The Serpentine's Summer Party was packed with fabulously-dressed celebs, CQ fave Roisin Murphy turned up sporting a great outfit, the lady knows how to accessorise!
Other celebrity guests included Erin O'Connor, Lily Collins, Zandra Rhodes and Thandie Newton. Keeping the pop flag flying were Little Boots and Paloma Faith, and Grayson Perry represented the art gang, in his amazing appliqué dress. Topshop dressed many of the guests, including Poppy Delevigne and Jade Parfitt which is a great coup for the high street chain.
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Jean Paul Gaultier switched on the glamour for his couture show, as models strutted out in retro red-carpet gowns and luxurious furs.
There was a hint of futurism, but that too was seen through sepia lenses. The art deco cagelike structures and spaceman quilting hinted at films like Metropolis and Hollywood's golden age of movie-making. Overalls are big news, and they were given the JPG touch in crocodile skin or jewels while angular tailoring made the most of trenches and one-shouldered dresses carried on the glam theme. [Photos: Wenn.com]
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Galliano did brights, Lacroix stuck to darks, but with Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy it was a whole other caper. For his A/W '09 couture offering, Bedouin princess warriors semi-concealed in chiffon hoods and gold Middle Eastern jewellery added the much-appreciated dramatic element.
There were also tailored velvet jackets, sarouel-trousers, native embroidered gowns, and delicate sheer skirts that we have come to see touches of in nearly every collection. Madonna may have been absent, despite Tisci creating couture looks for her current Sticky & Sweet tour, but this mattered not to his medieval fashion feast. [Photos: Coutorture]
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Maison Martin Margiela's Artisanal collection is shown at the same time at the couture shows but it always feels like more of a sketchpad for their main collection.
Inventive as always, there were waistcoats made from false eyelashes and impressive coats crafted from garlands but the real show-stopper was the waistcoat made from biro lids, it showed the house's creativity & skills using even the most basic of materials. They also worked with vintage furs, shaving them to produce new shapes. A DIY blogger trend in the making?
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The crowd stood to applaud Christian Lacroix as he unveiled what could be his last haute couture collection yesterday. The designer, whose fashion house has endured recent economic troubles and staff lay-offs, showed 24 autumn/winter '09 looks, which were privately financed.
The largely dark-coloured collection favoured simplicity in short skirt suits and taffeta dresses. There was also hints of sequins, draped bows, more sheer tulle, and bell-shaped capes. But the biggest applause came for an incredibly dramatic satin bridal gown, embellished in brightly coloured roses and gold gilding. Worn by Vlada Roslyakova, the saint-like creation closed the show with an emotional Lacroix. The only thing missing was the red carnations that the designer has finished with at every couture show since 1987. [Photos: Coutorture]
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Fearne Cotton has teamed with buddy Holly Willoughby for a collection on new shopping site Very. Featuring accessible pieces that every high street lover will covet we love the leopard print coat and the striped dress, below.
Very hosts Peaches Geldof for PPQ, Jasmine Guinness and has Louise Roe on board to dispense fashion advice. Fearne said: "I have really enjoyed the entire process from start to finish and working with Holly and the other designers has just been fantastic. I like to be adventurous in my style choice and I really think a lot of my personality is reflected in the range."
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The Couture shows start today in Paris, but while we wait excitedly for those images to trickle through feast your eyes on our Resort Rundown.
Resort & couture give us a mini fashion fix before the A/W collections debut in September, expect OTT and high drama from couture, but resort is a simpler, more low key affair. It's a fashion treat for your Monday where big names like Louis Vuitton and Givenchy jostle for space with some of the more unfamiliar designers like Richard Chai, great for getting that summer feeling!
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