In this, part two of the French Catwalk shows, we focus on the more "wearable" aspects of Paris fashion week. Still, I would like to point out that these are press presentations (costing tens, if not hundreds of thousands of Euros) and it is essential for the designer to "make a statement" about their fashion philosophy. So what walks down the runway in Paris will always have a creative edge. Otherwise, the more conservative merchandise remains back in the showroom.
50 Nuances de Grey
From capital to capital, across the ocean, there's no escaping it...grey is a major color to contend with next fall. Designers in Paris like to dip it in textured warm and cool tones for everything from car coats and jackets to eveningwear.
Checkmate
Flashback to the 1960's Mod Squad, look for black and white checks and windowpane plaids to invade Fall wardrobes. What's interesting here is the mixture of checks with checks, plaids with tweeds in looks ranging from kicky mini-suits to below-the-knee wrap skirts.
A Study in Black & White
Straight off the drawing board is a strong graphic look complete with sketched placed prints, cut-out shapes or simply a look sporting a juxtaposition of stripes.
Study in Black & White
Following in the theme of the Arts & Crafts, these are fun party dresses using recycled materials, and even origami. Okay so Yang Li did it with something that resembled garbage bags, but for our girl, Olympia, we translated the look using a polyester taffeta.
This fabric is so much fun to work with. I started out with a basic foundation, then simply crunched the taffeta to get the shape and tacked it in place.
Coat Check
There are some straight overcoats, however, look for belts to play a major role in creating pretty, feminine silhouettes especially with fit and flair silhouettes.
Panting the Night Away
Essentially, these are party pants and, as you can see, they come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors!!! Instead of making dolly another P.M. dress, consider updating her wardrobe with fancy pants, instead!
Pretty Lady
Don't get me wrong, dresses aren't going away, any time soon. Keep them simple with lots of flair!
Give Her the Slip
Another MAJOR trend which followed us everywhere was the slip dress. Long or short, worn by itself or over a shirt as a jumper, here are a few more variations of this new, hot trend.
Slinky Around
She is one long, drink of water......look for evening dresses that melt over the figure. Fabrics which will help you get this look include rayon/lycra knits, silk charmeuse. We also like the combination of a shimmering satin teamed with the same fabric that has been crinkled or texturized.
Velvet Underground
Velvet makes a comeback for the most romantic of looks.
Fashion month is over and there are lots of new looks to explore. Our tutorials resume beginning with the next post which will focus on next season's hottest accessory: Belts (including ideas for buckles)! Stay tuned!!!!
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Hi April, there are so many things in this post! So many different looks my head is spinning!
ReplyDeleteYour Yang Li interpretation is incredible, you make it seem so easy!
Now that it's all over, I must say that this was a really good Fashion Month that yielded lots of gorgeous clothes and great new ideas. It has given me ideas for future posts!!!
DeleteI'm really excited about the black and white! I went... a little overboard with my collection of black and white fabrics for a quilt project, but now I see this as an opportunity instead of a problem.
ReplyDeleteI love the pink outfit you made. The pants are gorgeous, and the top looks like something I could make with my limited sewing skills; simple, but very elegant!
I love the stark graphics of black and white looks. I'm happy you made the comment about the pink outfit because I try to include looks that are simple enough for anyone to make and are stylish as well.
DeleteI really appreciate it! Designing makes me happy, but sewing intimidates me. It took me a year and six separate Youtube videos to get the courage to make stretchy pants!
DeleteI loved the doll clothes you made! <3
ReplyDeleteAnd I also liked the Zuhair Murad dress on the right, it's interesting!
Very nice report. : > Have a nice Spring and I'm looking forward to the next post!
Thank you, Uraru. The next post is on belts and I will tell you now, you will really enjoy it because I am having too much fun putting it together!!!!
DeleteHi April, what an amount of diverse fashions! I Love the Yudashkin ensemble you made, it looks awesome on your model! I look forward to the belt post, I have some miniature buckles, but have not made an attempt to make a belt yet. PS: do you perhaps have a tutorial on how to put sleeves into doll dresses? I tried and failed so the dress is now sleeveless - again LOL. Many greetings and hugs from rainy Belgium xxx
ReplyDeleteHi Linda. Glad to hear from you as always. It's been a whirlwind of information over the past month! This has given me a LOT of ideas. Belts are easy and I'm sure once you get started, it will be hard to stop. And...I do have a post on putting in sleeves. It's embedded in my post, "Coat Closet: The Basic Jacket" which ran on March 11, 2013. Here's the link: http://fashiondollstylist.blogspot.com/2013/03/coat-closet-basic-jacket.html Putting sleeves in a blouse or dress is the same process. Big hugs!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for the link :-)
DeleteHi April, I just have to tell you that I have been following this blog since last summer. I started my sewing projects using your patterns when I found the jeans for Ken pattern. I love the way they turned out. I have also made the Ken pants. Then I moved on to the sheath dress and shift dress. I love that it can be modified in so many ways. Next I made a knit blouse from that pattern and a wool straight skirt along with a couple of Ken sweaters.
ReplyDeleteThis year's fashions from Paris and Milan are appealing to me, and I see ways that I can make some of my favorites. The pink pants outfit is one of those. I was quite anxious to see the belts tutorial. I had already made some belts and jewelry to enhance my outfits, and I just took a picture of them. I also made some jewelry for them. I was delighted when I opened your blog today and saw that you were using chain, etc. for belts. I have some ideas for belt buckles with jewery findings, too, but I love that you made that little buckle with the center section for attaching fabric or leather.
I would like to send you some pictures of what I have done with your ideas.
Thank you so much for sharing your design expertise and ideas! You are a great teacher!
Teddie
Teddie, I am so very moved by your message and I would like to thank you for such very sweet words. It is always good to know that someone like yourself is so appreciative of all the hard work that goes into putting together this blog AND...that it is of help to you in creating current fashions for your doll. It makes this labor of love so very rewarding for me.
DeleteI am in the process of planning a way that readers like yourself can share their own versions of these projects. The problem with email is that it will also attract lots of spam. So I am considering perhaps, a Facebook page for the blog. I hope to get something up soon. As soon as I do, I'll post an announcement! So check back from time to time. In the meantime, thank you again, for such a beautiful message. Big hugs. April
Thanks, April. I hadn't thought about spam, but it certainly can happen. I think I need to just create my own simple blog. I look forward to your Facebook page.
DeleteTeddie
Teddie---Our Facebook page just launched. You'll find it at: www.facebook.com/FashDollStylist
DeleteYou should be able to post directly to that page!