Caught My Eye

Fall Couture that made me look twice.

We begin with Alexis Mabille. I like call this collection 'The Animal Kingdom'....

We now move to Armani Prive, where Japanese prints and fascinators, along with folds and knots, ruled the runway. I particularly fell for the sparkly orange gowns that seemed to flow like marmalade. What a treat! And as for the beauty look, it was all about the coloured smoky eye. To replicate this look mix a few shades of tangerine together and blend into your black eyeliner.

Models (clockwise from top left): Kelli Lumi, Bianca Balti, Kinga Rajzak, Alana Zimmer.

Azzedine Alaia made a killer career comeback with a runway filled with outerwear in a stream of colours. Here was my favourite piece:

Model: Sigrid Agren


Bouchra Jarrar swapped puff sleeves for sharp shoulders and made it loud with bold colours. My pick of the bunch? See below image...

Model: Vika Falileeva


The Chanel runway was also popping with bold colours like fuschia which is my ultimate favourite!! The take-home style steal? Peplum is the new black...not only in this collection, but everywhere I've been lately, this cut for tops and skirts is taking the world by storm! Dipped-in-glitter is also a trend to be tried after viewing this show. And to top it all off, the hair was done up in the most difficult bun I've ever laid eyes on. Maybe ask a hair stylist to help you achieve this one...

Models (clockwise from top left): Patricia Van Der Vliet, Arizona Muse, Michaela Kocianova.


So the house of Dior has decided to keep Bill Gayten at its helm for the time being. After his last few shows, I agree that he deserves the position.

Model: Jac


Gold embellishment is something the Valentino client knows well, and here it is again to remind us how glow (embellishing) and flow (floor-length) work together in an evening gown. Simple, but still genius.

Model: Freja Beha Erichsen

Well, that's what caught my eye this season...what caught yours?

Pre-Fall Review: The Big Names (Part 4) - Spotlight on Burberry Prorsum

Today I'm focusing on one highly influential and groundbreaking brand, and that brand is none other than Christopher Bailey's Burberry Prorsum!

As usual, the latest Burberry collection was full to the brim with outerwear. This season it was all about the double-breasted swing coat for men, and the super sexy, suit jacket for women. The colour palette consisted of olive greens, chocolate browns and of course lots and lots of jet black. The overall look was very 'London', yet somehow a little bit New York. In any case, it was very modern and fashion forward. Towards the end, Bailey even ventured into evening, creating killer suits for both man and woman, as well as a few gorgeous gowns to go gaga over.

Here is my curated gallery of the collection:

Models: Lisanne de Jong (other models unknown)

Pre-Fall Review: The Big Names (Part 3)

Even more of what's on offer this pre-fall season from all the big brands we know and trust (part 3).

Brand & Designer: Jason Wu

                                        Model: Julia Saner

Mr Wu found inspiration from early 20th century street-style photography. The colour palette was dark, but there was no doom or gloom to be found here, although the looks were quite adult in appearance. The focus was mainly block colours of salmon, blue/purple, charcoal brown and ofcourse black and white. The looks were quite menswear inspired and classic, very mod and effortlessly chic. Here's to hoping we see more of this 1930s goodness in future Jason Wu collections...

Brand: Versace

Designer: Donatella Versace

                                          Model: Kasia Struss

This Versace collection was all about combining opposing elements. A variety of animal skins (snake, leopard, etc) were mashed up and placed alongside baroque patterns and prints to create a modern look that referenced past times, good times that is. Personally, i fell in love with the silk printed scarves, the uber-oversized bags and the knee high lace up boots, all working together to create a killer look. Dear Donatella, we want more.

Brand: Moschino Cheap And Chic

Designer: Rossella Jardini

 

Model: Unknown

So it's fair to say, this diffusion line is your go-to outfitter for your young adult years, both for the price and the designs. I mean, who can resist Jardini's take on a 'little-red-riding-hood' coat, or bubblegum pink accessories such as the scarf pictured above. For me, there were enough wardrobe staples in this collection to leave me quite broke.

Brand: Gucci

Designer: Frida Giannini

Model: Yulia Kharlapanova

It all began in the early 70s, when women embraced the pant suit in a myriad of colours, and even considered androgynous footwear (outrageous, I know). But there was something quite charming about this reinvention of femininity, and Frida Giannini captures it in this collection. She cites David Bowie (obviously circa 1970-75) as part of her inspiration, designing pieces reminiscent of his 'glory day'
outfits. Personally, I fell in love with the jewel toned velvet suit and the cropped swing coats. Atleast I know what I'll be saving my pennies for this season!

Brand: Just Cavalli

Designer: Roberto Cavalli

Model: Agne Petkute

So you can tell I'm a fan of the diffusion lines of some great brands. Staying true
to his design heritage, Mr Cavalli incorporated animal prints with neutral accessories, and mixed hippie styling with city chic. The result? A tumultuous amount of cool.

Brand & Designer: Giorgio Armani

 

Model: Unknown

Reminiscent of some Dior gowns shown many a season ago, I found it very intriguing that Giorgio Armani would use winter suiting fabrics such as Tweed for creating eveningwear. It's glamour from an abstract angle. Red carpet goers will find a few gems here.

The Oscars Part Three: Don't Stop The Party

Who wore it well at the Vanity Fair after-party for the Oscars...

 

Amy Adams in Vivienne Westwood

Looking sultry in silver...

Claire Danes in Valentino

A whirlwind of blinding pink sashays across the room, her name is Claire.

Diane Kruger in Calvin Klein Collection

This slim sister shows off her figure in a simple column style gown.

Zoe Saldana in Marios Schwab

When in doubt, wear black, black and more black!

So there you have it, 10 awe-inspiring looks fromt the 2012 Academy Awards - here's to guessing what they'll be wearing next year....

The Oscars Part Two: My Main Man

He stole my 'fashionable' heart when I saw his red carpet look for 2012, he is - Pharrell Williams (in Lanvin)!

Who was your 'main man' on the red carpet this year?

The Oscars Part One: Les Femmes

My top 5 females on the 2012 Oscars red carpet.

Emma Stone in Giambattista Valli

 The vibrant cherry red hue, the floor-sweeping hem and the billowing bow around the neck - all work together to accentuate Miss Stones beautiful figure and face.

Penelope Cruz in custom Giorgio Armani

Sky blue never fails the women of the red carpet.

Jessica Chastain in Alexander McQueen

Looking as exquisite as a hand-embroidered wall of tapestry, Jessica Chastain glows!

Shailene Woodley in Valentino

A teenager with impeccable taste. Where can we purchase more of these?

Leila Hatami in ? (comment if you know whose creation it is!)

Last but not least, this stunning Iranian showed us that you can look both beautiful and religiously ethical at the same time. Go Leila!

 So who's your #1 from my top 5 list?

Pre-Fall Review: The Big Names (Part 2)

More of what's on offer this pre-fall season from all the big brands we know and trust (part 2).

Brand: Chanel

Designer: Karl Lagerfeld

                                    

Model: Barbara Palvin                                                                            Model: Jake Davis

Model: Karmen Pedaru



The Paris-Bizance era made its comeback at Chanel this season. As usual, the looks were fresher than ever, but leant slightly more towards the past than the future, compared to what we usually see in Chanel shows. Karl Lagerfeld explained that he was inspired by Empress Theodora and the lost culture of Byzantium. Thus, the collection mixed influences from the 5th century, but also from London in the 1960s. This resulted in gold embellisments and leathers colliding to create some of the most lust-worthy looks on the runway. There were a few simple yet ever-so-stylish looks for the boys too. For me, the highlights were the craftily adorned flat sandals (what? flats?! i'm so there!!) and the signature bee hive hair-dos. Even Lagerfeld, who is renowned for his generally anti-nostalgic designs, knows that a little history never hurt anyone...

Brand & Designer: Oscar de la Renta

Model: Britt Maren                                                                                 Model: Anastasia Khodkina

Model: Martha Streck

We can always rely on Oscar de la Renta to dress women as WOMEN! I don't know about you, but I don't see the point in androgynous designs, unless your name is Yves Saint Laurent and you know what you are doing. But back to Oscar...what he displayed on the runway for Pre-Fall this year were copious amounts of femininity and sheer extravagance. The sudden bursts of colour and luscious fabrics had me falling off my chair (quite literally!). The breathtaking moments climaxed in the finale of Cinderella-inspired gowns. One thing Oscar knows how to do is give a woman hope that someday we will all be sashaying down a grand staircase in one of his exquisite designs!

The Storyteller (contributed by Kirstie Williams)

We’ve said for years that ‘you are what you eat’, but is it true that our fashion choices are equally as telling?

You wouldn’t catch me dead in mustard yellow, harem pants or leather skirts, but this doesn’t mean I don’t like them on other people; it’s just not ‘me’.

I, like most shoppers, have my regular ‘failsafe’ choices. It doesn’t matter how many fashion magazines I read, I simply cannot be swayed to buy a large clutch when I know I’d rather a shoulder bag. I’m not quite convinced about the colour camel and I still think that loafers would make me look too ‘mumsy’.

Have a think about it. You don’t need a psychology degree to piece together how much an outfit can say about a person’s stance on life, postcode, marital status, job and the list goes on.

I understand that for some people it’s purely a necessity thing, and they might not be a preppy office girl, but their job requires it. Or that money is tight, so the options are limited. Or that this is all they’ve ever known, but actually feel awkward in what they’re wearing.

Regardless, let’s take a large proportion of young adults aged 18-25 and we can still learn a little (or a lot) from the outer details.

You’d do it subconsciously when you’re walking down the street- think about what the following clothing choices might say about the person.

Preppy. High earner. Manicured & well-groomed. Lives in upper-class area.

Enjoys attention. Young; trying to make a point of sexuality. Musically inclined with rock look.



Mismatched so doesn’t like everything ordered, enjoys spontaneity, but perhaps gets very little. Vintage clothing. A little rebellious, wants to break out of the mould.

Quirky, a little eccentric. Obviously works in a fashion based or creative industry.

It would be a gross generalisation to say that we can know a person by their clothes. And this is why no means what I’m saying.

Clothes, however, can have a great way of telling a story. We can give a little glimpse of our mood, our interests and our personality through what we wear; and this is where fashion can be really fun. We can try something new for a night, dress-up and wear the charade. Or we can stick to what is familiar and gives the look that is most ‘me’.

I bought a burgundy red scarf yesterday. This is partly because I wanted a colour that wasn’t cream, pink, tan or pastel anything (which are often the colours I wear due to work) and also because it completed my outfit that day. The other reasons why I might have bought the red scarf? Well, they are for you to guess.

There’s a lot more to the book, but the cover’s sure got a lot of storytelling power.