District L

I must admit, when the Zang Toi show began, my expectations were low: It is never good to include a radio-edit song on your runway playlist, much less some shitty bar song. Despite this well-known fact, Zang Toi started his show with a shirtless male model strutting down the runway to Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy.

But after the first couple of looks, the tone (and music) changed from "Ladies' Night" at the local pub to Lynn Wyatt's post-Opera social.  Floor-grazing organza dresses under fully-fastened toggle blazers slowly sauntered down the runway to more dignified sounds. Silk crepe gowns paired with belted wrap jackets were a far cry from the lone star that opened the show.

As mentioned in previous posts, this is the season for fairytales and fantasy. For Toi, Giant (1958) is the fable and Leslie Benedict is his Princess Winnifred.

Post by Amanda LaMela

After a few tough seasons, it seems as if fashion yearns for a storybook ending. The industry's reaction to the economy last spring was like a scene from Alice in Blunderland - a child's defiant experiment gone awry. Last season, a sober Cinderella never made it to her ball. At last, this season seems like the final chapter of the fairytale, and as the trend would indicate, TIBI wanted to end her story on an upbeat note.

Against a picturesque, woodland background, Amy Smilovic succeeded in making us Happily Ever After. Feminine silhouettes in shades of mint, poppy, and daffodil, created a charmingly wearable collection in silk chiffons and lightweight linens. Fortunately TIBI, while always a crowd pleaser, is never as predictable as our childhood storybooks.

And in today's fickle climate, that characteristic is as valuable as spinning gold.

Post by Amanda LaMela