The Met Gala and what to expect for this year
It is that time of the year when creativity and thinking out of the box is being embraced by all haute couture houses with many opportunities for new designers to take on the fashion industry. It is a time celebrated by all the fashion fanatics out there: the announcement of this year’s theme for the Met Gala, the biggest night of the year in the fashion world.
Ph. Vanderlyn Panorama
The museum announces this year’s theme of the Met Gala and the topic of the exhibition is, In America: An Anthology of Fashion, and the gala marks the celebration of its opening.
What is the Met Gala?
Ph. LucieMonnay
The Met Gala is a major fundraising event with celebrities being part of every single aspect of the event. Organised with Anna Wintour as a chair of the event and attended by celebrities like Rihanna, Kim Kardashian and Liza Koshy, the gala displays outfits by all the famous luxury fashion houses like Balenciaga, Prada and Gucci. However, its importance extends far beyond the huge amount of money raised and all the social media presence. At the event we see the intersection of art as fashion and fashion as art, demonstrating how they are essential components of our cultural fabric. The theme of each year is based on the topic of the exhibition and the gala marks the celebration of its opening.
What makes the Met Gala important?
Ph. Halston
The Met Gala is mostly known for fashion and the display of over the top memorable celebrity looks. We should not forget that it is also a charity event that raises money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute thanks to the standard ticket purchase. The party and exhibition are sponsored by various names and brands that support the fashion industry and all of the money from ticket sales go to the Costume Institute. This department is the only one from the Metropolitan Museum that is self-funded because ever since the Costume Institute was established, there have been debates about whether fashion is a form of art. The goal of the event is to highlight all those aspects of designing a garment that makes it an art piece.
Zendaya the Face of Valentino’s new Campaign Rendez-Vous
One name going around all social media channels and headlines is: Zendaya. The young actress has most certainly made a name for herself. One of the many reasons why the world is currently talking about her is her ongoing collaboration with the luxury fashion house Valentino.
Ph. Jordan Nix, Unsplash
Zendaya stuns in Valentino’s new Rendez-Vous campaign for Spring 2022. Everyone was waiting to see Euphoria's star in this new appearance.
About The Campaign, Valentino's Rendez-Vous Spring 2022
Zendaya has been the face of Valentino for a little over a year now and the collaboration between the brand and the actress has seen great success, no wonder she is the face of the new 2022 Spring Rendez-Vous collection.
The focus of this campaign is all about a change of perspective. The highlight is mainly on the way fashion comes alive and real when it becomes your companion in your daily life. As an expression of the wearer's unique identity, the garment is met with the beauty of the imperfections of our lives. The creative director of Valentino, Pierpaolo Piccioli, has made it his mission to re-signify the Valentino codes with regards to life and truth and his desire to connect the past to the present. When it comes to promoting the campaign there is no one that can do it better than Zendaya.
As Piccioli describes it: “Zendaya perfectly embodies and represents what Valentino is and stands for, today. She is a powerful and fierce young woman that uses her talent and her work to express herself, her values and her generation as well".
The Premiere Of The Promotional Video And Zendaya
Valentino announced their new campaign earlier last week and shortly afterwards released the promotional video featuring the actress. The video was shot at Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles by Marcell Rev and Scott Sakamoto to the song “Crystalised” by The XX with choreography by Stephen Galloway.
The campaign presents Zendaya floating from backstage to the streets to convey a metaphorical journey. It is meant to represent a day in her life and how the garments are a part of that experience. Zendaya posted on Instagram a sneak peek of one of the outfits included in the video, as well as the green suit with a lavender shirt she wore for the press tour of the Spider-Man: No Way Home. We recognised two of the outfits seen in the video but the rest were certainly worth waiting for.
The promotional video did most certainly live up to our expectations, but this is only one of the big news around this campaign. The brand decided to launch pop-ups at four shops in Paris in Le Carreau du Temple from October 1st-5th to celebrate the new collection. Each shop will host exclusive products and events manifesting the Maison’s contemporary values. Keep your ears open because it seems like Valentino is getting ready for an exciting year full of surprises.
SS22 BestDressed VIPs
Attention all fashionistas, the most anticipated event of the year was on, London Fashion Week brought together everyone who is anyone. We spill the tea on what they wore during Fashions Finest long anticipated catwalk show. Take some mental notes, or maybe even actual notes if you are really committed, to learn from the best and enhance your own styling with our run down of the best celebrity/VIP fits.
They are the trendsetters in the fashion world, always among the first to be seen wearing a new inventive style in public before it hits the mainstream, determining tomorrow’s hottest trends.
They are effortlessly glamorous and what they wear during London Fashion Week is always almost as much anticipated as the designer’s collections themselves.
We played spy for you and kept a very close eye on the first row during Fashions Finest catwalk show. Find out what our VIPs were wearing, for the chance of picking up some upcoming trends before they launch. It is time to get out of those comfy sweaters and drastically dress up, for when if not during fashion’s biggest event of the year?
Milly Zero and rapper Ransom
Photographer Peter Hogan
Milly Zero certainly did not shy away from colourful and quirky pieces. She wore a miscellaneously coloured knitwear set, consisting of a cropped jumper and high waisted miniskirt. To confer the outfit some edge and youthfulness, she matched it with a pair of Knee high chunky black combat boots, thereby creating an offbeat like contrast to an otherwise cute and very girly outfit. Hairstyling and accessories once again went more into the girly direction with space buns on each side, tied in by ‘90s inspired scrunchies and colourful hair clips, adding a pinch of retro in there. A small black handbag with imprinted smiley faces complemented the look. To adapt this style, you can throw together different knitwear pieces, the more colourful the better. It does not necessarily have to be a brand-new set, neither does it have to be the exact same pattern. Be creative and try to work with pieces you already own, in order to create something truly unique.
Her boyfriend rapper Ransom appeared much more toned done, not stealing her spotlight in real gentleman manner. The upper body was kept light with a basic white-collar shirt and crème white jacket. A pair of Kaki toned trousers fit together with simple white, green, blue embellished chunky dad trainers. The real highlight for his outfit was a pair of small black tinted rounded sunglasses.
Birkin Boy
Photographer Peter Hogan
Influencer Israel Cassol, aka ‘Birkin Boy’ on the other hand had no intentions of toning it down. He deliberately drew everyone’s eyes with a vibrant pink oversized longline button up shirt. Simple grey short trousers, tennis socks and white trainers made it a fashion week worthy look. Of course a Birkin bag could not be missed, as he is notorious for his vast collection. This time he opted for a classic beige smooth leather model. A pair of sunglasses was a given with all the hustle and bustle of the photographers, press, and people eager to get in.
www.instagram.com/israel.cassol
Lindsey Peel
Photographer Peter Hogan
Actress Lindsey Peel, best known for starring in the show “Webcrawler” kept it simple but surely not boring. She opted for an all-black look. Black high waisted cigarette pants, a long blazer, sharply pointed shiny black slingback kitten heels, and a lace bodysuit with a plunged V-neck, which optically elongated the torso while simultaneously highlighting certain areas of the body. Its additional straps on each side in corporation with the romantic lace created a beautiful playfulness between cute and seductive. Classic and chic jewellery in muted gold nuances , such as a small pair of hoops helped keeping the focus on the wonderful bodysuit. Black is notorious for being remarkably flattering and suitable for all kinds of occasions. Sometimes this is all that is needed and playing it safe is rewarded.
www.instagram.com/lindseypeel_
Sophie Tea
Photographer Peter Hogan
The established London based artist Sophie Tea is very much immersed into feminine shapes, with her latest empowering artwork collection ‘WOMEN’ being all about female nude silhouettes and torsos of different shapes and sizes, wherefore she decided to turn up in a skin-tight full bodysuit, by Valentino outlining her own silhouette, similar to what her recent paintings illustrate. The black and white seamless arrow pattern and high collar made it all the more interesting. Blue metallic square block heels rounded it off to be a fantastic bold outfit choice. With such a stunning centre piece she honestly does not need any jewellery, the only thing standing out in this regard was a thin metal belt, which consisted of diverse little signs like stars and shellfish, all being loosely wrapped around her waist. So, what do you take away from this one for your own styling? If your main piece is a stunner take it easy on the accessories and do not be afraid to embrace your body, no matter what size you are because all shapes and sizes are beautiful!
www.instagram.com/sophieteaart
Indira May
Photographer Peter Hogan
Musician Indira May decided upon calm and muted pastel nuances. A leather blazer in '90s model off duty attire created coherence and connection with a pair of chunky black lace up platform boots. In stark contrast to that she wore a mint coloured knit mini playsuit, which incorporated subtle ruffles all over, a collar and V-neck cut out were further emphasised by a chocker length pearl necklace. Half of her hair was bound into a ponytail with a velour thick ruffled '90s scrunchy. This halfway up halfway down approach to hairstyling bestowed it a messy but still obviously styled look, comparable to the likes of 'no make up make up trends'. A pale citric yellowish ruffle bag alluded to last season's Botega shoulder pouch models and finished the singer's statement look.
Annaliese Dayes
Photographer Peter Hogan
Fashion presenter Annaliese Dayes wowed in a matching pastel-coloured high waisted extreme wide leg culotte (almost making it look like a dress on first glance) and button up blouse set. It featured muted rosé, baby blue, lilac, and grey accents on a soft white ground. Huge square shaped golden/copper tinted sunglasses spread retro vibes, while the clear heeled shoes picked up the light shade of the set again to create a connection between upper and lower body. Like so many of her fellow attendees she also opted for a ‘90s designer baguette bag. Jewellery is kept to a minimum, with middle sized hoops, featuring a little pink rhinestone, an arm ring and watch on the wrist and that is it. Working in the industry herself this lady obviously knows how to dress for the occasion!
www.instagram.com/annaliesedayes
Nicky Hambilton-Jones
Photographer Peter Hogan
Last but not least, presenter and stylist Nicky Hambilton-Jones proofs her profound fashion knowledge by combining a long white dress filled with forest green abstract geometrical patterns with orange accessories. Green certainly is the new black this season! Hence, lots of attendees could be spotted with different variations of green handbags, accessories or monochrome fits throughout the ranks next to the catwalk. Hambilton-Jones opted for a more subtle inclusion of it in her dress. It created a gorgeous silhouette by cinching the waist through a bondable belt, letting the fabric fall freely to slightly flare from thereon. The collar and sleeves and button-down middle seam bestowed it a working business woman touch, while colour and pattern, as well as the flowy texture of the material made it effortlessly feminine and chic. Nicky's quirky and playful accessorising turned it into a delightful summer dress, matching and reflecting the sunny weather that day. Perfectly in sync with the last days of this year's summer season she certainly was wearing one of our favourite fashion forward looks.
In the end we saw some overlapping and recurring trends like monochrome fits, all things green, baguette bags, and chunky black combat boots. Nevertheless, each of the above displayed public figures presented an individualistic and creative take on these, leading to some beautiful, awe inspiring outfits. Fashion is all about expressing oneself, be it your personality in general or your mood on the respective day. This mentality was clearly reflected in our VIPs looks and the confidence they sported them with. Hopefully, you were able to take some styling tips from these examples for your own unique looks. We are eager to see what they will turn up in when it is time for our next show in February 2022.
Get fashion inspiration by recalling the world’s most iconic dresses
Whether we were watching stars walk the red carpet or filming famous scenes for the big and small screen, we’ve seen a raft of amazing fashion styles being showcased over the past few decades.
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel (TM) Partners Fashions Finest For SS17
We are proud to be partnering with DoubleTree by Hilton (TM) hotel for our SS17 season.
A Fashionable Shopping Bag
Having little girls makes you realise just how many bags they need (want) in their lives, I can’t tell you an exact number but I can tell you that’s it’s a lot. They need bags to take out when they go shopping with their friends (probably for more bags), bags for their toys, bags for their make-up etc.
Every time I go food shopping with my girls and they have picked up a few of what they would call vital essentials on the way round they insist on having their own bags to put them in. Buying them their own jute bag every time we frequent the shops can end up being quite pricey. I wished they could just stick to the one bag.
One of my friends told me to check out bags at ClaireaBella Classics when I told her my problem. What I saw on their website solved all my problems. I could choose a jute bag and then pick what design to have on it. Each of the designs where girls, you could pick what skin tone the girl was and what outfit she would wear. You could even pick what accessories she has. To make the bag even more perfect for your little girls, you can have their name added to it. I instantly knew my girls would fall in love with them. I picked the large jute bag costing just less than forty pounds.
It is not just jutes bags that you can buy at ClaireaBella but also suitcases with the same designs. This is a case that you wont be losing easily at the airport. They have many more gift ideas for the girls; you just need to look online. They sell make-up bags, latte mugs, personalised hoodies, and my favourite; wine glasses. There really is too much for me to mention, you need to have a look for yourselves, you will not be disappointed.
ClaireaBella has many celebrity fans such as Amy Childs, Kelly Brook, Fern Cotton and The Saturdays.
Written by Hayley Sweeney
Barbie Riri to launch new perfume
Bad girl Riri will be showing off her softer side in the advertisement for her just-announced fragrance, RiRi by Rhianna.
Known for a more edgy image the “Bitch Better Have My Money" singer posted the images on her Instagram page.
Perhaps this could be a sign of things to come… a Rhianna doll perhaps? Why not?