Designer: Versace Pre-Fall Spring 2010

Inspiration: Japanese Techno

Top Looks: Long-sleeved Japanese printed mini-dress with power shoulders; Jean-blue suit, with skin-tight front lace-up jeans; Laminated aqua mini-dress with lace inset; Black bodice cocktail dress with asymmetrical pleated skirt

Accessories: Platform round toe pumps, lace-ups and slouch boots. All in either black, navy, electric blue, red, or a combo there of. Colorful handbags, including a graphic printed snake skin carry-all. In the jewelry department, a graphic necklace and colorful stacked bangles.

What we thought: Though this collection was only 17 looks long, Donatella Versace made each one of them count. The body conscious silhouettes were young and edgy, like Versace’s Spring collection. (Perhaps the influence of the Versus designer, Christopher Kane?)

The palette consisted of sherbert and pure colors (both trends for Pre-Fall 2010) and Japanese prints. Hemlines were asymmetrical, often half-pleated. Fabrics were shiny and laminated. True to the inspiration, there was a hard technichal quality to the clothes-with little softness. But the most beautiful looks mixed both-namely the bustier goddess dresses with pleated chiffon skirts.

‘

I just want every piece

stylesightings

1 Top + 1 Pair of Jeans + 1 Pair of Heels + 1 Bag + 1 Cuff = Style

Top: Midnight Cloud-Print Tee-Shirt from Christopher Kane £200.86

Details: Multicolored jersey T-shirt with a cloud print. Christopher Kane T-shirt has a round neck, short sleeves and simply slips on. 95% viscose, 5% Lycra. Dry clean.

Jeans: Slim-fit Bleached Jeans from D&G Dolce & Gabbana £212.35

Close View of the Label

Close Front View

Details: Bleached blue cotton-blend denim slim-fit jeans with five pockets. D&G Dolce & Gabbana jeans have dark blue patches, brown leather designer-stamped patch at back, silver-tone hardware, belt-loops at waist and a concealed zip and button fastening at front. 98% cotton, 2% elastane. Machine wash cold.

Shoes: Patent Multi-Strap Pumps from Emilio Pucci £789.13

Side View

Back View

Close View

Details: Black patent leather multi-strap pumps with a silver-tone heel that measures approximately 110mm / 4.5 inches. Emilio Pucci pumps have a pointed toe, silver-tone buckle detail at front and buckles to fasten at back, a perforated detail at toe and a leather sole.

Bag: Oversized Leather Shoulder Bag from Jil Sander £1,315.22

Side View I

Side View II

Back View (Identical to the Front)

Close View of the Details

Details: Black leather shoulder bag with two snap-fastening patch pockets. Jil Sander bag has two top handles, folds out to reveal a lengthways zip fastening with a designer-embossed silver-tone zip pull, has a designer-embossed tag, two internal pouch pockets, an internal zipped pocket and is fully lined.

Cuff: Deco Enamel-Covered Cuff from Juicy Couture £147.31

Side View

Standing Side View

Details: Gold-tone matte cuff with black enamel finish. Juicy Couture cuff has a Deco-inspired center detail with clear diamanté and faceted black stone, a diamanté push-clasp to fasten and has a designer stamp at one side.

Style Note:

As the title may have implied, this look is perfect for those who want to hit the Christmas party with a high street style. The multi0coloured cloud-print jersey tee from Christopher Kane is a must-have for this season and match it with D&G Dolce & Gabbana bleached blue cotton-blend denim skinny jeans, the casual chic sense is optimised. One of the most eye catching items from the whole look will definitely be the heels, these not just heels but the sharp and fierce black patent leather multi-strap pumps from Emilio Pucci, and tell you what, this pair of heels is a killer! Coming to the accessories such as the oversized shoulder bag that you can carry to work or to the party to show off the whole clean and sleek look of it and the unusually simple bangle is a plus point to enhance the elegance of the high street chicness.

Source: www.net-a-porter.com

Christmas is a time to spend with friends and family. I don’t usually like to be very dressy for this events. I go for comfortable and fun clothes.1 – Forever21 /2 – Thakoon /3 – See by Chloe /4 – Thakoon /5 – Forever21 /6 – Marc by Marc Jacobs /7 - Christopher Kane /8 – Catherine Malandrino

I’m in London Town at the minute – possibly outstaying my welcome, but the shops (if not the snow) are better for that christmas present buying malarkey.

Yesterday, however, things went a bit wrong.

The point when velvet came back... Christopher Kane, Fall 2007. Photo: Style.com

I was walking across Brockwell Park headed for Brixton Station so I could grace Oxford Street with my less than healthy bank card, when I was accosted by a woman walking her dog.

She was bimbling along quite happily, as was I, when she suddenly looked up, saw me, indicated to her dog and said to him:

“That’s the type of dog that bites.”

What does that even mean?!?!? To be fair I was wearing a maroon velvet coat my mother got at a market for £2, so if the woman was mentally unstable (likely) then she could have mistaken me for a Red Setter - I have researched: Red Setters are quite angry but froth at the mouth more than bite – but I was not frothing.

I was under the impression people in London just don’t interact. In this instance I wish I’d been right, not blatantly insulted on the street.

I do think it was the coat though. It seems to be making me super touchable. 

I was wandering past Selfridges later on and got stopped by one of those ditherers who say they are looking for film extras. I was midway through a baguette so tried to be polite and meander away but as I tried to escape he started stroking my arm. Now I know it was soft and velvety but to be honest, I am actually quite a fan of personal space.

I felt a bit violated.

Not as violated as I felt when I got into Primark though. That place is three storeys of polyester and sequin hell at the moment.    

New Look Eyelet Wool Beret

Thanks to designer Christopher Kane, eyelets are now appearing on everything. From tops to dresses, leggings to jeans, handbags and now finally hats – berets to be precise.

New Look’s black beret is 100 per cent wool and a steal at £8.

An essential for keeping heads cosy in the chilly weather – not to mention protecting hair from snow, sleet and rain, this french-inspired fancy is worth having.

With a secure stretch fit, there wont be any ‘falling-down-over-eyes’ moments, just sheer winter wardrobe perfection!

To visit New Look’s site click here

Reviews And Shoes rating: 8/10

Right now, Christmas is on everyone’s mind, but 2009 is nearly over and that means sorting out New Year party plans, finding something to wear and sorting out somebody to kiss when the clock strikes 12!

Here are a few outfit ideas for New Year:

Black & Gold Power Sleeve Dress, £22, Dorothy Perkins

One Shoulder Bow Dress, £25, New Look

One Shoulder Lace Dress by Christopher Kane, £50, Topshop

Beaded Shoulder V-Back Sweater Dress, £48, Urban Outfitters

Black Court Platforms, £59.99, River Island

Black Strappy Sandals, £40, Dorothy Perkins

Baliya Clutch Bag, £35, Faith

Have you got your New Year party outfits sorted yet? If so, let us know what you’ll be wearing.

Bhavna

Salut, salut!

How are you doing there? Today is a very special day, my best friend Medoune is getting married, he is a very important person in my life and I love him so so so much. I wish him all the hapiness that he deserves.

J’ai fait ma liste pour mes cadeaux de Noël, christmas is so magic that may be I will have the items of my dreams. Je sais que je ne serai pas la seule à avoir une liste de ce genre parce que mes readers aiment la mode autant que moi, j’en suis persuadée.

Valentino Garavani Dark Blue flower bag. Vous savez tous combien j’aime Garavani, ce sac est juste magnifique et j’en prendrai grand soin si on me le confiait.

Balenciaga lattice city tote. I love Balenciaga. I really like the shape of this bag, it’s different.

Je pense que c’est le moment d’avoir ce sac Chanel so vintage and glamorous.

Yves Saint Laurent tribute pumps : les chaussures de mes rêves depuis 2008

Chloé Wedge lace-up boots, ce sont les it chaussures de la saison. Je les aime.

Balmain leather jacket. Pas la peine de vous rappeler mon amour pour Christophe Decarnin.

Christopher kane scalloped dress. Est ce que je ne serai pas divine dans cette robe? La couleur, le design, les détails, cette robe a été faite pour moi.

I am a very big fan of Vitamin A. You can offer me all the colours you want, I just have one request : “The cover-up need to match with the bading suit.

But what I want the most for chrismast, is joy, peace, love and lights in all the human being’s heart and life. J’espére que Noël 2009 sera le début de beaucoup de bonheur et de tranquilité pour notre monde, que les gens mettront plus d’énergie à s’aimer, à s’entendre et à se respecter qu’à se faire la guerre et à se haïr. Je souhaite à tous ceux qui rêvent de réaliser ce à quoi ils aspirent. Je suis bien la preuve qu’on peut réaliser son rêve. L’année dernière à la même période, je n’aurai jamais cru que mon roman : ” Sa vie entre luxe et humanitaire” existerait vraiment, qu’il en serait là où il en est aujourd’hui. On va encore me traiter d’utopique mais je souhaite aussi la paix dans le monde, je dois être l’une des seules personnes qui y croie encore mais je sais qu’un jour on y arrivera, on sera débarasser de la misére, de la pauvreté, de la famine, du VIH/SIDA et de tous les fléaux qui causent des drames dans la vie.

Xo! Have a good week!

After six years at Central Saint Martins, Scottish designer Christopher Kane launched his eponymous label with sister Tammy, a textile designer who runs the business end, helps with fabric development, and serves as the studio’s fit model. Kane’s spring 2010 collection was a disappointment to me. It look as if he took someone’s picnic cloth and wrapped it around the skinny ass model. Hopefully we will see better things from him in the future.

Status: Up-and-Coming

Clients: Kate Moss, Chloë Sevigny, Kylie Minogue, Carine Roitfeld, Beth Ditto, Lily Allen

Collaborations: Christopher Kane for Comet, Roberts Revival Radio. (November 2008), Atelier Swarovski by Christopher Kane. (2008 to Present), Christopher Kane for Lancôme’s Limited Edition Juicy Tubes. (2008), Christopher Kane for

Topshop, Capsule Collection. (2007 and 2008)

Owned By: Christopher Kane, Tammy Kane

Address:28 Shaklewell Ln.

London, United Kingdom E8 2EZ
44-20-7749-4510

Where To Buy: Barneys New York

Related Websites

• Wikipedia: Christopher Kane (Other)
• London Fashion Week: Christopher Kane (Other)

To celebrate the release of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (A film I can not wait for!), French Department store Printemps, is hiring Designers such as Christopher Kane, Alexander McQueen and Martin Margiela to create one-off Alice dresses to go in their window Display!

The display should be up in February and I am actually really excited to see it!

Alice in Wonderland promete ser la fiebre post New Moon en 2010. Y todo comenzará en Paris. La tienda parisina Printemps ha acudido a populares diseñadores para hacer de su vitrina una instalación inspirada en el personaje de Lewis Carrol.

Alexander McQueen, Martin Margiela, Christopher Kane y Anne Demeulemeester se encargarán de diseñar cada uno un vestido del famoso personaje que aparecerá en la vitrina de Printemps, coincidiendo con el estreno del filme y el Paris Fashion Week en marzo 2010.

Nos preguntamos, ¿cómo vestirá Alexander McQueen a la curiosa Alicia?

Fuente: Elle UK

Can't wait for Alice in Wonderland...

I can’t wait for Alice in Wonderland to hit the cinemas in March next year, directed by Tim Burton and where Johnny Depp finally threw of his Captain Jack Sparrow character, and adopted the likes of the Mad Hatter.

But I am not the only one who seems anxcious about the release of he movie based on Lewis Caroll’s fairytale. It even shakes up the fashion- and beautyworld…

According to the French Vogue, beautybrand Urban Decay and OPI nailpolish, will launch special collections related to the movie at Sephora. For Urban Decay this will be a palette decorated in the style of the movie, and OPI is launching four shades of nailpolish related to the main characters in the movie.

And it doesn’t stop there. Vogue UK reports that Parisian Warehouse ‘le Printemps’ also took on the Alice-fever, and asked great names in fashion to design an Alice-themed window installation. Not so surprising if you think of it, because the release of the movie coincides with Paris Fashion Week.

No less than Alexander McQueen, Christopher Kane, Ann Demeulemeester and Martin Margiela have been asked to design a one-off dress for Alice to appear in the Printemps window. Alexander McQueen was probably already thinking ahead with the shoes in his latest collection, that wouldn’t be misplaced in the fantasy movie.

From left to right: Mia Wasikowska as Alice, Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, and Helena Bonham-Carter as the Queen of Hearts

Swarovski also has added an Alice in Wonderland capsule collection, which we’ve seen in a preview. Characters like the White Rabbit and the Chesire Cat are part of the collection.

I just started my own Alice in Wonderland craze by buying an Alice-print t-shirt at Urban Outfitters last week….

Check the trailer underneath to get in the mood for Alice:

and then willa holland made an appearance – that’s when i knew, this teen dream has to end. 

other-below: i prefer it still.     

 

Christopher Kane for TOPSHOP featuring Daul Kim 2009 (screen capture)

 

Emma Watson’s growing up into quite the fashionista… and I loved her in this Christopher Kane dress on Letterman months ago, but it’s way out of my price range. (ps I was a little disappointed in his line for TOPSHOP, but maybe thats just me) But then I found this similar look on ASOS that’s wayyy more affordable!

Institutional Investor: Christopher Kane Layered Dress ($2,427)

Retail Investor: ASOS Organza Contrast Bound Edge Shift Dress ($74)

Lourdes León, la hija de Madonna, está crecidita y no dudamos que en lo adelante hablaremos de sus looks, como este en el que muestra su fascinación por la colección de Christopher Kane para Topshop.

Lourdes lleva las polainas negras, una de las favoritas de esta temporada, que hacen perfecto match con las alpargatas Newbark.

 ¿Quieres una de estas leggins? Consíguelas en Topshop por US$ 160.00

Fuente: Elle UK

“It’s a bit mad, isn’t it? It feels like it’s happened all of a sudden and at some shows this season the front row was just all bloggers. I think it will die down though, and people know what they are doing. No one who wants to read a serious review of a show is going to look at what a 14-year-old thinks. But it has become more critical; people can say what they want about anyone on a blog without consequences and that’s quite scary. There are real repercussions for a designer if a photo of something is leaked by a blog; it can be copied in a fortnight and that can really harm a business. You have to be much more careful now.”

—Christopher Kane weighs in on the ongoing blogging debate.

To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of I-D Magazine, Nick Knight will be shooting a LIVE photoshoot, from the 1st of December (Yeah I know I’m a little late I forgot to post!) Until the 20th.  Some of the Models involded will be Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Alexander McQueen, Christopher Kane, Gareth Pugh, Florence & The Machine and Leona Lewis.

And the best part is…We can all watch it online, I know I will be!

So CLICK HERE and enjoy… Shoots start daily at 11am GMT

The nominees are as follows:

Burberry, Mulberry and Pringle of Scotland nominated for the Designer Brand award.

Graeme Fidler for Aquascutum, Kim Jones for Dunhill, and Todd Lynn nominated for Menswear Designer.

Christopher Kane, Erdem, and Jonathan Saunders nominated for the BFC British Collection of the Year.

Emma Hill for Mulberry, Katie Hillier, and Nicholas Kirkwood nominated for the Accessory Designer.

Mark Fast, Meadham Kirchhoff, and Peter Pilotto nominated for Emerging Talent Award for Ready-to-Wear,

Holly Fulton, Camilla Stovgaard, Jessica McCormack, and Maria Francesca Pepe are nominated for the Emerging Talent Award for Accessories.

Models Georgia May Jagger, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Daisy Lowe are nominated for Model of the Year.

 I’m quite excited to hear about this, especially the emerging designers category as they were on my blog as ones-to-watch.  My fingers are crossed for Meadham Kirchhoff, they’re in the top three of my favorite designers.

With the exception of Ms. Jagger – whom I love – I’m not crazy about the model selection. I wish they would have considered Jourdan Dunn but she’s probably on her way out of the business considering she’s pregnant.

I believe Mulberry deserves this. They pulled off a coup with their Apple collaboration.

I wonder how Holly feels about the accessories mention. While she got her break as accessories designer for Lanvin, she’s working really hard to build a womenswear atelier.

Well, with all that said, fingers crossed!

Don’t take the title too literally.

Hahaha it’s funny how everything ends up in a cycle, couture becomes second-hand becomes vintage becomes antique becomes couture. French fries become fat become gym membership become skinny become french fries. And now runways become teen-blogger talk become designer talk become runways. Yes, this season the designers went back to (their interpretation of) childhood. We saw backpacks, kittens and birds and dogs, chunky heels, mary janes, pre-adolescent models (and A-lines, ruching and layers to accommodate their underdeveloped bodies), jackets, peacoats, collared shirts, peter-pan collars, lots of bows (in the hair) and hearts and polka-dots, pleated skirts, braids, afro’s, tweed, ruffles, awkward layering, pink, navy, orange, thigh high socks and even a ring binder inspired clutch at Miu Miu

With a (thank god!) injection of…sexy! Or as Style.com’s Sarah Mower said about Christopher Kane’s ss10 collection “Pretty yet perverted, innocent yet disturbing- At Miu Miu we saw an artistic naked print all over the dresses, shirts and skirt…(who doesn’t want that!), conservative dresses were updated with not-so conservative panels, fabric were sequin and crystal sprayed, there was transparency, a lot of it, hems were chopped short and sportswear was made out of revealing netting.- All hail Muccia Prada who does Miu Miu, she reinvented the 14-year-old, kept her geekyness and laughter but made her sexy, sophisticated and professional. “I was questioning innocence, questioning youth.”

(images via Style.com)

But is it really surprising? No! What was Nicole Phelps talking about when she reviewed Miu Miu? “They didn’t quite fit into this season’s naïf narrative. But they did make playing grown-up look like a lot of fun.”(she’s right about the second part!) With teenage bloggers rising to new heights (think Tavi Gevinson from Style Rookie on the cover of Pop, Bryan from BryanBoy at Marc Jacobs -got a bag named after him- and Vogue Russia, Jane Aldridge from Sea of Shoes at Elle and Crillion dressed in Chanel Haute Couture and Noa Leijdesdorff from Brains and Beauty at London Fashion Week and NET-A-PORTER.com) “Talks to her friends on the phone like an Editor in Chief talks to her PA, stomping around like mini Editors shooting street-style pictures like Mini Sartorialists and getting press passes confiscated by security for being underage” (a not so kind but humorous piece) written by Isaac Lock about Noa Leijdesdorff for the LFW Daily. It’s teenbloggers that constantly push designers boundaries, we have no needy publisher to satisfy or important advertiser to hold on to…we can say exactly what we think. We’ve gone back to having total absolute fun something lost sometimes in the commerciallll environment these days.-

One word about Louis Vuitton ss10, yesyesyes when you separate all the fabrics and pieces and accessories -I mean come on, you can recognize Marc Jacobs styling in 1 second…horror horror- you can see beauty, but lets not get carried away shall we? Marc Jacobs is a genius, and he likes to have fun, and go crazy, and wear skirts…and we love him! But Louis Vuitton is bought by le riche! And the 14 year olds we know don’t shop Vuitton, it’s the 44 year olds…maybe he’ll have to rework this one slightly for the hanger. Marc we’ll forgive you for this one, the music, starting two minutes early without half of the front row arriving and “so wrong they’re so right” clogs made up for some lost points.

What were your thoughts on Miu Miu, Luella and Louis Vuitton? Do you think teenage bloggers really are inspiring the catwalk? Let us know by dropping a comment or sending an email to brainsbeauty@live.co.uk

XX Brains + Beauty

I'd prefer it this way

or rock it this way

I was bloghopping yesterday, my brain munching up visual grubs of fashion delectables.Page after page it was sweet, oh, too sweet, sweet sour, oh spicy!  spicy HOT! But one picture had me holding back vomit. A beautiful Christopher Kane Croc T-Shirt blasphemed with hideous cropped jean shorts, overboard accesorizing, bed hair which litteraly looked like she just got out of bed and crazy red lipstick that should have been left for those who can actually pull it off (unfortunately I’m not one of them). I am saddened that such a beautiful piece of artwork has been scandalized as such. A t-shirt with such grandeur should be worn simple. Its already a visual treat by itself, going overboard leaves it a bit too sweet close as to make you hurl. But yeah, fashion …. is subjective. Hence me holding it all in.

Side note, I know I have the CKane Baboon/Gorilla shirt in as well. I know.

The fashion world is your glass ball into the future, everything on the runway represents the mood of the society and reflects events of the time, from military to masculine, these trends are not just there because the designer thought fuunnnn. no! military trends will occur in times of war (e.g. Iraq), at Brains + Beauty we link the masculine trend to revolution, sex equality…changing the idea of men wear trousers and women wear dresses, so we were wondering whether the recent vampire obsession has affected the on and off runway! After team Brains + Beauty went to see The Twilight Saga: New Moon we were surprised how fashion forward the movie was burgundy red velvet cape a la Fendi aw09.- So -yes maybe a little bit lame but whatever- we decided to list some of the most ‘fang’tastic clothing and accessories inspired by this vampire craze.

Fendi aw09 was completely inspired by vampires, look at the luxurious burgundy velvet, strong shoulders and long coats. But than again…KarlLagerfeld is probably as close looking to a vampire as it gets…the man is amazing.

Hitched Lace Skirt by Boutique £55 via Topshop.com This amazing ”blogger look” -think Suzy from StyleBubble.com- skirt looks luxurious because of the lace layering and thin lace edging. Pair it with a tank and chunky knitted -cobweb- sweater, layer a few chains and necklaces on top. Or wear with a bodysuit (see Topshop.com, AmericanApparel.com).

  Prunella high-waisted Velvet Jeans by Notify £160 via NET-A-PORTER.com

 

 

XX Brains + Beauty