Resort 2014 Trends: Suiting Up in Style

The pant-suit for ladies once again takes centre stage in full glory on Resort 2014 runways. From colours to noveau cuts, the suit is reinterpreted with ample amounts of style dosage to fit into every possible occasion.

Akris' cerulean blue fitted suit stands out for it's gorgeous choice of tone, whereas Givenchy displayed an all-over printed/ coordinated look from tip to toe. J Mendel's number is sleek and classy, and I am absolutely lusting after that delicious shade of lavender on the Ralph Lauren. The cuts are just as varied with some done to accentuate natural details on a body and some with confluence of boxy, boyfriend silhouettes.
 

Shown here are my favourite picks in black -- and do you think the sheer detail in the Donna Karan is just absolutely fabulous? Single, twin to no-button, a black suit I think is a necessary part of every woman's wardrobe. It is versatile and can be easily dressed up or down.

I have just about recently taken a liking to androgyny, and Barbara Bui's masculine take on impeccably tailored suits with peek-through details on the sleeves, and contrast lapels has just turned me in to a big fan. Dior remains luscious as ever with a couple of suits in the collection -- my best pick being this red double-breasted one. Double-breasted suits are back in a big way for both men and women, and a length-variate version can be seen on the look by Christopher Kane. The Gucci ensemble is earthy, and enthuses very laid-back chic (I rather have my eyes on that hobo :P). The houses of Marc Jacobs, J and R Cavalli, Reed Krakoff, Chloe, Sports Max, Chanel, and Zac Posen too presented some beautiful pant-suits.

What I love:
Boxy cuts
No-buttons
Tapered pants
Above-the-ankle lengths
Missing structural elements

Fabulous Hats at Royal Ascot 2013

You know why do we love the British? Because that instantly spells in to eccentricity. Brits - check; royals - check; McQueen and Guiness - check; crazy fucking glorious hats - check! Royal Ascot, the yearly five-day horse racing event at the sleepy town of Ascot has Royals and folks rubbing shoulders and literally making a dash on the 'outdo each other's hat' lane'. What about the horses and races you ask? -- Let's just say, they totally get overshadowed with the customary dress code plumages.

Yeah, this is what I am talking about!

First up for your viewing pleasure is the royal family. The Queen and the Duchess kept things simple on day one (shown below) choosing blush and ivory tones, delicately-done medium-sized hats and pretty cameo pearls. I am not sure if the duo decided to play dress-to-match since if you look at the day two picture, their outfits again look similar but the Queen wins here one up for that funky feather hat.

Day One - Queen Elizabeth II and Duchess of Cornwall Camilla Parker Boyles

Day Two - Queen Elizabeth II and Duchess of Cornwall Camilla Parker Boyles

Day three was history in the making as the Queen is now the first ever reigning monarch to win the Gold Cup at Ascot in 207 years. Her 4-year-old filly called 'Estimate' created the record at the Ladies Day in Ascot.

Day Three - Queen Elizabeth II with her champion filly Estimate

Okay can I take a slight detour from the royals to show you Mrs Rai Bachchan? How fabulous does she look!  And so thin... very stunning indeed.

Day One - Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at the Royal Ascot 2013

Okay now, deemed the most stylish ladies of the royal family, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie donned wispy and gorgeous Red Valentino hats on day one. Check out the very stylish striped ensems.

Day One - Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, Royal Ascot 2013

Royal family celebrates Gold Cup Victory on Ladies Day

 Other Ladies Day fancies that caught our eyes:

Resort 2014 Review - Diane Von Furstenberg

What I loved about her resort collection was how effortless yet stylish it was. “Effortless. Sexy. On the go” is how the designer defined it. As a strong DVF fan, I have to say there’s nothing better than her wrap dresses. Anytime I can’t figure out what to wear on a night out or feel a little fat, I just wear a DVF wrap. Sexy, effortless and on the go it sure is!

One of the key pieces was the new twist she gave to her signature wrap dress; the top half was tight fitted jersey whereas the skirt was more voluminous than usual and in a cool python print. There were sexy sheaths, some showing off lace details and some with geometric prints.

I also loved the smoking pant suits, lovely silk shirts (I am DEFINITELY getting those), the pencil skirts and the jackets. Prints being one of the brand’s core aesthetics were plenty with a strong focus on black and white stripes. However we also saw some lovely floral motifs, seductive python prints and colorful geometrics that seal the fact that DVF's going to be our all-time favourite.

Resort 2014 Trends - Pristine Fancy and Sheer Naked

Pristine Fancy

Transcending from 2013 collections, white seems to have trickled into Resort 2014. Played in the avatars of cream, ivory, and even dirties, white was seen majorly  clubbed with sheer elements, in flowing dresses, and even tailored cuts.

Looking back to the wilderness days of the thirties is this Derek Lam's simple plunge-neck white dress with huge pockets. Donna Karan as usual kept it superbly timeless in this halter neck maxi dress enthusing Grecian vibes. Chanel's show in Singapore has been receiving rave reviews wherein Lagerfeld painted a canvas with the confluence of classic pieces of the house, cricket, shift silhouettes, and graphic lines. This asymmetrical skirt and double-breasted jacket ensemble has been rendered in the label's cult -- tweed. Valli did a white-on-white texture in this anti-fit dress.

I am totally in love with this number from Versace: Clean, minimal and sheer raglan pleating making one hell of a chic statement. Balenciaga's play on the cape within a fitted knee-length dress is commendable for the impeccable tailoring. Sport Max Mara had a lot of asymmetrical hemlines, and this white dress has been kept absolutely simple. Theysken's dress exudes dainty style with full-round skirted waist down tapering.

Others we love for all white: Givenchy, Lanvin, Alexander Wang, Chloe, Diesel Black Gold, Just Cavalli, Cushnie et Ochs, and Burberry Prorsum.

Sheer-Nekkid :D Bottoms

I have an extreme affinity towards sheer fabrics. Give me laces, tulles, nets, georgettes, and chiffons and I am a happy girl. I love the versatility of sheers -- one on hand they can add charming femininity and a sense of delicate veneer, and on the other can turn an ensemble into an impact-full contemporary statement. Resort 2014 had it's fair share of sheers, especially seen in the bottom parts of the clothing. After having browsed through hundreds of looks for my research, I have to say that the eight ensembles shown below are my most favourite in the entire season.

Some may think that this look by Donna Karan's New York line seems to be a little morbid, but see-through pants are a rage since a couple of months, and have been seen donned by many celebrities. Having said this, I think with right accessories, the outfit would work really well (I am talking a bit of colour since head-to-toe black is a bit passe). Then oh Burberry -- nothing short of spectacular. I have been turned from a non-fan to a lusting lover. The textures, the sheer play, the simple silhouettes, the seeming juxtaposition of the informal and the exquisite together create one hell of a collection. Please do have a look at the other numbers -- fabulous is the only word for them. Shiny metallic and divinely see-through, this Christian Dior number is just so perfect -- I mean there's no visionary overload yet it is so quirky. Have you guys been noticing that throughout many of these looks, knee-length seems to be the only way to go. I also adore this polka Gucci number with a halter neck in a luscious shade of rust.

House Givenchy went the sheer-pant route too. They also have a gorgeous, similar ensemble with full sheer pants in all white which is my second favourite in the collection. I was pleasantly surprised when I took a look at the Jason Wu releases. He hasn't really been a liked creator I am sorry to say. Yet I fell in love with the surface textures of the outfits immediately. I love this light spruce number with similar-toned embellished motifs on the fabric -- it is perfection! Well for Alice and Olivia, the ensemble does the war of opposites a.k.a black and white, a huge trend of SS 13 and apparently now for Resort 2014 too. Love how the prim, proper jacket gives way to a very 'classy' tease! Finally, this simple number by Chloe is actually chosen by mom who's been looking at collections with me. She loves everything that is non-fussy, dark, and spelled Chloe... haha!

Resort 2014 Review - Lanvin

Warning: The writer of this review may be biased towards Alber Elbaz and may deem him to be almost god like in the fashion world. Jokes apart, I find Alber’s creations to be the epitome of perfection, femininity and grace. For this resort collection, there was a little bit of everything; cocktail dresses, wedding dresses, sneakers, sporty dresses; choose the kind of lifestyle you want or have and there you have an outfit for it! 

 

The one common factor was glamour; each outfit exuded glamour, even the sneakers were sensational. Lamé, brocade, jersey, tulle, python skin, neoprene; this collection was a fabulous play on textures and fabrics. Oh, there were embellishments, and lots of it on some of the dresses and none of it was over the top, the gold brocade dress in particular was my favorite. I almost dropped dead at the sight of a 50’s style HOT red cocktail dress in one look and a python skin trench coat in another; well, who wouldn't?  There was also some cool work wear, especially a fuchsia pantsuit.

The best part about most of the collection was that none of it looked too constricting, there seemed to be room to move around in these clothes rather than looking like a stuck up cow in ultra-tight silhouettes.

 

Don’t get me started on the opulent chunky necklaces; Indian inspired paisleys, rapper inspired numbers and the famous Egyptian scarab beetles! Alber always comes up with quirky jewelry. As for bags, there were mostly clutches, and I LOVED the box clutch with paisleys on it along with the red one shown with the red cocktail dress.

Resort 2014 Review - Alexander Wang

Alexander Wang’s resort 2014 collection was really a breath of fresh air. We saw PINK, yes PINK!! Aside from the pink factor, I loved the clothes presented in this collection especially the low slung leather pants which were very cool (I always thought leather would be uncomfortable to wear but these pants look extremely comfortable and sexy!), the leather peplum tops and miniskirts.

I also loved how most of the tops and dresses were very boxy; it gives the illusion of comfort whist being extremely stylish. Wang also showed off some fantastic techniques such as vacuum pressed pleating on some of the skirts, tops and elongated blazers. Two of my favorite pieces from the collection included a black, very boxy leather dress (a result of another one of his techniques!) paired with a dark vest in look 14 and a sleeveless grained/textured leather jacket paired with pink pants in look 5. 

The sweaters of course are a staple in Wang’s collections except this time it was metallic threads mixed with cellophane giving it a unique texture. What I didn't like much were the flat, very androgynous shoes; too masculine for my taste (to be honest I've never been a fan of his shoes). I did love the oversized clutch with the silver hardware jutting out at the base of the bag (very edgy looking and can protect the material of the bag too when you put it down!) and the whole distressed/cracked look (pardon me for not knowing the correct terminology!) the clutch has going on.

Snake-skin clutches for under 160 dollars or 10,000 Rupees!

Hi ladies! Okay so last night I made a new discovery, snake-skin clutches with delightful python prints on sale for under 160 dollars or 10,000 Rupees! Of course they aren't made in Italy or France and neither are they branded. But if you've been wanting an exotic skin clutch and haven’t been able to afford one as they are extremely expensive, now’s your chance.

So Blufly.com retails these beautiful Primary New York clutches from on their website and they have three colors on sale. The only catch here is that they are not delivered outside the United States, however most of us have friends and family in US and the website accepts international credit cards, so please hurry and order yours as they are on sale for literally 156 dollars! My favorite was this red printed python fold over envelope clutch. Click here to purchase.