State of the Fashion Union #11: What the Bloggers are Saying. FASHIONTRIBES FASHION BLOG

The State of the Fashion Union - the Fashion & Lifestyle blogosphere weighs in on Fall 2006 Fashionweek for Monday, February 13, 2006:

The rest of New York Fashionweek played out as much as expected, reports Fashiontribes: Time to put any of your preconceived notions about Max Azria aside, with his new & more upscale Max Azria line...less little dresses and more nerdy downtown chic where Marc Jacobs grunge meets Parisienne chic. And Zang Toi was up to his usual tricks with his latest Dragon Lady-via-the East Village collection. As usual, Anna Sui did prints galore, cool jewels & the best boot of the week (sort of biker meets cowboy) and even tights that matched suits and shoess...too wallpapery, or not? Unsurprisingly, Vivienne Tam failed to stray too far from her Asian muse, while Heatherette paid homage to New York - with a love letter to the Big Apple. The 40s ruled the day at Temperley London with gorgo velvet suits, lace mini dresses & matador skirts...but what was with those strange knit pancakes attached to some of the models' heads? And where, FT would like to know, is the next Jay McCarroll? Project Runway's Kara Janx, Daniel Vosovic, Chloe Dao & Santino Rice were fun to watch, but hardly awe inpiring. Country legend & single-named Manuel, and his son, Manny Jr., made their Fash Week debut with a rock-inspired collection of glittery Nashville glam...and oh so FT approved. And Zaldy, oh Zaldy, captured FT's hearts & minds as usual with a flawless showing of gorge frocks, swank pants, and pretty much perfect accessories.

More trends from the runways included capes & capelets - aka ponchos version 2.0 - small & square sunglasses, nerd glasses for guys, short gloves, and 3/4 sleeve styles, reports Omiru, who reviews Derek Lam, Trovata, Proenza Schouler, Behnaz Sarafpour, Michael Kors, Y-3, Richard Chai, Rebecca Taylor, Carmen Marc Valvo, and Anna Sui.

Sass & Bide got it right this season, says Coolchiq, while Luella Bartley gets an ambivalent we're-not-sure-whether-to-love-it-or-hate-it review. And if you're harboring dreams of long walks down snow-covered paths, Marc Jacobs is the place to get outfitted with flounce capes, a pair of puffy sleeves, a sleeveless coat, and elbow-length tight leather gloves.

The Fashionable Kiffen reports that Proenza Schouler, Zac Posen & Derek Lam delivered their trademark urban, yet feminine, looks.

Most of us fashion followers live for that moment when a fashionable item takes your breath away, which is just what Girlawhirl experienced when laying eyes on the boots striding down the Anna Sui runway. Chunky, colorful, embellished, and just plain perfect, they were but one of the reasons to love this collection, with its jacquarded sweater sets, voluminous skirts, colorful mix of hues, prints & patterns, and all-round wonderful knits - all of which added up to a collection full of pieces that today's woman needs.

And Beauty Addict sums up things from the Beauty front: An urbane, outdoorsy, chi chi look at Michael Kors - which hits a solid homerun. Robots from the future, via the 80s, at Jill Stuart, with a welcome departure from the lipless models that have so dominated the runways this season. Sweet candy pink lips, doll-like eyes, and pink pinch-me cheeks were deemed more spring than fall, but still pretty, wearable, and oh-so Anna Sui. And a dead Kim Basinger from the Tom Petty video for "Last Dance with Mary Jane" apparently inspired ghastly, zombie like looks on the Peter Som runway, where a band of corpse brides with lifeless lips and dark circles looked more suited to play dead victims on CSI or Law & Order than represent at Fashionweek.

Has last season's minimalism already given way to a new maximalism, or is economics at work? Rather than a mindless swing of the fashion pendulum, perhaps the presence of passementerie & pailletes for Fall 2006 has more to do with distinguishing authentic designer items from fast fashion knockoffs at places like Zara and H&M, suggests Counterfeit Chic, both for the discerning customer seeking a connection to authentic creativity to the logo-lovin' type who seeks merely to display her "discerning" taste.

The first week down - and London, Milan, Paris, L.A. & Toronto still to go - and you're tired of Fashionweek already? Designer Ella of Kiss Me Stace feels your pain, and argues in favor of sticking to style over fashion. Fight the urge to rock open-toed stilettoes when the mercury plummets. Choose colors for your wardrobe not based on what magazines dictate as being "in", but based on what actually flatters you. And take your cues from the actual weather in your town, not the fashion calender.

And while we're on the topic of style, Wonkitties examines the connection of political and sartorial style. As a political leader, if you are stylish, your "look" sends a message to the world which people may or may not adopt. From the Maos and Che Guevaras of the world - to Atilla the Hun & his rampaging barbian look - cruelty and rapacity are not generally traits with which people want to be associated, and these looks never became popular. However, the Nehru jacket was hugely trendy during the 1960s, as dressing like a friend of Gandhi & promoting non-violence was a much more respectable statement. Similarly today, Afghanistan's Hamid Kharzai with his dashing capes and ceremonial hats - and matching political message - transformed him into an international style icon.

Maybe it's all in the stars, after all. Astrology is currenlty the name of the fashion game, and everyone from Prouenza Schouler to Michael Kors have moons in their houses and alignment with Jupiter. Blingdom of God wonders if astrologically-themed fashion and accessories reflects a hunger for certainty and meaning, or whether the spiritual union of astrology and fashion flows from less divine sources.

And if there's still more to say, jump in at the Fashionweek Discussion Forum on Glam.com.

- Lesley Scott

Click below for previous summaries of what the bloggers are saying:

• Summary #1
• Summary #2
• Summary #3
• Summary #4
• Summary #5
• Summary #6
• Summary #7
• Summary #8
• Summary #9
• Summary #10

Fashiontribes State of the Fashion Union Pop Culture Fashion Glam Media Glam Network Fashion Expert