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?