Alexis Mabille
Armani Prive
Chanel
Christian Dior 
Elie Saab
Giambattista Valli
Givenchy 
Jean Paul Gaultier
Maxime Simoens
Valentino
Versace
Today's PB post I lay the blame completely at the feet of Hubert de Givenchy (pronounced gee-von-CHEE). Pas mal non? 
Et voila!
The story of this painting goes a back to the '90s, when I spotted a gorgeous watercolor...
In a French magazine article, Atmosphere, on Parisien watercolor artists.
I had to track down artist Jeffrey Bailey who is in fact American!
Turns out Jeffrey painted this preparatory 'sketch' whilst sitting right in Givenchy's salon. The final artwork, one of a series, made specialment for M. Givenchy, was a much tighter version, but I fell in love with the sketch. Somehow I twisted Jeffrey's arm to sell it to me. 
Jeffrey's loose yet precise washes are incredible to me still...
I'm in awe...
So much detail described with such ease and economy...
And dash! It's a delight to share Jeffrey's work with you.
I can't imagine living in this grand style, much less sitting amidst all this splendor and then painting it...
The Charmed Couple:The Art and Life of Walter and Matilda Gay is a lushly illustrated book about another American artist who also made it his specialty to paint interiors of great homes in France and New York. Edith Wharton, Henry James, Elsie de Wolfe to name a few of the 'grandees' painted by Walter Gay.
I've seen some exhibits of Gay's watercolors - exquisite non? 
Gay painted inside the Musee Jacquemart-Andree back when it was a private mansion. We'll have to be very patient and wait for the show the Frick Museum is putting on in Spring of 2012 of Gay's works.
I've never tackled a full interior watercolor, but painting a vignette is loads of fun. This one from the Chateau Vaux le Vicomte
And the musee Nisson de Camondo...
Merci for you patience dear PB readers - un gouter from the tea salon at the Jacquemart-Andree..welcome to part II of my coverage of the fall 2009 haute couture collections! please leave comments- it means the world to me, your support keeps me going!
♥ me
alexis mabille
this collection was light, floaty, girly and full of lace and solitary black bows with long ribbons. in the beginning it really just reminded me of a ready to wear show. as the show went on it definitely had a more couture feel, and really it was the shoes that got me. i love the elgant tstrap and silky ribbon at the back of some of the shoes (example is snakeskin one to the far left, they were also shown in black). hey, you people at alexis mabille, send me over a pair in 9 or 8.5 US size! i definitely wasn't wowed or overly excited after seeing this collection (especially after seeing christian dior), but i loved the uber feminine feel, and the lingerie look of some of the pieces. all of the looks i chose to put in the collage i'd love to see on the red carpet, or on me ;). i think the third dress from the left is ingenious, and funkily beautiful. don't you?
givenchy
i liked this collection, it wasn't my favorite because it didn't seem groundbreaking. it featured a lot of the givenchy we already know. it showcased fierce shoe boots that stretched up the calf and had holes for each toe to stick out of, and of course a lace up detail. lots of black was featured in the beginning of the show, and that gave way to black looks with heavy gold jewelry, cream dresses with colored jewel embellishments, enrusted bustiers and then all white ensembles. the three dresses featured in the collage would be so great for red carpet! i absolutely loveeeeeeee the design of the cream dresses with jewel embellishment. i really love the cutaway trend in gowns right now. showing skin in unexpected places is so exciting. we all know showing cleavage is supposed to be sexy, but showing your waist, back and collar bones are just as sexy! the beautiful dip-dye dress is so classic and yet different...all i can say is that i like it.
christian lacroix
the whole fashion world knows that the lacroix house is in trouble. lacroix filed for bankruptcy and this collection was put together at the last minute. only 25 looks were shown, and all of them definitely didn't have the couture feel to it. i really miss the old fantastically flamboyant and crazily colorful lacroix. however, this couture collection did have some great pieces that i really hope gets lots of attention. they are classic pieces that one could wear for a long time but they all have their own original thumbprint. most of the pieces were black, but they weren't just black ensembles: they were black lacroix ensembles with amazing elegance as well as quirkiness. i know dita von teese or eva green would look so fab in the outfit on siri tollerod (second from left), and the dress third from left is amazing! i love tulle! if i had enough money to be ordering couture, i would order that dress pronto. i also think the dress would look great on keira knightley...
chanel
i absolutely loved this collection. classic chic and style at its best! lagerfeld, you are a true, true talent. reinventing the chanel look with every collection and yet keeping its true essence. towards the end of the collection there were some pieces that seemed out of place, dresses with sequins that outlined the shape of the breast and nipples and a red sequined dress with a grey smear across it, but pretty much all of the collections were absolutely exquisite. i loved the beloved chanel edwardrian ankle boots, the absolutely beautiful lace leggings, the lace lampshade hats, the styling, the makeup, the models...just...all of it! i loved it!
armani prive
this has got to be one of my favorite recent armani collections. i haven't really been loving armani, but this collection BLOWS ME AWAY. i wish i could make a collage with all of the looks in this collection, and i don't even think the four looks that i chose to show give you the full scope of the collection, but it does showcase some beautiful pieces that i wish i could wear. the color palette ranged from deep blue, to cerulean blue, to shimmering nudes, blacks and greys. of course there were heavily embellished numbers and i loved the cutaway halter design that armani chose to showcase in some looks in this couture collection. this collection is so me. i want to wear many of these pieces!
so far my favorite collections are dior, armani and chanel. but that's only so far, let's see what the rest of the week brings us!
it took me forever to get this out because my life has been sooo crazy, busy and jampacked. but here is the last entry for the fall 2009 presentations! i love fashion weeks, but updating for them is such a marathon! enjoy my dears :)
♥ me
hermes- hermes played on an aviation theme. gaultier did such a great job with it, putting the classic hermes spin on the theme.
isabel marant- cool parisian girl about town looks.
lanvin- alber elbaz describes himself as a realist, and he makes clothes that women need in order to look good, feel good, and function well in our world climate. we all know the economy is in the garbage, but that doesn't mean we can't look good--it just means we have to rethink our shopping habits and our closets. i loved these "real" looks from lanvin.
limi feu- this is a step in the right direction for limi feu. i really loved her take on edwardian designs.
louis vuitton- this show seemed to be inspired by the ruffly, girly side of the 80s as well as the craftmanship of the amazing christian lacroix. i fell in love with the collection instantly. it's blazers and exposed bras were endearing and the counstruction of the big shouldered dresses were amazing. seriously, whoever gets a piece of LV fall 09 should be happy.
maison martin margiela- style.com says maison margiela lost its magic and that they believe margiela has left his house. maybe he did leave it, but i liked this collection. it made sense to me.
martin grant- i loved this collection. the shoes, clothes and makeup were perfect.
viktor & rolf- the model's faces were washed with a pale white tint, and the clothes seemed to have a vintage inspiration with old style cuts, belting and buttoning. i loved the cascading ruffle theme they had throughout the show, sometimes the pattern was sewn into the bodice of clothing, and it was even featured in a fur frock.
valentino- all i have to say is ♥♥♥♥ amazingly simple glamour.
stella mccartney- amazingly chic outerwear, and such an elegant yet young collection. i love you stella!
tao- this show was almost lacroix like in it's imaginiativeness and creativeness.
sophia kokosalaki- all of sophia's collections are so intelligent and fluid, i'd love to wear the clothes she makes...particularly the ones in the collage!
rue du mail- parisian chic--very feminine and very cool. i am in love with the nude peplum dress to the far left.
roland mouret- i loved the shoes in this collection, so original yet wearable! oh, why must i be poor? O.O
nina ricci- this was olivier theysken's last collection from nina ricci and it was AMAZING. i was astounded to see how brilliant it was. i remember when he first came to nina ricci (or at least his early days there) i was amazed with him, last season i wasn't, but he got everything back on track--i wonder who the next head of nina ricci will be? i'll miss olivier.
gareth pugh- i love you gareth pugh!
