The Perfect Oscar Party Accessories. Shoes & Bags For The Movie Lover.

The following heels and clutch bags by Charlotte Olympia make great accessories if you're attending the Oscars or simply an Oscar party.

Mary Katrantzou's Wild 2014 F/W Collection Is A Big Departure for The Greek Designer.

When I first introduced you to fashion designer Mary Katrantzou in 2008 - 2009, she had barely broken into the fashion world. At that time her clothes had printed textiles which emulated chunky jewelry and perfume bottles and were accompanied by jewelry of her own design:


In 2011 I showed you that Mary's work had progressed to combine her digitally printed textiles with lots of embellishments and structured shapes inspired by home decor. Again, her own chunky jewelry was incorporated in to the collection:


As time passed, Mary simplified her designs in terms of silhouettes and materials, but mainly stayed with the photographic textiles as recently as her 2014 Spring/ Summer Collection. You will notice her jewelry designs seem to have disappeared from her work:


Mary is currently best known for her bright figure hugging dresses with digitally printed landscapes, like those shown below:


Now, considered one of the top designers in fashion, her work has continued to evolve.

Mary Katrantzou Fall/Winter 2014 Collection:



In a big change from her usual digitally printed textiles, the 2014 Fall/Winter collection from Mary Katrantzou is a very tactile, highly embellished and unique collection. The silhouettes are a big departure from her previous collections, fabrics are varied and mixed (even patches are woven together to create a textile) and the imagery shifts from photographic and cheerful to a darker, more serious, three dimensional style. Pleats, asymmetry, applique patches and metal hardware embellishes the collection.



Here's a look at a few of the more unusual pieces from the collection which debuted this week in London:













Mary Katrantzou

Darth Vader Appears At London Fashion Week - On Dresses and Blouses By Preen.

In the Fall/Winter 2014 Ready-To-Wear collection from Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, there was an unexpected appearance from Luke's Father on the runway during London's Fashion Week. The image of Darth Vader's head was integrated into 7 pieces from the new collection, appearing printed on geometric print dresses, atop dark busy patterns and on one crisp white blouse amongst the orange, lace, knits, furs and metallics in the rest of the collection.

Meet Angela Clayton, An Impressive 16 Year Old Who Has Cosplay All Sewn Up.

16 year old Angela Clayton is blowing away the world of Cosplay with her impressive costume-making skills. After having designed, dressed and styled herself at Frozen's Queen Elsa (complete with photo shoot in a snowy forest), she's being cited as 'having raised the bar' by sci-fi and Cosplay fans alike.





above: Angela as Disney's Queen Elsa from Frozen in her own costume, makeup and styling. The cape alone took her 170+ hours to create.

Having read about her Queen Elsa costume, I was intrigued and looked into the talented designer and seamstress. I couldn't believe what I saw - an uncanny dedication and skill for someone so young.


above: Angela Clayton as herself (photo courtesy of facebook)

The 16 year old, who recently graduated high school and is presently preparing her portfolio, was born in Phoenix and now lives in Long Island. She was home schooled (with a few classes at Suffolk County Community College) and has only been sewing for two years. She is almost entirely self-taught, with a little help from the internet.



above: Angela as Merida from Disney's Brave

She began cosplaying in 2010 and a year later started to make her own costumes. Her historical, Disney, anime and Japanese illustrator Sakizo -inspired character costume designs are as impressive looking as they are time-consuming to make.


above: Angela's home studio

It doesn't hurt that she, herself, has porcelain skin, giant eyes and a perfect pout, much like a human version of a doll or an anime character:


Angela says says "I started sewing when i became interested in cosplay, since it combined my love of creating, makeup, photography and dressing up perfectly. Though I have a few more cosplays planned for 2014, I'm no longer attending conventions."



above: In addition to being inspired by Anime and Disney characters, some of Angela's costumes are from her own sketches

She is delving into historical fashions more and more. At present she is working on creating a portfolio for future college as well as filling out internship applications. Throughout the year of 2014, she will be working on designing and creating two mini collections, each consisting of five or six looks.

Here are several images of her dressed in various costumes, all created, sewn and styled by herself. Even some of the wigs were made by Angela.

Angela in a red Renaissance gown:



Angela as a Royal Canadian Mountie Policeman:


Angela as illustrator Sakizo's Royal Milk Tea Character:



Angela as Mio Ayoama:


Angela as Napolean Bonaparte:


Angela as Glass Angel:


Angela as Vlad Tepes:



Angela as a Christmas Queen:


Angela as a female fighter:


Her Queen Elsa Gown:


•Her blog includes detailed information about the making of her costumes.

•For detailed information and pics as to how she created the replica gown from Frozen (above), go here

•See her Cosplay portfolio of characters here 
 
•Angela on Deviant Art

Her work is amazing for someone so young. She has a bright future ahead of her and I wish her all the best.

all images courtesy of Angela Clayton
several of the photos on this post were taken by Anna Fischer and many of the character designs were inspired by the artwork of Sakizo

And Then There's These - Strapless Panties by Shibue Couture.

After dominating the Salon de La Lingerie runway in Paris and making headlines in the UK's largest daily publication "The Sun", Shibue® Couture unveiled that it's the only trusted Strapless Panty worn on the runway during Fashion Week and keeps designer collection debuts "panty-line free." Next, Shibue® Couture will grace the runways in New York during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.


above: Shibue Couture debuts Lace and Hold Up Collection at the Salon de La Lingerie Fashion Show in Paris.

Washable, reusable, self-adhesive and totally invisible, the strapless panties by Shibue Couture keep you panty-line free.





Jenny Beuttner, Founder and Designer of Shibue® Couture, recently debuted her latest Lace and Hold Up Collection in Paris that garnered attention from top designers, models and stylists across the world. Shibue® Couture eliminates one of the biggest fashion faux pas in the world: the visible panty line. Shibue is the creator and innovator of the one-of-kind Shibue® Strapless Panty, it's washable and reusable with a soft and silky silicone gel adhesive that is applied on the top front and back of the panty, leaving nothing but a traditional style thong in between with a cotton liner for protection.



"Fashion Week used to feel like a dream to us, but we knew we had the product that designers didn't even know they were missing. Now their couture will look flawless and the models will feel comfortable without having to risk baring it all for fashion's sake. Everyone wins with The Shibue® Strapless Panty, and that's what we were aiming for all along. When we look good, we feel good!" said Buettner who has seen massive success by not just crossing the line, rather erasing it.



The Shibue® Strapless Panty will be featured on top models at Fashion Week 2014 and is the unseen product that will make these couture shows flawless. This season Shibue® Couture supports Hugo Boss, Katie Stern by Venexiana and the Hervé Léger by Max Azria Fall 2014 Runway Show where Max and Lubox Azria will debut the collection inspired by the beauty of nature and animal patterns at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.


above: At present Shibue Couture offers the strapless panties in black, mocha and beige.

Shop for Shibue products here

About Shibue ® Couture: 
Shibue®Couture was created by Designer Jenny Beuttner a line of solution-based products to cure undergarment needs, including a variety of discrete bra shapewear. Shibue® Couture's most innovative product is the first and only strapless panty on the market. The reusable Shibue® Strapless Panty erases panty line worries for any outfit and any occasion. Their taglines are: "We Didn't Cross The Line…We Erased It!" and "She Shoulda Shibued!"