Haute Couture F/W '14 Trend Report: Ombre looks

A Jean Paul Gaultier gown from the F/W '14
Haute Couture collection illustrated by me

Over the last year we've all been witnesses of the 'ombre trend' that took the world of hair styling by storm. An endless number of girls would step out of beauty salons each day, working a newly colored 'do that usually goes from brown to extremely light blonde tips. Well guess what - the ombre technique isn't just for your hair anymore!

There were several successful attempts at ombre featured in last season's collections - most notably Burberry's Resort '15 garments that went from darker blues to white and then back again - but these color transitioning clothes were all over the couture shows from this week.

It all started at Atelier Versace, the first show on the Haute Couture schedule, where Donatella introduced an extremely luxurious version of the ombre trend by pairing gradient spark-ling turtlenecks in blue, purple and black with provocatively cut leather skirts that took the attendees' breath away.

The ombre then took a full swing at Giambattista Valli in the form of grand ballgowns which were actually consisted of ruf-fled tulle skirts and boyish shirt tops, while also appearing on Schiaparelli's runway where the new creative director Marco Zanini showed us how to subtly do gradient by using it on a pink 'Frankenstein' coat. Other notable mentions are Leba-nese designers Elie Saab and Zuhair Murad who as per de-cided to embroider their feminine ombre dresses to death and Russian socialite-cum-designer Ulyana Sergeenko who used the technique on heavy fur and mohair coats.

From left: Atelier Versace, Giambattista Valli, Elie Saab and Schiaparelli's F/W '14 Haute Couture collections

Haute Couture F/W '14 Trend Report: Sculpted whites

A Christian Dior gown from the F/W '14
Haute Couture collection illustrated by me

As per, the Haute Couture fashion week that took place in Paris this fall/winter season brought very few surpri-ses but a lot of memorable looks. Versace Atelier went rock-glam, Raf Simons mixed eight different eras into one show and Uncle Karl traded his luxurious sets for something more intimate.

The question is, 'What did most collections have in co-mmon?' Well, they all played around with voluminous white silhouettes.

Probably the most successful attempt at this trend was Lagerfeld's vision for Chanel. After a few stale seasons, the legendary designer found a new way to impress cli-ents by creating "molded" dresses that barely had any seams. Mostly adorned with exquisite gold embroidery, these garments seem to have already found their way into fashion history - along with those concrete beaded ones, of course.

Others had slightly different interpretations of the 'scul-pted whites' trend but still stayed on point. Simons pre-sented a modern fairy-tale that included Marie Antoi-nette-inspired dresses in shades varying from off to snow white; Donatella Versace decided to dig in the 50s for inspiration and pulled out big deconstructed ballgowns for her namesake brand; Giambattista Valli went with his forte and embroidered the white garments with three-dimensional flowers, while Maria and Pierpaolo insisted on a simplified version of the 'little white dress' for Valentino.

From left: Models from Chanel, Versace Atelier, Giambattista Valli & Valentino's F/W '14 Haute Couture collections

What will the presenters 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?"

You can read my predictions about several nominated stars such as Cate Blanchett and Lupita Nyong'o throughout the previous posts and here is the last part of the project showing you what the presenters might wear to this year's Oscars.

Above are the outfit predictions for two gorgeous stars - Jessica Biel and the legendary Angelina Jolie. For the big night I think Jessica will stay true to her romantic aesthetic and don this flower-printed gown from her favorite designer Giambattista Valli, while Angelina Jolie would probably continue the menswear get-ups and wear this sequined jumpsuit with a cape from Atelier Versace.

Next on the list we have Jennifer Garner, lately known for her role in the nominated film "Dallas Buyers Club", who could end up wearing this lace blue column gown from Oscar de la Renta and the pregnant star Kerry Washington who I think will wear this printed maternity dress from Carolina Herrera's latest fall collection.

America's sweetheart Anne Hathaway switched stylists this year and therefore said goodbye to the princess gowns, so I believe she could possibly wear this emerald silk taffeta Valentino column dress from the brand's S/S '14 Couture collection, whereas the beautiful actress Kate Hudson could end up wearing something majestic from British designer Alexander McQueen.

Last but not least we have Charlize Theron and Naomi Watts - two beautiful actresses who prefer minimalism and comfort over drama. Theron is a big fan of Christian Dior and this pantsuit from the brand's S/S '14 Couture collection is perfect for the star, while Naomi Watts was a front-row guest at Calvin Klein's latest show in NYC which could indicate the American house is going to dress the actress for this year's Academy Awards.

Stay tuned as I will soon announce the results from the polls which state your opinion as to what you think the big stars are going to wear to the Oscars 2014!

Haute Couture S/S '13 Review: Versace Atelier

Last season Donatella Versace made a smart move by continuing to show the Versace Atelier collections as an actual show rather than a presentation, which was her brother's ideal way of presenting clothes. This way their collections gather more publicity, and most importantly - more customers. However, by trying to attract more rich women - younger ones, judging by the clothes, she has turned the Versace house into a Barbie house - and that can never be a good thing. 

What did she try to do?

Two seasons ago, Donatella dug up her brother's archived sketches (no pun intended) from the 90s looking for inspiration, unfortunately reviving dated and rather ugly pieces that were once a hit. Baby pinks, shoulder pads, feathers and lots of bling are becoming Versace Atelier's trademark once again, however, this time without the supermodels. The S/S '13 show was no exception from this new look, as it featured all the elements mentioned, plus an addition of cheap fabrics and gold lamé. The only high-point? Kristen McMenamy and her platinum hair opening the show.

What would I change?

Cut down on the gold and use more decent looking fabrics - the shower curtain mullet gowns towards the end need to be burned. A less obvious use of the shoulder pads. Focus more on new contemporary shapes instead of trying to make the 90s silhouettes work, it's not working. A better cast.

What would I keep?

Let's make this a short paragraph - the only items worth keeping are some of the furs and the 3 column dresses in white, black and hot pink somewhere in the middle. Suits weren't bad either.

Favorite piece?

Don't forget to share your thoughts and ideas by leaving me a comment below!

Photo credit: style.com

Back to old paper drawing!

I haven't been active on this blog for weeks.

I am so sorry, real life is a lot better right now :P
Plus I don't really have anything to blog about, not interested in Stardoll anymore, no fashion shows (Fashion Week starts tomorrow <3)... Anyway, I did a drawing 2 days ago that involves fashion.. a lot! It was sth I made for school and I must say my teacher loved it.


*Click to zoom*

Sorry for the bad picture quality, I'm still whining for a scanner.

Credit (from left):

-Gucci Spring/Summer 2010 Dress
-Jil Stuard Spring/Summer 2010 Tights
-Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2009 Shoes
-Stephen Sprouse for Louis Vuitton Flower Bag
-Louis Vuitton Scarf
-Stephen Sprouse for Louis Vuitton Monogram Bag
-Dress designed by me (lol)
-Nina Ricci Fall/Winter 2009 Shoes
-Versace Atelier Fall/Winter 2009 Dress
-Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2009 Shoes
-Hermes Scarf
-Hermes Birkin Bag
-Balmain Fall/Winter 2009 Dress
-Balenciaga Spring/Summer 2010 Shoes
-Givenchy Spring/Summer 2010 Jacket & Pants
-Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2010 Shoes
-Chanel Scarf & Sunglasses
-Chanel 2.55 Bag
-Versace Atelier Fall/Winter 2009 Dress
-Victor&Rolf Spring/Summer 2010 Shoes
-Valentino Rosette Bag