Wednesday 5 October 2011

Anatomy of a French obsession

Have you been working on (re)discovering your style? I most certainly have, on the hiatus of my personal life developments, of my brief outing at Milan Fashion Week, and of the tons of commercial emails about Fall fashion I have been getting lately.

This is where I am at. Jackie O's signature style were sheath dresses, Manolos, pearls, and Chanel jackets. Michelle Obama has become famous for belted cardis, pencil shirts, Tom Binns jewelry, and Jimmy Choos. Kate Hudson channels the hip vibe with Boho dresses and fringed handbags. Kate Middleton wears dresses, Mulberry bags, and J Brand skinny jeans. Carla Bruni-Sarcozi, well, has the House of Dior -- almost literally.

What would I like to have as signature style? I went back to the wish list I started compiling back in March, after the presentation of the Fall collections. At the very top of my list I had written: "Celine's FW11 collection, all of it!" It is indeed true that, since Phoebe Philo joined the French label a few seasons ago, women are completely obsessed by it, and I am no exception. With a price tag of 1000 euros for a pair of pants, Celine is obviously just an inspiration of hues and silhouettes for me, but I figured my signature style should start from there.



Celine's 2011 pre-fall collection (Photos: Fashionologie)

These above are the key looks and items that are inspiring me this season (you can find the full set on Pinterest). Following with the trend of SS11, color is one of the main element of Celine's pre-Fall collection, as of many others. We find more "classic" fall earthy colors such as burgundy alongside cobalt blue and grass green. As you may remember, there is no color in my closet (see my earlier post here), so I plan to take inspiration from these looks to fill this gap.

Celine's 2011 Fall collection (Photo: Fashionologie)

The palette of the winter collection has more muted colors such as anthracite, brown, and leather. I plan to re-create these outfits with a moss green pencil skirt and a few separates I already own, by adding a couple of new knits and perhaps new pair of fur boots.

How about the silhouettes? Phoebe Philo is known for her sleek minimalism. In her Fall collection we find skinny pants as well as oversized knits and coats, color-block kitten heels (reinvented as a pointy clog), and a tote that all women in the fashion business seems to be on a waiting list for (the infamous luggage tote). What I like is that Celine's sleek minimalism is never boring. There is always an unexpected touch, such as burgundy opaques or a touch of color. This is what I am aiming for.

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