Raul Penaranda F/W2011 Women's RTW Collection

Raul Penaranda Women's Ready-To-Wear Collection 2011 utilises trends that fashionistas will love, when fall and winter arrives later this year. The looks are very warm and comforting but designed with new trends of, color blocking, metallics and ethereal, a combination that is sophisticated and stylish. The silhouettes are clean and modern, which is exactly what I've noticed to be the trend for the coming season. His collection is inspired by Aurora Borealis or 'Northern Lights'. The pieces are definitely a vision of warm fashionable nights with short mini cocktail dresses, tulle gowns and ruffled evening gowns. My favorite is the metallic brocade cropped gown with a hemline that is long at the back and short at the front. I love it because it is a prediction of his fashion ambition of things to come, especially with the use of brocade for this piece and also the aesthetic of the fitted bustier top, when brocade is used. It is definitely a fine example of his craftmanship, taste for luxury and just simply stunning. Check out the collection for yourself and decide which are your favorites.

Photos credit: http://raulpenaranda.com/

Penaranda says, "This collection exemplifies everything I believe in as a designer - refined sophistication, a fresh point of view, exacting attention to detail, and exceptional craftmanship."

Blanc De Chine - Spring/Summer 2011

It is so refreshing to see a collection that embodies ingenious creativity with the design essentials of lines, silhouette and fabric. My belief of not following the status quo, for what other designers are doing is what drives consumers interest for new designs and new customer base, a characteristic of Blanc De Chine. The blouses, cut with clean lines, along with the flawless flow of fabric makes every piece light and airy. I love the silhouettes of all the pieces which I believe is attributed to their smart use of fabric. I got a chance to personally feel and touch some of the pieces and they do live up to what you see on the catwalk and even more. The fine tailoring and use of stitching as a finishing, is stunning. Most of all, the color palette for the pieces shown in the collection, is what sets the mood for Blanc De Chine’s philosophy for timeless designs with ‘. . . different dimensions of consciousness'. Their preference, to show their Spring/Summer 2011 collection a few weeks later after New York Fashion week, is a nice twist for fashionistas to focus on a brand that is often overlooked for its ingenious creativity and modern sensibilities. Tru Fashionistas Now, feast your eyes and get ready to shop Blanc De Chine’s Spring/Summer 2011 collection because we love what we saw.

VERLAINE SPRING SUMMER 2011 COLLECTION PREVIEW

Verlaine's spring summer 2011 collection preview is a stunning return to the excitement of what fashion should be all about, in regards to creativity and esthetics. Javier Garcia and Vaughn Alexander of VERLAINE has almost mastered the art of fabric draping, in their quest for their final draped dress creations. One look at the first flowing gown that came down the runway, at their fashion week showing, might remind any serious fashion fan that this duo is serious about what they are doing. Yojhi Yamomoto or even the early years of Calvin Klein's minimalist vision of high end fashion, comes to mind when you you look at some of the draped gowns. What really sets this collection apart and to be reckoned with the fashion world, is the esthetics of the dark or almost all black collection. The outfits of black and grey fabrics, which almost look like light tie-dyed silk, is the creative esthetic and sets the mood and tone for their collection. This is truly an accomplishment for them because black is never boring nor out of vogue and certainly connects with fashionistas with a busy social calender and will be must have pieces. Also, one piece that stands out from the collection, is a black meshed fabric that can almost only be used for under a garment in theater costume design. It is because of this meshed dress, that I believe VERLAINE is here to stay because it does not come across as some last minute bold ambition to justify a lofty creative vision. Rather, it communicates a sense of fashion innovation with their use of non conventional fabric. I believe we'll be hearing much more from this duo in the near future, and we look forward to their future collections.