Vogue Festival 2013

If you're a fashion fanatic, you need to be at Vogue Festival at the Southbank Centre next month! I know I'm going to be! 

Seriously, I cannot wait. Front stalls to hear Donatella Versace speak words of wisdom... me thinks yes! 

There are still some tickets available for various events available here: http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson?filter[series]=2134

Victoria Beckham, Michael Kors, Christopher Kane, Cara Delevingne, Anna Dello Russo are just a few of the big names that are participating in the festival.

Buy, buy, buy!

Vera Wang's Outrageous New Try-On Fee

Our beloved Vera Wang has designed bridal gowns for some pretty elite clientele but she may have taken a step too far.

Currently, the newly opened Vera Wang bridal store in Shanghai is charging customers a £317.70 equivalent to try on any bridal gowns. Whether or not this try-on fee will expand to her other worldwide stores is unknown but I personally think it's ridiculous.

Clearly, copyright is a huge issue and protection of your brand and items that are worth thousands upon thousands is necessary. Photos are already forbidden in her stores which is vital. Why the fee?

If clients decide to purchase a gown, the fee is wavered but if not, they'll have to pay up. Now some might say £317 is nothing to someone who can afford a £317,000 Vera Wang gown but there are many that are a lot more simple and range in the £3,000-£4,000 region too. Surely, most soon-to-be brides aspire to wear Vera Wang but choice is still out there and this fee could certainly detract potential clients from even bothering entering the bridal store.

Bad move Vera!

G-Shock x Margiela

Ahh G-Shock has combined with none other than... Maison Martin Margiela and I'm dead excited. The watch is looking so entirely sexy in the newly released advert.

Only 3000 of these watches will be released in celebration of G-Shock's 30 year anniversary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WJIBEyZ7qEk

Alexander Wang x Balenciaga Fall 2013 RTW

So I've been meaning to do a post about Wang's debut at Balenciaga for a while now. It's been a long time coming and everyone's been dying to see the first pieces from this unexpected, yet potentially genius collaboration. Scrap "potentially". It was unconquerable.

Some may critique Wang for not flourishing in the personality department when it came to this RTW collection, yet this is understandable as he really tried to incorporate the brand's ethic in order to stick to the roots of Balenciaga. I believe he did this incredibly well. Nothing was too boring or too extreme.

From what I've read, Wang started working on this collection since Janurary which means this overlapped with his Fall 2013 RTW collection time frame  Wow. Wang has clearly gone out of his way to prove that he can deliver pieces which will not be unrecognisable to the Balenciaga label.

I got vibes from Céline during this collection... perhaps it was the flashes of fur and the long black dresses.

The collection was certainly modest but in no ways bland.

Wang is a versatile designer. He can go from the sportswear aesthetic with boxy jumpers and sweatshirts to elegance and sophistication within a matter of a few months. What better colour palette to choose here too? Monochrome- black, white. Brownie points for that!

Pristine and wearable. Love the simple white blouse with no embellishments. The boots act as trousers due to their high-leg. The chain details add a bit of a specialty to this look. 

This is what Wang is brilliant at. He can use shapes and fabrics like no other sometimes. Love the cutout details, they look gorgeous from the back. Original, yet a pump might have been better than the boots. 

A transformed peplum with simple black trousers. The top reminds me of Charlize's Oscar look...

Shimmery jumper with high-waisted trousers. Like the cute, thin bow belt but I don't care for the shoes at all.  Too open. 

Rouching at its best. Wang has gathered the fabric on this dress so well that nothing else needs to be added to this piece.

The collection starts to take a nice twist with the metallics and sparkles. I like the  neck on this jacket with the open-ended sleeves. The t-bar heels are also a win for me. 

Wow. This cracked paint-speckled knitted jumper is too good to be true. What a twist to knitwear this is. Truly out of the ordinary and I love, love, love it. 

Black fur peplum for warmth and elegance teamed with metallic print trousers. Like the bronze and black combination. 

Oscars 2013 Best Dressed

So without even paying too much attention as to who won what, I jumped straight online to see what everyone wore to the Oscars... obviously.

Overall, there were a few flawless looks, a few terrible looks not even worth mentioning and quite a few mediocre, nice but nothing special looks. In my opinion, the Oscars is the time to really push the boat out and go all out- full glamour or nothing.

I've selected the looks below because I thought they were the best of the night... if I've left out a few big names it's because I didn't find them worth commenting on really.. like Anne Hathaway... really Anne, a Tiffany's necklace with that high neckline?

Amanda Seyfried gets an A+ for this lilac gown. At first look, I thought it might be an Oscar de la Renta but just as good, it's an Alexander McQueen. The detail on this is stunning if looked at closely and the keyhole neckline is lovely, not too revealing.

OMG Charlize Theron! I almost gasped when I saw this white Dior Couture. Flawless. She really works her short, boyish haircut too- everything about this look seems so pure and pristine. Accessorized well too with Harry Winston bracelets on either wrist.

Jessica Chastain showed everyone how it should be done. Custom Armani gown with Harry Winston diamonds- old school Hollywood glamour. That sweetheart neckline looks gorgeous on her.

I wasn't sure whether to put Jennifer Hudson on here or not. The Roberto Cavalli is gorgeous- love the long sleeves and the thigh split. I think her hair looks luscious with that full fringe too but who carries a blue clutch and wears a blue shoe with a blue dress? Really? The shoe almost ruined everything for me... a simple black would've worked a lot better.

When I saw Kelly Rowland I just felt like she deserved an award for turning up dressed so exquisitely! She worked this Donna Karan and the monochrome is right on trend too. Love the way the neckline folds over the side and the skirt is wrapped around her figure perfectly to show off her to-die-for body. Kelly's seriously becoming a style icon and I love it!

Jennifer Lawrence in Dior Couture- one of my favourite looks. This dress is a bit hard to pull off but she did a good job. It's larger than life and the minimal accessories really helped keep the focus on the dress.

Halle Berry still has it & won't lose it in this striped Versace gown. Love the shimmer, the silver and black combination, the plunge neckline, the silver belt... okay, I love everything.

Sandra Bullock did not get enough credit for wearing this incredible Ellie Saab gown. Seriously, the sheer panels, the beads and the lace? Wow.

You couldn't miss Naomi Watts in her silver Giorgio Armani gown. At first I wasn't sure if it looked tacky but it certainly didn't, I really like the neckline, it's very unusual and makes a change from the usual strapless style.

Christopher Kane Fall 2013- London Fashion Week

Christopher Kane is a designer that will never bore me nor fail to excite me in any way. I know that whatever he presents on the runway, it's going to intrigue me, whether it's aesthetically pleasing or not.

In this whopping 60 piece collection, Kane pulled out all the stops for Fall 2013. There were so many visions that came to the forefront every 4-5 looks. One attribute about Kane that I adore is that he knows how to mix up a collection and capture so many different moods. In this collection, specifically, there was definitely a transition from the army prints and camouflage with the "tough" mood to the more romantic, delicate looks with huge amounts of beading.

When I was trying to pick out the most prominent looks from the show, I had a tough time narrowing them to less than 15! This is what I love about Christopher Kane's shows and I'll never grow tired of the anticipation I get from viewing his collections. There's always something unique- something no-one else is doing.

We saw so many wonderful fabrics and prints- Kane is the master of prints! At times, I had to stop and stare and wonder how I should feel about certain pieces but that was expected.

Kane gave us a taste of each aspect of his collection before moving on to something new altogether  It was definitely appealing to me.

A vibrant, "strange" and fairly "dark" collection overall. You could tell a lot of work went behind this collection, I mean 60 pieces?! Wow. Kane is proving his capabilities more and more every time he presents a collection and now that PPR have invested in him, I'm looking forward to seeing his booming growth in the industry.

A coat you'll never see elsewhere. "Statement" is an understatement. The camouflage  print looks more rich with the  fur off the shoulder. 

Again, the camouflage is "prettied up" with the shimmery miniskirt. 

 

Gorgeous black biker jacket teamed up with more camouflage. Edgy and tough.

I thought this dress was brilliant. The camouflage is enhanced in metallics and the buckle used to connect the V neck is  so "grunge". Pretty but "in your face".

A rich variation of the camouflage as new shades of red and gold are used in this textured minidress.

This piece looked so incredibly costume. Every bit is handcrafted with swirls or a floral pattern for the skirt. 

Love the distressed/torn pieces of fabric at the bottom. Breaks up the prettiness of the look, as Kane likes to do.

Something gothic and serious. The cuffs are great additions to this dress fit for a warrior.

On to something more delicate and simple with the red satin finish and sweetheart neckline.

This is a look for the brave. Full-on floral embellishments on the top and sheer skirt, yet  there's still something dark about the appearance. 

Out of nowhere, we see some geometrical inspirations on a dress that seems very "tissue-paper like". 

Fuzzy and bold yet sparkly with the black glitter. 

Divine. The beadwork on this and the next look is exquisite. Perfect ebening look with the subtle sheerness over the midriff and the transition from black to navy is beautiful for Fall. The patent shoes are perfect for this look too. 

Again, look at the work here. Sexy and feminine. Something unexpected towards the end of the show. A pleasant surprise. 

(Images courtesy of: style.com)

Topshop Unique Fall 2013- London Fashion Week

Topshop Unique was a Fall 2013 collection for the trendy youth of Britain, basically.

Opening and ending with Cara Delevingne, Topshop definitely knew how to seal the deal with their masses of teenagers and young women.

Overall, PVC was used on skirts, satin, fur and chunky knit sweaters were seen and block colours of orange and red broke up the otherwise dark colour palette.

Realistically, the pieces were simple but worn with other statement garments made for some dramatic looks.

Personally, I loved Cara's opening outfit and Jourdan Dunn's closing sequin jumpsuit.

The vibe of the show was definitely a mixture between disco/clubbing and minimalist combinations.

In my opinion, Topshop Unique outdid themselves with this collection. I would personally wear so many of these looks that I saw down the runway, which by the way, was no usual extravaganza. Topshop Unique teamed up with Google + to not only live stream the show but capture millions of angles of the looks and project them on to the walls of the Tate Modern as the audience left. Brilliant!

Oversize black coat, cropped jumper and PVC patent miniskirt teamed with an oversize  tote bag. Works so well together considering the all-black with a splash of navy from the cropped jumper. 

Oversize, statement coat in grey. Love the black patent pockets and details on the shoulders. Teamed with those block heels make this the ultimate street look. 

Here we have colour blocking at it's best. I don't view the patent skirt as cheap, I think it'd be the cutest thing if worn the right way, say with a 3/4 length black top instead of the sheer mesh seen here. 

One of my favourite looks. The jumper is what catches my eye here. First of all, I  cannot express how much I adore the simple navy jumper with the sheen to add glamour but the "thrown-on" fur too? Gorgeous. Makes you wonder whether that's a shrug thrown on top or is it actually part of one highly intricate piece?

Simple, fuzzy, thin jumper paired with satin trousers and a large, carry-on bag. Effortless.

Is it just me or can I see Gwyneth Paltrow in this look immediately? Although I don't know if this fur is real or not....  We're definitely seeing a lot of warm jumpers cropped nowadays. Good for those with toned midriffs! 

Really sweet look compared to the "badass" looks seen in the collection. Love the high-leg  slit and the subtle use of sequins at the shoulders and sleeves. Brogues? Not so sure. 

Cara's closing look- double sequins in burgundy and an oversize, quilted jacket. This suits her because of her figure but I can't argue with it. 

Jourdan Dunn looks stunning in this sequinned jumpsuit. Again, in the deep burgundy colour.  The thin spaghetti straps enhance her cleavage and the outfit speaks for itself really. Disco's back.

(Images courtesy of: style.com)