happy new year | hello 2015

Happy New Year!!! This is an extremely late post to welcome the New Year, but I just wanted to say I can't believe how fast 2014 went past! It has been such an amazing year both for the blog and the fashion world, many milestones were passed and I was so so satisfied with how things were going last year. I'm pleased to say I'm extremely psyched for this year, with many big things coming my way as well as many exciting developments in the fashion world. {Galliano for Margiela anyone?} However, I'm incredibly sad to say that this year as I have a major exam at the end of the year, I won't have as much time as I want to spend posting and curating this blog. I know for the past few months I haven't been posting as much as I should, and I'm apologising from the bottom of my heart that I would be posting even less for the rest of this year to concentrate on my studies. Of course I would try to find time to update y'all on the fashion world as frequently as I can, but there would definitely be much less activity from me hope you would understand. On a brighter note, my recent Valentino Sala Bianca post has been selected for IFB's Links a la Mode, read on to find out more....

In With The New

How's your first week of 2015 going? The first week back to work, still bulging from the holidays? Hitting the January Sales like there's no tomorrow? Cleaning out your closet? Planning your life for the next year? Even though it's just another day like any other, the turn of a new year brings up so many things for everyone. What are you discarding? What do you want to bring in?

Links à la Mode: January 8th

• A Glamourous Revelation: 40 Amazing Blog Posts from 2014
• Attire Club: Different Cities Different Fashions
• Buttons & Birdcages: New Years & Embracing Change
• Confessions of a Style Cookie: Valentino Sala Bianca 945
• Happy Pretty Sweet: 5 Ways to Wear Marsala
• It Takes Two Fashion: The True Princess Skirt
• Jolly Caucus Race: Oxfam Online Shopping With A Conscience
• Kremb de la Kremb: 2015 Closet Goals
• Les Assorties: Reinterpreting a Key Winter Accessory
• Moda Vracha's Spot: SkinFood Black Sugar Mask Review
• Msyolee: New Years Resolutions!
• Petite Fille Modele: Easy Makeup Tutorial for Beginners
• Purushu Arie: 2014: The Year in Fashion
• Quantrelle: Style Lesson: Color Coordination
• That Paki Blog: Winter Styling & Struck by Splash
• The Best Organic Skincare: Thesis Beauty: Oily Skin Review
• The Chic Teen: My Three 2015 Style Resolutions
• Thy Bliss Calls: A Clean Slate
• TLV Birdie: New Year's Resolution: Less Plans
• We Are Ready Made: 2015 Resolutions: Do We Have To Buy Less?

Although I won't be posting as much this year, do follow me on twitter, tumblr, and instagram for daily updates on the fashion world. Ciao!

dior couture fall 2015

For Raf Simons, haute couture at Dior was always about modern relevance. While previous couture collections were modern designs inspired by the current age, Couture 2015 was modern designs inspired by past, present and future eras. Starting off Paris Couture Week he presented a brilliant collection, featuring a modern twist on looks from both previous centuries and Dior archives, and infusing them with the grandeur that could only come with haute couture. Residence of past Dior collections, the Parisian gardens of the Musée Rodin were transformed into a silvery spaceship this season, covered with the most delicate white orchids reminisce of Fall 2012, while swishing white doors lining the grounds opened up to reveal an army of models catwalking from all directions.

The couture offerings this season once again took on Simons' signature stream-lined silhouettes, pretty fleur references Dior has become famous for and quirky-chic touches.The collection was era-hopping in so many ways : starting from embroidered Marie Antoinette-esque frock coats over tailored pants to dazzling astronaut spacesuits, to luxurious Edwardian furs and sweeping gowns then forward to the modern working woman's pantsuit. And who could forget the famous Bar Jacket, which was given an exaggerated peplum in cream and navy over a selection of elegant chiffon soiree dresses.

And like any Dior couture collection, there were gowns {with college-esque pockets of course} : voluminous, luxurious, impossibly beautiful works of haute couture by Simons' atelier that undoubtedly brought out the princess in everyone. Strikingly icy pastels set an aristocratic tone to the pieces – baby blue to hydrangea green, cream and pale blush. These hues would mostly look out of place on the high street, but in Dior's ornate setting they were just right at home. 

Embroidered emblems added pops of colour to the monochrome looks, while rich sumptuous furs trimmed the lush jacquard coats. These touches were refreshing especially in a sea of couturiers competing for who has more pearls/beads/embroidery per inch of fabric, the craftmanship being alluringly restrained — subtle fleur accents on stunning white gowns, frocks embellished with intricate high-tech resin, and outerwear bedecked with embroidery that was exquisite without being overbearing.

I've always loved Dior, and when Raf Simons took over as creative director he has never stopped pushing the boundaries of couture and challenging our notion of it, bringing a breath of fresh air into the art by continually introducing items previously only found in prêt-à-porter : pants, jackets and even knee-length skirts, all this without sacrificing a painstaking attention to detail and the ethereal elegance exclusive to haute couture. Couture 2015 has once again proved the timeless appeal of his contemporary approach, and this combined with a dream cast of top models wearing couture fit for modern-day royalty, definitely makes for an unforgettable show in the Paris Haute Couture Week calendar.

What do you think of this collection?

Images from one, two

elie saab couture fall 2015

While Elie Saab explored daywear in his recent Resort collection, there wasn't a single day look in Couture {unless the black beaded dress and cardigan on Lindsey Wixson counts as one}. Not that I'm complaining, Elie Saab has always been an exquisite eveningwear house, and since his debut collection Saab has already been making haute couture with aplomb, evident in his uberloyal clientele set that includes everyone from princesses and socialites, to even doctors and lawyers .

 While the usual ready-to-wear seasons have already enchanted us with their offerings, Couture is the time where the atelier really shines. For Fall 2015, Elie Saab whisks us away into a magical fairytale of everything we ever wished for : luxurious pearl-strewn {detail de rigeur} gowns dressed in gauzy organza and dreamy chiffon, surrounded by a set mimicking the grandeur of a Parisian palace, glittering chandeliers lining the runway while reflecting the rich colours of the collection.

Princess Elsa of Disney's Frozen was the muse for the Lebanese designer. Fancy cocktail numbers and elegant gowns sauntered down the runway in the most breathtaking of colours : red, Tahitian blue, copper, champagne, noir, pistachio, white and grey. Both floor length and above-the-knee looks featured tulle and sheer set into fabulous ombre tones, intricate floral embroidery lining the plunging necklines while iridescent pearls, sequins and precious stones were encrusted on the long sleeves, corset and trains, kissing the gowns with an irresistible allure that can only accompany shimmer and shine.

These already ornate looks were then topped off with glamorous fur stoles and thin belts that cinched at the waist, evoking an image of European royalty all dressed up for a luxurious soiree in a sprawling palais. Stunning bridal silhouettes followed, coming down the runway in a cascade of satin and silk, dressed in a intoxicating array of hues such as crimson, rich indigo, midnight blue and vintage rosé, creating a picture akin to a dazzling evening sky. And like all couture collections worth their salt, the show was closed with an ethereal ivory bridal gown, featuring a princess skirt of billowing chiffon and tulle, meticulous appliqués and a floral crown trailed by a majestic floor-sweeping veil.

With the number of oohs and ahhs coming from the crowd at the show, the collection was clearly a crowd-pleaser. And why not? Elie Saab does a fairytale dress well, and the princess inside all of us can't help but fall in love with his exquisite pieces, with exceptional craftsmanship only possible in haute couture. In this age where couturiers are becoming more realistic and modern, Elie Saab is unabashedly a dreamer, choosing to transport his clients into the haute couture world of majestic Parisian interiors and pretty glittery gowns, and making us wish that maybe, just maybe we could own one of his luxurious creations one day.

what do you think of this collection?

Images from one, two

giambattista valli fall 2015 couture.

Nothing said Giambattista Valli's "new Couture customer" more than the Couture 2015 collection. The muse is an impeccably dressed woman of the 21st century, and this season she wakes up in the Alhambra Gardens, throwing on her sunglasses and a champagne napkin while exploring the fleur-dotted gardens. The unique mix of Moorish and Spanish culture of the Alhambra appealed to Valli, and he deftly translated the picture into pretty runway looks. 

While louvred panels filtered light onto the runway like morning sunlight in a Meditarranean villa, the collection opened with dresses that would be found on the Valli girl whilst she tumbles out of bed : slacked-silhouette pajama-esque silk pieces with simple monochrome stripes, then a series of airy midi frocks dressed in delicate taffeta and tulle. And what better to wander around the Gardens in than these floral-appliqued gowns? Striking roses and poppies adorned the semi-pencil skirts that brushed slightly below the knee, while capelets and crop tops gave a twist of youthfulness to the grown-up looks. 

"The secret of my girls is that they're always eccentric. They don't play it. They are." 

Eccentricity was in the form of accessories for this show : to protect herself from the heat and the sun, the Valli girl dons a pair of designer shades and a cream Cinderella-esque headscarf, the only accessories worthy of such an opulent look. For night, she is adorned with lavish feathery ball skirts of chiffon and tulle ruffles in pastel shades of ombré from fuchsia to seafoam and lemon yellow, with some looks also worn with a "monkey" cape trailing with a flourish, which could only have come with the exquisite craftsmanship of a couture atelier.

While it was meant for the modern woman, the collection had an undeniable retro old Hollywood feel, and it was no surprise Valli described it as "a late-sixties, early-seventies kind of freedom and eccentricity,” while his mood board had pictures of images of Diana Vreeland having lunch by the pool with a towel wrapped perfectly around her head. His devil-may-care vacation attitude to seductiveness has proved that the Valli girl can be both eccentric yet elegant, and the collection had that down to a T. His play with shapes, textures and prints? That's modern couture chic.

Images from one, two, three