Gladiator sandals…in or out for 2010 summer season? I got an e-mail from Payless saying they are “back” for the coming summer, but not come across anything else about them. Are they in or out?

Hmmm…that’s a toughie. I’ve seen a couple for sale already thru Victoria’s Secret and Alloy…but it seems there are far less than the huge number of styles that there were last year. Everything seems to be a bit less angry, black, and studded, IMHO. On the runways for S/S there were few, if any, gladiators – designers mostly favored suede, canvas, or strappy sandals in different shapes, and in nudes or light metallics (Chloe, Calvin Klein), as well as clear vinyl (with acrylic heels a la Prada). Then of course you still have Givenchy, Giuseppe Zanotti, and Roberto Cavalli who are keeping the black studded sandal alive and well.:-) There were also a lot of natural-colored skins (snake, lizard), and T-strap shapes…few sandals that extended up above the ankle. See Coutorture’s post on the newest items hitting the shelves here (http://www.coutorture.com/Summer-Sandals-Hit-Shelves-2663323) for some comparison! My vote?

Gladiators = OUT (for the most part) for Summer 2010. You can still get away with wearing yours from last year though…now that they’re not a HUGE trend like they were in ’09, you’ll look more like you’re defining your own style and sticking to something you like rather than hopping on the trend bandwagon.

Hope that helps! Thanks for your question:-)
xoxo
Carly

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I have this really cool old hockey jersey…

I have this really cool old hockey jersey, but every time I wear it, friends say I look homeless. Do you have any ideas for what I could make it into so it’s more hip/flattering?
OMG, I had one too! I loved it like a brother – it was the NJ Devils – and whenever I wore it (during my long-ago teens), friends would laugh at me because it was so big and mannish.
To make one more flattering…hmm. You could always do what those girls in Philly get done – have their mens’ football/hockey jerseys altered into dresses/cute skirt-and-top combos that are more girly. (I used to work at one such store…there was even a customer who bought a gigantic Sixers’ jerseys and wanted it made into a full-length dress for her PROM. /* o *\

I’ll post a couple sketches of styles typical to what we used to make as soon as I get back and have the use of a scanner.
Edit 4/17: I’ve finally posted those sketches here.

However, it’s been my experience that with a sports jersey, you’re severely limited by the polyester mesh fabric, the color combo, and the gigantic logo, and so you have to end up altering it into something that is still sporty instead of being able to hide its origins altogether. (And unfortunately the re-designs of mens’ jerseys like they do in Philly still scream 2003.) Perhaps you could chop it into something sporty and cute a la Alexander Wang? A cropped short-sleeve jersey (rolled sleeves) to wear with cuffed khakis and wedge-heeled sneakers?
What do you think?

xoox
Carly

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Alexander McQueen Tributes at NYFW: Formspring.me Question

from Formspring.me:

Were there any mentions or tributes to Alexander McQueen during fashion week?

Not while I was there. (The first day I attended the shows was Sunday, Feb 14.) As you probably know on Feb. 13 the Fashion for Relief/Haiti show opened with a verbal dedication to him, and closed with 7 of his designs being worn by supermodels and his longtime friend Daphne Guinness, her face swathed in tulle. London Fashion Week started on the 19th with a dedication to him by the Chairman of the British Fashion Council and a tribute wall mounted in the tents. I’m afraid I was not privy to anything during New York Fashion Week – except an issue of The Daily being dedicated to the late designer.
The fashion world seemed to still be reeling from the news during the week of February just after his death.

Carly

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