Fashion Editorials
Eternal Style
My Sunday inspiration came in the form of Marie Claire Espana’s editorial, celebrating the astounding beauty of Dior’s Spring 2011 Couture collection.
The idea of ‘style’ – what it is, who has it and so on – is something that is eternally on my mind. Today there are few people who evoke true style. That unmistakable ‘je ne sais quoi’, familiar with classic icons such as Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly and other timeless beauties.
Marie Claire Espana’s June 2011 editorial, featuring Melodie Dagault and Anastasiya Bondarenko, is beautiful, romantic and whimsically nostalgic. With the simple white backgrounds, all focus is placed purely on the exquisite gowns and models’ classic beauty. The old-world glamour of this alluring collection is further transfixed by the chic styling – the long gloves; striking red lips; perfectly shaped eyebrows; and elongated feminine silhouettes.
With the models’ appearing every part the impeccably polished belles, this Haute Couture collection is the epitome of classic style…
I would love to know, what do you think is the epitome of timeless style? xx
About the Dior Couture Collection
The Dior Spring 2011 Couture collection took inspiration from the elegance, beauty and radiance of René Gruau’s illustrations. As the Dior Illustrator, Gruau created a fresh ideal of female beauty and captured a new mood of post-war optimism. Gruau’s exquisite illustrations are perfectly reflected in this dynamic collection. The intensity of colour and bold lines, leave me speechless. To view the Dior Couture collection, please click here…
Photos from fashionising.com
Fashion Editorial
Luxury Of Haute Couture
Couture collections are some of the most highly anticipated events on the fashion calendar – not to mention the most enchantingly beautiful. But do these seemingly expensive, overtly extravagant and often times very impractical pieces have a place in today’s ‘fast fashion’ society?
Quite simply yes. And Haute Couture is even becoming more popular!
Haute couture, French for ‘high sewing’, refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing made to order. Sewn with extreme attention to detail with hand-executed techniques, Haute Couture is created with the highest quality fabrics, finishings and embellishments. Now a ‘protected name’ there are only a handful of labels that meet the couture criteria. These include: Chanel; Christian Dior; Valentino; Elie Saab; Givenchy; Armani Privé and Jean Paul Gaultier.
The Haute Couture Business
To these powerful luxury labels, Haute Couture is still an important element of business. It’s an investment in the label’s image and global communication.
The dream of Couture fantasy helps to sell perfume and all areas of the brand; but most importantly it is the purest form of fashion, with a growing client base intent on keeping the extraordinary craftsmanship and intangible beauty alive.
Today, Chanel has estimated that there are 1,000 potential Haute Couture clients around the world. With 200 to 300 of these clients attending the Chanel collections each season. Dior too has expressed that their client base is growing. The Dior Couture Spring 2011 collection was presented in front of 800 guests – double that of the previous season. Demand for Givenchy couture is expected to rise by 10%; meanwhile for Elie Saab the couture calendar accounted for 43% of the company’s business.
It is also an imperative component in publicity – with images of actresses walking the red carpet in these spectacular gowns beamed around the world. With Paris Couture Week taking place just before the Golden Globes, Oscars then followed by the Cannes Film Festival – it’s a winning combination for both actress and the label’s image. Remember Cate Blanchett’s unique Givenchy Haute Couture gown or the lavender lace Elie Saab Haute Couture gown worn by Mila Kunis (both pictured below)? These ladies and their gowns will be documented forever.
Haute Couture Evolution
An imperative element of all fashion is evolution. And Haute Couture is no exception. During the Couture Spring 2011 collections, a few houses broke the convention of traditional ‘Haute Couture’ to present spectacular creations for women of today.
Karl Lagerfeld weaved his magic at Chanel with a collection that was fresh with iridescent sparkle and delicate charisma. This wasn’t Chanel as we know it or traditional Haute Couture either. Skinny black jeans, black ballet flats and sprinklings of ‘cobweb’ like beads, floated down the runway like glistening rebellious ballerinas.
In fantastical shades of the lightest pinks, like delicious sweet macaroons, worn with beaded tulle leggings or jeans cut long and close to the leg – Chanel was seemingly enchanting a whole new generation of couture lovers. Of the collection, Lagerfeld said: “Haute Couture is about modern attitude. You have to adopt to the mood of the moment… this is the way people dress today.”
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