An Essentiel Winter 2012

Essentiel

Fall/Winter 2011-12

Who says that winter fashion has to be about dull greys and lifeless shades of beige. Essentiel revitalizes your Winter wardrobe this season with bold brights and fearless colour-block combinations. The Belgian fashion label has become a favourite of mine, as all their pieces retain that comfort factor while being youthful and trendy. 

For Winter 2011-12, Essentiel offers chunky knits in optimistic shades like sunflower yellow, cerise pink and tangerine. Their classically fit jackets in varying lengths are suitable for work-to-weekend wear. Stripes are seen on jerseys, woolly scarves, skirts and bags. Keeping up with worldwide trends, there is also a fair amount of coloured demin in this range. Trousers are high-waisted, tapered or cropped at the ankle. Essentiel pushes the boundaries of colour-blocking, teeming shades like red, yellow and purple together.

The collection wavers between masculine and feminine tailoring. Elegant blouses in saturated shades of coral and green are tied up with pussy-cat bows. Besides for the typical black leather jacket, try your hand at one in exotic emerald green. Basic shift dresses are belted and paired with contrasting coloured clutch bags. All the charming accessories you see are also part of the Essentiel range, including the mammoth furry bags, high-heeled moccasins, jewel-toned shoes, cute banded socks and gloves. This collection proves that being stylish and discernible does not require having any fanciful airs. It focuses on fashion that is more wearable and relaxed, with an update on basics and experimenting with playful pigments. 

Gisele Colours The Pages Of Vogue

Spreading the holiday cheer and sprinkling some colourful confetti over the land of Vogue is the world's number one supermodel, Gisele Bundchen. The 31 year old Brazilian beauty stars in a kaleidoscopic fashion editorial for the December issue of British Vogue. 



Gisele is styled in a colourful array of outfits and wears an extensive mix of designers for the shoot, which is photographed by Mario Testino. Leather and lycra team up for the sporty, street savvy theme. Her look is all about fearlessly combining brights with bold accessories. Is this the start of a 'carrying-around-two-cluches-at-a-time' trend?  

Left: On the cover, Gisele wears a satin georgette Gucci blouse with psychedelic metallic lycra leather leggings by Pam Hoggs. Her disco diva look is complete with a Diane von Furstenberg belt and gorgeous gold cap-toed pumps by Christian Louboutin. Gold cuffs by Stella McCartney and Louis Vuitton.

Right: Tennis goes glam in a shiny gold dress by Stella McCartney for Adidas, with black leggings by Hervé Leger for Max Azria. A silk wool Marni jacket tones the look down. She carries a chain-strapped leather bag by Prada and smaller studded purse by McQ. Cuffs by Vionnet (gold), Alex Bittar (red) and Hermés (orange). 

Left: A stylish and sporty Gisele wears a turf green Mugler sweater, pink Diane von Furstenberg mini and black and white McQ leggings. The white leather pocket belt is by Michael Kors. Scarlet clutch and yellow pumps both by Jimmy Choo. On her arms, a yellow Hermés cuff and wooden lacquered Jimmy Choo bangles.

Right: Hot in pink, Gisele wears a scuba-inspired neoprene zip-up top by Michael Kors, a bright blue Jimmy Choo clutch bag and perspex bangles by Celine, Vionnet & Cornelia Webb.

Left: Athletic wear a la mode. Gisele is florescent in a mandarin orange Nike top with a green and blue Jonathan Saunders/Escada Sport skirt. The neon yellow leggings are by Cyberdog. Her look is accessorized by a black Hugo buckle belt and clutch bags by McQ and Michael Kors. Yellow cuffs by Hermés & Alex Bittar, gold studded bangle by Tom Binns.

Right: Gisele dons a navy blue skater girl dress by McQ, paired with crimson cycling shorts by Diane von Furstenburg. Her white belt is also by DVF, the black belt by Sonia Rykiel. She carries two clutches - a lime leather one by Michael Kors, red clutch by Jimmy Choo. Bangles by Hermés (yellow), Alex Bittar (pink) and Stella McCartney (gold).

Left: Gisele tries on a motorcycling cheerleader look in a fitted dark blue Zara top and silk-crépe pleated Gucci skirt. Cotton and leather patch leggings by Ground Zero. Belt and white studded purse by McQ. Mustard clutch bag by Burberry, with shoes by Christian Louboutin.

Middle: White cropped cotton jacket by Mugler, worn over a navy zip-up swimsuit. Sunny yellow DVF mini worn over Hervé Léger/Max Azria tights. Lime green leather bag by Emilio Pucci and pink purse by McQ.

Right: Baseball just got stylish with a black & orange raffia top by Roksanda Illincic. Canary yellow silk-crepe dress with pleated skirt by Gucci. She holds a bugglegum pink purse by McQ and black Michael Kors clutch. Her red hot heels are by Jimmy Choo.

Amidst the icy cold winter weather, a copy of this color-blocked concoction is bound to brighten things up. Do you think these vivid outfits would translate well in reality, and most importantly, would you wear any of them? 

Colour Blocking Continues

It looks like the 'Colour Blocking' trend is here to stay a little while longer. A clear colour blocking was seen through most of the Resort Wear collections for 2012. These are some of the looks showcased by American and European designers.

Vertical and horizontal stripes updated this trend. Blues and yellow hues were common.

Form fitting dresses were shown alongside flair skirts. Orange was a popular colour choice.

For more on how to wear the colour block trend, see this post.

Olivia Palermo Style - The Maxi

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Olivia Palermo



Olivia Palermo made a few red carpet appearances in New York City during the past week. The pretty brunette rocked the maxi trend on all three occasions. 

At the DKNY Sun Soiree, the socialite looked charming in a pleated chiffon colour block dress by DKNY. I really like the combination of colours used on this dress. Her look was styled with a fuchsia Reiss Maddox pleated clutch bag and a chunky chainmail necklace from Topshop. Her pink feathered heels, which she co-designed, are by Stuart Weitzman.

Left: At the 'Friends with Benefits' premiere, Olivia wore a printed maxi skirt in shades of blue. A simple white blouse with pockets was paired with it. She carried a quilted burgundy bag by Christian Dior and wore shiny gold lace-up heels by Giuseppe Zanotti.

Right: For 'The Smurfs' World Premiere, Olivia chose natural colours. She wears a sheer sandy beige blouse that's off-the shoulder, with a layered cream maxi skirt. Her accessories included a white ring, nude clutch bag and skinny white belt. She slipped her feet into her feathered Stuart Weitzman sandals.

Trends at Cape Town Fashion Week 2011

Trendspotting

Cape Town Fashion Week 2011



For those us not lucky enough to attend Cape Town Fashion Week this year..there are always the pictures to admire. I've seen all the shows online, so that I could round up the best looks off the runway. These are the hottest trends bubbling under for Spring/Summer 2011-12.



Colour Blocking

We've already seen the colour block look on countless celebs and in magazines. Good to see that it finally made its way down the South African runway. Michelle Ludek paired a sheer white top over a hot pink vest and dark grey pants. Stephania Morland dazzles with a tri-coloured metallic frilled mini. Thula Sindi contrasts cerise with black. Danielle Margaux channels Gucci with a turquoise and royal blue satin ensemble. Gavin Rajah's red and black striped dress reminds me of Prada's Spring 2011 collection. Leigh Schubert takes on the trend with muted tones and vertical panels. Habits combines two popular colours, purple and orange.



Maxis

Meet your new length for Summer - the Maxi. Its flowing, feminine and flattering. Both skirts and dresses were seen sweeping the floor. The shapes were either straight or bias-cut. Fabrics used were soft, silky, sheer or pleated.

Shorts

Shorts...for Spring. It's a no-brainer. Lengths went from itsy and ripped at Lisp to cuffed and knee-length at Nucleus. Shorts were styled both casually and formally. Strappy sandals, long necklaces and leather belts completed the look.

Printed Dresses

I Love this trend, if only I could pull it off. Printed dresses added so much lightness, joy and femininity to Fashion Week. Different blue hues were wrapped in a long satin dress at Thula Sindi. Love the vintage floral print on this short dress by Lisp, it looks like Mary Poppins' carpet bag. Billowing halter neck gowns were seen in several colours at Habits. A green tropical print mini shown at Carducci. Michelle Ludik paired her silky ink-blot dresses with big, bold accessories and funky feathered shoes. Gavin Rajah toughened up his flowy print gowns with metallic leather biker jackets.

Previously: Colour trends at Cape Town Fashion Week.

Donna Karan Resort 2012

For Resort 2012, Donna Karan presents an ingenious red, black and white collection. I love the striking combination of these three colours, they go so well together. The pieces incorporate a cotton spandex fabric blend, that's comfortable and stretchy. There's a play on proportion with fitted tops and flair A-line skirts. Motorcycle gear got a chic overhaul with sporty racer jackets, zip-up coats and colour-blocked panels. Party dresses are effortless and stylish - all you need are a pair of heels and you're ready to go.

 There are body-con dresses that flatter slimmer figures, while fuller skirts hide that extra bit of winter weight. I like the effect of the last skirt on the right, with the white underlay visible from underneath the black.

Donna took a modern approach to the 50's style dress with interesting structural designs. I love the ethereal ivory tulle stripe dress with origami pleating.

The draped column gowns are such classic pieces. A stunning strapless black mermaid gown completed the sophisticated collection.

The Colour Blocking Trend

Colour Blocking

The 'Colour Blocking' trend has yet to have the mass appeal in South Africa as it does overseas. Essentially, colour blocking refers to wearing 'blocks' or a combination of different solid colours together in one outfit. Colours can be mixed, matched or clashed for maximum effect. It starts with effective colour blocking, which means wearing a single bold colour from head to toe. You can pair two or three contrasting colours, anything more than four is excessive. These are some inspiring colour blocking looks off the runway.

1. An Issa outfit in cerise and purple.

2. Nina Ricci pairs fluorescent pink with canary yellow.

3. At Giambattista Valli, orange and beige were put together.

4. Orange and turquoise are a vibrant combination at Prabal Gurung. 

5. Richard Nicoll merges salmon, tangerine and hot pink.

6. At Etro, a bright shade of blue was mixed with rust.

7. Orange, pink and black was shown together on the Jil Sander runway.

8. Diane von Furstenberg united purple and orange and added an orange clutch.

9. Avocado green, neon yellow and black is eye catching at Burberry Prorsum.

10. Louis Vuitton merged ruby red with deep violet and black.

How to Colour Block

To get the colour block trend right, you have to know which colours complement each other best. As fun as it sounds, you can't just pile on every colour you find in your wardrobe, you will end up looking like the human rainbow. It's good to anchor your outfit with a neutral colour like black, white, grey or beige. To find out which colours are complementary, the use of this colour wheel will help.

How to use the Colour Wheel

When colour blocking your outfits, try out these combinations:

*Analogous colours, which are any three colours lined up next to each other on the colour wheel. Example: blue, blue-violet and violet.

*Complementary colours. These are colours placed directly opposite each other on the wheel. Like red and green or yellow and violet.

*90 degree angles. Combine colours that are at a right angle with each other. Example: Orange-yellow and green or red and violet.

*T colours. These are colours that form a 'T' shape. Like yellow, purple and orange-red.

*Jewel Colours are equally rich and flatter each other, such as emerald green and ruby red.

*Keep colours in the same saturation. Pastels with pastels, neons with neons.

*Pink trick. You can substitute 'pink' for 'red' and use all the same combinations.

Now that you know how to efficiently use colour, it's time to put that eye-catching outfit together. There are two ways you can do this - the right way and the bright one. For me, the combination of too many bright colours in the wrong proportions look loud and garish. You will see the difference between the 'animated' and 'understated' below.



Brights

Camilla Belle wears a tri-colour ensemble by Gucci. Her tangerine blazer is worn over a purple top and emerald green pants. She also wears green Gucci heels. A fourth colour is introduced with the neutral gold belt.

Cheryl Cole is highly pigmented in an orange ruffle top, aqua belt and violet high waisted flare pants that are far too long.

Teresa Palmer wears a multi-coloured Versus dress, with handkerchief neckline, vertical and horizontal stripes.

Leona Lewis pairs a neon yellow bustier with a hot pink pencil skirt. I like these two colours together but this outfit is too tight and midriff baring.

Rihanna wears a cropped purple jersey with prison orange pants and gold pumps. Her red hair counts as a fourth colour, right?

Colour Do's

Demi Moore chooses an age appropriate colour block outfit. She wears red satin pants from H&M with a simple white top and long black jacket by Elize Overland.

Olivia Palermo looks so chic in a bright pink blazer, grey shirt and black leather Tibi shorts. Her olive green satin Charlotte Olympia pumps work with this look.

Nina Dobrev looks cute in a light grey and neon yellow colour block dress by Jay Godfrey.

Nicole Scherzinger stylishly clashes green and orange, with an addition of black accessories.

Cheryl Cole gets it right this time in a cream blazer, baby pink t-shirt and royal blue pants. I adore the electric blue and nude heels she wears, which are by Christian Louboutin.

If you're still a little colour shy, you can start off with a bright handbag, necklace, head band or belt. This trend is such a fun and exciting way to experiment with different colour combinations. It's up to you to interpret it according to your personal style.