Louis Vuitton SS'11

Okay. So I realise this is now over a year ago but that still doesn't change the fact that this was MY FAVOURITE COLLECTION AND RUNWAY SHOW EVER (seriously you can't watch the YouTube video enough times) and why should I deprive the general public of my opinion? Therefore I shall post my review of it.


Pastel pinks, baby blues and sorbet greens had turned into an almost sickening shade of ice cream by the  end of Paris Fashion Week, ending with the Louis Vuitton show on Wednesday 6th October. Organza, embroidery, silk and lace were all prominent in this year’s Spring/Summer collections in Paris, but none more so than the highly acclaimed Louis Vuitton show designed by Marc Jacobs.

High expectations were already in place as the audience took their seats at a location none other than the Cour Carrée de Louvre. The audience, full of models such as Natalia Vodianova who said she wished
she had walked the show, were awestruck as at 10:30am sharp a forty-eight pony carousel was unveiled; a daintily dressed model perched on each one. The fashion merry-go round started turning and music that cannot be described by any other word but magical filled the space.

“The carousel was also a metaphor for fashion. The way it goes round and round…and how there is no end to fashion. How it’s a beautiful ride. And there is no end to its beauty.”  Jacobs affirmed.

The look of the show was very 50’s with pretty pastels, full skirts and top-buttoned shirts. This slight reminiscence of childhood was continued in the hair styles with every single model’s hair tied up in feminine updos, frayed chignons or buns topped with simple white headbands. The fairground theme, the devastatingly pretty collection and the music were, together, the epitome of innocence and magic. However, the look never got too sugary with every model wearing killer silver stilettos and holding metallic clutches. 

The eight minute show came to a close with a surprise appearance from Kate Moss – who doesn’t walk for just anyone. The fashion princess strutted in virginal white, wearing a Broderie Anglais dress teamed with white stilettos. This was highly contrasting of her Autumn/Winter’11 Louis Vuitton show appearance where she donned black hot pants with dominatrix style knee high boots and toted a cigarette on the runway (on non-smoking day, newspapers delightedly pointed out).

Kate Moss walking Louis Vuitton A/W’11 and S/S’11 - which do you prefer?

“It was poetic. Amazing and magical,” Olivia Wilde told People magazine. “I’ve seen fashion shows before but this was my first Paris show of this size, this beauty. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life before.”

Just some of the looks from the show - Blair Waldorf would be proud. Note that Daphne Groeneveld also walked, one of her first shows of this size.

The critical acclaim only further raised suspicions that Jacobs will in fact transfer to Dior now that John Galliano is no longer head designer. However, when questioned on the matter Jacobs simply stated “This is 

a Louis Vuitton show. I work for Louis Vuitton.” But if anything proves he is up to the job, it was this show. “This,” one fashion insider declared, “was a show which said: ‘The sky’s the limit.’

After this show, it certainly is.

You can watch the stunning show here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4uZwi0eT3k

Bises, Riona

ZUT ALORS! ¡Qué lástima! Mamma Mia! 不得了!

Know any of those? Not many British people do (Mamma Mia doesn’t count). It’s official – English students are officially the language dunces of Europe. In June, a survey taken by the European Commission revealed that we are at the bottom of the language league for reading, writing and listening.  As for speaking, only 9% of 14 and 15 year olds can hold a conversation in French – comparing to an average of 42% across Europe. So what (or who) is to blame for this total lack of enthusiasm for language? And with the economy as bleak as it currently is (although, when is it ever good?) why are we knowingly disabling ourselves for the ever looming World Of Work?

Well, this sudden decline followed the Labour government’s decision to make foreign languages optional to learn (way back in 2002) once children made their GCSE choices – resulting in the number sitting a modern language falling by more than 200,000 between 2002 and 2010. So now it’s optional, why does learning a foreign language appeal to so little teenagers? There’s the obvious – ‘too much effort.’ True. Truth is, learning a foreign language is far easier said than done – you have to learn about tenses you never even knew existed in English (pluperfect anyone?), not to mention an accent with pronunciations completely opposite to English and the irregular verb conjugations that often seem like a cruel joke just to test you. Oh yes, do not underestimate the commitment to fluency of a language.

Furthermore, there’s the ignorant ‘two beers please’ attitude that surrounds the subject of foreign languages in England - that English people don’t have to learn another language. To be fair, the statistics seem to suggest this too – after all, English is the official language of the European Union.

So why should we learn languages? Personally, I believe sticking to our native tongue is not fulfilling our human potential – our brains are incredible things and too many people aren’t using them to their full advantage. In addition, and you can only understand this once you’ve had a proper conversation with a foreigner in their own tongue, there is the extreme gratification of learning a language and then putting it into practice with a native – and they actually understand you.

Don’t have the time to dedicate to becoming fluent in a language? You don't need to be fluent in a second-tongue to boost your chances in the job market. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) found that 74% of employers recruit applicants with conversational ability rather than those who are word perfect. They believe this can "help break the ice, deepen cultural understanding, and open business access to new markets."

So why not give it a go?! There are always evening language classes but if you’re still too busy for them, the Internet can be pretty good to improve (or learn from scratch) conversational abilities. Try out www.hellomylo.com for Spanish, French, German and Chinese…

Bises, Riona