Giorgio Armani has always been drawn to far flung locales and cultures. The countless reference points have always been an inspiration to his work. This collection he said, would display "an echo of different cultures. As if you are touring the world and taking different references from different cultures and obviously make them more of today's world."
The lineup was streamlined of looks in high intensity, high shine fabrics, an exotica rendered in a moody palette shot with red, nonspecific tribal-esque patterns and bold accessories, including the ubiquitous fez. The designer's primary focus was on pants that were cut lean under short, crisp jackets or waistcoats. These were done neatly with details of cut such as curved closure, plisséd edges, geometric hems and short puffed sleeves.
For grander moments, he raged from the simplicity of a lovely long black sating dress with a hint of vibrant embroidery, to the sleek intricacy of a graphic, red-and-black, jewel encrusted peplum top over a black mermaid skirt.
Armani made a big push with accesories. Bags and shoes in matching prints and big bar broaches were demonstative but at the same time was a bit confusing.
Elegance and class is the element that radiates out from these designs and when worn feel absolutely wonderful. Class is the message that Armani always gives out and at the same time allows anyone to pick and choose any piece to wear separately or completely. One more thing is that there is always the touch of feminine sexiness and that is Armani.
Bouchra Jarrar shows that she is a French designer that has a unique and incredible point of view. This collection had a real sense of practicality and modern elegance that was sleek, clean and lavishly simple with the Jarrar touch.
She offered coats with military buttons, lapels trimmed in beaver fur, rustic English felts and muted houndstooth were paired with sleek tuxedo pants in midnight blue.
There was an assymetric elements that had a side closure or a sloping collar or a quarter moon of fur flung from one lapel. A a short waisted shearling looked sexy and pretty chic and would make a perfect piece to have in any wardrobe.
Dresses were simple and clean and came in a creamy ivory color. A beautiful tank dress with a scooped back that was slightly off kilter had an impact in it's simplicity.
All in all these clothes have a futuristic allure to them. Jarrar knows herself so well as a designer and she consistently proves that she is someone in demand to make clothes that are parctical in a special modern haute couture kind of way. And there is a demand for that.
This collection was called Voltage. Iris van Herpen did in fact showed astonishing designs that were electrifying. "Inspired by a childhood dream, a desire to understand control and re-create lightning." The impact for her show featured a living sculpture standing in the center of the room with what looked like purple lighting passing through her body.
Miss van Herpen is known for the use of innovational techniques and produced, according to her "the first 3-D printed flexible dresses. These pieces were intricately designed and had a life on their own, making movements on their own independent of the models' bodies. There was a voluminous minidress that was matched with a huge wrap which transformed in a seashell armour. There were wearable dresses in black in layer of slightly see through knitted fabric as well which were delightful.
Iris van Herpen is a fantastic designer who always thinks out of the box. She reminds me a bit of Alexander McQueen but van Herpen's inspirations are always drawn from nature and its organic physiology and from that she produces unique and original creations.
I hope to see more of her work and I am sure those of you in the fashion atmosphere hope as well. She is definitely brilliant and unique.
Inspired from the maze-like streets of Tokyo, Christophe Josse created a variety of looks with embroideries that were intertwined and had intricate serpentine trimmings. The collection was mostly in black and white. Small bodices and wide skirts were the main silhouette.
In the mix there were some looks that had some comfort such as a black sleeveless dress with embroidery on the front. There was a pop of color such as a pale pink gowns in satin and chiffon and navy blue.
Overall this collection was fabulously feminine and had the right light touches that made everything look pretty.
Perfect!
Meticulous, manicured hedges by Belgian landscape artist Martin Wirtz was the stage for the anticipated Christian Dior couture presentation. It is definitely a pretty turn from the elaborate and beautifully dense setting of flowers from fall. Raf Simons said this is the very idea of spring. And so it was when the confections made their presence. The models were all done up and styled with small feathered caps of hair and wore sparkling red lips dressed in these originals.
The theme is similar to the allure to his fall couture and this time for spring it is even better.
The presentation started with a bustier dress with a black bodice, simply draped, with a delicious skirt in a Fifties cut and length.
Simons continues to reinvent the nipped in the waist tuxedos, and the bustiers worn over cigarette pants that models' hands were tucked into. There was a reference of Dior's iconic "Bar" jacket in flare at the hem of scoop-neck satin tops and in the ethereal, trumpet-shaped bridal gowns that came at the climax of the show.
Simons continued using the great ideas from his debut. Instead of embroideries on the front and back of his dresses, they were planted in an asymmetric fashion on fitted gowns and on a short sleeved dress in a sea foam color.
Simons gave some looks a modern and futuristic feel by using colors that were bold and unique like using neon yellow embroideries on a black bustier or tinting the edges of floral shapes with a shade of red on a cream column of Guipere lace.
Simons said he is taking things slow in the makeover of Dior. He didn't want to do a heavy concept, hence the idea of the garden, flowers, spring and the evolution of that.
The snow made Paris beautiful yet the streets were slushy. After viewing this impeccable collection spring is not such a bad idea after all! Wearing any of these Christian Dior creations will make spring even more fabulous!
The setting was the splenderous Italian Embassy in Paris which Giambattista Valli chose for his fourth couture presentation. This time he revealed a collection that was mostly sleek and sculptural.
He opened the show with a wasp silhouette, minimalist evening coat that was cinched in the waist and made of silk fabric that was of an abstract lynx fur print.
This set the tone what was about to come as the main template for the collection. Black and white animal prints on short or long dresses or bearing light decoration. Coats and dresses embroidered with flowers with petals composed of feathers was an example of Valli restraining from hedgelike volumes thus showing his restrained side. There was also a sexy like a bustier dress with animal print veiled in black tulle which was graphic as well.
Purely elegant were the wonderful dresses that were nipped in the waist with multi layered tulle twinkling with tiny crystals. Youthfully sexy were the very short dresses in heavy curtain brocades with swaying Watteau backs.
At the end the finale looks were just grand in heavy silks and bearing long trains with structured bodices and sweeping skirts that were regal and sublime.
Valli continues to design haute couture beautifully. He offers impeccable design and craftsmanship that are all sublime in detail, texture and creativity. What a beautiful spring it will be for 2013 for the House of Giambattista Valli!
Alexis Mabille is now an official Paris couture house. He celebrated by creating a venue in bubble gum pink that will match up with the frothy designs he sent down the runway. The show opened with a sheer pink chiffon blouse that had white sleeves and a pink peplum that was quite a froufrou paired with narrow pink razimir pants.
There was netting throughout from a white flirty cocktail dress layered in a dotted veil to a couple of dresses that had curtain like Neoprine mesh that were sweeping the floor. Some of the dresses had some bows and flowers on the shoulders that were just not the right touches.
The only look that was the strongest was a black belted tuxedo dress that was cut away in the front that revealed plenty of leg. Why couldn't Mabille create more looks like that?
I do like Alexis Mabille's sense of whimsy but this time it made me raise an eyebrow and made me go through his collection fast!
