BEHIND THE SCENES WITH HALSTON: Spring/Summer '09, New York Fashion Week

This collection is simply juicy!

The colors are anything but "Age of Recession"-hued, instead they popped, screamed and licked their lips. Gorgeous 60's-era pinks, electric blues and vibrant oranges were the colors and one-shouldered numbers in flowing bohemian were the styles - accented with animal prints, a very cool juxtaposition!

Florida DECO-rations

Florida boasts all types of architectural styles - from bungalows and shotgun houses to Mediterranean-inspired McMansions - there's a little bit of everything in the Sunshine State - yes, even Victorian and American Colonial (looks a bit out of place here, don't you think?).
But, in Miami - deco rules. Praise the lord. To me, art deco - the prevailing style of the 1920s and 30s (punctuated by the abundant use of dramatic curves, sunbursts, chevrons, stainless-steel aerodynamics and other "futuristic" motifs) is the perfect transmitter (translator?) of Florida culture, weather, nature and temperament.

Florida nature is curvy and fluid, bright and vivid: the long sinuous palms, rolling ocean waves, colorful flora of hot pinks, deep purples and lush greens, tie-dyed skies that glow orange and pink and gold and violet. Deco reflects Florida's lines brilliantly - both sensuous and strong, there is no better love affair in Florida's architectural history than with deco.

Deco is Florida at its best - never mind all the rundown trailer parks, polluted beaches and fluorescent-sign lined highways (this is where Florida goes wrong, pandering to fast cash and no style)- and I'm not talking about Miami-Vice imitations either. I mean the real thing, the old gorgeous hotels you can still see on Collins Ave. in Miami. The real deco is like like Elizabeth Taylor in a A Place in the Sun or Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire, Florida style operating at the height of its potential.

After looking at some of mine and your photos of genius Florida deco styles, I got inspired to showcase some dazzling goodies that reflect this Jazz-age panache. Let me know what you think!


Neiman Marcus, Art Deco Gold Mirror, $995



Anthropologie, Art Deco Mary Janes, $79.95



Ballard Designs, Bancroft Light Vanity, $49



Dillard's, Art Deco Jewelry Box, $31.08


Havertys, Art Deco Metal King Bed, $499



Restoration Hardware, Deco Optic Semi-Flushmount Light (Brass & Nickel), $139



Target, Deco-style Serving Table, $109



Redenvelope.com, Art Deco Silver-plated Money Clip, $14.95



Ralph Lauren, Art Deco Glass Decanter, $1950



Netshops.com, Shaw Rugs Modernworks Blue Deco, $619-$1209


Tiffany & Co., Deco Pendant, $17,700

What's Black & White & Red All Over? Yup. The 2009 Spring Collections!

Dolce & Gabbana



The economy is in the dumps, Republicans might be annoyed and - sadly - Americans are still obese, but that's no reason to make the clothes suffer. In fact, the 2009 Spring Collections are showing all their best colors and prints: golds, reds, greens, pinks, purples, florals, plaids and 20th Century Russian-inspired abstract patterns (merci, Chanel). Learning their lesson from the Drab Depression of the 20s, modern-day designers know that the way we feel is often mirrored by the way we look and vice versa. So buh-bye grey potato sack, purposely pilled fabrics and heavy shoes.

Taking a cute from Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Dries Van Noten, Marc Jacobs and the AMAZING Rodarte (among others), my prescription for unemployment blues, real estate anemia, credit measles and any other (temporary) state of material being is to fill your wardrobe with juicy colors, louder-than-Rachael Ray prints, 3D flourishes and comfy silhouettes that both flatter and comfort.

We will get through these less-than-festive times and we will do it looking lovely! Check out a few of my favorites...

Muwah.



Lanvin



Dries Van Noten


Christian Dior


Rodarte


Chanel


Marc Jacobs


Koi Suwannagate


Louis Vuitton