Fall 2010 Lace: Alexander McQueen heels and leggings

So I finally used my Christmas present credit at Alexander McQueen.  True to form, it was 8 MONTHS after I got it.  What can I say, I am nothing if not a cautious impulse buyer ;)

I'd go into the store every few weeks to check out the stock, pay my respects to one of the greatest creative minds of our time, and well, paw the genius merchandise.


Wanted the Manta clutch. Badly. Unfortunatelly so did every other fashion whore with good eyesight. The best I got was on a waiting list.



When the Fall collection went on sale, my salesguy called me right away.  He was undoubtedly tired of having me traipse into the store only to leave emptry handed.  But I wasn't able to stop by right away and most of the - ahem - large sizes were gone by the time I did make it in. 

Really wanted this dress.  It may not look like much in pictures but believe me, it is wearable art.  The construction that caresses every curve, the slope of the shoulders, the royal blue silk lining, the genius placement of the zippers that lets you reinvent how you wear the dress every time. Alas the last one was too small across the chest.  Fie on these girls.



For my birthday in July, Mr. Diabolina REFUSED to get me a present since I hadn't used the credit yet. SEE he isn't perfect!  F.

I said fine, he could be a jerkface, but McQueen purchases could not be rushed...by anyone. But I did start checking out the store's site with more regularity. And in mid-August, there they were.

These lace round toe platform 4 inchers. And instantly I knew. Just how I knew with Mr. Diabolina in 1996: they were meant to be mine.  Plus they just happened to be on trend for fall.

I've always found lace clothing challenging. There's the issue of transparency.  And as a child of the 80s, I always worry that I'll look too Madonna - as in the Dolce and Gabanna whore not The Virgin. 

And then there's the fact that even expensive lace can look cheap. Which means you typically have to pay a pretty penny for lace that will look luxe.

Thank goodness designers like Prada, Louboutin, Valentino and Zanotti started creating lace accessories.  A lace shoe or bag is infinitely wearable and can transcend seasonal lace trends. That's why my McQueen heels seemed like a good investment: they are instant classics!

These McQueen lace "celtic" leggings not so much. They are fun, fierce and fascinatingly trashy.  Something Gaga or a street walker would wear. Which meant that I HAD to have them.   

Figured I could tone them down with sober all black looks or casual basics.  Can rock them at concerts or Vegas or the next time I hit a London nightclub ;)

I just figured if I was going to do McQueen, I had to do something signature, something avant garde, something grotesuely original and  complex. 



Now I just have to figure out how to get a lace manicure to match.