Red Riding Hood revival: Spring/Summer 2013 Couture

Ever since Gwyneth Paltrow stepped out in that Tom Ford white ensemble featuring a cape at The Oscars, I fell in love with them.

Then Lana Del Rey became the wicked witch to Gwyneth’s good at the MET Gala in a dark gothic Altuzzurra cape combo, and Fan Bing Bing followed suit in an Elie Saab Couture creation whilst attending a premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

Katy Perry wowed in her Naeem Khan navy blue avec cape at the UNICEF Snowball in November, and supermodel Karolina Kurkova proved that an all Red Riding Hood look works amazingly well at the New York City Ballet Fall Gala wearing Valentino Couture as did Sarah Jessica Parker back in 2011 in Giambattista Valli Couture.

Gwyneth Paltrow in Tom Ford // Lana Del Rey Joseph Altuzara

Gwyneth Paltrow in Tom Ford // Lana Del Rey Joseph Altuzara

Perry Bingbing Cape

Fan Bingbing in Elie Saab Couture // Katy Perry in Naeem Khan

Karolina Kurkova in Valentino Couture // Sarah Jessica Parker in Giambattista Valli Couture

Karolina Kurkova in Valentino Couture // Sarah Jessica Parker in Giambattista Valli Couture

A cape just makes a look all glamourous and fairytale, and several designers showcasing their couture creations for the spring/summer 2013 season thought so too as it was capes galore on the runway.

I hope this feature filters down to the high street just like full length dresses did for winter last year. People are inspired by what they see on the red carpet, capes are a fabulous touch!

Elie Saab SS 2013 print cape

Elie Saab Couture Spring/Summer 2013

Elie Saab SS 2013 red cape

The most amazing gown with cape, Elie Saab Couture Spring/Summer 2013. This needs to be seen on a red carpet soon.

Elie Saab SS 2013

Ice cool mid-cape, another red-carpet worthy gown for The Oscars. Elie Saab Couture Spring/Summer 2013.

Giambattista Valli SS 2013

Giambattista Valli Couture Spring/Summer 2013. Short printed cape dress.

Jean Paul Gaultier SS 2013

Exotic cape from Jean Paul Gaultier Couture /Summer 2013.

Valentino SS 2013 black

Valentino Coututre Spring/Summer 2013

Valentino SS 2013 red

The perfect shade of red, Valentino Couture Spring/Summer 2013.

Valentino SS 2013 white

Beautiful white cape dress reminiscent of Tom Ford, Valentino Couture Spring/Summer 2013.

Valentino SS 2013

Caged cape, Valentino Couture Spring/Summer 2013.

Mini feather cape, Chanel Couture Spring/Summer 2013.

Mini feather cape, Chanel Couture Spring/Summer 2013.

Zuhair Murad SS 2013 cape

Stunning gold cape from Zuhair Murad Couture Spring/Summer 2013.

Zuhair Murad SS 2013

Absolutey amazing detail, Zuhair Murad Couture Spring/Summer 2013.

Head over to my PFW Pinterest board to see the rest of my favourite looks from Couture week.

MET Gala 2012

This year’s Costume Institute Gala held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York was held in honour of Miuccia Prada and Elsa Schiaparelli - I’m not going to pretend I’m totes fashion and had heard of the latter until this exhibition – andwith rumours abound that Miuccia was running a tight ship, it was with a hush of excitement that news of who was dressing who began to filter through.

The biggest news before the Gala went ahead was that the head honcho had put a stop to Coco Rocha being dressed by her designer bessie Zac Posen, she instead had teased on Twitter she was wearing vintage Givenchy. Now in my mind vintage Givenchy would be elegant, dramatic and gorgeous, what Coco Rocha wore was far from any of this… A vintage suit previously owned by Elizabeth Taylor may be majah but she looked like a hot mess and to top it all off she added some poor 13 year-old girls bubblegum pink clip ins. If there was ever a Worst Ever Dressed Award it would go to you Mrs Rocha, please stick to what you know.

Coco Rocha in Vintage Givenchy at the MET Gala 2012

To follow on from my Worst Ever Dressed, I’ll direct you to my next worst dressed. If you read my previous post on this young woman you would probably see who I was going to say a mile off.

Kristen Stewart in Balenciaga at the MET Gala 2012

Honestly the dress isn’t really that bad, I think the red next to the blue is sending me shivers but I like the bodice of the dress.  It’s just those SHOES. They could honestly be the most horrific shoes ever made on earth. And of course you know I’m going to have a problem with that hair, yes I know if she’d had it all posh and preened it would not be her style but surely something like her hairstyle from the BD premiere could be done here.

Everyone else seemed to think that Karolina Kurkova looked uh-mazing, but I really think Rachel Zoe was given too much creative control with a roll of tin foil. The turban Kurkova sported was an almost spit of Kate Moss’ Marc Jacob’s ’09 MET Gala outfit, and if Zoe had just left it off I would have let her get away with the standard gold sparkly dress that every designer has to make.

Karolina Kurkova in Rachel Zoe at the MET Gala 2012

It’s easy to pick apart the looks you don’t like, it always is but when it comes to those jaw-dropping dresses there can only really ever be one that just made you wish you could wear that dress. That’s the only way I can pick which celeb knocked it out of the park…. Or maybe there will have to be a three-way tie…

For me Beyonce’s Givenchy Couture gown was a jaw-dropper, that train, the sheerness, and her post-baby body, but when you think about it as stunning as she looks she has worn just as risque outfits on stage. So to me this is a normal look for B, in fact I think I prefer her Emilio Pucci from last year’s MET Gala.

Beyonce Knowles in Givenchy Couture at the MET Gala 2012

Someone who never fails to look smokin’ hot is the ever sexy Rihanna, her Tom Ford dress fit like a second (snake)skin. It was on par with her black lace Stella McCartney look from last year, still with the crazy hair but a little more toned down, despite the one inch talons adorning her hands.

Rihanna in Tom Ford at the MET Gala 2012

Now my number one Style Crush let me down a little on the night, after her showstopper Jason Wu number last year, Diane Kruger rocked up in a purple Prada number. Not the usual high glamour she goes for on the red carpet, in fact it was a little dressed down. The skirt half was gorgeous but the top half was a little on the slouchy vest side, not something I would expect from such a first class dresser, still I can’t bring myself to say I hate it…

Diane Kruger in Prada at the MET Gala 2012

Two very different women, two very different dresses, one designer. Cate Blanchett and Florence Welch were both guests of Sarah Burton, they both wore Alexander McQueen gowns, one I adored the other was a little extreme but to be fair suited the wearer’s personality down to the ground… Can you guess which I liked?

Florence Welch and Cate Blanchett with Sarah Burton in Alexander McQueen at the MET Gala 2012

Yup you guessed it… Cate Blanchett!

Cate Blanchett in Alexander McQueen at the MET Gala 2012

One of my main contenders for Best Dressed was, surprisingly enough, Gwyneth Paltrow, going for a shorter length than her fellow attendees, she wore a Prada dress with embellished pockets. I really like the shape of the dress and if I had a body like that at 39 I would be proud of it too. The hair and make up along with those earrings really top off a fantastic look from Gywnnie, almost harks back to that Balmain dress at the Iron Man premiere in 2008.

Gwyneth Paltrow in Prada at the MET Gala 2012

I loved Kate Bosworth’s Prada look. Yes I said it I loved what Kate was wearing, the dark ombre feathered dress, the Miu Miu shoes the flawless make up and the slicked back hair. I want it all, I want it all NOW!

Kate Bosworth in Prada at the MET Gala 2012

It was nearly a draw with Kate, but I think Camilla Belle just pipped her to the post in her Ralph Lauren silver fluid gown. The fact she went full length adds even more glamour, both had similar make up looks – it seems that wine coloured lips were the majah look of the night – and Camilla’s hair just topped off that old Hollywood glamour that I adore so much.

Camilla Belle in Ralph Lauren at the MET Gala 2012

Here are the best of the rest from the MET Gala 2012:

Lana Del Ray in Altuzarra, Fashion Critic over at Red Carpet Fashion Awards made the genius comparison of Lana being the Bad Witch to Gwyneth Paltrow’ Good Witch at the Oscars this year.

Ginnifer Goodwin in Monique Lhullier. I really love this look, the colour suits Ginnifer down to the ground and her pixie cut is as perfect as ever.

Bianca Brandolini D’Adda looks verrrry gold in Dolce & Gabbana the epitome of their label really. I kinda like it on the Italian socialite, glitz and glam in the most obvious way.

Nina Dobrev in custom-made Donna Karan. Nina knows how to do the red carpet, ever since she wore that red Donna Karan at the Emmy’s this was a match made in heaven.

Victoria Justice in McQ by Alexander McQueen. The young star dresses her age in a beautiful McQ dress, the colour explosion and the puff ball skirt make a really great look.

Solange Knowles in Rachel Roy. Amazing colour.

Emma Stone in Lanvin. I enjoyed this look, but Emma can do sooo much better than this.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in Burberry. We get it R H-W has the perfect body, but this look really bores the hell out of me even if I do love the make up.

New York Fashion Week Spring 2012 Ready-to-Wear

I honestly don’t know how fashion editors, buyers, directors etc etc do a fashion week. I’ve struggled to keep up with all the shows and I’m sat on my arse in front of a computer scrolling through photographs from each show, and even then I have to make a selection of who I want to look at because it TAKES SO LONG. I always look at my favourite designers, the recognisable names and then pick a few random ones that usually end up been the better options!

New York Fashion Week, was a whole load of different, if that makes sense. There were some similar themes running through several shows, like a LOT of white, and in mostly silky sheer material which looked a dream, seen at Luca Luca, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren. The material I mention was in practically every show, well every show that I looked at, it’s the perfect shimmery, sexy, slinky, swishy, silk material that I adore especially when you see it down the runway floating and folding on the model. I especially loved the DKNY show, I watched it livestream on Style.com and I felt like I was there (I pretended OKAY) the looks were light and airy with really nicepops of colour.

Luca Luca

Luca Luca

DKNY

Colour was another big look, from pastel, sherbet, vivid, neon, rich, royal, sparkle and nude there wasn’t a show that didn’t pass by without a flash of the rainbow (well maybe apart from Ralph Lauren…). My favourite ‘colour’ shows were Jason Wu and Christian Siriano, Wu’s pastel pinks paired with crisp white and citron flashes of yellow were a dream, and Siriano’s burnt orange ball gown skirt was a delight.

Jason Wu Jacquelyn Jablonski

Jason Wu Kate King

Christian Siriano

Shape was sexy and tailored, peekaboo splits, peplum skirts or ballgown goodness. The recurring sexy tailoring was a particular favourite, pencil thin trousers in an array of colours, or the easiest way to do spring tailoring, shorts. Shorts galore! Simple style with a loose tee or sharp with a tux blazer, a great look to pull off if you pair the right shapes together. There were shift dresses from Victoria by Victoria Beckham her new line (not diffusion mind), there were full length red carpet amazing-ness, puff-tastic, dropped flapper style waists and some dripping in embellishment, case in point, Marchesa.

J. Mendel

Tibi

Prabal Gurung

There were plenty of red-carpet looks that could be seen at future film premieres, gala’s and even award shows, one of my favourites was Ralph Lauren’s look 52. A simple white column dress with cobweb patterened jewel short sleeves and a high neck, I would very much like to see this on Emma Stone. Zac Posen’s collection exudes glamour and red carpet beauty, for someone to wear one of his gowns would be a show-stopping moment. And not forgetting, the queen of red carpet, Georgina Chapman…

Ralph Lauren Zuzanna Bijoch

Zac Posen

Marchesa Karolina Kurkova

My ULTIMATE look of the week and ULTIMATE model, has to go to Karlie Kloss in Prabal Gurung. Prabal Gurung’s show was the epitome of sexy and I also watched that livestream and couldn’t believe how good it was. Karlie Kloss just has this amazing walk and this smoldering eyebrow-arching pout that I am just drawn to, how can she look that good and be only 19 *sad face*.

Prabal Gurung Karlie Kloss

Right I’m ready and raring to go for London Fashion Week, I expect this to be edgier as the Brit designers are apparently known for. Probably won’t like it as much… I can’t wait for Paris though.

Here’s the best of the rest….

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All images from Style.com

I wanna be a Victoria’s Secret model

Well I don’t really, or I couldn’t. But who wouldn’t want to wear the $2m Fantasy Bra just like Adrianna Lima, the newly crowned head Angel replacing Heidi Klum after her 13 years as a Victoria’s Secret model.

Adrianna Lima who gave birth to a daughter this time last year

Or wanna look like Karolina Kurkova:

Who's the prettiest peacock?

Or like Alessandra Ambrosio:

She's a hot zebra/bird thing

Or be the most adorable and who’s newly engaged, Lily Aldridge:

Naughty naughty

Or have a slammin’ body like my fave Selita Ebanks:

The Phoenix

What about the lovely Lily Donaldson:

Cupid

I could go on for ever about being jealous etc, so I’ll leave you with this parting (!) shot:

Group shot