resort 2011 favorites & reviews, part IV.

Here I am, rambling away about Resort 2011 collections as Haute Couture shows go on. Fashionably late is how I do, yah know? And though haute couture makes the eyes (and mind!) ogle and boggle, I must prefer [more] wearable fashions. Just an FYI.

Erin Fetherston | I’ll be straightforward: I don’t do cute. I never have – even as a wee wittle tot – and I never will. I suppose it reflected this innate desire to be older (dearest mum and those around me always said I looked, acted, and dressed as if I were at least 20 something!). There are, however, always exceptions to the rule, and Erin Fetherston is (well, she always was) the exception. I’ve always harbored a soft spot for her designs since her collaboration with Target, admiring floaty, girlish dresses perfect for tea parties in all their ethereal prettiness.

A few collections later later, it’s clear she’s grown up. Erin Fetherston still has her original vision, only evolved into something more sophisticated. Resort 2011 was the first collection of hers I not only fell in love with, but could also picture myself wearing wanting every piece. Need I mention that this color palette reflects my wardrobe to a t? Black, white, creamy neutrals, and a touch of coral-y reds for good measure. (Okay. I confess. I don’t wear too much red, but I do on my nails every so often! It’s the color of Aries.)

Gucci | I’ve gotten some heat for this before, but I have and always will continue to maintain that Gucci and its creative directors – Frida Giannini especially – are brilliant. In terms of creative ingenuity Gucci hasn’t produced anything groundbreaking or particularly, “artistic” (read: crazy). Her strengths lie in mastery of understanding what the woman wants, what she needs, what she can wear, and what is timeless. In a sense the Gucci woman is like her DVF counterpart. Both are independent women who embrace their sensuality and femininity. And both creative directors, designers, and brands alike understand the importance of designing for the woman and less for recognition in editorials: in a sense it’s completely selfless. Gucci and DVF are two houses who know what their ideal women want. What they need. What they can wear. Etc. Gucci’s woman just so happens to be sexier, edger, and younger.

I’ll recycle a word, for there are no others to describe it but absolutely brill (hellooo, new favorite word!). Resort 2011 was brilliantly designed and styled. It was ridiculous having to edit down my assortment of saved images pre-collaging – I’d saved nearly every look on Style.com unconsciously! I’m well aware that the collection was based upon the four piece ensemble. I’m a massive fan and follower of it for it’s utter simplicity, practicality, and air of polished “put-together-ness” sans effort. Top + slim pant or short + jacket + heels. The possibilities are endless, as proven in this collection. With variations of neutral color palettes, silhouettes, and fabrics, expertly and impeccably styled, it’s impossible to ignore this collection’s marketability. I could go on, raving, but I would lose all ability in making sense. Seriously, though. THOSE SHOES. THOSE JACKETS. THOSE SKINNIES. THOSE SHORTS. If I could own every jacket showcased, I would be a very, very happy lady. Basics never looked sexier.

I suppose it goes without saying that I’m mildly head-over-heels for this Gucci’s Resort. It’s a bit more androgynous than my personal style, admittedly, but no matter. I can easily envision this in the wardrobe of a jet-setting editor or her uniform for casual days. It’s perfect, non?

Vera Wang | I adore and admire Vera Wang’s consistency. Without failing, she delivers her unadulterated vision with signature silhouettes and color palettes indifferent of the season or collection of the present. Oftentimes consistency leads to repetition, but in regards Vera Wang, it’s entirely a positive trait. There’s comfort in being allowed an element of expectation, for never could I tire of her unique aesthetic. It’s inimitable and unfounded elsewhere, those silhouettes, those richly cool shads, those accessories, that vibe. I hear Vera Wang and think not of wedding gowns, but of modern-day goddesses.

As such, I do not – cannot, rather – have a favorite Vera Wang collection. However similar, they are exceptional in their own right. Resort 2011, in all its luxuriousness, was designed for the lavish, artsy woman. Edgy meets avant-garde sophistication with cropped satin harems, open-toed ankle boots (with socks!), pleated, asymmetrical blouses, sequined jackets, straight-line dresses, and an architectural knit bustier with an exposed zipper. The palette is rich, jewel-like, regardless of each shade’s inherent cool tone. These, my dears, are my favorite colors: smoky grays and purples, slate, black, yellow-green, taupes… The icing on the top is the chandelier statement necklace. It’s incredible to see how great of difference it makes in elevating the ensemble to another state of glamour.

The most amazing attribute is and underlying hint of sensuality. Vera Wang’s interpretation of sexy is unconventional (clearly): case in point? Photograph no. 7. A non-form-ftting, pleated satin bustier paired with cropped satin harem pants are not my idea of sexy. In any which way. Yet somehow, with a touch of  Vera Wang’s magic, the model looks sexy. Indcredulous? Yes. Only Vera Wang could do such a thing.

♥

bisous,

La C.