Milan Fashion Week S 2012: DSQUARED2

I haven't been much of a fan of DSQUARED2 until now to be honest, but this show completely stunned me! A very cool concept: Glastonbury festival, mud, boots, models walking on the runway beer in hand, accessories in the festival theme aka "ticket-bracelets" and passes around the neck, rock attitude - you name it!

Milan Fashion Week S 2012: Roberto Cavalli

I was very excited to see the Roberto Cavalli show because it was one of my favorites during the last season in Milan due to its dark esthetic. This time the show was much more brighter and appropriate for spring, but it still had great tailored pieces to which the designer added a lot of golden and colorful accents mixed with his always-present black. I really liked the shapes of the jackets and the flow of the skirts and the shiny materials that he used.

Milan Fashion Week S 2012: Giorgio Armani

Giorgio Armani presented a very elegant and flattering collection, in the same lines as his FW collection. If you liked that one, you'll definitely love these garments! Rich fabrics, subtle patterns and feminized tailoring (a completely invented word to say that the suits were tailored but they not stiff, they were constantly in movement on the model - too late to figure out if there already is a word for this!) were the rule for the Armani woman.

Milan Fashion Week S 2012: Salvatore Ferragamo

Massimiliano Giornetti managed to present a beautiful collection for Salvatore Ferragamo in Milan. Full of color and prints, he mixes trousers, dresses and gowns into a very cohesive show. His clothes seems to have been created for a woman who wants to have fun with her wardrobe and play with different fabrics and patterns. Among my favorite pieces I can definitely name the colorful jumpsuits, the blue/green patterned dress on Anja Rubik from the beginning of the show,  the perfectly tailored red suit or the blue/turquoise leopard print skirt and dresses.

Milan Fashion Week S 2012: Emilio Pucci

I absolutely loved Emilio Pucci's collection - for me it had everything: color, passion and drama. With a clear exotic gypsy influence, incredible geometric patterns and full skirts the models were looking gorgeous and confident as they strutted the runway. I loved the play between the full skirts, the intricate details and the sheerness and lightness of the materials. The jewelry was spot on and accentuated the drama of the clothes.

Milan Fashion Week S 2012: Bottega Veneta

Bottega Veneta presented a very beautiful collection featuring one of my favorite shades of purple, so I was definitely wowed by their dresses in this color. A very feminine collection, with almost only dresses and gowns and a really great color palette: shades of pruple, orange and green and of course some black and white accents. I really liked the cool vibe of the two looks in trousers given by the scarf and the jackets. Other pieces I really liked were the white and orange dress, the checkered multicolored top, the purple knee-length dress worn by Ruby Aldridge, the black and white skirt/blouse/cardigan combo that seems to have little bits of black fabric thrown on it in an irregular pattern and of course the gowns ending the show.

Milan Fashion Week S 2012: Versace

The Versace show was very lighthearted and joyful with a great color palette for spring. The collection was very true to the Versace esthetic, with shorts and mini dresses and gold studded pieces. Among my favorite pieces were the green and turquoise dresses, the studded leather pencil skirt and boustier, the first white dress, the black dresses and the gowns.

Milan Fashion Week S 2012: Prada

Miuccia Prada managed to put together another amazing collection in Milan. I loved the modern vibe of the collection, the very feminine silhouettes and the rich fabrics and patterns. Also, did you manage to have a look at those shoes?! Everything she does is so elegant but very cool in the same time, perfect for the modern-day woman.

Milan Fashion Week S 2012: Fendi

Karl Lagerfeld put away the bright and unexpected colors of his AW collection and presented a more toned down collection in a muted color palette. The shapes follow the same lines as the last collection, with separates, faux-fur and several stunning back dresses towards the end of the show. The shoes are stunning and so are the bags, but I can't say I'm completely sold on the oversized sunglasses though. They seem to steal away from the garment in my opinion.

Milan Fashion Week S 2012: Gucci

I remember how a few months ago I was being blown away by the Gucci FW collection with their bold colors, 70s inspired silhouettes and magnificent gowns. The bar was set very high unfortunately and so I didn't have the same awe-inspiring feeling in the beginning of this spring collection but it got better and better towards the end of the show. The accent in this collection seems to be set either on high-waisted trousers paired with short jackets or on beautifully crafted fringed golden dresses. I have to admit that the collection grew on me and I found a lot of great garments (and bags - did you see the green python bag?!) that I would wear in an instant.

London Fashion Week S 2012: Paul Smith

Another show that I was expecting impatiently at the London Fashion Week is Paul Smith. I really like his tailored pieces and I think he does some of the best menswear-inspired looks for women. The cuts are great and flattering and being separates, you can mix the different pieces and always create new looks. The accessories were also really inspiring, my favorites were the felt hats and the leopard print boots.

London Fashion Week S 2012: Burberry Prorsum

Christopher Bailey stroke again! The Burberry Prorsum show was spectacular: amazing colors (shades of purple, orange, rust, yellow and blue), geometric and woven patterns and great accessories (besides the shoes, I really loved the necklaces and belts). A really interesting garment type was the mini parka, that was also present on the runway at Mulberry.

London Fashion Week S 2012: Mulberry

Mulberry presented a very interesting british countryside inspired collection as usual. The pastel colors, the flowy skirts and gowns, the maxi-lengths and the sheerness of the garments were absolutely delightful and I found myself longing for quite a lot of looks! Although more known for their bags, in this occasion the clothes definitely stole the spotlight in my opinion!

London Fashion Week S 2012: Jonathan Saunders

After this short break from fashion week, I'm coming back with what I thought were the most interesting shows from London during the past few days. The first show that caught my attention was Jonathan Saunders, I really liked the bold patterns mixed with soft tones of coral, blue and yellow, the longer skirt lengths and the shapes. The collection was very sophisticated and simple, great for summer.

Vintage fair @ Villa Rodizio

Yesterday I put on my shiny Sunday outfit and met up with my friend Costin at the Absolutely Fabulous vintage fair at Villa Rodizio in Bucharest. Having been there only one other time, as opposed to Costin who is a regular at these events, I was once again pleasantly surprised by the designers that presented their creations and by the place itself - the house seems to have been made exactly for this purpose! The designers were placed on the ground floor and the bloggers/designers were all reunited on the first floor where there was also a bar under the glass roof for them to mingle and chit chat in a more intimate atmosphere.

Once we got there we went straight to visit our friend Alice and her beautiful collection of vintage and handmade accessories and garments. I even got to help her out at her stand while she was taking a well-deserved break! 

Alice

Alin and his collection of jewelry was a very pleasant surprise for me. If you remember that last time I couldn't resist not buying a necklace from the fair, this time it was Costin's turn to buy one as a gift.

Alin

I saved for last a few photos Costin and I took in front of the venue with S. and E. from The Hearabouts. All in all it was a great day, full of fashion and where we got to see our other fellow bloggers. It makes me kind of sad for missing out on all the fun during this past year when I've been abroad. Let the next fairs begin!

New York Fashion Week S 2012: Marc Jacobs

Marc Jacobs closed this season's New York Fashion Week in style with a "20s, 30s and 70s"-inspired collection and luminous makeup. After delaying his main show because of some manufacturing delays due to hurricane Irene and replacing it with his secondary line Marc by Marc Jacobs, his main line presented beautifully crafted garments in a very chic color palette. The fabrics used by the designer were were both natural and synthetic creating interesting pieces, from cashmere and nylon sweaters to stiff fake crocodile skirts or cellophane organza dresses. I really liked the simple styling of the models and the runway, which was transformed into an imaginary dancehall with posts and beams on a wooden floor and dimmed yellow lighting. Among my favorite pieces are the deep v-neck dress in the opening photo, the shimmering white dresses, the beige and yellow sweater, the checkered white and blue dress and the two frail dresses in soft colors towards the end of the show.

Here are the most interesting looks from the runway:

The collection seems to be a bit of a déja-vu speaking of shapes but the fabrics were new, what do you think of this mix? Do you have any favorite looks?

All in all what did you think of the New York Fashion Week - any particular ups and downs worth mentioning, favorite collections, pleasant discoveries? I'll be very gad to hear all that you have to say :)

Photos: vogue.fr