Alexandre Vauthier has captivated the attention of Roisin Murphy, Rihanna and Beyonce Knowles. He has an eye for shape and is wonderful in executing sexy, modern designs that draws in the attention to his talent.
Alexandre Vauthier
The entire collection was presented in red and it made a passionate, seductive and edgy statement and certainly kept things hot in the room. I enjoyed his daywear which made an impression and it seemed to be a strong part of the show. The passionate red line up consisted of fitted modern suits with high slit skirts and fitted dresses with fox coats to match. I enjoyed the dresses that were perfect for the Red Carpet like the red beaded dress chiffon siren dress and some sexy drapy silhouettes.
The collection was perfectly finished, compared to last season when there were some unfinished hems and seams. The quality of the clothes were quite impressive and well polished.
The last dress of the show made quite an impression all in a nude color and richly beaded encrusted shoulders. I actually wished he showed some more of that.
For a collection that was inspired by a smear of red lipstick, Alexandre Vauthier continues to be quite appealing.
Anne Valérie Hash celebrated her 10th Anniversary with 10 signature looks that were a blend of tailored pieces with the soft blouses made of the lightest silk mousseline. At the Shangri-La Hotel, these pieces were displayed on wooden mannequins in the gilded ballroom, but they really came to life when two models took turns wearing these ensembles that were gently draped and came in powdery shades of chalk, almond green and peach. A black jumpsuit with a neckline resembling a trouser waistband and a sexy ivory silk dress with a plunging back secured with crisscross ties were quite impressive.
This collection is pretty and very clean. Congratulations, Anne Valérie Hash!
Martin Margiela showed a collection of a mixture of tailoring and industrial looking fabrics and finishings, all quintessential to the design philosophy of his artistry in fashion. Each outfit expresses the Margiela element of invention. In this case, the popular polypropylene sports socks were assembled into a second-skin sweater in a fresh take on a 1991 Margiela sweater made of army socks, paired with a matching cashmere blanket skirt which is an influence of Joseph Beuys. There was a trenchcoat made of strips of tape that gave a fell of sophistication. There was a transparency theme that continued with jackets and coats that were constructed of this modern horse hair that were layered over the tailoring exposing their intricate skeletons.
Martin Margiela is truly inventive and continues to amaze me with his amazing sense of design.
Alex Mabille presented his collection of exotic creatures at the Téâtre du Châlet. Based on Jean de la Fontaine's animal fables, these confections were beautiful, but some just missed the mark. I enjoyed the beautiful Ant made in black silk crepe with slits on the sides baring sexy legs, her rival the Grasshoper in a fitted dress of laméand brown lace with an irredescent bodice and the Black Wolf in black velvet with Swarofsy crystals down along the arms. The Horse came out with long fringe, bunched, to form a bustier tied in the back to form a tail for the train.
One of the most elegant and simplest was the Magpie that was a black swallow tail bolero coat over a white strapless silke crepe column.
While Mabille held everything together with his imagination there were some curses that could have been edited out. The Swan in mustard yellow leggings under tattered white organza, the taffeta and origami silk Raven and the green Frog ball gown would all have me running out of the forest for my life.
Fall Haute Couture 2011
Alexis Mabille is doing better and he did his best in this collection which demonstrated that this was a display of more of what he is capable of. I still think his designs are charming and that he is getting better at adding an allure of unique charm in his one of a kind collections.
There are Bouchra Jarrar fans out there and a lot of people do not know this. She certainly did not disappoint at all with this Fall Couture presentation! She produced beautiful, well made garments so exquisite that I suggest all of you to follow what she does, because she has a lot to offer to satisfy any woman who is looking for high quality clothes.
All bases were covered from day to evening. The craftsmanship and tailoring played a part to complete the looks that are modern, clean and bold as a result. The beautifully cut little black dress with a skewed slash on the neckline, and wonderful cut outs with her signature piping were present in her dresses and jackets.
Her love for bold graphics were expressed with magnificent stripes of gray and blue that sliced through a gray coat dress, a touch of perfection was on a black tweed dress, and they gave the knits she created a delightful accent.
The designer said that she was playing with the contrast of femininity and masculinity. The beautiful blue color is a memorable color that was truly noticeable. There is no question that her following is growing and that she is gradually becoming a couturier whose clothes will be in the pages of major fashion magazines and that her signature looks will be on the bodies of fashionable high profile women.
She is definitely going to places she never dreamed of!
The Chambre Syndicale's newest guest member made his couture debut and it was very delightful to see a pretty presentation at the 19th-century Galerie de la Madeleine passageway. Giambattista Valli already has a loyal clientele, some of which already have ordered his designs. His designs were sculptured, soft, fluid and played with volume that all satisfied the eyes with some pops of color and wild animal prints. There was beautiful cape that was layered with an embroidery of pretty Lilly of the Valley flowers dripping down the garment, a beautiful tweed suit that was covered with jet beads and ostrich feathers. Impressing stunners included a coral bustier dress with a matching cape and a white flowing dress with beautifully layered shoulders.
This is a great beginning for this couture first timer. The only thing is that it would be great to see a few daytime pieces. Other than that, I am pleased with this presentation.
The house of Christian Dior has a wonderful history rich of fashion, design and luxury. This house is an amazing laboratory that practices the utmost exquisite craft which is haute couture. Monsieur Dior himself would be proud to this day of his house because it has lasted this long especially in this day and age.
Today, since the dismissal of John Galliano, there is no couturier. While the world is waiting for the announcement of the new creative director for the house, Bill Gaytten had very big shoes to fill and had the challenging task of delivering a top notch couture collection. He did his best.
The presentation took place at Musée Rodin and was presented in a smaller scale. The absence of Galliano was felt and there was a curiosity in the air to see what the vision would be for the Fall/Winter 2011 season.
I have to say that the collection is a disappointment. It did not look cohesive. There was a lot of mish mash of textures, shapes, and silhouettes. Definitely the presence of femininity was there including some of the Dior signatures like the rose which was mixed with some of the layering of textures in some of the garments.
Inspirations were Italian designer Ettore Sottsass, Jean Paul Goude, the architecture of Frank Ghery, the Fifties and the Seventies, and Marc Bohan who was a designer for Dior.
Christian Dior Fall Haute Couture
Backstage and Preview
Ball gowns were inspired by roses. Flowing Caftans was the Marc Bohan influence. Some pieces resembled the textures of the buildings that Frank Ghery had created around the world. This collection was quite confusing. The last dress, a textured ball gown inspired by Pierrot, that was worn by Karly Kloss was a bit gimmicky.
At best, this is a couture collection that is made by less known hands which is quite risky and intriguing. It is an indication that the house is continuing to present its couture to keep not only the tradition going but to offer some luxe, one of a kind merchandise to its clients and to the world.
At the end of the presentation Bill Gaytten and first assistant Susanna Venegas gave their bows as the moment approaches to announce the new creative director for the house of Christian Dior.
