AN URBAN ROMANCE: ERIKA HENDRIX

The world is filled with inspired couturiers from Paris to Milan, but only some have that style spark in their eye that woos the hearts of the fashion public with a single piece. Well my darlings, beat-heart-beat.

Erika Hendrix is the newest designer on my radar, with an emerging self-titled label which designs and produces its very own handmade, sweatshop-free clothing and accessories for stylish ladies worldwide. Those with a sincere appreciation for quality pieces made by hand will hopelessy adore designer Erika Hendrix's newest collection.

The most recent Spring/Summer 2009 Collection by Erika Hendrix, elegantly titled An Urban Romance, is a delightfully feminine line that subtly allows women to feel fashionably empowered, a line that all independent fashionistas would be proud to wear. While targeting the season's most in-vogue color swatches, her pieces combine trending looks with an inimitable style that is entirely her own. While some bloom, others blossom. No two pieces are the same, and all are equally charming. With sweaters, skirts, blouses and the like, Hendrix also designs incredibly chic brooches and scarves, aiming to win a spot in the heart of every classy cosmopolitan.

When perusing the Erika Hendrix Lookbook, I was absolutely blown away by the quality and precision in this young lady's designs. The first design preview I opened was the Daniel Weisser for Erika Hendrix shoot, catching my heartstrings and tangling them into an infatuated mess at the calibre of beauty that radiated from each and every piece. Instantly in love, I persisted to gaze, glassy-eyed, at the kaleidoscope of whimsical allure of her lookbook.

Now as we all know, the days of summer are the days of the whimsical, light, and flowing fashions- and this summer, Erika Hendrix has hit the needle right on the thread. Visit her website to pursue your amorous adventures this summer, and be sure to fill your closet with a summer romance that is entirely urban.

FIERCE KITTY SWIPES BACK

While perusing some online boutiques just the other day, I found a frequently re-occurring trend that clawedat my couture-thumping heart each time I managed to stumble upon it. Fierce as a kitten, yet suave as a sultry cheetah, imitation leopard prints have pounced their way back into the summer style scene. However, be wary with these prints (or any for that matter), for there is in fact such a phenomenon some wise wanderers like to title “too much of a good thing”. Nonetheless, everything in model-worthy moderation my darling couture cats.

As per usual, the designers and style forecasters had their fierce kitty fashion on long before any of us set foot outside in leopard print Manolo Blahniks. Top couturiers such as Proenza Schouler, Dolce & Gabbana, Christian LaCroix, Oscar de la Renta, Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, Nanette Lepore, and Diane Von Furstenburg have been serenading the runway with safari-sweet inspirations since the Spring 2009 Runway Previews last September at New York Fashion Week in Bryant Park. Diane Von Furstenburg took the runway by storm with her fresh, bohemian safari theme, transforming the runway into a earthy jungle with top models strolling down the catwalk in flowery prints of all sorts. Since then, the fashion world has been prancing to get their paws and claws into safari-themed, jungle-cat prints to adventurously adorn for Spring/Summer 2009.

So as summer sends its warm, gentle breeze streaming around the corner, the time to re-up our summer wardrobes has finally fallen upon us. With this darling new discovery of the finest feline prints, I know what few items I will be in search of to add to the closet that summer so excitedly demands I have. Hence, the items I have chosen to feature at the top of this post are my favourite finds from our dashing new discovery, and are ideal pieces to imitate for the sunny months of summer. Check out the few items (with clickable links) below to take a look at a few leopard-themed items to have yourself looking as fierce as a kitten this season. May your new finds prove to be just the catnip you need to send you into your rip-roaring summer safari!

FOR YOUR WARDROBE:

1. Gryphon New York Leopard Print Dress.
2. Forever 21 Chic Leopard Pencil Skirt
3. Manolo Blahnik Leopard Pumps
4. French Connection Leopard Leggings
5. Kate Moss Topshop Leopard Print Scarf
6. Urban Outfitters Leopard Ballet Flats

JEAN PAUL GAULTIER: FISHING FOR COMPLIMENTS

When fishnets don’t make the cut for the season’s leading legwear, why not transform the wildly haute hosiery into a visionary masterpiece of creatively contrived couture? Jean Paul Gaultier had it right at his Spring 2009 Couture Show, and reinvented the phenomenal fishnet trend through fabulous footwear. All the shoes from Gaultier’s Spring 2009 Couture Collection uniformly embrace the sexy stiletto heel and sublty sophisticated pointy-toe. From classic black and whites to glamorous mirror-like metallics, all the shoes were brilliantly designed with features such as low ankle cuts, bold pattern construction, and the ever-popular “strappy heel” look. My personal favorites by far were the thematic fishnet heels, looking both highly professional and able to strut to sexy nightwear in a single stomp.

PARIS HAUTE COUTURE SPRING/SUMMER 2009

For those of you who missed it, Paris Haute Couture SS/09 Fashion Week took place just last week, from Monday, January 26th to Wednesday, January 30th. While most of us were writing papers or filing overdue reports, models from across the globe were frolicking down the catwalk in the majestic brilliance of designers such as Christian Lacroix, Givenchy, Jean Paul Gaultier, Christian Dior, and Valentino. I couldn’t possibly allow the week to pass me by without at least giving a runway report on my absolute favorites of the week; Dior, Lacroix, and Givenchy.

Monday mornings tend to be a drag for most, but fashion fanatics arose with smile-slapped faces to attend the 10 am start to fashion week with Alexis Mabille kicking it off at 51, rue de l’Université. Two shows and separate venues later, the crowds shambled over to 79 rue de Varenne, where Christian Dior sent his masterworks down the room at 2:30pm. Dior’s collection featured Vermeer-inspired designs overflowing with puffs, lace-laden necklines, fitted torsos, and a multitude of resplendent ruffles. Designer John Galliano said that he drew his inspiration for the Dior line from 17th-Century Dutch paintings, in which the poses of the subjects particularly captured his eye. Well, Galliano certainly caught our eyes by sending lavish porcelain dolls decked in genteel pastels from creamy white to Bo-Peep blues down the massive hall. Some of the dresses looked more regal, while other designs looked more like my grandmother’s Sunday tea set (in a good way of course, she never fails to receive a compliment on such splendid porcelain pieces of finery). 

Day two of Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week SS/09 brought a mid-afternoon style snack from mad-genius designer, the great Christian Lacroix. The show kicked-off at three-thirty in the afternoon at the Centre Georges Pompidou off of la rue Beaubourg. One of my personal favorites, Lacroix’s work this spring was a remarkably fresh spin on couture. The French virtuoso took his predominantly wild and striking designs down a notch, in consideration of haute couture. But with inspiration varying from retro prom chic to Spanish luxury to Parisian glam, he still managed to throw his crazy, whimsical “WOW Factor” into the designs that make them unmistakably Lacroix. I must say, every single dress was a masterpiece in this show. Always one to go with “the whole shebang”, models wore over-sized earrings and thin, patterned tights. Some dresses resembled fashion-forward flamenco dancers on their night out, while others looked like frivolous teen prom queen prototypes. Polka dots, exotic color mixtures, vivid flower designs, explosive colors, and scrumptious bows were just some of the many luxuries that Christian Lacroix let the world indulge in this fashion week. As per usual, Lacroix has me head-over-heels in love with his lavish line.

Later that night, Givenchy put on quite the show at Couvent des Cordeliers on 15 rue de l’Ecole de Médecine. Now before I go in deeper I feel compelled to say that although never disappointing, Givenchy has not usually been in my favorites during fashion weeks. However, 2009 has clearly been a year of change thus far, and I must say I was impressed with this collection. Succulent necklines stayed high and close to the neck, while the backs of many dresses took the plunge with crisscrosses and droopy layers. Givenchy played with floral prints and light pastels from yellow to mint green, flirting with the joys of spring in material form. Bunched-up material flowers, thin layers of flowing material, and dresses drizzled with lace were some of my personal favorite highlights of the show. The graceful and dainty collection won my heart this couture week, putting Givenchy in my top three for the week, leaving me yearning for a few of the delicately chic pieces for myself! See the backstage photos on our TUMBLR.

In the two days of frivolous footsteps down the runway coated with spring fashion’s finest, designers in Paris have clearly chosen to turn a blind eye to the economic recession deterring most of us from our frivolous fashion splurges. “Of course I’m aware of the credit crunch, but it is not a creative crunch,” Christian Dior designer John Galliano said after his outstanding display on the Monday evening. As we could tell by the ornate three-day extravaganza, the worst of times cannot even kill the life of couture lovers everywhere. A persistent fashion culture that will not allow itself to be doused by any flame? Now that, my friends, is haute.

Photos via Cobrasnake & Hapsical