PFW: One man's reference is another man's copy

Lanvin S/S '15; image source: style.com

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. That is a quote from Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities which perfectly describes what we saw yesterday in Paris over a span of ten hours. But, being the optimist that I am, I shall begin with the best of times: Lanvin's Alber Elbaz has, once again, presented a highly successful collection.

For the house's 125th anniversary, Mr. Elbaz put together a cast of models that looked - quite literally - like a dream. 80s supermodel Violetta Sanchez opened the show dressed in a one-sleeve jersey T-shirt dress that showed just enough nipple and stomach definition to make her appear even more attractive than she already is. Followed by icons Amber Valetta and Natasa Vojnovic wearing similar gowns with a matching sense of effortless-ness, it became clear to the audience that this was going to be a celebration of the classic.

The show continued in that direction - more light-weight jersey dresses provided room for move-ment, silk crepe minis in black and white hugged the girls' bodies, silver mesh tank tops evoked a certain perversion that Lanvin has been long due to show and delicate lace and floral-printed pieces that took stage towards the end of the show provi-ded a sigh of relief with the younger clientele who is into the type of luxury the house has been doing for the past couple of seasons. Another moment worth noting is the immaculate use of cobalt blue and shades of orange which undoubtedly point at Mr. Elbaz's iconic S/S '08 show for the brand.

But before Lanvin's 8 p.m. slot on the Paris Fashion Week schedule things weren't looking so bright. The day opened with Roland Mouret's show for his namesake brand which had its glory moments like the simple pieces in shamrock green styled with crisp white tops, but the rest came across as unneces-sarily complicated and unflattering. Another low was Peter Copping's story for Nina Ricci which was heavily influenced by Dior's double-faced fabric in pink and orange, houndstooth print and laser-cuts,
as well as Prada's S/S '09 show in terms of the crinkled satin duchesse and several silhouettes.

Balmain S/S '15; image source: uhzo.com

But the biggest flop of the day had to be Balmain's Las Vegas show. Backstage, the designer claimed that he was inspired by a paparazzi photo of Rihanna wearing one of his designs - however, the collection had Kim Kardashian's name written all over it, mind the fact that she was sitting in the front row surrounded by her whole family. Going into detail about separate pieces would be an additional morning headache so I am just going to note the circus stripes, cage dresses which revealed a lot more than they should have and the white pantsuit consisted of a side-slashed blazer with intertwined lapels which came straight off Alexander McQueen's debut show for Givenchy back in 1997.

For more photos of the collections go to Style.com and don't forget to follow me on Twitter!

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Cocktail party dressing for the suit-clad lady

When it comes to business dressing, almost every article out there talks about what the professional woman should wear to work. Business cocktail parties, however, are largely neglected as it is widely believed that women ought to wear cocktail dresses to every event they get invited.

However, my experience has shown that there are a lot of women out there who just feel comfortable in a suit. They either have certain insecurities about their body - don't like showing off their legs or arms, or simply enjoy the addition of power over the crowd a suit gives them. 

In the next few paragraphs I will show you how to wear a suit to a cocktail party or to any other formal event without feeling a bit under-dressed by choosing the right pieces and accessories.

The Blazer

1. Alexander McQueen crystal-embellished blazer - $2,935 | 2. Maison Martin Margiela cropped jacket - $3,985 | 3. Theyskens' Theory embellished silk-tulle jacket - $749 | 4. Saint Laurent metallic jacquard jacket - $1,910

I would say that choosing the right blazer is the most important part of looking great at a cocktail party. You must remember that your formal blazers should stray away from the ones you wear to work, be festive enough to charm the crowd, but yet feel event appropriate. If you don't like a lot of bling the perfect blazer for you would be the black Alexander McQueen with a satin bow and small embellishments or the Saint Laurent silver jacquard one; if you are considered a risk taker, however, absolutely go for the Maison Martin Margiela cropped jacket which is an absolute masterpiece.

"What to wear today?" - Less is more

We often hear the words 'less is more', but what do they really mean? The biggest mistake women make when following that rule is the impact of the outfit - dressing minimal means looking simple, but not plain. Pair a beautiful black bias-cut dress with architectural sandals, go elegant on the acces-sories and remember not to overcook. Always have a matte lipstick on hand in a popular shade - this season it's coral.

1. J.W.Anderson silk satin dress - $1.200 | 2. Miu Miu suede sandals - $650 | 3. Chanel velvet matte lipstick - $35 | 4. Lanvin crystal earrings - $595 | 5. Dolce & Gabbana crystal-embellished shoulder bag - $2.995

"What to wear today?" - World Cup Suggestion

1. Lanvin metallic skirt - $1,095 | 2. Alexander McQueen suede backpack - $1,269 | 3. Marni strap sandals - $396 | 4. Dries Van Noten sweater - $739 | 5. Ana Khouri gold ear cuff - $3,410 | 6. Stella McCartney sunglasses - $328

Would you rock this look?

What will Sandra Bullock wear to Oscars 2014?

As we are counting down the days until the 86th Academy Awards, we all probably have one question in mind: "What will the big stars wear on the red carpet?"

To answer your question, here is my prediction about America's sweetheart Sandra Bullock.

There were times when Sandra used to choose feminine and figure-hugging dresses for the red carpet; however this year she has been balancing between low-key casual and sexy. Considering Ms. Blanchett will most likely get the Oscar for Leading Actress, I believe Sandra will go for something comfortable and relaxed which will allow Cate to shine. If that's the case, I predict she will choose the dove-gray embellished dress with pockets from Alberta Ferretti's F/W 14.15 collection; but if her stylist decides to impose a more glamorous look on her I guess it will be the fire red Marchesa gown from the latest collection, considering she has worn the brand twice to the Oscars before.

Other contenders in the game are French designer Roland Mouret who often dresses Ms. Bullock in his figure hugging dresses, Alber Elbaz for Lanvin who could possibly design a shiny custom-made dress for the star inspired by the brand's S/S '14 collection and Prabal Gurung who could lend Sandra one of the closing gowns from his F/W 14.15 show to make up for the much hated look from the designer she wore to this year's Golden Globes.

Which designer do you think Sandra Bullock is going to wear to this year's Academy Awards?

Which designer do you think Sandra Bullock is going to wear to this year's Academy Awards?
	Alberta Ferretti
	Marchesa
	Roland Mouret
	Lanvin
	Prabal Gurung
pollcode.com free polls

Stay tuned as more outfit predictions for stars like Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence and Julia Roberts are coming soon!

Freeze in style

I realized I hadn't done such a post in a long time. I always enjoy putting themed outfits together, whether it's for a special occasion or simply a certain time of the year. This time it's winter themed outfits - made to help you face the cold weather in style!

The Princess

1. Alexander McQueen - £7,988 | 2. Olympia Le-Tan - £867 | 3. Charlotte Olympia - £496 | 4. Maison Michel - £379 | Wolford - £17

As you know, I always make several outfits matching different styles and personalities. The first one is for the princess - a girl who loves mixing white and pink, a girl who loves to inject whimsicality in her outfits to look even dreamier. The outfit is consisted of a white coat with fur collar, lady-like pumps, white fur earmuffs and a book clutch with a floral cover for an interesting statement.

The Edgy Girl

1. Versace - £371 | 2. Haider Ackermann - £2,192 | 3. Versus - £725 | 4. Pierre Hardy - £588 | 5. Valentino - £1,025 | 6. Gucci - £271

The second outfit is for the edgy girl. A girl who loves her leather pieces and tries to insert as many leather pieces as possible to toughen up her look. However the edgy girl doesn't always have to wear black - that is why I tried to inject some color in the outfit via the bright pink clutch (still studded though), burgundy pants and ink blue panels on her shoes. 

The Classic Lady

1. Yves Saint Laurent - £1,821 | 2. Lanvin - £1,012 | 3. Jason Wu - £554 | 4. Miu Miu - £400 | 5. Kotur - £258 

The classic lady likes to stay true to the standards of beauty - two to three colors in her outfit, nothing too risky and nothing too trendy. However this winter I suggest a black cape with leather edges instead of the classic coat, a black shirt with sheer sleeves and gold panels on the collar and shoes in burgundy, navy or purple with sequined soles for a little playfulness. 

The Tomboy

1. Balmain - £979 | 2. Altuzarra - £1,812  | 3. Burberry Prorsum - £1,088 | 4. Burberry Prorsum - £700 | 5. Proenza Schouler - £429 | 6. Lanvin - £350

The tomboy is a complete opposite from the lady - she likes to dress casually, wearing mostly jeans, sweaters and hard boots. This season's hit - the parka, is perfect for this type of girl. Wear it with a quirky printed sweater, winter ankle boots and a cute knitted hat with a fur beanie for a casual but yet polished statement. 

You can find all the outfits used on Net-a-porter. However, for those with a much lower budget and all the young girls out there I would suggest you shop pieces similar to these in stores like H&M, Zara, Bershka, Pull&Bear, Asos or Topshop. That way you would be dressed head-to-toe in style with much less money!

Which outfit is your favorite?

City Fashion

As my next project (God I love it when I have free time on my hands) I teamed up with net-a-porter.com to create 4 distinctive fall looks for each Fashion Capital - the always functional New York, the cosy London, the show-off Milan and the classic Paris.

All pieces have been pulled out from net-a-porter.com and each city features designers who are born or show their collections in the namesake city. Here are the results!

The functional New York



1. Michael Kors - £2,170 | 2. Donna Karan - £358 | 3. Rick Owens - £1,225 | 4. Alexander Wang - £554 | 5. Proenza Schouler - £3,229 | 6. Victoria Beckham - £291

The cosy London



1. Burberry Prorsum - £2,045 | 2. Burberry Brit - £150 | 3. Stella McCartney - £112 | 4. Preen - £404 | 5. Burberry - £208 | 6. Mulberry - £791 | 7. Stella McCartney - £525

The show-off Milan



1. Versace - £2,050 | 2. Prada - £179 | 3. Gucci - £237 | 4. Gucci - £650 | 5. Dolce&Gabbana - £1,775 | 6. Dolce&Gabbana - £1,354 | 7. Gucci - £175 | 8. Roberto Cavalli - £270

The classic Paris



1. Lanvin - £1,558 | 2. Miu Miu - £2,525 | 3. Yves Saint Laurent - £716 | 4. Alexander McQueen - £283 | 5. Lanvin - £800 | 6. Christian Louboutin - £308 | 7. Lanvin - £429 | 8. Valentino - £225

Which city style is your favorite?

Prabal Gurung Fall 2010

Oh.My.God.

That collection was one of the most beautiful collections I've seen in these 3 days since New York Fashion Week has started.
Beautiful shaped clothing. Gorgeous cuts. Black & White & Red & Green. Gorgeous.

Ooh la la Outfit:



Show me a dress like this and I'm sold. Beautiful.

Wtf Outfit:



I've never liked that color with black&white. Why would I like it now.

Did you just copy me? Outfit:




I wouldn't try to copy Lanvin's belted ruffle dresses and those black leather gloves if I were you.