favorite shows from FW 2013 - part 2

continuing what I started in part 1 earlier this week, here are another three of my favorite collections from the fall-winter 2013 season. this one tends to be a very nostalgic and feminine chapter.

valentino

it's all about the face in this vermeer-inspired collection. opening with various reinterpretations of ysl's iconic school girl dress (seen here on catherine deneuve in belle de jour), it's only natural that artfully face-framing collars of all sorts play the leading role. saturated hues of black, ruby and sapphire and a delicate ivory dominated the color palette of the collection, while deliciously creamy fabrics, impeccable lace and ever-so-elegant embroidery tend to steal the spotlight back and forth from each other. overall a beautiful journey through old and new, traditional and the contemporary. maria grazia chiuri and pierpaolo piccioli are certainly establishing themselves as a very foolproof designer duo.

 rochas

put a belt on it! in his penultimate collection for rochas, designer marco zanini takes us to a journey through the 1950's. rich in both texture (knit, velvet, mink, silk and wool) and in character: sometimes it's a hitchcock blonde, sometimes it's audrey hepburn in funny face climbing up the famous steps of montmartre, and sometimes just a boarding school girl in her pajamas absconding for the night. sombre colors like taupe, camel, prune, cream, khaki and mahogany add an explicitly nostalgic spirit into the collection, but punches of apricot, acid yellow, sky blue and baby pink cheer it all up. my favorites happen to be those mouth-watering silk pajama suits, skirts- both pencil and full, and that perfect little black dress. I'm planning to form my entire winter wardrobe around this collection.

christian dior

raf simons uses impressively simplistic 1950's (which happens to be the fashion house's heydays) silhouettes as a canvas for the collection where he plays with the patterns and illustrations freely. what grabs the attention the most is what simons calls memory dresses, where the black or white garnment is used as a mere sketchbook to demonstrate embroidered recreations of andy warhol's early drawings. I reckon these will quickly become collectors' pieces. however, the star of the collection for me is pied-de-poule, or the alice in wonderland treatment simons gives to the classic pattern: cuts it open, dichotomizes it, bends it up, magnifies and miniaturizes it.

I'll have to admit one thing here- when raf simons presented his first collection as the new creative director of dior, I wasn't as crazy enthusiastic as everyone else. sure I was happy that dior finally got rid of john galliano's VA-VA-VA-VA-WHOOOSH-EIGHT-DAYS-A-WEEK. plus, the pieces were honestly pretty revolutionary and quite impeccable by themselves, but (and a big 'but' indeed- pun not intended) well, not always that much so on women (such as here). there were times I thought simons didn't get the female body well enough, for which I blamed his roots in furniture design. but this collection made me get rid of all doubts. there's usually usually a tradeoff between freshness and brand heritage when a new designer acquires the position at a namesake brand, but raf simons captures that specific dior sensitivity galliano never did, while being progressive as mr. dior himself once was, rather than being fully stuck with the brand's past. I'm not sure whether that means anything, but he should know that he has my full blessing.

favorite shows from FW 2013 - part 1

now that we've all more or less been exposed to the full-on autumn chill, it's time to remember our favorites from the fall-winter 2013 collections. since I've simply got too many shows I want to talk about, I'm planning to do this in three parts to facilitate the reading process. enjoy & feel free to rave about your favorites in the comments section!

louis vuitton

marc jacobs presented this charming collection of what I call post-coital retro at right where it belongs: "hotel louis vuitton", which was constructed inside louvre museum specifically for the show. paying ode to a beautifully stripped-down liz taylor in butterfield 8; robes, pj pants, satin camis, embellished tulle nightgowns, and lace-edged slip dresses reinterpreted with houndstoot tweed (which were my favorite of the collection), all told the unmistakably particular story of a walk of shame- a very chic one indeed. and I'm pretty glad that the louis vuitton woman has to endure this- you know, some lingerie just has to be seen (although in some looks she had a few really nice coats on to cover up her boudoir chic, but even at those cases she couldn't help but allow us a glimpse into her slip). the dusty color palette consisting of lavender, navy, cream, taupe, moss and touches of flirtatious black seemed secretive rather than demure.

dries van noten

sturdy, shiny oxfords, suits pants, classic blazers and coats, crisp button-down shirts are decorated with feathers, flapper fringes, embellishments, tulle- all that glitters.inspired by the legendary dance partners ginger rogers and fred astaire from the 1930s, the collection is constantly strolling around the absolute edges of both femininity and masculinity, all in once. one thing that stays put during these back-and-forth trips is the vintage-mindedness. strangely, this doesn't feel at all like a case of victor/victoria. this feels very, very right. PS mr. van noten, we've been getting along really, really well lately, aren't we? your spring-summer 2013 was probably my favorite collection in years, just quietly, until this one came along. and, fyi, I'm on the verge of calling you my absolute favorite fashion designer.

alberta ferretti

oh helllloooo downton abbey, perhaps with a touch of the age of innocence. as we watch a young girl mature into a woman through this beautiful collection, the velvet is soft and the embroideries are delicate. serenity of fully saturated colors and uber-luxurious details also seem to accompany her in this sensitive period of passage and help her to figure it out. ferretti certainly knows a thing or two about this whole femininity thing. I also love the idea of adding a touch of the uber-chic late-fifties-to-early-sixties figure to a very fin de siècle spirit.


congrats, you've somehow managed to reach the end of part 1- can't wait to talk about dior, rochas & valentino awesomeness in the next episode of fall collections ravemania with deniz.

breton time!

sometimes I hear people talking about me as "the girl in stripes". oh, you can't possibly know how I love breton tops! they work absolutely every way possible- combine with cigarette pants and flats and you're audrey hepburn. wear it under a trench and you're a parisiénne. mix and match with other patterns to add an eclectic appeal. wear it under your blazer and pants for a smart casual business look.

 

the undeniable charm of breton shirt, popsiclepout tarafından long sleeved blouses ile yaratıldı

those of you who know me have probably heard that I'm leaving for paris next month, to study there till june. as someone who is obsessed with french chic, I know it would be a fatal mistake to go without a real proper breton. not that I don't own countless breton-like striped shirts and sweaters- so many it's ridiculous, but I'm lacking a "real deal", a heavy-cotton, heavy-duty fishing breton shirt; ohe of those they call "meridien."

I had my eyes on this GAP one for a while; the shape is surprisingly right and the material is thick as I wanted it to be, and quite cheap compared to other options, but it happened to be out of stock when I finally went to buy it. argh!

GAP, $29

 A.P.C. makes these wonderful -but overpriced- ones. oh, some day...

A.P.C., $200

J.Crew sells this lovely one buy the quintessential french brand St James, at a more accessible $85.

J.Crew Saint James, $85

meanwhile; let's get some inspiration from the "forefathers":

audrey hepburn

brigitte bardot

charlotte gainsbourg

lou douillon

the sartorialist

there's more to life than books, but not much more.

bookstores have always mesmerised me with their stylishness and tranquility. warm lights, that delicious book scent diffused all around and the almost infinite selection of books to lose yourself in makes an irresistible combination. and for a trip to bookstore, what kind of apparel can be a better choice  than 50's-style girly frocks combined with classic accesorizing and horn-rimmed nerd glasses? 

seems like I desperately need to spare a lazy saturday just to hang around in a cozy bookstore. some great new books and magazines along with a good cup of coffee- oh, it sounds like a dream to me now.

"smart dressing" by olivia graham for the gloss, via sarah klassen

j. press goes high street.

good news: preppy menswear label J. Press has collaborated with urban outfitters (which might be my favorite store in the whole world) for a collegiate-inspired  collection. a tie in princeton orange, a scarf in dartmouth green, a belt in cornell red- perfect for a secret prepster wannabe like I am. though it's a menswear collection, I wouldn't mind getting my hands on a couple of these cuties. sadly, it's only available stateswide. not so good news.

he knows so much about these things.

talk about head-to-toe perfection- this londoner has everything, absolutely everything to make a man charming.

from street style aesthetic, my  favorite street style blog lately.

we will always have paris.

from paris s/s 11 fashion week.

here you have the epitome of french chic: you don't need a tremendous amount of effort or terribly flashy pieces. just a beret, a chanel breton shirt, high-waisted trousers, ballerina flats and a slick of red lipstick. skill of effortlessly playing up basics is what defines parisienne style to me.
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photo source: TFS forum.

let's google "school satchel" together.

I know what I said yesterday, but now the idea of skipping on the school satchel-inspired mulberry alexa and getting a real vintage school satchel instead is growing on me. I love how it's the "real deal", and it appeals immensely to my nerdy side. plus, this way I can save some cash. okay, more than some.

after a day of countless obsessive ebay, etsy, vintage e-shop and google searches with different combinations of the same four or five words related to the topic (mom had to warn me, after seeing a different tan school satchel on the screen of my laptop for the millionth time), here you have what I put together for inspiration.

first things first: alexa chung with her mulberry elkington briefcase.

 clever nettle

tess p from lookbook

eve's eden

lucy player

mulberry elkington

asos (last year's, out of stock now. otherwise I would have bought it already)

cambridge satchel company

(some website of which track I've lost)

while I'm off to google "vintage camel school satchel", please let me know what you think!

let's fall in love with ipekyol's f/w collection.

I had been planning to talk about turkish fashion scene here for a while. today I'll introduce you to a turkish brand, ipekyol. it's a favorite shopping spot for both my mother and myself, with its ageless high-quality designs and timeless investment pieces.

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I took a look at their fall/winter lookbook and it made me so proud that a a turkish brand has created such a great collection, with some lovely visuals on the lookbook, and I immediately knew I had to share it with my lovely readers. take a look at some of my favorite pieces from the collection, and don't forget to see the whole lookbook here, it's lovely and full of inspiration. seems like I'll break the bank this fall.

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 this must be the perfect camel coat, with its perfect shade, military accents and jackie o appeal. I especially love their "camel is the new black" sub-collection, there's a camel coat for everyone.

these lovely chanel-inspired cardigans and blouse seem quite heirloom-worthy. not-so-surprisingly, I can't help but want them all.

classics with a twist- have breakfast at tiffany's, your way.

basics, redefined.

I must thank ipekyol's super-kind public relations department, as I was sent the scans as soon as I asked.

classy.

from elle.com

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twelve by twelve resort '10 lookbook: paris, je t'aime!

twelve by twelve resort 2010 collection has truly amazed me. it has the parisienne theme all over it. the collection features three gorgeous sections including "french revolution", "blvd. saint germain" and "paris rocks".

 can you tell I'm obsessed with parisian chic?

french revolution: "with all the pomp and circumstance worthy of the world's most decorated officers, we celebrate with tiers of taffeta ruffles, shaped double-breasted silhouettes, brass buttons and beautiful ornate trims all in the colors of the national flag of france. from the arc de triomphe to the grandest cities of the world with style!"

blvd. saint germain: "from the fashion houses of paris along the most beautiful streets of the world comes the elegance and chic borne of the city of lights. softened by lace, chiffon ruffles, and pleats... the classics of cafe society."

 paris rocks: "she exudes star quality with an edge. clearly comfortable from street style to stage her eighties vibe rocks glammed up casual with big chunky stones, giant hardware, cut outs, and fringe... euro chic with attitude!"

love.