After all the mystery and fuss built up around Tom Ford's first collection for women I expected something else from his first advertorial campaign. I haven't been able to find much else other than this huge billboard in LA but it seems to go in line with his perfume ads. Once again, he has both shot and modelled for the campaign alongside Abbey Lee, one of my favourite models of the moment (how amazing does she look on the Versace campaign?). I like about the image that is has that kind of 60's/70's glamour that Tom is famous for portraying. I love the pose because it's a lot more dynamic than the boring straight-up ones we usually see everywhere else and I think the choice of dress is perfect for advertising because it sums up the feel of the collection. However, I am still confused about designers starring in their own campaigns (Mar Jacobs, hello?), especially when there isn't an artistic or commercial reason for it. I much preferred shots like the first ones we saw of the collection in the December 2010 issue of American Vogue. They read very well on print and I loved that it was Steven Meisel that captured them with his eye for detail and close attention to styling. So I almost wished the campaign was exactly like the picture below. The palm trees and the quintessential LA street would've made a good point of modern day glamour, no?

I'm off.

[Picture: Models.com]

Versace Atelier SS11

I first posted the pictures of this collection about a month ago I was kindly asked by the Versace people to take them down because they had been leaked. I understand they have now been officially released to I can repost this. It made sense for the pictures not to come out until now because so many Oscar attendees, and Jessica Alba at the BAFTA's, donned many of the looks. And I repeat what I said then. I can't understand how this collection was labeled as boring when Gucci's bland attempt at quasi-Couture (their Premiere line) was so warmly received. It's not Versace Atelier's best by a mile (that happened in 2009) but most of the line is still much better than Marchesa's or Elie Saab's. If you overlook the slight copy of that Givenchy dress, it's a very good collection.

I'm off.

[Pictures: Celebrity-Gossip.net, RedCarpet-FashionAwards.com]

A guide to: white & ombré hair

A few days ago I was thinking if how incredibly exciting it was to watch Lady Gaga at the beginning. The anticipation of her next change of hair or her next outrageous outfit was unbelievable. After only a few months, a year maybe, that excitement has kind of worn off. I am not uninterested in what she wears or what says but I no longer feel that anticipation which predicted something unique coming up.
And then I saw this picture. Gaga had been in London doing some work with Nicola Formichetti and she got a very refreshing makeover. Call me crazy but this white ombré hair looks great on her, almost natural. I feel like she should follow the hair's direction with her clothes and she'll be on the right path. I think it's time for Lady Gaga to shock by starting to create her own personal style.
But it was the hair I was most excited about. I have been a fan of fake white hair forever and I have this frustrated feeling inside that I should dye my hair green or bright (smurf) blue, at least, once in my life. And so I went through my picture archives to find out how people have been experimenting with the different versions of ombré and white hair in the last few years.

Colour ombré
It got extremely popular a few seasons ago both in and out the runway (by Proenza Schouler). The most popular version was that of the picture from The Sartorialist of the girl with the peroxide blond hair and the pale pink highlights. It is probably the most "natural" way you can use unordinary colours on your hair but it can also go wrong (see below). The other two examples show how you can also let the fake colour take over the natural one by creating a degradé from the root to the ends —metallics look particularly good like this.

White
As I said, I am a big fan of white hair. I envy old people and their white locks because shows you've lived and you're proud. But letting nature work its magic is not the only way to achieve this. The most famous white-haired person (apart from the Queen) is Karl Lagerfeld. I am unsure of the natural colour of his hair but he has often said he uses a chemical to keep it white because it also helps tame his locks in a ponytail. George Lamb's is exactly the way I'd like my hair to look. Instead of dying it back to how it used to be ('Just for men' lol) just embrace it and introduce it in your look. We have obviously seen it on AdR as well (in the shape of a wig) and on older fashionistas like Iris Apfel.

Natural
Within the boundaries of hair dying there are some options that without looking natural still can pass as common. That's the case of peroxide and bleach blond dyes —as seen on Abbey Lee, Mark Ronson or Kate Lanphear. They key is to keep the roots colours (to avoid looking trashy) and the cut clean and simple. The most natural option for ombré hair, though, has to be the one that celebrities the likes of Rachel Bilson, Alexa Chung or Elisa Sednaoui have been sporting lately. It could simply de described as brunette meets blonde. I love the effect it has so much I have been recommending it to a dear friend of mine lately. Hope she listens.

I'm off.

[Pictures: JustJared.buzznet.com, Jak & Jil, Zimbio.com, The Sartorialist]

blackout

Isn't it amazing how you can still see the silhouettes of the clothes despite all the black?
"Skin Deep"

Vogue China, August 2010

Model: Abbey Lee

Photographer: Hedi Slimane

Styling: Nicoletta Santoro

[CoutequeCoute.blogspot.com]