Kirstie Alley On The Catwalk for Spring Fashion Week 2012

The 'once again' newly svelte 60 year old Kirstie Alley donned the catwalk yesterday in New York city for Malaysian designer Zang Toi during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at The Studio at Lincoln Center.  Toi left Malaysia at the age of 18 to pursue his passion for creating couture, landing in Toronto first and then settling down in New York where he went to design school.  His modernistic styles seem to be infused with hints of the far east.  I totally appreciate diversity where haute couture is concerned but seriously don't know that I'm feeling a vibe on what Alley wore for his show maybe due to the fact that in my opinion, the piece does not scream "SPRING!!!" but rather seems to be saying, "Look at me, I'm a Disney Princess!".  Kirstie looks fab regardless and major kudos to the beyond middle aged mama for slimming down.  I think this is a much better approach on her part in comparison to the stint she pulled five years ago on Oprah when she set herself up for public scrutiny by wearing a bikini after dropping a few lbs!  

         
pics: dailymail.co.uk.com, thefashionpolice.net

Fall Fur'y

Outerwear is going tactile for Fall/Winter 2011 as with the onset of the chilly temps right around the corner, we will be seeing more cold weather apparel adorned with wild & woolly patches of fur, both faux & real.  Big statement coats or chic vests worn with skinny jeans and stilettos will be the perfect pairing as opposed to opting for colors of the rainbow.  Head to toe neutrals in black, brown, beige & gray are the way to go...  During fashion week 2011, American designer Peter Som, blew the runway away with his unique take on the common fur coat by deciding to fur the sleeves only on these absolutely unique & dramatic pieces.

Tibi of New York has an amazingly diverse selection of fresh fashions, for instance they offer the ultimate in utility chic in this Tibi's fur coat combo'd with rich wool felt that has detachable sleeves and bottom panel that converts this garment into a flirty cropped fur jacket.

My personal fave comes from Burberry Prorsum which to me has captured an ultimately vintage aesthetic with their double breasted, wool tweed trench coat with black fox fur panels.  It only goes for about $3,950.00.  It's a gorgeous coat, but geeze oh' peets that's pretty pricey!

Whether you like it or not, cruelty free fur is taking a back seat to the real deal this year because 'fur' is trending hot!  Global retail sales for fur were up more than 5% putting sales at over 14 billions in spite of the current recession.  


pics: atouchofluxe.com, tumblr.com, polyvore.com, flickr.com

Gettin' Checked Out...

Whether you refer to it as plaid, hounds tooth or simply checks, there's a rich history behind this pattern that has been referred to as 'Prince of Wales checks' for some time now, given this nickname because it was extremely popular when Edward VIII was Prince of Wales in the 1930's.  For forty years thereafter it became the fabric of choice for aristocrats & commoners alike.  Now that we're approaching 2012, we've long since evolved past the basic plaid/checkered shirt or blouse and have moved into new territory.

The British fashion designer, the late Alexander McQueen, received major kudos for his tartan collection when he mesmerized his fans with his modernistic approach to creating current fashions from the vintage fabric.

This Alexander McQueen Tartan poof skirt-dress is on sale at Neiman Marcus for only about $800.00...ahhh yeah right not on this fashionistas budget!

This past Spring Yves St. Laurent showcased their Fall line up for 2011 that included a variety of styles that incorporated the Prince of Wales check designs, with a contemporary flair befitting of the 21st century.

During Milan fashion week this year, Gucci even had the guys on board with this trend...

You can very well piece together your own 'Prince of Wales' inspired wardrobe with just a few simple clothing items accentuated with leather and chains to keep it fun & fresh!  After McQueen showcased his Tartan creations, the look was sought after in a big way as everyone wanted to get 'checked out'!

                                     ***In shop vintage plaids***

     
pics: fashionising.com, trendstyle4u.blogspot.com, flickr.com, glamazondianes.com, latimesblogs.latimes.com, 4bp.blogspot.com, catwalkqueen.tv.com,http://www.etsy.com/shop/retrothreadz

Maria Shriver...Status Quo Style In Spite Of The Split!

Arnold Schwarzenegger gave the ultimate diss to his soon to be 'ex wife' Maria Shriver by confessing to her that he had a child with the hired help & has been entertaining an affair with his mistress for over a decade!  I'm sure you've heard about it by now in the news, in the tabloids, trash mags, etc...  She has dealt with many hardships in her family and of course everyone knows about the so called 'Kennedy Curse' which was nicknamed as such, by all of the continued misfortune the clan has had fall upon them. 

In spite of it all, Shriver has maintained an air of style, grace and elegance and being a part of America's most legendary family, who would expect anything less? In 2009, she was voted Glamour Magazines 'Woman Of The Year' and rightfully so, as she has been and remains a strong female role model for women everywhere being an activist, author & journalist.

    
On top of everything else, she loves fashion as she was seen in Paris during fashion week for the Fall/Winter 2011 Chanel Show. 

She stated in an interview once that Tom Ford for Gucci was her favorite designer... Regardless of all the hoopla and media frenzy that's surrounding her at the moment, just like always, Maria Shriver is going to come out on top because after all she's a Kennedy! 

pics: examiner.com , askmen.com , zimbio.com , fashwong.com , looks.com

Fashion In Film Friday

In 1977 John Travolta's role in the classic hit movie Saturday Night Fever about a troubled Brooklyn teen trying to make it as a dancer, shot him to stardom as an instant sex symbol of the 70's.        

  
Besides popularizing disco music around the world, the fashions in this film started a major style trend with synthetic fabrics that gave four star status to nylon and polyester.  This was the time of butterfly collars, bell bottom pants and handkerchief hemline dresses.  Clothing was comfortable and most of all danceable!

This style is still, and always will be quite universal so much so that it even made it's way to Suneet Verma, the Delhi based designer who closed the Lakme '10th Annual Fashion Week' last year with his 'Night Fever Collection'.
His pieces included silk georgette net and organza of the late 70's & sequin sheeting of the 80's. Staying true to the theme, his show was full on with mirror balls and Donna Summers/Bee Gees disco tracks!

Whether you love it or hate it...DISCO is never gonna die!!! 

pics: latinomusiccafe.com, l.yimg.com, getahead.rediff.com

It's MOD Monday Baby!

It's MOD Monday here again at Retro Threadz and this week we're discussing the origin of the 'baby doll dress' since it was a fashion staple of the 60's.  The baby doll style started out as a sometimes sleeveless, comfortable, usually nylon fabric, short, loose fitting night gown that shortly thereafter migrated into a dress.

The name given for the garment style 'baby doll' was popularized by the movie of the same name in the late 50's which portrayed the title female character as a young and sexy nymphet and the whole idea of that set off the garments popularity amongst young women.

Both Twiggy and Goldie Hawn were most associated with the baby doll style of the 60's...

The style faded a bit through the late 70's and 80's but made a resurgence in the 90's when grunge goddess Courtney Love gave it a new spin and the birth of the punk rock style called 'kinderwhore' was born!  Basically it's a baby doll dress that has been torn, ripped up or cut low in the front paired with platform Mary Jane's.

     
The trend had died down again a bit but popped up in the 'here and now' as  designer Julien MacDonald fashioned up quite a variety of baby doll dresses circa 2011 as he showed his collection at the Spring Fashion week.  

If you notice, there hasn't been too much evolution regarding the shape of the style with the baby doll dress, just a lot more variety where color and textures are concerned.


pics: eliakazanmovies.blogspot.com, corbisimages.com, hubpages.com, fashiontheory.umwblogs.org, threndsandtreats.wordpress.com