Thursday, March 10, 2016

Simply Siriano

Christian Siriano's Tulle Overlay Gown
Do you remember how the winning looks on NBC's Fashion Star were edgy, cool and utterly desirable? And remember how they were "supposed" to be available to us online and in stores that very day? 

I remember it well. My standout memory remains, to this day, Kara Larick's floor length tuxedo and bow tails from Season 1, Episode 4 of the show. It was the first design I was willing to kill for, my jaw dropping as her models took to the runway. I'm a sucker for red and black, and I had never seen them used so well before.

I wanted it. And I wanted it now. I dashed online early to see if it was on any of the store sites - betting it would win the night before the night was even over. 

But I was right. Her design did win! Wait... Wha? Why did they...?

What I was faced with online was not Kara's design. It was a watered down frumpy, sad little thing. The long black and streamlined tails with sharp points that had plated a huge gorgeous red bow, its leaves sweeping to the ground, moving in incredible ways when the model walked.

That red bow was not only the centerpiece of the jacket, but a genius moment in time. The jacket, with its form, was a statement piece at the very least.

But that's not what I found on the store's website. They had changed the design completely. A sad little red ribbon was all that was left on a wide bunching black, billowy tail, which didn't look very tuxedo-ish at all, leaning towards the bustle end of things. 

I was more than crushed. I was indignant. All I could think was...  Are you kidding me?

After all that the show was hard to watch. All the hype and hoopla throughout the show to design the "right look," and then the big chains go and modify it for us, turning pearls into potatoes. Drat.

I didn't watch much more of the show after that. I stayed in touch, following Kara Larks until - yes! She won. Excellent closure, thank you! And then I moved on.

How Kara Laricks' Tuxedo Jacket Translated:
Long red tails turned accent instead of main feature.

Not that I didn't learn anything. I did. Green doesn't sell, for example. Huh. I wonder why that is? Nicole Richie is hella smarter than anyone gives her credit for- on every level. And buyers should never be allowed on reality shows. Period.

But here's my point: when it comes to fashion and reality shows, we little people never get the goods. You can get the 'real deal' dishes from chef shows, both at their restaurants and even in magazines where they share their recipes. We can experience the same expeditions in adventure shows and we can not just see the same homes featured on real estate shows, but meet and/or hire the people that star in them.

Same goes with everything else - money shows, talk shows, antique shows - it's all available to us and we love it. Unless it's a fashion show. Then... not so much. We almost always get a mushy replacement that makes us go 'blech.' 

Which is why I love Christian Siriano's new Tulle Overlay Gown, also available on Farfetch.com. It's the first dress of his I've seen that brings back such stark memories of his first collection. It was on Project Runway all the way back in 2008, but it still kicks major designer as*, ringing relevant and classic today, tomorrow and forever. Go ahead. Watch the collection. You'd want to buy it, wear it and even lick it - immediately. 

It was simply stunning, shocking and so high fashion. He didn't just make a collection. He made an experience. 

We all relive that first runway of his when we think of his name. He laid down his foundation. And now we have this:



It brings me memories of this:


No dilution here, folks. No dilution here.

Thank you, Mr. Siriano. You are a light in the darkness. May Vogue, Vanity Fair and W figure you out too. 

Because we have.

Signing off,
Katherine King

P.S.
Oh. My. GOD.
Christian Siriano F/W 2016
Links:
Siriano's Website: http://christiansiriano.com
Siriano's Twitter (AHmayzing): https://twitter.com/CSiriano
Soriano's Original Project Runway Collection: https://youtu.be/fxJ91Kbn8kc

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

How Catherine Kallon will Kill Karl Lagerfeld: The Death of the Red Carpet Fashion Awards (RCFA)

One of the half million photo creations on Kallon's site.

You probably don't know who Catherine Kallon is, but you do know her work. Everyone does. No matter what Karl Lagerfeld, Anna Wintour and Diana Von Furstenburg say.

They're going to miss her the most. They just don't know it yet.

Because Kallon is the one woman force that is the Red Carpet Fashion Awards - and she's shutting the whole site down. And when I mean down... I mean down. As in - you'll never see, read or view anything she's ever posted again.

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