Most Outrageous Memorial Ever... and rightly so

Today was the memorial service for Alexander McQueen.  It was held in St. Paul's Cathedral and attending buy friends and followers. As appropriate, those who came to pay their respects did so by embracing the excessive, glorious style he was known for.

I hope, and believe, Alexander would approve.

Learn more on Vouge.com and see their photo tribute.

Wearing Wings

I'm a bit smitten with the idea of wearing wings on my feet like Hermes.

For casual - Jeremy Scott for Adidas marbled sneakers.

For everything else - Alexander McQueen winged ankle boots

3 Second Fashion Show

Since my small camera can be a pain and I don't want to shlep the good cameral all around, I'm going to work with my Flip. I don't use it nearly enough. Which means a new addition to the site: 3 Second Fashion Show!

Okay, they may be plus or minus a second or two but you get the idea. Today's outfit is one I wore to see Miss WendyB's jewelry trunk show in Feburary.





The cardigan is from White House, Black Market. The tulle dress is from Target as is the patent buckle belt. For jewelry, I'm wearing a big faux pink diamond ring and my WendyB Hen on the Nest necklace.

For shoes, I'm wearing my Alexander McQueen Rose peep-toes from a few years back.



They're subtle but decadent... and even more treasured now.



As you can see, I'm not good at reserving clothes just for going out or just for work. If I like it I may just show up to the office in it. Sequins, tulle skirts and rose-bedecked heels are not just for "special occasions"!

More Sad News

After the sad news of Mr. McQueen it was and still is unknown how the company will be moving forward. For all of his fans it means many of his beautiful creations will be unrealized. That we will not be able to bring home a piece of his vision.

From the Spring/Summer 2010 collection I was enamored with the Titanic Ballerina pumps. I had still held out hope that this collection would be made. I felt it was one of the best lines so I reached out to the McQueen corporate group to find out.

Per their response:

Thank you for your interest in Alexander McQueen.

Unfortunately these shows will not be going into production.

Kind regards,

Alexander McQueen Online Assistance
London

I don't know if they will make a few for celebrities or not. While I understand why this would be, it is sad to know that his work will not be out there in the world.

Armadillos in Captivity - McQueen Runway for the Real World

I think we are finally seeing how the McQueen "Armadillo" shoes are going to be translated for the real world...



W Magazine did a Run of Show preview portfolio of key pieces with some sourcing and there on slide 8, center model, it looked to me like the McQueens brought to life, albeit a bit tamer then their runway counterparts.

What do you think of the reality? Yes? No?

The World is Buzzing

The Fashion world has got to be buzzing about the Alexander McQueen show. I'm not going to add a lot more to what has already been said or covered other than to say... I wonder how long those models got to train on the shoes...

The clothes took a huge back seat to these babies.

I really love most of McQueen's shoes. It will be interesting to see how these get translated when retail comes around. There were more "wearable" styles but these fetish exaggeration styles really stole the show.

Check out more pics on Imelda's site

Inherent Value

I like all three of these shoes but I do have a problem with them. With the economy the way it is, you would think you would see a bit of a correctionn in the prices of some luxury goods. But if anything, I'm seeing prices go up, up, up!

Now maybe design houses and luxury retailers are buffering for the inevitable prices reductions that seem almost ordained but I just can't understand some of these prices!

Example one are these Lanvin oxford pumps. Satin, patent and tweed. They're cute but $1205?



And I love the paillettes on these Pierre Hardy sandals but I don't get the $1415 pricetag.



Then again, I guess it's a personal judgement call. Or maybe it's the $1000+ barrier. Because when I see these Alexander McQueen penny loafer heels, at $830, I think, well... maybe they're kind of worth it.



Of course, I haven't tracked these down in my size so, I'm safe for the moment.

If you had the money, would you pay the retail price for any of these shoes?

Imitation = Flattery?

A while back I professed my love for these delectable "rain-drop" sandals. I still love love love them!



Sure they were $1700 and are now sold out, but look at them...



They are magical.



Well, now I think they are kind of ripped off. And badly, by Gina.

Same attempt at dew-drop like crystals but on tacky tacky gold leather.

Eeeewww!



The pumps are a little better but still. Oh, and the price is not cheap at all. What the heck?






I have not really seen any Gina shoes I've liked. The only ones I've ever wanted were the ones pink ankle strap heels Madonna wore on the cover of "Confessions on a Dance Floor." Those were hot.

Plus, even though they are pricier, I always confuse them with Nina shoes. And I think of them as tacky WAG shoes.

Is that wrong?

Dare to Dream

So a while back I expressed the dream that Mr. McQueen would be a Target collaborator...

and now, it may actually happen!



According to Vogue.com:

Our fashion prayers have been answered: Alexander McQueen has confirmed that he will design a capsule collection for high street retailer Target.

The McQueen collection, a specially-skewed take on his younger diffusion line McQ, will launch a new Target fashion program, Designer Collaborations - a sister project for the smash-hit Go International, which brings young and emerging designers such as Proenza Schouler, Luella Bartley, Behnaz Sarafpour, Rogan and Richard Chai to its rails.

McQueen has taken Leila Moss, the lead singer of Nineties Brit band The Duke Spirit, as his muse for the collection (which is to be known as McQ Alexander McQueen for Target), creating a truly lust-worthy offering of lightweight knits, skinny jeans, bubble dresses, cuffed shorts and denim jackets imbued a rebellious punk edge.

"Designer Collaborations is another way in which Target brings an emporium of designers to our guests. This specific McQ Alexander McQueen for Target collection does have the potential to skew toward a slightly older guest compared to some of our other designer collections," Trisha Adams, senior vice president of Target, tells WWD. "We believe Designer Collaborations will appeal to our fashion-forward guests as well as possibly attract new customers who are fans of Alexander McQueen and McQ."

Prepare to join the fashion scrum in March, when the collection lands in store.

HOLY MOLY!

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit
The clothes were simple - black v-neck top and black swishy skirt. But it was just a backdrop for the shoes and my cute new Etsy necklace.



Adorable pink cameo from Zombuki.



In person, it is a bit lighter pink.



But the big piece of the outfit was the shoes....



Yes, these...









Lush!



I'm finally, finally, finally wearing my Alexander McQueen rose heels that I got about a year ago.









What have I been waiting for????

Wish Upon A Tsar

I've been falling more and more in love with Alexander McQueen's runway shows. Along with Lacroix and Galliano, he appeals to my excessive embellished soul. When I was looking at his Fall show I felt that he was channeling the rich looks of traditional Russian folk dress and the decadence of the court of the Tsars.

The tooled leather tall boots would be perfect under heavy wool ankle legth skirts.

The rich reds and golds of this Legend bag seem pulled from Ivanov's painting of the Tsar's procession.

There's no mistaking the Fabergé influence in McQueen's Empire clutch.

Not that I'm a big fan of fur but this leather, velvet, fur and ebroidery embellished Fable bag looks as if it was pulled from a portrait of Catherine the Great.

I love these heels drenched with soutache trimwork. They look like they were pulled straight from the headdresses and folk dress.

Most people experience love, without noticing that there is anything remarkable about it.

Doctor Zhivago

I will be the first to say that I am no expert in Russian history or cultural influences. These are solely my perceptions.

Would that even a fraction of these details make it into a pairing at Target.

Thakoon at Target

So the rumor mills have been flying but it seems that Thakoon is the next Go International designer parter to do a collection with Target. What is surprising is that this collection is scheduled to run starting in September and none of the image albums are on the Target News site yet.

We'll be going into Fall, so will we see pieces with navy, purple and grey tones and cool graphics?



Some wintery florals and boyfriend cardigans?



Or some kicky tweeds and mini-skirts (which always seem to be a part of the Go collections)?



Plaid and dresses would be fun too, especially with colorful tights.



And the fact that this is to run through the holidays, could we possibly see some slinky dresses?



They don't usually do shoes with the Go collections but wouldn't some graphic strappy sandals like these be cool. Especially in a shiny patent.



Of course, the rumor of McQueen being an upcoming partner would be a dream. Especially if he infused his line with whimsical nods to his couture lines.



Of course, I doubt we'd get this...



But the ombre and the colors and the prints could easily be incorporated into more simple designs and pieces, making them really special.



Besides Galliano, McQueen would be a great collaboration. I wonder if his pairing will actually happen if it would be a decadent Holiday/Winter collection or a detailed Spring?