Monday, July 11, 2005

Paris Couture Autumn-Winter 2005-2006 Day 3

Elie Saab - Starting the show with a bride? How daring! I've decided it is my new mission to make veils appropriate for not just weddings and funerals. Anyone with me? The standard figure-hugging dresses we are used to...not so different than RTW. After scouting laces for my own wedding dress and reading an article on couture lingerie, I am now schooled in the levels of lace. There is most certainly a price jump for couture laces, so I assume these are just more delicate or hand woven fabrics than usually used. While all very pretty and covetable, I still like more fantasy.


This dress would be perfect for Wonder Woman (or perhaps she's just on my mind, "in her satin tights")

Watch out for the few godawful ones though.

Imitation of Christ - Most certainly no business in couture and panties and bras are GOOD THINGS. No shame, I promise. I do like this dress though, but you cant tell anyone:



Jean Paul Gaultier -

A fur pleated skirt! Is there anything more unnecessary, but at the same time, is there anything cooler?!?! And with those tight black blazers. Ohhhh. Very Mongolia-Chic. Dramatic trench coats, furry tight boots (not even remotely MukLuk/Ugg, dont worry), leather belts. These are pieces you can imagine spending tens of thousands on because they are so strong and so wearable. They dont look tied to a trend, they are just pieces you would want to wear forever.

Friday, July 08, 2005

Paris Couture Autumn-Winter 2005-2006 Day 2

Anne Valerie Hash - Floaty romantic jumbles of fabric are not what I'd pay $20k. I just dont see an impressive technique (other than those gorgeous shoes!) or the drama that I expect from couture. I think statement and breathtaking and a little risky, this collection is none of that - even though I like a lot of it...if it were ready-to-wear.

Chanel - The description of the show is better than the photos, which is the unfairness of not attending. The suits seem a little old and a tad boring, but the cocktail dresses are fun - with the occasional Dorothy from "Golden Girls" here too. Is it just me or do the models look very Olsen Twin-ish?

It's very disorienting to see 14 year old girls in your grandmother's (well, if your grandmother is a Chanel couture client) clothes. But perhaps that is their client-base?
This dress is giving me the heebie-jeebies:

This dress is interesting:

The general idea of the last two dresses is nice, but maybe in real life they would be better realized:



Christian Lacroix - Exotic and surprisingly demure suits, gorgeously beaded eveningwear - I think a better mix of youth and sophistication than Chanel.

The most gorgeous white blouse:

The most beautiful coat I have ever seen. The embroidery and the stiffness of the fabric make the most statement and the red ribbon and fur cuff details push the whole thing over the edge. This is a coat for a Russian princess, but perhaps not in a Russian winter, especially with those gorgeous shoes.

The whole collection is rich-gypsy, which I can get behind a whole lot better than the current lazy peasant-style that's become impossible to get away from. I cannot even make out what this outfit is, but I still want it:

And the fabrics that dont at all go together, but somehow make the most breathtaking piece of art (and again! that red ribbon, mmmm!)

It's just too exquisite, I may die:

Christina Aguilera was apparently in attendance, shopping for wedding dresses. I would recommend:




Givenchy - A new designer, and apparently one *not* haunted by the ghost of Audrey Hepburn - perhaps maybe a little Helmut Lang and Tom Ford though. I'm most struck by the sleeves in each piece. Very bondage-y here and very antique over there. Sexy and tough clothes with the sharpest detail. Not often seen in couture, but perhaps there is a client just waiting for such things. I would be in the market, most certainly.

I wish the photos were brighter and the clothes easier to make out...this is why a show should never contain black clothing! Sell it later in black, but there's no way it will come across in photos. My only qualm with this collection is that it goes from fussy to minimalist and back and I feel like you have to commit to a look - you cant just cover all the bases. That's not risk-taking, that's mass-market.

Thursday, July 07, 2005

Paris Couture Autumn-Winter 2005-2006

Oooooh, the best time of the year.
Christian Dior - Oh la la chiffon. Dramatic corsets and full skirts of see-through lace, gorgeous bustles of easter egg satins make full trains. I love the layering and draping and the suggestions of antiquity over very modern and sexy minis and moulded busts. Also what we're seeing is the progression of couture gown. The underpinnings, the tailor's pincushion, the wireframe (literally) ball skirts and each model made up as dress form.

Galliano makes every show a learning experience and just pure drama. Looooove. Oh goodness, photo 9, the illusion herringbone suit!

Oh, this is just so fantastical! Stripping away the solid fabric really makes the workmanship so evident. Adding color highlights the detailed beading and embroidery. The photos and the show report are making me cry at the thought of being able to witness this. The most amazing couture show I've attempted to imagine. Ooooh, from Peru, we're transported to old Hollywood - with old Supermodels. Man, Linda, Naomi, and Eva look beat *up*.

Luckily, we move quickly back to ballet, with still some Peruvian influencing in colors. Is there anything more dramatic or gorgeous than photo 38?

Or this??


Giorgio Armani - Such a different world from Dior, but I am again surprised at how much I'm digging Armani.

Maybe I'm becoming bland? The 40s-style trousers and hats and suits and is fur really so bad? ;-) Here it looks luxe, not obnoxious.





Valentino - Simple sophistication, simply pretty. And, again, is fur so bad?

I do have to say that's some terrible hair though.

Maybe a tad dull...for couture. Maybe.