It is funny how I first felt contempt when faced with
Resort collections and then, as the ones worth looking at came out, I was left in awe. Curiously enough, those designers thought to be the big genius minds of the industry were the biggest disappointments of what I like to call the “Resort experience”.
Lagerfeld,
de la Renta,
Herrera,
Galliano; they all came up with what they thought were brilliant ways of reinventing their signature looks for Cruise, that still out-of-grasp term known more for inflating pockets than for pushing fashion forward. Nonetheless, there are always great minds that escape financial purposes and put themselves out there to show that there is more to have than just a name and glamorous quirks.
Newer members of the fashion world use every available occasion for showing off their creative skills and taking further steps into a growingly snobby industry. Thanks to this, we find innovative and sleek Resort collections from the hands of
Yigal Azrouël,
Brian Reyes,
Jonathan Saunders or
Lazaro Hernandez and
Jack McCollough to name a few. Despite the fact that it is them —the less broadly applauded— that tend to lately outshine the experienced, I feel I cannot deny
Cavalli,
McCartney and
Miuccia some credit. The last two also tend to keep living by they fashionable style morals not letting us down regardless of their success as brands. But Cavalli, he is like a rollercoaster where the ups and downs change with every turn. One moment he is disgustingly tacky and next thing you know, he has come up with the chicest Italian-boho collection. Being completely honest, this can be bad and good, as anything coming from him is surely unexpected.
All this said I should get to the point. Cruise collections have helped me put together a special I have been meaning to do for a few months, ever since
S/S 2008 premiered on the runway. A special on
dresses; what I believe to be a girl’s best friend, or rather, ally. They are feminine, fresh, comfortable and versatile —what else is there to be asked?
Have a look.
Let’s first look at my picks from Spring/Summer’08. The three dresses topping my favourites list belong to the collections I liked the most this season. First we have the futuristic simple
YSL cotton dress
Stefano Pilati delighted us with and one we have already seen several times walking down the red-carpet, although no one pulled it off quite like Kate Moss in the ads for the brand. Next is
Alber Elbaz’s vision of an intense-coloured wild garden. I am crazy for
Lanvin’s ruffles and they seem the best choice for a stylish summer night. The third of the gowns is by
Roberto Cavalli, my eternal uncertainty. His summer bohemian take on flower motives transported onto silk, especially on this piece, looks like a 21st-Century
Midsummer Night’s Dream. If only Shakespeare would rise up.
Next on the list are
Phillip Lim’s beautifully draped earth-coloured gown,
Stella McCartney's sheer short dress in her acclaimed floral print, and
Paul Smith’s view on nerd goes chic following the stripe trend.
As tired as I am of the waist-belt thingy, I can’t but admit the intelligence of
Max Azria’s layered dresses. The way he plays with layers and fabrics is simply fantastic. As fantastic is
de la Renta’s puffy black and red gown.
When looking for a fabulous white dress,
Carolina Herrera is most likely to be the chosen one. Her clean and simple lines and deliciously made detailing make her pieces timeless picks.
Dolce & Gabbana’s obsession with art results in dramatic gowns where brush strikes interact with gauze in perfect unison. The last gown in the picture is
Balmain’s genius ultra-hippy look. A perfect combination of tie-dyed fringes and vaporous printed gauze.
Alexander McQueen never lets down when it comes to dresses. Whether looking at his wonderful suit-like grey short dress with my adored red corset or at the peacock-dream gauze one, you can’t but be amazed.
Alberta Ferreti, on her side, delighted us with her ancient Greece dream where goddesses walk down the street in silver flip-flops.
Prints are in and we know it. So why not going for a dress from one of the kings of prints —
Pucci. While his crazy take on colours can be a little overwhelming for the winter, it is a perfect choice for a house party by the pool. Less pool-friendly but equally colourful are
Catherine Malandrino’s summer gowns. The key is the detailing —glittery beads in a V-shape or subsequent watermelon layers that reach the floor.
Missoni’s collection was if anything rich. Their signature print makes and outstanding maxi-dress and the sequenced and jewelled parts make your diamonds unnecessary.
Fendi goes simple with the cleanest of gowns, letting their coloured-stones belt be the protagonist.
Seeing the length of this post so far, I have decided to leave my picks from the Resort collections for a coming post. I have retaken my blogger duty with way too much enthusiasm but that shall not be the excuse to bore you to death.
Which ones are your favourites? Any major designs I have missed?
[Pictures credit: Style.com]
I’m off.
Sophia Bush and Victoria Beckham were two of the first ones who dared to cover their skin with the bold colour. They both went for simple cuts and subtle draping and accessories that didn’t get much attention away.
American indie princess Kristen Dunst also chose a very simplistic silhouette in a darker shade and accompanied it with white retro accessories. Cameron Diaz found a very sexy short dress in a dark orange as well. In her case cuteness in brought into the picture by a decreasing line of ruffles.
Gucci’s resort 2009 collection introduced orange in responsible doses to a major part of the collection. It was this maxi dress, however, that is almost an homage to the new king colour. Natasha Poly wore it to Gucci’s 70th Anniversary with her hair down, as did Blake Lively also showcasing her golden threads.
The last famous portrayer of the latest popular colour has been Maggie Gyllenhaal, who wore a beautifully laced and semi-see-through dress that definitely matched her adorable green eyes. Are we looking at the next style transformation à la Gwyneth?
