AW 18 Style Files. Red and Sparkle.

The long run of Christmas work parties, friends and family get together has started and most of us, do think carefully, if not worry, about what to wear. I believe you should just keep it simple and stick to some tried and tested festive staples like sparkles and reds.

Watching hundreds of fashion shows has taught me, among several things, to look back at the looks seen on the runway and get some major inspiration from them or just get ideas.  I picked few looks from AltaRoma January 2018 that fall in the festive category hoping they can be of some use as a springboard for your outfits. Just remember to smile when you go out, you are not one of the models above ;-)

Marianna Cimini

Davide Grillo

Black Friday 2018. Yes or Yes.

Well, well. Another Black Friday week-end is over this year and December has just started. A week after the event and two weeks after my last post, hoping to have a sustainable one, I have to say that all is well. Infact, not only this year Black Friday was good for business, according to official reports and my own observation throughout the whole week-end ( so tiring!) but also I have the distinct impression that shoppers finally got really savvy and bought what they really wanted and what they really needed. So a double Yes for business/shoppers and sustainability.

We will see how the Christmas rush pans out. Stay tuned.

Black Friday 2018. Let's Make it Sustainable.

I have always had mixed feelings about the effectiveness of Black Friday, particularly for clothing and fashion, as there are promotions, sales and extravaganzas all year round. I'm sure that quite a few of you can relate to the opening picture; an avalanche of clothing that sits in wardrobes and drawers, ready to 'kill you', as soon as you open them. I expressed my negativity two years ago - sorry the post is in Italian! - and I have to say that this year my position has softened a bit.

Infact, as I see it daily at work, customers seem to have become really savvy, demanding and almost frugal. I do hope therefore that on this upcoming Black Friday/Sofa Sunday/Cyber Monday people take advantage of the deals BUT buy just what they really need and want with no excess. Sustainability in this context refers to consuming as little as possible and consuming good quality products. I will update you once this year Black Friday is over on Tuesday 27th November ;-)

AW18 Style Files. Technicolour Layers

Looks: Moi Multiple & Marco Rambaldi

The days are getting shorter, it becomes dark earlier and the cold days are going to last for a few months. But it's not all doom and gloom. Infact as well as wearing cosy cords and velvets  we can use colour to keep our mood up. Better than that, use several colours, taking a technicolor world out there. This time I'm going to show you some looks from the January 2018 edition of AltaRoma, that I had the pleasure to attend. 

For those who don't know this fashion week event that takes place in Rome in January and July, I'm going yo give you a quick overview of where it sits in the context of the Italian fashion calendar. Everybody know Milan Fashion Week and Pitti on Florence but not many have heard of AltaRoma. AltaRoma, over the years and through several reinventions, has finally emerged as the main showcase event for upcoming designers that work and create in Italy, as well as still showing some amazing Italian Haute Couture. There is also a lot more going on but, as I'm going to cover the even in Janaury 2019, I will come back to that. Back to the looks!

The styling trick to pull colours off is to balance them with neutral colours either on the garments or on the accessories - scarves, shoes, thights - and focus on two , maximum three accent colours. have a good look at how the models are styled in the pictures ;-)

Marco Rambaldi 

Moi Multiple

Miahatami

AW 18 Style Files. Feel the Velvet

The older sibling of the cord, velvet is another major trend this AW 18 season. You will find it in every collection and many labels from high end all the way down to fast fashion have velvet items on their racks. To avoid the danger of looking frumpy, old-fashioned as if you are wearing a curtain make sure you mix up your velvet with prints or textures. Below some good examples of key items and looks. Some of them may be too out there for your taste but they are just a source of inspiration.

AW 18 Style Files. Major Cord.

Autumn and winter are with us, summer is gone and so the S/S 19 fashion weeks. We can now focus on the trends for the season and shopping accordingly. Corduroy is back and for people like who where toddlers in the late '70/early '80, this fabric conjures back fond childhood memories. But don't worry, even if the cord is back it doesn't mean old fashioned. Infact the AW18 offerings are stylish and wearable. 

After some research it looks like that what's available fall into three broad categories: cords coord, overalls and jumpsuit and skirts.

Bella Freud

ALEXACHUNG

Victoria Beckham

Anna Mason

Anna Mason

MIH Jeans

Staud

Acne Studios

Anna Mason

Back On Track. September Fashion Updates.

Generally speaking we all now are back on track - back to school, back to the office and so on - even if in reality some of us worked through the summer and are going on holiday later this month (yes!).

I'm back on track with my blog, that I occasionally have to neglect, and with the whole month ahead of us, below a concise list of what's have been happening in the fashion-sphere around me and what's to come.

Fashion Week Month kicked off in New York few days ago and will finish on September 30th in Paris with the Givenchy show. Plenty of looks to go through and upcoming trends to discover. I'll be attending LFW next week and reporting for Fashion News Magazine as usual plus blogging about my personal favourite looks and impressions here.

Victoria Beckham will be showing in London for the first time ever to celebrate the 10th anniversary of her label. Curious to see what the collection looks like.

September retail news are also packed with launches and the latest being the John Lewis 300 pieces AW18 collection linked to the department store rebranding that added & Partners to its names as well as the partner company Waitrose. Working on the JL womenswear floor this has been a big and exciting news for myself and all the other Partners. Check the collection out in store or online. I thinks it's great.

Last but not least River Island is launching their first homeware collection at the end of the month. Having worked for the company for nearly six years I am still interested to see how RI is always moving on with the times and confidently expanding the range of products on offer. 

Roll on Septmber and let's see what happens.

XD

AltaRoma June 2018. Sporty and Colourful. EDITHMARCEL and Marianna Cimini.

The list of the past WION finalist designers that presented their SS 19 collection at AltaRoma gets complete with these last two - EDITHMARCEL and Marianna Cimini. Both brands added a light and playful touch to the catwalk after the politically charged collections of the previous two days.

Gianluca Ferracin and Andrea Masato started EDITHMARCEL in 2015 and the brand was a WION finalist in 2016. The label has a youthful nature that is reflected once more in the sporty looks of its latest collection ''►Play''

Sportswear inspired items in lycra and crepe are presented in multiple versions; with the brand logo, the face print or in V cut shapes. The colour blocking of the palette and the white marks on the faces come from the layout of sport's gounds and the mixture of fabrics, both technical and more refined make the looks smart and casual according to the context they are worn.

A joyful mood infuse Marianna Cimini collection intitled Holi, like the Hindu celebration for the arrival of spring, marked with colored powder thrown into the air and onto large white robes worn by people celebrating it.

The colour palette is vibrant and wide; from shades of white to nudes and black though pastel colours and bright colours.  All over flowery prints  and stripes give movement and liveliness to the look. The overall joy is also reflected in the oversized silhouette, the fold and the ruffles that make this Marianna Cimini collection one of the best seen in this edition of AltaRoma.

AltaRoma June 2018. Power to the Fashionable Woman. Moi Multiple, Miahatami, Soocha.

Once again AltaRoma delivers an excellent mix of prêt-a-porter brands that balances well the craftsmanship of the Alta Moda collections and the energy of the labels selected for the Showcase format. The pap names that show their collections in Rome and all different and unique but share the same stamp of approval: having been selected by Vogue Italy in the past few years through the competiton Who Is On Next. This means that AltaRoma keeps showcasing the best up and coming designers in terms of creativity and commercial credibility.

The first three names on the Cinecitta' Cinema Stage have all captured the zeigest of the past few month ( the #metoo movement), giving centre stage to a woman that is both independent, powerful and bang on trend.

Moi Multiple, finalist in 2009, designed by Anna Francesca Ceccon, plays with the power of the immagination and the refuge into the worl of tales. The Immaginifica looks infact presents the heroine of a fairy tale that only exists in her own mind. Unexpected colour combinations and textures are key thanks to paper yarns, synthetic ribbons and raffia. Giant flowers and fluid shapes complete the story