Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week: Christian Dior

The first day of the Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week started with the Christian Dior fashion show, one of the giants of fashion! John Galliano's collection, presented at the Musée Rodin, revives the heritage of the House by creating pieces inspired by the 1950s for strong, confident women, who are not afraid to stand out in a crowd. In a humorous note, Pedro Almodovar said that the models seemed to be swallowed in gigantic pleats and he even wondered how those volumes stuck together! The dramatic make up and the hairdos complementing the outfits recreate the Mad Men era, that inspires more than one artist nowadays due to the success of the series. I loved the aura of mystery that came with the high collars and the subtle masks. Here are some of my favorite pieces, but don't neglect the video, it's amazing, the music is great and you get to see the designer in the end!

And here's the video!

Berlin Fashion Week: Romanian Designers - A Fashion Tale

Designer: Andreea Musat

Before we dive into the Haute Couture Fashion Week in Paris, I've prepared something very special for you this morning! It's the first time that I have a guest writer on this blog! She's going to give us detailed comments on the Romanian Designers fashion show she attended to at the Berlin Fashion Week. Welcome Tana!

Another journey took me to Berlin, where the fashion week made room for the creative crowd between January the 19th and 22nd. One of the last shows on the first day, a very promising one and well visited, was a show called Romanian Designers.

Backstage at the Romanian Designers fashion show

Local celebrities

Can a designer stand out with his name and own craft within such a setting, or is he or she over-branded by the name of the show? What the public is to judge, remains to be seen. The fact is that the collections of the four designers could not have shown more variety.

Let’s have a look:

Irina Schrotter showed a sophisticated look. Elegant and grown-up. It’s what women wear, not girlies. The color range features black, beige or nude. Leather complemented with big fur-jackets and scarves. A lot of dresses and hence a very feminine collection. Irina herself isn’t a newcomer. The well-established designer founded her business around 20 years ago and launches several lines under her own brand name.

Designer: Irina Schrotter

Designer: Irina Schrotter

Designer: Irina Schrotter

Designer: Irina Schrotter

A graphic collection, seemingly inspired by the 1960s was shown by Alina Botea. Combining and contrasting materials like silk with felt or pailletes. Pastelly colors and vivid prints completed the look dominated by clear shapes and forms. The designer herself speaks of winterly landscapes, of snowflakes dancing in the light. Indeed, the lightness of her designs is what stands out. And I’d love one of those easygoing shorts with snowflake-prints!!

Designer: Alina Botea

Designer: Alina Botea

Designer: Alina Botea

Designer: Alina Botea

But there was still more to come. Andreea Musat showed a lot of feminine must-haves. It fits perfectly into the so often praised jet set of the 1970s-look which inevitably will become le dernier cri for the coming season. And a warm camel, beige and brown always flatters a girl’s tan. Combining this with a fifties’ swingin’ attitude and soft materials, it’s the kind of outfit you wear when you are light-hearted. Belts structure the silhouette at waists’ height. Soft layering allows skirt, cardigan and scarf transcendent into that playful look, that we truly adore. Elle magazine already praised the designs of the young lady by 2008 making her winner of the award ‘Best Young Designer’ in Romania.

Designer: Andreea Musat

Designer: Andreea Musat

Very edgy: A huge LIKE goes to the collection of Lucian Broscatean. Where shape dominates, there is no room for playing with colors. Broscatean seems to master the art of cutting and taking the idea of conventional shapes for typical items ad absurdum. With wool or cashmere, he fabricates dresses and coats. Or were those dresses and coats in one? It does remind me of Japanese styles, or the Margiela-type of design for the intellectually buying fashionista. In fact, it is no wonder that the name and inspiration of the collection is referred to a “closed garden” of hyper technology. The individual inside this environment is wrapped into Lucians “protective and spiritual layers”. A shirt will be cut and re-arranged in strange manner, and so does the designer show what creative destruction can be in a fashion context. The Designer already received various awards and prizes in the past.

Designer: Lucian Broscatean

Designer: Lucian Broscatean

Designer: Lucian Broscatean

A summary? Feminism dominates, women win over girls and you see a lot of leg in dark tights! And yes, Romanian fashion rocks!

Yours, Tana-Maria Schächtele.

The Artist's guide for life

Galerie Vivienne - Paris

Things were getting a bit out of hand with all the fashion these past few weeks and I've completely neglected my travel and photography section, so I decided to talk to you today about one of my recent findings in Paris - the Galerie Vivienne (and anyway, the Haute Couture Paris Fashion Week starts today with among others the collections of Christian Dior and Giorgio Armani Privé, so why not talk about Paris?! oh dear... I'm talking about fashion AGAIN! Seems like I have a problem...).

So, going back to my topic for today, the Galerie Vivienne is a beautiful covered passageway between two buildings dating from the early 19th century. It's full of the old Paris charm with wooden panels, mirrors in unexpected places, fanlight windows, sculptures of nymphs and goddesses in the rotunda and mosaic on the floors. The stores in here are delightful, with old style door frames and signs and you can find anything from designer clothes to rugs, decorations, eyewear and a bookstore. The salon de thé or the café restaurant are a great place to have a break while shopping or visiting the surrounding area. Apart from this, the gallery also hosts a series of events on a regular basis, such as book signings, wine tasting and even fashion shows - the place is amazing!

To look back into the history of the place, the Galerie Vivienne was originally called the Galerie Marchoux after a wealthy man who had bought the two adjacent buildings and the passageway between them, the Passage des Petits-Pères, and decided to turn it into a covered passageway lined with shops. The name was soon changed into Galerie Vivienne. The idea of such a passageway was very in vogue at that time and the positioning of the gallery between the Royal Palace, the Stock Exchange and the Grands Boulevards granted it a total success until the 1870s. At that time it was said that "...no other arcade is better situated than the Galerie Viviene to be a lively thoroughfare and a vibrant centre of activity". After its success as a gallery started to fade out, the Galerie Vivienne also hosted a lyric theatre.

Don't be fooled by the rays of sunlight, the weather's not that great in Paris right now, I took these pictures last summer when I discovered the place and the cool air inside the gallery gave me a nice break from the excruciating heat outside. I can't wait to go back now, it was a really inspiring discovery!