The best of Fall Couture 2012. Fashion Week

The common theme for the Fall Couture 2012. Fashion Week was surely this new Noir we are seeing across collections. This is what I loved the most - gorgeous luxurious gowns made of expensive French empire lace flirting with vintage silhouettes. 

ELIE SAAB

Known by his red carpet gowns didn't disappoint. Collection consisted solely of gowns and cocktail dresses rich with Chantilly lace, sequins and crystals. Collection was mostly black smaller number of pale pink, blue and gold lace pieces. 

ZUHAIR MURAD

This Lebanese designer has entered the "red carpet star dressing" world by dressing young actress Blake Lively and singer-actress Jennifer Lopez on her tour. His bellow shown Fall 2012. couture collection is obviously targeting 20+ young starlets with shown cocktail dresses and red carpet gowns with emphasized waiste, high cut maxi gowns and long lace numbers. I particularly love the old Hollywood 50's glam one can sense from this collection. Murad did not forget about his more conservative a bit older clients, designing a nice versatile range of gorgeous, finely embroidered gowns. 

MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA

This "Artisanal" collection was about reinventing, refurbishing vintage pieces by hand into new designs. Collection was rich with silk, lace, row cotton and beaded pieces embellished with destroyed and "refurbished" pieces like crystal doorknob, windsurfing sail and vintage baseball glows - far right on the photo. 

My favorite (of course on top of mysterious crystal masks) were simple French lace straight trousers worn on couple of models while most of the attention was drawn by comprehensive pieces worn on top of the body.

JEAN PAUL GAULTIER

Inspired by 20's, 30's and Metropolis JPG showed us quite an interesting collection featuring metal headbands, top hats and perfectly cut garments. For my liking, it was a bit to much this time, it was a bit to over the top and confusing with having to many men's pieces overlapping with women's insinuating androgynous look but in a quite annoying and over the top way. All of the individual pieces are made with amazing precision and craftsmanship and can definitely look brilliant worn separately.  

Photo by Delfine Archard via www.wwd.com 

ALEXANDRE-VAUTIER

This collection is clearly made for "look at me" kind of girl, reminding on as one fashion journalist wrote "golden age of disco" however I liked the elements of it very much and find them quite wearable, well at least on special occasions and naturally if you have body for it.

I particularly liked the sporty fabric mixes (Neoprene) and lovely tailored peplum jackets which I would wear with skinny jeans and plunge-necked cocktail long sleeve dresses which could be pulled out by girls with not so big chest. 

                                          All photos source: www.wwd.com; www.style.com

 I am really looking forward to seeing these pieces in magazine editorials! Which collections was your absolute favorite lovelies?

Best of Spring 2012. Couture

Photo source: www.style.com - Giambattista Valli 

I absolutely adore and follow RTW seasonal collections but my heart is definitely with couture lines. The Fall 2012. Couture season in Paris despite ever growing economic crises didn't disappoint.

Bouchra Jarrar

Business smart designer who's made precise tailoring the key aspect of her work, Jarrar called her new collection a "continuation of the wardrobe, of the story I've been telling since the beginning." The collections focus is on cut, double-breasted silhouettes, emphasized shoulders which continue to remain in trend from season to season, military buttons, fox fur and circular scarves, sleeveless coat dresses and lovely strong women suits. I love the comfortable look and feel of the gray suit in combination with brown accessories and circular fox fur.

Giambattista Valli

Giambattista has absolutely showed his mastery of couture inspired by an old Hollywood glamour.  My favorites were sleeveless crocodile top which emphasized waist and transitioned into a peplum flare over a white lace pencil skirt.

Jean Paul Gaultier

Designer celebrated the life of late Amy Winehouse, using her as inspiration for his couture collection with a help of corsetry wizard Mr.Pearl. The whole collection was a big wonderful couture mess of an excess featuring satin peignoir, pencil skirts, gorgeous lace, silk parkas, sequins and finally parading veils. 

Chanel

Karl presented all the shades of blue you can think of in his couture collection featuring streamlined, upbeat, tons of embroidery and forward-looking, slash pockets on dresses, boyish attitude... this collection had that well known Chanel's boy-girl thing going on, girls looked as comfortable in these couture pieces as men would in sweats on Sunday afternoon. 

Versace               

The focus of the Atelier Versace collection were „warrior women“ gowns with corset waist, daring lace teasing at strategic spots hugging the curves and exaggerating the waist, hips or shoulders, shaping the perfect hourglass figure with gold metal inserts.

Elie Saab

Known as red carpet designer, due to his shinny and sparkly but romantic and effortlessly floating gowns in none intrusive pastel shades. The unprecedented strength of his gowns is the lightness; they look and feel so light.

Dior

Bill Gayten did a wonderful, maybe a bit reminiscent of the past collection featuring sheer layers, classic black and white floral designs, gorgeous embroidery, splashes of sequins, lovely contrast in between thick massive black crocodile scales and sheer floaty fabrics. 

Valentino

Designers Pier Paolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri were inspired by French royalty culture and created a collection of gentle floral print, lace embellished, sheer organza, light, feminine, modest and delicate dresses. They were at the same time practical, cultural but modern despite long sleeves and high necks. 

All photo source: www.style.com

Pre-fall 2012. collections review.

After I have seen every single piece of every single pre-fall collection (and that’s a whole lot of clothes ) I finally selected my absolute favorite designer pieces from pre-fall 2012 season, just in time for the new season coming up in just a couple of days.

So here we go… 

ZAC POSEN

Absolutely mesmerizing collection for me, a hopeless romantic and most definitely a princess in my past life...featuring smart waist diminishing anatomical seaming on a wool crepe sheath with designers current obsession being chinoiserie and the idea of creating European couture shapes out of Eastern fabrics. My very favorite was a form fitting olive color bustier dress with floral embroidery, a floor length velvet backless dress with drama-mama matching gloves as well as dramatic red and gentle lavender color red carpet gowns all modeled by gorgeously feminine Hilary Rhoda. All eye-candies indeed!

MCQUEEN

The love of my life brand - McQueen's pre-fall collection, now under the amazingly creative hand of Sarah Burton, featured a number of gorgeous high-necked Victorian gowns; some with embroidered torsos in floral prints, all in black mousseline, pleated smocked velvet dresses with tulips and cropped pants with men’s wear-like tailored jackets topped with white shirts - all absolutely sustained the legend of late Alexander McQueen’s heritage.

BALMAIN

Balmain’s well known fitted pants and jeans had the rips and wholes replaced with embroidery, pearls and crystals, or loose pajama pants paired with oversized men's proportion jackets – all in all, the collection feel was comfy but also sexy which is definitely what market calls for these days: omfort, practicality and multifunction.

PREEN

Amazing prints and comfy, sportswear and effortless chic feel, all in lovely bright colors: orange and aqua blue is what drew me to this collection. These memorable pieces can be worn together and separately, day to evening, which makes the collection quite sellable. Interesting prints stays on couture side while simple cuts and comfortable feel brings the collection to ready-to-wear customer.

ELIE SAAB

With a previous reputation of a red-carpet designer, this Elie Saab collection carried a bit different theam, more down to earth one, featuring some simple suits and dresses in monoton shades with graphic feel and with minimalist approach. Most of the suits and dresses had a modern, simple and elegant cut. I love the nude, body fitted dress for work! 

 SUITS - YSL, GUCCI AND CHLOE

With many designers I have noticed that collections were created with a modern business women in mind. Who I am guessing has money and interest in today’s economy to buy latest but also practical, comfortable and multiwear, classical pieces like these great suits by YSL, Chloe and Gucci. YSL collection had some interesting bow-neck blouses and matching blazers, bringing back the heel with a loafed from its 2005. Spring collection.

On the other hand, Chloe showed interesting pleated trousers with matching shrunken jackets and cropped sweaters, coats with wide rolled-up sleeves on top of skinny pants. Finally, Gucci decorated simple cuts with pansy print, which has replaced black and gold bugle beads.

DONNA KAREN

 Cropped styles came paired with silk tunics and wool jackets with emphasized shoulders. Mrs.Karen also showed coat-dresses, satin jersey with white jacket worn over a bustier-top jumpsuit, and a big black bow. My favorite was a black and white strapless piece, simple, but red carpet worthy on the right lady!

VALENTINO

„In this moment, when everything is so hard—especially in Italy—it's important to give a good dream“– designer Maria Grazia Chiuri said, referring to struggling economy in Italy. Red is always a good choice! The collection focus was immaculate tailoring. It featured small bows embroidered on the net bodice part of the minidress and gentle lace added to chevrons on the top of a long black velvet gown.

All photos source: www.style.com