The Swelle Life: The Lovely Strokes

Top 15 Spring 09 RTW Collections

1. Balenciaga
2. Marc Jacobs
3. Alexander McQueen
4. Eley Kishimito
5. Basso & Brooke
6. Luella Bartley
7. Chanel
8. Rodarte
9. Sinha-Stanic
10. Richard Chai
11. Sabyasachi
12. Jonathan Saunders
13. Lanvin
14. Erdem
15. Christopher Kane

This list is interchangeable, really! And could easily have been a Top 25. Selections from these shows can be seen in the 'Spring 09 Wish List' category in the right sidebar

Top Facts about Coco Chanel

1. Began as a hat designer in Paris in 1908.
2. Part of the revolutionising of fashion during the 1910s, freeing women from restrictive clothing such as corseted gowns
3. Launched the famous Chanel suit in 1923.
4. Influential in the creation of the 1920s flapper image.
5. Popularised the LBD with a backless, strapless version that created much controversy.
6. Introduced costume jewelry to the world and the multi-strand style of layering necklaces.
7. Fashion's only figure to be named on Time Magazines 100 most influential people of the 20th century.

May 02, 2008

The Lovely Strokes

Coco_hpainted_dg One of the hottest runway trends this season is hand painting - dresses, tops, T shirts, jackets, scarves - anything that can be embellished with a few strokes of the brush.

Many fashion houses have shown versions of the freehand technique for 2008 (Miu Miu, Prada, Balenciaga, Badgley Mischka, Moschino) yet surprisingly, my favourite look is from Dolce & Gabbana (I just don't relate to the D&G woman, but I may have to reconsider, at least for this season). The duo presented the most beautiful execution of the hand painting trend, combining it with floral motifs and transparent fabrics, two other big elements this season, to create their dresses for their Spring 08 RTW collection. Naturally you pay for such a dreamy piece of wearable art, I've seen price tags well over £2,000 (double that for Can/U.S. dollars) and that's if you can find one for sale, they're selling out fast.

At least the dresses can be considered one-offs, painted freehand by young artists let loose on bolts of silk organza. And this is a trend that transcends trends, you'd never look back and ask 'What was I thinking?'. There's a reason if you review past collections you'll find a handful of labels each season quietly adding painted touches to their designs. Well worth the couple thousand quid, then, ya?