Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2010: Elie Saab and Valentino does Rodarte???

House of Valentino needs to Focus plus Elie Saab Love...
Influenced: Rodarte Spring 2010 and Valentino Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2010
The House of Valentino has gone through a couple of changes since Monsieur Garavani exited. First, they hired Alessandra Facchinetti to design and one Couture Season after, she was unceremoniously fired. Ever since, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, former Accessories designers for Valentino have been at the helm. I have to admit: I think they should have kept Facchinetti-- it was my favorite post-Garavani Valentino Haute Couture Collection. Case in point: For Spring/Summer 2010, Chiuri and Piccioli sent out some beautiful designs, BUT, it was very different from the season before...and the season prior to that....Make up your mind darlings. Are you "Classic Valentino... with a Twist"? Or are you Rodarte?
The color blocking, styling, and punk/apocalyptic make-up was very un-Valentino and more Blade Runner 2010... Can someone PLEASE explain this above? PLEASE??? It should be on a Fashionista test: "For $5,000, can anyone identify the designer of this dress?" I bet that 99.9 % would NOT have said "House of Valentino". That might NOT be a good thing kiddies...
However, there were some moments of "Valentino Clarity": As in this limoncello-colored silk chiffon gown. I would love to see someone wear this gown to the Oscars. Seriously. That actress would certainly be a stand out! (Sans that eye blindfold, of course!).
Valentino Preview Video Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2010


Elie Saab Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2010
Elie Saab
Pastels reigned for Spring 2010 at the Elie Saab Haute Couture show. Saab has been accused of being repetitive in his designs and once again, if you breeze through this 44 look collection it almost looks like you are viewing many of the same gowns over and over again. But Elie Saab knows his client (multi-millionaire Chinese women, Persian Gulf and Eastern Europe DIVAS!) and delivers exactly what she wants. One has to understand that in Haute Couture, if someone orders a dress that costs upwards of $100,000, very often you want to be the ONLY person who owns this one-of-a-kind garment. Therefore, Saab intelligently offers multiple variations on his exquisite creations giving each woman the "Elie Saab Look" but different enough to call her own.The one variation in the collection were two chiffon gowns that were created using a very large floral watercolor print. Although not for everyone, these prints certainly stood out amongst the sea of beaded frocks and looked perfect for a Swedish Princess.

Elie Saab Preview Video Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2010

Nick Verreos Hosts FIDM San Diego Debut Fashion Show!

Uncle Nicky Goes Traveling, Part One: The San Diego Edition
Runway Struttin': Nick Verreos at the San Diego Debut Fashion Show

This last weekend was a busy one: I was invited to host a great fashion show in San Diego sponsored by that city's Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising Campus on Saturday afternoon and the next day, I was scheduled to be in Seattle for a big photo shoot for a new campaign I am doing with MSN and their new Victory Project. Time to "Make it Work", as Tim Gunn would say. The Debut Fashion Show--a yearly runway show highlighting the final collections of the top graduates of FIDM's Advanced Fashion Design Program--goes "on the road" each year to several of the FIDM campuses. And this time, it was sunny San Diego!
Model Love: Nick Verreos gets hugs from Mercedes, Lisa and Tanisha

Years ago, I was actually one of those fashion design graduates in FIDM's Advanced Fashion Design Program and now, I am actually one of the instructors in this exclusive program. You may remember (if you've been keeping up on my blog) that these were also the graduates who got to design for Barbie (yeah!)
Gown Happy: Model in Clay Sadler's gown, FIDM San Diego Debut fashion show

The site of the fashion show was the Westin Horton Plaza right in the Gaslamp Quarter of Downtown San Diego. The show featured the designs of FIDM graduates Charles Ryan Sands, Clay Sadler, San Diego native Sara Lighthall, Mike Cheng, Adrian Manuel, Liz Sandhoefner, Brenda Ahamad, Lacey Osberg, Valentina Vardanyan, Johnathan Webster and Natalie Hara. Untied: Models wearing Sara Lighthall's designs on the runway, FIDM San Diego Debut fashion show

Several of them have already done very well: Adrian is working with Single, Charles Ryan interned at Chado Ralph Rucci for his most recent NY Fashion Week Collection, Natalie launched her own company, Natalia Romano and several of them are in Italy as we speak, studying at an exclusive Haute Couture fashion design school.
Muse Mercedes: Modeling at the FIDM San Diego Debut Show (left), and modeling for Nikolaki (right)

A special treat for this San Diego show was seeing lots of my favorite models--including one of my first "Model Muses", the gorgeous Mercedes. She was one of the very first models we ever used when we launched NIKOLAKI back in 2001 and we have remained friends ever since. Lisa Blades models FIDM Debut graduate Valentina Vardanyan's creation

Also on hand was Lisa Blades, whom you might recognize from Lifetime Networks Models Of the Runway show, as well as Tanisha Harper. Both of them are finalists in the show and got a chance to model at Bryant Park (so excited for them!). Jonathan models Charles Ryan Sands' screen printed jeans, coat and scarf, FIDM San Diego Debut fashion show

To the delight of the young audience, there were also lots of male models strutting down the San Diego runway, including Jonathan , the runner-up from Bravo's "Make Me A Supermodel". He is THE SWEETEST guy! Love him!
HIIIIIIIII Everyone! Nick Verreos and the line at the Westin Horton Plaza Ballroom

After the show was over, I told the audience that I would be happy to take photos and sign anything! Well, little did I know that hundreds of high school students (their mommies and daddies too!) would be waiting for me in the lobby. I think even some of them got some photos with the models as well which I am sure will end up on Facebook. Get ready to be tagged!
Cheeky Kisses: Nick Verreos and his "fans", San Diego FIDM Debut Show

It was a wonderful afternoon of fashion and models. Maybe there were some future FIDM Debut 2014 Graduates in the audience. Who knows? Thanks for a great time San Diego! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go catch a plane to Seattle! Where's my trench coat when I really need it?