Today marked the end of SP13 Couture in Paris. There is something about Couture week which places it as my favourite of all fashion weeks, I think it is fashion being viewed more as art and admired rather than to be worn out everyday. This makes each piece more special and magical than the normal Spring Summer collections as the designers are allowed to push their ideas further and let creativity be he leading factor rather than practicality.
For me Karl Lagerfeld is the master of couture (recognise where I rephrased that cheeky line from?..think Hitchcock). But he forever manages to amaze with each and every collection and this season is no different. Starting with the classic Chanel tweed he reflects the loose knit across the collection with rough lace and feathers. The textures used across the collection with a range of fabrics from tweed to leather to feathers could seem overwhelming yet the simple black and white colour (except a few glimpses of pastels) scheme keeps it feel nothing but magical in the setting of an enchanted forest filled with fairies with a gothic touch and reminding me rather of the vampire fairies in Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty.
(I tried to cut down the collection to my favourite few, but it turned into more a favourite dozen or so.)
And what about the rest of the designers? In a rather more prim and proper garden Dior presented a rather more prim and proper collection with highly structured pieces, a few more bright colours and cut outs but kept the floral theme coming. (Again I didn't do the best job at cutting down the collection to my favourite pieces)
(All images from Style.com)
Elie Saab took us out of the gardens but kept the beautiful and delicate lace theme up. While much of the collection felt very similar it kept the entire collection delicate with subtle changes with colour and beading. The finale stands out from rest of the collection as most dramatic (but yes I do sort of want to be married in that dress.)
Finale
(All images from Style.com)
Valentino was a beautiful as ever and I was introduced to some new designers (at least for me) Ulyana Sergeenko a Russian fashion designer and photographer who took us back to the fairytale theme and Giambattista Valli. Here's my pick from all of these designers and more.
DO read The Handmaid's Tale by the amazing Margret Atwood. A dystopian novel of a late 20th century Northern America which has become the Republic of Geilead; where women are subjected and their right to their bodies is removed. A novel I found myself completely obsessed with and unable to put down.
I know I've mentioned it before, but seriously DO go to the rain room at the Barbican by Random International before it ends on March 3rd. Going at the beginning of the Christmas holidays, we queued for about an hour and a half, but it felt well worth it! Sit in the queue with a cup of coffee and your be pleased you sticked it out in the end. (Here are some of my own photos from the room and a very very short video which may give you a small glimpse to the impact of the litres of rain falling down on you.)
SEE Matthew Bourne's latest sensation Sleeping Beauty at Sadler's Wells. With the original music by Tchaikovsky, contemporary choreography from Matthew Bourne and stunning fairytale costumes and set you can't not see it. Your find yourself breath taken in a completely different world with vampires, fairies and the like. Although sold out (but with the possibility of buying returns on the day) fear not because it's going on tour! and will be on in the New Wimbledon Theatre in April.
My other recommendation to SEE is My Mad Fat Diary on E4. Based on Rae Earls own Mad Fat Teenage Diary, this programme touches spectacularly well on metal health and teenage life with much sensitivity yet great humour (something which seems rarely well done). A great watch.
EAT this delicious, moorish chocolate, raspberry brownies! I baked them this evening and I'm struggling to resist eating another. I got the recipe from BBC goodfood.
Ingredients
200g dark chocolate , broken into chunks
100g milk chocolate , broken into chunks
250g pack salted butter
400g soft light brown sugar
4 large eggs
140g plain flour
50g cocoa powder
200g raspberries
Method
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a 20 x 30cm baking tray tin with baking parchment. Put the chocolate, butter and sugar in a pan and gently melt, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat.
Stir the eggs, one by one, into the melted chocolate mixture. Sieve over the flour and cocoa, and stir in. Stir in half the raspberries, scrape into the tray, then scatter over the remaining raspberries. Bake on the middle shelf for 30 mins or, if you prefer a firmer texture, for 5 mins more. Cool before slicing into squares. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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