Fashion | PRET-A-REPORTER | Fashion & Style Blog by Edita Lozovska

Edita reads | Couture Wedding Gowns By Marie Bariller

Posted in Fashion, Books June 24, 2015 33 Comments

We place so much expectation on a wedding dress. It has to be the “one”, “the” dress, the “most important dress a woman will wear in her life”. Sounds very stressful, if you ask me. Since we’re on the topic of questioning the system, here’s another thing I can’t figure out: Most important, eh… Says who?

Who said that one’s wedding dress has to be all of the above? With a tank full of questions, I opened the tome on wedding attire – Couture Wedding Gowns by Marie Bariller. This book is no laughing matter and I can afford no sarcasm, in fact I can’t afford anything at all – this is a catalogue of the most expensive dresses in the world. It doesn’t go above the prices of the creations listed here.

From Alberta Ferretti, Chanel through Jean Paul Gaultier to Zuhair Murad, this book has the biggest wedding dress masterminds profiled, quoted and their brilliant creations exhibited. There were a few names I expected to see but didn’t. One was Bruce Oldfield, the other Catherine Walker. I felt at least one traditional British couture house had to be in – but not on this occasion.

That doesn’t take away from the wedding lalaland that this book easily makes any bride (or not yet bride) escape to. If you didn’t know what dress was for you, after opening this book you will. You just will. Even if it’s not published in this bridal bible.

What made it interesting for me is that this book reveals what it feels for the designer him or herself to sketch, conceptualise and make a wedding gown. For these types of commissions fashion and trends take the backseat while personality and emotions are the Anna Wintours on the front row. Designing a wedding dress is an intimate affair for everyone involved.

I still find it mind-blowing that the couturier’s task is to summarise a woman as a dress, a white one. Sounds like an extraordinarily strict brief, but this is what separates the boys from the men of wedding couture: one white dress, not any two alike. That well may be the reason why it is “the” dress – it is an extension of the woman. Without her it is nothing and on her, everything.

Thank you Abrams and Chronicle for my copy. You can buy yours directly from the publisher too.

Edita reads | Piaget

Posted in Fashion, Review, Books April 28, 2015 26 Comments

When I was a teen, I remember hating watches. I thought they were just plain ugly pieces that one was supposed to wear when he was older. I now know why I felt this way – I had no good examples to look at. Piaget was not a word in my vocabulary. Thank goodness for growing older and growing wiser. Thank goodness for this book.

The truth is this tome (and it is certainly a tome as it is heavier than my monthly grocery shop) is not necessarily for jewellery lovers. If you consider yourself one, you will delight in looking at the pretty pictures and the vintage Piaget ads here and there. You will be limited to this though.

To truly soak in the glory of this book, you must be willing to immerse yourself in the world of jewellery, from the meticulous process of making it, marketing the goods, through to understanding a brand with historical significance. All of these aspects are covered in Piaget, so to really enjoy this book in a maximalist sense, being a jewellery lover is simply not enough – you must have a healthy obsession with fine jewellery and watchmaking.

Lest we forget that Piaget is the brand that invented jewellery that tells time. That is a radically different way of looking at traditional watchmaking, that is known to be rather rigid and almost exclusively masculine. This is the moment when you picture a man (à la David Gandy) in a a sharp suit looking to his right, a golden Rolex around his wrist nonchalantly shining in the morning sun. Piaget thought, yes, let’s have that. But let’s also make watches sexy and exaggerated. So add a particularly feminine lady in front of our David Gandy lookalike wearing stacks of fine jewels and no watches. After all it’s her timeless jewellery that tells time. Genius.

From 1874 to this day Piaget has stayed within the confines of its own motto: Always do better than necessary. Because of that as time goes by, Piaget’s jewellery keeps on ticking as the brand’s diamonds and emeralds continue shining on. Get this book to find out just how brightly.

This book is written by Florence Müller. Photographs are by Philippe Garcia and Steve Hiett. Get a copy via Abrams and Chronicle. Thank you for my copy!

Edita reports | The Jewel Of Mayfair

Posted in Fashion, Event April 1, 2015 46 Comments

All of the above makes me want to throw a humongous party, wedding or otherwise. Just imagine to throw an Oscar de la Renta gown on paired with Amrapali jewels, pop some fantastic Aruna Seth heels on and put all of your necessities (phone, card, keys, mirror, lipstick – space for nothing more) into a personalised Judith Leiber clutch bag. All of this effort, only to sit down at the world’s most lavish red velvet themed diner table. Endless diner table, just to clarify.

And somehow, it’s all worth the all consuming beauty that I saw displayed at the Jewel of Mayfair event organised by ThinkShaadi. I can’t remember an event where I felt so tiny compared to the richness of every detail I laid my eyes on. I felt I was eaten alive by the grandeur. Is it wrong to say that I didn’t mind?

Edita reports | London Fashion Week Autumn Winter 2015 FAD

Posted in Fashion, Event March 20, 2015 44 Comments

It’s always an honour to see fresh talent unravel just in front of you. The FAD (Fashion Awareness Direct) show made for a spectacular finale to London Fashion Week. It didn’t scream see you next season, lights off, but rather oversaw the curtains opening to the names we’ll have to remember in the near future.

Although the kings and queens were crowned on the day – my personal favourite was by Clarise Itoriaga. She was responsible for showing us fabrics that moved so spectacularly, I was simply captivated. If you look at the images, I am referring to a blue coat with pink bell sleeves. Very LFW street style friendly especially when paired with Sophia Webster heels.

The winning collection was by Juniper Lai, and I assume everyone in the room saw that coming. It just stood out. It was different, it was haunting and it was the most memorable. If you forgot all the collections you have ever seen in your life, you would still remember Juniper’s.

All I can say is London’s fashion future looks bright. Not light at the end of the tunnel bright. None of that. Think of a K-Pop video bright, a never ending stream of ideas – all that inspire you if not bemuse you.

Edita reads | Paris Street Style: Shoes by Isabelle Thomas And Frederique Veysset

Posted in Fashion, Review, Books March 10, 2015 53 Comments

There was that one time when I was a bit feverish and I told my boyfriend: “Could you please find a zero brain work movie for us to watch? I need some mind numbness.” He then found a really bad Steven Seagal movie. It was epic, it was just what the doctor ordered: an ageing Seagal fighting zombies with some mind blowing special effects including sounds like ha-tschhhhh and d-schhhhh as punches.

Of course, had I been in the mood for some serious cinema I would probably be moaning to you right now about how I wish I could get that one hour of my life back.

That’s how I feel about this book, Paris Street Style: Shoes by Isabelle Thomas and Frederique Veysset. It’s harmless, entertaining and will inspire you to buy a pair of shoes. I was pleasantly surprised to see a few pairs that I already own photographed and serenaded to; including creepers by Underground, Louboutins, Nikes and Walter Steiger heels.

Shoe fans will not put this book down until they read it cover to cover. At least three times. It’s a compelling nonchalant read – that’s how French it is.

The authors don’t shy away from crude phrases and some will make you cringe. The translation from French to English doesn’t always work. I am multilingual, so I could feel the awkward grammar crawl in here and there which I found wildly entertaining.

But enlightenment and education are not the primary reasons one picks this book up. You pick it up because it’s on your coffee table as a bookssessory. Because it is a true relief hearing chic French people voice their disgust at nylon knee high socks that cut into your knees, about feet in dire need of a pedicure and marvel at the fact that the word hooker is used in a fashion book.

I can’t find any faults with this read because I take it for what it is: a subject of envy when seen on my coffee table and a book that solidifies my status as a “fashionista” in front of everyone. It’s a piece of fantastic entertainment. Enjoy the cringes, enjoy the bluntness and enjoy the fashion.

Just like you wouldn’t look for Cubrick’s directorial brilliance in a Seagal movie, don’t look for academic conceptualistic fashion in this book. You will however learn to speak French using shoes only. And that’s a skill worth having.

Thank you to Abrams & Chronicle Books for sending me a copy.