Among the many fashion trends born during the Swinging Sixties, few captured the era’s spirit of experimentation quite like the Nehru jacket. Distinguished by its streamlined shape, stand-up mandarin collar, and lack of traditional lapels, the style represented a dramatic break from conventional Western tailoring. Named after Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, whose achkan knee-length long coats inspired the look, the jacket became an unlikely symbol of the counterculture and flower power movements, blending Eastern influences with the decade’s appetite for bold colors and new ideas. Continue reading Eye On Design: The Nehru Jacket and the Psychedelic Spirit of the 1960s→
There are rain boots, and then there are rain boots with attitude. Spotted on the subway platform after a day of relentless downpours in New York City, this pair glossy Bubblegum-Pink Boots managed to turn a dreary, waterlogged commute into a fashion moment. At first glance they look like classic rubber rain boots, but then you notice the unexpected detail — a chunky heel. Rain gear, but make it chic. Continue reading Pink Thing of The Day: Stylish Pink Rain Boots→
Some handbags are designed to blend in seamlessly with an outfit, but others are determined to steal the entire room. This futuristic robot-inspired Chanelminaudière, spotted on display at Sotheby’s, firmly belongs in the second category.
At first glance, the piece closely resembles a tiny retro robot or miniature arcade game rather than a handbag. Constructed in glossy black acrylic, the sculptural bag features sparkling rhinestone eyes, a glowing green circuit-board motif, and the unmistakable interlocking double “C” logo integrated into the center like the core processor of a fashionable little android. Continue reading Eye On Design: Chanel Robot Handbag→
French style has a reputation for looking effortless — and the frustrating thing is that the reputation is fairly accurate. There’s a consistent quality to the way French women dress that has nothing to do with following trends and everything to do with having a small number of pieces that work well together.
“Clothes that will stun the crowds in museum exhibitions in the future,” was how New York Times fashion critic Bernadine Morris summarized Yves Saint Laurent’s spring /summer 1988 haute couture collection. A highlight of the collection was the Irises jacket shown here, a simulacrum of Vincent van Gogh’s 1889 painting. The jacket echoes the original’s cropped composition, zooming in even further on the curved and twisting lines of the irises. More remarkably, the embroidery amplifies the luminosity of Van Gogh’s colors, and enhances the materiality of his thick, short, wavy brushstrokes. Continue reading Eye On Design: Van Gogh’s Irises On Bead Embroidered Jacket→
