That's a Train: A look from Chanel Haute Couture Fall 2009As you can see, I'm still in a "Couture Mood". Maybe it's because of my recent trip to Paris and because of the Vionnet Arts Decoratifs Exhibition, but as the old Depeche Mode song says "I just can't get enough". Also, I just returned to teaching at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising/FIDM and their Advanced Fashion Design students for the Summer Quarter so I love finding "everything and anything" that might inspire them, get their design antennae going, just basically posting anything here that might stimulate their "fashion eyes".
The Gown from the Making of a Chanel Couture Outfit" (see video below)During Couture Fall 2009 fashion week, Karl Lagerfeld's Chanel Collection was a highlight to many editors, clients and fashion observers. He showed all the gorgeous tweeds, beading and embroidery the house is famous for, loosely based on a "train". Not the "choo-choo" kind, but the kind that trails from a gown or a dress...or a suit, in the hands of Lagerfeld. Here's a great "Behind The Scenes Video" showing how a Couture Gown for this new collection was created. From sketch to drape to pattern to final $100,000 gown. It is a rarely-seen peek into the rarefied world of Haute Couture.
Click below for the Making of a Chanel Couture Outfit:
Click Below for Highlights from Chanel Haute Couture Fall 2009:
Also, here are a couple of wonderful videos which also show a Behind-the-Scenes peek into Christian Dior Haute Couture, showing designer John Galliano during muslin fittings and surveying his Atelier. I'm still not over how PERFECT those muslin samples look. Perfect enough to be photographed! Trust me, you would not want to see my muslin samples, all marked up, pinned-to-no-end, ripped and adjusted; those are hidden in my "Nick Verreos Vault".
Click below for a video on the Behind The Scenes at the Dior Couture Atelier:
And click below for a wonderful "Dior Couture Retrospective" with John Galliano:
The Lumiere finely milled minerals powders went on like a dream with the Kabuki Brush they sent me, it's so so soft, it just blends so well and I was really impressed by it. The bronzer I used was a lovely golden colour and gave me a nice glow that lasted all night. My favourite powder of them all was the Silk Radiance in Sundew which is basically an illuminating powder and it gave my skin a dewy, airbrushed effect that looked really lovely. I also really liked the Apricot blusher, it's perfect to team with the bronzer. The lipgloss is a nice shade but one thing I would say is that they don't last very long which was a shame. 
