What Do You Dare?

Go ahead, I dare you. Are you going to mix stripes and florals this spring or don head to toe orange sherbert? We all get stuck in a style rut at times, having decided long ago which silhouettes and colors work for us. This season, I dare you to try something new!

This is why I love trends. You aren't just discovering a new color or silhouette, you are discovering a new aspect of your personality. Bridget Foley had a great post-mortem on Golden Globes style in Women's Wear Daily (THE fashion industry newspaper for those of you who don't know) this week. She pointed out that stars (and their stylists) go for the same looks again and again: the skintight mermaid, strapless, red, blush, lace, etc. It is as if "sexy" and "skinny" were the only adjectives the stars wanted attached to their outfits. Oh wait, I forgot "glamourous"! And what is with the cleavage?!

What about interesting, intellectual, charting new territory in a very un-Bjork swan dress sort of way?Apparently only Tilda Swinton has the stomach to try truly new looks on the red carpet and accept the backlash that could come with the exercise. Ms. Foley offered some suggested looks for the next red carpet. We'll see if any of them take her up on it the next go round, The Oscars on February 24th. In the meantime, here is the look I hope someone, anyone, adopts for the red carpet.

Dior RTW Spring 2013

The Showdown at Paris Fashion Week

The fashion show season is over, unfortunately, but it ended with a bang at Paris Fashion Week. It looks like we'll be seeing a lot of whimsy in Spring/Summer 2013--did you catch the Chanel Hula Hoop bag or the fuzzy Celine shoes?

Never mind hula hoop bags, the excitement during Paris Fashion Week mostly revolved around the Hedi Slimane vs. Raf Simons showdown. Here's the background: Slimane, who has mostly been working as a photographer since he left Dior Homme, is the new creative director at Saint Laurent (the brand has lost the "Yves" under Slimane's direction). Simons is the new creative director at Dior. The two designers are the same age, have equally impressive credentials, are known as masters of minimalism, and head brands that have experienced major changes recently... so of course, the fashion media have pitted them against each other! But as it turned out, the designers showed that the style and direction they're taking their brands are completely dissimilar from each other. Here are some highlights:

Simons said he wanted his collection for Dior to "break free of the restriction of minimalism." That's good, since Dior has always been known for its "maximalism"!

Simons included an iridescent palette in this collection, often combined with asymmetrical lines. 

Simons gave a modern edge to the classic Dior Bar Jacket. 

It wouldn't be a Dior show without show-stopping ball gowns. 

Slimane's collection, which stayed true to the principles of the Saint Laurent brand, was well-received. He included a lot of bohemian-chic looks, which were compared to the style of uber-stylist and fashion designer Rachel Zoe. 

Can't you see Rachel Zoe wearing this patterned caftan and large-brimmed hat?

Slimane channeled 70's glam-rock in many of his gowns. Isn't this one so Stevie Nicks?

Slimane's tailoring skills have been showcased time and time again, and while this collection had a relaxed, 70's hippie rocker vibe, it still included sleek, tailored looks. 

Here are the designers themselves: 

Simons

Slimane

Which collection is the object of your lust?