High-Fashion High

Ghost, a fairly new design team to launch into the fashion scene, had to first cut out that ever-so-elusive niche for itself in the highly competitive fashion market. But with top talent and far-thinking creativity, Ghost’s collections have been eye-catching. The designs in Ghost’s Fall 2006 Ready-To-Wear collection capture that amazing synergy between past, present, and future, that stimulates the imagination.

A classic pantsuit is updated with a color-wash on the pants—running from dark gray to lighter gray and then off-white. The jacket is nicely tailored and accented with a black ribbon/belt. A deep yellow shell blouse peeking from underneath the jacket adds that needed burst of color.
Even denim gets a makeover from Ghost. A Victorian corset-style white blouse rises from a denim bodice on the lower half of the garment. Paired with modern skinny-stretch dark denim jeans and a pink sweater, the style is Greaser-chic.

Continue reading this entry for more »

With an interesting mix of patterns, colors, and fabrics, Carolina Herrera’s Fall 2006 Ready-To-Wear collection delivers some of the spunk back into the season. Herrera still keeps things sophisticated, and her designs will appeal to a wide range of tastes.
Looking for the perfect office pantsuit that looks tailored but isn’t binding? A neutral-colored jacket and matching pants is sure to do the trick. Flowing pants that aren’t sloppy is hard to achieve, but these pull it off. The model looks professional yet comfortable as she struts down the runway.

Herrera’s scoop-neck sailor-inspired dress actually makes me want to wear plaid, something I haven’t said since the mid-‘90s. Cut just above the knee and with cap-sleeves on the shoulders, a lady must have a slender figure to pull this look off well.

Continue reading this entry for more »

Badgley Mischka’s Fall 2006 Ready-To-Wear collection is sure to please ladies who scour the stores for that perfect dress or pantsuit for the evening on the town.
With black and white dominating the collection, bursts of red, blue, royal purple, and gold provide excellent accents.
A rich brown brocaded jacket paired with gold capri pants could work for office or evening wear. The military-style cut of the jacket with ornamentation down the center gives the outfit a very tailored look. The skinny pants could match a larger jacket or a billowing blouse.

Another excellent outfit that easily transforms from day into evening is a gray and black embroidered jacket and skirt. Matched with black pumps, the ensemble exudes class and savvy.

Continue reading this entry for more »

As we all know, MySpace has taken over the world. So if you can’t get enough of those ANTM girls, check out their personal web spaces.

God, Brooke really is gorgeous! Too bad she can’t work the camera worth crap. This flukey shot here shows her potential shining through.

Continue reading this entry for more »

Kenneth Jay Lane is a much celebrated jewelry designer known for overstated and uber glam pieces. Originally a shoe designer, he started designing jewelry in the 1960’s. He has never been a high profile designer but his work has recently started to gain popularity again appearing in such shoots as the one above for Style magazine. His designs are much sought after and sell out at Net-a-Porter every season. You can purchase his designs at Max & Chloe starting at $59 for a necklace.

High-class Spaniards are the first people that come to mind when somebody asks who embodies Givenchy’s Fall/Winter Ready-to-Wear collection. Matador outfits with a modern twist, high-necked buttoned-up blouses, and knee skimming ruffled skirts bring back a time when fashion was meant to be seen and admired, even when strolling through a courtyard.

Givenchy’s strapless black evening dress is flattering and sophisticated. With rectangular fabric cut-outs breaking up the breast line, the dress emphasizes a woman’s neck, bust, and shoulders without being trashy. A forgiving loosely fitted swath of fabric around the stomach area balances the hip-hugging skirt.

Continue reading this entry for more »

Chloe’s Ready-to-Wear collection for Fall/Winter 2006 will solve many back-to-school shopping dilemmas for collegiate debutantes. With a mix of pastel colors and earthy browns and neutrals, the pieces can match existing pieces in a wardrobe.

Chloe’s ideal is fun, flirty, and feminine, and the cropped loose-fitted pants and fun layered tank top bring comfort to style. The preppy sweater paired with a white starched blouse and a flowing knee-length skirt will be a fashion staple for the twentysomethings this season.

Continue reading this entry for more »

The baby doll dress was one of the most memorable—and regrettable—fashion trends of the 1990s. Anna Sui’s Fall/Winter Ready-to-Wear collection for 2006 reinvents the look, and finally does it justice. Don’t hang your heads in shame any longer, ladies, you can now admit that the baby doll is chic once again.

Sui’s dresses work because the fabrics, colors, and prints are complementary to a woman’s figure, and the cap-sleeved, scoop-neck look is left in the ‘90s. V-necks in satiny fabrics and trimmed patterned hems along with fun embellishments at the empire waist are cute yet womanly. A glittering black mid-thigh baby doll could appear on Sienna Miller’s sleek frame any day now. The edgy feathers cut around the v-neck and silver sunburst design at the tip of the neck give a plain dress more pizzazz.

Continue reading this entry for more »

With fall and winter approaching (again), the dilemma most stylish ladies must overcome is how to remain sophisticated while desperately trying to stay warm. Chattering teeth and blue lips have never been attractive.
Andrew Gn comes to the rescue with his ready-to-wear collection for Fall/Winter 2006. Some of his luxurious dresses double as warm yet chic coats that could be worn in a diverse array of environments: the office, on a horse-drawn carriage ride, a semi-formal dinner, or for a brisk stroll in the park. The lavish white fur-trim collar accentuates a slender neck, and the black lace embellishments at the hem of the dress and the sleeves provide the perfect contrast. A cinched waist with a black silk sash makes the look elegant, not sloppy.

A black pantsuit with a wide-collared neck could also be worn to an elegant function or to the office. A cinched waist and flared silk sleeves on the jacket make the suit simple but classy. A fitted tapestry-embroidered black jacket balances a full mesh skirt. To keep the outfit from looking too dated, the skirt is flirty at knee-length and goes perfectly with knee-high boots.

Continue reading this entry for more »

For Fall 2006 Ready-to-Wear, Dolce & Gabbana reach back into the Colonial Era (think here, “The Redcoats are coming!”) and revisit the militaristic coats, pants, and jackets that soldiers wore when Britain still had its clutches on American soil.

But the collection isn’t entirely about the American Revolution. D&G never fail to re-invent classic feminine styles like the scoop-neck empire waist gown with embroidered tassel.
Embroidery and embellishment on lush velour, gabardine, and silk was the overall theme for the collection, and colors were more austere with whites, grays, blacks, and muted gold and silver.

Continue reading this entry for more »