Short dark shag alert: Hot model Agyness Deyn changes her look

Take the Audrey Tautou’s Chanel inspired pixie into account and double that with the street cred of model Agyness Deyn trading her signature blonde boy cut for a black shag. Black is BACK. It’s trumping blonde this season. Blame it on vampire flicks, black nails (everywhere at fashion parties from NYC to London to Paris); and black runway looks, including the necessary motorcycle jackets from Balmain to Forever 21 shops. There’s Frank Tell black leather leggings. Black charcoal eyeliner. And keep an eye peeled for black headbands, styled perfectly by Natasha Royt on various runways, including that of Charlotte Ronson. In case you’re a blonde or redhead who really can’t rock a pitch dark mane, a black band across the forehead or bangs will give a hot black effect, especially with hanging earrings. And don’t forget the black lingerie! That never goes out of style.

Black headband will vamp up a look, as done here by Natasha Royt at Charlotte Ronson

Not requisite “BITCH LOOK:” Audrey Tautou at NYC premiere of Coco before Chanel

It’s been almost a decade since Amelie. Somehow the ghost of that pixie played by Audrey Tautou, obsessed with a boy she sees in a restaurant and who steals her father’s garden gnome, persists.  This ghost also creates a comical turn for Tautou in her latest flick, Coco Before Chanel, by director Anne Fontaine. The film opens today in the USA.

You can almost burst out laughing as the camera zeros in on Tautou’s concentrated visage as she stares at the white cuffs of the nuns at the orphanage. Or how about when she runs her small hands over a cashmere sweater and shouts, “Oh, what is this fabric?” The biggest ridicule rests with her finding inspiration in fishermen as they pull their nets: “Those jerseys, the way they hang, so simple!”

Not that she herself is a simple actress. The prejudice rests in her physical form. Anthony Lane, the theater critic for the New Yorker put it best.

“Those inky round eyes and that pixie mug insure that hers are the features, poor thing, that social anthropologists will eternally reach for when asked to illustrate the term gamine. Or mignonne. She does her best to capture the sullen grit of the young Coco, and the sour distaste she felt for those off whom she sponged; but it’s hard to jut your jaw when you don’t have much of a jaw, just a perfectly rounded chin, and the adamantine hardness of Chanel—not just in her bone structure and bearing but in the elimination of all fuss from her couture and all wasteful palaver from her soul—is probably beyond an actress as winsome as Tautou.”

Basically, the poor girl got screwed because she’s too CUTE. Ms. Coco was one sharp featured, rough riding, chain smoking broad. Not at all like the sweet wide eyed Tautou. C’est la vie!

The lovely Audrey, sweet as apples at LA premiere

Genevieve Jones’ legs… like a colt in bobby socks and Dolce platforms

Bill Cunningham, that ancient style soothsayer of The New York Times, declared that the “hot bag is out” for women. Honey, it’s all about the shoes! No one can kill the tortuous gladiator, especially in Balenciaga, Louboutin, and Pierre Hardy styles. Who cares if you’re crippled the next day? Judging by feet on the party circuit, might as well just strap ‘em on and numb yourself with tequila. (Plenty of ice, just in case you twist the wrong way.)

Some interesting things popped into view though. Editors and stylists gossiped backstage about who got the Robert Clergerie peekaboo heels. Apparently, Mr. Clergerie hosted a special meal for ladies in the press biz. The take away? These $759 babies, worn on stylist Kate Young’s tootsies below. But check out the bargain $19 pair from ZARA one Vogue Magazine assistant wore all week. She told me that Virginia Smith – Vogue’s market editor — told her she must “train her eye” to style cues. I’d really love to know which pair injured more. Sadly, the general rule dictates that the pricey pairs feel better, not just mentally. They’re constructed better.

Prize for innovation of the week? Social gadfly Genevieve Jones dons some bobby socks with her Dolce & Gabbana platforms. Ca, c’est la vrai coquette! A true flirt!

Kate Young’s feet in Robert Clergerie’s hottest shoe of the season (See below for the $19 Zara gladiators)

Everybody and her ugly kid sister claims to be a jewelry designer these days. Waris, that guy with the turban, draws diamond tear drop cufflinks that he hands over to Roman artisans in between fashion parties. Pamela Love casts gold bird heads in between drumming for her band. But the eye now turns to Justin Giunta, nominated twice for a CFDA award for emerging talent. The guy seems to have experimented with everything but the kitchen sink. He needs to quit trying to make the BIG pearls subversive. (His entire bridal collection verges on ridiculous. The looks seem fit for reality housewives not hip kids.) But, his turquoise tile bracelet from the “Fit to Print” collection ($699) takes my breath away. His “Sunken Treasure” and “Rainforest I/II” collections rock my world. See film producer Elma Cremin’s neck above. WOW.

Honorable mention goes to a gal from Deitch Gallery who handcrafted her own ecological bracelet from recycled plastic. Apparently, everyone can make a little jewelry. Justin Giunta, he’s a master contortionist. LINK: www.subversivejewelry.com

Home fashioned, from recycled plastic

Leigh Lezark counts as a style icon. At  25 years of age, the Misshapes deejay, model, and current face of “Front Row,” (a Charles Worthington hair care line) knows her look. (In the photo above, shot last week, it’s Rad Hourani.) Dark sleek hair, mostly black bodyhugging dresses and sometimes leather leggings, she rarely dons color. Although, Matthew Williamson — the designer it girl pimp of the century — will try to woo her into some print rock this week in London.  Leigh’s known to favor little black party frocks by Sue Stemp and before she left NYC, she cued me into her latest fave, Rad Hourani.

Turns out Rad — a Canadian — only just showed his unisex black and silver styles in Paris last Spring. His leather vests and slick rock bodices for men and women draw comparisons to Rick Owens. He told me his inspiration goes to Helmut Lang. Note the strategic zippers in his vests and trousers, the straight cut of the shoulders into sleeves that give line and also have a winged effect.  LOVE his silver leggings, like aluminum strapping leading you up the leg.

Young Leigh knows a good thing when she spots it. So many designers throw clothes at her because she knows how to wear them, to stunning effect, so that all you see is the line of the dress and then those intense blue eyes. Good luck Williamson in getting her into one of your terrible second rate Pucci inspired paisley bits.  She might take the bait, I bet we won’t see her wearing it anytime soon, unless Charles Worthington is footing the look on the ad bill.

Recent Rad Hourani, photo courtesy of VMag

Sketch by Rad Hourani: Fashion comix could be in his future

This week people around the New York runways spoke of “sell outs” designers who create clothes to appease celeb pop tarts, 90210 stars and other riff raff. Courtney Love pimped her ass all over town, likely for free rags like the Alexander Wang she wore to the Hudson party. But the real deal lies with ThreeAsFour, a group that showed an artful collection under the approval and careful eye of Yoko Ono and her son Sean, who sat first row at the Milk Gallery on Friday.

Just when you think underground New York is dead in the midst of the big corporate fashion party, along comes Swede Magnus Berger, co-founder of Last Magzine. Yeah, the magazine basically showcases models like racehorses. And its also possibly an excuse for tall handsome Magnus (who has worked in fashion graphics) to meet leggy ladies.

But he got one thing right: not only inviting models like Lily Donaldson but also Swedish songbird Lykke Li and Pete Moren of Peter Bjorn and John to play on his pal’s rooftop. Bonfire lights blazed And a big screen illuminated pages of the latest issue, turning every few seconds.

The fun lasted until some moron threw a beer out the window on the head of a cop who looked up to the windows from Bowery. But I can still hear Lykke Li echoing in my ears.

Lykke Li from HUDSON JEANS on Vimeo.

Photo: Spray tanned socialite called Alex and curator (French Vogue son), Vlad Roitfeld

What’s black, white, and splayed all over? Eighties pop artist Richard Hambleton’s life sized graffiti men and horses shown the other night at Armani’s Soho space AND all the moneyed Eurodudes in white or black shirts flocking around like vultures on hunt for fashion prey. (Fashion Prey: Eurochics in microminis and strappy four inchers looking to land one of these chaps.)

Blame it on emerging curator Vladimir Roitfeld– son of French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld– who tends to draw pals like Greek heir Stavros Niarchos (Paris Hilton’s ex.)

Between the the congrats to young Vlad who seems to take it all in stride, la dolce vita and all that jazz, Hambleton stood diminutively against his painted outlines of action men who appeared to jump from the walls. A contemporary of Basquiat and Keith Haring, Hambleton used to surprise New Yorkers by painting his shadowmen on the sides of buildings. He obtained a lot of that skill by outlining victims on murder scenes in his spare time.

I’m hoping that the artist himself was not stomped to death by the sardine packed Euros at the Indochine restaurant afterparty, filled to the brim with flowing champagne and dry humping.

Artist RIchard Hambleton strikes a pose before Eurodude and Vlad

What’s more active, Euro dudes in heat? Or Richard Hambleton’s art work?

A fetching friend of mine grabbed me Monday night at the Jane Street Hotel. She had her eye on the one, standing alone, nursing a cocktail in the corner. One Faris Badwan, wearing a white denim vest with ripped sleeves to show his ripped muscles and also sporting a lovable ‘do of overgrown locks, like Adam Sandler in the Wedding Singer. But, he’s much cooler than that as lead singer of the Horrors.

“I’m shy.” He told me when I pointed out my pal, all sparkly blue eyes under a ravenous brunette mane. “She’s shy too.” I said. Faris blushed and told me, “It’s just no good when two shy people get together.”

But check him out in this video below. The latest album, Primary Colours is up for a Mercury Award, the top album in the UK/Ireland. He’s listed in the music annals as a “Shoegazer,” meaning he’s one of the lot who gaze at the ground while singing. (Other shoegazers included Sonic Youth, Bauhaus, and Velvet Underground.) Dunno, I see movement.

THE HORRORS from HUDSON JEANS on Vimeo.