Swatch synchronizes with the times

If you were a teenager in the 1980s, you probably wore a Swatch or two or five. And since this decade's designers have been rehashing '80s fashion trends (shoulder-padded blazers, baggy "boyfriend" jeans and wide belts), the timing is right for the Swiss watchmaker to make its resurgence.

Swatch, which made the late graffiti artist Keith Haring a household name, again looks to the street for its latest artistic collaboration this summer. The watchmaker enlisted New York's Billy the Artist and Matthew Langille, along with Europeans Ted Scapa and Grems, to channel the decade's mix of street and sleek for its Artist Collection, which debuted in 1985 and has featured work by Yoko Ono, Annie Leibovitz and Robert Altman.

"Swatch, although iconic, it kind of lost its edge," says Patricia Higgins, brand president of Swatch USA. "With this [collaboration] we're really going back to our roots -- it reeks Swatch, it's what we were known for."

Langille, 27, who also does T-shirt graphics for Marc Jacobs, drafted three designs for Swatch -- Snuggle Bunch, Floating Away and Germaholic -- featuring Haring-esque graphics, teddy bears and primary colors.

Langille says the funniest is the Germaholic "because I'm a bit of a hypochondriac. It's a hypochondriac germ screaming at the top of his lungs because he's surrounded by other germs and having a panic attack." Although the design looks retro, it suits our swine/avian flu pandemic times.

Of course, what made teenage girls able to stack Swatches on wrists like bangles was their price. And the watches are still affordable. The Artist Collection runs $55 to $95 and the timepieces are still made in Switzerland, same as a Rolex.

swatch.com

-- Max Padilla

Upcoming sales and events 

'80s fashion icons who could like totally wear that again

Follow the Image section on Twitter

Photo: Floating Away watch by Swatch. Credit: Swatch

Photo of the day: Moonwalking to remember Michael Jackson

The legend, and style, live on through his fans: Shemar Williams, 8, imitates Michael Jackson's Moonwalk outside the Apollo Theater in Harlem on Tuesday. The deceased pop star first performed at the theater at age 9, and as he reached his prime, Times fashion critic Booth Moore notes, Jackson's "black loafers, white ankle socks, rhinestone brooches, cropped military jackets and fedoras" were known to fill many an '80s youth's closet.

Have you been known to sport a silver glove or pink bow tie and attempt that backward glide? Use our comments section to share your favorite Jackson sartorial memory.

-- Whitney Friedlander

Photo credit: Chris Hondros / Getty Images

RELATED:

Photos: Shemar Williams, other fans mourn Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson: end of a signature era

Photos: Jackson fashion

Michael Jackson: king of style 

Fashion Diary: He influenced a generation 

Follow the Image section on Twitter

Michael Jackson remembered: Paris mourns the King of Pop

Parisians within earshot of a BlackBerry or a cellphone began to hear the first tremulous rumors of Michael Jackson's passing at about 10:30 local time Thursday night, and by midnight the news had started to spread in earnest: The King of Pop was dead.

On Friday morning, the news was splashed across the front pages: “Michael Jackson: la mort d’une icone planetaire” (Michael Jackson: the death of a planetary icon) proclaimed Le Monde. The front page of Le Figaro simply read: “La Mort de Michael Jackson” (The Death of Michael Jackson). A newspaper vendor near the Odeon Metro station said he had sold many more of both papers than usual, and his supply of Le Figaro was sold out.

Radio stations were playing wall-to-wall Michael Jackson music. The announcer on France Inter peppered her discussion with English terms (“Peter Pan” was just one). Friday didn’t appear to bring any mass outpouring of grief among residents or the assorted members of the media and buyers from around the world attending the men’s spring/summer 2010 runway collections, some found ways to continue with the task at hand while paying homage to the Gloved One.

The first noticeable homage to Jackson came at the Commes des Garcons Homme Plus show. As one of the models reached the end of the runway, he pushed back his left jacket sleeve to reveal the words “R.I.P. SMOOTH CRIMINAL” for the cameras, a reference to the title of one of Jackson’s most popular tunes. At Givenchy's later that evening, among the pieces Riccardo Tisci sent down the runway was a sleeveless, gold metallic shirt embellished with large military-style stars, reportedly created by the designer as one of Jackson’s costumes for the planned upcoming series of concerts.

But the most touching moment came at the end of Friday’s Galliano’s show -- an homage to Napoleon Bonaparte that took place in am abandoned, graffiti-covered swimming pool and former homeless flop house on the edge of Paris. As the models did their final walk, the soundtrack eased into a pastiche of Michael Jackson clips before blaring “PYT" (Pretty Young Thing) and the crowd took to their feet, clapped their hands and roared in approval.

“The king is dead,” they seemed to be saying. “Long live the king.”

-- Adam Tschorn

Fashion Diary: Remembering Michael Jackson, forever the King of Pop

Follow the Image section on Twitter

More Paris Fashion Week coverage | Photos

Photos: Jonas Gustavsson

Fashion Diary: Remembering Michael Jackson, forever the King of Pop

Wearing one glove, he influenced an entire generation. Michael Jackson, 1980s style icon, had us copying his military badges, white ankle socks and black loafers as often as his moonwalk.

Jackson understood the power of costume — on and off the stage, but especially in court. His oddly styled get-ups (the famous pajama bottoms and armbands) created a template for a kind of kooky celeb-goes-to-court look.

The men behind the Man in the Mirror were L.A.-based costume designers Michael Bush and Dennis Tompkins. They quietly designed most of Jackson’s personal and concert tour wardrobes, tens of thousands of pieces, many with military details. One jacket--worn in a 1990 L.A. Gear ad campaign--was black suede and covered in minature gold license plates. They even had a Michael mannequin in their studio, built to the singer’s exact measurements. The pop star’s directive was always, “This is what the world’s wearing — top it,” they told me in 2005.

“I was lucky enough to know and work with Michael Jackson in his prime.  Michael was an extraordinary talent and a truly great international star.  He had a troubled and complicated life and despite his gifts, remains a tragic figure.  My wife, Deborah, and I will always have great affection for him,” John Landis, who directed the 1983 film “Thriller,” said by email. Deborah Landis, a costume designer, created the iconic red Thriller jacket.

Jackson was a model for how to be a pop star for a lifetime, reinventing his look often. And the neverending speculation about his rhinoplasties fueled our cultural obsession with plastic surgery.

It’s almost as if the fashion industry knew it was time for a Jackson tribute. The pop singer was everywhere on the runway this last season, in the crystal-studded jackets at Balmain, and the sequined gloves at Louis Vuitton.

Swarovski had been tapped to bedazzle the costumes for Jackson's comeback tour beginning next month in London. I'm sure it would have been a fashion spectacle for the ages.

-- Booth Moore

** [UPDATE: 5:33 P.M. JUNE 25, 2009] Click here to read more on this story.**

Michael Jackson: end of a signature era

Photos: Jackson fashion

Michael Jackson: king of style 

Click here to read more Fashion Diary posts

Follow the Image section on Twitter 

Follow fashion critic Booth Moore on Twitter

Michael Jackson sports his trademark glove as he performs "Billie Jean" during his "30th Anniversary Celebration, The Solo Years" concert at New York's Madison Square Garden on Sept. 7, 2001. Credit: Beth A. Keiser / Associated Press

Style obsession: Acid wash denim

I am fully embracing the fact that the '80s are back. I've even taken to wearing acid wash jeans this week, discovering that they are really fun, with an almost tie-dye quality that makes a lot of sense for summer.
Pair them with something solid and simple on top, because there's a lot going on with the wash. And stick to this rule: Only one '80s piece at a time, please.

See the items I'm obsessing about this week here.

Follow the Image section on Twitter

— Melissa Magsaysay

Photo:  Diesel "Cuddy" jeans / Diesel

Pick of the Week – Rocket Dog Neon Sandal

I just came back from Buenos Aires, where I stayed in a hip neighborhood called Palermo Soho.  The name is apropos, because it has a nice mix of grittiness and sophistication, just like Soho in lower Manhattan.   

Several murals and random jots of graffiti were eye-popping fun and totally inspiring.

This week it’s all about '80s-, neon- and graffiti-inspired pieces.

To cap off the week of splashy graffiti-esque items, I’ve chosen this neon pink strappy sandal from Rocket Dog.  It’s just the right amount of pop and would look really fresh with a white summer dress. 

Rocket Dog neon pink sandal, $39.50 at www.delias.com

-- Melissa Magsaysay

'Mad Men' Season 2 -- boxed, starched and impressive

The third season isn't due to begin on AMC until August, and "Mad Men: Season Two" ($49.98) won't be released until July 14, but the DVD box-set cover art has been making the rounds on the Internet for the last few days, and it's "Mad Men" marketing at its best.

It's a crisp, white, spread-collar dress shirt with a gray striped silk tie knotted tightly at the neck with what looks like a traditional four-in-hand knot.

The box contains all 13 episodes of the second season, and the folks at Lionsgate are telling me it's got all kinds of special features, including a "featurette" that looks at the rise of women in the workplace during the "Mad Men" era, and another that chronicles the lasting influence of '60s style.

But our favorite special feature isn't even in the box -- it's on the box. If you look closely enough at the label on the dress shirt, you'll see the name "Menken's" -- the department store headed by Rachel Menken (played by Maggie Siff), a one-time amatory dalliance of ad-man Don Draper (Jon Hamm).

When we brought it up, Jodie Magid, VP of publicity for Lionsgate, assured us our eyes weren't playing tricks on us: "It was actually [creator] Matt Weiner’s touch, and it is a great little nod to dedicated fans," she told me in an e-mail. She said the Menken's logo was created specifically for the series, and at one point it appears on shopping bags (carried by Don after a Rachel-inspired shopping spree, if our memory serves us correctly ...).

It's this attention to detail -- fashion-focused and otherwise -- that makes "Mad Men" one of the most consistently stylish series on TV. If the contents of the box set stack up to what's on the outside, we'll be boxed and (im)pressed.

-- Adam Tschorn

RELATED:

Arlo Weiner, 8-year-old fashion plate | Photos

Arlo Weiner, sartorial scion of 'Mad Men' creator, serves up style advice

'Mad Men's Christina Hendricks has a vintage soul

'Mad Men' leads a revival in vintage clothing

'Mad Men' costume designer to launch fashion line. Are you a Betty or a Joan?

Follow the Image section on Twitter

'Mad Men' costume designer to launch fashion line. Are you a Betty or a Joan?

When the admen -- and Peggy -- on " Mad Men" defined women as types for a Maidenform campaign, they branded them as a "Marilyn" (Monroe, natch) or a "Jackie" (as in O). Well, word has it over at Glamour.com that the show's brilliant costume designer, Janie Bryant, is in talks to launch her own fashion line, and so the question is: "Are you a Betty or a Joan?"

I talked to Bryant last July, and here's a taste of her personal taste in a style profile. She's meticulous about researching the looks of the '60s for "Mad Men," right down to sewing special undergarments for the ladies and men that are absolutely true to the period. (In fact, Christina Hendricks told me that that they are incredibly uncomfortable. Read more here.)

No doubt, Bryant will adapt the retro looks she creates for the show. I'm anticipating sexy pencil skirts, sweater sets and vintage-inspired dresses that have been updated just enough to feel modern and classic. Will she design for men? I can't help but wonder. I think guys would buy into the idea of inhabiting a character like the Madison Avenue scamp by wearing a slim-cut suit and skinny tie. Those high-waisted gabardine pants that Don Draper favors might be a tougher sell.

Are you a Betty or a Joan, and who's sexier? Men, weigh in too.

-- Monica Corcoran

Photos: AMCTV.com

Michelle Obama's inauguration wardrobe reviewed

Just as President Barack Obama turned the page on American history Tuesday in Washington, First Lady Michelle Obama is turning the page on American design. The lemon-grass wool lace ensemble she chose for the swearing-in ceremony wasn’t designed by one of the aging custodians of the 7th Avenue Establishment Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan or Calvin Klein. It was by Isabel Toledo, a Cuban American whom nobody knows but everyone should.

By wearing clothes by up-and-coming designers such as Narciso Rodriguez, Thakoon Panichgul, Maria Pinto, Maria Cornejo and Toledo, Obama is helping to promote a new generation of talent, and write the next chapter in American fashion.

Toledo, who sells at Barneys New York, has been designing under her own name for 20 years in New York, and was briefly the creative director for Anne Klein. (Bet they wish they'd hung onto her now!) She is married to fashion illustrator Ruben Toledo. “She’s never been about making clothes to make herself famous,” says Rosemary Brantley, founding chairwoman of the Fashion Department at L.A.’s Otis School of Art and Design, where Toledo has been teaching since the 1990s. “She’s about flattering the figure and she’s curvaceous herself. Everything she does is thoughtful. She would never bang out a dress with a normal side seam. One of her things is rethinking construction.”

With its retro “Mad Men” silhouette and trendy yellow hue, the dress and coat proved that Obama can strike a balance between being conservative and taking risks. She looks better wearing one color, rather than breaking up her tall frame as she did on election night with the black-and-red Rodriguez dress.

Some might think that the inauguration ensemble was a tad dressy with its beaded collar. But Obama likes to dress up, and she’s determined to play her part in promoting fashion as fantasy. She may also have raised a few eyebrows with the borrowed $17,000 Loree Rodkin diamond chandelier drop earrings she wore to the “We Are One” concert over the weekend. After all, Nancy Reagan was skewered for borrowing clothes from Bill Blass, James Galanos and others. But that was before the red carpet became the runway, and lending became a key form of advertising for designers.

Besides, Obama knows how to do the high-low thing, too. She wore J. Crew for the Kid’s Inaugural Ball on Monday night. And just hours after the inauguration, the e-mails were already flooding in from Dress Barn, Bluefly and other  retailers about how to get the look for less.

Because fashion is a business and Michelle Obama means business.

-- Booth Moore

Related:

Photos: First ladies' inauguration gowns

Should Michelle Obama borrow clothes and jewels like a celeb? Nancy Reagan couldn't.

Michelle Obama chose Jimmy Choo’s green 'Glacier' pump for Inauguration Day ensemble

Michelle Obama Chooses Jason Wu for Inaugural Balls

Aretha Franklin's inaugural hat trick
 

Photo: President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama escort former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, to a helicopter at the U.S. Capitol after Obama's inauguration. Credit: Tannen Maury / Bloomberg News

Film fashion: The clothes make the men in 'Frost/Nixon' and 'Revolutionary Road'

It’s that time of year when the studios release all their big Oscar contenders, and the media scramble to see screenings. So far, I’ve seen two — “Revolutionary Road,” the darkly depressing tale of 1955 suburban nothingness with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, based on Richard Yates’ novel and directed by Sam Mendes; and “Frost/Nixon,” the screen adaptation of Peter Morgan’s play about the 1977 David Frost/Richard Nixon TV interviews, starring the incredible Frank Langella and Michael Sheen, and directed by Ron Howard. 

What struck me about both was the tremendous role clothing plays in the stories. And I’m not talking about glittering gowns as eye candy. I’m talking about clothing as a character vehicle. In “Revolutionary Road,” the men’s fedoras are a symbol of the monotony of the punch-the-clock jobs men found themselves in at the time, following in the footsteps of their fathers, only to realize that they never had a chance to dream their own dreams. 

One scene that was particularly stirring was when DiCaprio stepped off a commuter train at Grand Central Station in New York City into a sea of lonely fedoras. He was no one and everyone at the same time.