The first time I listened to Django Django’s first and only album I was so amazed by their cool, catchy beats and its variety. This quartet from London has a unique sound and whenever I need something to uplift my mood I listen to them. “First Light” is their first single from their upcoming album. The video is so simple yet it goes perfectly with this great new song. Can’t wait to listen the rest of it!
The biggest red carpet of the year is here! The Oscars™!
Who doesn’t love all the glamour associated with one of Hollywood’s most awaited and respected nights?
It’s the one time were celebrities really make an effort to don their best looks. And we’ve got to say we’re not disappointed!
As always, there’s a few unfortunate mishaps but the stars definitely brought it out this year.
Let’s start with the few disasters.
WE HATE!
Felicity Jones is so pretty! She’s lovely but what is this Alexander McQueen gown she’s wearing?! Let me tell you something, I don’t understand that neckline. And with is up with those gathers at the hips? UGH!
Although I do love the neck of this dress, I hate how Naomi Watts is wearing like a black tube top underneath and the sides are too low. Doesn’t this Armani Privé’s print remind you of the cobblestones in Old San Juan or the Meatpacking District? Celebrity road kill?!
Oh dear God! Scarlett Johannson’s green Versace’s neckline (necklace?) is just too much! It feels as if she got high fashion algae wrapped around her neck.
Ay Gaga, what’s with the gloves?! I’ve already seen a ton of memes making fun of this. The Azzedine Alaïa dress although very architectural and with a beautiful print, looks so stiff.
WE LOVE!
OMG! Jennifer Lopez looks BEAUTIFUL in this Elie Saab dress. So regal, so elegant, so feminine.
Rosamund Pike is a stunning vision in red! Wearing a very detailed Givenchy dress (with waist detailing like Kim Kardashian’s wedding dress) the Gone Girl actress looks so elegant. The only thing I would’ve changed is the color of the shoes.
Jennifer Aniston’s body looks amazing! The actress donned a tight fitting Versace gown that hugged every curve of her body.
One of our favorites of the night, Emma Stone! The best supporting actress nominee wows in a green Elie Saab long sleeve dress. The intricate beading create beautiful patterns and the color perfectly compliments Emma’s skin tone.
Dakota Johnson looks 50 shades of red hot! This very simple, very beautiful, very sexy Saint Laurent dress is perfection.
THE MEN!
Everyone knows we love Chris Pratt! I mean, who couldn’t love the amazing Andy Dwyer from Park & Rec and the incredible Peter Quil from Guardians of the Galaxy? He looks great in this Tom Ford suit.
The wonderfully talented Eddie Redmayne took a chance in this shiny, blue Alexander McQueen tux. Do you like it?
Never one to shy away from a risk, Academy Award winner, Jared Leto showed up in this lavishly lavender Givenchy get up. It kinda reminds me of Dumb & Dumber.
Another risk taker, another color! David Oyelowo played up the maroon in this Dolce & Gabbana tux.
Finally, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jeff Goldblum and Adrian Brody in white. Who wore it best?
All photos thanks to Buzzfeed.com, EOnline.com & CNN.com
Laces, sheers and shades of pink, powder blue and yellow dominated the Couture shows this year. Still with two months of winter ahead, I have Spring all over my head. The couture shows are always exciting to watch. These were Banana’s favorites:
CHANEL
Flowers for Spring, groundbreaking? YES. At least the 300 that decorated Chanel’s Couture show this year. In terms of decoration and ambiance, hands down this one won. Even though I have mixed feelings about the dropped waist, they worked in this collection when combined with ultra embellished (flower ones that is) pieces. Chanel hasn’t been in this list for a couple of seasons now. I was so blown away by everything in this collection, I’d say Karl made quite a comeback.
DIOR
I had to watch this collection two times in order to like it. At first the 70s psychedelic print (not shown in these pictures) threw me off but as I re watched it I noticed the other looks were so beautiful, they made up for that hideous print. The very ladylike, DIOR ish dresses with cutouts paired with patent boots and the last ones with the color stripe skirts were my favorite looks.
GIAMBATTISTA VALLI
WOW. This was my #1 collection this season. Valli delivers nothing but protuberant elegance in such a magical way. His love for tulle and florals won my heart. This collection is nothing but perfection… no need to say more.
ELIE SAAB
Classic Ellie Saab. Elegant laces and sheers. Beautiful gowns. We’ll be seeing this ones a lot on the red carpets this year.
VALENTINO
Inspired by Shakespeare and other romantic novels, the creative directors were feeling enchanted when making this collection. Quotes from Dante’s Inferno were printed on some dresses which was really cool. The last dress with the clouds embellishments is truly a dream come true.
ZUHAIR MURAD
This collection did for me what Ellie Saab’s. It’s not out of this world. Nothing ground breaking but yet so beautiful that makes it impossible not to like it.
It’s always refreshing to start the year with an amazing red carpet. However, these Golden Globes did not meet our expectations. There were definitely more DON’Ts than DOs (Lana Del Rey, Taryn Manning, Keira Knightley… what were you thinking?) but we loved some of the DOs. Our favorites were:
Emma Stone in Lanvin. WOW. This beautiful redhead not only knows how to rock metallics but also a jumpsuit on the red carpet. She didn’t even needed accessories or any hairdo. Emma looked flawless last night.
Even tough it looks big on her, we liked the color and fabric of this J. Mendel dress in Amanda Peet.
We have to admit we weren’t expecting Lorde to be on this list. Another win for pants last night. She rocked this Narciso Rodriguez pantsuit.
Dakota Johnson makes all over metallics look easy to wear in this Chanel dress. Definitely one of the favorites.
It’s not that we LOVE this Armani Privé gown but Allison Williams is so gorgeous that she can pull off almost anything. She looks amazing as always.
Emily Blunt in Michael Kors looks so fresh and pretty. We liked the turquoise jewelry as well as her braid.
We can always count on Lupita Nyong’o to push boundaries in a red carpet. There are mixed reviews of this Giambattista Valli Couture floral gown but to us, it’s a win. She looks radiant and the color looks great on her.
We love metallics and we love feathers. Julianne Moore in Givenchy gives us another reason to.
And of course, we can always count on one of our favorite IT Girls Sienna Miller to amaze us in the red carpet as well. She looks lovely in this Miu Miu gown.
We hope the upcoming red carpets step it up. With so many beautiful gowns we saw in the runway for this season, we hope they do!
We’re obsessed with Broken Bells and their new album. Today the video for “After The Disco” was released. Perfect for a Thursday night! Enjoy!
So sad when it ends. Waking up knowing that I have new runways to watch was such a mood lifter. Considering I’m NOT a morning person. Last week Paris Fashion Week concluded FW, as usual. This year Paris designers showed something different from the rest, which was refreshing to see at the end. These were my favorites:
BALENCIAGA
Milan FW was all about earthy tones, flowy pieces and fringe. This collection was a whole different thing. Alexander Wang spent the summer in Paris during the Tour de France and it was a big inspiration for this collection. Uses of mesh and athletic silhouettes dominated Balenciaga’s show. My favorite pieces are the white and peach ones. Somehow the contrast of these colors and sleek sporty looks makes them look so classy.
ROCHAS
It had me at tulle. The first look of this show grabbed my attention just because of that. The color way, mix of fabrics and sheer details positioned this collection in the list. I also liked the quirky shoes with the socks.
MANISH ARORA
I enjoyed this one so much! Yes, in some looks it’s too much but that’s what I love about it. If I was Grimes stylist, Arora would be my go to designer for her! Lots of embellishments, pastel colors, gold/silver ornaments and evil eye screens. So unique and cool.
BALMAIN
Olivier Rousteing redeemed himself with this SS collection. For a couple of seasons I was truly disappointed, just because I love Balmain SO much. Something unexpected for this bohemian season, Balmain’s sleek, sexy looks were fascinating to watch.
CHLOÉ
What’s not to love? Spring/Summer fashion at its finest. Lace, flowy dresses, gladiators, vibrant colors. Chloé is a brand that understand what being a girl is all about.
ELIE SAAB
Always makes the list. Always! What really impressed me this time is the addition of a sportswear detail to his lovely gowns. The runway looked like the bottom of the ocean since he used lots of blues. Saab’s collections are so well put and glamourous, there’s no way he can miss.
VALENTINO
Another one bites the dust. At this point, Valentino’s collections should be automatically inserted in this blog. Another collection inspired by the sea life, Valentino’s gowns had starfish, shells and sailing ships. These were my favorites along with the pastel lace ones and its classic tapestry looking masterpieces. I left my heart with Valentino. A long time ago.
Milan FW has not surprised me like it has this past week for quite a while. I gotta say I’m impressed. Let’s start with one of my favorite collections so far from ALL Fashion Week SS ’15 RTW.
ALBERTA FERRATI
If I had a feeling that the hippie bohemian look is going to be a very important trend next spring, Ferrati’s collection confirmed it. But hippie bohemian? What’s new about that? This is a whole new flower child. It’s this hippie glam look that was shown in this collection that I’m so excited about. She combined sheers, pastels, suede, fringe and even denim in such a very chic way. This is the very definition of free spirited fashion but upgraded. Seriously, I’m still not over it. ♡
EMILIO PUCCI
Peter Dunda also took the 70s trip pill. But the Pucci bohemian girl prefers to be sexy than to wear oversized clothes and that’s what I loved about it. The collection appeals to free spirited girls as well as to those ones who prefer to show skin and wear more fitted pieces. The prints, maxi dresses and the beadings were the things I liked the most.
DSQUARED2
I just got my first pair of glasses and seem to think that they make anything more stylish. The contrast between crops and bulky bottoms, or oversized tops with shorty shorts was what made me LOVE this collection so much. Also, the use of primary colors is refreshing to see on the runway. Throw in sequins, feathers and boyfriend jeans and you’ve got Dsquared2’s SS’15 cool and edgy collection. Oh and, let’s not forget about the glasses.
FENDI
Fendi’s collection was not on my top. I only liked SOME looks but the ones I liked, I LOVED, which are these ones shown. The sunglasses are the coolest I’ve seen in the runways this season and those two last feather dresses could be one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.
ROBERTO CAVALLI
Also in the Woodstock mindset is Sir Cavalli. But if anyone masters the art of boho glam is him. He used light denim which went really well with the ivory and soft colors lace pieces. Also the last metallic looks were really cool.
DOLCE & GABBANA
While Milan FW designers were listening to psychedelic rock and doing peace signs, Domenico and Stefano took a plane to Madrid. It’s not that they surprised me with this show. They always have that Europe, body conscious, embellished feeling. Just this time instead of Italy, they felt more inspired by Spain I guess. But I did like that they did something different from everyone else. Nothing new, but stunning and classy as always. Olé!
Living in L.A. now, I’m pretty excited for fall fashion. I’ve never experienced a change of season (even though L.A. doesn’t get THAT cold) and can’t wait to do layering. However, watching all this beautiful spring collections, remind me that I’m definitely a Spring/Summer gal. London Fashion Week stepped up this season. These were the most I liked:
MARCHESA
Gypsy meets fairytale princess meets music festival queen. So feminine yet strong. Such a diverse collection, it’s suitable for any girl, any age. And that last sheer baby blue look, WOW!
TEMPERLEY LONDON
Sneakers are so important in the business right now. I’ve mentioned before that I’m so into this sporty minimalistic look. I liked how Alice Temperley took this trend to another level, mixing it with blazers, trousers and even tulle. I loved the color palette in this collection and the few prints that were shown were pretty cool. I liked the contrast of really pale looks or print on print on print ones. Temperley London always delivers, this time was no different.
MCQ ALEXANDER MCQUEEN
The MCQ collection took me down memory lane. This is so NSYNC/Britney Spears 1999 MTV Music Awards performance! So effortlessly cool. Metallics for Spring sound like a great idea styled up like these looks. Gotta admit, the grunge 90s trend is getting tiring now but this one took it to a whole new level. I’m such a millenial.
PETER PILOTTO
This was a very fun show to watch. It’s not the most forward collection or anything, but I love when clothes bring joy in me. Cool colors and appliqués. It’s all in the details.
TOPSHOP UNIQUE
Topshop is my favorite store ever. It’s no wonder their collection was going to grab my attention. Primary colors and shapes, kind of sailor looking. Flowery big jackets and ending it with embellished dresses. Very versatile and tasteful.
ERDEM
If Marchesa’s was a festival fairy queen, this would be a tropical dark one. It’s one of collections that I liked the most. Long dresses and crops. Feathers, whites, yellows and greens. Just spectacular.
So excited for the rest of Fashion Week! Milan collections coming up!
The Bananas are experimenting life changes and have been crazy busy lately. In fact, a bicoastal blog is coming up. Stay tuned. Nonetheless, we always have time to watch Fashion Week’s shows and review them. It’s one of our favorite ways to see upcoming designers and anticipate trends.
Last week, New York opened fashion week and so far we’ve been impressed. These were our favorite collections:
MILLY
I honestly wasn’t aware of this brand. This collection made me quite aware of it by standing out from every other one. Mixing fabrics and trends was what made it so interesting. Sports bra looking crops paired with formal skirts and sheer beautiful tops with jogger pants for example. She didn’t use lots of color but the colorful pieces were right on point. The strappy basic heels were perfectly picked to style the collection.
MICHAEL KORS
I’ve said it a couple of times, but Michael Kors hasn’t disappointed me for the past seasons. This collection in particular is one of my favorites from all the ones I’ve seen of MK. Very fresh, very spring. His magazine ads featuring a couple, luggage and an airplane or cars are very true to his collections. They always remind me of some getaway. MK always uses lots of white and yellow, which are two of my favorite colors right now for apparel. What made me love this collection was the flower sheer fabric. BEAUTIFUL! So beautiful, that pairing it up with basic shirts was all that was needed. Keep it sunny MK!
BAND OF OUTSIDERS
Even though it was not presented in a runway, I really liked this collection and felt it would be a cool one to post. It’s very true to what a READY TO WEAR collection should be like. I personally would wear every single one of this looks for a Sunday Funday date. I kinda loved that the pictures were shown with construction materials and workers. It’s so effortless and yet so well thought, trendy and cool.
BCBG MAX AZRIA
Have I mentioned I’m very into white, blush and peach color enough? The color palette of BCBG Max Azria’s collection was what I liked the most of it. Simplicity and structure are part of BCBC Max Azria’s trademark, this time they were present in the runway along a bohemian touch as well as a sportswear one.
OSCAR DE LA RENTA
Oscar De La Renta always has stunning, mind blowing pieces and then, in my opinion, a couple of ugly ones. Sometimes, the bad ones outnumber the great ones. For SS ’15 season, definitely the stunning pieces won. Ultra feminine and classy as usual, but this time with a younger vibe to it. I specially loved the pastel gingham pieces with lace. The styling with the sporty sandals was a very trendy move and the metallic oxfords looked so cool as well. The fact that crop tops are still strong for next year makes me a happier person, I’m still such a fan.
DELPOZO
Oh, Delpozo. The Madrid based designer has become one my favorites and doesn’t seize to amaze me every season. Always very forward and couture-like, the pieces from this collection each one was a piece of art. Structured jackets and tops, ultra wide legged trousers, sheers and embellishments dominated this runway. The last tulle pieces were so dreamy. I look at this collection again and again, still can’t get over it.
The New York runways already set a high standard. Can’t wait for the next of Fashion Week to come!
The Fall 2014 Couture shows wrapped up last Friday in Paris. We’re always excited to watch couture shows since they are so entertaining to see and forward. The truth is we only liked some of them but the ones we liked, we LOVED.
CHRISTIAN DIOR
The combination of Marie Antoinette silhouettes with modern ones by adding sexy cut outs and V necks was what I liked the most about this collection. Then, by showing flappy and mod shaped dresses, Raf Simons took the audience to a time traveling fashion experience. Ultra feminine and classy, this was my second favorite collection from the couture shows.
ELIE SAAB
The runway was decorated with chandeliers at the back, perfect for the evening gowns about to show up. I’ve stated before that if I was a celebrity, Elie Saab would be one of my go to designers for the red carpets. How could you go wrong? The dresses are perfectly fitted and look SO elegant. And what about that last one?? I’d get married tomorrow if someone gave it to me!
ZUHAIR MURAD
I was a little disappointed by the collection since his last collections were so beautiful. I just posted these looks that I liked (the rest of the collection was a total letdown). The second and third are my favorite!
GIAMBATTISTA VALLI
Now THIS, is how you do a couture collection! Take notes everyone! WOW. Definitely the winner. Inspired by the Alhambra castle in Granada, Spain, he mixed the Moorish and the Spanish influences and added details inspired by the gardens. To me, the collection has that old Hollywood glamour with the scarves but the crops and colorful flowers brought a fresh air to the looks. And then, let’s talk about the final looks. THOSE SKIRTS!!!!!! I loved how he paired them up with simple button down white shirts to bring attention to the beautiful tulle skirts. This collection reminds me why I love fashion so much. Amazing job!
Yes, Valentino is not on the list. Talk about disappointment 😦 The collection looked so contemporary and matronly. I didn’t liked it at all. I guess we’ll have to wait to see the Spring ’15 shows.
FASHION IS BANANAS 