On Our Radar Aquazzura
Photo: Courtesy of Aquazzura
Edgardo Osorio, the designer behind the new shoe collection Aquazzura, knows the luxury market. He’s spent ten years working with Salvatore Ferragamo, René Caovilla, and Roberto Cavalli, where most recently he’s been directing all of the label’s shoes, on and off the runway. But he also knows that not everyone can manage the luxury price point and that the market sorely needs options between the mass and the luxe. The Colombian-born, Florence-based designer, who was raised between Miami and London, aims to fill the gap. His shoes come in cashmere suede and baby calf, tricked out with anklet-chain details and adjustable-strap closures for a perfect fit, but top out at around $450 a pair. No wonder Barneys has already expressed interest.
—Marina Larroude
The Doctor (And Her Bags) Are In
For her latest collection, Olympia Le-Tan checked herself into Paris’ Museum of the History of Medicine, a nineteenth-century gem tucked upstairs at the Descartes Medical School in Saint-Germain, the site of her presentation Thursday night. It was a telling venue. “People around me were taking strange medications and I sensed a disease vibe in the air,” Le-Tan said. So she and her team set to work assembling first-aid-kit carrying cases, and copying classic-edition covers of psychology tomes and the great novels of madness, drugs, and disease, including Wuthering Heights, Mrs. Dalloway, Valley of the Dolls, and Erich Segal’s tearjerker, Love Story. She called the collection Still Ill, after a song by her beloved Smiths. But if she lamented the persistence of sickness, she offered a few palliatives, too. There were pillbox clutches of “Brozac” (”Which will help your friends put up with you,” she wrote in a collection statement) and “Wiagra” (you can imagine), as well as for Olympia-brand petroleum jelly. And she couldn’t resist styling a few syringe hair clips and nurse uniforms her first foray into clothing. (Her sister, Cleo Le-Tan, modeled one.) These were tucked in between the antique scalpels and other strange tools of medicine’s past in the museum’s display cases as André Saraiva, Olivier Zahm, Garance Doré, and Catherine Baba nibbled Red Cross cupcakes and took each other’s temperatures.
—Rebecca Voight
Photo: Courtesy of Olympia Le-Tan
- Material: Leather
- Sole: Synthetic
- 2.5-inch heel
The designer pumps that the ladies on the runway were wearing average at about $775. I decided after the show that I was going to play a little hooky from work and go buy an affordable pair.
I came across these Desano heeled booties at Aldo, and they’re on sale for only $80! The height and the heel — that is actually quite slimming — really work here.
I can see these going with everything. You can pair with florals, racy grey denim, pencil skirts, whatever. Now, here’s hoping they can lead me to a better mood when i look down at my feet the rest of winter!
Buy it here.
By Sasha Charnin Morrison for UsMagazine.com. To read more of the Recessionista blog, click here.
PRODUCT DETAILS
Hot off the fall-winter collection is the show-stopping bootie, a sure hit with any style of mini dress or slim-fit pants. This leather option is highlighted by allover snakeskin print, pointed toe and concealed platform.
It’s been a long, cold fashion week in New York City, and I’m tired of wearing big, clunky boots. I started to fixate on the shoes in the front row of the Max Azria show yesterday — hot, high-heeled bootie pumps from Brian Atwood and YSL!
Dinner On The House
Fashion week presents a particular problem to any scheduler: When? “Fashion week’s so nuts,” designer Waris Ahluwalia admitted. “I didn’t have an open night.” So when he went to host an “intimate” (25—which turned into 45—person) dinner to celebrate his presentation at CIRCA’s Lincoln Center accessories lounge, he decided to bat cleanup, and invite friends to supper after the end of the week. It worked. Last night, CIRCA CEO Chris Del Gatto and Stephanie Winston Wolkoff hosted Johan Lindeberg, Scott Campbell, Veronica Webb, Sophie Théallet, Aaron Young, Terence Koh, Carlos Quirarte, and Ahluwalia’s mother, Darshan (”the guest of honor, always”) piled into Tiny’s in Tribeca for a last-minute dinner toasting House of Waris’ Spring jewelry and scarf collections. “A downtown celebration for an uptown exhibition,” he called it.
The collection being celebrated marks the second time that the House of Waris—known largely for its jewelry—has forayed into scarves. At a follow-up visit at his studio today, the designer explained that the two categories only seem different. They’re both, he reasoned, about keeping craftsmanship alive for a new generation—of craftspeople, as well as of customers. (The Rajastani embroiderers who work on his hand-loomed cashmere scarves now have their hands so full from his business that they’ve stopped working with any other.) This season sees a major uptick in the number of scarf designs offered, with many motifs carrying over from the jewelry collection. They range from the simple—a gorgeous plain taupe cashmere scarf with embroidered border—to the ornate, with chains picked out in contrast thread weaving their way over the whole. They have a richness—and a price tag—consistent with the hours of work they take to complete. But luckily for entry-level fans, batik-dyed cotton-silk scarves start at $300.
—Matthew Schneier
Photo: Patrick McMullan
They’re baaaaack!
Buy it here.
Clogs were a major statement on the runways for Spring 2010. So, it’s time to re-examine the once-dated footwear trend. There will be high-heeled clogs at Chanel, Gucci always keeps a suede stacked heel style around — a la Janis Joplin — and heavily ornamented styles often come from Louis Vuitton.
And although this look hasn’t completely gone away (Crocs, anyone?), you will be surprised to see how crazy this made designers for spring. I love these Silver Wooden Swedish Clogs because they’re cute and well-priced at $95. One thing’s for sure: These shoes — sized 5 to 11 — are obviously attention getters.
It’s party dress time again!
- Shell: 58% polyester, 37% polyamide, 5% spandex; Hand wash cold, line dry
- 29″ length from high point bust to hem, 28″ chest, 26″ waist
This taffeta dress features coiled ribbons accenting bodice. Soft cups are hidden in the straight across bustline. Hidden side zipper. Strapless. Medium weight. Lined.
Everyone loves a big bright punch of color, especially after a completely dismal winter. I found this truly delightful party dress from a selection at Forever 21. It’s cheap and cheerful and perfect for evening weddings and cocktails.
- Imported Product Code: 2055986630
Buy it here
PRODUCT DETAILS
Summer is coming and you’re going to need something to separate you from your crew. Big on celebriites right now are the light and happy ruching and ruffles of Lanvin dresses seen on Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore and Elizabeth Hurley.
- Measured from Small
I love edgy black accessories like a fun headband with a big bow and a nice oversized clutch in black. No need to worry that you’ll look like a box of Good N’ Plenty candy; instead you’ll come off as looking young, fresh and modern.
By Sasha Charnin Morrison for UsMagazine.com. To read more of the Recessionista blog, click here
Forever 21 Coiled Ribbon Taffeta Dress, $27.80
Summer is just around the corner, but if you’re like me, your toes aren’t groomed quite enough to reveal themselves in sandals just yet. That’s why I love a good ballet flat for spring — they offer more coverage while looking chic — and right now I’m really into this Topshop pair.
The bright jade color is so unexpected and vibrant, yet I swear it can be worn with just about anything. Plus, they’re super comfortable and cost just $32. All of the girls in the Us Weekly office are scooping them up, and they’re selling out fast so don’t wait to order a pair.
PHOTOS: Spring style essentials
By Sasha Charnin Morrison for Us Weekly. To read more of the Recessionista blog, click here.
PHOTOS: See the best style finds from the latest issue
Colette faithfully adheres to the mosh-pit school of event promotion: Position a bunch of people with interesting new ventures on the store’s upstairs fashion and art floor at bustling evening hours, have them invite all their friends, turn up the music, and watch the elbows fly to get in.
Monaco-based jeweler Gaia Repossi and her new best friend, the lovely model-cum-jewelry designer Anouck Lepère, can at least say their melée was in the service of a good cause. The two joined forces to benefit the children of Rwanda, whose plight Lepère saw firsthand when she visited the country two years ago. She and Repossi commissioned Rwandan villagers to braid rope for bracelets, cuffs, and armbands, which Repossi then embellishes with silver and gold chains and sells to benefit the nonprofit Kageno (”a place of hope” in Kenyan dialect). The pieces will be available at Colette this summer and more venues in the future. And to hear the ladies talk about it, it seems like the collaboration may not be the last. “This is my first time working for a charity and what I enjoyed was producing pieces with the people,” said Lepère, who traveled with photographer Dana Lixenberg to document the project (above).
Meanwhile, in another section of the store, Claudia Schiffer (above, with Carine Roitfeld) was on her own mission for quality. Schiffer’s cashmere knits launch this fall. “I’ve wanted to do something in fashion for a long time,” says the supermodel, who was escorted by Mario Testino. “But I didn’t want it to be the usual celebrity clothing license. I wanted this to be something to be proud of.” The line came about after Schiffer was invited by Suzy Menkes to speak at the International Herald Tribune’s annual luxury conference, held that year in her native Germany. After Schiffer spoke about what she looks for in a fine brand, she was approached by the son of the founder of Iris von Arnim, the Hamburg-based cashmere house founded in the 1960’s. The supe was smitten, and the collection was born—eventually. “It has taken nearly two years to perfect the look,” says Schiffer of the black, white, and gray classics—think stripey cardigans and easy pullovers—”and now we’re on Net-a-Porter.” The label boasts no involved backstory, just a good match between a woman, a brand, and a longtime favorite. “I’ve loved [cashmere] since I was a little girl,” Schiffer said, “when I used to go into my mother’s closet and steal her sweaters.”
—Rebecca Voight
Photos: Courtesy of Claudia Schiffer / Courtesy of Gaia Repossi
