Met Costume Institute Gala 2016

The theme for this year's Met Costume Institute Gala celebrated two pivotal movements within the fashion industry at the moment, the combination of fashion and design in the age of technology 'Manus X Machina'. 

This wasn't just futurism through colour, shape and proportion, this was looking more at the finer side of the craft of fashion and seeing how technology has influenced the techniques used by fashion powerhouses, whether it be hand-made or machine-made. Take Chanel's Lesage, a group of the best couture embroiderers who produce the most intricate and beautiful hand-worked details used in the house's haute couture collections; like the golden Guipure lace train of one of the house's most formidable bridal gowns, featured in the exhibition. 

You, my dear readership, are probably still questioning the theme. A theme which has provoked an array of pertinent albeit poignantly desirable set of looks. Think leather, chains, metallic and plenty of extra-terrestrial fabrics, not forgetting the emphasis on obliques. However, which A-lister will come out tops and which will fall to the ground a victim of a digital fashion disaster? 

Firstly, I'd like to dedicate this moment to Beyoncé (aka God), my one true love.
Bey, you have given me a new lease of life with Lemonade and now you've added even more heavenly goodness with this dress too. Here, Queen B looked reckless in her Givenchy dress, naturally. She chose a shrimp pink latex gown with Victorian puffed sleeves and added pearl embellishments. I have no words to describe how sumptuous she looks. However, one thing is for sure, she's one of the best dressed and we all know that! 10/10!

Moving on to Kim and Kanye (Kimye). I am blinded by the sheer amount of metallic I see before me. This is a lot to take in, even for me, lest you worry, we will get to the mess which is Kanye in a minute. I applaud Kim for embracing the theme 110%, although I do feel that this gown looks rather rigid on her petite frame, also I did not like the neck-line she chose either. She's well suited to the plunging or strapless neck-line rather than a simple scoop, it just looks rather unflattering. Her makeup look, on the other hand, certainly makes up for the neck-line. I just adore her bleached eyebrows and wet, slick-back hair. Sheer lusciousness. 9.7/10

Kanye on the other hand, uh oh. Is that double denim, do you mumble with the greatest uproar? Unfortunately, you are correct. He has chosen to wear denim to a black-tie event. Now, I am not sure about you but I consider this to be a social sin, and frankly unforgivable. Also those suede cowboy boots, come on darling, throw those in the skip. Oddly I find myself being conned by his attractive stare due to those icy blue contact lenses, how perplexing. 4.4/10

On the topic of Balmain, we have Kylie Jenner. (Hands down my best dressed of the night, even beating Beyoncé and that's extremely difficult to do!) She wore a custom Balmain gown encrusted in Swarovski crystals and it was, without a doubt, one the most beautiful gowns that Olivier Rousteing has ever produced. The attention to detail is devastatingly ravishing. To me, she mirrored a decadent tassel one would find at the palace of Versailles. 10/10!

As we all know, Madonna is never afraid to wear something risqué out in public. Did she pull it off this time around? NO.
She wore a custom Givenchy ensemble comprising: black lace tights and a body, with straps of black material which wound around her legs and arms resembling kinesiology sport muscle tape. She might be wearing a floor-length skirt, but there is fabric missing over her breasts and derriere, so the look leaves very little to the imagination, as per usual. She actually radiates an air of Courtney Love, how tragic. 5.6/10

Taylor Swift intrigues me profoundly. She seems to be going through her Goth phase aged 26. She embraced the oblique revealing trend in a metal-coated crocodile print dress from Louis Vuitton accompanied by a pair of gladiator sandals, embodying a summer sci-fi warrior. I actually quite like this look yet I think it's innapropriate for the Met Gala. When we think of the Met, we think of black-tie and long gowns. Kudos to her for taking hold of the theme and owning it. 7.9/10

I was slightly underwhelmed by Kendall Jenner's choice of attire for the evening. If we think back to last year when she wore that jade green bejewelled Calvin Klein with that cheeky bit of sideboob, she completely stole the show. However, this year she went for a sports mesh cut-out gown, cross-hatched with squares of blue glitter by Versace. I feel like the complexity of all the different elements intertwined, made it difficult to make the gown look flattering, even on Kendall. 8/10

Lily-Rose Depp. Oh how I wish I was 16 and wearing Chanel Couture. I feel like the dress itself is a bit age-innapropriate, almost as if she is 16 going on 30, which may not be a bad thing. I adore that bolero jacket, regardless. Just cast your eyes on those details, talk about eco-friendly- matchsticks, coated flowers and of course, diamonds. 8.4/10

Willow & Jaden Smith are literally the internet personified. They are just so cool that no one can knock that. Willow wore a Chanel ensemble including capri pants, which we all love, secretly and a black satin lined tweed blazer. Jaden looked sartorially swank in a Louis Vuitton two-piece. I want his jacket 8.9/10

Brie Larson, the dark horse of this year in terms of film and fashion. She chose yet another oblique-embracing gown, which actually resembles Taylor Swift's dress but longer. Brie is wearing Proenza Schouler and looks flawless. 9/10

Claire Danes perfectly married the two concepts of tech and fashion with this light-up Cinderella inspired ballgown by Zac Posen. Truly on my list of the most breath-taking gowns of the entire night, it certainly earned its spot on all the best dressed lists. 9.9/10

I feel bad because I love Demi Lovato, but I hate this dress with a passion. She unfortunately decided to sport a custom Moschino gown, which deemed severely tacky, in my opinion. The tri-tone colour palette and overhaul of texture is just too much for any sane human to handle. The theme was also not embraced, it's a no from me. 6/10

I am so glad that Emma Watson brought our attention to the ethical fashion debate. She has only just decided to start taking the stand in campaigning for the ethics in fashion and by doing so, she is now only wearing clothing which has been sourced conscientiously. With that in mind, this gown (Calvin Klein) is made up entirely from recycled plastic bottles! How incredible. She has brought that dose of modernity with the tapered trousers worn under the long skirt, combined with the elegance of the fitted bodice and off-the-shoulder sleeves. 9.9/10

Rita Ora, of course had to show some skin in a silver plated feather gown by Vera Wang. I hate to admit it, but I really am starting to gravitate towards her and her style. She's hit the nail right on the head with this one. It's the right amount of luxuriousness as well as sublimity needed for this kind of occasion. 9.8/10

Lady Gaga is the first person you would mention when talking about fashion in the age of technology. Think of Artpop, Famemonster, all those crazy outfits: the meat dress, the aluminium foil costume, the bubble dress. She does not disappoint.
This year she decided to sport something seemingly paired back for Mother Monster. A Versace ensemble including; a leotard, circuit board jacket ( yes real circuit boards from computers) and to top it all off, a pair of 9 inch booties. 9.5/10

Oh dear Katy Perry. What an absolute car crash, I look at this in horror. Her bag clips onto her dress- I have nothing to say. 2.5/10

Jourdan Dunn is potentially my favourite model of all time. She is strong, powerful. really influential and oozes beauty. For the Gala, she wore an audacious metallic Balmain gown which closely mirrored armour. Everything she wears just looks so natural and effortless on her, even the more structured nature of a highly convoluted Balmain creation can be carried with the greatest ease. 10/10

Gigi Hadid & Zayn Malik. Well, I don't know what to say about this one to be quite honest. Zayn evidently took the theme a bit too literally and executed something bordering on ridiculous. Gigi, on the other hand, disappointed me. This Tommy Hilfiger gown (who knew Tommy Hilfiger could make evening gowns?!) came across lack-lustre and a bit basic. Her $2000 chrome manicure slightly made up some ground. Even so, this is definitely not what we expect from the supermodels. 7.5/10

Karlie Kloss wore a custom gown by American designer, Brandon Maxwell.
Just look at this, breathe, and then applaud. Everything about this is pure perfection, so angelic, so captivating. Exemplified yet again is the most prominent trend of the oblique reveal. Goals 9.9/10

Bella Hadid represented the house of Givenchy in a ballooned tulle gown. She looks ethereal in head-to-toe black. I especially loved those thigh-high boots, adding a sense of youth to an already very sophisticated and mature look. 9.8/10

Selena Gomez. No, sorry, no. It is just unacceptable to wear clodhopper boots on a red-carpet, especially at the Met. What game is she playing? We get it, your spokeswoman for Louis Vuitton, however I do not agree with plucking an entire look off the runway and wearing it to a formal event, where's the imagination?! On another note, her makeup is on point. 5.7/10

We have reached the epitome of the fash disaster, yes that's right. Solange Knowles was, without a doubt, the worst dressed of the night! She wore some sort of sunshine yellow fanned chiffon monstrosity with coordinating latex leggings and Perspex shoes. I am just wondering what she thought when she tried this on, looked in the mirror and had the epiphany, 'Yes! I'm going to wear this to the Met'. One thing's for sure, she definitely let Beyoncé down. 2/10

Sarah-Jessica Parker, I am bewildered by this. Am I meant to like it or hate it?  If this outfit was on anyone else, I would have loathed it. However, on her I think this melange somehow works, anyway it is SJP afterall. Currently lusting over those turquoise Manolo Blahnik's. 7.5/10

Zoe Saldana wore a Dolce & Gabbana gown I actually liked, perhaps because it doesn't radiate sheer tackiness. Can we just take a moment to appreciate that train, how magnificent?! 9.3/10

Lastly, I conclude with the host of the evening, American Vogue's Anna Wintour. She embraced digitalism through the 3D quilted neoprene details of her floor-length Chanel gown with added tassels. I am a big fan of this. 9.7/10

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

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

Diversity In The Creative Industries

As the majority of you know, I have already shed light on the problem of racial diversity in the fashion industry, however now I feel like I should expand on some of the points raised and address the recent issues in not only the fashion industry but also the film industry as well.

It was only the other night when I was reading the latest issue of British Vogue that I came across the Valentino Spring/Summer 2016 campaign. I love how Valentino are trying to run away from the racial diversity problems they forced onto themselves last season, casting predominantly Caucasian models despite producing a collection solely ‘inspired by Africa’. They made use of entirely white models in cornrows and tribalized prints, showing an intense lack of respect towards the African communities and instead generalising their countries to fit in with Valentino’s seemingly profane aesthetic. And now for their campaign they have decided to shoot an array of white models in African-inspired garments whilst surrounded by a Kenyan tribe, what’s the logic behind that? I think it’s exceedingly important that brands should stop adopting a blind-eye to the issue in hand and start taking responsibility for the severe nature of this problem.

 

 

However, this is not all: a couple of years ago, London-born black model Jourdan Dunn spoke out about the racism she experienced when working backstage at some shows during fashion week. She said that she was turned away from model castings because the client didn't want 'anymore black models' and also she described the time when a white makeup artist said she didn't want to work on her face because she was black - this was not because of the makeup artist's lack of skills, it was a blatant example of racism. Despite working in an industry which we can now say is struggling to fight against diversity injustices, Jourdan Dunn is recognized as a pioneer or inspiration to the emerging models of colour to come into the industry like Malaika Firth and Neelam Gill, for example. Jourdan was the first black model to walk for Prada in over a decade and also featured on the cover of Vogue Italia's iconic All Black Issue shot by Steven Meisel. Now, she has joined forces with industry legends such as Naomi Campbell, Iman and Bethann Hardison (fashion activist) to campaign against the lack of balanced diversity in fashion and that is exactly what we need to propel this industry out of this hole.

                                                         

 

      Vogue Italia's All Black Issue- Naomi Campbell and Jourdan Dunn (Right and above)


In recent months, another issue relating to diversity has been made prominent, this time involving the film industry. It began when the Academy Award's nominations were released revealing that not a single black actor was nominated in any of the categories this year. Interestingly, in the history of the Oscars, only 31 out of more than 2900 Oscars awarded have gone to black winners. That's a staggering statistic!
The only year where black actors took dominance was 2013 when the Academy awarded 12 Years A Slave Best Picture with Lupita Nyong'o taking the statuette for Best Supporting Actress. However, since then we have seen a decrease in mixed background recognition and that's a shame.

Lupita Nyong'o at the Academy Awards 2013

As renowned fashion photographer Nick Knight once said, "To find a solution we need to see that there is a problem. The business people who ultimately control fashion (and art industries) have a moral responsibility that they must not ignore. Profit cannot be a justification for bigotry and racism." 
I think we must continue to encourage the use of minorities within the creative industries; this is the only way we will conquer the face of discrimination. So, it's my opinion that if we keep voicing our concerns and present an even-handed awareness of the issues, the industries will start taking drastic action and fight seriously this iniquitous injustice.

 

Please note: I do not own any of these images.

British Fashion Awards 2015

DISCLAIMER: I do apologize if you are offended by my thoughts on some of these celebrities, it's just an expert's opinions.

It seems the Brits came out in full-form for the red-carpet of the British Fashion Awards a couple of weeks ago, in some cases worse than we had expected. It was a night to celebrate everything great about our countries' strongly developing fashion industry including the work produced by British designers, and that was definitely achieved.

Now I am aware that you, my darlings, adore a red-carpet critique- so here goes:

Firstly we have Georgia May Jagger wearing this incredible custom Alessandro Michele creation for Gucci. Why is it so incredible, do I hear you ask? Well let me explain. For Michele is currently using these new modern techniques, including the invoking of trompe l'oeil, which was certainly one of the main focus points in last season's collection and now here in his evening-wear. Trompe l'oeil literally means 'deceives the eye', with this in mind Michele simply takes a normal cut transparent piece of fabric and puts this special print or embellishment over the top of it, appearing to us will be an object in three dimensions, however this is just an optical illusion. Quite clever I think. Not only is it a truly beautiful gown, it also had a giant snake emblazoned on the back of it, certainly quirky.

Even Salma Hayek who wore a trompe l'oeil creation by Gucci, looked outstanding.

Moving onto Rita (wh)Ora. Yes, yes I know, shock horror. I actually like what Rita is wearing for once! Perhaps because she looks far more conservative than usual and also her assets aren't exposed which we all know proves to be the major challenge for Rita. 
Love the utilitarian, military nature of this Chanel gown, downplayed by that midnight blue velvet and gold leaf details. Radiating pure Parisian luxury and elegance.

Next we have Cheryl Versini-Fernandez aka Cole. Here she is wearing this very unusual combination consisting a Topshop Unique floral overlay + bralet and Sergio Rossi thigh-high boots. Firstly, why on earth is she wearing this in the winter may I ask? And what are those boots?! Yes we all like to dream that we can splash out on a pair of embellished suede boots costing £2500, don't we? But unfortunately Chezza, we cannot.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all about the hype associated with Topshop at the moment. I think it is quite remarkable that the clothes giant is expanding so rapidly, whilst producing clothing that is so accessible for the masses and yet bringing such a high level of quality without the worry of the price tag.

We have come to the worst dressed of the evening. I present to you Poppy Delevingne wearing this sickly Emilia Wickstead gown. Can we just address the fact that this is wrong on so many levels. Firstly, let us establish that she's wearing flats?! There's a rule against flats on a red-carpet; even Karlie Kloss who stands at 6ft2 was wearing some Manolos. Next we move onto the dress itself which actually resembles a battenburg cake, how unfortunate. Breaking it down I think that the fabric choice was completely incorrect. For we have a rigid satin gown which is totally unflattering for her figure, with the addition of a hefty amount of rouching placed too high up her torso creating what looks like a baby bump alongside a lot of creasing and sagging, not a good look. Lastly, we have that horrendous collar which totally does NOT bring the whole outfit together. This outfit defines tragic.

Rosie Huntington-Whitely shows us what it means to be a celestial vision. She chose this Burberry Prorsum gown complete with a plunging neck-line, simply exquisite in my view.

Can we just establish that Lady Gaga looks NORMAL. Donning this red sequined column Tom Ford with a hexagonal-cut overlay and matching gloves. Totally in love with everything she is doing right now.

 

It's no surprise that Alexa Chung made it onto my best dressed list, she just kills it every time. Here she embodies the Victoriana trend which has been delicately encapsulating the catwalks over the past two seasons. Despite giving off that hessian sac vibe, this dress carries a scruffy classicism that we are all currently craving. I applaud you Alexa.

 

Kate Bosworth was also sporting a pale blue period-inspired Erderm dress. Chiffon, ruffles, pleats, diagonal waterfall layering, buttoned seams, patchwork and a black ribbon- talk about a true romantic.

 

 

 

Next we have Karlie Kloss in this Chanel Couture number. I'm sorry but how flawless is this woman? She epitomizes the All-American supermodel, think Cindy Crawford or Christy Turlington-Burns. I have mixed views about this look- I do admire Lagerfeld's way of transposing 30s Chantilly lace onto tissue-thin laser-cut fabric, but then again I feel like we are prevented from appreciating the full beauty of this dress; simply because of that addition of those heavy embellished rings which sit around her hips and upper torso.

 

 

 

Why is Mollie King here? In my opinion this dress is simply unacceptable. She is wearing a summer gown with a groin-high slit and a severely plunging neck-line, god help us. She is literally baring everything and we all know that no one wants to see that, EVER. Sorry my darlings, but it's a no from me. David Gandy, on the other hand, looks sensational.

 

 

My my, I think Naomi Campbell thinks it's still Halloween. This is positively frightening. Here she wears a Burberry concoction including a baby-doll dress swamped in a lace cape. How very odd, I hear you mumble..

 

I am particularly impressed with everything Victoria Beckham continues to produce for her fashion house. Her aesthetic is minimalist, distinct yet super modern. She makes clothes that are easily wearable for every situation and more importantly she makes clothes that every woman aspires to wear. Here she proves that women can look effortlessly sophisticated yet slightly androgynous in this oversized tuxedo jacket with matching trousers. It's a 10/10 from me.

 

Lastly we have Jourdan Dunn, who won the well-deserved Model Of The Year Award. She concludes my best-dressed list at the number 1 spot. Here she wears a breathtaking Thierry Mugler bi-colour monochrome gown. I literally have nothing bad to say about this look. It's the definition of perfection. 
 

 

 

                                                

 

Please Note: Picture Courtesy of Vogue.co.uk