Sheer Abandon

I'm a New York girl by birth, but London Fashion Week is one of my favorites-- I love to check out wicked British style. Plenty of wearable looks were exhibited last week, but one trend in particular caught my eye. The Fug girls blogged about a trend seen on a few runways in New York that jumped the pond to London-- and the Brits took it and ran wild. Nearly every designer sent out totally sheer creations. While some New York designs revealed models' underthings, most Brits left nothing to the imagination. Vivienne Westwood even threw all caution to the proverbial wind and sent a model out topless!

Now I'm all for innovative fashion, but I don't know how many women are going to sport these transparent tops-- or if it's even legal in some places to do so! Fortunately, if you want to play a little peekaboo, some London designers crafted sweetly sheer looks that are a bit on the shy side. That way you can show a little skin, without going over (or without!) the top.

Jasper Conran showed a sheer dress that may work better as a tunic. This would be adorable over colored leggings or skinny jeans.

Thank goodness! Emma Cook's peekaboo grey frock is dark enough to hide the unmentionables.

Erdem unveiled a more straight-laced take on the trend: plenty of frilly ruffles to make see-through seem ladylike.But my favorite sheer look was this frothy confection by Jenny Packham: wisps of cotton candy fabric are ever-so-subtly sheer, but not enough to make you blush.

For more London Fashion Week coverage - and to see my eco-fashion versions of the trends - head over to Green Cotton!

*All photos courtesy of NYMag.com

Have I told you lately that I love you?

Oscar de la Renta - Spring 2009

Oscar, your clothes are affairs to remember
I'm swept up in the line you've unveiled this September
The style's retro sixties, but no need to wince!
It's like Holly Golightly has married a prince

Your silhouettes and ikat don't fail to impress
I "oohed" and I "ahhed" every little black dress
With such grace and charm ruling each component
Who wouldn't want to have an Oscar moment?

NY FASHION WEEK IN FULL SWING

New York Fashion Week began on Friday, and I've been peeking at the collections thus far to cover the shows from "the eco-eye" for Green Cotton. Check out my post about the Be EcoChic show, which featured both big designers and eco-fashion up and comers united for a single cause: greening the runway! I'll be posting my coverage on GC as Fashion Week continues, so stay tuned!

London Fashion Week is next, and I can't wait to see what the wicked-stylish Brits have in store!
*Pictured above: A look from Alexander Wang's Spring 2009 Collection. I love the tough-girl look paired with a girly pink blazer. And those shoes! They've got me hyperventilating!

Those who shall remain nameless

Vogue India is coming under fire. An August photo spread featuring average citizens of India modeling some of fashion's most expensive, least accessible brands displays a "tacky, distasteful" lack of social consciousness.

The man in the above photo is holding a Burberry umbrella, which retails at $200. Nearly half of India's population (about 456 million) live on less than $1.25 a day.

Other photos include a baby, in rumpled clothing, wearing a $100 Fendi bib and a woman commuting on a motorbike, clutching a $10,000 Hermes Birkin bag.

These are luxury brands that only a tiny percentage of India's population can actually afford-- even if the country does have a fast-growing class of nouveau riche. In a society known for its strict social caste system (in which the lowest-ranking are labeled "untouchables"), letting a fashion magazine depict toothless, barefoot individuals modeling fashion's biggest names - high-end brands that, for them, will forever be untouchable - seems like a cruel mockery.

Priya Tanna, editor of Vogue India, defends the fashion shoot. "Lighten up," she said. Vogue is about "the power of fashion," and the photos show that "fashion is no longer a rich man's privilege. Anyone can carry it off and make it look beautiful."

Indeed, these people are beautiful, with or without Hermes. But, sadly, their identities aren't even credited in the Vogue photos. Theirs are not the names Vogue cares for you to know: Hermes, Fendi and Burberry are.