Posts Tagged ‘London Fashion Week’

Brit Pride: London Fashion Week Begins Today!

“Rule Britania! Britannia rule the waves. Britons never, never, never shall be slaves. (…)” Wake up! It may be Sunday but it also happens to be the start of London Fashion Week. I’m not British but London has been my home for two full years now and dare I say it, I believe a bit of Brit pride is starting to creep into my consciousness.

While there are still many aspects of British culture that elude me (warm beer, summer music festivals mired in mud and the appeal of Shepherd’s Pie for instance), one thing that London does extremely well is shape and nurture young fashion design talent. So, don your Alexander McQueen T-Shirt, Union Jack booties or grab your Union Jack clutch and fly the fashion flag for London this week!

Book Review: Simonetta – The First Lady Of Italian Fashion

New York and London fashion weeks are behind us. It’s time to brush up on your Italian because it’s now onto Milan! To get myself into an Italian fashion frame of mind, I’ve been perusing the catalogue from the Palazzo Pitti exhibit dedicated to Duchesa Simonetta Colonna di Cesaro entitled Simonetta – The First Lady Of Italian Fashion.

A member of the glamorous beau monde who jet-setted around post WWII Europe, Donna Simonetta is considered by many as having effectively launched contemporary Italian fashion as we know it today. She was known as much for her own unique personal style as she was for her use of lush, opulent fabrics and her obsession with fit. A contemporary of Balenciaga, she’s hardly a household name yet she created some of the most innovative fashions of her time.

The book counts an abundance of photographs depicting billowing capes, balloon sleeves with tiered scallops and voluminous skirts but also beautifully tailored dresses with cinched waists and clean, precise lines. Also, there is a touching tribute to the Duchesa by British milliner Stephen Jones who knew her personally and for whom she was the inspiration for his Fall/Winter 2004 collection. The book is available via Amazon’s. Enjoy!

London Spring Summer 2009 Luella

I’m the first to admit, London fashion week is too fashion forward most of the time for me to understand. Luella is the exception. Mostly because she is quirky in a preppy way, which I can appreciate. Her runway gives me ideas on how I can twist and tweak the preppy pieces I already own to become more quirky and “new”. This season, she doesn’t disappoint.

I absolutely detest orange. But somehow Luella makes it work by clashing it with hot pink and a vibrant blue on the runway. The outfits actually look cute and girly, instead of pumpkin-esque! Hmm…maybe I’ll get something orange next season. I already have a pair of black plastic rimmed glasses!

The other innovation on the runway was the asymmetrical tiered skirt. I’m not quite sure how I feel about that yet, I’ve always been a fan of symmetry. But it is definitely quirky and different, it could even be cute and fun (there is an even more asymmetrical skirt than the one shown here on the runway- this is the less adventurous version). And of course, there was the usual Luella floral prints all over the runway- I love how she somehow makes it appear edgy instead of old fashioned.

Another thing I love about the Luella show is how she mix and matches prints. That soft pink floral top totally works with the bold pink stripe pants! And that lavender floral dress is just adorable. In fact, the poofy skirt and the tulles even gives it a prom-like quality (not that you would not look completely darling and perfect wearing this to a more sophisticated occasion!). Anyone need an updated prom dress?

Image Source: Style.com