Showing posts with label favourite. Show all posts
Showing posts with label favourite. Show all posts

Monday, May 16, 2011

PortmanteauLists - Top five feather dresses

I have a current obsessionn with feather as part of a feature in my dresses, which is an expensive and time consuming taste to have. Helped along by the fact that hand sewing allows me to work in the garden whilst sunbathing, I managed to get a few pieces done lately - however, until further financial notice my enjoyment is limited to the drooling over feathered dresses I've adored in the past, most of which are by the indisputable king of feather detailling, the late Alexander McQueen.

1. Alexander McQueen

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYx9uirdxR594U9hqehptWa7OXNJgpRKSzjzGKo8_amyRf4WA7BWJfnO6K7db3kRxBKfPmHfKMw8md7IrIzyP-xFWrk8ZMQfm41g8A4G2PI6EctZ7aTzGgPNxGNuqHr-rn5lubg-5Fsk/s1600/alexandermcqueen13.jpg

Image by Fashionfoiegras (thanks for sharing this piece of perfection with us)

2. Atelier Versace

http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/imageBank/cache/p/pen2.jpg_e_9173ec0b0766b3b5f291e5efb496108d.jpg
Penelope Cruz in Versace at the Oscars

3. Alexander McQueen Fall 2008

http://baremagazine.org/Blog_images/alexandermcqueen.jpg
Image taken from Bare blog

4. Oscar de la Renta Spring 2008

http://images.nymag.com/fashion/fashionshows/2008/spring/main/newyork/womenrunway/oscardelarenta/images/53.jpg
Taken from NY Fashion Mag

4. D&G A/W 2011

http://www.style.com/slideshows/2011/fashionshows/F2011RTW/DG/RUNWAY/00520m.jpg
Taken from Felifashion

Please share some beautiful feathered dersses if you like, I can't get enough of them.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

PortmanteauLists - Top five (mainly) TV kisses of the last two decades

Following my imminent and continuous self-imposed re-training of a cynic in intensive therapy, I've taken to insisting on girly talk with girl and boy friends and watching what-I-now-no-longer-call-soppy-but-merely-romantic films and series. In the spirit of this session I've put together my favourite kisses which didn't make me gag but genuinely aww and/or find very hot (am I allowed to say that or does this violate the "girly" rules?)

Post me your top five in the comments, I'm curious to see what everyone else came up with - and listen to Silly Love Songs (Yes, the Glee version for obvious reasons) while you look at the gifs. Enjoy!



1. Kurt and Blaine aka Klaine / Blurt in Glee

http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_li9c4cdaLT1qfnn7co1_500.gif

http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq14/cutestlaugh/KlaineKiss.gif
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/larathebountyhunter/Gifs/tumblr_li57vaavCc1qfoe0po1_250.gif
http://i53.tinypic.com/vg0dpi.jpg

Trust me, apart from the B&W topsy turvy close up, these are all different parts of the same kiss. Take a close look. Seriously. We can all learn from this kiss, I've never seen a kissing scene so perfectly executed. Emotions, intensity, technique, drive, timing, context and serious, serious levels of hotness. Did I mention intensity?

2. Blair and Chuck aka Chair in Gossip Girl

http://05.img.v4.skyrock.net/052/peress2/pics/2951029199_1_3.gif http://1e.img.v4.skyrock.net/1e3/threewords/pics/2128631877_2.gif

Hot. If they didn't cover the essentials so much with positioning and annoying overlaid cinematic effects this could almost be classified soft porn.

3. Willow and Tara in Buffy

http://www.gifsoup.com/webroot/animatedgifs4/1615357_o.gifhttp://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lawuzaVrER1qco08co1_400.gif

First kiss I ever cared about. Ever.


4. Joan and Cherie aka Kristin and Dakota in The Runaways

http://sin-stuff.com/lgbt/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/kristen-stewart-dakota-fanning-runaways-kiss.gif
http://i780.photobucket.com/albums/yy84/asoulenchanted/Kristen/ds-kiss.gif
http://cdn.fd.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Runaways-lovegun.gif

Hnnnf.
That is all. Damn that groping law. "I wasn't actually allowed to grope her or anything. There were major restrictions."



5. Rachel and Ross in Friends

http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgihgkzXET1qg011wo1_500.gifhttp://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/21400000/Ross-Rachel-kiss-ross-and-rachel-21419534-268-193.gif

Aww.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Oscars and Gowns

Where Oscar de la Renta plays a bigger role than the winning role of the state of American decadence as Oscar Wilde pointed out*, the Oscar Awards march towads awarding the roles of cinema. I, for one, take the opportunity to enjoy some of the most spectacular gowns of the past decade and thank all three Oscars, whichever their proposition or position. In order of preference, none less...

http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/imageBank/cache/p/pen2.jpg_e_9173ec0b0766b3b5f291e5efb496108d.jpg
Penelope Cruz in Versace

http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/imageBank/cache/r/rexfeatures_334498ar.jpg_e_e16039f43d322e1bcb3fe8e3a2b29c2f.jpg
Julia Roberts in Vintage Valentino

http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/imageBank/cache/r/rexfeatures_854550aj.jpg_e_e16039f43d322e1bcb3fe8e3a2b29c2f.jpg
Anne Hathaway in Armani Privé

http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/imageBank/cache/z/Zoe-Saldana17.jpg_e_e16039f43d322e1bcb3fe8e3a2b29c2f.jpg
Zoe Saldana in Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci

http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/imageBank/cache/k/kate-h1.jpg_e_e16039f43d322e1bcb3fe8e3a2b29c2f.jpg
Kate Hudson in Versace

http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/imageBank/cache/r/rexfeatures_739789fv.jpg_e_e16039f43d322e1bcb3fe8e3a2b29c2f.jpg
Penelope Cruz in custom made Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld

http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/imageBank/cache/r/rexfeatures_514545y.jpg_e_e16039f43d322e1bcb3fe8e3a2b29c2f.jpg
Hilary Swank in Guy Laroche

* Oscar Wilde quote - "America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between."

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Details at House of Holland

Usually I prefer to follow the impression a collection makes on me as a whole. However, there are details that particularly speak to me as a designer and others which make me cringe. Sometimes I come across pieces and features throughout a collection which I wish I had been in charge of so as to exclude those little details that would have made the garment perfect, in my eyes. Each to their own, of course, but at the House of Holland show this feeling was particularly prominant, most likely because I use so many of the features in my own pieces (the good ones only, of course ;).

The overal fun preppy tweed and colored print and tights, wonderfully formed collars, color combinations that should hurt the eyes but simply make you think "well yes, of course" and pearls in detail I appreciated as greatly as the sporty cuts and striped socks over University common room pool ball or letters tights. I personally didn't enjy the random lace, occasional double front skirt slits and the "intercourse" indicating lewd hand sign print on an oversized jumper was plain out of place - if not in the story of University students in layers, surely sartorially.









Love the pearl sleeves - in fact, I would don this outfit out and about if I were that tall.





This dress would happily find a place in a Lira Leirner collection - the back is a deep V-neck, too, none other.















Pink and orange? Well, of course.





Pearls, bustier neckline, tweed, length and shape - all very familiar with Lira Leirner designs in mind







All images courtesy of Vogue.com - please click the link to view the entire House of Holland Autumn/Winter 2011-12 collection

Portmanteau Fashion Week Favourites: Jonathan Saunders

Maybe I'm close minded, but I always maintain there's only one's own aesthetic one should follow in the process of deciding which pleasures of culture to share - at least on their own blog, surely that's allowed. My own, most certainly in fashion, are classic, minimalistic, neat and balanced - sometimes elaborately and intrinsically theatrical, but I don't harbor much love for the sartorially depressing reminders of the shades of the weather we are witnessing.

Sure, shapes should be explored, and silhouettes pushed but that doesn't mean I have to always like it. Unfortunately, this season there have been some painful silhouettes witnessed - remember the Chanel couture horror a few weeks ago? Despite the love I felt for many of the menswear Burberry pieces, their interpretation for the female figure was often merely that - and worse. Of course the figure hugging shapes were represented in the traditional coat line, however, the new silhouettes explored I could name nothing but "miss" with the gravity working its way in pulling down the corners of my mouth in disappointment. I'm aware I'm picking at the big ones, because I know it doesn't affect them, but that unfortunately doesn't mean I have been too impressed with the mejority of the smaller collections this season either.

However, some rays of light always shine through, and contrast more starkly than usual in their aesthetically and technically pleasing collections against the melee of gray mass that has spread this season.

One of them is Jonathan Saunders. Heralded even by Vogue.com as "one of the highlights of [London fashion] week", it's primly high necked yet flattering silhouettes in beautiful and young colors evoked a smile in my soul with beautiful William Morris reminiscent prints on solid, flattering structures and base colors.



























































All images courtesy of Vogue.com - click on the link to see the rest of the collection!