Voi Là-Bas

Chantelle Winnie is a model that I - along with the rest of the world (probably) - discovered through America's Next Top Model. The show is not exceptional, really, but if you like fashion and photography and photo shoots (which is the only reason I watch it hah), it is great.

Chantelle was a contestant in the latest season of America's Next Top Model. She did not do exceptionally well in the competition, but I happen to believe that that does not really and truly reflect the actual potential she has as a model.

The really special thing about her, is her skin - clearly. She has a condition called Vitiligo, which is a chronic disease where patches of skin loose their pigmentation. Chantelle had this since she was four, so she had what she describes as a tough childhood especially when around other children.

However, it is beautiful that both in the competition and even when out in the 'real' modelling world, that flaw - so to speak - was that thing that set her apart and contributed to her beauty, and people saw that beauty. The disease doesn't wear her, she wears it.

One of her latest collaborations was with Desigual for their Spring/Summer 2015 collection, which was not the first time she teamed up with them. Both that and the Autumn/Winter 2014 collaboration she did with Desigual were great advertorial shoots in my opinion - she was an immensely great fit for Desigual. However, the first photo above shows that skin condition or not, she can do an array of things and moods. It is a paradox, because while very unique and interesting, it seems to me like she still has that adaptability that successful models have.

Desigual's Autumn/Winter 2014 Campaign

Desigual's Spring/Summer 2015 Campaign

Editorial for SHOWstudio x MACHINE - A

The above shoot must be my favourite, the angle of the camera in the first photo, the angles of her body and limbs and the ethereal expression - it all came together.

I think all this is an exceptional image. I feel that it is proof that society and the fashion industry are collectively moving away from that exclusively obvious, perfect perfect and all symmetrical beauty. Beauty is a lot of things, in my opinion.

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At any given Fashion week, with catwalks and numerous fabulous designs and designers, one of the thrills that can happen is when you love everything in particular look, piece of clothing or detail.

Oscar de la Renta's collection was a thrill to watch. Piece after piece, the designs were pretty and feminine throughout, with gingham thrown in with the lace pastels and the pinch of stripes thrown in.

Look 1: A great look to open with. It revealed enough about the collection to keep you wanting.

Even though the collection had a consistency throughout in fabrics and tones, the designs presented in this collection would provide something for everyone. In fact, in my head, I was spotting things and making mentals notes about outfits and clothes that could dress all four of the main female characters in Sex and the City, all to their personal style. For example, The second look in the two pictures above is definitely a Samatha Jones. The first in the two above those, a Charlotte York.

The above pieces were my favourite dresses in this show, and I'm almost positively certain that they will crop up on the red carpet soon enough. I find that the first one especially is a bit reminiscent of the Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2012. The dress that Kate moss wore in that show, white with feathery bits, definitely could pass for this number's baby sister.

Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2012

And to continue with the Oscar de la Renta show, the piece below is another that quite stood out to me. A very Carrie-Bradshaw-esque piece in my opinion, especially with the pastel pink, off the shoulder crop top. I'm also in love with this yellow-green colour.

All in all, a fabulous collection. Mixing and matching of different textures, colours and patterns is my most favourite element in designs, and apart from the inherent femininity, it is definitely what called out to me in this designer's work.

Tina x

Disclaimer: pictures are not mine and were all taken from style.com

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Gareth Pugh is an emerging Fashion Designer with a very distinct style. We may say this about every other designer really, but if applies to anyone, it's Gareth Pugh. It's through his immediate leap into the unconventional, unseen and vaguely sinister that marked him down as a designer to keep an eye on. Gareth Pugh practically gambled all his money into what he did.

I decided to do a post about this designer because in my Fashion Foundation seminar we saw a Fashion Film of Gareth Pugh's Pitti at the Imagine #79. It's amazing, really. I mean, props to the director Ruth Hogben, but boy, Gareth Pugh's visions do seem stir something deep within.

I love this one particularly because you can feel the contrast brought by Gareth pugh's usual insights in his creations and the religious connotations at this Italian debut. The melancholic strings against the modernist sounds.

"With a collection inspired by religious iconography and Florentine opulence, Gareth Pugh made his Italian fashion debut at Pitti Immagine #79. Showcasing his clothes via a unique fashion film, created with Ruth Hogben and projected onto the ceiling of a 14th-century church, Pugh melded the grand traditions and art of this ancient city with his own hyper-modern fashion vision." - SHOWstudio

One thing about Gareth Pugh that makes him distinguishable is the way in which he "reaches out". It's a feeling he instils. His designs are daring, a little bit off, maybe, but inherently glamorous. I feel that the Fashion Film advertises this designer's image better than any still photo would. The twisting, crawling, creature-like figures seem to embody some unconscious instinct, searching, looking and testing reality.

I read somewhere that Gareth Pugh's also influenced by London's club scene. You can feel that in the way the figures move, their disconnection with time and place and the harmony with their bodies and movements with the throbbing sounds.

Here is the link to another Fashion Film, the one from Gareth Pugh's Spring/Summer 2011.

In my opinion, Gareth Pugh kind of gives any other aspiring designer the push to find that something more within.

-Tina x