Pleated leather and chiffon. What’s not to love?

A side view, with a gorgeous 1997 coat by Alexander McQueen for Givenchy.

I think I have to wear this polish to Punk: Chaos to Couture at the Met. It seems required!

The second is the film release (finally!) of The Great Gatsby. I caught the latest trailer recently and it was like seeing Gatsby on steroids. It is a bigger, wilder world than the one Fitzgerald wrote about and it will be in 3D too. I’ve read The Great Gatsby so many times I have whole pieces of that novel engraved on my brain. I’m not sure how I’m going to feel about Baz Luhrmann’s interpretation. I have a feeling I will either love it or hate it, there will be no in between. I do think the roles were well-cast so that makes me think I will love it. Will Leo finally get the Oscar he very much deserves?

I think Leo is perfect to play Jay Gatsby. He just gets better with age!

I know I will come away from Gatsby thinking about 1920s dresses by Edward Molyneux (be still my heart) and Jean Patou (ditto). These were featured in the exhibit Fashion, A-Z: Part Two, at The Museum at FIT last year.

A 1926-27 dress of blue silk chiffon and sequin dress by Edward Molyneux.

A 1929 dress of off-white silk chiffon and rhinestones by Jean Patou. 

A close-up of the rhinestone beading. Jean Patou considered Chanel his greatest rival.

I mean hello, look at this detailing. I’m dying of love!

Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan.

What are your feelings about Punk? Will you go see The Great Gatsby?

There is a 3-minute video on the use of jewelry by Tiffany & Co. in the film. Have a look. The gems will make you swoon!

Grace and her Kelly: An Interview with H. Kristina Haugland

Rainier and Grace the day they announced their engagement in 1956. ©Bettmann/Corbis

Let’s get one thing straight.

You may have read, in more than one place, that Grace Kelly, Academy Award-winning actress and Princess of Monaco, in an attempt to shield her pregnancy from the paparazzi, used her namesake Hermès handbag to hide her baby bump, a picture which landed her on the cover of Life magazine.

H. Kristina Haugland, author of Grace Kelly Style and the Le Vine Associate Curator of Costume and Textiles at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, wants you to know that this is simply not true. It is one of the first things she brings up when I interview her by telephone about Grace Kelly and her Hermès accessories. It is a legend at this point, that this supposed picture of Grace made the cover of Life magazine, and the story routinely shows up in books about handbags. I tell Haugland I cannot find this cover after a rather extensive search of Google and eBay. “That’s because it doesn’t exist!” she says with a laugh. Looking for it herself in her research about Grace Kelly and the hallmarks of her style, she approached Hermès for more information, or perhaps even a copy of the cover. They too repeat the story, Haugland says, but never got back to her with any evidence. “She didn’t particularly shield her stomach and she carried many bags during her pregnancy,” Haugland notes. Why, then, does the tale persist? “People like myths,” she says.

Another photo from January 5, 1956.

A moment later. Grace is NOT pregnant in any of the above photos!

From Grace Kelly Style, Grace with her Barenia and Toile Kelly in 1955. ©Rue des Archives/AGIP

The origins of Kelly’s association with her namesake bag go back to her days before she was a princess. In the mid-1950s large briefcase-style handbags were popular, as seen in the 1954 film Rear Window when Grace’s character Lisa carries a black Mark Cross case-shaped bag. Off camera Grace frequently used an Hermès bag, known originally as an haut à courroies, modeled after a saddlebag and downsized for daywear in the 1930s. She was photographed with the bag often, such as when she arrived in Cannes in 1955 for the film festival, holding the Barenia and Toile version. As she became more famous for her acting accomplishments, including her 1955 Best Actress Oscar win for The Country Girl, and the world was swept up in the romance of her engagement and wedding to Prince Rainier III of Monaco, more photographs of Kelly with the bag appeared. By the summer and autumn of 1956, the year Grace and Rainier married, while Hermès did not officially rename the bag, it became known as a Kelly since it had become associated with her.

Just how many Kellys did Grace own? Haugland insists that she was not a 1950s version of today’s Hollywood celebrities, many of whom have extensive collections of Hermès handbags. “She wasn’t amassing them. It wasn’t a collection. She used them because she liked them.”

Indeed, if you see the Kelly Grace was most photographed carrying, of a caramel-colored leather, you can note how well-used it was. “She was quite thrifty and practical with her wardrobe,” Haugland points out. “She thought of her old clothes as her old friends.”

Another page from the book. Grace & Rainier in Switzerland in 1958. © Rex Features

She estimates that Grace owned four Kellys of different leathers, based on the photographs she’s sifted through in penning two books about Kelly’s style, Grace Kelly: Icon of Style to Royal Bride and Grace Kelly Style, which accompanied the exhibit Grace Kelly: Style Icon at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London in 2010. Haugland also says it can be hard to tell the precise number of Kellys Grace owned since so many of the photographs of her are in black and white.

The Hermès bag was just one part of what became known as “the Grace Kelly look.” Other accessories Grace favored included silk scarves, masculine-style sunglasses, hats, and white gloves, all of them contributing to her timeless ladylike style.

Grace with Caroline, Mommy & Me chic!

Grace’s Kelly.

Grace Kelly Style by H. Kristina Haugland.

The Grace Kelly exhibit that Haugland wrote the catalog for is slowly making its way around the world. After successful runs in London at the V&A in 2010 and at the Bendigo Art Gallery in Australia in 2012, a version of the exhibit will arrive in North America this year. From Philadelphia to Monaco: Grace Kelly—Beyond the Icon will be at the McCord Museum in Montreal, Quebec from June 6 to October 6, 2013 before traveling to the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, PA, where it will be on display from October 28, 2013 to January 26, 2014. The show will include 100 objects and archives, including film clips, photos, love letters, and clothing and accessories belonging to the late princess. It may possibly include one of Grace’s Kellys!

It will no doubt highlight that Grace Kelly will forever be known as, in Haugland’s words, “the epitome of glamorous good taste.”

Hive Fashion Blogging: Getting Started

Giving my workshop at the Brooklyn Public Library. Photo by Jennifer Thompson.

At the request of the participants of my workshop “Hive Fashion Blogging: Getting Started” at the Brooklyn Public Library earlier this week, below is a list of the blogs I mentioned as great ones to check out for inspiration. I’m also including a few of the pictures I used in my PowerPoint slideshow!

For those who asked, the name of the site I like for help with the technical aspects of blogging is The Blog Guidebook.

Thank you to everyone who came to the workshop and please do join me again on May 14, 2013 at 4:30PM for “Hive Fashion Blogging: Interviewing Techniques.” I’m going to talk about ways to get a great interview with someone for a feature on your blog, even if you didn’t go to journalism school (I didn’t either).

If you want help with brainstorming ideas for your blog, or notes from any of the topics covered in the workshop, email me. I’m happy to help! [email protected]

About Hive Fashion, here is a description from their website: “Hive Fashion is a program in which members of the Hive Learning Networks in Chicago and New York City partner with industry professionals to give high school-age teens the transformative learning experience that comes from bringing personally meaningful ideas to life through creative design and production.”

I am thrilled to be part of such a fantastic initiative!

The first exhibit I covered on my blog was American High Style at Brooklyn Museum.

Blogs to check out for inspiration

Bill Cunningham of The New York Times, any of his “On the Street” videos—This 84-year-old photographer is the original chronicler of street style and a continuous source of inspiration to me.

The Sartorialist—Great pictures, little text. Scott Schuman focuses on street style worldwide.

Nini Style—Rihanna’s stylist, who started her career in fashion as a janitor at Banana Republic!

It’s Not That Deep—Sheree Morrison shows how to mix high, low, and vintage. She has a great eye!

A Fall/Winter 2007-8 Prada dress, from Schiaparelli & Prada: Impossible Conversations.

Into The Gloss—Emily Weiss’s site offers terrific product reviews and amazing in-depth interviews with beauty, fashion, and magazine industry insiders.

Scrangie—It’s all about the nail polish here. This blog proves you can take one topic and build an entire world around it.

From Stephen Burrows: When Fashion Danced at The Museum of the City of New York.

Would You Rock This?—Fashion illustration by the people, for the people. You can upload your artwork here and have visitors to the site vote on the looks you feature. This website was created by Brandon Graham, curator of the excellent show Fashion Illustration: A Contemporary Look at the Brooklyn Public Library in Fall of 2012.

Erica B.’s DIY Style—Erica Bunker makes sewing your own wardrobe look so very cool. She has been featured in Vogue Patterns because of her blog and has worked in film as a costumer and wardrobe supervisor.

Alexander McQueen for Givenchy ensembles from the exhibit Daphne Guinness.

The Daily Connoisseur—Jennifer L. Scott decided to write a book and publish it herself when no agent or publisher would take her on. The New York Times reviewed it and voila! Now she has both agent and publisher and Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris has been published in several countries. She connects with readers primarily through use of YouTube videos.

Feather Factor—Katherine delivers interesting interviews with businesswomen from around the world who also have enviable closets. In addition, she features book reviews and posts on travel, money, and style.

A 2004 Carolina Herrera dress from the exhibit IMPACT: 50 Years of the CFDA.

The Rich Life (on a budget)—Adrienne Shubin’s blog is wonderfully personal. Her theme is right there in her blog title and she offers great tips on living in style without spending a lot of money.

Very Verve—If you want to see the highest of high-end closets and locations from Manhattan to Paris to Dubai, this is the blog for you. Aspirational and fun, with great pictures.

A 2012 Oscar de la Renta ensemble  from the exhibit IMPACT: 50 Years of the CFDA.

Thanks again to everybody who came to the workshop and to the Brooklyn Public Library for hosting it!

Last Call: Shoe Obsession

Sedaraby Rhinestone Buckle d’Orsay pump by Manolo Blahnik.

This Saturday is the last day to see the fun exhibit Shoe Obsession at The Museum at FIT. I will admit it has gotten me thinking about shoes more. I wouldn’t call myself a shoe fanatic and I can’t wear a heel over 3½ inches, it’s just too high (and do I really need to be over six feet tall?), but I do like a stylish shoe, even if I’m admiring it on someone else.

Here are a few more of my favorites from that show:

Nicholas Kirkwood for Rodarte. I can’t help it, I love this shoe!

Another angle. 

Another Nicholas Kirkwood for Rodarte shoe. Look at that carved wedge!

A case of wild shoes, all owned by Daphne Guinness.

If you could own just ONE expensive pair of shoes, what would they be? I’m thinking I’d go for a Manolo Blahnik, either a Mary Jane-style (single-soled, none of this platform business), or one of his totally glamed-out designs like the silver d’Orsay pump above.

Tell me about your dream shoes!

Manolo Blahnik Mary Jane. I would love this in black!

And a-ha! It does exist because here it is as featured in the show. 

Shoe Obsession is on view until April 13, 2013.

The Museum at FIT
Seventh Avenue at 27th Street
New York NY 10001-5992
212-217-4558
Hours: Tuesday-Friday: Noon-8PM
Saturday: 10AM-5PM
Closed Sundays, Mondays, and legal holidays
Admission is free

How I Wear My: Everyday Bag

Adrienne of The Rich Life (on a budget) with her new COS bag bought in Paris!

While we wait for it to finally feel like spring, Adrienne of The Rich Life (on a budget) and I thought it was a great time to focus this month’s “How I Wear My” on that workhorse of any wardrobe, the Everyday Bag.

There is glorious variety in the pictures everyone sent but I couldn’t help grouping them according to bag similarity. I know I say it every month, but as much as I love bags, this has to be my favorite post of this series! From totes to shoulder bags, from crossbody to handheld, from vintage and inexpensive to those by bridge brands and the highest of high-end, there is a bit of everything in this post. Enjoy!

Silk Path Diary with her wonderful Hermès Lindy. I love this neutral look.

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb. I am in love with this bolt of blue shopper!

Debra with a very cool handcrafted black and white tote by Sylvia Steininger. Now I want one!

Heather of Stylemindchic and her Michael Kors bag. I want to be wherever this is. It looks fun!

Amy of Denim & Dots with a lovely pop of color by Kate Spade.

Alicia of Spashionista Report and her white Jessica Simpson bag, perfect for spring.

Martha’s bag reminds me of a Valentino Rockstud tote. I love it!

Susan of Fifty, not Frumpy carries the perfect neutral handbag by Nine West.

Pam of Over50Feeling40 with her Coach bag. She got it at a consignment shop!

Déjà of Une femme d’un certain âge and her beautiful Chanel tote. Mama like!

Jeannie of Gracefully 50 looking snow bunny glam with her Louis Vuitton.

Sylvia of 40+Style. I love the side details of this bag and I am wild for those ballet flats!

Veshoevius of The Taxonomy of My Wardrobe with her Michael Kors shoulder bag.

happyface313 with her colorblocked Louis Vuitton Petite Noé. I adore these colors!

Val of Late Blooming Sparkle and her summery St. John’s Bay bag.

Elle of Elle’s Collection and her Hermès Kelly. Pardon me while I weep over my dream bag!

Heather of Vintage French Chic with her vintage black alligator bag.

My mother (Hi Mom!) and her Rioni bag, which she jokingly calls her practice Louis Vuitton!

Becky of Pink Cheetah Vintage. She got this at Payless! What? I love the colors.

Teresa at the NY Auto Show with a lovely blue Dooney & Bourke bag. Photo by Denton Taylor.

Marina of Antares: Alpha Scorpii and her thrifted brown crossbody. Don’t you love those pants?

Juli of Fragmented Worlds with a colorblocked Garbo bag. It’s still winter for her too.

Suzanne of Suzanne Carillo Style Files. She made that shirt herself, btw!

A close-up of Suzanne’s black crossbody.

Lucy of A Leopard’s Spots says her bag is perfect for chasing a toddler around!

Marian took this bag with her to high tea at The Langham in Boston. Love!

Déjà vu! Here she is again, this time with a great black crossbody by Golden Lane.

With my Marc by Marc Jacobs bag.

I have about 17 bags of all kinds but what I really needed, and took awhile finding, was a new basic black bag to replace one that had fallen apart. I wanted it to be ladylike, with the option of wearing it crossbody or holding it in the hand. While I was working at Bloomingdale’s I discovered the Marc by Marc Jacobs Globetrotter Mini Rei and every time I had to re-merchandise the handbag wall on which it sat I got to know its features because I was constantly going to the stockroom to replace one that had been sold. One night while working, I suddenly realized the Globetrotter Mini Rei was the bag for me and bought it on my break! It comes in other colors like a rich caramel and a great tomato red but I had to have it in black. I will wear it everywhere this spring and beyond.

This bag comes with a long adjustable strap to wear it crossbody as well.

I love the big zippers on this bag.

Do head over to Adrienne’s to learn more about her bag purchased at COS on a recent trip to Paris, lucky lady!

For May, we’ve been thinking about adding a touch of metal to everything—nails, shoes, bags, clothes! Did anyone else notice the metallic trend on the red carpet at this year’s Oscars? Please join us for “How I Wear My: Metallics” on May 1. Send a picture to Adrienne or me by April 30. It’s your chance to shine!

And thanks to all the fine foxes who participated this month, our biggest group yet. Starting in May, instead of trading off playing hostess as Adrienne and I have been doing, we will each feature participants. It will be a great way to focus further on all you lovely ladies and your outstanding looks!