The Perks of being a Sample Sized Starlet

So the SAG awards took place last night, and I think I enjoyed the fashion more than the Golden Globes.
Maybe it was more out-there, maybe its me , maybe its because I was very pleasantly surprised to see gowns by Givenchy and Giambattista Valli (my faves) worn by Zoe Saldana and Natalie Portman. And you know what's really cool? they both wore gowns from the latest collections. Yep, the one week old spring couture collections from Paris Couture Week. How fast was that? I'm thoroughly impressed, I didn't anticipate this in the very least; oh the perks of being thin and famous.
Khair I'm really excited about this, because you know how much I love both these labels, and that the gowns were worn by starlets who I kinda like, and am okay with them. Imagine if it was worn by someone who I find annoying (Rachel Berry) it just wouldn't sit well.Nope, it wouldn't. Either way I'm the type A jealous sort who finds it hard to digest the starlet brigade having it so easy when it comes to fashion, Rachel Berry or Blake Lively would be like knives through my heart. Thank you God for sparing me.

So what do you think?pretty cool na? I kinda like the Valli look with the head-dress but obv that can't happen.The collection had other pieces that I would have liked to see more than this one, but who am I to be ungrateful- I'm just happy to see Valli on the red carpet.As for the Givenchy, it was'nt my favorite out of the collection, and does look a bit lackluster here (blasphemy!) in the day light, but in the auditorium it really sparkled. I Also wish she had more of a bust for this dress, it looks awfully flat- especially compared to Natalie Portman- as I'm sure you can see.Having said that, I do think ZS carries it off better than the model.

Givenchy: Always something to write home about

 I know I really bashed the chocolate browness of some of the pieces- but to give credit where its due, do you know how much work went into it? I swear if it was in any other color I may have possibly desired it. It has been made outta 2 crocs/alligators. Each little pelt was taken apart, meticulously numbered and then sown on in its exact place onto tulle. It took like 350 hours. JUST IMAGINE. See that's the thing with Tisci, he goes into painstaking detail. The craftsmanship and the handiwork is like legendary you know. Each piece is perfection personified.Like who would think of apart crocodile skin and then placing it back together exactly where it was? Ive said this before,and I'll say it again, Tisci's dedication to his craft and vision is devtional, like a prayer. What could be a better homage to God himself?

 Look at this one, gorgeous na? Like liquid gold. Tisci keeps his presentations extremely low key, with no drama as we are used to with Lagerfeld's Chanel shows, and I think its works becuase whatever emotion that is required for us to feel ; amazement, joy, excitement, admiration, overwhemedness- the clothes do the job to a T. We don't need to be told that  we are in a different place to admire his clothes, the clothes do the job of transporting us to a magical neverland . We don't need the glitz and the glmaour. We don't want any distraction when we are looking at a Riccardo Tisci creation.

 My favorite. Just look at the cut. How amazing.

Same goes for this one. Love the Palazzo pants.

Blown away?

Maybe its the letter G; Spring Couture 2012.

I must confess. When I did'nt lose the plot with the previously featured collections (Versace,Chanel and Dior) I got kinda scared. I thought, maybe its me. Why am I being such a saroo. Why am I not liking anything? but I also kinda know that these brands weren't my brands. I thought I'd wait till the others before declaring my self habitually unsatisfied, and checking into an institutional facility. Then I saw the collections I had been looking forward to all this while- Giambattista Valli and Givenchy- the 'G's' and then I knew that everything was still fine. I could still feel. I wasn't emotionally dead as I had been suspecting for a while now. I must tell you it as a relief. Or not.

In any case, if you also felt I was being stingy with praise and trying hard to be nurturing and loving and positively failing, then take a deep breath and relax. Also know that I am biased towards these designers so its possible that I could lap up pathetic collections from them like a dog laps up condensed milk ( what? you shouldn't feed your dogs condensed milk? really? says who? ).

Giambattista Valli

Okay this guy is amazing beyond words. He has been working in couture for years under many of the greats, and you can really see how all his years of experience have paid off. His craftsmanship is exquisite. The designs- are at times larger than life, and that's what I love about them. He keeps the attention on the clothes, no cheap gimmickry. And the clothes! wow, they're gorgeous; The opening number- the big white jacket was gorgeous. And see, that's the thing with his pieces, even if I'm not a 100% sold on wearing them myself, I have no doubt that they would look spectacular on someone else. No doubt. The collection featured a little bit of everything. there was elegance and opulence, flirty and fun,  sexy and vampy and so much more. I know people don't usually like that cos they feel it becomes jack of all trades, king of none type, and the lack of coherency bothers them, but it doesn't bother me na, so I guess I'm cool with getting so many looks in one show. I'll discuss more in the next post where I'll feature the collection, because I don't think its fair to start talking about individual pieces without you seeing them first.

Givenchy

Of course I have told you about Riccardo Tisci , the creative director of Givenchy and how his work is indescribablly wow. Its true. And I guess that feeling transferred in to this collection as well. That is why I could'nt wait for his spring couture collection. With him , you just have really high expectations. Just like you can expect Lagerfeld to put on a show for Chanel, you expect Tisci to make painstakingly poignant clothes. And he does.
Btw, I dunno if its because I saw the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo last night, or what, but I feel  the styling of the models was greatly inspired by the movie and the female protagonist of the book/movie- Lisabeth Slander. The dark, goth ,punk look. Waisey bhi Tisci , I think plays with a slightly goth element in his collections.My only itch with this collection was the use of the colour chocolate brown. Although it was used beautifully, man, that colour has been a major annoyance to me for years and years-ever since I was a kid. Really. If I have ever though of suicide its because I can't live in a world where the colour chocolate brown is found anywhere else except chocolate. I had only recently started accepting it in accessories, and sweaters. But full blown gowns? In chocolate browns ?(yes that rhymes), no! no!.
Anyway, leaving my little itch aside, the craftsmanship is amaaazzzzzzzzzzing. Seriously. Will tell you all about it in the next post featuring the collection.

Definitely Lisabeth Slander

Riccardo Tisci is Indescribable.

  I've never really thought of Givenchy as a serious apparel brand, instead have always associated it more with cosmetics and parfums rather than RTW, Couture, or even accessories. Maybe its because I came after the generation of Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina, and Breakfast at Tiffany's- so I never really bothered with it. Frankly speaking don't even remember seeing many ads in magazines, or even much talk about the label. Until now.
 For the past few seasons, the buzz about Givenchy has been growing, and now I know why. Their Creative Director is a genius. Riccardo Tisci. I remember seeing his clutches and being blown away by the unbelievableness of the design. I loved them. However, what I feel for the clutches is minuscule, almost non-existing in comparison to what I experienced when viewing his Fall 2011 Couture collection. Yes, this happened way back in July,  but ---- me the dresses are gorgeous beyond belief. I know I've said this many times before but I swear, this time its different.

I'm again having a Valentino moment, where I feel nothing I can say would ever be enough , yet somehow I cant help my self from sharing what I feel. I must at least try.
The 10 pieces of the couture collection were pure, and white for the most part.  They could be described as fragile, delicate, intricate, other worldly, saint-like, virgin, heavenly, light...the adjectives could go on and on but the true feeling could never be expressed. But trust me, when you see them you'll know. Each piece was handmade, taking a month to make in total hours spent on each one, the embellishments- painstakingly exquisite. And you know, you can see the labour of love that went into them. These pieces are something you'd find in an angel's closet- and no, not a Victoria's Secret Angel . Long, sleek and romantic in every little detail, Riccardo Tisci's collection displays unparalleled technique and  extraordinary vision.The elements in his designs work so beautifully with and against each other, there juxtaposition is no less than a divine revelation. The sheerness, the lacework, the beaded fringes, the hand-encrusted pearls and crystals placed to mimic exactly the pattern of Ostrich skin, the ruffles and of course the nagging feeling that you have just walked into a beautiful dream. Tisci leaves us awe-struck.

 

Honestly, When I saw this collection- I thought to myself, I have to meet this guy. Is it weird that I'm curious? P.S- Italian born, kinda cute. Am working on finding out if he's straight.Any guesses?

Preview

Heart breaking Haute Couture.

You know I barely like discussing Haute Couture collections, because it breaks my heart to know that its a big, gigantic, huge possibility that I may never have the pleasure of wearing any of the pieces that I love as much as  the children I will one day have. They are just so beautiful. Like a fairy tale, a dream, a movie, a book, and a song all in one. So magical, so wonderful.How you'd even feel in a gorgeous Haute Couture creation is beyond my imagination. Yep, that rhymed.I love that the gowns are so fantastical, with no expense spared, yards and yards of the most exotic/rare/luxurious fabric and embellishment that has been 'specially sourced', and perhaps the most important aspect- the custom fit.
But you know whats infinitely more scarier than knowing that I might never wear one of them?Being given the choice to pick one out of all the beautiful ones that existed. It would be the hardest decision. Would require months and months of research.Lots and lots of walking in and out of designer's ateliers. But luckily, am able to talk myself into anything and would surely be able to convince myself that the ultimate choice I made was the best one. I guess it wouldn't be scary at all. Just stupendous.
Although the Fall/Winter '11 Haute Couture week took place way back in July, I'm going to feature some of my favorite collections in the next few days, just for the fun of going through them again.
Good enough reason right?

Here are some I can't resist sharing for now:

Jean Paul Gaultier

Givenchy

Giambattista Valli

Elie Saab

Gorgeous na?

Clutch 101

 The title is a lie.

Givenchy

Burberry Prosum

Givenchy

Givenchy

This is no 101. This is an advanced post on it. I'm not going to tell you what clutches to wear, and what goes with what , so on and so forth. I'm just going to show you my favorites this season, which I hope to perhaps own one day. Givenchy is the leader of the pack, I think I loved at least 6 clutches from the fall 2011 collection and by love I mean- the world HAS to appreciate what a great job Riccardo Tisci is doing at the label.

Giorgio Armani

Givenchy

 Featured below are my top 5 reasons to wear a clutch instead of a normal bag.

 1)  You get your priorities right.

Gucci

      A clutch, in most cases guarantees limited space. So you have to decide whether  its more important to keep your cellphone/ camera/ a pack of cigs. Whether you want to keep lip-gloss/ gum/breath mints, your keys or some cash.In the process of making such vital and key decisions you realize where your priorities lie and discover a little bit about who you are and where you wanna go. Life changing really.

2) All Night Fun
    A clutch is a great reason to not carry your keys, and go home with somebody else your best friend. You can braid each others hair all night.

3) You look cooler
If any of you have read The Unbearable Lightness of Being, you might remember how Tereza liked to walk with a book under her arm because it made her feel different. The clutch is the modern-day version of that.
Plus if you keep switching between arms its a great upper-body workout.

                                                                                                                
4) No bag, No baggage!
By carrying a clutch instead of your normal 7 pound bag, you might fool guys into thinking that you don't come with a lot of emotional baggage, making you infinitely more attractive-er.

Plus it might make them think your more easy going, since your not carrying all the burden of your own world on one shoulder.


5) Room for adventure
   Since your not carrying a bag that can fit every possible thing you might need in any possible situation- you  are more vulnerable ; which can be good or bad, and there is a better chance for a  possible adventure; which is always great.

DVF

Alexander Wang

Bulgari

Oscar de la Renta

Donna Karan

Alexander McQueen