Apparently, you don’t have to be a maverick blogger to piss off a designer/PR firm enough to be banned from their invite list. The Daily reports that Dolce & Gabbana refused an invite to Cathy Horyn, legendary fashion writer of the New York Times, as well as online fashion publisher powerhouse Style.com:

“A spokeswoman for Style.com confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that its team covering the shows in Europe—namely Sarah Mower, Tim Blanks, and Nicole Phelps—would not be attending today’s Dolce & Gabbana show. Apparently, Dolce & Gabbana’s PR team was displeased with Mower’s show review from the previous season. No review of D&G’s Spring 2007 show, presented on Monday, was posted on the Condé Net site either.”

Despite the obvious nonsensical decision to deny themselves coverage by respected media outlets to millions of people, this might seem somewhat reasonable if Style.com had actually featured a negative review. As I didn’t particularly remember any vitriol in Mower’s review for D&G’s fall 2006 collection, I went back to the source to refresh my memory. I must say, while the review isn’t seeping with euphoric praise, it is overwhelmingly positive and well-written:

“The Napoleonic codebook gave them all the historical ammunition they needed to cut a swath through current themes: the play between masculine and feminine; the baroque flourishes; the rich velvets and antique golds; the swaggering capes and high-collar shirts. …

These qualified as top trophies in the Dolce & Gabbana campaign to dominate the red carpet.”

She even gave them a red carpet plug. Perhaps the fragile egos at D&G were upset to be cast beneath the shadow of John Galliano—but that would be a pretty big overreaction, Galliano was enclosed in parentheses. A look back to Mower’s spring 06 review yields similar results.

I wonder if a Milanese blogger filled Style.com’s seat at Monday’s show. Until then, we’ll wait with baited breath for someone to give us the scoop on Dolce’s latest collection.

I’m sorry. I waited a day to post information about this sale, but I had to be a little selfish and pick up as much as I could before I shared this information with everyone. A rep from Ron Herman dropped this little nugget: they are having a sale on select items of 50% to 75% off from September 28th (yesterday) till October 15th. If you’ve gone to the site before you’ll understand that in the next couple of days practically anything worth having will be gone waaayyy before the 15th. I’ve already rifled through some items yesterday. Here’s the link. (yes, that is a Marc Jacobs bag)

Molinari

Using lace and metallics to create a hard edge, sheer blouses and skinny, sheeny trousers create an unapologetically bold, feminine look

Gucci

Leaves the metallic lamé behind, but still appeal to the Eurotrash inside us all with bold purples, whites and red, with flaring skirts and shoulders

A. Dell’Acqua

Form-hugging, little sexy dresses with splashes of animal print, silver, and belted waists, will soon reign over the European nightclub scene for those who are a bit more sophisticated, and want to turn the sex appeal up a notch without giving it all away

Feretti

Brings the killer combo of youthfulness and sophistication together for clothes you could see at 4AM on the streets of Via Savona, and at 2PM the next afternoon for Sunday brunch

Brandy gave you the dish on where to shop for London fashions, but if London is so last week (in this age of uber-technology, we all suffer from fashion ADD), and you’ve already moved onto Europe proper, and are looking for a place to get looks from Milan and Paris (one step ahead, that’s you), I’d recommend the Back Fashion Cult sample sale in New York.

Back Fashion Cult, which I’ve advocated before (as I got my favorite handbag, the one everyone asks where I got it from, at this very sample sale a year ago–and I paid for it, no hocking for freebies here), is a showroom that imports fashions from small French and Italian labels, and their sample sale offers a range of European looks that you find elsewhere.

Back Fashion Cult Sample Sale:

320 West 37th Street
(btwn. 8 & 9th Aves.)
Suite #9C or Buzzer #22
New York, NY 10018

Mon-Fri 11:30am-7pm
Sat 11:30am-4pm

This round of fashion shows from Milan’s spring 2007 runways seemed like an episode of Desperate Houswives…

Prada

For the housewife who dresses up for housework: bold satin pieces that were boxy in shape and their super-short length (with turbans to keep the hair back), a few beige dresses that from forties-era soap boxes, and some Mayan knit dresses, just to prove she has some exoticism

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For the ex-model housewife who spends her time bossing around her maid: lots of slender forms made from satin, visual elongation through fitted dresses layered over cropped trousers, some play with geometry around the neckline

Moschino

For the young housewife trying to prove she is more mature than her age, but can’t help but exude youthfulness: lots of play with shapes–bubbled hems, flouncy sleeves, voluminous forms, and a 40’s pinup look to close it off… and such a great use of olive green, a color we haven’t seen much of yet for spring

Marni

For the sporty, on-the-go but chic (”gym rat”) housewife: sporty leggings with stripes down the side, dresses that are formless except for a resonant brown stretch of leather to serve as a belt (giving a hurried look)

Etro

For the housewife who’s taste remains two decades old, evidenced by the gauche decor of her home: Etro’s collection looked like bad furniture from the 80’s, with clashing prints that were outdated; but when Etro limited itself to a black and white pallette, the results were quite nice

Pollini

For the jet-setting housewife: these are clothes for a woman who goes to exotic places, and doesn’t want to be outdone by the gorgeous scenery; fun prints, eye-catching details and a carefree style

Bottega Veneta

For the super-pristine, put together housewife: these are clothes for the woman that does it all–works, entertains, directs the nanny; crisp, exquisite and classic, calls attention to itself without being desperate

For more pictures of the Milan collections, check out Style.com

[tags]fashion week, milan, desperate housewives[/tags]