C D F A

The CDFAs are soon to be held, where there will most likely be a fashion showdown amongst the elite. The nominations have recently been announced, alongside the tribute to Mr McQueen and the awards that have already been awarded. If you get what I mean.

The 2010 nominees:

WOMENSWEAR DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

Marc Jacobs
Alexander Wang
Donna Karan

MENSWEAR DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

Tom Ford
Michael Bastian
Rag & Bone's Marcus Wainwright and David Neville

ACCESSORY DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

Marc Jacobs
Alexis Bittar
Proenza Schouler's Jack McCullough and Lazaro Hernandez

SWAROVSKI AWARD FOR WOMENSWEAR

Prabal Gurung
Joseph Altuzarra
Jason Wu

SWAROVSKI AWARD FOR MENSWEAR

Patrik Ervell
Simon Spurr
Richard Chai

SWAROVSKI AWARD FOR ACCESSORY DESIGN

Alexander Wang
Fenton/Fallon's Dana Lorenz
Eddie Borgo

INTERNATIONAL AWARD

Christopher Bailey

GEOFFREY BEENE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Michael Kors

ELEANOR LAMBERT AWARD

Tonne Goodman

EUGENIA SHEPPARD AWARD

Kim Hastreiter

CFDA BOARD OF DIRECTOR'S SPECIAL TRIBUTE AWARD

Alexander McQueen

FASHION ICON AWARD

Iman


Yay Christopher Bailey! Lets hope it's a knighthood next.
Fingers crossed for Marc Jacobs and Tom Ford. And Jason Wu.



A haiku (a preliminary to the full poem after the awards!)

Some are safe. The fashion
icon parades her golden trophy.
We are restless.

Alice in 'Underland'

'Wow' pretty much epitomises my thoughts as the credits rolled after witnessing Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland in 3D. In the BFI imax. C'est incredible! Appropriately named 'Underland' for Alice's trip back down the rabbit hole, Burton cemented his status as a true artist. The gothic maestro was at his best, and the dazzling cast were impeccable- Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter in particular. And Alan Rickman. Ok I could end up listing all of them. Suffice to say, they were magnificent. Unlike Avatar, it was a pleasure to watch not only due to the stunning visuals, but the script and execution of it. The balance between humour and the more sinister was good, again seen brilliantly through Depp, whose accent fluctuated between British and Glaswegian to exhibit his precarious personality. Enhancing the entire production was, of course, the costumes. Kudos to Colleen Attwood, who made about ten different outfits for Alice alone, each perfectly tailored to the circumstances...

Underland

It wowed. It startled. It intrigued.

Underland.

His enormous absorbing garment,

pomp and prevailing.

The set provided his mainframe, the wiring

that sparked creativity. A purgatory or sanctuary,

imagination was the key to enter.

Some remained behind the glass. They couldn't look.

Next, he enwrapped it in the petticoat

falling softly over the wires; veins. The designs flowed, then materials

who rejoiced in their union, embraced their wearer.

He added the outer layer to enfold and enhance. They

provided the splendour required. Depp, Rickman, Fry and

the more prolonged: Bonham-Carter, Wasikowska. They struck pearls.

Penultimately, he painted faces: azul eyes

rouge lips, viola cheeks, embellished

and adorned. Embedded in the outer skin, it sparkled.

He did this all, the creator,

first in thought,

then cutting,

then stitching.

He pulled the threads together,

to produce the masterpiece garment.

Underland.

Battle of the dresses

It would be faintly ridiculous for me to let the Oscars flutter by without a mention, so here goes!

They came, they saw, they conquered.

The dresses, I mean,

they waltzed down the red carpet,

transforming each woman into a queen.

They bedazzled and battled

leaving the suits of men in their wake,

to confront the leader of the pack: Marchesa

was to commit a terrible mistake.

A furious few fought longer,

with chiffon, sequins even a scissor

or two, and tenacity was rewarded

amongst the pushy, pompous victor.

Prada trumped Dior with a score

of pazazz above bland,

yet flowers crept along the cloth

into the diamond, encasing the hand.

But for all this, the dresses fought in vain

for the true Queen arrived,

resplendent and dignified. For all their efforts they

would have to mature, and next year try again.

Very dramatic, but then again, this is the Oscars!

To keep, or not to keep? That is the question.

I had a slight dilemma (not particularly drastic!) after I ordered a skirt from the Urban Outfitters website, and it arrived not the flowing skirt that I was hoping for a la Saab, but rather rigid. Here's the poem:

Struck with pleasantries

I ordered it off the net.

It entrapped, as the night

sky enclosed about me amidst

a whirlwind of structured stars.

It settled above the worries and woes

sent to disrupt, they gathered dust.

It had to be mine.

That was as it should have been.

Instead, the stars were stuck down

to the stiff chiffon- what had they done?

The glittering specks were tamed

they fought but one by one

were picked from the sky

as the mantra of the human

rang across the sudden walls.

It fell down and the dust was cast into the air.

Despite the poem, I still quite like the skirt!