They may not be known for their fashion sense, but Harrods is about to give the Disney princesses – Mulan, Belle, Jasmine, Snow White and the rest – a thoroughly fashionable update.
Disney princesses aren’t really known for their fashion sense. Their over-the-top costume gowns are designed for memorability and romance, not fashion-forward flair.
However, English department store Harrods is set to give Disney’s princesses a full make-over this Christmas, with help from the highest of high fashion.
Valentino, Elie Saab and Oscar de la Renta will be among the designers clothing the princesses in entirely new, custom-made couture gowns, to go on display in Harrods’ Christmas windows.
John Galliano, during his time at Dior, made some couture pieces inspired by the iconography of princesses and royalty, from Disney to the Romanovs, but he’s still under such a cloud that it’s unlikely he’ll be participating.
So what will the couture revamp entail? One sketch, from Valentino, looks hopeful. A redo of Beauty and the Beast, it takes Belle out of her shocking-yellow cake-tier frock and puts her in crepe de chine with an elaborate cape. The colours are pale, almost brown greens, which are extremely in this season.
Rescu. predicts that, with the popularity of transparency, beading and pastels on the catwalks this season, the designers will give their princesses an opulent, almost candy-cane edge.
And we’re looking forward to seeing Snow White out of that boring puff-sleeved concoction – after the glorious efforts of award-winning costumers in Snow White & The Huntsman, the other fairytale update this year, Harrods has a lot to live up to. Charlize Theron’s character wore a dress for a single scene created entirely out of thousands of green beetle wings, in the style of a famous dress from the 1900s – and it’s only seen for barely a moment.
We hope Harrods goes for a similar sense of the couture fairytale.
Image: Valentino’s Beauty & The Beast.
Capes are in – were they ever out? – but a new way of wearing your outer layer is gaining prominence on the fashion scene, and it’s become a very strong trend.
Wearing your coat on your shoulders rather than buttoning it or wearing it on your person may seem like an affectation, or just plain cold, but it’s actually a throwback to the 1930s and 40s. The trend then was to wear one’s coat swung casually over the shoulders – it was thought it emphasised femininity, and it also showed off your outfit.
Well, it’s back – and it’s not just for people who want to make a statement. The key is to do it with the right coat. This is an opportunity to use coat-shapes you wouldn’t normally wear on your figure – a 1960s block coat, for instance, or a long evening one. Draped over your shoulders, they have a ‘framing’ effect, rather than sitting on your body normally – and that gives freedom to experiment.
Because the coat is no longer something to be removed to display the real outfit, it becomes an important element. Brocades and unexpected textures are in this season, particularly for evening coats. Heavy materials, such as wool and velvet, are also in style.
Avoid anything with a belt, as that might prove difficult to deal with, and don’t wear trenches slung like that – they’re built to be worn on the body, and won’t adapt well to shoulder use.
Construct your outfit in a way that works against the backdrop of the coat – particularly its lining. (This is a great trend for those coats with beautiful linings most people never see.) Make a bright outfit pop against a dark coat, and vice versa. Don’t be afraid of bulking up, either – the shoulder-worn coat is meant to be a bit bigger.
It’s also best applied to longer, fuller coats, as shorter or more fitted ones might look a bit odd floating free. To keep the coat on your shoulders, make sure it fits properly, hold it up occasionally or pick coats with loose fastenings across the collar, which will allow for it to be fastened at the neck and then fall around your body.
Also don’t wear handbags with straps, as you might not keep them on your shoulder…
Image: Coats as capes on the street.
You wouldn’t know it, but Queen Victoria was one of the biggest influences on fashion in history. Because of her we have white wedding dresses – before her wedding to Prince Albert, women just wore their best dresses.
However, it’s not her wedding outfit which is getting fashion interest – it’s her mourning clothes.
It’s a right royal mystery, too. Queen Victoria wore only mourning till her death, nearly half a century after her husband died, and the mourning outfit is clearly hers – it’s got royal monograms on everything, up to and including the underwear.
However, it arrived at the London auction house without any details and with the simple wish that the donator remain anonymous.
Victorian-style blouses and piping have been strong on the catwalk the past few years, and the fashion pack is greatly enthused about this particular outfit. Victoria’s style was historically grim, but in the standards of the times it wasn’t permitted to stop wearing mourning unless she married again.
It’s anticipated that a private collector might snap it up, but the Victoria & Albert Museum and even some royals are said to be interested. Royal style is one of the biggest trends this year, with crowns and Union jacks everywhere, and this is the ultimate Jubilee piece.
It also, quite remarkably, has a 110-cm waist; Queen Victoria was over a metre round, even in severe Victorian corseting. The costume is expected to fetch thousands of dollars, particularly because it’s absolutely complete – it even comes with a matching hat.
Would you pay to get a hold of Queen Victoria’s fashion history?
Image: Queen Victoria in mourning
Pregnancy needn’t be the end of a fashionista’s life, even if one’s body is uncooperative in refusing to develop a nice round baby bump and leaving all the other limbs unchanged.
First things first: hiding in muu-muus and gigantic flowing overalls is SO 1990s. It’s perfectly acceptable for pregnant women to wear tight things and celebrate their shape rather than hiding it away. The trick, of course, is to celebrate it flatteringly and in comfort.
Some pregnant women speak with alarm about the empire-line waist, saying they hate that they’re so restricted. It’s not everybody’s choice – it’s just that it’s easier and more comfortable – but it can be difficult to reuse it afterwards if empire-line isn’t your style.
Don’t feel harassed into buying anything by chic friends or overbearing maternity staff, and ignore the ‘can’t’s unless medically warned (including high heels).
Make sure the materials are breathable and easily cleaned, and try to find things that will go the length of the pregnancy, and even into the post-birth period.
Here’s RESCU’s ultimate yummy-mummy wardrobe:
A pair of colourful skinny jeans with an elastic waistband
Plenty of cute flats and boots, with arch support
At least one gorgeous, supportive bra with nursing capability – always get measured properly
A maxi-dress with a comfortable neckline and floor-grazing grace
Pretty cotton underwear
A cute LBD which extends low enough for you to feel comfortable – they can look far too long on the hanger, so make sure you try them on
A fitted cardigan which buttons over the bump
A tulip-shaped skirt, with pleats to expand as the pregnancy goes on
Plenty of chic T-shirts
At least one truly spectacular, got-to-love-it swimsuit
And don’t ignore your pre-pregnancy wardrobe because you’re worried it won’t fit after a while. Wear it for as long as you can, and alter the ways in which you fasten or secure things so as to get wear out of them.
Image: ASOS Maternity.
