Paris in Spring

With this lovely Spring weather we've been having this year, my mind can't help but wonder over the pond to Paris, the city of lights, the city of love! What a perfect time to walk hand and hand with your special beaux, through the unending flowers in bloom at the Jardin des Tuileries. Paris in Spring is magical, as all seasons are in Paris, the blooming flowers and warm sun, it's no wonder they have so much vacation over there...

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J'aime bien le printemps a Paris!! And I hope you get the chance to visit Paris in Springtime if you have not already. Be sure to get a Macaron in my honor!

Relish the Magic of Paris in Spring!

Meanwhile at Paris Fashion Week

J'adore Paris. It's the city of love, the city of lights, and the city of fashion! I always love trolling the internet for the goodies of Paris Fashion Week and boy are there some great ones. I must say this Fall 2012 Fashion Week season has been a really great one. I have had hope restored in the creativity of the industry. More color, and beautiful feminine clothing has graced the runway this season than there has been in a while.

 {all photos via Style.com}

 Still pretty new to the Ready to Wear scene, Louis Vuitton is not doing too shabby. Although I cannot say that this collection was my style exactly, I loved the execution, and I loved the inspiration. An actual custom steam engine chugged it's way down the catwalk and then each model, complete with her own bellhop carrying her LV bags, walked in three piece dress suits.

 Just like LV,  a lot of lines at Paris Fashion Week are sporting pants under a skirt. I'm not a huge fan of that look because I feel it does nothing for your figure, I do like how Mr. Lagerfeld executed it chez Chanel. The jewel encrusted lace skirt that wrapped around the sleek pants and plenty proportions of sheer...I seriously was swooning. And then many models also in gloves this year, but I love that Chanel has chosen Opera Length Fingerless gloves! I have never seen this. What a cool downtown edgy spin on the ultra uptown classy accessory!

 Elie Saab dabbled more with actual Ready to Wear this year than I have seen him attempt in at least 8 seasons, where I have seen more of his signature couture gowns. I seriously could not love this jumpsuit more. With his touch of that shimmering sheer fabric fit with a great pant, this woman is super chic.

 The line of Kanye West...yes THAT Kanye West, was surprisingly chic but not a lot of diversity, but he's new to the fashion scene...he has a lot of growth as a designer to make I suppose. I really enjoyed the leather looks he styled together. This leather vamp ensemble topped with fur I would so rock in NYC. I do wish he would've represented at NYC instead of Paris Fashion Week though, not sure I'm on board.

Sarah Burton has turned out another fun Alexander McQueen line. Many looks dealing with white and exploring this triangle shape, I was smitten for this cape with the gathered wide hem! Since the dress is cinched, it still allows you to look curvy and feminine and still fashion chic.

Paul & Joe played with lots of texture and rich colors which gets instant brownie points in my book. I also always enjoy men on the runways. I especially loved this last look color blocking along with mixing velvet, lace, and silk. They are dramatic and are all working together very well for a bold statement. Of course I would not be bold enough to rock a see through lace top braless, even with those pockets, but that's what models are for n'est-ce pas?

Valentino is no surprise to appear featured for fabulousness, but right out the gate, Look #1 is a leather cape. Seriously? Do you even need the rest of the line? It's amazing, and takes the cake. Bravo Valentino on my favorite caped look at Paris Fashion Week!

Vous aimez Paris Fashion Week my darlings?

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Street Scene at Paris Couture Fashion Week

The fabulous are crawling out of hibernation for their early start to the fashion season. Paris Couture Fashion Week has arrived and I've never seen Paris so colorful. It really is exciting to walk the grounds of any fashion week, not only because of the shows, but the fabulous people watching around them! The street scene surrounding the couture happenings is just as inspirational and entertaining as the shows themselves...see for yourself!

Tommy Ton was on the scene to grab some amazing street scene photos as per ushe, of Paris Couture Fashion Week. I love how fabulous everyone is, and how every detail counts, every pattern pops, and every color is brighter than the next.

 Paris Couture Fashion Week will run January 23rd - 26th, not a full week, but they are also riding off the coattails of Men's Fashion Week, and then will have Paris Fashion Week F/W 2012 by the end of February. Quite a busy calendar.

Food for thought: Americana is back in a HUGE way. Whether Native American, Classic Prep Americana, or the sporty hip of Grease Lightening. I love seeing the world embrace the varied American history.

What is your favorite aspect of the 

Paris Couture Fashion Week street scene?

Fashion 101: Oscar de la Renta

There are so many great fashion designers in this world that have changed society in pivotal ways. It's hard when you sit down to decide who the very top houses are...but I don't feel that is so much necessary as knowing who the fashion royalty are in general. Valentino, Dior, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren, and of course Oscar de la Renta. Of course this list could be much longer, this is just me rambling off the top designers that are on my top of mind recall. I always love learning of how these great visionaries got their start, and I am always interested to learn how intertwined this industry is.

{Merci fashionista.com}

Oscar de la Renta was born in 1932 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. At 18, he moved to Madrid, Spain to study painting and quickly became enveloped by the world of fashion. He began sketching for top Spanish fashion houses until he landed a prominent apprenticeship for the couturier Balenciaga, not a bad start. From there he moved to Paris and began work at Lanvin as a couture assistant.

Working for incredible talents like Balenciaga and Antonio Castillo [Lanvin], I learned about the immense skills and creativity involved in couture work. Today, I apply some of that same detailing and artistry in some of my own designs. 

 In 1963, Oscar notices the future of fashion shifting to ready to wear and moves to New York to trail-blaze the path. Upon taking the advice of Vogue Editor in Chief Diana Vreeland, Oscar designs custom clothing for the Elizabeth Arden label where she will help promote his name and work that will advance his future line. Two years later, with grown public recognition, the house of Oscar de la Renta is launched.

I have always felt my role as a designer is to do the very best I can for a woman to make her look her best. Fashion is only fashion once a woman puts it on.

{merci ShinyStyleTV}

Being honored for his talent is no new territory for Oscar, as he has won many awards over the years for his excellence in design.  Oscar also served as President for the Council of Fashion Designers of America from 1973-1976 and made one big change that you may all be interested in, Oscar added the CFDA Awards! This allowed the fashion industry to award their own for a job well done, rather than going to an outside sponsor. Oscar has been awarded:

Coty Awards

1967 Fashion Critic's Award

1968 Fashion Critic's Award

1973 Coty Hall of Fame

CFDA Awards

1990 CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award 

2000 Designer of the Year 

2007 Designer of the Year 

Before expanding into his diverse and fabulous accessory lines, Oscar makes a detour from 1993-2002 to be head couturier of Balmain...the first American to do so for a French house! Oscar is able to turn Balmain, a failing line that had not sold a dress in two years, into a leading house for dress sales in France.

{merci brides.com}

Oscar de la Renta is equal parts designer and business man which is apparent when you see the deep footprint he has firmly planted on the fashion world. I always look forward to his new collection each season, as it prances down the runways full of color, life, and lots of embellishment!

{Merci The Fashion Mag Pie}

{dates and info thanks to Wikipedia and Oscar de la Renta website}


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Les Allures de Chanel: 2011 Chanel Couture 2011

Sorry for the small absence mes cheris, life has been more than hectic lately and I'm just praying for a regular schedule again soon. But thank you for remaining faithful while I wind this crazy road called life!
Karl Lagerfeld just wrapped the 2011 Chanel Couture show: Les Allures de Chanel and alluring it was! Drawing inspiration from film noire and mapping through the life of Coco Chanel herself, Lagerfeld created a beautiful collection.

{merci style.com}

 Keeping with the traditional tweed suits but playing with proportion, 

many looks showcased a peplum skirt or some form of attention to the hips. 

 I really liked the throwback dresses that referenced the 1920's 

which also held a resounding theme in this collection. 

Karl Lagerfeld certainly displayed another creative collection of the Chanel tweed suits, and even though I'm one for change, I can appreciate the reworking of a fashion staple. The 2011 Chanel Couture show was magical don't you think?

Fashion 101: Yves Saint Laurent

It has been a while since my blog has mentioned anything about France now that I live in New York City. So for this lesson of Fashion 101 I wanted to feature a true legend to the fashion world, and France's own, Yves Saint Laurent.

As I just visited the Alexander McQueen Exhibition: Savage Beauty at The Met (don't worry that post is coming...and YES it was amazing), I was reminded of an equally great exhibit I had the honor of visiting last summer in Paris. That's right, I had so many posts and photos going up in the summer of 2010 that somewhere amongst the chaos of my cross-Atlantic move, I had a tiny little gold mine of snapshots that got lost in the recesses of my external drive! So here's to another great Fashion 101!

Yves Saint Laurent at the Petit Palais 

along the Seine River...my heart just melts as I think of it. 

**Please note: not all of these photos are the best, I was shooting from the hip...literally... as I was trying to discreetly capture the ambience of the exhibition for you guys without getting caught.**

At 17, Yves Saint Laurent started his career as an assistant to Christian Dior in 1953. Dior gradually accepted more and more of his sketch submissions and named him his successor to the House of Dior. In the Fall of 1957 Dior died unexpectedly of a heart attack and suddenly at 21 Yves Saint Laurent was to direct his first runway line. 

Here are the stats that any true fashionista should know about YSL:

1. Fused Art and Culture with Fashion

In his premier line for the Christian Dior label, he set the world on fire by creating Dior's signature "New Look" with trapeze dresses. 

 {merci Girl's Guide to Paris}

His life was all about art and culture and it was constantly cognisant in his collections. Including his famous YSL color block dress inspired by the well known Mondrian painting, and was just one of many art reinterpretations over the course of his fashion career. His influence was often found outside of Europe as well, and he is credited as the first designer to send ethnic models down his runway, including longtime muse, supermodel Iman.

{merci fashion freax}

2. Founded Ready to Wear

As many designers in the mid sixties meddled with a few pret-a-porter pieces, Yves Saint Laurent was the first to launch a full ready to wear collection in the Fall of 1966. In addition that Fall, he opened the first of his ready to wear stores which he called his Rive Gauche stores, in Paris. Catherine Deneuve was his first customer. 

Fashion fades, style is eternal ~Yves Saint Laurent

3. Uncovered the lost art of Couture

The sixties and seventies were a time where the golden age of decadent couture had long been forgotten, ahem... polyester suits. But as a couturier himself, Yves Saint Laurent's creations brought back haute couture into the spotlight it deserved. 

Haute couture consists of secrets whispered from generation to generation...If in ready to wear, a garment is manufactured according to standard sizes, the haute couture garmet adapts to any imperfection in order to eliminate it. ~Yves Saint Laurent

4. The women's tuxedo suit

YSL's partner and longtime companion Pierre Berge once said, "We often say Chanel has liberated the woman, which is true, but we can also say that YSL gave them the power." No truer words could be spoken. Yves Saint Laurent's designs were specific to empower the woman and pull out her beauty at the same time. In his Fall 1965 collection, YSL introduced Le Smoking, his women's tuxedo pantsuit that changed to female corporate look forever. YSL is also credited with other trends such as safari jackets, thigh high boots, and his coined beatnik look.

{merci wikipedia}

Yves Saint Laurent was a vital piece of the ever evolving landscape of fashion, and experiencing this exhibit was truly breath taking. In the Centre Pompidou on January 22, 2002 YSL showed his last collection before retiring, showcasing 30 new looks and a collection of 300 models emphasizing the highlights over his career. He died of brain cancer on June 1, 2008 in his Paris residence.

I want to thank all the women who have worn my clothes, the famous and the unknown, who have been so faithful to me and given me so much joy. ~Yves Saint Laurent

 {merci yoox.com}

 Thank you Wikipedia and the Petit Palais for your wisdom.