The Clique Five : S/S 08 Collections

The S/S 08 Collections have come and gone with all their hoopla and excitement. We've had plenty of time to review and reflect so its only fair to look back on all that was and see what lessons can be learned. I like to think of the collections as a template for what's coming and while there were a few shows that made me scratch my head (Vuitton, anyone) there is a great deal worth talking about. As such here are my personal top 10 shows this season complete thing things I feel every woman at every size can incorporate into their wardrobes. Ignore the bobblehead models (Natasha Poly, what happened) and focus on the great tips and tricks to be learned from these sartorial flights of fancy.

1. HERMES | COMPLETE COLLECTION

This was the absolute show of the season for me. To be honest I found most of the S/S 08 offering to be a tad boring but this was completely and utterly beautiful. Sure Gaultier has done Indain inspired collections before but I'd say this ranks among his absolute best. Everything from the colors to the exquisite detailing worked for me. Look at those silks! Don't you just want to touch them!



Trend to Try: Layering. The best thing about Hermes this season was the ingenious layering and draping. Its hard to go wrong in that direction when you're being influenced by saris but we can all take a page from the book of Gaultier on this.

2. LANVIN | COMPLETE COLLECTION | VIDEO

Alber Elbaz is my favorite so I'm completely biased but I can't help but think that this was an exceptionally strong collection. Everything was feminine and unfussy not to mention refined. I loved the beautiful ruffles, the satin dresses in those incredible jewel tones and the parade of must have accessories. I love how the heavy charmed necklaces and brooches provide a subtle alternative to bling and the shoes were as decadent as ever.




Trend to Try: Shine. The Lanvin show contained several dresses that were very heavy on the sequins. The effect was lovely and completely non-Vegas showgirl. Sequins can interject a little glamour into an otherwise normal outfit and now is good time to try them especially in these monochromatic combinations.

3. 3.1 PHILIP LIM | COMPLETE COLLECTION

I always love Phillip Lim because the clothes look like things one could really put together themselves. There's never anything so over the top or ridiculous that makes you go huh. Its all just young, wearable, sportswear. I really loved the color pallate this time around The mix of neutrals, neons and metallics was really beautiful. These are just things you want in your closet - a great trench, the perfect cardigan, a couple of choice mini skirts, items every girl can appreciate.



Trend to Try: Brights. Lim highlighted the usual beiges and greys will wild pops of red, yellow and orange. This is another cool way to spice up your outfits and also really inexpensive. It doesn't matter whether your brights come from Target or Barneys, as long as you pair them with nuetral colors they'll look amazing.

4. BURBERRY PRORSUM | COMPLETE COLLECTION | VIDEO

Christopher Bailey called the women that inspired his collection "luxury warriors" and it absolutely shows. From the shield sunglasses (the better to protect you from paparazzi flashes) to the studded almost military coats the models looks ready for battle but in a good way. I love how strong all the clothes were - there was nothing girly or prissy just a lot of hard lines and high heels. Add to this the fact that Bailey touched on every single current trend in one show. Thorough as always.




Trend to Try: Belted. Almost every single outfit at Burberry was secured with a thin studded belt. From the dresses to the coats, even the blouses - everything was paired with some variation of this belt. It just goes to show you how one solid belt purchase is all you need. Go for something unusual and you can pair it with almost anything.

5. VIKTOR & ROLF | COMPLETE COLLECTION | VIDEO

This is my wild card pick. Personally, I loved every minute but I know some people hated it. I thought it was an incredibly romantic and paired down collection especially for Viktor and Rolf. Remember last season? The conveyor belt and the wooden clogs? Yeah, I repress the bad memories too. This on the other hand was just splendid - black, white, pink, loads of adorable little violin appliqués. Just lovely. Completely reminiscent of the harlequins that inspired this collection. I wouldn't advocate a giant violin necklace in every day life but on the runway it was just too dreamy.




Trend to Try: Ruffles. Every other piece V&R sent down the runway had some variation of a ruffle on it. From the subtle detailing at the collar to a full blown ruffled jacket. There is something very delicate and youthful about that sort of detailing and we'll be seeing a lot of it in the near future.

What did you guys love/hate this season? I was quite taken with Nina Ricci and even the much maligned Balenciaga collection. Vuitton didn't do it for me but it was lovely to see a few of my favorite supermodels on the catwalk again.

How Sweet It Is!

TFFF never got to properly celebrate our anniversary (can you believe its been over a year) but thankfully our friends at Vosges Haute Chocolate were kind enough to send us a some delectable chocolate in honor of it.

As a rule I only talk about things I actually like on the blog so believe me when I say I love this stuff. I might actually be addicted to the Macha Tea Bar, its that good. I just wanted to give a little shout out and say thanks to Paige and co. for treating us to these incredible delicacies.

Now, since were already on the subject of chocolate feel free to chime in with your favorites.

One, Two, Three Is Sesame Street

Forgive me readers, for I have sinned: the beauty of the blogosphere (aside, obviously, from the word "blog" which I like to use as often as possible in the hopes that somehow, somewhere, Anna Wintour will cry out in pain and she won't know why) is that you can update round the clock, bringing readers the fashion news even before it has happened.

Yet here we are and I think the last update from your Euro correspondent was way back in the mists of time...when Rachel Zoe still had representation, when Professor McGonagall still had hopes that Albus would one day see what lay beneath her stern robes, when it wasn't so flipping cold.

Mea culpa. However please accept a number of delays between now and December as I struggle to complete my magnum opus on teen television. I hope to cast aside such worthy issues as "does Dan Scott from One Tree Hill use hair straighteners?" and "isn't Canada too cold for people to frolic al fresco like I'm seeing on Falcon Beach?" every now and then to bring you various fashion tidbits from across the pond.


Penelope Cruz for Spanish fashion label Mango

Like today's subject, inspired by a piece from The Independent, all about the Spanish fashion industry and standardised sizing on clothes:

Following years of complaints from frustrated consumers, the Spanish government has acted to bring order to the chaotic disparity of clothes sizes. The socialist health ministry, which has responsibility for consumer affairs, has struck an unprecedented deal with big Spanish retailers, manufacturers and trade associations to standardise clothes sizes and end consumer confusion.

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Last month technicians from Spain's health ministry visited the first of 59 towns across the country to measure 10,415 Spanish women, aged between 12 and 70, to find out what size and shape the nation's females really are.

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The aim is to promote "a realisable image of healthy beauty – neither Rubens women nor anorexic girls", according to the health minister, Bernat Soria. "It is our commitment that beauty and health go hand in hand."

The article goes on to note that the standardised system will also include promises from retailers to size up their window mannequins to at least a UK 10 (US 6), and to incorporate size UK 18 (US 14) into all ranges rather than treating it as a 'special' size and hiding it away.

It might sound like only a tentative move towards body acceptance, but UK 18 is one size larger than Topshop and many other uber-fashionable high street brands. Short of a bloody revolution and overthrowing the ateliers, or something, I think moves like this -- one step, or size, at a time -- are the way we're going to get progress in the industry.

The thrust of the article is less about the irritants of being one size in one store and another in another (annoying though that is, you eventually get to know your Size Per Store), and more about the negative effects differing sizes can have on body image. I can't speak for every Brit, but one of the delights of shopping in the US for us is -- aside from the strong pound and everything being totally cheaper anyway -- going down two sizes. Sometimes we'll buy stuff just to waft around and be all "I'm size 8!"

It's less fun shopping in continental Europe and coming out with a size 44 or whatever (not least because I really don't understand what that is). I have to assume that it's something metric that makes no sense compared to our thoroughly simple system of sizing things in pints, guineas and shillings.


Hastily constructed and not necessarily accurate size converter.

It's just too much. Like why do France and Spain go from a 46 to 50 in one sizing step? Just to be difficult and, y'know, French? What's with Japan going for the odd numbers? If S starts that low, do plus sizes end up being called XXXXXXXXL? Because that will look silly on the label and make nobody happy. And don't even get me started on Gap doing that annoying Sizes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc. Size 3 isn't a size! Soylent Green is people!

I'm actually wearing right now: a Gap vest, Size S/P (?!), a Primark cardigan, Size 8-10 (so...in between sizes?), and Stella McCartney for Adidas track pants, Size 12 (the only label that gives a conversion to all other sizes, except, weirdly, the US).* Number-number style sizing I can cope with, up to a point, for stuff like cardigans or whatever -- if they're not meant to be fitted, I guess a random one-size-fits-several attitude is acceptable. Plus it's Primark. BUT 'S/P' IS NOT A SIZE.

*I'm at home and it's cold and I'm poorly! Please don't judge me on this mishmash.

Am I alone? Do y'all find yourself wandering around stores just utterly perplexed and guesstimating the size? Feeling crappy when you go up two or four numbers? I do think that using numbers or graded size words plays into this: would one strive for a size zero if it were called something else? And as pointed out above, if you start sizing S at a UK 10, you pretty quickly run out of options except to just keep adding Xs in the manner of the stalkery love notes I write to Bryan Greenberg until he gets a restraining order, um, you can't fit any more on the label.

I personally think the fashion industry needs to steal a leaf from the food industry's book (perhaps playing speedknob on it, and writing 'I smell' for good measure, then flicking its pigtails), and, following Spain's lead, standardise the lot. Perhaps not worldwide, but cutting a swathe across continents so you can flit between, say, London, Paris and Milan buying up a storm without having to carry a calculator. As each country's population has changed a great deal, and differently, measuring 10,000+ women seems a good place to start in drawing up the new sizing.

(If they can also make bra manufacturers stick to the same sizing chart, I and my boobs would say a hearty thank you also.)

Then when they're done measuring and cutting and sticking and drawing and deciding, (you know, the all powerful 'they'), a system that doesn't involve ever increasing numbers or judgey words would be super. I'd far rather be a size green or a size fabulous than a size 12 anyway. How great would that be? Not only are you the same size in every store, but it's a positive (if totally random) word, that bears no relation to any other size words. So instead of having people sniffle that they're now a size delicious and need to diet back down to size effervescent, they..wouldn't.

After the Fall : Autumn Fragrances

The weather is finally cold enough to be called fall without my resorting to irony. As such its high time to switch the summer fresh scent staples and head into deeper, darker, sexier perfume territory. All those heavy decadent scents that were too pronounced back in summer are just perfect for fall. Now is not the time for a whisper of lemon zest and a hint of lily - fall is when we have free reign to break out the tuberose and go wild so we might as well enjoy it. As such here are six perfume winners, tried and tested - no hyped up scents that fail to make the grade, no ridiculous celebrity perfumes (why would anyone even want to smell like Britney Spears at this point) , just six incredible warm, heady, sensual scents you should try right now.



Les Nuits d'Hadrien

Notes : Green Mandarin, tangerine, bergamot, Sicilian lemon, ylang-ylang, cumin, sandalwood, white musk, amber, vanilla

Everyone knows that Eau de Hadrien is pretty much summer in a bottle. Its the kind of bright, sunny citrus that you want to just bathe in the moment the temperature hits past 75. Nuits d'Hadrien takes that essence and deepens into something great for all year round. You still get that initial burst of rich lemon but its surrounded by spicy woody notes that are intoxicating. Best of all its always stays fresh and clean - a great bonus for anyone looking to change their scent for the season without getting into anything too intense.

Premier Figuier
Notes : Fig, fig leaf, milk of almond, sandalwood and coconut

Delicious. Absolutely and completely delicious. You'll be licking at your wrist it smells that good and while that prospect might not seem particularly enticing something has to be said about a sweet and infinitely addictive fig scent. There is something about this perfume that is completely quirky - if you want a break from the usual florals or zesty citrus blends Premier Figuier is delightful. And for an even more intense experience try the Extreme version.

Gucci by Gucci

Notes : Guava, raspberry, pear, Tahitian Tiare flower, orange blossom, spider lily, patchouli, honey and musk

Anyone who knows me knows that I've had my issues with Gucci since Tom Ford left. Sorry Frida, I just can't get excited about the clothes anymore but that doesn't stop me from enjoying the latest scent to the fullest. A smoky mix of patchouli, amber and enough fruit to make a smoothie that dries down into something musky and close to the skin. Gorgeous enough to make me forget all about the horror of those plaid pants they showed for fall. If anything this veers back to the houses 1970s disco roots - there is something very Studio 54 about the whole deal from the scent itself to the print ads and even the bottle its all just decadent.

Serge Lutens Un Bois de Vanille

Notes : Vanilla, Bitter Almond, Musk, Licorice, Sandalwood, Coconut Milk

Do you know that feeling of curling up by a fireside with a warm cup of tea on the coldest day of the year? This is that feeling in a bottle. Warm vanilla spice mingled with a creamy caramelized sugar and sandalwood. There is something comforting about it but at the same time its just a little dangerous. You can smell the hint of smoke that keeps this from being just another milk and cookies vanilla scent.


Narciso Rodriguez for Her

Notes: Honey Flower, Solar Musk, Orange Blossom, Osmanthus, Amberlyn, Vanilla, Tactile Musk, Tactile Woods, Vetiver.

Musk is one of those love it or hate it things. There's something animalistic about it that either you respond to or your don't. Personally I can't get enough of it but I know its not for everyone. Thankfully Narciso Rodriguez for her exists - a musk thats just dirty enough for the bad girls but still clean enough that you can pair it with pearls and a twinset without resorting to irony. Plus there is more than a fair amount of amber in the mix - a complete fall fragrance standby.


Carnal Flower

Notes: Bergamot, Melon, Eucalyptus, Ylang Ylang, Salycilates, Jasmine, Tuberose absolute, Orange Blossom absolute Coconut,White Musks

Alright. Here's where we separate the girls from the women. Carnal Flower is not for the faint of heart - its deep, entrancing and completely sexy. The words strong and powerful come to mind when I think of this. A blast of tuberose completely anthethetical to any you've had before. This isn't Fracas 2.0, its something new. A green freshly picked tuberose mixed with jasmine that dries down to a deep dark musk. Intoxicating and so luxurious. Its rare to find something that combines green and warm so expertly but this does.

What will you ladies be wearing this fall in the fragrance department? I've got my Carnal Flower right here but the new Tom Ford Black Orchid Voile de Fleur is also high on my list this time around.

Wonders Never Cease...

Never thought I'd see the day but Kaiser has rejected 3 models from the Chanel S/S show for being far too thin.


Models Raquel Zimmerman, Julia Dunstall and Vlada Roslyakova with Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel S/S 08

Karl Lagerfeld revealed in Paris he had taken a dramatic stand on the size zero issue by rejecting three models for his Chanel catwalk show yesterday (Friday) because they were 'too skinny'.

"It is the first time I have ever done something like this," he said.

"I have nothing against skinny girls. But these were terrible. They looked as if they had grown up in a Third World country with no food to eat.

"I sent them back to the agency. I did not think they should be modeling," said the designer.

He described the three models – who he did not identify – as being so thin as to look 'almost deformed' and agreed his stance may persuade other designers to follow suit.

I can't help but be curious as to which girls he sent packing (though I have my suspicions) but of course thats just my inner gossip fiend working over time. Kudos to Karl for actually doing that in his rude very Karl way. Granted, Karl is no friend to anyone over a size 4 but I give him credit for sending the girls home. This is one of the few times I've heard of a big designer sending girls back for being too thin and this is Karl "The girls are not anorexic but the clothes are" Lagerfeld, who has defended the size zero trend in the past. Good to see that he's changing his tune or at least altering it slightly. I really am curious as to which girls were sent back - usually its very known models (or up and coming) who get cast for Chanel and for someone to be so thin that Karl thinks they look bad they would have to be essentially transparent.

One small step I suppose. I hope more designers aren't afraid to send girls back to their agencies.