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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Apologies for the long absensce... Stylish Thought is undergoing many major life changes as is the girl who writes it! Sit tight grab and book with Freja and we'll be back after this brief commercial break... see you after the New Year!!! With a brand new, improved, new location.

Vogue Italia November 2007 - A Woman Of A Singular Charm

Freja Beha Erichsen

Background Check... Andre J.

I'll admit at first glance I thought this was a joke... I was like "is this the real cover." Fashion original and Manhattan stylist Andre J. (and my myspace friend) is featured on the November cover of Paris Vogue with model Carolyn Murphy shot by Bruce Weber. Always in a gender-bending look Andre J. fascinates me and I had to dig further into who this fabulous, unique individual is. (like I do on anything or anyone I want to know more about.)

Andre J. is a staple on the New York fashion scene. He grew up in Jersey and lived in L.A., becoming a major presence on the nightlife and club scene there, before coming to New York. He is currently working in all aspects of fashion, from fashion correspondent to muse and inspiration. He brings an original and individualistic attitude to fashion and what I love most is he's unapologetic about who he is and how he expresses himself.

It's quirky, crazy and flamboyant, but most of all it's him. And him being true to himself is garnering a lot of attention. He covered the Fall 2006 issue of V magazine, works for LX TV with Andre's Box and now is on the cover of Paris Vogue. Fashion definately needs more personalities akin to Andre J. It's a great day for fashion when we began to embrace out of the box ideas and place them on the covers.

Andre J. comes in the footsteps of great fashion personalities, my own personal favorite Rupaul, who bring uniqueness and originality to the industry. Check him out on his myspace page and keep looking out for more great news from him. Congrats Andre, you're definately a BFF (see dictionary)

AMENDMENT: (Courtesy of Cheryl)

Sick With Fashion... Journalism

Right now, we're in a weird place when it comes to fashion and criticism. The debacle over Marc Jacobs New York showing and Suzy Menkes comments has everyone wondering what it all has to say at the end of the day. Will any women want to wear it? And what can be said for truthful criticism in an industry that always asks for a pat on the back.

And now it also begs the question, how hurtful can criticism be and is being defensive worth it. At the Louis Vuitton show... clearly an extension of Marc's NY shows, he seemed to stick his tongue out and make a frowning face ( a retort to the Menke's article) Though, cleared up on Cathy Horyn's blog, where Horyn wrote about MJ's deplorable behavior and his actual apology.

I’m convinced after talking to him that the tongue-wagging, face-pulling on the

runway was misunderstood and not directed at Suzy Menkes, though it upset her,

and I offered him my apologies for the fuss.

All of this had me wondering, what are the boundaries of fashion criticism and what makes some of the most important fashion writers (Menkes, Givhan, Horyn, Agin, Brubach) is there dedication to telling the masses the truth, not just presenting fashion fluff of FOB copy. The writers that I admire and love to read actually critique the clothes from several different viewpoints and express many ideas as they relate to fashion.

I learned from an early age, if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all. It seems that this adage has permeated the industry and the instance of actual criticism is rare. I respect Menkes for questioning the Marc Jacobs show, though I wouldn't call it a freak show, but she actually thought about the references behind the collection and the history of designers doing surrealist versions of "undress" as the MJ show was.

Being a critic of anything is a difficult position. You want to play nice with designers (who are notorious for their temperments) but at the same time you want to be true to your own opinion. And then there is the risk of being banned from shows, which each lady has been before.

Cathy Horyn, Times fashion critic, has been unwelcomed at Carolina Herrara, Nicole Miller and Dolce & Gabbana due to too-harsh criticism of the shows. Even going as far as saying “She has a lack of real education in the fashion business—she doesn’t even know how to pronounce Lanvin,” said Bud Konheim, CEO of Nicole Miller.

Robin Givhan, the Washington Post fashion writer and Pulitzer Prize winner for her criticism, has been banned from numerous shows in her career and...

Suzy Menkes, famous for her candor, was banned from Dior a few years back

All of this to say that fashion criticism has been stepping up the ante as of late and it's imperative that it does. I tire of reading how great a collection is or that Vogue pet designers are wonderful. Designers make missteps occassionally and some things get lost in translation. It's extremely petty to ban a writer because you don't agree with their remarks. In this cut throat industry designers need to have thicker skin and understand that one bad review won't stop the show. These fearless women take their jobs seriously by reporting and risking scrutiny as well. I can only hope to follow in their footsteps soon.

Painterly Ambitions

Per usual art and fashion constantly converge. It's the nature of the artistic expression of fashion designers to be inspired by and interpret from the fine art spectrum. Spring 2008 had more than a handful of references that went beyond the simple floral. This hit particularly close as the Renoir Landscapes exhibit has landed in Philadelphia and it has been my plan to catch it. A master in French impressionism, Renoir showed amazing mastery of natural light and stroke to capture the beauty and his personal love of nature.

Much to my surprise and excitement many designers this season also exhibited the implications of nature and art in their collections. Spring is always indicative of lightness and natural beauty, but the collections seemed to not intrepret this too literally (i.e. tons of florals or easily digestable lightness). Instead the masters, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Daks and oh wow, Balenciaga ( which was a testament to impressionism and the literalness of spring reworked) showed painterly ambitions in confections of painted frocks, whirls of chiffon and the lightness of natural Spring referenced in layers, (i.e., Jil Sanders) Prada with art nouveau references kept with the lightness,
straying away from the too surreal.

All of this floral fauna is making me faun at the idea of spring resembling spring again and anticipating a shift toward the more romantic, as this season has shown. Though this kind of romance isn't heavy in tulle and cheese, more like grounded in the dots of Renoir and his brush strokes.

here's a thought...

A. YSL goes interactive with an online shopping site and animation-friendly features on the new YSL.com

B. Forever 21 tries to create it's own brand of inexpensive luxury (as opposed to ripping off other's luxury). Debuting its Twelve by Twelve line.

C. Jaime Pressly is launching a fashion collection, J'aime Collection, next year during Los Angeles Fashion Week. Just what fashion needs: another half-baked celebrity clothing line

sex and the city movie

Anyone who knows me, knows one simple, undeniable fact... I live for Sex and the City and Carrie Bradshaw (note, I didn't say SJP as I've come to realize that she and Carrie are not one in the same) When the series finished, I believe I cried and I think for me the series was my first glimpse into the world of fashion. Her wardrobe... oh the shoe-gasms! She will always be my first inspiration and for that I am grateful (ok enough of the waxing poetic)

So you must understand the elation when the movie was finally greenlighted after several years of talk and desist. I literally am peeing my pants (ewww, I know) in anticipation. These shots from filming will have to hold me over until, but I don't know how much longer I can wait. So far we know that Mr. Big is in the picture with Carrie ( love those two... totally meant to be) and that Charlotte is preggers (don't know how I feel about that). What I do know for certain is that come May 2008, I'm putting on my highest Manolos and biggest skirt and standing first in line... try to cut in front of me, I'll hit you with a Blahnik.

preen @ ny fashion week

Preen, by far one of the breakouts of an otherwise ordinary showing in NY Fashion Week. Amid the large blazers and sportswear, Preen, a British brand showing for the first time in New York, showed beautiful crisscross, flyaway dresses, drawstring anorak dresses and silk shirtdresses. A standout; a sequined dress with a tie and cutaway back modeled on Agyness Deyn. The fludity and pulled together aspect was perfect for an incharge, chic woman, who loves the closeness of shapes but the special touches, like the hints of sequins and drawstrings. Every piece in the collection was wearable but with range and uniqueness.