Garden Party with Erdem!

Okay, so its no surprise.  I'm currently obsessed with antique-y looking floral prints on dresses.  I always have been.  Not everyone makes them look like something worth wearing, however.  One of the few who makes an awesome floral-print dress consistently beautiful is Erdem.

Erdem is a London-based design house led by Erdem Moralioglu.  He's of Turkish/English descent from Montreal, Canada and worked for a year under Diane von Furstenberg.  In 2005 he moved to London and started his own line.  Since then he won the British Vogue Fashion Award and is recognized as one of the top up-and-coming designers.  And, boy is he good!

 

One of the things he does so well is use print.  That's so rare!  His prints remind me of re-edited antique floral prints.  The yellow with the red and pink reminds me of this woodblock print by Kono Bairei from 1880.  To me, his dresses from Spring Summer 2011 look like he took prints like this, cut them up and made a collage and then painted over them with watercolors.  Lovely!

Another thing I like so much is the fact that the prints are strategically place to take your eye to the most flattering parts of the dress.  This dress is cut to slim the wearer and then the print leads the eye to the smallest part of the waist, the bust and then the hem to see the model's legs.  Its like a giant sign to "ignore my hips and admire the fact that I have a lovely shape!"  I love it!

Hands down, my favorite dress is the one.  It totally reminds me of antique Japanese woodblock prints of flowers, but in a modern, wearable way.  Love it!  Plus, you can wear this dress on your fattest day and never look like you've had too many cupcakes.  Its classic, its comfortable and its friggin pretty!  I don't know if you've ever played with these dresses in person, but the silk is to die for.  Erdem doesn't scrimp when it comes to materials.  Not at all.  Sure, his stuff is expensive but you get what you pay for!  In this case, its silk worth wearing for the rest of your life.  

Pictures from Erdem, woodblock print from A Private Collection

You may also be interested in my prior post about Peter Som

Vacation Time!

A good part of the time Resort collections feel like they are simply composed of the stuff that was made for other collections that wasn't good enough to be shown but not so terrible as to be completely discarded.  Which is probably Resort is probably the most forgotten and least cared about of all of the "seasons".  

Marni's Resort 2010 collection feels like anything but things that should have stayed on the cutting room floor.  It is classic Marni--interesting pieces that you'll never have a fat day in.  Sure, there were no soul-stirring prints, but the cuts and colors were such that they really aren't "resort" pieces, but a whole collection of classic basics that could be worn year after year.  That is nothing less than a successful collection.

Picture from style.com

Don't Let the Blues Get You Down!

The Fall and Winter season is upon us.  Time for thick wools, layering and dark colors.  Sometimes it just seems to get so dreary and boring with all of the practical colors and shapes.  The color of this season seems to be navy.

I know, navy is such a practical, stodgy color.  But, it doesn't have to be!  It is a great neutral so be paired with bright pops of colors or in interesting prints.  A great example is this Chloe dress--it is navy blue but the dress looks wonderfully effortless and interesting.  The print is beautiful and the cut is incredibly flattering. 

Don't be afraid of traditional, neutral colors--just pay extra attention to things like cut and prints!  Just because it is dreary out doesn't mean you have to look dreary too!

Picture from style.com

Naven Hits The Mark!

Naven is a new indie design company, but that doesn't stop them from making some of the most wearable and cute clothes around!  The designers behind the line are identical twins Alexis and Kymberley McClay from Vancouver, Canada.  They went to college in Southern California, one to design school and other for a business degree at Pepperdine.  

The two women combine to form a dynamic fashion and business duo that cranks out w

omens wear primarily in silk for the young, fashionable woman.  They specialize in adorable minidresses (but, if you ask nicely they can custom make you a longer version of a dress...) and chic blouses but also make swimwear, skirts and just about everything that a young stylish woman could want.  

The line is in its second year and is starting to really be noticed--they are sold at a variety of boutiques and on line.  They also dress Lauren Conrad, Kim Kardashian and a variety of other young women stars.  Not only that, but the designers are some of the nicest people!  Expect to see this line really go somewhere--with their combination of great design and business sense, they really are going to make their mark on fashion!

Pictures from cyanaboutique.com