2.23 // LFW 2009: Aquascutum, Chloe for OC, Jaeger London, and more…

Ah, LFW truly is in full swing now! The 80’s look has carried over across the pond, along with the monochrome and neutral looks. Let’s have a look-see, shall we?

Starting with Aquascutum.

Umm… yellow plaid? Ok…

Almost a Burberry print. Fur detaily on the shoulder. (Coat? Scarf? Live animal? Who knows)

Black, white & grey. Chic? I think so… Nice trench, which is what the classic Aquascutum was originally known for – its raingear.

Actually really love this one – all the colours blend really nicely, and the lace accent at the lapel is a wonderful touch.

Ali Stephens. Rouched white bandy skirt under a flowy, dark, dramatic cape-like coat.

Busy coat, what with the structured… wrist bits, whatever they’re called. Ah, cuffs. Structured cuffs and all that abstract plaid makes for a great coat, actually.

Cute polka dot b&w coat with a bow.

Nice lines on this one, and nice gloves as well. Love the mixing of 3 totally different, but complementary prints.

Nice floppy bow accent up top.

I’d love the coat if it weren’t for the buffalo plaid lining. I don’t know if it’s just from growing up surrounded by hicks in it, but I have acquired a strong aversion to buffalo plaid. Sorry. Myf Shepard.

Like this one. Nice colours & sleeves, and cute little skirt.

Liu Wen. Another good look – ruffles, shoulders, dramatic neckline.

Imogen Morris Clarke. All black, all layers, partially ruffly, all chic.

OK, moving on to Chloe for OC.

Part eclectic, part London punk, all very Chloe.

Keeping it simple with cool shoes and a striped sweater.

I find it a bit weird/disturbing that I’d totally wear those pants. (More disturbing, though? This guy’s ‘stache and bowl-over-the-head cut.)

Gorgeous wedges, totally 80’s hair and pants.

So cute & wearable! Seriously, I could walk away in this and not change a thing.

Ah! Gotta love the dark grey drapey, hooded top, especially with cuffed basic pants and killer shoes.

Again, very 80’s. Love this, though… in a strange way I don’t quite understand… and the Shoes. AGH.

What is it with the creeper guys???

Short & sweet, Chloe. Moving right along to Jaeger London, yumm…

Sort of a dark 80’s vibe. Nothing groundbreaking, but very cool.

Great jacket.

Karlie Kloss. Lots of black again. Nice booties & jacket.

Ah, intense fur! Katy Fogarty. Great leggings too.

Blocked, furry coat. Mmm.

More stripes. Nice skirt and boots.

Jourdan Dunn. Great shoes and very simple white tee dress.

Imogen Morris-Clarke. Love the suit, and I’m starting to really want those shoes. And have I mentioned the hat? Sort of a furry old-school cop hat?

Ali Stephens. Love the coat, the lines, the optical illusion (sort of). Boots!

Imogen again. Weird print, love the shoulders and the skirt – nice touch of green there.

Anastasija Kondratjeva. Crazy coat alert! Love! Love!

Constance Jablonski. Love the fur & shoulders, and patterned pants! Or is it a jumpsuit? …nope, pants.

Katy again. Same print, but in purple. Fierce. (Did I really just say that? …crap.)

Suit!

Katrin Thormann. Love the print, the slightly metallicness, and the crazy jeweled neckline.
Pretty nice collection. Now for Christopher Kane!

Of course, love the ruffles, the beige/nude colour, and the fur… but look at the shoes! FLATS on a runway! AHH! Ha ha. I love me a classic oxford.

Ali Stephens. Love the dress (sheer + ruffles).

Slightly different take on the look, and a change of shoes. (Note: I’ve got a few quizzes to study for, so I’ll be relatively succinct for the last 2 designers. Sorry.)

Love the geometricness and the lines and the sheer ruffles. This reminds me of an ancient bronze wall, pieced together by hand. (Not that I’ve ever seen such a wall, but hey…)

Kinga Rajzak. Lines and a corset-style waist.

More sheer, nude ruffles.
Again, pretty collection. Had a very similar feel to Jaeger’s.

A few looks from Twenty8Twelve:

Ali Stephens. This collection had a lot of flowy top and black jackets & pants. Leather, of course.

Sophie Srej. (She’s in a bunch of photos above as well). Drapey neck and 80s-style print.

Love the shoulders & neck on this one.

Liu Wen. One-shoulder, simple dress.

Constance. Love the shoes, and look: JEANS! And Balmain copycat shoulders.

Jourdan Dunn with the closing look. Great colour, but doesn’t this look so similar to Balmain??

OK, last one: Vivienne Westwood Red Label.

Red coat! I particularly like the wide, open collar.

Cute jumper, thigh-high boots (another big trend), and… if this isn’t 80’s hair, then tell me what is.

Interesting layers there. Oxfords again!

Even more layers!

80’s hair! Good dress.

Ha ha wow sorry, I totally trailed off towards the end of this post. I should probably start separating them into their own posts, by designer… eh, maybe. Ciao!

~ r

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2.22 // TopShop Unique, Peter Jensen, and the Barefooted Brian Reyes Model Parade [and much more]

London Fashion Week – hellooooo!

TopShop Unique had a distinct 80’s-grunge-mix&match-y vibe to it, with all its layers, colours, pieces…. here, you look.

Model: Karlie Kloss.
Love the huge – almost shawl-size – scarf in that, umm… not rosy, not cherry… well, that colour. Sort of berry? And, of course, shiny black leather leggings.

Model: Kinga Rajzak
Crazy colours & patterns here. Great jumpsuit, though. Huh, this is a mix between 80’s and futuristic punk.

Again, that 80’s/future punk mix: it has the bright purple, the leather, and the edginess, but it also has those quasi-Star-Trek shoulders… Needless to say, I love it!

Something about this one… your eye is just drawn to it and follows a line from the head down. Love the metallic colourblocked pants.

Model: Imogen Morris-Clarke
I just got a really bad craving for a very crisp quesodilla. Mmm.
Anyway, the look: another huge knit tablecloth scarf, leather pants, trench, hot pink gloves and – the finishing touch – hot pink shoelaces to match. Gotta love it.

Ha ha, I think this is the closest thing to a dress that’s in this. The sheer top & hose are just subtley sexy enough to really complement the semi-metallic navy dress (looks like velvet or silk… I can’t even tell). And look, matching laces!

More blue velvet/silk and leather… but no matchy-matchy laces. Also, look at the bag – definitely a vintage look.

Look at all the layers… love the trench, particularly in that subdued hue of grey. And is that a grey cotton jumpsuit underneath? Why yes it is.

Ruffley, pale yellow skirt – quite girly, I’d say – but paired with patent leather leggings and a thoroughly destroyed jacket, it gives the general air of just being mauled by a rabid bear. (Can they be rabid?)
In a very chic way, of course.

Oh look, a dress! Albeit a furry, ice-blue, rounded-shouldered dress with eclectic leather leggings and something metallic on her wrists. It’s a dress.
And I like it! The scarf is great too.

So yeah. A pretty wild line, obviously aimed for London’s (and the rest of the world now, lucky us!) hip.

Alrighty, moving on… but staying with the general theme of London funky punk edgy chic.
You know what I mean…
It’s Peter Jensen!

Although not quite so out-there and on-the-edge, his line definitely had an air of  funkiness to it; brights infused equally with neutrals, abstract crochet paired with calm wools and knits, and, well, weird with normal.

Model: Elsa Sylvan
A basic black shift dress taken to another level when paired with intricately detailed white over-the-knee boots, blue scrunchy elbow-length gloves, and the finishing touch: electric blue tulle used oh-so-casually as a head wrap of some sort. Who doesn’t do that every day?

Light blue crochet caplet with a grey dress with sheer arms with a… leather lunchbox?

Peasant boho mixed with gypsy chic… sure.
I realize now I sound as though I don’t like these. I do. I just doubt their true wearability… individually, most of these pieces would be totally great; it’s just together, they make a sort of twisted fairytale look. Which is fine, too.
OK, I”m shutting up now.

So many layers! Plus, each layer is a separate style from the last, it seems… 60s boots, classic grey crop pants, some sort of lacy grey dress/skirt combo, and a hot pink ruffle cardi… all under a slouchy tall beanie. Can’t say I hate this; I really love a monochromatic ensemble with a really, really bright pop (hot pink, hello!)

To grandmother’s house we go… but is she an Eskimo? This may actually turn out to be my favourite piece from this collection…

I’m starting to love the totally eclectic mix of prints & obvious influences, all layered upon one central – often neutral & simle – piece.

…although not this much. This one goes a bit far: a plaid sundress with sheer black sleeves and a Russian-serf-style wrap?
On the bright side: I like the gloves.

You can really see the Native American/Aztec influences in this one, with all the beading… and on those boots throughout…

So yeah. PJ’s collection may have proven a bit too… eclectic for my taste, but I won’t say it was bad. Some people might like that style.
(If so, have at it!)

Moving on to a relatively safer area (at least pour moi), L’Wren Scott was excellent, I thought. Nothing too out there, but with a few pieces thrown in that really stood out. Very 40’s influenced. Classicly chic.

Ah, I love an oversize ostrich feather collar. And I like the shoes… although where have I seen them before… ah yes.

Ann Demeulemeester // Spring 2009

Gorgeous colour, hands down, especially on porcelain skin & red hair. Agh. Lately I’ve found myself wishing I could pull off the redhead look – Coco inspired, maybe? (Yes). Anyway, this look just screams 30’s & 40’s, although I doubt dresses then were quite so form-fitting.

Nice dress… but doesn’t she look grumpy?

Slightly Porenza Schouler-esque, doncha think? I like it, though; at first glance I though it was lace all over. Turns out it’s less sheer (…a bit…)

Love the collar & deep slit (sort of like an anti-plunge). Hmm. The more I look at this the more I like it – it just looks perfect: form fitting (very), and the sleeves mean it’s cold-weather suitable! (Well… you know.)

Model: Myf Shepard
Nothing special about this dress, but I love Myf’s hair colour.

Drama! it screams. I’m beautiful! Wear me! Stare at me!

Notice the little loopies edging the shoe? And the dark red gloves? Yeah. Love the jacket, needless to say – that length & cut is so great – and the pop of limey green to spruce the look up.

Double trouble! (Not sure what that’s about.) Nice high neckline & collar, and love the gloves.

I think it’s safe to say that this brings a new meaning to “bandage dress”. It just looks very, very bandagey. (And my god – how skinny are these people?)

Sexy & sophisticated leather skirt and ruffle-collar blazer. (Although somehow I doubt you’d see this straddling a Harley…)

Mmm, love that line. Let’s see, who else is there… Jill Stuart? Sure.

Nice dress, I like the shine, and hat… look at the shoes, people…

Ruffles, ruffles everywhere!

Love the skirt and jacket and all done in a creamy beige. (The hat reminds me slightly of Gucci, Spring 09)

Gucci // Spring 2009. Model: Lily Donaldson

Eh, sort of. Moving on.

More black, more partially sheer tops (Porenza Schoulder, again!) Still just as great, though. These [sorts of pieces] will be/already are great for layering, especially with blazers…

More sheer, this time paired with tough black knee-highs.

Asymmetric hem, gloves, & fedora. And the shoes.

Fur + pale pink drapes + black knee-highs + ivory/cream layered skirt. I want this outfit. In loads of the shows, ruffled, tiered, layered, and otherwise volumized skirts have had a huge presence. Yay!

I’m in love!

It looks like a dress for a porcelain doll, or a little girl’s Easter dress; maybe even a nightgown. (Ha ha.)

All black (with the exception of the purple flower planted on the fedora), just barely sheer, ruffly, puffy skirt, black socks and purple heels. Subtle use of colours in an otherwise monochrome ensemble.

In my opinion, the perfect LBD. One-shouldered and ruffly… this dress has a presence all of its own.

Collection: despite it’s nearly all-over monochromacy (is that a word? It should be), Jill Stuart’s line pulled off sort of an airy Southern Belle fantasy look, bringing dreams of an eternal spring and summer world. (I would so love to be there right now… no such luck. We received no less than a foot of snow today, and I’ve been holed up in sweats. Agh. This weather, I swear…)

A few misc. looks from Lacoste:

Grey suede jumpsuit, modeled by Chanel.

Navy and black, always good… The girly tie at the neck offsets an otherwise very masculine (relatively speaking) look.

Soft sweater, khaki crop pants, and such a beautiful suede blue boot…

Great coat. Grey is everywhere this season.

Ahh, love it! The hood adds a certain element of drama to this beautiful, wonderful, gorgeous almost grey white wool coat. Mmm, I just want to wrap myself up in it with hot chocolate and read a book. Although that would probably be disastrous, given the number of articles of clothing I’ve already ruined via chocolate in various forms…

Classic trench+vest, with elastic cuffs at the ankles…?

Dude, I would wear this. (Sans the shirt, I’d probably throw something sheer and lacy under it to… verify that I am, in fact, a girl.)

Alrighty, now I feel as though I’ve given a somewhat thorough coverage of… what, two shows? Three? Quel’que soit. Voici, notre look du jour:

From Rodarte // Fall 2009. This embodies a couple key trends: grey, thigh-high boots, gloves, structured shoulders on a fitted jacket, and a huge scarf to top it all off.

Ciao,

~ r

PS: Sorry for the ridiculously long post. This really is a long one.

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2.12 // Valentine’s, pt I [Dresses, mainly]

…and so begins our quest for the perfect Valentine’s day – or V-day, for short (not the WWII version, of course… more like V-Day, US edition!)

Right off the bat, you think of red and pink, right? Right. But you certainly don’t need to do, say, an all-over-heart-print jumpsuit and dye your hair red.

That would just be weird.

Instead, opt for mixing pieces of red and/or (personal preference if you like them together; personally, I don’t mind) with light neutrals such as white, silver (scarves & shoes & jewellry, I’m referring to. Don’t take that as an excuse to wear silver pants. Please.), grey, & denim. If you go denim, I’d go darker – light denim with red & pinks can look a bit off. So basically, don’t go overboard – for you, for me, and for the sakes of all those around you!

So this post will cover the basics (mostly dresses), and the next few will get into the more detailed stuff. Ha ha, this is Intro to Valentine’s Dressing 101. So welcome to class.

Anyway… I’ll start with dresses!

If you live somewhere like I do (read: cold), dresses can prove to be a bit tricky in February. WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT WEAR WHITE TIGHTS UNDER A RED/PINK DRESS! You have been warned. Unless you’re intentionally going for a “look-I’m-6-and-cute-and-playing-dress-up!” look, white tights + red dress = *cringe*worthy.

Good dresses: comfortable for you (pick by what you like & how you feel in it, don’t necessarily go by the book/follow trends exactly. That’s so uncreative.). Also, be sure to watch cleavage… while a little something special is good for V-Day, you don’t want people dropping dollar bills down the front of your dress (I hope…) As for colour/print, splashes of colour or a solid are optimal; florals add a nice spring-y touch to an otherwise very, very, VERY wintery holiday. Brrr. (Our heat wave is ending, it was only 35 today when I ran. Grumble grumble grumble…) If you do an all-white dress – which can be very romantic and Valentine’s-y – be sure to accentuate with plenty of red (don’t forget red lips!). Romantic is, of course, the key word. Flirty too.

OK, rather than keeping talking, I’m just going to show you… starting off with a few runway looks, then taking it to the [realistic] consumer level. Starting with those amazing Fendi flowered frocks from Spring… love!

Both, Fendi // Spring 2009. Notice: red shoes (and red belt in the background, paired with a girly pale pink frock). The hair & makeup on these is very dramatic – if you want to combat/balance out a very girly dress, you can do a dramatic smoky eye and a more sexy hairdo. (Girly dress + curls = very very… cute. Not necessarily sexy, which is what we aim for. Sexy is what we aim for.  :P)

Monique Lhuillier // Pre-Fall 2009. My jaw literally dropped when I saw this for the first time just now; I don’t know if it was the colour, the shoulder strap, the bustley skirt… but I am in love. Who needs boys when you have dresses like this?

If you’re not in a hot pink mood, there’s always the alternative pale pink, which tends to have a much softer feel to it (especially if it’s a delicate fabric).

Christian Dior // Spring 2009. I highly doubt any of you can get your hands on this… but hey, it’s pale pink and pretty, so why not?

But here’s another pale pink option…

Marchesa // Spring 2009. Love the wrapping and the… bulges? Bunches? Bouquets? on the hips.

…or a plummy pinkish hue:

Donna Karan // Pre-Fall 2009. Definitely a plum/rose colour… I have to find some fabric this colour soon! Great if you want to stand out in a crowd.

You’ve noticed that most of these are more loose & flowy & floaty than bandage… simply because unless you’re a stick, it can be tricky to pull off a bright red bandage dress… That and the fact that they’re more hot/sexy than romantic/sexy… Hmm, maybe it’s just my opinion. You?

Anyway, moving on… sort of… to white & red dresses. What can I say? Lady in red = stunning. Woman in white = gorgeous. You pick.

Monique Lhuillier // Pre-Fall 2009. OK, Monique Lhuillier is officially on my favourites list. Gorgeous gowns galore! As for this dress, again with the one-shouldered look and a full-ish skirt… Classic & elegant & gorgeous. What more can I say?

J. Mendel // Pre-Fall 2009. One shouldered is a huge trend for PF/Fall. Yesss, finally!  🙂  This dress has a sleeker silhouette and is just as gorgeously radiantly stunningly beautifully goddesslike. Interesting buckle detail at the waist that gathers the fabric in…

Christian Dior // Spring 2009. Want dramatic? Go Dior.

Anne Valerie Hash // Spring 2009. Love the beading detail and the slightly flapper-esque feel this gown has… Another thing: floor-length is gorgeous, but may not be the most convenient/appropriate cut; shorter (but not too short: too short can quickly go Skankaholic on you) is easier to deal with, especially when traipsing around Paris for a romantic evening. (Because I would totally know.)

Red dress time!

Oscar de la Renta // Pre-Fall 2009. Colourblocked floor-length crumpled silk with a huge flower at the waist? YES.

Reem Acra // Pre-Fall 2009. A simpler look, not as shiny or HELLO WORLD!, but still very classic & elegant. Love the neckline on this one.

Reem Acra // Pre-Fall 2009. Another RA gown; this one has that sheen, but is in a deeper colour than the OdlR. Really lovely and – importantly! – sexy, yet sort of soft. But not too soft.

Christian Dior // Spring 2009 Couture. Again with the drama – I mean, I love the dress to death, but realistically, can you see yourself wearing this out to eat? Nope. But look at the colour – sort of a classic red, maybe a little deeper. One of my favourite V-Day colours.

Armani Prive // Spring 2009. Almost a sporty look in this slim, shimmery (a bit) Armani gown. A more coral-y pinkish red… most women can wear this sort of colour pretty well. (NOTE: everyone can wear coral!)

OK, moving on to the shopping portion (yay!). Dresses for all ranges & ages.

Badgley Mischka // Bluefly.com, $595

Carmen Marc Valvo // Bluefly.com, $555

Macy’s, $158. Like the neckline on this one.

If you’re on a really tight budget, this $15 F21 dress will do the trick… pair it with some lace tights, heels, and killer jewelery and you’re set.  😛

F21, $30

JS Boutique // Nordstrom, $178. Jersey for a more casual look; has the one-shouldered look.

Sort of fun and flirty, this Robert Rodriguez ($539, Shopbop.com) dress is great for a casual V-Day get-together.

A white dress! Nordstrom, $184

OK… if I find more dresses, I’ll let you know. Trust me.

Next: shoes! (I think. Might change. Stay in tune. Don’t touch that remote!…)

Look du jour:

Peter Som // Pre-Fall 2009. I like this coat, it seems to have a sort of Russian air to it. And you know by now how much I love that… for some reason…

A demain!

~ r

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