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

tribute: dior couture f/w 2007 (60th anniversary)

It will become increasingly clear in these tributes that I am hugely biased when it comes to haute couture, but it's not my fault that the master couturiers are so damned good at what they do.

I prefer Spring/Summer couture collections to Winter/Fall as colours of the latter are almost always too subdue for my taste. But not in the Dior show, which celebrated the maison's 60th anniversary. It was another gorgeous show, though I still think the S/S 2007 show remains the best couture collection to date.

Commentary is really unnecessary.

Source: www.style.com

couture tribute: spring/summer 2007

I don't remember why 2007 is such a big year in my head... but I highly suspect it is because of the Spring/Summer  2007 Couture season. This was before the big financial crisis hit and the big guns put on show the most theatrical works with minimal regard for economic viability.

Of course much has changed since 2007. John Galliano is no longer with Christian Dior and Christian Lacroix filed for bankruptcy and staged his (possibly) last couture show in 2009. My love for Gaultier fluctuates, but I think he was on the top of his game in this season.

To me, these 3 shows are the epitome of the beauty, extravagance and flamboyance of haute couture. Enjoy.

Christian Dior

I remember the stir this particular collection caused in the fashion press. It is orgasmic. The Japanese references cannot be lost on anyone- the incredible construction of the origami dress, the fuschia suit and the exaggerated peplum of orange bloom. Galliano's skills as a couturier and his eye for colour are unparalleled- shame about the drunken antisemetic outburst.

Christian Lacroix

Spring. That's all I think of when I see this collection. It's not the most original theme, obviously, but Lacroix has the ultimate green fingers (what a clever pun). To this day, a Lacroix SS2007 CTW dress remains my dream wedding dress. I will take any of the above, though I am leaning towards the peach number that falls in the most delicate cascades of ruffles.

Jean Paul Gaultier

This is probably my favourite collection in terms of originality. Who else better than the enfant terrible to bring the Bible into fashion? The headpieces are stunning, obviously inspired by halos crowning the Virgin Mary in medieval religious paintings, and panels of these paintings feature in a couple of the dresses. The blues and the beige/browns really do it for me, especially the medieval-shaped dress on the bottom right and the sweeping blue gown with gold threading radiating from the divine (biblical) Madonna's heart.

Source: 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).

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