Gracious Grecian Bride

I have a few friends who would swear by the unconventional wedding dress. You won’t catch them dead wearing a ball gown on their wedding day. Absolutely no  hope for the fussy stuff.

These days, I’m getting more attracted to the understatedly elegant, simply graceful yet abundantly feminine wedding dress. In a general fashion sense though, I love silk, in whatever form, if i had my way, i’ll be swathed in silks all day every day. Then, my best clothing detail in the world is draping, generous luxe draping. Combine both and it  makes sense then that I fell in love with this Amanda Wakeley collection at first sight.

Not for your conventional bride but it ticks all the boxes of chic.

It’ll cost you though. An Amanda Wakeley dress retails from £2,000. See more details here

 

So what do you think? Will you go for the classic ball gown or you’re more along these non fussy lines?

 

Photo Credits: Amanda Wakeley

The Gorge dresses of Anthropologie

Anthropologie will always induce the wows and oohs and aahs with the delicately beautiful dresses they whip out. With names like Sunny Soiree and Summer Souffle, they definitely have the fun and ladylike at heart when designing the dresses. I can’t help but notice the names of these dresses right? Done that on a previous post.

For these picks, i’m loving the vibrant floral print, soft draping and delicate bows. They also would serve as very versatile pieces, from the wedding guest dress to the dinner date to the church dress to the chic girls’ day out.

Anthropologie again is a very worthy favourite label. You should check the site out!

En Plein Air dress $258

Quechua Dress $158

Pezza dress $128

Gathered Hemlock Dress $148

Summer Souffle Dress $198

Sunny Soiree Dress $148

You can find them all on Anthropologie.com

Love-Want-Need: Michael Kors stretch-wool dress

The soft draping,  light taupe colour, cinched waist and asymmetric hem just makes this an instant TDF (to die for) piece. With a dress like this, Michael Kors is fast becoming a permanent favourite.

Michael Kors Belted stretch-wool dress £1055

The fit is perfection. And as always, great styling by Net-a-porter, the coral Mulberry bag gives the look a pop of colour.

 

I thought of one more way to style it, dialled up the glam a bit, with a python bag and Lanvin bracelet.

 

Whichever way it’s styled, it’s a stunning dress and it’s available on Net-a-porter

Playing dress up Friday

So I found this beautiful black lace number.

Alexon Black Lace Scallop Dress £70

Absolutely stunning, ladylike chic, just how I love it. And I got thinking about  how I’d wear it to say, an evening event.

For the love of all things draped

There’s an allure about draping that I find sleek and stylish. Nothing like that elegant, flowing, Grecian feel, and knowing that it takes great tailoring plus attention to detail to achieve the perfectly draped piece. It says ladylike luxe at its best.

I have my favourite designers for those classic, fluid, draping styles that cascade down the  feminine form in such glorious luxeness.

I love love love Anglomania by Vivienne Westwood, the asymmetric, draping aesthetic is simply exquisite – with just the right portion of edginess. I have big plans to collect Anglomania dresses.

Vivienne Westwood Anglomania

Vionnet and RM by Roland Mouret also make the most decadently exquisite draped pieces; with dresses perfectly flattering the feminine form.

RM by Roland Mouret Drache draped silk-blend dress £1,200

Vionnet Ruched crepe and silk dress £1,255

Michael Kors Crepe-jersey draped dress £850

Matthew Williamson Asymmetric draped silk-satin gown £1,095

Fendi Draped wool sweater dress £820

Vionnet Draped crepe de Chine dress£1,305

Thakoon Addition Draped silk-satin top £385

Lanvin Draped washed-satin halterneck dress £1,320

Bottega Veneta Draped silk-jersey dress £1,680

Karen Millen is as exquisite as it gets on the high street. The tailoring is flawless and draping done to perfection, it could easily pass for high-end designer gear. I especially love the coat, I mean, how do you get it right with a fabric that thick?

Karen Millen Jersey Draped Structured Dress £180

Karen Millen Unstructured Drape Coat with Check Lining £265

Karen Millen Draped sleeve jersey dress £150

Karen Millen Drape Front Vest £39.50

Karen Millen Minimalist draped dress £99

We can’t deny the sartorial perfection of Alexander McQueen, so it’s no surprise that the label gives us some generous draping; from both diffusion line McQ and the main line.

Alexander McQueen Cape-back crepe dress £1,245

McQ by Alexander McQueen Sleeveless Flannel Check Drape Dress £230

My go to online store, Asos does not ever disappoint when it comes to the lower priced versions of our secret obsessions. They also give us some great draped pieces.

ASOS White Asymmetric Strap Drape Front Dress £85

ASOS Drape Front Top £18

Ringspun Bleach Effect Drape Tunic Dress £38

Zara studio T-shirt £19.99

Zara drape neck T-shirt £19.99

Stockists:

Net-a-porter

Asos

Zara

Karen Millen

Notte by Marchesa is TDF!

I have no words for the Notte by Marchesa collection. No words.

This is one absolutely stunning piece, watch this space for a post with more from the collection.

Ruffled silk-blend chiffon dress $795

You can get this from Net-a-porter

An exquisite take on the Lace Dress plus more

Anthropologie is the best stop for the most beautiful, ladylike, whimsical dresses you can find. I was completely bowled over by this exquisite lace number. It stands out from the pack of black lace dresses lining the shops this season and it will remain a classic even when the trend phases out.

Spinning Lace Dress £228

And there are even more beautiful dresses from where that came from

Braque Bodice Dress £128

Stylist's Eye Dress £138

And this waistcoat? with its waterfall ruffles? It’s to die for. The name it was given couldn’t be more apt.

Falling in Love Waistcoat £98

You should drop by the site www.anthropologie.eu or check out the stores in London at W1B and SW3

Pearl Lowe for Peacocks Christmas 2010 collection

Pearl Lowe has done some exquisite vintage style dresses for Peacocks this year. The first to make waves among style lovers was the black polyester and lace frock in the A/W 10 collection. For a dress sold for £35 by budget retailer Peacocks, it grabbed a lot of attention and featured in places only designer dresses dare tread.

Following her success with A/W, she’s just unveiled a stunning Christmas collection in another collaboration with Peacocks. All in line with her signature vintage style, the inspiration this time was from the twenties, fifties and sixties (eras we love and smack on trend). The collection featured decadent lace, pleated and crochet knit dresses plus some faux fur, all under £60. They were charmingly modelled by her daughter Daisy Lowe and unveiled yesterday at the Connaught Hotel, Mayfair London.

Now, it only makes sense that Peacock’s customer service has been inundated with calls for pre-order, this collection is a complete vintage knock out.

Black Lace Prom Dress £45

Cream Dress with Black Bows £40

Black button-through dress £45

Salmon pleated dress £50

Cream faux fur coat £60

Crochet Knit Dress £40

The collection will be available in stores and online from November 14th. Check it out on www.peacocks.co.uk

One more way to style that dress

The stylist at Asos did an amazing job in styling (no pun intended) this understated 2-in-1 pencil dress. It was combined with a blazer, floppy hat, tights and black high heels. The monochromatic theme of the accessories made sure the dress still stood out.

The gorgeous styling transformed the dress from basic to sleek chic in a flash.

 

Asos Tailored studded top 2-in-1 pencil dress

 

The dress goes for £40 on Asos.com

Oprah Winfrey in Victoria Beckham + a VB retrospective

I’m a confirmed lover of Victoria Beckham’s line, she won my heart since the A/W 10 collection. Now it’s no news that the line made headlines again (pardon the pun) a few days ago. Talkshow queen, Oprah Winfrey wore one of the dresses from Fall 2010 to receive an award in California.

Must be exciting times for Mrs Beckham, her dream of dressing curvy ladies is becoming reality, and who better to make this happen than Oprah. She looked amazing in the dress, even better than the model wearing it on the catwalk. These dresses sure flatter the curvy.

So i decided to do a retrospective of the lovely ladies who have worn Victoria Beckham dresses in the recent past. She definitely has got herself a sizeable following, from actresses to models. The structured, flattering fit and polished look of the dresses make them perfect for all super glam seekers. I especially loved Danii Minogue’s recent appearance in VB on the X-factor.

But nobody wears the styles better than the designer herself; she rocks her dresses to absolute perfection. I’ll almost say she doesn’t need to spend millions on Ad campaigns, she’s doing a brilliant job advertising the line and getting tons of free publicity for it.

Pictures via Showbiz and Instyle

Hottest Silhouette of the Season: Ladylike Chic Dresses

 

Prada printed satin-dress

 

Asos Tailored Check Pleat Fold Dress

 

Karen Millen Velvet panel shift dress

 

 

Oasis Pyramid Dress

 

Ted Baker Bow Front V-Neck Dress

 

 

Asos Exaggerated One Shoulder Dress

Pictures via asos.com