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or Happy Winter 2007/2008 (depending on where you live)! Holiday season is upon us! It's time to head to the beach and bask in the sun... or for you lovelies in the Northern Hemisphere- time to bring out all your beautiful luxurious fur coats, parkas and maybe find your sexy ski gear so you can head to the alps!!
And since it's December, you know what? It's time to go Christmas shopping! You girls (and boys) have everything planned out? Or were you well organized enough to have knocked off a significant amount of it during the Blk Friday sales (this question is addressed to those in North America)? I haven't started and its giving me a headache just trying to think of what to get everyone!
Photo cred: lj, TFS
I haven't updated in a while because I've been busy, what with the new college semester starting and all that. There's been problems with my enrollments and hence, makes life slightly hectic. But I did promise you the Part II overview of Couture (a long long time ago) and I would hate to break the promise! I really do love you guys for reading my rants as I embark of my many flights of fancy...Christian Lacroix
Quinessentially Lacroix in concept and design- that slightly dark, half medieval feminine style with a contemporary twist. Fancy, patterned and so womanly, his collections always make me think of crown jewels and grand ladies of the by-gone eras strolling through London in their dainty dresses holding parasols!! I can almost see it in my mind's eye!
Chanel
I'm just not sure what the Kasier was going for in the last piece. Odd, no? Personally, I can't really imagine anyone wearing that wedding dress anywhere... unless maybe in er- Alaska? Apart from that, the collection was a bit 1920s flapperish. I think I was paying more attention to the gloves than anything else though. They are quite beautiful, don't you think?
Jean Paul Gaultier
The opening look, head-to-toe, is so me. LOVE it. Very cool and slightly sportswear inspired. Everything else was just as chic and cool, very regal (there was even crown head gear throughout!), very military in its stiff decorated shoulder boards, and of course- the dominant menswear trend which is still going strong!! I would pick up that darling brown jacket in an instance, if only I was rolling around in money.
So overall for this season, in my opinion, I'd have to say: JPG for day, Elie Saab for night! Hmm- does anyone know where I can find a billionaire boyfriend to finance this project? Hehehe...
Cred: style.com, TFS
Well... the AW07 Haute Couture has come and gone, which means- time to do a little overview of the shows! It's almost like an obligation since Couture is the creative backbone of fashion in a sense... a time for designers to remove the boundaries of reality and roam free in each of their respective artistic worlds!
Christian Dior
I appreciated that the collection and the show was ideologically succinct and strongly based on perfectionism. So much, that I dedicated a whole post to it: read it here if you haven't already.
Givenchy
To me, Givenchy had quite a disappointing start but a great finish! I kept asking myself "Why the head-to-toe leopard?" in the beginning since I have always related that with the Dolce, D&G, Versace, DSquared and Cavalli lot- leaning more towards the Italian designers really (I'm not quite sure why-)! However, I think the leopard outfit here (the jacket at least) is somewhat acceptable because of the gradient. Anyway, let's get onto the good part: the white dresses at the end which were detailed, modern and oh so great! That intricacy and the attention to detail in the back! I'm savoring it, since it's not often that you notice the back of an outfit when scavenging on style.com or the likes. Because well... for obvious reasons, photographers tend to take snaps of the model front-on! So- love love love from me!
Elie Saab
I have to say it's by far my favorite out of all the Couture!! A flowing slim silhouette, the lacy sheer soft delicate fabrics, the elegant embroidery and those fine dresses!! Some of them slightly grecian. Every one of them red carpet worthy! Elie Saab made the most exquisite wedding gown out of all the AW07 offerings- will you just look at that!! Also, is anyone noticing that little white/ silver color trend coming through?
Armani Privé
Comme ci comme ça apart from maybe 4-5 looks (I included two here), I suppose. Loved the way the color is done on the first dress, it's absolutely darling! And wow to the structure of the second dress- an otherwise plain dress get elevated to another level! I'm not saying that the overall collection was terrible by making my comme ci comme ça judgment, because Armani does clothes wonderfully, but most of it was a bit too bland for my tastes. Couture is all about vision but it seems like Armani Privé often has RTW tendencies. The marketable. And I admit, the definitely more wearable. To me though, that detracts from HC itself...
Part II up soon, including Chanel, Lacroix and Gaultier!
Photo cred: style.com (because I was too lazy to go dig for HQs!!)
Galliano promised an excellent and therefore highly anticipated Haute Couture show for the house's 60th anniversary... and where better to host it than Orangerie at the Versailles! The collection was HC in a very conventional way, going back to its roots for this special occasion. I adored the vast amount of references Galliano made in those extravagant ball gowns, even though it did make my head spin, because they consequently made be feel displaced by several decades: like I was revisiting history! All the exquisite details, the luxurious fabrics, the headpieces and the impressionist color palette! References to artists like Degas (one of my favorites!), Renoir and Goya. WOW. I am completely feasting upon this collection- it was even more of a production than Dior's usual shows!
This is one of my favorite looks. There was 8 hours of preparation for the show and worth every minute of it just by looking at the makeup! Each look was different to suit the outfit. Perfectionism at its best!
Headpiece with strong artistic references. This one is beautiful, and has a connection with Degas' dancers. So marvellous! What do you see in this detailed pic below?
It's the infamous affair of the necklace!
Oh, I almost forgot the mention how great these shoes are!! Such elegance in the shape of the wedge. I see a little Marc Newson/ Frank Gehry in the metal...
This show is a beauty, very elaborate but in that somewhat generic couture beautiful sort of way. I have to admit I appreciated the japanese influenced SS07 HC collection a whole lot more, mainly because of the originality... but despite my opinion, you must check it out! I only put a tiny sampling of what's offered, so go either to TFS or style.com(among others) to look ! (Personally, I recommend TFS because of the HQs- but you need patience because the thread is HUGE! Try searching "HQs" in the thread- that may help you.)
Photo cred: style.com, TFS
It seems like a good time to do a continuation of my campaign review now that some more ads have surfaced (For Part I, click here). Hint to anyone who love to collect tear sheets, go and buy the August UK Elle! Not that I know directly- it's just that Manuva of TFS scanned in so many ads from that magazine (it's impossible not to love that community and everyone there)! Ok, let's see... which ones shall I cover in this post-
Bottega Veneta
This is a firm equal first with the Pringles ads!! That melancholic atmosphere coupled with the lighting! I think the beautiful dresses both juxtaposed and complemented the mysterious mood... making me think of femme fatales and dark bedrooms in that fabulous film noir style. It's also interesting that these ads couldn't have been more different to the SS07 ones, which had that fantastic old-world-classy Audrey Hepburnesque glow about it (Inguna anyone?), but both really fits the house to a T.
Chloé
These ads are very very much Chloé, and I think that's about all I can say! I guess they decided to stick with their tried, tested and true formula for the brand's target audience. I'm not too sure about Shalom Harlow though, she seems a bit too elegant to be the easy-going au naturale beautiful Chloé woman. Apart from that, great to see Freja in Chloé and my God! Anja is totally rocking her new beautiful Edie haircut!
Costume National
It gets a mention because of Julia Stegner, who have been fronting Hugo Boss wonderfully for quite a while until she got traded in this season for Catherine McNeil! Really wish Boss had kept her...
and finally, Calvin Klein Jeans
Which is, like the Chloé ones, very typical of the line. Or shall I say, the style of these ads is almost synonymous with the brand! Does anyone else see something just a tiny bit like MK Olsen in the left ad? The facial expression maybe?
I am expecting more ads to come through in those big September issues, so there will probably be a Part III in all of this!
Photo cred: TFS
The campaigns are gradually flowing in now, from one of the earliest being the vividly-colored Christian Dior ads to the Dolce and D&G ones popping up only yesterday, and for me... emotions ranged from disappointed to ecstatic. My favorites, as of now, are:
Pringles of Scotland
Definitely my favorite as of now: head over heels in love with the dark evocative neo-romantic mood of these print ads!! The metal structures/props lend a hint of industrialism into the mix, and the great clothes, great hair and beautiful styling means this gets a very strong nod of the head from me. The girl on the left looks hauntingly beautiful, no? That the campaign was shot in B&W makes me love it even more!! I am a big advocate of B&W photography because of the atmosphere it captures.
and D&G!
Quintessentially D&G, I suppose it might be considered a bit boring... but I like it! Very glamorous! The menswear influence is very now. It's fantastical! And look at Rachel Clark! I thought she really shone through in these ads. Why they feel a need to reuse the set bothers me though...
This Marc Jacob one, however, is more mediocre. It isn't bad per se... but I just cannot decide whether the marketing is genius or insane! To make it so small means that it is not nearly effective enough to catch the attention of a magazine flipper, but then one can say that the excess of white provides a stark contrast- hence catching their eye and making them want to study the clothes more closely. Definitely undecided on the ad...
I'll leave it there for now... but the ads are still coming in, so look out for a part II continuation of this!
Photo cred: TFS
And since it's December, you know what? It's time to go Christmas shopping! You girls (and boys) have everything planned out? Or were you well organized enough to have knocked off a significant amount of it during the Blk Friday sales (this question is addressed to those in North America)? I haven't started and its giving me a headache just trying to think of what to get everyone!
I have to say it's by far my favorite out of all the Couture!! A flowing slim silhouette, the lacy sheer soft delicate fabrics, the elegant embroidery and those fine dresses!! Some of them slightly grecian. Every one of them red carpet worthy! Elie Saab made the most exquisite wedding gown out of all the AW07 offerings- will you just look at that!! Also, is anyone noticing that little white/ silver color trend coming through?
I love looking at backstage images because it depicts the madness and frenzy that is compulsory in preparing for any fashion show. That and the excessive amounts of fun the models appear to have (as well a glimpse into chic model style)! Currently, I've got a model crush on Belarusian Tanya Dyagileva because 1. She is a stunner and looks oh so ethereal! And 2. She delivers the ultimate poses backstage (hence, the photographers love her-)! Tanya scores bonus points because she's got a TFS account and is an absolute darling on there!
Photo cred: TFS (of course!)
Galliano promised an excellent and therefore highly anticipated Haute Couture show for the house's 60th anniversary... and where better to host it than Orangerie at the Versailles! The collection was HC in a very conventional way, going back to its roots for this special occasion. I adored the vast amount of references Galliano made in those extravagant ball gowns, even though it did make my head spin, because they consequently made be feel displaced by several decades: like I was revisiting history! All the exquisite details, the luxurious fabrics, the headpieces and the impressionist color palette! References to artists like Degas (one of my favorites!), Renoir and Goya. WOW. I am completely feasting upon this collection- it was even more of a production than Dior's usual shows!
This is one of my favorite looks. There was 8 hours of preparation for the show and worth every minute of it just by looking at the makeup! Each look was different to suit the outfit. Perfectionism at its best!
Headpiece with strong artistic references. This one is beautiful, and has a connection with Degas' dancers. So marvellous! What do you see in this detailed pic below?
Oh, I almost forgot the mention how great these shoes are!! Such elegance in the shape of the wedge. I see a little Marc Newson/ Frank Gehry in the metal...
This is a firm equal first with the Pringles ads!! That melancholic atmosphere coupled with the lighting! I think the beautiful dresses both juxtaposed and complemented the mysterious mood... making me think of femme fatales and dark bedrooms in that fabulous film noir style. It's also interesting that these ads couldn't have been more different to the SS07 ones, which had that fantastic old-world-classy Audrey Hepburnesque glow about it (Inguna anyone?), but both really fits the house to a T.
These ads are very very much Chloé, and I think that's about all I can say! I guess they decided to stick with their tried, tested and true formula for the brand's target audience. I'm not too sure about Shalom Harlow though, she seems a bit too elegant to be the easy-going au naturale beautiful Chloé woman. Apart from that, great to see Freja in Chloé and my God! Anja is totally rocking her new beautiful Edie haircut!
It gets a mention because of Julia Stegner, who have been fronting Hugo Boss wonderfully for quite a while until she got traded in this season for Catherine McNeil! Really wish Boss had kept her...
Quintessentially D&G, I suppose it might be considered a bit boring... but I like it! Very glamorous! The menswear influence is very now. It's fantastical! And look at Rachel Clark! I thought she really shone through in these ads. Why they feel a need to reuse the set bothers me though...
