Elie Saab 2012 Couture

It's been over a year since I last posted a review of any show and I miss doing so. Being a fashion student however, studying and critiquing your own work takes centrefold in your brain rather than laying on to others. I try my hardest to keep up to date with every fashion week and season, but these days it involves a brief visit to Style.com and a quick scan of the shows. Now that I have handed my last module in, which I did so on Friday, I can actually take a proper look at the last season (and the current one) and see what's going on.

I just want to add before I get on to this review of the mastermind that is Saab, that I could have had the chance to work the ever prestigious London Fashion Week this February but the opportunity was not for me this time. This included numerous factors mostly to do with money, London is not a cheap place you know! I promise you though that one day I will be there, be it September 2012 or February 2015, I have my dreams! Onto the review....



This is one show that got me incredibly excited, I think it's possibly the mix of fairytale, romanticism and also a wedding quality. I think Saab has become one of those designers that never really needs to prove himself worthy of the fashion world, you just expect his shows to be magnificent. A girl can never get tired of her dresses and thus can never tire of a dress designer, especially the very talented folk who can supply a vast array for all types of female. I'm not sure why chiffon, silk and all things sparkly tantalise our fashion lust but it's a love affair that will never really die.

Until I became a fashion student I never really understood the time that went in to making a garment and one thing I have learnt is that even simple can take time and often be more complicated than your extravagant pieces. And when you look at the silhouettes in Saab's collections they are all quite simple indeed. I think it's this quality that really reaches out and pulls you in. When choosing a dress you want something that you can get out of just as easily as you can put it on, you want something that accentuates your figure but doesn't pull away from your face and above all you want something that gives you that certain class that no other garment can bring. That being said there is a such a thing as too simplistic but fear not for it's the detail and cloth that really make these gowns something else.



A mixture of gorgeous botanical print, lazer cuttings, appliqué and bead work give way to a craftsmanship that I myself feel only a select few possess. It is so easy to get it wrong and pile on too much that you weigh the garment down. But though Saab's gowns are adorned with detail and work they still have that sense of airiness and lightness that make the models seem as if they are in fact floating down the runway. All of this emphasised by the chosen angelic fabrics and pastel palette.

I expect it's because it's close to valentines day that all i can think about from these designs is weddings, romance and Aphrodite, or maybe it's just my love for every single piece before my eyes that has me feeling cupids arrows. What a remarkable addition to Spring and Bravo Mr. Saab, keep up the good work because i'm not ready to end this affair yet!

To view the full collections and the image sources go to style.com.

S2011RTW - Miu Miu

This was a review that I HAD to post, there was no running away from it because to be completely honest...I'm shocked. If you know me you will no doubt hear me talking about Miu Miu non stop till your ears bleed, hear me rambling on about how Miuccia Prada made animal prints (as in literally animal silhouettes) chic instead of childish! How she creates dazzling shapes and structures, but today I'm throwing a little bit of my love out the window of a 100th floor flat. I won't be completely nasty about this show because I love her was happy to see the usual innovative designs I expect of Prada. The edgy and modern shapes and also, as you'll notice in the pictures, the various random additions that make her garments very much, her own (By that I mean the box pleats).

The Bad


I like the last design, it's just the satin doesn't hang well, it doesn't look right to me.

What I must get out of the way right now is those hideous jackets! Fair enough if they are your style or preference but from other reviews i've read so far (All negative) and also just the sight of them I can't help but feel depressed that one of my vastly becoming 'favourite' fashion brands has let me down! I suppose i'm being quite harsh right now but if i'm going to write a review i might as well be as honest as possible. The jackets are what i'd call frumpy, if anyone uses that word anymore, they don't compliment the models figures at all. In fact they look about 4 sizes too big for them and while i can't deny 'oversized' can look damn good sometimes, these jackets just don't do anything for the eye. It's not just the size either, it's the shape, the range of awful colours and also those odd flower looking prints that adorn the front. The one that makes me question the decisions of Prada most is that garish gold, green, black and silver one, that would make even the most experienced sailor seasick. I can imagine it (minus the green) as a sequined top in a plain cut with a wavy edge, but definitely not as a jacket. The other thing i must point out and i feel a little bad for saying this, but has anyone else noticed that some of the dresses look a little flung together and not fitted properly? Of course not all clothes must look skin tight, but what I mean is that some of them look a little unfinished. And the satin mixed with some of those silhouettes adds a cheap looking quality. But I must move on now in fear that i'll convince myself otherwise of Miu Miu's greatness.

The Good



Thank god we've reached this stage of the review I was feeling a little flustered. After the initial disappointment I came upon some dresses that grabbed me from the water I just plunged myself into and said 'Hey look, Miuccia's still got it!'. I must compliment her on the swan dress, especially for keeping a little animal in her designs. It fits, it hangs wonderfully and reminds me a little of Japanese kimonos and paintings. It has a graceful tranquility about it and I like that. Another thing that grabbed my attention was the stars that have been mixed in the designs, I'm not always taken by stars as I feel they are over used a bit but they give the garments an edgy cool feel which definitely adds some youth to the collection. I especially like the starry skirt with the red and white top. My overall love of the entire collection, a little plain jane but classy was the black, knee length dress with four straps that had a lace like detail cut into the fabric below that reminded me of daisies (very spring time indeed). This is the kind of Italian chic i would love to have vibrated through the whole collection but at least we can admire this. Even the belt adds to it's delicate and womanly appearance and the model looks great!

All in all though I am disappointed, there were a few hidden gems and my love for Miuccia Prada and Miu Miu is still very much there, if not saved by her previous collections. Lets just hope that FW is something more of a treat than a surprise gone wrong. Feel free to disagree with anything i say, after all it's all down to opinion! :)

Once again, all photos copyright of Style.com, i'm just a borrower! If you'd like to see the whole collection click here.

S2011RTW - Elie Saab

I've been on Style.com (one of my favourite fashion sites) searching though the S2011RTW collections, i saw Elie Saab's name amongst the vast list of designers and decided to have a look. As Style.com also noticed there is a definite 70's vibe amongst the elegant garments that floated down the runway and might i just note the delicate pastels ands dreamy silhouettes. The show confirmed that sequins are still going strong and dashes of vivid green, orange and pattern assured us that there is a little something for everyone. I must also add the range of garments that we are provided with here, tailored trousers and shorts to jumpsuits and dresses. What struck me most on the Elie Saab cat walk was the exquisite flowing chiffon gowns that boast gretian goddess and beauty. If i were rich (sadly far from it) i'd snap one of these little beauties up in a second and i'm not a gown kind of girl. I appreciate their craftmanship and detail, even dream of owning one or two, but i'm picky. I hate all that prom dress rubbish that makes satin and tuelle look cheap and tasteless, i'm more simple sleek cocktail dress (usually black). However, i'm a sucker for chiffon, just the way it hangs and the way it feels (not to mention the whole princess feel) makes my eyes light up and tantalises my senses. So i bow down to you Saab you genius. Check out Style.com, all images are copyright of them.