Spring 2013 Trend Report: All About the Applique

Honestly, fashion would be boring if designers didn't mix it up with different silhouettes, color palettes, fabrics and, most importantly, applique. Appli-what? Since what seems like the beginning of time, designers have been attaching trinkets and excess pieces of fabric to their perfectly crafted threads. This season, it seems as if the applique craze is bigger than ever. From delicate jewels to punky fripperies, there is no better way to spice up an outfit.

Marchesa

Prada

Dires Van Noten

Chanel

Dolce & Gabbana

Oscar de la Renta

One of the many reasons I love this phenomenon is because anything goes. From clothes to accessories, an appliqued piece gives depth and dimension to any look. Plus, you have the freedom to style your applique however you see fit. Whether you mix and match these picks for an "out-of-this-world" look or counteract the trend's extravagance with sleek extras, your ensemble is sure to be a homerun. But, like any other trend, it's absolutely crucial that you put your brave face on. You're supposed to wear this trend, not the other way around.

Lanvin lace cocktail dress, $1,740 / Maiyet keyhole dress / 3.1 Phillip Lim flower print dress / Mango rose print dress / Valentino leather top / Dolce & Gabbana lace top / Temperley London silk shirt / Cotton pants, $255 / Charlotte Olympia high heel platform shoes / Alexander McQueen lace handbag

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Williamson's Form of Flattery?

As London Fashion Week is underway, I have been perusing the looks.  But something struck me when I looked at Matthew Williamson's Fall 2011 Collection:

Photo Cred

I've always loved Matthew Williamson for his fun prints; he's always made me think of bohemian/resort chic. But this piece seems a little too familiar a little too...Marchesa?

Photo Cred

Is it just me, or does the black Williamson possess a creepily striking comparison to this orange Marchesa look from Resort 2011? While the two have a plethora of differences, I can't help feeling as if I'm looking at basically the same dress. 

So the real question now: which one is better? 

Let us partake in Williamson versus Marchesa.

Matthew Williamson

I think that the black scheme is very universal; I know I have a hard time pulling off orange. As everyone should know by now, I really love long sleeved mini dresses. I also really like the fringing at the collar; however,  I 'm not how sure I like the sporadic fringing along the dress. While I think the fringe is well placed, and may even be flattering, it can be a bit overbearing.

Marchesa

As I mentioned before, the orange is a little hard to pull off and I don't really like the length of the sleeves in this version. But, I love how this dress almost looks metallic, which is a really cool contrast to the orange. The unbalanced fringe makes it look edgy and really chic.

Alas, I think I like the Matthew Williamson version better, sorry Marchesa.  So...is copying the equivalent to fabulous?

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The Weekly: If You Can Go Downtown With a Girl Like Me

Once upon a time, I used to think that Rihanna was such a fashion icon: she had the perfect blend of edge and style to make her something really special. But things changed. Yes this is going to be a ranting blog. I just don't understand, what happened to Rihanna's style. Of course everyone feels for her Chris Brown tragedy; however, her fashion sense is starting to scare me.  Remember when she looked so amazing?

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I loved when she wore this Zac Posen at the 2008 Grammy Awards. The color was so stunning and the knee length hem was genuinely fascinating. I remember it was back then when I thought to myself, "Self, Rihanna is going to be a fashion icon."

But let's fast-foward to NOW.

Photo Cred

I'm totally all for being an original for fashion, but there's a fine line between "individuality" and "costume frenzy" and Rihanna has totally crossed it. I don't know who made this dress and quite frankly, I don't want to know. All of these bright colors, mixed with her clownish red hair makes her look ridiculous in my opinion.  She has such potential: WHAT WENT WRONG?! This also brings up another question: what exactly does it take to become a fashion icon in contemporary society? Do you have to dress too insane, a la Gaga and Rihanna, or can you dress with taste and be considered iconic?

I don't really have an answer, but just a cute little thought!

Anyways, onto the weeklies!

• Rosamund Pike at the 2011 BAFTA Awards (McQueen): Here's an upcoming trend for you: wearing incredible McQueen prints on the red carpet. You would think that a blonde wearing a yellow dress would be way to much yellow, but the different shades made this monochromatic look tres chic! Her wavy hair made this look so ethereal and awesome.  And the natural browns she used for her belts and bracelets added to this ethereal look. I actually liked the red carpet interpretation much better than the runway look because I was too focused on the belt and bangles, though the silver leaf look is so cool.
• Gemma Arterton at the 2011 BAFTA Awards (Yves Saint Laurent):  I thought this dress was super fun, like a modern take on Marilyn's "Diamonds" dress. Periwinkle and black is such a stunning and sophisticated color duo, which is even better by mixing fabrics. I'm glad that she toned down the accessories and focused more on eye-popping makeup. The bright red lip is so elegant and perfectly fits this chic Parisian look. LOVING IT.
• Blake Lively at a Van Cleef&Arpels Party (Marchesa): Once again, Blake Lively is the best dressed at a party, shocking! Is anyone starting to sense my eternal jealousy? If anyone else were to try and pull off this Marchesa, I would probably really hate it. But Blake knows how to wear such a complex dress and make it look effortless and incredible: nude heels and no jewels. Her slightly messy hair also makes this outfit work. Ugh,  I wish I was her.

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New York, New York

I've been so damn busy, I haven't even had a CHANCE to sit down and blog about Spring Summer 2011 RTW for New York. Of course it all started with New York's incredible fashion night out: my floormate told me yesterday that some of her attending friends saw ANNA WINTOUR there! Jealous? Absolutely!! Oh how I wish I went to school in New York so I  could attend this fabulous outing and even participate in the SCAVENGER HUNT.

TOO JEALOUS.

Anyway... onto the actual shows. Some of the New York ones were a little too minimalism for me (I HATE HATE HATE minimalism), but I did love a plethora of them, three in particular. Why not one BIG ONE covering New York Fashion Week?! Good? Good.

Photo Cred: Vogue.com

Ralph Lauren, who lives in my same Hometown...throwing it out there, is such a fashion genius. He always does a wonderful job and his creations, from Ralph Lauren to Polo, are loved by many people with different styles. I personally feel like his Ralph Lauren collections typically have a western edge to them and his SS 2011 RTW collection was no different. This collection was completely cohesive, with the frequent white pieces and fringe invading the runway.  I loved this combination: white is so clean and fringe is so wild.  He did it absolutely right: although he added some plaids, blues,  and sequins, majority of the collection was filled with browns and neutrals. In order to make it exciting, he added fun elements: lace, fringe, ruffles, interesting sleeves, THE WORKS. And I LOVED the finale. The silver gown was absolutely gorgeous, and the belt made it cohesive with the whole collection and gave that Ralph Lauren je ne sais quoi. With forty years under his western belt, it's absolutely incredible that he can still create classically innovative clothes and successful runways!

Photo Cred: Vogue.com

Jason Wu. How Could you not love Jason Wu?! He's such an ingenious designer, Michelle Obama would know. His use of creativity combined with a slice of femininity is so now and I adore it. And this collection is no different. I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS. Like this nude and navy dress? The color scheme is so unexpected but so awesome at the same time. I love his dimensional flowers and tiered layers. I frequently think of a fashion show as incorporating the same fabrics throughout the whole collection. But Jason Wu did something different: he used a bunch of different fabrics- some more sheer than others- but maintains a common silhouette and details that makes a cohesive show. I thought that he did an awesome job switching from dress to pants. Like that suit with the ruffled bandeau? LOVE. Everything that was there was exciting and envelope pushing in SOME way. I just love love LOVE Jason Wu and, in my personal opinion, he's going to be a legend.

Photo Cred: Vogue.com

If I ever go to any kind of high fashion gala or an award show, I am wearing Marchesa. I'm such a fan of Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig's work: it is just a combination of everything good in the world. I always look forward to seeing the Marchesa collection because I just know I'll LOVE it. So obviously I was blown away by this presentation.  When I do these Runway Reports, I look at the whole collections' thumbnails and write about it from there. But with this show, I looked at all of the outfits multiple times because they completely depict what fashion is. Fashion is beautiful wearable art. It was an actual challenge to pick out my favorite because they are all SO SO SO BEAUTIFUL. Maybe Marchesa doesn't provide the most cohesive collection, but I don't necessarily see that as a bad thing in this situation: every single look is 100% unique: the silhouettes, colors, fabrics, necklines, hemlines, "fashion elements", EVERYTHING. It's seriously a smorgasbord of heaven. Even the playsuits are something to actually DIE for. Yes, there constant fashion drama and formation of the show is a bit repetitive, but there's no dying that they do what they do BEAUTIFULLY.
This may be one of my absolute favorite collections. Too far? NEVER.

xx