We Called It...

The House of Holland Collection was inspired by this seasons Pantone colors!

WWD

Want to know what is happening in the fashion world the minute it happens? Women's Wear Daily is on Twitter! Right now they are posting play by play accounts of Milan Fashion Week.
http://twitter.com/womensweardaily

Ohio Knitting Mills = awesome vintage sweaters

Ohio Knitting Mills defines its products as "virgin vintage knitwear," and nothing could describe it more concisely: the company sells sweaters that were made between 1947-1974 that have never been worn. And these aren't just boring run of the mill sweaters (I know you guys love my wit), these sweaters are funky and fun.


A women's sweater made 1965-1968

Confession: I totally bought one last week online (impulse buuuuy), and it arrived today and I l-o-v-e love it, like, I'm going to marry it:



A men's sweater made 1965-1968



The sweaters were made at a mill that was founded in the 1920s, and after WWII the company started to save samples of their sweater designs for their archives. When Hanah Tatar's ('12) dad bought the old abandoned mill a couple of years ago, he found it stock full of perfect condition vintage sweaters and decided to share them with the world.

Now he's coming to share them with us!! Hannah's dad will be on campus today (Wednesday 25/2/09) in the Jewett Parlour from 4-6pm selling his sweaters. You should definitely go by and check it out.

Keep an eye out for a more in depth article about Ohio Knitting Mills in our spring issue.


Remember: Wednesday, 4-6pm, Jewett Parlour

In case you can't make it to the trunk show but still want to buy some knits: www.ohioknittingmills.com

LOVE

In case you won't be able to make it to England anytime in the near future...

Love Magazine now has it's own website!!

http://www.thelovemagazine.co.uk/

so now I want to show MY fave

I didn't watch the Oscars, but from the photos I've seen thus far, Marisa Tomei's outfit is probably my favourite. This photo doesn't do it justice, but the layering of the train of her Versace gown was just gorgeous.




And then just because I can...




Daniel Craig-- so dapper. so dashing.

Oscars

So that was one of my favourites. But there were a LOT of mistakes. (See previous post)

Sophia Loren looked like a mummy. Tilda Swinton was just...Tilda Swinton. Whoppi Goldberg is apparently pregnant with some feline baby. Jessica Biel's left boob apparently needed extra fabric just to hold it in place.
Meryl looked amazing (DUH) and other peeps did wear something that was at least pleasing to the eyes. There WERE a lot of mermaid-looking gowns. WHY?

Ugh. Anyway. WHAT DID YOU THINK?

Also, if you wanna see a slideshow of some of the outfits go here.

So I just, uhmm. (sigh) I don't even know anymore

Over indulgent

Sorry, I know this is a bit overkill, but I got hooked looking at the Hermés site.

First of all, you boys need to be bringin' back the pocket square-- so fly:


Secondly, this scarf was listed under "glam scarves," and is metallic -- ooh, shivers, no?:





Check it outttt : Hermés

Happy Birthday Cappy!

If I could buy Cappy the perfect birthday present, I think I would get her this awesome Hermés scarf:




Cappy loves to rock the neck scarves, and this one would definitely be a festive addition to her collection.



Whoa, I just noticed the elephant outline, ha I'm slow.

On The Street

On The Street: Reslife

On The Street

On The Street

Bag Heads

From Isaac Mizrahi's runway show.... No wonder he went bankrupt. Yikes!

dlisted

Fashion's Environmental Impact

WATCHIT

-Ceci Cholst

The Fierce Side of Payless

Last year we experienced the dream partnership of Comme Des Garcons and H&M who worked together to create an affordable line for the mass market. Now, another collaboration has hailed down upon us associating the word fierce with Payless shoes. Come fall 2009, Payless customers will be able to buy Project Runway winner Christian Siriano's shoes at an affordable price. Here is a look at some of the shoes that will be available.

via nitrolicious.com

Quote of the day

I came across this, and it seemed appropriate since he came and spoke on Tuesday. He's definitely quite the character.



via Design Crush

Marchesa: No Disney Princess

When I think of the word fairytale, it makes me think of the collection of Andrew Lang fairy books I had when I was little, you know which ones I mean? The Blue Fairy Book, the Red Fairy Book, the Green Fairy Book, and so on and so forth. While the tales in the books often lent towards the less than shiny, happy side, and more towards the slightly gruesome side, it didn't really matter, because when you lined all of them up on the shelf, it was hard to believe that they were anything but pretty.
So when I read the review for the latest Marchesa collection on style.com, saying that designer Georgina Chapman wanted the Fall 09 collection to "be like a fairytale" I was curious to see whether she meant the Disney version of the word, or the Andrew Lang. I'm happy to say that the collection is a lot more reminiscent of the slightly darker, hard edge fairy tales, because let's be honest, Disney Cinderalla is boring, and I always just wanted to smack Snow White.
The collection was shown at the Chelsea Art Museum, which seems appropriate as a few of the pieces really are works of art. While there are a couple of pieces that I really don't like (like a pink studded dress with a huge bow on the front), there are also a lot of beautifully structured dresses. The fairy tale theme comes through in different ways, from flowers, to ruffles, bows, sparkles, and seemingly magical construction; however, the pieces are kept from looking too twee through either colour choice (all the ball gown-esque dresses are black and grey), or structure (the flower dresses are fitted and short). My favourite dress is definitely the last piece in the collection, because I just love the idea of Disney Cinderella showing up to the ball in this:




Overall, the pieces are like the coloured Fairy Books, each piece has a bit of edge, something that keeps it from being completely sugar coated, but when you line them all up, you can't help but think it's pretty. See the full collection at style.com.



photo via style.com
reason I even looked at the Marchesa collection in the first place: fashionista.com

Spring '09 Colors

Spring 2009: The New Pastels


Pantone, the international color authority, recently announced its color of the year and re-released its color palette for the spring 2009 RTW shows, which it presented last winter. WWD.com posted the palette, but because they’re meanies, the article was for subscribers only. Fortunately, the folks at COLOURlovers recreated it. And now Contrast presents the New Pastels:

Other than the fact that this palette is vaguely reminiscent of medical dressing gowns or sanitary napkin wrappers, the reason I detest this palette so much is that it’s completely unnatural.. Mimosa (on the lower right corner) is, according to Pantone, the color of 2009 (who called that two weeks ago? Woot!). It’s a perfectly elegant color and, unlike the rest of the palette, can be found in nature. Meanwhile, the other colors, like Salmon Rose and Lucite Green, are grey, dull, and muddy variations of much nicer pastels.

It’s not like I think that everything we wear should be made with natural dyes. It’s just that these colors are supposed to represent the optimism of spring in light of the recession/ depression, but all I see is a vision of a very muddy, artificial, and dystopian future. These colors do not say spring to me.

And it’s not like these colors are new. Mimosa was quite popular this season. Bright Lapis and Dark Citron were popular last year and, like zombies or a staph infection, they just won’t go away.

So what do you think? Do you, like me, think the New Pastels are a disaster? Or do you think they’re perfectly lovely and, what’s more, wearable?

-Ceci Cholst

Bloggers: "The Future of Fashion?"

When most people think about the major power players in the fashion industry, usually editors, models, and big-name designers come to mind. However, times are changing, and bloggers are quickly rising to the top of the fashion ladder. Bloggers such as Scott Schuman (The Sartorialist) and Garance Doré (Garance Doré) are two of the most popular style bloggers and are quickly becoming accepted into the high-fashion set. In this month's issue of Teen Vogue, the magazine profiles several up-and-coming young bloggers whom they herald as "the future of fashion." From 16 year-old Texan Jane Alridge (Sea of Shoes) to 19 year-old Filipino Bryan (Bryan Boy), this list presents the new stars of fashion. With all this publicity and their rising influence, do you think that bloggers will eventually replace magazine editors and other traditional fashion jobs?

Kanye West... Again.

"Put this in the magazine: There's nothing more to be said about music. I'm the fucking end-all, be-all of music. I know what I'm doing. I did 808s in three weeks. I got it. It's on cruise control. . . . Man, we talked about music for God knows how long! Now let's talk about how my fucking sweater didn't come back right from Korea. That's what's interesting me."

-Kanye West, Details Magazine

Michelle Obama in Vogue

Editor-At-Large, André Leon Talley wrote the cover story for the March issue of Vogue, which hits newsstands tomorrow! Both he and our new First Lady had very insightful things to say regarding the new White House staff, the precious Obama children and -of course, fashion. Talley wrote:

"What Michelle Obama is less focused on-in direct inverse proportion to the focus of the public-is fashion. Which isn't to say that she doesn't appreciate good clothes. Or that the fashion choices of a woman whose image will shortly be-or already is-among the most recognizable in the entire world aren't iconic. And thus far, those choices have been fearless. Every moment she sallies forth, she will be scrutinized, then alternately set on a pedestal or skewered. Which, thankfully, hasn't put the brakes on her enthusiasm or originality-so markedly different from, but for an exception or two, previous presidential partners who shrank from matters of style or played it safe. Her self-possession is an inspiration. "I love clothes," she admits. "First and foremost, I wear what I love. That's what women have to focus on: what makes them happy and what makes them feel comfortable and beautiful. If I can have any impact, I want women to feel good about themselves and have fun with fashion."

She later mentioned the sense of "normalcy" she wants to implement in her relationship with her two daughters, Sasha and Malia.

"I'm going to try to take them to school every morning—as much as I can," she says of Natasha (a.k.a. Sasha), seven, and Malia, ten. "But there's also a measure of independence. And obviously there will be times I won't be able to drop them off at all. I like to be a presence in my kids' school. I want to know the teachers; I want to know the other parents."

She continued: "I've been grateful that my girls have been able to see parts of the country that I'm just seeing at the age of 44. It's not only seeing Paris, London, and Rome. It's also the remote places… exposing them to what we hope all kids will have: a feeling that they are citizens of the world."

Mrs. Obama also emphasized the changes she wants to see take place in the new White House. "We want entertaining in the White House to feel like America, that we are reminded of all the many facets of our culture. The Latino community, the Asian-American community, the African-American community.…Hip-hop, spoken word—we want to bring the youth in, for them to hear their voices in this."

And adding: "I am excited about the potential of the White House kitchen being a learning environment for the community. The current chef, Cristeta Comerford, is the only female chef in the history of the White House. She's a young Filipina woman, a mother with a young child, and I am excited to get to know her and for her to know us as a family. If you think about all the kids interested in finding out about all of the inner workings of the White House—I'm hoping that we can build a team to reach out."

There are many things that resonate with me from this interview. I love her philosophy of what fashion is supposed to be. It's inspiring to see someone who the fashion industry has somewhat idolized return us all to the basics: How do our clothes make us feel? How do your clothes conjure notions of self-satisfaction and confidence? These are all important questions the industry, in mass, has either forgotten or just blatantly ignored. Michelle Obama remains my ray of hope!
Read the rest of the article here

from my friend Kiyanna at http://thefashionablemind.blogspot.com/

Kim Kardashian at Fashion Week

This is a completely indulgent post. My dad texted me this picture he took of Kim Kardashian posing at the Badgley Mischka fashion show this morning. It does beg me to question how exactly Kim Kardashian is invitd to these events.

The Sun'll Come Out...

Not that I have a recession obsession, but I think it's really interesting how different designers are reacting to the economic nosedive. Tim Blanks wrote a great write-up of the Dsquared2 Fall 09' show, which debuted on the same day as the Obama inauguration. It's a cool mix of Jazz Age luxe and Dustbowl tough, clearly referencing that other, earlier stock market hiccup. The final song in the show? Annie's "Tomorrow." If that doesn't strike a "Yes we can" chord, I don't know what does.

Images via men.style.com

Fashion Week

It sounds like there's been a little tension at this Fashion Week in light of dun dun dunnn the recession, and as a result many of the shows are smaller, the guest lists more exclusive. The division between industry insiders (editors, buyers and designers) vs. celebrity dabblers (reality stars and actors) was also a little more pronounced then usual. Lots of writers note that Fashion Week is really an industry trade show, not a party that happens to feature clothes. Nonetheless, Gawker has put together a fun and characteristically snarky gallery of notables from the past weekend (J. Timberlake's 'William Rast' line was (surprise) especially popular with celebs). For comprehensive slideshows of, you know, the actual Fall '09 lines, check out style.com.

Image from Gawker

waiting for spring

I came across this vendor on etsy, and while I'm not a huge fan of most of her collection, I will say that her pieces are different than the norm, colourful, and playful (Plus, she's from Austin, represent!). I do rather like these two pieces:



Apparently it's handmade from vintage and antique crocheted pieces.



This one's also handmade from vintage pieces (it's more in line with the rest of her outfits than the crochet dress)


I don't know, I just thought they were fun.

It's all in the details

I love love love the outfits this gent is wearing-- every ensemble has some quirky detail or twist, but is still masculine.











via garance doré

RIP, favorite shirt

Today I returned from a weekend trip to Seville to discover that I left my favorite vintage rik-rak blouse in the hotel room. NO.

It got me thinking about all the lost luggage in all the world, and as it turns out, much of it goes to a store in Scottsboro, Indiana called the Unclaimed Baggage Center. The rather uncreative name doesn't do this treasure trove justice. The store is brimming with chatchkies found in lost or left behind suitcases. Check out this story from their website:

"An old, well-worn Gucci suitcase was opened at the store. At first it appeared it was filled with nothing but paper, but tucked inside were Egyptian artifacts dating back to 1500 B.C., including a mummified falcon and a shrunken head."

They can keep the shrunken head, but I'll gladly take the suitcase and the falcon.

Vassar Vintage

Vassar Vintage is a new online store for buying/selling/trading second hand clothes. It's a great option if you're trying to clean out your closet, but just can't bear to throw your cherished clothes into the free box-- this way you can ensure your clothes find a good home, and maybe even make a couple of bucks to boot. There's already a few items for sale, including these great shoes (which are only 10 buckaroos!):




The mastermind behind it all is Vicki Marquette ('10) who, in case you don't know, has an amazing wardrobe full of all kinds of fabulous vintage pieces-- she's actually selling pieces on the site, so there's hope that we too can actually snag some of her closet treasures.

The whole concept is a pretty wonderful idea, and hopefully Vassar kids will get involved and help turn it into a real resource for fashion finds on campus; I can definitely think of a few people whose clothes I covet, and hopefully they'll choose to post some pieces.


All Vassar students are welcome to sell and buy, check it out: vassarvintage.blogspot.com

CONTRAST is now DIGITAL!

Hello all,

For all of you who wanted a copy of the magazine and couldn't get it (sadly, we're out of them) we are putting it up so you can download it and enjoy it anyway!

For those of you who haven't seen it, we hope you like it! Show it to your family and friends and tell us what you think!

The Contrast Team.

Go HERE for your download.

From Pants to Portraits

Most of us know Hedi Slimane for his minimalist design sense, but lately he's also become quite the shutterbug, shooting several ad campaigns in New York, L.A., London and Paris. He also maintains a personal photoblog of black & white shots. Favorite subjects include: cigarettes, skinny punk boys, suburban sprawl and celebrities. Clearly, Hedi has been reading my FB profile.

Oh, Karl

"The worst thing is when friends say, ‘Remember the good old days?’ Forget about the good old days! That just makes your present secondhand. What is interesting is now. If you think it was better before, then you might as well commit suicide immediately." --Karl Lagerfeld


via fashion toast

men rocking floral

via facehunter

Green with Envy

Apparently Elise Overland's fall 09 collection was inspired by sushi...



I guess those trousers are supposed to be like seaweed? Therefore this outfit combines many a thing I enjoy: sushi, green, and things that shimmer.



via style.com

Happy Valentine's Day!

via le love

be mine?

print for sale on etsy

Things I covet

mmmm...





Christian Louboutin



via nymag.com

Kanye in Paris