Parvi: My new Love - Gucci

Ahhh, Milan fashion Week has begun and our dearest RaneeC asked me if I would like to cover the Gucci show. Now I am going to be perfectly honest – I am not exactly well versed in everything Gucci. I am after all just a college student and I try not to indulge myself in fantasies I know might not become reality. Which is why, until now, I have kept myself away from the likes of Gucci and Prada in fear that I will fall deeply in unrequited love. After the Burberry show though I don’t think I have it in me to stay away from beautiful fantasies of stunning clothes that are a statement in and of themselves. So here I am, watching the show, doing my research on all things Gucci, so I may give you wonderful readers my own take on something fabulous.

This is what my laborious and intensive 20 minutes of research has taught me: Gucci is sophistication and class personified combined with a concept of strong female strength. Their collections in the past few years have been all about streamlined cuts and designs with a strong focus on modernity. That’s why I love about this season’s collection. It is a beautiful reversal to 1940’s feminine fashion. The furs, the dark saturated colors, in addition to the dramatic hats and bold make-up all give off an air of old Hollywood glamour. The designs seem to stem from a time where luxury and glamour went hand in hand with class and sophistication. There is no concept of understated. Everything is bold and beautiful with a penchant of drama. If Burberry was understated, Gucci is dramatic. Wearing a single piece from that collection will draw everyone’s eyes to you – and really? How could they resist? This collection is starkly different from previous years. Of course the overall concept and message the designs are trying to relate are the same. It is still about sophistication and strength and control but it has been done in an entirely different way. I have never seen this much color in a fall collection by Gucci before. Sure there have been a few bold colored pieces but never has an entire collection been this infused with such saturated and bold shades.

So I am flipping through the collection, and I am looking at the pieces again and again trying to form an opinion of what I saw walk down the runway and it hits me that there isn't one piece I cannot tolerate (I’m picky and like to find faults, so this is saying something). Maybe as separate items I might be a little turned off, but as an entire outfit I loved each of the designs. The dresses are really what took my breath away. I love how flow-y they are. There is beautiful movement but it isn't whimsical. There is a sense of structure in how the garments move. Each piece oozes power and commands attention without even trying. There are a few pieces that I especially love: the yellow ruffled A-line top with the black sheer skirt makes me smile every time I see it, the grey skirt suit with the purple hat and black bags makes such a statement it take my breath away, and I absolutely LOVE the magenta deep V dress with the bow – Absolute genius. I look at those pieces and I know I let myself fall in love. I told myself not to, but the heart does what it wants and well, fashion is difficult to resist.

In true Parvi fashion though, there is one thing that irks me. I always revert back to this concern as I indulge myself in the shows, but where is the practicality in these garments? So many of the pieces cannot be worn by just anyone or on any random day. Sometimes I wonder for whom and what kind of occasions these outfits are designed for and then I remember, this is what makes them so spectacular. Gucci is what it is because it isn't for everybody. Wearing this collection is like wearing a dream. It’s wonderful, beautiful and it’s your story.

                                           

 

RaneeC: Milan Fashion Week AW 2011

Dear readers, 


Milan Fashion Week AW 2011 has been going on for three days now. It is most definitely, in my opinion, the LARGEST fashion show of the year! Unfortunately, I will not be able to deliver every single show detail of the day. Instead I've decided to dig deep into the interesting ones and bring you a more insightful fashion sense and trend ahead of us, if that is okay with you. 


If you would like to follow the schedule, this is the link that will lead you to everyday detailed schedule. 


If you would like to see the pictures of all collections, the following links will be helpful for you:
Milan Fashion Week
Telegraph.co.uk

The latter one will provide you with backstage footage, designers interview, street style and more. While the first focuses on the collections.


If you find anything interesting, or would like to join our family in becoming a trend-observing blogger, please email me by Ranee@RaneeC.com. 


Fill your week with excitement! 
Smile :)

RaneeC: London Fashion Week Day FIVE

Day FIVE:

I want to name today, "the extraordinary and men's wear day". Mary Katrantzou, Ashish, Christian Blanken, and Alfred Dunhill are featured due to their outrageous designs that screams through the ceiling! 


Mary Katrantzou, the new star that breaks all rules in the fashion industry, brings you the utmost craziest prints. "I wanted to push the boundaries almost to the point where you don't recognise it's a print." She said backstage after the show. "It's a difficult balance. I start with a silhouette and layer print over print over print," she explained. The layers and prints are crazily put together, which somehow fits amazingly well despite the usual absolute no-no for prints over prints.

She tranformed the women figure with the cutting, the shape of 18th century British style, and of course the prints over prints. Keep that up, it is going to be the BIG HIT for this summer and fall! 

Ashish, on the other hand, came up with an all teenage style. "The India-born, London-based designer travelled the punk-Highlander route, via Bollywood. Mini dresses came in a rainbow patchwork of blue, green, red, purple and yellow tartans, shimmering with sequins. T-shirts and boxer shorts featured sequinned Union Flags. Sweaters and jackets were ripped and torn, covered in holes or bristling with thousands of sequins. (telegraph.co.uk)" Multicolor, ripped, "cobweb" tights exaggerates the distressed effect of the whole collection. It's definitely an interesting collection that reminds me of Mark Zuckerburg in rainbows for some reasons, lol.

Christian Blanken, a talented renowned designer based in Britain, restarted his label 2 years ago, after ten years of working with several other design labels. Incredibly talented! For this collection, he described his designs as "clean, tailored, sharp, luxe and modern, not sweet! (londonfashionweek.co.uk)" Non-prints, color, tight pants, and black heels. Classic modern might be the exact word I'm looking for. Another great collection

Last but not least, give it up to Alfred Dunhill, whom of course has came up with a total of SIX sets of styles featured in their Fall 2011 collection, including business casual, suit, military, casual, and black tie for fall and winter respectively. I won't say I follow men's fashion too much, but they all look very mature upholding gentlemen. It is.. sexy!

Parvi: Burberry - A Twist on Feminine Strength

Day four of London Fashion Week featured the Burberry Prorsum show. I have to say, the women’s fall 2011 line was BEAUTIFUL. We’ll get to the clothes momentarily, but let’s just talk about the show itself.

How beautiful was the beginning? The snow, the lights, the drama. It set the tone for the entire show. A classic air breathing a sense of bold sophistication into the show. I was little on the fence about the music initially but it was genius how well it represented the overall feeling of show. Sure it was slightly melancholy but the lyrics evoked a sense of strength and independent beauty that resonated within the pieces. The jackets were structured and well defined while still maintaining a gorgeous feminine flair. The entire line emanated a sense of strong female presence. The colors were bold and beautiful. Each piece demanded attention in a very sophisticated manner. It reminded me of 1920’s women – Strong, independent and demanding while being feminine.

"Poodle" Coat

I loved the transition from colors, to flannel, to pure white all in the most luxurious fabrics. Just watching the show even over the internet you could feel the rich lushness of the material. It looked luxurious – fabulous in every way – soft, rich, stunning. Now speaking of luxurious materials, let’s talk fur. As far as I am aware, Burberry has not done fur at this scale before. The fluff and glamor that it added was spectacular though there were a few coats that reminded me mildly of poodles (picture left). Even better was the sharp contrast of the white coats following. Removing all color from the pieces added a new level of simple sophistication bolstered by fabulous glamor courtesy of full fur coats, daring cutouts, and simple yet fun berets. Much of the collection had a mild military flare to itself as well which was interesting to see. I could have sworn that was last season, but I guess it’s good to see it come back. Burberry made it work in the coats, though I was on the fence about its presentation in the few sweater pieces I saw strut down the runway. I did appreciate the variety in the collection though that was tied together by simple lines that toned down the femininity of the collection yet maintained it in the flair and drama present in other components of the pieces.

There were times my internal shopping addict went into overdrive watching the show.  I wanted almost every piece walking down that runway. Wearing those coats, carrying those purses it makes you feel in control in whimsical way. Like a women who knows she is fabulous but doesn't need to flaunt it and really, let’s be real here, what woman doesn’t want to be that way? Strong, sophisticated, beautiful and demanding of deserved attention but in the most simple understated way.

RaneeC: London Fashion Week Day FOUR

Day FOUR:
Aww.. couple more days left only for LFW. Gona miss all these buzz and excitement every morning that gives me a reason to wake up, early!


Day FOUR is definitely the MOST exciting day for me, just because of Burberry Prosum (we'll have a separate post for it). It was definitely amazing to get up early on Monday morning to watch it live online! 


Anyways, watching the other ones for that day as well, it was definitely eye-opening to see the different designers of contrasting styles coming up with all amazing niche towards their particular likings. I tend to elaborate on collections that I fancy, and I am not a big fan of "the dark force" type of designs, which Julien Macdonald is great at! Her designs were stunningly forceful, yet with a feeling of sadness. I believe we have all gone through a phase, the start of puberty, hate the fact that your parents might not understand you the way you wanted them to. Simple Plan's Perfect is a great portrayal that summarizes her design. You get it right away, the design and style and feeling for the collection. 


I am particularly attracted to David Koma's collection. It is an "Oh my god" moment for me that I gasped staring at the slideshow of designs while in class. Let me show you what I mean -

Throughout the whole collection, David played with round shapes. The designs are distinct, carefully crafted, and elegant. And definitely gives off this 21st century feeling, almost like a fashionable Tron outfit! The future of fashion maybe?

Erdem, a gifted Canadian designer who have worked with Diane von Furstenberg in New York before launching his own line in 2005. His romantic and feminine designs has won him the prestigious Fashion Fringe award the same year. "Celebrated for his unique use of print, he evolves this signature with each collection of whimsical day dresses and coquettish flared skirts. (net-a-porter.com)" After years of revolving his designs, Erdem's 2011 Fall collection has pushed the boundary, once again. 

Paul Smith and Michael van der Ham each added their own elements for their fall collection. Paul Smith continued their preppy, almost like19th century British men style evolved into women's outfit. Interesting to see, but doesn't convey the sense of overpowered freedom that I believe they would like to portray, as much as I thought it might. 

On the other hand, Michael used various sharp colors of velvet to design a collection of bright and colorful outfits. Pretty cool.

Keep searching for what you like! Some styles they present might suit you, some may not. It is definitely essential to know what YOU want! This is why we're here to help you by exposing you to different styles out there. Don't ever limit yourself! There's a lot more to see!

Smile :)

RaneeC: London Fashion Week Day THREE

Day THREE:
The one we'll look specifically into is Matthew Williamson, a talented young individual. Not to say that other designers of the day was no good, but his collection is just the best out of all, in my opinion. 

He played around with plaids, and the design for pants was extraordinary! Plaid just gives more patterns and fun towards fall outfits. Personally if it's not red, I would not have paid attention to such striking feature. The pants on the other hand, look at the detail for shadow at the inner thigh and inner calves. It brings about drastic changes towards the shape of the wearer. Imagine how it would have been if it's just a regular grey pants. 

Again, it is about pattern and the black feather that enhances the shape of the model. The design exaggerates the beauty and curve of women. Brilliant!

If you'd like to see more of other designs, please feel free to go on LondonFashionWeek.co.uk. Other designers of the day that you may find interesting might be Antonio Berardi, Osman, Unique, and Vivienne Westwood Red Label

RaneeC: London Fashion Week Day TWO

Day TWO:
It's only day TWO, but you can already tell the flow of creativity flooding in! Every designer try to stand out with their own style and touch towards fashion itself. From day TWO, you find different styles of clothing, including conservatives from Daks, crazy patterns by Louise Gray, blood red collection of course from Betty Jackson, and colorful preppy from House of Holland. Then there's my favorite uniquely designed black collection by John Rocha. Oh my god, I'm trying to find a better word than genius to describe his style, but couldn't yet. Photos may speak more than words. 

Pictures provided by LondonFashionWeek.co.uk.

RaneeC: London Fashion Week Very FIRST Day:)

Day ONE:
Absolutely LOVE Aminaka Wilmont's designs, very usual everyday dress-up style. Patterned tops that says something about you, Thigh-highs with mid-calves boots! Well put together!

Next up is Maria Grachvogel. Favorite DRESS of the Day! Can't find any other word than Awesome! The plain low-V cut helps to stand out the bottom part of the pattern, which also enhances the long legs. Almost like showing something you meant to hide. It flows! And it FLIES!!!!

For the F-REEZING cold weather, Jena.Theo tells you NOT TO PUT AWAY YOUR WOOLEN TIGHTS!


 

Of course I cannot not mention Jean-Pierre Braganza!! So it is the most LEGIT BUSINESS CASUAL! 

That's all for today! I will definitely keep you all updated with more styles to come! And we'll review the styles from Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Show that just ended yesterday very soon! Stay tune! 

Smile! :)