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?