FabSugar

A Fabby Halloween: Heroin Chic

FabSugar — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 07:00:22 PDT

It was the mid-90s and Kate Moss was the face of Calvin Klein. She and model James King (the blonde pictured below) were the poster children for the waifish, drug-addicted look that is "heroin chic." Pale shiny skin, dark circles under the eyes, messy hair, black clothes, and an affected bored look were all over fashion magazines of the time. In fact, it became so prevalent that President Clinton felt the need to decry the fashion industry for glamorizing heroin.

Throwing together some scuffed-up motorcycle boots, ripped and holey tights, a little tank dress, and a pea coat - all in black -is easy as pie. Ring your eyes with red and smudgy black, keep the hair bedhead-y, and wear some long fingerless gloves to cover up those imaginary track marks. Make sure you don't forget your handy dandy tourniquet and ciggy case. Voila! You're fashion at its worst...or best, depending on who you talk to!

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Missoni Fall 2012

Brittney Stephens — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 13:01:35 PST

For Missoni's Fall 2012 collection, designer Angela Missoni was inspired by a mix of urban influences and an immersion in nature and landscape. According to show notes, the woman of Fall '12 is a "heroine in a concrete jungle," and conceives fashion as an "evocative adventurous fantasy" while maintaining a strong-willed, sophisticated yet sensitive vibe. The collection was, of course, loaded with Missoni's signature knits, but this time in a more subtle, less cognizant way - the zigzag print was evident in supertight trousers and knee-length tank dresses, but soon gave way to plaid wool and alternating geometric and amorphous patterns. This urban warrior woman was protected by elbow-length leather gloves, latex corsets, shiny metallic embellishments, as well as chunky, thin-tipped heels and boots, and carried chic square-shaped bags with chain straps and wood grain detailing. Overall, the Missoni girl is more than prepared to battle the elements of the concrete jungle come Fall.

Trends: Fur accents, shoulder wraps, print mixing, long hemlines.
Colors: Red, rust, gray, blue, moss green, brown.
Key Piece: The sheer lace dress with brocade cape; the gold-encrusted party dress with black veil.
Accessories: Elbow-length leather gloves, thin waist belts, fur hats, thin-tipped boots and heels, geometric gold brooches.
Who Would Wear It: Leighton Meester, Olivia Palermo, and of course, Margherita Missoni.

Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti Fall 2012

FabSugar — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:52:30 PST

There was a cinematic kind of drama to the Fall 2012 collection of Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti. First, the elegant setting - Avery Fisher Hall, which is home to New York's Philharmonic Orchestra, was built in the '60s and reflects midcentury form in a warm palette of cream, brass, and wood. Cue the orchestral soundtrack, and finally the models, who came up a weirdly chic escalator and walked the eternally long hall only to disappear down the other escalator. It felt a little bit like the end of a movie, playing over and over again. If that's the case, the heroine we would imagine to be a very elegant woman from the 1960s with a taste for sparkle on her pert shirt collars, lucite belts to cinch her tailored skirt suit, and a fur jacket encased in plastic (in case it rains). It was as if last season's cute '60s girl, who wore shades of pink and purple and yellow with aplomb, grew up, got a job, married rich, maybe had an affair (we're thinking of Tilda Swinton in the beautifully shot Milan-based film I Am Love), and saw her tastes evolve a bit - still feminine, but a lot more elegant.

Trends: Ladylike, sparkly embellishments, skirt suits, monochromatic dressing, lucite, plastic, '60s elegant.
Colors: Gray, cream, nude, camel.
Key Piece: Any of the tops with sparkly collars, a beautiful ombré camel coat.
Accessories: Lucite belts, chic little briefcases, silver-tipped stilettos.
Who Would Wear It: Sophisticated, feminine dressers with a taste for unusual details.