ELIE SAAB Pre-Fall 2014

The expectation with Elie Saab is always that there will be beautiful lace and embroidery. On both counts, the designer did not disappoint with his pre-fall collection. But it was a surprise and pleasure to see how the workmanship that goes into those materials could be applied to cashmere and fur. The former, for instance, played a starring role in a jacket-cape hybrid. Double-faced instead of lined, the cashmere formed softly around the torso, opening from the shoulders into a sleeveless, swingy back. That same controlled trapeze shape reappeared in a suit jacket contoured with satin and zippers, as well as a lace and organza tunic in ultramarine. Though this silhouette is conducive to a spectrum of figures, the fit-and-flare remains Saab's standby.

Discover ELIE SAAB Fall/Winter '14/15 RTW & Haute Couture at the end of this post! 

LoL, Andrea 

As a modest evolution, dresses were shown in a new perforated, ribbed fabric cut in body-contouring panels that left a more precise effect than lace. More important, it strikes the right amount of red-carpet sizzle to ensure its use beyond one-season wonder.

Meanwhile Saab seemed to figure that pre-fall was an opportunity to push further into the accessories market. His heels adopted the same contouring as his dresses, and it goes without saying that the bags available in metallic-finish exotic skins are not season-specific. The roomy, tissue-box-size clutch solves the problem of what to carry when wearing the coat-cape. All told, this was a thoughtful collection even if it never once deviated from Saab's feminine ideal.

Selections by ANDREA JANKE Finest Accessories 

Photo Credit / Source: The House of ELIE SAAB

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'Paris Haute Couture | ELIE SAAB Fall 2014 Couture'

As always, it was that kind of a fairytale show, and if there’s one thing that Elie Saab does very well, it’s a fairytale dress. For brides-to-be, or even for brides that were, his are the sorts of dresses that dreams are made of – they’re the ultimate princess fantasy and you can’t help but fall in love with them, simply because they are so exquisite, elaborate and beautiful.

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'Dark Opulence by ELIE SAAB Fall/Winter 2014/15 RTW'

The Light Of Now - There is romance in the darkness - silk printed with shadowy, wilting blooms. Black and blush pink rising triumphantly from forest green and wine tones. A series of 1950s and 60s inspired silhouettes are infused with movement, ease and opulence for th ELIE SAAB Ready-to-Wear Fall/Winter 2014/15 Collection.

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LOUIS VUITTON Pre-Fall 2014

LOUIS VUITTON's pre-fall collection, designed collectively by the studio team, does a fine - no, superb job of tiding over the fashion world while they anxiously await Nicolas Ghesquière’s first collection as creative director for the house.

The looks propel the dark opulence set forth for spring. Consider a fabulous black baseball jacket with beading and alpaca along the zipper and pockets or a long-sleeved lace dress adorned with glittering sequins. A swishy, beaded dress with a cashmere and sequin sweater over top in deep merlot was made less reverent, more modern, by being paired with a T-shirt-style sweater.

Also revived was Stephen Sprouse’s logo graffiti in exaggerated, abstract proportions. For instance, flattering, forties-style dresses had an oversize, glittering L swooshed over the shoulder or a sparkling, multicolored V affixed on the back. The effect is as achingly good now as Sprouse’s work was when it first came to the house in 2001. Other standouts include a slouchy fox fur gilet of the opulence level that only a house like Vuitton could achieve and a sporty skirt suit in leather and tweed. Surely all eyes still are on Ghesquière’s Paris debut this winter, but the pre-fall collection is worth a long, adoring look.

Selections by ANDREA JANKE Finest Accessories

Photo Credit / Source: The House of LOUIS VUITTON

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'A Moody Spring by LOUIS VUITTON'

A Moody Spring – Marking Marc Jacobs’ final collection for Louis Vuitton, the spring/summer 2014 season. “It’s been great.” These three words were the only indication from Marc Jacobs that he has, indeed, completed his sixteen years of work for Louis Vuitton. And that was exactly the term great for the extraordinary show he sent out in the Cour Carrée du Louvre tent in which he has given fashion people some of the most visceral and dramatic experiences witnessed in recent times.

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