34 posts tagged "Marchesa"
Red Gets The Green Light At Bridal Week
The just-wrapped Spring ’13 Bridal Market Week in New York was a much more colorful one than usual. It was Vera Wang who led the charge, finding herself in a full-on love affair with red, a color that’s actually traditional for Hindu brides. The designer sent dresses down the runway in shades from bright scarlet to deep burgundy, with not a white gown in sight. Romona Keveza also flirted with crimson, sending out a full-skirted red number with intricate flower details as her final look. Oscar de la Renta experimented with color as well, with a fire engine red Spanish-style gown complete with a towering headpiece.
But traditional brides have no cause for concern. White still holds court. White dresses were plentiful in Temperley London’s Ophelia bridal collection, from simple ethereal gowns to lavish, embellished pieces in Chantilly lace, crinkled chiffon, and light georgette. Monique Lhuillier, who has plans to open up her first store in June, showed a similar aesthetic, translating “fantasy” and “dreamlike” inspirations into elegant dresses dusted with sequins and draped with tulle. And Marchesa’s Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig offered white in their signature Hollywood glamour, with a lineup of lavish silk and organza gowns decorated with hand-embroidered beads. Jenny Packham also had ladies of the silver screen in mind, referencing 1930′s cinema sirens like Vivien Leigh and Bette Davis in her collection of free-flowing, empire-waist dresses in simple crepes and antique lace. Those elements lent heritage appeal to the gowns, which looked as if they had been delicately preserved and passed down for generations. Carolina Herrera walked the line between timeless and trendy, showing classic, intricately detailed numbers along with more modern looks featuring peplum waists and pantsuits, which also made an appearance at Oscar de la Renta, who paired his with a dare-to-bare crop top for the more fashion-forward bride.
CLICK FOR A SLIDESHOW to see which of the week’s dresses (and pants) made our “I Do” list.
Are These Fall Gowns Oscar Material?
Hollywood stylists are forever clambering to keep their celeb clientele in the latest looks fresh off the runways, so there’s little doubt that on Sunday night, we’ll be seeing a few Fall numbers at the Oscars. Compared to many of the ostentatious front-row fixtures at fashion week, most starlets play it safe. (Sorry, Marc, the only actress out there gonzo enough to take your newest lineup for a spin is Helena Bonham Carter). A-listers often opt for classic gowns, like the teal, tie-shouldered number from Oscar de la Renta (the color would be gorgeous with Jessica Chastain’s fiery tresses) or Michael Kors‘ long-sleeved dazzler (pictured), which has Albert Nobbs star Glenn Close’s name written all over it. And with all the attention Rooney Mara attracted at the Calvin Klein show a few weeks back, we wouldn’t be surprised to see her turn up in one of Francisco Costa’s minimal black finale frocks. Many of the heavy hitters won’t be presenting until Paris next week, but it seems some designers have wised up to awards season and are strategically debuting their unseen collections on the red carpet instead of the runway. Case in point: Gwyneth Paltrow at the Emmys, wearing a sheer Emilio Pucci two-piece look that appeared again on the Spring catwalk a few days later. We’re hoping to see a few more of those fashion-forward surprises this weekend.
CLICK FOR A SLIDESHOW, and let us know which Fall designs you’d like to see on the red carpet this weekend.
The Fresh Crop
It was all about the Super Bowl for most people this weekend, but not for the models walking in New York fashion week, who were busy shuttling to and from back-to-back castings. Andrew Weir (who casts for Thakoon, Jen Kao, and Rebecca Taylor) can spot a potential star from across a room, and there were plenty of them at his ACW casting call on Saturday at the Hudson Hotel. “Do they even know they have these crazy bodies?” he said, referring to Lithuanian stunner Aiste Regina. But it was Roberta Narciso, an Elite agency contest winner with mile-long legs, who really caught Weir’s eye. “She’s from Angola, so she’ll walk like royalty,” he said. After she took a few strides, Weir enthused, “Oh my God, that is crazy. This does not happen in America.”
Meanwhile, over at the BCBG Max Azria showroom, casting duo Barbara Nicoli and Leila Ananna (who also select girls for top clients including Yves Saint Laurent, Burberry, Gucci, Marchesa, and Versace) were on the lookout for models with a straightforward kind of beauty, which Ananna described as an “eighties glamour—not the fragile, quirky look anymore.” It was girls like South African newcomer Katryn Kruger—one of Prada’s Spring ’12 campaign stars—who they were especially taken with, along with Nadine Ponce, Josefine Nielsen, and Appoline R. We also spotted Kelly Mittendorf (pictured, below), who was unknown until she was cast in Prada’s Fall ad campaign, in the mix.
Though Nicoli and Ananna say straightforward looks are what they want right now, that’s not the case with all casting agents. Jennifer Venditti, who casts for the likes of Rodarte, Tory Burch, and Helmut Lang, told Style.com over the phone this weekend, “Agents will often wait to break in a girl in Europe because New York designers often don’t take risks on a more unique look.” She cited current Balenciaga campaign star Laura Kampman (an aspiring Dutch photographer who was discovered on Facebook) as an example of redefining beauty. “You can see the character in her walk,” Vendetti said. “These days, models are expected to be more than just a hanger. They have to be ‘the whole girl’ and brand themselves in a way that makes them memorable in an industry where you’re competing against celebrities and thousands of other models for editorials and campaigns.” Let the contest begin.
Winehouse Collection Continues, Nemcova Reveals Her Wedding Dress Designer, Richard Nicoll Teams With Technology, And More…
Amy Winehouse’s collections for Fred Perry will continue, WWD reported today. When the singer died last month, Fred Perry hit the “pause” button on the collection, but the Winehouse family would like the remaining two collections she created to be released. [WWD]
Model Petra Nemcova isn’t keeping her wedding dress designer a secret. The bride-to-be, who will marry actor Jamie Belman next June, revealed she will walk down the aisle in Marchesa. [Vogue U.K.]
Uniqlo has partnered with Barbie and Disney, and now the Japanese retailer has joined forces with another all-American brand: Coca-Cola. For their eighth annual UT Grand Prix, contestants can create T-shirt designs inspired by Coke for a winning prize of $10,000. The top ten designs will be sold in Uniqlo stores worldwide this fall. [Hint]
London-based designer Richard Nicoll is on call with Vodafone. The cell phone company will sponsor his next two runway shows, and they are collaborating on a new accessory that “fuses technology and cutting edge design.” [WWD]
No Marchesa For The Princess Bride
(Plenty For The Others, Though)
The Apthorp is one of New York’s toniest addresses, so no surprise that the frills-and-all label Marchesa chose the West Seventies apartment complex—really more of a gated community, with enormous iron bars shielding its interior gardens from Broadway—to show both finery and its new flatware: its new bridal collection on one hand, and its second collection of dinner plates, cups, and serving pieces for Lenox on the other. A crowd including Courtney Love (the proverbial bull in the china shop, who arrived a fashionably-late ten minutes before the scheduled end time), Olivia Munn, Sanaa Lathan, and Mary Alice Stephenson all stopped in for a look.
Marchesa is known for weddings—designers Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig recently custom-designed frocks for brides Nicole Richie and Emily Blunt—but Craig dispelled rumors they’re in the running for this month’s royal affair. “I’m excited to see what she’s going to be wearing,” the English-born Craig said. “I think she’s a very stylish woman, and I think she’ll probably choose something beautiful and classic. I don’t think she’s going to go for anything too trend-based or crazy edgy. She’ll look like a princess!”
For princess brides, of course, there are plenty of frothy options. But there are others, too, for city brides, beach brides, and, really, any kind of bride you could mention (though City Hall bride might find herself a little overdressed). “We really try to think of different types of bride that are out there and try to have a dress for each different kind,” Craig said. She gestured to a favorite from the collection, a wasp-waisted, skintight number. “This one is much more fitted, there’s less corsetry inside,” she explained. “A lot those brides have spent six to eight months working on their body…this is a dress for that woman who really doesn’t need the structure of the corset, she just wants to show off.”