The British Fashion Awards 2012

Last night Giulia and I attended the 2012 British Fashion Awards at the Savoy Theatre in London. We were beyond excited not only because it's the fashion event of the year in the UK but also because it was our first time at any sort of award ceremony – unless you count school?
Even tough we knew that not everyone in the industry would interpret the black tie instructions quite so literally we jump at any opportunity of dressing to the nines. Giulia in a stunning Galliano gown with lace and ruffle details and me in a more expected outfit spiced up with my favourite new Lanvin flower pin.

It was an amazing experience sitting in the theatre and having all these amazingly talented and accomplished people in front of us. Our hearts stopped a little when, to kick off the awards, Nick Grimshaw and Gemma Arterton announced that Valentino – Legend – Garavani would be giving the British Style Award, which went to Alexa Chung for the third year in a row. We loved that Manolo Blahnik won the Outstanding Achievement in Fashion introduced by a lovely video of Anna Wintour, Grace Coddington, Angelica Houston and Naomi Campbell singing his praise. He received the award from Zaha Hadid, a favourite hero of mine!
Amber Valetta – we died again – gave Stella McCartney one of her two awards of the night: Designer Brand and Designer of the Year. They both look ridiculously beautiful last night. Less of a surprise was Cara Delevingne's award for Model of the Year. She literally rocked the stage with a shirt metallic number by Burberry, of course.
I was also thrilled to see J.W. Anderson win the Emerging Talent award for Ready-to-Wear. He is one of the most talented designers in London and a personal favourite. Jonathan Saunders, Roksanda Ilincic, Erdem and Nicholas Kirkwood all received awards for all their amazing work during this year. Kim Jones got the Menswear Designer award for his work at Louis Vuitton, another very well deserved one. One of the highlights of the night was the emotional moment of Louise Wilson, who won the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator for her years of work at Central Saint Martins, where he has taught many of the best British designers.

See the rest of the guests and what they were wearing here. And click here for the full list of winners.

Images: Getty and Know Wear

Best Dressed at the 2012 ELLE Style Awards
Getty

LFW fw11: Print Heaven

It makes me excited to see so many good collections being talked, blogged and tweeted about. London has been reclaiming its place in fashion ever since the return of Burberry and it seems to me that this season is making clear the city's got its place back. Jonathan Saunders was probably the one collection I was most disappointed not to have tickets to. His fw11 line was all about contrasting the traditional and the innovative. The classic prints were remade into cool and exciting graphic motifs for the silk skirts and shirts, which came in bold combinations of tangerine, turquoise and neon green. I loved how the two combined made the classic pencil skirts and blouses dynamic and fresh. Saunders also introduced menswear this season, which was also very much talked about. Read more about that soon on Fashion, Frankly.

And it seems prints are the trend in London. Also on Saturday, Clements Ribeiro showed their extremely interesting take on prints. The design duo, who, if you care for some gossip, are also a couple in real life, focused on the fusion of prints rather than on the variety. I found very intriguing how they managed to create a kind of degradé between a leopard and a more traditional brocade pattern and then back to leopard again, all of it trimmed with ultramarine blue silk. I love how designers are starting to use technology more and more to create new ways of doing print. And I loved how Clements Ribeiro made a point out of their prints, leaving their clothes in a slightly secondary role.

I'm off.

[Pictures: Style.com]

to DIE for, vol. 2

And here I am again. Let’s resume and put an end to the S/S’08 dress special.

Following my habit of picking up my three favourite dresses, I chose the following. First, Versace’s surprisingly tasteful sky-blue gown. And I say surprisingly because if there is something Donatella usually lacks that is taste, which is the reason for my doubting her involvement in the collection. Next is Donna Karan’s pale pink dress. The beauty of it lays in the draped front and in the ingenious triangular black straps. The futuristic wrap-up dress with beading details by Marc Jacobs is my third favourite pick.

Looking at the rest of the list we find Oscar de la Renta’s blinding dress, where a flowery ingredient is brought it by a sort of see-thru cut-play. Right next to it is Celine’s über-cute dress. The cut, the neck and the penguins make it perfect for a shopping day in town. Tory Burch combines Diane Von Furstemberg’s S/S idea with bold colours, a very fun and playful choice.

However, this summer is time for maxi-dresses and it seems only obvious when looking at these collections. Consuelo Casteglioni’s refreshing touch at Valentino’s has provided very elegant dresses such as the one above in pale pink. Cavalli’s Cruise collection was remarkably good and very him, which is not a usual combination. He has managed to get quite a lot things going on in a dress without letting it go over-the-top. Now, when talking maxi, Carolina Herrera is also well experienced. I am very fond of that sofa-like print; it is just so east coast elegant.

The last set of dresses includes Philip Lim’s perfect approach to boho chic in a colour for all seasons; a bright blue Yigal Azrouël draped like a venetian curtain and calling out for attention; and a Jonathan Saunders' arty colour-craze.

Your thoughts?

[Pictures credit: Style.com]

I’m off.