Since I was delayed enough to make the post about the Royal Wedding I thought a 'Best dressed of the week' was more appropriate. I am yet to watch the whole thing (I missed it to catch a plane) but I can easily say this was the most stylish wedding since Grace Kelly married Rainier of Monaco in '56. Kate Middleton still takes my breath away with her two McQueen dresses. Her beautiful face and incredible figure made her look utterly regal in the white lace by Sarah Burton. Also very elegant were her sister Pippa, also in McQueen, and her mum Carole in Catherine Walker. We can expect lots of stylish royal gatherings from them.

Next on the list are, of course, the Beckhams. David looked as sharp as an Englishman should in Ralph Lauren and Victoria, in her own dress and a Philip Treacy hat, proved she'd have blue blood if she had matching Louboutins. Her look was not only occasion appropriate but also very interesting fashion-wise.

My other two favourites were the Queen, in regal yellow and looking quite jolly, and Sam Cameron (surprise!) in a very simple and very nicely accessorised Burberry dress.

[JustJared, Zimbio]

Can I have a McRoyal wedding with extra feathers?

In December, when I dealt with the issue of the royal wedding dress, I said I wouldn't have bee outraged if Kate Middleton didn't choose a British designer, which was a long shot. I would have loved to see the rules broken, in a way. But this didn't prevent me from being absolutely stoked when I first heard that Kate had chosen McQueen —or Sarah Rutson, to be more precise— to make her wedding dress. It would have been ideal if Lee himself could have done this, as his references to monarchic attire were present in most of his most successful collections. Whether the reason for choosing the house are strictly style-related, which I doubt, or a way of tribute both to Lee and British fashion it seems to me like the best choice. And I think so because McQueen represents the perfect marriage of tradition and modernity, which is something I rather hope the king and queen-to-be are intending to achieve. Design-wise, my guess is that we'll see something in the line of Lee's last collection —a long-sleeved and relatively closed neckline on top and a flowy front and somewhat short trail at the bottom. My preference would be for feather detailing, which Lee did so well, but I am guessing we'll have to be contented with some restrained beading.

I'm off.

PS. How relevant is this picture now?

[Pictures: Style.com]

It's gonna be alright

When I found out about Alexander McQueen's passing I told myself I would never like anyone's creations for his namesake brand. Then I worried about the house's future if no one could find somebody who could remotely fill Lee's shoes. Shortly after this rush of sentiments, the LVMH group announced Sarah Burton's appointment as new creative director. Knowing she had spent 15 years very close to McQueen gave me hope. But it wasn't until yesterday that we finally learnt we can rest assured everything's going to be alright. The space for the SS11 collection set a much more relaxed mood that we are used to for these shows, which seemed to be Burton's add to the brand. She played with the idea of a queen of nature. Leather leaves, pheasant feathers, butterflies and golden poison ivy wrapped around the body and shared space with McQueen's gilded staples typical of monarchic outfitting. Not only Burton didn't disappoint but she aroused an excitement we thought gone.

Pier Paolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri finally found a path for Valentino. After seasons of creative wandering around they started walking in the right direction on their last Couture collection and they successfully translated that vision for the prêt-á-porter line. The Italian duo wanted "dangerous refinement", made evident in the combination of materials; a tough straw lace skirt paired up with delicate Chantilly lace. Ruffles and bows, which had characterised previous collections, blended into the pieces instead of becoming protagonists. Chiffon played the biggest role on the evening wear, floating like a sophisticated jellyfish over simple, harder shapes in line with the juxtaposition of the delicate and the dangerous. The overall feel of the SS11 line was much younger (very celebrity-appealing) and focused but miles away from Garavani's legacy, which has now been reduced to a mere tag.

I'm off.

[Pictures: Style.com]

the week in news: 24.05.10

This past week has been full of fashion news. From the appointment of new designers, to star-studded store openings and sale profit announcements (Burberry's profits rose $131.5 million). I already talked about Christophe Lemaire's new role as Hermès creative director yesterday but he wasn't the biggest news, by far. Earlier this week, the Gucci group announced that Sarah Burton has been chosen as the new creative director for Alexander McQueen. After months of speculations of weather a big name would take over the brand it has been decided that Burton, whose experience as head of women's wear design since 2000 and who put together the presentation of the FW10 collection after Lee's death, is the right choice. I have a good feeling about this.

Also this week, Giles Deacon was announced as Ungaro's new creative mind. After Estrella Arch's monumental failure in collaborating with Lindsay Lohan for two seasons, the Spanish designer was let go to leave room for Giles. Surprisingly, Lohan is supposed to still 'collaborate' in Ungaro's line. I just hope Deacon can play mind tricks with her and trow ALL her ideas in the bin.
A little less news-worthy was the opening of the Louis Vuitton Maison in London's New Bond Street. I never think of LV as an essential part of the industry but I suppose it is in terms of sales. For whichever reason, the opening of their biggest British home congregated an endless list of celebrities all wearing Marc Jacobs' creations for FW10. I really loved Marc's idea for this last collection but I still feel iffy about the execution. Just by looking at most guests (who don't have the average person's body shape) it was evident that the 30's inspired dresses are not flattering in the least. Luckily, Kristen, Alexa, Gwyneth and Gemma were there to prove being the exception to the rule.
I'm off.

[Pictures: nytimes.com, Telegraph.co.uk, Style.com, JustJared.buzznet.com, Zimbio.com]