Katya Leonovich

Wait this is so funny it's been like a million years since this happened and I STILL have not posted the photos. ....Here they are.....

(The show is Katya Leonovich S/S 2014.)

ALSO: I interviewed the designer, check out the video at the BOTTOM of the post. 

[Photos by me.]

Grandma Twippy

That title is a combination of grandma, Twiggy, and hippie. 

Not sure what else I can say about it. 

The photos do a pretty decent of job of explaining that. 

(I wore this outfit to go to the Katya Leonovich show.)

[Photos by my mom.]

Jacket: We Be Bop (via my mom's closet)

Bandeau: Maidenform

Pants: Cut Loose

Shoes: Trotters

Bag: my grandma's 

I know, I gotta work on my posture. 

Me and that bag are going places. Mark my words, it's comin' with me

Midstep

My first attempt at Twiggy makeup.

Listen to Dear Nora on Spotify, they rock and will color your weekend pale grayish colors in the nicest way possible. 

I went to MoMA PS1 today with Lola to go to this really cool art book fair. I got a freakin' awesome postcard that says "Your body is a battleground" and "Support Legal Abortion/Birth Control/and Women's Rights." 

Follow this blog

Chictopia/Huffington Post/Facebook/Bloglovin/Twitter

Mermaids and Metamorphosis (Katya Leonovich Spring 2013)

I went to Katya Leonovich's Fashion Week presentation last February when she was showing in the Box at Lincoln Center. Box shows are generally for the designers who can't budget a full-blown runway show but can still present their collection to the public. It's always a humongo deal when a designer graduates to runway level. When I got the invitation for Katya's show that said that it would be at the Studio (a runway venue) and that I had a seat, fists went in the air and thumbs went with them. 

Before I continue with the runway recap, let me tell you a story. After the show ended, I was just sort of standing around for a minute; I had missed any pre-show mingle time on account of my tardiness and was lamely attempting to spot anyone interesting, when I had an idea. "Maybe I could get backstage," I thought. It was spontaneous and insane, and sounded totally feasible at that moment. I went towards the runway entrance and just sort of walked in. Sure, there was a guard, but he wasn't checking credentials and was too busy hugging his friend to notice little ol' me. I entered the chaos of editors, freelancers, production team members, and helpers milling about. As I was fumbling around in my bag for my notebook and a pen, I spotted a familiar face. "Caroline? What are you doing here?" I rushed over to greet Caroline Levy, who you all may remember from when we discussed how much I want her closet. She was equally shocked to see me there. It turns out she knows someone who was able let her work backstage at the show, and I was there because...I was there. Not quite sure how to explain that one to people reading my blog. I made my way over to the crowd of people huddled around Katya and started jotting down questions I wanted to ask her. A man wearing a black t-shirt and a headset came over to me and claimed he remembered me from the day before. I was a little (read: completely) out of it, so I wasn't sure if I was who he thought I was, but he knew my blog's name and that my name starts with an O. "You can talk to the designer just as soon as these guys finish up," he said, gesturing to two men conducting an interview with her. I thanked him profusely and stood there while Caroline and her friends watched from afar. The man with the headset introduced me to Katya and I told her that I had attended her show last season. I almost had a heart attack when she said she remembered me. I mean, I had talked to her for about two seconds, but that was six months ago! The fact that she knew who I was fueled me to try and give a freakin' awesome interview. She answered all of my questions without seeming like I was wasting her time. She really wanted me to know the backstory to the collection, which speaks to her dedication to her craft as well as her customers. I didn't have a tape recorder or anything because it was such a spur of the moment thing, so there won't be a word-for-word interview, but I did gain some insight about the collection. 

My first question was, of course, what Katya's inspiration was for the collection. She said that it was about a metamorphosis; her girl would go from being a mermaid to a flower, for example. Her ideas came from nature and the female human body. She focused on how nature changes and forms while also thinking about how a woman's body is a part of nature and what it means to be conscious of the natural world on that level. The constructed corset-bustiers referenced the idea of structure that occurs naturally, and peek-a-boo cut-outs toyed with the boundaries of the body--that is to say, it's seen almost as an obstacle, and the challenge is to expose its beauty without revealing too much. The flowing chiffon in blues and greens (that also popped up at Son Jung Wan) clearly were in reference to what the designer had mentioned about mermaids and flowers. The natural cycle and movement of life was shown through the breezy fabrics. The prints on the dresses seemed so one-of-a-kind that I had to ask her if she had created them herself, a suspicion she confirmed was true. It turns out that she has a history of painting and used have her work up in exhibits and galleries. When asked where she finds inspiration most often or easily, she quickly responded that painting and art are her everyday muses. Katya also travels, which gives her new perspectives on culture and fashion as it is interpreted differently all over the globe. There are two finale gowns that I hadn't seen from the front because of the location of my seat, but if I had seen them I definitely would've asked about them. They were laser cut leather dresses with Mitt Romney and Barack Obama's faces hand painted onto them. Political fashion is the best thing I've ever heard of. 

[Photos by me.]

Top knots are now runway ready.

Structured bustiers that resemble mermaid's tails.

From the back...

...And now from the front.

Bowm-chicka-wah-woaw. 

Metallic fabrics are a spring trend, I'm tellin' ya now. Mark my words. 

The headbands were totally rad. They're like sparkle friends on your scalp.

That top just looks so luscious. 

Gypsy mermaid?

The presidential candidates. 

Major snaps for Katya for creating an awesome Spring 2013 collection.

More to come on NYFW as everyone else moves on to Milan.

Follow this blog

Chictopia/Huffington Post/Facebook/Bloglovin/Twitter

Ponchito

Last weekend was one of those times when I was very aware that I was alive. 

That's totally not even true. I was just really tired. 

On Saturday, I went to Son Jung Wan at noon and Katya Leonovich at 4 pm, both of which will have their own post later on this week. After all of the day's festivities, I somehow ended up at Lola's house on her rooftop. I flew there. (You will understand this in a moment.)  

Now for a change of verbal scenery: I usually put all my text at the beginning of the post, but this time let's add some after the pictures. It will make more sense that way. 

[Photos by Lola.]

Top: Eileen Fisher 

Cray-zeee pants: my mom's from da eighties

Boots: my cousin's riding boots 

Caught mid-inhale.

Poncho: a skirt from J.Crew worn as a poncho because they are way cooler than skirts

I'm a huge poncho fanatic as of late. When I was in California in June I suddenly became obsessed with the concept of wearing embroidered ponchos. Fanny packs and ponchos are going to come back because I will single-handedly bring them back. With your help. 

Like, how could you not want to wear that? There is literally no way. 

(PS this is how I flew to Lola's rooftop, poncho=makeshift wings)

Let's just think about the practicality and all around awesomeness of the poncho. It covers your entire torso, therefore you have insulation. You have the mobility of a jacket without being restricted by sleeves. You're essentially wearing a blanket but you're not. What is there not to like?

Welp, shall you join me in the quest to make ponchos Fashion Week acceptable? And beaded fanny packs? And one-sleeved trench coats? Because I am so ready.

I told you I was going apple picking this weekend, and I just did. Dis bitch keeps her promises.

Have a spiffy rest of the weekend.

Follow this blog

Chictopia/Huffington Post/Facebook/Bloglovin/Twitter

As Told By Ginger: A NYFW Recap

Hello, friends!

Fashion Week is nearly done, but it's been a crayzee with a capital Z five days thus far. I have had approximately zero time to document anything at all, so I decided to record a video of myself telling you all the things I wish I had written. Don't worry, I'll have photos and words up soon enough. But for now, let this really long video of me suffice. Even though it's over thirteen minutes, think of it as five blogposts smushed into one. And it would take you more time to read five blogposts than it will to watch this video. Support your local farmer's market bloggers(?)!



Just a few post-video notes: no, I did not cut my hair, it's just pinned back; the dress I am wearing is vintage Elie Tahari (I wore it here); and links to all (or at least most) of the posts I mentioned can be found below.

Minnie Mouse sends her regards.
Hey, it's Caroline!
There goes Octavia!
Remember good ol' Katya Leonovich?

So...what'd ya think? Should I do more videos? I had a lot of fun. I'd do it again. Let. Me. Know. PLEASE. Right down there, in the comments section, or on the YouTube comments section, or in my email inbox, or on the Facebook wall, or on Twittah, or somethin', man. I gotta know.

Follow this blog

Chictopia/Huffington Post/Facebook/Bloglovin/Twitter

Minnie Mouse Clubhouse

Whoa. Three days in and the Week has already been incredible. I saw two shows on Saturday, I have one today (as well as some other special surprise events, the details of which I will disclose to you all at a later time), and then the rest of the week is more of the same, which we all know means completely unpredictable. But fo' now, I will show you my outfit for the Erin Barr show on Friday. Inspired by baseball--you will absolutely never figure out where the connection comes from--I wore the only t-shirt I ever leave the house in with a pencil skirt. Those are kind of a trend. I write so much about what's "in" that I thought for once I'd give it a try. But tight clothing?? What??? Don't worry, I balanced it out by having a big ol' mouse with outrageously sparse yet large eyelashes plastered across my chest. I felt that it was necessary to put on some masculine shoes as a counterattack against the skirt. Here at You're A Tulle, we view provocative clothing as the misunderstood mean girl, ourselves as the one geek who is nice to her and lets her come to our house after school for cookies. But she has to play Dungeons and Dragons with us. We stifle her bitch-tastic-ness by amping up the nerd factor. Crank that baby up to 11! 

The hat was my attempt at adding some class and breaking skewl rewls. No hats in the building? Bah! Just try and stop me, security. You've got a delinquent bloggah on the loose. Maybe you can focus on hunting me down instead of giving freshmen detention for not composting their lunch correctly. 

[Photos by my mother, in front of the 9/11 memorial on 7th Avenue South.]

T-shirt: Disney 

Skirt: INC International Concepts 

Hat: J.Crew 

Socks: the drawer that houses my socks 

Brogues: thrifted Giorgio Brutini

The death stare. 

The stance of Sass, sabotaged by the Smile. 

I don't want to give too much away about what happened yesterday, but I'll give you a few little tidbits to munch on before I tell the full stories. Brooke Shields was sitting front row at Son Jung Wan, I saw Caroline when I snuck back stage at Katya Leonovich, and I briefly interviewed the latter designer. It was freakin' awesome. 

See you on the flip side, amigos. 

Follow this blog

Chictopia/Huffington Post/Facebook/Bloglovin/Twitter

Katya Leonovich Fall 2012

Last night I went to my first show of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2012, Katya Leonovich. I'd been expecting to have a standing spot at a runway show (they generously gave me a seat at the ADAM show in September, but when I was back at the same venue for the Tibi show tonight (the Stage), it was packed, and I was standing way at the top. More to come on that. So much more.). I was right about the standing part, wrong about the runway part. It was more of a gallery of models standing on raised platforms. It was incredible to see the garments so close up--you'll see in a moment just how close I got. Like, I-can-see-every-hair-on-your-arm close. Basically, we just walked around the room taking photos for an hour, from 6:30 p.m. until 7:30.

While looking at some presentations from this week on style.com, and I noticed that printed dresses are a huge trend for F/W 2012. This suspicion was only confirmed by Katya Leonovich. She used a combination of leather and snakeskin as well as impeccable draping skills to create looks that made the models look as though they were caged in. She was taming the creatures, so to speak. (Models=creatures in this analogy.) The whole vibe that I got was this sort of urban rebel being suppressed. From the encasing rope-like shredded sleeve on one gown to the military-inspired quilted jackets, the entire collection just oozed untamable tameability (note that this is not a real word), if that makes sense.

The craftsmanship and tailoring were flawless, and every detailed seemed to be planned out. The effortlessly slouchy elbow-length leather gloves (another fall trend that I have spotted) matched perfectly with the ruffles of a printed dress. The two black and white show-stopping pieces were on the same platform together, the black ensemble on the black model and the white garment on the white model. At first glance (trust me, I spent the entire hour in that room, so I took at least twenty seven glances), the looks are not really cohesive. But a truly good collection tells a story and has a concept. Ten points for Katya!

Here are some (funny--when I say some I mean twenty) photos I took of the show.

Leather as a trend is still going as strong as ever, as well as our good pal snakeskin. I'm relieved neither of them are going anywhere, because I have not gotten all the use out of my BCBG snakeskin platforms. Not even close.

Leather elbow-length gloves: also seen at Organic by John Patrick, and undoubtedly several more shows that I haven't seen. Hypothetically, there's a third example, so that makes it a trend.

Those pants. Yes. That's all I can say.

Q-tip dress? I'm also reminded of earmuffs, but I can't figure out why. All I know is that it's amazing, and fluffy.

The designer herself. I actually talked to her, and it was kind of incredible. It was such an intimate setting for a show. Usually the designer just pops their head out for like five seconds, but Katya was walking around, talking to whomever.

It made me a bit uncomfortable at times when a model was staring straight at me, only because I thought I was making them uncomfortable by taking their photo, which is just absolutely ridiculous, because that's their job. 

What you see is snakeskin and that cray-cray shiny sateen (?) fabric ruched and corsetified (again, not a real word, but that's not an issue). 

Just modeling, whatever.

Check out those ruffles!! 

Fancy necklines? Check.

Shawty got dem killah shoes. 

Model twinz! I love the Lego-inspired clasps on these jackets. I highly doubt the designer's inspiration was in fact Legos, but we'll pretend.

Things I've never seen before: an inverted Y-shaped seam.

Black and white times three. See if you can figure out what three things I'm talking about, I'm curious.

More printed dresses and drape-y ropes. And boning. And mullet hemlines. I'm so glad the latter is still on trend for next fall, because I plan on wearing this dress a billion more times. 

The hair: loose, undone braids. If only I had enough hair to braid without looking like a deranged four-year-old...

"Don't sass me."

Identical ruffles.

Reminiscent of Harry Potter's scar, no?

I often forget the beauty of black and white. After spending the first semester of this year working solely in pencil and ink in art class, as soon as second semester started I was so ready to just go all freaky with some color. Shooting part of the show in black and white helped bring me back to my senses. 

There you are. A beautiful show with beautiful people. One down, five to go. Okay, technically by the time this has posted I will have seen four but that's irrelevant. 


See the photos that didn't make the cut here on my Tumblr.

Follow this blog

Chictopia/Huffington Post/Facebook/Bloglovin/Twitter/Lookbook