these are a few of my favorite things: winter 2009!

ok guys, so my laptop is still messed up and i don't really have anywhere to update from because i can't store files on my mom's computer. the only place i can update is from work because i installed my image editing program here and whatnot. i don't come to work often (it's more of a volunteer thing) and so i can't update often, especially since updates take a while to do (making graphics and whatnot). i've missed blogging a lot, and have missed reading your comments and all that jazz. every time a new season comes along i make a 'favorites' post, listing some of my favorite items for the season. there are always some expensive items and some more affordable items. i hope you enjoy this!
♥ me

p.s. i am out of school for the time being (don't you just loveeee winter break?), but in mid january i will go back to the drudgery of school. :P hopefully i can get in more updates during the break!

(to see full size click on it, i know the labels look fuzzy)

ok, so before anyone tells me anything: i know that this collage is very black and grey. i'm usually a more coloful gal but lately i've been leaning towards the darker side? my mom LOVES black and of course with a love of black she loves grey as well, and i always resisted that and tried to be more colorful but i guess now she's rubbing off on me. oh well, black is always in.

i am so in love with the giambattista valli silk lace knee length dress. it is so classy. i know i could buy this now and wear it forever. it is $1,625 at netaporter.com and by golly, if i had the money i'd buy it!

knee high and thigh high boots are so in right now, and before everyone started wearing them all the fashion bloggers were anticipating the high boot craze because they were all over the runways and so eventually they'd have to be in the stores. i have to say, i wasn't quite sure if i'd hop onto the high boot bandwagon or not but i am absolutely loving them now. i especially love brian atwood's new davis suede boots! just pair them with a sweater dress/sweater coat, put on sunglases, a hat, spritz on some perfume and dash out the door!

of course i have ysl tribtoo's on the list. they are so perfect. netaporter only has them in grey patent leather but they are also available in suede as well as many other colors.

on the cheaper end of the fashion spectrum is the poked bead ring prices at a nice $9.99 at pinkice.com. i love it's warm coloring, with it's muted pink beads and firey stone in the center as well as the dark metal that complements it nicely. the ring also has a not so perfect round shape that can be seen more clearly if you look at it from a bird's eye view.

i am currently obsessed. O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D. i am obsessed with getting my hands on ck one. it reminds me of my childhood and it's a classic, fresh, invigorating scent. i keep saying i'm going to order it, but never get around to it. i will by the end of the year.

i am using burt's bees herbal blemish stick and i am very pleased with it's results. i was having major breakouts in the cheek/jaw region for some unknown reason and by using the all natural blemish stick my blemishes have gone down. my skin still has a long way to go. but i think that i've learned my lesson from switching up my facial care products: my skin likes burt's bees. i think i'm going to try and use more of their products.

thanks for reading, what are your winter faves?

:(

i am very upset at the moment.
my laptop has a virus. so most likely i will not be posting the 2nd part of my coverage of paris fashion week as all of my infor for that i son my infected laptop. i don't know how frequently i'll be posting, if at all. i'll try my best, but it's looking bad. between school, family life, and other general frustrations i don't really know how this will all turn out. we'll see.
- me

my fake interview with...hilary swank

like me, hilary is a july baby (hollaaa!). she was born july 30, 1974 in bellingham, washington, USA. her full name is hilary ann swank and showed an interest in acting at a young age, acting as mowgli in the play "the jungle book" at age nine. her breakout role was the next karate kid (1994) and she won her first oscar for boys don't cry and the second oscar for "million dollar baby". not only is she an amazing actress, but she's also a skilled athlete. she is a superb swimmer, gymnast and she loves all things outdoorsy. the list doesn't stop there, she has amazing red carpet style. this faux interview with the lovely hilary swank is merely a fiment of my imagination that i've decided to share with you all. these are questions i would ask hilary if i had the chance, and the answers that she "gives" are what i think she might say. i could be totally wrong about how she would reply, but this is all for fun. :)

me: hi hilary, it's so nice to meet you! i admire your style and your acting ability.

hilary: [smiles] thank you!

me: alright, so into the questions we go: i read that you were once a vegetarian. is that true, and why are you not a vegetarian anymore?

hilary: yes it is is true that i was once a vegetarian, i tried it because i wanted to eat healthier and i thought that having a stricter diet would rid my bodies of toxins and all that. and eating mainly veggies is a great ting, vegetables hhave so many vitamins, minerals and nutrients and a great stand in for meat are nuts. however, i soon found out that being a vegetarian made my breath stink so badly, and i missed the taste of meat. i can still keep lean and eat meat, but i do still eat more vegetables than i did before i was a vegetarian.

me: i don't think i could ever be a vegetarian...but it's cool that you tried it. alright, as i said before i truly admire your acting ability. to be a great actress you really have to throw yourself into the role , and that's not always an easy thing to do. you've been rewarded for your geat work with an oscar for boys don't cry and million dollar baby. with all of these accolades, do you think you could be the next great actress, a la meryl streep?

hilary: thanks for the comment but....comparing me to meryl streep...wow! that's huge. i don't think i'm at her standard yet and if i will ever be at her standard, but being as great as she is is definitely a goal and i absolutely adore her.

me: how was it working on your new film about amelia earhart?

hilary: it was fantastic, i loved working with mira nair (the director) and richard gere. i felt right at home with this role for some reason and i love the story of amelia earhart. she is such a great icon of female strength and wit.

me: would you do another biographical film again?

hilary: i don't know, it depends on who the story is about and what their message was. i wanted to play this role because i loved amelia's gutsiness. she was determined to take a trip around the world, and she was a female pilot in times when females were defined as strictly dainty creatures. in the world we live in now, there is a clearer understanding of what women want and what women are like. we want adventure and fun in life just as men do, we're not just satisfied with staying at home and having children, even though children are great. there are so many different aspects to life that women want to experience and amelia took her life into her own hands and was successful. she is remembered for her determinedness.

me: ok, you look great on the red carpet pretty much every time i see you. i'm going to pick some of my favorite looks i've seen you in and tell me how you were feeling at that moment. ok?

hilary: alright [smiles], i'm excited for this!

me: hilary, you were absolutely divine in this herve leroux for guy laroche gown. you looked so sexy and elegant all at the same time. this is one of my favorite red carpet looks of all time. absolutely amazing. simply sublime! *spazzes*

hilary: [laughs] thank you so much. i do get a lot of compliments on that look! i was so excited to be at the oscars and i felt great in the dress.

1st look from the left

me: this is a more recent look that you wore to the premiere of your movie 'amelia'. you look so elegant, did you pick out this dress yourself?

hilary: thanks again, i really love this dress. i've never worn anything from vionnet, but when my stylist showed me this gorgeous gown i knew i had to wear it. i really love the draping and the color. it's like a dark, rich teal.

2nd look from the left

me: you always bring an elegance to the red carpet everytime i see you. you're not exactly on a red carpet here though, you were front row at the tommy hilfiger spring 2009 show. i love this look. it could work for dinner, for work, even for a red carpet event.

hilary: i love shirtdresses. they are so classic and so easy to wear. and i like how professional i look, yet at the same time i still have that mysterious look going on because of the beautiful deep navy color of this dress.

3rd look from the left

me: i'm noticing something about you, you like blues, greens and purples. and you look great in them. if you still have this dress in your wardrobe can i borrow it for...say...forever?

hilary: unfortunately i had to return this dress [makes sad face], but if i had it i would let you borrow it.

me: yippee!

hilary: i didn't notice that i wore so many cool colors on the red carpet.

me: if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

hopefully you all enjoyed reading this, tell me if you love the red carpet looks that i pulled up. :)
and yes, i know i'm taking forever to post the 2nd and last part of paris fashion week. i am so unbelievably busy. being a student is difficult, and i have so much work i have to take care of. i'm surprised i had time to make this post, but i'll be trying to post again as soon as possible. thanks to the people who comment me and take the time to visit my blog. i do appreciate it.

images from google images and wire image and W magazine

Paris Fashion Week: Spring 2010 Part I

I know this entry is late as paris fashion week has been done for a bit of time now, but this entry is still going to be as good as if i had posted it earlier. paris fashion week seemed to start off slow and got better as it went on. it wasn't my fave fashion week, i prefered milan fashion week and new york fashion week the best i think, but all of the fashion weeks were so entertaining and showcased the true talent of the designers and their staff.
♥ me

isabel marant- marant's rock chick girls turn into "boho pirates" for spring 2010 according to style.com. i liked the slight irreverence of this show, it wasn't overly fashiony or serious and the slouchy boots and flouncy dresses are things i can see a lot of girls wearing.

hussein chalayan- this collection showed off a more wearable, streamlined design from chalayan than i have seen. i am much more used to his abstract, out of this world designs. the closing look, which is the white one shouldered dress to the far right is so cool because it has a white fist closing around the single shoulder strap.

givenchy- the cone hats were super weird and super ugly, but some of the clothes were actually nice. did you love this collection as much as every fashionista seems to?

giles- giles deacon really is a genius. he combined colors and fabrics that i would never think went together and made it all chic. the show was very kitschy with some dresses and other clothes featuring tarantula print. there were a lot of frills, short hemlines and outrageous accessories, but a fashionista with a more classic style sensibility could still find great pieces in this collection.

giambattista valli- i absolutely loved this show. it seemed more pared down from the usual valli shows (and it was), but as the show went on, the glamour, the structure and the beauty of his designs were apparent. featured were confetti like ruffles, feathers, huge ruffles around the neck, beaded embellishment, animal print and sheer bodices.

gareth pugh- woohoo for gareth pugh! although his shows always have a gothic overtone and i am by no means a goth, his clothes are so well made that you can't help but love his collections. these are versatile clothes that you can buy and put in your wardrobe and adapt to your style. that is the genius of gareth pugh.

emanuel ungaro- style.com is so judgmental. just because lindsay lohan's name was attached to the ungaro show it was deemed a failure. first of all, the house of ungaro got rid of it's creative director estaban cortazar and hired estrella archs and had lindsay lohan as an artistic director. for their first hand at a collection for emanuel ungaro, they did a good job. they delivered on great party dresses that a lot of young hollywood could wear. yes, the sequin heart pasties were strange, but they were few. style.com said the harem pants were absolutely atrocious, but honestly...no designer has won me over in the harem pant department, not even the loved givenchy. picking on lindsay lohan, just because she is lindsay lohan is pretty low. kudos to estrella archs and lohan for a good debut collection.

elie saab- elie saab can do no wrong. this season he took some inspiration from balmain and made an edgier collection with a darker color palette and emphasized shoulders and tight dresses. his show still had his signature stamp of class though.

collette dinnigan- lovely. my favorite piece is the aquamarine ombre sequined dress.

christian dior- amazing, as usual! :) this collection was based on 40s film noir and wartime fashion as well as playing around with the look of lingerie that john galliano explored in detail for his recent collection for christian dior.

chanel- this was a fun show that centered aroung all things country and farm based. models had wheat in their hair, walked out of a hay filled stall and walked flirtily around the chanel set with clogs and remixes of the chanel suit. a lot of great, fun, young, stylish clothes were featured that i know celebs will be jostling for. the show featured 72 beautiful looks, and all of the models looked genuinely happy to be there.

celine- phoebe philo does it again. watching this show made me feel clean, happy and bubbly. the design aesthetic was sharp and clean, the color palette for spring was great and i loved the model's clean faces and gently pulled back hair. the clothes were simple, but not boring.

ann demeulemeester- i like it. i like it. long skirts are love, especially when made this well.

andrew gn- andrew gn delivered with more stunning jewel embellishments, bright colors and modern girly cuts of clothing. i am so in love with the second dress from the left. it's purple print is divine and this dress would pair perfectly with my purple gem ring that i have yet to wear.

alexander mcqueen- this show started off with a bunch of out of this world, abstract, weird, unwearable looks and then eased back into wearable pieces with amazing prints. this show was absolutely insane. the work that went into making these prints and these intricate clothes, and the model's makeup and sculpted hair was immense! and the shoes were so high. this collection was based on the sea creatures that humans are supposed to turn into when our polar ice caps melt. >.>

akris- akris's shows are always perfect. they make perfect clothes. perfect lines, perfect fabrics, perfect colors that can benefit any warddrobe. this brand should have long been on my list of favorites, and now that they are there, they will probably be there forever. the color palette consisted of white, cream, powder blue, pale beigey grey, black, pumpkin orange, brick red and chocolate brown. the big, pillowy yet structured white bags they featured were heavenly.

a.f. vandevorst- sheer garments paired with thick and skinny leather belts. with this show, it was all about presentation. i wasn't expecting to like this show, but the show had a clear, cohesive message and that always attracts me.

fashion week notes

rochas- i did like this collection, but as with many other good collections, i needed it to be great. women are always on the search for great pieces, not just good.

limi feu- the model's didn't even look good in the clothes and limi yamamoto (the designer) didn't look happy after the presentation...so....why should i be excited about this?

anne valerie hash- i fell in love with one look, a metallic top and skirt combo with a ruffle going down the midline of the skirt but a lot of the other pieces weren't wearable and did not excite me.

rick owens- this collection got interesting at the end with some metallic pieces and cropped jackets with high collars...but by then i had lost interest.

nina ricci- all of the red carpet dresses from this collection were absolutely stunning, but peter copping (the new guy at nina ricci) has taken the house in a way different direction than olivier theyskens did, so it was kind of discombobulating...but i'm sure i'll be in love with this new direction for nina ricci next season.

bruno pieters- didn't excite me.

balmain- the show was good, and interesting, but i couldn't find enough pieces that i liked. i know, i know...it's balmain...but i just couldn't like enough pieces. all of the models looked like glammed up cavewomen or old army vets in model's bodies...and some of the looks were great, and others can only be worn by models.

balenciaga- straight hair, prints, architectural draping, blah, blah, blah....whatever.

azzaro- i loved the cute dresses and jackets azzaro presented, but i was expecting more, especially since i loved their fall 2009 collection so much. the closing dress was absolutely beautiful and simple. i'm sure we'll see it somewhere other than the runway.

maison martin margiela- this wasn't the best show but it wasn't death dealingly horrible as style.com lamented. still...it does seem like margiela has lost a bit of its touch.

issey miyake- dai fujiwara, the head of issey miyake at the moment, tried to cover a bunch of themes in his show and it didn't work to the show's betterment.

undercover- this show was sporty and futuristic, with dark ambient prints, anorak blouses, slim and short trousers, models with slicked back hair and orange lines drawn under their eyes and brown leather detail on some of the clothes.

sophia kokolasaki- the show was good, but i was expecting more. some of the shoes were absolutely fab though.

jean paul gaultier- his inspoiration: madonna's cone bra that he designed, gang girls, cornrows and afro puff ponytails, overalls....he played with very interesting concepts and let pregnant jourdan dunn walk the runway but he still couldn't win me over.

haider ackermann- lots of draping and shiny fabrics, and one model walked the runway holding half of her chest.

commes des garcons- this show had a few coherent looks such as looks 17 and 28. and this was one of the better commes des garcons shows i have seen but it was not collage worthy....sorry :/

kris van assche- nothing special. black, leather, and greased down hair.

dries van noten- lots of ethnic prints and slouchy cuts. this collection was't as fun and inspiring as his past two.

costume national- ennio capasa was looking to make a really intrigueing collection, but it didn't work for me. the models looked great in the super, super short shorts...but who else would? most of the gowns were shapeless and looked half tattered so costume national isn't getting my vote for the spring 2010 season. although i loved the bag karmen pedaru walked out in for the first look.

yves saint laurent- i don't know what's going on with ysl, but this collection was sloppy, random and a bit too on the minimalistic side for me.

vanessa bruno- an improvement from past shows.

tim hamilton- a very severe look of black lips, slicked back hair, monochrome super tailored outfits and nipples exposed through sheer blouses. i liked some of it though...not the nipple exposure part.

chloe- this show was sooo boring. the simplicity didn't look chic at all. what was up with the monogrammed pieces? i wonder how the ad campaign will look for this collection.

wunderkind- this was weird. sheerness, body stockings based off of medical wrapping, arrows....??

hermes- i absolutely loved the sporty clean preppiness of this show. the theme was tennis, and jean paul gaultier made beautiful use of the theme. i fell in love with his tennis infused classic hermes bags the instant i saw them, and i loved that the models' hair look so clean. however the looks weren't standout...they were nice though.

miu miu- i did like this collection, but i couldn't find enough pieces that i absolutely loved. it was a great show though, with cute cat, dog and tree prints, colored shirts and above the knee office skirts and long braided ponytails on the models.

chepa makeup advocate: mark juice gems and covergirl lashblast

i love finding cheap makeup and having it work beautifully for me. a while ago i received mark juice gems in the color juicy fig, a beautiful sparkling neutral lip color, the hue of light brown wheat. i love the fact that it has a thick consistency but is not unbearably sticky, and it has a great scent. at $6.00 for .5 fl oz of a great lipgloss formula, mark juice gems are a great product.

mark juicy gems picture from http://www.meetmark.com/

last week i got covergirl lashblast for $5. usually you see it in stores for upwards of $7.99 and only occasionally can you see it for buy one get one free. since i had cash on me, and i'd heard such great things about covergirl lashblast i had to try it, and i was pleased. i got the waterproof formula which looked nice on my lashes. i think it gave me good volume. i'm not sure if it gave me as much length as i wanted it to, but it is a great mascara. it really brings attention to the eye.

covergirl lashblast picture from google images
i also love the cool rubbery wand!

i'm hoping to get some more makeup to try out...mainly eyeshadows from a great site i've just found. i don't know when i'll have the time to try them out but i can't wait until i do so that i can tell you about them.

look forward to the last entries for fashion week spring 2010 from paris.
♥ me

MILAN FASHION WEEK: SPRING 2010 PART I

as for london fashion week, milan fashion week has been condensed down to one post! yay! as always i was thoroughly impressed with milan fashion week. i loved a great number of shows from milan fashion week but if i had to narrow down my faves to four (which is very hard!) i would say versace, pollini, gucci and emilio pucci were my faves and i wish i could squeee aquilano.rimondi into the fave four...but obviously i can't. anyway, i hope you enjoy this post as always.
♥ me

versus- this was a great rtw debut for versus. christopher kane did a great job as donatella versace agrees and versus reflects the sex appeal of versace with the kitsch of christopher kane combined. all of these dresses are fun and young without being too thoughtless. i think that the sparkly dress to the far right would look great on emma watson, and it's also a good dress for those with warm brown skintones because of the pewter sparkly embellishments and the sandy color of the body of the dress.

versace- lots and lots of prints and body conscious looks. i was so surprised to see so many prints, it almost felt like a pucci show! lots of geometricism was used as well, such as constructing parts of the dresses out of triangle shaped fabric or making triangular patterns in the dresses.

trussardi 1911- i've never seen a show from them before, at least i don't remember the name of this fashion house. apparently, it's been in existence for quite some time and i'm liking the earthy, warm, purely italian feel it has. all of these dresses are begging to be worn for a night on the town.

pollini- *sigh* print perfection. i am in love. i loved the checked, strappy shoes with the big black bows and the model's soft ponytail. this collection was trendsetting. i expect to see alot of big bowed shoes, drapey plaid dresses as well as fullskirted trench coat dresses in stores. or at least any stores that want me as a customer. :)

neil barrett- this collection was simple and refreshing with a palette of black and white and with the concept that the guy should be brought out in every girl. it worked out well.

moschino cheap & chic- the spring 2010 collection for moschino cheap & chic was inspired by the fusion of mod style and flower child flair.

moschino- at moschino we saw a tasteful reinterpretation of the 80s with lots of gold hardware such as big gold hoop earrings, gold high heeled sandals and gold chained bags, as well as bright colors, prints and shorter hemlines.

iceberg- this collection drew inspiration from mickey mouse on safari. now if that isn't original, what is? paolo gerani did a great job by making this idea work. there are a lot of great, fun, red carpet as well as party or event pieces in this collection.

gucci- this collection can be described as beautiful sportswear. the color palette as well as the prints were clean and bright, metallic detailing on dresses, skirts, jackets and pants were used to contour the model's body and all of the model's hair was slicked back neatly. this collection was really original and inspiring and had a different feel from all of the other shows i've seen so far, including new york and london fashion week. it was lovely. i'm going to make a prediction ( who knows if it will actually happen): blake lively will wear a dress from this collection. she likes showing off her body and her cleavage, and she's worn dresses similar to the cut of some of the gucci ones in the spring 2010 collection so i'm sure she'll wear something from this presentation.

giorgio armani- i loved armani's abundant use of blues in this collection. they were the most beautiful shades of blue, deep and brooding or light and floaty.

gianfranco ferre- : loved it! lots of use of light, floaty materials such as organza, chiffon and lame as well as light colors. models wore lightly crimped hair and blank faces.

gabriele colangelo- very elegant with signature italian flair.

etro- i don't usually like etro shows, but i enjoyed this one. there was less attention put into creating annoying pasiley prints and more attention put into creating piece that many different women (hippie or no hippie) would like to wear.

emilio pucci- looks: 2,20,28,34 peter dundas is a godsend for the house of emilio pucci. i fell in love with his debut collection and i am head over heels for the perfection that is his spring 2010 collection for emilio pucci.

dsquared- this show definitely stuck to its theme of camping in the great outdoors. i didn't think i'd like this collection but i was won over by the many brilliant red carpet dresses they presented amidst ant printed shirts, cut off shorts and vests dipped in bright caution tape yellow.

dolce & gabbana- a dark color palette and heavy use of lace, print (floral and a red and black leopard print) as well as three piece suiting.

d&g- mr. dolce and mr. gabbana made denim look so amazing and glam. the western look has never appealed to me as much as it does now!

bottega veneta- the color palette consisted mainly of white, cream and a warm sunhine yellow. loved it as i usually love bottega veneta, they have such an appealing feminine aesthetic.

blumarine- bright and super fun

aquilano.rimondi- just what i love, amazing dresses.

albino- this show was great and could be summed up in a few words: sparkly knee high socks, chunky heeled shoes, skirt suits, dresses, draping frayed hems, soft color, black.

alberta ferretti- i thouroughly enjoyed viewing this soft, serene and feminine show. the color palette was very calming: white, off white, lavender, purple, nude and muted corals. sheerness, short hemlines as well as long tailored skirts were featured.

fashion week notes

prada- i never enjoy prada as much as everyone else does. featured were suits, dresses, skirts and tops with big cutouts that exposed the center of the chest. big crystal embellishments were also featured as well as frayed hems on bermuda shorts and skirts. all the models had voluminous pigtails and bright, glossy red lips.

just cavalli- if you're a just cavalli kind of girl you'll be channeling glamour grunge (if that even exists...) for spring 2010. some pieces were great, but most of it felt like costume.

roberto cavalli- all the models looked as if they had flown through a closet and ended up wearing whatever clothing happened to fall on them. their necks were wound in menswear ties, they wore dresses over button ups and trousers and most of the clothes were loose fitting. many prints abounded as well. some of the finale dresses were really pretty with ruffly shoulder appliques.

maxmara- this show bored me.

francesco scognamiglio- this was more a show of the models' bountiful chests if anything.

emporio armani- sorry giorgio, i only liked 2 looks out of the 68 look show.

salvatore ferragamo- cristina ortiz's last collection for salvatore ferragamo was not very strong.

missoni- this collection was not to my liking with its' bizarre styling and mostly washed out color palette.

maurizio pecoraro- a pastel color palette and lots of shell embellishment and floral appliques. this collection didn't appeal to me though because it wasn't very exciting and i couldn't really picture wearing this collection much.

marni- stripes, headscarves, rich browns, forest greens and pinks, embossed floral prints, bright multicolored floral prints on shifts and shirts....this marni collection was like all the others. this time, i just didn't take a liking to it.

fendi- this collection was really cute: the color palette was all pastels, featured were frayed hems, super short hems, sheerness, high frizzy buns and fendi bags of all sizes. i wish the envelope was pushed a bit further in the creativity department, and then i would have loved it.

jil sander- after raf simon's stellar fall 2009 collection i was disappointed by his spring 2010 collective for jil sander. he said he was going back to nature with this collection...to me it looked like a bunch of shift dresses and suits with holes in it or frayed cloth sewed onto it.

LONDON FASHION WEEK: SPRING 2010 PART I

hey all!
i was able to get london fashion week in only 1 post! awesome right? so even though it says part I there is only one part and it is not one part among many. i can't wait for milan and paris. i thoroughly enjoyed london fashion week and think this was the best london fashion week ever. it had a lot of substance and great looks and london is proving that it can be a major fashion capital too! slowly but surely they're getting there :)
♥ me

vivienne westwood red label- this collection was all over place, from the model casting to the clothes. however i thoroughy enjoyed it and liked the creative looks that the people working with vivienne westwood put together.

luella- luella never disappoints. this time she pleasantly surprised me with a less cutesy and comical collection for a slightly more sophisticated yet colorful collection that borrowed silhouettes from the sixties and showcased huge, structured hips. i loved all of the structured coats, skirts and cute teadresses. i was thoroughly pleased while viewing the pictures and loved her use of bows. her bags were also very nice, as was the fun eye makeup on the models.

roksanda ilincic- even though the color palette was mostly dark and this is a spring collection, i didn't mind because rokansanda ilincic executed her vision so well. i loved the use of dark, shiny feathers as well as embellishment around the waist which cinched the waist and brought attention to it.

pringle of scotland- clare waight keller (designer of pringle of scotland) managed to make knitwear look reasonable for spring. this is some of the most delicate knitwear i've ever seen. this collection was very tastefully done, and i can tell a lot of thought went into making this special as the presentation was brought back to england from milan to celebrate london fashion week's 25th anniversary since the line is scottish and is part of the UK.

peter pilotto- peter pilotto is one of the few designers that makes me swoon...at least for the moment. i am in love with the buttery, nutty brown suede shoes and the swirling masterpieces of fabric that his dresses are. the deep blue and red dress to the far right just hypnotizes me! i love the colors in it as well as every other dress in the collage.

paul smith women- sir paul smith was inspired by the congolese and his african inspiration showed up clearly in his collection. i loved the bright mustard yellows used throughout the collection as well as the wide variety of prints. some were stripey, some were dotty and some featured small drawings.

nathan jenden- i loved the casting of this show: all black/black hispanic or asian models. awesomeeee. featured was a lot of color, bollywood prints and pigtail braids. braids are awfully popular lately.

mary katrantzou- this collection was breathtaking. the digital prints on the dresses were out of this world and the construction was absolutely beautiful. 5 stars! :)

mark fast- this show was very interesting because all of the pieces were skintight cobwebby VERY revealing knits. the designer also cast 3 plus sized models with curves galore to model some of these pieces...and boy did they have a lot to show. however i think his choice was great and made the show that much more interesting although...definitely not p-g 13.

julien macdonald- the show got better as it went on. the great craftmanship was evident as i stared closer and closer at each piece.

matthew williamson- amazing, as always. there are some great red carpet options in this collection!

josh goot- this collection was chock full of pop prints and bright colors. the excitement and vivacity of the show never ended as each pieces was as bright or brighter than the last and all of the pieces had graphic elements to them. apparently the designer was inspired by scuba gear and surfboards and he made good use of that inspiration.

erdem- perfection. the designer says he was inspired by modern japanese girls that refuse to wear kimono's and have adopted western dress as well as the surreal and detailed japanese art he saw this summer.

jonathan saunders- in this collection jonathan saunders took a liking to minimalism and a very light palette. he made great use of whites and "frosted pastels" as style.com put it as well as the occasional highlighter yellow or green.

jasmine di milo- this collection was so perfect. from the first look i knew it would be impossible to just choose 4 looks...but i managed to do it. jasmine al-fayed worked with prints, color (the brightest being a bold orange used in a one shouldered column dress with a thigh high slit), leather and embellishment and i think she came out with a great collection. i want to try on those taupey/beigey wedge heels and see how they would look on me.

issa- inspiration for these clothes was taken from the tropics and the many ants that live in warm locales with ant prints appearing on tunics and cocktail dresses.

fashion fringe- fashion fringe is a fashion competition inspired by the competition of american idol. fashion fringe has produced such stars as erdem and basso & brooke. i'm loving these four pieces that i saw in this year's fashion fringe show.

fashion east- i'm not quite sure what fashion east is. if you know exactly what it is, please tell me. i'm guessing it is similar to fashion fringe? here are some of the amazing pieces displayed at the fashion east spring 2010 show.

duro olowu- i'm so happy. i thoroughly enjoyed duro's presentation. it was amazing. it is so great when a designer can use an abundance of color and print and still make it look as elegant and wearable as basic black and white. and did you check out those shoes? so cute.

burberry prorsum- could christopher bailey make me fall more in love with this collection? no. i am so in love. love love love! i loved the pastel colors, the draping and the awesome burberry-ness. i really need that baby pink trench that is second from the left, and i wouldn't mind that beautiful lilac ensemble third from the left.

basso&brooke- sigh...too good to be true <3 this was a really fun show to click through :)

antonio berardi- perfect!

london fashion week notes

unique by topshop- managed to make all of the models look like they just rolled out of a trashcan. this collection was not appealing in the least.

richard nicoll- the show was decent but it had a rocky start. it only drew me in at the end.

nicole farhi- this collection had a very sporty american feel to it, spruced up with a colorful square print.

louise gray- the pure creativity expressed in this collection is enough to win you over. these are truly one of a kind pieces and i love them! however some looks were a bit out there so the feel of this collection needed to be honed a bit more.

louise goldin- i loved the sweet pastel color palette. there was no shortage of easter bunny candy yellow, pale lilac, powder blue, off whites and creams. there was heavy use of pleating, ruffles, quilting and exposed bra cups.

graeme black- it wasn't working for me.

twenty8twelve- it was fun and young, but nothing new.

todd lynn- this was more like a fall collection rather than a spring collection. it was very futuristic and very tailored. a good collection, but not exactly one for spring.

meadham kirchhoff- i could see where they were going with this...and i didn't want to travel there. it wasn't working for me. if it had been better executed, maybe i would have liked it more. it needed a bit more...something.

marios schwab- marios schwab played around with layering, deconstruction, pleating and sheerness. some pieces were hits, but most were misses.

jaeger london- this collection did have some good looks...but for a spring collection there was way too much heavy knitwear. there shouldn't be any heavy knitwear at all really...even though in spring sometimes it is still cold, but we can look to fall collections for all the knitwear we want really. as style.com said, the show was all over the place. i loved the sunglasses though.

house of holland- style.com agrees with me again: this collection was so disgustingly tacky (interesting shoes though, that i definitely would consider wearing). even though the show was so so tacky it made you want to gag, it was still fun to watch. very amusing.

christopher kane- kane made great use of gingham and really...he made gingham so interesting and different by using pleating and sheer panels along with it as well as heavy rose shaped beaded embellishments on some of the pieces. i wanted to make a collage for this, but i couldn't fall in love with enough of the pieces.

sykes- all of the clothes looked so badly made...

ppq- this collection wasn't the bomb or anything, but i was so tempted to make a collage for it because the cast was pretty much all black models, and that's always something new and different to see. also, these clothes have good wearability...however i can't do it, it would be biased, and this collection still needed a lot more work and thought put into it. i loved the show but at the same time, it wasn't the best it could be! :/

osman- an all white collection that left me bored.

lp.bg- a very cute show with only 8 looks. hopefully next time they'll have more looks, but all the pieces had excellent tailoring so hurrah for that.

kinder aggugini- an overload of bright colors and reptile prints as well as polka dots. i really liked the structure and realtive normalcy of the black and white gown with some bandage detail (look 34) that was presented though.

danielle scutt- this show proved to be tres tres confusing.

charles anastase- the models all looked cute in this collection's voluminous and quite out there creations. i don't know it'd look on the streets though.

peter jensen- this presentation was really weird and blindingly bright but i cannont deny that there were some great pieces in it. however there were a lot of confusing pieces as well.

clements ribeiro- a collection with a palette of mostly black and white with some brown, blue and pink thrown in. the collection featured super tall platform strappy heels, cat and ginseng leaf prints as well as leopard prints and dark, bold eyebrows and makeup.

aquascutum- nice, but a bit boring. lots of long trenches in olive, taupe, black and grey.