Friday, May 20, 2011

My Unhealthy Passion for MARCHESA

Warning: Long & Pic Heavy Post!

Where do I begin? It all started a little over a year ago when I first laid eyes on Blake Lively in a jaw dropping blue mini dress that looked like this:

It was one of those moments, where looking back you can remember the exact date and time of day it was. I'd never been pulled into a piece of clothing, much less a photograph of one. I didn't know that garment design had the power to completely seduce until then. I've had a modest interest in fashion my whole life, paying a little attention here and there. But THIS DRESS. ...The textures. The draping. The structure. I HAD to know who had crafted such a beautiful garment. From the moment I learned of MARCHESA I was intrigued and seduced beyond my wildest dreams ... Were all their pieces equally jaw dropping and exquisitely created? Or was this a one-off?
From that day forward, anytime I felt drawn to a gown, dress, or structured two piece that I saw in a magazine or on a blog, I just knew it was Marchesa. I felt it. And sure enough, when I checked the photo credits, my lusty intuition was confirmed.
I HAVE to share with you my favorite dresses and gowns of the dream weavers behind the label -  Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig.
I know I sound over the top, but I can't describe the feelings that looking at these gowns bestow in me.
The fact that design work such as this can cause an emotional stir is proof of the beauty and impact that TRUE art will always give.


The gowns to end all gowns:

^Look at that draping on the bodice! Stop-dead-in-your-tracks-STUNNING.

^Wordless. The fit of it .. How does anyone envision such beauty, much less create it? It's other worldly.


^Heaven Sent.


^I'll never get over that draping. Or the detail. It may as well have been painted on by Michaelangelo.


^Speechless.

^My God.




Blake Lively
The Queen of Marchesa minis, and my first visual gateway to the designs






My Favorite Marchesa "Minis":




^Again with the draping .. white and pale lilac? Ayyyyyyyye.
^These colors and textures give me butterflies. It hangs a lot better on the model than Kristen Bell, but she's still a knockout in it.
^This reminds me of a delicate pastry from a Parisian bakery that you buy to gaze at and treasure rather than take a bite of.

^LOVE. Demi Moore and one of the Marchesa designers herself, Georgina Chapman, in this stunning Asian inspired mini. Last I checked fashion designers didn't double as supermodels,  but hey what do I know.

Check out the back:


^Perfection.

Structural Masterpieces:
This isn't fashion design, it is fashion architecture. I die.



^ I would gladly hang a simple picture of this dress on my wall as art.

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For any of you who aren't aware of the designers behind Marchesa, (I'm sure many of you die hard fashionistas fell in love years before I did), here's a little blurb about them, from their website:



British born Georgina and Keren met at Chelsea College of Art and Design in London. Georgina, a 2001 graduate of the Wimbledon School of Art, began her career as a costume designer. Keren graduated from Brighton Art College in 2000 and subsequently focused on print and embroidery design. Georgina’s draping and design expertise paired with Keren’s textile creations resulted in a business partnership and the establishment of Marchesa in 2004. Elegant eveningwear, inspired by vintage and Asian influences, defines the Marchesa Collection. The beautifully crafted designs fuse high fashion with an eclectic aesthetic. Co-founded by Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig, the company’s namesake and muse, Marchesa Luisa Casati, is the noted eccentric European style icon. Based in New York, the Marchesa collection is presently available in Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman in the United States, Harrods in London, and specialty boutiques such as Holt Renfrew in Canada, Podium in Russia, Alothman in Kuwait, Boutique1 in Dubai, and Joyce and Lane Crawford in Hong Kong.

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Marchesa Luisa Casati:

^The eccentric Italian heiress, born in 1881, is the design house's namesake and muse.

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Until I'm an Oscar nominated movie star or a triple platinum songstress, the only place these stunning creations will be hanging is inside my candy colored daydreams. But ONE DAY and I promise you, I will wear one of these gowns. It's on my life "must accomplish" list. Even if I'm in a coffin, at my funeral, and it's bought with the money from my estate, I will be the best looking dead lady this side of Heaven.

I know I sound extreme, but that's what true art does to me. If you are lucky, every so often in life, certain songs, paintings, and yes, fashion designs will speak to you in ways you never thought possible. Their creation will beckon to you; stir up hidden parts of your soul, and leave you wondering if you and their impossible beauty were meant to be.

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