Oscars: Winning Dresses through the Ages

I love me a good infographic, and if you haven't seen this then you need to. Amazing!

Hermes Scarf Fashion

I've always loved silk scarves and I am more than sure I've actually posted about this before. Anyway, here's another awesome Hermes 'how to wear your scarf' guide. The versatility of something so simple is why I have a whole collection of scarves from all different brands. I need to get them out and wear them more often, don't I?

Wordless Wednesdays: Women in Windows

Well, look at that alliteration!

Credit: Ormond Gigli via Guardian.co.uk

OK so I'm cheating on this wordless one a bit - all I can say is there's a story behind this photo and if you want to read it click here.

The photo was taken in Manhattan and none of the women are models and none were styled, just told to turn up in whatever they wanted. And how magnificent does it look!

Millinery Madness

One thing my sister and I like to collect is millinery - exquisite headwear is just so beautiful and absolutely like pieces of art in their design, craftmanship and fashionability! We're always on the look out for amazing pieces at bargain prices and so when I came across these pieces I just had to have them.

Richard Nylon Netting Fascinator
So this is very Richard Nylon esque, being completely theatrical and almost Lady Gaga-esque. It is quite delicately constructed though and has great height and drama. I would have preferred the netting to be slightly more centred on the velvet headband but it's still potentially perfect for a Derby Day carnival meet.

Peter Bentley
So this piece is a little more traditional, but the plastic shard hot pink flower adds a touch of girly fun, especially with the light 'feathers' dramatically popping outwards. This would be cute with an all-white outfit I think!

Fiona Powell winter headpiece
This is definitely more traditional and unfortunately the picture doesn't do it justice because it looks absolutely fabulous when worn because of the angle at which all the pieces are draped. This would look great with a Roland Mouret inspired shift dress, don't you think?

And because I couldn't help myself, I had to put pics of my storing them in my NAP boxes! I love re-using them because they're so sturdy.

And do you know what's the best bit? All 3 pieces were reduced from $1200+ to just $150 :)

Fashion Editorials

So I might be a little behind the times on this, but I recently came across this website which is an awesome portal of a whole host of fashion editorials from around the world!

OK so a lot of the pics are linked from the awesomeness that is tpf (the purse forum), but I love that it has done all the archiving for me. Even years old editorials are searchable there and link you to the full picture galleries.

What are your favourite fashion editorial websites?

Roksanda Ilincic hotness!

I couldn't help but post about this Roksanda Ilincic dress when I saw it on Princess Beatrice - is it not amazing? I think she looks absolutely stunning in it!

I've always thought Roksanda was uber talented and her designs are fresh with couture qualities, but still totally wearable (unfortunately with pricetags to match!). When I saw the picture above I had to know who designed it and I wasn't the least bit surprised when I found the source, so of course I went hunting a bit. I didn't need to look far as I found I had just completely missed its appearance on net-a-porter.com. It was no wonder really because it doesn't look half as amazing on the website, right?

CFDA 2012

I know I'm a little late on this, but last week the prestigious CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) awards were announced and gee whiz I couldn't believe it when I heard Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen won Womenswear Designer of the Year for their label The Row.

Now I love the Olsen twins and their collections are definitely wearable, always classic and simple with a slight twist making them on-trend, but their prices are so exorbitant so mere mortals like myself unfortunately could never afford to wear it all. I suppose my surprise comes mostly from the fact their designs are arguably not the most unique on the market, but all the same a huge congratulations to them on such a prestigious award!

Phillip Lim also won for Emerging Talent, though I'm not sure I would really call him 'emerging' anymore!

Here's the full list of winners in case you were wondering:
Womenswear Designer of the Year: Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen of The Row
Menswear Designer of the Year: Billy Reid
Accessories Designer of the Year: Reed Krakoff
Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent in Womenswear: Joseph Altuzarra
Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent in Womenswear: Phillip Lim
Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent in Accessories: Tabitha Simmons
Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award: Tommy Hilfiger
International Award: Rei Kawakubo
Founders Award, in honour of Eleanor Lambert: Andrew Rosen
Media Award, in honour of Eugenia Sheppard: Scott Schuman and Garance Dore
Fashion Icon Award: Johnny Depp

Holiday Holiday Holiday

Apologies again for the lack of posts - last week I started my 2 month holiday so my posts will unfortunately only be when I get a breather from holidaying!

I hope everyone enjoyed a pleasant Easter period and in the mean time, here's a bit of a teaser from one of my holiday destinations which I will definitely be posting about when I get the chance!

Jean Paul Gaultier 'Wedding Dress'

Above is one of my pics from the Jean Paul Gaultier retrospective exhibition in San Francisco :) JPG has long been one of my favourite designers (at one stage even my all time favourite!) and so this was a dream come true. Plus they let us take photos! Amazing.

Oscars Fashion 2012

As if February isn't crazy enough - it is my birthday month and there are only 28 or 29 days to squeeze  life into - it is also one of the best fashion months because of Awards Season and two fashion weeks!

So I love being able to watch the Awards Show and the red carpet arrivals live and so far here are my favourites....

Gwyneth Paltrow in Tom Ford
I love how Gwyneth always goes for simple outfits (who can forget the pink Ralph Lauren in 1999!) and this is just genius! It looks a little crappy in pics but she looked glowing on the video coverage.

Kristen Wiig in J Mendel
People gave her Kristen a hard time for wearing nude yet again but she just looks ethereal and beautiful. And love the vampy dark nails as a little bit of contrast! But I am a bit obsessed with Mendel.

                                                 

Milla Jovovich in Elie Saab
I think Milla is definitely dominating the votes for best dressed and I tend to agree that this is an amazing outfit - beading done to perfection with the block colour background. It does help that she's drop dead gorgeous though!

Stacy Keibler in Marchesa
So Clooney's girlfriend is lucky to be blessed with amazing looks and a to-die-for body, but this dress is just perfection. It looks a little too shiny in this pic (the fabric looks a little cheap?) but when I saw the coverage this just glowed. The fabric complemented the perfectly balanced design features and she looks beautiful.

Jessica Chastain in Alexander McQueen

I remember having seen this gown before and I always liked it, but this just floats on the red carpet. I'm not sure if it is exactly that Oscar appropriate, though definitely red carpet appropriate, but it's a beautiful design worthy of attention. And she's wearing $2 million of Harry Winston jewels!

Rooney Mara in Givenchy
Rooney usually wears black so she got a lot of attention for wearing a different hue (albeit still monochromatic). I like this outfit but don't love it...she does pull it off well though and I can see the wearability in this.

Glenn Close in Zac Posen
While she's not in the most stunning outfit to walk the red carpet, this is just so age appropriate and the blazer is a nice point of difference! Glenn Close just looks so youthful despite her age and her body is smashing in this gown!

Michelle Williams in Louis Vuitton
People are definitely voting Michelle on the Best Dressed List and while I like this outfit I think it's almost a little boring? Cute, awesome for a party, but just not my favourite. But the fabric and detailing is definitely pretty.

And now for just one I dislike...and I feel bad saying it about an Aussie but I'm sorry Rose Byrne, I don't care that you're wearing Vivienne Westwood, Chanel couture jewels and Jimmy Choo shoes, this midnight blue sparkler just looks a little ill-fitting on you when you have such a long lean body! Maybe I'm the only one who feels that way though?

The Kardashians

I can't remember if I've posted about this before but I've been getting into the Kardashians lately. So I'm a little behind on the times but I've been able to watch whole seasons quickly without having to wait, and it's just a bit of trash to watch when I don't want to think too hard!

Anyway, I like reading Kourtney's blog now and then and I saw this...their annual Christmas Card shoot:

Click on it for a larger version to see the close up detail - it's really quite spectacular (in my opinion). Kendall looks amazing for a 16 year old and I think all the fashion watchers out there who have listed her as 'One to watch' are right on the money. They're all wearing fabulous Louboutins too - I think Khloe is in Pigalles and Kendall in Duvette 120s.

And how adorable is little Mason? Meanwhile, my sister (who is obsessed with little Suri Cruise) tells me that Mason Dash Dissick has been voted #5 in Hollywood's Most Influential Kids listing. No disagreement here!

Does anyone else have a TV show guilty pleasure?

Print Fabrics

I love a good print fabric...but less so the possibility of someone else turning up to an event in the same print! It's why a lot of designers will design their own exclusive prints and fabrics and/or buy up a whole roll of fabric from the suppliers to ensure no other designer will use it.

For my Aussie readers, who can forget this famous Lisa Ho petal dress (circa 2006 I think?) which was the hot dress of Summer and worn by Bec Hewitt and a tonne of other celebrities. I remember girls going crazy trying to find one in their size.

So I was a little disappointed to see this Wayne Cooper dress (and a few others in the same fabric) in stores the other day:

Looking similar to this Marc Jacobs original:

This particular Marc Jacobs dress is from his 10th anniversary collection which is awesome; He basically did a re-run of some of his most popular dresses from way back when. I have a beautiful dress in this same print but in a more heavy weight taffeta fabric and in a bustier style...it is so lovely!

I'm probably one of the few Australians who actually likes Wayne Coopers clothes - they're always simple and easy to wear and he has great evening styles, not to mention I know exactly what my size is and it always fits me perfectly. But even so, I was a little more than disappointed when I realised I probably couldn't wear my Marc Jacobs dress to any up-coming Christmas parties for fear of someone else coming in the same print!

Has anyone else seen any copycat prints lately?

Images thanks to In Style, waynecooper.com.au and Vogue.com.au

Jean Paul Gaultier + Lady Gaga

When I was in school studying fashion as one of my elective subjects, I was always drawn to Jean Paul Gaultier as a designer. For years I would always exclaim he was my favourite fashion designer and I probably still stick to this if I am really to think about it from the design perspective. Of course my own personal style is different and I have lots of other favourite designers now to add to the list.

Anyway, I was home sick form work the other day and it's the one time I get to switch on the TV and channel surf to see what's on. I came across an hour-long documentary style interview of Lady Gaga by none other than Mr Gaultier himself!

It was fabulous, you all must watch it if you get the chance. I loved the specially built 'set' with it's stark white walls which served as a perfect backdrop for Lady Gaga's dramatic outfit. I really admire Lady Gaga as an artist and the boundaries she pushes: for several months there were 5 tracks from her album which I would play on repeat. Combining these two fabulous stars in one documentary was awesome!

Here's a preview from youtube:

And I took some pics with my phone too! :)

Who are your favourite fashion designers?

Celebrity Spotting: Charlotte Casiraghi

Charlotte Casiraghi has always been my favourite Royal and I know I've said it here before but she's absolutely stunning, poised and seemingly down-to-earth. Of course the fact she's part of the Monaco Royal Family and her grandmother is Grace Kelly made me love her even more!

I remember years before I went to Monaco on my Europe trip last year, I thought, it must be amazing growing up in Monaco. When I arrived there, it didn't disappoint. The beautiful shops, the sailing, the weather and the whole 'aura' of the place was fantastic.

Anyway I know I'm a little late to post about this but I looooved her Vogue Paris cover and photoshoot by none other than Mario Testino.

Don't you think she has a sense of elegant beauty about her which is timeless yet different at the same time?

But besides the high fashion, I think the candid everyday shots of Charlotte without the glamour and make up show how down to earth and everyday her life is. These are some of my faves...

 I remember seeing this photo around years ago when she was quite young....

How cute is her puppy? I used to have a dachshund too!!

And for good measure, another more recent one from the Dolce Vita premiere - she's dressed in Gucci. Stunning right?

Now if only we all could be Princesses!

Holiday Shopping

It's been almost 2 months since I got back from the US (crazy!) and I realised I never posted about some of the goodies I bought while there. To be honest, I didn't really shop all that much because I was trying to be good and I was quite happy for it to be an enjoyable holiday, not shopping trip! I know that probably puts me in the minority because everyone I talk to says they come back from the US with two extra suitcases and I certainly saw that in person at the airport!

Anyway, these are two of the things I did buy, in keeping with the shoe theme of this blog :)

Another pair of Ferragamo Varina's on sale at Saks. They're definitely more of a summer shoe so perhaps I got caught up in the warmth of Northern Hemisphere summer but these have cute textured dotted detailing.

And one of the more unique patterns of the infamous Manolo Blahnik Sedaraby from Barneys. Most would remember this as the style of shoe in Sex And The City's "A Woman's Right to Shoes" (one of my fave SATC episodes!)

They of course come in a whole array of colours/styles each season and I wish I could have one of each!

This pair are an almost 'strange' colour combination but they just 'pop' when worn (and looked fabulous with the tan I worked up while I was in the Bahamas) and I can imagine them being worn at a Spring-time garden wedding. Luckily these were at absolute steal as part of the mid season sales!

Online Shopping

For those that missed it, there was a segment about online shopping on Australian 60 Minutes on Sunday which included an interview with Natalie Massanet of net-a-porter.com fame of course. I have to say, it was interesting to watch the behind the scenes enormity of the business she has made so successful. I often think of her success in such stark contrast to all those other online shops which try and emulate the same success but never really get there.

The thing I admire the most is that she's a woman who has blazed a path for herself and from the interview she seems like she's achieved that through smarts and good business sense. There's nothing like a great female role model!

Anyway, I was thinking about some of my other favourite online shops and thought I would share :)

Miijo - http://www.miijo.com/

Of course I'm a supporter of all things Aussie, but I especially like that miijo offers great prices on a great range of International brand accessories. Not only that, they make stock available as and when it is cool and popular overseas, not half a year later which often happens in Australia. They do great sales too!


Gilt Groupe - http://www.gilt.com

So this isn't one that I actually get to shop at because I'm not in the US, but I love to see the beautiful designer goods here. They are spectacular! From exquisite cheap as chips Alexander McQueen, to holidays, beauty products and even today J.Mendel <3. Definitely somewhere I 'window' shop. And the thing is, you know they're onto a good thing when all the Australian copycat versions (launched several years later) are all doing well now too!

Gilt is members only and you need an 'invite' to be able to join which I was able to get. If anyone would like an invite, click here :)

You can see the 60 minutes video for yourself, here.

Image thanks to fashionstake blog.

Oroton + Tommy Ton

I've been following the International shake-up of Australian brand Oroton in recent years, which has culminated most recently in Tommy Ton shooting their new campaign and before that their opening of boutiques in Singapore and nabbing Daria Werbowy as their campaign model. Though most of the current collection isn't my style, I'm really impressed with how they're taking the brand to an International level with these collaborations.

Now for a little story: when I was at school I would go along with my mum as she shopped at Oroton and look at all the beautiful things and wonder if I could ever buy them. Along the way I picked up some cute items, but then I landed a retail job with them and ended up working for the Orotongroup for many years. During that time I waited eagerly for catalogues to arrive into store and whenever I got the chance I would ask designer Ana Maria about all the new items. Of course my style (and budget!) changed through those years so admittedly I look more to the International designers for bag and accessory purchases but I can't forget my past so I'm still a bit of an Oroton girl. I'm still using some of the classic items I have even though they're 5-6 years old now!

Anyway, I actually really like what Tommy Ton has done with the campaign, which is made even better of course by the NYC backdrop. It's making me miss the city even more!

Loving the pink!

This bag is very YSL Muse esque but with a retro twist

Who doesn't love a few Swarovski crystals right?

I also love what they've done with Singapore bloggers - see their facebook page and their blog! As a blogger, you alway like to think you have influence in the fashion world, right?

Blogger Venetia

I liked the colour pop outfit Venetia wore plus I love the Raisa clutch she was toting, but perhaps I'm biased because it was the last item I bought there.

Are there any other Australian fashion International success stories you love?

Images courtesy of oroton.com.