Vivienne Westwood

John Galliano
Alpha females, take note: Bill Gaytten seems to have whipped up your next uniform. The maison hosting Gaytten’s severe study of structured, ominously dark getups seems a bit discordant, sure, but out with the old and in with the new, non? Restrictive ruched swaths of noir in the form of sack-like calf-length frocks alternated with cigarette tapered skinnies, either in the same somber hues or, occasionally, quiet pops of teal. The more dominant, memorable trou option, though, went for more rather than less: a particularly wide-legged calf-grazer, slightly theatrical in scale but reasonably wearable in both the dark staples and minimalistic washes of pattern. A brief story of pomegranate-spritzed cerulean lightened things up for a moment, evoking a bit of paint splattering in the process. As the latter quarter of Gaytten’s collections trotted out, the pants-heavy silhouetting segued to skirts constructed of vampy, gauzily sheer pleating, grazing the floor, followed by a finale series of gowns in horizontally draped columns of plum and (shocker!) more noir. The chapeaus and exceptionally severe charcoal brow treatments we could’ve done without, but for the unsentimental and harder-edged out there, Gaytten’s Galliano-branded latest had a smattering of pieces ready to be integrated into a sharp, no-B.S. femme’s arsenal of ensembles.

Fendi: Fur, fur and more fur! Fendi knows its way around plush pelts; this season, they made sure to flaunt it. This time it wasn’t just a naturally pigmented palette. Coats, skirts and skirt suits came in striated hues of hot pink, navy, orange, brown and white. A black zippered wool coat dress was accented with curvaceous, shoulder-skimming panels of cobalt blue fur, chest, and sleeves, the frock’s edges dyed white to accentuate via outline. Also warming up the runway? A full-on fur sweater. Luxe much?! Yet the best looks tended to be the most understated. See: a sculpted white jacket, half of which was wool, the other half comprised of pale pink fur. A white knee-length skirt and black cinched waist overcoat on different looks also got the halved treatment, in the same fashion. Other options abounded, like a sexy black leather slit skirt with knee high stockings and a leather pullover top or a casually cool zip blousson jacket that was decorated with layered circular paillettes worn with slouchy white pants. But Karl Lagerfeld apparently had the furriers working overtime; everything from handbags to headpieces to heels (Céline déjà vu, anyone?) got decadently pelt-laden. Only the deepest of pockets will do for this lavish collection, non?

From wedding gowns to her penchant for skivvies, all the Beth Ditto-ness you’ve been dying to know… You’re getting married this year!
My dress was cheap. I really wanted a Vivienne Westwood dress [but] I just can’t spend 10 grand on a wedding dress. How much did you end up spending?
I spent $1,600. I don’t think that’s bad.