Red Carpet Illustrated | Oscars 2013

Amy Adams by Claire Kearns 

Talk about a princess dress – it was a toss up between best supporting actress nominee Adams and Jennifer Lawrence for who had the biggest frock on Oscars night, but I think Adams just about clinched it. It’s no surprise this voluminous creation is by the king of all things frou frou and fancy, Oscar de la Renta. I don’t know how she actually managed to sit down in it, but it looked spectacular.

Jessica Chastain by Claire Kearns

Best actress nominee Jessica Chastain’s copper locks and alabaster skin were a flawless match with her shimmering copper Giorgio Armani gown, but sadly it didn’t help her bring home the gold on the night.

Jennifer Lawrence by Janneke de Jong

That honour went to 22-year-old Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook. She made almost as many headlines for the fact that on the way to collect her award she tripped up the stairs in her beautiful but unwieldy Dior Couture dress. Janneke seems to think that Emma Stone may be involved…

Naomie Harris by Hilary Killam

Forget your Armanis and your de la Rentas, Naomie Harris’s golden gown was by a designer so up-and-coming he hasn’t even left school yet. Michael Badger, a student at Savannah College of Art and Design, was the winner of the Red Carpet Green Dress Challenge that Suzy Amis Cameron (wife of director James) fronted. The dress looked quite at home amongst all the other designer finery. What a great way to promote sustainable fashion.

Salma Hayek by Hilary Killam

Amidst a sea of frothy frocks, Salma Hayek stood out in her Alexander McQueen column dress with its  heavily jewel-encrusted neckline. There’s nothing quite like midnight blue velvet to show of a figure like hers.

Amanda Seyfried by Jo Ley.

Here’s a bit of juicy red carpet goss: word on the street (OK, the internet) is that best actress winner Anne Hathaway chose not to wear Valentino to the Oscars because the dress she was going to wear was too similar to that of her Les Miserables co-star. I love the way Jo has captured Seyfried’s diaphanous, embroidered Alexander McQueen gown so that I looks as though she’s floating on air. Like a haute couture angel. Lovely.

There are more wonderful illustrations from this talented lot in Red Carpet Illustrated: BAFTAs 2013.

What do the Pre-fall collections tell us about what’s coming up for Autumn/Winter?

Taking place in December and January each year, the pre-fall (or resort) collections started out as clothes for rich people to wear on holiday. But for many designers they’re now a major cash cow, representing the largest proportion of their annual sales, outstripping their main spring and winter drops. Usually unveiled as static presentations to journalists and editors, rather than the full scale biannual fashion week bonanzas, pre-fall can give a taster of what a designer has got up their sleeve for autumn/winter. With fashion month now less than four weeks away, I’m looking at eight major designers’ offerings to see what pre-fall trends have emerged.

Louis Vuitton

Gone were the polka dots, Chessboard print and zingy yellows of Spring, replaced by funereal florals, jacquard frocks and lots of black. This was still a trip to Marc Jacobs’ favourite decade, however – babydolls, minis and sixties stripes abounded.

Gucci

Take a pair of black slim cut cigarette pants or a knee-length pencil skirt, pair with a jacket belted tightly at the waist and a pair of shiny patent t-bar courts there you have it, the perfectly preened 1950′s silhouetted pre-fall Gucci girl. She’s also got a bit of a penchant for turquoise and moss green.

Erdem

Sharing signatures with both Gucci and Vuitton, Erdem Moralioglu’s pre-fall girl also has a thing for pant suits (but hers are crisp and pajama-like), collared frocks, and this time green of a vibrant forest hue. Featuring fewer ballgowns than his usual mainline shows, this was a very wearable and distinctly ladylike collection.

Jason Wu

Steering clear of the frou-frou fronds he sometimes favours, Wu’s pre-fall woman had more va-va-voom than a Ferrari full of buxom belladonnas. Sequins, sheer panels, black leather – sometimes all on the same outfit. He also threw in a load of stripes, mainly in chevrons, and plumped for lots of emerald. It’s official, green is the colour of pre-fall 2013.

DKNY

Stripes emerged as a big story for pre-fall, not least at DKNY. Horizontal, diagonal, in chevrons – whichever way they went, they were black, white or grey. Even the knee-high gladiator sandals (what do we call them, gladi-boots?) in black and white that accompanied every look created a striped effect on the leg. Where colour did appear it was beautiful – silky pants and shirt dresses in dense raspberry pink, azure and purple looked as inviting as – there’s that word again – pajamas.

Lanvin

Alber Elbaz’s femme fatale took on an ornate and, at times, animalistic bent for pre-fall. For every bead-encrusted LBD or pair of black leather gauntlet gloves, there was a feathered hem, a zebra pelt or leopard print coat. A scarlet red strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline was virtually the only flash of colour.

Preen

Scarlet was littered throughout a collection from Preen for which the phrase ‘punk princess’ couldn’t be more apt, given its juxtaposition of red tartan, wet-look leather, manly tailoring and good-girl dresses. It was apparently based on The Hunger, a 1983 film starring David Bowie. Given Bowie’s current status as front runner for man of the year 2013, they might be on to something there.

McQ by Alexander Mcqueen

Also trotting down a Highland path, the little sister brand of the McQueen stable offered a smattering of red tartan looks, alongside some thick outdoorsy knitwear and coats. The peplum was reworked as a stiff, ruffled flourish sitting right below a cinched in waist, and a few pops of the label’s signature digital prints were delivered in fuchsia and sunset orange.

Conclusions:

The major trends of pre-fall 2013 include femme fatale sensuality; stripes stripes stripes; and any colour as long as it’s green.

Guest Post | Harvey Nichols autumn wonderland

Naomi Morello (of Dirty Ramen blog) has been attending press days on behalf of Style & Then Some. Here’s her second guest post from the leafy Harvey Nicholls press day.

There is a little story I must tell you before I start babbling on about the Harvey Nicholls autumn/winter 2012 press day.

It was in precisely this store a little over a  year ago that I attended the Vogue Experience, an event launched by Italian Vogue’s editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani to support and give advice to young aspiring writers/photographers/designers.

Aside from being a writer, I am also a photographer, and having the chance to show my work to one of my biggest inspirational figures was a dream come true. I, Naomi Morello, was about to get feedback on my pictures from one of the leading figures in today’s fashion industry. I felt a bit like Frida Kahlo when she showed her paintings to Diego Rivera.

On the day of the event, I got dressed, packed my laptop (I couldn’t afford to print my pictures), threw up a little, and headed to Harvey Nicholls. Long story short, Franca happened to think my work wasn’t absolute crap, and asked me to upload one particular photograph on Italian Vogue’s website. Two days later, I won a competition that saw my picture being displayed at the opening exhibition of  the Vogue Fashion’s Night Out 2011.

So when S&TS asked me to attend the Harvey Nics press event, I accepted right away, glad to step once again into the place that gave me my first (and so far, only) fashion-related success of my life.

As soon as I stepped into the private room at the fifth floor restaurant, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Harvey Nichols had taken the autumn theme quite literally – the venue was packed full of crimson coloured trees and fallen leaves were scattered all over the wooden floor. At the back, a small bistro had been set up, with wrought-iron chairs and tables  and a stunning bar entirely decorated with fresh magenta flowers.

The visual impact was stunning, but the collections offered some competition: Meadham Kirchoff, one of my favourite brands, led the way with an absolutely breath-taking burgundy fitted suit decorated with golden laurel leaves and baby blue ‘paint-drops’, finished off with a multi-coloured fur coat.

I have always been lovingly drawn to designers who take inspiration from art when creating a collection. That’s why Erdem left me in absolute awe: looking at the abstract printed garments reminded me of Jackson Pollock’s action paintings: definitely my favourite collection.

Being an avid collector (and wearer) of mens shirts, I fell in love with these two pieces by Alexander McQueen: the delicate colours of the hummingbirds create a beautiful contrast against the dirty white fabric, making it the perfect statement autumn piece. At least for me.

And finally, also on my personal menswear podium, Dries Van Noten definitely had cold British winters in mind when he designed these oversized wool jumpers, with colours that would brighten up even the greyest November day.

Top Ten Spring 2012 Catwalk Trends

Now that the autumn/winter 2012 shows are almost over, we can get back to the task at hand: our spring wardrobes – or at least daydreaming about them like me, when you have nigh on zero budget for clothes shopping. Here’s a refresher course in spring 2012: the trends, plus some shopping ideas (click on the photos to shop).

1. The decade: 1920′s. Blame Baz Luhrmann and his forthcoming The Great Gatsby remake. Ralph Lauren, Alberta Ferretti and Gucci all went flapper happy on the catwalks, as did Spijker and Spijkers at London Fashion Week. This trend is a dead cert to hit the high street too – you won’t be able to escape dropped waist dresses on the shop floor soon.

2. The life aquatic. Karl created an underwater dreamscape at Chanel and Donatella picked the starfish as a recurring motif at Versace. Who are we to argue with the Kaiser and Queen of Fashion?

3. Seaside summer. We’re all going on a summer holiday declared Daks and Mulberry. It’s a traditional British jaunt, so pack fifties skirts, ice cream colours and a cagoule (because, obviously, it’s going to rain).

4. Out of season. Heavy outerwear at Burberry and leather at Chloe could be forgiven (those are their specialities, after all) but fur? Really, Kanye West? And that was just one of Yeezy’s many errors.

5. Bare bellies. This spring the most unforgiving, flesh-exposing trend is decreed by fashion dowager Miuccia Prada. Both her eponymous and Miu Miu shows featured cropped tops, as did Viktor and Rolf’s. Check out my Pinterest crop tops board for more inspiration.

6. Print setup. Easily the most ubiquitous trend, even pattern-averse New Yorker Alexander Wang had a go at florals. In London, it was business as usual for print pros like Mary Katrantzou and Erdem.

7. Safari so good. NYFW stalwarts Oscar de la Renta and Michael Kors both came straight outta Africa with their khaki safari pieces, soft tribal prints and a healthy dose of zebra, of course.

8. The colour: tangerine tango.  In their trend report, palette experts Pantone point to this scorching shade as taking over from mustard as accent colour of choice next Spring, taking cues from Victoria Beckham, amongst others. Helen told ya so.

9. Ruffles up. Not tiny delicate ones, we’re talking stiff waves of fabric, seen on practically every look at Givenchy. The wavy peplums at Alexander McQueen were cute too. I think the Man Repeller will approve of this vaguely vaginistic trend (no, I don’t think that’s a word either).

10. What a mesh. Almost entirely New York-based, led by Derek Lam and Alexander Wang, this trend took a sports kit fabric from the playing field to the catwalk.

Join the call to bring the Alexander McQueen exhibition home

Fashion editor Melanie Rickey thinks that New York’s recent Alexander McQueen exhibition should be brought home to London - and we couldn’t agree more.

You can’t have missed the acres of web space recently devoted to Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, the exhibition that was held at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art this summer. Heck, there were street style blog posts and articles written about the queue on the last weekend alone, when closing time was extended to midnight to meet visitor demand. I don’t think a queue has had that must press coverage since the Eurostar disaster at King’s Cross St Pancras two Christmases ago (I should know – I got home to Holland three days late because of it).

My point is, the exhibition was a huge success. Described by Suzy Menkes in the New York Times as ‘exciting, stimulating and thought-provoking,’ it attracted 661,509 visitors between May and August. Which is great news, a fitting tribute to the all-too-short life of one of Britain’s greatest ever designers. But therein lies the rub: so far, there are no plans to hold the exhibition to Britain, and the city that Lee Alexander McQueen called home.

In an attempt to remedy this, Grazia’s Melanie Rickey (who you might know better as blogger @Fashedatlarge) has started a campaign to bring Savage Beauty to London, and we at Style & Then Some wholeheartedly support her efforts. Using an online petition and the hashtag #bringmcqueenexhibitionhome on Twitter, Rickey hopes to persuade the organisers to stage the show at the Victoria and Albert museum, London’s principal venue for fashion exhibitions. There’s no doubt it would be hugely popular, so would make sound financial sense. But more than that, the people of London deserve a chance to see up close the work of this visionary designer. A retrospective of the house of McQueen really belongs in the place where he lived, worked and, tragically, died.

If you, too, want to see Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty brought home to London, add your name to the more than 2,100 signatures on the online petition. While you’re at it, why not post on Twitter the reason you think the exhibition should come to London. Don’t forget the hashtag #bringmcqueenexhibitionhome.
UPDATE: Success! The McQueen exhibition WILL be coming to London, Fashedatlarge confirms. Job well done.

//

Ten things I learned at the royal wedding dress exhibition

The Royal Collection ©2011, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

 

1. Six different types of lace can be seen on the dress.
2. Four of the lace motifs were chosen to represent the nations of the United Kingdom– rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock.
3. The lace was appliquéd onto the satin gazar fabric by the Royal School of Needlework, an embroidery school that dates back to 1872.
4. The sewing needles had to be renewed every three hours to ensure they remained sharp enough.
5. The overall design of the dress was intended, according to designer Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, to ‘look to the past but look forward as well,’ so the bustle echoed a traditional Victorian shape but the corsetry was typical of the house of Alexander McQueen.
6. The skirt pattern was shaped like an unfolding flower.
7. Heavy canvas was strategically placed on the ‘petals’ of the skirt to make sure it retained its shape when Catherine walked up the aisle.
8. The earrings that the Middleton family had commissioned as a gift for their daughter feature a diamond in the shape of an acorn, as seen on the family’s coat of arms.
9. The Royal wedding cake featured 900 flowers and leaves made out of icing.
10. Because they didn’t eat the royal wedding cake itself (it’s on show at the exhibition now) the Duke of Cambridge had a chocolate biscuit cake commissioned by McVities, presumably to keep reception guests happy.

The Royal Wedding Dress: A story of Great British Design is open until 3^rd October 2011 at the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace. Visit the Royal Collection website for more details and to book tickets.

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