Paris haute couture fall-winter 2011-2012
Paris haute couture fall-winter 2011-2012: Elegance synonymous with classic simplicity
On July the 7th, on the curtains closed on the long awaited Paris Haute Couture fall-winter 2011-2012, the renowned fashion kermesse that, captures everybody’s interest every time: international buyers curious to discover the latest styles and market trends for the following season, famous stars who are the major consumers of these luxury items and, above all normal people who, although aware of the high cost of these products, can’t help dreaming of being able to wear them one day, probably after having won the lottery or being left an unexpected but sizeable legacy.
This time, the Paris haute couture event again opened in a flurry of controversy stirred up by criticism directed by the king of the Italian Fashion, Mr. Giorgio Armani at most of his colleagues (and in particular at Mrs. Miuccia Prada) during the latest Milano Fashion week, accusing them of creating overly eccentric menswear, that is absolutely impossible to wear, focusing their attention almost exclusively on accessories rather than on the man’s look itself. The man, for Giorgio Armani, should enhance his physicality with distinctive clothing but should not end up looking like a circus artist. Creations should be sophisticated and original but suited to real life.
However, despite his stern criticism, Armani was the most appreciated designer at the Paris Haute Couture, once again impressing the entire audience, offering them a very refined and gorgeous image of a woman, who is absolutely impeccable in her style, a modern princess, deeply influenced by Japan and its traditions. The Armani Privé collection in fact is a tribute to this wonderful Eastern country devastated by the terrible earthquake of last March.
“Hommage au Japon” is the title of the collection and everything is dedicated to this country. Dresses are enriched by writing, designs and prints referring to Japan, and their structure too is inspired by the traditional Kimono. However, the distinctive elements characterizing the Armani style are still present, such as the black jackets with raised shoulders or the glossy belts emphasizing the waist line. Dresses have a clean and linear style, made of satin velvet and enriched by floral prints, while the evening look is more sophisticated, with extra long crater-shaped dresses in taffeta, silk, organza, embellished with sequins and set off by Philip Treacy sculpture-hats.
The handbag is a Must-Have for Giorgio Armani enhancing the woman’s look and making her more feminine. Clutches are the undisputed stars of the show, in the same color as the dress and enriched with decorations and pendants. Clasped in the hand or worn on the shoulder by the velvet strap, they are very special accessories completing the woman’s style, the object of her desires.
As far as the colors for next winter are concerned, the trendiest ones for the “king of Italian fashion” are the classic white and black, along with pastel shades of pink, green and orange.
Christian Dior fashion house, although lacking the eccentric creativity of Mr. John Galliano (who is currently in rehab, detoxing from alcohol and drugs, determined to put his life back in order so, if all goes well it’s not out of the question for him to return to work for the French Maison in the immediate future) continues with its taste for color, proposed in unusual combinations enhancing their trademark eccentricity and passion for experimentation.
Galliano’s faithful colleagues Bill Gaytten and Susanne Venegas, in fact, have conceived a collection presenting the same style as their master, stunning, colorful creations inspired by the 80’s, with high heeled shoes looking like sculptures.
Dresses are wide and very long, enriched by ruches and completed by significant hats or rigid half-moon neckbands finishing above the model’s head. The feminine silhouette is perfectly reproduced and this collection is seen as a sort of tribute to the grand masters of fashion of our century, such as Marc Bohan, the designer who succeeded Monsieur Dior to lead the famous fashion house.
Alongside very elegant fabrics such as taffeta, silk and tulle, Dior’s designers adopt more unusual materials for their masterpieces such as wool, cotton or fur, embellishing everything with thousands of sequins and decorations.
As mentioned above, Dior’s collection is an explosion of colors unusually combined together such as white, black, pink, blue, gold, emerald green, orange, yellow, red, brown, beige and malachite.
A tribute to mademoiselle Coco Chanel and to the elegance of the 20’s is the collection conceived by the homonymous French fashion house. Karl Lagerfeld retrieves the classic tailleur from the Chanel archives but he confers a more modern touch on the suit. Tweed jackets are brightened by a jewel button enhancing the waist line. Skirts have a trapeze shape. Masculine hats transform into precious feminine jewels with the application of plumes and lace.
Evening dresses may be long or short but they are absolutely fluid, in chiffon, silk, lace or taffeta and further decorated with pearls, lace and tulle.
The Must colors for next winter 2011-2012 according to Chanel fashion house and its creative director, Mr. Lagerfeld, are classic white and black but also fuchsia, midnight blue and gold.
Inspired by the 60’s, the collection of the Italian Gianbattista Valli is a real tribute to the major historical couturiers, from Balenciaga to Givenchy, from Yves Saint Laurent to Valentino. His creations are precious masterpieces, made unique by artisinal workmanship or by the choice of the fabrics. The tweed suit is embellished by micro-pearls while the organza cocktail dress is decorated with ruches and draperies. The silk coat, on the other hand, is covered with pheasant feathers.
The evening dress is strictly long with a train, in shiny fabrics such as taffeta, silk, tulle, organza and lace, and it is studded with shining rhinestones and pearls.
The Must Colors of next winter 2011-2012, according to this Italian designer, transplanted to France for years now, are classic black and white, strong red and coral, next to leopard or patterned prints.
Riccardo Tisci, creative director for Givenchy, is deeply inspired by the “Heaven bird” both as a legendary animal and as a flower (the Strelitzia flower). Dresses are ethereal but structured at the same time, realized in fluid fabrics and very light colors. Sequins and pearls are hand-sewn on the dresses to create a three – dimensional effect. Ostrich feathers are added to further decorate everything. Tops are made of tulle embroidered with micro-pearls, interlaced with cashmere for a complete artisanal effect.
The most popular fabrics are shiny, such as taffeta, silk, tulle and lace, which highlight the woman’s elegance and her natural glamour even though styles are simple and linear.
The distinctiveness of Tisci’s collection is provided by the accessories adopted to complete the woman’s look, and, in particular by the handbags, very gorgeous clutches clasped in the hand but with very long fringes that reach the same length of the dress itself. So, if the Givenchy evening dress is ankle-length, the matching pochette too will have very long fringes reaching the woman’s ankle. Fringes are made in the same leather used for the manufacture of the clutch itself but they are covered by shining pearls and sequins, conferring a special brightness on the whole bag.
The It colors of next fall-winter 2011-2012 for Tisci? But light colors of course!!! The most suitable are ivory, beige and gold.
Valentino designers focus their new Haute Couture fall-winter collection on delicate shades such as beige-pink, ivory, shaded gold, even if they don’t give up to show gorgeous evening dresses in classic Valentino red, combined on shiny sliding fabrics such as silk and taffeta.
The Valentino high class woman of the next cold season is an ethereal creature wearing veiled skirts made of tulle or long dresses in ivory or light gold lace, rich in decorations and shining stones. Very gorgeous are the brightening floral printings on the veiled tulle, giving the woman light and undisputed elegance
However, if the evening look is an explosion of lights and embroideries on the fabrics themselves, the daily look is refined as well but it is mainly focused on white, black and cream tonalities, and in this contest, next to lace and tulle, we can also notice the use of velvet.
Clutches are used by the Valentino woman along the day while at night she prefers having nothing clasped in hand, given that she already wears a precious dress.
Are you already thinking of updating your wardrobe in time for the coming of the winter season and would you like us to refresh your mind with the IT BAGS and the IT COLORS of next winter?
Don’t miss our next article!
