It's as though Marchesa designers Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig have heard what we've all been talking about all these years. While the brand has always been a red carpet favourite, you can pretty much forget getting in on the action if you don't have pockets deep enough to pay the four figure starting prices. Thankfully, though, that will change with the launch of their upcoming affordable line and following on with that new accessibility, soon you'll be able to get the Marchesa smell too.
Last week WWD unveiled the bottle for their debut fragrance, Parfume d'Extase. 'Eveningwear evokes an emotion, and this scent does the same thing,' Chapman told the title. So if you think of iris, young violet leaves and freesia when you think of their gowns, you won't be disappointed, as they are the top notes that the fragrance includes. 'We didn't want anything too sweet. Georgina and I don't like perfumes that can smell sort of sickly, so that was very important when we were going through the process.'
Yesterday InStyle hosted their 11th annual summer soiree party at The London Hotel in West Hollywood. All of the usual faces were there, like Ashley Tisdale who arrived wearing ERIN by Erin Fetherston and Twilight's Nikki Reed. Those two didn't deliver the best outfits from the night but that aside, the looks were really good.
Khloe Kardashian looked incredible and svete in a black leather dress and simple Christian Louboutin pumps and so did Christa B. Allen wearing Giorgio Armani. My favorite look, though, came from Jaimie King who looked so feminine in tht red one-shouldered dress from the pre-fall Marchesa collection.
When Katy Perry hits the red carpet you never quite know what to expect. As much as she does deliver the goods and come out with interesting looks, she does have a tendency to go down the gimmicky route too.
While the red carpet at the European premiere of her film 'Katy Perry: Part of Me' was lined her usual candy and ice-cream displays, her outfit last night was actually on the tame side. For the occassion she opted for intricately embroidered Fall 2012 Marchesa dress teamed with matching gold strappy sandals and it worked. The only thing that let the look down was the dark and heavy-handed make-up and serious up-do.
Drama and Marchesa go hand in hand. Nowadays, you'll be hard pressed not to find one of their statement gowns on any big red carpet. While this has always been their unique selling point, it's this uncompromising glamour that can be also be a downfall. For anyone not attending red carpet events every other night of the week, their designs can often feel inaccessible but that's exactly why their resort collections are so good.
As is becoming common, the collection was a lot more reigned in. Short sleeved dresses were feminine and romantic in bright pinks and were so easy to wear and felt like the perfect baby steps into the brand, and perhaps a sign of what's to come with their upcoming accessible line. The glamour was still there, as was their signature gowns full of tulle but this season it was their white feathered dress that really stood out and the more simple over the knee styles with details like beading along the neckline and accentuates shoulders, which will no doubt have stylists fighting over them.
Lily Collins' red carpet looks tend to be a bit hit and miss but last night at the CFDA Awards, she was on top form.
The actress chose this white-and-gold embroidered brocade dress from the Fall 2012 Marchesa collection, which was as feminine as it was interesting and different.
We all knew it already but today Marchesa designers Georgina Chapman and Karen Craig officially confirmed that they are working on a diffusion line. What we didn't know is the price range, which the pair confirmed as being from $150 to $750 and that's pretty good considering that their dresses generally start at the £2,000 mark. WWD reports:
"It's going to be under the Marchesa umbrella, but with a slightly different feel," [Chapman] said. "We have been so specific for such a long time, and the idea to broaden out to a different consumer, and to our same consumer as well. We haven't really looked at that market yet. My dream is to give Marchesa many facets, and that's just one of them."
There's no doubt that the collection will be a success. There aren't many accessible brands that deliver great occasion wear so the collection so there will definitely be a demand for the line. 'I am not really a traditional American sportswear designer, so I am hoping Marchesa will have something to offer that is very different from what's on the floor at present.'
Rihanna swapped her usual penchant for all things sexy and provactive last night to attend the Time 100 Gala to celebrate their 100 Most Influential People list. This fuschia dress from Marchesa's Resort 2012 collection was the outfit of choice teamed with Christian Louboutin's Boid Dore heels. It's good to see the singer shake things up a bit the silhouette doesn't seem to work on her.
While Marchesa may be loved by women everywhere, not many people can afford the hefty price tag that naturally comes along with their clothes. Compared to other luxury brands the high price points at Marchesa do make sense to certain extent. After all, far from offering up expensive jeans and t-shirts (hello Balmain), their collections don't often extend beyond bridal wear and red carpet worthy gown, which are generally things you would expect to shell out on. If new reports are anything to go by though, that's all about to change.
This morning WWD confirmed that the brand are in talks with LF USA, the U.S. subsidiary of Li & Fung, about launching a new contemporary line and while both parties are staying quiet at the moment 'an announcement could be imminent.'
The line is definitely a good step. In this current climate accessible lines are a proving to be a real earner for even the big brands so it was only a matter of time before Marchesa followed suit. The brand is so well known for glamour so I'm sure that women will buy pieces from the collection to try and tap into that spirit. How designers Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig will translate the aesthetic of the mainline onto an affordable collection is the challenge.
The red carpet looks at last night's Oscars was mixed. Angelina Jolie looked incredible in an Atelier Versace black gown with thigh high slit, just about everyone wearing Elie Saab Couture looked incredible and Emma Stone stole the show in a red halter neck Giambattista Valli Couture gown.
Unsurprisingly, Jessica Chastain chose an Alexander McQueen gown and Rooney Mara chose Givenchy as we expected but unfortunately did not make the statement that we were all hoping for. The most interesting look of the night came from Gwyneth Paltrow who, like last year with that Calvin Klein dress, managed to pull off a difficult Tom Ford dress.
As we count down to tonight's Oscars, we have compiled some images of some of the best red carpet moments we've had over the last few years.
Naturally Hilary Swank's Guy Laroche dress that she wore to accept the Best Female gong for 'Million Dollar Baby' is in the list, alongside Nicole Kidman in that red Balenciaga halter neck dress that she wore in 2007 and that breathtaking Atelier Versace gown that Penelope Cruz wore back in 2007.
