BOTTEGA ME

Bottega Veneta is an Italian luxury goods house best known for its leather goods. Founded in 1966, it was purchased in 2001 by Gucci Group, now a part of the French multinational group PPR. Bottega Veneta is headquartered in Vicenza, in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy.

Bottega Veneta was established in 1966 by Michele Taddei and Renzo Zengiaro. The name Bottega Veneta means “Venetian atelier” and the company was begun to produce artisanal leather goods. The company’s artisans developed a leather-weaving technique, called intrecciato that remains a signature of the brand.

Pictured below are some must haves for me, I would match this blue wool coat with a pair of leather jeans and the glove with intrecciato weave would just be the top of the look for me. I have never owned any Bottega Veneta save an old intrecciato weave wallet from years ago, so I think it is about time to re invest in some Bottega. Bottega will be a Christmas present for me.

GUCCI S/S 2012

I Loved Gucci 1920’s inspired theme and the return of the Flapper, Frida Giannini the Creative Director of Gucci said after the show, that her inspiration were not only the skyscrapers of New York but also on the 90th anniversary of Gucci which was founded in 1921.


Expect to see these beaded creations blocked in black, gold, and bronze on the Red Carpet next year.

BURBERRY PRORSUM S/S 2012

With London Fashion Week closing today, I wanted to bring you my Fave,Burberry Prorsum. I LOVE Vivienne Westwood and House of Holland, Mulberry, Erdem, and Mary Katranzou. But I live for the Burberry Show, every year they sport the longest runway in London, I just love a long runway, and the soundtrack for their show is always AWESOME! Yesterday they opened their show with Nina Simone singing You Put A Spell On Me, then Ever Lasting Love by U2 and ended their show with George Harrison’s My Sweet Lord.

This season Burberry showed a most feminine ready-to-wear collection for the ladies, it was refreshing from the Motorcycle Chic of last year. I particularly like the light weight *Parka’s*. Texture and color also played a major role this time around, both echoing a tribal vibe. Expect raffia and basket-weave-inspired knits to replace Fall 2011's fur fest, accompanied by a rich palette of dark peacock, hawthorne red, turmeric yellow, beetroot, and indigo green. And while the Classic Check made its usual appearance, with a colorful twist, the prints of the day were stripes, which graced raffia caps, form-fitting pencil skirts, and parkas in a way that would make Missoni envious, and a leafy, geometric print that was splashed across dresses with cheeky cutout bodices.

It was like Burberry went on Safari.

BREAKING RECORDS

In the very beginning, I knew absolutely nothing about Blogging, I just knew I should be doing it, and here I am. I mean I am no Rumi Neely or Bryan Boy, but I am doing my own thing, I only have 66 followers, which if I know me by year’s end, well.

In the beginning, I did not know what Stat’s were, and never looked at them. So I never knew how many hits I received. The first day I started HAMILTONMODE I got 1,500 hits but after that is was certainly downhill for a year. I would get 16-22 hits here and there. Then suddenly I learned what Stats were and well now I check my Stats every hour, almost obsessed with how many hits I have gotten. When I saw I had 1,500 hits that first day back in July 2009 I said I want to reach 1,000. Now how I was going to do that I had absolutely no idea, so I left it to the universe. It took absolutely two years to the month that I received 1,613 for the month of July 2011, so I set my eyes on two, then three, four and said I will have done it if I reach five thousand, well as of September 20, 2011 I have 5,555 for the month, so far, so now my eyes are on six thousand.

To the likes of BB and Rumi, this is nothing, they get this daily, I read Bryan Boy gets one million hits a month.

But I have said all this to say…THANK YOU TO EACH AND EVERYONE WHO HAS TAKEN A LOOK AT MY LITTLE BLOG.

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

 Lee Alexander McQueen, CBE (17 March 1969 – 11 February 2010) was a British fashion designer and couturier best known for his in-depth knowledge of bespoke British tailoring, his tendency to juxtapose strength with fragility in his collections, as well as the emotional power and raw energy of his provocative fashion shows. He is also known for having worked as chief designer at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001 and for founding his own label under the name Alexander McQueen His achievements in fashion earned him four British Designer of the Year awards (1996, 1997, 2001 and 2003), as well as the CFDA's International Designer of the Year award in 2003.


McQueen's death was announced on the afternoon of 11 February 2010. He was found that morning by his housekeeper at his home on Green Street, London W1, hanged. Paramedics were called and they pronounced him dead at the scene.

Lee’s accomplishments are far too many to list, suffice it to say, his is a talent that shall be missed, and in fact is. I blogged on his Savage Beauty exhibit at The Met, which I saw twice, an awesome exhibit. Showing now is the Daphne Guinness exhibit at The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) which showcase many pieces from McQueen, running September 16, 20011 – January 7, 2012.

MARK SCHWARTZ

Mark Schwartz began his career in New York City in the early 1980's where he was hand picked by legendary French shoe designer Roger Vivier to assist him in shoe design. Vivier was so impressed with Mark's ability to design and sketch that he called his friend Andy Warhol to visit Schwartz one day and soon Warhol took to Schwartz's whimsical approach to shoes and for the last 3 years of his life he tutored Schwartz and mentored him , both Schwartz and Warhol painted shoes on a monthly basis exchanging ideas which eventually became the style that you see today in Mark's work. After Warhol's death Schwartz went on to live and work in Paris and Milan , designing for such houses as Chanel, Lacroix, Hermes, Balenciaga, Gucci and Prada to name a few.


Upon his return to New York ( 1995 ) Schwartz opened his own boutique debuting his own shoe line Mark Schwartz in the SOHO district of NYC. Schwartz then displayed the paintings he did with Warhol on the walls of his shop and found out that they soon started to sell as well if not more than his physical shoes . ( Thank you Andy! ) Schwartz has gone on to define the shoe as an art form ( High Heeled Art- Artistic Renderings of Shoes )

I think I will have to give the visionary a visit to bring you more on this incredible art form.

VIVIENNE WESTWOOD

Dame Vivienne Westwood, DBE, RDI (born Vivienne Isabel Swire on 8 April 1941) is a British fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream. When she met Malcolm McLaren, it signified the end of Westwood's marriage to Derek. Westwood and McLaren moved to a council flat in Clapham. Westwood continued to teach until 1971 when Malcolm decided to open a boutique at 430 King's Road called "Let It Rock" (later known variously as "Sex", "Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die", and "Seditionaries"). Westwood created clothes which McLaren conceived, drawing inspiration from bikers, fetishists and prostitutes. During this period, McLaren became manager of the punk band Sex Pistols and subsequently the two garnered attention as the band wore Westwood and McLaren's designs. Whilst living in their flat in Clapham, Westwood and McLaren had a child, another son named Joseph.


Westwood has five exclusively-owned shops; three in London, one in Leeds, and one in Milan. Franchise stores are located in Liverpool, Newcastle, Glasgow, three in Manchester and most recently, in FH Mall, Nottingham (20 March 2008), and in Blake Street, York (11 September 2008). She also has showrooms in Milan, Paris and Los Angeles.

I have dubbed Dame Westwood as the Queen of British Fashion.

HOUSE OF HOLLAND

Henry Holland (born 26 May 1983) is a fashion designer from Ramsbottom, Lancashire, England. He hasattracted notice with his bold, '80s-inspired T-shirts with catchphrases such as "I'll tell you who's boss,Kate Moss". He is well known for his work with model Agynes Deyn. His latest collection features a number of tees with acronyms such as 'waysb', meaning 'what are you sayin babes'.

In spring 2009, Levi Strauss & Co debuted a denim collaboration with Holland.

He formerly worked for the fashion section of teenage magazine Sneak.

In Autumn 2008 and Spring 2010 he co-presented T4's flagship fashion and music series Frock Me alongside Alexa Chung and Gemma Cairney.

In September 2009 he agreed a deal with the British retailer Debenhams to create a fashion line, H! by Henry Holland, which went on sale in their stores from spring 2010.

For Spring/Summer 2010 he designed a pink wedding dress exclusive to LA-based boutique REVOLVE Clothing under his House of Holland line.

He states that Nicola Roberts, of Girls Aloud fame, is his muse and hero.

My most fave collection is his Granny Square crocheted jackets, scarves, and Granny Square print dresses and silk pants.



OSCAR DE LA RENTA

 Mr. De la Renta whom I have dubbed America’s couturier, Mr. De la Renta this season at New York Fashion Week left his East Side Park Avenue digs opting for an industrial space on West 42nd Street, with a runway that would put any French runway to shame, well maybe not to shame, but I have always maintained that Paris runways are in fact the longest.


The star studded show played host to Justin Timberlake who chatted with Anna Wintour, Ashley Olsen, Valentino, and embarrassingly Nicki Minaj in a get up more Betsey Johnson than Oscar de la Renta, but then again that would not be fair to Betsey.

Below are my faves from the collection, the whole collection I absolutely loved, but give me a Ball Gown and I am in heaven. De la Renta’s day looks were very Coco Chanel

PRABAL GURUNG

 Prabal Gurung launched his first collection under his own name during New York Fashion Week in February 2009 at the FLAG Art Foundation in Chelsea. For Fall 2010, he staged his first runway show in the Tents at Bryant Park. Gurung's designs have been worn by Michelle Obama, Demi Moore, Zoe Saldana and Oprah Winfrey. Gurung resides in New York City.

After Parsons, Gurung spent two years with Cynthia Rowley’s design team. Soon after, he became the design director at Bill Blass. Following five successful years at Blass, Gurung launched his own collection PRABAL GURUNG. In 2010 he was the recipient of the Ecco Domani Fashion Fund Award and received a nomination for the 2010 CFDA Swarovski Womenswear Award. He was also chosen by prominent fashion editors, retailers, designers and business people for the {CFDA Fashion Incubator} for 2010-2012. In November 2010, Prabal was awarded runner up for the 2010 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund.

PHILLIP LIM

 Phillip Lim (born 1973 in Thailand) is a Cambodian-American fashion designer of Chinese ancestry. He was awarded the 2007 Council of Fashion Designers of America Emerging Talent in Womenswear award for his work as creative director of 3.1 Phillip Lim. He worked at the label Development from 2000 to 2004, and has been the head of 3.1 Phillip Lim which launched in the fall of 2005 to present.

ALEXANDER WANG

 Alexander Wang (born 1984) is a Taiwanese-American fashion designer.
At age 18, he moved to New York to attend Parsons The New School for Design to study fashion design. After dropping out in his sophomore year, he launched his first women's ready-to-wear collection in 2007. The label embodies casually cool downtown style, drawing inspiration from the nineties, French chic, and rock grunge—always finished off with a slouchy, rolled-out-of-bed edge. Wang launched a diffusion line of pre-weathered cotton tees, tanks, and T-shirt dresses in spring 2009, T by Alexander Wang, as well as a footwear collection of towering platform sandals. He won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund in 2008, an honor accompanied by a $200,000 award to expand one's business. His lines are now stocked globally by more than 30 of the world’s premiere retailers including Barneys NYC, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Dover Street Market, Browns, Otte and Selfridges.

JASON WU

 Jason Wu ( born September 27, 1982) is a Manhattan-based Taiwanese American fashion designer


Wu launched his ready-to-wear line of clothes with earnings from his years of doll designs, His first full collection debuted in 2006 and won the Fashion Group International's Rising Star award in 2008. Jason Wu's dresses were photographed underwater by Howard Schatz for Delta Faucet Company's Brizo branded faucet campaign in 2006. In 2008 he was nominated for the Vogue Fashion Fund award. Bruce Weber shot the designer for W magazine's "Summer Camp" portfolio last July.

Michelle Obama was introduced to Wu by André Leon Talley, Vogue Magazine's editor-at-large, who had been advising the future First Family on their appearance. She bought four dresses from Wu early in the year, wearing one of them for a segment on Barbara Walters Special shortly before the November 2008 election, prompting many in the media to consider her his "career-launcher".

STEPHANIE BURKHALTER

 Stéphanie Burkhalter, unique child, was born in Geneva, Switzerland.
Already, in her softest childhood, she developed a special interest for the classic drawing and the oil painting.
Being a very reserved and solitary child, she spent whole days in her room to draw, contained in her world of fantasy.
At the age of 16, she began an international models career which made her travel in every corner of the world and discovered a universe made by glitter which fascinated her.
With this experience, she decided to unite the fashion with the drawing, and began a prestigious fashion school " Marangoni " in Milan.
She obtained her diploma in 2005 and worked with many Italian fashion companies, then started to draw her own collection under the name of BURKHALTER couture.
Stéphanie Burkhalter returned then in Geneva, where, in her studio, she gave life to her personal creations and began to obtain success through a customers' small circle in Europe as well as on the other continents.

In 2008 was born BURKHALTER couture.




Collection A/W 2011-12 “The Prettiest Dresses Are Worn To Be Taken Off” is a collection inspired from the decade of the Art deco, which is my favorite fashion decade. Why this title? because this collection is made for evening parties, cocktails, romantic dinners, so I created those dresses with one objective : all women wearing my dresses are becoming irresistible nights princesses.
This collection is a full immersion in the attention turned to the new juvenile tendencies, combined to an inclined search through volumes and lines that reminds the decade of Art deco's linear symmetry, maintaining nevertheless some classical and luxurious style.
It allows the mind to escape through the rays of sun that it transmits the art deco, in an explosion of variegated forms between them. Vivacious and original movements give life to a notable effect that rises from a meeting and clash of jagged lines.
Same use of precious materials that characterize the period. Use of neutral colors to mark the difference among the fashion of those years and the contemporary one. A mix among futuristic elements and simple materials. Specific sewing, use of puffy lines or elements for a delicate and feminine effect, such as specific roses, bow and pearls that are giving the “stars in the sky” touch.
A collection made of sensual timeless lines thought for a transgressive, sensual and sure of herself woman, created with the irony of a contemporary style in a Wonderland where all the dresses I am creating are done for all the Princesses in the world, as I consider all women being “Princesses”.

PROENZA SCHOULER

 Proenza Schouler is a New York based womenswear and accessories brand founded in 2002 by designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. The duo met while studying at Parson’s School of Design, collaborating on their senior thesis, which would eventually become their first collection as Proenza Schouler. Named after the designers’ mothers’ maiden names, the collection was bought in its entirety by Barneys New York.


Proenza Schouler is defined by its fusion of craftsmanship and attention to detail with a sense of refined ease. Inspiration drawn from contemporary art and youth culture is combined with an emphasis on tailoring and the use of custom developed fabrics.

Proenza Schouler has played an important role in reinvigorating American fashion. Awarded with the inaugural CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund award in 2004, the emerging brand was established as a leading talent in the industry. Three years later, Proenza Schouler was honored with the 2007 CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year award. In June 2011, the designers were awarded their second CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year Award.

YIGAL AZROUEL

Yigal Azrouël is an Israeli American New York based fashion designer. He was born in Israek of French-Moroccan descent and currently lives in the United States.  In 1998, Yigal Azrouël launched his first collection in New York. The following year, he began his participation with 7th on 6th/NY Fashion Week. In August 2000, Yigal Azrouël opened a full service showroom and production facility. As of 2007, this Garment District location produces 90% of Yigal Azrouël products.
In February 2003, Azrouël opened his first freestanding boutique in Manhattan's Meatpacking District, located on West 14th Street, designed by Dror Benshetrit. His boutique was among the first of the neighborhood's retail ventures. The aesthetic and architecture of his boutique have been featured in many publications, and his boutique has been the location for two of Azrouël's Spring fashion shows.
I actually got an invite to his show which arrived a day after the show alas...LOL  my luck.

A WARM THANK YOU

To you my readers, we made it to 3,567 hits last month, let us make it 4,000 for this month.  This month I will feature new Fashion Designers, from the four capitals of Fashion, New York, Paris, Milan, and London.  I will also keep you up to date on Fashion Month starting on the 8^th of this month in New York.  Unfortunately I will not be able to attend the shows I had hoped to due to commitments out of town, but there is always Fashion Now to keep me updated for you.

This month also, I will focus on your not so high end Fashions but bring you Fashion styles and trends that we all can partake in.  It is nice to live in the fantasy world of high end Fashion, but in reality that is exactly what it is for most of us, a fantasy, I think it nice to keep up with what is going on in Couture but who really has the money for Couture but your millionaires which we are not, I do not think, I might be wrong, as I am not really sure who is reading my Blog.  Anyway, I will focus on H&M, ZARA, UniQlo, and the GAP, stores we can relate to, whose prices are low enough that we can look good and not break the bank.  So kick back and stay tuned.

All the best,

HAMILTONMODE