Saab Story

Sob away my friends. With tears of joy, of course. The Brasch is taking Paris by storm, walking for both Elie Saab and Valentino on Wednesday, having two looks in each show. I apologize for the delay in posting these... My Internet connection has been finicky the last few days! But I'm back now, so let's start with Elie Saab:

Great to see Caroline repeating at Saab. I wasn't sure she would, but I was happy to see they booked her again this season. The elegance of the label is always a treat to see. No doubt Hollywood had their eyes on this show in particular, especially with the Oscars coming up. As for Caroline's looks, can anyone else see Maggie Gyllenhaal arriving in number 1? Doubtless, she wouldn't look as stunning as The Brasch, but there are few that would. Gorgeous work from Elie Saab, as always.

Valentino was something we expected, but it takes nothing away from its materialization. I was hoping for an opening or closing look, but the honour was bestowed instead upon Caroline's campaign buddies, Freja and Julia.

All in all, it was a very successful Couture season for Caroline, walking in four shows with a total of seven looks! Very impressive indeed. There's also been scans released recently of Caroline on the cover of Vogue Nippon's Beauty supplement. I'll be covering this in my next post, but until I get around to it, please enjoy!  

Photos courtesy of vogue.fr and vogue.it

The Softer Side Of Chanel

Caroline walked for Chanel today with two looks, both of similar style (I daresay she's rocking the same pair of pants in both... Are we thinking along the lines of a piece that goes with everything, or were things a little rushed backstage?).

Showing at a more modest venue than we are used to for Chanel (though it seems we should be getting used to it, smaller venues appear to be #trending with Karl Lagerfeld in recent years), the greatest fashion house of them all sent the models down the runway with characteristic grace in garments of like style but softer tones as compared to the Spring/Summer collection. It was all very Chanel, but at the same time, very much a contemporary take on her stereotype. I loved the sash detail on Caroline's second outfit: it added a sort of whimsical touch to the outfit, which otherwise might have seemed a more on the futuristic side. Just a small thing, but for me it made a world of difference.

I also though the chokers used were rather interesting, for much the same reason. They recalled for me a Victorian age of style (Chanel herself was of course born in the tail end of this period, and grew up with this style, indeed, she helped usher the style out), where women's clothes were more often than not very restricting of movement, and manners were extremely important. The choker, being here fastened behind the head (it seems to be attached to a bun beneath the hair, actually) unnaturally restricts the models from turning their heads without breaking the ribbon, which had me thinking of the blinders we put on horses, forcing them to look straight ahead. It also appears to stop them from drooping their heads and thus stand straight and tall.

I'm curious as to why the chokers have been used? Their very function seems to be contradictory of precisely what Chanel stands for (at least in my mind). Yes, you must be polite and proper and all that, but for me, Chanel has always been about a rebellion against that Victorian era of fashion, allowing women to free themselves from inhibitions, whether that be in relation to their corsets or the hiding of their opinions. So you see, the choker addition almost seems a contradiction?

Anyway, I am glad to see Caroline at Chanel yet again. I was also pleased with the appearances of fellow Scandinavians Dorothea Barth Jorgensen and Sara Blomqvist (no relation to this Blomqvist, I pinky swear). I've been commenting on how I wish Caroline got more print work, but those two really should have more projects themselves. Sara especially: I don't think I've seen the Queen of London take a bad picture yet!

Valentino and (hopefully) Elie Saab tomorrow! Who knows, we might be in for some more surprises!

Photos courtesy of style.com and nowfashion.com

All The Models To The Floor Right Now

Well, I must admit that I was a little bewildered seeing Caroline walking in the Christian Dior Haute Couture show yesterday. I was expecting Chanel today, for sure, but Dior was a pleasant surprise. She had one look in a collection of thirty-two, one that recalled a certain Disney Princess for me... Beauty and The Brasch, anyone?

As I said, I was surprised with Caroline's appearance, but I suppose I should not have been. After all, she did  walk for the Spring/Summer 2011 show, and had one of the best show seasons of any just the past fall, so seriously: who wouldn't want her walking for them? 

Regardless, I'm happy to see she's gotten off to a great start for Haute Couture, and a great start for fashion weeks in general, having walked Hugo last week, Dior yesterday, and Chanel today (more to come on that later...). That said, I hope the girl has set aside a good long break for the summer... Lord knows she'll need it, with the way things are shaping up!

Photos courtesy of style.com

Paris-Byzance

The Brasch was in Paris on Tuesday to walk for Chanel's pre-fall 2011 show. She had two looks in the Byzantine-inspired collection:

I was not surprised to see her at the show, but I was definitely pleased to see that she's maintaining her pace from the S/S 2011 shows. I don't think I need to tell you how big a deal it is to walk for a house like Chanel, and the fact that she's strutted for Karl in every show since she appeared on international runways a year ago (excluding the Resort 2011 show, but hey, St Tropez was always going to be pretty exclusive) earns her a big gold star.

I wonder if this is entirely coincidental? It seems to me that Caroline has a number of features that are similar to those of Freja, the eyes in particular. Could it be that this is working to her advantage in this burgeoning relationship with Chanel and Karl's other brands (she also walked for Fendi the past October)? Where she's still just starting out, it's very soon to be making judgments of that nature, but keep an eye on that anyway: with Karl pushing Freja consistently into a more masculine role, he may find himself in need of a more feminine contrast than bosom buddy Baptiste... Not something I'm stating as a serious possibility, but you have to admit, it would be an interesting turn of events, don't you reckon?

WWD featured her second look at Chanel in their issue for December 8th on the Pre-Fall collections, so we have a bit of exposure for her there. Mind you, that was one of the most notable looks from the show, so we'll give Karl most of the credit on that.

We've also got a few backstage photos from the show, so I'll leave you with those! In fact, I'd encourage you to check out the full set over at stylerumor.com, they are well shot, and give you a closer look at the clothes as well as the beauty component of the show.

Pictures courtesy of vogue.fr, elitemodelblog.wordpress.com, stylerumor.com