Neil Barrett

So simple but the lines are perfectly now.

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PARIS, October 5, 2010

By Nicole Phelps

Arne Quinze, a Belgian artist known for his raw wood sculpture, provided the graphic motif for Neil Barrett's awl-sharp lineup. In its simplest manifestation, it appeared as stripes of black on a white T-shirt worn underneath a pantsuit. But it also turned up as bands of sheer and opaque stretch fabric on a sleeveless bodysuit, and again as lizard-stamped stretch leather spliced into second-skin camel pants.

A longtime menswear designer, Barrett used to be the guy to go to for a boyish suit and washed leather motorcycle jackets. He still had those in spades today, but after upping the sexy quotient last season and seeing it pay dividends—he landed great new accounts, like Joseph and L'Eclaireur—he's gone even further in the body-conscious direction. What was interesting to see was how the designer incorporated some of his tailoring tricks into his dresses. Shoulder pads do the same waist-slimming wonders on a sleeveless sheath as they do on a blazer. Even cooler, Barrett made them into a design element by covering them with contrasting fabric: black leather, say, on a camel cady stretch dress. It's no wonder his women's business is growing.

   See the full collection below.

http://www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/S2011RTW-NBARRETT

H&M collaborates with Lanvin.  

Look for a sneak peak of the collection on the H&M site on November 2.  Then, get ready to buy three weeks later on Nov. 23rd.

The line has been designed by Lanvin’s artistic director, Alber Elbaz and their head of menswear, Lucas Ossendrijver.

In the video above Alber Elbaz speaks on his thoughts on this collaboration. He is quoted as saying – “H&M approached us to collaborate, and see if we could translate the dream we created at Lanvin to a wider audience, not just a dress for less. I have said in the past that I would never do a mass-market collection, but what intrigued me was the idea of H&M going luxury rather than Lanvin going public. This has been an exceptional exercise, where two companies at opposite poles can work together because we share the same philosophy of bringing joy and beauty to men and women around the world.”

Lanvin

Who are "The Fabulous Five"?

Left to right.  Ajak Deng, Jeneil Williams, Ataui Deng, Jourdan Dunn, & Melodie Monrose.

They caught my attention, closing the Lanvin show on Friday.  First, for their beauty.  Then, because I noticed they were all of African descent.  Which, you know, we have come a long way but this was the first time someone seemed to make a statement.  Then, I noticed the clothes and how the statement seemed to show the new modern women.  I loved the way Elbaz draped these dresses with loose pants underneath.  I imagined the first African queens meeting their modern day selves.  The women, the statement, the clothes, absolutely beautiful.  It brought me back to my roots since we're all African women.  That's why I'm so excited this is my first post because it's a new beginning for me.  It's full circle.