jean paul gaultier couture

What would Winehouse do? That seemed to be the question Jean Paul Gaultier asked himself when creating his spring/summer couture collection. The hair, the eyeliner and the clothes were all very much an ode to the memory of Amy Winehouse, cigarettes and all. The sporty shapes of addidas and Fred Perry that were championed by the late singer took a turn for high glamour when they were combined with classic Gaultier corsetry and styling and recreated in leather and sequins and paired with luxurious lace and vibrant prints. Colours were bold and clashing and this was carried through into the models beehives which varied in hue and hight. The show closed with an incredible display of models, in what appeared to the under garments of the outifts they had already worn, wearing heavy veils which made for a spectacular finale. For me the Gaultier show is always a wonderful event, he has an incredible imagination which he allows to run wild and in doing so he creates not only wonderful fashion and fabulous couture but also a wonderful performance.

My favourite looks...

images courtesy of Vogue

giorgio armani prive couture

Avatar came to life on the runway at Armani today. Green of all shades was the colour of the show with vibrant hues featuring heavily in nearly every look. The reptillian theme was reinforced with graphic lizard and snake prints topped off with sequin embelishment on jackets and then paired with pale green, lilac and champagne silk trousers. The plush fabrics reacted to the colours and prints with mesmerising effect and reminded me of the oil like iridescense of Chanel peridot nail polish which was the nail colour to wear last autumn. It was a show with a very strong image and all the looks were polished within an inch of their lives; super structured, super syled and super chic. The evening wear, and majority of the more day time looks, had the perfect ammount of flair and fantasy necessary for Couture fashion week and the finale gowns might as well have had 'Oscars' written all over them as at least one or two little green dresses are bound to scuttle their way on to the red carpet. Very impressed.

My favourite looks...

images courtesy of Vogue

pink ladies

I ordered this dress from Topshop Boutique this past weekend as they were offering 20% discount for students...I'd have been a fool not to right? One must always abuse utilise a discount.

I think the tennis dress style is so cute and I'm pretty sure that once the sun comes out I will be wearing the crap out of this dress. What I love most is the dainty shade of palest pink. It kind of reminds me of the sickly sweet Louis Vuitton spring/summer magazine campaigns with the girls surrounded by shiny ice cream colours. I am not the kind of person who usually wears pink though. I used to wear it when I was younger obviously, at around the age of 15 I think half my wardrobe must have been at least pink based, but now I am the ripe old age of 21 the most I can muster is a shiny pink t-shirt I got for christmas. And then by some miracle I was inspired by the movie Funny Face starring Audrey Hepburn. I love any Audrey movie and used to watch Breakfast at Tiffanys over and over again when I was a child and wouldn't even understand what was happening. There is a scene early on in the film that came on television today and I just had to do a pink related post (the scene is below so be sure to check it out for some inspiration). It seems pink is going to be a trend this coming season with pastel colours springing up all over the high street after the heavy featuring of pale colours in the shows last September. If you aren't brave enough to wear the colour head to toe or simply aren't 'a very pink girl' then try and translate it into your accessories or, like me, invest in a pop of pink lipstick; but not the horrible pale stuff that makes you look like you are a chav on your death bed I go for a rich fuscia with a hint of neon. Think pink.

Proenza Schouler PS1 leather iPad case £470, Miu Miu dropped waist crepe dress £980, Tibi silk crepe top £205, D&G dropped waist silk shirt dress £330, Pierre Hardy neoprene and patent leather sandals £680, Stella McCartney perspex heeled two toned sandals £565, Tibi tapered silk crepe pants £300. All availale at net-a-porter. 



chanel couture

Karl Lagerfeld took the runway up, up and away hosting the spring/summer Chanel couture show in a purpose built Chanel jumbo jet. The skyline theme continued in the gravity defying hair and the sky blues, greys, black and white that carried through the collection. The sihouette and styling was simple, something that is definitely a recurring theme in most of the big shows so far, but Chanel utilsed embelishments and ornate fabrics to add the key element of fantasy to the already luxurious clothes. It would have been easy for the grand scale production of the show to overwhelm or out do the collection but the clothes more than held their own. Adorable drop waisted pockets added a feminine touch to the boxy suits, coats and dresses; and heavy sequins and beading embelishment made for spectacular evening wear. Perfection as always from my favourite fashion house. I am ready for take off.

My favourite looks...

images courtesy of Vogue


Oh and you know I love a good catwalk video...

it's about to drop...

Karl is coming people. At some point today Karl Lagerfeld is going to press a button in Paris and the collection for net-a-porter will hit the virtual shelves and no doubt sell out in minutes, if not seconds.

Keep you eye on twitter and facebook to find out when the collection will be released!

dior couture

Wearable isn't the first word that pops into my head when you think of Haute Couture, yet for some reason Bill Gaytten presented a couture collection that looked more like ready to wear. With that said, all of the more extravagent look,s and a lot of the more wearable looks, were breathtaking. Truly beautiful, if slightly too modest. The show featured stunning fifties silhouttes in pale greys, monochrome and the occasionaly burst of bright red and houndstooth print and transitioned from modest fiftes glamour to pumped up fantasy with six show stopping gowns closing the show. Sheer fabrics gave the full skirts a light and airy feel throughout the collection and billowing sleeves echoed the billowing hem lines. Much improved from last seasons effort by Gaytten and although there were some pieces that definitely gave a ready to wear vibe overall I think the aim was to create couture that was really an investment piece that would transcend the trends.The collection still lacks the spectacular, spectacualr that made me fall in love with the creations of  John Galliano but the collection is still something to be proud of.

My favourite looks...

images courtesy of Vogue

versace couture

After an eight year absence Donatella Versace returned to the Couture shows in Paris today. It was a small show of only fifteen evening wear looks that were paraded in a static presentation set on a spectacular molten gold staircase. It was a show that was typically Versace and utilised a colour pallete of yellow, green, orange lilac and champagne in variations of pastels and neons to give the sultry and sequined looks some Spring/Summer punch. The sihouettes again were typical of Versace styling- corseted, plunging and womanly with sex appeal to spare. It was all in all a very typical Versace show. Perhaps Donatella was playing it safe for her return to the runway? I have to say although I am slightly disappointed that were didn't see a more heightened and pumped of version of Versace, which is what is to be expected from the couture shows, it was not a disappointing collection. I am sure that nearly all of these looks will be making appearances on the red carpet in the run up to awards season as they are so super sexy yet super feminine that they would look incredible on any starlet. A nice return from Versace but hopefully next season we will get a peek at Versace collection...and then some.

My favourite looks...

images courtesy of Vogue

cravings

The Spring/Summer essentials I am craving for my wardrobe...

Balmain coated boucle biker jacket £3940, Lanvin frayed tweed dress £1330, Proenza Schouler raw silk shirt dress £1180, Missoni crotchet knit playsuit £355, Lanvin bubble skirt silk dress £2395, Etoile Isabel Marant printed cotton jumpsuit £230.

All images via net-a-porter

haute off the runway

Monday brings the return of Couture fashion week in Paris. This is my favourite of all the fashion weeks, the romance, beauty and pure creativity of the couture shows is so inspirational and it is so refreshing to see all the hard work that these already well established designers put in year after year to showcase their talent. Every show sees each couture fashion house out do themselves to bring beauty and perfection to new heights. This year is even more special as it marks the return of the house of Versace to the couture shows after an eight year hiatus.

Of course I will be waiting on Tuesday with baited breath for the photos of the Chanel show like the addict I am!

Stay tuned, I will provide photos of my favourite looks as they hit the runway.

new year, new shoes

So, I'm back everybody!

After a very stressful exam season and and even more stressful hangover I finally have time to devote myself to my blog. Oh how I have missed it!

Anyways, over christmas I got some amazing treats which will slowly but surely be revealed on the bloggy wog (Russel Brand's new book?). But first there is some urgent business to attend to in the form of some beautiful dark purple velevt shoes by Givenchy...did I mention that I am their very proud owner?

Well I saw them on the net-a-porter annual sale which is BY FAR the best sale out there. The reductions are ridiculous and if my student loan came in just two weeks earlier than usual I would 100% be the proud owner of half of the sale. However, I only came away from sale season with these stunning new playthings for my feet. At the moment they hurt like hell but I am hoping with some tender love and care they will soon be living in harmony with my toes. My favourite bit is the gold anklet on each shoe, they are detachable but I will never be taking them off.

In onther news I just signed up to twitter. I know I am way behind on the times but it's better late than never right? Be sure to follow me @merritt_laura