Alexander McQueen was a visionary and losing him extends beyond the realm of fashion.

Constantly chasing whoever or whatever is next in fashion can often leave me jaded, but then along comes Lamija Suljević. Based in Sweden, Suljević is one of the most gifted young designers I’ve seen in some time. The materials and handcrafted details in her Fall/Winter 2010 collection are infused with childhood memories of her native Bosnia. “When I think of my hometown, I think of old techniques and handmade garments. Having that with me during my design process has become one of my strengths. If I’m working on my collections, I work wholeheartedly. Nothing else is good enough. If my grandmother were alive she would be proud, and things like that are very important to me.”

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The alcove I’ve carved out here is dim and dusty with underuse, so I’m showcasing the work of Spanish photographer Eugenio Recuenco. He is a master.

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The newest collection from Sandra Backlund, “Ink Blot Test”:

photo by Peter Farago

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While not all are entirely wearable, the following coats and jackets stand out for structure, innovation or just because I would love to wear them.

Kenzo a/w 2007-8

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The attraction to Everlasting Sprout’s a/w 2007-8 “Charm” collection is due as much to the idea behind the looks as to the skillfully worked knitwear itself. Keiichi Muramatsu and Noriko Seki explain that what inspired them for this collection, “…was a series of pictures taken by Eugène Atget. The pictures capture the old streets of Paris, but more importantly the light that has been enclosed in the pictures gave us a lot of inspiration. The main idea is the scene in which one man falls in love with one girl. The girl is so beautiful that she is shining, even in a black and white picture.”

Everlasting Sprout, a/w 2007-8 “Charm” collection

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If you’re in Japan between now and June 3rd Koji Arai’s “Last Supper” exhibit is on at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa:

Living in Atlanta for three years helped to dispel many myths (no, the Tara Plantation has never been real and no, there aren’t any peach trees to be found in Atlanta) and reinforce a few stereotypes (yes, southern folk are hospitable and yes, it’s called the Dirty South for a reason). I miss the humid summer nights, live oaks, the curious ability of kudzu to engulf anything within a couple of weeks if not tamed and the steady stream of pleasant surprises. Coming across Oxford Comics was one of those pleasant surprises, and it still has my vote for best comic book shop. Through the owner’s well-organized, comprehensive inventory I stumbled onto many wonderful finds, like the fashion manga, Paradise Kiss.

Ai Yazawa’s Paradise Kiss Volume 4, Los Angeles, Tokyo: Tokyopop, 2003. The cast of characters from left: Arashi, George, Isabella and Miwako - caged is “the heroine”, Yukari

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As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’m a big fan of designs coming out of Australia and the surrounding area because of their wearability. The s/s 2006/7 collection from New Zealand designer Kate Sylvester is a good example of this fine-tuned practicality. Inspired by the fusion of East meets West in Shanghai and Hong Kong, Sylvester’s “Young Ideas Go West” collection draws in part from the Shanghai Moderne culture of the 20s and 30s, complete with variations on the cheongsam.

Kate Sylvester’s “Jade Dress”, s/s 2006/7 www.vogue.com.au

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In conversations with Rita Saardi I was struck by her uninhibited, stream of consciousness response to my questions. Her free spirit reflects a rich background: Lebanese by birth, she grew up in Sweden and moved to Paris to learn French, remaining there to study fashion design. Her discipline, persistence and refusal to be reigned in by trends are successful qualities that propel her forward. She feels that, “Fashion is about l’air du temps, as Coco Chanel once said. It’s true, but today it’s more about you’re own world, your own air du temps. If everyone else is using color and you want grey, well then it should be grey. It’s your mood, your air du temps.”

Rita Saardi s/s 2006, “white bird top”, detail

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