LupRocks Gossip

Grey Matters at Paris Couture Fashion Week

One of my favorite words of wisdom Coco Chanel left us with is “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” These wise words seemed to resonate with all the designers who showed collections at Couture Fashion Week in Paris this week.  Amongst them, Karl Lagerfeld brought to life this wonderful idea, by bringing his wild thoughts to life in a collection that will be remembered forever. The collection plays on volume, stitching, draping, and structure to bring back to fashion what has been missing from the past few years - innovation.  Plus a palette of muted gray and black was a refreshing break from the neon invasion to be seen over this summer.     

(Images all Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel)

Accessories seen in Paris that you should keep an eye out for are thick multi strand solid color bead necklaces seen on the Dior runway, lucite heels seen on the Chanel runway, clutches of all shapes and sizes on the Armani Privé runway, and electric tights and wide chap-esque boots from Givenchy.

(From left to right: Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, Armani Privé, Givenchy, John Galliano for Dior, John Galliano for Dior, and Givenchy. )

The color at the forefront of this past week is defiantly shades of grey. Besides Chanel as previously mentioned, Grey was also seen on the runways of Givenchy, Elie Sabb, Jean Paul Gaultier, Christian Dior, and Armani Privé, and although other bits of pastels and hues of purple and navy popped in and out of the various collections grey and black outlined what is to be expected for Fall.

 (From left to right: Givenchy, Elie Sabb, and John Paul Gaultier)

Couture brings out all the stops. With extraordinary trims, clever draping and structuring, plays on volume, and of course plenty of hand-done extras, this was a couture showing true to form and absolutely exquisite.  See all the shows at Style.com!

 (From left to right: Christian Lacroix, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Valentino.)

All photos taken from Style.com .

 

 

 

Purple will reign for Fall 2008

Besides playing with textures, ruffles, layering, plaids, and colored tights for Fall 2008, the one trend I want to draw attention to is the purple haze seen looming over all the runways. Different shades of plums, violets, and royal purple’s will be a forefront color this fall, and that means jewelry and accessories as well! 

“Not since Prince hit the stage in 1984 to praise purple rain have varying shades of violet, eggplant, and aubergine held so much allure.” - Elle

First of all, I just want to say thank God! I am starting to see rings of neon lights around everything I look at. Good bye yellow, which was not mellow this summer, and hello plum gorgeous.

Second of all, this means exciting things if you are thinking about your collection for Fall. Almost all colors pair well with the hue de jour. Yellow, rose, pink and green golds compliment the color perfectly, while all jewel toned gems help highlight the main purple hue being worn. All purple ensembles will be big as well, mixing shades of purple in an outfit, and then pairing with purple accessories as well.

From left to right: Jeremy Laing, Costello Tagliapietra, and Harve Leger by Max Azria. Photos from Elle.com.

With this ring, I thee Wed

Did you know that last week was Bridal Fashion week in New York?   

 

Why you should know:  Thinking it has nothing to do with you is the outlook of yesteryear, because the future of tomorrow holds more in store for you than you may realize. First, many of the designers on the roster at last week’s bridal runway extravaganza do not have bridal jewelry lines, and they often team up with a bridal jewelry designer to bejewel models for the catwalk and for photo shoots. Second, this year the toughest critics (often the best critics) took note of the fashion forward thinking incorporated into the lines of almost all the designers.  If bridal trends continue to move forward in concept and design, which we believe they will, then won’t the jewelry move forward as well?  And the accessories? And the bridesmaid’s accessories?  With bright colors the trend de jour these days, and collections of gowns that are all inspired from the rest of the ROY G BIV color spectrum, the looks seen on the runway call for jewelry that is more colorful, more playful, and more eccentric.  The days of all white gowns with classic platinum/pearl/diamond jewelry will stand the test of time, but outside-the-box accoutrements will certainly join the mix more and more every year.   

Why you will know next year: You can check out all of the shows at NY Mag online, but to give you an example of where YOU will fit in to the equation in the next year, I would like to focus on two of my favorite wedding dress designers.  First up, the line by Monique Lhuiller (see photos above), who is no stranger to adding color to wedding gowns, was full of trims and draping that had an air of exquisiteness that can only be found in something vintage/something unique/something authentic.  Her aesthetic is a throw back to a time of decadence and aristocracy, and the jewelry should match.  Intricate or vintage-like pieces and non-traditional metals like rose gold, green gold, or oxidized gold would compliment beautifully.  Next on my list is Reem Acra, who sent a fresh line down the runway, which was inspired by such outrageous characters as Alice in Wonderland and Raggedy Ann (see photos below).  This fantasy like collection requires jewelry which is as mystical as the designs themselves.  Bright and big cocktail rings, colored diamonds and gemstone, and big statement pieces, would bring out the underlying personality of Acra’s line.

Furthermore, Aja Magnum (NY Mag) reported that the biggest trend for bridesmaid’s dresses is black gowns that are multi-purposeful.  Too bad nothing matches black…oh wait…everything matches black.  The possibilities of jewelry for bridesmaids are endless.   

It comes down to the ultimate question:  Do you take thee (non traditional bridal jewelry) to be thy (non traditional bridal gowns) mate?  I do!

 

Photos from NY magazine online and Fashion Wire Daily.

April Showers Bring Gray Nails

Many of you probably remember my amazing prediction that navy nail polish would slowly pop up all over the nails of major taste makers, and then trickle down all the way to that really annoying girl who always seems to end up sitting next to you during what you hoped would be a relaxing manicure. Well, for those of you that heeded my genius advice, not only did you get to look ultra in vogue, but you also got to sport the color around your store, boutique or showroom while wearing the pieces from your collection that best compliment the dark yet color-rich nails. Wearing the current craze-color of nail polish with bracelets and rings from your collection is a great way to offer the idea of a complete look to clients and buyers. Plus, it shows that if you are aware of current trends in beauty, you are probably a reliable fashionista and a relevant designer.

So heads up: Besides the bright hues of different colors that have been popping up in early adornments of spring trends, the big color for spring nail polish will be light shades of gray. Keep an eye out for it on the nails of your favorite stars and tastemakers, and as soon as your local manicurist starts to carry either Essie Great Expectations or OPI Mood Over Mumbai, do not hesitate to be the first of your friends to paint the town gray.

For full nail polish news, I recommend queen of nail polish bloging All Lacquered Up. See what she had to say about these shades of gray.

Color Tends: Somewhere over the Rainbow...

“The best color in the whole world is the one that looks good on you!” While we agree with these famous words said by fashion queen CoCo Chanel, color forecasters Pantone has a different take on the whole chromatics game. These important trends often have a dramatic affect on the direction of jewelry and/or accessory designer’s collections.

Here are the top ten Pantone colors for Fall 2008:

Read what fashion blogger Omiru had to say about these color trends, as well as other common themes seen at New York Fashion Week!