HALLOWEEN BEAUTY: Clothing

Alexandre Herchcovitch. AW '10-'11.

http://herchcovitch.uol.com.br/

BEAUTY: Clothing--Julius

Julius is a clothing line started in 2001 by Japanese artist and designer Tatsuro Horikawa as an art project. Known for combining art and fashion, the line grew from its original purpose of providing audio and visuals for fashion and art shows into a fashion line itself.

Horikawa's marvelous, leather-wrapped F/W '10-'11 collection seems to be inspired by tooled leather horse bridles, bits, reins and harnesses. The models even have "manes" flowing down over their eyes. And the array of boots (and wader-like boots) is fantastic! I covet the boots in the third and fourth images down.

BEAUTY: Clothing

Alexis Mabille, F/W '10-'11.
Memories of Dandies, French boys' school uniforms, and Little Lord Fauntleroy, with wonderfully textural heather grey jersey suits (jersey for a suit? yes!) and beautiful, 1940s-ish extremely wide-legged trousers (a welcome change from the "skinny" silhouette of the last several years).


http://www.alexismabille.com/index_en.html

BEAUTY: Clothing--Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen just showed his amazingly odd and subtle F-W '10-'11 collection at Milan Fashion Week. Called AN BAILITHEOIR CNÁMH, which means THE BONE COLLECTOR in Gaelic, and inspired by seafaring cultures that live near the Arctic Circle, the collection features trompe l'oeil prints of chain mail, rugged cable knit Aran Isle-type sweaters, fur, ice and water droplets evenly covering jackets, shirts, ties, stirrup pants, bags, gloves, and shoes in a hypnotizing monochrome. Materials include mohair, leather and PVC. Face coverings also featured prominently and were either a total head-covering balaclava or something smaller, closer to a surgical mask (making me think of the black leather surgical masks from the current F-W Odyn Vovk collection). The walls, pillars and floor of the runway were papered in a repeating tight pattern of skulls and bones.

View the runway show here:
http://www.alexandermcqueen.com/int/en/corporate/archive2010_aw_mensfilm.aspx

BEAUTY: Clothing--Ferragamo

Ferragamo has never been one of my favorite houses (not that I disliked Ferragamo, it just wasn't on my radar), but after this past weekend's Milan Fashion Week, I have been won over, BIG TIME. The venerable house, founded by master shoe designer Salvatore Ferragamo in the 1920s, showed a plush and poetic F-W '10-'11 collection that made my jaw drop. This is definitely what I want to be wearing next winter and--oh, hell, who am I kidding? I mean EVERY winter: I'd never want to take these clothes OFF! Ferragamo showed a heady mix of 1) dashing winter wear that included luscious leather boots (what look almost like magnificent riding boots as well as some slouchy suede boots) with romantic and fantastically VOLUMINOUS knit scarves and 2) rich evening wear in the form of paisley velvet jackets with Bohemian-styled and extravagantly tasseled silk scarves, some peeking out from under said sumptuous jacket. And everything is designed in savory autumn colors like plum, cranberry, burnt pumpkin, blueberry and oatmeal. Spectacular.

http://www.ferragamo.com/

BEAUTY: Clothing--Vivienne Westwood

At Milan Fashion Week this weekend, Dame Vivienne Westwod showed a F-W '10-'11 collection true to her imaginative form. In the collection was one of her favorite menswear pieces, the kilt. I never tire of her fantastic re-imaginings of this marvelous garment. I also love the day-glo orange shoes, the fascinating knit tasselled socks worn with the kilts, and the argyle tights (!).

BEAUTY: Clothing--Missoni

At Milan Fashion Week this weekend, Missoni showed classic earthy, Italian colors and gorgeous textures for Fall-Winter '10-'11. I really like the presentation too: instead of a traditional runway show, the models were simply lined up on a shallow stage.