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Flutterby Diamonds - Colour Palette

28.2.11

Do you remember the catwalks of Spring/Summer 2010? Mainly seen throughout the lingerie look, designers displayed some beautiful pastel shades. This theme touches on some of the elements seen here but adds almost a vintage, worn-in edge to it, bringing in some of the finer detail we have seen on the Spring/Summer2011 catwalks. We steer away from the pastel lilacs, pinks and peaches seen in 1980's and 1990's weddings (yuk!), instead giving the shades a little more edge and sophistication.


Mint Musk - Pantone 753c (25, 0, 16, 0)
Punch - Pantone 7403c (8, 16, 61, 0)
Blush - Pantone 692c (9, 25, 13, 0)
Barely Blue - Pantone 5513c (29, 9 ,15, 0)
Sparkle - Pantone 7535c (22, 20, 34, 0)

As you can see from the colour breakdown, there is no black in any of the colours I have chosen for the palette. I wanted these pastels to have an edge but without too much darkness in them. I would eliminate black all together in this look, even in text, opting instead for a very dark grey.
Fog - Pantone 432c (77, 63, 53, 41)

Next Installment:  Personal Shopper

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Dolce & Gabbana - Amazing Detailing! (via @bryanboy)

27.2.11

This was the amazing detailing on the Dolce & Gabbana dress & coat that I mentioned in my earlier review.

STUNNING!

{Image Courtesy of @bryanboy's Twitter Feed}

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Dolce & Gabbana - Fall 2011/12 Ready to Wear Review - #MFW

After celebrating 20 years in designing menswear in 2010, Dolce and Gabbana no longer feel the need to be on top of the eclectic, crazy trends we see other design houses producing, instead they focus on beautiful tailoring and style.  Something that guarantees them exposure on all of the red carpet events, with celebrities striving for the elegance that Dolce and Gabbana excel in producing.

So, the Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2011/12 RTW collection in three words?

Unisex. Monochrome.  Fun.

Review

So, in a stark contrast to last week's news of men modelling as women, Dolce and Gabbana give us women modelling as men!  The show had an overall androgynous feel.  We had the women modelling as men, but as a womenswear collection, the clothing wasn't intended to be for men, although I suppose we could consider  parts of the collection to be unisex.  The models all looked fabulous.  We had some of the 'women' models wearing form fitting dressed with sequined brogues that looked simply stunning, whereas other outfits were paired with simple stiletto heels with ankle socks. 

 The Dolce & Gabbana ' woman' 
The Dolce and Gabbana 'man' 

The Music
The music was amazing.  I'm a huge 80's fan and we had David Bowie and Mick Jagger's Dancing in the Street followed by David Bowie's Modern Love (one of my personal favourite songs).

The Feel of the Show
The only problem I found was, with the fast paced song choice, the models moved down the runway too quickly.  You hardly got a second to take in all the details before they'd whipped around at the end of the catwalk and were on their way again.

The overall feel was quite 80's with a sense of old time Hollywood glamour.  Patterns took the form of stars and music notes, giving an almost silent movie glamour feel to more modern silhouettes.

Beauty
The 'women' models had beautiful Hollywood glamour hair, swept back loose bun.  Large earrings and minimalist make up. The 'male' models wore tight chignons, trilby's and faux sideburns

The Details

Style
 Monochrome patterning & styling
 Beautiful sequins
 I'm so sad I couldn't get a good shot of this (I will try and find a better photograph to replace it) Sequined boy shorts under a lace dress, I loved this look!
 Occasionally there was a splash of colour brought into the monochrome colour palette


 The mustard yellow we're seeing so much of!
 Simple designs (note the flash of colour on the shoe)
 Amazing sleeveless fur collar coat (note the brogues on the ' women' models)
 Sleeveless Tuxedo jackets were a nice touch on the 'male' designs

Detailing
 Beautiful layered necklace
 Hip bags (these were featured in a number of sizes) and looked quite cool
I just caught a glimpse of this as the model was turning around, so it isn't a great shot, but this dress was made up of different sized beads and stones.  It was simply gorgeous

Elements I Missed
A few elements I didn't manage to capture were:
- The mix of patterns on the same outfit, but all in the same black and white colour palette
- The splashes of pastel colour - baby blue and baby pink but with the same black patterning
- Amazing sequined brogues

In Closing
Regarding the live feed, initially, I didn't like that we could see backstage.  I felt that it spoiled the surprise of the pieces as they came down the runway.  In fact, this was a relief as the runway show moved so quickly I had time to note the pieces that I wanted to see in more detail.  It was almost like seeing the look book before viewing the show.  

This collection was very wearable.  You will see this patterning all across the high street stores next Fall.  The collection had a very Topshop/H&M style to it and would target this customer perfectly.

It was nice to see Dolce & Gabbana doing something a little more adventurous, and they still kept some of their elegant tailoring in their suit wear and figure-hugging dresses - the Dolce & Gabbana style we all know and love, just a little more modern and fun!


My Favourite Piece
I was torn between two pieces from the collection as my ultimate show favourites, so I will show them both:
 I loved how this long flowing dress looked on the model as she came down the runway
The sleeveless fur jacket with the sequin embellished dress underneath was just beautiful.  So elegant

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Emilio Pucci Fall 2011/12 Ready to Wear Review - #MFW #Pucci

26.2.11


So, how would I describe the Fall 2011/12 RTW collection by Pucci in three words?

Sexy. Glamourous. Regal

The show was set in the most beautiful building, the Palazzo Serbelloni, which I didn't think would fit the Pucci style, but as soon as the models started walking down the runway, it immediately all meshed together perfectly.

Show Highlights
Here are my highlights of the collection:

Styling
 Pointed shoulders and high necklines featured prominently

 The high-waisted pieces were tailored beautifully and gave a  lovely silhouette to the models
 Again we see the influence of fur in the Fall 2011/12 season
 A summer 2011 silhouette continuing into the Fall season
I loved the shape of this dress, with the delicate lace detailing making its way up onto the neckline

Detail
Stunning bead work
Beautiful lace work  (and the mustard yellow colour we are still seeing so much of)



An amazing feather dress, the most beautiful shade of blue

This cape was a masterpiece, I loved it!
Just simply beautiful bead work.  Amazing


Pucci Show Review
Peter Dundas delivered another stunning collection of outfits, allegedly inspired by the mountains, although I didn't really get this feeling.  It felt altogether more regal and refined, almost a Victorian inspired collection.  Dundas (of Christian Lacroix and Roberto Cavalli fame) appears to have really found his niche at Pucci over the last three years, creating a gorgeous collection full of beautiful detail and luxurious fabrics.

I was so excited about this Pucci show, especially given that so many design houses are paying homage to the 70's hippy chic girl for Fall RTW 2011/12, I knew that Pucci would knock this trend out of the park.  However, this was a much more refined link than I expected, the bold patterns gave way to beautiful detailing and beading.  There were a few traditional Pucci patterns interspersed in the collection, but the 70's style was explored more in the sexiness and cut of the clothing.

The Pucci Man
There has been much talk in the press of Pucci delivering a menswear range.  It was great to finally see this, and although the pieces were simple, they were tailored beautifully and immediately gave us an impression of how Pucci see the 'Pucci Man' being.




The Pucci Print is Not Gone!
A few pieces of the Fall collection still gave us a glimpse of the Pucci we know and love from the Spring/Summer collection.  These fit in perfectly with the rest of the pieces and added a certain sexiness to the range.


This fabulous low cut look featured a few times in the collection


It was also great to see snippets of the behind the scenes work of the people constructing the outfits before the show.  There's nothing like seeing a messy sewing room floor, it makes you realize how much work is involved in each of these shows, and paid a lovely tribute to the amazing skills of these people.

The ultimate highlight of the show was seeing the Pucci patterns toned down and embellished with beautiful detailing, giving a luxe feel to the brand for Fall 2011/12.

My Favourite Pucci  Piece
My favourite piece of the collection had to be this:
A stunning, floor length piece with sequin detailing down one side.  This intricate detailing went right around to the back of the dress.  The cut and colour were perfect for the model.  Such a fantastic red carpet piece.

{Images Courtesy of the Pucci Live Stream}

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Excited for Emilio Pucci - 2pm EST - #MFW


I'm gearing up for the Pucci show at 2pm EST today!  I can't wait to see the new collection

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Heeled Brogues from Topshop


How cool are these heeled brogues from Topshop.  I'm put off the idea of brogues as they feel too masculine to me when I'm wearing them.  This is the perfect solution, and the perfect colour!

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I Love This...

25.2.11


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Not Just Fashion - Favourite Finds - #FaveFinds

Well, it's Friday again (yippee) so it's time for my weekly round up of all the nice things I've found on the web this week.

Enjoy and have a fantastic weekend!

If there is only one thing you check out on the web this week, it has to be this absolutely stunning Canadian Winter Wedding photo shoot



A bit of a read, but a great insight into the development of fashion in the online world and a debate over whether this is a good thing or not


This is a great portal for young British fashion and accessory designers trying to break into the mainstream. There are some fantastic pieces for sale on this site.

I couldn't resist this link.  How cute are these personal S'mores making stations?  Mmm... Delicious!

My favourite LFW show, Mary Katrantzou's collection.  This is a great review of the show

Check out these beautiful travel-inspired invitations.  The colour palette is fantastic

Such a cute idea, interconnecting cutlery.  This really makes a statement to your place setting

This is a fantastic read for anyone interested in pattern design

I'm desperate to sort out our spare room to make a little office space for myself.  I love this cupboard office, and it's great that you can shut the office at the end of the day and forget about work!

I love this leather jacket.  This will definitely be a Spring purchase for me

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