Met Ball 2011

It’s that time of year again, my favourite gathering of all of my favourite designers and muses! This year’s gala honoured Alexander McQueen with Florence and the Machine performing. Really couldn’t get better!This year was the year of young’ns, the Fanning sisters, Emily Browning, glee girls, and Taylor Swift were just some of the young Hollywood crop in attendance. I really shouldn’t be but I was surprised that beige/neutral was the colour for the night. 
Blake Lively in ChanelTaylor Swift in J. Mendel(love the bodice, hate the skirt) Sarah Burton in her own McQueen designDakota Fanning in ValentinoMichelle Williams in Miu MiuBest Dressed: Diane Kruger in Jason WuMost breathtaking: Shalom Harlow in MarchesaBest make up look: Emma Stone in Lanvin and bright fuchsia lips Most Dramatic: Christina Ricci in Zac Posen Worst Dressed: Madonna in Stella McCartney, unflattering and wrinkledMost shocking: Anna Dello Russo in McQueen, yep I know, J’ADR her normally but nop, from the knee down it was a disaster. Flares, like that, just no… Cutest couple: Anna Wintour + Bee Shaffer, they were almost worst dressed but nawww the mother and daughter pair just look so cute together. Who were your favourites from the ball?
XXASAB
Picture credits-NYMAG

Chanel Haute Couture ss10

Oh Karl, how you never seize to amaze me! I was shocked when I got word that the show wasn’t at the Grand Palais, as far as I’m concerned some of his best has been shown at the Grand Palais and anything shown anywhere else was shit (Pre-Fall in ShangHai, Cruise at the Venice Lido, Pre-Fall in I dunno, Russia?) but this collection was just spendid! From the little embellished short-suits, to the draped, light dresses with crystal sprinkled neckline and every sherbet pastel, frou frou cocktail dress in between! But the same couldn’t be said for the shoes, hair and stockings, let’s start on the hair, some kind of weird bride, bride of frankenstein puff with grey streaks (again reminding me of Daphne Guinness) and bangs, the shoes weird odd, silvery, concoctions with baubles and the stockings, oh dear the stockings, wet looks -shudders-. My true Aussie pride came out the day after Australia day when I found out Abbey Lee Kershaw was the bride! And only a tiny bit annoyed that it wasn’t darling Lara Stone, who’s actually getting married soon…
 

 

 

 

 

picture credit-style.com

XXASAB

Chanel Pre-fall ’10

Monsieur Lagerfeld loves to take his ‘in between’ season shows all around the world.  From Moscow, London, Miami to  Venice Lido. ASIAN PRIDE TIME!!!!!!!!! Ahahah, I was born in Nanjing which is a stone’s throw away from Shanghai (ok, about 4-5 hours drive) and I had a ‘awwww’ moment when I heard that Karl was going to show the pre-fall collection in Shanghai. Much to my disappointment, this collection was quite boring. There were no innovative ideas, styling or anything eye-catching. But I’m glad he didn’t go all out and do a line of Chanel qipaos (seriously, very few people can actually pull it off) and disappointed there weren’t any silk embroidered shoes or 2.55 bags.

 

 

 

 

 

XXASAB

Chanel S/S10

-sigh- You know, I’m not a massive fan of Chanel, never really have been and I’m afraid until Karl decides to do something drastic or retire and a new designer comes a long I’m afraid I never will be head over heels in love with Chanel. There hasn’t been a collection since S/S07 where I have loved everything in the whole show, there are always elements that I absolutely hate but also elements I just can’t help but fall in love with. usually it’s the clothes I hate and the shoes/accessories that I love but this season it’s the opposite! The clothes were stunningly intricate, but outrageously not over the top. There were just enough classic, and elegant pieces to balance the cute, sexy, sneaky (probably isn’t the right word) chiffon dresses and thigh split dresses. The wooden clogs made me sick in the stomach, and the stockings… arhg COPY CAT Nina Ricci Fall 2007 (here)! There was a surprising lack of bags which usually is a bit of a life-line for me…

To be fair, I probably should consider the performance side of things because Karl loves to put on a show (yes, at none other than the Grand Palais). The barn set was very impressive, Lily Allen did a little song, not to mention the huge audience of celebrities and apparently “at the end, Freja Beha Erichsen, Lara Stone, and Lagerfeld’s constant companion, Baptiste Giabiconi, were literally rolling around in the hay together” (source-style.com) that in it self would be worth seeing!

 

 

 

 

 

Pictures- style.com

XXASAB

Chanel Resort/Cruise 2010

Along the snaking boardwalk of Venice Lido, (a place popular with Coco Chanel in summer) models waltzed down the catwalk in clusters. Some like sex on the beach, others like walk on the beach, I like fashion by the beach. Nah, I’m not that huge on beaches. But this resort/cruise collection really won me back over to the Chanel side, after a few seasons I was beginning to think Karl had run out of ideas. I’m so glad he waved his wand and “reinvented the mystique” as quoted.

 

 

  

 

There were cloaks (oh, how very Harry Potter, Lisa will be happy about that), tricorne hats, girdles, bikinis, sailor suits, plenty of stripes, shimmery sequins and my favourite, pleated dresses. Not to mention the masquerade mask style sunglasses , someone sign me up for a pair NOW!

All the models I thought were off the scene was back(Inguna Butane and Snejana Onopka) but my favs(Natasha Poly and Vlada Roslyakova) weren’t there!

Oh I hope this forecasts a congruent collection for ss10! If so I would be a happy chappy!

pics-style.com

XXASAB

PS. Do you think the crew of muses, editors and celebrities on the side got sand in their shoe?

Chanel fw09

Chanel was so disappointing, but every few seasons Chanel does a shockingly fantastic collection and you fall right back in love with it. Maybe Karl’s starting to feel the Finacial Crash? Mehh probably not, it’s not a very Lagerfeld thing to do… Still… very disappointing, I know consistency is good but this was all quite plain; the coat dresses, satin pants and tweed suits. Well ok the printed, lycra body suits were a tad weird… in a bad way. -sigh-

pic-style.com

XXASAB