La Perle Blog

-Six hundred people packed into Giorgio Armani’s couture show yesterday, including Mrs. Nutso, Katie Holmes and Cate Blanchett, eyeballing her Oscar options. The designer did not disappoint the crowd, sending out over 60 looks. The severe, collarless jackets, with what looked like a dagger handle jutting out from their right shoulders, were a dramatic start to the show which included boxy tunics paired with silver leggings and many pretty, one-shoulder, above-the-knee dresses. Armani worked primarily with his usual neutral palette with a few grey and black pieces mixed in. The typically subdued and minimal designer definitely kicked up the glam quotient a few notches for Spring 2011, and the results are definitely multo buon! Read the rest of this entry »

Les garcons got an eyeful during Men’s Fashion Week in Paris. Lots of 80’s references, lots of hair, lots of futurism, and yes, the male leggings from Milan made their slinky way to the Parisian catwalks as well. As if that wasn’t enough, there was also a dainty man-purse. Oh la la!

-Ann Demeulemeester sent her usual slick, dark army out in slim, layered looks, and pants tucked into Wellie-type boots with white piping.

-Balenciaga’s Nicolas Ghesquiere’s small collection presented tiny sweaters, jackets and parkas atop tight, paint-splattered pants or straight-leg khakis. He also showed a tee with a big “B” emblazoned on the chest, reminiscent of the Bennetton “B” sweaters from the eighties. Read the rest of this entry »

This summer season, Italian stylists have come up with two kinds of bathing suits: those to swim in and those that make a splash!

Modest ladies under wraps, modest ladies bared (almost) to the bone: it’s all up to a little patch of cloth…or should we say synthetics and new age techno-fibers The big question before leaving on summer holiday is always which bathing suit to take: the one-piece or the two-piece? Mini or maxi coverage? Elaborate or basic? This is all of no consideration, of course, to those who swim and sun in the nude. It’s a real predicament for the rest of us, though, especially when swimsuit manufacturers keep coming up with new ideas and designs (however impractical or extreme) to cope with the complexities of “fun in the sun”. Read the rest of this entry »

cat in sunglassesThis season’s sunglasses are more restrained, more stream lined. The message is clear, the lines of the 50’s and 60’s are back, returning with some bold new colors, banishing the fantastical, even bizarre designs of the last few years.

Essentiality. Linear design. Severity. These are the watchwords for this summer’s sunglasses. It’s time to leave behind the excesses of previous seasons: the oversized and gaudy frames inspired by the ‘70s. Time to return to smaller and tighter styling. Read the rest of this entry »