July 30, 2007

best of the best.

Uncategorized

vanity fair has taken the mantle of eleanor lambert’s international best dressed list, and this years edition features few surprises. on the cover is a hot (haute) gisele shot by mario testino looking like the fashion goddess she is.

this year, the list honors men, women, couples, fashion professionals, and fashion originals. there were also seven new additions to the hall of fame. the winners are:

Women
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Princess Alexandra of Greece
Marjorie Gubelmann
Princess Mafalda of Hesse
Fran Lebowitz
Michelle Obama
Bee Shaffer
Tilda Swinton
Ivanka Trump
Renée Zellweger

Men
Tiki Barber
Jonathan Becker
Count Manfredi Della Gherardesca
Lapo Elkann
Richard E. Grant
Lenny Kravitz
Luis and Rafael Medina
Hidetoshi Nakata
Nicolas Sarkozy
Gay Talese

Couples
David and Victoria Beckham
The Earl and Countess of Cawdor
Damon Dash and Rachel Roy
Frédéric Fekkai and Shirin von Wulffen
Mitch Glazer and Kelly Lynch
Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore
David Lauren and Lauren Bush
Viscount and Viscountess Linley
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Ruben and Isabel Toledo

Fashion Professionals
Amy Astley
Tory Burch
Jefferson Hack
Liya Kebede
Alexandra Kotur
Margherita Missoni
Stefano Pilati
Michael Roberts
Katherine Ross
Hedi Slimane

Fashion Originals
Peter Beard
Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele
Lisa Eisner

Hall of Fame
Alba Clemente
George Clooney
Marina Rust Connor
Anderson Cooper
Sofia Coppola
Jemima Khan
Anna Piaggi

not many surprises on the list…nice to see tilda swinton, who has a somewhat avant garde style sense on the list, as well as liya kebede (the only model, if you don’t count lauren bush), tiki barber, stefano pilati, and marjorie gubelmann. amy astley is also a nice surprise…i think she’s the more fashionable vogue editor in chief. of course, vf did play favorites a bit…bee shaffer? renee zellweger? renee’s style has to be among the most boring out there–she only wears one designer and never seems to inject any of her own personality in the clothes.

also in this issue: a piece on ralph lauren, gisele and the girls (and boys) from brazil, and another article on the recent death of isabella blow.

bestofthebest.jpg

so the f/w 05 collections are over, and the consensus is that after a few seasons of shiny happy clothing, proportions are changing and an overall somber mood has taken a hold of fashion.

it’s funny how the same names keep popping up on my best of the best list, but these are the collections that are consistently good, consistent in keeping with the theme of the house and the mood of the season.

pics are: Balenciaga, Calvin Klein, Chloe, Dior, Lagerfeld Gallery, Lanvin, Prada, Rochas, Louis Vuitton

honorable mentions go to: Burberry Prorsum, Narciso Rodriguez, Miu Miu, Roland Mouret, Jean Paul Gaultier.

the baddest of the bad? stella mccartney (still looking for her look), ysl (too stiff), gucci (too blah), fendi (too much)

most interesting show: viktor & rolf, who featured tori amos on the piano, and the models had pillows sewn on the back of their dresses.

and a *huh?* to alexander mcqueen…the jury is still out.