En Attendant Isabel, Hairy Like The Wolf, And More…
The English are coming, the English are coming! Oh—no, wait, …

No matter how clearly or concisely you try to present the information on a Web site, promotional space is at such a premium you always worry that some content might be overlooked. With that in mind, here’s a handy guide to all our coverage of the fashion weeks in New York, London, Milan, and Paris. Now you never need miss a photo, post, or tweet again.
Runway Reviews and Photos: Judging by last week’s record page views—a huge thank you to our new and returning users—you’re not having any trouble finding these. But as a reminder, this page is a convenient place to locate every designer covered in our Spring 2010 reporting. And don’t forget that you can view each collection in full-screen as well as in regular slideshow format and that many shows feature front-row and backstage-beauty photos as well as runway shots.
NEW! Shop the Looks: One exciting addition to our runway coverage is a brand new shopping experience called Shop the Looks. We’re categorizing each runway look into one of 36 trends, from boho to minimal. If something on the runway grabs your eye, simply click on the Shop the Looks link to find similarly themed looks from a range of top designers and retailers. Here, for example, you can get a jump on the animal-print trend that roared to life during NY Fashion Week.
Street-Style Photos: Because trends don’t just start on the catwalk, we’ve asked popular photoblogger Tommy Ton to document the best off-runway looks from New York to Paris. Tommy has a talent for catching fashionable types in spontaneous, informal moments—not as easy as it looks with a crowd that’s ready to pose at the drop of a Philip Treacy hat. You’ll find his daily photo diary here.
NEW! The Fashion Feed: The Twitter revolution means that the fashion-reporting cycle is even faster than ever, but how to separate the tweets from the chaff? Our innovative new Fashion Feed gathers the most fashionable Twitterers, from The New York Times‘ The Moment to Style.com’s own globe-trotting correspondent Dizzy Blazeberg, in one place. Just click here for a real-time snapshot of what’s happening in the front row and beyond.
Style.com on Twitter: Of course, if you want only the very best tweets, your favorite Web site is now on Twitter (a little late to the party, we admit, but fashionably so, let’s hope). Start following us today.
Style.com on the iPhone: On the other hand, we were way ahead of the pack in embracing the iPhone, and we like to think our app remains the best: It has everything you love about Style.com on the computer, without the hassle of being tied to your desk. If you haven’t already, download our iPhone app now. (Oh, by the way, need a stylish cover for your Apple device? We can help there, too.)
But wait, that’s not even the half of it. Don’t miss:
• Our up-to-the-minute party reports.
• Our award-winning runway videos.
• The Lookbooks that allow you to save and share your favorite photos from the site.
• The regular bulletins you’ll find in our Style File and Beauty Counter blogs.
• And last but not least, be sure to vote for the Look of the Day.
Really, there’s only one thing for it: You’re going to need a bigger screen.
—Dirk Standen
Following—well, and during—yesterday’s Prada show, there was lots of tweet-y chatter about Lady Gaga and the effect of the veritable pandemic of pantslessness that has swept the globe over the past year. It’s easy to see why. Not only were there tiny little bloomerlike shorts printed with painterly palm trees, there was also a see-through chandelier crystal dress worn with little white bottoms and even one look that seemed to consist of a crystal-encrusted top and plain old black briefs.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, kids. Remember, we’re talking about a designer who essentially invents her own drum and then marches to its completely original (and, of course, eventually seminal) beat. At any rate, we thought we should point out that Mrs. Prada was going pants-less in her collection a whole decade ago. Here, are a few of Prada’s greatest leggy hits, left to right, from Spring 2007, Spring 2000, Spring 2003, and Spring 2001.—Meenal Mistry
The heady days of gift bags overflowing with hardcover fashion anthologies, python totes, and cashmere throws are undeniably over. But when being thrifty and creative is essential, few do it better than Moschino, whose ingenious invites have almost as big an impact as the catwalk itself. This year, the house of cheek whet our appetites in an entirely original way.
For tomorrow’s show, each showgoer received a plain brown envelope in which she a found a worn-out exercise book of La Ricetta Mediterranea that opened up to reveal a set of handwritten recipes authentically stained with tomato sauce and wine, a few pressed flowers, and a wooden spoon that will lead them to their seats.
Amazingly, after careful study, we realized that most of what we were looking at was actually fabricated! Backstage yesterday at Cheap & Chic, Rosella Jardini wasn’t giving away any of Moschino’s culinary couture secrets. “The show is going to be very gourmet,” she slyly revealed.—Jasmine Serrurier
Photo: Courtesy of Moschino
“Fashion has gotten stale,” C’N\’C’s Ennio Capasa informed us last night. “I wanted to zing things up so I thought I’d bring it to the people. ” For Capasa, this meant live national TV coverage, and “us,” the fashion folk on a grandstand behind a catwalk facing a crowd of 10,000 in Milan’s Piazza Duomo. We recovered from the initial shock of the spectacle just in time to be swept through a medley of Britain’s Got Talent-type performances capped off with a ramshackle troupe of airborne, flame-throwing wizards and a short set from the Killers. Then came the runway show with a frizzed-up selection of, as the press notes called them, “the children of yesterday’s rock stars” in the form of Pixie Geldof, Tali Lennox, and Daisy Lowe. (The lattermost disavowed to us her “wild child” status, claiming to be headed straight to her hotel room post-show to catch up on her Buffy the Vampire Slayer DVDs.)
Following that was the charity auction: Coca-Cola Light’s “Tribute to Fashion,” where giant coke bottles hit the catwalk. No, we haven’t segued into a Fellini-esque blog post dream sequence. The various bottles were designed by Italy’s major labels: Alberta Ferretti, Blumarine, Etro, Fendi, Marni, Missoni, Moschino, and Versace. Camps from all of the above were there to show their support. At any rate, though a bit goofy to say the least, the auction turned out to be a success. A total of €100,000 was raised for victims of the earthquake in Abruzzo.
—Jasmine Serrurier
Photo: FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images
We arrived at Stefanel’s 50th Anniversary party hosted by Mario Testino and Daria Werbowy just as the photographer had slipped away to the Prada show. But the sublime model was still in the house and in fine, friendly form. In fact, Werbowy was possibly the most relaxed person amid the crowd of nervous fashion week faces with tight schedules. “I hardly do shows anymore,” she explained. “I’m on to the next step of my career.” But she mused on the biannual month-long, four-city runway frenzy, “It’s a strange life when you are in that scene. Everything is a rush for four very intense weeks of the year and suddenly you get back to your real life, and by comparison it suddenly looks empty.” Hmm…something to think about as we round the bend of week three.
—Jasmine Serrurier
Photo: Vincenzo Lombardo/Getty Images
When you’re sitting at a runway show, even in the front row, the starring role often goes to the clothes. But let’s talk about the all-important action below the ankle with our first installment of The Shoe In.
Prada gave us a literal moment of clarity with clear-heel sandals dripping with fat chandelier crystals, and her see-through pointy-toe Mary Janes. One totally clear pair looked like the footwear version of Wonder Woman’s invisible jet. Their practicality is somewhat arguable, but they do seem to have handy Velcro closures.
Yesterday at Jil Sander, Raf Simons’ arty inspirations made the most sense in shoe form, like this sculptural number crafted from wood, oxidized metal, and chic navy suede. Blow that thing up 1,000 times and you could send it to Storm King.
And lastly there was Versace’s glam-slam journey down a Tim Burton rabbit hole that gave us this nutty futuro-baroque number. What do you think of Milan’s shoe scene so far? Comments welcome below.—Meenal Mistry
Photo: Don Ashby and Olivier Claisse
There was a loose, café-society feel at Luisa Beccaria’s show on Thursday. Editors sat on folding chairs at little tables covered with starched white cloths. And up front, Beccaria had arranged her burgeoning cottage industry. To the left was a set of glass objects that represented a “work in progress,” made in collaboration with one of the few glass factories left in Murano. Nearby stood a custom-made Citroën C3 Picasso, which the designer tailored for those women who like to overdose on femininity (a.k.a. her loyal customer).
The car was completely covered in a floral design, both inside and out. The dashboard was pale lilac with a sprinkle of glitter, while the gearshift was topped with a glass rose. As if that weren’t enough, there were various special cubbyholes designed to fit handbags and other bits and bobs deemed essential for all ladies. “Everyday objects such as cars tend to be cold and boring,” Beccaria explained. “I feel that I can give them life and a warmth with which it makes them easier to live.”—Jasmine Serrurier
Photo: Courtesy of Luisa Beccaria
Many a street-wear trend has made it to the runway—military jackets, slashed jeans, sweatpants. But somehow the idea of visible boxer-brief waistbands over low-slung pants is one that’s never really been embraced. Go figure. That is, until Roberto Cavalli’s softly pretty, vintage-inspired show earlier today, where the designer showed loose-waisted palazzo pants with pretty floral underpants that had fine elastic edging peeping overtop. It’s certainly a new way to do the old underwear-as-outerwear thing. And now it seems that Ms. Prada has some company in the Milan chapter of the I Like Knickers fan club.—Jasmine Serrurier
Photo: Marcio Madeira
Milan Vukmirovic is a busy guy. These days, the man who helped revolutionize retail as a founder of Colette, and then honed his design chops under Tom Ford and at the helm of Jil Sander, is a triple threat: retailer, editor, and designer. But at Friday night’s opening of Trussardi 1911’s new concept store, Vukmirovic was wearing the latter-most hat as the creative director of the label. (The other two pieces of career millinery turn him into the founder of Miami boutique the Webster and the fashion director of L’Officiel Hommes.) “My baby is Trussardi,” Vukmirovic informed us. “Nicola Trussardi was a real visionary. He was the first in Italy to understand the need for a complete concept lifestyle. He was even the first designer to set up an art foundation.” He added that he was equally happy with the next generation of the house. “Beatrice Trussardi gives me completely free reign,” Vukmirovic said. “And she realizes that you can’t just rely on expensive fashion shows and ad campaigns, that you need to propose a new, special way of living.” That new path is apparently one where you can buy handbags, candles, and pet gear under the same roof. Presumably just for last night, there was also a killer Trussardi shot of toffee and vodka served in a gold-leaf-encrusted glass. It tasted a bit like cough medicine, but in the best way.—Jasmine Serrurier
This season’s runway tracks were a schizophrenic medley, veering from hardcore rap and opera to techno and old-school country—occasionally, all in a single show. Here, a selection of Milan’s music to watch clothes by.
Prada
Breakout Track: Brenda Lee’s All Alone Am I
The Final Note: Lee’s plaintive and sweet fifties-era croonings were mixed up with rap and classical tunes. Well, you wouldn’t expect a single musical message from Prada, would you?
Alberta Ferretti
Breakout Track: Puccini’s Oh Mio Babbino Caro from the 1918 opera Gianni Schicchi
The Final Note:Uplifting and emotional Italian drama that could move you to tears. A moving way to take in the romantic, gauzy parade.
Jil Sander
Breakout Track: Jerry Garcia’s Love Scene Improvisations from Zabriskie Point
The Final Note: Garcia’s twangy, free-form guitar came from the NSFW scene from the 1970’s Antonioni film, shown on screens during the runway proceedings. The result? An aptly arty, earthy, and cultish backdrop to Raf Simons’ rough-hewn intellectualism.
Bottega Veneta
Breakout Track: Pianist Maxence Cyrin’s version of Don’t You Want Me?
The Final Note: Eighties pop merged with classical piano. A high-low mix that’s so appropriate for modern wares made with old-school artisanship.
Dolce & Gabbana
Breakout Track: Grace Jones’ remake of Rita Hayworth classic Amado Mio
The Final Note: Neo-Latin romance with an avant-garde edge. Right on point, boys.
Gucci
Breakout Track:The Gossip’s Heavy Cross
The Final Note: A energetic yet tough pop hit from the band’s latest album. In other words, a soundtrack made for the Gucci girl’s direct, turbo-charged look.—Jasmine Serrurier
Photo: Px18/Wireimage