Fashion Art !

Handy way to eat your afternoon tea spread out on your glamorous skirt, pregnant ladies you have the advantage!!

The White Fairy Tale Love Ball 2011 Hosted By Natalia Vodianova

 I had to share these stunning images that were shot in the run up to the Love Ball of Natalia Vodianova by photographer Paulo Roversi they gave me goosebumps as I uploaded them, they are so magical dark and light at the same time. I love the way Natalia manages to capture the spirit of the Love Ball event in some of her poses, looking like a child lost in play, in these shots she looks tiny and then by the miracle of the supemodel and clever photography looks so lythe and long of limbs.The closed eyes shots are expectional, through her body language she evokes the spirit of a ballerina caught in the moment, about to dance her next step.For those of you that are not familar with the Love Ball held Wednesday the 6th of July, it was set up by the supermodel to raise funds for Russian charity the Naked Heart Foundation, which aims to create play areas and more recently family centres for Russian children and orphans, the charity recognises and celebrates the importance of play for healthy child development a subject that is close to my heart too.

 The event hosted in Paris at the Chateau de Wideville, by Natalia Vodianova wearing a stunning red Valentino gown, was a glittering spectacle of white and silver the theme for the evening and celebrity guest women  looking like every kind of variation on the snow queen imaginable, were invited to quench their thirst with piles of real snow balls stacked on solid golden platters, sorry I ran away with myself there!  When you enter the world of fairytale its very tempting to embellish a little! I think perhaps refreshments were more in the realms of champagne! The event helped raise a two million euros, bravo Natalia and her team! 

Natalia Vodianova / Giambattista Valli @Paolo Roversi for NHF

Natalia Vodianova / Worth @Paolo Roversi for NHF

The White Fairy Tale Fashion Show

Natalia Vodianova / Yves Saint Laurent @Paolo Roversi for Naked Heart Foundation

Natalia Vodianova / Oscar de la Renta @Paolo Roversi for NHF

Natalia Vodianova / Ulyana Sergeenko @Paolo Roversi for NHF

Natalia Vodianova / Stella McCartney @Paolo Roversi for NHF

images courtesy of Natalia Vodianova facebook page, to find out more about the Naked Heart Foundation charity just click

C Is For .....

 

Sharing my two favourite words for today with you, that help evoke stylish behaviour whatever the situation

c is for cinching your waist in,vital to looking well groomed whatever the occassion

medusa belt - Lily and Lionel

w is for wafting, wafting with your scarf is vital to looking stylishly nochalant.  

starfish scarf -Lily and Lional


Both these beautiful finds are from Lily and Lionel

My Passport to Style| Goes Back Stage With Stephane Rolland At Paris Fashion Week!

Backstage at Paris fashion week A/W 2011-2012 with Stephane Rolland, his collection is impeccable, breath taking edgy designs, clothing and architecture were never so closely paired, I'm in heaven. Just looking at the strong clean lines from his collection, you  realise very quickly that your posture would stand corrected the moment you step into one of his dresses and have it magically deftly zipped up by the invisible hands of the Rolland team (they come as standard with any item from the his collection, did'n't you know?) the slouch in you would not stand a chance!!Makeup and hair styling on the models reflect the purity and grandeur of the collection, but have a slight eerie perfection reminiscent of shop manequins which adds that essential untouchable quality that is at the heart of the magic of Paris fashion week.

 

My Passport to Style | Explores Mulberrys Latest Fashion Campaign For Their Autumn/Winter 2011 Collection

One of my favourite stories, both as an adult and a child, has always been Road Dahl's Fantastic Mr Fox. As some of you may know from previous posts you have read, I get a bit excited when fashion houses and designers manage to successfully distil the creative magic of fairytales and folklore into their runway collections. British clothing designers tend to have a knack for creating the unexpected, runway shows are all about thrilling audiences with the spectacle and drama of fashion and capturing their imagination, but a bit like the fairy tales we read as a child there is often an enduring and real message behind the fantasy that resonates with us and has depth, which is why children's stories are often such a powerful medium to use in the world of fashion - something the Mulberry team understand only too well.

A recent short break to the breathtaking, verdant countryside around Buttermere in Cumbria, where I found a furniture shop selling lifelike woodland creatures made to scale, such as badgers and foxes clothed in tweed and flannel, meant I was finally united with my perfect fantastic and very dapper Mr Fox.

Having met up with fantastic Mr Fox again, I was inspired to write about Mulberry's Autumn /Winter 2011 campaign and collection which have used the story of Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl, as their source inspiration. The stroke of genius in choosing this children's story as the central theme for their collection and campaign from both a fashion and marketing perspective, in my opinion, cannot be underestimated. They have managed to successfully showcase very current cultural themes whilst capturing the mood of Britain right now, through their visual interpretation of English woodland and countryside animals in Roald Dahl’s story Fantastic Mr Fox. Mulberry have tapped into the public's reawakened fascination with British Royalty and aristocracy who have long been associated with country pursuits and state visits to Wales and Scotland. Birds in flight were also very symbolic of the late Alexandra McQueen and his collections, so again the subliminal use of wildlife, foxes and birds in particular in Mulberry's Autumn/ Winter campaign, I believe, sends out a very potent message in the wake of the sad death of McQueen and his successor Sarah Burton taking over at the helm and being tasked to design Kate Middleton's bridal gown, for the Royal Wedding.


Mulberry could have taken a far more gritty but still very British path with their Autumn/Winter 2011 campaign choice and created visuals that alluded to the powerful connection between the pursuit of hunting, gentry and aristocracy in Britain, however that would have been too masculine. Their women's collections are known for being slightly quirky and yet very definitely feminine, added to that Mulberry's fan base identify strongly with them as animal lovers.

I believe the message behind the story of Fantastic Mr Fox itself, that fans of the film or book and quintessential British children's author Roald Dahl will be familiar with, is a very apt and sympathetic one. It resonates with the adversity some families from all walks of life and the globe find themselves in and alludes to the value of family and sacrifice. The dilemma that some people face, to stockpile for the future or live for today. Although all the characters in the story are woodland animals, the story is in essence of a husband with his back against the wall, his lively hood at stake, his wife fearful of his risk taking and the family and communities triumph over adversity through their ability to adapt. Like all great children's stories it contains a message of hope, a message that most certainly runs right through the Mulberry brand.

                                 

My Passport to Style | Does Diors Autumn/Winter 2011 Collection Have What It Takes?

What do you get when you lock Bill Gaytten, Diors new head designer together with a pyramid of pastel sprinkles, a flurry of candyfloss clouds, fairground wizardry and a gaggle of clowns in a cutting room at the house of Dior? Simple really the drama and fairytale of the big top, sensual, dramatic satin ruffles and the thrill and intensity of a laser light show spillling onto dresses, with back pannels that will billow out should a breeze catch them. Texture, slick use of colour, movement a plenty, drama, sweet but strong. Gayttens Autumn/Winter 2011 collection is diverse, fun in parts but ever so dramatic and the skill and daring he demonstrated darting from opposing moods/colour shifts which characterize his A/W collection is breathtaking! Hair is big, barbarella style or has high fluff factor, eyes are sweet with large pale giant sequins or sticky bright colours and brows.    

strobe light checks genius!

I desireth this, no not the pale and interesting doughnut's! The above!

 geometric candy cones, make sweetness, sharp!

                                                                               shiney gobstoppers      

loving the nude tiny tulle pompom detailing above

                                                                               

I love! But do you? Do tell! 

                               

My Passport To Style | Celebrates 4th of July 2011 With American Fashion Pioneer Elizabeth Hayes

Hi Gals, to celebrate the 4th of July 2011, I wanted to share the view point of an amazing American fashion pioneer Elizabeth Hawes who was deffinately ahead of her time and to me is the epitome of what American independence is all about, I hope you enjoy flicking through the pages of her book 'Fashion Spinache' that the talented designer and seamstress from the thirties compiled, happy reading!!! 

 Hawes felt that the body and its clothes must work together. She thought that American women should not accept French fashion as the standard. Her goal was to bring stylish clothing with an American sensibility to the masses and believed that all women deserved to have beautiful and functional clothes. (Colette patterns)

 

Look inside the pages of this amazing book she wrote, to find out more

about incredible US fashion pioneer Elizabeth Hawes. All the stunning dresses below designed by Hawes, circa 1930

photo credits - Never Enough Time and Cate Writes