Saturday, March 26, 2011

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!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

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.