Royal Wedding Extravaganza: Offical Photos

OK I promise that today will be my last posts talking about this wedding. There is one more post after this and I'm finished... really I am. Catherine's dress is more gorgeous than I think the press initially thought it was. Live you could not see all if the embroidery detailing that apparently took 60 people to sew in. It's absolutely beautiful and I can definitely see the Grace Kelly references in this photograph. I really hope brides will start considering sleeves now because seriously every wedding I have gone to in the last 10 years and every wedding show I have ever watched, brides are wearing the same strapless princess gown. It's horribly basic and to the fashion eye its the equivalent of a t shirt. Switch it up ladies! Look how regal sleeves can look?

click to enlarge

I just adore the flower girls and the ring bearer's outfits. The boys look like they just came from the set of the nutcracker, too cute! Pippa, Catherine's sister on the far right looked amazing in her cowl neck dress, usually people shy away from other people wearing white in the bridal party but as you can tell it doesn't take the focus away from the bide in any way.  Who is the kid on the far left with with curly hair? I LOVE her!
She was not having all this attention the whole time and every photograph taken she looks so annoyed. My favorite? This one:

"If you guys don't shut the hell up..."

Priceless!

[Photo source 1 and 2] [Photo Source 3]

Royal Wedding Extravaganza: Catherine Reveals Second Dress

Via celebuzz.com

In case you didn't know, Catherine and William actually had two weddings, one for the public and one for close family and friends (all 500 of them). I am assuming that this is the second wedding dress* and it is just lovely,  keeping with Catherine's demur style. Catherine is such a tiny woman that she could easily get swallowed up in fabric so it is a real tip to how great of a designer Sarah Burton is to understand that and create a dress that gathers into the bodice and softly flounces out creating fullness in the hips but not over powering her petite frame.  I'm not really sure how I feel about the cropped sweater. It definitely spices things up for a dress that would generally look very David's Bridal like without the sweater and jeweled belt but maybe I would have chosen a different fabric for the sweater, the fuzzy is cute but a bit misplaced with the rest of the dress.  Oh and don't you just love Camilla Parker Bowles' house coat? Or is it a dress? House coat definitely my grandma has a pink one just like it. Work!


*Correction
This dress is for a wedding dinner party at Buckingham palace.

Royal Wedding Extravaganza Part 1 Overall

So I wasn't even going to post today on the royal wedding because waking up at 4am on a Friday to watch the wedding was kind of took a lot out of me. A girl needs her beauty sleep you know? But my mother out of all people asked why in the world haven't I commented on the wedding. So here I am throwing my 2 cents in the big pot of opinions.



I will be the first person to tell you that I hate weddings. Yep, I am slightly cynical about weddings in general. I don't go "awww" when I hear gushy love stories. It is more like me trying not to dry heave, but that's just how I am. And no I'm not some bitter better it is just that some women just fall right into it and swim around in the love fest, I just happen to not want to take a swim. Now with all that being said, the royal wedding turned me into the gushy chick that loves weddings. Seriously I  only really woke up to see what dress Princess Catherine (kind of feels funny calling her that now, but I like it!) was wearing and then it hit me, this shit is really romantic. If it wasn't so early in the morning and I was half unconscious I would have shed a tear.

The most important thing, her dress, was a so beautiful. As you guys know already I am a vintage loving junkie and when I saw her step out of that car all I could think was Grace Kelly with a hint of Elizabeth Taylor in Father of The Bride. The dress, designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, was very much fit to Princess Catherine's since of style. It is an Alexander McQueen, and for all you fashion designer followers you know that Alexander McQueen is known best for his avant garde designs so this dress had potential to really be over the top. The sense of control in the silhouette of the dress was absolute perfection. From the lace sleeves to the sleek A line silhouettes with  the fabric heavily flouncing into folds around the bodice. It was a lovely merger of Catherine's own since of style  but McQueen stamp was all over the back of that dress, which featured one of this falls hottest trends lace and a soft bow. 

The wedding itself wasn't ridiculously over the top  and that is what I loved most about it. I know there are people who complained about the whole pomp and circumstance of it all but they're royalty so it's a bit of a requirement to have that going on but this occasion to me as a viewer was quite intimate and from what I read very much fit to both William and Catherine's personality. Instead of flower throw up down the aisle, they chose these beautiful 20ft trees, yes trees. Now you would think that didn't go but it did, creating this wonderful garden atmosphere. It really made the wedding less stiff and serious.

Is it me or do both William and Catherine come off as extremely down to earth people? Seriously Catherine comes off like the girlfriend you go to Starbucks with all the time and gossip with and William is the classic nice guy. slightly shy but very polite. He's the guy you've had a crush on since middle school. They're so...well normal and that's what is so lovely about the both of them. You see all the horse drawn carriages and the billions of people watching but in the end they are just a man and a woman that are in love and that thought in itself can soften even the most cynical person's heart. I sincerely wish them all the happiness and love in the world. 

THE END




P.S.  Did any of you guys notice how hot Harry looked in his uniform? Oh my my my have we grown, mama likes! 

[Photo source 1] [Photo Source 2] [ Photo Source 3]

At Home With Coco

Take a look inside home of Gabrielle Chanel.

Let's Mention Unmentionables

When you think of underwear generally its the standard bra and panties, but if you were a young woman in the 1600s your reply would be more like corset, bumroll, and petticoat. Oh sure on paper that doesn't look that so bad but have you really taken a close look at what woman had to wear? They look like torture devices, my complaints about under wire bras seem all of a sudden silly compared to what was worn from women in the past.

From what I do remember from my historical costume course, it wasn't unusual for a woman to just slump over and pass out and with good reason. Its a shame that underwear from the 1600s-1900s were so uncomfortable for women to wear ( they weren't exactly thinking about lightweight, sleek technology back then the way we are now) because they are beautifully made. If you really started to think about it being hot, itchy, stinky, and uncomfortable was  probably the norm back then for a woman. Of course not every woman back then wore all these pieces of underwear. It wouldn't be logical for poor working women to wear all of that underwear but I'm sure they wore more than what we wear today.

Where exactly am I going with all of this? As I was looking through the garments available online at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, it had me thinking of how far our underwear has come. Yes, I know its a bit of an odd thought but work with me here. Woman have been doing extreme things for the love of fashion for centuries and as I marveled at some of the beautiful work that was on display, I couldn't help but think of the underwear used in order to create the perfect look of that particular time in history. Oh and P.S. it makes me giggle at the thought that having a big booty goes in an out of style. That bum roll I mentioned before? Looked sort of like those doughnut shaped pillows old people put around their necks on a flight except it goes around your waist. It was a bumroll in the 1600s but now we have booty pops. If you don't know what a booty pop is, take a look. Yep, good ol ass pads.

Even if we zipped through history to more modern times, like the 40s-60s again you see women sucking, tucking, and pulling in every part of their body in order to achieve the perfect fit for what was in style at the time. As someone who dresses in vintage on a moderately normal basis I have to say that I even I am not comfortable going full on 1950s with my undergarments. A modern version of a bullet bra and occasionally high waist-ed underwear is about as far as I can go. I might have tried on a full girdle once and felt like my soul was being squeezed out of my body so after that I decided to just up my yoga sessions and not wear one.

Undergarments always seem to look effortless and comfortable when you're watching Elizabeth Taylor sashay around in them but really putting a bra, panties, girdle, garter, and stockings every single day is a pain. I know it is something you get used to and  will eventually become so accustomed to doing it that the process  in itself goes faster.( I got that bit of advise from my 86 year old grandmother who still to this day wears  something similar to the picture to the left every single day.)  Even with that bit of advise I still don't think I could manage it. As I write this post about underwear  it really makes a girl count her blessings for being born in the era where it isn't a requirement to wear extra undergarments but a choice. After all having the option to wear what you feel is part of the reason why women burned their bras in the first place. We've come a long way baby.

[Photo Sources 1, 2, 3 ]

The Best of Red by Valentino

 Valentino shifted away from his signature red carpet looks and put his romantic since of style in play for his Red brand. What is really lovely about this lookbook is it is consistently feminine, blending beautiful almost Rococo like garments with 60s inspiration. The garments in this lookbook heavily used textures with the popular trend this season lace but the texture with fabric didn't stop there as Valentino utilized sequins, ruffles, and slight uses of tulle to really give an 19th century nod to modern day clothing. Take a closer look at Red by Valentino. 

[Photo source:fashiongonerogue]

Editorial Moment: Dress To Kill Magazine Spring 2011

Dress To Kill lives up to their magazine's namesake in their Spring 2011 editorial shoot. Photographed by Lily & Lilac this photoshoot was able to standout despite the lack of color. Since color blocking and vintage inspiration is the main trend now, editorials are filled with lots of color and over the top looks. This editorial on the other hand is almost the antithesis of that thought. Pulling back in not only color but also in the garments. Which for one is a lot harder to make interesting because in shoots like this it is all about control. This pull pack from the wild and free creates a very sexy and modern look that will have you take a double take in this Double Vision editorial.

[Photo Source: Fashiongonerogue]

Toga Plays With Silhouttes For Fall 2011

Even though Japan Fashion Week was canceled due to the earthquake last month, designers have come together in Tokyo to showcase their Fall collections. Toga was one of the standouts with their play on silhouettes by creating fullness in the hips and arms while pulling back in the shoulders and waist. Combining angular edge with soft, flowing femininity, Toga created a futuristic look with hints of 40s, 60, and 80s. I know that doesn't sound like it would go together on paper but visually it makes for a beautifully well rounded collection of garments. What I love the most about this collection is the small ethnic inspired detailing in the tights and tops. Also the hint of bows which generally is not my thing but in this case it is feminine yet doesn't create a juvenile look.

Vanity Sizing: Is It Just A Little White Lie?

I'm sure I have mentioned one time or another about my trials and triumphs as a fashion design student and because I have been through the ringer of learning this craft I know I for one the creative process designers go through(which is why you should be reading this blog, I actually know what I'm talking about damn it!) but I also know some of the truths behind design that the every day Joe just doesn't realize. One in particular I keep seeing when I'm watching bad reality TV out of all places. Every time I see a designer at a boutique servicing their very rich client and then it happens...

" That's a runway size (insert small number)" I know the camera adds some pounds but come on, clearly some of these women are clearly not that tiny. I don't want to knock a designer for that lie ( because seriously, it takes some lady balls to be a working

designer) but the average woman who doesn't know there is no standardized sizing in fashion, and because of that they hold on to that number like an angry spider monkey. Of course it will make your client feel better in theory but does it really? So I ask you guys, how important really is that number on the back of your clothes? Would you be mad if someone lied to you about how big you were for a sale?

My personal thought is that I work on a don't ask don't tell policy. If you're not asking me about your measurements then I sure as hell am not telling them to you. My job is to make you look as best as humanly possible. Beautiful comes in all sizes so whether you are a plus size or petite if you're a good designer you can make any size look great.

Just my 2 cents now give me yours. How do you feel about that little white lie?

[Photo Source]

Martin Lamothe Fall/Winter 2011

Organic shapes and ultra structured garments rip the runway in Martin Lamothe's Fall 2011 collection.

[Photo Source: DressLab/César Segarra ]