Catwalktrends SS2010: mini summer dresses

For summer many fashion designers made their clothes more loose-fitting than before. Also, the skirts and dresses were less short than we saw last year.

But ain’t no summer without the mini-dress, so almost every collection had at least one bright-colored mini dress in it.

The mini-dresses represented the perfect summer feeling. They were often strapless (Moschino, D&G, Gianfranco Ferre, Karl Lagerfeld) and had lots of pleats at the bottom (McQueen, Valentino, Ungaro, Dior).

Not all of us ladies will be able to work one of those revealing dresses. But if you have flawless legs for days you really should pull of this summer look. These mini-dresses are perfect for a day off or a night at the club. You’ll feel like summer as soon as you put one on. And, of course, many men will be thankful for you doing that.

Streetfashion: in the navy

Navy-stripes are back in fashion and in the streets. Especially the French marine-shirt, a classic that goes back to the heydays of Coco Chanel and later Brigitte Bardot. This summer it mixes well with your jeans, khakis and boyfriend-jacket. Every time you need to add a casual, fresh touch to your outfit.

Catwalktrends SS2010: in the navy

Not only is navy blue a big hit this spring, the whole navy theme is extremely popular at the moment. The ‘basic’-looking striped top is popping up everywhere. Of course blue and white horizontal stripes suit the navy theme the best, but red, black and gray also look good with white.

The striped tops come in multiple variations. You have the short sleeves, long sleeves, wide stripes, small stripes, round and straight collars and there are versions with buttons and bows on the shoulders.

Then there’s also this navy jacket. It comes with stripes or just in one collor, it has eye-catching buttons and you often see anchor detail on it. Clements Ribeiro showed some nice examples of that jacket, loosely worn on top of a striped t-shirt.

Brands like Oscar de la Renta, Tommy Hilfiger, Lacoste and Antonio Marras all had some navy accents in their collections for the summer of 2010. Also, large fashion retailers like H&M and ZARA are promoting the navy look big time. A smart move, that’s for sure.

Cause, while the striped top has a very basic look, it fits well with shorts, skirts and wide pants. And although it might not look that special at first, just because it’s so basic-looking almost any woman can look great in it. They just need to put on a pair of sunglasses, a nice scarf or a hat, take their big beach bag and they can join the navy in style!

Christian Dior Haute Couture Catwalk Fashion Show ss2010

Elegant amazones walked the small runway at the first floor of the Christian Dior store in Paris. Kylie Minogue was sitting front row, as was Dita von Teese and Tavi, the 13 year old fashionblogger from Chicago.

John Galliano took a picture of couturier Charles James as his inspiration for the ss2010 haute couture-collection. And it was a sensory overload as usual. This time Galliano’s researchtrip went to the Metropolitan Museum where the gowns of Charles James caught his eye. There he saw a  picture of the designer – who influenced Monsieur Dior to come up with the New Look – with an image of women riding sidesaddle in the backround. The result is a collection full of riding skirts with nip-waisted jackets, frothy cocktail dresses and satin ballgowns. Colors went from black, white an red to purple, orange, green and pastelshades.

The refined elegance, the strong women and the longer skirts and accent at the waist will influence a whole new silhouette for the coming seasons.

backstage world ss2010: ray of light

It’s a whole different world backstage at the fashionshows. A world of fun, excitement and creativity. Today: backstage at John Galliano, where a ray of light catches a glimpse of the extra-ordinairy heels.

backstage world ss2010: smile!

It’s a whole different world backstage at the fashionshows. A world of fun, excitement and creativity. Today: backstage at D&G, where models are telling jokes and making fun of each other.

Catwalktrends ss2010: really tiny bags

Tiny bags definitely seem to be a trend on the runway. Yet they are very unpractical, because there aren’t many items that will fit in these bags.

But can we still call it a bag? Most versions we saw on the runway looked more like extraordinarily shaped purses, if you ask us.

The bags may be unpractical, yet they created some funny looks on the catwalk. Extremely tiny were the bags in the Anteprima, Blugirl, Bottega Veneta, Etro, DSquared, Fendi and Moschino fashion show. .

Most original were the Fendi bag with spikes, the pink bag form Gianfranco Ferré, the wooden ‘bag frame’ from Stella McCartney and the silk heart shaped bag from Moschino.

Unfortunately you’d have to keep most of these tiny bags in your hand all evening, but do they look cute!

Groupielove # 15

A piece of paper displaying eco-slogans greeted guests on their seats at Vivienne Westwood. The same messages (“Act fast, slow down, stop climate change”) appeared on the clothes, sometimes pinned to the models’ chests as if they were competitors in a running race.

This is nothing new for a Westwood show; Dame Viv has been spreading her anti-consumerism and pro-green beliefs via the runway for years. The collection trod mostly familiar ground as well. There were the clingy intarsia knits, the wrapped and draped dresses with odd volumes, the bustiers with the deflated bra cups.

The unfinished edges and hems on almost everything reminded you that Westwood did them, if not first, then decades before this season’s manifestations.

Groupielove # 13

The Valentino-duo is now designing with a new Valentino generation in mind—one that likes its party dresses short and isn’t afraid of sheer. There wasn’t a (Valentino)red dress in sight. Instead, Piccioli and Chiuri romanced the soft tones of nude, rose, lavender, gold, and gray that have become the big color story of the season. Their methods included swirling organza around the body and tying it off with a flamboyant bow, embroidering tulle T-shirt dresses in antique laces and geometric metal paillettes, and printing chiffon with black orchids. A couple of fitted leather jackets and minis embellished with laser-cut rosettes provided a bit of edge. Glass slippers didn’t figure in this story, but the London-based milliner Philip Treacy did whip up some fanciful footwear with lace wings arcing upward from the heels.

In sum: This was a well-timed step forward for the new Valentino duo, one that put the brand at the center of some of Spring’s key trends and started to give it a new relevance.

Trends ss2010: the men’s skirt

The men’s skirt has been all over the news lately. Maybe because fashion brand H&M recently introduced a men’s skirt for their spring/summer collection 2010. And usually when H&M comes up with a trend it is picked up by many followers.

Of course H&M is not the first brand to introduce the men’s skirt. We’ve seen this fashion item on the runway for years. One true lover and wearer of skirts is designer  Marc Jacobs, who takes his bows most of the time dressed in a kilt.

This year there were some skirts in the menswear collections as well. At Thom Browne we spotted an ultra short version, at the show of Jean Paul Gaultier (one of the first designers with skirts for men)  the skirts were much longer. Rick Owens’ models wore multiple layers, one of those layers being the skirt. Other brands which had skirts in their collection were John Galliano, Francisco van Benthum and Kris van Assche.

We’re very curious if the skirt will become the trend for men in 2010.

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