Alexandra Vidal Fall 2008 Collection

Monday, February 18, 2008 by

Season 1 designer Alexandra Vidal recently showed her Fall 2008 collection, one that she says was inspired by "the decadence of the era of Queen Elizabeth I."

We don't know about that, since we can't really see any of the decadence of that era reflected in these severely toned down looks. Regardless, it's a clean, chic collection of classic silhouettes in rich dark hues. We like.















[Photos: alexandravidal.com]

66 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh WOW. The details on each are as gorgeous as they are interesting. Lovely palette too. I don't see any in the online store where her line is carried - boo!

Also, agreed that very little about this is Elizabethan. Design conceits rarely come across as they're worded.

Anonymous said...

Her model is showing off the period cramps pose too!

Brooklyn Bomber said...

Not sure about decadent, but there is something a bit luxurious. Nice; surprisingly conservative, though.

Fifth picture down on the left: I don't think it's cramps; I think the model took posing lessons from Christian.

Anonymous said...

The only, remote, reference I see to Elizabeth I is the big collar on one dress.

As for decadence, try Charles II.

Anonymous said...

LOVE IT! She's very talented.

boardwatcher said...

Is it just me or does this model seem to only have one expression? Just a little too much "Blue Steel",.. I'm just sayin'.

Anonymous said...

# 4 and #9

I want them! Gorge!

boardwatcher said...

Is it just me or does this model seem to only have one expression? Just a little too much "Blue Steel",.. I'm just sayin'.

Crow Winters said...

These clothes are positively elderly. Dreary. Boring. Completely devoid of creative thought or workmanship.

I got mah bitch pants on today.

katiecoo said...

Beautiful line..I don't get the Midol pose (heehee G Tomato) though. Guess I'm not artsy enough.

Anonymous said...

I love the clothes. Did Christian teach her that hunched over pose?

Anonymous said...

Beautiful collection! Congrats, Alexandra!

Anonymous said...

Seriously - I agree with everyone. The model clearly ate something that disagreed with her. How is that pose supposed to make the clothing look good? Combined with the pale face, dark eye and pinched face, she looks horribly constipated, not overwhelmed by the couture.

The clothes are nice, but Elizabeth I? Did she see the Cat Blanchett movie at all?

GothamTomato said...

I don't see any decadence at all. Some dresses are even quite school marmy. More Victorian than Elizabethan.

Some are lovely and some are pretty awful (like the gown with the ruffly bottom, and the tan & grey dress).

And she even has a Midol pose, just so we know that that dress is supposed to be avant garde.

I do love that opening, simple purple gown though.

--GothamTomato

Lilithcat said...

I like! Even if the colors are more Mary, Queen of Scots than Elizabeth I.

Anonymous said...

Who cares how the model is posing or her source of inspiration? the collection is beautiful. Not every collection or designer is for everyone.

Unknown said...

TLo, can you PLEASE explain the Midol pose to us? Nina said it was "highly editorial" and it really seemed to blow her skirt up when Chistian and Chris's model did it. Do you know why this is done? It seems like the WORST way to show off a design.

Sewing Siren said...

The model looks like young Elizabeth I and I can see the Elizabethian influence, but with a very light hand.
These dresses look very expensive and sophistiated. I think the three floor length black ones would look good as cocktail length as well.

Kanani said...

It's very Mrs. Danvers meets the second Mrs. deWinter.

LJ said...

Beautiful!

Anonymous said...

We're going straight from a recession to a depression, aren't we?

-- desertwind

Anonymous said...

PS - not to say that I don't like this collection. I especially like some of the necklines and the little cocktail numbers.

-- desertwind

Anonymous said...

Wouldn't it be nice if people read previous posts before publishing their very original thought that someone else has already said?

Love, Crabby

Anonymous said...

Ah, the midol pose!
According to Tyra on ANTM, slouching and angular poses are "high fashion," while straight posture and more rounded poses are "commercial."

It seems to me like a lot of young models have watched too much Top Model, and go for the "high fashion" without really considering whether it is appropriate for the garment, client, or advertisement. It works best in edgy editorial shots . . .

I can't believe I just quoted Tyra, but she does have a big influence on fashion-crazed youth.

Anonymous said...

Elizabethan? I'm picturing Audrey Hepburn. So elegant!

I've always thought the Midol pose rather silly.....

Rainwood said...

Like Sewing Siren, I get a hint of Elizabethan, but just a hint. Alexandra's collection is pretty and pretty conservative, especially with the muted colors, the long sleeves, and the just below the knee length. The combination of all three left her collection looking for a breath of fresh air. It's a fall line, but that doesn't mean it should be devoid of verve (yes, Tim, I am expanding my vocabulary).

rainwood fka rain brain

Anonymous said...

gorgeous! actually i can see the elizabethan influence in the form of the collars (the elizabethan ruff) and high necks, although that's about all. certainly "decadent" is not a word i would use to describe this collection -- classy, chic, rich - yes....

Ms. Jewess said...

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Ms. Mix & Bitch
www.MixTapeTherapy.com

Anonymous said...

yes Boardwatch-- too much "Blue Steel"

and yes I think the covering up is supposed to indicate that we are moving to a depression (economy wise).

Have to say I love most of the colors- very luxe.

Katyola said...

The model reminds me of Nicole Kidman in "The Hours."

Anonymous said...

Crow Winters, it's okay for you to have your bitch pants on 'cause that leaves more of these for me to wear! Love them. Love the crampy model poses, love the vaguely depressed/goth/elderly matron nods.

kath said...

They're very conservative - almost austere. There's definitely a market for understated fashion like this. I hope she does well.

Anonymous said...

Queen Elizabeth, huh?

Here's what came to my mind when I saw that first dress:

"Tish! That's French!"

Suzanne said...

AV was one of my favorite PR designers ever. I wonder where her line can be bought?

Unknown said...

Lovely collection. On trend, great palette, great details, although nothing special or out of the ordinary. Makes me think of recycled Zac pieces somehow. Very simple, but this collection was much better than her spring one, many pieces of which looked to me like altered simplicity patterns. She sticks to the exact same silhouettes this season but with better details and colors--VERY typical spring colors, and VERY typical autumn/winter colors, however. Definitely wearable, but nothing that will get her noticed.

She needs better models.

Anonymous said...

Ah, the Broken Down Doll. How happy Miss J would be. So was everything in Bryant Park so...wearable this year? I'm with desertwind...I think we're headed for a depression.

Anonymous said...

Good for Alexandra! They are pretty classic looks. Is she designing for Laura Bennett? It looks like a lot of things she would wear! (So would I, in a heartbeat!)

Anonymous said...

I like it a lot. The origami-like pleating in look 7 reminds me of the Dior couture's Japanese-inspired dresses from a few seasons ago, albeit in a new context and on a more wearable scale.

Anonymous said...

Fabulous! I liked her previous collection and now this one is just as fab.

dorei said...

I'm pretty sure it's the collars on some of them. They have a bit of that look about them with the ruffles. But really, that's a stretch.

Anonymous said...

Wow, I'm really impressed with her work. The craftsmanship is impeccable!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful collection. I'm very impressed and let me tell you not every Project Runway designer gets a mention on style.com.

"As someone with complete Runway naiveté, I have to say that her collection of long evening dresses and cocktail frocks, loosely based on Elizabethan and Edwardian styles, shows real promise. Vidal already has a fan base with New York's social ladies, which makes sense, as her pieces remind me a bit of other society favorites - Carolina, Oscar, Vera."

Too bad they used a picture of her previous collection, and no, I don't work for the boys, I just like to find things online : )

Save_The_Hobbit said...

I am in complete love with the third look: the grey lace dress. I want that badly!

Gorgeous Things said...

WOW! I really love many of these pieces. Very wearable.

TLo said...

Bettie said...

Too bad they used a picture of her previous collection, and no, I don't work for the boys, I just like to find things online : )


Thank you, darling. We really appreciate everyone's comments and contributions to the blog.

XO
T&L

Anonymous said...

very chic, wearable and hip.

congratulations!

Anonymous said...

"Gorgeous Things said...

WOW! I really love many of these pieces. Very wearable."

I agree, I like most of it. Tres chic!

Anonymous said...

they're just ok for me...
not memorable
not really making me feel anything
just ok

SUS said...

More couture poses!!! :D
Nice stuff! More Elizabeth II/Mamie Eisenhower-era than QEI IMO.

Thanks for keeping us up on previous desingers' doings.

Anonymous said...

Perfectly conservative and suitable for retail.

With that said,

I find most of it really boring.

She needed to play more with color, in my opinion.

Anonymous said...

You could say it's a little dull, but I think it's beautiful, well-made and more cohesive than many a recent finalist's efforts. (Course, she may have had more time and help....)

Anonymous said...

Wow, wow, oh, wow. I absolutely love every single piece in that collection. I'm drooling over here.

I'm so in love I've (temporarily) lost all my sarcasm and bitchiness!

Anonymous said...

Decadence of the Elizabeth I era? OK fashion designers really need to either study some history beyond art, at least check with someone, or just shut up. The Elizabethean Age has never been considered a decadent one (well maybe by a handful of ultra-biased Catholic historians).
Let's see Virgin Queen (albeit one with discreet affairs). Rising Puritanism. Original literary forms (aside from unashamed sex, a major hallmark of a decadent age is that art is derivative from the eras that immediately preceded it). Military triumph (defeats are another decadent marker).
Not seeing too much Elizabethean in the design except for the dark clothes (which was more a masculine trait of the age) and of course the ruff.

PhantomMinuet said...

It's very Mrs. Danvers meets the second Mrs. deWinter.

With a little Morticia Adams thrown in the mix. :-)

webbie said...

Who stands like that? Is it supposed to make the garment more attractive to the handicapped?

Anonymous said...

Really chic and covet-able(if that's a word)! I love the deep green color of some of the dresses. I remember her last collection I saw was very light and frothy, and also gorgeous. She has a nice range.

Anonymous said...

sheesh talk about a couture pose-off! those girls are so hunched over, they're turning inside out.

Anonymous said...

The more I look at this collection, the more I absolutely hate it.

But since fashion is also an indicator of the times we live in, I'd have to say, we're royally screwed.

Anonymous said...

i've been looking into elizabethan era fashion lately, and maybe i'm crazy, but i can see the influence. austere, dark, fitted, modest. i don't know about decadent. i do like it, though.

Kanani said...

With a little Morticia Adams thrown in the mix. :-)

Ha! It's the second Mrs. DeWinter meets Mrs. Danvers and Morticia Adams.

Lisa said...

I love these dresses. Everyday woman dresses but not usual Fashion Week designs, in my opinion.

Spandrel Studios said...

Hey, kudos to AV for moving away from those Miami-inspired little slip dresses that I always associate with her.

Jamie Doom said...

Oh dear lord I hate the posture of those models.

Washington Cube said...

My first thought was that Ralph Lauren silver leather jacket he did when Elizabeth I came out. I remember Tilda Swinton wearing it, (I think,) to great effect: all pleats and raised collars and such. It's got some The Women thirties thing going on with Mad Men jazzbo combo. Slink and cocktails. Business and leisure. Not bad. Wearable. Classy slink in a Babe Paley is wearing no underwear kinda way. Agreed. No wow. But, no hates it, either.

Anonymous said...

Forget the poses, what´s with the models left ear! Creepy...

Gidget Bananas said...

Very sophisticated. Me likey.