Rest in peace Alexander McQueen.

A truly inspirational designer who showed the world that fashion can still be all about the art form.

McQueen’s death was a shock heard ’round the fashion cities of the world and was the tragic event to commence Fashion Week in New York. Although the presentation at Milk Studios for his more affordable pieces, McQ, was cancelled due to the timing of his death, his presence in the world of fashion will never be forgotten. Patti Smith paid tribute to McQueen during the LNA after party, and I’m sure all that Belvedere vodka was toasted to the air in his name.

For me, McQueen was the man who really turned me to the fashion at all. He’s the guy who made the runways seem a lot more like a performance art show than a presentation of recycled ideas. He was original, he always paid attention to detail, and his work was always so extravagantly and thoughtfully beautiful. He has certainly influenced many designers, musicians, and artists. He was the Michael Jackson of the fashion industry for our generation, and it is a real shame that such a talent couldn’t hold on just a little bit longer, and realize how much support he has. Thank you Lee Alexander McQueen for all that twisted beauty and inspiration.

This is in response to one of the multimedia stories on today’s NY Times style section called “On the Street, a Story with Legs.” It calls attention to a current trend that is apparently bursting at the seams in Paris: the over-the-knee boot. This trend, as street reporter Bill Cunningham says, requires a lot of patience and a lot of dough. In the multimedia piece, he talks about the variety of ultra-long boots that have been spotted on the streets of Paris. Some designers, such as Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs, have truly succeeded in keeping this trend sexy and subtle. Others, as with all trends, have taken it to such an extreme that I am shocked people will actually spend over $1,000 on them (see above).

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The plaid and fur craze from the Fall 2009 runway shows have finally hit all department stores and it seems everyone’s going ape shit for it. It hasn’t been quite cold enough for fur yet, but I’ve been seeing so much plaid everywhere. I hope people remember that the phrase “everything in moderation” was made for a reason. With textures so rich as plaid and fur, I’m really looking forward to seeing both how well people will take advantage of it and how poorly people will fail.

I  shot this two weeks ago

Model: Anna

©Kaia Marie Balcos