The best dressed of AmfAR Benefit Gala (September 23rd 2011, Milan)

Natasha Poly in Roberto Cavalli


Eva Cavalli in (and with) Roberto Cavalli


Isabeli Fontana in a Cavalli dress and a Ferragamo clutch from the F/W 11/12 collection


Bar Rafaeli un a dress by Escada and Ferragamo clutch


Valeria Mazza in Salvatore Ferragamo
Pictures: Vittorio Zunino Celotto / Getty Images for amfAR

Who was you best-dressed at the amFAR benefit?

Backstage at Salvatore Ferragamo S/S 12 & what I learned there

I was lucky enough to be granted backstage access at Ferragamo`s S/S 12 show. It was a truly exciting and crazy experience but it also was a lot different from what I expected it to be.


Zuzanna Bijoch & Izabel Goulart


Daga Ziober

Predjudice 1: 'The cameras are always on': TRUE. I expected that the photographers would be allowed in for about 5 minutes and then kicked out. But the photographers are already waiting backstage (watching the models getting dressed) and start shooting about 10 minutes before the show begins and leave right when its over (rushing on to the next show).


Daga Ziober, Jacquelyn Jablonski, Alana Zimmer


Zuzanna Bijoch, Alana Zimmer & Jacquelyn Jablonski

Predjudice 2: 'Backstage areas are big': FALSE. Judging by the backstage photos I had seen I had the idea that backstage areas were big. This one was small and packed with busy people.


Juju Ivanyuk & Alana Zimmer


Magdalena Frackowiak getting dressed...

Predjudice 3: 'Models make friends in the industry': (probably) FALSE. With all the time models spend waiting backstage and how (physically) close the (hair-)stylists are getting to them I assumed that models would somehow get to know these people (if only on the level of superficial smalltalk). But I only saw models talking to other models, completely ignoring all the people styling them.


...and strikes a pose.


Daga Ziober & Melodie Monrose

Predjudice 4: 'Models are arrogant': this predjudice is rubbish anyway. As with all other humans, some of them are nice and some are not so nice. That`s the way it is. I still noticed that the newcomers were more friendly & co-operative than the stars. (Wonder why Daga Ziober is in five pictures while I only got one blurry shot of Anja Rubik? ;)


Izabel Goulart



Predjudice 5: 'Models are young': TRUE. Ok, this is no news and we know this but I was stunned HOW young they actually look are when the make-up and styling is off! In pictures they look like 'young women' but they are actually young, teenage GIRLS. I`m a declared enemy of society`s obsession with youth and highly appreciate all things feminine and mature but I admit (without envy) that these girls are flawless & stunning! Also BECAUSE they are that young. It`s politically incorrect to admit but the 15-year-olds really "look better" than the 25-year-olds. You can`t really tell why but there is some kind of freshness about them.


Jasmine Tookes


Lindsay Lullman

Predjudice 6: 'Models always know how to strike a pose': TRUE. Oh yeah, they do and it makes them look fabulous & glamorous.


Karlie Kloss coming back in from the runway


Valerija Kelava & Karlie Kloss

Predjudice 7: 'Models have to multi-task': TRUE. I thought that models were first going to make-up, then having their hair done and then getting dressed (maybe in different order but certainly not all at once). FALSE. It`s amazing how many people are fixing different things on one model at once! It must be annoying but the models did bear it with professional patience.


Anabela Belikova & Jasmine Tookes


Gertrud Hegelund, Monika Sawicka & Magdalena Frackowiak

Predjudice 8: 'Models are mostly bra-less': TRUE. May it be streetsyle photos or runway, models are mostly seen without bra. Well, there are many reasons for that. Firstly, because they can :) They are young and skinny so everything is firm. Secondly because nothing is more beautiful than the natural breast. Bras (leave alone plastic surgery) are just a disturbance to nature`s perfect aesthetics.


Patricia van der Vliet, Melodie Monrose & Juju Ivanyuk


Monika Sawicka

Predjudice 9: 'Models have to adjust quickly': TRUE. I was amazed how cool and collected they posed for the photographers coming straight off the runway.


Arizona Muse


Supermodels Club: Anja Rubik, Daphne Groeneveld, Isabeli Fontana, Karmen Pedaru

Predjudice 10: 'Photographers are sensible artists': I have this 'romantic vision' that people who produce art have a special sensibility. Well, for the backstage- , show- and red carpet photographers it`s FALSE. There is lots of yelling, pushing and making inadequate comments to the models (like 'Let me know if I can help you with body make-up or something.' Picture a 45-year-old man saying that to an 17-year-old-girl! Gross!)


Lining up for the finale


Daria Strokus

My own pictures. Creative Commons license: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)

Which picture, model or outfit is your favourite?

Fashion Show Coverage: Iceberg S/S 12 (september 23rd 2011)

My invitation


The view from my seat in row 4



Iceberg showed a young, sexy and sporty collection.



Jackets and blazers were reminiscent of classic women’s power suits.







Knitwear is an important element of almost all looks.



Sequined sport jackets add a masculine touch to feminine evening wear.



A very contemporary and wearable collection.



The finale

My own pictures. Creative Commons license: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Fashion Show Coverage: Roberto Cavalli S/S 12 (september 26th 2011)

The invitation to my favourite S/S 12 show.


This season`s breathtaking location was Arco della Pace in Milano.


Roman fashion in marble


Courtney Love attended wearing Roberto Cavalli


Great style outside the show: leather, flowers and Givenchy wedges



The show`s attendees were a stylish fashion crowd in trendy, feminine looks highlighted with luxury accessories





The difference between the outside and the inside couldn`t have been more extreme. On the outside the venue was a classicistic monument in warm sunshine. The inside was made to look like a black industrial hall with pink and red lightening. "Caged" chandeliers were installed over the runway.


The view from my seat in row six.



The show was DRAMA, BABY!
The models were walking to a soundtrack of heavy drums, Giorgio Moroder`s melancholic 'Love Theme' (Flashdance soundtrack) and goth rock by The Sisters of Mercy ('Ribbons').
I perceived the dramatic atmosphere as a suitable depiction of the difficulties we face in today`s world but the Cavalli woman faces it with confidence, strenght and beauty. This attitude perfectly reflects my state of mind!



The meeting between the linearity and perfection of the Bauhaus-inspired outerwear, the Baroque lavishness of the dresses and the mini-skirts determines the silhouette of the collection.



The S/S 12 show sees the debut of the ‘Florence’ bag, created as a gesture of the designer’s love for his city. Square shapes, in crocodile, nude or black, with double handles and golden metal macro padlock, engraved with a snake scale effect.



The collection features lots of precious eveningwear, composed of silk tulle dresses, embroidered with sumptuous motifs and decoration.



The leather is an expression of pure Florentine artisanship: jackets and trousers created in combinations of python and crocodile, enriched with stitching, inlays, and tone-on-tone paillette embroidery.



The long dresses follow the line of the body, with printed mousseline inlays and lace, enriched with precious embroidery applied along the sides, and paired with sartorial jackets or a slim-fitting gilet with padded shoulders.



Skirts in silk plissés with floral prints open with the movement of the body, revealing a contrasting animalier print, expressing the hidden side of the Cavalli woman‘s personality.



Opulent gold, either as a highlight or all over, is a major theme of the collection.


I even walked the runway! Ok, after the show :)

My own pictures. Creative Commons license: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).
Pictures 4 and 14-17 are property of Roberto Cavalli.

The show was amazing! I love this sophisticated, feminine collection with its fine materials, flowing shapes and luxurious decorations. It was about time opulence, decoration and fine artisanship returned to fashion - in summer collections too!

What do you like best about Roberto Cavalli S/S 12?