A closer look at Giorgio & Emporio Armani FW12
Know Wear, Courtesy of Armani

This week I stopped by the Armani showroom in London to have a closer look at the Giorgio and Emporio Armani collections. It's brands like Armani whose focus is on subtle elegance that make press days worth it. Only up close you can see the incredible amount of details that all the clothes have.
I must admit that I was especially keen on all the orange pieces. Lately, Armani has a way of using very bold colours and making them so special. The knot dress to the right was a highlight as was the beaded jacket or the bag below. Speaking of which, GA's accessories were particularly strong this season with a lot of clean modern lines of architectural air.
I also loved the textures, which have always been an Armani signature. The velvet jackets and slippers (you know how much I love them at the moment) were some of my favourites. I also loved the colourful sequinned jacket, which would make an exquisite evening look even for the summer paired with simple black jeans and a t-shirt.

Miu Miu SS12 Press Day: Cooked lace & sparkly tiaras
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On the same day that Giulia and I attended the Prada press day we also made at stop at Miu Miu to preview the SS12 collection. I have to say that normally I tend to like Miu Miu's collections a bit more than Prada's because they always have an interesting and playful point of view that I relate to. For SS12, though, it seems to be the other way around. And yet, it was hard not to find brilliant pieces in the collection.

Some of our favourites were the gingham stilettos to the right (which are actually Resort 2012), the Medieval velvet heels –for quirky people who can pull them off– and the incredible bejewelled tiaras and bracelets (you should have seen Giulia gasping for air).

The highlight of the collection in terms of clothes are definitely the lace pieces. It seems like Miuccia has used cooked lace this time, which gives the pieces a rigidity that makes dresses and tops acquire more interesting shapes than what we're used to. 

Click below on read more to see the rest of our highlights from the collection.

Giulia's favourites from the KCD SS'12 Press Day
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A few weeks ago Giulia and I attended the KCD SS12 Press Day. It was, by far, the biggest press day we've ever attended and also one of the best ones! Their selection of designers is as impressive and high profile as it is diverse. You could actually find a look for any given occasion –from a ball to a sleep over– among the racks.

There was so much to go through, in fact, that we decided that the best thing to post about it would be this one. I can always trust Giulia's exquisite eye to pick out the best pieces from every rail. I was especially excited to see the Prabal Gurung collection up close, you know how much I loved it. We were also very impressed with the newly launches Pierre Balmain, which offers such great rock'n'roll pieces at a lower price than the Balmain main line. And we were happy to come across the stunning Pedro Lourenço collection, full of incredible cocktail numbers.

Click below on read more to see the rest of Giulia's picks!

Get your shine on, it's the Prada SS12 Press Day
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A couple of weeks ago Giulia and I attended the Prada SS12 Press Day. It would be fair to say that out of the dozens of press days lined up this was the one we were most excited about. I'm a huge fan of Miuccia's work. Giulia is too but her keenness goes beyond because she is also a wearer.
Walking into the showroom our faces lit up. And how could they not? There were sparkles everywhere kept in the very good company of Miuccia's celebrated graphic prints of flames and late 1950's cars.
The Prada team was so welcoming and seemed to be as excited about the new collection as us. While we chatted Giulia I and chose our favourite pieces, which she happily modelled for our camera. She was in awe of the bejewelled bags –especially the clutches– and loved the graphic flame flat bags. I personally wasn't sure of how women would feel about looking literally on fire but the way Prada has played with the prints makes them so easy to wear.
My favourite were the shoes. After watching the SS12 show I wondered whether they would have to edit out some of the design as a sacrifice for their sales. But it seems this is exactly the kind of thing Prada can get away with. So I admired the super cool heels worthy of a superhero.
Even though I had already seen them, I couldn't get over how good the jewellery looked. Ever since my last post about it I have been obsessed. I loved finally seeing them in an editorial on one of the last S Moda magazines modelled by Paz de la Huerta.

Do you love?

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I already mentioned how much I enjoyed the PR Consulting press day a few weeks ago when I posted about Damir Doma and it's stunning chokers. One of the main reasons why enjoyed it so much is because they brought to London the SS12 collection of The Row. You know how big a fan of the Olsens and their work I am so I was ecstatic to be touching (amazing!) garments that might have been in close proximity to MK and Ashley.
Even though you could tell from the runway pictures that it was a very minimalistic mainly white-based collection you also guessed how exquisitely made everything was. Which is why it was so incredible to have a closer look at the collection. The cuts of the lighter pieces were both precise and delicately made and the embroidered pieces seemed like a herculean task for a human to achieve. The top, skirt and kaftan you can see on the top right picture were as heavy as they were amazing to look at. That's what wearing jewels all over your body must feel like.
I was also impressed by the accessories –the famous sold out crocodile bag and the more classic hand bags– particularly by the understated jewellery (very Ashley) and the sunglasses, after all that's what they know the most about!

Style.com, Know Wear

The Comunications Store press day was exactly the kind of place where you'd like to get lost. Not only because of its size (they took over half of Somerset House) but because the rooms where filled with some of the best SS12 collections.

One of the lines I was most excited to be closer to was Christopher Kane's –attending the show and interviewing Kane this season was one of my LFW highlights.

It was an incredible feeling to be able to touch all the pieces. The aluminium organza tops, which were extremely light, looked so expensive and chic. The embellished tops, in contrast, weighted quite a bit but I was simply amazed by the amount of work that must have been needed to hand-make these pieces to such detail.

The embellished bags are definitely going to be one of the hits from this collection for next season. They are perfect for a smart evening look but could look super cool with jeans and a Chanel-style jacket too. The same goes for Kane's embellished jeans, which reminded me to Lagerfeld's couture creations for Chanel's spring line.

I just can't wait for my favourite fashion editors to be sporting these looks for the FW12 fashion week season.

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A few weeks back I attended the Roger Vivier SS12 press day, which, as anything hosted by the Tod's Group, was very enjoyable. They're always so lovely and they treat me so well.
The collection was stunning and very fun. This time Bruno Frisoni is taking the Roger Vivier woman to Africa for spring. It was very interesting to see how he had taken the brand's signature shapes, which are very geometric, and mixed them with bold prints, bright colours and new materials.
I absolutely loved the Micro Metro bag in the colour block cheetah and leopard prints. The same goes for one of my favourite bags, which they previously did in a 'Chesterfield' style for FW11, and now is covered with animal print canvas with a colourful inside of the Roger Vivier logo.
My favourite pieces from the collection were the ones in the metallic brushed leather that had a slightly 20's feel but were at the same time very modern. It was such a strange sensation to feel these pieces in your hands. At first sight you think they will be heavy and rigid like metal but instead they were light and soft to the touch. Not to mention the fact that they would make excellent accessories to complement your evening looks.
Frisoni played a lot with different materials –African necklace beads, applique plastic pieces and even aged folded sequins. The result was a very striking collection of pieces that make a statement yet remain classic and rather timeless. After all, there is a reason why people so diverse such as Carla Bruni, Inès de la Fressange and Blair Waldorf all love wearing Roger Vivier.

When I arrived at the Roger Vivier press day yesterday I was instantly awakened not only by the espresso that I quickly drank but even more so by the stunning merge of 30's and 40's inspiration and rock and roll style of the fw11 collection. Slick stilettos in black velvet, colourful suede and sparkly embellishments were, for me, the protagonists of the collection. A role almost shared with the some of the very contemporary and dramatic clutches of crow-appliquéd feathers and neon yellow shaved marmot. It seemed almost paradoxical how every piece felt like it was created to make a statement without really meaning to. I loved the use of brogue detailing on heeled Chelsea boots and Vivier's signature bags, which worked just as smoothly as the gold flat studs did on the patent leather accessories and loafers. Out of the whole line the pieces that completely stole the show for me were the suede "harlequin" stilettos (very Viviana Volpicella, if you ask me) and "Chesterfield" inspired structured clutch because of their art and interior design references and the golden heart-embroidered evening clutch because of its refined and intricate hand-sewn detailing.

I'm off.

[Pictures: Iñaki C.]

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]

make your DAY

You might remember DAY Birger et Mikkelsen from a post I made this summer. Ever since then I have been obsessed with the brand, which is why I was more than thrilled when they invited me to their SS11 preview. Their beautiful London showroom and the people from Varg PR together with the incredible collection made my trip to Little Venice worthwhile. I specially loved the knitwear and a very thin kind of suede that seemed perfect for the summer. Some of their stand-out pieces like the sequinned red knit cardigan or the chandelier bolero are perfect timeless adds to anyone's wardrobe and simpler pieces like the fringed t-shirts and dresses are definitely musts for effortless summer looks.

The different colour palettes respond to everyone's needs for the summer season. My particular favourites were the salmon and orange pieces for every time of the day. From the satin shorts to the new take on the breton t-shirts to the embroidered strappy night tops there is close to nothing one wouldn't want to wear on their cool beach getaway.

Lilacs and earthy tones took over another of the sections. I am a sucker for khaki so any jacket, short, cargo pant or jumper in this colour I love. All of these choices went in a more city-oriented direction. They have the same lightness and ease as the more beachy line but felt a tad more sophisticated, even work-appropriate. Some of the embellished jackets are also perfect day-to-evening garments you can wear to work and go out in.

You can get a hold of DAY Birger et Mikkelsen at Net-a-Porter, My Wardrobe and at their online store. 

I'm off.

[Pictures: soVIPzone]

I carry the sun in a golden clutch, the moon in a silver bag

Last week Giulia and I stopped by the Roger Vivier shop on Sloane Street to see what the iconic French brand had in store for next season. The collection has been named "Le Sud" to conjure up the chicness of popular summer getaways like the South of France, the North of Africa and the Italian Riviera. The sun, the sea and the vibrant colours of plants and fruits evoke the relaxed fun typical of the summer season. Giulia and I loved how bold graphics like a pink lobster or unexpected materials like colourful plastic rings make up beautiful clutches a woman of any age would easily pull off. It was over these bolder pieces that Giulia died for. I was more fond of the tan leathers and beiges, like the openwork boots and sandals. And we were both smitten with the clutch, heels and flat sandals decorated decorated with golden bubbles that reminded us of champagne of caviar. The "diligence" and "Miss Viv" bags were our two absolute favourites. They're extremely classic but absolutely contemporary bags so it's no surprise Carla Bruni became so infatuated with the second she now collaborates with Bruno Frisoni, the house's artistic director, to reinvent it season after season. Hope you enjoy the video as much as we enjoyed the collection!

The FW10 shoes were quite amazing as well. They were inspired by military and royal motifs from times of Napoleon such as the famous fleur-de-lis. This inspiration was also present in the choice of materials. Black felt was combined with rich golden threads to create a beautiful ankle boot. Go to their website to have a look at the rest of the stunning winter line.

I'm off.

PS. I do apologise for the poor light and my bad pulse during some moments of the video. I tried to fix it but that's as far as I could go without losing the colour.

Thinking ahead: Tod's SS11

A couple of weeks ago Giulia and I were lucky enough to preview what the Italian staple Tod's will make us want to wear next season. We were warmly welcomed at their Old Bond Street store where we enjoyed Prosecco in an amazing sea of shoes. They are best known for their "gommini", the suede and leather loafers that any woman wears across the world from Milan to New York, passing Barcelona and London, of course. Giulia an I were gladly surprised by the range of accessories that they offer on top of shoes. G absolutely "died" over the leather detailed cuffs, their suede lace-up heels and the incredibly light and soft croc bags.

We tried to edit down the choice of our favourite pieces but having so many beautiful colours and materials made this really hard. Would we go for the fuchsia croc loafers or for the python ones? Maybe the yellow suede? So we ended up making a short video so you can choose for yourself. If it were up to us we'd have them all in our wardrobe!

I also recommend you to pay a visit to their website. They have celebrated their collaboration with Milan's Teatro alla Scala with an unbelievable video. It is a dance allegory of the making of their famous "gommini". You'd think this is another of those nonsense fashion videos but you'd be missing out. I was in absolute awe of the impressive choreography, which perfectly represents every step of the creation process from the pebble fitting to the trimming.

I'm off.

[Pictures: soVIPzone, Tod's]

David Koma: shape genius

Several weeks ago, Giulia and I attended a multi-brand and multi-designer preview of FW10 collections. This is the first post of a few about some of the things we loved the most there. I wanted to start with David Koma because seeing his clothes up close made me realise how amazing his skills really are. I had seen his designs on the catwalk (online) and hadn't given them much thought beyond that. When you have his dresses on your hands it's almost not possible to believe how well made everything is. He mixes leather, wool and jersey in a dress yet gives the impression that it consists of no more that one piece. Everything looked surprisingly flattering and comfortable. Even the heavily zip-detailed dresses (that can't be made justice in pictures) feel as if anyone could simply slip them on and look fabulous.

The colours of the collection are basic, with slight variations of nude and greys with a hint of lilac. But the shapes are geometrically genius. Every pointy edge is exactly where it should be so as to complement the body shape. In short, Koma is now flickering bright and beeping loudly on my radar.
I'm off.

[Pictures: Giulia, DavidKoma.com, NYmag.com]

Oasis FW10 preview

A few weeks ago Giulia and I attended the press day for the Oasis FW10 collection. We arrived to a lovely country-side like room where we had a delicious chicken and terracotta sauce before we headed into the two floors of showrooms. It was all about chunky versatile knits and a load of black with splashes of red, lace and camel (the colour of the season). We decided to try something new and make videos instead of taking pictures and this is the result. Enjoy! And happy May Day.

I'm off.

[Video and editing by Giulia and moi]

dancing through the night

Net-A-Porter's 2010 resort press preview was all about sparkles, sequins and party dresses. Inside a really minimalistic white room with a geometrical fire place were displayed all the precious clutches, extravagant pieces of jewellery, shiny high-heels and amazing clothes. I didn't had any doubt about N-a-P's buyers' sense of style, but there were some pieces that were really mind-blowing!

Because of my lace obsession of the moment, I immediately fell in love with Stella Mcartney's black lace dress, which is the perfect chic cocktail dress for any occasion.

Another dress that cought my attention was the pyton printed silk dress from Acne. The shape and the fabric were just très jolie. It is the perfect playful evening dress for every party girl that wants to have fun.

Oh the jewellery! I am a big big fan because, like other accessories, they add that personal touch of style to every look! Isharya's gold cuff is the perfect buy —you can wear it with any look you want. It iss the perfect touch to a simple every day outfit with a pair of flared jeans, a white t-shirt and a Chanel-looking jacket; or to an evening black one-shoulder dress.

Already in my wish-list for next summer are the Lanvin's hilarious strawberry earring. They are perfection! Funny, colourful and edgy looking. For something a little more classic, the Missoni pendent earrings are also a great accessory for the upcoming season.

YSL's purple"Tribute" suede sadals were divine, just like any YSL shoe. They make a woman feel confident and sexy. And this new colour will look fabulous on a spring day.Are you searching for the ideal christmas gift for your fashionista friends? Well, Miss McCartney has the answer —seven days, seven pairs of knickers. Each drawer contains a pair of knickers with the day of the week embroidered in pastel colours. They come in black and white and they are almost sold out, so hurry!

[Photography: Giulia]

xo Giuls

PS. Check out a very Christmassy Iñaki @ MyFashionDiary

the enchanted jungle of Liberty

Last Tuesday, soVIPzone had the privilege of having a sneak peek at some of the pieces that Liberty of London has chosen for the coming Spring/Summer 2010 season. Not only the selection was exquisite, but the setting was spectacular. It felt like stepping into a fairytale jungle full of designer clothes and exciting jewellery pieces —live parrot included.
Giulia and I fell in love with the suede frilled jacket from Acne. Such a cool touch to wear over a tank top and some shorts in the summer.
Giulia fell head over heels for these headbands by Benoît Bessolin. They are made of latex, which gives them the motion of real flowers without the nuisance of having to replace them every week.
If the name Jerome Dreyfuss doesn't sound familiar, take good note. He designs very cool leather satchels perfect for any city girl. And he is married to Isabel Marant.
I could not stop staring at these. Eddie Borgo's spiky jewels add the perfect edge to a delicate dress. They are a good alternative to a pepper-spray as you can use them for self-defence. And she makes rings as well!
Liberty introduces its first gold pieces with these beautiful designs. Our favourite? The seahorse set —ring, earrings and bracelet.
Prints, prints, prints. I particularly loved the blue shirt with the colour strokes on the right. I feel it could work perfectly for the daytime with denim shorts or as part of a beige linen suit combo.

Pictures by Giulia.

Text by Iñaki.

I'm off.

PS. Remember you can still win a $100 ShopBop.com voucher!

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