Givenchy Couture Fall 2011. Dreams Do Come True.

Riccardo Tisci has been showing his Givenchy Haute Couture in more intimate installations in the grand corner salon of  Place Vendôme. It is a wonderful way in experiencing couture. This time having the designer being the tour guide of this magnificent collection, discussing the craft that he passionately and obviously respects and loves, was a treat. He explains his couture aesthetic, both provocative and captivating. It was enjoyable listening to him explaining their unique manifestations.



Riccardo Tisci



This Fall everything is made in white and rich in embellishments on silk chiffon or tulle. This line up is beautifully sexy and stunning. Everything must be seen at close up to see the most refined metal work imaginable that rendered one dress as stretches of fringe. Or the hand cut tulle paillettes that covered a dress that was inspired by a graduation project at Central St. Martins is mesmerizing. I appreciated the cat's eye pearls, illuminated by encapsulated crystals, attached with thick cashmere rosettes for his meatiest embroideries, on a cropped sweatshirt.

Givenchy Haute Couture Fall 2011

He explained the painstaking processes; one of which was an embroidery that was accomplished by artisans that wore white gloves as the tool minute stitches with invisible acrylic thread.

Each garment is a beautiful dream come true. All of them designed by Riccardo Tisci for the house of Givenchy.

Givenchy Haute Couture Fall 2011

by

Riccardo Tisci

 

Givenchy Couture Installation

Fall 2011

Armani Privé Haute Couture Fall 2011. Gorgeous!!!

A wonderful exotic world was met in the foyer at the Théâtre National de Chaillot. There was a vast black bordered red carpet underlit to powerful effect which was perfect for the presentation I was about to see. Armani has always designed wonderful clothes no matter what season it is. Ever since he started Privé, Armani consistently presents beautiful couture designs that are truly spectacular and always takes my breath away. What I always enjoy from Armani is that he is never shy to experiment with shapes, textures and construction. I always look forward to his haute couture collections because there is a powerful simplicity that is so elegant and impressing to the eye.

Giorgio Armani

Dedicated to Japan and the survivors of the earthquake and tsunami, this collection is a loud whisper of sophistication. It is pure elegance that is highly exceptional with the influence of Japanese art and style. He opened with a sleek, structured reed-thin silhouette. His day looks were defined with the peaked shoulders that he loves. There were some beautiful black pieces with pretty partial prints snaking down a sleeve, defining a peplum or spliced across one side of a neckline. For evening the word 'gorgeous' popped in my head. It was the climax of his collection. They were slender and had structure and demanded to be noticed. There were flaps incorporated and folds of fabric that never made anything look overdone. A couple of show stoppers were a black velvet gown with crystal fringing and a melon sequined dress embroidered with flowers, which was the finale piece.
There was never a dull moment in the presentation. I was truly captivated by this supreme collection that truly represented what Armani loves to do. To make a woman look and feel beautiful.

Armani Privé

Haute Couture

Fall 2011

CHANEL Haute Couture Fall 2011. Sssnap!!!

The set that was a replica of the Place Vendôme with glass street lamps and the dome scraping monument that had an aluminium replica of the Mademoiselle herself was really breathtaking. It really set the tone for what was coming. And what showed up was a true Chanel collection that was was a mixture of androgyny and femininity. It was amazing!

I love that Mr. Lagerfeld plays with new silhouettes every season. Offering everything from daywear to eveningwear, this collection does not miss a beat. Keeping the integrity of the Chanel look and aesthetic, Lagerfeld always gives it a clever twist of newness and edge that goes with the time we are in, always moving forward.
Most importantly, Lagerfeld gets every single aspect of the hands of couture busy, all of which ultimately create these magnificent, chic clothes.

Karl Lagerfeld for CHANEL

This season the peplum is the focal point of this collection which is done in so many different ways. The suits in black and white tweed are modern, boxy and classic, the skirts were to the knee, and the evening wear had some wow factors that are perfect for the red carpet.  This wonderful collection brought back the attention that haute couture was all about full wardrobe-dressing. Somehow some designers missed the mark in the past but not the house of Chanel.
In the present it is setting the example as Mademoiselle always has done so. Sssssnap!

CHANEL

Haute Couture Fall 2011

Part 1

CHANEL

Haute Couture Fall 2011

Part 2

Red and Hot! Alexandre Vauthier Haute Couture Fall 2011.

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.

Alexandre Vauthier

Haute Couture

Fall 2011

Anne Valérie Hash Fall Couture 2011. A 10th Anniverary

Anne Valérie Hash 

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!

Anne Valérie Hash

Fall Couture

2011

Anne Valérie Hash Fall Couture 2011

L'OFFICIEL

.

Martin Margiela Fall Couture 2011. Inventive.



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.

Martin Margiela Haute Couture

Fall 2011



Martin Margiela Haute Couture Fall 2011

(Filmed by L'OFFICIEL)

Beauty in the Forest. Alexis Mabille Haute Couture Fall 2011.

 Alexis Mabille



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 lamé and 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.

Mercí, Alexis!

Alexis Mabille Haute Couture Fall 2011

Interview

Alexis Mabille

Haute Couture

Fall 2011



Bouchra Jarrar Fall Couture 2011. Definitely Going Places!

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!

Bouchra Jarrar

Haute Couture Fall 2011

and Interview

Chritian Dior Fall/Winter 2011/2012 sans Galliano

The show was feeling pretty sedate . I still feel saddened and dissapointed as most people in the industry feel.
It is going to take some time to get used to the change that took place as well as the absence of a fantastic talent.
Bernard Arnault was absent. Dior's president Sidney Toledano took the stage with humility and gave a message that the house's recently terminated designer is now p.n.g. chez Dior. Galliano's name was not mentioned. Toledano then gave the history of the founding of Dior and a fact that Dior's sister had been deported to Buchenwald. “What has happened over the last week has been a terrible and wrenching ordeal for us all,” he said. “It has been deeply painful to see the Dior name associated with the disgraceful statements attributed to its designer, however brilliant he may be.”
Toledano then closed celebrating “the extraordinary, creative and marvelous efforts of these loyal, hardworking people.” He was referring to the seamstresses and the craftsmen of the Dior studio who took a bow at the end of the show. According to sources, Galliano's own team did not appear on the runway to show solidarity for him.

The hair by Orlando Pita and the make up by Pat McGrath were not as dramatic because it was obvious that someone said not attempt to do the theatrical and fantastical kind of hair and make up.
The direction and tone of the collection was given by Galliano given that he was still officially in house until his dismissal on March 1st.
The collection was pretty much sportswear marking the departure of the bar jackets and fantastical lady like designs that Galliano was so brilliant at creating.
The clothes were quite feminine and pretty. A dandyish attitude as someone said.  Some voluminous capes, great blouses to go with pants or skirts, some pretty jackets with texture and wonderful combination of fabrics and colors that offers a diverse range of pieces for a range of wonderful women. It was a pretty well put together collection. Take a look.

Christian Dior Fall/Winter 2011

Preview