Tag: spring

FashionTV gives you a look at three of the most memorable Avant-garde fashion moments in history. Creative fashion visions, extravagant inspirations, and models that truly put on a show are all included…

All fashion shows are very similar to each other. They generally begin with music to set the mood, then the first face emerges leading other stunning models in a parade on the catwalk, and finally the designer appears waving to an applauding audience. With such similar routines, many fashion shows don’t manage to leave a mark on the crowd, while some of them do it big time.

FashionTV presents you with three of the best Avant-garde runway shows of the past decade. As part of our 15-year anniversary celebration we are taking you front row and back in time to relive those extravagant and unforgettable fashion moments.

John Galliano – Spring 1997

Top designer John Galliano has had countless Avant-garde designs go down the runway during his outstanding career. However, his Spring 1997 show was a spectacle that beat them all; the show included a rope, two chairs, and lots of room for the models to flirt with the crowd. The dresses and suits he designed were inspired by tribal and baroque motifs. This playful and ultra-innovative show was refreshing and of exceptional standards.

Nearly twenty years after the show’s debut, we can honestly say that Galliano is one of the most sophisticated and talented designers the world has ever seen. His designs were, and still are, innovative, creative, and memorable.

Alexander McQueen – Fall 2003

The late Alexander McQueen is responsible for some of the most extravagant and outstandingly Avant-garde moments in the fashion industry. For his fall 2003 collection, the designer took the crowd on a magnificent journey of far-east inspirations and creative additions of graphic and modern art.

The collection displayed unforgettable hats, unique dresses, and a brilliant runway design that marked the show an unforgettable moment in fashion history.

Jean Charles de Castelbajac

Although he is less known than the first two designers on our list, Jean Charles de Castelbajac has also landed a spot in the making of fashion history with a mesmerizing Avant-garde show in 1998. Printed floor-length gowns, along with sexy jackets, and one overly dramatic black dress were just some of de Castelbajac’s extravagant designs.

Rihanna’s River Island collection is here! The first look was seen on -- you guessed it -- Rihanna, who's been snapped up wearing a navy hooded, suede/silk jumpsuit from her capsule collection. The full collection will be available next Spring, but we’re sure that we’ll be seeing more sightings before then. (MTV Style)

Kylie Minogue takes the cover for Elle UK’s January 2013 issue. This will be her seventh appearance on the front of the magazine, celebrating 25 years music. The Aussie was photographed by Cuneyt Akeroglu bringing back the peroxide blonde look, and sporting a gorgeous white Christopher Kane dress from his Spring 2013 collection. (Elle UK)

Which celebrity’s insta-snaps were the best of 2012? From Bar Refaeli to Snoop Dogg, take a look at some of the most amazing photos taken by the celebrities themselves. (Pop Sugar)

Style icon and British actress Sienna Miller covers Harper’s Bazaar UK’s January issue in dreamy style. Miller appears to be glowing on the cover, dressed in a peachy dress that blends in with the white background, while managing to create ‘a new elegance,’ as the magazine states. (Styleite)

X-Factor judge and mega-pop princess Britney Spears is officially back in business, hitting #1 in 17 countries with her new hit song with will.i.am, ‘Scream and Shout.’ To celebrate her recent success and birthday on December 2nd where she turned 31, take a look at Britney’s style evolution in pictures. (Huffington Post)

Ending this week’s fashion highlights, is a great tease from HBO, for Beyonce’s upcoming documentary which will debut in February:

Anne Hathaway got married to longtime beau Adam Shulman in a stunning Valentino dress! The actress got married in a Jewish ceremony last weekend, in spite of reports in the media stating that she would not marry this year, since she’s been so busy with The Dark Knight Rises and her new movie Les Miserables. (Refinery 29)

Taylor Swift covers Glamour magazine’s November issue. The teen star also answers questions inside,, revealing stuff she only tells her girlfriends. She talks about relationships, fame and money... (Glamour)

HBO ‘Girls’ star and creator, Lena Dunham, covers her first fashion glossie. She’s featured on the cover of ASOS Magazine. The talented writer is becoming somewhat of a fashion icon, after being on the cover of New York magazine, as well as attending the Met Costume Institute Gala. (Fashionista)

Avril Lavigne presents her Abbey Dawn Spring 2013 collection. This rock & roll clothing line is inspired by Avril’s own personal style and traveling experiences, mainly from Tokyo and Japanese styles. (Examiner)

Paris fashion show cancelled because of missing goods… Turkish designer Hakaan Yildirim was forced to cancel his show at PFW, due to mysteriously losing his Spring 2013 collection. Last November, the same thing happened to Marc Jacobs. (Washington Post)

Closing our list of weekly highlights, Kristen Stewart attended Balenciaga's Spring 2013 presentation at Paris Fashion Week. Showing up in high spirits, wearing a bold outfit with a neon jacket and black printed pants, she sat next to Anna Wintour and Salma Hayek in the front row.

Take a look:

Spring jackets. Enlarge for details

This time of year can really try one's patience, temperature-wise. And thus, the importance of a lightweight spring jacket cannot be overstated. Actually, that's not true: "Without a lightweight spring jacket, life is meaningless" would be an overstatement. But still it's good to have one. During a routine rifle through my wardrobe, I had come across a cropped pea coat that I'd forgotten all about. It's cotton and perfect for the prevailing conditions. I whipped it out and popped it on, delighted with both myself – and the jacket. A mere four hours later it was soaked through with salmon water.

Picture the scene: it is 9pm on a Friday night. A former T4 presenter (me) is in the car park of a major supermarket (Morrisons). He is wearing a lovely APC jacket. It is obvious that he likes this garment. For reasons that don't warrant exploration, in his car boot of his car (a Y-reg Toyota Yaris) he has an enormous fresh salmon. It has been slumped in there for approximately 10 hours. Unbeknownst to our hero (still me), it was originally packed in ice. So when he heaves the 5ft polystyrene box out of the boot, he's drenched in a tidal wave of salmon-infused water. The jacket bore the brunt of the fishy gush.

This feels to me like a modern enactment of one of Aesop's Fables: there is a crude morality lesson in there somewhere. About pride in a jacket coming before the near-ruination of said jacket. Anyway, the dry cleaners are now dealing with the consequences as best they can. In the meantime, I am scouting around for a new lightweight coat. Which I will not wear smugly, no matter how lovely it may be.

I have been enthusiastically embracing the current double-breasted trend, but in a spring coat, it can be a bit too formal. So it's worth looking for "unstructured" examples. I'm still not 100% clear what "unstructured" means in the context of clothing, but it definitely works. And can always be dressed up, should you wish.

Percival has a nice array of light jackets – my favourite being the Spy Jacket. Which is not only (salmon-) waterproof, but also has a pleasing contrast collar. And I'm not above finding the idea of wearing a "spy" anything quite thrilling.

On a different tack entirely, it's useful to have a casual blazer. Sling it over any outfit and you're immediately ready for an April evening out. You can't go far wrong with Our Legacy's soft grey blazer that can be worn as a two- or three-button. Which means it's effectively two blazers in one. Which means it's actually half the price. That's right, isn't it?

Toning up: bronze shades from Estee Lauder.

What's new in "colour", hmm? Well, they invented purple. Oh no, sorry – that was a while ago. Blue got blue-er? Nope. No, nothing's really changed, but what's new is the way these colours get combined. Every season, make-up brands release new palettes of eyeshadows, lip colours and blushers, encouraging their customers to experiment a little. To go wild! To slip a little highlighter into their bronzer! MAC's Hey, Sailor! highlighter (11.50, maccosmetics.co.uk) with its hints of orange and purple, is fun for the cheeks, and Este Lauder's new eyeshadow palette in Bronze Sands (35, esteelauder.co.uk) is beautifully 1970s, with its mischievous pop of turquoise.

Alternatively

BareMinerals 29, bareminerals.co.uk
RMK 32, lookfantastic.com
Illamasqua 30, illamasqua.com
Sisley 60, 020 7591 6380
NARS 33, narscosmetics.co.uk
Benefit 28.50, benefitcosmetics.co.uk