As promised, part 2 of 'A Guide to Fashion's most Influential Designers' ; designers who shaped today's industry and had say on what we wear today. Haven't seen Part 1? Check that out here.



John Galliano - After graduating from Central Saint Martin's, he first caught the fashion industries attention for his graduating collection 'Les Incroyables' . The master of intricate couture techniques and flamboyant outfits, Galiano started his own brand but soon came across money troubles and started designing for Givenchy in 1995, showcasing is rebellious talent. He became the first British designer to head a French Fashion House. He then moved to Dior but was dismissed after alleged anti-semetic remarks. He re-entered the fashion industry with Martin Margiela, which I wrote a post about here.

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Jean Paul Gaultier - The self-taught designer proves anything is possible, not just because you can have so much success by teaching yourself the skill set but because all his work is a juxtaposition- from men in corsets to metal and leather paired with chiffon. He works outsides fashions boundaries and challenges gender roles, with every collection becoming more eccentric than the last.

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Manolo Blahnik - A man known for reviving the stiletto in the time of platforms, the shoes "better than sex" (according to Madonna) focus on elongating the leg with a careful mix of style and function. His shoes are the major choice for designers with catwalk collections and in 2012 he won the Outstanding Achievement Award, it was well deserved as he did design thousands of artistic shoes single-handedly unlike many of his competitors. 

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Jacques Heim and Louis Reard - In 1946, Heim, a french designer created the 'atome' (atom for those of you who didn't take French) a two piece swim suit, t advertise his product he hired a sky writer to write "Atome - the world smallest swim suit" in the sky. Reard, a competitor submitted 3 weeks later the first bikini to the markets, (named Bikini after the Bikini Atolls in the Pacific Ocean I am told..for those who also didn't know what an atoll is, the Bikini Atoll is a collection of 23 small islands). The first swim suit to show a belly button... Reard once said that a two piece wasn't a real bikini "unless it could be pulled through a wedding ring". So far my favourite fashion story..

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Hubert de Givenchy - A master of fabrics and simplicity; his first collection included the Bettina Blouse, made from raw cotton that had previously never been used with finished designs. Best known for designing for Audrey Hepburn (above) personally and professionally, his garments can be seen in Breakfast at Tiffany's and Charade. A main innovation of Givenchy was the sack dress which had a less structured column silhouette rather than the typical hourglass of the time.

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Rudi Gernreich - His creations shocked the people of the time, especially his topless swimming costume, worn by Peggy Moffitt, a feminist statement, along with his no-bra bra which was developed to follow the natural shape of a breast. His creations in the 60's and 70's reflected the social revolution of the time with women's liberation. Not only did he give women a liberating wardrobe but created practical clothes which were often unisex. He also was the founder of the Mattachine Society, a Gay-rights organisation.

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I hope everyone had a merry Christmas, look out for Part 3.

Today's post is a look into some of the Fashion Industries most influential designers, who shaped today's fashion world, of course there are quite a few worthy of a place, and so this is Part 1 of a few more to come.

Azzedine Alaia - A major success in the 1980's in particular, Alaia focuses on the silhouette of a women- showcasing a defined waist in all his designs (He is after all the 'King of Cling') He doesn't advertise in magazines or partake in social media campaigns and once told Anna Wintour that she had no taste of lasting influence. However, giving his opinion on the revered Vogue editor isn't why he made it on today's blog post. It's because of his continuous priority to stay true to himself (Cliche, I know) and to not loose his values with aesthetic over profit. 'Clueless' fans: in the film from 1995, when Cher is held at gunpoint, she refuses to get down because she's wearing a "totally important designer" and it was in fact Alaïa.

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Gabrielle Chanel - Also know as Coco, Chanel is a designer on everyone's radar, whether it's for her famous little black dress, tweed suites, elegant pearls or array of life lessons scattered over pinterest boards and instagram bio's. She revolutionized women's clothing breaking away from the corsets of the time giving women a looser and freeing option. She became the first designer to design with jersey- a cheap material used for men's underwear at the time. In 1923 she released Chanel No.5, becoming the first designer to release a fragrance. Chanel, of course continues to be a successful brand, under the wing of Karl Lagerfield.

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Crisobal Balenciaga - The son of a seamstress, Balenciaga began working for a tailor at the age of 12 and with his talent noticed by a nobleman he was sent to Madrid to learn to produce patterns- skills that he would wow designers and customers alike in the years to come. The shapely simplicity of the dress and cape above created his reputation as an excellent courtier. He reinvented the silhouette of the 50's with broad shoulders and a less defined waist with tunic and chemise dresses. His modern vision was influential for the time and his visions remain so now.

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Christian Dior - When he launched his brand in 1947, he was showered with attention in the first year, his first collection 'the New Look' declined the regimented looks of the World brought back the nostalgic femininity of times before, with corsets and flowing skirts. This first collection was one of his happiest moments "I created flower women with gentle shoulders and generous bosoms, with tiny waists like stems and skirts belling out like petals."

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Pierre Balmain - Balmain originally trained as an architect, he believed that both architecture and fashion could go hand in hand to 'beautify the world' declaring couture as "the architecture of movement". Known best for his beautiful skirts often embellished with embroidered motifs such as leaves and cherries. His full skirt silhouette was know to be part of the 'post war luxuries' . Today the brand is taken over by Oliver Rousteing, a favourite of the Kardashians and other celebrities alike.

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We are well into autumn now, and London, Paris and New York Fashion week are over, leaving an array of trends that are now on the high street. Which ones are worth knowing as you shop your autumn wardrobe? Here are some of the most notable.

Rodarte 

Versace

Givenchy 

From trousers to dresses, everything is tucked in at the models (tiny) waist with a belt creating a hourglass silhouette, these big belts secured high above the belly-button create the illusion of longer legs and a tiny mid-section.

Gucci 

Balenciaga

Michael Kors 

Fox, sheep and mink fur was collaged into garments on the runway, from coat sleeves to jumper pockets. The full fur will dominate winter however fur has worked its way into autumn pieces as a subtler, quieter feature to the garments. 

The Slip Dress 

Celine 

Jil Sander



Prabel Gurung

I'm a big fan of slip dresses, and so are many designers evidently. The 90's favourite is back, but not as simply as before, with paneled colours, lace and bright fabrics the slip dress is taking a new route this season.




Celine



Marques Almeida



Kenzo

Since when did fashion and function go hand in hand? Although not having your hands out proves some cons, having sleeves go past the actual length of your arm gives your arms a longer more striking appearance, which is perfect for the cold weather too.

So here are just a few of the latest trends, from the catwalks, which are your favourites?
All pictures courtesy of Indigital via Vogue.

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Apologies for not posting in a long while, I've been on holiday and as it was a very spontaneous decision to go (our family is very unorganised)I had no posts scheduled for while I was away. But today I am back with a rundown of the best dressed at the Cannes Film Festival which ended a few days ago. With fashion Queens like Lupita Nyong'o and Cate Blanchett on the red carpet, there was some stiff competition, here is my favourites from last week.

Cate Blanchett never fails to amaze and the film festival was no exception where she wore a Giles Deacon gown.

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Sienna Miller wore a unusual, but chic gown from Valentino. I think few others could pull of this dress (which I just noticed is diamonds as kites with 'string' coming from them) like Sienna does with so many outfits.

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Natalie Portman wore Dior Couture and I thought it suited her so well, the simple dress still gave a statement, and paired with classic pearl earrings looked beautiful.

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Lupita Nyong'o lets be honest, there are few best dressed lists anywhere on the internet which Lupita is not featured on somewhere, and with good reason, she never fails to steal the rep carpet. To the film festival she wore this mint green Gucci gown. 

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Barbara Palvin wore her black gown with Chopard jewel accessories, she is breathtaking, in all he poses you can tell shes a model there is not one bad shot.

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So here are my top favourites, what are yours? 

On another topic, Argan Dew sent me an exciting package before I went on holiday so be sure to check back soon for a blog post with some of there products. Also, If you haven't already check out my guest post for Fashion Style blog here. (A little self-promotion never hurt anyone after all)

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