Julien MacDonald SS 2012 at LDN Fashion Week

Welsh designer Julien MacDonald once again impressed with his Spring/Summer 2012 collection, featuring strong, structured shapes accented with panels of leather mesh and skinny metallic belts.

MacDonald’s use of laser cut leathers, bonded jersey and plasticised wool showcased his couturier skill and craftsmanship.

The collection featured nude chiffon dresses embroidered with Chinese dragons in silver and black beads. MacDonald told Vogue one of these intricately embroidered dresses took more than 60 people to create.

Contrasting with the sequins and studs were soft, flowing silk handkerchief dresses embellished with beading and tiny yellow flowers.

Macdonald has a reputation for high octane glamour, and this collection certainly didn’t disappoint.

Designer Spotlight: Jayne Pierson

Welsh designer Jayne Pierson graduated from the University of Glamorgan with a First in Fashion Design, combining several of her units with modules at Central St Martins. The Llanelli based designer then went on to win the London Graduate Fashion Week Ecological Fashion Award. She then interned at Alexander McQueen, Galliano and Vivienne Westwood before launching her own label with her début SS 2010 collection being shown at London Fashion Week in September 2009. This debut collection garnered so much interest Vogue Italia named her as one of Britain’s freshest new talents in 2009 and 2010.

Pierson’s latest collection, her fifth, for SS 2012 featured the Royal Ballet’s principal dancers gliding down the catwalk at London Fashion week. The collection were designed in collaboration with fellow designer Derek Lawlor and the pair named their collection “Pierson Lawlor”.

The collection used leather and silk in a soft palette of taupe and sand with the occasional burst of metallic burnt orange. Tassles and fringing further emphasised the contrast between the fluid, flowing silk and the rigidity and strongly structured shapes formed by the leather. This juxtaposition was further accentuated through the use of the dancers rather than models, with the clothes reflecting both the vulnerability and strength of the dancers.

Pierson said this use of fabric in the collection was “An intercultural world, organic structures and morphing textures.”

Pierson said: “I love the idea of breaking down conceptions,”

“Recreating conceptions of textiles, like leather which is often associated with fetish, and wool which has old-fashioned connotations. This is something completely new and I’m so excited!”

Pictures courtesy of The Style PA http://www.flickr.com/people/thestylepa/

Versace for H&M Winter 2011 Video

A-mazing.

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!