LOUIS VUITTON ISLAND MAISON GALA OPENING

On Saturday, 17 September 2011, it marked the grand opening of the Louis Vuitton Island Maison at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. This iconic infrastructure is the twelveth Maison in the world but the first in Southeast Asia. Housed in its own stand-alone construction – designed by Peter Marino, the Louis Vuitton Maison resembles a glass-covered crystal which float on water and have floor to ceiling windows that overlook the bay itself. Hailed to provide one of the most sophisticated and unique retail experiences to date, the Island Maison caters to all: shoppers, quality art lovers, as well as design fiends.

Louis Vuitton had sparred no expense by flying in celebrities from Hollywood, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea, Bollywood, as well as Singapore, (all clad in Louis Vuittion, of course!) to grace the glamourous evening of entertainment and opulence on our sunny island. The event was so momentous that the brand screened its gala opening ‘live’ on Facebook that very evening for everyone in the world to gawk at the A-list stars looking resplendent in all their ready-to-wear and finery from the French label.

Hollywood Actress Cate Blanchett dressed in a black ensemble from Resort 2012 Collection. 

Above: Taiwanese-Canadian Actor/Model Godfrey Gao and Former Footballer Hidetoshi Nakata

Below: China-Born Local Artiste Dai Yang Tian and Asian Film Superstar Chow Yun Fatt

All decked in Fall 2011 Menswear collection.

 

Above: Glamourous Singapore Actress Zoe Tay and Chinese Actress Vicky Zhao

Below: Taiwanese Artiste Vivian Hsu and Korean Actress Shin Min Ah

All dressed in Fall 2011 Ready-to-Wear Collection.

Above: Bollywood Star Deepika Padukone 

Below: Singer Estelle

All dressed in Spring 2011 Ready-to-Wear Collection.

Denise Keller wore a floral puffy dress with nipped waist and pushed-up busts from Resort 2011.

Left: International Model Du Juan 

Right:Local Celebrity Rebecca Lim

All dressed in Fall 2010 Ready-to-Wear Collection.

WHAT A STARRY STARRY NIGHT!

TREND ALERT: OPTICAL ILLUSION DRESSES

Whenever we dress up for an occasion, the chosen dress we clad on should always be figure flattering – that is to accentuate our assets and cunningly disguise the flaws. Fashion is all about optical illusion, isn’t it?

Left: Bridget Riley 

Right: Drift 2 in 1966

The term “optical illusion” would always link me to one person, Bridget Riley – an English painter who is famous for op(tical) art. You know those paintings that you have to look really closely and the lines would begin to move or the circles start spinning?

 

 

 Monique Lhuillier Spring/Summer 2012 Collection

This year at New York Fashion Week, Designer Monique Lhuillier have taken that philosophy to the ultimate extreme by letting her Spring/Summer 2012 collection be the canvases of op art to literally redraw the silhouette. The body-con dress is designed with colour-blocked panels to emphasize a woman’s hourglass figure – voluptuous busts, cinched-in waist and full hips.

Spring/Summer 2009: Herve Leger, Alexander McQueen

In fact, designers such as Alexander McQueen and Herve Leger had already jumped in to the illusion bandwagon back in 2009. The moving lines may be headache inducing when you look at them but the slimming effects are unrivalled. This is the reason why A-list celebrities like Kate Winslet, Victoria Beckham and Gwyneth Paltrow have all embraced the illusion trend.

Left: Kate Winslet made a triumphant appearance at the premiere of Mildred Pierce in Venice in this dress from Stella McCartney Fall/Winter 2011 collection which featured the cunning black side panels that took inches off her waist and increased her cup size all in the blink of an eye. Right: Victoria Beckham made herself even slimmer when she wore this Alexander McQueen dress that uses black lines on a white dress to give the impression on an hourglass.

Left: Gwyneth Paltrow exposed her skin with the cut-away sides of Versace Atelier dress had shaped her figure proportionately, and the fading colour made her look even taller. Right: Keira Knightley is known for her boyish frame so the capped sleeves and cobweb pearls of this Chanel Couture dress softened her shoulders and the subtle pearls panels accentuated her hips.

Now, we have the IT dress that does all the work to bestow us with the perfect figure. There is no need to painstakingly to go on a diet anymore, right ladies?

 

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: RODARTE S/S 2012 RTW

VAN GOGH + RODARTE = A DREAMY FANTASY

   

    

Art and fashion have always intertwined each other, and shared a common bond which create an almost symbiotic relationship. It is nothing new that fashion designers get inspirations from artists of all types to produce their new collections. However, who would have expected the Mulleavy sisters to reference Vincent van Gogh’s iconic paintings – the sunflowers, starry night and his brushstrokes (which have been excessively replicated over the years) – for Rodarte Spring/Summer 2012 collection.

Some of the translations from paintings to dresses are quite literal while others have been stylized to be more understated and wearable. The girls have juxtaposed textures, prints, fabrics, sequins and bead embellishments to dazzle up the upcoming season. The collection features a mesmerizing concoction of colours, constructions and fantastical gowns which make the models seem to be clothed in exotic butterfly wings. Femininity with a luxurious touch sashayed down the runway.

There is a subtle geometric vibe attached to it. The fifties prom dresses – nipped-in waist and flaring hems resonate old Hollywood. Tapered cropped pants, coloured-blocked hand knit cable sweaters and off-shouldered dresses are also included in the intriguing collection The silver chunky platform heels portray ideally for the vintage look.

Colour palette is extremely strong that begin with marigold yellow and gold, transition to delicate aqua blue, romantic purple and hues of green, and finally the prominent swirly stars. As for the make-up, navy-blue smoky eyes and lavender lips are selected to complement each outfit.

Such an ensemble has surely captured the attention of star-studded front row such as Taylor Swift, the Fanning sisters and Anna Wintour. The design duo is truly fashion alchemists who are capable of magically produced such a whimsical collection.

Wouldn’t you agree with me that the dresses are costumes for our modern day fairytale?