Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Style Icon: Miroslava Duma

Miroslava Duma is not a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl.  Instead, the fashion editor for Harpar's Bazaar Russia favors feminine dresses, tailored coats, and luxe suits, all cinched with her trademark extra-long belt.  I love that Miroslava does not confine herself to one style--she experiments with classic and modern pieces, creating a head-to-toe polished look.



    

 

Recently Miroslava had a baby, and her maternity wardrobe was EPIC.  She substituted flats for her usual stillettos, but did not give up her figure-defining belts.

Spring 2011 Fashion Week: Paris Honorable Mentions

These fabulous looks were some of my favorites from Paris, falling just short of my top five list.  From the tailored dresses at Yves Saint Laurent to the deconstructed pajamas at Haider Ackerman, spring styles pulled from a variety of influences.  Despite the disparities, spring lines generally were long and loose, featuring strong color.  Louis Vuitton, John Galliano, and Dries van Noten incorporated Asian prints into some of their pieces, which may emerge as one of spring's breakout trends.
 
Dries van Noten
Christian Dior

 
John Galliano
Yves Saint Laurent


Haider Ackerman
Guy Laroche

Louis Vuitton
Givenchy


Monday, October 25, 2010

Runway Beauty D.I.Y.: Giorgio Armani

The beauty look at Giorgio Armani's spring show was simple and seductive.  All the inky blue and black frocks were enhanced by a smoky navy eye and dramatic turban.  The blue eye was a fresh alternative to a black-lined look, and really made the models' eyes pop.




I recreated the look using a navy shadow by Urban Decay which contained a little bit of shimmer.  First, I lightly lined the inner  rims of my eyes with a black eye liner.  This step could be eliminated, but it does give the eye some extra definition.  Next, I started working the navy shadow into my lower lash line, and pulling the line out horizontally to give that eye-widening effect.  The line on my upper lash line was fainter, and blended out over about half my lid.  The Armani eyes also darkened the crease, but only on the inner half of the eye.  This is the reverse of what I typically do when accenting the crease, but I think the idea was to offset the strong lower outer corner with a strong upper inner corner.  To finish off the eyes, I swept on a light coat of mascara and used a little eye brow gel.  For the rest of my face, I highlighted the top of my cheekbones and applied a little bronzer underneath them.

 

Monday, October 18, 2010

Spring 2011 Fashion Week: Paris

I wish I could cover all my favorites from Paris, but there were simply too many.  My top ten from this season include Chanel, Viktor & Rolf, Lanvin, Celine, Alexander McQueen, Christian Dior, Haider Ackerman, Louis Vuitton, Dries van Noten, and John Galliano.  I've already covered McQueen, and below is the rest of my short list, rounding out my top five.

CHANEL
Karl Lagerfeld really outdid himself with this collection, creating both gorgeous separates and gowns that would look great on women of all ages.  The show itself was spectacular (worth checking out here), located in the Grand Palais, featuring 88 looks, which were accompanied by an 80-piece orchestra playing Bjork.  Amazing!  Karl showed classic Chanel suits and dresses, but updated them with perforated textiles and feather trims.  The standout accessories included laser-cut fingerless gloves, lucite cuffs, and tangled webs of necklaces that looked modern, but stayed true to the Chanel aesthetic.  I sincerely hope someone knocks off those gloves soon, because I need them in my life.  The only real shortcoming of the collection was the shoes, which were rather unfortunate looking.









VIKTOR & ROLF
Viktor Horsting & Rolf Snoeren like to have fun with fashion, creating very whimsical, dramatic looks that aren't always wearable.  This season they produced the best of both worlds--a conceptual collection with very sellable pieces.  They took the idea of a classic white button down shirt and exploded it, collaring and cuffing every shirt, dress, and even pants.  The final looks took the button down shirt into new territory--bridal.  The overall effect was fresh, showcasing the duo's talent in creating crisp separates, sculptural gowns, and eye-catching accessories.









LANVIN
This was a darker, moodier collection for Alber Elbaz than his typical colorful, gown-heavy showing.  Alber showcased more separates and daywear than usual, but my favorites were still the flowing silk chiffon gowns.  The utilitarian color palette, styled with leather harnesses and warrior-like embellishments, gave the feminine cuts and fabrics an edge.  The looks would be perfect for the woman who wants to look both tough and beautiful.




CELINE
Celine has developed a cult following in the past two years, thanks to Phoebe Philo's modern minimalist vision.  This collection was true to form, comprising of chic daywear that a working woman could build her entire wardrobe from. The cuts were less tailored than typical for Celine--the shirts more tunic-like, the pants a bit wider and lower--giving each look an ease and sophistication.




Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...