I know we said we were done with our special Valentine’s Day features and I know Valentine’s Day is over. However, we have a couple more awesome mini-interviews to share with you. Today we bring you the uber glamorous Mary Norton!
Valentine’s Day: Hallmark Holiday or Real deal? In my opinion, any time that makes us stop and take a moment to thank and appreciate those who bring us love and joy in our lives is a worthy event. Therefore whether Valentine’s Day has it’s origins from a saint or from a retailer is meaningless to me. What matters is that it reminds me take one day a year to shower with appreciation and love those who give me their love the other 364 days of the year.
What gift would you love for Valentine’s Day this year? If I could have a Valentine’s wish, I would ask for a little cash windfall to take my husband and kids on a fun family vacation.
Your most memorable Valentine’s Day? I was a really nerdy kid in junior and senior high school and never dated. Beginning in seventh grade, my Dad always had flowers delivered to school for me on Valentine’s Day. It always made me feel so loved and special. My husband, Joe, now does that for our daughters. I love that family tradition.
What are your plans for Valentine’s Day this year? Micah (13), Reilly (11) and I will accompany our hot date, Daddy Joe, out to dinner here in Charleston to our favorite pizza place, Monza. This year it will be a simple night as I leave early the next day for LA for Oscars week!
The best Mary Norton bag for a Valentine’s Day gift, why? The Mollie Orchid Clutch—the flower that will last a lifetime 
Click here to see all the oh so fabulous Mary Norton handbags!
Fashion Week can be a hard for us handbag lovers. Because of the placement of photographers at the end of the runway, it’s often difficult to get a halfway decent look at the bags we might be seeing in stores at the end of the summer. Thankfully, though, we’ve rounded up some bag pictures from the Marc Jacobs show after the jump.
So what do we have here? We have a few things that mirrored Jacobs’ show - neon, patterns, a slightly punk, slightly glam 80s feel. And we also have a few things that mirror MJ bags from previous seasons - quilting and chains. The chains are the primary straps in most of these flap shoulder bags, which is a bit of a departure from the Stam’s chain accent. Although the pictures aren’t super helpful, many of these bags also appear to be small-to-medium-sized shoulder bags, sometimes that Jacobs hasn’t focused on in recent collections. Many also include exotic skins, studs, and other embellishment that make these some of the most elaborate bags I’ve seen from his normally-rather-subdued signature collection. See for yourself below.
I worship at the altar of Marc Jacobs. Unabashedly. I am unashamed to think that he is possibly the greatest fashion mind of our generation and admit that I’d wear pretty much anything he put his stamp of approval upon. I love him as a character - I love all the fabulous younger men he dates, all the crazy things he does to his hair, and the fact that he has taken to wearing man-skirts and combat boots. So presented after the jump is Marc Jacobs Fall 2009 Ready-to-Wear:
And I also love that instead of doing a scaled-back, dour collection to be respectful of the doom-and-gloom economic climate, he did a 60-look, over-the-top love letter to 1980s New York. It was glittery and grimy, mismatched and neon, much like the city itself in Jacobs’ heyday of clubbing and excess. There were shiny party dresses with voluminous, knee-length skirts, pleated jeans and pants with tapered legs, and sculpted, layered frocks in bright colors and black. The models’ hair and makeup looked like it was out of a New Wave music video in the infant days of MTV, and like DVF, Jacobs also managed to convince me that I need some patterned leggings in my life. Except I like his way better. What he did is so brilliant that it would be a shame to break it up into sections and comment on it separately, so this post is going to be a bit different from the rest of my Fashion Week reports. The collection is a complete, self-contained statement about an era and a city that are long gone, and it was done with such clarity that you certainly don’t need me to walk you through it.
Although fashion designers typically create their collections in secrecy rivaling the Manhattan Project, what's interesting is how many similarities between collections emerge as Fashion Week progresses, and how these similarities then group themselves into a limited number of strong trends.
Taking stock - both consciously and unconsciously - of the zeitgeist, designers first absorb the influences around them, then deconstruct them, and finally re-build them into fashion that feels "right" - sometimes in a very wearable or commercial way...and sometimes not.
Either way, it's fun to hear from the designers themselves what moved and inspired them, as WWD recently did. For Fall 2009, their influences seem to fall into three main categories: 1. the mystery of nature; 2. the magic of color; 3. a hard-edged Blade Runner'ish vision of an industrial future.
1. MYSTICAL FANTASY NATURE...both benevolent and malevolent...
"The collection relays the feeling of being a witness to wistful scenery, like seeing cherry blossoms in the moonlight on a snowy night." - Akiko Ogawa
"The butterfly, the symbol of beauty, mystery and new karma, is portrayed in the signature minimal and romantic look of our collection." - Andy & Debb
"A voyage into a fantasy play world." - Erin Fetherston
"Dadaist cabarets, the Cubist muses, the eroticized Surrealist dreams with German punk." - Alexandre Herchcovitch
"'Rumble Fish' meets 'Thelma & Louise'. True Americana but with a modern and contemporary edge." - Marcella Lindeberg/William Rast
"A dark and futuristic take on the New Age movement." - Vena Cava
"Mont Saint-Michel...magical medieval monastery...Gothic architecture, gargoyles, griffins...legends and fairy tales of past." - Leifsdottir
"Once were princes now are thieves." - Mara Hoffman
"Tsars, enchanted birds and Russian folklore." - Tibi
"We fall into a daydream and are drawn into a mythical world." - Ideeen
2. REALMS OF COLOR
"In terms of color, we kept coming to the work of heroes like Cy Twombly, who moved to New York in the Fifties and made his colors bleed and run and evoke the seasons." - Loden Dager
"Asexual, aseasonal, rectangular, slick palette of blacks, touches of pure grays and intense dark blues." - Rad Hourani
"Industrial materials and a synthesis of the textures and colors of urban construction sites." - Jeremy Laing
"Cool tones highlighted by blue and green; an attitude that hints of renewal and optimism." - Thuy Diep
"Enless spatial manipulation, rich color dialogue and the possibilities of the three-dimensional geometric progressions of Sol LeWitt." - Carlos Miele
"Arctic neutrals combined with shots of teal, ice green and winter white - the colors in the photographs of Olaf Otto Becker." - Julian Louie
3. PUNK-INFLECTION WITH A FRENCH ACCENT
"Fall has a Paris punk appeal." - Alice + Olivia
"A blend of aviator and spy; hardcore luxury.'" - Pierre Morisset, G-Star
"The style and antics of French clowns." - Araks
"We are suggesting a new kind of opulence, of intelligent indulgence over blind gluttony." - Naeem Khan
"'Nature never appeals to intelligence until habit and instinct are useless. There is no intelligence where there is no change and no need of change.' - 'The Time Machine by H.G. Wells." - Nice Collective
"The French have four words for it: je ne sais quoi." - Trovata
"Modern day Mad Max." - Nicholas K
- Lesley Scott
(images: illustration at top - themoldydoily.com; Dada painting - storiefm.co.uk; Dada fashion - nytimes.com; abstract painting by Koko - World of Found; Paris techno punk; Blade Runner - filmsquish.com)
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inspiration for Tracy Reese Fall 2009
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for all our FASHION WEEK COVERAGE - click here
So, a few weeks ago we introduced the amazing giveaway we’re doing with our friends over at Who What Wear. I am sure loads of you have already signed up. And if you read the entire post, you realized that there are a couple ways you can increase your chances to win. One of which is entering your friends email addresses over at Who What Wear (if you’ve already registered, you can still go back and enter more addresses).
Another way to increase your chances to win is here on Purse Blog. One day this week, I will publish a post which indicates what you need to do to increase your chances yet again. Don’t worry - it is fun and super easy! Like I said, this opportunity is going to happen this week - STAY TUNED!!!
I think I’ve told this story on Purse Blog before, but I’ll be brief: ever since Diane Von Furstenberg was mean to Toccara, the plus-sized model on one of the first seasons of America’s Next Top Model, she gives me a frownie-face. But since she’s actually fairly influential and makes some interesting things, we’re going to talk about her (somewhat crazy) collection anyway. You want pics? We’ve got them, after the jump.
So, this is basically what she did. 40 separate looks of THIS. And it was something to watch, I’ll give her that. Her collection was called Nomad, and apparently to DVF, “nomad” means “wear all my clothes at once so I don’t need a suitcase when I travel.” It reminds me of that episode of Friends where Joey is pretending to be Chandler, and he comes running in wearing layer upon layer of random stuff, and exclaims, “Hey everybody, I’m Chandler! Could I BE wearing any more clothes?!?!” Ok, enough with the jokes. Some people will disagree, but I don’t find this particularly interesting. If you’re going to layer in an editorial way, give me different textures, different ideas - not just a bunch of sweaters. Sure, some of them have a pattern or two. So I guess that’s different. And stab me in the face, I hate the hats. And I had to look at them for the entire show.
But I’ll stop complaining and say some nice things, because parts of her collection were actually kind of cool. Somehow, she has managed to convince me that I need leopard-print tights. I’m not sure how she accomplished this, but she did, and now I’m wondering what the price point will be on these when they hit stores. DVF isn’t overly high in price, so they’ll probably be within reach. They might even start a trend.
And this dress, for instance. It’s really cute, and it might have a subtle animal print to it, if my eyes aren’t playing tricks on me. The shape is nice, and I think most women don’t realize that brown can be quite a flattering color against a lot of skintones. It’d be great with a sweater and some chunky boots as next fall creeps in.
For some reason, in the world of DVF, nomads wear liquid silver jersey party dresses. That totally makes sense. As does that hat with that outfit.
If only New York’s fashion elite would have known months ago that Michelle Obama had planned to wear Jason Wu to the inaugural balls - he probably would have gotten a better slot at Fashion Week. Nevertheless, we kick off Purse Blog’s coverage of the goings on in the tents at Bryant Park with his Fall 2009 Ready-to-Wear show. As it turns out, his show is a fitting aperitif to the more editorial shows to come; his clothes are accessible, beautiful, and would sell if sent to stores tomorrow. After the jump, take a look at his big ideas for what we should be wearing come fall.
I will have this dress, or one like it, even if I have to MacGyver one myself out of duct tape and doilies that I colored black with magic markers. And I will wear it around my house while sipping cocktails and listening to jazz and be FABULOUS. Wu showed several slick sheaths and even more dresses bound by thin belts - the perfect day-to-night combo.
The full-on-bottom, tailored-on-top silhouette is one of my favorites of all time, and I couldn’t be happier to see that apparently Wu is welcoming it back. A printed full skirt in blacks and greys is accented with a jewel-tone, close-fitting top and an enormous necklace (another Fall 2009 favorite that has already appeared in several shows). I’m checking ShopBop for full skirts right now. I WILL be ahead of the curve on this trend.
Not only does this look mirror the previous silhouette that I so adore, but it’s super tailored in a very 1950s, Mad Men way that so many women would look so wonderful in, if they would just try it. Plus it’s yellow, which seems to be gaining momentum in the trend department. Yellow is hard to wear at times, but there’s a shade out there for almost everyone - don’t be afraid of yellow, girls! Mr. Wu implores you!
And finally, we see the formal wear skills that made him the belle of the inauguration fashion ball. The ombre patterned effect of the beading on a beautiful blue silk gown is majestic and easily worthy of an awards show appearance. I’ll take two.
In the current economic climate, many designers that would have normally had lavish runways shows are opting instead for private viewing of their collections for buyers, journalists, and critics. One of those designers is Reem Acra, which may strike as odd anyone that’s familiar with her clothing. Acra is, by definition, lavish - lush materials, floor-length gowns, and lots of jewels. And as a stark contrast to the restraint that a private viewing would indicate, Acra’s clothes were just as posh as ever.
The model over there may be looking a bit like Morticia Addams in that dress, but I kind of love it. A lot. I want Angelina Jolie to wear it, although I think she wore something similar a few years ago when she was still nuts and making out with her brother (anyone else kinda miss that version of Angie?). As it is, I’d like to see it on someone super curvy - perhaps Christina Hendricks? If you don’t know her, Google, my friend. Google.
Hmm. I love this dress, hate the way it’s styled on this particular model. More or less all of Acra’s models were working the oversized necklaces that we’ve seen elsewhere (ahem, Jason Wu) this week, and I know that designers strive for continuity in styling during shows, but the necklace is seriously competing with what could be a stunning neckline. Lose the necklace here. Other than that, a great candidate for an award show dress for a major star - I see it on a Jennifer Garner type.
We’re not reinventing the wheel here, folks. Pretty dress, pretty material, pretty color, and pretty beading at the chest panel. I’d like to see Charlize Theron wear it, but she only wears Dior. So.
Ladies and gentleman, we have a winner. I don’t know how they dyed the fabric to make it so…awesome…but it is. It’s dyed in awesomeness. And then it’s fun and layered and a little more challenging, visually speaking, than your average ballgown. And I don’t want anyone to wear it to an award show, because I want it all for myself, and obviously I can make that happen. What? I can’t? Oh.
Fois Gras? Caviar? Exotic truffles? Just what does an A list fashion designer enjoy for a culinary splurge? If you're Peter Som...mac 'n cheese! "Delicious, satisfying, hearty, classic, humble," the designer recently explained to The Daily, about his version of the dish, which he makes with three different cheeses and chantarelle mushrooms. He's also been known to bake pies for his lucky staff, and even bring in the odd vanilla-frosted chocolate cake. An avid fan of the Barefoot Contessa, Lydia Bastianich, and Ruth Reichl's Gourmet magazine, he recently read "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" which has added some locavore flair to his adventures in the kitchen (which have included smoking out the entire house attempting flank steak.) "Cooking is kind of like making a dress, in a way," he muses. "You think about the balances - if you have something shiny, like a fabric, you pair something matte with it. Then you contrast textures and colors. It's the same thing with food - you want it salty, sweet, hard and soft. You want a little crunch. I wouldn't liken a crostini to a dress, but I think about them in a similar way."
Here are some of Som's tips & recipes:
Cooking with Peter:
ADD SALT "Salt. It just heightens flavors. I use it in desserts. I also like chili-pepper flakes."
SIGNATURE SOUP For his minestrone, he makes his own chicken stock. "I try a different variation every time. Try throwing in a little pancetta. It's a great one-pot meal, especially with bread and apple pie."
CHIC COOKWARE "I use All-Clad Copper Core stainless cookware, which I really like a lot. The handle doesn't get hot. I don't really use nonstick that much. I adore my Global knives. They have nice torque."
APPETIZER: Crostini with Pear, Maytag, Honey and Walnuts (Serves 4-6)
half a baguette cut into 1/2" slices & toasted lightly
chunks of blue cheese (try Maytag or or Roquefort)
1/2 c. walnuts, toasted in a dry skillet on low heat for 1 minute
honey to taste
1 pear (try Bosc) sliced thinly with a mandolin & tossed in lemon juice (prevents browning)
Make it: Top the bread with pear and then some cheese. Add a walnut and drizzle with honey.
MAIN COURSE: Winter Panzanella (serves 6)
Salad ingredients:
1 bag carrots cut into lengths of 2" each
1 red onion - slice into wedges
1 zucchini - cut into cubes
1 yellow squash - cut into cubes
2 shallots - quartered
1 cup flat-leaf parsley
olive oil, salt & pepper
1 small sourdough boule - cubed
1 cup Parmesan - grated
1 cup pine nuts - toasted
Vinaigrette ingredients:
1 cup olive oil
1 lemon - juiced
zest of 1 lemon
champagne vinegar - 3 Tbsp.
grain Dijon mustard - 1 Tbsp.
kosher salt - 1/4 tsp.
pepper - 1/8 tsp.
chili-pepper flakes - 1 tsp.
Make it: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a sheet pan with olive oil, salt & pepper - toss the carrots, onion, shallot, zucchini, and squash. When the veggies are on a single layer, bake them for 20 minutes or until they are browned and tender. While they are baking, saute the bread cubes in a large skillet; use 1 Tspb. of olive oil and medium heat, and saute until they are lightly browned. Remove the bread cubes from the pan and replace with pine nuts; toast for about a minute until they are lightly browned.
Vinagrette how-to: combine all the ingredients except the olive oil in a small bowl. While whisking the mixture, slowly pour in the olive oil until everything is emulsified.
Final touches: In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, toss with the vinagrette, Parmesan, and flat-leaf parsley...and enjoy!
DESSERT: Dipped Ice Cream Sandwiches (serves 4)
8 white chocolate macadamia nut cookies (try Tate's)
softened dulce de leche gelato (try Ciao Bella) - 4 large scoops
chocolate ganache: 6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, 2 Tbsp. heavy cream, and 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper combined in a double-broiler over low heat until smooth & glossy
Make it: Scoop gelato onto a cookie, sprinkle lightly with fleur de sel, place another cookie on top, and press down to form a sandwich (be careful not to break the cookies). Dip into the chocolate ganache, and immediately place on a sheet pan lined with parchment. Freeze at least 1-2 hours, or overnight. For a tangy twist, add 1 tsp. chili-pepper flakes to the ganache, and omit the fleur de sel.
- Lesley Scott
(photos: Peter Som - oregonlive.com; crostini - wikipedia.org; panzanella - cream puffs in Venice; chocolate-dipped ice cream sandwiches - ehow.com)
RELATED STORIES:
Sweethearts sweeten Fashion Week
fashion'y nail polish at Fashion Week
inspiration for Tracy Reese Fall 2009
Fall 2009 Fashion Color Report
for all our FASHION WEEK COVERAGE - click here
I know we said we were done with our special Valentine’s Day features and I know Valentine’s Day is over. However, we have a couple more awesome mini-interviews to share with you. Today we bring you the uber glamorous Mary Norton! 
