For the opening of the collection Miuccia Prada showed a number of simple untailored suits and day looks in a light and dark gray pallet. While lacing a little color here in there! The backdrop of the show was a flash of imagery on the walls; it was pretty evident the flash of slogans was hinting at the collection – Doom!!!! In the second section Prada started to come alive with more color and more texture, not to mention some striking prints. While I found Gottex shorts a little over the top and a stretch for the designer. Her use of bold colors of green, yellow and blue really let the collection take a step away from the whole minimalism and modern direction.

In the second section Prada’s use of color and prints really took off. The standout looks in this section are two short looks. A taffeta short printed with geometric egg shapes and hemmed with a contrasting blue zigzag. The short is pleated at the waist and along with the short length of the shorts give the short a puff shape around the waist, adding to your package! The short is worn with a simple black ribbed cashmere cardigan. I was not a big fan of the techno blue patent leather jacket that was right out of the 80’s.

For the third section Prada slightly moves back into her minimalist pallet. Then she splashes you with more color, this time it’s more orange and yellow. The most unique pieces of the collection are certainly the orange and canary yellow PVC slickers. What is up with Milan Designers showing raincoat in their Spring/Summer collections? Is it going flood next year all over the world? In the end, I love that Miuccia added the two raincoats.

The closing section moved back into the minimalist design and a black-based pallet. While a bilk of the closing section was very simple and incorporated a lot Prada’s signature looks. The standard theme that resonated on the runway was all of the Prada strapy sandals. The sandals were worn with everything from pants to shorts and even stretch leggings.

The must have pieces are both from the closing section of the collection. First, the black cotton dress shirt with a simple collar but the shirt wraps around the lower torso like a wrap dress. Giving the shirt a new look with direction of the lines of wrapped shirt and creating a feminine twist to the look. The second piece is the black silk taffeta jacket, the jacket is simple box cut shape but the collar criss-crosses instead of buttoning down the front. Its worn with a sheer black silk ribbed pullover shirt. What I love about this look was the pairing of the black taffeta jacket with a pair of dark ,dark brown (almost black) taffeta pleated shorts.

Prada is a hard designer to love and some might even agree, hard to understand. Season after season Muccia looks to keep with her design aesthetic and make sure her clientèle receives something new while not straying from the classic Prada style. This collection certainly resonates this philosophy but the key to this collection is Prada’s desire to bring her looks alive with strong and vibrant colors. Her strong point in this collection is most certainly her use of prints, while we seldom see strong prints (outside of her womenswear line) for menswear, this season she delivers. Bravo Madame Prada!

View the complete collection at style.com

[images viaStyle.com]

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Madame Westwood is all about giving her clients something different in her view. For Spring/Summer she seems to be into molding several centuries into one look. The opening section was a bad mix between the 70’s punk and Edwardian gentlemen morphed with a little 15th century peasant rags. I was not really into the laced up Edwardian pants.

While the opening section was a big stretch with the mixing several eras in one, there were a few standout pieces and looks. The strongest pieces were all of the knitwear pieces. I loved the brown knitwear piece that incorporated a short sleeve ribbed sweater with sheer cashmere knit trimming the sleeves and the hem of the sweater with a wishbone neckline. In the second section Westwood made a clean jump into classic suits in array of colors. One of the strongest pieces in this section was a orange window pane pant, the cut is baggy and worn with a gray on gray pin-stripe blazer.

As the collection moved into the third section Westwood started playing with some scary trends from the past. I did not like the denim sailor suit or denim shorts. But the most horrific piece was the dress pants with a fitted high waistline, very reminiscent of Z. Cavaricci in the late 80’s. Then Westwood started to move into her classic androgyny – man skirts and opened air blouses. One of the standout pieces in this section is the aqua stripe seersucker pant worn with a ribbed silk shirt. I love how the pants are a straight leg cut with a baggy fit to the leg.

The must have looks of the collection include two unique outerwear pieces and one whimsical shirt. First was the green t-shirt printed with a Edward Gorey character sketch worn with a white jacket that is lined with a dark green and white plaid print. The jacket lapels are cut like wings that zip up together. Giving the jacket a jagged punk look! The other must have look is the black jacket in the third section. The lapel of the jacket is offset and the collar is a high rolled neckline.

Westwood is the mother of invention when it comes to fashion, no doubt! Although most of her collection lacked any sense of direction, several editors were shaking there heading and left with no understanding the vision for Spring at Westwood. Her ability to keep the fashion world a guess is priceless, many editors commented on how puzzled they felt. While some of her customer were delighted at the array of options, especially when the hope of options so far during collections have been a little scarce.

View the complete collection at Vogue.UK

[images via Vogue.UK]

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The gods must love Dominico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana at the moment. Their collection for Spring/Summer is all sport and all about the body. Like I said before I have not seen that many chiseled torso since the 80’s. The opening section was all about sport and pampering the body. Models strutted down the runway in Speedos, robes and several Dolce & Gabbana football pants (the must have look at Beverly Hills High will be football jocks in D&G pants!). In the second section the duo got preppy, from shorts and blazer looks to boy with sweater tied around their necks.

In the third section the duo started adding more satin looks, adding some decadence to a very athletic and starched collection. One of the standout pieces in this section was a navy blue satin shorts suit. The blazer is tailored close the torso and the shorts are pleated giving a fuller leg look. But what really caught my eyes were the black and white wingtips that were worn with suit. The shoe is completely flat on the bottom. It has no heal, an interesting take on the classic dress shoe, In the closing section one of the standout looks was a vibrant white matching pleated short and blazer, worn with an off-white sating shirt and topped off with a cream satin tie.

The must have looks in the collection are two shorts looks. First was the rust color suede shorts. The shorts are tailored baggy and worn with a tight fitted blue shirt, the colors are very 80’s but I love the combination. Another was not an actual clothing look –rather a pair of tortoise shell sunglasses. I love how they kept the shape of the glass round but made the lens larger, worn with a pair of tennis shorts and matching tennis shoes, of coarse no shirt! While the collection fits with the Spring/Summer theme – the excessive theme of sports and body mixed with the classic tailoring is a little confusing in the end. But the collection is very Dolce & Gabbana; sadly there were no real wow moments this season for men.

View the complete collection at Vogue.UK

[images viaVogue.UK]

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If Oscar Wilde were alive today, would he embody his iconic image of a sophisticated and aristocratic gentleman? My gut response is certainly “of coarse”, but Wilde’s lover Lord Alfred Douglas is another story, I see him falling victim to the many cliché homosexual trends. From chops from the 70’s, super tan and wife beaters from the 80’s, even the muscle craze of the 90’s. For their Spring/Summer collection the Missoni family gave their guests a first glimpse of the collection with a tiled backdrop consisting the colors from the collection. Backstage the Missoni’s quoted the inspiration being Lord Alfred Douglas. Last season Missoni was all about the sun kissed look, this season the family are off on a golfing holiday. This inspiration is in the classic Missoni knitwear.

Earlier in the day a few designers opted to show no shorts in their collections. The Missoni’s jumped on the end of the spectrum, showing a lot of shorts along with pants to indulge the golfers need to stand out on the “fairway”. Right from the start of the collection get the classic Missoni geometric knitwear in pallets of soft pinks, aqua and yellows. The first standout look if the collection was the bright teal and brown sweater set. A collarless cardigan worn over a matching v-neck sleeveless sweater. Another strong knitwear look was the v-neck sweater with the classic Missoni wave design mixed with stripe design worn with a pleated tan pant.

The second section of the collection was more summer than spring. Missoni showed several Bermuda short looks as well as several dress shorts look with matching blazers. The standout looks in this section were all the short shorts looks. More specifically, the low waisted swim trunks (emphasizing the package). The swim is a plaid print combining colors like yellow and aqua or yellow and orange. One of the best looks was the yellow and aqua swim trunk worn with a similar plaid print jacket and scribble print t-shirt. While this abundant use of prints is very busy – the pairing really compliments the look.

As the collection progressed the designers shifted into a black and white section, which really didn’t flow with the abundance of color. The black and white really broke up the collection into two pieces. Although in the middle of the black and white section the Missoni’s did throw in two strong color looks. First was a black and pale aqua Missoni stripe design used on a matching cardigan and sweater set. Worn with a baggy pleated khaki pant. The other standout look was short sleeve knit polo with the classic Missoni stripe design in pale purple, peach and black. Worn with a baggy pleated white linen pant.

The must have looks from the collection are two knitwear looks, one shorts look and one pant look. First was the kahki brown linen shorts worn with a matching black and yellow print dress shirt under an orange and brown Aztec design cardigan with black and white stripe details. The highlight of this look is the pleated linen short; I love the classic baggy fit. The other must have look from the collection is the pale green chevron design knit cardigan with a wide draping lapel. The chevron design gives the cardigan a little a 30’s look. This season the Missoni family really took the collection another level. They opted for a single theme for the collection and ran with it. The end result is a complete collection that is not only wearable but also sellable, buyers look to be salivating after the show. Bravo Monsieur Missoni!

View the complete collection at style.com

[images viaStyle.com]

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For Spring/Summer 2007, designer Christopher Bailey has his heart in the classic Burberry Fall look. Taking the classic Burberry trench coats and pantsuits and adding some color or a lot of color. One of the inspirations quoted back stage was the music presented in the show. My impression or response to the music was it felt sad but a heartfelt tribute to Bailey’s partner who passed away last year. In the opening section Bailey kept true to the classic Burberry style showing several suits and outerwear pieces in pale browns and soft grays.

Although the opening section was full of light and airy fabrics, the look that Bailey was trying to achieve was more a Fall/Winter look than Spring/Summer. Christopher continued his use of knitwear from his last F/W collection, but his outerwear pieces were the highlight of the opening section. One of the strongest outerwear looks were the chunky lapel and button trench coats in various shades of red, green and blue. Two coats really jumped out at me, first the metallic electric blue trench and the metallic olive green trench. The coats were detailed with chunky buttons and worn with a loosing fitting pant and a silk Marino sweater over a dress shirt.

As the collection progressed Bailey shower more and more outerwear looks. The trench began to get really repetitive. But then he dropped a bomb by showing two coats in what could be the new “it” color for the season, a tangerine/red color. First, there was the simple red trench coat, that he focused on accents like making the pockets larger and adding large buttons. These accents covered the entire front of the trench. Another bold piece was the A-Line cut overcoat in the same tangerine/red. The coat is very clean and absent that tailored shape that is seen throughout the collection. I loved the little detail of leather straps around wrists of the jacket.

Bailey played with a lot of color in this collection. From bright yellows and greens. He even created a couple of silver pieces. I was not a big fan of the silver lame dress shirts worn under a v-neck sweater. But I did like the silver lame knit cardigan worn over a simple gray dress shirt. I did not like the straight leg pant worn with the cardigan. Bailey took last season emerging trend of a full or baggy pant to the next level in this collection. Showing a large number of pleated baggy pants with a variety unique looks.

The closing section seemed to be more feminine, a lot of pale pink and blue looks with very feminine lines and shapes. Bailey added rhinestone accents and shoulder pads to jackets and coats. Now I know shoulder pads on men is a scary thought, but these little additions really made the closing section a success. For the closing Bailey showed several all white tuxedos looks. He used every white fabric he could get his hands on, from white silk satin to white silk crepe. Then adding details like beading and rhinestones. Like, the white cashmere knit sweater that was completely encrusted with crystals. Worn with a satin bow tie and shirt. The key to the all of the white looks was all of the pleated baggy pants in silk crepe. The only miss in the evening section was all the black shoes the models were wearing, did someone miss place the right shoes for these looks?

The must have looks for the collection are two evening looks. First was the gray silk trench coat worn with a pale pink sweater over a white dress shirt. The highlight of this look is the gray eel skin plated pant with a baggy leg. This look will certainly be a strong unique look for Burberry. The other must have look is the last look of the collection, a white trench coat worn with a white cashmere sweater over a white dress shirt. The pants have a sailor look with a baggy pant leg and rhinestones down the side of the pant. Even though the collection was predominantly done in browns and grays, Bailey made sure to give the Burberry client some color for Spring/Summer 2007. The only downer for the Burberry client is the absence of shorts! Overall it’s an almost complete collection, Bravo Monsieur Bailey!

View the complete collection at style.com

[images viaStyle.com]

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With the world heating up like it is in Milan this June, designer Ennio Capasa showed most of his collection with Shirtless models. Models wore several suits and day looks, minus the shirt! Is the shirt obsolete for the Costume National customer? No! he did show a handful of looks with shirts. While this attempt may be seen as a statement of how to wear his looks. The truth is that the lack of shirts was to cover up the fact most of the fabrics and colors used in the collection made the clothes look heavy and very hot. The opening section was a lot of dark browns, gray and an excessive use of black.

Sadly the opening section did not give us enough strong looks for Spring/Summer, rather more for Fall. In the second section Capasa drew inspiration from the big game hunters from 50’s and 60’s. Almost James Bond, a lot of hunting browns! Then Capasa moved back to his dark pallet of blues and grays. At least the light browns gave the looks a lighter look and feel. One of the strong looks in the second section was a light gray jacket worn with a dark gray cargo pant. A very simple look but it’s the best I could see so far.

The closing section of the collection was swing back to a dark pallet, but I really loved all the eel skin pants and suits. I was happy to see that Capasa took this mafia related fabric and look and steer completely away from the stereotype by playing with the tailoring and design. One the strongest looks was the pale steel blue eel skin suit. The jacket was detailed with black satin lining on the lapels and black satin piping along the pant leg and trimming the cuffs and pockets. Another strong piece in the closing section was a cropped gray tweed jacket with a wide lapel. The jacket is tailored to the body by pinch in the sides, worn with baggy black crepe pants.

The must have looks from the collection are two knitwear looks. First was the dark gray double-breasted ribbed cardigan, which was a big trend item from last season. The cardigan was worn with a tapered leg pant, which really does not fit the collection of baggy or full leg pants. The other must have look is the white cable knit cardigan worn with a black cargo pant that can be rolled up to ¾ or short length pant. Giving us the first real summer look to the collection.

Another standout and must have look is the last look of the collection. A white dress suit with a white silk crepe jacket and matching white silk satin pants. The white is not a true white seen through the close of the collection. It has a little tinge of blue/green mixed into the white. This look really jumped out at me, very seldom does the closing look really impress me like this. This collection is certainly one of Capasa’s success stories in recent season. Although a bulk of the collection seemed to be out of place or out of season. The key here is the endless options for the Costume National customer. What was lacking, yet again, there is no “shorts” pieces or looks in the collection. Overall Capasa gave us a blotchy collection, while there were many great looks in the collection as whole the vision for Spring is too far in the Fall.

View the complete collection at style.com

[images viaStyle.com]

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For his sophomore collection, designer Raf Simmons continued his respect and understanding of the Jil Sanders philosophy. For Spring/Summer Simmons shifted his focus on redefining several trademark Sander looks and reworking them under his attention to detail and lines. Simmons kept true to the classic lines and lack of color. The opening section was a parade of several black and gray looks.

Key highlights to the opening section included Simmons redirecting the two-button blazer or jacket. Some of the best outerwear pieces were tailored below the waist. I found the crop waisted jackets to stick out; the designs really did not fit the definition of the collection. Another weak outerwear piece was the collarless trench coat; the cut of the coat was a little baggy. One of the fun pieces of the collection is the rain slicker. Shown in electric blue and gray.

Another strong outerwear piece was the gray leather box cut jacket. The bodice is oversized and I love how Simmons offset the lapel and button to add a modern twist to the jacket. He also showed several outerwear looks in number of bold colors. Like, the tangerine/red trench coat with an offset lapel. This use of color is repeated through out the collection; the only color that didn’t jump out was the techno blue, which we have seen used over and over the last two seasons. I was hoping this color was gone for good.

The must have pieces from the collection are all the short sleeve dress shirts. Simmons showed the shirts in a number solid colors. The must have colors include the simple shirt which was worn with several black and gray suits. Then there is the “it” color of the season, Simmons Tangerine. The small collar gives the shirt a very clean look with the limiting of lines and focusing on the simple design.

At the end of the collection I found myself still loving the idea of Raf Simmons heading Jil Sander. Raf really nailed the whole Jil Sander vision on the head and he really does have a grasp of the Sander legacy. The only thing absent from the collection was Simmons sense of innovation. With this being his second menswear collection it appears Simmons is more focused on reworking classic Sander pieces and look to bring back the Sander customer who has been disappearing. Bravo Monsieur Simmons.

View the complete collection at style.com

[images viaStyle.com]

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What is everyone talking about in Milan........Scott Schuman "The Satorialist" - several insiders and bloggers are commenting on his new venture with Men Style.com Congrats Scott! This really is the new wave of capturing the world of fashion.

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The most striking opening day for Milan Menswear - At Dolce & Gabbana the models were athletic gods, I've never seen that many chisseled torso's since the 80's. While other designers seem to be light on the tailoring - designers are predicting a HOT Spring/Summer for 2007. My reviews will be up soon! Big day tomorrow!

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Great deals over at CondeNastArt.com, like this magazine cover from 1953. A drawing by Rene R. Bouche of Christian Dior's Fall Collection. The prints are matted and range from $125-250 depending on the size. Or add another $50-100 to get it framed - I don't know about you but I pay around $150-250 to get artworks framed. To top it off - right now Conde is offering away FREE SHIPPING.

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Looks Like Someone is Getting some Pointers!!!!!!!!and its not on Acting!

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Instead of a Runway show or studio show of his recent Resort collection. Designer Zac Posen enlisted best friend/muse Lola Schnabel to creat an original art-house movie titled "Ma Venduese" featuring Posen's recent Resort line for his namesake collection. The 5 minute movie was filmed on Long Island at the Schnabel estate. Featured as the movie backdrop to the movie are artist/model Raina Hamner and model Leilani Bishop. The blond duo appear as sisters - very similar to the Trania sisters. The audio of the film is a studio interview of Anne Beaurang.

What I love about this movie is the obvious inspirations - from documentary "Grey Gardens" to Arthur Elgort's 70's editorial spreads for Vogue with model Lisa Taylor.

Check out the movie today at Style.com

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Yes, it's happening 2 months earlier than last year! After the whole drama of fashion week being pushed out after the show started shooting. The season will behin airing on July 12th......

Bravo Announcement

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Sorry that I have been absent for so long! I am in the process of finally taking my dreams and dedication to my Blog to the next LEVEL! As of this morning TURLIE.COM is alive and under construction. I am in the process working with designers and focusing on architecture for the online magazine. My goal is to escape the confines of fluff magazine pages and useless information. I am going to post questions and seek opinions in the next couple of weeks to help me design the site. Fingers Crossed!

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