See Me, Touch Me, Love Me

If you are drawn to surfaces that compel you to run your hands all over them to the point of momentarily forgetting where you are and what you were doing - you're in luck. There is some serious A/W 2008 eye-candy begging to be felt-up.

On my last day at the cottage, I sat down in front of the large bedroom windows overlooking the lake, and began flipping through the current issue of British Vogue. Some complain about all the ads but I love them, I'm beginning to think they're the best part of some of the fashion rags out there. A few pages in I see that Gucci is doing fur as a key element of their Hysteria Collection (aptly named, considering?)...okay, not really into that.

But wait - what's this? Ooh! Wow! Bottega Veneta has done the most incredible coats of fabric loops upon fabric loops that look like they were produced in the most fabulous craft class (above). I haven't yet had a peek at their Fall 2008 RTW so I took the opportunity to see what other goodies were on offer (see how the ads come in handy?). I was delighted to find that Tomas Maier's collection is full of delicious texture (see the dress below - it's like a well-manicured garden of charcoal grey petals), though most of it is quite understated in comparison.

Turning the page I come across Dolce & Gabbana's latest, who I have to admit I'm really loving as of late. With Spring's to-die-for, handpainted, floral dresses and their expertise in smartly layering knits - accessorising them with caps, scarves and boots in a way that takes the look eons beyond the typical approach to cool weather dressing - I'd have to say they make it to the top of my Fall 2008 wish list. Here, the texture is an illusion, with fabrics appearing to  be painted with visible brushstrokes that resemble fur (far less 'hysteria' inducing than Gucci's real thing):

 

Oh wait, I think this is fur here: transparent and gauzy is paired with a lush, curly-textured...fur?:

 

The examples certainly don't end here, but for this post, the final look is a tribute to Linda Evangelista, who is making somewhat of a comeback (she never really went away but she's 'hot' again) as the face for Germaine de Capuccini, L'Oreal Paris and most excitingly, the current Prada ad campaigns (rumour has it Sasha Pivovarova's contract was cancelled). Prada is responsible for bringing back lace in a BIG way this year and naturally it stars in the ad campaign along with our favourite Canadian supermodel (can I mention again that she went to my high school??):

Prada ads from levangelista.net

Other photos from Style.com