NYFW: A uniformed closing at Jacobs and Klein

Calvin Klein S/S '15; image source: style.com

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the end of New York fashion week this season also marked thirteen years since 9/11 (okay, it probably has a lot to do with it), but this Thursday designers showed us uniforms.

It first started with Ralph Lauren who presented safari-clad models parading in a juxtaposition of bold and earthy colors and four hours after that 10 o'clock presentation, Calvin Klein bravely dived into the navy. For Spring, Francisco Costa decided to ditch the knitwear that made his Fall show popular with the crowd and go back to what he used to do best - pure minimalism.

The show opened with super tall models dressed in layered navy outfits that came with an optical illusion. The girls weren't actually that tall, it was the slim and elongated silhouette that gave us the impression. To achieve that effect, Mr. Costa cre-ated body-conscious knee-length dresses were worn over skirts that reached the ankles and featured metal belts which gave models a higher waistline. And while successful, some of the outfits suffered because of the no-slit policy and created unwanted creases and false bellies, but the team has enough time to fix its mistake and alter the pieces before the collection hits the stores.

As per usual, Marc Jacobs was the one closing the week. Last season was the designer's first design-ing for his namesake label only in sixteen years, having parted ways with Louis Vuitton six months earlier. For Fall, he showed everyone that he is now again capable of creating an all-round collection that isn't short on design, fabrics or finishing touches but it seems like that was one lucky strike as things yesterday got back to 'normal'.

Marc Jacobs S/S '15; image source: nytimes.com

Everyone is already familiar with Mr. Jacobs' obsession with uniforms so his Spring show brought nothing new to the table. All fifty-five looks from the collection revolved around one with slight modifi-cations to the silhouette which was mostly oversize, sloppy and clinged around the waist with a satin sash. There was again embroidery but this time it was uninspired since it only featured half Pokemon-like eggs in navy blue, standard-issue green and khaki matching the actual clothes and besides puffy sleeves and balloon skirts we saw not much else.

The only exciting part? That bubble-gum pink house in the middle of the huge runway.

For more photos of the collections go to Style.com and don't forget to follow me on Twitter!

Follow @mariododovski

Collection Déjà Vus - How Much is Too Much?

With the blog's new look comes a new style - it is not enough for me to just review the newest collections or present you with outfit ideas or new collections. Given the freedom and power as a blogger, I feel the need to express my opinion on problems concerning fashion that may be small to the "big" world - but matter a lot to ours.

The Big Problem - When did it Actually Start?

We are all familiar with the word 'recession' and its impact on the world economy, and more importantly - on fashion. Ever since 2008, all we've been hearing about is cutting expenses, minimalism and plain presentations. Another association that comes to mind when someone mentions the word 'recession' is the word, safe. Statistics show that since the beginning of the recession, repetitive collections have been selling like hot cakes, while risk-takers and fashion forward designers have been classified as economic failures. 

Given this, more and more designers have been jumping on the 'repetition' band wagon, desperately trying to save their companies and maximize their profits. However, while this may keep the world of fashion financially stable, what has happened to creativity?

A Growing Trend - Whose Fault is it?

Imagine a bad situation that has happened to you in life. A failed relationship, a bad date, a ruined dress. We always try to blame someone for our misfortune. And while that is a bad approach.. almost all the time, I have to point the finger to the main duo responsible for this "trend" - Dolce&Gabbana. Starting with their S/S 2010 collection back in 2009, the designers have given the word 'repetitive' a whole new meaning. Below is a not-so-complete retrospective of their work until that season (my personal favorites). What you can clearly see is the creativity behind those masterpieces, their ability to explore new themes and start groundbreaking trends. 

From left: F/W '07, S/S '08, F/W '08, S/S '09, F/W '09

What you see in the photo below is variations of the same Sicilian theme over and over again. For me, the only way to distinguish those collections is by giving them different names such as Dolce&Musicana for F/W 2011, or Dolce&Banana for the fruit/vegetable inspired S/S 2012 one. 

From left: S/S '10, F/W '10, F/W '11, S/S '12, S/S '13

The Blind Side - Who Followed?

Following in Dolce&Gabbana's footsteps, Valentino's new duo started establishing the modern Valentino girl. Dressed in nude and covered with lace and studs, she continues to haunt their shows with minor changes to this day. Unfortunately that wasn't all. Red carpet's favorite designer, Elie Saab ditched his themed shows as well, showing 5 different dresses in every color imaginable, season after season. Also let's not forget to add Sarah Burton's McQueen, Balmain - under any creative director, Pucci and Giambattista Valli as very important additions to that list. What's scary: the list is just getting bigger.

Standard beauty: Valentino S/S '11, Balmain S/S '12 , Pucci F/W '10

Important Question: Who is Letting this Happen?

Okay, we all know that fashion is a business, and business is all about money and so on. It is normal for owners of big luxury groups like LVMH and PPR to push their designers to 'be safe' and create wearable items season after season. However, why would anyone want to look the same every season? Shouldn't I, as a customer, want different themes from different designers? That way I would spend more, as I want to own at least one piece from every iconic collection. Very logical. But no, apparently that is not how things work in our fashion world. Apparently, now, what's 'in' is to drool over the same items again and again. Which brings me to this question: What idiot buys the same Dolce&Gabbana lace dress for the rest of their life? First world problems.

Exactly how many black lace dresses does a woman need? Dolce&Gabbana S/S '10 - F/W '12

Moment of Truth - How Can We Solve this?

As an individual, not me - nor you (unless you're Anna Wintour) can do much about it. However, you know what they say - think globally, act locally! The one thing that everyone can do is re-inspect their values. Instead of screaming 'Oh my God, I love that studded Valentino clutch!' that I have seen 10 times before, I would praise young designers like Alexander Wang or Christopher Kane who are trying to make a statement in this world while entertaining us. Let's also not forget the absolute legends - what's left of them after McQueen and Galliano anyway, Miuccia Prada and Marc Jacobs who bring new items to the table season after season. That is the talent we need to acknowledge. For once, forget about the pretty dresses and platform shoes and look into the future - is women wearing Dolce&Gabbana what you really wish to see?

Don't forget to share your thoughts and ideas by leaving me a comment below!

Photo credit: style.com

Best of the Best - Fall 2010

And before we start off with Spring 2011, I can't pass Fall 2011 without giving it a little recognition.

We all know how things in fashion go - a season is over, we all think there were too little fabulous shows.
6 months later, next season is about to start and we finally fall in love with many shows from the last season.
Well that's exactly what happened between me and Fall 2010.
I usually like the Spring/Summer season better, mostly because it's filled with tons of colors, fantastic light fabrics and beautifully cut dresses and shirts.
But although Fall usually falls flat with it's dark colors and brown camel coats, I found many inspiring shows in this Fall 2010 that are everything but ordinary.

Let's start the countdown!

#5 - Michael Kors



Before I start with the more unique and avantgarde shows from Fall 2010, I'd like to give recognition to the designer who I really disliked until few seasons ago. He has always been one of the tackiest designers in my eyes - but all that changed when I saw his Fall 2009 collection. Two seasons later, we've come to the Fall 2011 collection which is absolutely breathtaking. It's incredible how simplicity can create magic on the runway.
The collection had everything a woman needs in the cold winter days - from the over sized coats, to the warm wool sweaters and knee-length boots. Let's not forget the fantastic scarves, Russian inspired hats and long sequined dresses who would take your breath away - on the runway, but off it as well.

#4 - Louis Vuitton



Marc Jacobs knows a trend when he sees one - and this season was no exception. A simple deal between Marc and Miuccia turned the fashion world upside down with a simple slogan - "Let's bring the 60s back!"
Along with bringing the clothes from those times, Marc also brought something else with the collection - the supermodels. Big legends like Jessica Stam, Coco Rocha, Angela Lindvall and Elle Macpherson walked down the runway, showing off their real-woman curves in full skirts, tight bust dresses and show stopping shoes. On top of that, Marc showed us a big collection of cute Louis Vuitton monogram purses, especially designed to fit this season's theme. Smart, no?

#3 - D&G



Since Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana aren't planning on changing the theme of their Dolce&Gabbana shows anytime soon, I have to feature the brand that plays with fashion trends the most - and that is of course their more affordable brand D&G.
This Fall, the talented duo decided to take their customer for a ski ride, but definitely not on some cheap mountain - it's Aspen all the way for the woman that purchases these garments!
Designing for a sports loving 20-30 year old girl, they sent their models on the runway fully prepared for some fun in ski jumpsuits, warm over sized sweaters, maxi dresses and of course - this Fall's main trend, the fur boots.
Someone might ask - what's so special about this collection? The special is - no one goes this far when it comes to creating complete luxury for a woman other than these two leaders in the fashion world. You don't see Dolce&Gabbana crystal encrusted goggles very often, do you?

#2 - Miu Miu



I can't do a list of best shows without giving credit to one of the most talented fashion designers, maintaining her status in this industry over the years, Miuccia Prada. Since it is a rather small list, I had to choose one show from this woman - and without a doubt, my choice fell on Miu Miu.
After the incredibly interesting Spring 2010 show, Miuccia continues to stun us with more and more creativity coming out of her sleeve, this time with the Miu Miu Fall 2010 collection.
It has everything - from bold colors, usually avoided in the fall collections, to fabulously shaped mini dresses and 20s inspired shoes. Looks like Miuccia had a lot of fun creating this collection, and I am sure we all had a lot of fun watching it as well.
Pieces from the Miu Miu fall collection are being sold on Net-a-Porter, among many other online stores - go and order your favorite item right now!

#1 - Chanel



Leave it to Karl Lagerfeld to show you how it's done - and you'll definitely get the number one show of the season. Putting a huge ice block specially brought from Sweden to Paris in the middle of the Grand Palais can only mean one thing - the recession days are over!
Ending one of world's most biggest crises at the time, Karl leads us to another, scarier one - global warming. All that ice turning into water in front of the audience wasn't a coincidence - it showed us how we are slowly destroying the world by doing everything we shouldn't be.
Showing clothes that are made completely out of fake fur, he tells us we should stop killing animals at last, although many people could find that a little ironic considering the fact that he has been using real fur at the house of Fendi since the day he got hired.
However, the show carries a very strong message with it, perfectly capturing everyday life with only 77 outfits sent on the runway. Fashion can be very powerful at times, don't you think?

Credit: Fall 2010 illustrations created by me.
Body used in illustrations is based on a Versace Atelier body used in one of their sketches.

New Hot Buys Identification!

FOLLOW BLOG ---->


It's Friday afternoon (Europe)

New HotBuys are here and I died.
They're so amazing!!
So me and Alex are identifying them right now.
We'll find as much as we can.
New items will come soon :)






Thanks to Lauren for the dress!




Thanks to Seen on Stardoll for the skirt!

Thanks to Baileygirl1212 for the top!