Elie Saab Fall 2011 Couture

Elie Saab has clearly established itself as a red carpet label, which means that every season, you can be sure to see gorgeous gown after gorgeous gown.  However, when it comes down to it, that's really all Elie Saab is: gorgeous gown after gorgeous gown.  It can become, quite honestly, boring and uninspiring.  The world has enough red carpet events, and in the end, the runway is for fashion.  I initially loved Elie Saab for its gowns, but after several seasons, I felt like I was watching Elie Saab shows on repeat.  So Elie Saab's Fall 2011 couture collection was like a breath of fresh air.  Icy cold fresh air, to be exact.  It was red carpet ready, yes; but there was just enough lightness, a sense of creativity, and a mastery of embellishment to satisfy the fashion crowd.  Saab first started with beautiful icy blue, with crystalline sparkle to match:

Then, with Karlie Kloss sauntering out in a whisper-thin cape, thus began the procession of virginal white gowns, some embellished within an inch of their life.

As evening rolls around, the colour darkens to tan, then to brown.  Despite the heavy embellishment, the dresses are surprisingly light and diaphanous.

Finally, at nightfall, dresses turn navy blue, with the very last dress a stunning wedding gown in arctic blue.  It was so delicately dusted with crystals, that it looked as if the crystals were cascading down the dress.

I've wanted to review Elie Saab collections in the past, but I never felt that any of the past collections were as special as this one.  This collection is the best of both worlds: merging red carpet desires with fashion expertise.

Watch the entire show here.

Image Source: Style.com

Christian Dior Fall 2011 Couture

As I sat down to begin my review of Christian Dior Fall 2011 Couture, I couldn't help but think back to when I was writing my Spring 2011 Couture review.  On that day, I was elated that couture week was starting, and I was eager to let John Galliano take me on another sensational couture experience.  The images of the re-imagined New Look are still vividly embedded in my mind in what I described in my review as "haute couture at its absolute finest".  In fact, I remember every Dior couture show I have ever seen, and even after all this time, they still manage to take my breath away.

This Dior show, however, is different.  Bill Gaytten, who has taken control of the collection, gave us a fun collection, but it unfortunately went astray.  Although it's difficult to pinpoint, the theme of the collection seemed to be a Dior circus/disco party.  As theatrical as Dior couture shows can get, taking inspiration from a circus is something extremely difficult to pull off, and better left undone.  It all started off with cotton candy colours and geometric shapes that were interestingly similar to either patterns found on a clown suit, or pieces of candy.  All this was plastered onto the classic Dior silhouette of a cinched waist, and it just seemed a bit crazy.

Then came probably the most well executed part of the collection.  There were floaty wisps of feminine charm, glamorized with paillettes and strokes of shine.  It may not have entirely hit the mark, but it was a fairly good try.

But the show then veered off-course into a seventies throwback.  There were maxi dresses and wide, cape-like bell sleeves in a melange of gorgeous colours, but when shown right in the middle of a couture show, it can look extremely tacky.

And, as any couture show, out came the gowns.  Initially, the gowns would have gotten my approval, if it were not for the bizarre styling.  There was a touch of astronomy in shooting stars and moon headpieces, a hat reminiscent of Napoleon, and finally, to somewhat round it all off, a clown hat.

At the very end, Karlie Kloss (who didn't open the show this time), looked forlornly up towards the stars, quite possibly looking for the lost master of Dior.

Watch the entire show here.

Image Source: Style.com