Eagle!

all imgs from style.com

An unlikely feature-ee on venturess, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac* showed a primary coloured (and black, of course) collection full of bird motifs and aztec style patterns and faces.

I'm not crazy about the gimmicky bird shoulders and such like, and some of the prints I like are on shapes I can't stand (and vice versa) but there are some great pieces here - if only the make-up wasn't so off-putting!

The black/yellow ombré suit (look 2) and the mirrored wings on bright backgrounds (top in look 1, trousers in looks 5 and 7) are the pieces that stood out to me, but perhaps I'm just coming around to prints and bright, bright colours... (it certainly seems that way, if you scroll through the last few posts!)

*no, I don't know how you pronounce it either. What fashion degree?

dior.

all imgs from style.com

I don't often post/care about the Christian Dior show, but multiple thumbnails caught my eye this season and all 56 looks graced my screen with their presence - OK, that, and my interest was peaked given all the talk about the house of Dior recently.

Absolutely stunning. Not necessarily in an 'I-want-every-piece' or a 'good-lord-look-at-the-theatricality' sense, as is my usual wont, but simply in an 'oh-my-that's-beautiful' sense. I do, of course, appreciate the silhouette (but then, the nipped in waist and flared skirts are quintessentially Dior, so, y'know) and the silver dress in look 6 is PERFECTION IN DRESS FORM, it is elements other than those that drew me in.

The blown-up, metallic, barely there houndstooth. The buttery twisted leather. The off-the-shoulder leather, paired with a high necked layer, belt, and silk pencil skirt wonder that is look 3. Even the gowns. !!!. I'm so not a gown girl, but the gowns. The gowns.

While every designer under the sun is being touted to take over the reigns at Dior (and some a little ridiculous - Alexander Wang?!? AT DIOR?!?! I just don't see how the aesthetics could possibly work), I, for one, am more than happy to see Bill Gaytten continue to head up Dior if he's going to produce shows like this.

dries.

imgs from style.com

Milan didn't spark any interest, but Paris is here now, so who cares?

Dries Van Noten took the print, and messed with the placement, producing wonky patterns and colour/print blocking in unusual spots. The jacket in look 2 immediately caught my eye, as did the one in look 5, and the trousers in look 8 (hubba).

That said, look 6 is my absolute favourite here. The proportions on every piece are just perfect. And throughout, everything is rendered in this sort of over-saturated sky blue, and khaki, and navy, and grey, and gold - AKA all the colours I will immediately warm too, wherever and whenever they are deployed. Like I said, hubba.

paris, paris...

oh, with your eyes so blue
No?
Oh, right, blogging, yeah. That thing.
I would say I've been busy, which I guess I have, but not that busy. I need to make time for things instead of wasting that time on nothing in particular.
Must focus; etc.

This is Paris: Part 1, I guess, since there are a whole bunch of collections I like enough to write about.
BEGIN.


Hermés

The scarves/flowing dresses are giving me a definite nun vibe, but I do like these monochrome looks...

Hussein Chalayan

Chalayan was much tamer this season; but the long blazers and cut away dresses - like a much more wearable version of the infamous Spring 2010 Viktor & Rolf collection - were very covetable. *ahem*

A.F. Vandervorst

Slightly military influences here - man after my own heart - with traditional frogging at an awkward angle and decorative ropes across chests and so on, but mixed with the now signature Vandevorst draping and pulling, and the tone on tone colour. Bliss.

Jean Paul Gaultier

One of the only shows I looked at, first time, the whole way through. Classic Gaultier here - what's to add? Tongue-in-cheek, pinstripes, suiting, and lingerie, and wonderful as ever.

Paco Rabanne

I'll end on another favourite. Manish Arora is in the hot seat now at Rabanne, and the boy done good. I'm not usually a big fan of Arora's own label, but within the confines of the Rabanne name, there's almost a ladylike edge. The shapes, loud fabrics and sex appeal is all Arora, but the editing and styling means everything was just right - not too much, not too tacky, not overdone; just right. And I say this about a collection with many a shiny bottom half/sparkly top half combo.