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alexander mcqueen

Mcq by Alexander McQueen Printed Cowl Dress

Filed under: Apparel


Although the weather as of late has shifted us into wearing jeans and pants, we still can't help but find a way to wear are pretty little dresses before the real cold weather hits. The Mcq Cowl Neck Dress by Alexander McQueen ($689) screams summer time fun with its pale pink, brown and black artistic print, and luckily, given i's hint of black splashed everywhere, this could totally work for the Fall. Pair with opaque tights, funky black ankle boots and a light leather jacket or blazer for a timeless and stylish transitional look. The Cowl Neck Dress falls mid-thigh and features ruched sleeves with button accents of the same print as the dress.

The Fashion Statement: Fashion's Night Out

Filed under: The Fashion Statement



The fashion world is buzzing about September 10. That's when people like Vogue chief Anna Wintour, Donna Karan, New York City Mayor Bloomberg and members of the Council of Fashion Designers of America will hang out with mere mortals like you and me at stores and boutiques in NYC.

The point? Shopping. And it's a boost to retailers, fashion designers and ultimately the whole fashion industry that has been pummeled of late.

This year's extravaganza is apparently bigger than last year's. On a geographical scale, it certainly is, with events planned for stores in Los Angeles, Paris, Milan and London. Okay, you expect those cities. But Fashion's Night Out is also popping up in unexpected destinations around the globe. Jamaica? China? India? Apparently so.

Aside from shopping, or at least window shopping, Fashion's Night Out is chance for non-fashion industry people to get a glimpse of what a real invitation-only fashion industry party is like. Doesn't hurt that September 10 is the start of New York fashion week, so everybody will be in town. And, this year, there will be cameras around filming for a CBS Special.

Last year, Bergdorf Goodman was a madhouse. Victoria Beckham and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were there, along with designers Georgina Chapman, Mark Badgley and James Mischka and Zac Posen. Charlize Theron showed up at Dior, Kate Hudson at Stella McCartney.







Alexander McQueen Jacquard Queen Clutch, Handbag of the Day

Filed under: Handbags

Alexander McQueen Jacquard Queen ClutchThe Alexander McQueen Jacquard Queen Clutch is an appropriately gothic little trifle with a lot of class.

This classic clutch design is 6½"W X 3½"H X 2"D and covered in a rich, shimmering golden jacquard print. The pushlock closure is adorned with a miniature skull wearing a crown -- the McQueen "queen" -- and smiling fiendishly. The detail on the crown is a superior work of craftsmanship you won't find on a fake. That, and the soft black Italian leather lining.

This clutch is a perfect addition to a little black dress, or even a long black evening gown, and pairs equally well with colors (from far away, it just looks gold and textured). While we wouldn't put it next to a printed pattern, we think it stands up exceptionally well to other textures, so keep this in mind for nights you'll be bringing out your fur coat.

The Alexander McQueen Jacquard Queen Clutch is available from Saks Fifth Avenue for $1,595.00.

The Fashion Statement: Designers E-tail It

Filed under: The Fashion Statement



Luxury fashion designers, who've long shunned e-commerce, are caving in.

Last week, The New York Times reported that Marc Jacobs (fall show pictured above), Jimmy Choo, Hugo Boss, St. John, Theory, Kiehls, Lilly Pulitzer, Donna Karan and La Perla are finally going to do on the Web what they do in the real world: sell stuff!

To a person in any other industry, I can imagine how crazy this must sound. Companies in the business of selling stuff have not caught on to selling stuff on the Web, a medium that has been around for several decades!

"'The classic luxury brand Web site is basically a Flash site with lots of beautiful imagery, but no one ever goes to it,'" Aaron Shapiro, a partner at the Web design firm Huge, told the NYT.

There are department stores like Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman to consider. What happens to their online sites, not to mention brick and mortar stores, if you can go straight to Balenciaga.com and order those Formica and plywood platform loafers thereby cutting out the middleman?

Alexander McQueen Faithful De-Manta Leather Tote, Handbag of the Day

Filed under: Handbags

nude leather tote
Luscious and smooth, the Faithful De-Manta Leather Tote from Alexander McQueen is a stunner. Did he name this bag after it's manta ray-esque shape? No matter -- it is a standout in a crowd featuring nude leather, two top leather handles, gold-tone hardware, and simple stitched embellishments in the corners. Completing the picture is a zipper closure along the top, magnetic disks hidden within to create the signature fold-over top corners, leather feet at the base and a fully lined interior with a zipped pocket. Classic yet unique, timeless and a fit for any season it is a must-have for $1,165. (19" x 16" x 6" with 6" handle drop)

Alexander McQueen Demanta Leather Skull Clutch, Handbag of the Day

Filed under: Handbags

If you're looking for skulls Alexander McQueen is always a good place to start and this Demanta Leather Skull Clutch is a great option for those looking to incorporate the skull trend in an understated way. It's a simple black clutch made of skull-embossed leather and featuring a unique shape created by top corners that fold down and snap to stay in place. It has a zip-top closure, magnetic snaps, and no wrist or shoulder straps whatsoever. It's also fully lined with one interior zip pocket. From afar it looks like a classy black clutch but up close you see the biker-chic attitude. $625

Alexander McQueen De Manta Clutch, Handbag of the Day

Filed under: Handbags

alexaner mcqueen de manta clutch
One of my favorite all time bags from the late Alexander McQueen is his De Manta Clutch. We originally featured the De Manta clutch in its eye popping psychedelic colorway and unique pattern, but we couldn't help ourselves and had to feature his more subdued and wearable version. Set in chocolate brown python leather, this bag is just as gorgeous as its colorful counterpart. My favorite characteristic is its distinctive shape, which seems to have an animalistic quality. Strangely enough, it reminds me of a bird with its wings stretched out ready to fly away into the skies.

The De Manta Clutch ($1012) has a curved stitched accent along the back and understated McQueen logo patch in the front. The magnetic fold-down corners are not only decorative but functional too. Once opened, you're able to unzip the top zipper to the edges giving you full range of use to stuff whatever you may need. The minimal adornments beautifully complement McQueen's clutch resulting in the perfect understated and fashionable bag.

McQueen Couture Up For Auction

Filed under: Apparel, Auctions

mcqueen gownTwo dresses from the Alexander McQueen Autumn/Winter 2007 ready-to-wear collection will be part of the Visions 21 sale at Bonhams, Knightsbridge on June 30. The auction includes a heavily embellished, gold, floor length dress worn by Holly Valance at this year's Brit Awards days after McQueen's death. That gown is estimated to be sold between £12,000 - £18,000 while a cream gown with a peacock feather bustier is estimated at £10,000 - £14,000. Vogue UK reports that the collection was inspired by a distant relative of McQueen, Elizabeth How, who was convicted of being a witch during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. For that show McQueen sent his models walking out on a Ouija board as a screen projected images of crawling cockroaches and burning witches.

Isabella Blow's Wardrobe Up For Auction

Filed under: Apparel, Auctions

isabella blowThe fashion world has definitely felt the loss of both the late designer Alexander McQueen and fashion icon Isabella Blow both of whom committed suicide (Blow died three years before McQueen took his life this year). Blow is crediting with discovering him when she bought his entire graduation collection. The pair took fashion as personal expression into the realm of high art. Now some of that art can be yours when her wardrobe goes up for sale at at Christies in London on September 15. The collection is a treasury of vintage McQueen and also features 50 hats by milliner Philip Treacy as well as other unique pieces.

Blow's career in fashion included a stint as Anna Wintour's assistant as well as consulting jobs for top fashion brands. But her key contribution to fashion was really what she wore and the way she wore it. Her uniquely quirky style was avant garde but never cartoonish. Designers adored her for her fearlessness and for the sharpness of her taste, her willingness to embrace the unexpected.

The Fashion Statement: Bootie Call

Filed under: Shoes, The Fashion Statement

sergio rossi heels

Italian luxury shoe purveyor Sergio Rossi is commemorating the Cannes Film Festival in a few weeks with an evening sandal made of crystals adorning a soft suede net (pictured above). You can get the limited-edition shoes Sergio Rossi boutiques in Milan, Rome, Paris and London. Personally, I don't miss the diamonds (as in some red-carpet publicity shoes of yore). And, not surprisingly, Sergio Rossi's silhouette of choice? A quasi bootie.

In fact, shoe designers are increasingly pushing creativity to the max, as anyone who has seen this season's Alexander McQueen's armadillo shoes or the Gucci's caged ankle boots can attest. And most designs, whether designers call them sandals, pumps or platforms, are centered upon the bootie concept.

For those of you who've been living under a rock lately, the bootie or shootie or ankle boots or whatever you'd like to call them, are high-heeled boots cropped off at the ankle. It is THE shoe of the moment and they've been around for the past few seasons. Even if the shoe is considered a sandal, the modern look is a foot that's strapped up, buckled up, wrapped up in silk and, generally speaking, hidden from plain view. In other words, anything that gives the impression of a bootie.




The Fashion Statement: Alexander McQueen's Final Show

Filed under: The Fashion Statement

alexander mcqueen fashion

A handful of fashion editors got a look at Alexander McQueen's last, unfinished collection on Tuesday, making them acutely aware of the genius the industry has lost.

The 16-piece collection, half of what was supposed to have been shown in Paris this week, was 80 percent finished on Feb. 11 when the designer hanged himself at his London apartment at the age of 40. He had been reportedly distraught by his mother's death and there were rumors of a failed love relationship. Sarah Burton, who worked with McQueen for more than a decade, finished his work.

The presentation was set to opera music the designer was listening to when he was working recently. It was "solemn, funereal and even a little spooky," according to Women's Wear Daily.

Editors said the show was difficult to watch because it was soon clear that McQueen was fixated on the afterlife. The clothes had medieval and religious overtones and suggested battles between angels and demons-themes that take on significantly more meaning in light of McQueen's death. With pale faces and wearing bronze skull caps, models glided out in Jacquards and silks on which Old Master paintings by Botticelli, Hieronymus Bosch and Jean Fouquet were digitally transferred. One print portrayed hell and damnation while another featured doves. A skull, a signature of McQueen's, showed up in this collection crushed and broken.


Alexander McQueen Love Red Faithful Satchel

Filed under: Handbags

The Red Faithful Satchel by Alexander McQueen has an understated elegance mixed with real life usability that makes it so appealing. It has a top handle, adjustable shoulder strap, a fold over flap that zips up to secure your items and several exterior pockets. With those essential features wrapped in a candy colored red leather to add some spice to your outfit, the Red Faithful Satchel has versatility and long lasting appeal. Price: $1480.

Alexander McQueen Thriller Faithful Glove Clutch, Handbag of the Day

Filed under: Handbags

Alexander McQueen Thriller Faithful Glove ClutchCarry this handbag and pay tribute to both the late Alexander McQueen and his inspiration for this piece: the iconic Michael Jackson. McQueen's Thriller Faithful Glove Clutch is a black whipsnake design clutch that features two angled zipper pockets and a white fingerless glove embellished with white Swarovski crystals on the front. The glove is attached to the bag with a snap and is (presumably) removable. The interior is fully lined in purple/plum with one inside zipper pocket and has a snap closure. Certainly an accessory meant to start a conversation. $1,920

Alexander McQueen De-Manta Clutch

Filed under: Handbags

Lee McQueen of fashion house Alexander McQueen was an outrageously expressive designer. He had an uncanny ability to push his creativity and transform clothing and accessories into works of art. One of our favorite McQueen pieces is the De-Manta Clutch from his Spring 2010 runway show. It's a combination of off-the-wall, eye popping color and jaw dropping patterns against an unexpected silhouette. The De-Manta Clutch is your statement bag to put all other bags to shame. I find myself mesmerized by it. I envision all the outfits and occasions I could possibly wear it to. However, the De-Manta Clutch has such a striking appearance, that you can easily incorporate this bold clutch with a simple outfit like jeans, a great fitting black v-neck t-shirt, and pumps - and with this one accessory, the entire outfit becomes a stand out.

The Fashion Statement: Fashion Week's a Wrap

Filed under: The Fashion Statement



New York fashion week, which ends here today, will unfortunately be remembered as 1) the week during which Alexander McQueen committed suicide and 2) the last time Bryant Park hosted the shows.

As tragic as the loss of McQueen was, in particular, life went on as did the designers in the tents and elsewhere in the city. Here, a few highlights from the week:

Rodarte, shown above, looked as if heavy salvaged pieces of fabric had been caught up by a stiff fall wind and wrapped its wearer in bohemian luxe. Ironically, the Mulleavy sister design duo chose fall to lighten up with bright colors and florals, a stark contrast to the black goth-like collection they presented for spring.

Boyfriends and husbands, beware of closet raids. Preen set the tone for the new blazer silhouette -- a masculine and longer-body -- worn with a belt or not. After seasons of tight and short blazers, this roomier style looks just right.

Michael Quintanilla, a journalist friend of mine I bumped into after Donna Karan, made the comment that only the work of a master can transform basic black pieces into a phenomenal collection. Karan is such a master. Black off-the-shoulder gowns, black cocoon coats and black blazers accented with leather patches were simply gorgeous. The designer carefully punctuated the show with fuchsia coats and teal cocktail dresses that, against all that black, were all the more eye-popping.


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