Paris Men's Fashion Week AW 2012: Jean Paul Gaultier

As you've probably already noticed by now, menswear in paris is very different from menswear in Milan. Paris is quirky - Milan is elegant, Paris is innovative - Milan is classic, Paris is over-the-top - Milan is more subtle. This is the beauty of fashion, every city has its own rules and inspirations, so today you can enjoy the dynamic universe of Jean Paul Gaultier, where 30s gangsters coexist with barbarians, prison inmates, soldiers and tattoo artists. The dark color palette is brightened up by shades of orange and teal and the cuts range from puffy to slim and fitted.

Always one of the main attractions of the designer's shows is the presence of one of his favorite models, the androgynous Andrej Pejic, showing off two looks today. The clothes are definitely interesting, my favorite looks being the bohemian and gangster attires. Here is my selection of the most interesting looks from the runway:

Paris Men's Fashion Week AW 2012: Louis Vuitton

The first show of Paris Men's Fashion Week that caught my eye was Louis Vuitton and it wasn't only because of the fabulous leather bags or the insanely cool runway. What I really liked was the play between exaggerated accessories and slim suits - it was really interesting, bringing that extra touch that transforms a normal look into something special. The big, colorful wool scarves and the prints on them livened up the somber color palette, but however great they were, I felt that my "oversized" line was crossed with the red and black coat - it felt a bit too big.

Shopwindows in Paris

I thought that you might have had too much of menswear in the past few days, so before starting with the men's shows in Paris here are some photos I took while I was there in December. The Grands Magasins near the Opera - aka the powerful twosome made up of the Galleries Lafayette and the Printemps - always have great window displays. This year I was blown away by their initiative to make it all about Chanel. The windows displayed thematic set-ups showcasing some of the most intriguing collections of the House form the last couple of years while under the reign of Karl Lagerfeld, whom you can spot in very different stances in the first display. Enjoy the trip through Paris, Byzance, New York, the British Empire and Los Angeles with the Chanel Lines:

What's your favorite display? It really hard to decide, but I think that my choice would be the first one with the Karl puppets showcasing his various artistic skills. I should probably also mention that the puppets were also moving and that the movements were coordinated with music. Such a great idea!

Milan Men's Fashion Week AW 2012: Salvatore Ferragamo

Today will be the last day I talk about the Milan fashion shows because Paris is starting right about now, it's so exciting! So for this last day I have two great shows lined up. The first one is Salvatore Ferragamo - classic Italian style and the most amazing coats that I've seen in a while. Velvet, mohair and fur are the star fabrics in this collection, that goes even as far as redefining the role of the fannypack in fashion - fannypacks can also be chic when they are made of leather and with a slim Ferragamo design. The lines of the suits are very slim and the color palette is mostly grey with some hints of rust and blue. My favorite items were definitely the leather and fur coats in rusty shades, but also the light grey fur one, the double breasted rusty power suit and the lush scarves. Here is my selection of the most interesting looks from the runway:

Milan Men's Fashion Week AW 2012: Missoni

The professor look with corduroy pants and knitted jackets has never been as cool or as bohemian as now, with this exceptional Missoni collection. The earth hues are the perfect color palette for autumn, while the rich fabrics and textures carry you to a world of luxurious coziness. The designer paid an incredible attention to details, the intricate patterns - a trademark of the house - can be found everywhere, from the sweaters, to the bags, socks and even shoes! What about the marled wool suit - the perfect twist to the classic suit.

Golden Globes 2012: Best Dressed

Charlize Theron - Dior Couture and vintage Cartier jewelry

As all you movie buffs probably know, last night was one of the most important events for the film industry: the Golden Globes awards. Some great movies were snubbed, some great actors received prizes, but all eyes were definitely on these beautiful and talented actresses as they walked the red carpet.  Starting with the soft and neutral shades and moving towards bold colors and accessories, here is my top  10 list of best dressed guests on the red carpet :

Jessica Biel - Elie Saab

Julie Bowen - Reem Acra

Nicole Kidman - Versace

Mila Kunis - Dior and Cartier jewelry

Claire Danes - J. Mendel and Bulgari jewelry...

...and the amazing cutout back

Michelle Williams - Jason Wu

Emma Stone - Lanvin

Sofia Vergara - Vera Wang and Harry Winston jewelry

And last but not least, the most stylish gentleman on the red carpet - Uggie, from the movie The Artist:

I have a soft spot for Charlize Theron's gorgeous Dior Couture gown, Emma Stone's Lanvin frock and for Uggie's bow tie. What's your favorite dress from the bunch? Are you more the neutral shades kind of girl or the daring type, wearing bold colors? I'm definitely both, it's so much fun, going from one type to the other!

Photos: AP, Getty

Milan Men's Fashion Week AW 2012: Dolce & Gabbana

The Dolce & Gabbana show was full of surprises, as it went from Victorian-inspired suits, to underwear and pijamas and only to end up in gold embroidered coats and fur lining all this while preserving a modern look. The tailoring and the fit of the suits was impeccable and the silhouettes were very slim and flattering. A special nod goes to the revival of the simple or double-breasted chalk-stripe suit, which was a very pleasant surprise. It would be very interesting indeed to see young men wearing suits like these. I spotted some very interesting details such as the colorful shoes, the extra-skinny ties or the black velvet lapels on grey suits. Here is my selection of the most interesting looks from the runway:

Milan Men's Fashion Week AW 2012: Burberry Prorsum

Milan Fashion Week started yesterday and it was full of excitement right from the start! I chose to start my Men's Fashion Week coverage with the Burberry show, because it was the first that I saw yesterday - they streamed it live on the brand's website! Did you manage to see the announcement with the link on my Facebook page? I posted it as soon as I found the link, about 15 minutes before the show started :)

Christopher Bailey's collection was very interesting. It revived the classic British gent, but in the same time it also brought a modern twist to this traditional style with colorful accessories and patterns. I really liked the color palette - different shades of grey, dark green and brown - mixed with splashes of mustard, vivid green, purple or red. The fabrics, such as suede and velvet, were really great for autumn and the cut of the suits and of the trench coats was very flattering. What I didn't really relate to in the designer's vision were the short inflated-looking coats and the bundle-necked sweaters. I know that there has been a lot of experimenting with different lengths recently, but in my opinion these fluffy short coats diminished the value of the suits worn underneath and changed the allure of the models making them look somewhat weird. As for the bundle-necked sweaters, the neckline seemed a bit too feminine for my taste, although I have to admit that the cat faces and owls on them did make them very interesting.

Meeting amazing people

Garance Dore and me before the Valentino show
(Paris Fashion Week)

Waiting for the next fashion weeks I felt a bit nostalgic and started looking at some of the photos I took last year at Paris Fashion Week. I realized that I had two awesome photos in store that I hadn't shown you guys and I thought this was the best time for it: I got to meet the fabulous French blogger and The Sartorialist's girlfriend Garance Doré and as if that hadn't been enough I also met Karl Lagerfeld's muse, Baptiste Giabiconi. They were both very happy, fun and smiling and it felt awesome taking photos with them! Here are some of the photos I took of them (you might have already seen them on my blog last March) and the shots of us together:

Garance Doré

Baptiste Giabiconi striking up poses for us

Baptiste Giabiconi

Baptiste Giabiconi and me

Actually being there where all the great things in fashion happen is an amazing feeling. The fabulous people, the sparkles, the colors and the style are overwhelming and you feel like being in a dream. For all you nostalgics, you can browse through some of my favorite posts from last year's Paris Fashion Week, such as the moment when I saw Anna Dello Russo or other amazing editors for the first time, cute moments captured on film or the amazing fashion. Last year was indeed a fabulous year for me! 

PS: I can barely remember myself having such long hair! I definitely looked different back then :)

Men's fashion

The middle of January is around the corner and we all know what that means: a fresh new Fashion Week season is about to start! The next month and a half is going to be filled with extraordinary designs, amazingly well-dressed people and exclusive parties for those lucky few. It's all going to start with the men's shows, so I thought I'd slowly get you guys in the mood with some great individual styles and intriguing pattern and fabric mixes:

What style do you like best for men? I think that taking a bit of risk can pay of really well, be it with a colorful sock or a simple scarf, that extra something can make the difference.

Photos: Jak and Jil

Christmas Market in Maastricht

So, you've said you were wondering where I had been and what I had seen while I left you. Well, this is the beginning of my photo journal: the Christmas market in one of the two central squares in Maastricht - the Vrijthof. Every year they set up this winter wonderland theme with lots of Christmas lights, a giant ferris wheel, small huts selling hot wine and chocolate, food and sweets and even a skating rink. In a small town like Maastricht, this really looked like a fairy tale! Enjoy the photos and see if you can spot me in one of the blurry photos (my mom wasn't that good with the camera haha!) :

Do they organize Christmas markets like this one in your home town? I really love them, I almost wouldn't feel like Christmas anymore without the lights, the smell of hot wine, the carols and the joyful people!