Saturday, August 25, 2007

Copenhagen Fashion Week SS08

On the Copenhagen Fashion Week (August 8th-12th), big names in Denmark showed their Spring/Summer 2008 collections. Most of the collections were really feminine with classic and wearable pieces. Loose, soft fabrics were popular on the runways and neutral colours with a hint of both light and strong colours. Here are my favourite pieces from the fashion shows in Copenhagen.


Baum und Pferdgarten


They showed beautiful colour combination in short dresses and skirts. Neutral colours were mixed with black, purple, gold and silver. Knee pads gave garments a quirky detail. Sleeves were voluminous on beautiful chiffon tunics. In mix with the chiffon there was shiny patent leather with a metallic sheen. Knee-high stockings in stilettoes and headbands topped it all.



Bruunz Bazaar


Bruunz Bazaar showed casual clothes in light fabrics. Colours like grey, black and cream white were great with mustard and energetic prints. Trench coats came in a few colour shades and were both paired with skinny pants and shown open with shorts. Blazer jackets toned down feminine pieces.




By Malene Birger


It was all city girl look at By Malene Birger. Accessories like hats, colourful gloves and geeky glasses. The colour palette included light colours in green, blue and yellow and strong orange with more classic colours and prints. I loved the futuristic ankleboots shown in black and white. Masculine in tuxedos and shirt dresses met feminine in high waist skirts, blouses, gemstones and flowy dresses.





Day Birger et Mikkelsen



Maxi dresses met short dresses. Legwarmers with flats. Large hats and berets. The outfits were all different. Glitter played up the neutral colours, black and light yellow.





InWear


Freja Beha opened the show in a casual t-shirt dress. Short baby doll dresses and satin balloon skirts looked cute on the runway. Denim was in a light shade and looked great on high waist cropped jeans (as seen in centre, below). The colour palette encompassed items divided between the futuristic and minimialistic. Strong orange, purple and a beatiful greenblue with white, black and beige.



Munthe plus Simonsen

A little bohemian feeling here, mini vests with maxi dresses and gypsy tops. Wide leg pants, shorts and bermudas were all seen in the show. I liked the energetic colours - mint green, purple and an orange/red colour.


Rützou

My favourite collection in the Copenhagen Fashion Week. Belts were a big part of the outfits, either seen loose on the hips or defined on the waist. Both fitted and oversized cardigans in all colours were seen in the show. I loved the drainpipes in beige, black and other classic colours. Mild pastels played a big role in the show, in skirts, dresses and tunics.





I don't find the models all that special! At least not in the Bruunz Bazaar and the By Malene Birger shows. What do you think?


Photo courtesy of copenhagenfashionweek.com

Thursday, August 16, 2007

The Newcomers

Irina Kulikova


The russian model Irina Kulikova is one of the most talked about newcomers in the fashion industry. The sixteen year old was discovered in a Moscow restaurant by IMG agency head Ivan Bart and Liv Tyler. Irina’s big break came when she opened the F/W 07 Prada show in Milan. The same season she opened and closed ten shows, including Louis Vuitton, Nina Ricci and Yves Saint Laurent. In New York she walked exclusively for Calvin Klein. This ad season she landed ad campaigns for Prada, Jil Sander, Pringle of Scotland and became the new face for Marc Jacobs fragrance ‘Daisy’. Now she is represented by IMG models in London, Paris, New York and Milan.



Catherine McNeil


Catherine McNeil is eighteen years old from Australia. She walked more than 35 shows her first season of fashion shows F/W 07. In Paris and Milan she opened shows at Alexander McQueen, Giambattista Valli, Givenchy, Alessandro Dell’Acqua and Etro and closed shows such as Balmain, Dsquared2 and Emilio Pucci. In the Just Cavalli show in Milan she both opened and closed. For this ad season Catherine landed campaigns for D&G, Hugo Boss, Donna Karan and Versace – all shot by photographer Mario Testino. She is represented at Next in New York, Paris and London and Chic in Sydney.
Photo sources: Style.com, Supermodels.nl

Saturday, August 11, 2007

The Most Beautiful Polishes

I love nail polishes, I feel so glamorous to have a beautiful shade on my nails. Maybe it’s sounds weird but I can’t explain why I feel that way. The trends that have been really ‘in’ the past year are probably bright red and the dark purple/black. I personally think that the black is pretty much out, it’s time to move on to new trends. Dark sparkly, shimmery polishes are going to be big this fall in red, blue and silver tones. Some bright colors will work too and the nudes are always a safe choice if you don’t want to take risks.

Darks

From burgundy to metallic silver. Left to right: NARS Cosmetics Nail Polish in Gimme Shelter; Lancôme 'Le Magnetique' Nail Lacquer in Bourdeux Esmee; OPI Brights Nail Lacquer in OPI Ink; MAC Nail Lacquer in Nightfall.

Brights

Bright orange to apple red. Left to right: Tropez Super Pearl Nail Enamel in Miami Pearl; Estee Lauder Pure Color Crystal Nail Lacquer in 96 Tropical Rose; OPI Nail Polish Tasmanian Devil Made Me Do It; CoverGirl Boundless Color Nail Polish in Candy Apple.

Nudes

From pearly white to toffee brown. Left to right: OPI Kyoto Pearl Nail Varnish; OPI Nail Polish in Italian Love Affair; Essie Polish in Congo Bongo; OPI.

Monday, August 6, 2007

Celebrity Invasion Into The Fashion World

The latest round of celebrity fashion lines come from different directions. Cheap to expensive, rock chic to romantic, models to actors. Some of you have had enough of the celebrity-turned-designer mania. But the celebs are non stopping, it seems like they’re starting fahion lines every second. Some of the collections are better than the others so please comment which one you liked and didn’t like...

Kate Moss for Topshop

Kate Moss launched her first collection for Topshop this spring; eclectic capsule collection of effortlessly cool, signature pieces, inspired by Kate’s wardrobe. Mixing rock ‘n’ roll chic with bohemian charm. Kate and the Topshop team worked together to capture her unique sense of style, and the collection mirrored her edgy, playful attitude. “Kate knows instinctively what feels right.” Jacqui Markham at Topshop said about her design skills. "Kate has a unique position as a true fashion icon and I look forward to helping develop 'Kate Moss for Topshop' into a global brand," said Sir Philip, Topshop’s head man, who took a personal role in striking the deal. Away from the catwalk, Ms Moss' own wardrobe choices have given her a reputation for setting new fashion trends. In recent years she has been credited with sparking the return to fashion of skinny jeans, mini-dresses and hot-pants. “I have loved working with Topshop, they have given me complete creative freedom throughout the process. I am excited to see my range launch.” said Kate Moss.

Shop online at Topshop.com


The Row by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen

The trend-setting power of the Olsens is undeniable, they create their own unique ways of dressing. When they launched their self-funded line ‘The Row’ last year the world took notice. The high-end line includes 28 knitwear basics of exceptional quality. The t-shirts are made of fine modal knit and have only one seam in the center back, so they drape perfectly on the body. Due to the success of the spring items, the designers have expanded the fall collection to nearly twice as many pieces. The celebs are big fans - Selma Blair, Kirsten Dunst and Vanessa Traina have all been seen in The Row designs.
In fall the Olsens will launch a new lower priced line called Elizabeth and James (named after their younger siblings). The line will be available this month at Neiman Marcus, Intermix and Bergdorf Goodman.

Shop online at Browns Fashion



Twenty8Tvelve by S.Miller

Sisters Sienna and Savannah Miller launched their spring/summer Twenty8Twelve by S. Miller collection in late July. Sienna said the inspiration was “Patti Smith, Keith Richards, free-thinking, radical people who aren’t influenced by others”. The collection includes well-cut coats with pleated skirts, printed silk dresses, cotton tees and tanks, tailored pants, cropped tuxedo jackets and lovely blouses done in collaboration with artist David Cooper who designed the print. Savannah graduated from the Central Saint Martins in London four years ago. A source told Grazia magazine last year, “Sienna has great fashion sense but Savannah is the one with the real design talent. She was a star pupil at college and the label's bound to be successful.” The sisters are working together to make sure that everything is perfect because of Sienna's high media profile. A Twenty8Twelve shop is opening in London in the first week of September which will also sell products made by their friends. The collection will be sold at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman in the US.


Sarah Jessica Parker’s Bitten

Sarah Jessica Parker brings us clothing to the masses at affordable prices (every piece is under $20) in her clothing line Bitten exclusively sold at Steve & Barry’s. The summer Bitten collection made its debut on June 7th. The line consists of over 400 clothing items and accessories such as knit shirts, cashmere sweaters, dresses, jackets, t-shirts, swearshirts, denim, handbags, jewelry, belts and shoes. Sarah Jessica decided to collaborate with Steve & Barry’s to create high-quality sportswear for women of all ages and sizes. Bitten reflects Sarah Jessica’s personal sense of style and taste, with her own serving as the inspiration for the majority of the pieces. In an interview with Glamour magazine, she reveals that her clothes “are not setting a trend. We’re not Balenciaga. They’re well-made clothes that feel of-the-moment.” And that she didn’t name the brand after herself “I’m not pretending that these are clothes from my closet. Or that this is Carrie Bradshaw.”


Mónica & Pénelope Cruz for MNG by Mango

Monica and Penelope Cruz launched their new winter clothing collection for Spanish store Mango in July. The limited-edition line will hit stores in September. The collection will feature a mix of red-carpet-inspired evening wear, jeans, knits and daywear based on vintage pieces from their own wardrobes. “The collection caters for all kinds of women, from a 16-year-old girl to a woman of 40,” says Mónica Cruz. Penélope adds, “The entire collection has a very vintage feel. Some of the ideas we got from books from the 50s and 60s”. “We are very happy with the results of the collection. In fact, we have been wearing Mango clothes for years, but now we intend to wear all the items in this collection,” says Penélope. “We wanted to recreate items that we really like, many of them vintage, that we have always wanted to wear”.


dVb by Victoria Beckham

Victoria says her burgeoning lifestyle brand, dVb, was her logical step after a successful two-year collaboration with Rock & Republic jeans. Victoria has now developed her debut denim collection under the name ‘dVb denim’. Victoria says, "I've loved denim since I can remember and for a long time couldn't find what I consider to be the perfect pair of jeans, so it was important for me to develop a collection that embodied all the qualities I look for in a fantastic pair. I wanted to go back to basics to achieve an elegant and tailored feel. I want women to look and feel great when they wear them." First drops from this capsule collection came in stores in June, but the main collection will be dropping from September onwards.



If I say my own opinion I thought the Kate Moss collection for TopShop was pretty great, I managed to get a pair of skinny jeans. I liked most of the clothes, but I didn't like how she wasn't really creative - just recreated something she had in her closet. As for The Row, the clothes are basic quality knit - nothing new but they were well designed. I just loved the Twenty8Twelve collection, the clothes were beautifully designed with amazing details. There has been mixed opinions about Sarah Jessica's Bitten line, I wasn't in love with the whole sports-wear idea but I managed to see some cute clothes. The Cruzes for MNG was really romantic with a vintage vibe, I liked it a lot. Then there's the dVb...it was supposed to be made of some luxurios Japanese denim but there has been rumours that the jeans are cheap looking. I didn't think they were that fabolous but there weren't many pictures on the web, so I can't say much as I haven't seen the whole collection.
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