Fall = fur, suede & some military-inspired goodness…

jacket venacava~ shirt jamesperse ~boots dior ~ aviators tomford ~scarf rag&bone ~ dress joshpodoll ~ cargo Jbrand

Canvas. Fur. Tweed. Leather. Oh, my! Are you kidding me J. Crew?! I know, I know, most consider J Crew a staple of their wardrobe. A recent convert, j’adore their fashion forward Fall preview. The line is a little Debbie Harry meets 1940s military influence. And dare I say a dash of Balenciaga? Cannot wait for the pre-orders. Their inspiration: Eddie Beale’s closet. I agree. Check it. Big love.

For those of you who’ve read the May issue of Vanity Fair, know that there will be lovely exhibition at The Victoria & Albert Museum in London entitled “Grace Kelly: Style Icon.” Kelly is of course an Icon of pure high-WASP perfection. Three words: Hermes. Kelly. Bag. Need we say more? The exhibition will showcase Kelly’s clothes and accouterments, beginning with her days in Philadelphia society, to those as a Hollywood star, and then finally her time spent as Royalty. From Dior to YSL, thirty-five couture pieces will be displayed. To compliment this exhibition, The Connaught Mayfair, a place she once called home, will also pay tribute to Kelly with a commemorative book, three specialty cocktails aptly named “Hollywood Starlet”, “Beloved Princess” and “Royal Bride.” Also, the hotel’s butlers will shuttle guests to Balenciaga, one of Grace Kelly’s favorite design houses.

When Noah & I were at Monsieur Marcel in the Farmer’s Market the other day, we noticed the most adorable water bottles: Paul Smith designed for Evian. Brills. The tradition of a high-fashion designer creating a pattern for Evian is nothing new. It began with Christian Lacroix, then Jean Paul Gaultier. But…now Paul Smith? Yes, please. Firstly, such huge fans of Paul Smith and his colorful patterns and stripes. Secondly, what a great way to accessorize a commonly mundane, functional container. Lastly, it’s printed with organic ink! Perfect way to incorporate a pop of color at your next dinner or cocktail party. And, when the party’s over, you can use the vessels to hold some lovely blooms.

Pantone released their Fashion Color Report for the new Fall 2010 lines: Endive, Golden Glow, Living Coral, Lipstick Red, Purple Orchid, Chocolate Truffle, Lagoon, Woodbine, Oyster Gray, and Rose Dust.  ”Building on the color palette from spring, this season’s offerings include innovative takes on fundamental basics, as well as transporting, lively colors that conjure images of travel and adventure, whether real or aspirational.”  We can certainly identify these colors within the wedding palettes of last year and what’s ahead for this season.  No surprise that we are seeing Purple Orchid and Lipstick Red, as many of our weddings last season gravitated towards that palette. Although, we’d love to see some weddings infused with a little Oyster Gray paired with Rose Dust.

{all images courtesy of Christian Oth from our own LHE events}

As Fashion Week commences, we thought it an opportune time to share this little ditty with you from T Magazine on how designers are “scaling back.” Let the hilarity ensue.

Backstage after their spring show, the designers Viktor & Rolf explained that because of the credit crunch, they had decided to “crunch their couture” — literally, burrowing tunnels and cutting away slices in their extravagant tulle dresses. In the spirit of fashion’s new D.I.Y. ethos, they offered this simple guide to reproducing their results. Have fun.

1. Purchase 149 yards of fine tulle for the skirt, 44 yards of stiffer tulle for the underskirt and 2.3 miles of very thin yarn, which you will use to sew the garment by hand.

2. Dye the tulle pale green.

3. Create a stiff black inner crinoline-like structure, measured to your body, using camel’s hair and boning, in the shape of the final skirt with a cutout strip below the hips.

4. Build up the skirt, gathering the tulle layer by layer, lightly hand-stitching the layers together. Work toward a solid shape that is airy and light; fine-tune the volume. Use sharp, slim scissors to cut a perfectly straight and uniform horizontal swath in the tulle to match the cutout in the structure underneath.

5. Move on to the bodice, which you should fashion to your body using metal boning and chiffon. Hand-embroider 547 white sequins onto the front panel.

6. Attach the skirt to the bodice.

7. You’re done! And it only took 163 hours.

How can words possibly epitomize perfection?  I know, I say this EVERY time I see any creation from the master: Oscar de la Renta. But, it’s true.  The 2010 bridal line is no exception- play on playa.  I cannot get enough. Every single dress is perfection.  Sorry for you purists, but Vera who? Oscar is where it’s at this season.  Also, he has a new line for flower girls.  Yes, please.

Have you heard?  Rent the Runway allows you to rent couture, wear couture, and then return said couture.  I had lunch the other day with a friend involved with this brilliant new service and got the low-down.  Here’s the deal…

Now all of that is a reality, and it is called Rent the Runway. Rent the Runway gives users access to high fashion without any of the headaches. There’s no need to scour 20 different stores, worry about a piece selling out, or stress over when you’ll wear an investment dress again. Pushy salespeople with intimidating attitudes? Not anymore. You can even shop in your pajamas (we won’t tell!). In addition to the convenience, RTR makes high fashion affordable. We buy pieces directly from top designers and then offer rentals at just 10% of retail prices. It couldn’t be simpler: just browse our pages until you find something you love. Put it in your basket, tell us when you’d like it delivered, and it’ll appear on your doorstep—in two different sizes, just to be safe. Yes, it’s that easy. After your date, or wedding, or cocktail party, is over, just repack it in handy, pre-paid packaging and just drop it in a mailbox. (And don’t forget to tell us how it went!)