Monday 16 July 2012

Victoria's Secret in London

It's been officially announced, Victoria's Secret will open doors of their first store in Westfield Stratford on July 24.

Best Looks Festival Season - Latitude





Balmain dresses Madonna

Madonna dials up her sex appeal, wearing Balmain's S/S '2012,  channelising the one and only, Bridgett Bardot. The 60's are back, one of the trends for summer. Her newest video Turn Up the Radio, shows Madonna as a 60's sex bunny, riding on the back of Cadillac, thru the streets of Florence, hosting a wheeled party. I love the choice of wardrobe, the styling as well, can't help to feel invaded by Instagram presence . Share your thoughts!


Saturday 14 July 2012

Ellen von Unwerth for Vogue Italia

Ellen von Unwerth latest shoot for Vogue Italia's July Issue. Evoking John Everett Millais's masterpiece Ophelia, romantic yet melancholic. Flowy silhouettes, organic and fresh; in tune with the female goddess.


Thursday 12 July 2012

Fine and Dandy - Fall 2012 Couture

Jean Paul Gaultier questioned the mysterious personality of the Dandy, he reveals the mystery behind the layers of clothing, with the use of transparency. Adorning art deco elements prints and sheer tunics, that complemented the 1920's loose silhouette on sheer tunics. 


Living Couture

Iris van Hersen vision of future is outstanding, design has evolved. Her method combines fine handwork techniques with futuristic digital technology, to create incredible pieces that become alive with the body's interaction. To achieve this she turn to "living  technology", biologic machinery or synthetic biology if you prefer. Technology allows Iris to build her work, the concept of creating from scratch is applied literally, giving life to unique shapes and textures.


The collection is as alive as the body that carries each piece, it moves along; the future defies the known on silhouettes and gravity. Enveloping the body around it's natural shapes, making it sensual; the skill level Iris proves is extraordinary, the way she makes the materials surrender to her will, forging new textures. One of my favourite pieces was the MRI's 3D printed dress, picturing the layering of the hips as the images grow together; I loved the way it build defining volume and texture into the dress. This collection will take you into a journey, a glimpse of what the future of applied technology to design holds, the new era of design maybe? I personally, have been tantalised by the vision.

"The materials Iris applied to this collection are: mirrored copper sheeting, metallic coated stripes, UV-­‐curable Polymer,  silicone lace, Swarovski crystals, acrylic transparent sheets and Ecco leather. Iris also   introduced a technique referred to as 'Mammoth Stereo lithography' which refers to a method involving  3D printing. This 3D printed process is built slice by slice from bottom to top, in a vessel of polymer that  hardens when struck by a laser beam. The colours of this collection are: black, dark red, dark blue, metallic aubergine and transparent  amber."
 
  
 
 

Tuesday 10 July 2012

Tren Alert - White Trousers

The most versatile item of the season, check out the best looks from Resort 2013. Shape, length and width are up to your silhouette, and the choices are multiple. Find inspiration from the runways looks, if you are looking for options more suitable to your pocket, the best high street options to fall in trend.







Festival Spirit

MAC got infected with festival season fever, they even came up with their signature look for the events. Full colour tribal is on, I'll take my chances and embrace my inner aztec; Reading is almost in a month!


POP! DESIGN CULTURE FASHION

So, I am reviewing my notes from the exhibition, touring myself mentally thru the Fashion and Textile Museum gallery. I think I'm ready, also very excited to be a part of it again. In case you haven't heard, the Fashion and Textile Museum had opened their doors once again, hosting the POP! Design Culture Fashion Exhibition. This time I got a little bit more involved in the process, I had to great pleasure to un pack part of the collection. Talk about treasure hunting, that Indiana Jones moment we had as kids.  

I suggest you mark it as part of your summer activities schedule; yes I am being optimistic over summer, the sun is shyly peeking thru the balcony, it must be a sign. Back to the exhibition, the collection is quite unique, I manage to pick some items as my favourites already. From an Elton John vest from the psychedelia to a pair of rubber ankle Mary Quant's boots. I invite you to discover it for yourself, the tour is free on Wednesdays so you know. If you declare yourself a fan of the product design and it's development thru our history, as musch as a fan of the beautiful things in life, this is the place to be.

Last Thursday, I was invite to attend the private viewing, Andrew Logan got to perform live thru the crowd. I particularly loved the music selection for the pieces that paraded on the show. My favourite was the birds, encrusted and embellished to die for. Zandra Rhodes took her spot in the carnival as well, it was fun and served as an ice breaker between the attendants and the collection. There was a nice atmosphere inside the museum; the shop was full,  there are some pretty cool stuff in there. The event served as inspiration to set the mood for what's to come as tour guide.

So if you happen to be around, pop in. 


   

Friday 6 July 2012

Wednesday 4 July 2012

Raf Simmons for Christian Dior - Fall 2012 Couture

It was back to basics for Raf Simmons debut collection for Christian Dior; the opening garment of the show, the classic structured woman suit. Honouring the house's elegant best selling item, during this times when the message spread is one of austerity. Having laid the core of his vision, Raf Simmons displayed his skills. Structure and shape kept loyal to Christian Dior's vision, following similar lines to the infamous Corolla collection. Although after receiving the Simmons treatment, the signature new look was brought into our context, transforming elements like contrast, deconstruction and textures.

The work with dynamic textures blew me away, mirroring the walls created for the show. The way Simmons translated the rich and lux effect of heavy foliage, into fabric was sublime. It amuses me to think that Christian Dior's love of nature and obsession with organic lines, was inherited by Raf Simmons; he managed to pay homage to the essence of Dior's new look silhouette, throwing in the mix the intricate design of clover leaf skirting. Some line got to a level of simplicity that could easily fall into the pret-a-porter category. The take on Haute Couture was somehow questioned, maybe there is such a need; in order to break the predefined, the pre stablished the good old known. In my opinion Dior's soul is intact.

As for the collection, I was surprised to see that many peplums, some fashion critics had given up on them already, I guess that is not happening any time soon; an opportunity to go shop for yours. I loved the deconstructed version of the peplum, it was cut as a wave around the body, it was something else. The collection's accessories had hints of neon and super smooth polished surfaces to contribute to the game of textures. 


The Peplum

Armani Privé 

Bouchra Jarra
        

Giambattista Valli 

   Christian Dior