Fashion Blog: The Net-A-Porter Sale Has Started With Delights From Chloe & Cheap And Chic Pieces From Karl Lagerfeld

The Net-A-Porter sale has started in the USA (the UK sale has not begun yet!).

Object of Desire
Endless summer volume in the Chloe Ada cotton-macramé dress
Was $4,625 Now $2,312.50 50% OFF

Cheap and Chic Piece
This Karl Lagerfeld pleated sateen and chiffon dress is an elegant take on the usual style shirt dress.
Was $369 Now $184.50 50% OFF

I didn't buy anything this time, as I had my heart set on a pair or summer boots from MyTheresa.com.

Have fun!

Fashion Blog: Yves Saint Laurent Couture Dress for a fraction of the cost

On seeing the 2011 Fall Winter Collections I fell in love with the silk crepe pussy bow 70's style dresses offered by Gucci and Chloe, stunning, effortless chic. The price tags were as stunning as the dresses at around £1300. After a very rare trip to the cinema I saw Michelle Pfeiffer in Tim Burton's Dark Shadows and was under the spell of the seventies dress again. In 2012 I saw the 70's shirt dress return in the Spring Summer collections from Chloe and Gucci. I still really wanted one but could not see this piece as being enough of an investment item to spend £1300 as I wished to add a piece like this to general daywear, rather an occasion wear. I wanted to spend upto £350, for silk crepe and good workmanship.

Image Copyright Gucci 2011

So I started looking… and I came across a bygone gem, the Vogue designer sewing pattern. Up until the 1990s high end designers produced patterns for Vogue which were sold in stores. The earlier years saw the Vogue Couturier Design Patterns from the likes of Valentino, Lanvin and so many more. Then came Vogue Paris Originals, again with great designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, Chloe and Donna Karan to name a few. Today there are still a very small quantity new designer patterns sold from brands such as DKNY, but nothing like the choice of those available from the 1920s - 1990s.

So the only way to buy an original pattern is to seek out vintage pattern, online is the best source. I like sovintagepatterns.com and ebay.com for this.

I found this Vogue Paris Originals Yves Saint Laurent dress pattern on ebay and bought it for £1.04. Bargain. I then sought out the fabric, I wanted good quality medium weight silk crepe. At the time I was drooling over the Gucci Cornflower Blue Dress (culottes actually) from the Pre Fall 2011 Collection so I was looking for that particular shade of blue. I requested some fabric samples from NYFashionCentreFabrics.com, the online store has the best range of colours for silk crepe. The two samples arrived a few days later, Silk Crepe De Chine in Ultramarine and Bluebonnet (Cornflower Blue). Great Quality. The Silk Crepe De Chine fabric is $28.49 per yard and $1.99 for a sample swatch.

NYFashionCentreFabrics.com sends regular holiday offers and coupon codes if you register for emails.

The Cost Breakdown:

Vogue Paris Originals Yves Saint Laurent Vintage Dress Pattern £1.04 / $1.63 approx.
Postage £1.50 / $2.35 approx.
3 yards Silk Crepe De Chine in Blue Bonnet $85.47 / £54.60 approx.
Shipping extra based on the weight and destination.
Dressmaker charge was quoted at £100 / $156.00 approx.

Total £157.14 / $245.45

Fashion Blog: Beautiful Billowy Chloe Pre Fall 2012 Dress

In September a beautiful package landed in my lap. I was fashion-weary after weeks seeing the relentless stream of summer sales advertising backed up by umpteen emails per day, so the perfectly wrapped parcel was a welcome and refreshing surprise.

Image Copyright Chloe 2012 Chloe.com

The box contained a stunning Chloe Pre Fall 2012 Dress. Completely out of my comfort zone this dress was tomato orange red, always a little afraid that such vibrant colours would look less than sophisticated I have avoided even trying pieces on. But... the quality build and feel of the fabric was so luxurious and structured... and watching the swayths of crepe fabric take on the form of a dress as I removed it from the box, my heart skipped a beat and I was little breathless, suddenly I couldn't wait to try it on.

I set the scene for a "successful try-on" by slipping on my perfect and beloved Dark Brown Chloe Knee Length Boots (an investment buy from years past) and then put on the dress. Instantly I was transformed into the best possible version of myself with the feared tomato orange red colour lighting up my skin tone and contrasting with my dark hair.

I have since worn this dress for two outdoor daytime events during September, meetings on sunny days and an early evening dinner with friends. It works perfectly for all day time events where a polished look is required with a less formal feel. This gem of a dress looks wonderful in the sun due to the deep but bright colour but will also look super in Autumn worn with darker shades such as adding a burgundy chunky cropped knit or boxy leather jacket.

The proportions are just right on this piece, the top part is a nicely fitted cut with smaller pleats and a simple neck tie, the bottom half billowy, pleated and oversized. Just perfect.

Mentioning the quality again. The dress is a semi stiff fabric that is structured and lined/interlined properly to provide a clean, sharp, meaningful edge to the sleeves, nekcline and hemline. The zip is hidden under the arm. The pleats are set correctly - the dress hangs just right without looking bulky but billows beautifully when you walk. The interior is as imaculatley tailored at the outside with each stitch in place, there is also a nude coloured slip underlining the skirt. The quality makes this dress a real stand alone piece that makes it easy to wear, with just a chunky cuff if you wish to add an accessory.

The Chloe Pleated Pre Fall Dress £1.935 / $3,445 (Made in France) is available at net-a-porter.com

The Chloe Pre Fall Collection 2012 can be seen at style.com

Fashion Blog: UPDATE The Net-a-Porter Sale has now started in the UK

I recently posted about the net-a-porter.com sale in the USA, always beginning weeks before the UK site launches it's sale. This week the UK net-a-porter.com sale has started too. There are lots of wearable pieces and good quality items with huge discounts. The items are relevant too, as it all just seems like yesterday the new Spring Summer 2012 collections were fully stocked into the market place and now they are on sale!

Although tough, I am ignoring the slow infiltration of the Autumn/Fall 2012 pieces appearing online and in-stores! I still want to see and immerse myself in these beautiful summer colours, the corals, tans and whites that are so uplifting.

I am still continuing my longstanding and wholly devoted love affair with Chloe. I recently jotted a note about the quality of my Spring Summer 2012 Chloe Silk Dress.

There are some great Chloe items here with 50% off.

This Chloe Brushed Silk Shirt (Was £495. Now £247.50. 50% OFF) is a great buy, the peachy colour is already thinking ahead to the 2012 Fall Autumn Winter Collections which see the summer corals and oranges dulled down onto duskier softer shades. This Chloe shirt is a wear now with shorts and wear later with pants piece, to create two very different looks.

Fashion Blog: It's Nice To Be Appreciated… Especially With A Chloe Dress!

I really wanted to highlight the quality of this Chloe Tonal Pleated Dress. It's the part of high end fashion that you never really see unless you actually wear something or go and have "a good look with your hands" in a boutique. The breathtaking looks that glide down a catwalk are the just the beginning of the whole "quality experience". The fabric, the cut, the detail and the interior are often never seen. You simply can't experience this from a show or a magazine.

1. The first thing you notice about this dress is the perfect pleats that will stay in place, they hold their blunt shape at the bottom beautifully. They are also the correct size (width) pleats, to flatter, hang flat and not look bulky. The dress is 100% silk on the outside.

2. The next thing you notice are the tan tones with just the right amount of white and coral. This proportion of colour and the hues chosen by the designers at Chloe are a big part of what will keep this piece a wearable item for the future that will always look special.

3. The sleeves are just the correct length, perfect stitching, perfect colour proportion again with just the right hint of coral. The shoulders are a good width and structured too.

4. Hidden buttons, with the correct weight of fabric and stitching around the button holes to ensure when fastened the front of the dress looks flat and doesn't sag.

5. Structured collar. The collar looks just as delicate as the rest of the dress, but careful construction ensures it maintains is structured shape, it's not floppy. This adds to a polished look.

6. Designed interfacing, structural elements and lining. Again the quality here is outstanding with every stitch perfectly performed even though these parts of the dress will not actually be seen.

7. The feel of the dress when it is worn. It's a feeling of walking on air, a weightlessness. You don't don't have to make it work. I guess thats why it would be called effortless chic.

To sum up… the fabric, the cut and the colour palette make this dress something unique, this is down to the bits you can see and the bits you can't! Never underestimate the hours of design and development that goes into each piece that you see in a runway show to make the items look the way they do.

This dress is elegant, it's stylish and the perfect piece for summer from outdoor events, weddings and drinks evenings. It's the perfect investment piece as the coral and tan subtle hughes will out live the acid tones offered this season. There is tan in the Autumn collections, so will carry through well.

I was very overwhelmed and honoured to be given this dress as a gift. It's nice to be appreciated... especially with a Chloe Dress!

Please forgive the creases in the dress in the photos, I wore it, packed it, it's travelled and then unpacked again, so not too bad considering so much action! It's now on it's way to have the creases gently steamed away.

This dress in the SS 2012 Chloe RTW Collection, a runway piece.

Available to buy at MyTheresa.com
SS 2012 Chloe Colour Block, Tonal Pleated Dress.
Europe € 3,101.00
UK £ 2,740.00
USA $ 4,373.00
Made in France.

For A Cheap 'n' Chic Alternative…
Look for items with coral and tan tones (even if you have to buy two separate pieces to achieve this) and avoid shiny fabrics. I spotted this Vanessa Bruno Dress (Original price £445. Now £155.75. 65% off.) 100% silk with cotton trim on TheOutnet.com, the dress has the same tonal and draping qualities of the Chloe dress and would look perfect with a coral jacket and a dash of white.

Fashion Blog: The Net-A-Porter Sale has started.

The Net-APorter sale has started... With so many summer months still ahead and the sale starting at the beginning of June it's the perfect time to buy something perfect for this season.

Couturenet Picks...
My object of desire is this Chloe 70's style, crepe dress, real 70's Bond Girl style! Was $2,400. Now $1,220. 50% off.

The Net-A-Porter Sale has only started in the USA at present, not the UK.