Spring 2011: The Fine Floridians

Marc Jacobs:

I first noticed the "Floridian" trend (if you will) at Marc Jacobs where palm trees adorned gilded pantsuits and dresses; breast appliqués appeared to be mini beach umbrellas and the candy stripes evoke a Sonia Rykiel dose of fun (suiting a top 10 Spring Break destination). Big, floppy hats accompanied humidity ridden frizz in bright, radiant colors. The hats also reflect the raffia trend for accessories, which Vogue generously curated.

Stella McCartney:

If an entire look cluttered with oranges does not scream Florida, then I have no idea as to what may. I especially enjoyed Stella McCartney's Spring collection (as I frequently do), so expect a review/rant in full, soon.

Prabal Gurung:

Prabal Gurung boasted a collection full of electric color blocking which gratifies the bright, art deco architecture of South Beach. The clean geometric prints opened Gurung's latest collection and certainly packed punch; perhaps foreshadowing things to come for the young designer?

photos, Sonny Vandevelde, Tfs

Spring 2011: The Golden Age of Fashion

Most fashion critics and journalists have decided that the latest collections are undoubtedly 70s; however, I see them as being a reflection of the jazz age. In collections from Louis Vuitton and Chanel, the mood generated an age of opulence.

Karl Lagerfeld built a massive garden inside the Grand Palais, emulating a garden straight out of 'The Great Gatsby'. F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece (in my book, no pun-intended) epitomizes the opulence and grandiose happenings of the Jazz Era .

During said era, women began to embrace cosmetics, as they were formally reserved for prostitutes; Chanel's look fully embraced this "feminist movement" with a smokey eye and knack for darkness. Models followed suit at Louis Vuitton.

Marc Jacobs described his latest collection for Vuitton as affluent, a "Paris Is Burning, glamour for the kids". The silhouettes were a fusion full of melancholy as the ankle trimming lengths from the 20s and 30s combined with the Studio 54, party girl from the 70s. The decades fused, yet again at Chanel where 70s platform sandals and ankle skimming frocks trimmed in feathers met to satisfy a perfect juxtaposition.

One could also argue that Chanel was straight out of the club kid era of the 90s and we really could go on for days about the purpose of these collections, but I think it's safe to say that it's all about fun and options. However, the options seem to be from every decade imaginable and simply all over the place.

I suppose it's all a question of taste, which coincidentally was another key player in Jacobs' collection. Marc confessed to Style.com, "Taste is so subjective and I don't believe that there is such thing as good taste and bad taste." He later added, "Taste is an awful word and no one should ever use it."

Photos, Sonny Vandevelde

Spring 2011: Marc Jacobs Notes Straight From My BlackBerry

My immediate notes (minus the typos, straight from my BlackBerry) on Marc Jacobs Spring 2011 (whilst the livestream was "playing"):

• 70s patterns
• Chunky Shoes
• Big Hats (like @ Carolina Herrera)
• Drop Waist
• Orange
• 30s Silhouettes
• Color Blocking (like @ Prabal Gurung)
• Voluminous
• Jumpsuits
• Bianca Jagger
• Possible Asian influence?
• Big Hair (Also seen @ Pamela Love)
• "Circular Breast outliners" (like @ Altuzarra)
• Flowers everywhere
• Drama

Backstage Photo, Marc Jacobs Twitter.