Michael Kors FW12: Red, checks & amazing coats
Style.com

I feel like Michael Kors' collections are getting better and better every season. Or maybe I am more and more of a sucker for preppy East-coast styles. Perhaps both. The truth is I absolutely love the FW12 collection. We see a lot of alpine style fashion in the winter collections but it's usually approached from a 'weekend getaway' perspective: a city girl who goes to the mountains and wants to be comfy but chic, blah, blah. This time it looks like Kors has flipped the tables. This looks more like a super sophisticated woman who lives in the country and decides to show everyone in the city how it's done.
The coats are, as you can see, my favourite. And I would always love a thick knit and flannel pant any day of the week. There is an ease to everything, like you can throw anything on and you know it will look and feel great.

TFS

I've been posting more and more lately about magazines like Vogue India or Elle Ukraine, which I've been a lot more into than some of the bigger titles.
This time I just had to blog about the latest Vogue Korea. Regardless of which country produced it, this is a great cover. I love Mariacarla's wet hair and the grey Burberry coat and the really dull background. I think it's a really powerful image that really reminds me of this Interview shoot from last winter that I loved so much.
I believe you don't necessarily need Rihanna in Chanel to make a statement on the cover and this is the proof. I'm hoping I can get my hands on a copy of this in London as I would love to see if the content inside lives up to the brilliant cover.

Are there any new/under the radar magazines you specially like lately?

FashionGoneRogue.com

It's kind of funny that I decide to post about FW11 coats this week when I am away on holiday at the beach. I guess it's made me realise We're mere weeks from fashion week and, hence, it's time to think of the new season.

Zara's TRF brand has some really great choices for this winter. My favourite are the oversized green and beige tweed coats. It's such a light and warm material and it's also quite soft, which is a great combination for winter. But the best bit about them is the cut. I love the A-shape and small collar of the green coat and the cropped sleeves and oversized lapels of the beige one. They would look so nice with a skirt and ankle boots in the winter or with a sort of garçonne look like the one in the middle.

Have you chosen your FW11 coat yet?

© Copyright Burberry/Testino

One of my favourite times of the year is when the winter campaigns start appearing in magazines. I know, you think I'm a weirdo because summer is so nice and fun. But I'd swap swimming shorts and flip flops for a long coat and boots any day.

Burberry is one of the first ones to publish their fw11 advertising campaign shot, as per usual, by Mario Testino. I'm loving the simplicity of the shoot and the kind of 'chiaroscuro' effect going on in the background. The colour palette, which looked to beautiful at the show back in February, makes even more sense when you mix my favourites —mustard, shades of green (dark amber, bright and dark caper, juniper) and stand-out tangerines.

I have also changed my mind about the cow-printed hats. I wasn't too convinced when I first saw them on the catwalk but they have a really interesting effect as single pieces adding character to an outfit. And I like them even more when worn by Cara Delevigne. She looks incredible in the green coat, no?
Now it's time to choose which piece you'll be sporting this winter and, in my case, finding a way to funding the treat. I am obsessed with having one of the tangerine coats!

[Courtesy of Burberry]

Burberry Prorsum fw11

It is probably fair to say that Burberry's show during each London Fashion Week is the highlight of the event. That's not to say everyone else isn't as good but no show is as big and covered as Burberry Prorsum. For fw11 Christopher Bailey chose a new venue in Kensington Gardens. If you attended or watched the show online you were probably as amazed as I was with how beautiful the park looked even on a grey rainy day. To compensate for this Burberry delivered a collection mostly based on coats. Bailey has clearly realised the power he acquired over outerwear when he became the king of shearling and he's not going to let go easily. This time he reinterpreted the trench in thick woollen fabrics and and bold shades of orange and cherry red as well as the brand's iconic checks. The collection was very much in line with the menswear shown in Milan a month ago . We also saw exquisite white jackets and coats covered in rabbit fur and tied to at the waist with leather bows. It was a softer more gentle collection than last winter's yet it retained that feeling of empowerment that wearing a Burberry coat gives.

As it could be expected, plenty of celebrities turned up to watch the show from the incredibly long front row. I was, of course, thrilled to see Rachel Bilson and Kate Bosworth arrive. I wasn't too keen on Bilson's long Burberry anorak for the event but she'll have to be excused, for she lives in ever-sunny LA. Bosworth, on the other hand, casually strolled in and posed for pictures in an unbelievable gold studded pencil skirt accompanied by that biker jacket we all want watching the colour of the skirt. She was, as I see it, the best dressed of the event. Even outdoing Lily Donaldson and Alexa Chung. The last attendee to report was, of course, Anna Wintour. Being a Brit at heart, she could hardly miss this!

I'm off.

[Pictures: Courtesy of Buberry]

Collage Sunday, 28.11.10

London's polar weekend weather and Kylie Minogue in her Chanel coat have triggered something in me. I can't stop thinking about coats and wraps (the inedible ones) and hats and gloves and boots. And so, I've gone into my little archives to put together an inspiration collage to get warm this winter. Now, it might be fair to say the nice furs and shearling coats are on the verge of unobtainable if one doesn't have a generous credit card but no one can argue that they are, without a doubt, the best way to fight the cold while looking glamourous. Nonetheless, I am also a big fan of the new deceiving faux-furs, stylish capes and even some ponchos. One could even get away with a good-looking blanket nicely wrapped with a safety pin.  —Enjoy your Sunday!

I'm off.

[Pictures: Telegraph Fashion, Vogue Italia, TFS]

Kylie makes a statement

Today, as I was coming back home in the dark and icy London weather I thought to myself how can we possibly make a fashion statement through the winter when we have to heavily wrap up to fight the climate. I try not to wear my dark grey and navy coats too much so that I don't bore myself and when I do I often add a nicely patterned scarf and a colourful pair of shoes and gloves. But there's only so much one can do, right?
Well, Kylie Minogue has managed to both make a statement and stay warm during the Thanksgiving celebrations in New York (Happy Holidays to the soVIP American readers, btw!). She donned one of Chanel's most extraordinary fur and tweed coats from Legerfeld's FW10 collection and she amazingly accessorised it with a thick-knit turban, leather gloves (rings included) and a nice pair of leather boots. There is nothing I don't love about this look. I had never been too keen on Kylie but she is making all the right choices lately.

I'm off.

[Picture: Zimbio.com]

Sheer pleasure

I don't know about you but I have missed the Olsens during fashion month! They didn't use to go along with the fair but at least they showed up at some New York shows and there was always the big Chanel appearance. But we're getting none of that lately, which is odd because they had to be in Paris during fashion week to show their The Row collection. In any case, we will always have the classic paparazzi shops of them going shopping and popping into Starbucks. The latest of these has been Ashley's visit to Céline. The chicer part of the Olsens stepped out in a cropped mega fluffy fur coat which she paired up with a black sheer maxi skirt and leather leggings showing she's so fashion forward she already knew these skirts would make a hit for SS11.

Ash's take on the sheer maxi seems to be a practical way of mixing together different season's trends. SS11 offers many different options within two main categories: rock & roll and romantic. Houses like Givenchy took sheer to a new level by printing it with leopard while others like Rag & Bone and Alberta Ferreti used a soft palette or florals for a kind of urban boho look.
I also really liked the mixture of textures in Ashley's outfit and the good combination of the black, the blond fur and the gold of the jewellery. I had a look on Net-a-Porter to see which fur (fake and real) they're offering this season and cropped is definitely the way to go wether you are a fan of Fendi's luxury or Burberry's über-fluffy pieces.

I'm off.

[Pictures: Celebrity-Gossip.net, Style.com, Net-a-porter.com]

Burberry is so hot

By mid August I am usually so done with the summer I'd wear a coat and a pair of boots if I didn't melt. This summer my FW urge will probably take a little bit longer to kick in because June in London pretty much sucked (weather wise) and because it won't go below 30ºC here in Madrid until mid September. However, there is one particular FW10 item that I'd wear to a dinner party (Rachel Zoe style) without even thinking about it —the shearling jacket. The August 2010 issue of Interview features Christopher Bailey's Q&A along with a stunning short editorial of his FW10 outerwear for men and women. The pictures are beautiful and I love the make-up but the best part of it is how someone thought of layering the coats. I mean, not even the most fashionable eskimo could bare to wear a wool coat under a shearling jacket. But it looks cool. Very cool.

I'm off.

[Pictures: The fashionisto]

gird your loins

It is that time of the year again. A nice light scarf and a blazer are not enough anymore. Instead, big ol' coats are in order. These are soVIPzone's recommendations for this winter -fashionable classics to invest in. Pay special attention to the camel coat, this season's must.

Luella navy wool-blend coat @ Net-a-Porter, Chloé camel coat @ Matches

Stella McCartney houndstooth wool wrapcoat @ Net-a-Porter, Acne wool coat @ Browns, Donna Karan belted wool coat @ Net-a-Porter

Are you ready for the cold?

I'm off.

dress COAT

Coats are key garments every fall. They provide protection against harsh weather while making it possible to look chic. But if there was ever a season when their of the outmost importance that is Fall/Winter 2008. If you have been obsessively going through the latest Vogues, Elles and Bazaars you surely have noticed the slightly overused and rather confusing term statement coats. As I see it, coats are and have always been one of the most important parts of the winter outfits as they are the first part of them to be spotted. However, those who coined the term do deserve some credit as coats for this season are particularly characteristic. The widest range of cuts, colours and patterns make an appearance, but it is the big coats that seem to have caught most of the attention. Whether it is puffy, slim or faux-fur they are trying to fetch attention from dresses, covering them most extraordinarily —have a look.

Let me, then, start with my favourites. I ought to admit that narrowing it down to only three was tough, as I am quite keen on coats. Eventually I went for these three. YSL’s spotless winter collection was sure to provide some extraordinaire pieces like this black coat. I love how the zip and the side pockets add some dynamism to the sleek design. Ghesquiere’s very fashion-forward vision of a coat transforms the piece into a very structured patent leather garment that brings a piece of the future to the present. And last on my top three is Stella McCartney’s oversize version of the classic pea coat. Lapels and sleeves widen up working perfectly with the length and colour. All three garments do not seem to be covering anything, giving the impression that they might have been created as a warm version of the summer dresses.

Continuing this tour through the season’s best coats we find Burberry Prorsum’s reinventions of a classic coat and a mackintosh. In the first case, it is a slim coat, a more body-conscious one. The second one, on the contrary, is wider on the body and sleeves leaving more room for imagination. In addition to the previously talked-about coat Stella McCartney came up with this striking bell-shaped coat. A quite chic and feminine proposal, if you ask me.

With winter, all types of rich faux-animal skins come back. Hermès keeps sticking to its idiosyncrasy and we like it. This delightfully sophisticated leather and fur coat will give satisfaction to both young and old. Dolce & Gabbana’s über-talked-about collection provided this sleeveless furry option for the cold —it will not go under the radar and will add texture and colour to your outfit. When talking chic Carolina Herrera must not be left apart. This full-length coat introduces movement through the subtle ruffles on the sleeves and at the bottom and still keeps it rich and interesting with the fur around the neck.

Nobody is capable of elaborating more perfect coats that the British —so it is no surprise that Burberry and McCartney introduced the most innovative coats. Christopher Bailey plays around with volume and metallic finishes. They are quite futuristic yet wearable pieces. Stella McCartney, on her side, goes super short and uses light draping to create an amusing puffiness.

Winter is also the best time of the year to wear as much black as we wish to. However this does not mean boring, au contraire. Lanvin, for instance, proposes a superb balloon-shaped coat with pockets up and down and with a belt to show off your figure. Hermès produced a spotless double-chested coat just over the knee. A very versatile option for both the office and those desired stylish weekends. For a more updated coat version think Brian Reyes. The designer leaves room for your creativity with the short sleeves and the slightly open v-neck —dress or coat?

And last, some more visions of the key winter garment. When looking for plaid and tartan D&G is most likely to be the best option. The Italian couple messes around with big and smaller checks and colours achieving outstanding pieces that combine classicism and modernity in perfect unison. If black is the king of winter, brown is the prince. Personally, I love a chocolate coat —take is as you want. Derek Lam merges coat and trench in this favourite hue of mine looking very F/W08 with the length. And the last coat is also a mix, but of a parka and a trench this time. Brian Reyes is very right when choosing khaki for winter —it matches everything and effortlessly adds some colour.

This season, are you sticking to the basics or are you trying something new?

[Pictures credit: Style.com]


I’m off.