Lovers of grand, lush eveningwear should get ready to gasp and flutter their hands as we take a look at Zac Posen’s new Spring/Summer 2012 collection, which was showcased at New York Fashion Week this Sunday. The result of another season’s toil over a new collection was a mouth-watering collection of day-dresses and evening gowns which were evocative of old 1940s Hollywood starlets.
What we love about Zac Posen’s work is that he obviously has a woman’s femininity in mind when he designs his gowns – these are designs that would leave the wearer feeling beautiful and special, with a veritable array of dresses with form-fitting dresses that hug in all the right places but artfully skim over the main problem areas. With off-the-shoulder sweetheart necklines, fitted busts and huge silk ruffles, it’s no wonder that Zac Posen is every celebrity’s red-carpet favourite.
As usual some of the gowns are truly spectacular, our absolute favourite being the collection’s black chiffon fishtail gown with an absolutely stunning black chiffon hem that we’re hoping we’ll see a celebrity wearing very, very soon. There’s definitely a darkly glamorous goth vibe to the gowns, as Posen has opted for deep navy, black and wine-red chiffons for an incredibly dramatic effect. The styling for the show was picture-perfect too, with the models wearing absolutely pristine finger waves in their hair and costume jewellery.
A grand salute to Zac Posen and his genius Spring/Summer gowns – ShinyStyle bloody loves ya.
New York Fashion Week has begun! Thank god! We’ve been floating around in fashion limbo for ages now and finally we have something obsess over again – the new Spring/Summer collections. The big names aren’t showing til later in the week, but the week has gone off to a nice start already with some up-and-coming designers. Today we’re looking at Rachel Comey’s new collection.
I have to say that I’ve never really paid much attention to Comey’s work before, but I am definitely impressed by her new Spring/Summer collection. It’s an urban, sleek collection of casual dresses and separates spanning from draped, girlish prints, slouchy jersey T-shirts, modern sunglasses and masculine tailored pieces. I’ve always been more of a lover of decadent, ridiculous avant-garde fashion, but Comey may have just convinced me of the beauty in simplicity. There is nothing contrived or affected about any of the pieces on the collection – it is simply effortless.
The whole vibe of the collection was free-spirited and girlish without losing it’s city-living edge. Sweet floral shorts were teamed with tough sunglasses andpeppermint-coloured tailored shorts were worn with masculine Breton turtlenecks to create a clever balance between hard and soft.
As I said, I haven’t seen much of Rachel Comey’s work – but I like what I see. This girl is gonna be big.
And so the Fashion Week fun begins, girls and boys, as one of our favourite fashion months of the year starts off in New York today. I don’t know about you but I’ve been waiting for the NYFW mania to begin for a while now – and while I wait with baited breath to see what the USA’s finest will come up with this season, I’m taking a look at one of the Big Apple’s best designers: Jason Wu.
Wu, who has a large celebrity following including Michelle Obama and Diane Kruger, is one of my favourite Manhattan-based designers because he simply knows how to make a girl look good. His collections may not have the over-the-top couture drama of iconic designers such as Dior and Gaultier, but they are something far more important – truly stylish, wearable designs for real women. When I imagine who Wu, in his mind, designs for it is not a madcap Isabella Blow character but the average fashion-savvy woman on the street.
His last two collections or so are particularly special to me because to me, they show that Wu has really hit his stride now as a designer and found a trademark in elegant tailoring and cocktail dresses. My dream Jason Wu piece? The slate-grey men’s coat from his Autumn/Winter 2011 collection (pictured above in the gallery) with the black lace sleeve details. Such a modern take on masculine fashion.
Take a look at my favourite Jason Wu moments in the gallery above – and keep checking back on the site for NYFW updates.
Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen is up for the "Designer of the Year" award
This year’s ultimate who’s who of fashion begins as we’ve just discovered who the nominees are for 2011′s British Fashion Awards. Get ready, girls and boys..
The coveted “Designer of the Year” award has three potential nominees: Sarah Burton, who has taken over the helm at Alexander McQueen’s since her predeccessor’s death, Christopher Kane whose collections featured liquid-looking plastic and crochet dresses and Erdem, whose dresses have a delicate fairy-like beauty.
“Designer Brand of The Year” has four designers vying for the award. Burberry, one of London’s favourite fashion houses, is nominated, as is our very own Stella McCartney and Victoria Beckham, whose latest collections have proved that the ex Spice Girl is more than just another famous name tacked onto a fashion project. They will all be going up against the right honorable Tom Ford, who has recently returned to designing womenswear.
“Model of the Year” is between Georgia Jagger, Stella Tennant and Kristen McMenamy. Our money is on Jagger to win – our very own little Brigitte Bardot.
Nominated for the the “Accessory Designer” award is Emma Hill for Mulberry, along with Katie Hillier and shoe designer Charlotte Olympia. We adore all three, but how could Mulberry not bag the award? We’ll have to wait and see to find out if we’re right.
This has been such an exciting season for fashion, and we absolutely cannot wait to see who’s going to snatch the most prestigious awards. The British fashion industry is magical, and we can’t wait to see so many of our favourite names honoured with the awards.
The celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe has admitted that she’s “terrified” about the debut of her new fashion line, which will be shown in the upcoming New York Fashion Week. Yay, super-stylists get nervous too!
Rachel, who’s famous in the past for weaving fashion magic over Hollywood’s elite, told the fashion site FabSugar: “Nervous, excited, petrified, anxious, terrified . Did I mention terrified? I’m terrified.” Well, if her taste in clothes is anything to go by then the designs will be good – then again, you never can tell til you see it on the runway..
Despite her trepidation, Rachel Zoe is also excited about her new project, having recently compared finishing a collection to “giving birth”. “Being a designer was the thing that I always said, ‘I’m never going to do this, because I’m too scared to do this’. All of sudden during my presentation this season, I was like ‘Oh my god, why am I doing this, I’m too scared to do this. Then it was like, it was almost like giving birth. When it was over, I was like, ‘This is the most exciting, most challenging adventure. This is new, and this is fun.’ ” We can’t wait to see what she comes up with.
Gisele Bundchen, the world’s highest-paid supermodel, will apparently no longer wear heels on the catwalk because she isn’t used to them anymore, says designer Nicolas Ghesquiere. And apparently she isn’t the only one, either, as he claims more and more models are refusing to walk in ankle-breakers.
Nicolas told NY Magazine: “The idea was to have this crazy casting with Gisele Bundchen and Amber Valletta and Carolyn Murphy and they said no for high heels. They were not used to walking in heels anymore. Gisele was worried, she would not walk in my heels.”
Well, I suppose when you’re the highest earning model in the world you can choose to be a little picky about what you will and won’t do. But come on love, you’re Gisele!
Agyness Deyn is returning to Select Model Management from Models 1.
The British model – who shot to fame as the face of Burberry and became a Vogue cover star after signing for Select in 2002 before leaving them for Models 1 – decided to return to the agency because they are “a safe pair of hands”.
She explained: “Select were the agency who launched my career and I feel in very safe hands with them. It feels right to be here – it’s like coming home.”
Select Women’s founder and director Chrissie Castagnetti added: “We’re delighted that Agyness is back under our guidance. There are not enough British models showcased in fashion right now and whilst we’re proud of all our girls, we have always had a passion for home grown talent and Agyness embodies that. It’s great to be working with her again.”
However, while she has become one of Britain’s most successful models, Agyness – real name Laura Hollins – insists she has no interest in the industry that made her name and won’t pursue a catwalk career forever.
She said: “You know, even though I’m in fashion, I don’t, like, do fashion. Fashion isn’t me, even though I work in it. It’s just materialistic stuff. I just want to do whatever makes me happy.”
All the hardcore fashion lovers which have flocked to Paris Couture Week for some extraordinary sights were waiting with baited breath yesterday to see what Euro-genius Karl Lagerfeld had come up with this time for the Chanel runway. And when your past shows have featured models tumbling sexily around in a barn full of hay and girls stomping around a melting ice-cap in swathes of fur, you’ve got a lot to live up to. Luckily Karl didn’t let us down.
There were plenty of the timeless silhouettes that we’ve come to love and expect from France’s most beloved luxury brand – but this time, there were a few wry twists that let us know that Lagerfeld doesn’t intend to play it safe when it comes to design. The classic black-and-white fringed, distressed tweeds that have been so en vogue in Chanel’s designs were given an update by being teamed with tougher fabrics – a classic example being the beautifully cut monochrome blazer that was sent down the catwalk teamed up with a pair of sheeny black sequined trousers and flat shoes. More bad girl than Parisian lady-in-waiting, non?
Pastel colours were also a key theme for the brand this season, with funnel-necked little jackets and tailored trousers being shown in shades of sugared violet and pale peach. An unexpected turn for the fashion house, which has always favoured its’ fabrics in classic black, greys and whites, but by golly it works. Adorned in crystal fastenings and shining trims, we hope that Karl’s new approach to outerwear will translate onto the high-street later this year. Could pastels overtake camel?
Mr. Lagerfeld has clearly also been taking peeks at the likes of Marchesa lately, as we saw more than a hint of the frou-frou in his dressier designs. Babydoll silhouttes, midi-hemlines and puff-sleeves were given the extra fashion oomph with an absolutely insane explosion of gathered, ruffled chiffon which gave the eveningwear a playful, princess-esque feel. We’re not sure if us normies could pull it off, but if Asos reproduce a forty-quid version then we’ll damn well give it a try.
Our verdict on the Chanel show? Karl Lagerfeld has pulled yet another rabbit out of his Swarovski-encrusted hat. He must have a whole field of them by now.
Sheer fabrics and muted tones formed the backbone of Alberta Ferretti’s SS2011 show at Milan Fashion Week.
Floral floaty dresses drifted across the catwalk, giving a nod to the romantic and poetry trend,while last Spring’s theme of peekaboo dressing came out in some of the designs with pretty underwear sets showing through the finest of silk and chiffon column gowns.
Short pleated skirts were well paired with bustier tops in fragile lace and and the dreamy colours occasionally interspersed with hints of orange and bright greens.
In fact the collection was so beautiful and serene it’s made us feel slightly sleepy.
If you want to find one designer that sums up Britain’s famous fashion eccentricity, then you don’t need to look any further than our very own Pam Hogg. Her designs still exude the same essence of punk that they did back in the eighties when she was busy playing support to Debbie Harry – they’re playful and fun, so it’s no wonder that stars such as Lady Gaga and Rihanna all love her clothes.
There was a clear futuristic, fantasy inspiration behind her designs that immediately became clear as soon as Daisy Lowe (she seems to be modelling for every designer this week, no?) stepped out onto the runway wearing what looked like a giant gold afro and a gold metallic one-piece, complete with glitter – kind of like a Trekky Foxy Brown. It was poufs, frills and lamé fabrics galore in her collection this year, as much space-age fashion that you can shake a stick at. And in true Hogg-style there was plenty of sex and skin on show – no surprise coming from a woman that has sent vajayjay-printed bodysuits down the runway before – as the tribal-looking Alice Dellal stomped the catwalk topless wearing little more than an animal-skin drum to protect her modesty. British kookiness strikes again!
So maybe it’s not an everyday look for us normal folk. Maybe don’t wear it out to the post licence or offie unless you want to get stared at. But maybe we’re all just fools and Pam Hogg is the normal one. Perhaps we would be idiots to not dress like this- I don’t know. Anyway, big love to you, Pam. You lovely weirdo.
Comparisons are being drawn between Anna Sui’s previous collections, and her forthcoming range for Target. The designer has already cited Gossip Girl as inspiration for her Go International line, but clearly her past runways have also provided a good start. Four dresses from her 2006 and 2007 collections have been modified for her new retail range which is set to land in store on September 13. Most of the items will sell for under $50 (woot!) click here to check out the lookbook.
It was bound to happen sooner or later, and now it seems that a Facebook-inspired collection is about to hit the runway.
Zac Posen has hinted that his forthcoming spring 2010 collection has been influenced by the popular social networking site.
“[It's] everything that a New York fashion editor is not looking for,” he said. “There’s definitely fashion editors who get really bothered by the fact that I’m out and about and promoting my work. It’s not what they desire as ‘cool,’ or what they think is interesting, and it probably de-myths their own existence.”
Proving further how much designers are utilizing these outlets, Stella McCartney, has just joined the Twittersphere. Follow her updates here.
When Frances Grill, founder & CEO of Click Models, Illusions, Industria Photo Studios and Flick Talent, opened her agency and began to look for new talent, she knew she wanted to “do” more than the typical wholesome All-American blonde beauty.
When she started out, Frances ran up against a host of challenges because the industry didn’t support ethnicity and wanted to break that mould. She has always gone for the ethnic talent and rebelled against what the industry said should fit right then. By taking her practiced eye to new places for new faces, she began to see what others didn’t want to…
Things were of a very sharp, sartorial nature at the Narciso Rodriguez fall ’09 show on Tuesday evening. Dipping into the future (like so many designers this season) his models took to the catwalk in robot-style peek-a-boo headwear. Body-con dresses in acid yellow, shocking pink and neon purple offered a hint of skin in sliced sections. They were thrown alongside more tailored, conservative looks in camel coats and tweed skirt suits. Jackets also ranged from jaquard to mohair with full-length zips. Besides a hint of Gothic lace and a shiny corset here and there, the most daring was left to a camouflage black-and-white print worked into dresses, trousers, boots and just about everything else. Click play on video below to watch.
Many were thanking Matthew Williamson today who, besides Marc Jacobs, gave us a break from the safeness of black and clumpy clothes with a burst of multi-color print and texture. As part of Team British Invasion, Williamson dazzled crowds with a mixture of shimmery beads, zigzag knits, ruffled cocktail dresses, skinny leather trousers, fur-trimmed shaped coats and sequinned gowns. A nod to his Pucci days came in the form of geometric-shaped prints, which featured in everything from column dresses to shiny suits, and worn with zebra cut-out ankle sandals. Although he did get a little carried away at times, overall I can see how many (especially New Yorkers) might flock to this collection for a touch of uptown society style.
From:Debenhams show us how to avoid tanning disasters this year