This week’s fashion news runs the gamut – from Kate Middleton to Rihanna, from classic English weddings to leopard-print dresses. Read on for more…
Kate Middleton is now officially in the golden heights of fashion.
The Duchess of Cambridge has been named the world’s most fashionably dressed person by Vanity Fair magazine – and this is a list which encompasses men and women of all ages and countries.
However, there’s some controversy about the choice, and not just because Middleton refuses to wear that tremendous wedding gown everywhere she goes.
Middleton’s style has been criticised by some big names as very ‘safe’. Stockings, knee-length skirts, cap sleeves – she likes British designers, but doesn’t take risks, preferring classic silhouettes done impeccably well. But perhaps that’s what we need in this uncertain time.
The rest of the list was less controversial – at least for fashion insiders. The second best-dressed person? Bill Cunningham, veteran photographer, inspiration to a generation of fashion snappers and impeccable dandy for at least 50 years. Well deserved.
Our favourites? Livia Firth, wife of Colin, who has her own sustainable fashion line and always manages to combine eco-fashion with tremendous style; Fan BingBing, the wonderful Chinese actress who takes every couture show by storm with her dramatic 1940s sense of style and incredible skin, and Jessica Chastain, who takes the other cover of Vanity Fair. Chastain rarely puts a foot wrong, but it’s hard to with those cheekbones.
Rescu. loves that Vanity Fair put some proper fashionistas in the top twenty – not known to the press, perhaps, not world famous, but possessed of incredible style and fearlessness.
Our pick for favourite of the bunch? Number 11 on the list, Michelle Harper, who wears couture every day, is a muse to several designers and is the heir to Isabella Blow’s sense of occasion.
One massive exclusion we can’t forgive? Cate Blanchett. She looks fashion-forward even when boarding a 20-hour flight.
Who else did Vanity Fair leave off? Do you agree with their favourites?
Image: Vanity Fair Best Dressed covers for 2012.
As Kate Moss, Lauren Bush and Coco Rocha showed, when you want to see a wedding done impeccably, look to a model.
And if you follow the nuptials of Jacquetta Wheeler, English model and former queen of 90s catwalks, you’ll note that the wedding trends of the moment are soft, romantic, English and delicate.
Of course, it helps if, like Wheeler, you’re best friends with an English designer like Alice Temperley.
Temperley’s dress for the bride involved lace which required ten workers to complete it. It was chiffon and silk, and involved delicate elbow-length sleeves.
And the long veil seen at Kate Moss’s English country-style wedding made an appearance again, anchored by a diamond coronet.
Inspired by Kate Middleton’s show-stopper, wedding style is becoming more ornate and traditional, with strapless dresses and sleek lines abandoned for long sleeves, intriguing necklines and long trains.
Temperley is also becoming an increasingly in-demand inspiration for international brides, especially those who can’t access her atelier directly and employ seamstresses to imitate the designs instead.
Are you a fan of the English romantic wedding style, or is it just not your taste?
Image: Jacquetta Wheeler at her wedding.
Rescu. has seen a sneak preview of the Myer spring-summer campaign – and it’s going to be a showstopper.
For one, they’ve picked an exotic locale to end all exotic locales: Pilansberg National Park in South Africa.
Africa is an increasingly popular location for fashion shoots – American Vogue and the Pirelli calendar have sent models there in recent years to explore the desert backdrops, including Liya Kebede and fashion muse Jamie Bochert.
And it’s certainly a timely location – the trends for the next season are wild and animalistic, taking Australian beach-and-sand culture and amping it up into sleek, sophisticated shapes.
The models? Guess’s Jessica Hart, Myer mainstay Jennifer Hawkins and Danni Minogue’s ex Kris Smith.
From our previews, the big trend is going to be clashing prints, particularly spectacular leopard and jigsaw-inspired ones. We also loved all the hints of detailing, from lace to hand-tooled leather, it’s going to be a season for the artisan.
And the colours? Parched – more sophisticated than the sweet pastels of this past season, more sultry than the plain whites and blacks of futuristic tailoring last year.
Think desert sand and bleached materials, and you’re on the right track.
Are you excited for the new season?
Image: Myer Spring-Summer 2013.
She’s known for her rocking, out-there style.
And now singer and Barbados fashionista Rihanna is going to be designing a loud, vibrant collection for British chain River Island.
Rihanna loves tropical prints, shorts, neon, big sunglasses, 80s clubwear and statement shoes. This will definitely be for the fearless fashionista.
The summer line won’t be out till spring 2013, but Rihanna is already excited and giving interviews about her line.
“I’ve been wanting to design my own collection for some time,” she told the press, “and River Island is the perfect partner.”
Some celebrities ‘create’ lines without having much input beyond seeing some basic sketches, particularly if they’re touring or working hard, but Rihanna has pledged to be a hands-on designer, working with the River Island team to create something special.
Our predictions? Wild, notice-me clothing – bulky jackets, leather, studs and rock-chick T-shirts. Rihanna doesn’t do girly – and we’re looking forward to seeing her fashion sense go mainstream.
Will you be looking out for Rihanna’s British line?
Image: Rihanna.
