Hello, Tailor

You know in movies when there’s a retired cop (probably played by Bruce Willis) who is brought back for One Last Job? Well, I’m kinda wondering if it’s the same with popes. Like, if in the next couple of weeks there’s an unexpected demonic armaggedon, can we call Pope Benedict XVI out of retirement to lead the faithful into holy war? Ignoring the fact that it’s kind of illogical already to be able to hand in your resignation from being the earthly voice of god, I’m curious about the Pope Emergency issue. Hopefully we can still rely on Ratzinger to come to our aid in times of Biblical disaster. — Dolce & Gabbana, Fall 2013

Amazingly, this is Thom Browne’s Ready-To-Wear collection. If you’ve heard of Thom Browne, chances are it’s either because of his rather eccentric menswear or because Michelle Obama wore one of his designs to this year’s Inauguration — you know, the dress that made her look kind of like a Vulcan. This collection drew far more from his menswear than from his more sedate womenswear designs, however. Not because it was remotely masculine in appearance, but more because of the exaggerated proportions and Browne’s unique ability to make grey look like the loudest colour on the spectrum. — Fall 2013: Thom Browne Womenswear.

A Youtube guide to New York Fashion Week.

Thanks to the snow storm that buried New York this weekend, watching Fashion Week from the comfort of your laptop is suddenly seeming a lot more appealing than being among the models and movie stars who have to freeze their extremities on the red carpet.

Not every Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek show is available online (this season, anyway), but there are still many to watch each day, including such big names as Vera Wang and Oscar de la Renta. If you don’t have time in your schedule for livestream viewings, we already have a few recommendations from the first couple of days of shows:

Alexandre Plokhov
One for the Twilight fans. If you like your men dark, vampiric, and ominous, then this collection is for you.

Concept Korea
Rather than being a runway show for a single label, Concept Korea showcases five different Korean designers. The show is split into three sections on YouTube (starting here), and offers an interesting variety of styles that might otherwise not have made it to Fashion Week. Choi Bo Ko’s graffiti-like calligraphy designs (pictured above) were a real high point.

[READ MORE…]

There was something almost inhuman about the cleanliness of this show. Even the models wearing warm-weather gear looked as if they might not have a natural pulse, or were crafted entirely from plastic. — Fall 2013 Menswear: Dior Homme and the Illuminati.

Ulyana Sergeenko’s Spring 2013 Couture collection was guided by Hollywood’s depiction of America (not exactly an unexplored topic in the world of fashion), leading to outfits like this pretty but somewhat pointless version of Scarlett O’Hara’s green curtain dress in Gone With The Wind. But I’m glad to see that Sergeenko is retaining the long, heavy skirts from her earlier work, since there are so few designers who ever go for this look. — Couture Fashion Week 2013: Chanel, Dior, and Ulyana Sergeenko

N.B. can anyone tell me what iconic American movie/character the red cape outfit is inspired by?? I feel like it must be something really obvious and I’m just being an idiot.

I had nothing but good things to say about Ulyana Sergeenko’s Couture show last year, and even though this was a little cheesier than expected, it had its good points. In a complete u-turn from last year’s nod to Sergeenko’s Russian heritage, this collection was all about America. On the bright side, it didn’t have any denim-clad cowboys, which is more than one can say for 99% of other USA-themed fashion shows. — Couture Fashion Week 2013: Chanel, Dior, and Ulyana Sergeenko.

I find it constantly bizarre that for someone so pathalogically obsessed with thinness (both personally and for women in general), Lagerfeld designs clothes that are just… not slimming at all. I mean, the suits this season are pretty damn cuboid, but this dress is just… a cone. A cone with arm-protectors. No wonder the model is crying her mascara all over her face: her knees are bleeding because the dress is made of concrete and doesn’t bend when she walks. — Couture Fashion Week 2013: Chanel, Dior, and Ulyana Sergeenko.

“Make a comment about my socks and sandals. I dare you.” — Pre-Fall 2013: DSquared, Badgley Mischka, Carolina Herrera, and Prabal Gurung