Designer Crush: Stella Jean

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A selection of looks from Stella Jean's A/W 2014 collection

I have a new crush. Her name is Stella Jean and her designs make me swoon. This amazing Haitian-Italian designer melds her seemingly incongruent cultural heritages into something quite special. She calls it her “wax and stripes philosophy”. Her energetic, vibrant patterns draw on West African prints from her mother’s heritage and she juxtaposes these with masculine striped shirts that harken to her father’s Italian upbringing. I love the fact that her designs carry such personal meaning for her and even more so, the fact that her work encourages cultural exchange and awareness. Fashion isn’t always trivial. You keep it up, girl. The world is watching.

Xo Liz

All photos are courtesy of Style.com and show a selection from Stella Jean’s A/W 2014 collection

Milan Fashion Week in Prints

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Liz Nehdi's Top Picks from Milan Fashion Week

Before we gear up for the last chapter of the Autumn/Winter 2014 women’s wear shows in Paris, let’s take a quick look at some of my top printed looks from Milan.

A/W colour palettes tend to be more muted than their Spring/Summer companions, and this generally held true in Milan. Prada, Pucci and Missoni brought us some fabulous pops of brilliant colour though.

My eyes were drawn to two very different types of prints in these shows, and both represent big trends for the coming seasons: strong, graphical and geometric forms, as well as more painterly, mottled and soft abstract patterns.

Which type of print are you more inclined to wear: geometrics or painterly prints? It’s too hard for me to decide; I’ll go with both ;)

xo Liz

All images are courtesy of Style.com, which also provides expert reviews of the individual fashion shows, street style looks from the streets of Milan, a sneak peak into fashion fetes such as Roberto Cavalli’s postshow party and more. The Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana website also a fantastic resource for more information on Milan Fashion Week, and Italian fashion in general.

Images (clockwise from top left):

• Pucci
• Prada
• MSGM
• Missoni
• Cavalli
• Pucci
• Prada
• Pucci
• Marni
• Etro
• Pucci
• Missoni

Milan Fashion Week Preview

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Milan Fashion Week begins today. What am I looking forward to seeing? Lots of gorgeous prints, of course!

My love for several Italian fashion houses runs deep. Pucci has been a big influence on me for several years now. Cavalli, Marni, Etro and Prada also turn out amazing patterned clothes. And of course there are the iconic Missoni multicolour chevron knits. But there are also some younger brands, such as Stella Jean and MSGM, who are doing really exciting things, in my opinion. I can’t wait to see how the shows play out!

For a wealth of information on Milan Fashion Week, check out the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana website.

What’s your favourite look here?

xo Liz

Image credits (clockwise from top left)

• Two fresh looks from Haitian-Italian designer Stella Jean
• Thinking outside the box (or garment). A playful Pucci print makes this sailboat really stand out
• A painterly floral print from Roberto Cavalli
• Two vintage Missoni outfits. The epitome of luxurious casual wear
• A bold, graphic dress from Etro
• A more current look from Missoni
• Two more looks from Stella Jean
• Segment of an Etro pattern
• The backdrop of Prada’s Spring/Summer 2014 women’s fashion show
• Another gorgeous print from Roberto Cavalli
• Three looks from Marni
• Etro pattern detail
• A cluster of models at the Prada S/S 2014 show

Two images in center of collage (top to bottom)

• Four pattern-ful looks from MSGM
• A vision of vintage Pucci