Fireflies and cotton candy

By Neslihan

Do you remember those sceptical souls during Simon's first Dior show? It was too minimalistic, too repetitive, too boring... (read here) It's like Raf Simons listened to the slightly negative comments and delivered this poppy spring/summer collection as a reaction to that negativism. He worked with colourful beads, fabrics, shiny effects and enormous prints to prove his audience that he's more than straight and structural lines. He's more than simplistic Raf. He doesn't compromise though, he simply tries to find a way to combine his trademark with Dior's tradition and the new direction the couture house is taking. He matches classy with playful and romantic with -don't shoot me- simplistic as he integrates a couple of black pantsuits with floral beads. But it's always elegant and feminine.
The show consists out of two main parts. The first part is all about Dior basics: little black dresses, black and grey pantsuits, black coats... It was all beautifully tailored, you've got to give him that but I thought it was rather predictable. It's so hard to be inventive or fresh with a little black dress. I think he kind of felt obliged to honor Christian Dior's ideology, which is totally understandable but my heart started beating faster when we reached the second part of the collection: colours, prints, beads, shiny see-through fabrics that reminded me of cotton candy. The whole thing was just divine. At some point you had those amazing floral ball gowns (look five). It was as if they were all on fire. I'm in awe really, because this collection is the embodiment of one of my dearest fashion mottos: crazy, childish heartbreak hotel but the more mature version and I think that's what Raf's trying. He tries to make Dior more youthful but you've got to know that aging is easier than getting your youth back. This collection was a brave atempt in giving Dior's youth back. For sure.

Click here for the whole collection.

Osm@n, ur aight

By Neslihan

At some point you have to embrace your contradictory views. You know, as much as I claim to be a simplicity lover, as much as Raf Simons causes me to have wet fashion dreams with his on point designs, I'm also a kitsch lover, embroidery, embellishments and glitters make me go coco! I just love that sense of naive playground fashion. It lightens up my soul and thoughts. So now and then, I try to revive that kind of kindergarten nostalgia by applying poppy pink lipstic or wearing colourful necklaces. Even nail polish can awaken that thoughtless, spontaneous, happy feeling. It's all about daring and going for it. And boy, Osman went for it! He shamelessly combined electric blue with poppy pinks and metalics. Even though I would never wear those two colours together (in some cases not even alone), I deffinitely liked what Osman Yousefzada did. He went for plain shapes and colours and there was even some sense of simplistic designing. So, when he combined my two dearest fashion mottos (KITSCH X SIMPLICITY) I couldn't be more ecstatic. Okay, it is deffinitely not the most innovative or refreshing collection I have posted on this blog but it is pretty and it caused this childlike happiness inside of me. And not everything has to be revolutionarily exciding, right? Somethings can be beautiful. Just brainlessly beautifull. Full stop.

Notes: The pink coat doesn't have the most exquisite tailoring I've ever seen but I think the emphasis lies on the splashing colour combo. I also think the weird splits in the dresses/skirts aren't really practical even though it looks incredibly sexy. But that too depends on who is wearing it. Same goes for the deep cleavages. Also in love, love, love with the salmon pinkish pants on the last picture and that top is just flawless. Digging the fact that the skirts over pants trend is getting a sequel this spring! No bad words about the heart/petal shaped prints!!!

Osm@n himself looked great aswell!

His shoes <3

Polished sportswear

By Neslihan

Chalayan's last collection can be best described as polished sportwear. He pushed the female body into cubistic forms and gave them power by adding pointy shoulders, oversized shirts and straight lines. He played with proportion and tried to find a balance between his rectilinear designs and feminine tayloring, That's why the whole collection felt so natural and humane, even though there were lots of 'stiff' shapes. It never felt artificial. It was poetic, pure and honest instead.

While he was creating geometrical creatures in the first part of the show, the second one was all about classy tennis players. He created waists by using peplums and did some exquisite tayloring. The zippers and horizontal lines contributed to the sporty feel of this collection.

Even his night gowns were sporty due to their simple, straight lines. And since this collection was so pure in terms of colour (predominantly white/black/overexposed pastels and some popping blue and orange), Chalayan was free to use prints to spice things up. And boy, he did! He combined the prints with the clinical whites and created asymmetrical dresses. All the Chalayan keywords were present but what about the futuristic component? It was there but subtlely processed in the lady like  hats, which accompanied the sporty deux-pièces. Hence the transparent hatch in the front of the hats. In other words: it was a divine, balanced, breezy and poetic show praising sport's aesthetics and keeping it down to earth. Only like Chalayan does it.

Peplumming your way to the tennis court

Clinique chique

Sporty godesses

A neurotic splash of prints

Pictures: http://www.style.com/

It's a bad religion

By Neslihan
As I see my reflection in the window glass, I'm trying to figure out how I'll call the outfit I'm wearing today. 'Effortless cool'? Or 'lazy sloppiness'? I decide to go for the last option since a bad hairday is not very fashion. I don't really stand still or take minute to judge as I'm constantly on the move for something, anything. Judging is a way of living. And no, I'm not telling you all to beat yourselves up about the way you look. I judge so I can gradually evolve. The ancient Greeks would call it 'hybris', I call it 'self consciousness'. And I don't know whether it's karma or God trying to tell me something but I'm being punished for this fickle confidence. Not being pleased with the content of your closet is one of the worst things that can happen to a girl. Or that's what I thought until I saw Marc Jacobs' shoes during s/s 2013 RTW collection. Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with those socks in those sandals/flip flops? It sure is an amusing way to raise your middlefinger in the air to show Wintour you don't give a damn about rules and conformism but still... And that's not all, my dearest reader- as I think I only have one at the moment. Just when I thought shit couldn't get any worse, I'm losing and breaking my favourite earrings. I'd shed tears but that would be a tat over the top. Maybe it's time to pray again.