Valentino Has a Roman Romance for Spring 2013
Valentino designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli sure know how to make the prettiest dresses.
Wednesday October 3rd, 2012
Thursday October 6th, 2011
Trendspotting: Patch It Up
As if the prints, prints, and more prints trend wasn’t enough this season, Paris fashion week has shown us how it can be taken even further… putting them all together through patchwork, of course! Many designers have included the technique this week, from Miu Miu‘s precious retro wallpaper shifts to Balenciaga‘s archival prints on long, Read more →
Paris Beauty Roundup Spring 2012: The Best and the Quirkiest
It’s hard to generalize about the beauty looks across the major fashion capitals, but we’re going to go ahead and do it anyway. New York is either easy-breezy or loud and brash. London makeup artists usually go crazy with their palettes, while Milan is generally sophisticated and strong. Paris, much like many of the runway collections, is pretty with a theatrical streak.
Check out our favorite looks (which, as usual, are the ones that are the most fun to look at.) Though this season we may have to try a few of these out in real life.
Photos: Imaxtree
Paris Fashion Week Spring 2012: The 10 Best Collections
Hailee Steinfeld, Future Fashion Blogger? The Actress Talks Fashion, Tavi and Blogging at Miu Miu
PARIS–15-year-old Miu Miu campaign face Hailee Steinfeld looked perfectly adorable (and age appropriate) at yesterday’s Miu Miu show in a flouncy beige party frock with a pink bodice and oversized bow at the back. It’s been a whirlwind year for the actress since she burst onto the scene after her standout performance in True Grit, and endeared herself to the fashion set wearing well-chosen Prada, Miu Miu and Stella McCartney looks on the red carpet. She sealed the deal with Miu Miu and landed their stellar Bruce Weber-shot fall campaign.
We checked in with the preternaturally poised starlet about her past year in fashion, Tavi, and blogging about fashion.
The Critics Aren’t Done With Kanye Yet (Plus, What Anna Wintour Had to Say About His Debut Collection)
If Kanye West thought that he was done reading embarrassing things about his debut collection, he unfortunately has one more to get through. In the New York Times, Eric Wilson explored some of the hurdles Kanye is facing and also analyzes whether or not the rapper really understands what he needs to do to improve. Plus Wilson got some absolutely golden quotes from fashion industry people about the collection.
The piece starts off with this gem, after describing that f-bomb heavy speech Kanye gave at his after party:
“I gave you everything that I had,” [Kanye] said, one of his few printable remarks.
If that is true, Mr. West faces bigger obstacles in life than credit-card debt. His show was described by those who attended as, at best, a disappointment, and yet the rapper could be found almost everywhere during Paris Fashion Week defending himself.
Other salient points:
Revealed: The Chanel Spring 2012 Nail Polishes
OK, so maybe we were a bit too enthusiastic in our last post about the Chanel polishes you’ll be wearing next spring. Turns out that the pearly white seen on many of the models might not even be produced, according to Beauty Counter Blog, who had the good fortune to be backstage at the Chanel Read more →
Paco Rabanne Spring 2012: Manish Arora Debuts His First Collection for the Label with a Futuristic Bang
PARIS–”I think it was a good match when they chose me,” Manish Arora said after his first show at the helm of Paco Rabanne, which has not shown ready to wear since 2006. A good match, indeed. Arora, whose own line is known for campy showmanship, a yen for the sci-fi, and the use of vivid colors, was well suited to take on the label started by Rabanne in 1966.
Rabanne’s first revolutionary collection in 1966 was called “12 unwearable dresses”–dresses made of unconventional materials like metal and plastic. Arora’s debut collection for the line paid homage to that first Rabanne collection with paneled chain mail dresses that fit like gloves. “The workmanship is similar [between my own line and Paco Rabanne's],” Arora said. “We like to work hard, we like to make dresses that take 25 people and 20 days to make and that’s the value of Paco Rabanne that I appreciate and that’s the common factor.”
Light was paramount to the collection, Rabanne said, and futuristic mini dresses with exaggerated hips and strong shoulders were done in shiny high gloss materials that reflected the neon lights of the entrance space of the Centre Pompidou museum, the appropriate modern setting for show.
Wednesday October 5th, 2011
Peek-a-Boo, I See You: Designers Go Sheer, Slashed and See-Through
You might want to invest in some really nice bras and panties come spring–you know, the kind you won’t mind everyone seeing. That is unless you want to wear these looks directly off the Paris runways–in which case, just throw them out.
There’s always a bit of nudity on the runways, especially in Paris where they just don’t care as much, but from completely sheer frocks, to hip-high slits (and Karlie Kloss’ bare bum closing Dior), we’ve seen more of models than usual. While we don’t mind a little nudity on the runway, let’s just hope this trend doesn’t catch on with the red carpet crowd (Lindsay Lohan, we’re looking at you).
And now, without further ado, our favorite peek-a-boo moments from the collections.
Miu Miu Spring 2012: Twisted Fairy Tales
PARIS–We always look forward to Miu Miu as our final show of Paris Fashion Week. The front row is reliably stacked with their darling devotees–campaign girl Hailee Steinfeld was there looking lovelier than ever in a Miu Miu party frock with a giant pink bow on the back; so was actress Juno Temple, and too many It-girls to count (Alexa Chung, Elettra Wiedemann, Poppy Delevigne, Caroline Sieber, and the Courtin Clarins girls to name just a few).
Come spring, those It-girls will be clamoring for pointy toed mules that looked part Wicked Witch of the East (after Dorothy’s house has landed on her) and part Louis XIV. The knee-high boot version with cowgirl-esque leather floral appliques up the side will be in-demand too, no doubt. As will their matching lady-like purses. The more daring trendsetters (and street style stars) will go for the little garden pail bags in bright satins.
While the accessories were cheery, the show opened on a rather moody note.
See Carine Roitfeld and Lots of Fashion People Dressed as Vampires (Plus Karlie Kloss Nearly Nude Again) at Irreverent Launch Party
Carine Roitfeld threw a launch party for her new book Irreverent in Paris last night. The theme was bal des vampires, meaning it was basically this season’s answer to last year’s French Vogue masquerade ball.
The fashion crowd went with the theme–some full on (Olivier Theyskens), some only slightly more vampiric than usual (Julia Restoin Roitfeld), some just dressed in black (Kanye West) and one guest wore a giant red Giles Deacon X Stephen Jones swan on her head (guess who!). It’s hard to tell whether or not Karl Lagerfeld dressed up and Karlie Kloss let us know that her recent penchant for near-nudity is not relegated to magazines and runways. She wore a risqué black Anthony Vaccarello gown (which she also wore on the runway) that revealed most of her torso and had a slit that went all the way to the hip.
If anything, this was a pretty awesome party idea–and just in time for Halloween. Who do you think did vampire chic best?
Valentino Spring 2012: Delicate Daydreams
PARIS–There was a lot to love about Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli’s spring collection for Valentino: 1) gorgeous red-carpet-worthy lace and sheer gowns, in the usual palette of Valentino-red, black and beige, livened up with floral embroidery done in Jil Sander spring 2011-esque fluorescents; 2) the signature ruffles were there but there was also a fresh new strapless tent silhouette that fell straight away from the body; 3) they made eveningwear look good with flats; 4) there was air conditioning (wha happened, Lanvin?).
