Inside “Christian Dior, Designer of Dreams” Exhibition in Paris
Wednesday July 5th, the “Christian Dior, Designer of Dreams” exhibition opens to the public, at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. This major event is possibly the biggest and one the first in France that Dior ever staged in 30 years. It is much more than fashion, the exhibition is laid out chronologically, presenting the story of the late designer, the maison and the art and culture that came along with the fashion he created. The story explores the history of the house by featuring over 300 dresses from the designer’s archives, spreading over 30,000 square feet in all.
Dior exhibition at Musee des Arts Decoratifs CREDIT: ALAIN JOCARD
Curated by fashion historian Florence Müller, the show is divided into 23 themes exploring the work of major designers who looked up to Christian Dior himself, like Yves Saint Laurent, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons, and the current creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri. “The goal of the exhibition is to show the source of creation and the breadth of culture that Christian Dior and the designers who succeeded him possessed. They really explored the history of art. It’s important for the public to understand that fashion isn’t ‘easy.’ Dior, and the others, made a point of bathing in culture. He understood the complexity of things, but what he loved was simplicity,” said Müller.
Dior exhibition at Musee des Arts Decoratifs CREDIT: ALAIN JOCARD
Both Dior and MAD surpassed themselves with this major exhibition, bringing the iconic identities of Christian Dior back to life and celebrating the essence of femininity merged with brilliance and luxury.
Enjoy the video below, to meet the faces of the brand, guests and close friends who joined together on the exhibition premiere to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the legendary House.
“Christian Dior, Designer of Dreams” is on open from July 5, 2017 – January 7, 2018.
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Last night, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris held Fendi’s third couture show, designer Karl Lagerfeld sets a woodland atmosphere with a fantastical field of flowers in the background.
Models carried flower basket bags created with fur petal shapes forming a bouquet of poppies and irries. The show displayed outerwear of sheared Persian lamb coats found in light brown, power pink and red, jackets were crafted from shaved mink all embroidered to one another; and our favorite is a wrap coat made of hand-painted shaved mink with flap wings.
The blooms theme kept Lagerfeld in focus, and just like any traditional couture runway, the show ended with a embroidered bridal look with many motifs. The most striking was the matched shawl created with “9,000 tiny discs that took 1,250 hours to hand sew,” now that’s a well-deserved standing ovation.
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Fall’17 Couture: Zuhair Murad
Inspired by the Gibson Girls illustrations from the 1890s, Zuhair Murad sent down the runway a parade of gowns in light pastel shades. “She’s tall, beautiful, self-confident,” the designer said as he explains his apprehension of Charles Zana Gibson drawings- a famous American graphic artist from the 20th century.
The looks were embellished with bold details of plunging necklines and open backs, with lots of velvet and fluid sequins work with heavy botanical embroidery. “When you see the dresses of this collection, you feel that it’s maybe heavy or that there’s a lot of embroidery or ornament, but in reality it’s very light,” Murad said backstage before the show.
There was a floor-sweeping chiffon dress topped with a printed silk cape, a glitzing sheer floral design appeared in light pink also paired with a cape-like bodice; and one of the most astounding, a grey velvet jumpsuit matched with a floaty ostrich cape. Murad is known for using his signature nude effects, and this year models wore a sheer body-hugging dress embellished with metallic flowers and ostrich feathers.
Fall’17 Couture: Valentino
As the second haute couture show for Pierpaolo Piccioli of Valentino, one must say it was close enough to fascinating. Simple and elegant classic cuts, printed pants, and colour layering gave this everyday-wear collection a transitional touch.
There were hooded capes and over-sized robe silhouettes, and metal bags with mosaic sculpted details of animal heads. Some of our favourite extraordinary designs, include a pleated skirt made of emerald feather stripes; and the creative director brings displays a dazzling fabric combinations of lace brocade and cashmere, chiffon, velvet and textured sparkly embroidery.
This Victorian inspired yet colourful collection, helped Piccolo to stayed focused on the house’s latest ensembles paired with caped backs for a dramatic tone, where he also paraded some of his signatures of sheer and ruffled banquet-like dresses.
Fall’17 Couture: Jean Paul Gaultier
The couture show was held at the Jean Paul Gaultier’s headquarters, and this time the designer focused on the glamorous ski culture.
The show started with a few magnificent pieces, a loose oversized cardigan jacket embellished with blue and white patterns of pearls, and a sweater dress detailed with delicate ribbons; tailoring at its finest! Also, there was a chic deconstructed coat matched with an ivory knit body, and even long sequins “robe du soir” dresses, quite elegant for a skier.
Dominant colours that grazed the runway, are shades of off-white, black with some red and splashes fuchsia pink lining the inside of a heavy velvet outerwear and chunky knit sweaters paired with exaggerate furry ice-princess ushanka hat and flat ugg-looking boots.
Fall’17 Couture: Armani Privé
Rumor has it that Giorgio Armani’s latest couture collection was dedicated to the late Vogue Italia editor, Franca Sozzani, who passed away at the end of the year of 2016.
Black ruled the runway, as the models showcased toque caps covered with a veil, as sign of mourning. Jackets and skirts dominated the collection in pretty icy pastels, also there was hint of fuchsia used in a bird feather top and a bubble cape, both paired with skirts. One-shouldered gowns displayed confetti-like embroidery, and an outstanding artful Armani piece was an over-sized floral mermaid cut gown with a touch of modern-chic.
One must say that a Gothic aesthetic filled the venue, from the decoration to the abstracted headgear to the models Boldini eyes, black lace and creeping velvet fabrics. Over the years, Armani has proved his love for surrealism, which certainly added some uniformity to this particular collection.
Sail Away with Chanel’s “Flying Cloud” High Jewellery Collection
Chanel’s eponymous founder Gabrielle Chanel, was famous for her rebellious actions when it comes to women’s fashion and her revolutionary mix of accessories with fine jewellery; however, till this day there are still many things to be discovered about the infamous muse, especially when it comes to launching Chanel’s high jewellery collection.
This year, Chanel’s new jewellery range- Flying Cloud, is purely inspired by Gabrielle’s love for the deep blue sea and the resort lifestyle the comes with it. Named after the second Duke of Westminster’s yacht, Hugh Grosvenor, the founder spent many summer days onboard the Flying Cloud a four-mast, black-hulled, white-decked yacht with a 40-member crew.“Luxury is a necessity that begins where necessity ends,” the designer once said.
Lovers for a decade, the Duke was known to be one of the most influential and dearest to Gabrielle’s heart, and it only seemed natural for Chanel to create an entire collection inspired by the memories the two lovers carried across the French Riviera.
Scroll through the gallery to discover the highlights from the latest Chanel high jewellery collection.
During Couture week we have seen lots of daywear ascending the runway, but not at Elie Saab you would! The Lebanese designer presented his haute couture show with a parade of dresses. Saab focused on pageantry, as his show notes explained that the collection’s inspiration came from the fictional world of “fallen kings, defeated by a fearless and heroic sisterhood . . . bright and brave warrior queens they were, are, and forever will be.” Think Game of Thrones, aplace full of gleaming attire.
There were a pair of trousers, a jacket, and a train, Saab imagined a super warrior queen wearing floor-dusting gowns with matching capes. We saw heavy velvets and silks with refined embroidery made out of gold threads; on the romantic side, the designer offered fabrics like mousselines and tulles that showed some skin.
A bride closed the show, wearing blush pink with gold sequins, matched with a hooded-veil; very Elie Saab! The designer decided to display a world of female power dating back to the medieval times, but with a sensual flair.
Fall’17 Couture: Alexis Mabille
Alexis Mabille lined-up 20 evening gowns arranged by colour tones based on his favorite scents. For his haute couture collection, he matched each shade with a specific type of fragrance, “I have a very strongly developed sense of smell — for better and for worse,” he quotes. “I wanted to talk about colours, feelings and the intimacy of that, because when you are getting dressed, especially when you buy couture, you also play a role.”
Mabille took interest and started to explore the olfactive notes from senior perfumer- Rodrigo Flores-Roux, with whom he collaborated with in 2011, to create the Beau Bow perfume for Six Scents.
Each piece was unique in its own kind, there was a loose-fitted bomber-like jacket all sculpted in gold lamé flowers, embellished with jewels; he cites that this piece translates into something fresh and citrusy, representing accords like bergamot, tonka, and opoponax. Floral scents like geraniums and peonies matched fancy colours of red, which was translated into a dramatic design made of velvet with voluminous pleated sleeves of organza.
This fantasy collection kept Mabille focused by presenting striking yet flattering silhouettes, where one hoped take a whiff of the finest perfumes.
Roger Vivier Celebrates the Fall Season With Ines de la Fressange
In celebration of the Fall season, Roger Vivier’s brand ambassador Ines de la Fressange roams the city of Paris while showcasing the Maison’s “small treasures that are sure to bring you joy”- as she defines them.
For the Fall- Winter’17 collection, Roger Vivier had in mind the eclectic woman, who seeks to embellish her style with the finest accessories. Inspired by the ’70s, the brand kept an open-mind for extreme contrasts for a modern yet arty touch. For a cosmopolitan feel, they introduced this season the signature Buckle Square as it accents a timeless classic,the Podium Square Bootie, and the Viv’ Cabas day-bag is abstractly reinvented into a vibrant and multi-coloured work of art; very Vivier!
Enjoy the video above, while you get a sweet taste of Roger Vivier’s new world.
Last night in Paris, the Lebanese designer Georges Hobeika embraced his brand aesthetics as he debuts a gleaming couture collection. Dashing and elegant as always, this year’s collection drew “its vibrant energy from Andalusia’s ornamental traditions”, models pranced in striking dresses filled with crystal embroideries that evoke the decorative mosaics that embellished the insides of the Granada castles.
Inspired by nature, Hobeika sent out festively embellished sculptural gowns, generously pleated dresses, and some with charming capes and boleros in refined details. There were silk trousers in blush-pink coordinated with fancy mules, voluptuous dresses in burgundy constructed from heavy beading. One can say, that the entire collection had a rad-carpet feel, from the long slit dresses in electric blue to floral off-the-shoulder body-con designs and the many looks that favored the boat-cut with aerial lace or sheer sleeves.
Fall ’17 Couture: Schiaparelli
The makings of Bertrand Guyon for Schiaparelli Couture collection presented a streamline of white tailoring and feminine gowns. As usual Schiaparelli’s eccentric direction is extreme, heavy embroidery, drop-down earrings—long tulle gloves and a neutral face. A polka dot midnight dress with a strapless cut and a pleated bottom was especially striking.
The “Shocking Society” collection debuted several evening gowns that exhibited similar long fluid silhouettes, along with jackets with a hint of Picasso patchwork paired with a silk-chiffon skirt and flat boots. This year’s theme gave Guyon a lot to play with, from a collared Swarovski sequins dress with white chiffon sleeves, to a floor-dusting gown in shocking pink.
“Calling on sensuality, merging intensity and freshness. A new femininity gives life to a strong yet delicate personality,” as stated in the show’s notes; Guyon explored the Elsa-ism in a light touch, as he used transparency for both opulence and simplicity. Astrological prints are known to be dear to Schiaparelli, as they appeared on leather jumpsuits, mini collared dresses and bustiers; and the closing gown in delicate white was super lovely, with layers of chiffon and a beaded belt to accentuates the waist and give it a subtle shine.
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Slide through our gallery above to check out the five different outfits that are equally chic and comfy to wear on a long-haul flight. Bon Voyage!
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Resort 18: Max Mara
Max Mara is famous for its classic ensembles of cashmere coats and timeless beauty, not so much for following the latest trends.
Inspired by the 1920s, Griffiths reimagined the infamous Eileen Gray- one of the first female architects from the 20th century; and this collection mirrors Gray’s success rather than her personal sense of style. “The poverty of modern architecture stems from the atrophy of sensuality,” she said.
This range takes us on a vacation to the Côte d’Azur, with an emphasis on nautical stripes mixed with double-face cashmere outerwear with terrific tailoring. There was a mix of mid-length dresses slightly nipped at the waist- so 1930s, denim on denim paired with lace-up wedges, and a sleeveless white linen outfit detailed with navy is a pure perfection.
SS’18 Menswear: Dior Homme
On Saturday, Belgian designer Kris Van Assche celebrates a decade at the helm of Dior Homme with his Spring Summer 2018 collection that paid tribute to the iconic tailored suit.
“Tailoring will never be over,” said the creative director. “But I’ve been here for 10 years and it made me think about the DNA of the brand, the black suit and the white shirt.”
Van Assche redefined the meaning of the Dior suit for the newer generation, as he sends out extreme tailored black suit jacket paired with fluid pants and sneakers or tiny shorts. He played with the brand’s aesthetic by designing a modern gilet narrowed to waistcoat proportions, paired with wide-legged trousers then cut above the knees.
The creative designer continued the “fusion of sport and suit” with varsity inspired bomber jacket and vividly coloured shirts printed with art works of street scenes by Francois Bard- a renowned French painter that emphasised the urban spirit throughout the entire series.
SS18 Menswear: Louis Vuitton
Style director Kim Jones takes us on a tropical trip for his spring summer 2018 collection for Louis Vuitton. Yes, the show was staged in Palais-Royal, but judging by the venue’s environment it could have easily been set in Hawaii.
The guests sat front row under a clear plastic tent as models strolled down to the latest tune of Drake’s “SIGNS,” which was released specially for the show. There were relaxed tailored outfits mixed with scuba-diving and surfing gear. Jones presented this season aquatic colours with glossy textures perfect for the ocean.
“It’s that multicultural, sort of subtropical vibe. I wanted something quite sporty, but I wanted the tailoring to be relaxed and the sportswear to be quite fitted and smart,” Jones said backstage. Inspired by a book called “The Atlas of Remote Islands: Fifty Islands I Have Not Visited and Never Will” helped the designer to use different elements like the vegetation from Pacific islands combined with tailoring techniques from Hong Kong.
The collection also featured cool Mohair jackets, suits and pants in blue shades and earthy tones mixed with exotic prints. Standout pieces included Aloha shirts layered with printed organza, sandals, raincoats with floral designs and tropicana-style knitted tees with signature LV logos.
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Dubai to Launch the World’s First Collective Endowment Park
It is the year of giving and Dubai city announces to soon revive an inherent custom by developing the world’s first endowment park, which will encourage donating palms as a form of agricultural funding.
The Endowment Park is an innovative project to be developed by Dubai Municipality & Mohammed Bin Rashid Global Centre for Endowment Consultancy (MBRGCEC). This is a pure example of how Dubai turns its focus to charity by merging economic, commercial and cultural goals together.
The park is to be located next to Mushrif Park and covering an area of 15 hectares; and will also include a date-packing factory, with an expected annual production capacity of 150 tonnes of dates, where its entire production will be devoted to benefiting the unprivileged members within the UAE community.
The endowment park idea came from a 125-year old tradition that originated from the Hatta region in UAE, which is an inherent custom of endowing palms and donating all proceeds to charity.
Dubai Municipality stated that it will soon launch the invitation to donate towards the endowment park during the second half of 2017.
SS’18 Menswear: Fendi
Fendi delivered a fascinating Spring Summer’18 menswear collection of “corporate escapism.” Seeking for adventure, the creative director reminds us that fashion is all about being fun, and for this season the freedom and impulse was fully present.
Displayed on a black-and-white marble runway, the collection was inspired focused on the old masculine classics of an executive. Models sported casualwear mixed with corporatewear staples like wide ties, suspenders and slickers. Inspired by the 1980s film American Psycho, Fendi reinvented the old-school tracksuit tops in fur and suede fabrics and included a brown sheer nylon plaid suit paired with a classic blue T-shirt.
“Masculine executives used to be very rigid, in a box. But now it is different . . . I am very interested in normality; it is something I am obsessed by, but it is the Fendi normality”: Fendi quoted backstage. For a modern and bolder update to a business attire, the models also wore oversized suede sportswear jackets paired with nylon bags, and sleeveless work shirts tuck in wide pleated pants with above slingback loafers.
Finally, to charm the millennials the traditional scattering of double-F branding and mundane illustrations, Fendi decides to collaborate with the pen of Sue Tilley, an artist and once was immortalised by the British painter Lucian Freud. Tilley sketches of tea cups, bananas skins bottle openers and bathroom taps charmed the runway as they appeared on bags and pattern printed T-shirts.
SS’18 Menswear: Prada
Inspired by Comic books, the designer shows her appreciation for hand-drawn art illustrations. The Spring Summer’18 collection celebrated the many talents of today’s digital world, where Miuccia asked artist James Jean and Belgian graphic designer Ollie Schrauwen to paint the show’s venue with “Roy Lichtenstein” inspired cartoon characters; the artists painted the walls with decorative motifs of giant monkeys, bugs and ladies’ eyes with bold black lashes.
Models pranced in ’70s inspired oversized fanny bags, mechanic suits, two-toned bowling shirts and extra skinny belts. Dominated by daring graphic prints, the designer featured shorts with tucked-in collared shirts paired with striped knee socks, styled with colourful fisherman sandals or old-school looking basketball Velcro sneakers.
Surprisingly, Prada decided to show wearable pieces like gorgeous heavy long coats and sweaters with big graphic images, confusing to see during an SS’18 show; but as Miuccia explained, “everything was a little bit too naive, too simple, so we thought these heavy coats would be the right counterpart. That is just fashion—because we love it.”
SS’18 Menswear: Giorgio Armani
A simple phrase was projected onto the runway backdrop: Made in Armani. This statement captured Mr. Armani’s vision of his own empire and the pure perfection that he has been offering for countless seasons.
This Spring Summer’18 collection featured a light colour palette of blues, greys and flashes of silver. Models cascaded in Far Eastern-inspired silhouettes, wearing slim-cut trousers short to the ankle and tailored jackets that buttoned-up to the collar. There were some long-sleeve knitwear in navy and blue decorated with chevrons (V-shaped marks), narrow collared polo-shirts and lightweight trench coats that fluttered like a kaftan.
Other refreshing highlights included a wool and cottone cardigan-shirt and clean worksuits paired with crisp shirts in peacock blue and purple shades. Also, Armani’s signature was embossed on leather tote bags and blue tees paired with a silvery jacquard jacket.
Once again, the Italian master of menswear presented a solid collection that displayed easy and wearable clothes with a clever play on layering.
SS’18 Menswear: Dolce & Gabbana
Designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana featured a vibrant Spring Summer’18 collection with bold statements in block capitals “D&G GIVE ME FREEDOM” and “I AM NOT YOUR SCAPEGOAT,” aiming to spread love across today’s young generation. Before the show Dolce stated backstage, “People use heavy words very easily these days. There is too much aggression. We think what the world needs is love—and for us, fashion is love.”
Once again, the Italian fashion house decided to cast insta-famous personalities to strut the runway, such as Anwar Jibawi, King Bach and Myles B. O’Neal. The designers revisited a common theme using playing card patterns embellished on tops and zip-up jackets. The entire collection was punctuated with red hearts, as well as animal-inspired prints used on coats and trousers.
There is no doubt that the two fashion gurus are still the masters of tailoring, as they remind us of how glamorous a pin-sharp suit can be; there were a tux jacket paired with a shawl collar in silver sequins and a classic black silk suit peppered with playing cards. The internet darlings also wore hand-painted jeans, printed pajama suits and oversized sequins king-motif T-shirts, including a set of patched double-breasted bomber jackets, plus tote bags came with exaggerated D&G logo hashtag handles.
SS’18 Menswear: Ermenegildo Zegna
As Sartori’s second collection for Zegna, his Spring Summer 2018 range showcased an airy sportswear series with a mix between technical tailoring and couture detailing.
The weightless collection, debuted in the courtyards of Milan’s Università Statale that was transformed into a tangerine-hued surreal garden with a central tree surrounded by little pebbles. Models cascaded the runway in oversized kimono-style V-neck sweaters and pink double-breasted two-piece suit with elastic cuff trousers.
Sartori used washed silks and including sandals and crafted baseball caps in woven leather fabric. The artistic director deconstructed the brand’s aesthetic as he created malleable and effortlessly light clothes. He described his collection as “classicism with modernity” and with the fluid-cuts and high levels of craftsmanship is what kept every piece elevated.
Inspired by the natural rusty colours, the designer shared an enjoyable experience translated into this refreshing outdoorsy collection full of bomber jackets, suit trousers paired with zip-up tops and joggers.
Now in Stores: Saint Laurent’s New Loulou Monogram Bag
Recognisable by its Y quilted signature, the new Loulou Monogram comes in three different sizes- small, medium and large, also come as an envelope shape with chain or as backpack style in textured patent leather or velvet fabric.
Slide through the gallery to check out this season’s latest Loulou Monogram designs
Welcoming the new Emporio Armani Fall Winter 2017-18 advertising campaign, photographed by the young Italian talent Matteo Montanari.
The luxury fashion house latest campaign stars models- Chiharu Okunugi, Londone Myers, Valery Kaufman, Romy Schonberger, Julian Schneyder, Jegor Venned and Alessio Pozzi.
Montanari captured their minimal and elegant style in pairs and in group shot against a neutral background, as to highlight their fun energy, individual attitudes and unique personalities to convey a sense of belonging, typically the pure aesthetic of the brand.