valentino, qatar and couture fall 2012

The first thing that I saw this morning when leaving the Liverpool Street tube station on the way to work was the newsflash that Valentino is in talks with the Qatari royal family for the latter to acquire the Valentino Fashion Group from private equity firm Primera.

Of course, we all remember the drama that accompanied the change in ownership in 2007, with Alessandra Fachinetti being sacked after 2 seasons despite an admirable effort to bring some youth to the maison.

Hopefully if the deal follows through, there will be much less turbulence at the creative helm, jointly held by former accessories designers, Pier Paolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri. With Valentino's stamp of approval, the brand's return to profits this year and a critically successful fall 2012 couture show, they are more than likely to stay put.

couture fall 2012 review: elie saab

Elie Saab isn't the most talented designer, but he does make the most heartwrenchingly beautiful dresses. The Elie Saab brand is stranded on the most elegant of inertias- we've all seen the dresses before, floor-length, simple shapes, an exceptional eye for embellishment. As long as the designer keeps on churning out these gorgeous dresses, and his clients keep buying them, the chances are he won't be pushing the envelope to propel himself to fashion greatness.

But when mediocrity is this beautiful, does it matter?

Source: www.style.com

couture fall 2012 review: Christian Dior

Raf Simons is an interesting appointment to Dior. Simons' sharp sartorial architecture for Jil Sander is more than well-known, though I'm not personally a huge fan. From the brilliant, over-the-top Galliano to the rather understated Simons is, I think, a brave move on the part of Dior.

To be honest, I didn't expect to like this collection. How could anyone replace Galliano, who has produced some of the greatest couture pieces in history?

Well, Simons wouldn't. He doesn't intend to either. The first look, a sleek black pant suit, could easily slot into a Jil Sander runway show. I guess it was a clear statement that he'd be doing Dior his way. The Dior references were indeed present. There was the occasional dip into floral and bright hues, but only paired with tuxedo pants and simple silhouettes. The New Look was revived in the most amazing white organza strapless dress, 'embroidered with Pontillists degrade chiffon', a surprisingly refreshing look.

But the ultimate homage to the house of Dior was the insanely beautiful set made up of a million flowers. Cue a million sighs.

Source: Dior, www.style.com

couture fall 2012 review: Versace

Real life has been busy- just started interning with the marketing department at a law firm yesterday, which I think is an excellent excuse for being late on the Paris Couture Week, Fall 2012.

Let's start with Versace. I'm a big fan of the maison- Donatella knows how to design for the sexy, confident woman.

The up-to-there slits, bold prints and colours are all Versace signatures, and some dresses suggested more RTW than CTW to me. But the refinement of the beading, draping and corsetry of others certainly speaks the language of fine couture. I especially love that the thigh-high slits on evening gowns were made more subtle and feminine by clouds of opaque fabric. I would have liked to see more of the sharp and glamorous tailoring like the opening look, a beige suit jacket threaded in gold and clinched by a femme fatale belt.

The couture collection shared the limelight with the Atelier Versace Jewellery collection on the runway. The jewellery line comprises 16 hand-sculpted rings mounted with a range of precious stones, and Donatella has sparkling big plans for the future- the chief executive of Versace has announced the brand's intention to launch standalone stores for the Atelier Versace Jewellery.

My only critique? The shoes. The straps are awkward and would look extremely unflattering on normal-sized calves. But I'll choose to turn a blind eye to them.

Image source: www.style.com

paris couture week autumn/winter 2012/13

Continuing with the Paris theme (third time today), Mode à Paris has released the schedule for Paris Couture Week! Extremely psyched. Highlights for me:

1 July

Versace

2 July

Christian Dior

Giambattista Valli

3 July

Chanel

Georgio Armani Prive

Givenchy

4 July

Elie Saab

Jean Paul Gaultier

Valentino

Counting down... 18 days.

In anticipation of Paris Couture Week, I think it's fitting to do a series of tributes to past Couture weeks... starting with the legendary Spring/Summer Season 2007 (dun dun dun).

balenciaga saint-honoré boutique, paris

I must admit that even though I LOVE Balenciaga (the first designer bag I ever saved up for and bought with my money is a second-hand 2007 teal Balenciaga City with gunmetal hardware, a limited edition for Nieman Marucs), I've never been to any of their boutiques. I'm not even embarrassed to confess that I find these shops exceedingly intimidating.

But then I saw these photos of their new boutique in on rue St-Honore in Paris, and I think I might swing by next weekend when I'm in town. I love the clashing colours and patterns, the way the lights are arranged makes it look the store is made up of different runways. It is a perfect reflection of Ghesquiere's modern and even futuristic design ethos. Models would be perfectly at home walking up and down the store in the Spring 2007 RTW collection, still one of my favourite shows to date.

Actually, I could picture myself looking there...

Source: Balenciaga

elie saab: balade a paris

Exams are over, summer is here... well, if it ever stops raining.

I am counting down the 10 days till Paris, my second time in the capital of romance. Looking forward to an amazing meal at Le Restaurant and Au Petit Sud Ouest, lingering at the Musée de l'Armée, eating macarons at Parc Monceau, flitting from stall to stall at the Marché Bastille, and watching the sun set behind the Eiffel Tower.

Coincidentally, Elie Saab released this beautiful short film, Balade a Paris, introducing their Pre-Fall line in Paris last Friday. It's absolutely gorgeous. The screenshots don't do the video justice.

Images: Elie Saab

harvey nichols: jizz in your pants?

I have an exam tomorrow but I must post this: the Harvey Nichols Summer Sale ads.

How bad are these ads? I get it if it's a guy, he's so excited that he jizzes in his pants. Haha (marginally). But what about the girls? So excited that they pee in their panties?

Bad, bad, bad. Or is it just me who doesn't have a sense of humour? (It must be the former.)

Source: Ads of the World

oscar de la renta bridal 2013

Bridal fashion is, obviously, a secret guilty pleasure of any girl, me included (obviously, hot on the heels of the post of Richard Nicoll for Topshop bridal).

I'm rather slow to hop on the bandwagon of worship for Oscar de la Renta's 2013 bridal collection, but in my defence I didn't have a blog at the time of the show. And ohhhhh, it's divine! I'm admittedly not a huge fan of de la Renta, but this bridal collection is just spot-on.

I love the matte, soft textures with just the right stiffness to give the dresses shape- the silhouettes are so classy whilst maintaining a delicate, feminine touch. I love the veils, the very Grace Kelly high lace-collar, and particularly the one-shoulder, almost regal gown with the organza (I think) overlays. The flowers are another great touch, not sure if it's a standard bridal show practice, but the they really set the mood for me.

I was a bit averse to the strong colours at Vera Wang Bridal, I'm still a complete conformist when it comes to bridal wear palettes. The ice-blue bridesmaid dresses are perfect, throwing in just the right amount of colour so the collection stands out. And of course, the flower girls are just adorable!

The dress on the right: the texture of the icy blue fabric and the flowing train = absolute perfection

Images from Oscar de la Renta

richard nicoll for topshop bridal... I say no

I randomly stumbled across Topshop's blog post about a bridal collection a week back, and the couple of pictures released didn't give me high hopes. Now that the whole line's been revealed, can I just say one thing... poor effort, poor effort.

Obviously, 'Blushing Brides' is not meant for the traditional bride. Grazia describes it as a range for 'hipster brides', a writer on the Fashion Spot says 'its definitely unconventional and notable because it's the first bridal-specific offering for Nicoll and Topshop both.' Meanwhile, at Fashoinista, another blogger contends that 'They’d make for excellent, statement-making wedding dresses (for a very bold, non-traditional bride)'.

Am I the only one who thinks that these dresses are a joke?

Topshop, £170

Image: Telegraph
Left: £170; Right: £200

Image: Telegraph
Left: £170; Right: £350

I'm sure Topshop can get away with this... after all it is a very Topshop-looking capsule collection, and it is a niche, one-off event. Only 50 pieces each will be sold. To be fair, I quite like the pink dress above, but definitely not for a wedding. And for £170? No thank you. That white slip of a dress that looks more like a nightie than a proper dress? £170? And the corset with a maxi skirt, for £350?

Seems to me the collection is completely out of touch, but hey, it's Topshop, but this time more than ever it feels like they're rubberstamping their label on a barely mediocre collection and passing it as 'cool'. Just like the ridiculous 'Jubilee fashion spectacular' they held at their flagship store a few days ago. It really makes you doubt the credibility of Topshop as a tastemaker in the industry...

Watch the 'spectacular' here.

Okay, I'm all for the Diamond Jubilee, I think the Queen is one amazing lady with great style. And of course I've expected all the commercialisation of the Monarchy we have seen with Jubilee clothes, Jubilee jewellery, Jubilee teacups, Jubilee aprons... But, eyelashes?

Topshop £12

I know it's not specifically about the Jubilee, but damn, London skyline lashes? I can't begin to imagine how bad these will look.


But I do adore this cupcake set, how cute is it (if a bit steep)?

Topshop £10

 I also have to admit that i rather fancy this ring...

Topshop £10

"art"/300512

So you give me this and this, and I come up with this.

Karen Elson by Nick Knight, Vogue UK, October 2008

friends for fashion

I watch a lot of Friends. Obsessively, really. Thing is I can't revise without some noise in the background, and since I've seen the show about 30 times back to back, I can play the show without getting distracted, but when I do feel like being distracted, I get some laughs. Win-win.

So I was being distracted one day, by the One With Ross's New Girlfriend, specifically, and I realised that the skirt Rachel was wearing was selling on ASOS. Friends is no Gossip Girl, obviously, but it's still fun to put together this post- what goes around definitely comes back around in fashion.

The high-low hem: not a big fan but I just find it freakishly prophetic.

Jennifer Aniston as Rachel in Season 2, The One with Ross's New Girlfriend, 1995

Left/Right

The collar: which everyone is crazy about right now.

The gorgeous Brooke Shields guest starring in Season 2, The One after the Superbowl part 1, 1996

Left/Centre/Right

The Chanel cardigan: never gets old...

Random Rachel's friend in Season 1, The One with George Staphanopoulos, 1994

Left/Centre/Right

Screenshots taken by me (apologies for the low quality), images all from ASOS.