when jil sanders vicariously met garance dore, stacey kimel & anna dello russo

this photo was shot by garance dore for the feb vogue nippon. there is such an old world, sixties feel to it (with a modern twist) that i had to share with you

the dress is jil sanders spring 2011.

on the runway it was shown with a cropped jacket on top - it's an interesting play on proportions. it's a classic example of how much hair and make-up and styling can affect the look of a piece. it's an important thing to keep in mind for girls new to vintage. its easy to underestimate what an impact taking a vintage piece and pairing it with your own modern girl look and accessories will make. and how much your own styling instincts can change the look of a piece - even a strong piece like this dress gets a totally different feel by changing where the balance and emphasis of where you look is - hair and earrings in garance's version, through the bodice and hips on the runway look. small tweaks with a big impact on the feel of the piece.

jil sanders knocked it out of the park this year. making that full, voluminous silhouette work, and managing to make it be attractive to a modern girl takes some doing and she killed it. i see tons of young girls working this silhouette now in the blogosphere and expect that it will trickle down to the more fashion forward of the masses this season (fingers crossed). i am a full on, full length, love me a maxi dress kind of girl anyway so my fingers are crossed that perhaps people won't act like i am from mars when i stroll into the grocery store in mine for a change.

and you can bet that i will be posting tons of vintage versions over the next few weeks too.

in the meantime - check out some of my other favorites from the spring jil sanders runway..........

update:

i can't resist showing you one of the runway pieces in action. i came across this photo of one of my favorite girls - one of toronto's most stunning fashionista and a shrimpton couture client too-  stacey kimel. she stepped out at a recent fete wearing this jil sanders skirt from the runway

stacey kept true to the runway feel but subbed the simple T for a slightly lighter feeling tank. i like it and it is another great example of how a small change around one base piece - that tangerine floor length skirt in this case - makes for a lot of punch

stacey was at the recent party held at the room at the bay for the when tommy met anna event so i would be remiss not to post a shot of her with anna dello russo. it also gives you a chance to see the whole ensemble. i love love love that women are wearing full length dresses again.

isn't that a gorgeous shot? I love anna's over the top full 50s inspired skirt contrasted with stacey's trailing, sleek maxi. the colors work perfectly - i love when a quick snapshot at an event looks one step away from a styled shot, don't you? The man in the shot looking debonair while doing tux-in-the-city is the room's creative director, nicholas mellamphy.

photos: style.com & toronto life fashion