Trends for Spring '09: Bangles

There's something about a big, bold, bangle that says "fun" to us. We don't know why that is, but if bangles make a statement, then to us, it's saying "I have style AND I know how to have fun with it."

It's not as if bangles ever really went away, so perhaps it's a bit of a misnomer to call them a "trend." Still, the runways seem to be loaded with them more than ever. Designers fall in and out of love with various style elements and right now, they're back in love with the bangle. And because we're talking runway, we're talking big and bold and maybe a little impractical. Most women wouldn't wear so many of these at once, but they make for a great, dramatic look when you're sashaying past a bunch of bitchy fashion editors.

As for which of these get the thumbs up from us...well, all of them do. Maybe we're just feeling the love today but we have not one bitchy thing to say about any of these. We think they're great.

(Click on the picture to see the full look)


3.1 Phillip Lim, Alberta Ferretti


Anna Sui, Burberry Prorsum


Christian Lacroix, Cynthia Steffe


Emilio Pucci, Louis Vuitton


Malo, Marc Jacobs


Marni, Zac Posen



[Photos: Style.com/nymag.com]

Trends for Spring '09: Statement Necklaces

Well, Korto and Malan (which sounds like a detective agency), got it right for their Spring 'o9 shows. We love both of these big clunky necklaces. Certainly, La Nina has a history of wearing them well. We're all for this trend, in theory. Unfortunately, we're in sharp disagreement about the following ones, all of which made recent runway appearances. So much so that Tom turned to Lorenzo upon viewing them and said "You're kidding, right?" According to Tom, most of what you're about to see ranges from ugly to ridiculous, but Lorenzo really likes them (most of them).

Like any accessory, it's all in how you wear it and how you pair it. As we said, we like clunky necklaces in theory. We just can't agree on these clunky necklaces. What say you, minions?


Anna Sui, Bottega Veneta


Burberry Prorsum, Chanel


Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix


Emilio Pucci, Giambattista Valli


Gucci, Lanvin


Louis Vuitton, Marc by Marc Jacobs


Marni, Michael Kors


Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren


Roberto Cavalli, Stella McCartney


Vera Wang, Viktor & Rolf


[Photos: Getty Images/Style.com]

Trends for Spring '09: The Wilma

Shelley O's one-shoulder inaugural gown may not have set us on fire, but we can't deny the First Lady's right on trend. As with any trend, it works only depending on how it's utilized. Let's go to the tape, shall we?


Alberta Ferretti, Bottega Veneta, Calvin Klein, Carlos Miele

These are all gorgeous. No problems here. The proportions on the Ferretti are letter-perfect. We love the architectural detail on the strap on the Bottega Veneta. The Calvin Klein was part of a collection that was all about shape and structure and this look summed that up perfectly. The Carlos Miele is just perfect.


Chloé, Cynthia Rowley, Emilio Pucci, Gianfranco Ferré

We'd like the Chloé more if there wasn't that patch of skin at her hip. As for the Rowley, we really never liked the one-sleeve look. The Pucci is a nice look but Tom doesn't like that color. The Ferré would work for us without that massive strip of white.


Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Hermès, Iceberg

Gorgeous/too Miami Beach/too Studio 54 (although we kinda like it)/hideous.


Jill Stuart, Luca Luca, Malandrino, Marchesa

The Stuart is hideous. Even though we said we don't like the one-sleeve look, we have to say we like the Luca Luca. The Malandrino is surprisingly disappointing. It doesn't even look like she tried. She normally goes for a very feminine silhouette and this just kind of hangs there. The Marchesa is pretty fabulous, but there's too much toilet paper on it and the tulle is a little too long.


Marc Jacobs, Monique Lhuillier, Nicole Miller, Preen

The Lhuillier and the Preen are both absolutely gorgeous. The Marc Jacobs is just too much. Too costume-y. The proportions on the Nicole Miller are all wrong. Not flattering or pretty.


Valentino, Versace, Vivienne Westwood, Zac Posen

The Valentino is gorgeous but isn't it long past time for him to retire that shade of red? The Versace is adorable. The Westwood is just plain ugly and Zac Posen's is simple and chic.

What do you gals think?

[Photos: Style.com]

Trends for Spring '09: Sheer Madness

Darlings, suddenly everyone wants to show off their ladybits! What's THAT all about?


Roberto Cavalli, Vera Wang, Chanel

Don't hate us; we actually like the Cavalli. Oh, don't get us wrong, if we saw someone actually wearing it we'd mutter "dirty whore" under our breath and judge her most harshly, but for the runway, it's fun. Hate Vera's. Love the Chanel.


Cynthia Rowley, Elie Saab, Alexander Wang

Feh/'70s prom dress/skank.


Catherine Malandrino, John Galliano, Armand Basi One

Fab/Runway fab (although those grannie panties...yikes)/Fug.


Costume National, Christian Dior, Monique Lhuillier

Hate the first two and we'd love the Lhuillier except for the white bust. Zellwegger did the same thing for the Golden Globes and we think it looks stupid.


Badgley Mischka, Nina Ricci, Oscar de la Renta

Gorgeous/Fabulously impractical/Fabulous and slightly impractical.


Zac Posen, Betsey Johnson, Calvin Klein


Chic/Outrageously fun/Chic 2, Electric Boogaloo.


Here's the thing when it comes to trends: it's fun to talk about them, but they're fleeting and what is a trend on the runway doesn't always become a trend on the streets. We'll definitely see more sheer in the average stylish bitch's wardrobe in the coming seasons, but have no fear: you won't be seeing a lot of panties and nipples on the subway any time soon. Sorry, straight boys!



[Photos: Style.com]

Trends for Spring '09: Zip It.

Hey, remember this?

Well good ol' Jeffrey was ahead of the curve on this trend. He didn't invent it and it's not exactly new, but lately, we're seeing more and more exposed zippers on the runway.

From the functional:

Narciso Rodriguez

To the purely decorative (LOVE these):

3.1 Phillip Lim

...It seems like more and more the zipper is becoming the embellishment of the moment. It also seems like every time we show a dress with an exposed zipper, EVERYONE has strong opinions about it. And since this blog is where strong opinions come to roost, we thought we'd weigh in.

Sometimes, it really works for us:

Michael Kors

Like here, where the Duchess integrated them as a practical element to the garment but still utilized them as an embellishment. It works for us probably because it feels somewhat restrained.

On the other hand...

Proenza Schouler

This just doesn't work for us at all. They look like they're wearing their clothes inside-out.

We can't always get excited when it's used as trim:

Versace

The one on the right is fun but the other two bore us.


DKNY, Matthew Williamson, Preen

Same here: boring, boring, boring. In the end, it's like any form of embellishment. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It depends how you use it.

What do you bitches think?

[Photos: FirstView/Elle.com/Style.com]