Resort 2013 - The best of the best (part 2)

Just when you thought the fun was over, here's a second helping of standout pieces from Resort 2013. Just like the earlier post, non-traditional floral prints - with somber dark hues mixing with peppy neons, vastly different floral prints layered together, flower prints with an abstract edge - make an appearance. What I'm excited about, too, is the reversal of what a typically "feminine-" or "masculine-style" garment means; dresses and skirts have severe cuts and straight, unimpeded lines while trousers, suits and blouses have adopted a more fluid feel, with languid draping and embellishments.

Also to be noted is how backdrops in certain shows helped to bolster the mood of those collections.

For instance, Chloe had models standing atop clear plexiglass (though it looked like a puddle of water upon first glance) in an expansive field bookended by a clear, blue sky that imparted a relaxed feel - it is Resort, after all.
Roland Mouret staged various city scenes behind a model that seemed to be always on-the-go, as if to give the idea that the wearer would be a bustling girl-about-town.
Cedric Charlier used utilitarian urban scenes as the backdrop for his collection of elegant black, blue, magenta and yellow pieces.


Zac Posen -  Mr. Posen loves expressive and dramatic poses and facials for his models, and I'm thrilled that supermodel Erin O'Connor took over that role for this collection. This dark teal dress brings the drama (so the diva pose is perfect), and it reminds me of something that a modern-day Scarlett O'Hara would wear. Erin O'Connor playing Scarlett O'Hara. Nice ring to that.

Valentino - Pier Paolo Piccoli and Maria Grazia Chiuri have impressively continued to churn out jawdropping pieces for the Italian line after having taken over the reins from Mr. Valentino after he retired in 2007. The pieces that the design duo created for Resort 2013 are so well-tailored and complementary to the female form that they appear simplistic and minimalistic. However, it is precisely this lack of frills and attention-grabbing frippery that shows how expertly cut each piece is.

 (Beautiful pastel trompe l'oeil flowers.)

 (Burberry who?)

 (Beautiful shirtdress)

 (Never met a cap-sleeve dress I didn't like.)

Tibi - This brand was started by designer Amy Smilovic after she felt the need to utilize her creative urges after having done stints in the advertising industry, notably at Ogilvy & Mather. I respect the fact that Smilovic had had enough of something that wasn't fulfilling her and so moved to follow her dreams. The Tibi line is uh-maze-zing, and it's the love child of Zara and Erin Fetherston. The dresses in the brand's online store run the gamut from printed-and-relaxed styles to neon-and-fitted, which ensures that there is something for everyone (or everything for someone, in my case).

The Resort collection is filled with dichotomous pieces. A good example is the red suit below which imparts a powerful and confident message while the relaxed cut lends a laidback air to the wearer.

(The mix of fabrics like the cotton-meets-satin juxtaposition, plus the mix of colors, as in this bright-meets-somber contrast, brings an unexpected, but lovely twist to this dress.)

Carolina Herrera - Simply put, Carolina Herrera knows what works for her customers and doesn't stray from the pretty, refined elegance that shines through in each piece of every collection she designs. 

 (The most statuesque dress yet of Resort 2013.)

Chloe - The french label is synonymous with relaxed opulence, so Resort is the perfect season to snatch up the brand's offerings. Like an heiress that wears her couture mixed with thrift store finds, paired with who-gives-a-hell bedhead, Chloe effortlessly mixes luxe and casual elements together. 

J. Mendel - One of my favorite lines EVER. I can't even pinpoint a single look that I like more than another. It all just works.

 (I love how the fabric covering the line of buttons looks like a little tie.)

 (This look reminds me of a cap-sleeve, 17th-century-esque corset. Perfect, perfect.)

Matthew Williamson - Spring and summer florals.

 (If I were to acquire a single pair of heels, these seafoam green beauties would more than suffice.)

Derek Lam - Mixing prints and making it work. Changing the "rules" one leather blouse-cow print skirt - giraffe heels look at a time.

Met Costume Institute Gala 2012 - "Shiaperelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations"

Yesterdat was The Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual Costume Institute Gala. This year's theme was Shiaperelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations, which spotlighted designers Elsa Shiaperelli and Miuccia Prada. According to The Met's website, the goal of pairing these two designers together was to highlight the similarities between their work despite the fact that they lived and worked in different periods in time and thus never corresponded or worked together. The term 'Impossible Conversations' is taken from a popular 1930s column published in Vanity Fair magazine that was titled 'Impossible Interviews'. In the 'Impossible Interviews' column, the author would compose the dialogue for a fictional conversation; what he imagined two illustrious people would have talked about had they ever actual met.
The exhibition - which contains eight themed sections - will be open to the public from May 10 - August 19, 2012. 

Some of the past Costume Institute Gala themes have included 2011's Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, 2010's American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity, 2009's The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion, 2008's Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy, 2007's Poiret: King of Fashion and more. 

I excitedly ticked off the days leading up to this year's Met Gala because I couldn't wait to scroll through the photos of each celebrity's gown or tuxedo as they entered into the exhibition.  I am completely fine "oohing and aahing" and sometimes even "eewing" by myself over who's wearing what. At one point I hit the refresh button on my Twitter feed three times in a row to see the latest updates before I realized I was spazzing out.

Here are the looks that I felt were worn/styled to perfection. Sometimes at these illustrious events there are standout gowns that shine of their own merit; the celebrity simply acts as a model to better portray the gown's loveliness (like this Valentino gown from 2010). Other times it's not so much that I'm a fan of the outfit that a celebrity wore, but rather that I dig the confidence with which they carried it off (such as Florence Welch rocking Alexander McQueen). And yet still, at other times there can be a couple (either a romantic couple, or a designer-muse duo) that looked so great together that they could have been wearing paper bags and still have made it work (Gisele and Tom Brady at this year's Gala).

Some of my favorite looks from past Met Galas include Ashley Olsen wearing a tufted-sleeve Christian Dior dress in 2011, Camilla Belle wearing a vibrant red Jason Wu number in 2010, Christina Ricci's Ricardi Tisci Haute Couture Wonderwoman-esque gown from 2008 and Cameron Diaz's brilliant pairing of turquoise jewels with her magenta Dior by John Galliano multi-tiered gown in 2007.

Top four looks:

January Jones' bright yellow Versace gown and light blue jewels (photo c/o popsugar.com)

Karolina Kurkova's glittering gold Rachel Zoe dress and turban (photo c/o ibtimes.com)

I love the dress, but it does look quite a bit like the gold lame dress and turban combo that Kate Moss wore when she went as Marc Jacobs' date in 2009. But I've got to give Kurkova credit as she owned this look. It takes serious glamour to pose like this and not only get away with it, but make everyone else look silly for not doing the same.

Amy Adams' Giambattista Valli Haute Couture one-shouldered gold bow-cinched gown (photo c/o usweekly.com)

Diane Kruger's purple, feather-bedecked Prada gown (pohot c/o popsugar.com)

Other notable looks included Emma Stone looking adorable in a pleated, flower-covered Lanvin dress and Dianna Agron in a teal green Carolina Herrera gown.