It’s Fashion Week. Maybe we should say it’s Fashion Month. First up was New York, then the fashion pack jetted to London to see the Fall Winter 2011 collections. The big story out of London? Colour, colour and more colour! Skirts, skirts, and more skirts! London was about “elaborately detailed, luscious and seriously grown-up chic” reports Vogue UK. How wonderful. Review girls love lady-like dressing.

The heritage British brands such as Burberry, Pringle, Jaegar, Aquascutum and Mulberry were all about modern dressing with a quirky English slant. The favourite, of course, was Burberry Prorsum. Christopher Bailey showed a 60’s collection inspired by model Jean Shrimpton with Mod coats in red, orange, greens and blues. There were dramatic sleeves, matching bags and chic 60’s style tulip dresses.

Everyone flocks to London for the younger, hipper brands. Christopher Kane’s Granny Takes A Trip collection with mad crochet prints was teetering on the verge of bad taste. But when you see the model of the moment, Arizona Muse (real name), in a beautiful crochet dress suddenly it looks hip.

Mathew Williamson showed incredible geometric print dresses tossed back with Mongolian fur chubbies. Hippy deluxe with an English accent. The hot new talent, Mary Katrantzou, stayed true to her signature dresses with accentuated hips. Yes, you read right. She makes dresses that make hips look bigger. Bless. Jonathan Saunders collection was called “Baroque minimalism” by Vogue UK while The House of Holland described it as a mad “combination of bingo, crochet and budgerigars”. Yes, more crochet. And striped socks. Mmmm. The hot label of the moment, Erdem, showed “dark, impressionistic prints that were morbidly beautiful” said Style.com.

The other big news in London was the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition launch by Anna Wintour and Samantha Cameron. The exhibition will run from May 4, 2011 at The Costume Institute at the Met in New York.

Savage Beauty: the perfect way to sum up London Fashion Week!

Yours fashionably,

FiFi
www.FiFi.com.au

*Images courtesy Style.com

The awards season just keeps rolling on! This week we’re talking about the Grammy Awards. It was a night of metallic! Lurex! Silver! Gold! There was a sea of sequins as the stars left a trail of glitter on the red carpet. Some got it right and some got it wrong. So who looked fabulous and who needs a little help?

Looks to love…

Jennifer Lopez
What a gal! What legs! This outfit is perfect for the Grammy’s. It’s a night of rock ‘n roll so why not throw on the shortest, sexiest silver Pucci dress? This gets all the ticks in all the right boxes from hair and makeup to the right shoes and bag. Most importantly, it’s as if she’s just thrown it on herself and strutted out the door. Stylist? What stylist? Go J.Lo.

Nicole Kidman
A long strapless ruffle dress could be a bit over done for the Grammy’s but, hey, this dress says I wanna have fun! With or without botox, the cascading red hair and the cascading red dress work so well together. Simple and dramatic. Thank you Nicole for ditching any over the top accessories (and Kudos for not wearing glitzy gold or silver). She looks chic and relaxed in this Gaultier frock, and isn’t that what true style is all about?

Gwyneth Paltrow. Twice.
Let’s face it, it took guts to stand up on stage, climb on a piano and sing your lungs out in those Louboutins. She looked fabulous in that black cat suit. What a body! Loved the hot pink neon feather earrings with the plunging neckline down to there… Modern and groovy, she rocks.
We also loved Gwyneth in her black lace Rachel Roy mini dress. Glamourous, modern and edgy this look is perfect for the Grammy’s. She nails it. Every time. Please don’t hate her because she is beautiful.

Janelle Monae
She is tiny but why can’t she be chic? Janelle must be mentioned because her Ralph Lauren tuxedo suits her to a T. She is proof that you can stick to your personal style without being boring and without compromising glamour. Black and white is always groovy when there is a little bit of glitter.

Please explain…

Rihanna
So what if it was Gaultier Haute Couture. This white, fluffy, froufrou toilet brush – otherwise known as a frock – is neither here nor there. Is she trying to be stylish and grown up? Is she trying to be daring in an almost see through number? Whatever. Sure it got people talking but Rihanna please stick to your signature mad, over the top looks. You are young and funky. This is a waste of your irreverent style. Even that hair is boring.

Heidi Klum
She nearly got this right but somehow it just doesn’t work. Maybe it’s the bad, daggy cleavage. Maybe it’s the floppy sleeves half way down her arms. Maybe she has 4 boobs? Is there something missing from the front split? Even her hair is frumpy. C’mon Heidi! You have a fabulous figure and amazing hair so why not show it off? Seal probably lied to you before you walked out the door.

Nicki Minaj
Who is she, you might ask? I am not sure either and that, my friends, is the problem: The Givenchy Haute Couture is more recognizable than the girl. We know that animal print is right, right, right but this is wrong, wrong, wrong. Could it be that mad hat? It looks suspiciously similar to the hats on the guards at Buckingham Palace. Maybe she is angling for an invitation to the Royal wedding. Maybe there is a corgi hiding in there.

Eva Longoria
Hello Eva, are you in there somewhere? Such a tiny person lost in a sea of over the top ruffles and frou frou. Why hide that fabulous petite figure? This outfit is so voluminous it almost gives her a muffin top. And bottom. In fact she looks like a muffin. Clear evidence that wearing black and white doesn’t automatically make you chic.

Hayley Williams
Is it the red hair with the pink feathers? Is it the black tights? Is it the non de la non necklace and boring earrings? She looks too contrived to be stylish and too couture to be rock and roll. This pink feathery and black sequin mess by Jeremy Scott should have been worn by Björk. And I mean that in a good way.

Yours fashionably waiting for the Oscars,

FiFi
www.FiFi.com.au

*Images courtesy USMagazine.com

Pink is pretty.
Pink is soft and girly.
Pink is feminine and flirty.
Pink is all things romantic.
Pink is fluffy, frou frou and fun.
Pink is the little lace lingerie you slip love to slip on.
Pink is the colour of your fabulous floral Review dress that sits ever so coquettishly on your décolletage.
Pink is the colour of your fabulous 50s style Review dress in sexy satin cinched in with a white rose belt.
Pink is the colour of your fabulous Review dress with a pretty guipure lace bodice and a gorgeous layered chiffon flirty skirt.
Pink is being flustered with indecision: which pretty Review dress is right for tonight?
Pink is the colour of the Dior blush lightly swept across your cheekbones.
Pink is the colour of your glistening Chanel lipgloss.
Pink is the exquisite Diptique candle wafting romantically through the air.
Pink is the colour of your cheeks when George Clooney appears on your doorstep with beautiful flowers.
Pink is the divine bunch of old fashioned sweet roses he is holding in his hand.
Pink is the shade on your toes peeping out from your pink Louboutin heels as you skip out the door.
Pink is the Chanel quilted handbag hanging from your pretty shoulders.
Pink is the colour of the first sip of Rose champagne.
Pink is the taste of delicate bubbles tiny and tingling on your tongue.
Pink is the colour of gorgeous sweet macaroons you daintily pop in your mouth.
Pink is a pretty bowl of glistening strawberries and lashings of whipped cream.
Pink is the lovely little box that suddenly appears all wrapped up in ribbon.
Pink is the divine diamond ring sparkling and shining right up at you.
Pink is colour on your lips when you scream YES!
Pink is the colour of love on Valentines Day.

Yours fashionably pink,

FiFi
www.FiFi.com.au

Have you seen the movie Black Swan yet? It’s an amazing ballet movie based on Swan Lake starring Natalie Portman. I loved the movie but it’s not for everyone. It’s a psychological thriller, beautifully filmed but oh la la! Talk about scary! Natalie Portman is fabulous and will probably win the Oscar^® for her role.

Of course what interested me most were the fabulous costumes. Apparently they were designed by Rodarte and the Mulleavy sisters who are known for their amazing, dark gothic style. Vogue UK reports,  ‘The collaboration came about after Portman introduced the Rodarte sisters to the film’s director Darren Aronofsky. Says Laura Mulleavy. “Building a tutu is one of the lost couture arts. You can’t go rent a tutu. You have to own it. They’re worn over time and they’re ruined and they have slits and eyes in different spots, so they’re never actually perfect, but from afar, when you’re in the audience, it looks like one of the most beautiful things in the world. A tutu is thirteen layers of tulle sticking straight out and then it’s over the body, so you can imagine. It’s crazy!”‘

The ballet costumes are indeed beautiful but like a good movie the plot thickens. Apparently the Rodarte sisters are not eligible to be nominated for any awards because the sisters didn’t negotiate credits in their initial contract. According to ClothesOnFilm.com, the Mulleavy sisters have “expressed (loudly) their disdain at not qualifying for an Oscar, complaining that Amy Westcott (the actual costume designer for the film) would receive all the credit for their work should the film win”. But now according to The UK Telegraph, Amy Westcott has now spoken out wanting to set the record straight on how much – or little – Rodarte actually contributed. “The white and black swan were a collaboration between Rodarte, myself, and Darren, a fact that is completely concealed in the press. In all, there were seven costumes in the collaboration with Rodarte, not the ‘forty’ that keeps coming up in the press.” Ouch!

Whatever the outcome there is a palpable ballet influence happening right now in fashion with the trend seen in many of the spring collections. That’s got to be a winner! So pretty!

Yours fashionably,

FiFi
www.FiFi.com.au

*Photos courtesy Fabulousdoodles.blogspot.com