These Dresses Cost More Than Your House

This post is brought to you by the ever-optimistic yours truly. No, really though. Perhaps I'm going through my own mid-life crisis except I'm not middle-age and this crisis doesn't have a lot of being angry or smashing plates bought from Ikea. However, it does have a lot of sobbing and holding onto my box of Kleenex for dear life. I'm looking over the new couture collections, and realizing that a shoe off those collections, not even a pair, probably costs more than my rent for a year. The thing is, I don't really think about how expensive haute couture are because I know I have no chance of getting any of these stuff as of right now. Just being overly emotional (and looking at this food blog. Maybe I should take up cooking).

"Save the best for the last," they say. "Shut up I didn't ask for you opinion," I reply. Okay, that doesn't make sense because I always choose to write about collections that I love and drawn to, as well as the ones that goes along with my aesthetics. I don't have any favourites because I love all my children equally. That's a lie, but whatever. Let's pretend Givenchy haute couture fall 2011 and Creatures of the Wind fall 2012 never happened. First up, we have Basil Soda. Although couture collections are generally feminine, this collection is defined by strong silhouettes. Three of the main silhouettes used are: 1)the empire-waist, 2)the clinging-onto-the-body-but-not-really(ya know, the kind that looks really sexy and fabulous and looks like what Morticia Addams would wear? Sorry I have no clue what I'm talking about Yah) and 3)the New Look populated by the late Christian Dior in the 50's. But it's still very feminine. Fabrics such as nylon/polyester(or is it? I can't tell but it's definitely not fur) made surprise appearances next to the usual couture bluff(satin, tulle, etc), but it works together. One of the main reasons I'm in love with this collection is how the colours progress, complimenting each other.The palette is beautiful, shifting from rich olive greens and blacks into whites embellished with golden accents, and eventually vibrant reds. Another thing worthy of note is that Soda managed to make the fabrics look weightless, almost like a second skin, even though all the embellishments must have weighted a lot.

Next up, Rami Al Ali (I hope you still remember that I'm no Cathy Horyn). One of the main things that sets haute couture apart from other collections is the strong emphasis on craftsmanship. I mean, a haute couture season rarely comes by without a designer doing embellishments or appliques. The thing that really makes this collection by Rami Al Ali stands out is that the embroidery(etc.) is not the center piece. It's used more as a detail to build on and woven into the collection accordingly as an accent. A variety of shift dresses stand aside with semi-dramatic, floor-length gowns. Although they are basically opposites, the different silhouettes really compliment each other. Along with different embellishments, sheer panels and lace accents build up the collection.The colour scheme is as simple as it gets, ranging from creams to greys to rich, violet purple.

Sometimes, I wonder why I even do couture roundups when Iris Van Herpen exists. IRIS VAN HERPEN IRIS VAN HERPEN IRIS VAN HERPEN. FLAWLESS FABULOUS GORGEOUS IMPECCABLE EXQUISITE. UNIQUE SHINY MATERIAL ALIEN SHAPES STRUCTURAL SILHOUETTES. Alright I'm done and you get my point, so let's move on.

I love how ethereal this collection by Yiqing Yin is. You know, ethereal as in light and airy and dreamy. So light and airy and dreamy you just want to reach out to the screen and stroke it. Egh, that's probably just me. No, it's definitely just me. (Egh why am I so morbidly awkward I hate myself whatever) As opposed to the other collection I had reviewed so far, this one doesn't have strong or structural silhouettes. In fact, this collection doesn't even look like clothes. The fabrics, pleated and wrinkled, hanged onto the models as if to engulf them. They wrapped around and engaged the body in such a way that they look more like a second skin. That is, if anyone has icy blue and grey and rosy skin. In some parts of the collection, Yin used this shiny, slightly opaque fabric that looks like, because I don't have any better words, liquid metal. There are also hints of this pattern that look like blood vessels and veins, which is a very cool concept. I can just ramble on and on about this collection(and its fabulous use of fabrics) for days and not get sick of it, that's just how perfect it is. If I died and didn't get bury in one of those magnificent Alexander McQueen fall 2008 capes, just put me in anything from this collection and I'll be a happy camper. Thanks, Internet. Now I'm sharing what I want to wear when I'm dead.

Dior, Dior, Dior. Raf Simons, Raf Simons, Raf Simons. Sorry, I love love love repeating repeating repeating stuff because it sounds more dramatic dramatic dramatic. See? Anyway, holy shit. This is Raf Simons's first collection for Dior, and to be honest it's fabulous. As if it can be anything else. And I'm not even biased. Maybe it's because I'm so sick of the shit that Bill Gaytten did. Sorry buddy, but at least you tried. Or maybe it's because it's a complete contrast to John Galliano's design. Or maybe it's just simply it's so refreshing and different from everything I've seen before.