Jason Wu Pre-Fall 2011

I suppose it's gonna be hard for Jason Wu to break out of cocktail dresses and red-carpet gowns having dressed the likes of First Lady Michelle Obama. In any case, Fall is party and award season, so for designers like Wu, that's big business.
That aside, the collection was excellent. Colours were muted and moody without being sombre, with trousers tailored and oh-so-chic. A few pieces here too, were minimalistic and under-stated, somewhat of a first for Wu, a designer who is known for embellishing his frocks with everything from sequins to feathers. Having looked at this collection more than once, i'm somewhat convinced now that maybe Wu is more than a one-trick pony. And as his second pre-Fall collection, it seems like he's only getting better.

Narciso Rodriguez Pre-Fall 2011

The thing that i've always admired with the Narciso Rodriguez line, is its balance of soft, feminine silhouettes with tough cuts and structure. The pre-Fall collection was no different- skirts and dresses were paired with boy-ish peacoats and black leather trenches lined with fur. But it was a decolorizing, a sort of bleaching of fabrics that added a very subtle touch of lingerie-like effects that made this collection a winning one.

British Fashion Fund Nominees

Launched by British Fashion Council Chairman Harold Tillman in September 2008 as a legacy project for the BFC’s 25th anniversary celebrations, the Fund provides one British based designer with £200,000 and access to high level mentoring support- additional awards of mentoring and business support may be allocated to finalists at the judging panel’s discretion.

The aim of The Fund is to assist talented British designers with the potential for commercial growth to start making the transition from a developing creative business to a global fashion brand. In order to be eligible for this scheme, designers must have an established business based within the UK.

Here are the nominees for 2011:

Christopher Kane

 

Nicholas Kirkwood

E. Tautz

Richard Nicoll

Peter Pilotto

Osman

Charlotte Olympia

Jonathan Saunders

Rag & Bone Pre-Fall 2011

There's something to be said about how sexy and effortless David Neville and Marcus Wainwright, designers for Rag & Bone, make the downtown aesthetic look. Maxi skirts, leather jackets, t-shirt dresses, sweat pants, cardigans- there's really nothing particularly ground-breaking about any of these pieces, but with some really impressive editing and styling, the two make the clothes fresh and, dare I say, chic.

Michael Kors Pre-Fall 2011

With bold stripes, bolder colour and an emphasis on coats, the Pre-fall collection from Michael Kors was casual and electric. I had a few issues where the shoes were concerned, and nitpicked over the styling, but through-out the collection's 30 looks, some very strong pieces stood out. (See: striped cashmere t-shirts, and a red red-carpet chiffon number gathered, bodiced with a leather harness.)

Jeneil and Karl!

Just when we thought Jeneil Williams couldn't possibly get any bigger, homegirl just did! Now on tour with fashion LEGEND Karl Lagerfeld, Jeneil was hand-picked by Mr. Lagerfeld to be shot for the annual Pirelli calendar.

Pirelli is an Italian tiremaker and every year, they unveil a calendar, which is basically a collector's item for the world's elite. This year, Karl Lagerfeld was tapped to create the 38th edition of the limited-edition calendar, and he opted to create a Greek-themed "Mythology" calendar with some 36 photos all depicting Greek gods, heroes and myths. Appearing are an international group of models: 15 women, five men and Academy-award nominated and actress Julianne Moore as Hera, the wife of god of gods Zeus.

Pirelli gives pretty much complete freedom to the artists it picks to create its calendars, and for 2011, Lagerfeld did all photos in black and white, making the figures look like Grecian sculptures. I'm ecstatic that Lagerfeld hand-picked Jeneil; as someone familiar with her, she's a gorgeous, down-to-earth, humble girl who deserves all the success she's been achieving lately. Other models chosen include, Erin Wasson, Freja Beha Erichsen, Anja Rubik, Daria Werbowy, and Lagerfeld muse, Baptiste Giabiconi. Writing on her Facebook wall that the press conference in Russia was amazing, it seems she's having the time of her life, too. Way to go Jeneil! Check out some more images from the calendar here and a behind-the-scenes look  of its making here.