Balenciaga and Chanel...boots!

I PREPARED THIS POST BEFORE I WENT TO NEW ZEALAND, AUCKLAND AND THIS IS THE REASON I PUBLISH IT. NOW I'M HERE AND I USE AN INTERNET KEY THAT ALLOWS ME TO CONNECT TO INTERNET. BTW, THE CONNECTION IS NOT VERY GOOD AND I FIND A BIT COMPLICATED TO MAKE POST AND TO COMMENT ON OTHER BLOGS. SO I'M REALLY SORRY BUT FOR THE FOLLOWING THREE MONTHS I WILL NOT PUBLISH ANYTHING ON  (I WILL RETURN TO MILAN IN THE END OF SEPTEMBER AND THEN I WILL RESTART TO POST). I HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR SUMMERTIME AND THAT THE HAUTE COUTURE WILL LEAVE US SPEECHLESS!


Since Jak&Jil published that pic...Those Balenciaga boots had a great diffusion on Ashley Olsen, for example. So I don't think that these boots really express the Balenciaga aesthethic but they are very nice and have a lot of nice details, such as  "lateral opening" which allows the socks to be a part of the look. These boots belongs to the s/s season but Lagerfeld decides to repurpose this trend also in the winter. In fact during the "volcanic show", literally, Chanel showed those boots and  they are a more "simple", almost minimalistic, version of the Balenciaga ones. So I believe that the Balenciaga's boots are mroe innovative, more particular but the Chanel ones are more wearable and communicate  in one of the clearest way the Lagerfeld vision of fashion.

Which one do you prefer?

Pic from Jak and Jil

Images from:
Vogue (Chanel f/w 2011)
Lane Crawford (Balenciaga Boots)
Jak&Jil (Last Pic)

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Posted in Balenciaga , Chanel , f/w 2011 , Karl Lagerfeld , Nicolas Ghesquière , s/s 2011

Resort collections... best looks!

Images via:
Vogue

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Posted in Burberry , Celine , Chanel , Donna Karan , Giambattista Valli , Givenchy , Lanvin , Nina Ricci , pre-s/s 2012 , Proenza Schouler , Vionnet , Zac Posen

S/S 2011...feathers!

With the arrival of spring, some days ago, we forget winter to watch to s/s shows that are becoming already old with the recent presentation of the f/w collection. However, some trends continue for some seasons. This is the case of the fluo colors, for instance, and of feathers. The f/w 2011 season was caracterized by a lot of designers (such as Dsquared, Demeulemeester, Giles...) who purposed feathers. Personally I saw a huge use of this material that sometimes could seem heavy and not so chic. 

Speaking about the spring, fortunately, feather are used in a softer way. Bottega Veneta is the best example: the feathers are distributed all over the lower part of the dress and give an effect so glamorous, for me. McQueen exagerated with feathers on the skirt  and on the bustier, the entire look could be a bit dramatic but this is McQueen and we love it for this thing, or at least I love that maison.  Chanel is really gothic, maybe one of the most innovative Lagerfeld's outfits, and this look is very       unconventional for the maison. Gucci use feathers in a way that is very similar as fringes.  

So, I love this trend and  I think that the best dress is the Maier's one  and, in its style, McQueen is the most "particular use of feathers...". (who coul forget the f/w 2009 collection where feather were gorgeus, for me.)

Images via:
Vogue

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Posted in Alexander McQueen , Bottega Veneta , Chanel , Giambattista Valli , Gucci , Nina Ricci , Zac Posen

Is still "chic" to be naked in an editorial or adv?

Naked women in movies, editorials or advertisement is a speech that every year journalists or people, in general, repurpose. But the most important thing is to divide this "topic": the beauty of naked body, the art that they could represent, and the "revolution, anticonformism" appeal that naked bodies could have. The second concept is, today, obviously out, in the worst meaning of this word. It's patetically boring everyone who in the 2011 thinks that shooting a women or man naked or having sex is something "new", no it was in the 60's with Kubrick, Newton and, for example, the movie called "Pretty Baby", (with a wonderful Brooke Shields). In these case the nakedness was "innovative" in the real meaning of this adjective. So, I could think to some editorials of Richardson or advertising of Tom Ford, in our times, but  in these last cases the attention was most about sex than nudity. The last example is the horror-porno movie Antichrist with long explicit sexual scenes: this is the best example of the concept, with that film  Von Trier didn't want to shock anyone but only to celebrate the human body and other things that don't matter with this post. 

This is the beginning of my thought. I believe the nakedness is really chic today but for only one reason:  human bodies are the most clear example of beauty. I'd like that you think to a thing that is obvious but really important. Every type of clothes have a seam, human body, obviously, no. There is not any dress who fit the silhouette as the "natural dress": skin. These two things to say that the beauty of the body is unique and is the most beautiful kind of beauty in the world, for me. 

Therefore, a good and romantic use of naked women/men is the most interesting and "chic" kind of fashion art that could be imagine by stylists or editors. 

This is the reason because I believe that is still chic, glamorous and trendy to purpose naked people in magazines. I choose three recent images: two adv and an editorial of Vogue Italia. I could choose pics by fashion shows but everyone remind the "transparent" tops of Pilati for YSL or the sensual nudity of Scognamiglio, it's useless to purpose such famous photos. 

q

The Meisel's pic could develop a question: when vulgarity meets nakedness what happens? First of all, this is not the case of "my" pic because I believe that vulgarity is not a synonim for sensual photos but means absence of beauty and elegance. Of course my answer is: disaster, when vulgarity is mixed with nudity the result are absolutely horrible and when it happens in fashion....Oh gosh, it's so sad.

So, the answer is: YES, it is still chic to photograph naked bodies in fashion pics!

Chanel adv

Versace adv

Vogue Italia Editorial by Steven Meisel (february 2011)

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Posted in Adv , campaigns , Chanel , Donatella Versace , Franca Sozzani , Karl Lagerfeld , Steven Meisel , Versace , Vogue Italia

Paris f/w 2011...best looks!

                                                    John Galliano

                           Chanel                                               Balenciaga

                                                           Mugler

                                                   Rick Owens

                   Ann Demeulemeester                     Yves Saint Laurent

                                        Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci

                                                    Issey Miyake

                          Valentino                                       Stella McCartney

                                                      Céline

                           Lanvin                                                        Vionnet

                                              Louis Vuitton

                Commes des Garçons                             Dries Van Noten

                                               Viktor&Rolf

                              Miu Miu                                                  Balmain

Best show: Haider Ackermann

Worst show: Hermès

[I've never chosen a "worst show" in the past post about fashion weeks, but I need to express my feelings about this collection and so I prefer to dedicate some words here than a "real post"]

When Hermès announced  that Lemaire would have succeeded Gaultier as creative director I was shocked. I saw his s/s collection, of his own line, and it was terrible... However I decided to give him a  possibility, even if it was crazy to put someone who directed Lacoste (despite he worked also, for instance, for Lacroix) to design for Hermès. 

By the way, this collection is a" no-shape"  collection, no volumes and clothes like "potato sacks". The only "nice" thing are the clothes printed with Hermès patterns. The main problem of the show, for me, is that is nothing new. The leather coats, the down jackets, the trousers, the inspiration (please....hawks??) , the prints are all old things and that were made better in the past. 

The last horrible thing is the speech about bags and shoes: ok Hermès wasn't famous for its shoes but it was an institution in bags...And what does Lemaire? preseneted few bags really classic and that doesn't matter with Hermès DNA but only with his inspiration for the collection...I hope that Hermès will fire him or, at least, he will change his style and understand that this is Hermès and not Lacoste.

Images via:
Vogue

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Posted in Balenciaga , Balmain , Chanel , Christophe Lemaire , Commes des Garçons , Dries Van Noten , Givenchy , Haider Ackermann , Hermès , John Galliano , Kenzo , Miu Miu , Mugler , Stella McCartney

Chanel adv...pre-s/s 2011

This advertisement hasn't something special apart from the use of outfits from a pre-collection. It's unusual and special to see looks completely taken by a precollection. Because, the locations and the campaign in general hasn't anything really new apart from that thing.

In the end I find really beautiful and "very Chanel style" the first shirt, transparence, that looks better in the adv maybe for the dark atmosphere of the pic.

Images via:
Vogue (show pics)
Vogue magazine (the adv, scanned)

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Posted in Adv , Chanel , Karl Lagerfeld , pre-s/s 2011