Milan Fall Collections

First of all, no one and nothing is any longer immune to the ongoing unravelling of life as we once knew it. The Titans of business in all areas have been brought to their knees and reality has driven a wedge , and in some cases a spike, into the heart and soul of so many. IT Holding SpA, the holding company for Ferre, Just Cavalli,VJC Versace,Costume National and Galliano labels filed for the Italian equivalent of Chapter 11. So no one and nothing is really safe from the wolf at the door. He's just circling , gnashing his teeth and waiting. So with this news flash at the beginning of Milans's Fashion parade the shows started.
Some good , some not and many just as we all expect. Gratuitous trend whoredom is excruciatingly boring and in poor taste:Everything from Cavalli.
Armani. Well that about sums it up. His secret like Lagerfeld's is that he found his niche 30 years ago and stuck with it. Hence superstardom. Albeit, typecast, NEVER changing but just what that customer wants. Enough said.

Prada/Miu Miu are an intellectual's paradise. Beautiful mixed up clothes. Texture , color form nature or shot through with chemicals. All sorts of functionality. And then there's STYLE. Nothing was uncool, and more importantly, these are clothes that suit all ages sizes and types. You can pick and choose or be a total victim and pile the whole thing on ,shopes ,bags, all of it and still look uber-cool. It is unassailably MODERN. Too expensive? Unfortunately. Honestly, and truly a wise investment for the long haul: Damn STRAIGHT.
Raf Simons's Jil Sander collection was artistic, technically inspired and very compelling. The shapes, very architectural and plastic in their manipulation was refreshing and provocative. Super cool. He is a designer pushing the envelope in a steady but still intelligent way. The rhythm of the collection went from quiet ,classical super clean shapes to abstraction. The progression was so subtle you didn't realize you'd been transported until the air was suddenly thinner and the view more fantastic. He keeps his audience right there in the cross hairs and it was very exciting. Others like Gareth Pugh and Rick Owens have more of a "Mow them down" aesthetic that leave me cold. There is real thought with a sense of referencing the past that make s his poetry understandable. Even when you don't get a word for word translation, you get the meaning. His dress is the one shown.

Then Bottega Veneta showed. Thomas Maier is a fantastic designer. A qiuet storm. The collection is thought provoking, hip and essential. It's as though you're in the dining room, the smells from the kitchen are making your mouth water and you can't quite catch what is cooking. When the dishes are served it's not at all what you thought. It's better. These clothes, lots of dresses in delicious colors,his use of leather and fabrics,and shapes are of the moment and ahead and have something for all women and men. I constantly find that I want to wear it all and to see women in droves dressing in these pieces. His imagination, technique and eye for proportion is razor sharp. He's my hero and I, his champion.
Gucci is tired. And by extension/extinction ,so is Tom Ford. His legacy is one that has not stood the test of time. Next:
Dolce is just that. A riot of candy. Great , over the top candy, but in the end there's rotted teeth and sugar shock. I'm still of the mind that all is not well in the kitchen.....
Lastly, Ferre was inching it's way down the kitty walk. The 2 guys(Tommaso Aquilano andRoberto Rimondi) did their best but the elizabethan theme was not exactly fresh or interestingly rendered. It takes time to find one's way in a house with such history and reputation. I think it will get better as they go. Clearly, they possess taste, skill and a point of view which will ripen over the seasons. I hope they are given the chance to realize it.
For those I didn't mention, go to Style.com and look for yourselves. Same goes for the ones that I did mention. Style.com shows the complete collections that shouldn't be summarized in one specific look.

Enjoy, discuss, dissect!

Out of sight...out of my mind

Me with my birthday toy!
Yes, For those of you not sure, I am a boy......


I've enjoyed a tiny hiatus.I just realized Fluff has been in circulation for a year this month! What a fun ride this has been. I never thought I'd have the energy and imagination to keep the ball rolling,but roll,it has. Thanks to all of you for your indulgence and patience with a sometimes unhinged alley cat . The truth is that like all beasts I only seek love and a sense that I'm ok even if the world is not.
I feel a little guilty not weighing in on the collections in Milan and Paris, which had much more meat than what New York for the most part exhibited...but I'll get to that.
There's also the CFDA award nominations that beg discussion...and I'll certainly get to that. When the kitchen got too hot I got out of town. Where to if you want refreshment, an open and expansive horizon filled with style, fascinating people and places??? There's only one destination that satisfies those prerequisites: Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. You heard me, BRATISLAVA. I'll share that fantasy trip as well. Nice to be back with you all, even if being back at the scene of the ongoing crime isn't.

My thrilling Saturday night!

It's saturday night and I'm getting together with a friend I've wanted to see for 20 years! No kidding....20 years. We're going to have dinner, try to catch up and commiserate at how profoundly excruciating fashion can be in the age of Madoff. I think it's gonna be just great. He, like me is a lifer. Wish you could all join in , but this one is a table for 2. Have a great night, try to slough off the doldrums and party like it was 1992!
See Ya!!!!!!!

Lambertson Truex Redux

It's never simple, this business of fashion. I was ruminating over their situation all afternoon and started to see a slightly different angle to this unfortunate turn of events. In many ways this is yet another cautionary tale. Here's a 10 year old company who sold a large stake to Samsonite. Then the old store roll out routine. Grow , grow grow til you bust.
The numbers bear out this problem. Samsonite opens store in L.A. , Las Vegas and NYC. Rents are exhorbidant.Sales don't support the overhead, and next thing you know assets are in the 1million dollar range with liabilities soaring in the 10-50million dollar range. Any math majors out there? So there you have it. I believe guts and a willingness to protect your business will win in the end. In this case I certainly hope so. LT just needs to keep their collective eyes on the bag and not on the fast buck.

Lambertson Truex

Chapter 11. Seems no one is safe. Whatever happened to the luxury market and the people who kept it alive? This is a really sad statement. These guys were 2 of the best this country has to offer. There wasn't anything they didn't touch that wasn't of the best quality, proportion and taste. I hope they pull through.

Nip and Tuck?

Is it my imagination or does it look like Todd has had some work done? These pics span a year or 2 but the one on the right is the most recent and the one which looks the most"altered". I know it's ill-mannered to point and stare, but it's seems so odd to see the differences in these portaits. I hate to see that in a middle aged man...midlife crisis, career crisis, or what have you. That's no reason to go running to the local butcher. .....Plastic surgery is pretty scary.

Todd Oldham Overboard!

Don't say I didn't tell you the boat was carrying one too many passengers. Ironically, it's the captain who got the heave ho. Todd , as Creative Director at Old Navy since October 2007 took a long walk off a short plank . This is a little stale as it happened last month , but his performance record has been stale all this time. Sales at the venerable house of low brow design have been wheezing for some time now and he's been the Go-To guy for just about every aspect of the chain's performance. Technically, Todd walked out late in February, but the sharks have been circling for the past several months. Reports of weak sales and uninspiring product have been bubbling to the surface for some time.
He was ushered up the gang plank to great fanfare , and proceeded to do what he does best from the days of his eponymous collection and his stint with Laz-Y-Boy. That easy chair gig alone should have been a harbinger of things to come. Lots of big plans were put in place, as is his M.O. There would be home and beauty products along with clothes all branded as Todd Oldham for Old Navy. As we've all failed to see, none was to come to fruition. He and his production company are very big on big ideas but woefully short on imagination and follow through. That's 17 months of big time planning with nothing to show for it but a lackluster performance and a typically greedy lawsuit against GAP,Inc. . All of this is apparently over a "business disagreement". Most disagreements are discussed and worked out. Few go straight to Federal Court unless one side is out for blood. Considering the Gap is the injured party with a huge chain of stores crippled from little creative direction, one would expect them to pull out the swords. In this case it is the other way around. Breach of contract( whatever that means) and other sealed claims are the gist of the suit. This fishy stink is so in keeping with today's economy. If you can't earn it , then just take it.
Puss Cat has heard from very reliable sources that there is a history of the GRAB technique used by L-7 Designs Inc , Todd's holding company for his various trademarks. His other ventures in the licensing world have gotten him in to hot water before. His folksy charm is a foil for back alley tactics.
Apparently, Gap,Inc. isn't in the mood to be kicked around by this Keds shod was-been. They have there own lawsuit cooking in the galley and have no plans to take this sitting down. Something tells me that they possess a bit more spinach in their guts than Todd, and they intend to flex those muscles.Gap Inc.'s spokesperson Louise Callagy says that Gap is confident in their ability to defend themselves on all points and are filing their own breach of contract claims against L-7Designs Inc.
The jib could swing this way or that , but I have a sneaking suspicion that the mast will end up in a place unplanned. Greed and lust are rarely satisfied bedfellows. Let's watch and see how this tattered sail unfurls.