Natalia Vodianova, one of the world’s top supermodels, has a new partner – and his identity is causing waves all over Paris Fashion Week.
It’s a match made in heaven – fashion heaven, that is.
Natalia Vodianova and Antoine Arnault made their first official public appearance this week as a couple at Paris’s Haute Couture Fashion Week.
Vodianova is one of the world’s most famous models. Still looking like a fresh-faced 16 year old despite 3 children, she divorced husband and English heir Justin Portman last year.
The news shocked the fashion world, as Portman and Vodianova had been one of the most publicly solid couples on the circuit – even doing interviews in their New York home and fashion spreads with their three blonde children.The split is rumoured to be acrimonious behind the scenes.
Arnault is a pretty famous name in fashion – Antoine’s brother, Bernard, is the head of LVMH, the luxury conglomerate, and Antoine himself is an administrator of the group and head of communications for Louis Vuitton.
It’s been a scandal in the making, but the two have been careful to keep their relationship a secret, only appearing together once or twice since they began to date.
Now they’re out in the open – and Vodianova joins the realm of models and actresses dating extremely powerful men. Image: Vodianova and Arnault.
Fashion is having a 1950s moment. The Dior Haute Couture Collection from Paris this week harkened back to the golden days of the New Look.
And nobody wore it better than Grace Kelly – screen goddess, Princess of Monaco and Hollywood legend.
Want to encourage your daughters to a similar grace and style? Barbie’s here to help you out – they’ve just released the Grace Kelly Barbie. It’s from arguably her most fashionable role – as the beautiful fashion-model girlfriend in Rear Window, the Hitchcock thriller.
It might not be the same as wearing the clothes themselves – after all, who can really pull off a huge white skirt and a pashmina for everyday wear these days? – but having it on your display cabinet might just inspire you to a 1950s state of mind.
Just don’t go witnessing murders from wheelchairs. Image: Grace Kelly Barbie, retailing from $59.99.
Ombre – that gradiated-colour look which has been recurring so often in spring collections – hasn’t been in fashion for a while. It’s been paired with tie-dye as weirdly hippie and not-quite-classy-enough.
However, thanks in large part to Kristen Wiig’s glorious ombre gown at the 2011 Emmys, ombre is making a comeback – a major one.
The trick to doing it correctly? Picking your colours and materials correctly, and using selection when it comes to accessorising.
Ombre has been reinvented as a classic ingredient on basic shapes, like shift-dresses and pants. Pick wisely – with something as bold as this, the cut is all-important, as there isn’t any place to hide.
Pick unexpected materials rather than silk or satin (which can look cheap with an ombre effect). Wool, tweed, extremely thick layered silk and even fur for the oncoming winter are a good idea.
Go for basic shapes and a single colour gradiation – not from pink to blue, but from sky blue to midnight, for instance. Work with your colouring and match it well.
If you want to go full festival-chic, adopt a maxi-dress, but give it an edge with spiked jewellery and punk details, otherwise you might look a bit like a 1970s drop-out.
Image: Kristen Wiig at the 2011 Emmy Awards
One of the most unexpected trends of the past few months? False and embellished collars.
You may never have heard of them, but false beaded collars (to be placed over plain blouses or dresses) were very popular in the early 20th century and late 19th. ‘Dress collars’ were covered in pearls or lace, or even tiny shells or bells, and then fastened.
And the embellished collar is making a hell of a comeback. Except this time? It’s punk.
Ladylike shirts are being dressed up with spiked collars. Cameos are being pinned at the neck. Bells, chains, buttons, art deco prints (see Miu Miu’s cat-collared shirts), charms, fur – it’s all there, in one big glorious mess.
So how do you deal with this new weird fashion world? One way is to spice up an old shirt with a new set of collar accessories.
Look for something which contrasts well with the shirt’s existing colour. Gold and silver work best with blues and whites. You can go for more radical accessories with black and patterns.
Don’t lose the shape of the collar itself – everything must fit onto it. Arrange your items and then either glue them or sew. Make sure they’re not too heavy – a collar liner or starch may help here.
If your current shirt’s collar isn’t up to the challenge, you might want to sew a layer of denim over the top first. It’s a look that’s been seen in a lot of shows recently – and denim holds up to embellishment exquisitely.
Don’t want to work on anything you already have? Look out for a separate collar altogether. Regard them as avant-garde necklaces.
Look for beautiful embellishment – embroidery, beads, sequins, even spikes or ribbons. Vintage collars can be extremely expensive – they’re a very sought-after collector’s item. If necessary, buy separate shirt collars and embellish them yourself!
And don’t worry about finding a matching blouse – or even one that buttons all the way to the neck. A deep V-neck under a lovely collar is an increasingly cool trend.
Image: One of the embellished collars at Paris Fashion Week 2011.
