Tavi Styles Christine Staub for BlackBook

Riveting! In an editorial titled, "Nobody's Daughter," Christine Staub takes style cues from the Fashion Industry's most talked about 14 year old, Tavi. Christine would be luckier if, of course, she wasn't anybody's daughter (Her ma is NUTS, man!). Despite her mother's insanity, I do feel Christine is a very beautiful, up-and-coming model with the chance to be "Super."

The shoot is so very Tavi, and I commend her on being able to stay true to herself in the editorial world. And way to pair two youngin's together for a very of-the-moment shoot, BlackBook. It's great fun, in deed. 

Guess Who's Back?

It's freaking Tom Ford!!!! He's totally back and he's got a Women's Wear collection to prove it. Even if it is top secret and barely anyone got to attend. And no pictures were allowed to be taken. You know someone is important when the whole of Fashion Week is over shadowed by a CIA-style event that no one even has proof of! 

Last night, Tom Ford presented, narrating himself, his first women's collection in over ten years (since he left the helms of Gucci and YSL, tear drop). Wondering why Beyonce wasn't in the crowd of the VMAs? Because she was modeling the collection alongside Lauren Hutton, Julianne Moore, and Daphne Guiness and Rita Wilson, to drop a few of the huge names. 

Word is that photos of the collection will be released in the new year. But the fact of the matter remains... Fashion Life as we know it is over! Think back to the daring sexiness of 90's fashion. To put it simply, Tom Ford is the reason why I am still obsessed with fashion today. There are fashion gods! The King is Back!

Can you tell how excited I am? I can't even write anything worth reading... sorry!

Gaga Gives High Fashion to the Masses

Was not Gaga the most entertaining part of last night's VMA's? She was other-worldly in her McQueen entrance, flanked by a military entourage that were casualties of the now-in-question "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Her mid-show acceptance was jaw-dropping in her black Armani gown--which she admitted she'd forget to see if she could walk in. And well, as for the meat dress... people are definitely talking about it! And her asking Cher to hold her Meat Purse was a hilarious highlight of the ceremony. 

I was touched by how touched she was. I believed when she said she was terrified of disappointing her fans by not winning, but we could never be disappointed in her. And I loved her spontaneous burst into song as she revealed the title of her upcoming album, "Born this Way."

Unless you are a generalized hater of anyone, than Gaga is a champion for you. She is a champion for all. And she's f-ing awesome. 

Women's Look / Sportswear Critique

Finally! A Look that I am uber-proud of. I will definitely give most of the credit to my amazingly gorgeous model, Cindy, who looked damn hot in my look. But this is for sure the first time I have made something that I will actually wear. I actually die over that skirt. Comments and Critiques are welcome... Lord knows I am used to it! Special thanks to New York designer Shelly Steffee who made the trek to Philly for our crit. 

REAL Philly Style

This Summer, I went to Philly's Mad Decent Block Party. Situated behind a Mosque and a Gas Station on the Corners of 12th, Spring Garden, and Ridge, the city definitely turned out one hell of a party and featured two of Philly's absolute finest DJ's: Brendan Bring 'Em and Diplo. Dunk tanks and plenty of beer kept everyone cool. But nothing was cooler than all the color all over the place. For a girl usually outfitted in black and shades of grey, I had to snap photos to remember the occasion. This is street style at its Philly finest!

Alexa Chung for MadeWell

The buzz is that the fashion world is very excited for Alexa Chung's MadeWell collaboration. The company expects so much success, in fact, that they are not offering J.Crew employees their normal discount (as reported by NY Mag's THE CUT blog).

I find the items reasonably priced enough to buy without a discount. Yet, I am still on the fence about it. Sure, the clothes are gorgeous and cool, and they do kind of reek of Alexa Chung's awesomeness. I just don't think that every girl on the street has the right to look like her! She is so freaking cool I think she should keep it to herself. Although I do love, and will certainly try to replicate, the looks pictured here from the collection. (Available at Madewell.com)

Rachel Zoe's White Moment

Did you see Rachel Zoe's "Die for Fashion" spread in BAZAAR's September issue? I couldn't help but notice (again) the white Derek Lam that Brad so badly wanted Cameron Diaz to wear to the Oscars on last week's episode of the Rachel Zoe Project. Sadly, the producers of the Oscar ceremony preferred nobody wear white. Cameron's loss is certainly Zoe's gain in this case. Featured in the Brian Atwood photo, the grecian draped dress is gorgeous, and finally receiving its moment in the spotlight. Thankfully, the image captures Zoe before she is murdered by the Atwood shoe, leaving the dress clean and pristine. 

Inspiration...

Every now and again, I take myself out of the chaos of school and realize how lucky I am to get these assignments... Create a resort collection for Narciso Rodriguez? Sure! Click on the slides to enlarge them and see the beauteous vision in my head. 

Fashion in Fiction

Buzz Rickson's thought Cayce Pollard was so cool, that they named and MA-1 Flight Jacket after her... and she's not even real!

Drexel is hosting the International Fashion in Fiction conference this coming October, and I've been selected to present my paper based on the following abstract. How exciting?! 

Pattern Recognition; Logoism, Labelism, and Anti-Fashion

Nicole Coombe, M.S. Fashion Design Candidate

The Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, Drexel University

Abstract:

Following in the steps of America’s fundamentally capitalistic relationship with advertising and branding, the climate of the country’s Fashion and Apparel Industry is awash with logos, labels, celebrity endorsements, and emphasis on the constant cycle of Fast Fashion. Around the world, professionals are scouring the streets, hunting the fads and trends, and evaluating the consumer psyche. They determine, in split-second gut decisions, where exactly consumer dollars will be spent and the most successful ways to make one product stand out over the sea of others. Author William Gibson’s 2003 thriller Pattern Recognition unveils fashion’s shift towards logoism and labelism from the perspective of one such Post-9/11 American expert. In a self-conscious investigation, the novel questions global marketing techniques and the interests that are behind them.

“Cool Hunter” Cayce Pollard, named after a parental admiration of Edgar Cayce, struggles to find her identity in a material culture that lacks authenticity and originality. Even in the very markets that she guides to financial success, she is so jaded by the continual output of “simulacra of simulacra of simulacra” that she suffers from an extreme sensitivity, an allergy, to any label or brand-ridden product that’s been marketed into super-saturation. The ultimate minimalist, she wears only black, removes all labels from clothing, and prefers more functional utilitarian garments like her favorite Buzz Rickson’s flight jacket. She is a perfectly formed member of Generation X who is symbolic of both the cause of and reaction to society’s commoditization of logos and labels over design, aesthetic quality, and function.

After the coincidental disappearance of her father from Manhattan on the morning of September 11, 2001, Cayce is hired by a London advertising agency in need of a new logo for an athletic footwear brand. As her work with the company continues, she embarks on a globe-spanning quest to uncover the anonymous creator of mysterious film footage with a cult internet following. After physical threats, calculated espionage, and the unclear motivations of her coworkers, she finally finds comfort and a constant home in an online forum dedicated to the discussion of the leaked film clips.  She also finds her identity and purpose as CayceP, her internet alias.

This oral research paper will first explore the state of fashion in a Post-9/11 America. Topics of discussion will include the rise of Fast Fashion and the Celebrity Brand along with their global and social implications, the dwindling Haute Couture, and High Fashion’s shrinking place in the consumer market. Connections will also be made between Fashion and Identity. Logos and labels are increasingly used by individuals to create perceptions of one’s self within a fashion context and society at-large—others become Anti-Fashion in response. Using Pattern Recognition as a guide, the presentation will further explore the use of Fashion Marketing as a key component of these trends. Finally, ramifications will be supposed as a serious loss to the fashion world, with special emphasis placed upon true American style icons of decades past, who cultivated wardrobes based upon their identities, and not identities based upon their wardrobes.

Biography:

Nicole Coombe is a freelance fashion writer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After gaining Fashion Editorial experience at Harper’s BAZAAR, Vogue, and the Albright Fashion Library NYC, she is currently pursuing her Masters of Science in Fashion Design at Drexel University’s Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design. There, she is a Dean’s Fellow and Graduate Assistant to the curator of Drexel’s Historic Costume Collection. A former weekly columnist for PhillyStyle.com, Nicole now writes under her own title, Making Fashion Statements, at nicolecoombe.blogspot.com. She graduated from Temple University in 2006, with a B.A. in Journalism, Public Relations, and Advertising / Magazine Concentration. 

Double Dispatch: From Albright NYC

Witnessing History...

While flipping through the catalogue of the combined Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum's "American Woman" exhibition, I noticed the Jean Yu dress I'd fallen in love with at Albright last summer. I was elated that this design was included, as I've never before heard of Jean Yu or saw any of her designs. I love the contrast between the lady-like ballet pink color and the daringly sexy lingerie details, including the deepest of plunges on the back. Albright continues to amass an unprecedented collection of current and vintage masterpieces with a trusted eye that will no doubt see these garments into Fashion History... I'm just so glad to be a part of it! To see a dress at a museum is one thing, but to feel it in your hands, hold it up in front of a mirror, and gush over it with friends is something else completely. (Thank you again, to the amazing team at Albright!)

For your viewing pleasure: The designer in her showroom

(Ed. Note: The Jean Yu dress was included in the Met showing of this Exhibit only... Thank you to my commenter for the correction.)


New to Watch...

We all know I pride myself on being a human cache of all that is fashion! So I was so pleasantly surprised when I came across the Cushnie et Ochs label on the rack of new acquisitions at Albright. The uber female design duo partnered up for their first show in 2009. They are clean, fashion forward designers with a serious understanding of the sexy female figure. The looks from their most recent collection should be exciting to anyone who loves new directions in the way we dress.

Dispatch: From Albright / A Foray Into Fine Tailoring

What’s huge for Fall and something stylists can’t find enough of? One of my personal favorite wardrobe items: the classic camel coat.

I, of course, realized this early last April when I had my foray into Fine Tailoring. For class, I made a 100% Camel Hair coat in the style of Ali MacGraw’s in Love Story. 

I am regretful that our critic had no idea who Ali MacGraw was and had never seen the movie… for her. What I was going for was that preppy New England kind of feeling from the film, but with a modern update, bien sur! It featured a very exaggerated notch collar, a self belt, and two hidden removable zipper sections so that the coat could be worn at three lengths… we are still recessing here, right? 

I think convertible clothing is the fashion story of the future; I imagine a day where people can actually buy three nice coats for the price of one.

And also, how upsetting is it when you have a great coat, your favorite even, and it’s not the right length for whatever you’ve decided to wear underneath of it? My design solves this problem.

Regretfully again, my critic DID NOT agree with me. She thought that convertible clothing was something that should only be used with active sportswear, which I guess I can understand to an extent… What do you think? She also thought that the two longer lengths of the coat were dated and not fresh…

However I felt after that day (down), I certainly do not feel anymore. I was justified in my decision to design what I did… I was feeling the cultural fashion zeitgeist without realizing it. And opening the summer issues of fashion glossies was rewarding, as they highlighted ALL the designers who showed Camel for Fall.

There’s something very American Chic about camel, no? Besides that to-die-for Love Story version, I also always think of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, the former Calvin Klein PR employee who wore it often and defined the fashion oxymoron “Modern Classic”.

So Albright is working on rounding up the best options, and me? I’ll be working on my coat throughout the rest of the summer so that it’s ready for that first very chilly morning of East Coast autumn… And regardless of the “D” I received in tailoring class, I definitely now KNOW what goes into a finely tailored garment. All the painstakingly beautiful hand stitching and finishing, the luxury of feeling a silk charmeuse lining on your skin, and the way, if done right, the stitched hair canvas interfacing causes the coat to mold to your body over the years—I so much more appreciate coats now. Especially “Modern Classic” ones that you can buy in a store and not have to make yourself.

Interior Details of a Finely Tailored Coat

The (Semi-) Finished Product

P.S. Which of my favorite actresses had racks and racks of gowns pulled for her newest installment of her luxury watch campaign? I can not wait to print ads in one of our fat September issues. 

P.P.S Which very famous Super Model will be joining a very famous designer on his Bravo show? And will she or won't she wear the Dolce & Gabanna dress I blogged about last week?

Um, Yes Please!

Whatever genius is responsible for putting Natalie Portman in a Rodarte tutu for a Darren Aronofsky film, Black Swan, could possibly be my new favorite person. Sign me up! The excitement garnered from this project is enough to make a girl dig out her old pointe shoes, die them black, squeeze 'em on, and   twirl around in a swirl of feathers and Swarovski crystals. Any joiners? Then we can watch this week's So You Think You Can Dance.

Dispatch: From Albright NYC

Yesterday I came across this insane bodysuit, so very much Dolce & Gabanna. It made me realize that I'd never credited the design duo for their engineering around the female figure. Sure, they have always been a super sexy, celebrity and editor favorite, but I personally hadn't appreciated them until I saw it.

The exposed corset-style metal boning is encased in clear plastic material. It's so futuristic and cool, and it's such a hard contrast to the filmy mesh that makes up the rest of the bodice. I can picture Rihanna or Lady Gaga in it, no?

This is Only Momentary

Anjelica Huston, stunning, in her pre-acting modeling career. 

Dude, Where is my Brother?

My brother, Joseph Coombe, just turned 30, and since he was about 15, we've been calling each other "dude." Anyway, if it's possible, my brother is still getting cooler. The other day he sent me the link to a website he set up, featuring fleeting moments of inspiration; a look book of moods, styles, and coolness.

Not only do I love how much he's getting into fashion, in part, I'd assume, because of my immersion in it, I'm also so very pleasantly surprised by his eye for fabrications, quality, and design details... the very characteristics that make up his new, "Joey-in-LA" style. Moreover, I'm inspired to start my own section of this blog, with very quick, very short moments of my own personal inspiration. In honor of my brother and his endless creativity, the blog section will be titled, "This is Only Momentary," after the name of his website.

Check it out now, and enjoy! THIS SPACE IS MOMENTARY. And check out for my posts under my new section in the future. For now, here's a preview of Joey's site.

The picture above is of one of me and my brother's favorite authors, the AH-MAZING Joan Didion. Thanks, dude!

Dispatch: From Albright NYC

Star Quality:

I was pleasantly surprised when I first saw the clothes Victoria Beckham was putting out under her fashion label. And they have been seriously well received by the fashion world, as well. The first dress I saw of hers was nothing less than a STUNNER. A body-hugging Prussian Blue strapless number, mid-calf length, emblazoned with mermaid-like sequins on the front. Albright has it hanging amongst it's myriad dress as one of it's favorite highlight pieces. Posh wears it with her very handsome accessory of a husband above.

Throughout her collections, though, I can not help but notice the similarities between her form-fitting designs and the wonderful creations of Roland Mouret. Although I do think that anything reminiscent of his aesthetic is a great thing, as he dresses women to literal perfection.

Take for instance these new VB's from Albright. Princess-style and waist-cinching design details have become signatures of hers. I think what I love the most about her designs is that they scream of her, personally. And she steps out in them quite often. The magenta and black dresses shape the shoulders in a futuristic way, the girl wearing this is  a total Judy Jetson! Then there's this grey dress that I am absolutely obsessed with. The cutout detail in front is an edgy way to show a peak without being completely blatant. The set in belt is a mastery of engineered design, and the exposed zipper is so of-the-moment.

Here's Posh modeling her grey dress. She's purely perfect in it. I love her side swept hair and how the structured cap sleeve slims the arm... not that she needs it by ANY means. Wouldn't you love to wear this dress?!

Dispatch: From Albright NYC

I refused to go into New York City last week, after a horrifying break of my poor, big toe because I couldn’t fit my foot into a single pair of my myriad shoes. I wouldn’t be caught dead in that synthetic, hospital blue, poor excuse of a Velcro post-op shoe. Not in America’s Fashion Capitol. Luckily, the swelling went down enough to get my tan, studded vintage leather boots on this week. Sadly, it’ll be sometime before my beloved high heels are reintroduced into my life and wardrobe. (Aren’t they synonomous?)

Until then, Albright’s given me plenty of dresses to dream about wearing with my heels. Special thanks to Layla, the genius responsible for much of the library’s buying, who’s pulled all the stops on new “I die” and “I’d kill for” pieces this time around.

Showcased this week: a stunning new Gucci, which had me doing a double take based on it’s seriously sexy style. It was the Gucci moment I’d been waiting for since the departure of Tom Ford.

I totally commend Frida Giannini for taking Gucci back to a more sweetly feminine aesthetic and the brand’s old-world Italian roots as a luxury leather goods company. And I totally understand how she had to separate herself as a designer from the extremely powerful and recognizable Gucci of Ford’s reign. She HAD to leave Ford’s minimalist and sexed-up brand image behind because his massive footprints were simply too big to fill. (We all know what happened to Alessandra Facchinetti when her sex didn’t sell.)

Lo & Behold, everybody! Gucci is back! Allow me to give credit to Giannini who has no shortage of beautiful Gucci looks within beautiful Gucci collections, including one of my personal favorites, the S/S 2008 Luxe Bohemian Collection. I, in fact, carry an absolutely delectable tapestry bag from the collection (Bella Boutique!) almost daily. But it still did not cross into the realm of Tom Ford.

Ford is quite frankly the reason why I have been obsessed with fashion since the early 1990s and why I decided to embark on this literally crazy career path. Does not this dress scream of the Gucci days of Tom Ford?

It is quite beautifully and thoughtfully updated with a fluid asymmetric drape at the front waist, and a strong edgy hardware of the belt that crosses the open back while invisibly cinching the waist. A marker of engineered genius!

ED NOTE:

I found a picture of Posh wearing the new black and white graphic Dolce & Gabbana. Uh! Die! It looks even better on a real person. Oh and her Hermes Kelly bag, classic black cardigan and big black shades complete a look fit for royalty, don't they?

What I Did While I Wasn't Blogging

In my post titled, "Can You Keep Up with Fashion?" I concluded that I, in fact, could not. So during all the months of my absence, I was quite busy trying to learn what it takes to become a fashion designer. Fashion Design 1, taught by the Fashion Design and Merchandising Department Head at Drexel University, Roberta Gruber, was a great way to experiment and delineate the processes and techniques most appropriate to carry out a designer's vision. The theme was "Connections and Extensions" which refers to the way all of the designers used shared inspiration, which varied by project, to connect to fashion design and extend one idea into many for a collection.

Challenge 1 started with a trip to the Philadelphia Museum of Art's permanent Brancusi exhibit, which displays his "primitive modern" sculptures. We were asked to take the feeling of his sculptures, which included the way his works were displayed, and create a garment with a "crisp" feeling that emphasized the neck and shoulder area.

I came up with a twisted detail that ran along the bust and down to the back of the garment, exposing the beauty of the shoulder blades, and highlighting the shoulders with a feeling of openness.

Challenge 2 began with a trip to the produce section of Philadelphia's Reading Terminal Market. We were to think about "Biomimicry" and told that many design solutions can be found within the natural world. My produce of choice was the beautiful cranberry bean, which lent itself to the mandatory use of complementary and analogous colors. My creation was further inspired by a display of hand-embroidered quilts from Bengal on show at the PMA's Perlemen Building.
To be honest, my original drapes were much more beautiful in muslin. When I transferred the muslin drape to a pattern, the folds and pleats became darts, which shaped and molded the fabrics in a much different way. To finish, I spent hours hand-embroidering the piece in colors reminiscent of the cranberry bean, trying to mimic the way the angles fell when the beans were stacked upon each other.

The third challenge was brought to us by an AMAZING exhibit of the decorative arts of Marcel Wanders, a designer looking to the future and the past at the same time, who, in everything he makes, transports his viewer to a different time and space. We were to think about illusion in the sense of "visual stretch," which I attempted by using the knit textured black in the center of the garment. The curved princess-style cut of the dress is super slimming and definitely elongates the torso. This, the simplest of my challenge solutions, was very well received at critique, and loved by many of the young college students who are my peers.
Finally, for the fourth challenge, we went to the Simeone Automobile Museum in South Philadelphia, one of the largest private collections of antique cars in the world. It was beautiful. I had no idea that I even liked cars until I went to the showroom, which was freezing on a cold winter day. We were to take inspiration from the cars and translate that into style lines in a garment.
My original piece consisted of over 25 different pattern pieces, with the fit of the garment coming not from darts, but from these style lines. After three muslin fittings, my design was certainly simplified, though not by much.
My concept was thinking about what a woman would wear as she was commuting in a vehicle of the future... My girl was a Judy Jetson of sorts. My favorite part of the garment was the way the "racing stripes" flowed into the pockets of the dress, and also the way the pointed light pink detail on the back became sort of skeletal. This dress was also received well, yet minor construction issues prevented me from being able to wear it... yet. I will definitely fix it in the near future... when it's not too hot to wear wool.