As the cliché goes, “the show must go on”, and it certainly did today in Paris.  Instead of Galliano’s usual dramatic walk on the runway to take his final bow, a fleet of seamstresses and artisans took to the stage instead.  They were greeted with applause and a standing ovation from the audience.

Since Tuesday’s release of Dior’s Creative Director, John Galliano for anti-Semitic remarks there has been much speculation as to what would happen at the show today.  And if there was even going to be a show!  What normally would have been an A-list celebrity scene was met with no prominent names in attendance at all.  Many critics compared the overall mood at the show to that of a funeral.  Dior’s chief executive Sidney Toledano took to the stage before the show and gave a heartfelt statement of apology for the actions of Galliano.

“What happened over the last week has been a terrible and wrenching ordeal for us.  These statements have deeply shocked and saddened all at Dior who give body and soul to their work, and it’s particularly painful they come from someone so admired for his remarkable creative talent,” Toledano said.

Without its tenured creative director, Dior’s future is uncertain.  The collection that was shown today was designed under Galliano’s supervision and it is said to be a kind of a “best-of” work for Dior designed by Galliano. It’s too bad he had to go out like that.  I don’t believe he can ever fully recover from such senseless behavior.  People of the global fashion communities will be talking about this dismissal for decades to come.  I know that it’s something I will never forget myself.

Isabelle de Borchgrave was educated in painting, but her love of textiles and historical costumes are evident in the exhibition, Pulp Fashion:  The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave  The exposition will be on display at the Legion of  Honor Museum in San Franciso through June 5, 2011.  General admission is $15.00.

Strictly crafting her works of art out of paper, Borchgrave collaborates with designers and costume historians to create masterpieces depicting early European paintings.  Some of her replicas include those illustrating the opulence of the Medici family and gowns worn by Elizabeth I and Marie Antoinette.  The most fascinating creation of this exhibit is the Mariano Fortuny studio; again, completely created with paper!

“The Legion of Honor is the first American museum to dedicate an entire exhibition to the work of Isabelle de Borchgrave, although her creations have been widely displayed in Europe.”  Sited from the website:  http://legionofhonor.famsf.org/legion/exhibitions/pulp-fashion-art-isabelle-de-borchgrave

If you have an opportunity to get to San Francisco before June 5 this year, don’t miss this exhibit.  It is even more amazing seen live.  It is a true testament that creativity can be pushed to great boundaries and that we are only limited by our own minds!

NYC’s Fashion Week showing Fall 2011 came to a close yesterday.  The reviews for collections shown are lackluster at best, but I still had some personal favorites.

Proenza Schouler really came through using inspiration derived by Native American blankets.  They used technology to the fullest by manipulating geometric shapes digitally to create fresh new patterns which were then turned into knits and wool jacquards.

Ralph Lauren showed a beautiful collection inspired by 1920′s Shanghai Deco period.  His models were sleek in diaphanous evening dresses made of panne velvet and black satin, all of which were impeccably tailored to fit like a glove.  Embroidered shearling wraps and dresses added to the sophistication of the collection.

L’Wren Scott wowed the audience with her use of feminine colors such as teal, pale yellows and soft mauves.  The detail of sparingly used embroidery on the waist and shoulders of some of garments was surprising and a bit whimsical.  Her silk, teal mini-dress with the long sleeves was  my favorite piece; simple and timeless.

At Phillip Lim there were pops of color infused within a mostly muted palette.  Color blocked 2-tone fabric and leather tops, and dresses were a common theme.  Slouchy trousers and utility coats didn’t disappoint either.

Fashion Careers College will award scholarships to hopeful contestants of the hit reality  television series, America’s Next Top Model.  The casting call event will be held on Friday, February 18, 2011 from 8:00 a.m.  to 12:00 p.m. at NTC Promenade in San Diego, California.  FCC is a proud sponsor of the event.

Contestants vying for a spot on the sixteenth cycle of America’s Next Top Model will also be given an opportunity to study for a career in fashion at Fashion Careers College.  Scholarships will be awarded to all participants of the casting call who are accepted into the fashion programs at FCC.

Cost to attend this event is free.  A representative from FCC will be available at the casting call to talk to hopeful fashion college students.

Anyone and everyone interested in fashion must attend at least one Vintage Clothing and Textile Show put on by Caskey Lees.  The next show will be held at the Pickwick Gardens in Burbank, California on Sunday, January 30, 2011 from 8:00 am (for early birds, (9:00 am general admission) to 3:00 pm.

The show features 65 exhibitors selling items that are wearable, antique or collectible.  One can expect to find vintage clothing, designer resale, jewelry and accessories, Victorian whites, vintage decorative accessories, antique fabric, vintage yardage, quilts, hats and shoes, buttons and beads, ethnic clothing and lace and linens.

Over the years some of my favorites finds at this show include Bakelite Jewelry (which they have an amazing selection of!)  and a beaded vintage Edwardian era purse.  The treasures you’ll find are endless! The quality of exhibitors is none like I’ve ever really seen at a vintage expo of this category.

Cost of admission is $7.00.  For early buyers (entrance at 8:00 am) cost is $20.00.  Future show dates are May 29, 2011, July 31, 2011 and October 30, 2011.  For more information call (310) 455-2886 or visit their website at:  http://www.caskeylees.com/Vintage/Vintage.html

Five students from Fashion Careers College were selected to shop for a $50 or less outfit for spring.  The outcome of hunting for that perfect bargain was very impressive.  Ian Grove, Camille Lim, Ariana Brubaker, Juliet Czoka and Art Mendez were the lucky 5 students chosen for the task.  And they did not disappoint. Camille Lim found a floral vintage dress at Goodwill Industries for $1!  You can’t even buy a latte for $1!  Some argue that Art Mendez had the greatest find with his $10 vintage Valentino dress, but in the end it was Ian Grove who impressed the audience the most with his ensemble.  I was flabbergasted by Ian’s find of the “Lanvin” like silver necklace for $9.99 and his designer inspired handbag which was $2.99 or 2 for $5.00!

The entire process was filmed by Consumer Bob Hansen from NBC7/39 news.  The segment will air sometime in February on the 11:00 pm new.  Stay tuned! The final $50 outfits were revealed on Wednesday to an enthusiastic audience who voted for their favorite bargain outfit.  Ian Grove’s outfit was selected as the favorite.  His outfit contained 5 pieces total to include, a silk blouse, pencil skirt, silver necklace, designer inspired handbag and peep toe platform heels.  The grand total for this look, including tax was $47.80.  In an economic environment where people are cutting back on “luxury”  items, our students proved that you don’t have to be a millionaire to look like a million bucks!

My new favorite beauty item is the “Moisture Stick” by Deep Steep (everyday affordable luxury).  It’s no secret that I tend to lean towards organic and natural products, but this item is so good that I felt it deserved its own spotlight on our blog.  It comes packaged like a stick of lip balm and is available in 5 different scents to include Grapefruit Bergamot, Tangerine Melon, Honeydew Spearmint, Rosemary Mint, and Lavender Chamomile.  At only $4.95/stick (0.5 oz) you can afford to try all five.  My personal favorites are Grapefruit Bergamot and Tangerine Melon.

You can find Deep Steep products at select Whole Foods Markets and online at the Deep Steep website, www.deepsteep.com.  Best of all, it’s made with ALL natural and organic ingredients and feels amazing on the hands!  I’m obsessed with this stick and can’t stop applying it over and over and over again.  I’ve hooked many of my girlfriends on this product as it continues to be a topic of conversation.

TIDBIT:  I love that it will pass airport security and that you can apply it on your hands (great for your nails too!) without getting it stuck in the crevices of your beautiful rings!  Genius!

Marc Jacobs played homage to the roaring 20′s in his newest Louis Vuitton Pre-Fall 2011 collection featuring an eclectic hybrid of decadent fabrics.  From silk “Fortuny” pleats with sequins, to panels of sheepskin placed on tweed, and patches of silk layered on to a shirtdress, this is his latest genius at work.  Best of all, the layering of accessories completed these luminous ensembles, which included a flurry of feathered touched gloves and earrings, piled high Lucite bracelets and fur headbands.  It would be a dream come true to don any of these bits!  The collection seemed small in comparison to others, but still very  fabulous indeed.

Fashioning Fashion:  European Dress in Detail 1700-1915 is the name of the amazing exhibition at the LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) which runs through March 2011.  The retrospective details the technical and artistic transformation of fashion from the Age of Enlightenment to World War I.  The collection includes fashion for men, women and children.  Accessories also account for a significant portion of the objects on display.

Former Fashion Careers College instructor, Clarissa Esguerra now a curatorial assistant at LACMA spent nearly three years curating this exhibition.  She authored many of the labels that recount the history of the garments on display.  She explained that the label-writing challenge was probably the most difficult.  She said, “try explaining why men went from wearing breeches to trousers in 75 words!”  Clarissa shared with us many facts about the process in which these garments were produced.  For example, fish scales were ground up and used to make faux pearls that were then sewn onto dresses.  Whale bones were used to fashion panniers (worn in the eighteenth century to extend the width of the skirts at the side while leaving the front and back flat).

Women wore corsets and stomachers to achieve the thinnest waists possible – as this was the most fashionable thing to do at the time.  It would often take 2 hand maidens to help one woman get dressed. Garments were purposefully complicated to boast wealth.  There was no need to display practicality if you were an aristocrat; unless you were wealthy during the French Revolution!  That was a time in history when the affluent did not want to display their wealth as they would be targets of beheadings and kidnaps fueled by rebels during the war.

The detail in involved in creating just one garment during this time, was fascinating.  Most of the work displayed was all hand-made as the sewing machine was not invented until 1844.  Textiles were hand dyed and printed.  Embroidery was an art-form and dominated by males.

Some of the photos I took at the exhibition are close-ups of the garments to show the intricate details of these beautiful garments.  To read more on this exhibition, please visit these websites and blogs:

The link to the webpage dedicated for the exhibition.  If you scroll down, you’ll see a little clip of the Vogue photo shoot and also an announcement of the symposium that I’ll be participating in, Jan 2011.
http://www.lacma.org/art/ExhibFashioningFashion.aspx

Review of the exhibition by LA Times fashion critic.
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/29/image/la-ig-lacma-20100829

Review of the new building and its three shows (including ours) by LA Times art critic (who never reviews fashion shows!).
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/09/art-review-resnick-pavilion-lacma-inaugural-shows.html

Trendspotting of contemporary fashions from objects seen in Fashioning Fashion.
http://la.racked.com/archives/2010/10/20/trendspotting_fashioning_fashion_at_lacma.php

Blog post written by Clarissa Esguerra on the process of dressing a mannequin.
http://lacma.wordpress.com/2010/10/14/fashioning-mannequins/