The nominees for the 2010 edition of the CFDA Fashion awards have been announced. This glitzy event known as the Oscars of fashion (sort of) is one of the most valuables recognitions an American designer can receive. It is the time when designers get recognised by their peers for their achievements in an industry that is as cruel as nailing your 7 inch heels on a sewage grid. Seriously, just look at how many faces passed through Project Runway and then tell me how many of them, of the winners, are still relevant. Making it in the fashion world is as hard as Swarovski crystals, so you know this awards are granted to the very best: those who have endured and persevered in pursuing their dreams. So give it up ladies and gents, the nominees are:

Womenswear Designer of the Year:

Marc Jacobs
Donna Karan
Alexander Wang

Menswear Designer of the Year:

Michael Bastian
Tom Ford
Marcus Wainwright & David Neville for Rag & Bone

Accessory Designer of the Year:

Alexis Bittar
Lazaro Hernandez &  Jack McCollough for Proenza Schouler
Marc Jacobs

Swarovski Award for Womenswear:

Joseph Altuzarra
Prabal Gurung
Jason Wu

Swarovski Award for Menswear:

Richard Chai
Patrik Ervell
Simon Spurr

Swarovski Award for Accessory Design:

Eddie Borgo
Dana Lorenz
Alexander Wang

Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award: Michael Kors

Eugenia Sheppard Award: Kim Hastreiter, Paper

International Award: Christopher Bailey for Burberry

Board of Directors’ Special Tribute: Alexander McQueen

Fashion Icon Award: Iman

Eleanor Lambert Award: Tonne Goodman, Vogue

Marc Jacobs event, happening now @ Reebonz.com

Swarovski event coming up on March 24th.

Spring is here, and also all the new advertising campaigns of our favorite brands. At every major shopping destination, stores are now fully donning the current season. Here are my favorite ones, which one is yours?

Alexander Wang

Balenciaga

BCBG Max Azria

Burberry Black Label

Chloé

Dior Homme

Gucci

Hermes

Lanvin

Louis Vuitton

Dolce & Gabbana

Prada

Prada

Miu Miu

Pop star Madonna and her 13-year-old daughter Lourdes will collaborate with Iconix to launch a clothing line aimed at teenage girls.

The junior line will be named Material Girl after Madonna’s famous song. It will feature a back-to-school feel and will hit Macy’s stores this summer in the US. This will be Madonna’s second incursion in fashion, the first being her collaboration with H&M  back in 2007.

Fashionistas around the world must be enjoying the hangover of the
last two weeks of fashion-induced drunkenness. While certainly there
were some major trends going on (as previously seen in the Anglo
countries), there were two characteristics that made the last two
weeks particularly special: top-notch quality and unmatchable design.

On the Italian side, fashion houses were all about quality and
designing for an older crowd, they overlooked the young birds and aimed
for seducing middle-aged women with their well-thought, more
conservative and obviously more expensive collections. It was also a
retrospective moment for the Italians; an opportunity to reflect on
their strengths and maximize them for their respective shows. Such
was the case of Miuccia Prada, who went through her repertory and
brought back all the elements that the brand had mastered throughout
all the years. While an evident retro feeling overtones the whole
collection (as if she was watching way too much Mad Men lately), it
was ultimately her ability to amalgamate periods and concepts, what
made this collection a future view on the past. In Miuccia’s own
words – “It’s just simple clothes” – said on a carefree manner.
And while certainly there’s nothing as deliberately carelessly-thought
in the universe of Prada, it did, in fact feel, and to a certain
degree, look, like “normal clothes”.

But this “gioia di vivere” was not as an excuse for lack of
craftsmanship, quite the opposite. When Dolce & Gabbana presented
their collection a video featured the designers working at their
atelier. It emphasized not only the quality but the detailing that
goes on each garment. Salvatore Ferragamo, Armani, Fendi and everyone
else were equally determined to praise the superior craftsmanship of
the Italian houses.

North of the Alps things were different; while the Italians rose the
bar on quality to separate themselves from the overflowing of cheap
and poorly made knockoffs, the French bet on the complexity of their
design skills to avoid being copied. A memorable runway was the Alexander
McQueen one, the last designed by Lee. It was ultimately royal and
almost stepping in the borderline of couture. Even though the label
will prevail, the absence of Lee will be highly noticed, and I’m
wondering who will step on his shoes? Who will have the strength not
only to be at the head of the label, but under the shadow left by Lee.

Things aside, and on a lighter tone, I loved Louis Vuitton,
specifically Marc Jacobs’ tongue-in-cheek entire collection to lure
straight men (not to wear the clothes of course) but if you see the
pictures, you will get it, I’m pretty sure when the time for the ad
campaign comes, they will pull a nice and surprising one (I’m
thinking Salma Hayek).

Aside for a bunch of Minimalistic design, there were some good damn
things in Paris, specifically Balenciaga. Nicolas Ghesquière is a
genius; who else would combine such materials, elements and references
and have such stunning results. It was futurism meets couture, a
sci-fi poem if you will. Balmain, who gave a U-turn from their summer
military fedora collection and returned to rock glam with splashes of
baroque; imagine Louis XIV meets 70’s David Bowie kind of thing.
Lanvin was also remarkable; if you thought tribal was gone, you were
wrong, but if you’re gonna resurrect a recent trend you better be damn
good at it, an achievement that only Alber Elbaz could accomplish. His
minimalistic but highly ornamented clothes were a rave to the eyes; a
high tempo drums beat for fashion hungry ears.

And then, of course, this is Paris, so tuning down things is not
really their thing, right?   So, Karl, who else, brought in some
damn real icebergs and mounted a fantastic show at the Grand Palais, I have
to admit, I got the giggles when the first models came out in Ewok &
Chewbacca costumes, but after that the show developed from fur galore
to the most exquisite and couture-ish designs. But the true, showman
award must go to Viktor & Rolf, they’re the equivalent of Lady GaGa in
the fashion world, wait… isn’t Lady GaGa part of the fashion world?,
never mind. V&R pulled the most dynamic of all collections and a true
show by itself, both designers took the stage with veteran model
Kristen McMenamy wearing the entire collection on herself, and then,
the designers proceed to remove pice by pice to then transform and style on-stage the
rest of the models, once McMenamy was stripped they proceed to repeat
the process backwards, again wearing each piece differently, a truly
fashion transformer.

Ou la la, that’s all ladies and gents, au revoir, ciao ciao. be happy,
be fabulous, keep shopping, the fashion world needs you.

Alexander McQueen

Balenciaga

Balenciaga

Balmain

Bottega Veneta

Bottega Veneta

Bottega Veneta

Celine

Chanel

Chloé

Christian Dior

Christian Dior

Dolce & Gabbana

Dolce & Gabbana

Emporio Armani

Fendi

Fendi

Gucci

Gucci

Lanvin

Lanvin

Louis Vuitton

Miu Miu

Prada

Prada

Prada

Prada

Prada

Salvatore Ferragamo

Salvatore Ferragamo

YSL

Viktor & Rolf

Viktor & Rolf

Viktor & Rolf

Images via Style.com

Miu Miu just presented Fall/Winter 10-11 in Paris. This season of FW’s c’est fini, I already gave you a report on New York and London, AND, it looks like the continentals did it better this time. I’ll give you a full report on both Milano and Paris later today.

À bientôt.

Ladies, quick fingers tomorrow! Be prepared for our next Balenciaga event. My pick goes to the First in Sorbet colour. The vintage look of the lambskin and the aged brass hardware, combined with this shade of pink makes it super sexy. Don’t you think?

A classic! Chloe Paddington handbag, with its over-sized hardware and stylish lines, it’s a timeless precious thing!

Chloe @ Reebonz.com

Event starts at 12:00 pm (GMT +8)

The British capital wrapped up it’s latest edition of Fashion Week, naturally under the somber cloud left by the death of Lee Alexander McQueen. However, life must go on and so does fashion. Paul Costello was the first to take on the runway and dispatched rich embroilments worked on heavy metallic fabrics and big volumes. Yet, the high note of the first day went to Australian duo Sass & Bide for delivering a fantastic collection that covered every major trend, their pieces were not only richly made but they were also beautiful and feminine.

On the consecutive days was pretty much more of the same shown in New York the previous week, minor brands followed trends precisely, so it was no wonder to see that many layering, fur and velvet to take the catwalk. Another replica from NY was Naomi Campbell’s hosted show ”Fashion for Relief” which is raising funds for the victims of Haiti’s earthquake, an array of starlets participated in the show, which also paid homage to the late McQueen by sporting various of his latest collections.

Among the only one who stayed away from trend consultancy houses was Christopher Kane, who surprised me by putting up a collection that felt like a trip from a SM shop in Paris all the way to Shanghai Tang store in Hong Kong picking up flowery embroilments borrowed by a Russian babushka on its way via the Transiberian Railway.

Dame Vivienne Westwood, painted a grim future and worried about the effects of global warming as she launched an anti-apocalyptical collection. As the first models strutted down the runway they were sporting tees urging for love and respect to Mother Earth. That reminded me of Vivienne’s husband, Andreas Kronthaler (25 years her junior, former pupil and now creative director of Vivienne Westwood, way to go girl!) who in a recent visit to Hong Kong, was addressing Vivienne’s concern for global warming and her response was to stop consumerism by buying higher quality clothes and accessories, the guy has a point. As for the rest of the collection, it was quintessentially Westwood; signature tartan applied to capes, skirt and dresses, beautiful coats, impeccable tailoring, eye-watering accessories and the extravagant spirit and genius of these pair of hyper-creative dreamers in every single garment.

However star attended, globally streamed and 3D broadcasted, Burberry Prorsum’s show the one that stole the week. Christopher Bailey created a collection which is desirable, fashion forward and yet cohesive with the brand’s grounds. The quality of each garment, juxtapositions of cropping and volume, color combinations and an authentic cool feel to it made this collection the winner of London Fashion Week. As the world emerges from recession, Burberry seemed to be one of the only betting on creating pieces designated for a long life rather than one season use only. The wearability and sex appeal of this collection made me for one second to overlook how timeless it was. A brilliant overall show from Britain’s 2009 designer of the year, we wouldn’t expect less, of course!

Burberry Prorsum

Burberry Prorsum

Burberry Prorsum

Burberry Prorsum

Burberry Prorsum

Burberry Prorsum

Christopher Kane

Daks

Matthew Williamson

Paul Costelloe

Paul Smith

Paul Smith

Sass & Bide

Vivienne Westwood Red Label

Vivienne Westwood Red Label

Vivienne Westwood Red Label

Images via catwalking.com

Chaos reigned on the eve of Milan’s fashion week, when fashion Highness Anna Wintour decided to shorten her visit to the Lombard city. The move generated panic among organizers who scuffled to reschedule shows that had been in the planning for months. Major fashion houses rushed to ensure their shows would be seen by the doyenne of fashion.

Milan’s fashion week usually runs from February 24 until March 2, with major labels presenting towards the last days of the event. However, upon news of Wintour’s schedule, everyone was tried to cramp their shows into the 3 days that she would be in town. Eventually, the houses of Prada and Fendi decided to move their shows as originally scheduled and were followed by other brands. This will give the attendees a more relaxed schedule instead of revolving on that of American’s Vogue mighty behemoth.

Problem solved but the Italians, however, were left bitter. Anna’s touch-and-go visit generated a wave of criticism from the media and the industry. Most notably were the comments made by Mario Boselli, President of the Italian Fashion Chamber. Quoting from The Daily Telegraph: “She’s welcome in Milan but if she only comes for a fleeting visit, perhaps it would be better if she stayed at home.”

Ouch, I guess not everybody in the industry grovels at her feet after all.

Photo: Snejana Onopka as Anna Wintour by Mario Testino for Vogue Paris August 2007

It’s that time of the year again, when the high-heeled and well-dressed flock to the Big Apple in congregation for Fashion Week. Despite being disrupted by the blizzard that swept the East Coast last week (icy sidewalks plus Louboutin heels is cruising for bruising ladies), and the shocking passing of genius Lee Alexander McQueen, this edition of NYFW  has still already wowed those in attendance.

Trends, trends, trends, where to start? Can I say that I do agree with many out there that the return of the velvet is not for me… Seriously, I can’t really understand why someone would think that a girl wants to wrap herself in something that looks borrowed from coffin upholstery? My real annoyance with this trend, apart from that it’s unflattering, is that almost every designer sent a couple of velvet barfs down the runway. Maybe this whole vampire craze has gone too far. Time to sit in the sunlight guys.

Now for the things that I liked. Layering, yes. It seems like fall 2010 will be all about layering, and I mean it makes perfect sense, it not does only gives you more room to play but its also the smartest way to make front to the cold. It was awesome to see some designers really take advantage of this trend, specially Alexander Wang who divorced from his characteristic hipster meets sports girl muse and delivered a suited collection aiming for a more mature (or affluent) clientele. Peter Som also found inspiration in layers, although in his case, setting his compass to a more bohemian destination which included fur applications and garments, floral prints, chiffon pieces, belted waists and laced up calve-high boots.

So the highlight so far? Marc Jacobs (whom uncharacteristically started 5 minutes ahead of schedule even though he is infamous for tardiness), he rolled down the runway a collection that reminded me of housewives before they were “desperate.” Don’t get me wrong, I say this in the highest respect, but his collection looked like something a happy and accomplished women would wear. Lots long hemlines , pants-skirts, fur, tans and nudes mixed with seductive grays, overall a wearable and solid collection. And of course, the accessories! the bags were in one word amazing. And kudos to Marc for loosing his skirt, and double kudos for the humorous look of a pseudo “Bree Van de Kamp” in a horrible velvet skirt with a knitted sweater on top (I took that as a joke).

Another remarkable effort was the Haiti Relief, hosted by Naomi Campbell. The show benefitted the earthquake relief efforts. Kudos to Naomi, I’m glad to see she’s not throwing her cellphone at her PA’s anymore. At the show, supermodel Agyness Deyn got a bit of trouble while trying to tame some platform sandals. She fell not once but TWICE!  Anyways, she took it quite lightly and just laughed it off.

So to sum on: too much velvet, happy housewives, humanitarian causes, taking new brave paths, Kelly Osbourne got skinny, hemlines go long, layers layers, Halston got revived, Vicky Beckham ate!!!, Donna Karan loves volume, Lindsay Lohan was NOT banned from FW (or so she said), Rodarte went wild wild mex-west, Derek Lam was on the same train, Phillip Lim was charming (of course),  BCBG Max Azria showed you don’t need make-up (bravo), fur came back (Stella McCartney is rolling her eyes), Zac Posen and the scarlet dress, Thom Browne and his baroque ski resort, Thakoon got brave, Diane von Furstenberg had a go with colors. AND this will be the last edition of FW held at Bryant Park, quite sad. I will miss the Project Runway contestants crying; I just wanna make it to Bryant Park.

3.1 Phillip Lim

Alexander Wang

BCBG Max Azria

Calvin Klein Collection

Diane von Furstenberg

Diesel Black Gold

Marc Jacobs

Peter Som

Rag & Bone

Rodarte

Thakoon

Thom Browne

Zac Posen