We like to keep you up to date on all things fashion and we’ve just heard of this new Irish site that’s launched – CoutureOnline.ie

This site will be of interest to race goers or those planning for their debs.  There’s plenty to have a look at and in particular a great maxi dress (check out Amadine!).  If you are nervous about buying on line (I hear ya!) they have fitting rooms and a fitting service available in Dublin so you don’t have to worry about a barbie size dress arriving in the post the day before your event – nightmare!

Expect to find: cocktail dresses, maxi dresses, shift dresses, bridesmaid dresses, debs dresses, knee length dresses and full length gowns. Each dress is handmade of 100% silk, with each bead and sequin hand sewn.  The range is designed and created in Paris and stocked exclusively by CoutureOnline in Ireland.  Each dress is said to be designed to fit like a glove, with some of the dresses including built-in corsets and cups (more chips please!).

Prices start from €149 working upwards to €699.  If that all seems too much for one wear these guys are also offering a rental service starting at €50 up to €120.  Let us know if you have used them and how you got on.

Left – right above: (SJP vibe going on with the first option) Albane €299, Altificio €199

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Jean Paul Gaultier’s haute couture collection for this fall/winter can be described in three words: hot, whoreish and hilarious. As is the nature of haute couture, some of the designs were a bit way-out and over-the-top. Jean Paul is famous for his impressive and innovative style and design talents. This collection is classic Gaultier in every respect.

Guests to the show included French actress Catherine Deneuve, French Minister for Culture Frederic Mitterrand and fashion photographer Mario Testino. Gothic burlesque queen Dita von Teese also attended the show – as a model, walking the runway at number thirty-two dressed as a vampire in a floor length black satin number. The dress incorporated the big shoulders of the 1980s and the toga of ancient Greece and Rome. I love it.

The models came out holding cigarettes and wearing high twisted turbans so as to portray the Parisian brothel crossed with Arabian chic inspiration for the collection.

Gaultier also took inspiration from under the sea with a series of scuba style designs in neoprene-leather, backed with the same type of foam usually found in a padded bra. Scuba style jackets and dresses, in silver and black, were embroidered with articulated joints at the shoulder, elbow and hip, or else worn with mink fins along the sleeves.

The couture bridal piece came in the form of Elena Lazic walking the runway in a white satin trench coat playing the Wedding March on a white violin. Très eccentric.

The show wound up with Dita von Teese walking again wearing rather plain lingerie with what looks like moulded glittery black wax hugging her bone structure. Not exactly my taste, but haute couture is all about the innovative and the inspirational.

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It really is red carpet season so we thought why not get in on the act and scour the high street for the best there is – should you be lucky enough to need it!  We were pleasantly surprised by the choice and rather frustrated at having to trim down our selection but lets hope we have saved the best.

February is after all awards month in Ireland! With the Jameson Film Festival kicking off on the 18th February, the Meteor Music Awards on the 19th February and the I.F.T.A.’s (Irish Film and Television Awards) on the 20th February, red carpets are set to showcase some serious dresses and accessories. We wanted to show you how to achieve the look from high street stores, that won’t break the bank! To whet your appetite, wow.ie have put together a selection of evening dresses and accessories to highlight this seasons hottest looks suitable for many occasions including the red carpet, 21st’s and black-tie weddings.

To begin our high street hit list was Monsoon.  Our first find was not too dissimilar to Nicole Kidman‘s Prada dress which she wore to the Grammys, minus the ruffle neck detailing! Blue was also a popular colour at the Grammys with Fergie opting for a stunning short Emilio Pucci dress, Taylor Swift in a full length Kaufman Franco ‘glitter-tastic’ dress and Miley Cyrus in a short Herve Leger by Max Azria dress teamed with gladiator heels.  Our Monsoon favourites (top) are all well priced, from left – Allepo dress €280, Westbourne Maxi Dress €305, Kalahari Dress €310 and finally the Annabelle Dress at €250.

Our second store of choice for awards attire had to be Karen Millen!  The first dress from Karen Millen has a hint of Carrie Underwood‘s Grammy dress and the last dress was taking lead from Givenchy‘s use of lace, a big ‘boudoir’ trend this season. We also saw a kaleidoscope of colour at Couture week in Paris last month with Valentino leading the charge. Also bare in mind that animal prints are STILL in.  From left here’s what we’ve listed from Karen Millen – Cream Graphic Sequin dress €235, Blue Zebra print strapless dress €199, Kaleidoscope dress €199 and the beautiful lace dress €235.

Our final hit was Coast – where else!  I will admit to being nervous when it comes to shopping at Coast with the nagging thought that most of the other guests will probably have visited the store on their quest to find a dress.  However they probably do dresses better than anyone else on the high street so we couldn’t resist.  We uncovered every type of dress but decided with a busy month of red carpet events to go with the full length options. Again from left, Blue Symphony dress €205, second dress is the same as the first dress except we preferred it in the pink (a big colour this season), Harmony Maxi dress €325, Anise Maxi dress €250 and the Zola Beaded Maxi dress at €250.

Dress sorted but look far from complete without accessories. This is such an integral part to having a complete and polished look, plus it’s a way you can add a pop of colour or ‘craziness’ to an otherwise simple or block colour dress i.e. the old reliable LBD!  If the budget is tight pick up an inexpensive dress and invest in good accessories that can be worn again and again with both day wear or evening wear.  We’ve mentioned Irish designer Ali Nash before, great  jewellery that’s not mass produced and something a little different. (Check out our previous post on Ali Nash here or her site alinash.com) Ali will also create a bespoke piece if you have something particular in mind which would add to the sense of glamour.  Failing that we’ve picked out some of the best on offer through the high street and again we were not disappointed.

Let’s start from top and work our way down!  Earrings, love them or hate them they are a must have accessory this season.  We’ve chosen accessories mostly from Accessorize.  These colours will go with any dress so you should get to wear them again and again. From left – Pearly Chandelier €20, Show Stopping Chandelier €24 and the Teardrop Earring for €20.  All well priced.

We were sticking with Accessorize for accessories but we couldn’t resist adding a twist with these necklaces from Friis at BT2.  They will had an edge to which ever dress you choose.  The first would sit so well with the pink Symphony dress from Coast where as the other two will give an 80′s funky finish to any dress, and then work with a tank top or tee and skinny jeans for casual wear.

If you don’t have an assistant or make-up artist on hand you will be lowered to carrying your own handbag!  We’ve discovered three absolute gems at Accessorize with our favourtie being the bow detail bag in the middle.  Who needs Gina when you can ‘bag’ (sorry, couldn’t resist) yourself a Sparkly Clutch for €51! Our pick, the Babylon Bow Clutch, is an amazing €42 and the Chainmail Clutch, €42.

You have almost completed your look, the finishing touches are the Mega Bling Bracelet €30.50 and/or the Pearly Queen Bangle at €27.  Add to that an obnoxiously large ring and you will fit in on any red carpet.  Rihanna is always spotted wearing large costume rings, our choice from Accessorize, the Keepsake Ring is a bargain at only €25.50!  There you are fully kitted out, now you just need the invite!

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Last week the haute couture shows took Paris by storm. The golden oldies were present; Chanel, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Christian Dior, Armani Privé, Valentino and Givenchy. Others that took part in this extraordinary example of fashion at it’s finest were Alexis Mabille, Elle Saab, Thimister and Anne Valérie Hash.

The shows were awash with creative ideas inspired by both ethnicities and pop culture. Jean Paul Gaultier kept his tailoring title this year with clean cuts and a cream day suit with lattice jacket everyone will be pining after. However the rest of the collection left a lot to be desired. Gauchos, sombreros and Spanish shawls were styled with feathers and basket weave detailing that had the audience thinking they were in Mexico. He was just short of handing out burritos at the close of the show with the matador dressed models taming bulls.

Chanel surprised everyone (I think Lagerfeld was quite surprised himself) with a futuristic collection that was a definite change for the fashion house. He admitted that “It took me 54 collections to get there”, perhaps it took that long to create a time travelling mechanism. The sorbet shades were a delightful contrast to the usual monochrome looks and there wasn’t a navy blazer or a gold button in sight. Stockings glistened as much as the models hair- that was mounted in a love-heart shape on top of each models head with a streak of silver to add couture edge. Sarah Mower of style.com noted the rococo heels as a favourite and the ‘ethereal cloud colours’ had the models floating down the runway.

Held in the Dior house, Galliano’s collection was inspired by Charles James and the Gibson Girls. Snug fitted jackets and long draped skirts were not far off creations from Christian Dior himself back in the 50′s. Some of the editors sitting in the front row had to strain their necks to get a glimpse at these looks as Tavi, fashion blogger extraordinaire, donned an elaborate Dior headpiece. People were in awe at how Valentino models were able to walk unscathed down the catwalk as they were blindfolded with matching flowing fabrics. The multi-coloured garments match the kaleidoscope of colour the make-up artists had created and had one confused that perhaps Valentino had hired Avatar extras to model for them this year.

Ricardo Tisci at Givenchy delved into the houses’ archive to produce a 70′s inspired collection. He couldn’t help but admire the powerful, strong, erotic phase of Parisian women back then and he related to them. The tailoring created a masculine exterior to the feminine beauty of the models with tuxedo tailcoats paired with ostrich printed t-shirts. The flamenco influenced layers and the midnight blue column dresses juxtaposed the androgynous aesthetic eloquently and made for an all-round risk taking collection that went down a treat.

One that was certainly a shock to the system was the looks created at Alexis Mabille. The two-tone suit of pink on one side and black on the other really set the mood at couture week which screamed surprise. The two-tone detail was present from the shoes on either foot to the hair and even eyebrows of each model, an attention to detail all of the other houses should make note of and admire.

Couture week in Paris always has high expectations and these were certainly met, but not outshone. All shows had a similar idea-to out do the other, but only a few of them managed to create looks that will certainly inspire other designers and trends to come in 2010.

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I suppose it must be hard being in a girl group with 4 other girls who have their individual styles clearly marked! There’s super styled Cheryl Cole who takes on all the new IT designers and definitely takes a few risks, vintage fan and quirky dresser Nicola Roberts, body-con queen and sexy style Kimberly Walsh and laid back LA chic Nadine Coyle. So where does this leave Sarah Harding??? She tried out that rocker chick look for a while, which suited her really well…but it looks like over the past few months Sarah has been going on a bit of ‘style soul searching’ as she tries out, demure, boho, sexy and just plain trashy looks.

Trying to look like a professional business-woman as she opens her new nightclub, she looks unusually demure in a blue silk jumpsuit. I actually sort of love it, but it’s something I would have expected Cheryl or Nicola to wear. Also it’s looking a little tight in the crotch area, which is a little uncomfortable looking. But a nice swing back to the 80’s and a great homage to Charlie’s Angels.

At a friends birthday party she took a boho turn, wearing a long, teal blue jersey dress with jewel adorned straps and she accessorized perfectly with the chunky metallic trend. Gorgeous dress, again reminds me a little of something you may see on Kate Hudson or Rachel Zoe…not exactly what you would expect a pop princess to wear…but at least she looks nice.

Then at the London fashion week parties we saw a more recognisable Sarah Harding, wearing a Vivienne Westwood PVC dress. More of a nod to her former rock-chick look, but with a slight S+M feel to it. I actually like this look too, but the fit is a little wrong on her, and I don’t like the seam across the waist because it cheapens the dress, she should have put a cool belt over it!

Most recently at her birthday Party she wore a dress that reminded me of something you’d find in one of those really nasty, cheap shops at the end of Henry Street in Dublin. It was a Mesh Mess…a very tacky diamante sheer detailed dress with a lace-up detail across the bust. To top it off she tried to vamp it up even more with a Berry coloured lipstick. Gross on all levels, it wasn’t even a good outfit in a ‘Pretty Woman’ kind of way…she really could have been working a street corner and I wouldn’t have batted an eyelid.

So Sarah… on the off-chance you are reading this…stop experimenting, go back to your rocker vibe and we won’t have to write anymore bad things about your clothes.

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