Giddy'up!

My first experience riding a horse was quite memorable; mostly because the reason it was memorable was why it was also my last time on a horse. Let's just say it involved a fat horse called "Salt & Pepper" and me, a 10-year-old Girl Guide, flying off the saddle straight into the mud.

But that incident hasn't stopped me from loving horses and all things equestrian, especially where fashion is concerned.

John Galliano's haute couture collection for Dior today pulled from many references including equestrian dress with riding hats, nipped-in bright red blazers, ruffled blouses, long tartan skirts and even riding crops. Instead of riding boots, the models wore high leather boots with stiletto heels.

The second part of the show was less about riding and more about old Hollywood glamour. Lots of lace, pouffy taffeta and bows.

Maybe it's time to get back on that saddle.

Couture loses another master?

The fashion world has been given another kick in their stylish pants with the news that Christian Lacroix, the french couture house, has filed for bankruptcy protection today.

The U.S.-owned company has been having major financial issues for years; never making a profit and barely breaking even. Customers have been cancelling or reducing orders and ready-to-wear sales for the fall season were down 35 per cent.

But it's not just Lacroix that's in trouble: Luxury behemoth LVMH just scrapped a plan to open a Louis Vuitton flagship store in Tokyo and earlier this year Chanel laid off 200 temporary employees.

The Times explains the impact of Lacroix's filing:

"The loss of Christian Lacroix to Paris haute couture is immeasurable. Although the designer hopes to hold a small presentation during the July couture season, this was the last house established under the formal couture rules. Even a restructuring would likely have severe implications on his 125-member staff."

But the haute couture market has been on the downturn for a long time; either closing because they didn't make enough of a profit or the great masters have stepped down (or died.)

I wrote an article about the decline of haute couture in Naked Eye magazine and related it to Valentino's retirement. My reason for saying that haute couture was a dying business was because of big business. Couture is not profitable. In fact just putting on an haute couture show can cost millions of dollars which the company will not make back. There are only a handful of people who can afford couture and their numbers are dwindling fast.

So it should be no suprise that Lacroix, renowned for its beautiful couture, is filing for bankruptcy protection. The real money is in accessories and ready-to-wear but even that market is taking a beating since people are realizing that it might be a tad bit insane to spend $1000 on a bag or $3000 on a dress.

The Times says:

"But just as royalty now has less attention than celebrity, so couture has lost its unique prestige, with the word bandied about by any high-end designer. And whereas fragrances produced from the mystique of haute couture once kept the houses afloat, now it is just as likely that a hip jeans brand like Diesel or a celebrity like Jennifer Lopez will have the perfume hit that has stubbornly eluded Lacroix."

So, with Paris Haute Couture week coming quickly in July, will there be one less House showing a collection? A friend of mine thinks that the company will be bailed out but I'm not so sure. Who would want to buy a company that doesn't make money?

But for the sake of fashion, I hope Lacroix will get help and is able to present a collection. We need beautiful clothes to look at now more than ever.

Photos from the Christian Lacroix Spring 2009 Couture show:

Natalia

From the May UK Vogue.

I love how in some of the photos Natalia is posing beside the gowns or halfway out of them with her underwear always peeking out. It's hard to know where to look- at the gorgeous couture or at Natalia. I still can't believe that she's given birth to three kids and still has that body.

Emily Blunt + couture = I DIE

From Vanity Fair magazine; photography by Michael Roberts.

Emily Blunt is doing promotion for her new film, The Young Victoria, in which she plays the late Queen. Fitting then that she model the Paris couture collections: Dior, Givenchy, Gaultier, Valentino, Lacroix, Chanel and Armani.

I love how she is playing a princess/debutante getting ready for a ball. And men tying up her corset! Wonder how Queen Victoria would react to that?

I have a soft spot for historical movies and books so the setting here in what could only be a Parisian chateau has me really excited.

This Dior dress is stunning. So many layers and colours. This photo is so romantic and whimsical.



Getting ready to catch a King.

Are they doing up or untying her corset?



"Let him eat cake!"

"Oh, this old thing? I found it at the back of my closet."


Who needs ladies-in-waiting when you can have hot men at your beck and call?

Just another typical day of trying on the most fabulous shoes in the country.


"You may kiss my hand."


More:

There Will be Beauty

Maybe we don't need models after all

These photos from Stiletto Magazine show that you don't need models, props or exotic locations to showcase beautiful clothes. As they like to say: "The clothes speak for themselves."

Givenchy Haute Couture


Chanel Haute Couture


Christian Lacroix Haute Couture


Maurizio Galante


Giorgio Armani Privé

Change in the fashion industry? Yes, at Givenchy

When I was flipping through the photos of the Givenchy Fall 2008 Couture collection, I thought there was some mistake. The first three models to walk the show were ethnic (Indian and Black.) After newcomer Sessilee Lopez walked, I had a second of madness where I thought the whole show would be filled with non-white models. Of course that didn't happen, and Lopez, Jourdan Dunn and Lakshmi Menon were the only ethnic models in the show, but three is usually three or two ethnic models that shows usually have. And the fact that all three opened the show is really different and I hope a sign that the industry is finally listening to the rest of us: That there needs to be more ethnic models in Western fashion.
Let's see what happens when the ready-to-wear season begins. (Photos: Style.com)

Lakshmi Menon

Jourdan Dunn
Sessilee Lopez

Valentino Fall 2008 Couture

Those watching the show must have been wondering whether new head designer Alessandra Facchinetti would be able to live up to the standards of a genius like Valentino. She didn't disappoint. Facchinetti pulled off a quietly beautiful collection that seems like breath of fresh air in the old House but stays true to the roots of Valentino.
It was a romantic collection with a lot of lace, flowers, embroidery and flowing chiffon that made it seem wistful of a time when women dressed with grace and expected to be rescued by knights.
Facchinetti also revamped the classic Valentino suit with curvy volumes that were almost sci-fi-ish. But sometimes the dresses seemed a little odd; the proportions on a silvery-gold strapless dress looked off, as if it were weighted down by all the material.
But it was still beautiful to look at. This is a good start for the young designer and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.