Designer Guido Maria Kretshmer presented his collection at Berlin’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion week spring/summer 2011. Elegant styles for different occasions were shown for menswear and women's wear. For the ladies we noticed chic cocktail dresses and pant suits as well as beautiful haute couture gowns with elaborate details such as exquisite beading, sequence ruffle, appliqué and draping. Some of these dresses were so beautiful that they could easily be picked as wedding gowns for a very sophisticated bride or to a red carpet occasion. In the men’s wear area Guido utilized iridescent fabrics that gave suits a great appeal for men who want to stand out from the crowd. We also noticed a relaxed approach to men’s sports wear with items such as a knit blazer with cool pockets paired with relaxed fit knit pants.

Designer Killian Kerner showed his latest womenswear and menswear collection for his design label today Starstyling. Going for the dramatic edgy look for women and preppy understated ease for his men, the designer showed he has a wide range of design talent. We liked the studded gladiator sandals for men and his womens showstopper was flowy nude dress with a silver upper body armor-like look which we thought was one of the most creative pieces we have seen this week in Berlin.

Designer Dawid Tomaszewski showed one of the best collections of Berlin Fashion week today. A mix of the elegant with the dramatic, the show was strong and very feminine, from flowy feather dresses to ruffles, to sheer pant suits, we loved the feathered head/face pieces the models wore. Superb show.

The JI+B design team came all the way from Mexico to show their chic and exquisite collection here yesterday in Berlin. After we met the designers at the Vogue party the night before, we were curious to seer their runway show and they did not dissapoint. Beautiful flowing fabrics, large flower corsages adorned the garments, and sophisticates silhouettes filled the show. The designers had looks from day lunches, to evening cocktails, to luxurious flowy red-carpet looks. It would be safe to say that these designers are well on their way to success internationally.

Eight super-talented up and coming designers showed in a great collaborative show yesterday here in Berlin. It's along the lines of what we expect from such a creative city like Berlin which has less commercial constraints as say, Paris, New York or Milan. Slightly more futuristic then what we have seen here this week, and very edgy. We loved the large video screens on the runway which showed the intricate details up-close.

The Calvin Klein party in Berlin tonight was all we have come to expect of CK soirees: gaggles and loads of beautiful CK models flown in from all over the world to attend, the best free flowing champage, a huge party setting and great music. Trendcocktail is in Berlin for Fashion Week and our first day in the German mecca did not dissapoint. One could browse the latest Spring collection of the brand at the party, clothes were suspended mid-air on wires and the super-large party venue had beautiful white modern structures, hundreds of white flowers in the entrance and sleek white scandinavian style furniture in the out door sitting lounge keeping up with CK's clean modern look. Calvin knows how to throw a party!

Since designer Sarah Burton took over the reins at Alexander McQueen after his untimely death, everyone has wondered where Burton would take the line creatively. Inspired by Hans Bellmer's dolls and samurai warriors, Burton explained that she wanted to “juxtapose the pale and the delicate with the bold and armorial. It’s about a highly structured torso that gives way to a more fluid silhouette or drop waists that lead to a finned trouser or skirt.” We like that Burton has paired whisical dresses with beautiful light weight embroidered coats for the new resort collection. Using less of McQueen's theatrics he used in his shows, Burton seems to be keeping the dramatic glamourous appeal of the brand.

We found Lanvin's newest menswear Spring 11 collection to be slightly Japanese, with a dramatic Twilight edge. Especially innovative—not just in the tailoring and the deconstruction of the clothes, but in the use of color and texture. There's a lot of boldness, especially in the Beetlejuice-ian edginess and ringmaster-bold stripes, but it's a boldness that is urban and nocturnal. These are pieces made to be seen.

Balmain showed its first Mens collection at Paris fashion week. The collection was a downtown rocker mix of jeans, t-shirts and shrunken jackets. Judging from the success of its womenswear line, it looks like menswear is a great choice for Balmain to branch out into unknown terrritories.

An exciting fashion and art exhibition called Sidewalk Catwalk was unveiled in New York city's fashion district last Thursday June 24. This really cool public installation was created by the Fashion Center BID and it features the work of New York City's top fashion designers such as Badgley Mischka, Maria Cornejo, Donna Karan, Naeem Khan, Prabal Gurung and Jason Wu to name a few. Sidewalk Catwalk will run from June 24-September 23 and it's located next to the bike path of Broadway from 35th Street to 42nd Street. Each designer had the opportunity to showcase their skills by designing an outfit that would endure staying out in the open air for a few months. Most of them really put a lot of thought and dedication into this project and the results were spectacular. Lots of outdoor fabric, plastic, metal, canvas and even bricks were utilized to create looks that are avant-garde and inspiring. If you are in New York City this summer, be sure to make your way down there to enjoy this one of a kind presentation. Below are some of our favorite creations.

Due to its young, new modern sensibility over the last few years since Christopher Bailey has become creative director, the Burberry ad campaign has been an industry leader in trends to come for the latest season. The newest Fall campaign ad just released stars British model and actress Rosie Huntington-Whitely (on right), who just replaced Megan Fox in the Transformers movie series.

With asymetrical one-piece swimsuits being the trend of the past few seasons, two-piece bikinis are now back as a new fashion trend in retail. The more colorful the better, and prints are store favorites too. What most of the new two-piece styles have in common is, the bottom piece is very low slung waist, which gives a more flattering torso.

Dolce & Gabbana celebrated their 20th year anniversary of men’s collections last Saturday night in Milan. The designers toasted their success with many of their fabulous friends such as Juliette Binoche, Mattew McConaughey, Eva Herzigova, Chace Crawford, Carine Roitfeld, Anna Della Russo, Franca Sozzani and Annie Lennox who also performed during their runway show right before this glamorous gathering. We congratulate Stefano and Domenico on their 20 years of great success in men's fashion.

At Jill Sanders Spring 2011 men's runway show we noticed a cool mix of bright colors and exquisite tailoring. The collection designed by Raf Simmons and presented in Florence Italy brings excitement to men’s wear. Some of the looks will be challenging for the average guy to wear but it sure was a delight to see on the models. An Aqua sweater mixed with bright orange pants, a short sleeve light pink shirt and super tailored yellow trousers, a beautiful oversized flower graphic print on a white woven shirt worn with black pants, and fitted sweaters with stripes were worn underneath really nice trench coats and paired with dressy shorts. Raf Simons has a special way of making all this risky combinations look incredible; we applaud him for this daring collection.

Coral is looking to be one of the most exciting colors of the summer. From clothes to even accessories, this color is sure to have all eyes on you. A little more demure than orange and less fiery perhaps than red, we are seeing coral everywhere. Add on a metallic skin bronzer and you're set to where one of summer's favorite hues.


Lanvin dress

Lanvin tote bag



Lanvin Pom Pom sandals

Sephora coral nail polish

After a long hiatus from the pages of US Vogue, Peter Lindbergh is back with a 14-page editorial in the magazine's July 2010 issue. The photographers latest spread features supermodel Natalia Vodianova and actor Ewan Macgregor. Grace Coddington, who along with Anna Wintour asked the photographer to come back, styled the shoot. The high fashion editorial spread shows Natalia and Ewan in a tense domestic setting.

This summer, add a little color to your wardrobe by trying the tribal trend. Bangles, beads and even gem stone studs can be worn with this look. If you feel like you went to West Africa, stopped in Paris and finished with dinner in Bombay, India- then you are doing the look justice. If your outfit does not start to feel as tribal as you wanted, just add more beads or bracelets.


Bangles, Diane Von Furstenberg
Shoes, Giuseppe Zanotti

Christopher Kane and 13 other designers are headed to Paris to show at Menswear fashion week June 24-27. In collaboration with the British Council, the U.K.'s Center for Fashion Enterprise and Fashion East which is a nonprofit organization that supports emerging designers, is working to give its British menswear talent notoriety on the global stage.


Designer Christopher Kane with model Lara Stone

The American luxe Sportswear designer Michael Kors has decided to open its largest store to date in Paris Spring 2011. The 7,000 square foot store will sell his womenswear and menswear collections, along with eyewear, handbags, shoes and other accessories. This new free-standing location will be the company's 4th store in Europe following stores in Milan, London and Munich.

Hotel Griffou
21 West 9th Street
New York, NY 10011-8939
(212) 358-0226

If you are in New York City we suggest you stop by and have drink and dinner at Hotel Griffou. This hidden gem is located in a charming town house in the elegant Greenwich Village. There is no sign outside which makes finding it even more exciting. This restaurant is tres chic and it's attracting some of the most stylish people in town, several fashion receptions and special events have been hosted here. The food is also delicious and the restaurant is a romantic and cozy setting for a great dinner. The owners of Hotel Griffou are no strangers to success they also own the Waverly Inn, which is another legendary restaurant in the West Village.

Brit fashion and style "It" Girl Alexa Chung has become the latest face of Lacoste for their newest fragrance. The adverts will be the first of Lacoste’s to feature a female celebrity face, and sources believe Alexa will do the brand justice. The 26-year-old beauty is in huge demand in the fashion world at the moment and currently fronts Pepe Jean’s Spring/Summer 2010 campaign as well as having a Mulberry bag named after her. In February, Alexa also launched her debut clothing collection for store Madewell. Alexa is best known in the US for her work on MTV's show "It's on with Alexa Chung," and the naughtily-named British show "Frock Me," where the model and designer Henry Holland present music and fashion picks, as well as advice on stylizing your wardrobe. Alexa has become known for her approachable, laid-back yet fashion-savvy style, we think would be the perfect fit for the sporty French brand Lacoste.

Not only has model Arlenis Sosa become a darling on fashion runways the past few years, the Dominican beauty has also landed a multi-million dollar cosmetics campaign with Lancome. Shot by renouned fashion photographer Mario Testino, the new Teint Idole pigment foundation by Lancome has found Arlenis to be its perfect cover model.

This is not the first time designer Thom Browne has dabbled into womenswear, he sold a capsule collection at Barneys in 2007 and 2008, and his made-to-measure business caters to a coterie of female clients — but for Fall, he's designed a small collection to be sold at Barneys, Colette in Paris, 10 Corso Come Seoul, and his own shop. “This time I have more time to focus on it,” Browne recenytly said of the relaunch. “For September, it will be a bit bigger than before, with more styles within the categories, but very focused. In the next couple seasons it will become a fully developed collection. "I want to develop it the same way men’s developed — small at first, and evolving slowly," Browne said about his new womens' collection.

Men's bags have been all over the runways for several years already. It was a trend that started in Europe with designers like Prada, Bally, Bottega Veneta and Hermès who were offering options for man as beautiful as their woman's bags but with a more masculine and classic appeal. Men everywhere have finally picked up on the trend, the style we are noticing the most is the everyday leather tote. It is an item that can be worn with elegant clothes to go to the office, or casually on the weekend to go to the gym or to the beach. Man are looking at bags as investment accessories and they are ready to splurge on something that will be stylish, durable, classic and practical.

In menswear the sports blazer has always been a key item in every guys wardrove. The right blazers can make a man look elegant and depending on how he mixes his outfit it can make him look super fashionable. Designers are showing the blazers mixed with denim and contrasting color bottoms and fabrics. The right mix can be casual and sophisticated. We noticed that a lot of the new blazers are cut slightly shorter at the hem than the classic suit blazers and we are seeing several double breasted options to pick from. Below are some of our favorite looks for fall.

We had heard hints within these past few months, yet now it is official: Zac Posen will be showing at Paris Spring 11 Fashion Week. The young designer who has been among the top designers in New York is now prepared to take the risk of showing in Paris, where the stakes can be even higher for newer designers. Posen will be showing on the second day of the Paris shows amongst other legendary houses such as Christian Dior and Chanel.

We attended the Calvin Klein Resort collection this morning and found the it to be fresh, with clean lines, simple with a modern edge. Model Jac opened the show with a chalk silk and cotton chain stitch coat and chalk silk flared skirt. We noticed delicate chain stitching was throughout the collection, also with small darts and seaming were prominent. Colors in the collection were mostly tans and whites with pops of chartreuse green and lemon-y yellow. We think designer Francisco Costa stayed within his usual modern aesthetic yet offered more drapey and relaxed silhouettes for this resort collection.

Womenswear Designer of the Year: Marc Jacobs
Menswear Designer of the Year: David Neville and Marcus Wainwright for Rag & Bone
Accessory Designer of the Year: Alexis Bittar
Swarovski award/womenswear: Jason Wu
Swarovski award/menswear: Richard Chai
Swarovski award/accessory design: Alexander Wang
Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award: Michael Kors
Eugenia Sheppard Award: Kim Hastreiter
Eleanor Lambert Award: Tonne Goodman
Fashion Icon: Iman
International Award: Christopher Bailey for Burberry
CFDA Board of Directors’ Special Tribute Award: Alexander McQueen

Winners of the evening included Marc Jacobs, who beat off stiff competition from Alexander Wang and Donna Karan to scoop the award for Womenswear Designer Of The Year 2010. Britain’s very own Christopher Bailey took home the award for International Designer Of The Year for his work at Burberry. Other winners included Iman, who picked up the prestigious award for Fashion Icon Of The Year 2010wearing a floor-skimming gown by Giambattista Valli and fashion designer Michael Kors bagged the Lifetime Achievement Award 2010. Iman picked up the Fashion Icon award from Isabella Rossellini and designers Rag Bone got Menswear of the Year titles.


Jason Wu

Iman

Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors

Sarah Jessica Parker, Alexa Chung, and Anna Wintour led the fashion pack at the CFDA Fashion Awards 2010 in New York. Sarah Jessica Parker didn’t disappoint with yet another stunning designer dress. This time the Sex And The City star chose a digital print maxi dress by her late friend Alexander McQueen. Sarah completed her look with a messy bouffant hairstyle, statement jewellery and a small leather clutch bag. Mary-Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen, Whitney Port and Jessica Biel all put in appearances. We also enjoyed seeing some of our fave models Jessica Stam, Estonian model Carmen Kass, Hilary Rhoda, and model Devon Aoki.
Model Icon Iman, who attended with her husband David Bowie, dazzled in a strapless Giambatista Valli gown. Brit star Rachel Weisz was pretty in a cornflower-blue Jason Wu shift; Jessica Biel stood out in printed Diane Von Furstenberg; The City star Whitney Port glimmered in silver David Meister; Twilight actress Dakota Fanning was cute in a Marchesa mini; and Alexa Chung was unique in bow-embellished nude Marc Jacobs frock. We thought neutral colours, nudes, whites and blacks were strong trends, yet we liked many who gave us pops of color in beautiful summer prints.

When visiting NY, you might go to the Moma museum or go to Abercrombie and Fitch...when you live in the city you find there are many more opportunities and dare we say, threats (in the best possible way). Recently a friend pointed out to me the newest rooftop art from artist Antony Gormley, the 31 life-size sculptures are part of an installation called “Event Horizon.” They are body casts of made of iron and glass fiber which peer down to you from some of Manhattan's tallest buildings. If you like fashion events, New York is filled from store openings, to Fashion Galas, and of course there is also Fashion Week and many other events through out the year. New York is also the location of many live, reality, and movie show sets. Gossip Girl, Sex and the City, the City, and many more shows take place right in the city. Summer is one our favorite times of the year when models walk around the streets of the city with giant books going to castings for September's fashion week, we say hello and see you from the front row!

Following in the footsteps of Christy Turlington, Kate Moss, and Natalia Vodianova , 27-year-old Lara Stone has landed one of the world's most coveted modeling gigs—as exclusive face of Calvin Klein. Supermodel of the moment Lara Stone has signed an exclusive deal which will have Stone fronting the fall campaigns for Calvin Klein, CK Calvin Klein and Calvin Klein Jeans, the company has announced. The campaign was shot by acclaimed fashion photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, the gap-toothed beauty rocks austere black garments and a slicked-back coif for the moody black and white Calvin Klein Collection ads.

With so many references to beiges and nudes the last few seasons, white may actually make a come back as a fresh new trend for the Summer season. Try white with metallic prints, drapey and flowy white fabrics, white trousers for breezy summer dinners, for longer length white styles try architectural and deconstructed looks or Grecian draping.

This past week many of the major fashion houses showed their latest resort collections. The designers were inspired by many destination themes. Some of the designers used this additional popular 3rd fashion season as a way to show things that may not have made it in their large Fall and Spring collections. Instead of super polished sophistication that most cruise collections have, the British designer Christopher Bailey at Burberry Prosum went slightly more faded and vintage-y inspired. Alexander Wang showed flowy cropped tops with extremely short skirts and shorts for the downtown edgy set. Rachel Roy's woman was the ultimate international glamourous jetsetter who mixes eclectic jewelry, dresses and trousers from Bombai to Abu Dabai or Paris. We loved drapey relaxed double- breasted suits at Bottega Veneta and found it refreshing that they sent out some male looks at the end of their show. We thought the colorful one-shoulder cocktail dresses at Christian Dior were something new to be offered for resort.


Christian Dior Resort

Alexander Wang Resort

Rachel Roy Resort

Burberry Prosum Resort

Bottega Veneta Resort

Just before you start to pack up to go to your Euro summer outdoor festival, Trendcocktail has a few tips and looks that might work rather you are in Glastonberry in England or Lowlands in the Netherlands. Some might say outdoor summer festival dressing might be about preparation, but judging from the huge attendance of recognizable models, actresses, actors and rockers, we also know that people dress to look cool and fashionable. Utility -safari or military inspired - as seen at Chloe, Sportmax and Loewe makes festival fashion sense. Adopt rain resistant ponchos, functional multi-pocketed skirts and combat jackets, wellies can also be worn if you are in a rainy climate. Floral, tribal and tie-dye prints work. And don't forget bright hues are always good in the summer.

This week, design house Givenchy hosted a dinner in honor of Marina Abramovic and the closing of her Museum of Modern Art retrospective “The Artist is Present.” Models, celebrities, artists and the high-end fashion crowd attended the recent event at the MOMA. Designer Riccardo Tisci, a friend of Marina's was there to give his full support and they sat at the same table at the dinner. We enjoyed seeing everyone from model Natasha Poly, to Liv Tyler, to Veronica Webb, to singer Ciara. Even with such an extensive guest list, the focus of the night was on artist Marina who's work was described during the night as profound and even perplexed, yet very intriguing.

Alexander Wang is set to open his first stand-alone store in New York sometime this year. The popular fashion designer has said he is close to signing a lease in New York City, but said he would disclose more details once all has been finalized on the new retail store. This comes after the designer has become very successful over the past seasons, he is also up for an CFDA award which will take place on Monday.

The Oscars of the fashion industry better known as the CFDA Awards take place next Monday. The nominees this year are among fashion's biggest stars like Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs, Prabal Gurung, Joseph Altuzarra, Tom Ford and Jason Wu. All of the lovely design talent got together for a glamourous fashion shoot with some of our favorite models like Karlie Kloss and Heidi Mount.

The latest designer changes at European fashion houses may not just be a current trend. Just this month we've seen the departure of Jean Paul Gautier at Hermes, newcomer Sarah Burton takes over designer reins at Alexander McQueen, the house of Emanuel Ungaro has tapped Giles Deacon as its new creative director and Christopher Bailey of Burberry was just named creative officer which means his new job does not just design, he will need to multi-task and do other roles such as oversea merchandising, information technology, advertising inspiration and e-commerce controller. Some may start to ask: where or where are the days when designers were the biggest stars in fashion companies. Now post-recession, many fashion houses are turning down the notch of focus on big designer names instead using the designer as global ambassador and re-focusing on overall brand development.


Sarah Burton new designer at Alexander McQueen


Christopher Bailey of Burberry

From downtown New York City DJ of Misshapes to international fashion darling, Leigh Lezark has become a fashion star lately. During New York fashion week, we saw her at all the major designer shows sitting front row in the designer's latest ensemble. She was also in Paris at the shows and she was recently shot by Karl Lagerfeld for his short film in Cannes, France. There is something about Leigh that makes the fashion world swoon.

Jonathan Simkhai has decided that there is no need for women to borrow from their boyfriends clothes any longer. With boyfriend fits being the trend for the past few seasons in retail, Simkhai has decided to make his latest Fall 2010 collection based on the slouchy chic boyfriend fit. The designer's collection is not oversized, the collection is all thoughtfully tailored to flatter women’s figures. “I make pieces skinnier, drop crotches, and add feminine silhouettes,” explained the intuitive 24-year-old designer. “Guys wear everything big, but girls want to feel shape somewhere" said Simkhai. The overall look is deceptively carefree without skimping on luxury, but ultimately, “It’s about comfort,” concluded the new designer who's a native New Yorker. We think many women will want to dress like this.

Forbes Magazine just released their yearly list of top-earning models: Gisele Bundchen still holds the top spot for the 6th year in a row. Pregnant most of last year with her first child, Giselle still ranked higher than all other models with $25 million in estimated earnings from June 2009 to June 2010. Some of our other models who made the list of top earners are Heidi Klum, Doutzen Kroes, Natalia Vodianova, Daria Werbowy, Natalia Vodianova, Alessandra Ambrosio and Amanda Kerr.

Vanity Fair had its annual Cannes bash this past weekend which was sponsored by Gucci this year. Models Karolina Kurkova, Liya Kibede were there, also in attendance were Selma Hayek, Naomi Watts, Margharita Missoni, Naomi Campbell, and Charlotte Casiraghi. Also in attendance was Fiat hier/fashion darling Lapo Elkan. One thing for certain, Gucci and Vanity Fair made sure their guests had the chicest time partying on the Riviera with no glasses left un-filled and a stunning crowd to mingle with in the ultra glamourous setting of Cannes.

Givenchy is one of many designer houses who after the last year or two of economic downturn, has decided to go full steam ahead again with its expansive retail strategy. Givenchy has started to sense an increase of confidence among consumers which is there basis for expansion. The couture high-fashion house is focusing on opening franchises and focusing on development plans especially in Asia, says its CEO Fabrizio Malverdi. Opening stores in Taiwan and Singapore and renovating their existing stores in Hong Kong and South Korea which the company want to mirror their flagship store in Paris. The Givenchy house has had great success over the last few years under creative director Riccardo Tisci, the house has noticed an even further increase in sales this year by 35 percent. One other strategy the company plans to continue is its new capsule collection which they have introduced this Spring season which is geared to their loyal customers, which includes trousers and romantic blouses, yet it is 20-30 percent less expensive than the main line.


Givenchy Ad Campaign

Tonight's Costume Institute Gala celebrates The American Woman. Trendcocktail was their every step of the way, we even ran into Muccia Prada and Stefano Tucci holding hands together, designer Georgina Chapman of Marchesa, her husband Harvey Weinstein, and model Chanel Iman at the Carlyle Hotel where everyone attended a pre-gala dinner. As we left the Carlyle and made our way over to the Met to the gala, we were stunned by all of the beautiful people. Host Ana Wintour in a new blonde bob, in Chanel couture, and Bee Shaffer, in Balenciaga, were among the first to arrive. Evening co-host Oprah arrived with designer Oscar de la Renta wearing a custom-made gown by the designer, Oprah shrieked with excitement at when she ran into Iman. Zac Posen arrived with model Doutzen Kroes in the biggest fairytale seaphone blue dress, that dress was dramatic and beautiful. Giselle Bunchen looked gorgeous with her husband Tom Brady, who turned out to be Giselle's best accessory, as they stopped and kissed on the stairs leading into the gala. Our favorite of the night was Hillary Rhoda who arrived with our favorite designer of the moment Prabal Gurung in an asymetrical red and black short dress, stunning. Designer Calvin Klein arrived with designer Carolina Herrera. And actress Zoe Saldana was Calvin Klein's creative director Francisco Costa's muse for the night. Seeing everyone we love in the fashion industry up close and personal tonight, left us here a Trendcocktail over-joyed, and frankly over-whelmed. What a great night for fashion!