Today in Fashion Week:September 29th

Bonjour! Today is a fashion week kinda day, judging by tonight's episode of Gossip Girl, which will be prominently featuring Abigail Lorick's Spring collection, as well as boasting cameos from Michael Kors, Nastia Liukin, and Tinsley Mortimer. Their filming was all over the news during NYFW, so let's just try for authenticity, guys? Now that that's out of the way, we can move on to the goings-on in Paris, where things are starting to heat up.

Christian Dior

Dior is, well, Dior, so it can never be bad necessarily. There will always be those who worship the collection, and those who have criticisms. I don't have criticisms, but I'm not exactly worshiping it either. The hair and makeup seemed like an ill-fated attempt to top YSL last season, and the clothes were, for the most part, bland.

To see the rest, including Maison Martin Margiela and Vivienne Westwood, click

AF Vandevorst

Despite those highly questionably lips, AF Vandevorst was a classic collection that speaks true to the idea of "staples" being preached in every article about dressing in recession. Simple takes on black blazers and white shirts were shown with cut-out leggings that actually make me consider them again. Also, their rose printed lace, unabashedly old lady, shows the other side of the trend of the moment.

Undercover

From the first look I got a sort of Marilyn Monroe vibe that continued throughout. It had the classic Hollywood feel, but it was still so new, in the way that only Undercover can be.

Maison Martin Margiela

Amidst rumors that he's hoping to break things off with fashion altogether, Maison Martin Margiela showed a collection that appeared to protest against clothing in general. From a fashion standpoint, there's really nothing to judge, but visually it's packed with the kind of brilliance only present in Margiela's mind. Is this his way of transitioning into something artsier? Judging by the presentation, I hope so.

Vivienne Westwood

After going tribal last season, a somewhat subdued and all-around pretty chic collection was unexpected, but certainly not unwelcome. When designers can only rely on their quirkiness failure is bound to happen, so a show of skill is always a good thing. But don't go thinking this wasn't classic Westwood. There was still plenty of rock and roll cool to ogle.

Yohji Yamamoto

Yohji Yamamoto's signature topsy-turvy deconstructed style was reinvented with a sleek edge for Spring. This is probably my favorite collection of his I've ever seen.

That's all for today, but tomorrow is a pretty huge day with Balenciaga and Commes Des Garcons just part of the lineup!
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What Is Couture?

The word couture is one that's been overused to a point that it's become associated with a clothing company that makes most of its profit selling terry cloth sweatsuits. Thankfully that's a trend that seems to be dying out but unfortunately it seems that its association with the word couture is here to stay, at least for now. But the point of this post is to educate and hopefully do its part to rid of all the misconceptions about couture.The word couture itself translates to sewing or dressmaking in French. Thus the phrase "haute couture" translates to "high sewing," or "high dressmaking." According to wikipedia, to be defined as a couture house, you must meet certain specifications

• Design made-to-order for private clients, with one or more fittings.

• Have a workshop (atelier) in Paris that employs at least fifteen people full-time.

• Each season (i.e., twice a year), present a collection to the Paris press, comprising at least thirty-five runs with outfits for both daytime wear and evening wear.

These shows happen between the Fall and Spring ready-to-wear shows, and just so happen to be going on right now. Potential clients sit in the audience and pick their favorite designs, then come in for a fitting with the design team. It is during this time that alterations and modifications are made to the design, and eventually the client receives their perfect garment, along with a hefty bill.
Alright, now that you understand couture a little bit more, it's time for the fun part! I've picked some of my favorites from the Haute Couture shows so far.


Chanel

To see the rest,
Christian Dior

Christian Lacroix

Givenchy


To see all the looks so far, go to http://www.style.com/fashionshows/collections/F2008CTR/runwayshows/index.html

All pictures from Style.com
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