The v-necks are deeper, the leather boots are higher and the fabrics are shearer. These are just some of the details of the fabulous looks presented by Frida Giannini yesterday at Gucci. She gave us looks to wear for all 24 hours that exist in a day for a label that has mainly been associated with evening wear. We couldn't be more excited. The dresses displayed skinny waists, literally, as they were with cut outs around the waist and belts cinching the skin - which of course has led us all to organize new diets for the forthcoming season. The accessories were some of the best yet, the heels and boots were high and chunky with metallic embellishments. Our favourite trousers of the evening featured a flap of the fabric around the waist with a gucci emblem embellishment, so cleverly built to hang over the belt like an apron. The only surprise was the very limited use of fur in the show. We had hoped for some elaborate fur coats from the label. Oh well, there are many more seasons to come and this line up was quite the candy for 2010!
Peter Dundas has given Pucci a new face this fall. This is his third season with the famed label and it is clear that this young man is the breath of fresh air that Pucci needed! When one thinks of the Emilio Pucci brand one instantly pictures the swirly patterned prints that have decorated his runways for generations! However, Dundas took us to a much darker place this season, and by God, it works! It works so well that you can completely forgive him for letting go of the old style print almost completely (minus a few choice pieces that were dyed so that they become almost unrecognizable) . Instead, he gives us dresses that are rich with deep, dark and moody colours. Dundas also embraced the current metallic embellishments trend and gave us one of our favourite designs thus far - a short black mini dress with the gold lace chest and arm cut out. The entire collection is one that the designer and his entire team should take great pride in developing!
We hope some of you had a chance to visit with Nicole Richie as she launched her Winter Kate line at Selfridges on Friday in London. The clothing line was quite stunning. We'll be posting images of the full collection lookbook as soon as we get them.
However, we were more stunned by how absolutely fantastic Richie looked in person! In fact, we were so wowed by her appearance at the launch that we pulled in lots of favours in order to track down the makeup artist behind it all!
Emma Day, famed makeup artist, was the young lady responsible for creating this magical look for the evening. If you have ever picked up a magazine in your life you will have seen Emma's work before. This girl has worked with everyone, and we mean everyone! Here's just a short list for you: Sienna Miller, Emma Watson, Kiera Knightley, Juliette Lewis, Vanessa Redgrave, Daniel Craig (yes, 007...we nearly died when we heard this)....and the list goes on and on.
Emma gave us a quick walk through of the makeup she used to create the look:
"I was inspired by Nicole's line which has a very hippy-like, luxiourious and easy vibe to it. Nicole has a natural glow so I used Chanel teint innocence for her base to enhance her natural beauty. She has very delicate features with gorgeous huge eyes which she likes to accentuate. I used Mac cream highlighter around her eyes and cheekbones, and then created a classic dark smokey eye which I softened with brown around the socket line as I wanted to avoid a gothy hard look. I wanted to bring out her natural prettiness which is actually quite soft and natural. I used a bronze Shu Uemura eyeshadow in the corners of the eyes to give them a dreamy look and finished off with individual lashes and lots of blended black kohl and mascara. On her cheeks I used a hot pink Mac blusher that I cant live without and used Mac's nude "Hue" lipstick to complete the look."
You can check out Emma Day's portfolio, showcasing more of her outstanding work, at the Frank Agency.
Thanks so much, Emma, for taking the time to talk to us....we might have something cooked up with her for the future so watch this space!
For those FFG readers who reside in the USA, you can jump online now at www.jcrew.com and order all of these looks now! For the rest of the world, either buy a plane ticket or hold tight until May!
Leather everywhere at Versace and it was hot, even a bus yellow leather jacket, which would usually make us cringe made us slightly drool on our neighbour. White asymmetrical sleeved dresses looked amazing with black boots and bare legs! Lovely cutout gowns with all the angles on display is another trademark move on the part of Donatella Versace. We saw a lot of her in this collection. She is a woman that has always dressed herself impeccably well, and in her own clothing, so you know she isn't going to send something down the runway that she wouldn't wear herself and you have to love that in a designer.
My mother and I were just saying this weekend that this is our next bag....argh! Beaten to the punch, I hate it when that happens.
In case you are wondering. This is the Chloe Marcie Small Leather Hobo.
You can purchase it online now at www.netaporter.com for $1,465.
At a time when more and more red carpets are seeing women appear in shorter dresses, Giorgio Armani gives us an entire line up of dresses, at Emporio Armani that will look right at home in front of a thousand flashes!
I might actually throw a little temper tantrum if I can't have the neutral dress featuring an oversized silk rosette (pictured above in the middle).
Dan and Dean Caten gave us "lady on the edge" walking down the catwalk this season with vampy colours and funky designs. I'm going to take a word from Tyra's vocab and go out on a limb here in saying that this presentation was "FIERCE." I do not use that word lightly. Dan and Dean take fashion excellence and they square it., no, in fact they actually cube it Their designs had a corporate woman vibe with luxurious furs and form fitting cuts. It was then enhanced later in the show by funky elements such as huge bunches of feathers or sheer netting with blue and red vein detailing painted on the surface to give the appearance of a body seen inside out from the wrists to the neck. They presented a collection that is very wearable, in fact 95% of the collection could have gone straight to rack from what we could see. The other five percent? Well I don't know if a leather dress with skeletal hands acting as shoulder pads is really appropriate cocktail hour wear....but it displays one hell of an artistic talent present in these twins!
Zebra Trousers, Zebra tops, Zebra jackets, Zebra wraps, Zebra bags....you name it, Blumarine covered it in the animal print. It's a good thing it was faux or the world might have just said goodbye to entire family of Zebras just to complete this show. And just when you thought that the designer had chosen to move on, Zebra walked back onto the runway. What caused this intense obsession this season? I was slightly relieved when I saw a python boot come down the runway, finally a step away from the Zebra obsession.
The show ended on a lighter note with what I am going to call the pastel coloured"mullet" dresses...short in the front and long in the back. It didn't work for hair and it certainly doesn't seem to have the desired effect on the runway either. Not my favourite Blumarine show to date, as I'm sure you can tell.
Here are all the details so you can make sure and get the right bag!
The designer is Fendi.
The name of the bag is "Trevi Fountain Peekaboo" and can only be purchased from the MGM Citycenter in Vegas.
It's an absolute bargain basement price of $36,000.
You have all of my details for delivery.
Love,
FFG
Nicole Richie will be at Selfridges, Oxford Street, from 6pm this evening holding a meet and greet with clients as she launches her new "Winter Kate" Collection. This is Richie's first Ready to Wear Collection which she has been promoting across Europe over the past week. If you are a big fan of her jewelry line, House of Harlow, it might be worth going down to take a look! We'll have someone from Fashion Foie Gras there getting the inside scoop for you if you can't make it!
Zac Posen has always said he wanted to cater to a greater market with his clothing. We've wondered when he would release a lower priced range for with a greater choice in sizing...and the time has come! Z Spoke from Zac Posen launched in New York at Saks Fifth Avenue earlier this week. Take a minute and check out the line and let us know what you think. We weren't terribly impressed but we've also not had a chance to see the clothes up close and personal...if you have....write in and let us know!
I can't help myself. I love Moschino Cheap and Chic. It's a line I can depend on year in and year out. One thing I wasn't expecting to see was a model coming out with a bag on her head, wearing it as a hat I suppose. But her accompanying trench was so fab I couldn't help but smile and say to myself "Rosella Jardini [the designer] is just so much fun."
The show itself was not your typical runway presentation. First of all, it felt more like a proper party. Pixie Lott was performing live and an Italian actress was DJing the night as we all stood on either side of the runway, shoulder to shoulder, watching the models smile and float down the red carpet looking as if they were skipping to catch a first class flight rather than showing off a new line of clothing.
The entire show was just so much fun that the clothing seemed like an afterthought. Now looking back at all of the pictures I see that the line was actually one of the best yet from Moschino Cheap and Chic. Fabulous collection, fabulous party, everyone was left with a smile on their face which is somewhat odd for a fashion event these days.
You might have recognized a few Victoria Secret models in yesterday's Prada runway show including Miranda Kerr, Doutzen Kroes and Alessandra Ambrosio. Well played Prada! That will no doubt bring a lot of attention from the media. The beautiful Lara stone was also seen strutting her stuff which prompted a flutter of whispers from women who commented on her body being the new "dream shape." I wonder if plastic surgeons have yet to hear the same, I'll have to check on that and get back to you.
Now down to the clothes. Miuccia Prada is a woman that clearly understands dressing other women. She does not hate us. She does not design clothes that require us to punish our bodies, rather the opposite actually. Her new Fall 2010 line is full coverage and designed with the average woman in mind. Instead of flattening the female cuves, Miuccia embraces and even flaunts them. So maybe I can indulge in a few Milanese delights without too much guilt afterall...
Beautiful graphic "messy line" (as we like to call them, childish, i know) prints were seen throughout the collection in various neutral and rich colour combinations. Massive knits and huge A-line skirts ruled the roost. Our favourite pieces in wth collection were undoubtedly the corsetted a-line tween like dresses with ruffles at the breast and finish of the skirt.
I suppose it is best to start the week with a disappointment. That way there is no where to go but up, right? Well I've been looking forward to the Fendi show for quite some time as Silvia Venturini Fendi is such an amazing talent.The collection for fall 2010 was a good solid collection but it was not fabulous. In fact it was a big let down and a similar feeling to what we experienced at Ralph Lauren in New York. So, as there was nothing great ,yet nothing bad, on the catwalk at Fendi I will merely leave you with the few images above to review yourself so that you may form your own opinions.
When I was growing up my mom told me certain prints should never be mixed together...and I am almost certain this combination of tartan and animal print would have been on that list! So I stayed away from the combo entirely. Now I wish I had been a print mixing rebel. Seeing these two thrown together on the catwalk of Just Cavalli was like taking a sip of champagne for the first time....one sip of the bubbly stuff and you wonder how you ever drank wine coolers as a teenager! Cavalli gave us looks for both ladies and punks...and we'd wear both looks proudly!
D&G....I don't know where to start. I've tried to put my notes into paragraphs and in the end I am afraid I just have to give up as I think the best way to show you my absolute love for this collection is to give you the notes straight. So here is, word for word, what I wrote while watching the runway:
#1 Officially Heidi has grown up, left grandfather on the mountain and moved to Milan...this is her collection!
I'm in Fair Isle heaven here.
Ski Bunny Chic lives on!
Heavy cabled sweaters with swinging silk skirts, genius boys!
Fur trimmed sweater coats, yes please!
Bare shoulders with heavy scarfs...a stroke of genius.
Cableknit corsets, where does the queue form?
A Mini skirt made entirely of fur...dear god.
This is the best show yet from D&G.
I mean every word! Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana, I just fell in love with you all over again!
I just got an email from a reader bringing my attention to a recent show on Martha Stewart, in the US, that was all about tall people! The whole entire audience was over 6 feet tall...how awesome is that?! Damn, I wish I still lived in the USA sometimes (if you are a regular reader you will know that I am a 6'2 American who is obsessed with her height). Anyway, you can go and view the entire show online where they speak to women about the issues of being tall, where to find clothing and how to style appropriately, etc. etc.
The show also featured the lovely and talented writer, Arianne Cohen, who you may remember reading about in Vogue a few years ago....
(I'm going to email her and see if I can set up an interview...she sounds like someone I would love to take for afternoon tea).
If it's chunky, metallic or leopard print, we'll have it on the runway please. This was the feeling one had at the Blugirl show this afternoon in Milan. Blugirl is the "daughter" of Blumarine....it's a line of clothing designed for the younger generation of couture crazy teenagers. I've always found that Blugirl has done exactly what it set out to do - rework the current styles being designed for women for a girl in her teenage years. The clothes are still fun and flirty without looking too grown up. This season was no exception. Their chunky knits replaced the fur craze currently on the catwalk . I mean really, what thirteen year old girl should be wearing fur to school anyway (at ease upper eastsiders)? The girls walking the runway all seemed completely comfortable in their attire and isn't that how fashion is supposed to be when you are young? It isn't until you reach at least eighteen that it all starts to become terribly uncomfortable, ha!
If you happen to be in Milan from 24 Feb through 2 March 2010, for fashion week, may we take the liberty of recommending a must see! Last night the "House of Shades" in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Piazza Duomo, was officially opened to the public. The site-specific installation, by the Indian artist Sudarshan Shetty, is an iron frame constructed house which hold hundreds of pairs of sunglasses in place around you.
As you move throughout the installation you are struck by your own reflection in the many shades that surround you. All eyes are on you, literally. You are forced to look at yourself and for some this could be a form of pleasure or pain. It is the perfect compliment to Milan Fashion Week. An amazing installation and a fantastic discover by Louis Vuitton.
What a show! We're giving you a standing ovation even now in the office! Krystof, the dreamy red-headed polish graduate of Central Saint Martins, debuted his collection at London Fashion Week only last season.
It was predicted then that he would be a shining star on the fashion scene but this is above and beyond even those set expectations. His clothing has a strong structured presence. Every model that came down the runway was wearing an item that had such fantastic finish you would think it came from the hands of a man that had been fitting garments for centuries. We can't wait to see what Krystof Strozyna will present to us in September! Make sure to check out his website for further details for Spring Summer 2010 which is available now.
All you need to purchase, folks is a sheepskin lined bomber jacket! I love it when big statements, such as this one, are made on the catwalk. The only problem is that once they are out there you can't see anything else. It's hard to concentrate on the other detailed separates in the show when the coats are the main focus. This is probably just my ADD nature at work here....but so be it. And what's wrong with concentrating on the coats? This is what Burberry is known for? My first Burberry item was a trench and it still hangs in my closet today!
When looking beneath the coats one would notice the silhouettes were all narrow and the boots were all as high as high can go! There was a very tailored military feel to the entire line showing that Christopher Bailey is constantly retaining an idea of the company's heritage while he is in design mode. The bags were big and sturdy...announcing that our love for large bags will not need to take a back seat in the forthcoming season.
The show itself was celebrity central for the week in London. Since Burberry's triumphant return to the London fashion seen last season, many more fashionistas have made the pilgrimage to London a part of their four week fashion extravaganza. We're happy to have you here, in my home town!
Right back, front and centre, the curvy woman. It's only been about 48 hours since I last saw a press release about a plus size this or that. Can we please stop saying we are being so accepting of the plus size model? We will only really be accepting the plus size category of women when we stop labelling them as plus size and merely allow them to appear in magazines alongside the other models. When they aren't labelled as a "special section or feature" is when we will have all gotten over our size zero obsession. Until that day comes we are just playing a mind game here with the public.
So I can't help but laugh when I see that Vogue Italia online has devoted a whole section of their website to the Curvy girl, as well as another section to black women called Vogue Black. Really all you are saying, Vogue, is "if you aren't a size zero and white we too have "special" sections for you."
There have been rumours floating around on the blogs that this was a go but I wanted to wait for the official word from Net-a-Porter before releasing the news formally. And it doesn't get more formal than this statement I just received from the PR Office:
"NET-A-PORTER.COM, the world's premier online luxury fashion retailer, and J.Crew, the highly coveted U.S-based fashion retailer, today announced the launch of a strategic partnership that will provide customers in 170 countries with unprecedented access to the J.Crew women’s collection. Currently J.Crew operates stores exclusively in the United States and only offers shipping services throughout North America and to Japan.
Beginning in May 2010, a well-edited selection of women's apparel, shoes and accessories will be available on NET-A-PORTER allowing customers in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Oceania to shop J.Crew for the first time ever and providing customers in the the United States, Canada and Japan with continued access. Over 90 different designs from J.Crew's Spring/Summer 2010 womenswear collection including evening and day dresses, chinos, mini skirts, jumpsuits, cashmere sets, boyfriend shorts, cotton tees, jackets, desert boots, bikinis, statement jewelry and more will launch. Several exclusive styles and colors will also be available.
Natalie Massenet, Founder and Chairman, NET-A-PORTER.COM says: "We love J.Crew so we are delighted that they have decided to join forces with us to help further service NET-A-PORTER and J.Crew customers internationally. With our global distribution we are an ideal partner for J.Crew. It's a symbiotic relationship but ultimately its our customers who will benefit - we can provide ours with something exclusive and J.Crew can offer its fans abroad access to products that they haven't had previously. With our speedy delivery this means that customers in Norway, the Philippines, New Zealand and South Africa can be decked out in J.Crew within a matter of days while customers in London and Manhattan can receive items the same day."
Jenna Lyons, Creative Director, J.Crew says: “This is such an exciting opportunity for J.Crew to have an international presence with NET-A-PORTER. We have received an overwhelming request from our customers to be available overseas. As a huge NET-A-PORTER fan and shopper, I love the way they edit and present the collections - it comes from very special and elevated point of view and we love the opportunity for J.Crew to be a part of it.“
I am so excited I can barely sit still. All those years of waiting until I flew to New York, Los Angeles or Charlotte to stock up on the brand that so many love and adore. Now all I have to do is log on to the net and I can have J.Crew delivered to my doorstep the very same day in London! You don't even get that service in America! You have to schlep to the Mall and stock up. Shopping has just hit a new high for me. Pardon me while I do a little dance in my hallway at the exciting news...
...Ok I'm back...I'll be sure and let you know as soon as we do about the official launch and what items will be included! Knowing Natalie's taste in clothing this will be only the cream of the crop from J. Crew's new spring line!
Congrats to the new happy couple, Net-a-porter and J.Crew. We can't wait to buy up your offspring (ok, that just sounds wrong).
