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Wednesday, December 29, 2010

A reflection of style in 2010

I know I know...everybody's doing a retrospective of best dressed, best designers and style in 2010 now. But I'm going to do it with a Singaporean approach. Singapore does have style too you know! (albeit only seen on a few people)

Plato's Atlantis - McQueen's last collection before he committed suicide

McQueen's work over the years (click to enlarge)
11 Feb - I heard on the BBC Morning news when my dad drove me to school that Alexander McQueen committed suicide in his apartment and I was like WHAT? It was unbelievable that such a man like him would escape this world by killing himself. Maybe this reality was too harsh for his world of fantasy. But I thought that he was made of things larger than life, as represented through his out-of-the-world creations, his visions of the clothes and way they were made. I respect his appreciation of different kinds of beauty, as seen from his quote, which went viral on tumblr not long after his death:

"From heaven to hell and back again, life is a funny thing. Beauty can come from the most strangest of places, even the most disgusting places"

John Galliano S/S06 - runway models of all shapes and sizes
His understanding of beauty is different from John Galliano's understanding of beauty. He finds beauty in anything, from the dark abyss of his mind, to things on the street. He notices and incorporates those things (things that normal people don't look at) into his design, as reflected from his sublime prints that seem to both repulse and intrigue. For example, in F/W09, he sent models down the runway wearing geometric prints and stripes in a primary palette of red, black and white. He blanked out their eyebrows and gave them huge dark red mouths, which seemed to challenge the idea of beauty. His last collection S/S10, melded technology and fashion together, as seen through his structured dresses with amazing prints that looked like reptile skin. All details were not spared - the models were given nails that looked like talons of an alien or a water nymph, their faces were altered with plastic structures, and their hair made to look like horns. Galliano usually presents his work in an theatrical manner, as seen from his designs, makeup and presentations. He recognizes that all shapes and sizes of people are beautiful and he feels an obligation to make these people dream, and recognize their beauty. Galliano I feel, is direct in his approach, whereas McQueen, despite his shocking and genius designs, communicate to people in a more subtle but distinct manner. More on McQueen's design philosophy and work here.

28 April - Singapore holds Audi Fashion Festival, this time complete with international heavyweights Dsquared2, Roberto Cavalli, KYZ, Henry Holland and Herve Ledger x Tiffany. I wasn't part of the fun at all, but I still felt proud to know that Singapore was still an attractive market for these international designers. Hopefully, the rest of Singapore would take note too!
I also appreciated that they showed off some of Singapore's homegrown photography geniuses, of which includes my favourite Zhang Jingna.

Chloe Sevigny in Miu Miu S/S10

Runway to realway - Miu Miu's prints of cats, swallows and naked ladies on pencil skirts, long-sleeved blouses, chunky heels and detachable collars proved to be a great hit! (My favourite collection of the S/S10 season) Lots of ladies seen wearing the loose sidebraid as seen on Miu Miu and Alexander Wang's runway.
Chanel haute couture was a quiet affair of white. The intimacy was welcomed as a respite from Chanel's usual shows staged at the Pavillon with many models and a huge set.

Same dress worn by Carmen Kass during the Dsquared2 show at AFF
Oct - Local fashion icon Dr Georgia Lee holds a Halloween party. She's wearing what I like to call a ribcage dress from Dsquared2. She should've worn their bone pumps too! But Dr Lee is just like the Anna Dello Russo of Singapore! She is unafraid to wear edgy dresses and embrace fashion as part of her lifestyle, by holding such parties to celebrate the beauty of dressing up (:


Oct - Vogue Paris 90th Anniversary Masquerade. Most Amazingly Dressed award goes to Anna Dello Russo (3rd photo), who burst onto the scene not long ago with her wild passion for fashion! Anna worn a custom made gown from Pucci and a headpiece from Gareth Pugh, under a mask. Props to Natalia Vodianova (first photo), one of my fav models, for having worn that sheer dress and not look trampy! She drew attention to her dress by keeping her accessories simple and elegant and worn only chandelier earrings. Carine Roitfeld(second photo) also displayed daring style by wearing a barely there number from Givenchy. Pictured here with son, Vladimir Roitfeld.


22 Nov - worldwide rush for Lanvin x H&M. To be honest, I felt that it was a rather disappointing collection. It was evident that there were some elements of Lanvin's design aesthetic as seen from the drape details, ruffles and liberal use of colour, but for the most part, the designs did not feel original at all. The mustard toga dress with large ruffles - that was very replicative of Stella McCartney S/S10. The floral dress which went for more than $200 in H&M stores could be easily replaced with a $30 something dollar Forever21 dress. Shoe wise, leopard prints, ribbons and unfinished hems were interesting, but some shoppers mentioned that the unfinished hems did not add to the design, but made the shoes look rather cheap. Perhaps this was what Alber Elbaz meant when he said he wanted H&M to go upscale, and not having Lanvin go down to H&M instead.

Nov - Gucci bamboo bags showcase; Bottega Veneta topknot clutch showcase. I missed both due to A levels exams ):

16 Dec - Facehunter booksigning at the launch party of A Curious Teepee!

21 Dec - Nakedglory was launched!

Dec - Carine Roitfeld announces resignation from Vogue Paris. Big shock!
Prada announces a fashion show to be held in Beijing on 22 Jan (I'll be covering all the preshow clamour and glamour!)

Altogether a pretty exciting year, despite the recession! I look forward to AFF 2011 next year, chaired by Dick Lee, as well as Mens Fashion Week. See you guys next year ~

Credit: All photos from Google Images. Let me know if you need me to credit you personally and I will gladly do so. Thank you!
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7 comments :

  1. Enjoyed reading your writings. McQueen is god.

    Happy new year.

    following your blog!
    www.poisepolish.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. @silviasiantar

    Hi dear! Thanks for your comment (:
    And awwww I'm flattered. I'm actually in no great position to write about McQueen, considering that I only started to look at his works last year instead of following him through his seasons.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great writeup-- love the display of flamboyant gorgeous dresses you chose.

    ReplyDelete
  4. @devilishlypleasurable

    Thank you! (: I like your blog too! Very pretty photos (:

    Do drop by again, I update around 3-5 times a week.

    ReplyDelete
  5. hello there(: i happened upon your blog and it looks lovely(: i really like what you wrote in your profile...i myself am a aspiring fashion/photography lover...check out my blog and let me know if you'd ever like to be featured on my blog(:

    http://maebellx3.blogspot.com/

    maebellx3@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. @Anna Mae

    Hi Anna!
    Your photography's amazing! Especially the macro closeups of the flowers (: Thanks for dropping by! Of course I wouldn't mind being featured it'll be nice ^^

    Will email you soon!

    ReplyDelete
  7. those heels look so painful but fierce
    happy new year!

    please review my revitalash post and ask me questions :)
    http://pinklemonincrystal.blogspot.com/2010/12/todays-look-revitalash.html

    ReplyDelete

I would love to see what you say!