District L

Insanity is trendy these days. Whether you’ve snatched up a Prada gun print shirt or hung onto every word of Cat Marnell’s latest fever-dream, you have to admit that a little crazy can be chic… if accessorized properly.

Philippe and David Blond knew this, of course. They are already the unofficial leaders of New York’s glam-freaks and most scandalous celebrities, reigning over the glittering Island of Misfit Toys. Inspired by old horror films this season, The Blonds lead their fabulous variety of fans through a spine-chilling runway tale. Corset straight-jackets, rope dresses, and (my favorite) jeweled “blood” gown haunted Milk Studios to eerie, non-linear tones.

“Come play with us… Come play with us…” a track from The Shining goaded us as two models in matching bustier babydoll dresses slowly walked towards the cameras. A star-studded front row enjoyed a particularly intimate introduction to Carrie, The Butcher, and 16 other horror-themed looks.

Guests including Carmen Electra, Debbie Harry, Neon Hitch, and Robert Verdi also got a close glimpse of The Blonds’ thrilling nail art – black and red talons scrawled with phrases such as ‘REDRUM’ and ‘Bates Motel.’ And nails weren’t the only sharp objects on the runway. Plexi knife necklaces and gun-to-the-headbands by Max Steiner were sported by glitzy renditions of Psycho and The Slasher.

Ending with a signature hair-toss, Philippe Blond closed the show in a blood red, jewel encrusted jumpsuit. Yup...it looks like The Blonds have put on another killer runway.

Post by Amanda LaMela

When I received the invitation to “Live Fast Die Blond,” I had to, once again, restrain myself from doing that really annoying countdown thing that people do on Facebook. It’s never been my style, but The Blonds are always a highlight of every Fashion Week – from glittering Playboy processions to the theatrical Chinese dragon dance, Phillipe and David Blond never fail to shock and surprise.

When we arrived, the photographers were already manically snapping a very boldfaced front row that included Jay Alexander, Sauli Koskinen, Jay Manuel, and Patrick McDonald. But after the customary interlude of socializing, posing, and photographing took place, guests found their seats and prepared for a full-throttle production – that is, until a team of bodyguards arrived to escort Lil’ Kim to her front row seat, opposite Adam Lambert.

The lights finally dimmed and the sound system echoed, “Live Fast! Die Young!” Fading from a clever mix of ‘last call’ music, the scene was then set for the original Alpha Kitty to make her grand entrance. Introduced by a succession of male models, Phillipe Blond approached the EVOLVE electric motorcycle at the end of the runway.

This high-energy procession of crystal corset tops, jewel encrusted motorcycle jackets, and ‘Thriller’ corset dresses earned Phillipe and David a standing ovation as they skipped off the runway to conclude another fantastic season.

Post by Amanda LaMela

Last season, designer Cheng-Huai Chuang brought us a Lolita-esque collection – femme fatale with a girlish façade. Since then, Cheng’s girls have ditched their good-girl charade, opting for a bolder form of feminine prowess. The plunging necklines and ruffles returned from last season, now garnished with leather harnesses and embellished hardware.

Post Amanda LaMela

Mathieu Mirano Spring 2012 narrates an old-fashioned love story, taken place in a simpler time before divorce lawyers, forensic toxicology, and fingerprinting were commonplace.

In hued leathers, elegantly draped gowns, and ombre sheaths, a murderous woman finds solstice in Mirano’s exquisite designs. Scandalous spins on classic silhouettes lay the foundation for Mathieu's winning recipe - but we think he might have a secret ingredient.

Post by Amanda LaMela

Minutes before our interview, cameras were devouring Katya Leonovich’s genuine joy and girlish modesty – a refreshing sight, as she stood before her collection this morning at Lincoln Center. Born in Moscow, Katya began her design career in Rome, continued in Paris, and has lived in New York for the past three years.

“It is new American inspiration,” Leonovich elaborated on her original works of football paintings that framed the model presentation. Displaying chiffon in these replicated prints alongside pieced blue denim, Katya exhibited her personal and professional transformation. “I combined the classic silhouettes from Italy with Parisian playfulness,” she explained. “But American football was so new and interesting to me – their costumes were something I had never before seen in Europe,” she explained.

The collection had an underlying theme of movement, with wind-blown hairstyles and sport-inspired backs, as well as draped and angular hemlines. And this ‘movement’ surpassed fabric and stylings, as guests milled through the Box, whispering adoring buzz-words like, “refreshing,” “energizing,” and “innovative.”

I have never eavesdropped on a coach’s winning locker room speech, but it seems like an appropriate time to use a resonating cliché... This win was for the fans.

Post by Amanda LaMela

Last season, Jac Langheim impressed DL with her innovative use of latex, combining this uncommon texture with more traditional luxury fabrics. Her primarily-rubber collection offered structured vests, A-lined dresses, and body-skimming cocktail frocks. Sophisticated, unexpected and adaptable, Langheim’s line earned her an enviable level of rising esteem.

This season, Jac revisited her successful recipe of “astonish and acquaint.” Once again using latex, she created modern silhouettes in solid and printed rubber. Clean lines, asymmetrical paneling, and minimalist legwear lent a more futuristic emphasis for F/W11.

Images by Romer Pedron

Post by Amanda LaMela

Head to EVA for Sally LaPointe's retail event TONIGHT. Enjoy champagne and discounts until 9pm.

Take a look at what's happening there now...

After arriving home from an aneurysm -inducing day at the office, there is nothing more satisfying than plucking an edgy new lookbook from the pile of bills and junkmail in our mailbox. Mordekai by Ken Borochov provided more than enough fiery intensity to pull me from that post-work slump.

The New York-based stylist revealed his collection of scepters, ammunition necklaces, and noir feather headdresses -- all charged with a controversial take on power. With an underlying focus on sexual, religious, and political influence, Borochov was inspired to design pieces that would enhance his editorial shoots.

The line, which Ken describes as “extreme adornment,” will soon be available on his website.

Now it's time to nab that crown...

Post by Amanda LaMela

It’s about time – Time to analyze, time to applaud… time to acquire.

In the past few days, our mailbox has been filling with Ghosts of Fashion Week Past. On Tuesday, the stylish spirit armed the postman with a Sally LaPointe booklet-turned-photo-reel. Maintaining her keen concept of a Latent Panorama, LaPointe conveyed imminent darkness with hi-contrast backstage negatives and crimson backdrop shots.

And as Sally’s foreign landscape grows closer and clearer with Polariod-like suspense, so does the ability to acquire some LaPointe of our very own. You see, EVA BOUTIQUE seems to understand the DL dilemma – Tribeca tastes on a Murray Hill budget.

So, on April 21 from 5-9pm, EVA BOUTIQUE will be hosting an exclusive shopping event with 25% discount off the Spring/Summer 2011 collection and up to 80% discount on the Fall/Winter 2010 collection.

We’re so in. See you then at 355A Bowery.

After revealing designer events and a sharp photo montage, the Ghost of Fashion Week Past returned today, bearing reminders of Norman Ambrose in the form of a thick spiral-bound book in our mailbox. Ambrose, the California-born Milan-cultivated designer, amazed show-goers this season with his irreverent sophistication and 70s glamour.

We’re dying to get our hands on some Ambrose – until then, we’ll just covet from a distance and try to channel Faye Dunaway circa-1974.

Post by Amanda LaMela

Like a caldera at the maw of the underworld, so unfolded the terrain of warped monolithic forms in Sally LaPointe’s AW2011 collection this evening. The fluid montage projected onto the pre-show backdrop set the tone for LaPointe's runway, inspired by photographic processing and “the idea of something latent coming into visibility.” The collection juxtaposed Inferno-inspired imagery with a marbled Roland Flexner-esque aesthetic.

The show opened with a metallic knit bodysuit, worn underneath a silver silk herringbone jacket. This particularly aerodynamic look had the immediate effect of the ambient air condensing into something solid – a foreshadowing of an imminent transition.

As the show progressed, the collection became more thematically apparent as we approached its ninth circle with a printed silk Georgette jacket and red jersey leggings. It is in this look that her inspiration manifested, calling upon the abstract marmoreal arcs of a gelatin silver process.

The flash of the photographer’s bulbs faded and the next canto of LaPointe’s collection emerged from the afterglow -- a series of unctuous, dark silhouettes in micro chiffon and black metallic silk.

The anticipation of a developing Polaroid most closely describes the feeling we experienced during Sally LaPointe’s AW2011 runway collection. The final lineup, like an unfamiliar landscape in the distance, appeared as the awaited final image. Again, LaPointe demonstrated her ability to take the abstract and craft it into something sublimely tangible.