From the bold color statement at Prada to the beautiful gardens of Chanel, the Milan and Paris S/S 2011 ready-to-wear collections featured something for every girl to look forward to come Spring thaw. Here’s a look at a few of my favorite offerings.
First stop Milan, where at Fendi Karl Lagerfeld presented a collection that was light, bright and airy with a 70’s feel. The collection started with cappuccino stained white dresses and moved into bold tone separates. The jewel of the collection was Lagerfeld’s interpretation of beautifully darned flowers scattered throughout on blouses and skirts. http://www.fendi.com
Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce fresh off their 25 anniversary celebration decided to cleans the palette with a dreamy feminine collection in white. Tailored from lace, chiffon, and tablecloth prints, the collection gave the loyal Dolce women something fresh and new to smile about. http://www.dolceandgabbana.com
At Gucci, Frida Giannini continued her love of the 70’s presenting a collection that started strong with bold color-blocking highlighted with gold tasseled belts. The collection quickly moved into the brands trademark: a sleek fitting leather silhouette, fully adorned and studded and finished strong with Giannini beautiful basket woven tribal dresses. http://www.gucci.com
Miuccia Prada also played with color featuring bold primary tones and stripes with ornate baroque detail. The collection that seemed to stem from several inspirations ultimately embodied the whimsical feel of a modern Josephine Baker. http://www.prada.com
In Paris the show that was on the forefront of everyone’s mind was Alexander McQueen. As the fashion world continues to grabble with the loss of the late designer, Sarah Burton who worked closely by McQueen’s side, showed that she was more then just an assistant as she presented a collection that was totally McQueen in every essence. From the brilliantly thought out basket woven hair and clean face that made the models look like straw dolls, Burton’s collection gave us everything and more. This was highlighted by cut out shoulders, bold prints and the continued military embroidered silhouette. Like all McQueen shows the shoes did not go unnoticed as the model’s feet were beautifully covered in flower pedals. http://www.alexandermcqueen.com
Phoebe Philo at Celine had a freer spirit in mind, inspired by the woman that doesn’t care what she looks like when she’s dancing. Using artisan fabrics of Japanese denim and handwoven knits, Philo’s minimalist approach to tailoring was strong and evident as she presented graphic shapes and easy silhouettes that beautifully draped the body. http://www.celine.com
Marc Jacobs continued his 70’s magic he started at his Marc Jacobs show, at Louis Vuitton with a twist, a throw back to the 20’s and 30’s. Jacobs, started with beaded mandarin inspired dresses and quickly moved into shiny fabrics, that were heavily infused throughout the collection. The show ended with a parade of bold animal print dresses, geared towards the girl who loves a good party. http://www.louisvuitton.com
John Galliano’s love of musical theatre was evident at Christian Dior as he presented his “South Pacific” inspired collection. With Bette Page hair and makeup, the models playfully pranced down the runway reminiscent of Jerome Robbins’ “Fancy Free” like sexy sailor girl, clad in leather peacoat, brightly colored floral prints and Polynesian themed dresses. http://www.christiandior.com
As with Fendi, Karl Lagerfeld was at his best with Chanel this season, using a monochrome ornamental garden as his backdrop and an 80 pieces orchestra. The collection featured feathers, that were magnificently woven throughout the show. A beautiful umpired designed feathered dress was a standout. The collection also featured Lagerfeld’s creative use of moth holes on jackets and trousers. http://www.chanel.com
LA here we come.
