Miu Miu Fall 2016

The trend of today seems quirkly playful and all out eccentric, which is certainly what Miuccia Prada brought to the table with this season's Miu Miu collection. 
With the current grannified eccentricity vibe we are seeing at Gucci, it is no wonder that more and more designers are becoming intrigued by this movement and eager to explore the niche hype of 'heirloom dressing'.
Today, Miuccia toyed with the ideas of eclectic V modern- factoring in the old and the new. We saw the revival of the late 70s, early 80s with of course a generous dose of 50s Hollywood glamour. Think carpet tapestry maxi skirts, velour evening wear and wide array of taffeta dresses. There were also hints of the more dandy, gentrified look- waxy parkas with furred up forearms, (seen on Kendall) tweed suits + jodhpurs and lastly topped off with sartorially shaped military proportions.

Tapestry maxi

Adriana Lima

Kendall Jenner

Tweed jodhpur suits

A contributing early historical element also came into play. More a melange of the romantic and medieval era than anything. Hence the highfalutin silk velvet brocades coated in subdued pinks and turquoises, transposed onto 50's opera coats or on the full-skirts.
Although extremely romanticized, we still had a lot masculinity. Pinstripe shirts, boxer shorts, (seen on Taylor Hill) and utility jackets all worked well with the feminine pieces to mitigate the formality and at the same time up the luxuriousness.

Silk velvet brocades

Masculinized proportions

Taylor Hill

I adored those small touches that radiated this sheer sense of opulence; from the Baroque upholstered fabrics and the jewel-toned bags, to those divine ballerina dresses with asymmetrical hem-lines. Those little motifs completed the heirloom way of dressing. It is almost as if the woman has picked up what she has found at her Grandparents' house: a string of pearls, fluffy slippers, family jewels, pocket squares and copious amounts of fur.

Baroque upholstered fabrics

Ballerina Dresses

Miu Miu, being the last fashion show of Paris Fashion Week, gave us a good indication to what's in store for the future state of the house. Diversity seems to be the most accentuated trend of them all this season and it was so good to see that Miu Miu casted more models of colour. Especially models of much more resplendent, fuller shapes as well.
This was by far my favourite Miu Miu collection to date.

Please Note: I do not own any of these images, courtesy of vogue.co.uk

Oscars 2016 Red Carpet Critique

Ah that time of the year has finally arrived, the 88th Academy Awards, the most prestigious event in the Hollywood calendar. Now, before I begin I must put out a disclaimer just in case you admire one of the celebrities and/or their attire and I do not. I am deeply sorry if I offend thee, now let us begin:

I think we shall start off with Rooney Mara who wore this darling gown by Givenchy. 'Have I seen it before?' Do I hear you mumble... YES, yes you have! I don't know what her game is but she definitely wears the exact same Givenchy dress to every single red-carpet appearance, it's the same cut and silhouette although maybe a different fabric. It is almost as if she's trying to embody a ghost bride. She actually exuded a positive emotion- a hint of a smile which is shocking because Rooney always looks like she feels pain.
Rooney, darling come on, you look divine darling but it's getting tiresome now... its a 7.9/10.

Olivia Wilde in this exquisite Valentino Couture has to be one of my best dressed of the night. Yes, yes we shall address the fact that she has actually brush contoured her breasts in a minute.
This dress, on the other hand, is truly sumptuous. Can we take a moment to appreciate those pleats- cut into perfectly proportioned pieces that add to the sheer ethereality factor.
Now shall we mention the torso? Hmm I think not. 9/10

I adore everything about Alicia Vikander. Her awards season style has been exceptional, not forgetting her simply outstanding performance in The Danish Girl. (which saw her take home best supporting actress)
We've really seen her red-carpet style evolve; as spokeswoman for Louis Vuitton it only seems wise that she has chosen some of the most extraordinary gowns created by Nicholas Ghersquiere at Vuitton.
I, however, feel like she has let herself down at the last hurdle with this buttercup yellow mullet dress. I do not like how Ghersquiere has transposed those futuristic embellishments used in last season's SS16 collections onto the gown and I feel like he could have cut the hem-line instead of ruching and folding it up into the interior body, because frankly it looks like those tacky duvets one purchases at Argos. 6/10

If I was the stylist who decided to put Heidi Klum in that, I would have fled for my life. It seems that Halloween has come early this year, however in the form of Disney meets My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. I feel like someone must have told her that she can wear anything and pull it off...this though, uhuh. I can venture a guess how innocent Donatella Versace felt when Heidi suggested that she wanted to sever her couture creation and let her arm breathe.. it did not go down well. Who knows, perhaps Heidi suffers from extreme perspiration? Seems perfectly logical to me. 3.6/10

Cate Blanchett was undoubtedly my best dressed of the night. She wore this Armani Prive gown embellished with soft Swarovski pastel flowers. She epitomizes perfection on every single level. 10/10!

I was rather let down by Kate Winslet. I do not, and I repeat, do not like this dress! Essentially Ralph Lauren has made her a black bin bag or space latex, one could interpret this dress in a multitude of ways. It does nothing for her figure, it just looks frumpy- I'm afraid to say.
It seems there were many political campaigns at this year's Oscars, and I think Kate represented the BP oil spill campaign. Tragic..5/10

Julianne Moore looked immaculate in this Chanel Couture gown. Apparently Karl Lagerfeld and a 22 person strong team took 500 hours to create this dress and lordy has it paid off?! Layer on layer of black lace made up the main body of the gown, followed  by the X neckline encrusted in semi-precious stones. J'adore.. The only piece of criticism I have is with those O earrings, they just did not work. 9/7/10

Rachel McAdams tragically exemplified why women at these events cannot sit down. Why? Because they'll grease their gowns and that is what she's done here. However, I think in terms of it being Rachel McAdams she looks a firm 8/10. She has definitely come a long way:

Lady Gaga sneaking a cheeky jumpsuit in when everyone thought it was a ball gown. She looks darling, like a polished wishbone. Loving the normality of everything Gaga is trying to emulate at this current moment also. 8.4/10

Saoirse Ronan shows us how to slay the red carpet. She chose this angelic Calvin Klein Collection emerald green jewel-tone gown. Saoirse is the embodiment of the CK woman- muted colour palettes and a minimal yet restrained way of dressing 9.8/10

Last but not least we have Brie Larson, winner of the Best Actress categories throughout this entire award's season for her powerfully emotive performance as Joy in Room.
Her red-carpet style this season has been flawless. From the bejewelled Calvin Klein,  deconstructed Atelier Versace to this deep marine blue Gucci- she has chosen well.
This dress, surprisingly, is actually quite refined for the house of Gucci. With the appointing of new creative director Alessandro Michele, we have seen a vision we thought we would never see in Italian fashion- eclectic, androgynous, grannified, quirkly vintage and a suppressed profound luxuriousness.
I love this marine colour on Brie, it perfectly compliments her skin tone. I also admire how Michele has put subtle references from his collections into the gown, like those paper thin ruffles and the floral adorned belt. It's a 9.9/10 from me.

Please Note: I do not own any of these images, courtesy of Vogue.co.uk

Balmain FW16

As many of you have probably realized, I have been a bit slow with show reviews for this season. I have decided to spread them through March and April, so please do bare with.

Today's Balmain show caused yet again a social media frenzy. As soon as Kendall Jenner appeared in a blonde wig, followed by Gigi Hadid and Jourdan Dunn, we all knew there would be a dramatic influx in both sales and popularity.
This season marked a new change in Olivier Rousteing's seemingly modernistic aesthetic. Instead of producing a collection solely oozing with raw sexuality, he created something that one could consider as 'minimal' for the house of Balmain. He approached softly, with a Baroque reference point held in mind.

Of course being Balmain we still had seductive, however it was mitigated by a pretty pastel colour palette- from subdued lilacs and mint green to baby pinks and dove greys. This colour palette perfectly complimented the new silhouettes introduced to us today. For example those pouf skirts and suede corsets amplified rich opulence, as well as the reprisal of those jewel embellished mini dresses with silk tassels we saw in the pre-fall collection.

 

Gigi Hadid in a suede corset

Jourdan Dunn ft. pouf skirt

Hints of previous seasons were also made dominant by Rousteing. Take the brocade dresses with cinched in waists, the tiered ruffles which lay on the sides of lace jumpsuits (Spring 2016) and lastly the oversized musketeer jackets in the softest of fabrics.



Karlie Kloss in lace ruffled jumpsuit

 



Oversized musketeer coat

 



I love the regalia element that fluctuated through the collection. My favourite pieces included: the gold and black encrusted bodice which exemplified the fine artistry of the house's DNA, the thigh- high suede boots and also the closing botanical dress with an interior corset structure.(Worn by Kendall).

Regalia details

Thigh-highs

 

 

Kendall in the closing look

PLEASE NOTE: I do not own any of these images, courtesy of Vogue.co.uk

DKNY FW16

After Donna Karan stepped down from her eponymous diffusion line DKNY, the fashion world was introduced to a new designing duo- Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osbourne (ex-designers for Public School). For their September debut at the house, they delivered a collection - of course - solely inspired by New York. However, they seemed to avoid the free-spirited eclectic nature of the city’s youth and approached from a different angle, a more corporate slant. The collection was full of modernity, minimalism and sophistication: sartorialized suits, crisp white shirts and over-sized proportions. There is no doubt that they had e-commerce in their minds when creating that collection.

Their second collection, on the other hand, was a tribute to New York’s streetwear culture. 90s’ motifs fluctuated throughout the collection, combined with Japanese cuts and silhouettes. I love how they are revitalizing the house by deconstructing all the wardrobe basics and re-working them into more wearable hybrids of the versions before. Take the DKNY signature, the pinstripe suit, for example. They totally lacerated it, creating a cropped blazer with baggy trousers being held up by giant buckled suspenders.
  

 

Tomboy is a word I would associate with this collection. We had chunky combat boots, the masculinized proportions of a re-shaped shirt dress with asymmetrical lines and a pair of striped tracksuit dungarees held up with huge plastic clips; what more could you wish for?

 

Re-worked shirt dress

90-esque sartorially striped dungarees

I took a particular liking to the velvet blazer which sat loosely above a high-neck lace bodice and also the white shirts with laser-cut details were just sumptuous.  

 

For the finale we were presented to a vast array of neoprene sweatshirts emblazoned with fresh new anagrams of ‘DKNY’ like ‘Designers know nothing yet’ and ‘Don’t knock New York’, definitely a clever way to show us that their legacy has just begun.

Evidently, being their second collection, Chow and Osbourne are still figuring out who their DKNY girl is – however, I think they are certainly heading on the right road for success!
  

 Please Note: I do not own any of these images, courtesy of Vogue.co.uk and theimpression.com
 

Victoria Beckham FW16

I have always admired the work of Victoria Beckham. She may be one of the only celebrities turned designers to actually produce an increasingly successful brand and at the same time own a seamless aesthetic. Minimalist and conceptual are two words that perfectly describe the distinct nature of her modern approach to creating.
Season after season, Victoria tailors her own personal style to her global clientele who adore the house's luxurious refinement. Her flattering proportions and sleek silhouettes are adored by many and it's true to say that she makes clothing that women want to and can wear, despite the seemingly costly price tag.

"This collection is really about the evolution of my personal style," said Victoria when describing her fall/winter 2016 collection. 
The show was more of a retrospective celebration of the brand's modernistic DNA. I felt we saw her take a step up from the minimalism normally associated with VB and accentuate bijou details as seen in the past that were never fully developed. Take the slip dresses for example, keeping the V neck yet spreading the hem-line out below the hip- almost forming a bubble.

Also corsetry made a comeback, (seen on Victoria during the Spice Girls days) re-worked into a series of daytime looks. One being the skin-tight tonal jersey dress with a corset intertwined into the main body of the fabric, perhaps giving off an amplified meaning of sophisticated luxe? The cut-out bustier which sat neatly on top of a bias-cut skirt or high rise trousers also deemed exceedingly popular.

 cut-out bustier

 

My preferred pieces included: the tailored overcoats in heritage tweeds, the disproportioned 'clutch' coat- a go to when you're having a lazy day and lastly, the stripy ribbed knits layered over one another; mirroring the athletic trend which New York Fashion Week is famous for.

 the 'clutch' coat



Overcoats in tweed

Please Note: I do not own any of these images, courtesy of wwd.com & Vogue.co.uk

Yeezy Season 3 NYFW

Earlier this month, to my dismay, I fell prey to the music of Kanye West. Not only have I found myself downloading his album entitled 'Yeezy' off ITunes, I have also found this man to be egotistically challenging to the point that he still baffles me.

I think it would be fair to say that his tweets are enough to give you a brief overlook at his 20 year life plan. From the rekindled feud with dear Mama Swift, to announcing that he's $53 million in debt, it's all very Britney circa 2007.
 

I was surprised to see that Mr West has actually thought about the fact that he is creating clothes and not producing attire that the future slaves will be wearing in his dysfunctional Star Wars-esque kingdom he so desperately wishes would turn out to be real.
Also I'm glad to announce to you small proportion of Kanye lovers that he's finally reducing the prices of his, and I'll say it lightly, monstrous shoe calamities. Putting a £4000 price tag was one of the best things he did because no one in their right mind would spend that amount on something that unattractive. 

 

Yeezy Season 3 (FW16) did entangle me, however not for the right reasons. Yes, the clothes were far more wearable in comparison to other seasons- shown with a greater array of colour; less conforming nude, black and khaki and more sandy hues of taupe and ochre, not forgetting the chocolate browns and ivory. Elements of colour-blocking also came into play, featured through the athletic lurex sweaters and leg warmer socks. However, of course being a Yeezy show, there was a genuine lack of taste and character. We had all the same odd combinations: bodycon morph suits with sports bras layered over the top, ripped oversized hoodies and ludicrously layered proportions that I simple cannot comprehend. Unfortunately it seems that the nude legging will eternally remain a Yeezy staple. 

 

 

The clothes, shocking to some, were not the focal point of the evening. Oh no, it was the people in attendance.. the Kardashians of course! I was mostly excited about seeing Kim Kardashian as she had not made a public appearance since the birth of Saint West. The entire Kardashian clan came out on full form, including attention hungry momager, Kris Jenner. They all wore these marvellously glamplified garments created by Yeezy and Olivier Rousteing at Balmain consisting of: white furs, pearl embellished swing dresses and ripped ribbed knits. Kim also debuted her peroxide blonde hair that we could've sworn was a wig. 

 

 

I was very glad to see a very strong diverse model casting, made up of industry icons like Naomi Campbell, (who closed) Alek Wek and Liya Kebede. In fact, one of the main trends sited at New York Fashion Week Fall 2016 has been model diversity and that is a monumental breakthrough!

As the show closes, West riffs on his future. Telling the audience that he informed Anna Wintour of American Vogue that he dreams to be creative director at Hermes. Hmmm I wonder what she thought about that imposition?


Please note: I do not own any of these images, courtesy of Getty, celebuzz.com