Givenchy and Sonia Rykiel ads. [image credit: TFS]

If I had to choose between a strong masculine look and a frilly feminine, I really could not. I am torn between these two extremes, and maybe the fact that they represent such extremes style-wise is what appeals to me most. Call it split personality, call me undecided, call me what you will; I just can decide which I genuinely like more. Sure, I’d love to look like the Givenchy models from their latest ads: modern, strong, ready to take over the world. However, I would also love to dress in soft, flowy fabrics, ‘bathe’ in silk ruffles and fabric-rushes like the lovelies in Sonia Rykiel’s ads.

The ’soft and feminine’ trend seems to have caught on. Ads from top to bottom, left to right: Sonia Rykiel, Bottega Veneta, D&G.

More Sonia Rykiel soft beauty. Pretty inspiring for me.

Louis Vuitton and Versace ads. [image credit: tfs]

I told you recently that because of the fact that I started to make clothes recently, my obsessions shifted towards the accessories section of fashion: mostly shoes!!!! Pardon me: high heels that is! I can’t stop drolling over these latest Louis Vuitton and Versace shoe ads. Would most definitely wear them, even if it would make me be 2 meters tall. Take that not-quite-tall guys!

Hopefully buying shoes is just a temporary summer obsession for me. I usually used to want to get overpriced designer clothes, but now that I can make them myself, the obsession shifted towards accessories: shoes and handbags. While I got the perfect purple handbag that I wanted, now I’m on the hunt for cute, affordable shoes. Of course I want high heels and being this tall (1,78 cm), it’s normal that I wear a bigger shoe-size (EUR 40, US 10, UK 7) which makes the process of buying shoes that more difficult and depressing. Had luck today at the Stone Creek store where I found these cute gray-with-tiny-pink-hearts pumps and a bow on the side. They are actually comfortable and were on sale, so that was great. It’s also Ok that they are a neutral color so that I can wear them with this summer-top I made recently. I just had some spare yellow fabric and I just sewed it together in like 2 hours. Easy and comfortable to wear, it’s also summer-appropriate and cute, right?

Put these lovely examples of perfect, sky high heels in the ‘wish I could afford them’ category. [from top to bottom, left to right: Christian Louboutin, Burberry Prorsum, Miu Miu, Il Passo; photo credit: net-a-porter.com]

Natalie Portman at Cannes wearing Lanvin; Charlize Theron at the Dior Resort 2009 show wearing Dior (I believe).

I do, I really love ruffles. I am not just saying that. It’s beyond my power to control it. Seriously. What Amy Winehouse feels for crack I feel for ruffles. I know sometimes they can overpower a dress, sometimes they are unneccessary and sometimes even really bad! However, I can’t help it. That’s why I even decided to feature a lot of ruffled outfits for my next spring collection (working on it, so much more work to do). Too bad John Galliano was one step ahead and created a resort collection for Dior that is incredibly ’sweet’, colored and features a lot of… you guessed it: ruffles! [I promise I will stop writing that word]

Oh well, my collection won’t be that bold, but more soft looking with lots of nude colored fabrics and ‘dusty’, very light pinks.

I can only admire both this Armani Prive gown that Cate Blanchett is wearing and her one-month-post-baby-birth figure. Sometimes life is just not fair! [credits: TFS]

Rodarte fall 2008 at New York Fashion Week, 5 Feb [credit: style.com]

Una Moda Group fall 2008 at Romanian Fashion Week, 8-9 May [credit: stiletto.ro]

After reading an interesting post about the influences the collections had, at the latest ‘Romanian Fashion Week’, it seems like Alexander McQueen was the biggest one of them.  However, when I saw the Una Moda Group fall collection, I could only think of one thing: Rodarte and their stunning fall 2008 collection! How can one forget their amazingly breathtaking collection?!? I personally loved it, so it wasn’t hard to see the influences in the Una Moda Group collection. Sure, the knits are not that intricately and artistically de-constructed, the looks are not that fairy-like. But I do see the influence.

And now, for our visual entertainment:

 

It made your day, right? It surely made mine! a-m-a-z-i-n-g. Oh, fashion!