Fashion is all about surprises. From Michelle Obama’s inauguration fashion – kept secret to the very last minute, even from the designers themselves – to John Galliano’s shock return to designing, Rescu. has all the gossip…
Inauguration Day isn’t just about watching the US President take his oath.
It’s also about fashion-watching – and fashionista Michelle Obama took the crowd’s breath away with her choices this week.
For the morning swearing-in, which takes place in the freezing open air, she opted for an on-trend Thom Browne coat and dress with pink gloves.
The coat, in silk jacquard – this season’s fabric – was apparently inspired by men’s neckties, and featured thousands of tiny checks with an embellished belt.
For the black tie ball, she went back to her previous Inauguration Day favourite – a halter-neck, bright scarlet Jason Wu.
Her last Jason Wu Inauguration gown was white and bridal, whereas this was more mature and fitted.
The most fun part of the entire exercise? Even the designers were kept totally in the dark until the moment she appeared. Jason Wu himself tweeted “#inshock!!” when images were broadcast of the First Lady in his scarlet gown.
Many designers are commissioned to make gowns and outfits, but the final say is secret until the day itself.
So what do you think about the First Lady’s inauguration outfits?
Image: Michelle Obama in Jason Wu.
John Galliano, the disgraced former Dior designer, is finally returning to fashion.
However, it’s not as simple as a new job as head of a label, or even as an assistant.
Instead, Galliano is a (mysterious and highly unorthodox) ‘resident’ at Oscar de la Renta. Both Galliano and de la Renta himself are staying very tight-lipped about what that means. All de la Renta says is that Galliano is not ‘a replacement’, insisting that he does not mean to retire.
Instead, it looks like a favour for a long-time friend – he and Galliano have known each other for decades.
The orchestrator of this fashion coup? Anna Wintour, head of American Vogue and one of Galliano’s champions throughout his entire scandal.
Galliano has always had strong supporters in the fashion industry after his scandal, particularly when he admitted to having serious addictions and spent almost a year in rehab. Kate Moss asked him to design her wedding dress, and he’s been seen at dinner with luminaries like Wintour all around town.
So clearly the high-ups in fashion have forgiven him – but have the public? One thing’s for sure – the next de la Renta collection will be scoured by critics for the ‘Galliano touch’, which is flamboyance, historical accuracy and a couture attitude.
Image: Galliano.
If there’s one designer whose work you can say is ‘theatrical’, it’s English mistress of punk Vivienne Westwood.
And now the British designer has branched into the theatre, with an entire opera at the Sydney Festival being held in her clothing.
‘Semele Walk’, a cross between a Handel opera and a catwalk, has a fashionable and deranged soprano at its centre whose journey into madness is mirrored in her mad Westwood outfits. Her hair is even flaming red like Westwood’s herself. And Jupiter, king of the gods, appears in diamond-studded socks and a sequinned kilt.
It’s not the first time Westwood has gone theatrical. The English National Ballet has just asked her to help them with their rebranding, dressing its dancers in a major new campaign to make the ballet seem ‘up-to-date’.
Westwood is a major player on the Hollywood scene too – Jennifer Garner, who was the centre of attention at the Golden Globes on Sunday after her husband Ben Affleck was snubbed for an Oscar nod for directing Argo, chose a scarlet Westwood gown to face the cameras.
We’re loving the operatic turn of Westwood’s collection. Will you be going to see ‘Semele Walk’ at the Sydney Town Hall?
Image: Semele Walk.
Ever wondered how the beauty looks at a major fashion show are created?
Chances are they start with two words – Pat McGrath.
She’s the biggest player in the make-up world of couture by far, and is often booked for every show in Fashion Week. You may never have heard of her, but she’s one of the most influential people in fashion – after all, she determines every beauty trend.
And at Raf Simon’s Dior show, her big pick was sequins scattered on gorgeous eyeshadow.
The look was labelled the ‘Techno Butterfly’, and McGrath outlined her method: “intense geometric colours, studded with ‘bursts’ of Swarovski crystals in matching or contrasting shades.”
The look was spectacular when placed against the pret-a-porter looks, which were minimal and lush at the same time.
Want to get the look yourself? Arm yourself with crystals and some severely popping eyeshadow, and extend it out towards the temple on the upper eye in a ‘block’ or square. Make sure it covers the nook of the inner eye, too.
Then scatter the sequins in a way that emphasises the natural shape of your eye – across the edge of the lid, up towards the browbone and out onto the temple. Don’t place any on the fold of the lid itself.
McGrath famously travels with between 30 and 50 bags of make-up, plus another bag entirely filled with photography coffee table books for inspiration. She’s a heavy-hitter, and we love this Dior look.
Will you be trying the Pret-a-Porter look for your next night out?
Image: Raf Simons at Dior make-up by Pat McGrath.
