This was another great and exciting week for fashion, with cruise shows busying fashion experts’ schedules and announcement of new collections and collabs :D

Of course the most important news of the last days was Christian Dior 2016 Resort collection, presented in Cannes - where it’s currently held the Cannes Festival, and you can be sure I’ll post a review of the best and worst dressed of the event when it finishes on May 24th - at Le Palais Bulle, Pierre Cardin’s architecturally extravagant house. 

And architecture was not a secondary thought in Raf Simons’s design process this time. First, fabrics: they varied from boldly coloured tartans to mesh and metallic looking see-through textiles giving texture and structure to the outfits. Shapes were undoubtedly solid-looking, with raglan sleeves giving a sort of armour-like allure which is maybe not usual Dior, but it was anyway credible for its pairing with very thin waistlines, V-necks and pleated skirts. Colours were really subtle, apart from fresh brushed of orange and blue - it reminded me of Rauschenberg’s beds colour palette - or repeated pattern of pseudo-flowers taking you back to the art nouveau era.

Among the new collections which have already been released in stores there’s Lulu Kennedy for Marks & Spencer: the capsule is definitely nailing it - I’ve noticed most of the fashion websites I follow are talking about it - and we all know that this year you can’t really do wrong when you go all the way for the boho chic style. Even if I think that in general it’s going to read really cheap in a couple of months - most of the pieces are really too obvious in my opinion - there are some cute things, like the little purse you can see in the photo above - but I would do without the beads.

It’s become a cult for fashion lovers and it’s definitely one of the fashion events we all wait for every year: the collab collections by H&M. This year the luxury brand which is going to design for the low-cost retail giant is Balmain with its creative director Olivier Rousteing. I will be honest, I don’t really follow Balmain’s creations, I’m not a super fan of the brand, but of course, it’s always interesting to see what designers from deluxe brands create for H&M. From what I see in the promotional photos released with the announcement - photos featuring two of the hottest models of the moment, Jourdan Dunn and Kendall Jenner, nice marketing strategy - I would probably like this edgy look - and isn’t the folding skirt that Jourdan is wearing a reproduction of a skirt I’ve seen in one of Balmain’s latest collections? Let’s wait for November to see more.
Another nice collection which I’ve heard about this week is the eyewear collab by jewellery designer Nicholas King and eyewear brand London Retro. All the profits will go to Orbis, a charity which operates in the world’s most troubled zones to help people with blinding conditions. Fashion for a good cause, always something I love!

I know all of you already know about this - when it comes to things having to do with Rihanna the news go viral instantaneously. Our ‘favourite’ singer - no, she’s not my favourite singer at all, but how can’t you love her when she’s always first row in every fashion event with extravagant and absurd outfits? - has been chosen by Dior for the new campaign ‘Dior Secret Garden IV’, filmed in Versailles. Stunning setting and view, I even think the clothes they chose for her fit her personality. Unfortunately I thought she is really strange looking when walking - those hip-moving is too exaggerated not to be parodied by the whole Internet - and running - can’t she run in heels? This is a must for all fashion bitches like her! No, I’m sorry RiRi, this was not enough for me.

xxx

Anouk Aimée at Pierre Cardin’s salon in Paris,France. 1967. Photo by Giancarlo Botti