Want A New Tattoo?

If you haven't at least heard of the Don Ed Hardy/Christian Audigier tattoo craze that has taken the world by storm then you have been taking a seriously long break from fashion trends. This dynamic empire of lifestyle goods has inspired a movement of ornately embellished items that speak to the mindset of the inner rebel that wants a conversational edge in basic items.

This very popular look has been the wellspring of several look-a-like lines that have surfaced since the brand's meteoric rise to being a celebrity driven style. For several seasons now, Christian Audigier has raised the bar and made the novelty T-shirt (Above) and funky board shorts (Below) more than just a picture screened on a garment.

His style of imaging is easily recognizable and borrows from many forms of graphic art to render designs that are unique and in alignment with the line's objectives. There are comic book and animation references (Above) and 70's vintage concert poster looks (Below) that are very up to date and make for must-have items for the cool & hip.

The image of a skull (below) has become a favorite tattoo symbol with this particular customer base and he has paired it with virtually everything imaginable to keep breathing new life into this ageless icon of danger and revolution.

Available Nordstrom's, Ed Hardy & Christian Audigier Shops

Gucci Pants

Since taking over the house, designer Frida Giannini has taken the Gucci brand in a much more leisurely direction for the luxury consumer. This season she took a whimsical idea and intertwined a serious textile pattern with sophisticated colors to create looks that are distinctly her own in menswear.

The subdued floral wallpaper pattern (above & below) is a subtle tropical scenario that plays on a masculine yet romantic theme for a look that will turn heads. The idea of mens trousers playing host to a print is a novel idea in the market place, but Gucci is quickly putting an end to that age old concept and hopefully making it commonplace.

Indian Summer

This is the first real peak at Fall 2009 done right "a la" Matthew Williamson. Sienna Miller is radiant as the summer sun over the blazing desert sands in this ethnic print over lame'. Matthew's entire Collection for the season was a stunning spectacle of intricate prints that gave the audience the experience of being in a royal suite at a luxurious desert resort. The prints and beadwork were perfectly chosen & lavish symbols of the desert's beauty by day and by night. This show is easily going to be rated in my Top 10, so stay tuned for the video of this fabulous show in the May posts.

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I want to give you a peek at what I'm working on for next season.  I will be bringing you video footage of all of my interactions on my journey following the print trends around the world. This is a brief look into the tents and my coverage of NY fashion week from a textile perspective focusing on the prints in each collection.  

Mi Casa, Su Casa...Armani Casa!

Fine Fashionable fabrics over simple elegant forms and delivering glamour and beauty to refined luxury interiors is the Giorgio Armani creed for furniture. Metropolitan living is synonomous with sharp clean design and timeless patterns that endure the whimsicality of passing trends. The silhouette of the Turnadot Sofa from Armani Casa (above) offers sophistication and modern refinement in the most handsome and clever way possible. The sofa takes on a beautiful minamalist elegance when combined with a neutral palette and the simplicity of large scale geometric shapes. The print plays on the familiar without being as obvious and boring as a plaid, and brings a unifying theme to a classic decor.

Inside Out

Above, Alexander Mcqueen, as he does season after season, never disappoints when it comes to being devicefully manipulative of the female silhouette. He took Paris by storm this season by taking the very hip skeletal trend and created a look of machine-like precision that relates beautifully to the human form. The translation takes on an architectural mood that is stunning as it is clever and ingenius. Below, an equally amazing display of this upcoming trend, is the walking lifesize X-ray from Narcisco Rodriguez's collection that seems to expose the subtle power of femininity as it would be seen from the inside of today's most influential women of fashion. These almost radioactive looks were by far the most prolific diplays of positive and negative print engineering to hit the runways in quite some time. Now this is the science of textiles at its best!

A Cut Above

Stella McCartney: The best patterns this season are turning out to be the subject matter of the look and not the garment itself. This cut-out trend is being rocked by all the fashionistas around the globe in several silhouettes and forms as a way of creating an "au natural" texture. The organic driven fabric selections of select fashion houses substantiating the "Green" movement are sure to be re-interpreted for years to come.

The Great Cover-Up

Every Spring we are challenged to find the great cover-ups, even though we already have one. Rocking a printed top layer is a mood elevator of the highest order this season if you are looking dress up the drab. These particular zebra inspired prints are styled to change the direction of flow and add to the bold impression in an ever so chic way....VERY Dior!-rp

Brush Strokes

How can something so simplistic be so coveted? The process of printing on fabric is an exact science & such compositions are almost impossible to render in textiles. A screen has to be created for every color & the pattern has to repeat in a manner that allows every garment to be identical. While we're still waiting for digital printing to ease in to mass production the wholesale value of such items is always going to be in the high stratosphere.

Chloe's paint splatters are an example of this house's sophisticated style techniques and how no expense is spared to garner the mood of the season. I think this will be the most duplicated look in the mass market by far.

I Wish I Was Home

"We're not in Kansas anymore Toto." These days when you venture into the home textile editorials you have to wonder who the target viewer is. The "Do-It-Yourselfers" seem to hav e taken over the reigns from the high brow interior specialists to make a stand in the market place. The reality TV craze has infiltrated virtually every audience base now and is strongly influencing consumers to seek bolder patterns & more vibrant colors. And, we must agree that, nowhere is the personality more vividly expressed than in the home.

I think it is fantastic that we are being given many more options in the marketplace to execute uncoventional ideas in creating personalized living spaces. The modern home maker wants looks that are outside the scope of traditional home palettes and seek options in furnishings that immulate the motifs and moods found on the fashion runways.

No Lines On My Stripes Please,...

A print is intended to evoke an emotion and then to pinpoint a collection's focus or drive a Brand's direction. By implanting a definitive element to create the effects of contrast and texture, this same strategy is adopted for the placement of a stripe and a plaid. Simple geometry it is not, because it is every designer's challenge at one point or another to get their creative juices jammed with linear formatting.

This pattern is fashioned and referenced by vintage Ikats designed to explore surreal impressions of a stripe by Coloured Zebra Print Studio Paris, France. It will be a refreshing way to approach the abstract & tribal trends that will dominate the editorial features for the transitional mid-season deliveries.

Let's define this to be a forward look that allows some freedom to flow within the theorems of engineering skirt borders. Besides the obvious Missoni House of Milan, I know there will be some prominent peices rendered by adopting this look to interpret the retro mood for Spring 2009. RTW Separates, Accessories, & Home will be key markets guiding the trend.

What is Urban?

Again, I took a dive in to the minds of my contemporaries to gain some clarity on what is now being dawned as a the new cliche' , "Urban." It was once a term used to describe something that is indigenous to inner city culture and largely influenced by the Hip-Hop community.

The celebrities & supermodels are driving the "street chic" look home from the runway to the red carpet and creating an aesthetic genre that is undefinable but clearly recognizable as "Urban." LuQman of Luzzine Media/Photography states,"Urban is the spice that gives historical depth and colorful flavor to all major metropolitan cities around the world." This easily translates to taking what we see and applying it to what we do, and in this case, what we wear.

The recent printed hoodie craze has led to the evolution of the sweatshirt by adding the dimensions of color & embellishment to rival its cousin the T-shirt. Above are textile renderings from the Prints of Orange studio depicting both the literal and abstract approaches to urban apparel concepts. The silhouettes of B-boys in various break dancing poses is a nostalgic hint to a historic movement that inspired a generation. However, on a more sophisticated note the framework of a computer's motherboard makes for an intricate pattern that stands as strong as any contemporary geometric and will debut in children's outerwear later in the season.