Fashion Seen

  Bjorn Nasett. Photo by Robb Quinn.  If you are a regular reader of my fashion missive each week, or even if you’re not, you’ll come to understand that I do not necessarily tell you what to wear but instead report on style ideas that I find interesting and inspirational or even ordinary. What people choose to wear is always unique to their personalities. It’s about where they see themselves in the big picture of the world. What makes writing a fashion blog tricky is that it shouldn’t be about putting people down for what they wear but instead examine…

On the first day of a two-day photo shoot for a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel fall fashion spread a few years back, I assembled my hair and makeup team and headed Downtown to the newspaper’s photo studios on Third Street where the shoot would take place. Model prep was actually in a conference room on the third floor, while the studio itself was on street level. Because of space limitations, models and stylists were forced to take the elevator up and down several times per hour all day long. Not quite the glamorous life one would expect from portrayals on television,…

  Yves Saint Laurent dress. Dutch abstract artist Piet Mondrian (who passed away in 1944) unfortunately didn’t live to see what his discovery of cubism in 1910 would do to arouse fashion in the latter part of the 20th century. The most well known of his painted compositions features black lines and colored rectangles, and is simply named, Composition with Red, Yellow, and Blue (1921). Primary colors bounce off each other in a rigid crazy quilt of geometry. In 1965, no less than young designer Yves Saint Laurent paid homage to this painting with a wonderful sheath dress, which is…

Carol Brady, June Cleaver and perhaps Shirley Partridge. Utter these famous fictional names and people immediately know who and, maybe more importantly, what they were — the fashionable and unflappable moms who entertained us each week on the television sitcoms of yesterday. They are not only noted for comic maternal wisdom but also for the image of style they represented. Aspirational mom style icons, if you will. Do they still exist, or are they the mythology of an era gone by? Is there a middle ground? Marianne Szymanski thinks so. An authority on what’s in and out when it comes…

  Buckler As all of you readers know, I love doing a high-end look for a lot less money by shopping at department stores, local retailers, thrift stores, vintage shops and everything in between. So I thought it would be fun to take a look from MBFW that I recently saw and do my own approximation of it. Let’s take a gander at the inspiration pictures from the Buckler production on the street in Soho, figure out the elements that made the outfit unique and knit together our version. Using items I purchased while in New York City and some…

While in NYC for fashion week, it dawned on me that no matter what magazines, blogs and TV shows tell people to wear, they always find their own interpretation of what they believe to be of the moment, at least for them. That is the reason I started writing this blog, simply to share fashion thoughts and leave it to the reader to sort out. I don’t want to tell you what to wear now, or ever actually. It’s just that I’m totally immersed in the style stimulation of the world we live in that I can’t help but spread…

  Halle Berry. In this day and age when information is exchanged at a dizzying pace, we instantaneously know what the latest quip from the Charlie Sheen Crazy Handbook is, as well as what any given “star” might have worn, here, there and especially on the red carpet. I guess it is satisfying to know that even if Lindsay Lohan is arraigned in court on shoplifting charges, she will not disappoint by wearing a tasteful ensemble. No! Quite the contrary she gives us a full-fledged impersonation of Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct complete with inappropriately short white dress! I know…

There is so much to witness during the weeklong fashion celebration that is MBFW that I could not possibly enclose all the ideas in one column. So here is my second installment of what I thought could be hot for the next year, or at least what can hold you over as you all wait for six months with breathless anticipation until I’m back in NYC for the Spring 2012 shows! Let the trender blender begin.   Elene Cassis Camel Chic Camel hues played a large role in the color palettes of a lot of designers this season. The tailored…

Now in its sixth year, Milwaukee’s Magnificent Bride or MMB, which is co-sponsored by Milwaukee Magazine, will return to the spectacular environs of the historic Pfister Hotel on Sunday, Feb. 27.  This is not the one-size-fits-all type of wedding show but more of a boutique-style presentation featuring some of the wedding players whose combined talents could help elevate your nuptial day to an amazing art form.  The daylong event features top local vendors from every facet of the wedding industry, including photography, salons, caterers, bakeries, florists, bridal attire, as well as invitations, lighting, music and entertainment. Two spectacular workshops given…

While in New York City for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week and the Fall 2011 Collections, I realized that fashion is completely cyclical. Some trends from the past will rear their head again while others remain buried never to return. This is both good and bad. Sometimes the looks that come back are unflattering, ungainly and downright unwearable while others seem to remain bulletproof. Thank goodness that this year the looks for Fall 2011 are already on our radar, and we can start to seek them out at our local Milwaukee retailers. These are the top trends to know, and in future…