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07.10.11

My Paris Fashion Week – Highs & Lows

Paris was the final stop on the Spring 2012 tour bus, so here are my Top 11 looks from the shows I attended plus my highs and lows from Paree.

HIGHS

Top 5 Shows: Balmain (a return to brilliance under a new designer), Elie Saab (award season gowns galore), Chloe (I want every piece), Alexander McQueen (I still have goose bumps) and Andrew Gn (Parisian elegance at its finest).

More Shows: I do very well in New York, so-so in London (despite living there) and very well in Milan, but Paris Fashion Week has always been a tough nut to crack. This season I finally felt embraced with first invites from Isabel Marant, Balmain, Alexander McQueen, Sonia Rykiel and Chloé.

Alexander McQueen re-see: The day after the McQueen show I attended the re-see. I was even more blown away to see the collection up close. The pieces are so delicate and I was amazed at the couture-like workmanship that goes into each piece. The commercial collection provides Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge with many wearable options. I think the new ‘Sedna’ clutch with a hidden skull clasp will become the new celebrity red carpet favourite.

Reader Love: After Chloé, Tina from BagSnob.com and I went to L’Imperial for a bottle (or two) of rosé. I was approached by two lovely ladies who told me how much they loved my blog and how they read it every day. They were so sweet and we took pictures together. It was really moving and by far my favourite moment of Fashion Month.

Andrew Gn: Sitting front row at Andrew Gn proudly wearing a look from his Fall 2011 collection.

LOWS Read more…

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Posted by Catherine Kallon on October 7th, 2011 In: Paris Fashion Week

06.10.11

Elie Saab Spring 2012

Elie Saab’s Spring 2012 presentation once again closed fashion week.

The king of red carpet dressing presented a beautiful collection on a surprisingly colourful palette.

The show notes said ‘Color Shock’, so I was a tad confused that the first 10 looks were all beige; however, a rainbow of colours including sunflower yellow, peach, emerald green and a gorgeous Lapis blue soon followed.

Sexy daytime and eveningwear dresses and gowns were presented alongside feminine pantsuits with lace details, wide-legged jumpsuits, blouses paired with loose-fitted pants, tweed jackets and belted skirts.

For the red carpet, stars have many gorgeous gowns to choose from with the theme being ‘Sparkle n’ Plunge’.

I was on the edge of my seat as these embellished belted gowns took to the runway with daring, plunging necklines. You know I have a serious weakness for Elie’s bling.

I simply adored this colourful collection of feminine, sensual looks.

It was the show that provided the most glamour this fashion week and each look has a place at a premiere, photocall, film festival or royal wedding – and, if you’re Dita Von Teese, it would look good on the sidewalk too.

When it comes to chic red carpet looks, no one does it better.

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Key accessories included a range of leather and croc shoulder bags, minaudières and totes, plus colourful strappy sandals.

Front Row: Princess Beatrice and Siriwanwaree Nareerat of Thailand

Favourites: Sunflower yellow gown with two thigh-high splits and Lapis blue pant suit

Who I See Wearing This Collection: Hilary Swank, Kirsten Dunst, Michelle Williams, Keira Knightley, Megan Fox, Leighton Meester, Datoka Fanning, Sofia Vergara, Blake Lively, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet, Anna Friel, Dita von Teese, Princess Beatrice, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Jessica Chastain, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Fan Bing Bing, Gwyneth Paltrow and Halle Berry

Credit: Style.com & Getty

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Posted by Catherine Kallon on October 6th, 2011 In: Elie Saab, Paris Fashion Week

05.10.11

Alexander McQueen Spring 2012

The Alexander McQueen Spring 2012 presentation was everything I imagined it would be: a haunting spectacle of brilliance which I found to be very emotional and quite moving.

Sarah Burton truly captured the spirit of McQueen like never before in this otherworldly sea-life-inspired collection.

The sea-life inspiration was evident from the ruffled hemlines of the tailored skirts and the twisted lapels of blazers which looked like sea sponges, plus coral pieces which were a shade of seashell.

Lee McQueen was obsessed by birds so Sarah paid homage to him by presenting bird-like creations. Feathers accented several looks and the pleated organza provided feather-like details.

We saw dramatic shapes on light lace and leather fabrics which gave us ladylike silhouettes with a fetish twist.

I was most impressed with the sharp Couture-like tailoring, which would be presented well on the red carpet by Cate Blanchett or Tilda Swinton.

Golden hues were mixed with lilac, gothic black, blush and ivory to provide the perfect colour palette for this classic yet modern collection.

Key accessories included lace masks which looked like seaweed tendrils which with covered just the models hair or they wore a full-faced mask which was accented with feathers, glass beads or dazzling jewels.

The models navigated the runway perfectly in sky-high wedges with a hallow detail.

I’m very excited that I will see this collection up close at the re-see later today.

Favourites: White dress with a gold bodice and the coral gown with a matching cape

Who I See Wearing This Collection: Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Fan Bing Bing, Lady Gaga and Keira Knightley

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Posted by Catherine Kallon on October 5th, 2011 In: Alexander McQueen, Paris Fashion Week

05.10.11

Valentino Spring 2012

Valentino’s Spring 2012 collection was full of dreamy lace dresses and gowns which were all red carpet worthy.

Dreamy elegance was rich within every look as we saw beautiful dresses on a colour palette of lemon, sky blue, pretty pinks, nude, white and sea green, with black and Valentino red looks too.

Intricate floral appliqués had a sensuous yet delicate allure, as did the laser cut-outs on the leather pieces.

There were many strapless looks presented on this occasion which were constructed over invisible internal corsets. These looks accentuate the shoulders without revealing the décolleté.

I don’t think it will be long before we see a look from this collection on the red carpet.

With awards season coming up, this collection couldn’t have come at a better time.

For spring, the Valentino woman is womanly and very glamorous and we all want to be her.

Key accessories include embellished sandals, thong sandals with woven straps, mesh booties, slim leather belts, studded leather shoulder bags, clutches and embellished totes.

Front Row: Natalia Vodianova, Alexa Chung, Ciara and Jessica Biel

Favourites: A pink lace top paired with matching shorts and embellished long-sleeve mesh gown

Who I See Wearing This Collection: Keira Knightley, Elle Fanning, Olivia Palermo, Jennifer Aniston and Anne Hathaway

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Posted by Catherine Kallon on October 5th, 2011 In: Paris Fashion Week, Valentino

05.10.11

Giambattista Valli Spring 2012

Giambattista Valli’s Spring 2012 collection was typically sleek with plenty of sex appeal.

I loved the mix of floral prints combined with metallic fabrics on a colour palette of ivory, soft pink and canary yellow.

The designer’s signature cocoon shapes were replaced with sharp silhouettes with a few loose-fitting pieces like the drop-waist maxi dresses.

We saw lots of chic ruffles, Bermuda shorts under tunics, psychedelic shaggy coats, tailored pants and lots of mini dresses with lurex or brocade panels for the jet-setting socialites and celebrities in the front row to fall in love with.

Animal magic was presented via zebra prints, feathers and furs, plus some of the shoes had a snakeskin print.

Key accessories included slithering-serpent bejeweled bracelets and armlets which looked really heavy on the models.

Front Row: Bianca Brandolini d’Adda, Jessica Biel, Olivia Palermo and Leigh Lezark

Favourites: Drop-waist maxi dress and white top paired with a feathered skirt

Who I See Wearing This Collection: Olivia Palermo, Zoe Saldana, Ashley Greene, Anne Hathaway, Emma Stone, Chloe Moretz, Carey Mulligan, Beau Garrett and Marion Cotillard

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Posted by Catherine Kallon on October 5th, 2011 In: Giambattista Valli, Paris Fashion Week

04.10.11

Chloe Spring 2012

The Chloe’s Spring 2012 collection was a first for British designer Clare Waight Keller who was appointed Creative Director back in June.

If she was nervous about her first outing for the French brand she wasn’t showing any signs of it when a group of us interviewed her backstage.

She told us how she enjoyed the transition from London to Paris. Whilst embracing her new city, she still brings her Londonianess with her.

Clare placed a lot of emphasis on the word ‘real’ during our interview as she told us that Chloe is about what’s ‘real’ and what’s ‘now’, and that the Spring 2012 collection was about capturing how real women dress today.

This is why she looked at a lot of blogs for inspiration. She wanted to capture those cool girls who are out there now because she found it inspiring to see how women put things together.

The Chloe look is not uptight and nothing is structured, but the Chloe girl still feels pretty and polished.

I found myself loving every piece from this Chloe collection. My personal style is quite relaxed, but I fell in love with the girlie, ultra feminine, easily wearable effortlessness of this collection.

Chiffon dresses were layered with white cotton t-shirts, shorts were paired with floral shirts, and I also loved the boyish slouchy pant suits. Striped maxi dresses, boyfriend shirts, drop-waist dresses and floaty chiffon dresses closed the show.

Pleats and stripes were the main themes of this collection, but I loved the floral pieces too.

Key accessories included bi-colour slingback pumps, low slung nude belts plus clutches and shoulder bags with wider shoulder straps.

Favourites: Tri-colour keyhole dress with chiffon sleeves and drop-waist chiffon pleated dress

Who I See Wearing This Collection: Everyone. Especially Kate Bosworth, Leighton Meester, Rachel Bilson, Kate Beckinsale, Zoe Saldana and Thandie Newton