JPG!

Another show I seemed to miss in all my haste, and what a mistake that was. I'll open this post with another admittance; I am pin-up obsessed. Ever since my gran let me have a peek at her scrapbook, filled with cut outs, drawings & face charts (she was a dressmaker, you see) of Betty Grable, Gypsy Rose Lee, Marlene Dietrich, Veronica Lake, Marilyn, Anita Ekberg and of course, the one & only Miss Bettie Page when I was 10, I fell in love with this magnificent idea of beauty. Pale, powdered skin, thick cat-like eye-liner and the eponymous siren-red lip framing the face of a wondrously curved beauty. Men of the 20's-50's had the right idea. My gran gifted me this scrapbook on my 18th birthday, and it still remains the most fantastic gift anyone has ever given me. Anyway, I digress.

This Jean Paul Gaultier show blew my mind. He mixed 50's opulence with loosely-tailored silhouettes, stockings adorned with tattoo-like motifs, draping silks and sleeveless macs. & yet, it wasn't the styling that transformed this collection from being another run of the mill 50's inspired collection, it was the hair and make-up. Having only recently, after some years, managing to master the art of the victory roll (an awesome tutorial!), I appreciate the difficulty and the level of patience require to achieve it perfectly (although I've never cheated and used foam cylinders..) The pin-up hair and make-up were only complemented by the transfer tattoos & nail piercings, giving it a punky edge.

I also loved how JPG called in some real badass models with sleeves & facial piercings, although I do wish I knew who they all were, no credit was given to them. An amazing collection that's totally whet my appetite this show season. Worth waiting for!

Spring '12 beauty.

from top left; Valentino, Giambatista Valli, Stella McCartney, Rick Owens, Lanvin, Balmain.

I'm a bit of a make-up fiend. I secretly anticipate seeing the beauty looks first & foremost, before any of the collection. It's a bit of a confession, I'm aware, considering predominantly, this is a fashion blog. Perhaps it's because the beauty looks are less untouchable; easy to recreate, not totally out of grasp for lowly students like myself. & also, you have the beauty industry's grand masters at work behind the scenes, labouring quietly without enough recognition. In my opinion anyway. Pat MGrath, Francois Nars, Val Garland...I could continue. I love drooling over the visual feasts these amazing artists offer up on a bi-annual basis.

This season, it was mostly about the nude eye. Valentino and Giambatista Valli opted for a totally nude eye, with Valentino using nothing but skin-coloured kohl in the waterline. Stella & Rick Owens had a little brown shadow smudged into the outer corners, contour line and below the lash line to create the impression of a longer lash. Lanvin & Balmain both opted for either Cream Colour Bases or Paint Pots from MAC to give an understated glossy sheen to the eye. Either way, slicks of mascara were kept minimal or a clear coat was used & eyeliner was virtually prohibited.

I love a nude eye, especially when paired with a bold lip as was Rick Owens. But when the whole face is kept to a bare minimum, no make-up make-up, if you will, I find it a little expected. I mean sure, you want to mute the canvas so the clothes really make an impression, but the true art lies in creating something spectacular that creates awe but yet doesn't overshadow & Chanel's (aforementioned) shimmer eye was the perfect example.

bête noire - (plural; bêtes noires)

1. An anathema; someone or something which is particularly disliked or avoided; an object of aversion, the bane of one’s existence.

I've been feeling for a while now that my old blog name and concept was becoming tired, and I found it really difficult to picture any progression. So I opted for reinvention! It took a whole lot of researching & messing about a bit with a domain finder to try and create something with a little originality. It's not cutting edge or a new concept but it's not been used before, right? I liked the idea of la bete noire because it seems a little more badass, a little more in-line with the whole critique formula of this here blog. I hope you appreciate my dedication to this overhaul. Whilst searching 'la bete noire' in Google images, I faced a whole lot of Bryan Ferry album covers and filthy interracial porn because literally translated to English, it means 'the black monster'...yeah, exactly. Dedicated.

lanvin, of course!

I've been sitting here for days waiting for Lanvin, covering every single other show only to find out it's already been. How silly, how could I miss it?!

I find Alber Elbaz's latest offering particularly progressive. It's one of, if not the first time he's ventured into separates, and does so successfully. There's a certain sportiness to the silk pants & blouses. & yet of course you already know that I give all my Lanvin love to his magnificently-draped silk dresses. This season, he has embellished the shoulders, front pants, decolletages, everything! With semi-precious stones & pearls. c'est magnifique, M. Elbaz!

alexander mcqueen.

& what fashion week coverage would be the same without a dosage of McQueen? I have so much sympathy for Sarah Burton in that she will always, for the rest of her days, have to listen to comparisons to the late grand-master himself. But Burton is no pale-imitation, on the whole these comparisons have been nothing if not favourable. One opinion, held by many it seems, is that Burton has created the McQueen image to evoke a whole new feminine edge. Sure, McQueen was the best in his field, that much was ever-evident. But the nipped in waists & the way in which Burton interprets the female figure is more obvious in this collection more so than her past offerings.

She has played around a little more with soft blush pinks, florals & delicate ruffles in the the former half, before this collection takes a delightful turn to the risque & dangerous. This foray into lingerie for Burton, (even lace bondage masks at one point!) is highly effective. I found myself audibly gasp at the pure audacity, how something with so many filthy connotations look so fragile & beautiful? I don't think it's too soon to say Burton is a continuation of what McQueen left, with no hint of exaggeration. Sublime.