Vintage Sunday by Annie Leibovitz

The way I came to make today's Vintage Sunday post was anything but straightforward. Usually when I prepare this post, I want to include some recent news and fit it somehow in the past. I was thinking about Stefano Pilati and how I'm sad he's left Yves Saint Lauren. Don't get me wrong I'm sure Hedi Slimane who's replacing him will do great, but I still feel sorry for Pilati and I hope he's going to find a great new job soon or will start his own fashion label. Thinking about all of this I remembered how sad and shocked I was when Tom Ford left YSL and Gucci. Tom Ford is my favourite designer ever and this is how the story came about. I was going to post about his era for YSL, but I found this amazing editorial starring beautiful Natalia Vodianova shot by Annie Leibovitz for Vogue, interpreting Alice in Wonderland in a very clever and unusual way.
Above we have Alice falling into the rabbit's (Tom Ford) hole wearing YSL Rive Gauche by the designer.
Below you can see Olivier Theyskens and Natalie in his design for Rochas, Karl Lagerfeld and his Chanel Haute Couture creation, Christian Lacroix and Haute Couture dress by him, Stephen Jones who wears a custom-made hat of his own design, Dior Haute Couture by John Galliano, Alexis Roche, Atelier Versace dress and Donatella Versace and Rupert Everett all playing different parts in the story. Awesome editorial, no?
Have a stylish day.

(Photo: Style.com)

Vintage Sunday - by Roxanne Lowit

Roxanne Lowit is fashion and celebrity photographer, who has become a celebrity herself. She has a degree in art history and textile design and was a succesful textile designer before becoming a photographer. She got backstage at fashion shows thanks to friends like Jerry Hall and realised that's where she belongs.
Her worked has appeared in countless of magazines including Elle, Vanity fair and Glamour and did a lot of advertising work including Dior. Her book Backstage Dior is one of my favourite photography books. As a big fan of her work as well as John Galliano, it's full of colourful images that gives you insight into the world of Dior from a different perspective. Must-have.
Have a stylish day.

Vintage Sunday by Galliano

Dior still haven't found a replacement for John Galliano and to be honest I'm not surprised. They've got hard shoes to fill. I'm still hoping there will be some kind of miracle and they'll decide to take Galliano back. Maybe that's why they're still waiting..
Either way he remains one of my favourite designers and I decided to dedicate him another Vintage Sunday. Also for the fact that I've always loved this picture of Czech model Hana Soukupova in Vogue spring 2006. I'm having bit of a Czech day on my blog today (more coming later). Doesn't she look so pretty dressed in Galliano? Romantic is what he does best and I love how it's finished with soft make-up and disheveled hair. Perfection.
Have a stylish day.

Vintage Sunday - Dior at Vogue

The name on everyone's lips for quite a while now has been Dior. With no official announcement made yet about the next creative director, there have been countless of speculations. The latest, Marc Jacobs, seems close to the truth, especially after the news that Louis Vuitton is planning a retrospective exhibition about Jacobs' era at the French house. Seems like a nice leaving present.. If the rumours are true remains to be seen.
For me I loved Galliano at Dior and thought he was perfect for the label and as much as I like Jacobs, can't imagine him there. But what do I know? It may work out amazingly.
For a Vintage Sunday, I am bringing the original Christian Dior creation in Vogue 1952. Isn't it beautiful? Enjoy.
Have a stylish day.

Paris Fashion Week - John Galliano

The legend lives on. No matter what happens to John Galliano from now on, I hope people will always remember him for his beautiful creations. As I said in previously, I hope this is all just a bad phase for John and he will come back stronger than ever, with his creative mind working miracles. Just look at this collection of clothes for sophisticated sexy women we all strive to be. He understands us and designes beautiful pieces season after season. His romantic vision is second to none. His clothes are empowering. Therefore I hope for a happy ending for him. For the sake of us all. We need him. Happy International Women's Day.
Have a stylish day.

(images: Style.com)

Vintage Sunday - Rene Gruau for Dior

To pay a tribute to fallen star John Galliano, I decided to dedicate today's Vintage Sunday post to Dior. It's an advert illustrated by Rene Gruau. His illustrations are simply beautiful.
Have a stylish day.

Jewelled Wednesday - by Nicholas King

Nicholas King officially launched his label in 2009 and has been getting praise ever since. Having previously worked for John Galliano and Donna Karan, he is now definitely making mark of his own. His signature pieces are cuffs and bracelets which caught my attention at London Fashion Week, but he's planning to expand his range to include necklaces, earrings and more. I love his bold designs and am not surprised he has been featured in magazines like Elle UK. He is sold at prestigious stores all over the world, including Liberty London and online at Matches. I predict we are going to hear a lot about this man! Here a few of his AW 11 pieces I'm coveting.
Have a stylish day.

John Galliano - creative genius

I can't believe, everyone's turning their back on John Galliano. He did a stupid thing, I'm not trying to excuse what he did, but we all make mistakes and hopefully learn from them.
I understand why Dior had to fire him, as he cast a dark shadow on the brand, but I really hope this is not the end for the creative genius. Quite recently I posted about my top five designers and Galliano was one of them. After what has happened, my choices remain the same.
I read lots of speculations on twitter and Internet about his future.
Should people still attend his upcoming show in Paris? Yes! I bet it will be sartorially beautiful as ever.
Should Kate Moss still have her wedding dress designed by him? I hope she will. She should more than anyone else understand his need of support. Her cocaine scandal actually helped to boost her career and I'm hoping for similar happy ending for Galliano.
Who should replace him? This I don't know, I can't imagine who could fill his shoes. He made Dior loved by many and I truly believe, he will be hard to replace.
What the future holds for him? I just hope this is a bad period of his life that will be soon forgotten and he will be able to move on (again I'd like to use Kate Moss as an example). He IS a genius. And geniuses do crazy things ie. cut their ears off(Van Gogh) or in the extreme cases commit suicide (Alexander McQueen). Let's hope his talent won't get wasted.
All the best John.
Have a stylish day.

My top five designers

Last night I couldn't sleep and I was thinking about... Fashion, naturally! About my blogs, you - my readers, what I wanna write about, and especially my favourite designers. Sometimes I've got quite a few post in my head ahead and sometimes I just improvise. Today I'm planning posts about two people whose work I admire the most (don't wanna reveal too much, you will see soon), but you could probably guess as I write about them a lot. So I decided to compile a list of my top five designers.
Number 1 is definitely Tom Ford, but the other four I share equal interest in. Therefor in random order as they came into my head are:
Christopher Bailey
Alexander McQueen
John Galliano
Karl Lagerfeld
All of course very talented and recognised for their excellent work and bespoke creativity. I love their work so much and they are the reason I am interested in fashion and excited to see season after season what they are bringing to us, their vision of beauty that I and many women all over the world are dying to wear. Well done to them all and let's hope they will keep us well dressed and more for many years to come ( sadly except the late Lee McQueen). Salute. Make sure you let me know who are your top five.
Have a stylish day.
PS: the picture above is a cover of book I picked up last week at V&A. Their book shop is a must visit for any fashion enthusiast. It's very well stocked and I could spend hundreds of pounds in there..

London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week must be one of the most exciting time of year for all fashionistas. New York, Milan, Paris.. they're all great but there is something about London you won't find anywhere else. No wonder geniuses like Alexander McQueen and John Galliano all started here. Londoners like to be different, original, quirky, innovative when it comes to fashion.
That's why I was very excited to be a part of it. Yesterday I had the opportunity to work backstage at Mulberry show and did I enjoy it!! I met the creative director behind the label Emma Hill, who is lovely and really down to earth.
The collection was amazing! I loved the fresh minimal make-up and simple auburny hair. And of course the clothes and accessories!! The new purple animal print Alexa handbag is on my Christmas wishlist.
And the front row didn't dissapoint either. Among the stars attending were Olivia Palermo, Cat Deely, Alexa Chung to name just a few..
Here are some exclusive backstage pictures and you can see more on my facebook fanpage.
Have a stylish day.

Dior Cruise

John Galliano didn't dissapoint. His Cruise collection, shown in Shanghai, was very chic, very Dior. There were some interesting retro pieces, loads of girly dresses with ruffle details and some beautiful red carpet gowns. He did what he does best, all with nice detailing. Bring on the summer! Here are few of my favourite looks.
Have a stylish day.

John Galliano - creative genius

John Galliano is a master of illusion. I love his playfullness and the stories he says with his creations. This is from his collection SS'10. I love it!

British Fashion Council Awards

Kate Moss, Vivienne Westwood, sir Phillip Green (source style.com)



Grace Coddington (source style.com)

Last night was the night that many awaited in anticipation. It was the night of the British Fashion Council Awards, and what an evening it was! Full of celebrities and fashionistas dressed up for the occasion. I was really eager to find out who won the special London 25 award I told you about last month. It was voted by public and it was a one-off award to celebrate the 25th anniversary of London Fashion Week. Kate Moss was the winner, which I'm sure she deserves, as she's been a true fashion icon for years, flying the british flag with her style, that gets copied all over the world. She looked stunning on the night as well, living up to her reputation as a trend-setter.
Other winners included John Galliano for Outstanding Achievement in Fashion Design, Christopher Bailey as a Designer of the Year and so on. I was especially happy for Grace Coddington who won the Isabela Blow Award for Fashion Creator, which is given to a person, whose creativity has been a major inspiration and influence. She is incredibly creative and was the real star of the film September issue overshadowing Anna Wintour.
Have a stylish day.

Book a Dior night in

My idea of a perfect evening in involves some scented candles, nice glass of red wine and a good read. This could be either my weekly favourite Grazia, fashion magazine (I read tons every month including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, In style and so on) or a good book. The book that got me excited this week, when I found out about it, is not so much about reading, but I can guarantee you it's gonna be a feast for the eyes. It's called BACKSTAGE DIOR and it is published on 15 November. John Galliano is such a master of fashion design and so playful with his clothes and shows, you can only expect a masterpiece. Full of backstage pictures and photographs of catwalk shows for Dior by photographer Roxanne Lowit, I can assure you it's gonna look very stylish on every coffee table. I can just imagine myself during the long winter evenings, getting lost in the timeless and original beauty. To me John Galliano is so inspiring, I just can't wait to get my copy! So go on! Get yours as well and have an indulging night in with a book.