#020: The "Naked Dress"...

The Naked Dress, sounds like a deranged name for a porno-inspired spread in Carine Roitfeld's CR: Fashion Book. It is in fact a trend that has gathered strength in the past few years. Many female megastars from Jennifer Lopez to Kim Kardashian (of course) have been leaders in the success of the "trend".

When is too much too much?
Never. Well...at times.

I can understand that the trend is somewhat controversial, but it's sexy. It takes a lot of balls to wear such a dress because, well your nips and bits could reveal themselves at any time. I will discuss those who were able to pull of the trend and those you simply looked desperate for their names in tabloids.

Jennifer Lopez has never been shy about flaunting her figure, rightly so; it's stunning. She was seen celebrating her 46th birthday recently at 1OAK wearing a black skin-tight cutout sheer dress. I'm not sure who the designer is but anyways. Most people who I've talked to about the dress seem to like it for whatever reason. Personally, not my favourite, why? it's not exactly age appropriate. Yes, she has an incredible body but there's a time and a place. Keep it for the bedroom, J.Low. Though, I should add that the top half of the dress is nice and sexy, but the skirt half is just plain ugly.

Its not the first time Lopez was spotted wearing the 'Naked Dress', remember several months ago she wore an "interesting" Versace gown, yeah...you can read what I thought about that HERE< BUT, and this is a big BUT (literally, her ass is huge) she did wear this exquisite Zuhair Murad nude gown to Vanity Fair's Oscar's Afterparty, 2015. This is tasteful. This is beautiful. This is just sheer perfection. It's so modest yet 80% of her body is on full display.

The question is, can Jennifer Lopez pull off 'The Naked Dress?' Yes, only if its done gracefully without the intention to create controversy.

Yeah, remember this Jean Paul Gaultier Spring/Summer 2011 dress Rihanna wore to the 2011 Grammy Awards? Isn't it a classic? Still to this day, it gives me the bumps, the goose bumps that is! It's beautiful. Rihanna is one starlet that constantly reinvents her style and has been an addict of the naked dress. Despite being half naked for half her career, there was one jaw-dropping moment when Rihanna wore a completely sheer dress by the incredible Adam Selman gown at the 2014 CFDA where she received the 'ICON' award, rightly so. The nips and back crack was on full display. Those lucky photographers. Despite showing every inch of her body, she decided to keep her modesty by over her front crack. The image in the middle is a rather tame "naked dress" where the boobage area was sheer in exception of the nipples; cutouts on the side and a huge slit on the side. The dress? Tom Ford of course the king of dressing woman SEXY! Unfortunately, this didn't tickle my fancy. It just looked trashy and the cut outs on the side, I thought were unflattering which made her waist too think.

Can Rihanna pull off 'The Naked Dress?' Duh!? Why couldn't she? she's young and beautiful with a banging body. Seriously though, is there anything Rihanna couldn't pull off?

You have no idea how tempted I was about reviewing Kim Kardashian's 'Naked Dress' series, because well, there is a bible size worth of images to pick from. There is no denying influence on popular culture so I couldn't leave Queen B out. It would be a crime against nature. So, Beyonce only seems to go commando once year for the Met Ball wearing Givenchy most of the time. The first image above is what Beyonce wore to the 2012 Met Ball. Isn't it incredible The craftsmanship of the Givenchy Couture haus is beyond words. Despite being covered, you can get little gimps of her skin underneath is sheer lace details, mimicking her skeleton. The second look is from 2014 where again she wore Givenchy couture. Beaded allover. Damn, that must have been heavy af! Again, it's stunning, though the overlying of the fabric around her chest area is a little bit overwhelming. And finally, this year, 2015. By far, this is probably Beyonce's most scandalous dress delivered by none other than Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy, and yes, this is couture, duh!? You can go HERE< to see what I thought. My opinion still stands! lol

Can Beyonce pull off 'The Naked Dress?' YES!


To conclude, do I like this style of dress? Yes. Only if it's done correctly. I don't like it when celebrities dress provocatively in purpose to generate a response like most. Evidently it's not for everyday use, thank god, but for editorial and "fashionny" event's it's perfect you just got to make sure you have the figure for it that is! lol There you have it. I know I should have added more diversity in terms of those who can and who can't pull off the trend, so...lol!

#019: Metropolitan Museum of Art Gala: Red Carpet Review...

It is undoubtably one of the most glamorous event of the year; yes, that includes the Oscars. Each year, most of the well-established artists from fashion designers to actors all gather in one place: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The benefit is held each year in honour of the Anna Wintour Costume Centre. This year, the exhibition is solely dedicated to 'China: Through the Looking Glass'. It is essentially an exhibition demonstrating the influence China has on Western fashion today. This year it will not only feature fashion, but paintings, porcelains, among many other art forms. More than one hundred of examples of haute couture and advant-garde, ready-to-wear and Chinese Art will be included.

(Before I crack on, who thought it would be a good idea to host the live stream through Periscope? Honestly, it was terrible. The image wasn't clear, and don't get me started on the comments on the left side that didn't seem to go away despite disabling them)

While myself and the rest of the world watched on, last night was the Annual Met Gala, and boy, did the guests bring it. So, firstly, I will begin with my worst dressed list and concluding with my best dressed list, capish?

Unlike previous years, we were blessed with a little list of, in my opinion, badly dressed guests.

Hahaha. Every time I see both Katy Perry and Moschino creative director, Jeremy Scott, I can't help but cringe. It's so f----ing tacky. Perry wore a sweetheart neckline Moschino gown printed in Moschino graffiti. Allow me to begin from the head down. Personally, I'm not a fan of her pixie-cut. I believe it ages her drastically. I know its a comparison we're all used to hearing, but doesn't she look like Kris Jenner? with a more relaxed face, of course. I'm not feeling the dress too, but that's not surprising. What's surprising is how quickly Scott cheapened the iconic Moschino brand. Katy can do much better. She can have any dress, yet she opts for this...very disappointing. Call me ignorant, but I'm struggling to find the Chinese aspect of this look too.

Another look I thought looked...interesting was Jennifer Lopez in custom Atelier Versace, whom was accompanied by Donatella Versace herself. Some may find it challenging to wear red on the red carpet, but I love it especially this look. I have trouble liking this dress. I like the idea behind it and shade of red, but the execution wasn't well executed. Without knowing the theme of the night, you'd be mistaken in thinking the Chinese dragon was her intestines wrapped around her torso with comically shaped blood staines seeping from her nether regions. Needless to say, I had very questionable thoughts about this piece.

No one is as excited as I am for Season 5 of American Horror Story: Hotel, where it was recently confirmed that Chloe Sevigny who wore J.W. Anderson is set to make a return to the show. When I first glanced at this look, I thought it was majestic af, well, that was before I took a look at the styling. All of the components were nice; did some go with others? hell no. Lets begin with the vocal point, the dress, skirt blouse, whatever it is! It doesn't necessarily scream "CHINA". More like Gypsy. Thats good though, right? Anyways, look much closer, its evident it's seeping in intricate Chinese embroidery. The length is perfect, but it would be interesting to see how it would look if it was a few inches longer. The thing, well, several thing[s] that landed Sevigny on my worst dressed list was the styling. I get it's probably personal style, so my opinion is invalid. Having said that, I personally sound it train wreck. From the black ribbon chocker to those ovally hooped earrings to the wrists covered in diamonds, it was all too much. I'm still indecisive on whether or not I like the shoes. The general styling reminded me of 90s fashion not in a good way. I'd rather not get into the hair and makeup.

Other's I thought didn't hit the mark!

Now, on to the good stuff. This year, it was a huge step up from last year in terms of attendee's actually sticking with the theme of the night, China: Through the Looking Glass. I know I'll most likely be burnt at the steak with my three best dressed celebrities. It's worth it though! lol

There is no denying that Beyonce was one of the most 'talked-about' celebrity at the event. Having arrived late to the red-carpet, she did not disappoint. Wearing a custom Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci Haute-Couture gown, she find-of looked beautiful. While some criticised every inch of her look, I failed to understand why? Yes, it is rather revealing, in fact, it would have been both easier and cost efficient if she went in her bra & knickers. It would be easily forgiven if it was remotely related to China, so... It looks more Indian to me if I'm honest. Clearly, you can see I like this, though I must admit she does look like a supper-slutty garden gnome with the green accents on the dress; the hair in a huge ponytail cracks me up. It's funny. It's such a huge departure to what we typically see B in. If I'm ever sad, I can always look back to this comment and smile. Oh, I should add that I can't help look at the train of the dress, especially when she was the steps. Magical.

I knew Kim would bring it! When it was revealed that Kim would be wearing Peter Dundas for Roberto Cavalli, I was concerned, because Dundas is known for his prints from Emilio Pucci. We all remember Kim's Givenchy gown two years ago, don't we? I do see the resemblance to Beyonce's 2012 Givenchy gown only with the placement of the feathers at the hem. What struck me was the colour. Looks like a 'Gypsy Bride'[s] wedding dress. Another thing that bothered me was the shoulders. WHY ARE THEY SO BIG AND HEAVY. The shoulders really bothered me to a point where I used the tip of my fingers to over them and it instantly looks better. I thought they felt unnecessary. Other than that, both her hair and makeup was on point as per usual.

Rihanna was undoubtably the talk of the show. Wearing a HUGE Guo Pei gown which was recently revealed took 2 whole years to create by hand. About 90% of the people I asked whether they liked it or not, most unsurprisingly they said no. That's understandable considering the colour, size and the general look of the garment. What I love most about Rihanna is that she likes to make an entrance; all eyes on her and only her. The colour is quick bland. Not many can pull off mustard. If Rihanna asked for it in another colour, she'd be laughed at considering the length of time it took to create such an exaggerated piece. Never the less, I believed she looked incredible and kept in touch with the theme of the night.

Honourable Mentions! 

Good bye for another year, Met Gala! Two new posts will follow this pretty soon. A review of Chanel & Louis Vuitton's Cruise 2015 collections! 

#003: Spotted at Haute Couture Week Day 1...

Where are the sunglasses? there are more flashing lights! So, it begins...Haute Couture Week begun yesterday (6th of July) with Donatella Versace kicking things off for Atelier Versace with Jennifer Lopez in attendance. But on Saturday Miu Miu decided to host their Pre Spring/Summer '15 collection while the fashion crowed were already nested in Paris. The likes of Alexa Chung and Marc Jacobs sat comfortably on the small mirrored boxes on the front row. 

Lets begin with the Italian/Parisian Saturday evening. 

Alexa has always been a huge style icon in the UK, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that she has made waves across Europe. Good on her. Anyways, as the evening was hosted by the Prada Group, Chung opted for a sleek silk look from Prada's Autumn/Winter 2014 collection with matching silk scarf and pumps. I LOVE this look. It's very modern, but VERY ageing on poor Chungy. Despite looking incredible, I believe this look would better suit a much older woman. Regardless, I think she looks incredible! 

I give this look 8/10

Another icon at the event was the one and only, Marc Jacobs wearing his signature skirt. I'm guessing Jacobs is also wearing Prada's A/W '14 collection. Shouldn't he know, especially being a designer to NEVER sit down if your wearing anything silk, especially a skirt, because boy, those cresses do not look good. Is it odd that this doesn't "shock" me the way others probably feel shocked. Like I said, it's his signature with the likes of wannabe "designer" Kanye West, and yes? the bunny ears are necessary. I have nothing else to say about this look. Although, I must say that the skirt looks like a packet is Smoky Bacon crisp (chip) packet. The comparison is uncanny. Might I add, the bag looks like a toiletry bag.

I give this look 4/10

From one icon to another, Mira Duma. I'm too sure what she does, apparently a "digital investor" from her Instagram description. Anyways, she is always on the style pages and there is a reason; she is incredibly gifted with editing a look together to create a unique look. She was at the Miu Miu affair, not wearing Miu Miu or Prada, but Céline, hmm, why? I aim to have my own luxury fashion label and if someone who is for sure to be photographed at my event wearing another brand's clothing, I will be totally offended. I find it very disrespectful, because she is basically saying she doesn't like anything you've created so I'm going to wear another's brand. Anyways, it's a very Prada silhouette, the top that is. I loved the Céline collection and will for sure go down as one of my favourite, so I'm not that mad! lol

I give this look 7/10

Jennifer Lopez, turning straight woman gay and gay men straight; she has the power in the palm of her hands, trust me! ;) Now that's it's officially Couture Week, as pair usual, the Atelier Versace kicks off the excitement with their powerfully seductive sexy woman doing the Karlie Kloss panther walk down the runway. Last season, Lady Gaga was the guest of honour, but this season, the ever so sexy, J Low was greeted at the steps by Donatella Versace, obviously! Wearing one of the looks from the show. A sleek crisp white strapless gown with half of it dramatically cut off leaving a very glamorous sequinned pant leg - one of the key trends from the show. Personally, I have mixed feelings about this look. Without knowing the designer, it clearly has it's VERSACE stamp on it. To elevate the look, I believe the trouser leg hem should have been a little higher, maybe hitting just above the ankle. The shoes are very Versace...big; clumpy and tacky. Sorry, one of us had to say it. The hair and make-up are perfect as per usual. Not very fund of the bracelet. The look could have done without it. Other than that, it's flawless! I wonder if we'll see Lopez at any other show, Chanel maybe?

I give this look 8/10

Eamonn Collins