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Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Our Fearless Leaders: Fashion Icon Update

GWYNETH
Just what has Americas favorite ex-pat Hollywood princess been up to lately? Besides garnering Oscar buzz and being muse to countless soft rock hits she's is now the new face of Estee Lauder. It is old news that Gwyneth has signed up to be the new face of EL but the ads are just starting to emerge in magazines. The pink and floral theme stays true to the pleasures theme of being extraordinarily boring. At least they avoided the typical Pleasures ad cliche of cuddling up with a puppy but I can't help but think that a brand with Tom Ford at the helm, Testino behind the lens and GP as the star could do a little better. Oh well, she's no Liya but at least she's not as dull as Carolyn Murphy.



KATE
The Kate Moss scandal has been widely documented. From her falling out with Chanel and Burberry to her reported wild ways. Granted Kate may out party even Keith Richards but something has to be said for a woman who can maintain her personal style in the face of adversity. This past year while she was "supposedly" running from crack den to crack den living the debauched life of rock star girlfriend she has found the time to not only dress well but wear some of her most fabulous / influential outfits to date. Without her thoughtful guidance Sienna Miller would never have had anyone at all to copy. Kate is also receiving kind words and support from the likes of Rimmel, Catherine Denueve, her bff Naomi Campbell and the OG's at French Vogue who have called the British press out on their blatant witch hunt. I say this drama lasts a few months tops before Big K is back on top, looking stunning in brand new campaigns. Kate is forever.





STEFANI

During the much blogged NYC Fashion Week Gwen debuted her L.A.M.B. collection. As to be expected there were a few hits and a few misses. Considerably fewer misses than most celeb collections but lets not focus on those shall we. Gwen tried but lets face it no one alive could make color blocked leather jumpsuits look good. I was really impressed by the more formal aspects of the collection, surprising given L.A.M.B.'s reputation as primarily a sportswear line. I could take or leave the wannabe street theme of Gwen's more casual pieces but I loved her evening wear. From the elegant flowing columns of her "white wedding" dress to the punky pairing of rasta inspired hat halter dress. She even managed to make a a cool cardigan, a feat that will always win praise from me.

du plessix at 1:46 PM

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Sunday, September 04, 2005

Loves Of A Blonde: Fall's Fashion Starlets

All summer we've had to deal with it.
The big celebrity fuss about nothing.
The lies. The media attention. The rumors and whispers.

No. I am not talking about Tomkat. I'm talking about the eponymous look of Rachel Zoe blondes; Jessica Simpson, Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Ritchie respectively. Love or hate them their look dominated this summer with all its bells, whistles and piles of beaded necklaces. Not to be a hater (ok, yes to be a hater) but I've never seen anything remotely fashionable about Jessica aside from the win/win combination of large sunglasses and mammoth chic handbag which in honesty can never fail. Lindsay and Nicole have become budding fashionplates with the help of Rachel Zoe but Sienna Miller and Kate Moss do boho with much better results perhaps due to the fact that they've actually got a bit of that bohemian spirit. As a devout celeb follower I cannot forget that these girls all used to rock the tacky / trashy / flashy look of the L.A. club scene hardcore. Have we not forgotten the days of Nicole's multicolored weave? Lindsay's obsession with Uggs? Jessica's pantheon of multi-colored Vuitton?

Since the entire fashion world says we are heading forth towards a period of less is more isn't it time we had some tabloid fodder starlets to represent such change?

I nominate the following equally sunkissed girls who would no doubt be horrified to become such magazine shills but still represent a fresh edgy and casual style for fall:

Kirsten Dunst:
Style: "The Californian"
Trademarks:
In her closet:


Scarlett Johansson:
Style: "The Throwback"
Trademarks:
In Her Closet


Kate Bosworth:
Style: "The Good Girl"
Trademarks:

In Her Closet:

du plessix at 3:28 PM

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Saturday, August 27, 2005

Designers Gone Wild: Marc Jacobs & As Four

Every designer has a certain persona that fits with the mood of their clothes. Whether completely over the top (John Galliano) or cooly understated (Giorgio Armani), the image is a large part of the clothing. C'mon we aren't looking to buy knit polos and sweats from a man dressed up like a pirate caricature complete with drawn on moustache and eyepatch.

Marc Jacobs and As Four have both cultivated their own unique brand of cool. Images that have worked for and against them in the public realm. In the latest issue of New York magazine the stories behind the scenes are explored with humorous and semi thought provoking results.

Hearing Marc Jacobs say that he's a big nerd is a lot like hearing Selma Blair complain about her weight. Its equal parts "oh I feel that way too" and "shut your gorgeous mouth you fool". I'm having a hard time imagining Marc as anything other than cool but my opinions are strongly biased. Throughout the course of the article we learn of Marc's battle with drugs (cocaine, heroine, cashmere), his secret job desires (he'd one day like taking over the reigns at Chanel if its ever offered to him) and his description of the perfect Marc Jacobs girl:

"She's not a wallflower, exactly"

Of course there is the prerequiste reference to Sofia Coppola who Marc describes as "young, sweet, innocent and beautiful the epitome of this girl I fantasize about." The article is something of a love letter it paints Marc as a quirky, awkward, artsy sweet city boy who loves saying "gabardine" and de-sexing bombshell models like Gisele. All in all he comes across exactly as I thought he would. It really just ads fuel to my fantasy desire of visiting Marc in his Parisian home and playing a nice game of gin rummy. I think he'd be up for it.


Apart from being adorable and cool Marc is also looking for "operatic" love.

"I am not looking to hook up with someone for a wild time out anymore. I hate the word mature... There are night when I can't sleep. I go into a fantasy land and tableau sort of thinking to say, 'Honey I'm really tired and worried about work. And tell me about your day.

Do you think somone will read this and try to get in touch with me? If read that about someone, I'd drop him a note."


I'll be damned if that isn't the most darling thing I've read all week.

FULL MARC ARTICLE

On the flip side, As Four's tale of fashion debauchery is nothing short of comic genius. It involves four persnikity international designers all sleeping in one bed, multiple fist fights, a drenched Bjork and tons of gold lame. It features quotations such as:

Kai bitch-slapped me for no reason. A second later, some rock-and-roll guy that he was giving trouble to started beating the shit out of him. I wound up pulling the guy off Kai because I felt sorry for him.

She liked my genes. I give sperm for babies and sperm for like, whoever. Sperm for everybody!"

There is even a fist fight with Cat Power:

The southern lady I am, I asked the Lord for guidance, and when she approached a third time, the Lord said, ‘Fuck it!’ and I grabbed her by the back of her skull, bent her backward down to the ground, and told her she just doesn’t do that to people. I still feel guilty, but anybody else would have destroyed her face and called Immigration.”

The description of Kai's (As Four's former member) fragrance:

'The inspiration is making love with me in a field,' he explains, 'and feeling safe. My favorite thing is when I meet certain women and smell their cheeks and there is a scent of a balloon'

Like I said comic genius. I myself am strongly rooting for Team Kai and his "graceful time travel" motifs.

FULL AS FOUR ARTICLE

du plessix at 11:39 AM

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What is a Du Plessix?

Du Plessix: A Blog about celebrity, style, fashion and maxed out credit cards.

du plessix at 11:17 AM

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