six months ago, i had no idea who this very busy, very attractive woman was. she showed up in my nylon magazine and i didn't even read the article--{because we ALL know it's more fun to flip through the pictures... and subsequently begin sketching... and look like a pop-idol-obsessive freak}. though i DID notice her totally adorable haircut and admire her confidence in pairing lingerie with professional attire.
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| NYLON photo shoot |
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| my rendition |
our friends at wikipedia took me from a purely visual lust to a devout worship. i thought she was simply another style icon famous for being fabulous and famous, but she got her start in modeling, went into TV production {hosting for an array of british shows that i've totes never heard of}, hosted her OWN {note: not acronym for "oprah winfrey network} show on MTV-it's on with alexa chung, and is now a contributing editor for british vogue, face for lacoste fragrance, and last year she collaborated with madewell. yes, she's that amazing. fashionistas worldwide look to ms. chung for style inspiration. if you're unfamiliar, you're about to be enlightened as to why.
her madewell contributions {are too cute}:
mad street {and red carpet} cred:
i'm sure you get the idea. if not, there's an entire blog devoted to daily photos of the pretty lady: daily alexa chung. {it's addictive, so wait to check it out until you get home from class/work... i'm fairly certain your boss won't be too happy with this use of your time unless you work for harper's bazaar, mtv, or some trend forecasting firm.} speaking of distractions, i'm supposed to be telling about MY encounter with the phenom-incarnate.
bored in my construction class, i sought my trusty android phone to keep me occupied and felt the need to make sure that the rest of the world was having an eventful day {via our favorite social networking site}. well, it was. barneys new york had posted that a new-to-barneys designer would be launching his spring line on the 7th floor, hosted by alexa chung. i couldn't seem to figure out if she would actually be there or not, but the designer would be, so i decided i would be too.
i raced out of my third class with 20 minutes to spare in the 12pm-6pm launch party, looking quite inappropo for the occasion in my rain boots, cheap leggings, raggedy sweater, and nondescript schoolbag, flying up the escalator at a rather unladylike pace. the celestial 7th floor of my favorite department store was resonating with upbeat music, clinking champagne glasses, and the flashes of 50+ cameras. success.
carven, a parisian line of contemporary women's wear, has just handed over the design reigns to the young guillaume henry, a friend of chung's. the pieces were all stunningly feminine, slightly whimsical, and ever-sophisticated. here's the brand's description of itself, followed by examples of this particular line + party shots:
"The Carven spirit is fresh, lively and elegant.
The future of this illustrious fashion house is now in the hands of Guillaume Henry, who will adapt it to his guise.
He is the guardian of the heritage of the Couture years, epitomised by the precision production of a garment and a judicious choice of fabrics.
With its chic, feminine and pared-down fashion, free from ostentation, the House today offers an inspired and accessible ready-to-wear collection."
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| alexa, guillaume, + others [taken on my phone] |
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| alexa + barneys employee? [taken on my phone] |
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| gorgeous promo |
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| my favorite dress [taken on my phone] |
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| carven ss/2011 i fell in love. these are just a few of my favorite pieces {i promise he used color, i just looooooved the neutrals, as always}. i even got to tell the designer how beautiful everything was, right after he muttered to alexa that "the hangers make it look sloppy", and alexa responded to me, "he's a freakin' genius!" in her cute little british accent. i told her later that it was my respect for her style that, upon hearing she supported carven, led me to the launch in the first place. she replied, "aw, thanks, mate!" {i thought this was weird too... she's not australian, but whatevs}. whew. i get a bit long-winded when talking about something this exciting, but you can see how henry's designs inspire!! or maybe it was just that second glass of free celebratory champagne? ;) sourcing: from the top 2) me 3) madewell (for images), three in a crowd (for madewell logo) 5) ?? 9) me 10) me 11) carven 12) me |
