Friday 10 December 2010

Pre-fall A-plenty

It's that wonderful time of year again where we get the teasingly sneaky peak into the near future of fashion.

My pick of pics will warm you up more than a... picture of a fireplace (not including the cocktail dresses and evening wear). Although the best way to warm up is to buy something furry. Unfortunately, cold weather-triggered buying is generally quite costly - shearling this, fur that, distressed leather those...

I digress.

Let's start with...

Donna Karan:
I was drawn in by the masterful layering. I know that's the only thing I go on about for the autumn collections but you don't know nuthin' if you can't put garments on top of each other and make it look hot. Forget about statement pieces. It's the statement outfit. Loving the double and triple belts - brings a needed edge to the outfits to prevent looking like you had a shopping spree in the GAP.

At Chanel (aka the visual roller coaster):
Once again, a plentiful and heavily embellished collection. You may have noticed the Paris-Byzance theme in all its gold, chunky and emperial glory (if not, don't be alarmed but you may be blind). Unfortunately, 67 looks later and only a handful of stand out pieces/looks. And best not to mention the ever-embarrassing 'menswear' attempts randomly inserted at various points.
Or, maybe I'm just horribly biased because the only thing that might raise your core temperature are some weirdly festive knits and (quelle surprise) tweed.
But let's not forget the sheer workmanship and skill that is required to create these jewel-adorned pieces and the meticulous details. Also, there is no doubt that these evening looks will be embraced on the red carpet. Sadly, that's not enough to receive an all round positive review from me.
*(Karl, now shocked and saddened by the news of my mediocre review, issues a statement that he will be out of the business for a while to rethink his design aesthetic)

Now Eli Tahari:
*(love the matron look!)

I have to say I'm rather torn with this collection. I am definitely a sucker for elegant practicality - but where is the line between that and just quite a good outfit day at the office? The fur slung across the shoulder helps, probably. And the LBD is always a winner. Undecided.

Jason Wu (no relation):
His pre-fall is definitely more autumn than winter. But who can resist (not moi) the beautiful colour palette he chose for this collection?? The strong, yet not overpowering and obvious combinations make my eyes happy. Nude and pastels are still in the fray it seems and are stitched into dresses, jackets and whole outfits in a very pleasing fashion.
With only one obvious boo boo (the white shirt, black bow tie and black trousers combo - plain lazy), this is a very solid, if not a bit whimsical collection (I'm all about the oxymorons today!). Just pause to admire the floor-length stunners at the end.

Will update when more shows roll in and we move past (boring) New York!

Friday 5 November 2010

Bonnie Scotland

Me and Sam's latest creative effort is finally ready to arrive on the blogosphere. The adventure (it was an adventure for my heeled Dr Martens, trying to navigate rocky beaches and general countryside uneveness) took us to beautiful Fife, namely Dalgety Bay and its environs (sorry Sam, forgotten the names..).

My fear of rain soon turned into worry that it was too sunny (!) so had to rethink the wardrobe, but made me feel not too bad for putting Amrita in a silk dress.
The combination of beach and rocks was amazing and it was fantastic to see a range of locations in a small but albeit picturesque town..
As you may or may not have heard (me gush about it), my next photo collaboration is going to be situated in the Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh with a Birds of Paradise theme.
Featuring local talent a-plenty (and Amrita again) with talented dress makers and hat makers this one is going to be stunning to the max.

As always, more photos can be found on my port at Model Mayhem.

See you other other side, kids..

Photos by Sam Williamson
Styling/make-up by ME

Friday 1 October 2010

SS Collections: Like Birthdays in December

Eplanation of the title: The autumn/winter season is superior. As a compulsive layerer and being allergic to minute changes in temperature, hot summer days are a styling nightmare. I am less than comfortable skipping around in shorts and vest tops so feel like I have to compensate with manic layering of silks and cottons or heavy embellishments of costume jewellery to distract from a one layer ensemble.
That being said, spring/summer's loss of beautifully cut coats and fur trimmings are forgotten with dresses of every shape and colour and sheer silks.

Let the show begin...

EDIT: Managed to miss Givenchy first time round - how could I forget Tisci? I must be tired. Well, here it is:
Sexy and gothy. Perfection.

At Chanel:Oui, c'est chic... mais avec 'edge'? Chanel got interesting this season!

At Celine:Minimilsm rules.

At Alexander McQueen:From ethereal gowns to ethnic embroidery, this has all the hallmarks of dreamy McQueen with a distinctly feminine touch. Should be appreciated in full. Take five mins to indulge...

At Haider Ackermann:Such a standout show. NEEDS to be viewed in full to appreciate its diversity. A mastery of leather and fabric.

At Carven:FANTASTIC reincarnation. A very wearable collection.

At Chloe:Leather and nudes for another season? Don't mind if I do...

At Isabel Marant:Toujours cool et sexy.

At Lanvin:From start to finish... this collection needs to be viewed IN FULL.

At Mulberry:Cute, flirty and British. But where's the depth?

At Peter Pilotto:Who loves panels? Jess loves panels. Such a beautiful collection. Beautiful colour palette. I'm feeling this..

At Louis Vuitton (yes, I actually liked a Louis Vuitton collection.. for the most part):
Because oriental influences and zebra print works so well? For three or four garments, yes. The rest (esp. at the end) is bizarrely at odds with the rest of the collection.

At Miu Miu:
Print: check. Bold colours: check. Fit: Like your mother's dress from the 60s - not too modern but the patterns are awesome!

All photos courtesy of Style.com

In other news, my latest photo shoot photos are on Model Mayhem for your enjoyment.

My next phot shoot will be on a beach, hopefully! Not swimsuit, still sexy though!

Until next time...

Thursday 30 September 2010

Weekend Works of Art

After yet another sabbatical (blame New York), I thought it would be appropriate to dive into another photo shoot to avoid the embarrassment of lack of posts... too little too late?

Concept this time?
Soft, natural, silks, knits and amazing one of a kind jewellery!

Sam has done a great job of editing the photos so they look lovely and appealing, while Kara's features provided some interesting close-up shots.

Without further ado..
I love the soft focus of this picture - very dreamy and feather light!


More pictures should be in this gorgeous, almost sepia tone... I love it!


Mini hat, anyone?


There were some more fantastic outside location shots as well, which I may or may not include at a future date when I get a hold of them.

The result of a hard days work?
Just beautiful shots - no props, no gimmicks, no avant garde concepts, posing or controversy, no meat dress, and no cross dressing (this time, that will come later).

I do hope to showcase Susanna Cheng's unique jewellery in greater detail in future shoots - I have a Vogue-esque beauty shoot planned which I am very excited about!

COMING UP...

A round-up of my favourite shows from fashion weeks past.. Let's face it, I will probably only be covering London and Paris. Looking ahead to spring colours and fabrics in the darkness of the Scottish winter? I can think of worse things to do.
Expect all the prettiness of spring... and white.