Trend: BROW ART AT CHANEL FW12

I’ve long been a fan of fanciful face decoration. Not make up, face decoration. What’s the diff? Face decoration says “LOOK AT ME,” it’s costume-ish, like the blue scalloped colouring-in I did around my eyes for Day of the Dead, or the gold leaf from eyelid to above my brows when I went as a goddess to a Religion party.

Thanks to King Karl, now I’ve got a new trick to try – eyebrow art. For the showing of his latest crystal-inspired collection for Chanel, Lagerfeld dreamed up crystal encrusted eyebrows to tie in with his geometric, glistening clothing creations. It’s a new take on another strong trend that peaked a few seasons ago; strong, coloured-in brows.

How to appropriate this look without looking like the Wicked Witch of the West:

• The brows are the main feature. Keep lips and eyeshadow to a minimum.
• Whereas previously it was about strong, natural brows, now it’s about glitter and colour. If colour is pushing the envelope for you, try colouring your brows in with a metallic or sparkle flecked eyeliner, and dress like a vampire. MAC does a good metallic pencil. If feeling brave, wear violet or blue mascara and also run it through your brows, leaving lips entirely nude.
• Walk with a swagger.

Take a closer look at the Chanel dollies for inspiration:

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all images via Style.com and High Snobette

Muse: KARLIE KLOSS

Anyone can be a model with a small ‘m’, as Flight Of The Conchords attest in their song about the “most beautiful girl in the whole wide room”. I modelled 3 outfits for a charity show last year and now my boyfriend tells people he dates a model; some girls featured on The Awkward Lean tell their own boyfriends they’re dating a model. But capital ‘M’ Models are special. They’ve got to have a walk, an attitude. They’ve got to be so beautiful it makes people gawk, but ideally also approachable enough that people want to interview and take photos of them for editorial work. They’ve got to be able to embody the spirit of a designer’s collection, to act their way through a shoot or down the catwalk. And they’ve got to either have really good legs or a mole.

Karlie Kloss: check, check, check, check, check, check, check (legs, not mole).

Readers of this blog will know we have a bit of a thing for KK. She’s darn cute and goofy, an all American girl (Chigago and St Louis to be exact) with a killer body that she attributes to an athletic lifestyle and her ballet training growing up. Aside from having walked in stacks of shows and fronting a gazillion campaigns, KK is now at such a level of celebrity that her appearance at recent fashion week shows overshadowed the very shows she appeared in, with her name taking headline spot in the news next to those of designers. Since she amped it up with a very grown up spread for Italian Vogue, her presence online has exploded (largely due to NSFW viewing I suspect).  Aside from her startlingly taught physique, KK’s calling card is the walk that Vogue.com describes as “coltish” and  ”swaying,” kind of  like ‘aren’t I lovely, but don’t forget I’m in control and I might bite your head off after sex’. Also she’s 3rd in the top 50 on models.com. But enough, I know you just want to look at her ….

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Images via Style.com, Models.com and NYMag.com

Designer: OLIVIER ROUSTEING AT BALMAIN

It’s been a while since I’ve LOVED a Balmain show, but Olivier Rousteing’s FW12 collection, shown in Paris last week, grabbed me. Rousteing is quoted as saying that Fabergé eggs were the inspiration behind the heavy embellishment on velvet pants, leather jackets, stretchy dresses, and pretty much everything else. I also have a love affair with velvet, stemming from my acquisition, at the age of twelve, of a black velvet jacket with matching bootleg pants. I was so sad to grow out of them (don’t you miss the days you grew up instead of out?). Well in this collection the velvet is in abundance – quilted jacketing, slinky pants, flowy pants, embellished pants, you name it, it comes in velvet. The Karlie Kloss outfit is easy-cool (which every fashion-head looks to Balmain for) and I’ve got tickets on Aymeline Valade’s teal green leather shirt, gold belt and matching velvet pants.

Aren’t the eggs exquisite? I’m thinking, I want an engagement egg instead of an engagement ring. Or maybe an engagement egg and an engagement quilted green Balmain jacket? I reckon that’s fair. I’ll ask for the ring for Christmas.

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Images via Daily Art Fix and Style.com

Designer: ANTHONY VACCARELLO

Désolé! Désolé! We two have been tardy on the posting front and for my part, I blame it on French. The language, not the cuisine (nothing could come between moi and a buttery croissant). Mais oui, I am learning! Such a thrilling language to roll off the tongue, though ’tis mostly getting stuck in my throat these first few weeks.

And so, while  Z will have to proffer her own excuse (kidnapping? food poisoning?) I hope we can put my absence behind us and focus on more important things like world peace fashun.

Let us decamp to Paris then, for Paris Fashion Week! We shall begin with a POP QUIZ:

Q: How do you spell “sex”?

A:  A.N.T.H.O.N.Y  V.A.C.C.A.R.E.L.L.O

Q: Anthony who?

A: Vaccarello. He’s Belgian and has shown a total of four international shows ev-ah. His woman is sex, she is strength, she’s a fox and she knows it.

Q: Who gives?

A: Everyone who counts. Style.com says “ Vaccarello is on his way to building himself a brand.” Vogue.com says his SS12 show was “sensational,” but this latest turn shows “a new level of maturity.” KK (aka Karlie Kloss, aka Legs-That-Go-Forever) chose Vaccarello as her first major international show to walk in this season. Write this down!

Q: Fall 2012 collection need to know points?

A: 90′s glamour sheaths, military jackets and trenches with skintight pants in deep blue satin, and 1950′s lingerie inspired cut out detailing. Hems so high they’re a bit a’hem. Made for Glamazons with no spare body fat (Put the chocolate peanuts down. Now step away. Well done.)  Shoe collaboration with Giuseppe Zanotti causing a kamikaze catwalk moment.

Tough gig choosing the best looks. Here’s my edit – mainly just leaving out the ones where the hem was so short I was temporarily blinded.

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Images via Style.com