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.

knit headbands.

accompanying the gorgeous retro buns in prada f/w 2010 fashion show were cable knit headbands in shades of beige, camel, black and blue. these little beauties have such a cozy, down-to-earth but ridiculously elegant retro appeal, I think I'm obsessed! and it's something you can ask your grandma to knit for you... or knit yourself, if you're crafty enough, which I'm not.

match them to your hair or your eyes, pick a contrasting shade- it's all good.

what do you think?

.

camel lessons from fall runway

it's finally september and for the first time in monts I got cold today, which should give me enough excuse to do more fall posts.

I've been collecting tips on how to use camel from f/w runway shows. here you have some. enjoy!

1. to add an edge; complete a soft, feminine all-camel ensemble with a denim shirt.

learn from:

chloé

and me, of course. my way:

2. combine camel with gray and tomboy/menswear inspired items for a super-cool schoolgirl finish.

learn from:

dkny

3.1 philip lim

dries van noten

hussein chalayan

 

my way:

3. keep the retro vibe alive by combining camel with shades of navy, jade, citrus and burnt orange.

learn from:

marni

rochas

 

my way:

berry-stained lips

I've always loved the idea of a berry-stained pout. strong color meets sheer texture for a flattering and natural look that's a bit innocent and childish -think popsicle pout- and thanks to its "just-bitten" appeal, definitely unusually sultry, in an appropriate way of course.

nowadays; deep cherry, mulberry or wine shades are growing on me. though it's usually more common on fall/winter fashion shows, I find it to be such a fresh look for the spring. especially paired with nude outfits, it's just irresistible.
 
since it's so striking on its own, you don't really need to put a lot of effort on the rest of your face- I complete the look with pale, natural-looking skin, subtly defined brows, a bit of barely-there highlighter and a dash of mascara.

to get this look; you can go for either a lipstain, sheer lipstick or gently pat a more opaque lippie and smudge it for a matte transparent finish. another technique is to put a thick swipe of deep lipstick on, leave it on for a couple minutes, then blot it off with a tissue- this really stains your lips.

I use a sheer berry lipstick that's slightly dewy in texture, but also willing to try a stain ASAP!

1. Laura Mercier lipstain in Mulberry
2. Nars lipstain gloss in Victoria
3. Smashbox photo finish lipstick in Ravishing
4. 3 Custom Color lip and cheek stain in Ski Bunny
5. Bobbi Brown pot rouge for lips & cheeks in Chocolate Cherry
6. CoverGirl outlast lipstain in Sassy Mauve
7. Urban Decay lip envy in Greedy
8. Givenchy printed lips lip stainer in Pink Impression

is there anything more french than a wine-stained pout? try this look with classic french chic items, believe me it works.

berry lips, popsiclepout tarafından Chanel bags ile yaratıldı

a berry lip is just delicious and pretty striking paired with gray.

berry lips, popsiclepout tarafından Donna Karan sweaters ile yaratıldı

this spring's boudoir-esque nudes get along pretty well with berry-stained lips.

berry lips, popsiclepout tarafından Mulberry bags ile yaratıldı

greige nails

chanel has been setting the nail trends lately- remember the jade-mania, which I'm definitely not over yet, and not planning to be anytime soon. 

this season, "the one" is called particuliére, a pretty taupe shade (or "greige" -for gray/beige-, as they say nowadays). first seen @ chanel's s/s 2010 fashion show, suiting the rustic, natural appeal of the collection, it quickly spread from runways to red carpets & streets.

as it's in a point between some of my favorite nail colors, it immediately appealed to me- certainly more neutral and flattering than gray and more interesting than beige/nude. cool without being overly dramatic. I can see it going very well with this spring's sheer/boudoir trend, complementing english rose patterns -as always, my favorite for the spring, or balancing out brights. so, I'm almost certain to try it soon. do you think it's wearable, or planning to sport it yourself anytime soon?

lagerfeld's latest muse lilly allen sporting greige.

to complete the soft gray look in his a/w 2010 collection, marc jacobs went for a bunch of different custom-made greige shades on models' nails- check them out all here.

lovely gwyneth paltrow with greige nails- it looks delicious on navy, what a great work with colors!

here's our guy- chanel particuliére. for a more shimmery alternative, trapéze and kaléidoscope, both from chanel aswell, would do.

I don't think I've ever paid a bottle of nailpolish over 2 pounds (believe me, even that really hurt), and in that matter I don't really think anybody should either, leave alone 25 dollars, and it seems like a very dupe-able color.  

nails inc. jermyn street

OPI tickle my france-y

this swatch from makeup cafe seems like a good guideline.

you can even think of mixing one yourself: take a bottle of beige and just a little bit of black polish, et voila, perfect and dirt-cheap greige nails!