Oscar de la Renta.

Oscar de la Renta was sublime. As usual, one might say but look a little closer. I know you can see it too, everyone in fashion was keeping a close eye for any tell-tale Galliano touches. Drop waists, effortlessly draped necklines on those delicious jackets, oversized, exaggerated hip lines, the smoky eye make-up, those kooky hats, finger curls! He's there, hidden in plain view. Oh sure, Snr de la Renta was omnipresent as always, that's undeniable. But you find me a fashion person who wasn't excited by the prospect of Galliano's return, even if it was a mere 3-week residence.

Now I should say, Galliano did have a massive public meltdown, what he did was inexcusable and vitriolic. The man was my hero and to see him take such a public fall from grace was devastating and heart breaking. But I would be lying if I said I wouldn't love to see him, perhaps one day after an extensive public apology, make a return to fashion. & let's be honest, you just know there are even more disturbing things occurring in the fashion industry being covered up by enablers and publicists. People in glass houses...

Jenny Packham.

 Jenny Packham supplied me with the little bit of sophisticated grandeur I had been desperately seeking as I browsed all the NYFW shows. I always find NY a little bit tedious for some reason, perhaps it's because it's all very RTW and I'm an avant-garde loving couture fiend.

Either way, Jenny Packham silently impressed me. Inspired by 17th century Paris salons "where strong-minded women met to discuss arts and culture", and this was evident between the layers of ethereal powder blue tulle and finespun silk. That incredible ruby slipper-esque strapless dress is a red carpet number for sure. The coats & sweaters were a nice touch and exquisitely tailored. I can see what Kate Middleton sees in Ms Packham.

Elizabeth & James.

You don't need to trail through my archive to know how much I am infatuated by Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen. I adore those damn twins and have followed their foray into fashion from the days when they made side zipped jeans and Balenciaga bags popular. Nobody can deny those girls are not only achingly stylish but understand good tailoring and craftsmanship. I dream of the day when I can afford their $25,000 crocodile bags but until then, I'll continue to salivate over The Row. Elizabeth & James, not so much.

I feel like the girls have reached some kind of plateau in their current style. Effortless chic has become a mish mash of horrifying clashes, loafers with tracksuit bottoms and trainers with dresses? I'm sorry girls, you've pushed even the most hardcore of your fans to the limit, and this Elizabeth & James collection is not exempt from my berating. There's no cohesion, no stand out pieces and a sincere lack of styling. I never thought I'd say this, but girls just don't want to be Olsens anymore.

Donna Karan.

I always appreciate a designer who continually reinvents themselves without dwelling on their successes of the past. With that being said though, sometimes a modern take on old design concepts is welcomed, and none more so than those of Donna Karan. Deigning her the queen of opaque hosiery and jersey doesn't seem like a title mighty enough for Donna Karan, but she reminded us with this collection just how much of a stamp she has made in the fashion industry over the past few decades.

The collection involved elaborate jersey dresses embellished with flowing capes, amplified with furs & double breasted jackets. A few key leather pieces studded the collection, but the palette was limited to muted greys, blacks and chocolate browns. Perhaps a little colour would have added some much needed modernity to what I think was a very safe collection from DK. She's still the queen, though...

Badgley Mischka.

Badgley Mischka can appear a little underrated at times. Sure, there are loads of designers that do the femme fatale thing; fur gilets, flowing organza, pencil skirts and evening gloves. But I loved this collection, I loved the demure styling paired with delicate fishnets and the obnoxious, in your face furs. And I'm a sucker for a 50's silhouette, you guys know this already. Also, that coral lipstick? To die for. Another enjoyable, if not somewhat predictable collection from Mark Badgley & James Mischka.

Alexander Wang.

So I should probably apologise for my extended absence over the past...few years? A myriad of things hindered my fervour for fashion week; endless essaying, reading, and perhaps most disturbingly, a rather noxious break-up. Yes, me and Photoshop parted ways after my old computer descended into self-destruct. But enough of the excuses, I'm back.

Which leads me to the first semi-positive utterings I've ever posted (of late) about Alexander Wang. If you are a new reader (where have you been? I know I've been gone but you really should have been revising in my absence!), then you won't yet have reached my prior anti-Wang diatribes, but I promise they were all substantiated.

It's nothing personal Mr Wang, I just wanted to love you so much and god knows I tried. But you let me down continually with your lacklustre tracksuits, below-par palette choices and mismatched styling. And let's be honest, you never really superseded the success of your first collection. So I stopped paying attention to the AW hype.

But being a stickler for alphabetism, I had to start my show reviews with 'A' and gave AW a peruse. I was uncharacteristically surprised. AW's fabric choices really transformed this collection from regular old RTW to something opulent and evoking grandeur. Alpaca furs, delicate silks and butter-soft leathers all gave the impression that this collection was one more sumptuous than AW's previous offerings. The silk tailored cigarette pants and the divine fur coats were a fine example of how AW's taste has matured and his skills honed. Dare I say I'm almost excited to see what he does with Balenciaga?

Of course, the silhouettes weren't entirely original in their execution; we've seen these boxy shoulder lines and drop waists a million times. But I couldn't end on a positive note, you know me...

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!