Warren Fashion

Madame Inès de la Fressange will be the new global ambassador for L’Oréal Paris. The 53-year-old Lagerfeld muse (left, at the Chanel Spring 2011 show) and recent author of Parisian Chic will bring that “irresistible je ne sais quoi” to the brand, according to global brand president Cyril Chapuy. [PR Newswire]

The Fragrance Foundation announced the semi-finalists for its Fifi Awards (a.k.a. the Oscars of eaux), which include: WOMANITY by Thierry Mugler (Women’s Luxe), Tom Ford Azure Lime (Women’s Specialty Luxe), and Halle by Halle Berry Pure Orchid (Broad Appeal). [Fragrance.org]

According to Unilever PLC research, 93 percent of women consider their armpits unattractive (no dispute there), but most deodorant companies only address the stink factor. Later this week, Dove will be launching its Ultimate Go Sleeveless line, which claims to have moisturizers that give women better-looking underarms in five days. [WSJ]

We may have officially given up straightening our hair in favor of a zero-maintenance air-dry-on-the-subway routine, but the technology out there keeps getting better and better. The Independent calls out ten of the best on the market. [Independent]

Celia Ellenberg

The 70′s are often referred to as the old decade that taste forgot. That is not true and unfair for anyone who really loves fashion. Granted, between bell-bottoms and cheap polyester, it had moments of caricature, but what decade is fully above reproach? In fact, the Seventies gave us Yves Saint Laurent at the pinnacle of his design genius, the era of Halston and the Halstonettes and women like Bianca Jagger who showed us how a long, louche white pantsuit can be the ultimate in glamour. So how can the Seventies really be that bad?

To designers, the decade is a goldmine of fashion inspiration. Any time there’s a lean pant, a high waist, a jersey dress or a platform on the runways, the critics will write, “Seventies-like, ’70s-inspired,” etc. Take Spring 2011, where the predominant trend off the American and European runways was the Seventies, just updated. In fact, the Seventies actually referenced silhouettes and styles set in the Forties — a decade that is celebrated for its timeless, classic appeal.

There was so much happening in the Seventies, much of it good. In Paris, Saint Laurent was revolutionizing the way women dressed. In Japan, Issey Miyake and Comme Des Garçons’ Rei Kawakubo were exploring new techniques and fabrications that are still in use today. In the U.S., designers were defining classic American sportswear. There were the titans — Geoffrey Beene, Bill Blass and Halston. This was the decade in which names like Ralph, Calvin, Diane, Oscar and Donna entered our fashion vocabulary. Their ideas are everlasting: great separates, perfectly tailored jackets and trousers, feminine blouses, easy-to-wear dresses and, most importantly for the growing workforce of women at the time, the notion of going from day to evening without a wardrobe overhaul.

Then there were the style icons, those women who were equal parts glamorous and effortless. Bianca Jagger, the Berenson sisters, Julie Christie, Faye Dunaway, Anjelica Huston, Jacqueline Onassis — the list goes on of women who defined what it was to be chic, whether they were photographed on the street or headed to Studio 54.

For me, it’s personal. The designer Zoran launched his collection in the late Seventies. I have vivid memories of watching my mother get ready for an evening out, wearing her gold lamé Zoran top and pants. For spring, we paid homage to that.

I often think that I wasn’t meant for this time. Imagine a world where ladies worn thin, cigarette pants and voluminous skirts and men were gentlemen who wore hats. Gloved hands, summers in sepia and the studio system — I wish there were a way to morph the power that women have today with the grace and refined elegance of another era.

When it comes to clothing, my style has evolved into an affection for luxurious knits, expert tailoring, the exquisite details (codas, really), and a feeling of fluidity. From double-faced wool jackets to silk trousers and waist-cut coats, I love the simple, the beautiful and the quiet refinement that only a caliber of clothing can bring. So when I had the privilege of viewing St. John’s Fall 2011 collection, I marveled over a collection that paid homage to a bygone era (think the Yves St. Laurent grecian satin gowns of the 1970s juxtaposed with a luxe, mohair swing coat, which evoked images of a mod, sinewy Twiggy) while thrusting itself, seams-first, if you will, into modernity. While catering to the classic St. John woman who craves easy silhouettes and refined fabrics, Creative Director George Sharp has injected life, spirt, and louche luxury into the iconic brand’s Fall collection.

Believe me when I say, a woman can’t wait for wool shifts and statement jewels.

I’ll be candid and say that one could easily relegate the brand to the Park Avenue matron set — that is, if one were blind, and unable to witness the exquisite array of necessary wardrobe staples and delicious, albeit forgiving, evening separates. What I loved most about the collection were the texture plays (silk shirts paired with fur jackets and flannel wide-legged pants! sequins paired with wool!), the marvelous details (a georgette lining peeking out from a wool jacket! the seamless, Loro Piana-milled cashmere!), and the soft gradations of color (the grays!). Every piece was worth coveting and certainly worth the investment.

And the costume gems! I’m obsessed with eye-catching baubles, pearls (the pulsing-heart sanguine reds!), and the rings and bracelets that sparkle and delight.

So while spring has broken and the motley lot spill onto the pavement in their unbearably short shorts and ill-fitted tops, I’ll turn my attention to fall, to how a lady who is strong, smart, and hard-working, should dress for day.