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Fashion & Style

Chanel Coming to a Clearing

By CATHY HORYN
The Chanel couture collection.Valerio Mezzanotti for The New York TimesThe Chanel couture collection.

“The idea is to make the shoulders beautiful,” Karl Lagerfeld said on Monday night in the Chanel studio before his spring haute couture show. A model stood before him in a black wool suit, the neckline opened over a face-flattering white beaded yoke. “This is really molded on the shoulders.”

Couture Fashion

Cathy Horyn’s reports from the haute couture shows in Paris.

Chanel couture.Valerio Mezzanotti for The New York TimesChanel couture.

Mr. Lagerfeld stuck to his plan: the entire Chanel collection put the shoulders on elegant display. His frame began on the upper arm with a wide band or a crest of fabric at the top of a sleeve (what he called a “horn of plenty” sleeve, though it was inspired by an archival Chanel dress with lace). Collars or lapels were widened and necklines generally filled in with solid white embroidery — or, in some evening looks, tulle pleated in a kind of Deco pattern with tiny pearls, or a smear of cream and gray feathers. The models’ hair was arranged in bird’s nest fashion, with a clip of feathers floppy over one eye. The messy style was inspired by a portrait of Coco Chanel with short hair, Mr. Lagerfeld said.

Chanel and Dior both hit upon a nature theme — but, wait, Valentino went to the garden as well. The Roman house shows on Wednesday. Three garden-inspired collections make sense for the spring couture season but it almost makes you wish for something less predictably feminine.

At least Mr. Lagerfeld’s show, with its woodland setting (a virtual forest of tall trees and sandy clearings was created inside the Grand Palais), had a gloomy cast. You never really know where his imagination will take him, and whether the mood will have a Paris flavor or a German one, or whether it will turn out to be a bit of both. But the pleasure is in seeing how he alone defines Chanel, and fashion, in 2013.

A Tale of Two Seasons

By STUART EMMRICH
The Tuileries Garden in Paris.Remy De La Mauviniere/Associated PressThe Tuileries Garden in Paris.

The disconnect between high-end fashion and what might be called the real world was never more apparent than during the couture shows going on in Paris this week, when a freakish snowstorm blanketed the city at the same time that designers unveiled their light, airy looks for next spring.

On Monday, as snow fell on the Tuileries Garden, the site of the Dior show by Raf Simons, dozens of young, handsome Dior staff members waited with umbrellas at the park entrance to escort guests to the show tent. As I navigated the icy path with my escort, a young woman in front of us was being repeatedly photographed by the paparazzi.

“Do you know who she is?” I asked the young man. “No, but she must be famous,” he replied. The photographers kept shooting and chattering to each other in French. “They are asking each other if anyone knows who she is,” my companion translated. (Turns out it was the young actress Chloë Grace Moretz, part of a celebrity contingent that also included Sigourney Weaver, Princess Charlene of Monaco, Isabelle Huppert and Lee Radziwill.)

Inside, we were suddenly transported to spring, with lush greenery decorating the runway and the heat turned up high. It was a shock to go back outside after the show (lovely, by the way), and we were confronted by a snow that had turned to sleet.

A look from the Dior spring 2013 couture show.Stuart Emmrich/The New York TimesA look from the Dior spring 2013 couture show.

The snow was still falling a few hours later as guests crowded outside the Italian Embassy, trying to get into the Giambattista Valli show. They needn’t have rushed. The show started nearly an hour late, forcing an all-star front row that included Anna Wintour; the United States ambassador Charles Rivkin and his wife, Susan; Salma Hayek; Ms. Radziwill (again); and the omnipresent Brant Boys (seemingly on their third outfit of the day) to impatiently cool its heels. The clothes that followed were nice enough, but you would be hard pressed to say they were worth the interminable wait.

The snow did more than disrupt the travel plans of American editors or make getting around the city a challenge. It also apparently disrupted the arrival of some key items for the Armani show on Tuesday, forcing the designer to push back his show twice, to about two hours past his original starting time. That in turn created a domino effect, with two other designers scheduled to follow Armani — Alexandre Vauthier and Bouchra Jarrar — also forced to push back their start time.

But with all the disruptions, and the inconveniences, you had to admit that the snow made Paris an even more beautiful, magical city this week. No wonder this is the home of couture.

The View From Paris

By STUART EMMRICH
Michelle Obama wore a red Jason Wu dress at the Commander in Chief Inaugural Ball.Leslye Davis/The New York TimesMichelle Obama wore a red Jason Wu dress at the Commander in Chief Inaugural Ball.

At the Chanel show in Paris on Tuesday morning, the reaction to Michelle Obama’s dress for the inaugural balls the night before was decidedly muted — perhaps because few editors had been up at 2:30 that morning to see the red Jason Wu dress unveiled, and most had caught just a glimpse of it on CNN before rushing off to the Grand Palais.

The general reaction (most of it off the record) was that the color was flattering on Mrs. Obama but that the dress itself — especially with the slightly awkward fit of the halter top — was not the wow choice many had been hoping for, especially after the intriguing decision to go with that Thom Browne ensemble for the swearing-in, below.

Doug Mills/The New York Times

The big surprise, of course, was that Mrs. Obama went with Jason Wu again — the first time a first lady chose the same designer for her two inaugural ball gowns since Nancy Reagan tapped her good friend James Galanos in 1980 and 1984. (Both Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton went with Oscar de la Renta for their second inaugurals after each chose a little-known designer their first times.)

“Was I surprised?” the fashion writer Lynn Yaeger said. “Yes and no. I was surprised that she chose Jason Wu again, but she does what she wants to do. She probably just looked at the dress and said: ‘That looks good on me. I’ll wear it.’”

The Inaugural Fashion Front

By THE NEW YORK TIMES
The Jason Wu dress was persimmon-colored with cross-halter straps and a loose fit similar to the ivory one-shouldered gown she wore in 2009.Luke Sharrett for The New York TimesThe Jason Wu dress was persimmon-colored with cross-halter straps and a loose fit similar to the ivory one-shouldered gown she wore in 2009.
SLIDE SHOW
Style at the Inauguration

Inauguration Styles

From fleece and fur worn to the National Mall to Jason Wu’s encore appearance at the inaugural ball, there was a lot to be seen at the inaugural ceremonies.

As expected, style at the inauguration ceremonies did not disappoint. Thom Browne landed a spot in the National Archives as the designer of Michelle Obama’s inaugural morning outfit, a navy silk jacquard coat and dress. Jill Biden’s large silver bow on her Lela Rose coat and Justice Antonin Scalia’s Renaissance painter-inspired hat were also topics on the tongues of fashion fans, but the president’s attire, not so much.

From top, Antonin Scalia, Sonia Sotomayor abd Justices John G. Roberts at the inauguration ceremony.Stephen Crowley/The New York TimesFrom top, Justices Antonin Scalia and Sonia Sotomayor and Chief Justice John G. Roberts at the inauguration ceremony.

After the morning ceremonies, anticipation only grew as viewers waited to see which dress Mrs. Obama would wear to the Commander in Chief Ball. For the second time she chose a Jason Wu design. The persimmon-colored gown was similar to the ivory one-shouldered gown she wore in 2009. Read Eric Wilson’s review of Mrs. Obama’s inaugural style.

Mr. Simons Plants His Garden

By CATHY HORYN
A gathered skirt in striped silk with a bustier at Christian Dior couture spring/summer 2013 in Paris.Valerio Mezzanotti for The New York TimesA gathered skirt in striped silk with a bustier at Christian Dior couture spring/summer 2013 in Paris.

Six months ago, Raf Simons presented his first haute couture collection for Dior; he then followed with a hit ready-to-wear show that instantly restored prestige to the house’s tailoring. If people didn’t believe that Mr. Simons, a maverick in men’s wear and a relative newcomer in women’s, could take control of Dior, they certainly were convinced after those shows.

Couture Fashion

Cathy Horyn’s reports from the haute couture shows in Paris.

On Monday, in a recreated garden in the Tuileries, Mr. Simons surprised them yet again. It was an astonishing show, full of lightness, hidden layers of embroidery and dazzling color combinations. Beforehand, he admitted that some of the spring-hued colors — grass green, poppy, lilac, periwinkle — were new to him as well.

At the start of the show, the models emerged from a dressing room underneath the white set and began walking along paths arranged with dense boxwood mounded around skeletal trees. The Belgian gardening firm Jacques Wirtz supplied the plants and design. The opening looks recalled Mr. Simons’s earlier collections: the airy full skirts, now in a fuzzy pale-blue silk stripe with a strapless black bustier. He wanted to evoke not just the complete experience of a garden (blue sky, black branches) but also the sense of things emerging from the earth and eventually blossoming. Read more…

Jill Biden and Her Big Bow

By ERIC WILSON
Jill Biden wore a silky, silvery coat designed by Lela Rose.Pool photo by Win McnameeJill Biden wore a silky, silvery coat designed by Lela Rose.

The following post has been extracted from The Caucus Blog:

Jill Biden’s distinctive silvery coat is getting a fair share of attention on the inaugural fashion front, namely because of the large bow at the neckline. A bow is a slightly risky look (remember Aretha Franklin’s hat at the inauguration four years ago?), but Mrs. Biden pulled it off. She looks elegant.

Lela Rose, the designer of Mrs. Biden’s outfit, who also dressed Jenna and Barbara Bush during a previous inauguration, said Mrs. Biden came to her in a unexpected way. Mrs. Biden bought her dress at Neiman Marcus, and the store called Ms. Rose about a week and a half ago, looking for a matching coat.

“I wanted to create a coat that looked good with the dress without being exactly a matching look,” Ms. Rose said in a telephone interview from her home in Sullivan County. Read more…

A Fashion First for the Designer Thom Browne at the Inauguration

By ERIC WILSON
Mrs. Obama wore a navy silk jacquard coat and dress in a checked pattern that he said was based on a men’s necktie fabric.Luke Sharrett for The New York TimesMrs. Obama wore a navy silk jacquard coat and dress in a checked pattern that he said was based on a men’s necktie fabric.

The following post has been extracted from The Caucus Blog:

Thom Browne landed a spot in fashion history this morning as the designer of Michelle Obama’s inaugural morning outfit, a beautiful navy silk jacquard coat and dress in a checked pattern that he said was based on a men’s necktie fabric.

Mr. Browne found out that Mrs. Obama had selected his outfit about a half-hour after television viewers, who first saw the Obama family shortly before 9 a.m. He was in Paris, on his way to a sales meeting the day after his men’s wear fashion show, when he began seeing messages.

“It’s overwhelming,” he said in a telephone interview. “It is one of those rare moments in someone’s career that you will always remember. There’s not a word that can really describe it. It’s just amazing.” Read more…

Trendspotting: Casual Jackets

By CATHY HORYN
Perfecto jackets at, from left, Helmes; Dries Van Noten; Dior Homme; Raf SimonsValerio Mezzanotti for The New York Times Perfecto jackets at, from left, Helmes; Dries Van Noten; Dior Homme; Raf Simons

The blouson and perfecto jackets are integral to men’s wear, but this season designers are making them stars.

Paris Men’s Fashion

Cathy Horyn reports on the runway shows.

In fact, at Hermès on Saturday night, Veronique Nichanian highlighted coats, opening with a trench and a long pea coat in navy wool with prominent silver buttons, and including blousons in suede, mink or navy astrakhan.

A Dries Van Noten blouson combined soft wool checks with leather, while Raf Simons used black wool with zippers to create a trim perfecto. More versions appeared at Dior Homme.

Trendspotting: Whites

By CATHY HORYN
Winter whites at, from left, Hermès, Comme des Garçons and Rick Owens.Valerio Mezzanotti for The New York Times Winter whites at, from left, Hermès, Comme des Garçons and Rick Owens.

Rick Owens probably made the biggest statement with winter whites, using shearling and duvet-thick cotton. Occasionally he mixed materials in one boss coat.

Paris Men’s Fashion

Cathy Horyn reports on the runway shows.

Arctic whites also appeared at Hermès and, with a twist, at Comme des Garçons. By the way, many of the jacquard pieces in the Comme show were washed for extra softness.

Stopping for a Show (or Two) on a Snowy Parisian Sunday

By CATHY HORYN
A look from Versace Atelier Couture Spring Summer 2013 collection.Valerio Mezzanotti for The New York Times A look from Versace Atelier Couture Spring Summer 2013 collection.

Blanketed in snow over the weekend, Paris on Sunday settled into a lovely calm: no tooting cars on my street, slushy sidewalks offering an excuse to say in bed.

Couture Fashion

Cathy Horyn’s reports from the haute couture shows in Paris.

It was still snowing when I went across the river to the Lanvin show, at the École des Beaux-Arts, where hot drinks and sugary cakes were served on the runway. Alber Elbaz and his menwear chief, Lucas Ossendrijver, swept away much of the formality and complexity of the spring collection, along with color. Business tailoring, for the moment, seems less interesting to Paris designers. Even neckwear has been banished — or, at Lanvin, reduced to a blunt sliver. In place of ties were fine-gauge turtlenecks worn under shirts. At Hermes on Friday, Veronique Nichanian also showed turtlenecks; in fact, they looked best with evening suits.
Read more…

Rei Kawakubo, in a Playful Mood

By CATHY HORYN
Comme des Garçons fall 2013 men's collection.Valerio Mezzanotti for The New York TimesComme des Garçons fall 2013 men’s collection.

A rare Paris snowfall was the main event on Friday. It began around 5 p.m. as editors and buyers were trekking to an inevitably tiny street in an inevitably far district for the Comme des Garçons show, where they were greeted by the Easter bunny.

Well, not quite, but Rei Kawakubo was in a deeply playful mood, opening with a pale pink coat and a leather cap sprouting rabbit ears, and moving on to lace and chenille coats. Do not be alarmed.

Paris Men’s Fashion

Cathy Horyn reports on the runway shows.

Patched and woven leather jacket and trousers at Givenchy.Valerio Mezzanotti for The New York TimesPatched and woven leather jacket and trousers at Givenchy.

The combination of colors — pale yellow, pink and taupe bolstered by red (I’m in love with red this season) — was enchanting, a runny mess of innocence. Ms. Kawakubo has told this same boys-in-tailcoats story before, with lace and skirts, but the difference now was a homey softness in the fabrics, as soft as a worn bedspread, and the relaxed, almost sloppy attitude of many of the looks.

Riccardo Tisci staged his Givenchy show in a ring of fire: two concentric circles of candlelight. Although he eliminated the paneled layers of spring, and generally streamlined the tailoring, this collection seemed stalled. There were strong leather pieces (bulked-up jackets with what looked like lacing), but too many things were tied or bundled around the waist, almost drawing attention to the lack of solid design news.

Berluti fall 2013 men's collection.Valerio Mezzanotti for The New York TimesBerluti fall 2013 men’s collection.

Around 8:30 p.m., when the Berluti presentation opened at a natural history museum, the snow was coming down hard. Traffic on the Left Bank had slowed to a crawl. Sidewalks were largely deserted. For Berluti, a LVMH company managed by Antoine Arnault, the snow was a bit of cake frosting. The presentation was staged in several halls in the museum, with its collections of critters next to the latest in elegant tailoring and accessories. It was eerie, beautiful and not a little overwhelming, There was such a wealth of details — superb fabrics, great hats — that you didn’t really know what you were meant to see or appreciate.

Down and Out in Paris

By CATHY HORYN
A leather puffer jacket from Louis Vuitton.Valerio Mezzanotti for The New York TimesA leather puffer jacket from Louis Vuitton.

Fashion has turned decidedly away from the corporate world this season. It wasn’t that long ago that Raf Simons and Kim Jones of Louis Vuitton were making elite power statements; during the recession, Mr. Simons predicted that young men, concerned about jobs, would want tailored clothes. Other designers didn’t stint on the polish.

Well, at the fall 2013 Paris men’s shows, polish has been traded for patches and a general down-and-out scruffiness. Mr. Jones hardly ignores the corporate climber, but he invites him on a sartorial journey to the Himalayas. One could get lost in his descriptions of parkas lined with sheared beaver and coats made of traditional Bhutan felts woven from yak hair. How about a minimalist overcoat made from a single piece of bull leather?

Paris Men’s Fashion

Cathy Horyn reports on the runway shows.

Mr. Jones, who grew up in Africa and trained at Central Saint Martins in London, loves technique, but all the details and proportions in this excellent Louis Vuitton collection point to hero worship. For sure, there is always excess in a Vuitton show; in addition to using leopard-stenciled fur and cashmere coats and leather (for puffer jackets and travel bags), Mr. Jones asked the artists Dinos and Jake Chapman to design pieces for the collection. These included jewelry in the form of animals, a snow leopard design for a sweater, and a lush multicolored print that the Chapmans called the “Garden of Hell,” after Diana Vreeland’s famous description of her apartment. And very few designers can take a research trip to Bhutan and Nepal, as Mr. Jones did — another reason to be cautious when using terms like “heroic” to describe a collection. How tough can it be? Read more…

Rethinking the Dandy Man

By CATHY HORYN
Looks from Louis Vuitton's fall 2013 men's collection in Paris (left and right); a Raf Simons sweater (center).Valerio Mezzanotti for The New York Times, Cathy Horyn (center)Looks from Louis Vuitton’s fall 2013 men’s collection in Paris (left and right); a Raf Simons sweater (center).

We love coincidences. This season it’s the leopard spots that appeared in Kim Jones’s Louis Vuitton show (for cashmere and mink needle-punched coats and fur trim)

Paris Men’s Fashion

Cathy Horyn reports on the runway shows.

and in sweaters at Raf Simons, noticed in his showroom but not on the runway.

Tweets From Milan Men’s Fashion Week

By THE NEW YORK TIMES

The Paris men’s shows are already underway, but here’s a look back at some of the tweets from the Milan shows that got our attention.

Milan Men’s Fashion

Reports from the men’s shows in Milan.

Read more…

John Galliano Begins His Fashion Recovery

By ERIC WILSON
John Galliano.Jason Kempin/Getty ImagesJohn Galliano.

John Galliano is stepping out of fashion’s penalty box.

In a Friday morning surprise, Oscar de la Renta announced he had invited Mr. Galliano to take up temporary residency in his design studio on West 42nd Street. Mr. Galliano, who left the house of Dior in disgrace in 2011 following the exposure of anti-Semitic outbursts at a French cafe, will even be welcomed to contribute to the development of Mr. de la Renta’s fall collection over the next few weeks, according to a report in Women’s Wear Daily.

Oscar de la Renta.Mario Anzuoni/ReutersOscar de la Renta.

At the time of Mr. Galliano’s downfall, many people — editors and retailers included — speculated that the designer would never work in fashion again, but there have been mounting examples in recent months of those who have publicly supported him, including Anna Wintour and Grace Coddington of Vogue. Alexandra Shulman, the editor of British Vogue, said in a post on the magazine’s Web site on Friday that she was delighted by the news.

“Oscar de la Renta is the king of uptown style and John Galliano the prince of romantic glamour, so it should be a magical match,” Ms. Shulman said. “I am delighted John’s returning to fashion.”

The move will almost certainly invite controversy, but the question is just how much. As far as a comeback strategy, working for Mr. de la Renta in a casual capacity, practically an intern, is, in effect, a way of testing the waters. Mr. de la Renta’s business is privately owned and his reputation, despite the occasional picking of a fight with a first lady or a fashion critic, is that of a gentleman. And Ms. Wintour, who is close to both designers and has reportedly been seeking opportunities for Mr. Galliano, is likely to be a powerful ally should anyone protest. Read more…