The Hourglass Waist: Fendi and Haider Ackermann Fall 2012

For Fall 2012, both Fendi and Haider Ackermann drew me in with their sumptuous treatment of the hourglass waist.

Between baroque tops and streamlined pencil skirts, Fendi interposed flared belt-slash-waspies paneled in rich dark colors and textures.

Haider Ackermann went architectural on the hips, folding and layering below the cinched waist to evoke associations of kimonos and queen bees.

These two designers have made me see the hourglass figure in an entirely new, exciting way.

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Givenchy Fall 2012 Couture

Forget Chanel's New Vintage, Givenchy is where the haute couture is at.

Ricardo Tisci always stamps his creations with a tough aura that is instantly sexy and at the same time untouchable. The sleek, yet intricate clothes form a skintight shield on the body. The Givenchy woman wears armor that is a fusion of eclectic influences and a futuristic outlook.

I especially love the tribal splicings in this Fall 2012 Couture collection: it's like the Maori and the Vikings came together and had a baby, in the moody colors of the earth.

Aside: How refreshing is it not to see a single conventionally white face in the bunch? The fashion industry tends to keep models of color on the periphery, so I appreciate this collection also for going in the opposite direction. Now if only it would grow into a general trend.

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Preen Resort 2013 Highlights

Preen is one of my favorite lines, with an unerring grasp of color and print against a backdrop of razor-sharp tailoring. The resort 2013 collection stays true even in a lighter context to all the elements that the line is known for. Between the juxtaposed prints, colorblocked sleeves, sheer inlays, peplum skirts, and sequined panels, this collection is almost too busy. But Preen deftly wraps these all up into one cool package.

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John Galliano Fall 2012

Now that the play is ended, I have all this free time back to myself. I've been catching up on the runway collections. John Galliano Fall 2012 caught my eye for its opulent schoolgirl fantasy. There's nothing revolutionary about the collection -- some of the girls look like they stepped straight out of a magical boarding school anime series -- but I appreciate how Bill Gaytten always swathes the female form in beautiful and precise textures.

Needless to say, I love the feather caps.

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