Definitively this was no ordinary Couture Fashion Show, there were no catwalks, no customers, editors, celebrities or stylists gathered at one venue, instead we were transported to a fairytale garden and we were able to see mermaids, nymphs, fairies and a magical trunk that looked like Dior’s Avenue Montaigne headquarters, and inside this trunk the most amazing pieces scaled-down to look like a doll’s size, but as detailed as any other model-size gown, as we all could see at the beginning of the short movie, titled (very aptly I think) Le Mythe Dior.
What can I say? Dior’s always been one of my favorite brands and I’ve always enjoyed their shows in past fashion weeks and I need to tell you this show, as completely different as it was, was not the exception and I’m actually excited with the collection and the way it was showed.
The film was inspired by the “Théâtre de la Mode” that was an exhibition during 1945 were designers decided to show the most beautiful and detailed representation of fashion splendor, “perfection in miniature” using 1:3 mannequins instead of real women. This exhibition was a way to show the world what the designers and their ateliers were capable of in order to reignite an industry so damaged by World War II. And precisely that spirit is what you can see in Maria Grazia’s interview, I particularly loved to hear her say that she was excited by this new way to work with couture, excited to find all the new and different possibilities that were there waiting to be discovered, to keep the same emotion as attending the actual show. And I must say Dior did it!
For this collection, she was inspired and influenced by Surrealist authors like Lee Miller (photographer), Dora Maar (photographer) Leonora Carrington (painter) and Jacqueline Lamba (painter), all of them recognized artists in their different fields. “Surrealist images manage to make visible what is in itself invisible,” said Maria Grazia.
And we can see this influence in that certain etherealness of the pieces presented, silks and volume, embroidered tull, chiffons and laces, all these materials belonging to fairy tales and adorned with feathers and floral embroideries, completely impossible to resist, as even the mermaid picked a gown by the film’s end.
My favorite piece was this midnight blue shantung hand-pleated and fringed coat. Trivia fact: three petites mains worked for a total of 150 hours on this coat and it required 35 meters of fabric!
The magic of this online event is that you can see everything I’m describing to you! And I’d really recommend you to watch the film, as it only takes 10 minutes, and its beauty is really something worth seeing, you can go to dior.com and watch it and once you finish watching it and reading the information that you’ll find there, why don’t you tell me what you think about it?
XO
Sira Pevida
Yes! The Haute Couture Fall-Winter 2020-2021 Collection is just about to start next Monday, 6th July, and I’m so happy and excited! This edition will be completely different to what has traditionally been, as the brands will show their collections online, due to the situation with the pandemic we’re going through, and I think adapting the format of an event of such magnitude, is the perfect example of the saying “The show must go on”.
I agree that seeing the shows on line doesn’t compare to experiencing Fashion Week on site, cause even when the schedule is sometimes downright frantic, it also has that magic that you only get to experience once you’re in Paris, in the show you have been waiting for and experiencing it surrounded by people that are passionate about fashion. However I think the decision to go online with this events, reflects the capacity we have to adapt and innovate, even when the circumstances are not the ones we want.
This will be the first time ever that the shows will be open almost to everyone as everyone will have access to videos, interviews and mini documentaries, with interactive material that the public in general will have access to. So, even if you didn’t have in your plans going to FWHC, you’ll still be able to experiencing it, even if you can’t be in the actual catwalks.
I’m actually excited to see Dior’s collection on Monday, along with Ralph & Russo; Tuesday Chanel will present its collection and on Wednesday we´ll get to see Valentino among other wonderful and iconic brands. I’m sure that even if I’m not going to be running from one show to the other, the time difference with Paris, will prove to be a different challenging situation.
The content will be available at Hautecouture.fhcm.paris/ where you can check the calendar to see the shows that will be presenting, and I don’t know, maybe we’ll be seeing the exact same shows at the exact same times! I’d love to know your opinions of the shows, so why don’t you send me a DM or message so we can all talk about our favorite pieces?
XO
This quarantine has changed all our lives in ways that we never could’ve imagined and many of these changes have been for the best. Among other things, this pandemic has brought to life the generosity, solidarity and empathy from many people, brands, industries and businesses, a side that some time we forget exists in every one of us.
As you well know, I adore fashion. I’ve said many times before (and will continue to!) that for me fashion is a way of expression, of making a statement, of individuality. through fashion you can have that extra confidence boost we all need at certain times! And I’m aware that for some people, fashion and the fashion industry (luxury brands specially) seem superficial, frivolous and for the most extremely opinionated, downright unnecessary.
And that’s exactly what I want to talk about with you today! It’s undeniable that this pandemic changed the way things have been done in general and of course, the fashion industry wasn’t the exception, but it also wasn’t the exception when we talk about how this pandemic brought out the best of this industry.
During this times of uncertainty and of need I’m so happy to have witnessed how many of the brands I’ve collaborated with, and whose creations I’ve admired for a long time, have raised to the challenge and organized themselves to help.
Here are some examples: Burberry produced 100,000 medical graded masks and stopped its iconic raincoats’s production to produce medical gowns and masks. Kering Group, the corporation that owns brands as Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and Bottega Veneta, among others (yes, those brands that you’ve read about during my trips to Fashion Week!) used their workshops, production equipment and supplies, to make medical gowns and medical masks and donated millions of dollars to World Health Organization’s Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
And not only the fashion corporations and brands were interested in helping. Fashions icons such as Donatella Versace, Michael Kors (personally) and Giorgio Armani among others, have also made generous donations directly to hospitals (Giorgio Armani donated 1.25 millions of euros to Milanese’s hospitals) and different funds. Ana Wintour and Tom Ford launched a fundraising called “A Common Thread” to help struggling fashion businesses amid the pandemic.
These are just some examples of what I was talking about before, I’m amazed and humbled to see all these iconic brands and people, united by the desire to help. It makes you wonder what we could all accomplish if we’d leave behind all those judgements of what’s frivolous and what is not, and use all that energy to see what we can do to contribute to our communities, our countries and the world in general. At least for me, this was a great show of altruism and unity, and has made me look for the places and situations where I can contribute to, what do you think?
I truly believe that in hard times, thinking about the future is good for the mind. And right now, I pass my time not only watching movies, reading, having a good time with my family and bothering my brother Alex, but also living my passion through selection. I’ve been having a great time reviewing my favorite brand’s Spring-Summer 2020 collections, preparing the outfits I’d like to use this summer. Will you join me in this joyful adventure?
Let’s start with Fendi and its collection designed by, of course, Silvia Venturini Fendi. Silvia’s collection has sun vibes embodied all over it, melting between ultra-feminine silhouettes that I loved from beginning to end. As they describe it, their collection detaches a “new Borghese energy” through its transparencies and knitted garments, that I’d use at the beach or at a brunch with the sunset painting the sky. Flower patterns are all Fendi needed to wonder me, using colors such as pink, purple and blue matching with the well-known colors of the fashion house, yellow and brown. Choosing my musts was such a difficult task!
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Dior, of course! Do you remember the catwalk? Models wandering among that trees, with outfits that looked like they came out of fairy tales, with the perfect combination of Mother Nature’s style and the rebel touch of the 21st century. Vintage flowers were the main protagonists of this collection, breaking through a delicate blue, contrasting with camel and exchanging places with black. The hats were the perfect complement. I can clearly see myself having a picnic with my children during this Spring using them. So, which ones were my favorites?
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With classic bags in new textures and the iconic Chanel suit reinterpreted is how the French house captivated me. Virginie Viard did a splendid job capturing and shaping the essence of a Chanel girl, using classic patterns to further highlight a colorful collection. In this new installment, traditional designs met daring ones, in the form of dresses adorned with CHANEL patterns in pink, blue, black and white, styled with ankle strap sandals that I just loved! Oh, and the frills: blue, black, gray and white. The combinations were perfect. And Chanel couldn’t have chosen a better way to present its Spring-Summer 2020 collection. Somehow, the colors and pieces fit in perfectly with the landscape around. The collection said “Paris” in every look. And… My favorites!
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Do you remember when I visited the YSL museum in Morocco during my last birthday? That was something I really wanted to do, because I love Saint Laurent. So, we couldn’t leave them out of my favorite Spring-Summer 2020 collections. At the usual spot, with the Eiffel Tower in the background, Saint Laurent gifted us with a collection that Anthony Vaccarello described as an ode to the bourgeois and the bohemian. YSL represents not only a brand or a designer, but a lifestyle. The Parisian lifestyle, with all its elegance translated to black and shining tailored suits, a combination of textures like vinyl, silk or leather. Using deconstructed and sensual pieces, with baroque patterns and animal print, Saint Laurent set the standard for this season. And what I liked the most?
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And last but not least, Tom Ford. The director and fashion designer from the United States surprised us capturing the essence of New York in a simple and refined way. Solid and vivid colors shined on the catwalk; a palette difficult to describe, as the brand opted for a multiplicity of satin shades that gave a futuristic touch to this collection, where the makeup contrasted and complemented the looks, giving the necessary touches of sloppiness to the show. Inspired by the Andy Warhol, Edie Sedgwick, Chuck Wein emerging of the subway picture, taken by Burt Glinn, and by sportswear. Tom Ford created this pieces that I love:
What do you think? Which ones were your favorites? I know there are still so many brands to talk about. Let me know if you want a second part!
What a spectacular way to start the show with that giant black hat that barely allowed us see the face of the model. Clare Waight Keller brought Givenchy’s 70’s silhouettes back to the runway. She inspired in Nouvelle Vague movie posters and artists such as Helena Almaida and Ketty La Rocca, and also from the archival imagery of Hubert de Givenchy’s midcentury collections.
Everything was made in a monochromatic color palette with touches of red, brown and gold. Asymmetrical dresses, shoulder pads, exaggerated volumes and pronounced necklines. The silhouettes were mostly minimal and the pieces englobe an amazing tailoring work that make women’s body look strong and powerfull.
I loved the combination of patterns and prints composed of motifs in many ways, including dots, checks, stripes, among others and the way they mixed them is very astute.
The first pieces shown were very elegant but in a more casual way, then, in the end, night gowns full of feathers and others with fringes, began to come out. It’s a completely feminine collection with a high level of details.
For my look I wore an animal print fur jacket with leather shorts and black heels, I added red gloves and net tights. I wore free hair and a very natural makeup with nude lips.
The models walked through a beautiful garden created at Pavillon Cambon, full of trees and flowers to present the Fall – Winter collection of Ralph and Russo and let me tell you it was an unforgettable experience.
Fashion is focused in empowering females and designers are delighted in creating clothes for the strong, independent and multifaceted modern woman. For Ralph and Russo has always been important to create exactly this kind of pieces, because as Tamara Ralph said, “More than ever in history, women want to travel and see the world for themselves”. Therefore, some of the designs were inspired in Ancient Greek and other places around the world, channeling every woman’s inner explorer.
Following this global explorer inspiration this collection was composed by different silhouettes, some inspired by kimonos with large sleeves and pronounced necklines, others more casual like sweater and pants, there were also some two-piece suits, short trousers with boots, some ski sets, that by the way I’m completely in love with, and sensual lace long dresses. In fact, this collection had something for all different types of women and their styles.
I loved the fabrics: plaid wool, the smooth and patterned silks, the denim, blue military textures, black lace, floral patterns and the feathered details.
I really liked this collection because I think they covered the different phases a woman can get through during the course of our lives. There are many fabrics and silhouettes involved in the designs, some are cute, some are casual and some others are sexy.
My look for the show was a set of two pieces of top and mini shorts from the SS collection, in a beautiful turquoise color that I combined with white tights and a sweater underneath. I wore turquoise sandals and a pink purse.
Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2020 will always have a special and cherished place in my memories, among a lot of other reasons, because this season has been full of “first times” for me and today I had the opportunity of experience another one: the Loewe show. It was presented at Maison l’Unesco, a very clean space with black and white floor, the perfect background for this runway. Honestly, I was very excited to witness this show because lately Jonathan Anderson has been making very interesting and progressive proposals with his designs. He’s been challenging and changing women’s fashion playing with the proportions and building new shapes.
He’s always trying to reinvent himself and his creations, innovating at every step and composing something that nobody has ever seen before, and as difficult as this may sound, Jonathan Anderson nails it with every collection he presents. This season, the collection was full of details inspired by the Spanish house’s roots with flamenco motifs and surreal details, there were also pieces of royal inspiration such as the large feathered hats that complemented perfectly the elegant and luxurious style.
He exaggerated the unconventional details to transform the female silhouette. Long dresses with big ruffles that gave volume on the chest and the hips, inflated sleeves, layering and color cuts in coat. I absolutely loved the pants with ankle straps and the extra long sleeves.
Bags and accesories have always been an essential part of Loewe’s designs and in this collection I loved the different non conventional shapes of the bags, as some of them were triangular, or maybe Loewe’s shapeless features.
For this show I wore a white sweater with purple fur on the neck combined with black leather pants tied with ankle straps that made a lot of volume, strappy sandals and an amazing lime hat.
After some seasons in which I haven’t attended the Balmain show, today I can say the show was spectacular!
Olivier Rousteing was inspired by his personal life, as an adopted he has always been asking questions about his roots, heritage and adaptation in society. Therefore, he created an inclusive collection that, no matter where you come from you’ll fit in. This is also the subject of his documentary “Wonder boy”, nominated for best documentary at the Cesar Awards.
I loved the way the models walked through the catwalk with a solid equestrian vibe collection. It’s balmain’s army, they came out of the arches in groups of three or four models at the time.
Classy structured silhouettes in long camel capes with golden buttons, classic Balmain blazers in several colors and variations. The trends are all about layering and lots of hanging fabric. Of course, Olivier couldn’t miss the characteristic shoulder pads that give a stronger look to who’s wearing them, lots of pleats in the clothes and, as well as in the shoes, he plays with draping and emphasizes women’s body in a positive way.
The collection began with casual looks and, as it went by, some evening dresses started to come out with many details, such as maximized ruffles, sleeveless, short skirts with large volumes in red and black colors.
The accessories are stunning pieces that gave the collection a wow effect, the large bags with the letter ”B” printed in the middle, up-to-the-knee leather boots in many colors and what about those huge belts with golden chapes? I need them assap!
For me, this collection makes women feel stronger and empowered, I love all the amazing details and the color palette that Olivier chose in classic fall colors such as camel, whites, green, brown and orange.
Maria Grazia characterizes for constantly promoting feminism and for transforming one of the most demurely feminine houses into one of the most outspokenly feminist, one of the most recent examples is adding phrases like, the now iconic: “We should all be feminists” or “Why have there been no great women artists?” in her designs, and these phrases have resonated deeply with a lot of us.
For Dior’s fall 2020 runway, the inside of Jardin des Tuileries was full of big neon signs with phrases such as: “Consent,” “Women Raise the Upraising,” “Patriarchy = Climate Emergency,” and “Feminine Beauty Is a Ready-Made”. These signs were created by a collective of feminist artists called Claire Fontaine, their installations, videos and artworks are inspired by Marcel Duchamp’s work and are characterized by a solid way of telling the truth.
For Maria Grazia, creating a collection with feminist statements goes beyond expensive clothing. Her goal is to spread her message throughout the world and provoking a discussion long due. This collection is a personal diary of Maria Grazia’s teenage life in the 70’s, when the marches for what women decided to wear became politicized. It’s totally an artwork.
I had a the most amazing experience at Dior’s show, as they invited me to backstage where I met Peter Philips (the creative director of Dior makeup), who talked to me about his inspiration for this collection, they wanted to show a very natural skin, without highlight or glow. Just a rough look. The emphasis was on the model’s eyes, playing with different eyeliner’s intensities.
If you saw my Instastories, you were able to see this backstage’s apparent craziness and I say apparent because in reality, a lot of organization and commitment are necessary for the whole team working behind the scenes to make everything work out perfectly and having an extraordinary show.
The collection itself, reflected Dior in a very relaxing and informal style, yet refined. The pieces were meant for any occasion, mostly casual wear.Net tights, combat boots, layering between the clothes and the accessories, ties and necklaces mixed together, see-through fabrics that showed Dior lingerie underneath, plaid skirts and blazers that reminded me of a preppy style, denim pants and jackets, more casual pieces like bomber jackets, bags and pants in military textures and for the last pieces some long night dresses with fringes and transparencies.
The color palette was in dark colors like blue, black, green and gray, some of the pieces have more colorful details in orange and red. I loved the hair looks with patterned scarves tied to the head in a very casual and breezy way.
I wore a total Dior look, a long navy-blue dress with a belt, long net shoes and a beautiful crossbody bag with golden details. I did a very natural makeup with red lips and for my hair, I chose a high bun with a heart pin as a detail.
As what it seems to be a tradition, at the foot of the illuminated Eiffel Tower we all sat to appreciate the new collection designed by Anthony Vaccarello. What a thrill!
The runway was completely dark, no lights. The models began appearing, one by one illuminated by a white circle-shaped light that followed each model as they walked by, and then they disappeared.
Undoubtedly, the showstoppers tonight were the tight latex materials in blouses, trousers, dresses and up to the knee boots that where combined with large and oversized pieces on the top. Vaccarello gave this collection a feminine and sensual style, emphasizing the female silhouette, and what better example than the mid-calf dresses with very subtle ruffles. Some other pieces were so tight that they appeared to be painted on the model’s skin.
In total contrast with the catwalk, that was completely black, Anthony proposed a way less sober color palette than what we are used to, rather a colorful one in purple, pink, berry, green, orange and ochre gold, all mixed and matched in the outfits. I was surprised not to see a lot more of black, but it was a pleasant surprise.
Details are an essential part of every look and I loved the black heels with ribbons tied to the ankles, big necklaces of golden chain, ruffles around the necklines in dresses and blouses, everything was on point.
As usually during fashion week, I was running late for this show and when I was putting on the dress my zipper got stuck, and there wasn’t anything any of us could do to unstuck it and sadly I couldn’t wear it. Fortunately, I had a plan B: I wore a white silk dress with feathers, matching tights and stilettos with glitters on the heel and I absolutely loved it! For my makeup I wanted red lips and wore YSL Tatouage lip stain, for my hair a I did a high bun. What do you think about my plan B look?
