Bottega Veneta Catwalk Fashion Show Milan SS2012

Oh, how I wish every man would dress like Tomas Maier of Bottega Veneta uses to dress his men. How tough, sensitive and beautiful they would look in one outfit. The Bottega Veneta ss2012-collection proved it again. Impeccable suits in decent colors and patterns, soft and tough leather pants and jackets, workwear de luxe in denim and leather and intelligent mixes of prints, knitwear and fabrics. It seemed a fine mix of the inventive and the innovative without screaming or being to eccentric.

The sheer quality of the materials put the collection into a high register and the essential alost invisible codes of the house were all there, especially in the soft bags folded under the arm like giant envelopes. Even the use of ‘shocking’ colors, as in turquoise or green suits, the result was still classy.

Haute Couture 2010: Oscar Potentials

With the 82^nd edition of the Academy Awards just one month away, we thought it was about time to have a dress-room talk….

A lot has to be arranged before a famous actress wears a designer gown to the Oscars. Stylists first have to order several dresses. Those have to fit or else be altered. Then the search starts for the right shoes and accessories. Finally, the whole look has to be approved and if a celebrity decides it just isn’t the right dress, there needs to be time to find another one. So one month is not that long of a period.

The Haute Couture collections shown in Paris had a lot of potential dresses for the Oscars. While watching the shows we could already vision Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz and Angelina Jolie in the beautiful gowns that were presented.

At the Armani Prive show three dresses seemed ready to battle for the Oscars. The best one was a strapless black dress with a small part of the dress covering one shoulder.

The Chanel collection had quite a few dresses that just belong at the Oscar-show. Lagerfeld’s gorgeous silver and pastel combinations with exquisite embroideries are sure to look swell on almost any Hollywood star. And the yellow pastel strapless gown with the classical silver adornment needs to be shown on the red carpet, if you ask us.

For Dior, John Galliano created a lot of voluptuous white gowns. Last year white was a huge hit at the Ocars. But maybe this year it’s time for a little more color. Dior’s deep red gown with pastel colored top and back might just be the real thing for Oscar nominee Sandra Bullock.

At the Jean Paul Gaultier show one blue and silver dress had some nice elements. Yet it could be a bit over the top for the red carpet. The rest of JPG’s dresses didn’t seem very appropriate for the Oscars either. JPG had used many different themes in his collection, so his dresses were a bit too playful.

Elie Saab’s mind-blowing dresses on the other hand simply earn a spot on the red carpet.  Their washed out colors, chiffon frills and sparkling silver beading just looked so graceful, feminine and seriously chic. A minty green Elie Saab dress stood for perfection.

The Valentino collection had many youthful color combinations and therefore not a lot of Valentino gowns looked appropriate for the Oscars. Still we think the red and bright yellow gowns might stand a good chance on the big night.

The closer we get to the Oscars, the more exciting it will become. Which dresses will celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe get a hold of? And which stars will pull off a fifties dress, like Penelope Cruz did last year? Will there be any huge fashion flunks? What color trend will we see this year? And which of our Oscar Potentials will we meet on the red carpet on 7 March.

One thing’s for sure: all A-listers want the best-looking, most lengthening, figure-narrowing gown on the planet, so the competition is on!