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Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Vera Wang: The Change-Up Artist





I immediately thought of Miss Havisham from Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations when I saw the above sheer print floral dress in Vera Wang’s Fall Ready To Wear collection at New York Fashion Week. Miss. Havisham, for those of you who have neither read or seen a film adaptation of the novel, brought up her adopted daughter Estella to break men’s hearts in order to avenge Miss Havisham for being jilted on her wedding day by a con artist or as referenced during the 1800s a wastrel.

The sheer floral print dress created by Vera Wang with its gothic vibe, sheer textile and dark background is the embodiment of the perpetual state of sadness that enveloped Miss Havisham and, as a result, may have enticed her to change out of the dress in which she was to marry her con artist. She would have remained in the emotionally wrecked state that Charles Dickens described her to be but at least she would have been attired well. If a woman makes a deliberate choice to sit in the same room all day amongst the moldy remnants of her wedding breakfast and wedding cake she should at least garb herself in a glamorously gothic manner. Vera Wang's sheer floral print dress fits the bill perfectly.

Gothic influences were apparent in the runway looks but Vera Wang was said to have been inspired by insects for her highly stylized collection and, wow, did she bring that concept to life. Insect jewelry was charmingly pinned on dresses and sweaters and intertwined with necklaces. She championed insects via an imprint of a spider image on a sweater and in another case by having the statement You Bug Me emblazoned on a top. If I had been completely unaware before viewing the collection about what inspired her I certainly would have known the answer after seeing several of the pieces in her collection.

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The solid black sheer dresses presented during the runway show were more to me what Count Dracula’s brides would wear rather than Miss. Havisham. If filmmakers were to remake, which I hope they don’t because it is not to be outdone, but if they were to remake Bram Stocker’s Dracula film released in 1992 these are the sheer dresses and separates Count Dracula’s hierarchy of brides should wear. They are perfectly fitting for those monstresses with their flowing tresses and their air of erotic mystique. A woman with a certain amount of daring bravura would likely be drawn to these dresses. A couple of my favorite sheer looks from the runway are below:

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Ms. Wang also honored the history of grunge and punk with her inclusion of overt grunge and punk-inspired pieces. The plaid skirts created by Vera Wang are a must-have for well-off fashionistas, in my opinion. Her pieces seem to speak to a woman who has been enchanted with the fun side of radical fashion from the time she was a young teen and has continued to love it over the course of adulthood. Who knew Ms. Wang had a fondness for grunge and punk fashion? Not I. I was impressed with the way that she fused grunge, punk and tailored pieces to create not one or two or even three looks but several arresting outfits.

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Ms. Wang’s fall runway show in New York was certainly chameleon-like due to the variety of style influences I have referenced. As a result, her runway show may have appealed only to those who don’t mind disjointed collections. This may not be a favored collection for those who prefer one central theme in their collections; however, I enjoyed this collection because it left me wondering about what else she can do with her talents. She has generally been known as the designer who loves romanticism. I am sure she still does but, for me, it was a nice change to see her darker side.

One of the reasons I have a preference for this collection is because it would be relatively effortless to recreate some of the looks from the show at a budget-friendly price. The second reason is that because of my eclectic style I can readily picture how pieces from a variety of the looks could be mixed and matched to tremendous effect.

A few of my favorite looks from the collection can be viewed below:

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Did you watch the runway show? If so, I would love your opinion. What did you think of it? Was it too disjointed in your opinion? If you liked it, what are some of your favorite looks or pieces?


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29 comments:

  1. These are some of the most stunning pieces I've ever seen! Well done Vera!

    www.stylecastle.co.uk

    x

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    1. It is one of my favorite fall collections. Thanks, Emily, for taking the time to read my post and leave a comment.

      Sharon

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  2. Love that gothic and dark outfits!!

    Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment!

    Besos!

    Marián, from Go Fashion Go (.com)
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Go-Fashion-Go-Fashion-blog-blog-de-moda/122092041134282?ref=hl

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    1. I really like that she is delving into the darker side.:)

      Sharon

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  3. wow.. that's Vera Wang??? woah… that's really HOT!!!

    DinaBella
    http://dina-bella.blogspot.com/2014/02/wearable-wednesday-how-to.html

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    1. I am glad she decided to go in another direction with this collection. I am so used to seeing the same types of designs from her that I was stunned when I first saw the looks. They are really outstanding.

      Sharon

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  4. I love the idea of bugs being the quirk factor. 90s grunge done pretty...very Vera. Great write-up.
    Arlene
    http://thankyoufortrending.com/

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    1. I was surprised. I expected more of the usual romantic designs from her. I really like what she did with this collection.

      Sharon

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  5. i love it!!!! interesting post! thanx
    kisses
    Ann'so M
    http://annsom.blogspot.fr/

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I am so glad you liked it. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. I really appreciate it.

      Sharon

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  6. i love those plaid outfits you've posted, the sheer one is my favorite!

    www.thestylebender.com

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    1. They are so cool. I love them so much. Thanks for commenting, Dez.

      Sharon

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  7. This is great! I love the darkness and Vera Wang anyway. Great post.

    ♥ www.sugarpopfashion.com ♥

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    1. I am drawn to gothic looks too. I just love what she did with this collection. I am really looking forward to her next collection now. I hope she continues to explore more edgy sources of inspiration.

      Sharon

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  8. Thank you, Andreea. I appreciate the compliment.

    Sharon

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  9. This is definitely outside the box when I think of Vera Wang- but I absolutely LOVE IT. She takes the gothic/grunge look and makes it beautiful- great collection and awesome post!

    Thanks for sharing! :)

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    1. Hi, Kelly:

      This collection is one if my favorites of New York Fashion Week for sure. I love that she decided to do something different than what was expected from her. Thanks for commenting.

      Sharon
      http://www.afashioncrowd.blogspot.com

      Delete
  10. gothic and very edgy. thank you for sharing this post!
    There's a giveaway on my blog. Hoping you could join :)
    ❤ http://itsnicoleperez.blogspot.com/

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    1. Hi, Nicole:

      Thanks for visiting. She went over to the dark side with the collection for certain and I love it. I will check out your giveaway.

      Sharon

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  11. Black beautiful pieces from Vera Wang. I love it!

    Lilly
    http://www.loveablefash.blogspot.com

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    1. I just love her collection too. Thanks for commenting, Lilly.

      Sharon

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  12. nice review! i liked the collection!
    very nice blog by the way :)

    kisses from Russia,
    Juliet
    RUSSIAN DOLL

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    1. Thanks, Juliet. It is absolutely one of my favorite collections.

      Sharon

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  13. Love the punk princess looks by Vera Wang, reminds me of a little Hedi Slimane dark action going on :)

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    1. It was by far one of the most surprising collections in my opinion. I love it.

      Sharon

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  14. Great post! I wouldn't have really looked into Vera Wang for edgier looks like these, but these are right up my alley!

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    1. Thanks, Hayley. Her designs caught me off guard because they are a real surprise coming from her. There are so many looks that I loved that could not include them all in my post.

      Sharon

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  15. I Don't Know.. i kinda find Vera Wang to be an over-rated bridal designer.. Honestly I've looked at many of the smaller designers of wedding dresses and find Monica's Bridal private label to be off the charts! If your ever in the NY Area ladies, I strongly suggest you check them out :)

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