Schnitzel with Noodles

I love Olympia Le Tan's A/W 2013 collection so much that within the past few days I've pretty much shown it to any of my friends who were willing to squint at my iPhone's tiny screen while I swiped through photo after photo exclaiming "OMG, no, look at this one!"

Sure it's campy and derivative or whatever, but it's SO CUTE and wearable and I want ALL OF IT. Well, MOST of it, anyway. There are a few looks toward the end that wander into "Sexy Sound of Music Halloween Costume" territory.

But little sweaters and wool capes and lederhosen (in velvet, unfortunately. Can I get mine in another fabric?) and wide belts embroidered (?) with "Schnitzel with Noodles"? Come ON.

I've had this song stuck in my head for dayssssssssss

The Lonely Goatherd - The Sound Of Music, Sung by Julie Andrews as Wonderful Original Maria from Isaac Sarayiah on Vimeo.

All photos from style.com

I'm Back In Love With Project Runway

Are you guys watching Project Runway this season? I haven't watched the show in ages but Sarah got me interested in it again and I'm really into it now, almost as much as I used to be!

I have to say, though - I feel like the caliber of talent isn't quite as high as it was in the earlier seasons. Has the fashion talent well run dry? (No way.) Are gifted designers scared away by reality TV? Are the designers this season just not being given the right kinds of challenges? Am I just being too critical?

Anyway - I noticed something cool while watching the most recent episode (S13E6). In the hair and makeup room, which is sponsored by L'Oreal, some of the fixtures are made up of L'Oreal products.

The frame around the mirror here is made up of L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows:

And it looks like the little side table (?) in the background is made up of bottles of Elnett hairspray:

Kinda neat, no? I wonder if there are other fixtures in that room made up of products as well. I watched that scene a couple of times but didn't see anything else. I'll have to remember to check during the upcoming episodes.

Also, can we just talk about Michelle's necklace here for a second? Because it is amazing and I love it and I want one.

I'm not really into that kind of leather and bondage-rings look for myself personally, but her necklace is super cool and doesn't feel all that bondage-y. It's so neat. Also, LOL Patricia. She needs to pack her bags and GO already.

You can watch full episodes of Project Runway for free at http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/project-runway.

Missing McQueen

I still think about Alexander McQueen a lot.

I probably think about Alexander McQueen way more than someone who never knew him and who has never worn his clothing (and probably never will) should.

Maybe it's silly, but I actually feel quite sad whenever I remember that he's gone and I think of how we'll never see all any the creations he would have made had he lived. And it's probably unfair, but I can't look at a new collection without thinking "but what would McQueen have done this season?", as if there was a specific trajectory in which his designs were going and it's impossible that Sarah Burton would be going in the same trajectory simply because she isn't McQueen.

Also, I can't even look at the skulls without wondering if he would've put them into retirement by now. I understand that they're probably the brand's moneymaker, but enough already. I can't help but think that he would have moved on to something else by now.

I still see his influence everywhere. I see it in on racks in shops like H&M and I see it in recent collections from designers like Givenchy and Prabal Gurung and Dolce & Gabbana.

The final collection by McQueen himself showed in 2010 (above), but the strength of his point of view is still resonating throughout fashion. That's some pretty amazing and powerful stuff.

Photos from style.com and target.com, video from showstudio.com.

Fashion Week Faves (So Far)

So I was a little slow on the uptake with checking out the A/W 2013 shows. I'm not sure what it was but when NYC started a couple weeks ago, I just had zero interest. Luckily the kickoff of Paris this week kind of snapped my attention back to fashion and I am all in. Everything has been really gorgeous. I always love A/W the best, anyway.

Some of my favorites from Milan and Paris so far:

all photos from showstudio.com.

paris fashion week!

i'm so thankful for paris fashion week!

i haven't gone through all of my s/s 2013 rtw int'l fashion week favorites yet, but so far nyc, london, and milan haven't really done anything for me. i liked acne, rad by rad hourani, helmut lang, gucci was okay, and cavalli...? i definitely wasn't crazy about prada, dolce & gabbana, or dsquared2. and don't get me wrong, i can appreciate kooky and unwearable and showiness for showiness' sake, but so far a lot of this stuff has just been kind of just blah for me. (which, i realize, is 100% irrelevant, since the chances of me wearing any of this are slim at best. but still. i like to look!).

but it's paris fashion week! i always get SO EXCITED for my favorites - gareth pugh, rick owens, ann demeulemeester, haider ackermann, aka the usual suspects. and of course i always look forward to dior, chanel, isabel marant, issey miyake, lanvin, balmain, givenchy, mmm, viktor & rolf, balenciagaaaaaa ETC ETC ETC.

thank goodness for paris.

gareth pugh showed today, and while i wasn't blown away like i have been in the past (notably s/s 2011, s/s 2012, f/w 2010, okay actually everything, so nevermind) i still thought this collection was very beautiful and both what we can expect of pugh as well as unexpected.

sign me up.

 i love the slicey thing he sometimes does with his materials

his stuff is just so visually interesting with all its shapes and angles (and of course the often dark, creepy, futuristic, aspects tooooooootally appeal to me) and i usually just find myself looking at his work thinking "how did he even do that?" and then, naturally, "omg i wish i could wear that."

photos via nowfashion.com and style.com.

september issues

i'm still slogging my way through this monster pile!

"slogging" implies that i don't enjoy it, but i obviously do.

i think i might start making monthly inspiration collages with clippings from my fashion mags. i've been thinking about doing this for awhile and there's no time like the present, right?

moodboard for september 2012

this moodboard didn't originally start out dark but, well, err, yea...

hey, i tried.

and here is its soundtrack:

accept some substititions (at least temporarily)

i've been lusting after a ysl muse handbag and rick owens wedges for longer than is appropriate, frankly. unfortunately, neither are in my budget at the moment.

in the meantime, i've found two pretty decent and inexpensive substitutions:

i have no idea about quality, except for the fact that it's pretty much a given that the "knock-offs" are nowhere near as well-made as the originals. neither of the "knock-offs" are even leather, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, they just won't last as long, but they might last a few seasons just the same.

let's be real - nothing compares to the originals, i know. it's a little like shotgunning a packet of splenda when you really want/NEED a spoonful of sugar. these are temporary solutions, but hey - this is what you have to do when you're trying to stop hemorrhaging money and refuse to use credit cards. one day, i will invest in the originals. it sounds sort of silly/shallow, but i do like the idea of "investment pieces". i mean, i guess it really is better to buy lasting pieces than it is to be in a cycle of buying cheap, throwaway items.

one interesting (to me, at least) thing i've found while hunting for substitutions like these is that it really makes me question why i want a particular item - is it because of the label/price/status (hahalajhsdlfkjas) or is it because i genuinely like the style of the item?

June Wants

June Wants by frauleinberlin featuring a sequin shawl

some current material goods i'm dreaming about. i especially love the deux lux bag. i really want to own a basket weave handbag and i love that this one is made from "vegan leather material". leather is nice, but so is not feeling guilty!

silver & teal party

i'd forgotten about this polyvore set i made awhile back! it's kind of lovely and was a nice surprise to find when i logged just now in after a long absence.

silver & teal party by frauleinberlin featuring round toe heels

oh boy oh boy i want all of these thingsssssss <3

black & gold

i'm so in love with this dress (gucci) and i keep seeing it everywhere

loooooooooooove.

the whole collection is really beautiful and worth a look - http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/S2012RTW-GUCCI

the gold and the beautiful part 2

i used to not be that into gold, always favoring silver whenever given the choice. i'm not sure what happened, but recently it's as though i can't get enough of gold. i want gold, glittery everything! 

the gold and the beautiful part 2 by frauleinberlin featuring gold jewelry

speaking of gold and glittery, i have an upcoming semi-secret project that i'm hoping will get this golden bug out of my system. either that, or it will make it worse!

isabella blow appreciation post

i'm currently reading blow by blow: the story of isabella blow and feeling totally inspired by this amazing lady and her penchant for outrageous headwear.

McQueen Exhibit Recap

So the McQueen exhibit was amazing (obviously, understatement of the year, etc., etc.).



It was definitely bordering on overwhelming; there was just SO MUCH to look at and take in at once! And I was a little star-struck thinking about how McQueen himself had his hands on these pieces, some of which went on to belong to the late, great Isabella Blow and now Daphne Guinness. I was secretly hoping that by being in such close proximity to these works of art I could somehow absorb some of the amazing creative energy these people had/have. Unfortunately, all of the energy was probably being blocked and/or sucked up by that anciently old lady with the stool who insisted on wiggling her way through the crowd and planting herself directly in front of me no matter where I stood.

But I digress.

I love the way the exhibition was presented. It wasn't displayed chronologically - pieces from his graduate collection were interspersed with looks from more recent collections, tartans that first appeared in his second collection ("Highland Rape" F/W 1995/6) were placed next to ones from his "Widows of Culloden" collection (F/W 2006/7). When you saw these pieces side by side, they looked as though they could have been sent down the runway within the same show. I love how he revisited certain themes and silhouettes throughout his career. It all felt so cohesive and perfect, like a complete body of work (albeit one that was tragically cut very, very short).

One of my favorite rooms was called the "Cabinet of Curiosities" which showcased jewelry and hats and headpieces in a floor-to-ceiling cubbyhole-style arrangement. The decor was dark and the music was creepy and the videos looping on the screens scattered around the room were bordering on disturbing. It was perfect.

I was also very excited to see the hologram of Kate Moss from the end of the "Widows of Culloden" show. Something about the combination of her angelic, flowy dress and the sad music that was playing was really haunting.

Another awesome surprise was a room set up as a re-enactment of the Spring 2001 show. I like Tavi Gevinson's description:

Alexander McQueen's presentation for Spring 2001 with Michelle Olley. The space was a mirrored cube so that everyone in the audience had to get uncomfortable staring at themselves for over an hour before the lights inside the cube went up and the walls around this box in the middle came down and Michelle Olley was sitting there, a fat woman in a fashion show, moths and butterflies and tubes clinging to her. The models couldn't see out of the cube and walked around disoriented while Olley was just lying there. I think it's my favorite McQueen show. At the exhibit at the Met right now they show the video in a box complete with a mirror, it's completely mesmerizing.

The light in the box went off, leaving us all suddenly startled and staring at our own reflections. I was totally stunned right up until the point where a girl next to me took that opportunity to frantically wave her hands in the air in an attempt to get the attention of a member of her party who was at the back of the crowd. Way to ruin the moment, bozo.

In short, it was incredible. I wish I could go bakc and see it again, but the exhibit closes on 7 Aug and so that's not going to happen. I'd also would have liked to have had a private viewing, but at least I didn't have to wait in line for hours to get in.*

And of course, I had to bring home some swag:

photo and video source

Side story: As we were waiting in the horrifically long line to get in, two very generous souls who also happened to have a membership to the MET randomly picked a few of us out of line to skip the queue entirely and walk straight into the exhibit. I wanted to kiss their feet.