Vogue Festival 2013- Donatella Versace (Pictures/Videos)

Today, I had the privilege of sitting in the centre front stalls in front of one of the most iconic women in fashion  history. I was aware of her past and the tragic death of her brother, Gianni, but I was unaware of how moved I would be by her words. It was clear that Donatella is not just a designer but a lady of inspiration and encouragement.

At the Queen Elizabeth Hall of the Southbank Centre, Donatella kindly gave an hour-long interview session for the people who most want to hear her words of wisdom. She was the last talk of the two-day festival. What a perfect way to end.

As I entered the Southbank Centre, my eyes were looking everywhere! Women were beautifully dressed in head-to-toe Chanel, whilst Japanese teenagers wandered round in spikes and graphic prints. 

It was amazing to see so many fashion-oriented people come together in one place, all so similar yet so different. 

It was fair to say that I heard the most fascinating conversations and saw the most exquisite clothing and handbags. 

I loved this wall with the Vogue covers:

She came out in an outfit you'd only expect to see on Donatella. A sparkly black jacket, patent leather pants with patent killer heeled boots and the usual peroxide hair and heavy black makeup. 

With her strong accent, it was sometimes hard to understand her but one thing's for sure... she was hilarious!

She said she blamed Christopher Kane for making her wear flats for the first time (I had no idea he was in the first row of the auditorium... my heart quivered when she pointed him out). She spoke of her unwillingness to cook or do any DIY, including fitting things (sounds a bit like me) and she spoke of wearing PVC miniskirts and sneaking off to discos aged 12... as you do. 

Here's a video of the Q&A section:

Donatella said despite her conservative background and her happy childhood, the reason she rebelled is because she wanted more. She wanted more than what she had. I found this fascinating. She clearly had a driven sense from a young age that she wanted to exceed society's expectations of her and she certainly did that. 

She spoke of the pain and heartache that she faced when her brother died. This was what made me listen and see her for the painting of success that she is. She embodies a woman of power and she says she reflects that in her clothes. The clothes aren't for her, the clothes are for the powerful women out there.

When asked about her favourite collection, she said "The next one, I never look back."

Surprisingly to me, she admitted that she was insecure and that it was the H&M collection which gave her confidence. I was honestly shocked as ever. She claimed that the success of it was unprecedented in her eyes and that she never expected so many young people in the UK to go crazy for it. It made her "secure". 

The best part of the night was when she was asked about her legacy. She simply said "I would like my legacy to be 'fight for your ideas'". 

At the end, a random "upcoming boyband" with brightly coloured hair decided to perform their song for Versace. Love it. 

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)