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Hot off freaking about Stone's latest silver-screen persona, I have turned to the woman behind Gwen Stacy and her exquisite red carpet style. The Amazing Spiderman tour has been long (they've been promoting this thing since April, it feels like!) but that has given dear Emma plenty of opportunities to knock our Wolford socks off with her red carpet choices! From sweet Chanel frocks to vampy Gucci goddess gowns, Emma Stone has proven that she is as sartorially inspirational as she is personality-wise. Honestly, the girl has got it all! Who knows, maybe she may win the title of It Girl for the second year in a row!
(images from zimbio.com)
If you've already seen The Amazing Spiderman (which I have -twice) then your girl crush on leading lady Emma Stone has probably grown exponentially to a size you couldn't have even believed to have been possible (same with your crush on Andrew Garfield, whose adorable awkwardness as the "dorky" Peter Parker made me question why in the world anyone would have picked Tobey McGuire -sorry, buddy, but Andrew Garfield looks way better in that Spidey suit, if ya know what I'm sayin'). Back to my point: Stone stars alongside Garfield as Gwen Stacy, the top student in their class, head intern to Dr. Curt Connors at Oscorp, and daughter to New York's Chief of Police. Unlike Mary Jane, Gwen is much more Peter's equal. She makes life-saving antidotes and protects the employees of Oscorp when Dr. Connors has a bit of a melt down. She even goes after the bad guy before Peter can show up and sometimes she saves Spiderman! Hooray for not being a damsel in distress!
Super awesome girl power aside, Gwen has a fantastic wardrobe, which I love because yay for being smart, stylish, and BLONDE! Like, she is breakin' all the stereotypes! Gwen really likes knit dresses and tall boots when she's at school or interning at Oscorp (a lab coat never worked so well with an outfit) and when she's at home she loves cozy sweaters and flouncy plaid skirts. Everything is very neat, very clean, and very chic.
Want to look school-girl smart and comic-book perfect? Try these to get the Gwen Stacy vibe.
All the best from the fall 2012 couture shows
Couture is always exciting. Couture challenges designers to push the artistic boundaries of fashion to the edge. Everything is fantastical, dreamlike, surreal. Couture focuses on ancient techniques and futuristic technologies alike. Couture is magical.
You've already heard my thoughts on the Christian Dior show, but here are my opinions on the rest of Fall 2012 Couture.
Alexis Mabille
Alexis Mabille is always good for a fantasy-inspired show, full of glimmering gowns and dramatic capes and cuts. The designer used jewels as his inspiration, allowing him to take full advantage of emerald greens, ruby reds, and sapphire blues. Maybe I've just been looking at this Game of Thrones "What Would They Wear?" Blog too much, but I wonder if Mr. Mabille has the HBO masterpiece on his TiVo. Daenerys Targaryen would totally work that shimmering blue dress; Cersei would be sassy as usual in that ruffled cream cape confection; Sansa would look princess-like and innocent in the midnight-blue dress with the bow on the shoulder.
Chanel
For Karl Lagerfeld, fashion can be quite the conundrum. Fashion is all about giving people something new, something fresh, but it is all rooted in the past. For the Chanel Fall 2012 Couture Presentation, the theme was "New Vintage" or a blending of future and past. In true Lagerfeld fashion, the clothes were only part of the presentation: the invite was a pink and grey sketch of Mademoiselle Coco done by Lagerfeld; the space was designed to look like Chanel's original salon de couture (source); the guests sat at white wicker chairs and tables with macarons and other vintage delights. But the clothes were the true stunners. Pink was the color of the night, and girls walked out in sequined skirts and glittering grey tights (and the sure-to-be most-wanted-accesory, sequined knit hats slung back on the models' heads. "New Vintage" indeed. 1930's silhouettes abounded, and yet, as usual, Lagerfeld made everything appear to be almost futuristic! My personal favorite? The dust pink sequin dress with fuzzy pom-poms protruding; I hope the right person wears that dress and kills it!
Elie Saab
Titled In Constantinople's Wake, the Elie Saab show was the usual tour de force that I always look forward to. Sure, perhaps Saab's love of sequins and sparkle can grow to be predictable, but he knows how to create something beautiful each and every time. I enjoy the designer's use of color stories as he transitions from one hue to the next and thus allows the show to evolve with each passing frock: first black gowns in lace, then contrasting ivory and peaches, then soft blues, and finally to golden-tinted neutrals. There are so many red-carpet looks here, as usual, and I cannot wait to see these gowns in action, but perhaps my favorite is the blue with gold brocade, vaguely miltary-esque dress (second from left). There is something so strong about it, and yet the glimmering details soften it, making in a dress of perfect balance.
Ulyana Sergeenko
Ulyana Sergeenko is Russian. If you didn't know that already, you would have figured it out by the time you looked at her debut couture show. Long winter military coats, fur hats and gloves, babushkas: Miss Sergeenko is very interested in her homeland. The street-style star turned designer has proven herself, for her way of dressing certainly carries over to her way of designing. She shows strong silhouettes and makes her style be known, but there is a whimsicality of the collection that makes it lighthearted and, to be honest, fun! Details are exaggerated and proportions are played with (she pairs a fur cap and gloves with a military-inspired bodysuit). Many fear that the theatricality of couture has been lost, now that Galliano is out of the game (for now, at least) but perhaps Sergeenko is the new torch-bearer of fun fashion.
Valentino
Finally, a Valentino collection that doesn't look like the costumes for the movie adaptation of a Jane Austen book! While we are talking about past Valentino collections, I don't think people were this up in arms about the new designers after Mr. Valentino himself left, and today's Valentino collection is far removed from the foundations, unlike Raf's Dior Debut. But I digress... This show was darker than past collections, but there was something very regal about the cut-out velvet gowns and brocade coats in lemons and sorbets. (Oddly enough, Tim Blanks referenced Game of Thrones in his review of the show for style.com; perhaps the show is on every top designer's TiVo these days!) This was perhaps the most ornate Valentino collection created by duo Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli to date, and yet nothing is overdone. Everything is still very aesthetically pleasing and poised, which I'm sure is the point.
Giambattista Valli
If Christian Dior's main inspiration was flowers, then butterflies are that for Giambattista Valli. Valli has been a favorite of mine and I think his is absolutely perfect for couture, and although his couture label is young, it is one of the strongest around. Butterflies were everywhere -hair, belts, even lips- and nature reigned today. Valli is not afraid to be bold, as evidenced by the strong pallet and structure of the clothes presented. The standouts? That forest fairy queen cape and gown (can't you just see Titania of A Midsummer Night's Dream wearing that?) and the sculpted asymmetrical peplums that bring new life to the season's biggest hit. Like his inspirational insect, Giambattista Valli is soaring.
What were your thoughts on all the couture shows?
(images from style.com)
*but seriously this is Star Wars epic status
The drama concludes (or has it just begun?) today, as the highly-anticipated Christian Dior couture debut of Raf Simons is revealed. The bloggers are already going absolutely insane with either high praise or high disapproval, but this review is solely my two cents on Mr. Simons' new collection.
Set in an abandoned mansion with five salons walled with reportedly a million flowers, a tailored black tuxedo suit appears on the curving marble runway. From the first look it is apparent that this is not a Galliano show - but that's okay! Because isn't the point of getting a new designer to go in a new direction? Or maybe that's just me.
The channeling of New Look silhouettes is obvious, but Simons does it in a fresh way. Perhaps my favorite looks were the peplum tops, the nipped waists with these exaggerated skirts, all over straight-leg pants. I think those did the best job of utilizing New Look styles while going in a modern direction. This makes me eager to try my own oversized peplum/pants combo.
Now, a common complaint among bloggers is that Raf Simons doesn't "get" couture, or that this show lacked the theatricality of Galliano's couture shows. These complaints are silly for several reasons.
On the first point, about Simons not understanding the idea of couture (and by that they mean the clothes aren't over-the-top enough) nowhere in the Couture Regulations does it state that couture clothes require a certain amount of beads per square inch or a minimum of 20 yards of fabric per dress. People should also know that most other couturiers aren't nearly as flamboyant as Galliano or Lagerfeld. Look at Bouchra Jarrar who, as told by Nicole Phelps of style.com, "has yet to put a single beaded ball gown on her runway". Couture is about something more than elaborate sets and theatrics - it's about telling a story through beautiful clothing, about showcasing old-style sewing and designing.
On the second point, the whacky sets and over-the-top productions are fun and amusing but can be distracting, and the setting of this show was frankly stunning - beautiful but not so overwhelming that the staging overshadows the clothes.
I think Simons did an excellent job with this first couture collection (and his first ever collection for Dior, which is even more pressure!) and yes, he played it a bit safe with his heritage-based looks, but they were exquisite and flawless in their constructions. People miss Galliano and the excitement, but frankly, the hype that surrounded this presentation made it the most anticipated Dior show in a long while. Raf Simons is not John Galliano, and I am so totally fine with that.
Be sure to check back for more Fall 2012 Couture reviews and let me know what you thought about Raf Simons' debut at Christian Dior!
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| Raf Simons channels Christian Dior's iconic NEW LOOK for his Dior debut |
The drama concludes (or has it just begun?) today, as the highly-anticipated Christian Dior couture debut of Raf Simons is revealed. The bloggers are already going absolutely insane with either high praise or high disapproval, but this review is solely my two cents on Mr. Simons' new collection.
Set in an abandoned mansion with five salons walled with reportedly a million flowers, a tailored black tuxedo suit appears on the curving marble runway. From the first look it is apparent that this is not a Galliano show - but that's okay! Because isn't the point of getting a new designer to go in a new direction? Or maybe that's just me.
 |
| Peplums and pants are my favorite silhouettes from the show |
The channeling of New Look silhouettes is obvious, but Simons does it in a fresh way. Perhaps my favorite looks were the peplum tops, the nipped waists with these exaggerated skirts, all over straight-leg pants. I think those did the best job of utilizing New Look styles while going in a modern direction. This makes me eager to try my own oversized peplum/pants combo.
Now, a common complaint among bloggers is that Raf Simons doesn't "get" couture, or that this show lacked the theatricality of Galliano's couture shows. These complaints are silly for several reasons.
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| Red Carpet Ready |
On the second point, the whacky sets and over-the-top productions are fun and amusing but can be distracting, and the setting of this show was frankly stunning - beautiful but not so overwhelming that the staging overshadows the clothes.I think Simons did an excellent job with this first couture collection (and his first ever collection for Dior, which is even more pressure!) and yes, he played it a bit safe with his heritage-based looks, but they were exquisite and flawless in their constructions. People miss Galliano and the excitement, but frankly, the hype that surrounded this presentation made it the most anticipated Dior show in a long while. Raf Simons is not John Galliano, and I am so totally fine with that.
Be sure to check back for more Fall 2012 Couture reviews and let me know what you thought about Raf Simons' debut at Christian Dior!
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