PFW | FW13 Part II

 CARVEN

Excellently tailored outerwear pieces are truly Henry's strong point. From cotton candy pinks and powder blues to light camels, the layered looks had me wanting a head-to-toe monochrome look myself. I was very pleased with this collection, albeit confused by the zebra-esque motif on a few of the pieces. Give me flouting lapels and oversized volume or give me fashion death.

BALENCIAGA

The man of the hour pulled it off! Did you know that Alexander Wang only began working on this debut collection for the iconic Parisian fashion house at the BEGINNING OF LAST MONTH ?  The thought of this being pulled together in a matter of weeks (despite an inconceivable amount of thought and planning, naturally) is truly astonishing.
The palette of black, white, and grays was expected for safety, but he rather succesfully executed very well-cut pieces that meshed his own skills with historic Balenciaga silhouettes and volumes. Also, let's discuss the amazing crackling and marbling on the gorgeous dipped hem coats and pullovers. Who's ready for his next collection?

 BALMAIN

Rousteing took us back to the '80s, and at first I did not appreciate it. Fortunately, aside from the severity of the power shoulders and attention to volume, I enjoyed the spectacular jewel tones and splendor of the gem/jewel-like effect of the metallic garments. I was able to appreciate the pieces most when considering them separate from the rest of the look; I would definitely wear the blue mini on Liu Wen. 

 LANVIN

HELP! HOT! COOL! YOU! LOVE! The loudness of the cheeky neckwear pieces were mollified by their pairings with Elbaz' signature Lanvin cuts. The organic floral details (love the 3-D detailing!) and the texture of the frocks all throughout had me in love. It was a new tale of romance for the house of Lanvin.

UNDERCOVER

Kitsch and dare I say weirdness were two of the factors that drew me to this collection. First, the intricate and gilded masquerade masks in bunny and feline forms perfectly matched the youthful proportions and details throughout the collection--the cropped cardigan with an animal graphic, the cut-paper construction of that fantastic white skirt. I also thought the military jacket with the ribcage detail was really clever. The transformation of a button up into a multi-layered and swan-like white frock in the fourth look kept my interest as the collection progressed towards bunched and scrunched up dresses in exaggerated silhouettes. 
images via style.com
xx
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PRE-FALL '13 Round-up

Please forgive the gap time between the last post and this one (!) I recently settled back into my dorm in the city!

Anyways, here are the final round of pre-fall looks I call my favorites,

BARBARA BUI Even by the styling of the photos, this collection exuded an edgy vibe synonymous with, say, a downtown girl (a la Alexander Wang). Naturally, I was drawn to the heavy use of rich leathers and a minimal color palette.

CARVEN I was most intrigued by the sheer variety of colors, textures, and silhouettes used by Henry in this pre-fall collection. An otherwise classic rendition of a speckled wool coat was reinvented with an other-hued flouting lapel and then mid-collection there appeared a beetle-green metallic number that blew my mind. The curved hems were also ace. 

VALENTINO I can never resist a classic collection with a twist. The pre-fall line was a grand mixture of daring newness (metallic PVC mini, yes) and finely tailored classics (those pleat trousers are everything). A dreamy canvas of grayscale florals along with rich magentas and ballet slipper pinks sealed the deal. 

ROLAND MOURET I thoroughly enjoyed the play of volume throughout this pre-fall collection. The closely cropped moto jackets with ballooned sleeves, the gigantic color-accented lapels, the lantern skirts-all tailored to perfection.
images via style.com
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