Styling Tips From Three of New York’s Top Men’s Fashion Designers

Text, Vivian Kelly

Model at the Duckie Brown fall 2012 Collection Show, Industria Superstudios, New York Fashion Week

New York Fashion Week has come and gone and the fashion circus has moved on to London, Milan and Paris. This season, while sitting at the men’s shows I attended, I wondered what “the average guy” would think about avant- garde fashion designers such as Duckie Brown and John Bartlett. Truth told, I’d often thought that but hadn’t pursued the matter until I was asked to write this post, keeping the scottsmenswear customer in mind.

Prior to going to the shows, I scanned the wares on scotts Menswear, and decided that the divide between avant garde designers and more traditional/mass lines was not as wide as I’d previously assumed it was.

This was confirmed by my interviews [see links below] with Daniel Silver and Steven Cox [the two halves of the Duckie Brown label] and John Bartlett, which took place minutes before their respective fall 2012 runway show and press presentation.

John Bartlett Look #9 from the fall 2012 Collection Press Presentation, Milk Studios, NYFW

All three designers point to the proper fit as an absolute essential, whether you’re choosing to wear a pair of Duckie Brown’s Harris Tweed wide pleated trousers or a pair of G-STAR3301 Loose Brooklyn Jeans available from scotts for £80.00.

G-STAR 3301 Loose Brooklyn Jean

They’re both baggy – true- but if you look closely, they are fitted in the right places. Note, the waist fits, it does not drag down past your boxers and neither should they be overly long. The key to achieving the made-to-measure fit, explains NY designer, John Bartlett, and to looking amazing in your clothes -is take all of your clothes to a tailor. In our pre-show interview, John told us about his 19-year-old nephew who shops the same brands as his friends – many of the brands available on scottsmenswear.com, such as G-Star, Original Penguin, Lacoste, etc. His nephew reported that his friends ask him [a lot] where he’s gotten his clothes, not realizing that they are not hideously pricey high-end designer wear. Depending on where you live, it can cost you a little as $12US to tailor a pair of slacks if you’re only changing the length. *

Below, NY Designer John Bartlett, backstage at Milk Studios.

Tailoring extends to whether you’re wearing Fred Perry’s Stewart Shirt Jacket or Voi Jeans’ Glance Heaven padded shirt or one of John Bartlett’s eco friendly navy/blue tartan plaid shirts. These pieces are fitted, not droopy and shapeless. Unless you’re buying made to measure, it’s highly unlikely that the fit will be perfect. You may not have been aware that “perfectly proportioned” runway models have to have fittings and a good tailor and or seamstress are a key part of a fashion designer’s team.

The Duckies go one further in our backstage interview. Says Steven, “Get your clothes fitted so that they’re snug”. Adds Daniel, “two sizes smaller than you think you are” [whether you’re buying a piece or having an existing piece tailored]. A proper fit, says Daniel can actually make you look younger. The pair goes on to add that being in shape will make your clothes look better as well.

Steven highlights one key basic guys should have, the plaid shirt, which is present in Duckie Brown’s fall 2012 collection. The small “fashion” difference is a pocket to be able to slip your hands into, but as he says “nothing revolutionary”; it’s still a plaid shirt.

So, when you’re shopping for clothes, think about dialing your personal style up a notch or two and remember what our designer friends advice.

#1 Work on being in shape to do justice to your clothes

#2 Find and befriend a good tailor and bring everything to him or her. As Steven says, no item is too inconsequential, even the lowly white shirt and jeans qualify!

#3 Try on clothes that are one, even two, sizes smaller than your “normal” one for a sleeker fit.

These are not radical suggestions or involve your taking extreme measures, but incorporating these handy tips WILL result in your looking “yourself” only better!

Last Words…

Before I go, I can’t fail to mention the importance of hair. If after reading this and watching the videos, you decide that you’re a conservative dresser, you can still show your unique flair via your hairstyle, which will pop all the more while wearing a Lacoste polo and Original Penguin Rogue Jeans £70.00 than it would if you were wearing head to toe Duckie Brown, like the models in the show.

*Average prices in US$ for men’s tailoring

Pants [shortening, lengthening, taking in/out, crotch, taper between $12-15 per item

Blazer alterations - $28 – 50

Shirt alterations – $ 12-15 per change

A Style Lesson From Yann Varin & The 84th Academy Awards: How To Achieve A Perfectly Balanced Look

Text, Vivian Kelly

Michelle-Williams-wearing-Fred-Leighton-for-Forevermark-Jewelry and a Louis Vuitton Gown at-the-84th-Academy-Awards

Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting celebrity stylist, Yann Varin, at his Madison Avenue Salon, located in the what recession? part of Manhattan -the Upper East Side.

Yann Varin, backstage with a model at the Emilio Cavallini Fall 2012 Show

This was thanks to long-time publicist friend, Melanie Seymour of The Project-NY who arranged an introduction with Yann and Philippe Huillet shortly after NYFW.

Yann Varin's Doorknob Updo for the Emilio Cavallini Fall 2012 Show, NYFW

I had a few things in mind as I walked up to the minimalist yet elegant second floor salon. Top of the list – the Oscars. We started our chat discussing updos and Yann’s innovative “doorknob” bun he’d created for the Emilio Cavallini show during NYFW. This brought us to a discussion about how hair is ONE of the components of a successful “total look”. He went on to say that the European women whose hair he has styled at the Cannes Film Festival [Monica Bellucci] have a different approach to most of the Hollywood actresses who walk the Red Carpet.

Monica Bellucci, Stunning At Cannes

The big difference is that European women do not flaunt ALL their assets and thus show far less skin than their American counterparts. This is not to mean that European stars at Cannes wear puritanical dresses on that Red Carpet, only that they tend to make a decision about which of their assets to highlight which results an image that is about THEM, not their dress or a giant piece of expensive jewelry.

Granted, there WERE a lot of major baubles at the Oscars on A-list arms, throats, wrists, and ears, but for the most part, they served to enhance rather than to dominate the looks. Maria Menounos was wearing a lot of Jacob & Co Jewelry, from the Palladium Jewelry collection, but paired with her solid pastel Grecian gown and updo, it worked. In case you’re wondering, her Cocktail Ring comes in at $22,350, the Vintage Chandelier Pear Shaped Stone Earrings at $400,000and the Square Emerald Cut Tennis Bracelet, at $125,000, [$547,350 in total]

Last night, as I stared avidly at ABC’s Red Carpet Arrivals Coverage, I recalled Yann’s words as I tweeted back and forth with Anthony Palermo, another very talented hair stylist.

Angelina Jolie in a stunning Atelier Versace gown, showing off one of her many assets. Photo from OTRC.com

A-lister, Angelina Jolie, did what Anthony and I had hoped – she wore Atelier Versace again, and the result was hot enough to inspire its own Twitter page! [Twitter friend, @rosagraziano, sent me a tweet about this which I had to read twice to see if I'd misread it].

All that was needed here was a matching shoe, a bright red lip and A-list attitude.

Yann was right. The stars who shone – Michelle Williams – presented a picture-perfect image because nothing tried to over-power anything else. True, Michelle was wearing a very bright Louis Vuitton coral-red dress, but it was in no way garish. Neither were her diamonds, a Brilliant Cut Fred Leighton Forevermark Diamond Necklace. The dress was the focal point and she matched a red lip to it and kept the hair simple and side-parted. No headband and dowdy velvet dress this time, thank you!

So back to “real life”. We all have events to attend that are own personal Red Carpet of sorts and Yann’s advice applies. When you’re choosing your look, try this check-list.

1. Think hard about how you want to look. Do you want to be: a siren? Look polished? A Greek Goddess for the evening?

Whatever it is, decide and stick with THAT look.

2. Choose your dress.

3. Decide on the accessories: the shoe, the bag, the jewelry.

At this point, ask yourself where you will place the accent. That could be a fabulous piece of jewelry [Maria Menounos] or a red lip [Angelina Jolie]. You can only have ONE, so choose carefully.

4. When doing your hair and makeup, they must compliment the look. If your gown is revealing, says Yann, be very careful that your accessories, hair and makeup are very polished. Likewise, if your dress is demure, you can amp up your hair, makeup and bag as Angelina did with a strong lip and teased mane.

Do all of the above, and the result will be “Wow, YOU look great” before “Wow, what an amazing dress” and YOU will be the focus of attention.

Enjoy the party and the attention!

Images from Emilio Cavallini fall 2012 Show, spicycandydc.com

Image of Monica Bellucci at Cannes, from Just Jared

The Rebeccas: Rebecca Taylor and Rebecca Minkoff and Their Fall 2012 Collections

Text, Vivian Kelly and Laura Wood

Friday, Feb 10

Rebecca Taylor and Rebecca Minkoff

Rebecca Taylor

The impression we had was based on our knowledge that Rebecca Taylor is a seasoned pro and knows how to put together a cohesive collection. That was underlined by seeing newer designer Rebecca Minkoff’s collection immediately afterwards. Our strongest impression was that Ms. Minkoff’s collection didn’t hold together as a cohesive collection lacking a central theme.

Ms. Taylor’s clothes this season are layered and asymmetrical. We liked #4, an elegant take on a long tee shirt and leggings. You get the ease of the former but with the festiveness of sequins and chiffon you could wear to a party.

Rebecca Taylor's Look #4 from the fall 2012 Collection Show

Number 18, a velvet burn out dress is for anyone who wants just a little bit of asymmetric.

Ziggy Stardust Wallpaper - David Bowie

: Rebecca Minkoff’s Opening Look – Touches of Ziggy Stardust

Rebecca Minkoff's Look #18 from her fall 2012 collection show

Look 27, an ivory boucle sweater and quilted leather skirt is cute but only on the skinniest girl. The asymmetric layered look isn’t for everyone but Ms. Taylor works it with a sure hand.

Rebecca Minkoff

Looks 1 and 3 in the “Galaxy Sequin” segment at Rebecca Minkoff had shades of Ziggy Stardust and seemed ideal for the aspiring LA starlet.

From that point on, although it was obvious that the collection had distinct themes, they were dispersed unevenly. First you see eye-popping neon color with gray and then appears again in look 18 and then in 20 and disappears. We liked this grouping and wished it had been presented together and she did a good job toning down summer brights with gray making it suitable for fall. Look 18 had some nice separates you use in both spring and fall.

Rafael Cennamo’s Transformative Gowns -Dresses WithThe Power To Make You A Princess

Text, Vivian and Laura Wood

Every woman would like to be a princess or a queen and Venezuelan designer, Rafael Cennamo, knows that.

He even crowned some of his models in his NYFW Presentation at the Lincoln Center Box venue.

The teased hair with the circlets is modern days take on the gigantic wigs Marie Antoinette and her ladies wore to Court as well as the cover of Jo Manning‘s My Lady Scandalous [The Amazing Life and Outrageous Times of Grace Dalrymple Elliott, Royal Courtesan] a book I can’t wait to start reading tonight.

PR guru, Paul Wilmot, had expressed enthusiasm for this designer some months back, and he has never steered us wrong, but this collection exceeded all expectations.

True, we’d checked-out images of Taylor Swift and Gwen Stefani in R.C. and they looked good, but what we saw in the Box was on a whole different plane; it was transformative dressing at its best.

We fell in love with Rafael Cennamo when we spotted the blue metallic mesh turtleneck cocktail dress with its discreet illusion panel. The effect was Modern Day Chinese Princess.

The moonlight metallic embroidered tulle gown was the Western idea of what a princess should look like. The embroidery and its placement was reminiscent of a bejeweled bodice and underskirt like Queen Elizabeth I wore in royal portraits. As if that weren’t already enough, the sapphire blue backless gown with draped sleeves worn by a beautiful Asian model knocked us out. We can’t image that this dress wouldn’t wind up on the Red Carpet. We hope that someone snatched this one up and that we’ll see it Sunday at the Oscars when into ABC to watch.

Below, a shout-out to the people on the team who helped Rafael create these modern day princesses

Styling - Danielle Nachmani

Hair - Matthew Curtis / TRESemme

Make-up - Rogelio Reyna / Bobbi Brown

Nail Care - Kelly Baber / Jessica

Hats - Yestadt Millinery

Jewelry - Jacob & Co.

Casting - Maurilio Carnino / MTC Casting

Costello Tagliapietra’s Flattering Fashion for the Modern Woman: The Fall 2012 Collection

Text, Vivian Kelly and Laura Wood

Reported by Laura Wood – Thursday, Feb. 9, Milk Studios, NYC

This season the guys had a lot of prints [for them] using their eco-friendly airdye technology. The first look came out and I knew that I was at a Costello Tagliapietra and I felt that although the colors were strong, they would suit a lot of colorings. The plunging V-neck and flutter sleeve were easy-sexy and that’s what you go to C.T. for.

Look #5 from the fall 2012 Collection, photo by Alessandro Garofalo/GoRunway.com

Look #5, the Costello Tagliapietra fall'12 Runway Show

Look #5 was an easy transitional reversible coat in chartreuse and orange, perfect for when you can’t just go out in your dress and meet even extend to chillier summer days.

Although some of the prints included editorial eye-popping colors, Laura loved the sophisticated print of look #8. The skillful construction minimizes what you want to hide and maximizes the curves you want to highlight.

Costello Tagliapietra Look # 8 The Perfect Dress

Costello Tagliapietra Look #9 - the Medieval Hooded Theme

In look #9 they address the hooded theme of the season. After looking at this coat, we can’t wait to throw-away our hats. The hoods are reminiscent of the ones people wore in Medieval Times which were a hooded cloak, not to be mistaken with a sweat shirt hoodie.

Although Vivian loved the skinny pants we agreed that #15, the high waist park pleated trouser is a necessary wardrobe staple whether you’re a size 2 or 12.

Costello Tagliapietra Look #15 The Essential Bark Pant

They offered five evening gowns, and our favorite was look #26 – a lavender sheath with beautiful draping and just enough sheen to be glamorous without being overdone.

Costello Gown Look #26, Our Favorite Evening Option From The fall '12 Collection

Bravo Costello Tagliapietra! You did it again.

FE Friend Sofia Bak Reports From The Trenches at LONDON Fashion Week: Day 1 of LFW

Text, Sofia Bak

Images Sourced by Vivian Kelly. from designscene.net

Up like bullet at 7, throw on Lako Bukia, Onna Ehrlich-Bell and mom’s black vintage Zorro hat. Running late for the 9am show…as always…lovely new assistant Anna Komolova saves a seat…Antoni & Alison wake everyone up with loud crazy music and a concept to switch your brain into gear…loved 1 dress…out on the street to shoot for Vogue Italia…street style photographers outnumber possible models…I finally find 1…10 more want to shoot her…mostly ended up shooting other street stylers all day…but felt like I got shot more than I shot them…it’s the blue dip dyed hair. Speaking of which…the only street style trend I’m seeing so far is coloured hair…seemed like practically everyone had a splash of colour this season. Took a break with tea & cake at Orla Kiely presentation where models were showing off outfits at a 50′s style dance…did they book the ones who could dance or teach them? Beautiful, romantic…oooh macaroons! Run in at the last minute for (friend) Francesca Marotta debut show, stunned by the Italian widows, bloody tears, great acting skills on the models and lace…lace…lace. Turned away with a seated ticket for Bora Aksu show. Weird. How did they manage to organise that?! Brilliant casting at Felder Felder, lovely to see my girl from Kiev Fashion Days - Alla Kostromichova opening...great prints and new knits. Love. Watched another brilliant fashion film by Ada Zanditon. Found incredible footwear architect Julian Hakes at the exhibitions…shot man in a

latex woman: Pandemonia…dying by the time Jena Theo show rolled in…but loved every piece. Would buy 99% of it…it’s like they thought…what does Sofia like to wear…baggy black tops and skinny jeans it is.

Photographed by Diamando Christofi, Contributing Editor, London, at Designscene.net

Now hating my life because all I want to do is pass out but I have 468 photos and 98 e-mails to go through (99 by the time I finished this…damn now it’s 101). And you always ask me if I’m LOOKING FORWARD to fashion week and if I’m going to any PARTIES. This is just day 1…in a NUTSHELL!

Maria Maria Maria! [Sharapova] – That Is, Styled by Leonard Zagami For NYFW

STORY, Anthony Palermo

Preface,by Vivian Kelly

I’ve always admired gorgeous women with long blonde locks since I was 5 years old, starting with Goldilocks and later, Princess Aurora, Farrah Fawcett Majors, Marilyn Monroe and more recently, Blake Lively and Maria Sharapova. Family friend, William, then a Dutch University Student, and now a KLM pilot, jokingly showed me an image of Maria Sharapova on his iphone, casually calling her “my girlfriend” and then laughing when I believed him – for a second.

Apparently, we weren’t the only ones to think Maria was something really special.

This season, at NYFW, Maria was front row at some of New York’s biggest shows. Below, Anthony Palermo, tells us how his ALS partner, Leonard Zagami, created some fresh looks for the gorgeous tennis star. I’ve featured the one she sported at the Marc Jacobs show.

And, now… here’s Anthony!

“Mercedes Benz Fashion week is always filled with fabulous people. These Fall RTW 2012 collections were more about the who’s who in the front row. One of our all time favorites , Maria Sharapova , knows how to make an entrance and cause a frenzy on the court, but the real commotion starts when she is spotted at all the hottest shows! Celebrity make up artist and friend of the AnthonyLeonard Salon , Andie Markoe -Byrne, teamed up with Leonard Zagami, Creative Director of ALS, to complete Maria ’s looks for the shows.

Read on as Leonard explains look 1 of the 3 looks he gave the grand slammer for this very fashionable NYC Week!

AT Marc Jacobs:

Maria , seen here with famed photographer Patrick Demarchelier and his wife Mia , had a slightly pinned back side part . “I used Super Shine Cream by Oribe to get a sleek look with out it being too overdone” says Zagami. ” I also used a Kent Brush ( for fine hair) to help smooth down fly-aways”. Maria usually parts her hair in the middle so this was a great change for her!

To read and see all 3, go to anthonyleonardsalonblog. There, you’ll find out how Leonard styled her for her appearances at Vera Wang and Oscar de la Renta. If you’re sitting next to Anna [Wintour], you had BETTER be on your game! Thanks to Leonard, Maria looked every bit the star she is.

True Fashion – The Legend of Lady White Snake, Starring Daphne Guinness

Text, Vivian Kelly

Reported by Vivian Kelly and Laura Wood

Photograph of Daphne Guinness by Markus Klinko & Indrani

WHAT: a Grade-A platinum fashion moment at 172 Norfolk Street, NYC

It’s taken me two days to fully digest the events of Sunday night. It’s not often I get a dose of pure undiluted high octane fashion.

Laura and I arrived at the Angel Orensanz Foundation for Contemporary Art at 10:00p.m. on the dot. THIS was NOT something either of us wanted to miss a second of. We had high hopes for this event, in part due to two days worth of experiencing the polished sterility of the Lincoln Center Venues and the accompanying jitters of sucking down one too many cans of free Diet Pepsi. We were actually look forward to visiting Alphabet City as the Lower East Side is the only remaining vestige of “NYC Eighties cool” that still survives. Going down there is fun and makes me feel 25 again.

The Angel Orensanz venue is the artist’s creation and is a cross between a Russian Orthodox Church and a nightclub, in other words, Limelight, when it just started and was THE place to go and dance until 2:00a.m. before going off to Florent in MeatPacking to have something to eat before trying to score a taxi willing to take us back to Laura’s apartment in the Village.

It was obvious from the moment we entered that this was “a happening”. First, there were the photographs – giant sized ones of Daphne Guinness posing in her astounding McQueen Couture, which she wore in the film. Catwoman has nothing on Daphne who was dressed up as a high fashion villainess in a red catsuit and insanely high heels. I’ll need to win Powerball to scratch this itch as I mentally “bought” four of the photographs that would look amazing in The Fashion Examiner office and fireplace room. Total cost for four of Markus Klinko & Indrani’s fabulous photos of Daphne = $160,000. These photos really DO “combine story-telling with cutting-edge fashion”.

Next, we ambled over to the well-stocked bar – no yukky plastic glasses here – and sat down in a padded bamboo gilt chair just as Daphne made her entrance in an incredible chainmail gown and a head ornament loaded with what I’m assuming were probably actually diamonds rather than Swarovski Crystals.

The film itself was genius – a cross between a poetry reading and a couture fashion show. It may sound odd, but it was spectacular. On our way out, Laura stopped to chat with a young female editor to get her take. Like us, she was blown away and was going to Google the film and read Neil Gaiman’s poem. The point of the film though, was the EXPERIENCE and it got a 10/10 on that score. After this visual feast, we got an auditory one – a performance by the very talented Viva Girls, who were perched like a row of angels in blue ball gowns to the right of the massive screen.

The grand finale to the event was a capsule collection of gowns from the new Genghis Khan collection designed by GK Reid. We loved the hooded one and his concept of transformative styling and dressing – something we can totally get behind.

SO, which of Markus Klinko & Idrani’s photographs of Daphne Guinness would YOU like to take home with you?

Daphne in her Chain mail Couture

Christian Siriano Comes Into His Own

Reported by Laura Wood

Text, Vivian Kelly and Laura Wood

When Christian Siriano burst onto the scene after becoming the winner of Project Runway’s 4th season. Back then, he was known for his foppy hair do, “fierceness”, wild prints and penchant for ruffles.

Laura already loved bats [the real ones, not the ones in "Twilight"], and she was wowed by the bat inspiration at Christian’s latest runway show. We already know that Twilight’s Kristen Stewart is a fan, but so is Gabourey Sibide of “Precious” who while considerably larger than the waify Stewart, looked great in his designs.

Now to the clothes – in a word, breathtaking.

Almost uniformly, the flow of the clothes as they moved down the runway gave Laura chills. It was a great collection, starting with the opening platinum crepe satin bat vein dress, which set the tone for the whole show. Subtle elegance showed a new found sophistication and self confidence in this very talented American fashion designer. As always, Laura is on the lookout for clothes that fit real women, ie: those who have curves and aren’t 5’11″. Like all the top designers, Siriano seems to fully understand that a winning collection is one in which the women wear the clothes not the other way around.

Later, Laura found a tried and true substitution to her vintage Michael Kors Eighties’ batwing dress, exit #13, a wing sleeve sheath dress, which actually more suited to her now that she’s in her Forties.

Siriano still retains his sense of drama but he’s in charge of the drama this time and that bears out in his masterful designs like look #9, the faux fox infinity scarf which got “oohs” from Laura’s neighbors. Because it was paired with The very simple knit turtleneck and silk tuxedo trouser underneath set it off perfectly.

He made sure to include some Academy Award contenders including a black beaded scalloped gown and a wing sleeve evening gown. The trend for beaded gowns on the Red Carpet at the Golden Globes and SAG Awards has already been set. We’d love love to see this gown on Berenice Bejo, who was really cute in “The Artist”.

Our vote for “most versatile dress” goes to #22, the burgundy silk sheath dress with flight neckline.

Bowery Hotel + Dominic Louis = Modern Medieval Luxe

Text, Vivian Kelly and Laura Wood

This was the last show of the evening and we almost didn’t go but thanks to the ridiculous self-created chaos at Milk Studio we scrapped our plans to stay for Erickson Beamon, M. Patmos, and John Bartlett. Lucky for us, we’d gotten our interview with John early on – [thanks Ross from the Deborah Hughes team!].

We heard later from Tracy E. Hopkins of Everythingshewants.net that the only way she and her friends were able to stay inside until the 9:00p.m. doors open time was by convincing the security guys who were manning the Libertine show was to let them stay in the building thus avoiding the Studio54-esque lines that extended way past Jeffrey’s.

A cab ride later we entered one of our favorite venues, the ski lodge like atmosphere of the Bowery Hotel’s private party space complete with roaring fire, medieval tapestries, and moroccan tiled floor. The only fly in the ointment was that it was a cash bar but that was offset by the complimentary bobble water bottles.We even posed for them and the bobble is in our bags now at all times.

As far as the clothes – a pleasant surprise; the more we looked the more we liked. The first impression is how wonderfully the clothes fit with the atmosphere of the venue ie: a perfect presentation. On the way back to the Club, we reflected how these wonderfully constructed clothes would not have have fared as well on a traditional runway. These clothes needed to be examined close-up in order to fully appreciate the detail.

My Contributor, Laura Wood, and Ellen Sears, AAU Online Director of the Fashion School all loved and agreed we would wear the black knit sweater dress. This dress takes into account the idea of season-less dressing which is particularly relevant these days as the weather is so unpredictable. Paired with a a long sleeve top and with a coat, its good to go for a cold 30F day like today. It works just as well in 40-60 degree weather worn on its own with little ballet flats or high sandals.

There were several pieces with hoods for men and women that had were reminiscent of the hooded cloaks worn in Medieval times. A cloak seems like a fresh alternative to a coat. The most spectacular piece was two piece ensemble combined hard and soft. The breast plate-like shell top was intricately worked leather. The more you looked the more of the design you noticed, just as you would a finely carved sword handle. It may be highly “editorial” [translation - not for everyday] but we wanted it anyhow.

Last but not least, we stopped on the way out to admire the art house photogpraphs, especially the one of the fierce guy wearing a ball-gown skirt.

Note to Designers for next season – we’ll go to see anyone who shows here!