As Christmas looms ever closer, fashion magazines, catalogs and blogs are clogged with gift and party-dress ideas. Evening wear becomes one of the most discussed subjects among girlfriends. Somehow all these ideas seem to blend with last year’s looks and may be even those from the years before. In fact, since Yves Saint Laurent designed LeSmoking in the most sensual way as an empowering alternative to the traditional gown, no-one else has broken the rules in such a memorable way. Today, in an attempt to escape the black lace and velvet dress uniforms, the shiny sequin tops and the faux-fur vests many of us tend to choose another reinvention – the lingerie-inspired slipdress seen at Marc Jacobs and Lanvin fashion shows last spring. However, because this is not the dress for every shape and body, I have other ideas simply because I like to kick start the New Year with a new designer and a new look. I admit the pieces I’ve chosen are not the conventional type of evening wear, but do you have to look conventional on New Year’s Eve?
The designers I’ve chosen have only been recently showing during the Fashion Weeks, but they have a history and now are considered the rising stars on the global fashion scene. One of them is Emilia Wickstead a favorite of the Duchess of Cambridge. At first you might dismiss her dresses as conservative, but they are innately feminine and elegant in gorgeous colour palettes and a more forgiving silhouette. It is impossible not to love the sweeping drama and not to want to be that kind of a woman wearing that dress.
Emilia Wickstead is a graduate of Central Saint Martins. She worked in the design studios in New York, Milan and London before launching her eponymous label in 2009. Originally making her name as a made-to-measure atelier, Emilia expanded her repertoire to include seasonal ready-to-wear collections in 2011 with her first season at London Fashion Week.
Kira Plastinina is another young fashion designer to follow next year, someone who started her designing career at 16 thanks to her millionaire father, opening more than 120 stores in Russia. Kira started designing dresses for her own generation, but later she created a more feminine and mature line. She debuted at Milan Fashion Week in 2008 with her new high-end line called Kira Plastinina Lublu. Her last inspiration for Fall 2013 is more than exciting: a young princess playing dress up in her mother’s closet, choosing jacquards, Victorian-like floral prints, full-volume skirts and dresses that take on a flirty youthful spin.
Originally from Sicily, Marco de Vincenzo calls Rome his home and he creates garments that appeal to an urban but sophisticated lady. The Italian designer is obsessed with fabrics and I love his choice of unusually dark granite-like luxury materials, his micro-pleating tailored oh-so precisely and his smart play with geometrics. Judging by the colours and the silhouettes, it is hard to say Marco is in fact Italian.
Photo by Boris Marberg
Javier Reyes works in Bern, Switzerland, and his label “Javier Reyes” has existed since 1997. His garments always look very sensual and romantic and you have the feeling that he really loves to dress women up and make them feel beautiful, wanted and, most of all, confident. Javier himself looks like a poet and he says that he wants to give spirit to the dresses he creates. The dress I’ve chosen is from his Spring 2014 Collection – the designers says it expresses freedom because of its lightness and the comfort. The inspiration comes from the tunics Frida Kahlo used to wear and the idea is to mix past and present, culture and urbanity. The fabric is paisley brocade on silk and wool in navy blue.
Feature photo: pexels.com
