Clear Plastic Trend

Maison Martin Margiela made the term Trompe-l’œil popular in the fashion industry. According to the brand's glossary, which reflects its aesthetic, it means “a game, material or shape that tricks the eye.”

Today many designers, inspired by fashion from '60s, use clear PVC fabrics in their collections, offering us the magic of tricking the eye. The spring 2013 fashion shows prove that designers always find a way of keeping things upbeat, especially now, when they are giving us a great opportunity to uplift the spirit and spice up the wardrobe with transparant plastic vision.

Plastic garments might seem unconventional, but designers manage to make them absolutely marvellous with a touch of femininity, turning plastic into fancy necessity. 

Valentino presents new clear trend with traditional elegance and sophistication. 

Plastic trench coats, Valentino S/S13

Holly Fulton intricately worked floral sequin embroidery across poppy plastics. 

Plastic Dress and Bomber, Holly Fulton S/S13

Emilio Pucci adds a gentle touch to tough PVC with beautiful crochet.

PVC Trench Coat, Emilio Pucci S/S13

It might seem difficult to add those bold garments to everyday wardrobe. But clear plastic can be thrown into any striking combination. Promoting bold, futuristic approach transparent trend becomes a real treat for the eyes.

Burberry Prorsum presents juicy orange cape reaching a new level of creativity.

Plastic Cape, Burberry Prorsum S/S13

Lacoste models are dressed in more casual matte thin plastic coats.

Matte Plastic Coat, Lacoste S/S13

Charlotte Ronson offers customers trendy bombers made in variety of colours.

Plastic Bomber, Charlotte Ronson S/S13

Looking absolutely striking on the catwalk, plastic designs are totally wearable in real life. You can simply wipe candy-like garments  with a slightly wet soft cloth and give your washer a break.

There is some more transparency to add to your wardrobe: perspex and plexiglass accessories. 

Alexander McQueen’s space-age visors are made from high-shine, reflective plexiglass (with essential UV protection) and are completely clear to see-through.

Plexiglass Visors, Alexander McQueen F/W12

Creating new collection Valentino makes an elegant choice of colour bags, and adds studded detailing.

 

           Studded Plastic Bags, Valentino S/S13

Romantic perforated shopping totes, made of plastic.

Perspex Handbags, Simone Rocha S/S13

Givenchy neck cuffs with gold and silver frames.

 

        Transparent Neck Cuffs, Givenchy S/S13

Cinderella's dream came true, best designers in the world took a creative approach making shoes in clear PVC.

Louboutin shows a charming balance between classic and cool, making legendary red soled shoes even more desirable by adding transparent magic to them.    

PVC Pumps, Christian Louboutin S/S12

Their is also a variety of choices of plastic sneakers, for those who prefer comfort.

Jeremy Scott offered adidas lovers a plenty of creative designs, but how could he make sneakers look more angelic then this pair?

Clear Wings Sneakers, Jeremy Scott x Adidas

The Converse All Star is certainly one of the most classic sneakers of all time, back in 2012 they decided  switched things up with a fully clear Lo & Hi Chuck Taylor.

Transparent Sneakers, Converse '12

- Alex B

BAFTAS Best Dressed

This is the busiest time for awards season and this past Sunday was no exception. The BAFTA’s (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) hosted some of the most popular and best dressed actresses right now including Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway and Marion Cotillard.

 

 

Jennifer Lawrence looked gorgeous in a Dior Haute Couture gown which she kept simple with silver earrings and a ring from Chopard. This eye catching dress was paired with Jimmy Choo shoes and a Judith Leiber bag. The pale pink gown definitely screamed success and gave her a flawless figure which demonstrated as my favorite look of the night.

 

 

There is nothing depressing about this Les Miserables star Anne Hathaway, who carried through the red carpet wearing a lovely, sleek, sophisticated Burberry gown. She definitely pulled this off with her pixie cut giving her a fun, cute, quirkiness about her.

 

This Zero Dark Thirty star Jessica Chastain was looking fresh and vibrant in a beautiful blue ensemble.  This asymmetrical gown gave her a form fitting figure which showcased her best features. She was wearing Roland Mouret, complemented with sapphire and diamond Harry Winston jewels. And the most popular shoe of the night continued to be Jimmy Choo. She finished off her look with glamorous waves and bright red lips.

 

My favorite French actress Marion Cotillard was seen in a bright yellow Dior Haute Couture gown. This was paired with Jimmy Choo shoes with a ring and striking necklace from another popular choice of Chopard. She gave off a modern glamorous look to definitely leave an impression.  

 

 

-Jill M

A Wonderful Trip to Tokyo

Garance Dore is the most famous French blog. Garance began her blog in June 2006. She began as an illustrator, and became frustrated with the commissions she had, and in particular by the lack of contact with the readers. The blog allowed Garance a complete freedom of expression, while sharing the vignettes of her day and exploring fashion, illustration, narration and photography. Garance currently gets approximately 70,000 hits per day on her site. Garance Dore is currently dating Scott Schuman of the famed street style blog The Sartorialist.

Recently she was invited by Dior to travel to Tokyo with their bag, the Lady Dior. It was a wonderful trip, because the story of the bag helped to see the fashion life in Japan and meet artists.

This is the video from the trip!

By Mariya Gvozdetska

Lady Dior, Garance Dore

Lights, Camera, Jacobs!

By Keshia Griffiths

Everything’s coming up Marc! (Marc Jacobs that is) Who else could have Kate Moss close Paris Fashion Week on a white carousel runway, be rumoured to take over the reins at Dior, and transition into acting at the same time. Yes, it seems Marc Jacobs is a man of many colours, but which of them are true? According to Harper's Bazaar, Jacobs has denied any plans to leave Louis Vuitton for Dior, however, the acting bug has bit the design icon for real. He has been cast in the movie Disconnect, alongside Alexander Skarsgård (yum!) and Jason Bateman, taking on a role he claims is nothing like him in real life. More recently, Marc Jacobs appeared in the latest episode of South Park as Muscle Man Marc, one of Cartman’s beloved toys.

It has been reported by New York Magazine that Marc Jacobs will commemorate this event by making the character his next tattoo, as he feels this is the greatest honor he has ever received (being a South Park fan, I would have to agree.) To see Marc’s big screen debut we will have to wait until 2012.

I know what I’ll be wearing!

Riccardo Tisci for Dior?

by Derek Dotto

The rumour mill is in overdrive and the twittersphere is aflutter with word that Givenchy creative director Riccardo Tisci is heading to the House of Dior.

Harper’s Bazaar and Style.com editor-at-large Derek Blasberg tweeted this late Tuesday night: “I was just told backstage at the @KatyPerry concert (of all places!) that Riccardo Tisci is CONFIRMED at Dior. I leave #PFW for a second...”

Tisci and Dior have yet to come out with an official comment. The French fashion house has been looking for a new creative director since it gave John Galliano the boot last week after scandal erupted involving anti-semitic slurs and an internet video.

The latest news come midway through Paris Fashion Week. It has editors, bloggers, and fashion lovers weighing, with mixed reviews, all over the internet. I’ve been a huge fan of Tisci’s since the Italian designer took over at Givenchy in 2005, except for this season. His stunning Japanese robot-inspired couture collection couldn’t make up for the eyesores seen at Givency’s men’s and women’s ready-to-wear collections. Rottweiler and panther prints? Seriously!?

If the rumour is true, I’m excited to see what comes out of the House of Dior... as long as Tisci keeps the animals out of it.

Here are some shots of Tisci's offerings at Givenchy this season (courtesy Style.com):

Givenchy Couture Spring 2011

Givenchy Ready-to-wear Fall 2011

Givenchy Menswear Fall 2011

Dior Fires Galliano

by Derek Dotto

John Galliano has been handed his walking papers after a barrage of accusations of racist and anti-Semitic rants. Dior’s president and CEO, Sidney Toledano, told WWD, “I condemn most firmly the statements made by John Galliano, which are a total contradiction with the essential values that have always been defended by the House of Christian Dior.”

Dior suspended Galliano Thursday after he was arrested for allegedly hurling racist and anti-semitic slurs at a couple while drinking at La Perle, a Parisian ‘see and be seen’ hotspot. The final straw came when a video, reportedly shot last year, surfaced online, showing the British designer declaring he loves Hitler, among other controversial remarks, at the same restaurant.

Recent Oscar winner and face of Miss Dior Cherie perfume, Natalie Portman, ripped into Galliano saying she’s “shocked and disgusted,” adding, "as an individual who is proud to be Jewish, I will not be associated with Mr. Galliano in any way."

Galliano's firing leaves the House of Dior sans-creative director just days before its Autumn/Winter 2011/2012 ready-to-wear collection is slated to be shown at Paris Fashion Week. The question now is who will take the reigns, and how long will it take for Galliano to be snatched up by another fashion house.

Check out the video of Galliano's remarks below:

The Bluest Eye

Do you want eyes of the bluest skies or feel that your current makeup is letting you down? What about blue mascara? Since Halloween will soon be upon us, it is a perfect time to try something new.
While all the other girls are making their bosoms and booties pop in scantily clad costumes, you can rise above the rest by making your peepers pop instead.
The trick to lovely, luscious lashes at trick or treat time is to prepare like you would for a wedding. You will need, something old, (your current black mascara) something new (an excellent eyelash curler, I suggest Shu Uemura, $24 at Holt Renfrew) something borrowed (good lighting) and something blue (blue mascara, I suggest Diorshow in Azure Blue, $34 at Holt Renfrew).
The something blue is absolutely critical. Although $34 on mascara might be steep for some, I have found through trial and error that less expensive alternatives (such as Cover Girl Lash Blast Fusion in blue, $8 at Shopper’s Drug Mart) dry black and do not give the desired effect.
First step is to make sure you are in a well-lit area. This will minimize mistakes. When in front of your well-lit mirror, use the eyelash curler to pump up those peepers! Next apply your black mascara to your upper and lower lashes, removing any excess product from the eye area with a cotton swab. Finally apply the blue mascara to your lower lashes only! This will make your eyes look radiant and not as if you’re going to a rave.
For a more dramatic look, finish off with some black liquid liner. (I suggest Dior liquid liner $36 at Holt Renfrew, or Almay liquid liner $12 at Shopper’s Drug Mart)
Follows these steps and this Halloween you’ll have eyes that will mesmerize!