Holiday season is quickly approaching – along with snow, endless Christmas parties & holiday baking – and a pop of red is the perfect hue to make a big impact in the simplest way. Sheer silk brings a bit of femininity and the leather combination keeps the look edgy (and warm in the brisk Vancouver air!).
silk top: Le Fou by Wilfred at Aritzia / bag: Chanel / shoes: Valentino / jacket: All Saints
photos: Sasha Honey
I had so much fun shooting with Sabrina and Jeremy from streetscout.me a few weeks back, before fashion week and when there was definitely still a brisk winter chill in the air. We decided to shoot at Lafarge Lake, with the beautiful fountains and not-yet-blooming winter trees. The sun was deceptively shining – teasing Spring temperatures that hadn’t quite made an appearance – but it made for a beautiful setting, and was perfect for Jeremy’s amazing photo-taking skills.
Sabrina had asked to shoot me in a fashion week inspired look, and also me a few questions related to my style, which you can find the answers to, along with more photos, here. Colour-contrasts are great for high-impact looks that demand attention. I sometimes find myself playing it safe when it comes to my colour combinations, opting for prints or jewellery to be the standout aspects of an outfit rather than eye-popping shades, so I was glad to have the chance to bring back some major contrasting. Pleats and midi-lengths are very feminine (and here to stay for the next season, judging from this past fashion-month), and I opted to bring a bit of understated sexiness with the sheer fabrics peaking through the sunlight and studs.
It’s always nice meeting people in Vancouver with similar interests, and i’m so happy to have met such an incredibly kind and talented couple.
skirt, TopShop / shoes, Asos / top, H&M / jacket, Zara / bag, Chanel / belt, Club Monaco / sunglasses, Dior
photos: streetscout.me + Curran Sandher
“On the way from the Old World to the New World” was the theme of Karl Lagerfeld’s latest couture collection for Chanel. Never one to shy away from theatrics, the post-apocalyptic stage setting at the Grand Palais encompassed the feeling perfectly – the old being represented as a crumbling theatre and the new as an inter-galactic cityscape, sparkling amongst the ruins. This old/new juxtaposition continued in the clothes, starting off with signature tweed suits – embroidery representing actual tweeds – with portrait necklines, and old era silhouettes (Victorian, Edwardian, you name it).
This was Karl’s mix of “tradition with future”. The medieval tunics, layered underneath cropped jackets all over thigh-high swede boots (so thin they had to be held up by garters), were mixed with new-world fabrics, 3-D effects and glittery sequins. Described by Karl as the “sparkle of stardust”, there were pavéed sequins, tweeds with Lurex, silvered grey flannel, lamé, and mirrors to create this new world feel amongst the traditional period proportion and detailing of the new world.
The beautiful detailing was even more intricate when taking a closer look at the pieces. For example, the tiled panel of the straight A-Line dress was based on origami with hundreds of squares made with tiny folds of coloured chiffon (see above) – the epitome of what a couture collection is all about – the exquisite detailing that only les petit mains could manage to create to perfection. Ending off with evening-wear – the dresses were breathtaking in liquid silver, dowager black-tulle and strips of silver and black beading on delicate silk. Always pressing forward and looking to the future – Karl delivered yet another beautiful collection – surely to be seen on many red carpets – and if this is the vision of the future, I wouldn’t mind it at all.
Paris Fashion Week: some may call it the crème de la crème, the cream of the crop, the best of the best of what is Fashion Month…But i’d rather call it the grand finale.
Now I agree to the extent of seeing it as something otherworldly, but I wouldn’t necessarily say the designers who show during Paris Fashion Week are more talented than the rest – I mean would Alexander Wang and Marc Jacobs (both hailing from New York) have been chosen to design for Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton if they weren’t as talented as the Parisian founders themselves or their present-day colleagues/rivals? I don’t think so. — Not to mention German Kaiser Karl at Chanel and the spectacular visions of Belgian Raf Simons at chéz Dior.
I do tend to favour Paris over the others, though. New York may be my favourite in terms of having the edgiest, most wearable clothes out there; London may be in its prime for prints and futuristic looks for those who have luxury of never feeling out of place wearing just about anything whilst strutting upon the London streets; and Milan I feel is exciting and outrageous with a sense of beautiful traditionality and decadence within the collections, whilst always pushing the limits and surprising its audiences.
Paris is a combination of the best aspects of all three aformentioned cities but it has something more. It has this lure of luxury to it, with clothes definitely unattainable on my current income, or lack thereof (at least for the moment!), but which I find myself lusting after and can only dream of wearing one day. It just so happens that I spend the most time memorising the looks of every Paris show over the others to see how and where I can slightly alter my wardrobe every season to encompass just some of that Parisian je ne sais quoi so present in the collections.
So again, I think it’s more of a personal thing for me as to why i’ve chosen to favour Paris over New York, Milan and London – the imaginative aspect of it (and much of my childhood spent daydreaming of Chanel handbags and having my sketches inspired by Giambattista Valli gowns!) captures my heart and soul that I just can’t seem to look away.
Therefore, here are some of my favourite shows — let’s call it an ‘ode‘ to the grande finale that is Paris Fashion Week.
From top to bottom: Valentino, Dior, Giambattista Valli, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Céline, Chloé, Balmain
Photos: vogue.com; style.com
Best of Couture: Chanel s/s 12
Hosted in an air Chanel Jumbo Jet with passenger seats facing the runway, it was a contrast to Karl’s underwater themed a/w 12 collection as we were rocketed into the night sky for a traditional Coco joyride.
Bright lights with grey-hued daywear shifted to transparent chiffon and full length wool dresses with boucle jackets & embellished jewelled buttons; finishing with sequinned and embroidered cocktail dresses as the lights dimmed – signalling looks for the evening.
Hems dropping to mid-ankle length, drop waists, and simple shades made for an extremely wearable yet undeniably opulent and luxurious – a tradition of couture which is never missed at the house of Chanel.
PS – those three bar ankle strap courts are on the top of my couture wish list!
FASHIONEEKA. 