DreaminLace

In a grand gesture of spring cleaning, Milan Fashion Week has kicked aside the black-and-white that was so prominent in London and New York in favor of spring collections bursting with color. But no collection celebrates color as well as Fendi. Day 2 had some mighty colorful competition in Just Cavalli and Prada, but the relaxed feel of this collection is soothing to the eyes and definitely to the body. So sit back, relax, and take in the spectacular collection that honors the spirit of the warmest seasons in the coolest way. Fendi.

 

 

Take something simple and turn it into something magical fierce. That’s the motto of Gucci, and possibly an amazing bumper sticker and/or t-shirt slogan. Simple item in question: the pant.

Spring/Summer 2014 collections have been full of short skirts and dresses, but not too heavily focused on the pant. And really, who can argue. It’s spring and summer…the time of year when you kick off your pants, shave your legs, and strut your gams down the street. It’s the time of the leg, rightfully so. Who wants to wear heavy pants when it’s 100 degrees outside?

Well, perhaps Gucci. And perhaps you too when you see the inventive and flowing pants that walked the runway of Milan Fashion Week, kicking off the week with a bang! A pant-legged bang!

Pleated chiffon took its place in several of the SS collections, but not yet in a pant. See here Gucci’s pick up of a trend and twisting it to a new dimension: the pleated chiffon harem pant suit. Inventive yes. Breezy and gorgeous? Double yes.

I think the reason Gucci is so fun is because they are never boring. Even something as basic as a pair of black pants is spun to a new look that’s edgy, a little strange, and a whole lot of exciting.

For the modern athlete, and perhaps your average disco fan, feast your eyes on these variations of a pant suit that closely resembles a track suit. Bold, even in black, these very urban looks would work for a day of fabulous shopping, but seem made for a night out on the town.

Shimmery metallics also found a home at Gucci. I really love the bronze tones of the left and center. I also am super excited to see fringe focused at this show (also seen at NYFW by Rodarte and Altuzarra) in the form of fringed leather bags. This is a classic interpretation of fringe but when worn with a flashy metallic green track suit, who would dare to call you predictable?

Perhaps my favorite though are these wide-leg looks. I love the purple beading. To me, these chiffon jumpsuits have a perfect Purple Rain motif that would very aptly find their place in a nightclub. Honestly, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen chiffon appear so masculine as in these jumpsuits. Prince would be very proud of you Gucci!

In every imaginable variation, Gucci darkly plays with the disco in a spring collection that’s daring to even the boldest women.

So, what do you say? Are you strong enough to wear the pants in this relationship? Gucci sure hopes you are!

xoxo
Kelly

All photos credited to Vogue. 

At the heart of Fashion Month, is the always dramatic and beautiful Milan Fashion Week. The quality of Milan Fashion Week is always spectacular and the collections always have a tad something extra, to me, that none of the other fashion weeks have. So, without saying…it is my absolute favorite of the fashion weeks and I always block out my calendar, lining it with shows and calculating the 7 hours behind I am to know precisely when legendary fashion houses such as Dolce and Gabbana, Valentino, Roberto Cavalli, Versace, Gucci…(you getting the point? ;)) hit the runway with their latest collections.

This time around, I was thrilled to see Alberta Ferretti leading the pack on day 1. And as I sat with a stream queued up on my iPhone, I anxiously anticipated greatness. And greatness was received! (Naturally.)

The collection began with a range of gorgeous floral, embroidered dresses. They share an air of romance and sweetness that’s effortless. The rainbow color palette brightens up the runway and faces of the fashion spectators in the room, or streaming on an iPhone half around the world. It’s like being the the presence of summer herself again and the detail of the embroidering is really gorgeous.

I love how relaxed these dresses are, in style and fit. It’s simple and casual yet a would work in almost any occasion.

Taking the floral theme in a new direction are these gorgeous print dresses that definitely have a sharper silhouette. In contrast to the country princess looks of the loose floral dresses, Alberta Ferretti introduces a more downtown look that’s every bit as youthful and feminine. After all, a girl always needs to have options once she find a gorgeous palette that works, right? 😉

I love the skirts of these. The floral print has an ombre-effect, which is a very nice nod to the trend that’s captivated the attention of many young girls. And really love that the print doesn’t end on the hemline, but before. It’s like the print casually lays in place, which is the way flowers really are essentially. Gardens aren’t, after all, about clean sharp lines.

Orange and electric blue pieces add a more contemporary feel to the collection. These colors have a definite kick to them that’s perfect for summer. I’m so happy to see orange getting the credit it deserves as of late. I remember a friend once saying that orange is a “hideous” color, but I disagree and am happy to see Alberta Ferretti does as well. Warm is warm and very flattering on all skin tones, but especially when you have a tan (as you often do in summer).

I also really like that the striped print goes completely around these, to the back. The center look above, (left below) is my favorite example of this. I always love when attention is paid to the back, and in this case the back is the showpiece of the look.

The collection takes a gorgeous turn into evening wear with exquisite gowns of flowing chiffon. I love the layering of the chiffon to on the right dress. Layering is always very figure flattering and creates waves of movement.

The spring line also had layered skirts of much sturdier fabric, to satisfy the tastes of every woman.

I don’t like these as much as the chiffon, but they are really amazing works of art and I especially love the royal blue. I think one of the biggest reasons I’m always a fan of Alberta Ferretti is the way she does color.

The coloring is always bright, but not jarring.

These raspberry gowns of beaded chiffon are to major highlights of the collection, and of all the Spring/Summer 2014 collections to date.

I love how delicate all of the evening wear is. I don’t think you could adorn one of these gowns and not feel instantly like the most beautiful woman in the world. They dreamily embrace softness in a world of fashion that’s often very focused on heavy fabrics. Take Tom Ford for example, these gowns are very much the antithesis of everything his Spring/Summer collection stood for. It’s a different approach to genius, but every bit as much effective. I enjoy fashion that celebrates the lighter side of being a woman. We don’t have to always be strong and fierce. Sometimes the fiercest thing of all is to enjoy being a lady.

And this collection very much feels like a celebration of that very thing, being a lady. My fair lady!

One final highlight of the collection I want to touch on, is the amazing footwear! Ballet flats have been a trend for quite some time now, but this is a much more literal interpretation of the ballet flat.

These amazing ballet ‘flats’ take on the appearance of a genuine ballet slipper, complete with satin ribbon. I really love this look. They’re stunning.

The heals in particular are really gorgeous as they take on height like a ballet slipper. They’re also much more mature than the flats and more geared towards evening.

This is a dazzling collection that’s really quite timeless. We look at classic silhouettes and lines that frame the female curves beautifully. Sticking to the basic principles of design, Alberta Ferretti masterfully crafts a collection that steps out of the shadows of leather and twead, to stand freely in the spotlight in satin and chiffon.

Definitely take the time to view this whole collection, as every piece is just as gorgeous as the ones featured here. Ti amo Alberta Ferretti!

xoxo
Kelly

P.S. If you want to see more coverage from me on all the fashion weeks, definitely stop over at my Facebook page where I share lots more!

All photos credited to Vogue. 

One of the many many reasons I always look forward to a Tom Ford show, is because he’s such a fantastic tailor. And he brings his strong masculine vision to brings women for fashion that’s both modern and cutting edge. So when he takes the stage at London Fashion Week I’m always eager to see what he comes up with and by absolutely no means was his Spring 2014 collection a disappointment.

Above are the standard, fantastic, amazing, genius, incredible, etc. etc. suits by Tom Ford we all know about that are a standard staple. I couldn’t not include them just because they are so amazing…but…let’s move on.

Oh hi there amazing brown leather pieces that are amazing in texture and design. How happy to meet you! These stunners started off the collection and we could all breathe a sigh and settle in and relax…or sit on the edge of our seat to see where things would go from here. This is the strongest range of any collection this round of London Fashion Week. I’m sure I’m not the only person who thinks it’s cruel to without these till Spring while we’re entering fall as these are obviously ideal for fall. Of course Tom Ford is UK based, so…these are very Spring and potentially summer worthy as well. But oh that lush brown just deserves to be worn today!

Oh HI THERE amazing metallic, mirrored, and short dresses! Aren’t you to just the most adorable and strongest things ever? (Or definitely as well of this round of London Fashion Week). These are so sharp and I love the gridlines of these that almost look like the wire outline of a dressmakers manikan. These are so fashion forward they’re from their own century.

But of course, Tom Ford would be nothing without his famous boots right….

*eye bulging open*

*blink*

*blink blink*

I think we need to invent a new word for boots now because these clearly far exceed the realms of your typical boot. These are like an insult to the word boot! Oh if only there was a logical way for me to a) afford these and b) wear these. But I may need to rob a bank and risk a few odd looks because these are so luscious and amazing!

Here look at a few amazing, Versace-eque numbers to slow down your heart rate. These are clearly boring after those boots but are still very amazing. I love the light design of this show and how it reflects off the mirrored gowns as well as the mirrored runway. It casts a gleam in your eye that’s nearly blinding and I can’t picture a more perfect setting than Tom Ford fashions looking to walk literally right out of a beam of light. Can you?

Love this collection? Think it’s the very best of London Fashion Week so far, probably of the whole week…and definitely an already favorite of the whole month? Me too!

xoxo
Kelly

P.S. Oh please hop over here to see lots more London Fashion Week coverage from me if you’d be so kind!