Balmain Ready-to-Wear A/W 2009, Paris Fashion Week

In the tenth grade, my friends and I had to dress up in 1940s garb for our history class. I remember how mortified I was wearing my mom’s vintage blazer with obnoxiously large shoulder pads, thinking that my outfit would be mistaken for a Halloween costume of Frankenstein.

Little did I know, five years later I would be scrambling to find that same blazer.

That’s the beauty of fashion. Designers are constantly returning back to trends, causing us to search for clothes we had pushed to the dusty corners of our closets.

The return of the bold shoulder was one of the most popular fall runway looks. From the sequined peaked look at Balmain to Louis Vuitton’s balloon-puffed version and Dolce and Gabbana’s furry silhouette, designers were determined to prove that dramatic shoulders were back, and better than ever.

Dolce & Gabbana A/W 09, Milan Fashion Week

Shoulder pads were first introduced in the 1930s by Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, who placed them into her thick sweaters. In 1932, Adrian Greenberg, a costume designer known for dressing actress Greta Garbo, created a wide-shouldered white organdy dress with ruffled sleeves and a narrow waist for Joan Crawford in “Letty Lynton.” The design was copied in the U.S., as the wide, padded shoulders made hips look smaller. Macy’s department store in New York reportedly sold 500,000 similar dresses.

The statement shoulder was later revived in the 1980s, as a form of power dressing. It was highly popularized by actress Joan Collins in the soap opera “Dynasty” and by the late Michael Jackson with his military-style jackets. During this time, shoulder pads became bigger and broader, some even reaching the size of dinner plates, before the trend died in the early nineties.

Now, fashion-conscious celebrities such as Rihanna, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga are sporting the bold shoulder. Miss J Alexander has even adopted the look for the latest cycle of America’s Next Top Model, his shoulder pads inflating with each model eliminated.

The look can easily be adapted into your work or your party wardrobe. If you simply want to ease into the trend, try a puff-sleeve blouse paired with a pair of black cigarette pants. Feeling brave? Slip on a dress with crystal embellished shoulders a la Balmain paired with sky-high pumps. With so many different options at a range of price points, you’re sure to find your perfect fit.

I’ll be sticking to the beloved blazer, especially after my moment of glory at a fashion publication. “Do those have shoulder pads?” asked one of the editors. I answered yes, and he grinned from ear to ear. “Fabulous.”

SHOP THIS TREND:

Topshop Cosmic Shoulder Dress, $85 CAD

Derurcuny Pintuck blouse with puff sleeves, $416 CAD

Bebe Ornate Puff Sleeve Jacket, $180 CAD

Nadia Swarovski, Justin Giunta, Alexander Wang, Tim Hamilton and Blake Lively attends the 2009 CFDA Fashion Awards at Alice Tully Hall in New York City.

The CFDA awards are regarded as “the Oscars of the fashion industry”. Last night the winners of these prestigious awards were announced in New York. And of course as expected, the stars came out to congratulate the designers and pose on the red carpet. Some big names included Gossip Girl’s Blake Lively and Late Night’s Jimmy Fallon. The evening also included a well-deserved tribute to America’s most fashionable woman: First Lady Michelle Obama.

Here is the full list of winners:

Womenswear Designer of the Year: Rodarte’s Laura and Kate Mulleavy
Menswear Designer of the Year (tie): Calvin Klein’s Italo Zucchelli and Band of Outsiders’ Scott Sternberg
Accessory Designer of the Year: Proenza Schouler’s Jack McCullough and Lazaro Hernandez
Swarovski Award for Womenswear: Alexander Wang
Swarovski Award for Menswear: Tim Hamilton
Swarovski Award for Accessory Design: Justin Giunta for Subversive Jewelry
International Award: Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton
Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award: Anna Sui
Eugenia Sheppard Award: Women’s Wear Daily editor-in-chief Ed Nardoza
Eleanor Lambert Award: GQ’s Jim Moore
Board of Director’s Special Tribute: First Lady Michelle Obama

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The Party

The launch of The Model as Muse exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art includes an enormous gala that rivals the red carpet at the Oscars.

Justin Timberlake and girlfriend Jessica Biel were among the first to arrive at the MET for the this year’s gala. Timberlake wore a William Rast suit and geek-chic glasses, while Biel was on his arm in red Versace. Marc Jacobs, the man and host behind the exhibit, waltzed in with Kate Moss, who wore a backless metallic toga dress and a turban.

The showstopper? Had to be Madonna and her interesting Louis Vuitton ensemble. The L.A. Times said that Madonna looked “ready for Neverland … like the love child of Tinkerbell and Captain Hook.”

Christian Dior brought along Academy Award winning actress Marion Cotillard who wore his design for Christian Dior. Kanye West worked a Louis Vuitton suit, while his lady Amber Rose looked stunning in Carolina Herrera. Mary-Kate Olsen with longer messier blonde hair wore Christian Lacroix Couture. Her sister Ashley looked beautiful in backless white dress, her own design from The Row.

Jessica Alba wore a shorter number by Michelle Obama’s favourite, Jason Wu. Tyra Banks smiled with her eyes while posing for photos in her Badgley Mischka gown.

Brooke Shields wore Calvin Klein, obviously!

Leighton Meester looked adorable with her new blonder hair in a standout Louis Vuitton outfit. Kate Beckinsale wowed the photographers in her Marchesa gown. Liv Tyler channeled old Hollywood glam in a Stella McCartney dress. Blake Lively wore Versace, she was one of the last to arrive, her date Penn Badgley told reporters that they were having a wardrobe malfunction. Agyness Deyn and Twiggy arrived arm-in-arm, both wearing Burberry. And last, but certainly not least, Rihanna made her comeback to the red carpet with an androgynous look by Dolce & Gabbana.

See all these fabulous red carpet arrivals in the gallery below.

The Exhibit

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibit The Models As Muse: Embodying Fashion, takes a look at how models played a role in inspiring fashion through several eras.

The exhibition is organized by the Costume Institute’s director Harold Koda and guest curator Kohle Yohannan. It features about 80 looks arranged according to decade.

Beginning with a peek into the post-WWII resurgence of American fashion and advertising, you can find photographs of Lisa Fonssagrives, Suzy Parker, Dovima, Sunny Harnett, and Dorian Leigh in what was called the Golden Age of Haute Couture.

The ’60s “Youthquake” display pays homage to models such as Peggy Moffitt and Twiggy with ensembles from Paco Robanne, Andre Courreges and Rudi Gernreich.

The ‘70s were about the All-American athletic-looking model, when women like Jerry Hall and Lisa Taylor were the muse. The exhibit features boho looks form Yves Saint Laurent and Halston dresses.

Moving on to the ‘80s in an era of the supermodel, where the “trinity”, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington, appeared in all the designer campaigns.

The ‘90s marked a shift from beautiful supermodels to rebel girls such as Kate Moss, along with the minimalism of Donna Karan and Prada.

If you are in the New York area or traveling to the city, it’s worth checking out. The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion exhibit runs from May 6 – Aug 9.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue, at 82nd St. (212-535-7710)

Gallery: