High-Fashion High

High-class Spaniards are the first people that come to mind when somebody asks who embodies Givenchy’s Fall/Winter Ready-to-Wear collection. Matador outfits with a modern twist, high-necked buttoned-up blouses, and knee skimming ruffled skirts bring back a time when fashion was meant to be seen and admired, even when strolling through a courtyard.

Givenchy’s strapless black evening dress is flattering and sophisticated. With rectangular fabric cut-outs breaking up the breast line, the dress emphasizes a woman’s neck, bust, and shoulders without being trashy. A forgiving loosely fitted swath of fabric around the stomach area balances the hip-hugging skirt.

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Chloe’s Ready-to-Wear collection for Fall/Winter 2006 will solve many back-to-school shopping dilemmas for collegiate debutantes. With a mix of pastel colors and earthy browns and neutrals, the pieces can match existing pieces in a wardrobe.

Chloe’s ideal is fun, flirty, and feminine, and the cropped loose-fitted pants and fun layered tank top bring comfort to style. The preppy sweater paired with a white starched blouse and a flowing knee-length skirt will be a fashion staple for the twentysomethings this season.

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The baby doll dress was one of the most memorable—and regrettable—fashion trends of the 1990s. Anna Sui’s Fall/Winter Ready-to-Wear collection for 2006 reinvents the look, and finally does it justice. Don’t hang your heads in shame any longer, ladies, you can now admit that the baby doll is chic once again.

Sui’s dresses work because the fabrics, colors, and prints are complementary to a woman’s figure, and the cap-sleeved, scoop-neck look is left in the ‘90s. V-necks in satiny fabrics and trimmed patterned hems along with fun embellishments at the empire waist are cute yet womanly. A glittering black mid-thigh baby doll could appear on Sienna Miller’s sleek frame any day now. The edgy feathers cut around the v-neck and silver sunburst design at the tip of the neck give a plain dress more pizzazz.

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With fall and winter approaching (again), the dilemma most stylish ladies must overcome is how to remain sophisticated while desperately trying to stay warm. Chattering teeth and blue lips have never been attractive.
Andrew Gn comes to the rescue with his ready-to-wear collection for Fall/Winter 2006. Some of his luxurious dresses double as warm yet chic coats that could be worn in a diverse array of environments: the office, on a horse-drawn carriage ride, a semi-formal dinner, or for a brisk stroll in the park. The lavish white fur-trim collar accentuates a slender neck, and the black lace embellishments at the hem of the dress and the sleeves provide the perfect contrast. A cinched waist with a black silk sash makes the look elegant, not sloppy.

A black pantsuit with a wide-collared neck could also be worn to an elegant function or to the office. A cinched waist and flared silk sleeves on the jacket make the suit simple but classy. A fitted tapestry-embroidered black jacket balances a full mesh skirt. To keep the outfit from looking too dated, the skirt is flirty at knee-length and goes perfectly with knee-high boots.

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For Fall 2006 Ready-to-Wear, Dolce & Gabbana reach back into the Colonial Era (think here, “The Redcoats are coming!”) and revisit the militaristic coats, pants, and jackets that soldiers wore when Britain still had its clutches on American soil.

But the collection isn’t entirely about the American Revolution. D&G never fail to re-invent classic feminine styles like the scoop-neck empire waist gown with embroidered tassel.
Embroidery and embellishment on lush velour, gabardine, and silk was the overall theme for the collection, and colors were more austere with whites, grays, blacks, and muted gold and silver.

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