What I wore: Edgy minimalism inspired by French tailoring and Asian designer duds

A nice fall day inspired me to show off my taste for French tailoring and Asian designer duds. It also seems like I can't get over my black and blue craze these days. What can I say, edgy minimalism never goes out of style. Add a leopard fur trim to the story (and a bow where you'd least expect it) and you're golden. 

coat: Sandro, leggings: Express, booties: Alexander Wang

Let's start with my new pea coat and how it became such an iconic piece. 

The Pea Coat, Yves Saint Laurent, 1962

Long seen as a staple of working class sailors, the double breasted pea coat jacket was introduced by Yves Saint Laurent in 1962 as an outerwear icon during the launch of his own couture house. The repurposing of functional wear such as pea coats into haute couture undoubtedly became one of YSL's signatures, and a part of his foundation of contemporary fashion design from which many of today's designers (such as those at Sandro) take their cues.
   

Oftentimes today's designers will add a controversial touch to a garment, as a means to make it truly stand out. It is precisely the play on contrasts, and the extra daring detail that will convert a classic piece into something edgy and modern. The bow at the back of my Sandro pea coat precisely shows how a single little detail can bring youth and modernity to a classic. 

sweater: SZEKI

Last but not least is my love for Asian designer clothing and the chic minimalism they suggest through their designs. The denim trim on my black sweater could suggest that I paired this knit with a basic denim shirt. Look closer--there, you found it--the button at the collar proves that the denim part was sewn to the sweater. And this is how basics are turned edgy, thanks to SZEKI. Oh and although my last post was dedicated to them, I must say that my Wang-a-tangs surely complete the outfit well, adding a much needed twist of French chic and downtown cool to balance it all off! 

Falling for Fall yet? 'Tis the best season to show those little details off!

A tribute to one of fashion's greatest muses: Loulou de la Falaise

I woke up this morning to the sad news of Loulou de la Falaise's passing, and could not devote my post to anyone else but to a fashion icon so dear to my heart. Loulou de la Falaise, collaborator and muse to the late Yves Saint Laurent, died on Saturday in her home in Vexin, France. She was 64.

A true influential figure ahead of her time, Loulou de la Falaise affirmed her style by defying gender roles with her slim and often boyish silhouette, adorning herself with less delicate pieces such as chunky-like jewelry and turbans.

Referred to as “the quintessential Rive Gauche haute bohémienne” by the New Yorker, de la Falaise’s style served as the inspiration for YSL’s Le Smoking suit and YSL’s classic sheer blouse, a style de la Falaise often wore herself. In Saint Laurent's own words, "Loulou’s true talent, other than her undeniable professional qualities, is her charm. Unique. Moving ... She has an extraordinary lightness of touch, along with a faultless critical view of fashion. Intuitive, innate, individual. Her presence at my side is a dream". 

For more than three decades, de la Falaise designed jewelry and accessories for Yves Saint Laurent in addition to serving as his muse and constant companion. As Cathy Horyn writes in her On the Runway post, Loulou's “chunky bracelets and necklaces…helped establish the YSL look.” When Saint Laurent retired in 2002, she left as well, later launching her own label designing ready-to-wear, costume jewelry, and accessories, sold in a namesake boutique she opened on Rue Cambon. Loulou is survived by her daughter and husband.

A 1970s picture of Loulou wearing a style that served as inspiration of Marc Jacobs’ Spring 2011 show. Courtesy of Fashionista.com.

This fall, plaid shifts and color blocks become pure art form

Photos courtesy of Vogue

Who said plaid was passé? From blouses to trousers and dresses, these geometric patterns are super in vogue this fall. Prada surely takes this trend to another level with her hodgepoge of color blocking forms and plaid shifts with these two outfits I like to call "night and day", because of their mirroring color compositions. 

P.S.: notice the tricolor python boots? I think we've got you all covered dear animal prints!

One cannot consider the above dresses as anything lower than pure art form. The multi-size blocks of cold winter tones can first seem a little too kaleidoscopic, yet they all come together to form a cohesive design delineated by intersecting black lines, evoking the beauty of a Mondrian piece. I definitely gasped while inspecting these pieces, as they immediately reminded me of YSL's 1965 Mondrian dress (shown below).
   

French Vogue, September 1965, Couturier Yves Saint Laurent's Mondrian Dress

In 1965, Yves Saint Laurent transported Piet Mondrian's Broadway Boogie-Woogie painting to a shift dress. Yves did not fail to recreate the intersecting black lines and blocks of primary colors based on the Dutch painter's abstract painting. His application of these geometric-shaped silhouettes to his dresses, dubbed the 'Mondrian Look', marked the start of the Pop Art movement in couture fashions. Harper's Bazaar even described this sensational piece the "dress of tomorrow". It is specifically Saint Laurent's way of treating his dresses like canvases that proved his undeniable ability to predict upcoming trends in fashion, a gift he was recognized for and still is today. 
A visionary and legacy, YSL is still in our hearts - and apparently also in Miucca's.