The Middleton's House of Fashion

Kate’s signature look is very simple, elegant, minimalist but always chic. She never goes over the top, but she also rarely goes wrong. I like her style a lot, since it has a lot to do with me. I don’t like to be the center of attention and I buy good quality pieces, usually plain and classics. Like me, even when Kate goes with fast fashion, she goes for the right pieces, like plain simple dresses or clothes that don’t look dated.

I can’t remember any outfit that really stroked me (beside the wedding one), because she often wears  down to earth pieces, that she puts together like the girl next door, who has style and good taste. I admire how she wears hats and how she manages to get beautiful ones and wear them in a way that makes them look modern. 

When she dresses sport, she also goes for the basic, with jeans, t-shirts, flats or boots: very basic and clean.

She inspires me because I also wear plain colors, blue, jeans and white shirts. In the celebrity world nowadays, it’s hard to find someone that dresses nicely, without over dressing (watch Fashion Police every week!) or only using the latest trends. Kate manages to always get it right, whether she wears a dress coat by Libelula and a hat at the wedding of H. Aubrey-Fletcher and Sarah L. Stourton, or wearing a Diesel jeans with a Topshop  t-shirt and scarf, at a William’s polo match.

At this point, everybody knows that Kate’s dress was designed by Sarah Burton, from Alexander Mc Queen’s house, a choice that was expected, but never confirmed. The dress was everything we expected from her: it was traditional and also modern in a way that you could see that Kate was the bride. The dress had very much her carachtherists, as far as being elegant, simple and yet looking great.

  The Individual flowers that was hand-cut from lace and hand-engineered onto ivory silk tulle managed to create a design, which incorporated the rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock. In the bust, she had a lace-encrusted bodice of the dress that presented a scalloped neckline, inspired by Grace Kelly’s wedding dress in 1956. The bust was perhaps the only part of the dress that I didn’t love, because I thought it accentuated her breast too much. The French Chantilly lace combined with English Cluny looked traditional and amazingly beautiful and delicate.

The simple veil made of layers of soft, ivory silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers was topped by a Cartier ‘halo’ tiara from 1936, lent to her by The Queen. Again, traditional, royal and simple, yet, very sophisticated.

The train was 9ft long incrusted in handmade English lace. I believe that if Kate was marrying someone else, she wouldn’t have a train in her wedding dress. Having to do it, she did it her way.

Concerning accessories, her earrings made from diamond-set stylized oak leaves with a pear shaped diamond set drop and a pavé set diamond acorn suspended in the center were delicate and still a statement piece, drawing a lot of attention. In my opinion, the bouquet, that had a shield-shaped wired bouquet of myrtle, lily-of-the-valley, sweet William and hyacinth, could be a little bigger. Her “demi-chignon” hair accentuated her face and earrings.

 The bridesmaid looked absolutely beautiful; and in some ways, I think she wore the dress that Kate would  like to wear on her wedding, if she was marrying a commoner. For a royal wedding, I think that her neckline could be a little higher and the sleeves would work better if they were ¾ sleeves. But only because it was a royal wedding. Otherwise, I’ll be in front of the line to get a knock-off of Pippa’s dress.

I loved the combination of traditional and modern that Kate and William brought to the wedding. One of the reasons I admire Kate, is because she always make sure that her family looks as important as her husband’s family. It’s like she is showing all the time that her family might not be royal, but it’s full of love, it’s well educated and harmonious, and that she will always be a Middleton. Also the bridesmaid and best man were young, beautiful and best friends from the bride and groom. There was going to be an after party where they were planning to dance until 6am and they went for a ride in a sports car, with William driving it. What could be more modern than that? Maybe, only the $ 89 dress by Zara, that Kate showed the next morning.

Welcome new monarchy, you guys know how to put on a  fashion show!

Madame Grès, the drapery sculptor

I just loved to see the Madame Grès exhibition at the tiny and cozy Musée Bourdelle in Paris, this spring. Walking to the museum in a nice and sunny spring day in Paris was just the beginning of a wonderful experience, where art, fashion and location showed me how rich an experience you can get when you have hearing, sight, touch and smell involved.

The blue Parisian sky, the small cul-de-sac street where the museum is located in the heart of Montparnasse, the amazing sculptures in the garden overlooking the street, and the cherry blossom trees and newly blooming wisterias filling the air with sweet perfumes, were the perfect introduction to a exhibition that will be hard to forget.

Madame Grès wanted to be a sculptor. “For me it is just the same to work with fabric or stone”, said the designer who has her pieces hanging in chiseled pleats and folds among statues. The shape and drape of her designs look so up to date that one could easily wear one of her pieces to a dinner party and be the most elegant woman in the room. They are amazingly simple and still very strong, always respecting and shaping the female body.  Throughout the exhibition, I started to notice the designer’s signature details like cut-outs, asymmetrical necklines; body-skimming tucks that cascade into loose skirts, glamorous Grecian drapery, complex pleating, and all coming in a sculptural design.

 I felt absolutely in love with and orange and brown long dress, so modern and so perfect with three different lengths. Although completely draped from neck to toe, it totally shaped the body showing all the contours. Her ability to manipulate fabrics by  twisting, braiding, billowing and draping, into fluid shapes that enhanced the female form without obscuring it, was visible everywhere, and particularly in this piece. And yet the colors were so Lanvin FF 2011!

 I was also very impressed with a gray and white night gown with a burgundy bow at the back. The different textures and the perfect matching of the fabric at the back and the neckline, made everything look so simple and sophisticated at the same time.

The only thing I knew about the designer before getting in the museum, was that her work involved some draping and that she made my Mom’s favorite perfume, Cabochard  de Grès. But from now on, I will always remember Madame Grès for not only her amazing capability of “drawing” the dress around a woman’s body, but also for her beautiful sketches, that came together with fabrics.

 The combination of the location and dresses inspired me to think about the variety of work that human hands can do, and how different and how similar they can be. I could also understand why Madame Grès decided to work with fabrics instead of stones.

The Musée  Bourdelle was the perfect place to show Madame Grès art because it shows, by comparison, that a perfect dress can be as perfect as a statue gown, just with a different texture. And they are both art that require a rigorous craftsmanship. It is the perfect art/fashion alliance.

Madame Grès, la couture à l’œuvre – Until July 24, 2011

Musée Bourdelle

16 rue Antoine Bourdelle

75015 – Paris

www.bourdelle.paris.fr 


All the pictures are by Maryanne Mc Darby

Classic styles & modern shapes

I want to show looks that last through the years and appear flattering on anyone. They go beyond trends and are a triumph of art. Therefore, I would like to photograph  them in a modern museum of art, like the Guggenheim Museum in NY.

I want to shows looks that has sleek silhouettes and clean concepts relating them to modern art and to the museum’s  shapes. I want  to show that classic fashion  can melt into any current theme or style; in this case, melting into a completely opposite vision.

Trendy accessories, light make-up and hairs up will add personality to the photo shoot.
Pieces of art should  match dresses’ hues

Style board

 

 Location board

 

 Hair and make-up

 

Lavender for pink grown ups

Since long time ago, this shade of purple suggests refinement along with grace, elegance, and something special. Very connected to nature, lavender, orchid, lilac, and violet flowers are often delicate and considered precious and while purple is the color of royalty, lavender is the color of femininity.

You can wear lavender with pink, and you will  look extremely feminine. A minty green with lavender is a very springtime look, while blues with lavender are cool and sophisticated. And for an updated  contemporary earthy palette try lavender with beige and light browns.

Macy's

DVF

                 

Bloomingdale's

                            

Orange is for power

Orange  is one of the healing colors, a power color. Orange means vitality with endurance and  is associated with the benign warmth of the sun. Curiosity is a driving characteristic of orange, and with it comes exploration of new things. Wear orange if you want to become more involved in something, increase  creativity and need a relief from things becoming too serious.

See here some fun ways to wear orange in your accessories or in your clothes.

J. Saunders

Blue for peace

Different shades of blues have different meanings. While turquoise is the symbol of youth and  the color of communication, Aqua is the color of high ideals. Turquoise has long been used in amulets to provide protection, health, confidence and strength.


The color blue gives a feeling of distance and artists use it to show perspective. It contains a cool vibration that is helpful to communication. Using blue to relax will encourage feelings of communication and peace.

Wear a piece of blue when you are looking for calm and relaxation to counteract chaos or agitation, solitude and peace.
Wear dark blues for a stable, calm conservative feeling. All shades of blue will help to make easy communication, whether it is with yourself or others.

 

G. Armani

Phillip Liam

Marni

Bloomingdales

 

Yellow for happiness

If you are going to a lot of yellow, you must know that the color yellow symbolizes wisdom, joy and happiness. Yellow daffodils are a symbol of unrequited love.Yellow is full of creative and intellectual energy.
Wear yellow when you want clarity for decision-making, or relief from  nervousness, or you need sharper memory and better concentration skills. And while you live in San Francisco, if springs turns into winter suddenly, remember that yellow protects you from lethargy and depression during dull weather.

Tips to wear yellow:
- For a brighter and less restrictive look, add a yellow jacket to a pair of black trousers.
- Wear yellow with orange for a casual look

Milli dress

 

 

 

Ralph Lauren t-shirt

Tibi Cap baroque dress

Hunter rain boots