Stella Jean Lookbook: Spring 2013

I have just stumbled upon a designer, that, up to a few hours ago was completely unknown to me. Stella Jean, the product of an Italian father and Haitian mother, visibly blends the two profoundly diverse cultures through her creations, contrasting yet linking the refined elegance of Europe against the tropical fantasy of the Caribbean as a way to express her dual cultural identity.

This union is not difficult to notice in her Spring 2013 collection, which explodes with multicoloured prints, ethnic golden jewellery, Caribbean silk headscarves, flowing skirts and straw hats, all on which Stella Jean firmly stamps her unique seal. Into the exotica she blends a somewhat 50's vibe through the elegant below-the-knee hemlines, raincoats and denim shirts all of which make to create a rich melting-pot of eras and influences by pitting the old against the new, the East against the West. The two veins of culture that intertwine throughout give the collection a refreshing vitality through style and colour.

I'll finish by saying that I'm glad I've found her and I cannot wait to see what she will come up with next. What about you?

 

 

The Ulyana Sergeenko Lookbook: Spring 2013

Ulyana Sergeenko, thirty-two year old Russian model, photographer and blogger, only until recently made her debut into the fashion world. At first renowned for her unique Anna Karenina street-style aesthetic, she then launched her eponymous couture line in 2011, which has only garnered more adoration for her sumptuous outfits.

Sergeenko's creations appear to be a halfway point between a marked nostalgia of old-world Russia and her own personal street-style. They are unashamedly reminiscent of the decadence of Russian aristocracy under the Tsarist regime yet all seem vaguely familiar when we remember the clothes that she herself used to sport when snapped by photographers on the streets of Moscow. "They are clothes I love to wear" she says "but they are also for every woman who wants to be beautiful."

Beautiful, indeed, is the word to describe her Spring Collection, which, this season took a turn to the West, remembering in more ways than one the classic American tale Gone with the Wind. Although retaining traditional Russian roots, Sergeenko's full-length corseted gowns, frills, crochet embroidery, velvet capes and hand-painted porcelain buttons, adorned with straw hats and parasols sparkle with the evocative romance and theatricality of the folktale. The meticulousness of detail that she pays to every item along with her innate ability to transport the wearer and the observers to another time through the power of clothing demonstrate that she is definitely one to watch for the seasons to come.

Paint The Town Red: RTW Spring 2013

One of the most noticeable trends on the catwalk this season has been the colour red. From Dolce to Dior, Valentino to Versace, nearly all haute couture spring collections seemed to pay homage to it. An array of clothes donning the hot new colour were presented to us in the forms of sultry sanguine cinched-in suits, coral red cocktail dresses, fiery crimson ball gowns and silky cerise kimonos, all of which exuded sensuality and sophistication. So if you have to take away one message from the catwalk, take this: forget blacks and ditch greys and dare to be daring in red - this season's hot new colour!

Christian Dior RTW 2013

Alexander McQueen RTW 2013

Burberry Prorsum RTW 2013

Valentino RTW 2013

Dolce & Gabbana RTW 2013

Jonathan Saunders RTW 2013

Ralph Lauren RTW 2013

Nina Ricci RTW 2013

Miu Miu RTW 2013

 

Versace RTW 2013