Jezebel: elle.com

Fundamentalist Fashion: Not So Different Than High Design

Jennifer — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT

The question that keeps coming up again and again with regards to the Eldorado, Texas branch of the FLDS isn't "Where are all the men?" or even "Where's Sarah?" but rather, "Have you noticed what the women are wearing?" The media has even dubbed the phenomenon, somewhat crassly, "polygamist fashion", and the stories have multiplied in such a way that we figured we should take a look. What we learned is that there actually isn't anything that odd about the sect's sartorial choices — we've seen weirder on the runways of Gaultier. And speaking of high-minded fashion, a few designers (most notably Marc Jacobs) seem to have anticipated (or rather, copied) the FLDS aesthetic. After the jump, selected looks from various designers whose recent wares look most similar (in modest silhouette and tonal palette) to that of the FLDS females.

L & C: Chris Benz SS08, R: Behnaz Sarafpour SS08

Benz's tone-on-tone palette and long, loose cuts were one of the most championed styles of the season. Behnaz Sarafpour uses the same 1950's shirtdress modelings as that of the FLDS uniforms.

L & C: Behnaz Sarafpour SS08, R: Angel Chang SS08

In trenches and dresses alike, Sarafpour underscores the feminine by obscuring the body. Angel Chang's muted colors and conservative hem and necklines make modesty modern.

L to R: Vera Wang SS08, Abaete SS08, Marc Jacobs FW08.

Vera Wang goes bold in rich jewel tone that is as shocking in its proportion as its shade. Abaete uses the shift and lightened earth tones to allow her model to all but disappear. Marc Jacobs' "Paul Revere" collection was a masterwork in the kind of color and proportion play found in the compound, repeated musings on one central concept.

[Images via Elle.com.]

Polygamists Make Their Own Fashion Statement [MSNBC]

Stella McCartney Adds Sporty Spice To Fashion Show

Jennifer — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 10:00:00 EDT

Yup, we're still bitter about not being at London Fashion Week. The Stella McCartney for Adidas show was held at an amusement park at which the models and guests frolicked, playing mini-golf and eating hot dogs. [Vogue UK]
OMG. David Beckham is rumored to be designing the costumes for the Spice Girl Tour. OMG. [Vogue UK]
Snaps to ELLE.com for recognizing that the fashion industry is just like high school. And even bestowing the superlatives to go along with it. And it's even almost bitchy! Just like high school should be! [Elle.com]
At age 80 Eartha Kitt is the face of the new MAC line "Smoke Signals." And at age 80 she has better legs than we ever will too. Purrrrrrfect. [WWD, sub req'd]

Louis Vuitton is showcasing the works of Moscow artists in its Paris store. Just like Sherri Shepherd (and Tom Friedman) told us, the world is flat. [WWD, sub req'd]
Paul Smith introduces his first women's fragrance, Paul Smith Rose, which is inspired by the, uh, Sir Paul Smith Rose that his wife had named for him. [WWD, sub req'd]
Aretha Franklin does PR speak about Sean "Diddy" Combs new fragrance "Unforgivable for Women": "I like [Unforgivable for Women] because it's sexy and refreshing and has a lot of really good elements to it." [WWD, sub req'd]
Meanwhile Combs has posted the video advertisement for Unforgivable for Women that was banned from TV on his MySpace page "I feel strongly that this movie needs to be viewed and judged by the public and not executives." Dude - it's an ad for perfume not Do The Right Thing. [Vogue UK]
Want your own Versace-and-Liz-Hurley-esque black safety pin dress? London department store Harrods now says it will whip you up a custom version. For about $22,000 that is. [Sassybella]
Virtual Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen dolls. For reals. [Fashion Week Daily]

Loeffler Randall For Target: Hot Damn

Jennifer — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 10:30:00 EDT

The folks over at Elle magazine 's website have scored images of accessories designer Jessie Randall's Loeffler Randall for Target collection. And oh me oh my: The pieces are better than we expected. So good are they, in fact, that ELLE.com blogger Carol Han confesses that the shoes and bags on display make her want to do something she's never done before: bargain-shop. More images after the jump.

Seeing The Light [ELLE.com]