"Flop!' Goes Ferragamo

'Racy' would be the look a classic Salvatore Ferragmo devotee would avoid like the plague. Sadly, the same term could be used for Cristina Ortiz's second collection for the Italian luxury fashion house.

Her disappointing debut collection last fall raised a couple of theatrically plucked eyebrows and lost a handful of customers, and you'd think after yet another review comparing her collection to that of a 70's Las Vegas showgirl wardrobe, her second attempt at creating a 'new identity' would fare better than THE SAME OLD (insert adjective of choice here).

New identity or no identity? You be the judge here.

Ortiz toyed with the elements within the house's signature accessories onto her designs, a manipulation that unfortunately, wasn't enough to rescue the Ferragamo trademark she somehow managed to destroy in all of two collections.

Leather shoulder strap complete with buckles on a Ferragamo dress

Dug out from the archives was the classic trench which evolved into a strapless dress while the essential men's shirt was transformed into a bustier - both of which flopped like charred pancakes. The ideas were no doubt interesting, but the execution left many baffled, not in the good way.

A bustier resembling that of the Ferragamo's trademark trenchcoat

Unflattering fits plagued Ortiz's eveningwear; hardly accentuating any curves with fabric scrunched up at the waist and the hips, leaving too much for our imagination. There's a fine line between draping and pointless bunching of fabric, and Ortiz has clearly crossed that line into a whole new territory of her own.

Fabric whammy!

It is unclear what Ortiz is trying to insinuate in her follow up collection, for she is clearly disregarding any essence of Ferragamo in her design and attempting to garner a whole new fanbase of woman who like to look like classy prostitutes. Her weak attempts to do otherwise speak little about her credibilty as a female designer working for one of the most established fashion houses.

As the age-old adage goes: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." Fool me thrice? I guess we'll have to see if Ortiz's term in Salvatore Ferragamo would last long enough for that to materialize, wouldn't we?

Shoes, shoes, shoes.

Shoes are fully capable of making or breaking an outfit, be it a night out with the girls or a quick power lunch with old friends, a la Sex and the City.


The beauty of heels, some might argue otherwise, is the structure. I love staring at heels with unique structures. Like architecture, heels give definition to a woman's feet. Back arched, toes tipped, the girl next door can easily be transformed into a fatal femme.

A really uniquely structured pair of heels that baffles me is the "backward heel shoes" by Marc Jacobs.

Marc Jacobs "backward-heels" shoe

Seemingly heel-less, you'd think walking in them would require crazy difficulty, but the women who can afford this $1000+ pedi-wonder claim otherwise. The 'missing heel' can be found lying horizontally on the base of the shoe, construing the illusion of a ill-proportioned pair of shoes.

Prada toyed with the idea of structure in terms of design this year, taking something as simple as flaps and creating art out of it. It is, in every sense, loud. Patent and gimmicky, the heels are definitely an acquired taste; loved by some, hated by others.

Prada heels

I love it. =)

Speaking of patent, I love my stuff patent. It's loud, it's subjectively classy, and it pops pretty much everything - what's there not to love?

Here's a pair of Moschino's booties from the label's Cheap & Chic range, patented in my favourite colour - red.

It is so adorable I want to squeeze my size-humongous-11 feet into that cute mess, but that'd be just plain weird.

I'll leave you guys with an 'educational' video on shoes and whatnot. Enjoy!

Luxury, sweet child you are.

A friend of mine recently received a birthday present which elicited a bansheesque scream from me. It amazes me how I am never recipient of such good luck.


That's right, your eyes are feasted on a Bottega Veneta wallet, possibly the most luxurious way anyone can store all their money.

With subtle luxury taking center stage this season, Bottega Veneta is a brand highly coveted by the modern woman who desires their everyday dose of luxury without any frills. Unlike the all-time auntie's favourite monogrammed leather (think Gucci and Louis Vuitton) often found toted by the likes of office ladies and middle-aged women, Bottega Veneta does not believe in having it's logo plastered all over their products in order to make a statement.

Bottega Veneta's famous intrecciato "knot" clutch

Instead, Bottega Veneta takes on quite an unconventional approach. In lieu of the trite monogrammed leather, the luxury fashion house uses their signature intrecciato leather, a weaving pattern made with the finest leather as an emblem of their prestige.

Fads and trends are not the kind of games Bottega Veneta wishes to play. To quote Tomas Maier (the brains behind the brand) during a backstage interview during his Spring/Summer 2009 runway, "It's not about seasonal dressing anymore—that's gone. People like clothes they can collect and wear for years."

Arlenis Sosa triapsing down the spring runway in a chestnut brown handcrafted leather dress

Wise words, indeed, for perhaps that vision is what helped the brand stand out among other established fashion houses such as Hermes and Versace, and in turn clinch the Luxury Brand of 2008 (for women) award.

Tomas Maier, visionary extraordinaire, I salute you.

Images:
www.divasac.com
www.pursepage.com
www.style.com