Something sparkly to wear

Every year there are numerous parties to attend in December, like the office party or the dinner with our girlfriends and each year we asked ourselves what to wear. Make it easier on yourself, don’t stress about it and remember just to be you !

For this time of the year you can certainly choose a piece in a shinier fabric, it is the festive season after all and a good time to bring out the sparklier pieces in your wardrobe. With black or charcoal of course, you can’t go wrong. Ad a pair of stunning high heels, a small bag, big earrings and you’re done. Please no flat shoes, only high heels !

A pair of skinny black trousers in a shinier fabric is also quite chic and a shoe in something other than black could be a nice focal point. Ad a diamanté necklace or a colored belt (perhaps red or purple) to stand out. Another great and always classy choice would be a white blouse in a mercerized cotton (which makes it look slightly more shiny) with dramatic cuffs, big collar & a V-neckline. Pair this with a long black skirt or trousers.

Wishing you all a fabulous Xmas season and may you experience joy, happiness and love in 2012. I will spend New Years in lovely Paris ! More about that when I return.

Ronelle Anaïs

Valentino – Dare to Dream !

One single letter and the whole world knows who I am talking about ! A man who goes by his first name only…worldwide ! A master of design and artistic ability – VALENTINO.

On Monday (5 Dec) Valentino and Giancarlo Giammetti unveiled the Valentino Virtual Museum at the MOMA in NYC. A project which kept them busy for the past two years. First time ever for a fashion designer to develop such a digital exhibition. It is a downloadable application for PC of Mac, of course on Mac the quality is better.

Aprox. 300 dresses (including original sketches) are on display, a library, photographs,  95 fashion show videos, 5000 photos, portraits of Valentino, and in some cases the dresses can be rotated in 3D.  The designs cover the 60′s, 70′s, 80′s, 90′s, up to his last works. The galleries & wings would take up around 10 000 sq. feet in a real museum.

Having tried it out, I think there are still some work to be done on the technical side. Some dresses are missing shadows and the zooming capability isn’t perfect and some vectors are a little rough. I think the idea is great and it’s fun to look at all the designs, hear the story behind each one and to realize again what a master he is. He had only one thing in mind from day one until he stopped and that was to dress women and make them look like a dream. He probably loved every single piece he ever created, especially the Jackie O’ wedding dress.

From the day when he first started in Rome, in 1959 he had celebrities, wanting to wear his dresses, Liz Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Jackie O’, Sofia Loren. And today the success story carries on with Paltrow, Lopez and many more. You always see his designs on the red carpet each year, people are still devoted and there is a design for every body-type and every age !

Valentino has always dressed women in a very glamorous and sophisticated way and his devotion shows in every piece. He certainly is a very meticulous man. From the couture creations to the ready-to-wear, it’s all magnificent ! Last, but not least…get the Valentino coffee table book – a numbered copy, signed by the master himself, finished in setalux cloth with six-color silkscreen printing, in a clamshell box, covered with Valentino red silk cloth. At a mere CHF1500.

Minaudière

The “minaudiere” – an item which has certainly found its place in the world of fashion ! It has been around for years, but today women of all ages wear it & with jeans it looks just as great, as with evening wear …These pieces are all rounded off with Austrian crystals.

There are two women whom I would like to put emphasis on. The first is certainly very well known to most women in the US, Judith Leiber. She started working as a handbag designer for various companies during Word War II, after she escaped to Switzerland. In the early 60′s she started her own company and over the years to come, she became a household name and a status symbol. You see her “minaudieres” (clutch bag) on the red carpet in LA, accompanying many First Ladies as a jeweled accessoire, every high-end boutique carry them and do you remember the cupcake minaudiere which was featured in the Sex and the City movie ? The has boutiques in various american cities and some of her clutches are priced up to $5000. Leiber was already rated twice as the most prestigious luxury brand by the NYC based Luxury Institute.

   

Another great “minaudière” designer is Silvia Toledano. She is a French artist & painter and her designs are really modern and with no age limit – a fresh touch to a lovely evening clutch. Her minaudières have become a trend and there are close to a 100 models in various colors and designs to choose from. She sees her bags not just as an accessory, but almost like a jewel (well…they are all sparkly). She visits India for inspiration and she gives names to her bags (very neat idea). The “minaudière” can also be worn with a white shirt & jeans and stunning heels, it all depends on the design. Be sure to find the suitable bag in her collection for either a casual evening out or a more formal event. She has stores stores worldwide and her clutches are beautifully packaged. Prices vary between approx. a $1000 and $3000.

      

    

   

It’s clearly two different tastes…The choice is yours !! For more detail, designs and where to find, go to www.judithleiber.com & www.silviatoledano.com