Fashion Blog

One walking be the Printemps department store in Paris will be admired by Chanel dolls installed at the displays. Lovely dolls were inspired by Chanel Paris-Moscou collection and really represent the russian spirit.

Princess Nadejda and Grand Duke Dimitri Pavlovich – the two marionettes are wearing miniature pieces frm Paris-Moscou collection.

The installation is continued by hand-painted matryoshka dolls, 5 meters tall each.

To see matryoshkas by Chanel is a very exclusive opportunity and it happends once in a lifetime. I like them so much!

D.K.

Sometines I can’t think of something more feminine and sophisticated than bows. When I do think about bows in fashion first of all I see Chanel’s spring-summer 2008 show with a huge black bow on the runway. It was stunning, it was like a miracle and staying one of my favorites shows ever it makes its point in love for bows.

Flowing or hardly fixed they look gorgeous. You can put them the way you like and make a belt or a pin, put a really big one on your dress or hide it by transforming one of the parts into the dress as it has been made at Moschino and Lanvin shows.

If you think about it deeply you’ll realize that a bow was never out of fashion. At some point there were obviously too much of a bow, that some women looked ridiculous in outfits covered with huge and tiny bows. Still they remain fashionable and even this season with its big-shoulder jackets, platform heels and lots of leather clothes.

You can find bows in D&G, Louis Vuitton, Lanvin, Moschino, Moschino Cheadp&Chic, Chanel and some other designers’ collections.

Lily Allen is a perfect match to Chanel brand. Karl Lagerfeld certainly has an eye for perfect models make Chanel campaigns.

Lily is sooo Chanel. Sha reminds of young Coco with all her unostentatious sexuality and strong character.

Staying boy-some rude and feminine-some graceful she conquered men, as Lily with all same qualities conqueres our attention.

Photos by Karl Lagerfeld for ELLE magazine

There are not so many people even in a wonderful world of fashion whom millions of people admire that much to want see how did they lived, what did their workplace look like. Coco Chanel is the first on the list. She was the one to change the world of 20th century fashion, she is the one whom people still want to find out something about, to see her life fron inside.

This video of Coco Chanel’s apartment on rue Cambon will a good experience for all who is fond of Chanel as a brand and Chanel as a legendary person.

“Chanel’s Russian Connection” is a new book by Karl Lagerfeld that will be released on November, 30 2009. Even though there is Chanel name in the book title it definately shows Lagerfeld’s connection to Russia or his passion to Russia, I would say.

The album shows the process of Paris-Moscou collection creation by Metiers d’Arts – 7 ateliers that were recreated in 2002 on Lagerfeld’s initiative. These ateliers are the best in costume jewellery, millinery, shoes creating and embroidery, which they provide all couture houses with. Karl Lagerfeld’s Paris-Moscou collection for Chanel shows Karl’s view on Russia with all its Imperial period and Constructivism, Catherine The Great and Faberge, folklore and  Coco Chanel’s love to Russia with the Ballets Russes and her relationship with Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich.

Karl Lagerfeld once said that he could show lots of his imagination because he had never been to Russi before. As French would say “Karl est tres modeste”, because who is not the one who has lack of imagination. Paris-Moscou collection proves that Karl is all about fantasy and fairy-tale. “Chanel’s Russian Connection” will show on photos the whole process of collection creation, even the fitting in Chanel’s apartment  on rue Cambon. It’s interesting to mention that all models were russian. Karl is right once again – nobody can show russian beauty better than russin girls can do it.

The book will be released together with “Coco 1913 – Chanel 1923″ on DVD.

One of the most beloved Lagerfeld’s models Claudia Schiffer is making new Chanel ad campaign.

She’s been Chanel’s face in 2008 and she’s also was involved in many Lagerfeld’s shootings for Dom Perignon staring as sexy housekeeper. This time for Chanel she is playing some young latin girl in a big hat and school jacket.

To make an ad Lagerfeld and all his assistance went to Argantina. San-Telmo – a place for the shoot was chosen in the center of Buenos-Aires.

Claudia looks lie a very young lovely girl. I admire a lot her capability to make so different impression on the pictures.

In a longtime history of fashion (I mean fashion not a costume history) there has always been a place for a hat. It was the kind of an accessory every woman from a respectable class should have. Those hats were enormously beautiful but uncomfortable to wear. Then there was a time of Coco Chanel when she replaced hats with birds, fruits and flowers by the simple and chic hats which made women even more sophisticated. Even though there was a non-hat period in the 20th century, hats have been back again. Right now it’s difficult to say what kind of hat is fashionable – fruit-bird-like or simple and little, but we can say that hats are in fashion.

Fall 2009 season will be all about hats: little, big, black and screaming-bright, bandaids and hair accessory which replace the role of a hat. Almost all the designers made place for a hat in their collection. Even in haute couture collections:Chanel, Lacroix, Dior, Givenchy, etc. Though you’re not supposed to wear them in the street some women do.

Ready-to-wear collections will make you buy some of those lovely hats for sure – there’re many-many of them – and you can go for any kind you like from gloves-made Dolce&Gabbana to simple and round Chanel, or if you’re not a hat-type person you can check with some head accessories from Zac Posen, Louis Vuitton or Yves Saint Laurent. Armani also went for tiny hats which make one newly elegant.

It seems that time of birdy-fruit-like hats came back or at least that it’s time for extreme hats such as you can find at Dior or McQueen.

Whatever you will wear next season there should be place for at least one hat. You don’t have to be that McQueen extremal to wear a hat you may be that Lacroix simple, so go for it and the title of fashionista will be yours.

photos from Chanel

Everybody was intrigued about new season: what they do, whom they date, where they go. My question was what do they wear? As the first seria poped out we can definately say there is a lot about costumes going on this new third season of Gossip Girl.

First, when you see the promo picture Versace and Elie Saab dresses can not catch your eye.

First minutes of the first seria show how much fashion there would be starting with Missoni dress on Jenny and then Alice+Olivia Terry Halter dress with belt on Blair.

Take a deep breath and here is Serena in the amazing colourful blazer with little black dress and Chanel 2.55 bag (very classy for Serena). Later on she will appear in perfectly fitting Marchesa dresses.

Blair staying her own style will appear in a golden Burberry Belted Brocade dress with Alexis Bittar flower-pin meeting Chuck in his once again perfect suit from Brooks Brothers and Tiffany pin. She will keep her style in hats and headbands as well.

It seems that everybody but Vanessa has changed. That’s not totally true. She stayed in her eclectic bright-colours style, but  gave it a total new way of grown-up woman by putting on the real jewellery and designer things.

Waiting for next series!

xoxo

Daria

P.S. you can watch all about Gossip Girl girls’ style in these videos

September, 10 was born the most influential designer of today’s fashion, fashion genius and the most amazing person in fashion. His name is Karl Lagerfeld. He made a legend even of his look, so now millions of people put his face on their clothes. He’s feared an loved, he’s one who can really rule the world!

Can’t you believe this? He created collections for Chanel, Fendi, his own brand Karl Lagerfeld, he makes photoshoots for magazines and ad campains, he makes movies and decide what music to use in the show, he has his own bookshop and publishing house 7L. Karl Lagerfeld is fantastic! I wonder how he manages everything.

Nobody really knows the year he was born, but really who cares about years?! When we speak about such a genius it’s not that important. But it’s always important to say that we love somebody, especially in his birthday.

We love Karl Lagerfeld and for his birthday we’ve created a fansite lagerfan.com

Happy birthday, monsieur Karl!

“New season is all about shoes!” – that’s what my friend said the other day. Designers show us such a variety that even sophisticated shoe-lover will be satisfied. Forms and materials break all the rules – from simple high heel to complicated hells easily compared to art objects you can see in MoMA, from leather and suede to polymers and textiles. The only thing you need is to turn your fantasy on and your legs will be in the center of any party.

Rain is the worst that can happen to you in autumn. What can you do if you are wearing sandals? To avoid water in your shoes choose platform shoes.  There are hundreds of platform shoes and boots this season. You can find such at Chanel, Fendi, Prada, Dior, Alexander McQueen, Gucci, Givenchy, Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton, and this is just little part of the list. Platform can be heavy or tiny and sophisticated.

Boots, shoes, ankle boots on a platform can be easily found in any designer collection this year.”Holland shoes” by Dolce&Gabbana and BCBG Max Azria, Burberry offers heavy platform, while Charles Anastase, Olivier Theyskens for Nina Ricci and Antonio Berardi their feminine variations.

Wedge-heeled shoes is the alternative to heavy platform shoes. Those shoes you can find at Chloe, Lacroix or  Chanel. You’ll look fashionable and modest.

Thigh-high boots is the absolute must-have this season. You can choose skinny ones as at Louis Vuitton, Alexander McQueen, Roberto Cavalli or shapeless as at  Chloe, Hermes, Costume National or Loewe. Karl Lagerfeld in his Fendi collection tricks fashion – instead of boots he has created shoes with a “stocking” to put on.

You can also choose simple heavy boots as in  Ann Demeulemeester, Hermes, Prada, Kenzo collections.

Ankle-boots will be fashionable as usual – suede platform boots, high-heel python boots, leather boots. You can pick any kind you like.

Some summer tendencies stay in our wardrobes even till winter. Shoes with many crossed lines as in collections by Derek Lam or Bottega Veneta. Shoes, sandals, boots. The alternative is lace. More laces is better. To add sme luxury xhoose shoes with diamonds ( Chloe, Blumarine), metallic elements or thorns (Givenchy).

Finally, “animal origins“.  Leopard colouring (Blumarine, Donna Karan, Dolce&Gabbana), python shoes (Dries van Noten), shoes decorated with fur (Miu Miu) and made in fur (Calvin Klein, Fendi).

Those shoes really can’t be day-to-day shoes, but they are amazing. Don’t forget to turn your fantasy on!

I started to think about product placement in Sex and the City after the 6th season of the series when suddenly Carrie being a non-birkin type and manolo blahnik girl started to wear Bikin bag and Christian Louboutin shoes.

That was continued in Sex and the City: The Movie. You remeber that little cute green Birkin and her countless Louboutins?

Than Chanel and Louis Vuitton product placement and some american designers products which were sold through the internet.

More or less Patricia Field - Sex and the City stylist – had her stake in that, selling her products placed in the movie.

Now when the photos of making Sex and the City 2 just appeared in the internet we can see the huge commerce action created by Patricia Field around the clothes and accessories from the movie. The movie has not been even cut but she has already started to sell things from the movie. That is hillarious!

On this picture you can see aviator sunglasses which look fantastic indeed, but the thing is that they are just put their to sell. They are Mykita & Bernard Willhelm’s Franz Limited-Edition Aviator Sunglasses for $525 now on pre-sale at costume designer Patricia Field’s online shop. They will be shiped after September 17. What do you think about it?

This model, called Franz, is a limited edition and it was inspired by and named after legendary downhill champion Franz Klammer. The expensive but spartan design is a conscious reference to the past manufacturing methods.

Whatever the methods are you just can’t make the movie which is loved by millions of people all over the world for selling things and make fan-girls to buy Louboutins and your designs which honestly speaking are not that great and not of that great quality we can think they are.

Could you dream about it?!

Automobile designer Jinyoung Jo from South Korea created Chanel car concept and named it Chanel Fiole ( ” bottle” in French).

Whether Karl Lagerfeld notices it?

That’s how the Chanel car prototype looks like:

Creating invitations to fashion shows, parties and cocktails is an art as much difficult as creating haute couture collections. If you ever had an idea that those beautiful cards are produced with printer you knew nothing about fashion.

Nicolas’s work differs from others ’cause he doesn’t work with one particular font but can create thousands of them as well as card designs, the fashion house just has to define the style and inspiration. Nicolas spends hours a day to make patterns for Chanel or Pinault, at the end you’ll get the invitation card which is the actual piece of art. There is no need to throw such cards away, your children could earn lots of money some day! Anyway Nicolas is the one calligrapher favoured by fashion houses and public.

Chanel strands of pearl have become an atribute of fancy girls all over the world. They are stylish, they are classy, they are modest and chic at the same time. Pearl strand created by Coco Chanel became a part of classic look at first and then has transformed to the accossory which shows your fashion affiliation. Madame Chanel was the first designer who has invented bijouterie as a part of women’s wardrobe and made “little toys” as she called them to live on women’s dressers. No wonder Chanel bijou is still the most popular bijou.

Many girls naively think that popular Chanel strands are made from the natural pearl. The shining surface makes you believe it is a pearl, but it is not.

In fact, the Chanel strands are made of glass jewelry. Every single bead is blown from glass and put to the natural nacre from shells under a very high temperature. Because of natural nacre this pearl shine appears, so you can think you see the real pearls. Chanel strands are timeless because the nacre will never darken. This is a good way to save money for fashionistas – those pearl strands will never go out of fashion.

“Pearl” strands became a symbol of Chanel and they’re often used to draw customers’ attention as it was made in Tokyo. Huge strands were put in window displays.

To have even one strand is a dream for many girls and the only one accessory that can try to beat the Chanel strand popularity is the chain by Van Cleef & Arpels.