月別アーカイブ: 2017年1月

Opening Paris couture week Monday morning, Schiaparelli may not be as familiar a name as Dior or Chanel, but the house has been quietly making a comeback since it was relaunched in 2013 under the new ownership of Italian billionaire Diego della Valle. That’s thanks in large part to Hollywood, where Schiaparelli’s bold designs resonate with stylists and stars looking for something unique that’s not in every boutique around the world.

While the house has been showing since it’s revival, it only just regained its official title as an haute couture house days ago – a fitting gift for its 90th birthday. But in the interim, the house with a Hollywood history has quietly been re-establishing itself on the red carpet.

“The clothes exude confidence while retaining their femininity with a dash of whimsy,” says stylist Elizabeth Saltzman, who red carpet dresses Gwyneth Paltrow and Uma Thurman.

Schiaparelli was best known for her work with avant-garde artists – from boots inspired by a Rene Magritte painting to a Surrealist skeleton dress derived from a sketch by longtime collaborator Salvador Dali (which currently hangs in the atelier). “Shocking pink” became her signature shade and the name of her first fragrance, and collaborated with artist and costume designer Marcel Vertes to create ads that would be risqué by today’s standards.

Aside from being Coco Chanel’s biggest rival until she closed her couture house in 1954, she had a passion for powerful women and was couturier to Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Katherine Hepburn, Mae West and the Duchess of Windsor, who famously wore the designer’s lobster celebrity dresses uk, recreated in the spring/summer 2017 couture collection shown in Paris on Monday.

The current incarnation of the house has added Paltrow, Cate Blanchett, Jennifer Lawrence, Claire Danes, Nicole Kidman, Juliette Binoche and Tilda Swinton to that list.

Swinton was the house’s sartorial “lucky star,” current designer Bertrand Guyon says. She’s worn Schiaparelli several times, most recently a sleek silk suit to the Doctor Strange premiere in London last October.

“It is something hard to describe in words to link the silver screen to reality…I have admired her acting for so many years,” Guyon says of working with Swinton.

Mexico City has become more of a destination hotspot in the past couple of years, and it’s easy to see why! Beautiful architecture, an inspiring art scene, and piles of delicious restaurants are just a few reasons it is so beloved. So what better a place to pull wedding inspiration from? This vibe works perfectly for the bride that’s a little artsy with a hint of boho — rich textural elements, hand painted details, and rich, hot colors make for a bold and playful palette.

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The trick to keeping this palette consistent and not overwhelming is to choose a few bold colors (we like red, orange, and yellow, here) and then add in pops (just hints!) of secondary bright colors. For instance, the beautiful lush bouquet featured below is overflowing with yellows and orange, but we also choose to include a bright magenta that could almost be a red at first glance. The trailing greenery also helps to break up all the color, a must for any well balanced bouquet. Similarly, keep your centerpieces bright too, and then choose a runner that is more toned down — we think a colorful tablecloth with a cutout runner could be festive as long as the palette is consistent!

For table numbers, go shopping at a local flea market for loose tiles (you can also find a plethora of gorgeous hand-painted tiles online), and have your calligrapher paint numbers on each one. You can take them all home and mount them on your wall in a grid afterwards as a pretty memento that doubles as art! Hand out Taza chocolate (that come in a bunch of delicious flavors, like cinnamon) as favors for your guests to nibble on, or they can take the chocolate home and melt it into a super rich hot chocolate.

For your ‘maids, we love the idea of a festive printed dress in your palette (with such bright colors it’s less chaotic having different shaped dresses in the same color or choosing one print and all the same dress), and keep the bouquets a little more subdued if you’re incorporating a ton of color in their dresses already.

Keep your wedding dress laid back and streamlined — so much color calls for simple and modern, nothing fussy. If anything, save the color for your shoes (like these red Gianvito Rossi’s) and bouquet.

If you’re having your wedding outside, pass out fans to your guests that echo a classic Mexican papel piecado banner in white — they’ll not only keep guests cool, but make for Instagram-worthy photos.

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For anything to make the cut to be at Amanda Martin and Chas Hoppe’s wedding, it had to be ranked somewhere on the four-point “BEAV” scale.

BEAV stands for bizarre, elegant, asinine and vintage. It’s a scale the couple invented to apply to everything from how to decorate their living space to, well, getting married.

An example of something that might hit a few points on the scale?

Well, one of their bridesmaids was a miniature horse, and so was the accomplice of the flower girl.

“They were covered in glitter and had sparkly hoof polish,” Chas explains.

Anyone familiar with Amanda and Chas knows the BEAV scale fits well with their unique bond.

The two originally met in 2008 as students in Western Washington University’s English graduate program.

Amanda did her master’s thesis on Victorian female werewolves. Chas’ involved zombie poetry.

“We bonded over monsters,” Chas says. “It had always been a common language we spoke. Every couple builds their own code kind of thing. Monsters became that.”

Take how Chas proposed.

“I had written a poem where there was a character, the girl who thought she knew something about monsters,” Chas says. “Initially it was this little kid who announced animals were just monsters we’d gotten used to. (Amanda) just got amped on that poem.”

So once Chas knew he wanted to propose, he started writing poems with the girl as the main character, tying elements of his and Amanda’s relationship into the writings, and often hiding the poems around the house for her to find.

It wound up taking two years to write the full anthology to the point where he popped the question.

Because of their study of monsters, which Amanda explains are really just things outside the course of social patterns, the couple is highly aware of cultural norms and how to bend them.

“So when we did the wedding, we wanted to complicate as many norms as we could,” she says. “We still wanted to be traditional, but just with a twist.”

They invented a country, “The Crocodilian Republic of Chamandia,” which formed the basis of their wedding website.

They went to thrift stores and bought vintage postcards, and Amanda painted monsters into the scenes before sending those out as save-the-dates.

They also hired young local artisans whenever they could.

One friend made their rings and Amanda’s garter, which was a monster with a big open mouth. Another made cupcakes. Others helped with a pre-wedding party they held at The Shakedown.

For their Aug. 27 wedding, at the Shuksan Golf Club, they asked a friend to black prom dresses as Waldo and make sure to pop up somehow in everyone’s photos.

“There was a lot of intention that went into everything. We made sure every little thing had some sort of thing behind it, spending over a year building this intricate contraption, like a little music box,” Chas says. “Putting all the gears and springs and all that stuff together. You haven’t turned it on yet, and you have no idea if it’s going to work or blow up in your face.”

Everything went off as planned. When the day came, they danced, and they sang, and they spoke of monsters.

“People were delighted the entire time,” Amanda says. “A lot said it was one of the best weddings they’d ever been to. It’s like, OK, we pulled this artistic performance piece off.”

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Prom season 2017 is almost here, and with thousands of gowns to choose from, RaeLynn’s Boutique might just be your go-to gown store this year! Steph Weber, General Manager and Buyer of RaeLynn’s Boutique, shows us what’s “trending”!

Here are today’s model descriptions:

Our first model, Riley, is wearing a black prom dresses uk by Ellie Wilde. Ellie is a hot new designer this year and her designs are amazing. Florals are back this year of course and this is one of her best selling styles for us. The fit of this dress is fabulous with an off the shoulder look.

Paige is wearing a more couture looking dress by Sherri Hill. Sherri is the top designer in the industry and usually sets the trends for the season. This dress is a high low that features a halter neckline. This dark champagne color is popular this year and Sherri does it so well.

Our next model, Mya, is red hot in this all lace dress. I can’t tell you the number of times someone has tried on this amazing dress. It is also available in royal blue. The lace trend is perfect for someone who might be looking for something on the classy side. This particular dress is great if you want a simple, elegant look without all the beadwork. We also love the keyhole back on this dress.

Maddie is wearing one this year’s of the hottest dresses by Blush. It’s a two piece that features a mermaid skirt with a fabulous ruffle back. This dress is amazing and is available in 3 different color combos. This is for the girl who wants to be the trendsetter at prom this year.

Our final model, Kennedy, is wearing a very traditional prom style that we absolutely love. This is another great style by Sherri Hill and the color is amazing. The chiffon bottom flows beautiful when she walks and the off the shoulder detail is so flattering.

The designer pink prom dresses at RaeLynn’s Boutique start around $300 and go up from there.

RaeLynn’s Boutique recently opened a second location in Carmel.

Nothing beats a good pair of shoes, one fashion graduate found recently.

Twenty-four-year-old Ganga Patel took out the 2016 Wellington Most Commercial Collection at New Zealand Fashion Tech’s end-of-year-show in November 2016.

More than 100 people had turned out for the show and it wasn’t just models going down the runway – Patel had to walk it too, a nerve-racking experience..

“I chose to wear flats so I wouldn’t fall off the stage!”

Her line of streetwear was judged the most likely to be sold out of the rest of her classmates’ designs.

It was only on the night Patel found out she had won.

“When I heard my name I was like, ‘Oh! Really?’. It was quite overwhelming.”

Patel has been making clothes for years and said when she was growing up she admired her cousin’s outfits and often black prom dresses uk up in them.

Her passion for fashion continued through high school where she took design classes before starting at NZ Fashion Tech, studying fashion technology for three years.

Last year was the final year of her course.

“I came out of it and I just loved it. It made me more confident about what I was making this year.”

The winning fashion line was one of her final projects. Working over six weeks Patel created her line, calling it Subtle Variance.

She created the clothes for anyone to wear and wanted the outfits to reflect the idea that variations in people, such as skin colour or gender, didn’t matter.

“With the models, I did stipulate for them to be as multicultural as possible,” she said.

As a bonus, one of the models even asked if she could buy the outfit she wore down the catwalk.

“So that was a compliment in itself,” Patel said.

For now, the fashion graduate is working at the Hill Hats factory to save to buy her own sewing machine and start off a brand.

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When she walked out of the White House to greet the Italian Prime Minster Matteo Renzi and his wife for her final state dinner she was stunning.

Dressed in a sleeveless, chainmail, rose-gold, Atelier Versace gown and sleek hair swooped over to one side, First Lady Michelle Obama solidified her fashion legacy.

Over the years, the first lady has wowed trend watcher with deeply personal style choices that were a decided departure from the traditional, conservative wear of first ladies of yesteryear.

“It’s like my music,” Obama said at a White House roundtable in 2011. “Everything in my closet is something that I love, so that I can make choices based on what makes sense, knowing that I’m going to love whatever it is. I think that tends to be my philosophy.”

She’s a first lady who felt equally comfortable donning sleeveless pink prom dresses uk with floral prints or wearing a Wes Gordon metallic houndstooth jacket and high waist skinny jeans.

Obama has a conservative style that appeals to the office, but also a trendy side that appeals to the masses, said Joiee Thorpe, fashion editor for Essence Magazine. As one of the first women in the White House with a statuesque figure, Obama knows and is confident about what works for her physique, Thorpe added.

“That’s the major key for women in America everywhere, to get it right,’ Thorpe said. “When you really get it right, that’s when you know how to dress your body and no one can tell you anything. She wears a dress and it sells out immediately.”

At President Obama’s final state of the union address, the first lady wore a sleeveless, marigold midi dress by fashion designer Narciso Rodriguez. The dress originally priced at $2,095.00 and on sale for $628 at Neiman Marcus, was sold out before the president finished his speech and set social media abuzz.

Obama’s penchants for rocking dresses that show her well-toned arms influenced dress trends.

And she’s even shown a little cleavage from time to time.

At the China State Dinner in 2015, she wore a long, black, off the shoulder, mermaid-style Vera Wang dress.

Speaking at the 2012 Democratic National Convention she was poised, yet fashionable wearing a sleeveless, pink and gold Tracy Reese green prom dresses and pink, suede heels from J. Crew. The shoes retail at $245 and are so popular they are hard to keep in stock to this day.

She has raised the fashion bar for other first ladies to follow, making room for them to play with their own style.

“First ladies will be comfortable making choices if they’re the type of person who likes fashion. They will no longer be afraid to make decisions that aren’t ultra conservative. They won’t be afraid to expose their shoulders or wear a pencil skirt or wear prints and patterns.”

She is not only a trendsetter with her wardrobe, she also set trends by changing up her hairstyle.

In August 2013, she rocked honey blonde highlights at a Washington D.C. movie premiere and wore the same highlight in layers in March 2014. But whether it’s long tresses with a bang or a bob cut with a deep middle part, her hair was always flawless for the occasion at hand, Thorpe said adding “how hair goes with an outfit makes a big difference.”

“First and foremost, I wear what I love,” she said in an interview in 2009 with Vogue. “That’s what women have to focus on: what makes them happy and what makes them feel comfortable and beautiful. If I can have any impact, I want women to feel good about themselves and have fun with fashion.”

Fashion arbiters the world over will be scrutinising the outfit Melania Trump wears on Friday, January 20 at the inauguration of her husband, US president-elect Donald Trump.

If history is anything to go by, the first-lady-in-waiting’s ensemble for the Inaugural Ball will be in a shade of red, white or blue, ­reflecting the American flag.

In keeping with tradition, an American designer will almost certainly purple prom dresses Trump, and Zac Posen (who has dressed Michelle Obama, Uma Thurman and Rihanna, among others) is a front-runner.

There are many big names, however, who are not so keen to be considered, including Marc Jacobs, who is no fan of Trump’s husband. Tom Ford has also said she should not choose his collections, because they are not made in the United States but in ­Italy. He added that a first lady should wear clothes “at a price point that is accessible to most Americans”.

Another dissenting voice is ­Sophie Theallet, whose ­independent label has dressed Michelle Obama since President Obama entered office in 2009.

“As one who celebrates and strives for diversity, individual freedom, and respect for all lifestyles, I will not participate in dressing or associating in any way with the next first lady,” says Theallet. “I encourage my fellow designers to do the same.”

Designers from the Middle East have rarely featured in the ­wardrobe of previous first ladies. “Fashion is boundless and it shouldn’t have political affiliations, nor should it discriminate,” says Dubai-based couturier to the rich and famous, Michael Cinco.

“It would be an honour and a pleasure to dress the incoming first lady. She has vowed to strengthen her advocacy for the welfare of women and children, and she’s a woman of intelligence and beauty – and at 5’11″ [180cm], one of the tallest first ladies. So, I would certainly love to purple prom dress her.”

In exchange for a first lady wearing their pieces, designers are likely to receive worldwide media coverage rather than the hundreds of thousands of dirhams the couture itself might cost.

The White House remains stubbornly tight lipped about how the first lady’s vast wardrobe is obtained, but it is believed most outfits for major events are either “donated” or borrowed.

For the other, day-to-day outfits, despite having no clothing ­allowance or a salary, some first ladies choose to pay for them, albeit for a nominal fee.

“Mrs Obama pays for her clothing,” says Joanna Rosholm, Michelle Obama’s press secretary.

“For official events of public or historic significance, such as a state visit, the first lady’s clothes may be given as a gift by a designer and accepted on behalf of the US government. They are then stored by the National Archives.”

January is a terrible time for buying clothes — don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.

The old season’s leftovers are on sale, the new season hasn’t arrived, and besides, who actually needs anything new other than a pair of wellies and a replacement umbrella in this hideous weather?

As far as I can see, it’s far better to put the wardrobe equivalent of dry January into action, a detoxification exercise where you consume nothing and get rid of excess rubbish to reveal a rationally streamlined you.

Thus, decks will be cleared, and by the end of it you’ll have directed your shopping hunger towards something which will really fill a gap and serve a purpose.

That, anyway, has been my plan: keep out of shops, stay off the internet and concentrate, ruthlessly, on sorting everything into ‘yes’ and ‘no’ piles.

And if you’re going to do sober fashion month properly then your wardrobe must be rationalised to the point where everything goes with everything and each item is deemed worthy of active service.

Frankly, like most women, I wear only a fraction of what I own so the ‘yes’ pile has turned out to be shockingly small — which is no bad thing when it all has to fit into a suitcase of a size I can haul onto the Eurostar. The fashion shows start tomorrow in Paris, so we’ll see if my editing has worked.

It’s been telling how many things I have in rotation this winter which are old favourites — some of them really old. These are the pieces that were well considered when they were bought and thus have stood the test of time. I don’t think anyone should have the slightest fear of recycling things or ‘re-wearing’.

I overcame the cringing worry about being repeatedly seen in the same thing by asking myself two simple questions. Number one, do I myself notice when colleagues do it? Answer, rarely.

Question two, on the occasions I do notice a well-loved thing worn again and again, do I judge the wearer poorly for it? I do not.

On a more subtle sartorial note, when you edit down your wardrobe to the quintessentially right pieces, these become integral to you — your style, something above fashion. In fact, accumulating an archive is one of the great satisfactions of age.

Of course you must consider old stock in the light of where fashion is heading. This winter, I’ve figured out it all flows from having the right set of coats.

Last year and several before that, the knee-length crombie automatically went with skinny trousers and jeans, and that was that. Now, with midi skirts and marieprom dresses and wider trousers in the ascendant, crombies have suddenly stopped working.

If you can delve in the back of your hall cupboard and come up with a long, belted coat which has been languishing there unloved since the Nineties, bingo! I did. That’s the shape which ideally compliments all under-layers now.

As far as top halves are concerned, my ‘yes’ pile contains one retrieved Victoriana ivory crepe blouse with billowy sleeves, one blue cotton shirt with a frilled front by Bella Freud, an old argyle sweater (provenance forgotten), a black, silk, Forties blouse and long, slinky-knit jumper I bought from Prada three years ago.

In terms of trousers and skirts, I’ll be rotating a bias-cut midi and three pairs of tailored trousers which tend towards fluidity. All black. One way or another, the tops and bottoms all co-ordinate for day or evening.

Other than that, I’m packing two pairs of boots, some Christian Louboutin platforms (back in service from 2003), and a variety of scarves — silk ones to tuck into shirts and long woolly ones for the cold.

That’s about all the kit a woman should need to get through the next couple of weeks anyway, I reckon.

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Top aesthetic clinic EF MEDISPA is holding its first Bridal Beauty Show on Thursday 23 February, giving brides-to-be the chance to sample high-end beauty treatments ahead of their big day.

Located on Whiteladies Road, EF MEDISPA opened its doors last year and has become a favourite of local beauty bloggers thanks to its cutting edge treatment menu.

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Guests at the Bridal Beauty Show will be treated to Prosecco, canapes and luxury goody bags as well as taster treatments from beauty, skincare and cosmetics experts at the clinic. There will also be a host of local wedding suppliers offering exclusive discounts.

EF MEDISPA owner, Elena Hunt, said: “Your wedding day is probably the most important and photographed event of your life so to ensure you’re camera and aisle ready we decided to host an exclusive bridal event so our experts can give advice on beauty and skincare regimes, suitable bespoke treatments and offer free treatments and consultations.

“We are hosting the event in conjunction with national bridal magazine Wedding Ideas and we’ve handpicked some great local suppliers so that brides can not only plan their beauty treatments in time for the big day, but also meet other fabulous local businesses who can make their wedding dreams a reality!

“Some of the taster treatments on offer will be the LED facial, bespoke facials, skin analysis and custom make-overs by Young Blood Cosmetics.

“This is a bridal event with added wow-factor, offering brides and their bride squads a fun, girly night out and the chance to plan a wedding in style!“

Helen Applin, Sales & Event Manager at Hotel du Vin said: “As a popular venue for weddings and celebrations, Hotel du Vin & Bistro is delighted to attend EF MEDISPA’s Bridal Beauty Show, which promises to showcase some of the very best suppliers that Bristol has to offer.“

EF MEDISPA is a multi-award winning medispa group, frequented by celebrities and socialites, with four clinics in London and one in Bristol. Specialising in advanced technology to combat fine lines, acne, pigmentation, sun damage and other concerns, they achieve stunning results.

Using cutting edge technology and high-end luxury product lines including Biologique Recherche, Cellcosmet and Skinceuticals EF MEDISPA can help with all of your aesthetic needs before the big day.

The event is taking place at the Whiteladies Road clinic on Thursday 23 February from 6pm-8pm.

Guests will meet some of the South West’s top wedding suppliers including Hotel Du Vin, Neil Phillips Photography, Kieran Clarke Entertainment, Selfie Mirror South West and Mulberry Weddings and Events who will be offering exclusive discounts.

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Keeping up with her trend of minimalistic fashion, Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra wore a Ralph Lauren sequinned gown that took 1600 hours of embroidery to make, at the recently held Golden Globe awards at Beverly Hills, California. She paired the body-fitted gilded gown with a stunning diamond neckpiece by Lorraine Schwartz.

With her spectacular outings at the international awards last year — a sensuous Zuhair Murad white prom dresses 2017 at Oscars 2016 and the twirling hot red gown by Jason Wu at the Emmy’s — both national and international media had their eyes on this diva. Though E! Online listed Priyanka’s look amongst the worst dressed celebrities at this year’s award ceremony, the Indian design fraternity feels the star rocked the chic look with class but could do better.

The detailing in the garment uplifted the look to the next level and Priyanka is definitely moving in the right direction, feels designer Urvashi Kaur. “She is becoming bolder and more confident of herself in terms of her fashion choices and has a more international appeal now. I have never noticed her before when she was in India as she never challenged the prototypes earlier and was missing the fashion quotient. Now she looks more modern and on trend,” Urvashi adds.

The actress who made her international debut with Quantico last year looks sexy and elegant, says designer Rina Dhaka and adds, “To stand next to fashionista Sofia Vergara and look as hot and sexy as her, I believe Priyanka did it with utmost grace and sensuality. Also, her look is very modern elegant and the gold works well on her skin tone.”

Talking about her previous red carpet looks, Rina states, “Her previous two red carpet looks (Oscars and Emmy 2016) have been more in the lines of romantic chic, but this one is more glam yet modern simplicity. The open neck adds newness to the whole look and the straight silhouette fits perfectly well with her figure. The open hair and strong lip colour added elements to the whole look.”

Urvashi feels the prom dresses 2017 is glamorous and Priyanka looks gorgeous, but from international standards she isn’t there yet. “Priyanka is yet to get it (fashion) like Freida Pinto does but she is working her way up to it. Her fashion taste is evolving.”

Adding to the point, designer Poonam Bhagat states, “I personally did not like the whole look and believe that Priyanka could have done much better. Instead of a plunging neckline, I would have preferred a deeper back. Also, the open hair is making her look broader. With oxblood lip colour, which gives a vintage feel, a 1930’s hairstyle would have looked better, more elegant and chic on Priyanka. Though she wore a beautiful diamond neckpiece, I think a choker would have looked better as she has many lines on her neck, which needs to be covered.”