A Fairytale Wedding.

I'm pretty sure half the world was nestled on their couches today, in absolute awe of Will and Kate's magnificent wedding. Either that or they were actually there, in London, to witness the occasion; I must admit I am quite jealous - a good friend of mine was in Hyde Park watching on the big screen! I myself was avoiding the icy Cape Town weather, wrapped up under a blanket drinking a cup of tea and watching :)

So I couldn't resist a quick post with some pics of it all:

The engagement ring, which once belonged to
Princess Diana. Wow.

Many have said that Kate's dress
was largely inspired by Grace Kelly's.

Exchanging vows :)

Kate's MAGNIFICENT dress was designed
by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen.

A wedding absolutely fit for a princess!

- Pips x

D&G Spring/Summer 2011 - Milan

Just a quick post for today; holidays have been quite busy and I will post about all of the happenings and buys at some stage but for now, I'll just leave you with a couple of pretty pictures of Dolce & Gabbana's womens' collection for Spring/Summer 2011.

Quite ironic as we here in South Africa are well on our way to winter - (I pulled my trench coat out of the cupboard for the first time in months) - so here is an ode to Spring and Summer, and everything warm and pretty and happy :)

Quite adorable :)

- Pips x

Mia Wasikowska for Teen Vogue.

You may recognize Mia, who came onto the acting scene last year as a pale looking Alice in Tim Burton's weird and wonderful portrayal of Alice in Wonderland:

But since then, Mia took the risk of fellow starlet Emma Watson and chopped off her locks to reveal an adorable pixie cut that very few seem to be able to pull off. She looks absolutely gorgeous in this Teen Vogue shoot:

She is beautiful. wow.

- Pips x

Guilty Pleasures.

Project Runway has always been a guilty pleasure of mine. I think I've watched every single season :)
And what never ceases to amaze me is that with each season, there's always something or someone completely different and exciting.
So, today's post is a tribute to my 3 favourites from past seasons :)

Season 4, for me, brought such drama and excitement - The ever controversial yet incredibly brilliant Christian Siriano, who, after winning the competition, went on to become incredibly successful. His designs are now worn regularly by A-listers. His final collection was, without a doubt, the best of the year; he brought an element of high-concept fashion to the show that no one else dared attempt:

I was always in awe of this dress. The work
that went into this work of art is truly admirable!

All of Siriano's looks are very avant garde - high drama!

Next came Season 5, which brought with it 2 completely different yet equally awesome designers, Leann Marshall (who went on to win) and Kenley Collins, who was the runner up.

Marshall's collection was very fresh and offered a completely original structured feel to her designs. I love some of the skirts she produced, they are gorgeous!

Love this one especially.

The second I mentioned, Kenley Collins, had a very 60s edge to her collection, but with a modern twist. What I found so amazing about this collection was that all prints used were hand-painted by her!

All of Collins' designs are so quirky and fun!

Which do you like, if any?

- Pips x

A Breath Of Fresh Air.

Sometimes simplicity is best.

 Not everything has to make an extreme statement to be beautiful 

 That's what Dolce & Gabbana have successfully accomplished in their Spring/Summer collection of 2011

 It's absolutely a breath of fresh air. I want every single on of these dresses!

Blake Lively in D&G

This one was worn by Blake Lively

I want this one. Exquisite!

- Pips x

For The Love Of Lace.

So I know I've already posted today, but I went shopping and had to share with you just what I bought.

I'm getting closer and closer to quite a special date: Friday the 13th of May (unlucky sounding, I know).

It is special for the singular reason that Friday the 13th is the day of my Grade 10 dance, about which I am immensely excited. 

Preparation for a dance is a much lengthier process than I would have previously thought.

There are multiple things to consider:

1. The most important. The sole purpose of a dance (for a girl)...the dress.

2. A close second. The shoes, which can make or break the outfit.

3. The accessories. DO NOT go over the top.

4. The bag. Sling bag? Clutch purse?

5. The hair. Natural? Curled?

6. The make-up. Good makeup makes for good photographs.

7. The partner. Ah, the ever-stressful search for the perfect partner.

After several shopping sprees on the hunt for the perfect dress. Long street shopping, (A-List is by far the best shop down there; I suggest a visit), Kalk Bay shopping, (Frankie's Vintage Chic is an adorable boutique), Cape Quarter shopping, (limited shops, but one or two beautiful things). I decided to not even attempt to go to Cavendish - too easy. I had a funny feeling that too many girls would be getting their dresses from there. (Wardrobe, The Lot, YDE, Chica-Loca). 

So, yesterday I made it my mission to go out to Canal Walk and have a full day of searching. Starting off in Forever New, I found a gorgeous white lace long-sleeved dress, which fitted alright (although I had to ask the shop assistant to take the size 6 off the mannequin to try on - embarrassing! It would need alterations though, so I decided against it. Went into several other boutiques, which all ended up being filled with typical taffeta and tulle dresses with sequins and sparkles (NOT my thing), so I resorted to YDE, which I had insisted I wouldn't buy a dress from, since they're quite easy to come by usually. 

Tried on a Grecian inspired dress which was too big, and a lace sleeveless which wasn't right for the occasion but which was quite exquisite I must admit.

I had given up when I spied a gorgeous ivory-coloured, three-quarter sleeved, lace dress, which ended up fitting perfectly, and which I bought. I adore it :) The line in YDE is 'X&O Everywear', though thankfully this was the only dress in my size - meant to be! At the moment I'm thinking about nude pumps for the heels and a long statement necklace. And I'm getting my makeup done by MAC so I'm ecstatic! Below are some pictures feel free to comment on how you think I should accessorize it and what shoes I should wear, how my hair should be done, etc. I would love to hear :) 

- Pips x

Quirky Elegance.

Good morning children.

My constant look-out for beautiful dresses has, this time, found me Tony Ward's Spring/Summer 2011 collection, which is filled with simple silhouettes and plenty of exquisite details. He has used mostly very demure, muted colours, which compliment the 'look' of his collection perfectly, but he has also included a slightly quirky touch in each dress:

Incredible.

The flowers on this one are just too exquisite.

The material looks kind of like coral. I love it :)

Bye for now, lovelies
- Pips x

A Brief Introduction.

This blog is not just another fashion blog.
It will not revolve around what I wear every day; I will not pose for the camera like most others do, and ask for approval from people I don't know.

This blog has been prompted by my craving for all things relating to fashion, design, and more importantly, ART.
I am a sixteen year old art student in an art class of 20 - something girls who mostly paint.
Art at our school, however technically beautiful and brilliant it is, is very one dimensional.
I must confess that I too am guilty of falling into the trap of doing painting after painting after painting, and have come to the point where I want to step completely out of the box and be a little different.

And so, this is where art collides with fashion.
I am going to attempt to create a piece centered around fashion without it being too clichéd.
If anyone reads this (please excuse me, I am new to the concept of blogging) please feel free to offer suggestion or direction - it can only benefit me.

My recent obsession - Marchesa. How exquisite are their gowns? The pastel colours
are such a perfect compliment to the femininity of the gowns, and the
manipulation of the fabric is just too beautiful. To me, this is where fashion
meets art - when the designer goes beyond just sewing a dress, and transforms
it into more...a visual sensation.

It this isn't art, I don't know what is.

Tell me what you think?

- Pips x