“Christian Lacroix Starts Insolvency Proceedings”
Y’all. I cannot handle this today. I’ve totally been a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown for the past few weeks anyway and NOW YOU’RE TAKING MY LACROIX?!?!
I can’t say I’m especially surprised, but I don’t think this is anywhere near the end for Edina Monsoon’s favorite designer.
Christian Lacroix, one of the few haute couture houses left, has been flying under the radar in this post-couture age. Lacroix is, and always has been, unapologetically continental in his approach to fashion as if to say if you don’t like his bright, exuberant Gallo-Iberian sensibilities, you can just take that mess over to Marc by Marc. The Lacroix woman doesn’t need you. The Lacroix woman doesn’t need anyone.
Speaking of being a woman on the verge, I am still in the throes of a major Almodovar moment, fashion-wise-speaking. If you’re not familiar with Pedro Almodovar’s earlier work, specifically the hilarious Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down (both featuring a vintage Antonio Banderas in all his early-20’s glory) do yourself a solid and netflix these today.
Love this. So casual and 80’s-Euro-in-a-Good-Way. I’m loving the jacket (I’m having an epic jacket moment) and with editing, a big girl could wear this look effortlessly. The rope ankle straps on those shoes, make the look for me, but I don’t think they’ve gone into production. This is what Lagerfeld was trying to do with his Villas Americas collection based on Sara and Gerald Murphy, the jazz-age expats who made the South of France glamorous to Anglo-American sensibilities and inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Tender is the Night” plus Ernest Hemingway’s unfinished “Garden of Eden“.
and while I love all things jazz age, what I’m all about right now is color, and I mean COLOR.
This still from Women on the Verge has been on my inspiration board since October. I love everything about it. It’s quirky, vibrant and flawless, although the women are not traditionally beautiful.
Also on my look board:
LOVE the color, love the Perry Ellis-goes-to-Arles feel. Yes, this is a LOT of look, but there are a ton of individual pieces and references you could take and make your own. Am DYING for that acid green.
And then there are the polka dots.
Popular fashion wisdom has it that pink, plaid and polka dots always come back. Big girls can wear polka dots like nobody’s business, especially great big ones which, as luck would have it, is what looks fresh now.
I know we did the Swiss thing a few years ago in a very retro 50’s rockabilly/pin-up way, and that was precious and all but it got tiresome.
These look fresh and I love how they play with the scale. And it’s so slouchy and easy. Very South of France. If I ever do end up marrying Andre, this is totally what I’m going to wear when we’re visiting the ancestral manse.
Seriously.
One of the other fantastic things about this collection that reminded me so much of Almodovar is the jewelry. Pulling off a lot of statement jewelry in one look takes a judicious eye but I love both the irony of sending up the “more is more” mentality that got us into this delightful economic slophouse and the fun of just being unapologetically, gloriously over-adorned. Love it!
Holy crap! Women on the Verge is one of my all time favorite comedies and I didn’t know that anyone else had seen it, besides the friends I forcibly tied to the couch. Yet another reason you are one of my favorite bloggers.
I heart heart HEART Almodovar’s sets and colors. And characters. And dialogue. Although I’m afraid if he styled me I might turn into a hot trannie mess.
Comment by Miriam — May 28, 2009 @ 8:36 pm
i’m with miriam. and i hate having to EXPLAIN that once upon a time, banderas was blindingly hot and not just a pimper of allergy meds and the voice of an animated cat in Shrek. love almodovar, had half-understood teenage passion for the murphys (zelda fitzgerald’s madness seems far more romantic when you’re 16 than when you’re an adult) and i’m still KICKING MYSELF for not including Tender is The Night in my 15 Books That Stuck With You list on facebook.
i love when you get all crazed and rhapsodic and allusive this way!
Comment by marjorie — May 29, 2009 @ 5:17 pm
Oh, this post was like getting a big bouquet of flowers. Cheers.
Comment by Margo — May 30, 2009 @ 4:06 am
Netflix DOES NOT HAVE Women on the Verge. The injustice of this has rankled at me ever since I ponied up for Netflix. They don’t have Matador, either.
Comment by Thalia — June 2, 2009 @ 6:02 pm