Smart Fashion + Cheap Chic

A hidden gem I’ve discovered recently is the Life & Style and fashion blog sections of the WSJ. The style and standard of writing is sophisticated, eloquent and intellectually provocative (not the words one would normally associate with fashion) and au courant with latest industry news straight from insider sources (think interviews with Vogue editors, designers like (Michelle Obama’s and thus everyone’s favorite boy of the moment) Jason Wu and luxury giants LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
A few of my favorite articles this past week:

1. Fall 09 Collections
2. Peter Som pulls out of Fashion Week

I was surprised at their comprehensive, New York Fashion Week coverage, almost as praiseworthy as Style.com.

Peter Som is one of my favorite designers, love what’s he’s doing as creative director for Bill Blass. I’m just a little obsessed with this silk organza blouse he designed, which was featured on Gossip Girl worn by none-other than my favorite Blair Waldorf. I wanted to get the top, but unfortunately was sold out everywhere, even at net-a-porter.com.

2. “Snooty Service falls out of Style”

It was refreshing to read fashion news from a non-conventional source and the business perspective fosters a deeper and more holistic understanding of what’s going on in the world of fashion, which was previously considered an isolated industry, thriving on elitism and exclusivity (3 year waitlist for Hermes Birkin, if you can even get on the waitlist, that is), the whole industry is opening its doors and forced to be… (gasp) accesible.

3. On the runway: Diane Von Furstenberg produced a “consumer fashion show”
Times must really be bad if the President of Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) is going commercial…

4. Peter Som, Vera Wang and Betsey Johnson pull out of Fashion Week (among other major designers)

The recession trickles down the runway to the retail sector: from Saks Fifth Avenue 70% markdown in the fall (which caused a huge uproar amongst the designers, who retaliated by threatening to only keep runway collections exclusive to their standalone boutiques and supply only pret-a-porter collections to department stores), to high-end luxury boutique staff being super-friendly and approachable and sending hand-written thank-you notes to customers after their purchases.

5. WSJ’s Valentine’s Day interview with Anna Wintour

Although things seem depressing, I believe it is a blessing in disguise. Even though the economy is taking a downturn, things the the world of fashion are taking a turn for the better. Being forced to be fiscally conservative and creative in new ways can push designers to new frontiers or to design collections that go back to a basic art from. Being forced to be friendly and open to the public (at least for now) can give fashion a new reputation: something to keep us together during these seasons, being more discriminating about purchases refines our selections and sartorial-savvy.

“It is so important for designers not to run scared, and not to be too worried about what’s safe and what’s commercial. Right now, what’s going to work is something their customer doesn’t have in her closet and that has a real intrinsic sense of value. …Because to be honest there’s been too much product, too much copy-catting, and, probably too much consumerism. I think a sense of clarity, a sense leveling off and a sense of reality is needed.” – Anna Wintour

I leave you with an article C sent me, which features designer’s one-word fall collections:
“The Fall Collections in a Word”

My Top 3 Faves:
- ”Proustian” – Anna Sui
- ”Survivor”- Diane von Furstenberg (I’ve mentioned her three times in this post, must be The City getting to me, sidenote: love Olivia Palermo)
- ”Rocknrolla” – Phillip Lim

Maybe Confessions of a Shopaholic or Katie Holmes for Miu Miu will inspire consumer spending and uplift our spirts and the economy. But till then, I will be learning how to shop my closet (mix-and-match Ferragamo with Forever21), champion cheap chic a la Marc Jacobs and live vicariously through Blair Waldorf’s closet.