Issa SS13: Garden of Eden
Courtesy of Issa

Every season, before my first show at London Fashion Week, I get this feeling I used to get on the first day of school. It's a kind of excitement of what's to come without knowing what to expect. And that is exactly where I was at before the Issa show yesterday evening.
The show invite hinted at a tropical theme but I had to wait to see the show that revealed the perfect holiday wardrobe for a sophisticated and sleek woman who is not afraid of bold colours and vivid prints. My favourite pieces included some of the draped dresses that Issa is known for and that always make an appearance season after season. I also loved the slight oriental touch of the styling and some of the cuts. This are clothes to be worn at a remote luxury hotel in Bali.

The best PR for the best collection

I am extremely happy to see how after the last London Fashion Week some of my favourite British designers have really raised their PR game. Erdem is the best example of this. They have been doing an extraordinary job not only because we have been seeing their FW10 and SS11 collections non-stop over the past weeks but because the famous faces who have worn their dresses are the most stylish at the moment. Carey Mulligan's long number at the Dubai Film Festival reminded me of one of my favourite Keira moments from last spring, which was unforgettable. As was Michelle Williams' red lace look from the London premiere of Blue Valentine. It was also Michelle who wore another of my preferred dresses from the collection at another Blue Valentine press tour appearance. Less memorable but equally lovely were Lea Michele, Jessica Biel and Anne Hathaway.

But yesterday twitter brought my way another Erdem moment that will linger in my mind for a while. Jessica Alba shared a twitpic of herself in one of the brand's SS11 floral skirts and made me die. I like the fact that the skirt is the protagonist of the look and how she looks quite minimal but super stylish. I'm not quite sure what she does when she wears something but it's like magic happens. That's why I keep posting about her on soVIPzone.
Coincidentally, I attended the Starworks press day a while ago where the Swarovsky people were showing some of the London designers they had collaborated with for the SS11 season. Erdem was among them. It was incredible to be able to take a look at the clothes so closely. I loved how the brand's signature floral prints have become digital this season. They give the clothes a more contemporary feel and mixed with the Swarovky crystals and the hand-made collars and lace detailing the garments become feminine with an air of demure romanticism.

I'm off.

[Jessica Alba's twitter, Style.com, soVIPzone's]

You got Kane'd

Just as it happened to Miu Miu, Versus is walking steadily towards establishing itself as a respected fashion label rather than a giant's diffusion line. Ever since Donatella Versace brought Christopher Kane on board three seasons ago Versus started to become the young, cool and sexy tentacle of the Medusa's head. The SS11 collection was a repetition of über-girly shapes, plaid and florals. It was almost reminiscent of Luella's rebel Punk schoolgirl is she had ever been to boarding school in Italy. Button downs, plaited skirts and badged cardigans were the protagonists. And it's there where we could see Kane's mark —in the Westwood-esque stripes, the sheer tartan and his unmistakable geometric shapes and skirt pleating. More in line with the season's trends, we saw some mesh and some rather clever colour blocking with florals and circusy dresses.

I'm off.

PS. This is the last from Milan. Stay tuned for all the fashion from Paris. Dries Van Noten today! Follow us on twitter for up-to-the minute-updates!

[Pictures: Style.com]

embroidered flowers

I have been blogging a lot about celebrities in the past few days, which is not because I intend to but because I am ever astonished at the amount of FW10 pieces that we have seen at events only a couple of weeks after fashion month came to an end. In any case, this has to be one of my favourite celebrity moments so far (in regards to FW10, that is). Emma Watson has that classic British mixture of neatness, coolness and casualness that works great with any dress. She pretty much rocked this Christopher Kane with embroidered leather and lace (one of my favourite collections of the season). I specially loved how the sides of the slightly A-shape skirt have been tucked in for her to give the dress a more body-con and young silhouette. Do you love Kemma? (Kane/Emma - I know, I am hilarious).

[Pictures: Style.com, JustJared]

I'm off.

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HIDEOUS gossip

This is the show we long to watch, the one that makes Mondays (or beginnings of the week for us, Europeans) worth living. And to all fashion lovers and freaks, it is also a 45-minute display of endless wardrobe changes and, therefore, surprises and disappointments. It's one of the latter that inspired this post. Gossip Girl has kept us amazed for a few months now with, if you agree, quite a flawless costume design for every single character. However, such accomplishments shall not endure much longer. As I am sure most of you have already seen on your much-needed, daily-updated gossip blogs, there is a wedding coming up in the show. I personally consider weddings the top 1 occasion in which people manage to screw up big time in the clothing department. Tacky, trashy and overdone would probably be the three most used words when I attend one of these ceremonies. Considering the fashion magnitude of the series all this ought not to be a problem at all, nonetheless, it seems even the most skillful stylist can't always get it right. Eric Daman —an old Patricia Field apprentice in the SATC times— couldn't most definitely be on his senses when he picked up Blair's, Vanessa's and Nate's ensembles for the union of the houses of van der Woodsen and Bass. Queen B's pink madness is unflattering both in colour and fitting terms, she looks paler and far from the teen-on-a-power-trip look they often go for with her. Vanessa's expression speaks for itself, although this time the dress does not fit her badly, it's the details and that awful blurred print that make it an absolute fashion faux-pas —non-plus, I'll add. On the male side of things, Mr. Archibald junior goes back to the gangster Chicago of the fifties, in a striped, three-button suit and equally striped shirt. As if the mismatch was not enough, it was decided he should wear brown suede shoes (already seen several times on the show) instead of some good old classic black ones. This will teach Mr. Daman how aiming at a too distant target simply ends up in failure.

On the bright side of things —stylistically speaking, of course— I'd like to make a little flashback to 2006, when The O.C. said goodbye to Marissa Cooper in her dream Chanel from that year's S/S collection. She pulled it off beautifully for graduation paired up with a rope version of gladiators. Back to 2008 we may rest assure not many more unfortunate choices will come our fave show's way. "Living" proof of it is Serena's gown for her mother's wedding —an outstanding sheer Ralph Lauren mixing yellow and florals beautifully together with it's greatly layered skirt and the discrete yet sophisticated details and accessories.

[Pictures credit: JustJared and BlakeLively.net]

I'm off.

friday cuteness

I was happy to wake up this morning to find these two ladies out and about in very well put-together ensembles.

First Rihanna, who leaves her popular umbrella in the winter closet and pulls off one of my favourite pieces of S/S 2008 a —sheer flower-printed Stella McCartney jumpsuit. I have to say I am impressed with Rihanna lately; as much as I don't agree with her style, I admire some of her choices, like that other jumpsuit in purple she wore during Paris Fashion Week. Night called for black and she went for shorts and a cropped tuxedo jacket, dressing it down with a rather low v-necked tee. Is the matching purple lining of the jacket and in the t-shirt intentional?

My other joy of the day is Rachel Bilson. I am totally in love with her and the amazing style she has been walking around for a few months now. This time, she lets us know she, too, can experiment (event if it's not too wildly). First, with a cute short-sleeved shirt with skinny jeans and beautiful leather belt and shoes; secondly, with navy jeans, a printed loose top and purple bag. I am looooving the green Way-Farers!

Thoughts?

[Pictures credit: JustJared and Gossip Girls]

I'm off.

Trembled Blossoms

Prada presents its very own short film featuring the inspiration for S/S 2008. Not much occurs in the video but it's worth watching. I admit that as unwearable this last collection can be, its whole ideology is very innovative and looking forward, just like Nicholas Ghesquière for Balenciaga.

Gigantic exotic flowers, fairies and imaginative creatures of Prada's fantasy forest play along with the initially naked woman who finds her perfect garments within that forest.

Have a look.

The most useful pieces in the video are probably the shoes and the bag. I particularly find the shoes quite a good idea if you like to keep your outfits daring, trying to experiment a little without going over the top. They're a bit like the lego ones from Balenciaga. What do you think?

[Credit Photos: Style.com]

I'm off.

trendy GARDENS

I have finally chosen. It has taken me a while to make a decision on which of this season's trends was my favourite, but I have decided. As much spots, stripes and stars as can now be found in most of the top brands, it's the flower prints which I find most beautiful and innovative. It might come as a surprise to call florals new, but they are. Ever since the Victorian time, when they were, in my opinion, at their best, flowers have appeared in many shapes, colours and interpretations printed in gowns, shirts and all sorts of garments. As unimaginative as florals could be thought for the Spring, the new season brings them back with a range of fabrics and colours to choose from. There will only be an outcome, thought; looking freshly chic.

Stella McCartney is, for me, the designer to accomplish the best flower prints. Classic flowers in red, blue, green, yellow are stamped on delicious pieces of flowy chiffon, some with ruffles on the top, some pleated. They even show in the form of jumpsuits, a clear constant in Spring/Summer 2008. McCartney achieves very fresh and relaxed looks via simplicity, her always present motto.

If I had ever tried to imagine how a flowery collection would be with Roberto Cavalli in charge, this would not have been the result in my mind at all. Cavalli remembers everyone of his designing skills with one of the hippiest colletions of all. Flowers appear motly on chiffon and silk as the Italian designer plays with different sizes and colour combinations. Everything flows remembering those looking of the beauty and freshness of women.

Armani proposes a more controlled use of this prints, including them in small dosis on his famous black evening gowns and elegant simplistic tops. Chiffon is again a winner together with silk. Armani gives the feeling of a fully printed dress by using the flowers stems, enlongating the woman's body.

Much has been said about Ralph Lauren collection. The master surprised the audience with a compilation of memorabilia, creating clothing inspired on his favourite things of all times. Flowers are obviously present, since Lauren himself is a big admiror of Victorian times. Gowns in taffeta and chiffon are beautifully layered with lines of subtle ruffles printed with the smallest flowers.

Balenciaga's genious journey through experimenting gave life to a series of highly interesting flowery  armour-like dresses and two-pieces which cannot go unnoticed under the radar. Nicolas Ghesquière has not created a collection for the streets but not a sould could argue that he's done a magnificent work full of groundbraking proposals.

I'm happy to have come across Wunderkind in my process through S/S collections. The brand masterly combines patterns, prints and materials making it look a piece of cake. Flowers have an obvious appereance in a few gowns in pale colours, however, they're omnipresent on the decorated edges of jackets and coats. Wolfgang Joop, the designer, describes his work as seventies bohemianism.

Last, but not least, a more modern and graphic perspective on florals. Frida Giannini keeps walking the same line she followed for last winter and cruise's collections to perform a change on florals. This time they're bigger and black, white and yellow, as most of the rest of the collection. Personally, it's not my taste but I can't deny it's interesting in the least.

[Credit photos: Style.com]

I'm off.