CardiffCouture

Hello Guys and Dolls! As part of my journalism postgrad I have created a niche fashion blog, so if you are interested in Welsh fashion, designers, models or boutiques, do check out http://www.cardiffcouture.wordpress.com and, of course, I will love you forever. Also promise I will get posting on here again as soon as possible! Ciao ciao xxx

Icon #11

             'I am against marriage, and I don't give a fig for society.'

-The babelicious and vaguely offensive Brigette Bardot.

Lanvin Autumn 2011 Dancing Campaign

I literally cannot stop watching [and laughing at] the new Lanvin Autumn 2011 campaign film. Shot by Stephen Meisel, it stars Karen Elson and Raquel Zimmermann dancing to Pitbull's 'I Know You Want Me'. Both sweet, ironic and more than a little funny, the most memorable part has to be Alber Elbaz himself popping into shot and shoving some young bucks to one side in order to claim the dancefloor fully. It's just...brilliant.  Eagle eyed readers/ stalkers will know I tweeted about this video at the end of August, but I feel now, a particularly miserable Monday, is the time to share;



Hilair! Oh, and the clothers are pretty sexy too.

Fashion Week NY - Jason Wu Spring Summer 2012

It’s that time of the year again kids; New York Fashion Week, heralding the return of the fashion pack and bringing new trends, new styles and, most importantly, new designers to the city. My favourite collection so far [all 2 days in, naturally] has been Jason Wu's Spring Summer 2012 show. Wu has created a sporty and ladylike collection, featuring floating skirts, peplums galore, beautiful beaded collars and...windbreakers. Oh yes, windbreakers have gone high fashion and they look good; chiffon-y, floaty and oh-so haute couture, dahhhling. Overall, the collection itself was polished and strangely sexy, much like the windbreakers themselves.  

Wu stated in a recent interview that for this collection he ‘looked to combine the refinement of couture with the dynamism of the Pop Art movement’, and it’s a vision that worked. Bright pops of colour juxtaposed with a wonderfully subtle monochrome floral hand print pattern [conceived in collaboration with the artist KAWS], which was just visible behind Wu’s classic petal print on trousers, blouses and dresses.  

Wu offset his sharply tailored waistlines with strong peplum silhouettes and full skirts. Chiffon blouses were decorated with intricately beaded collars and Swarovski detailing, and skirts with asymmetric hems were teamed with edgy black lace-up stilettos and bright blue and green python handbags. Colours were bright and clashed wonderfully with the otherwise monochromatic palate; canary yellows, cobalt blue and bubblegum pink added a playful element with a sexy and sportif edge.All-in-all, a veritable triumph for Mr Wu. See the catwalk show [above] and pictures [below] yourself. Yummy!

Runway photos: Imaxtree

Icon #10

 

'It was great fun becoming famous, but I got tired of it'

                     - Jean Shrimpton. Who doesn't love a bit of the Shrimp?

Slave to Good Marketing - Dior

 

So, it turns out I am a slave to good marketing. I actually started writing this particular post back in May when I first bought my beyoo-tiful Dior Addict lipstick, after seeing the sexy, sexy Kate Moss advert [see above]. I stumbled across this lonely draft, realised I haven’t done any reviews recently and thought this might just be the perfect time to start reviewing again ['the perfect time’, as in I am doing anything and everything to avoid shorthand practice for my upcoming Postgrad Journalism course in September. erk.]

Anyway, the lovely French/Irish [not sure accent-wise, so best to cover all bases] man on the Dior counter at John Lewis helped me find the perfect shade; the exact one Mossy is wearing in the short, obvs- DiorKiss 578. He then proceeded to do my entire face a la Moss – thick black cat-eye flicks of liquid liner at the corner of each eye and a subtle sheen on the cheekbones. I think he must have been bored. Actually he was really lovely; he complimented my hair and gave me a little goody bag of Dior postcards with samples of the Dior Addict range, plus a little Miss Dior Cherie diary with pictures of the equally fragrant Natalie Portman, but I digress...

The point of this entire post is that the texture of the Dior Addict range is drastically different to other lipsticks – for instance, to wear my everyday Dior Rouge [in Hollywood Pink], I usually have to apply lip-balm before the lipstick itself, as it tends to dry my lips out very quickly.  However, the new Dior Addict range comes with a whole new formula, containing less wax and more gel, making it feel lightweight, smooth and moisturising. Or, as the official line puts it, the range ‘contains a completely new sensorial formula providing vibrant colour and shine' which is 'a pleasure to apply'.

And what a pleasure it is! With 44 shades to choose from, the colour spectrum available in the Dior Addict range contains strong, bold colours in every shade you can dream of.  I’ve taken an admittedly rather crappy picture on my webcam of me wearing the lipstick, so you can get an idea of quite how moisturising/glossy it is;

Oh, and if you’re interested in getting Le Moss's look, she is wearing 804 Perfecto Dior Vernis nail varnish with Dior Rock Coat and her cat eyes are courtesy of  Style Liner in 094 Black. And with that, à bientôt mon petit chous!

Brace your Beehive!

1. Burberry Prorsum Coat, £1,495, www.matchesfashion.com

2. Susan caplan vintage jewellery GOLD, £475, www.matchesfashion.com 

3. McQ Tartan wool puffball mini dress, £470, www.net-a-porter.com 

4. Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner, £13, www.ASOS.com 

5. Bottega Veneta Lace cummberbund dress, £1,710, www.net-a-porter.com 

6. M Missoni Natural 60's Box Print Dress, £491, www.my-wardrobe.com

7. FELINE Rust sunglasses, £18, www.haydenharnett.com 

8. Chanel vintage bag in Burgundy, £2,835, www.matchesfashion.com 

9. Gosford Off White Mary Jane Heels, £60 - www.topshop.com 

10. Dior Vernis 'Fall 2011' Nail Lacquer Psychedelic Orange 545, £14.50 www.nordstrom.com

I do hope you enjoyed my casual bit of 'groovy' alliteration in the titles - yas, very proud, thank you, why yes I did think of it myself.  Today’s sixties themed antics were inspired by September’s issue of Vogue, which has proven to be a veritable smorgasbord of stylish delights. Featuring the first ever DVD of catwalk trends for AW 2011/12 from London, Paris, Milan and New York and an international collections special, it highlighted key trends and the best ways to wear them [particularly useful for the fetish trend; no-one wants to look like an extra from a bad horror film]. As for the magazine itself, weighty enough to kill someone [but glossy enough for it to be a very stylish murder] it has the added bonus of featuring the gorgeous Freja Beha Erichsen on the cover, wearing a rather beautiful sequinned dress from Dolce and Gabbana. 

Vogue cites Sixties style icons Mary Quant, Twiggy and Julie Christie as inspiration for this seasons coolest trend; ‘Two-piece ensembles in fabrics that really hold structure, like felt and wool, bridge the gap between ladylike and mod perfectly,’ says Vogue's Calgary Avansino.

Fool-proof sixties dressing is simple once you have invested in just one or two key pieces; Car coats, bracelet sleeves, polo necks and of course, the miniskirt teamed with knee-high boots are a quick and easy way to an on-trend look. Beehives were popular on the catwalk at Jean Paul Gaultier and Bottega Veneta [who have made the most perfect skirt suit] and flicked eyeliner completes the look. Groovy baby!

Icon #9

'Dogs never bite me. Just humans'

Oh, Marilyn. How we love thee.

Chanel Cruise 2012 - 'The Tale of a Fairy' Short by Karl Lagerfeld

The Tale of a Fairy is a rather exciting short film written and directed by Karl Lagerfeld to showcase the 2011/12 Chanel Cruise collection.

Starring Anna Mouglalis, Freja Beha, Bianca Balti, Amanda Harlech, Kristen McMenamy and Baptiste Giabiconi among others, the film  is about “an ill-advised use of money which begins with violence and ends with feeling” according to Lagerfeld. As one would expect from Chanel, the clothes and accessories are exquisite and Freja Beha as the fairy more than makes up for some slightly wooden acting by the other models. The film features a couple of rather steamy snogs too. Sexy.

Trendwatch: Forties Glamour AW 2011/12

Just a quickie today, as my laptop has decided to have a nervy-b and apparently is suffering from some sort of 'fatal error', squeaking angrily at me whenever I try to turn it on. Ergo, I am on my little sister's ancient computer, so bear with the intermittent blogging in the interim.

Basically, I am very overexcited about the Autumn/Winter trends for 2011. One of the most exciting to emerge has to be the Forties glamour trend, with its numerous references to the heyday classics of Aquascutum and Burberry; capes, tweed, leather, tailoring, pearls and fur. Heaven. I have, for some reason, fixated on procuring a pair of soft-as-butter leather driving gloves, which would obviously improve my quality of life tenfold, and a [faux] fur stole [ditto]. In actual fact, I would love an antique ivory cigarette holder, but as I don't smoke I probably can't justify its purchase, even to myself. Unless I take to smoking lilac Sobraine cocktail cigarettes a la homosexual thespians of the 1920's? Hmmm...

Anyway, back to the shows; Gaultier sexed the Forties look up on the catwalk, with thigh-high slits added to otherwise demure pencil and midi-length skirts, while Gucci added pussybow blouses and a jaunty fedora or two, perhaps in a nod to the other 2011 AW heavyweight trend; the androgynous silhouette.  Strong, glamorous and grown up, leather and fur add a quirky twist to this otherwise sophisticated trend.

Meanwhile, makeup tended to lean towards a classic strong red lip, teamed with arched eyebrows and long, natural-looking eyelashes. The look was updated with natural, glowing and dewy skin [rather than the traditional 1940's matte face]. Easy, versatile and striking, the perfect look for AW.

All hail the return of the Forties Fashionista!