Un coup de foudre, that’s the French phrase for “love at first sight.” It’s a rare occasion when I find something I’d lie, cheat and steal to have, but an evening stroll in Tribeca led me into a girl wearing the leather studded booties pictured above. I contemplated kicking her knees and swiping the boots off her feet, but I decided a compliment  would be the less delinquent route. Introducing shoe designer Els Proost, her company, Elsa Shoes, easily ranked at the top of my latest obsessions.

Proost has quite the resume having designed shoes and accessories for Dries Van Noten, Emporio Armani, Maison Martin Margiela, Costume National, Hussein Chalayan, Angelo Figus and more, so there’s no doubt why they’re so damn gorgeous. Craftsmanship,comfort and a “fashionable amusing twist” reign among Proost’s design goals, and it’s safe to say she achieves them with every pair she constructs. Like the woman who married a rollerc0aster, maybe i’ll join the bandwagon and marry Elsa Shoes. Now that’s what I like to call a bright future!

Excuse me for my 90’s references, but Hussein Chalayan’s Spring 2010 collection reminded me of sexy and sinister Jessica Rabbit (from “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”). Blame it on those oversized, shadowy sun hats, but the whole collection screams evasive class. Cut-out suits complimented see through skirts and shorts, bringing a little drama back to the workplace.

Taking inspiration from throwaway materials and Frankenstein’s legendary monster, Dazed & Confused this month presents its ‘Franken-Fashion’ masks project… a unique creative collaboration with some of the world’s top designers, including such names as Alexander McQueen, Gareth Pugh, Martin Margiela, Hussein Chalayan, Roberto Cavalli, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac and Riccardo Tisci.

It seems to me that I’m not the only one annoyed by celebrity multitaskers, because designer Hussein Chalayan had this to say about models, like Kate Moss, Erin Wasson, Elle Macpherson, and Amber Valletta, who also design clothing:

“If you have a really strong sense of style and people want to aspire to being like you, I can understand that,” he says. “But if you really are doing it just because you think of yourself as a brand and you haven’t had the training and you know nothing about clothes, it kind of demeans all the training that designers have had.”

Thanks NY Mag!

A very different kind of ad, featuring models Serafima, Iekeliene, Tanya D & Ann Catherine photographed by Amy Troost.

Or should I say Hussein Chalayan, since he was the originator of her bubble outfit…Japanese artist Daisy Bubble makes haute couture outfits from balloons, amazing!

This season, it’s all about the skin, glowing skin. All of the catwalk makeup looks had a clash of bold colors vs neutral nudes. I picked two makeup looks from the runway that I like. With so many great looks, from the red pout to the All-American peachy glow, let me know which makeup style works best for you.

NUDE

Brown shadows are worked around the eye with curled, mascara-free lashes and cheekbones are highlighted with pinky taupe blusher. A dash of shimmer across the cupid’s bow and don’t forget the neat brows.

Calvin Klein

Jill Sander

GLOW

Suitable for all skin tones, this look gets you glowing with blushers, eye shadows and lipsticks in varying peachy hues for a sculpted, sun kissed look.

Anna Sui

Elie Saab

PASTELS

Pale green, pink and lilac shadows give an almost futuristic appeal. In some cases eyes, lips, and cheeks were accentuated.

Alena Akhmadulliha

Emporio Armani

REDS

Red lips are back in a big way. The shade to the model’s skin tone – a mix of reds and pinks is mixed directly onto lips.

Michael Kors

Hussein Chalayan

THE BLACKOUT

Eyes took on a twist. Lids were lined with plenty of black kohl, tapered at the edges of the eye for a winged effect.

Caroline Hererra

Roberto Cavalli

The Pipeline put together a list of 7 pretty awesome glasses perfect for getting you some needed attention including frames from Bernhard Wilhelm and Slow and Steady Wins the Race. Check them out…

Above, clockwise from left: Linda Farrow X Bernhard Wilhelm, $175, available at Seven New York; Duo Fringe Glasses by Bless, $200, available at Colette; White Resort Sunglasses by Lenny LeLeu, $498, available at New High (M)Art.

Above, clockwise from left: Hussein Chalayan glasses, $400, available at Colette; Cyber Sunglasses, $18, available at New High (M)Art; No. 16 Sunglasses by Mary Ping, $100, available at Slow and Steady Wins the Race; Delfina Delettrez/Alain Mikli sunglasses, $1500, available at Colette.

LINKAGE: The Pipeline: Wild Eyes: 7 Freaky Frames Crazier Than Kanye’s

Kanye West and his girlfriend Amber Rose were front row at many shows during Paris Fashion Week, including Hussein Chalayan, Sonia Rykiel, and Givenchy.

Amber Rose wore one of my fave dresses from the Alexander Wang Spring 09 show, which she accessorized with Louis Vuitton heals and bag (also straight off the Spring 09 runway).

‘The risky dress is completely sheer, with a few strategically placed black embossed swirl coils. Another feature is that the mini dress has cut-out thumbs at the sleeves.’

According to Red Carpet Fashion only 2 other girls wore this dress,  Erin Wasson, and Sarah Harding and it’s available at Barney’s for $995.

A retrospective of all Chalayan’s work, from his St. Martin’s graduate show to his later experimental designs with Architecture, design, technology, science and philosophy.

LINKAGE: Wallpaper

Hussein Chalayan always plays with my mind through design. I love the overly conceptual feel of this clothing, and his spring 09 collection is no different. His amazing garments are shown off in the most ethereal way with a spread in the latest issue of Dazed & Confused. Shot by Mel Bles, these photos capture the dream-like, outer-worldly experience Chalayan’s spring 09 collection brings to mind.

GALLERY: “Hussein in the Brain”

Thanks to Fashion Copious for the photos.

Balenciaga

Judging by the latest spring/summer collections, the fashion industry has taken a deliberately ugly turn. Dowdy or even monstrous silhouettes, discordant combinations of fabrics and colors along with unsightly hair and makeup ruled the runway, while show-goers frequently hid behind oversized glasses in a mock-display of concealment.

Fendi

An abundance of looks featured odd shapes, such as Hussein Chalayan’s fierce molded latex spikes and Alexander McQueen’s skirts with colossal hips and body suits set off by sharp winged shoulders. Many collections also featured grossly oversized garb—a bulky, rigid white dress at Calvin Klein draped over the model as naturally as a cardboard box, a bulbous top at Fendi shifted stiffly from side to side with the model’s steps and a model swimming in a huge top and cuffed capris at Isaac Mizrahi resembled a little girl dressing up in her mother’s clothes.

Hussein Chalayan

Alexander McQueen

Jumbling together unexpected materials was another trend: Junya Watanabe layered rich African-print skirts over baggy cuffed jeans; Gaultier mixed things up by showing a body suit worn on top of a pair of pants; and Christopher Kane had a garish, transparent pumpkin-orange dress trimmed in black fur. Some styles were more sinister in their hideousness. The unsettling, aggressive silhouettes at Comme des Garàons featured cutouts that revealed a misshapen, unattractive portion of the model’s stomach. Maison Martin Margiela’s spectacular and spooky collection featured decidedly unsexy nude-and-white body suits, and disturbing looks such as models bound in ribbons of fabric, their faces concealed by stockings or a cascade of hair.

Commes des Garcons

Calvin Klein

The unsightly trend even extended to accessories and beauty. Gaultier featured a fur stole, complete with all four legs, while Rick Owens had his models’ feet wrapped in trash bag like leather fabrics. Behnaz Sarafpour and Balenciaga showed models who looked like they hadn’t slept in days, their eyes rimmed in shiny brown shadow. At Fendi, runway mane had been teased into spikes, and a rats nest was the hairstyle of choice at Alberta Ferretti.

Christopher Kane

Rick Owens

This ugly aesthetic is also reflected in everyday society. Too—chipped nails are being flaunted on the streets of Manhattan as well as the fingertips of celebrities, while dentists report that patients are requesting their veneers appear less-than-flawless (adding a rounded corner or slight rotation of a tooth here and there, gradating their shade instead of making them snow white). More women are also opting to go sans makeup, wearing baggy tops or pants that disguise rather than show-off their shape.

It doesn’t take more than an awkward smile from Ugly Betty to prove that perfection is pretty boring in its stagnant singularity. The real intrigue sets in when you let yourself branch out from the paragon and explore more multifaceted possibilities. Even if the look isn’t “pretty,” it grabs attention and penetrates the surface—you can’t just glide blissfully by.

Written by Molly Triffin of JC Report

What do you think indies, has fashion gone UGLY?

Hussein Chalayan has announced that his first shoe collection will be ready for autumn/winter 2009-10. Wonder what the master of gadgets and incorporating tech into garments, will have in store for footwear. Hopefully, it will be something just as cool as these sock boots (above) that he did for his fall/winter 08 collection.

Also, Hussein just announced his upcoming partnership with Comme des Garcons, and another collaboration on the table with Louis Vuitton. Keep you posted on all that good stuff.

Source: Vogue UK

Acne is marking up to 40 percent off. You’ll also find goods by Opening Ceremony, Band of Outsiders, Hussein Chalayan, and Proenza Schouler. While supplies last.

10 Greene St., nr. Canal St.

(212-625-2828);

Mon.–Sat. (11–7), Sun. (noon–7).

With technology becoming more and more a part of our daily lives, designers are using gadgets to their advantage and incorporating them into fashion.

“Led by Hussein Chalayan—who gives us a peek of the near future every season with his wildly inventive tech couture—a vanguard of young designers are reconfiguring fashion as wearable technology, creating clothing and accessories that change shape, capture solar energy and even provide therapeutic services such as massage and phototherapy.”

Keep reading the article Here.