Flying High with Chanel & an African Adventure at Valentino

Welcome to Chanel Airlines...

Just when you think you've seen it all from Karl Lagerfeld, he blows your mind once again. We have had a barn yard, a rotating carousel, an underwater kingdom complete with Florence Welch emerging from shell, a supermarket and now... an airport terminal, flying from gate no.5, of course!

Yep, you heard correctly. If you haven't already seen the amazing venue, watch the video link at the top of this post and you'll see what I mean. The Chanel spring/summer 2016, was held in a life like make shift airport, with air attendants, a check in desk, luggage trolleys, airport waiting seats and even boarding passes for show tickets, with seat numbers and baring the Chanel logo! Anna Dello Russo had great fun posing with the trolleys after the show - perfect Instagram material! Lagerfeld really out did himself with such a lavish, amazing spectacle that I can't even imagine how exciting it must have been for the lucky audience members watching the show, let alone me admiring the collection through a screen.

And as for the clothes. It was all classic Chanel. The collection opened with Edie Campbell wearing a neon pink and green gingham jumpsuit, pulling a suitcase along with her. Then it was just a roll call of fashionable passengers, all in tweed suits, bright blue eyeliner which looked like a sci-fi visor over the eyes, chunky skirts and silk blouses adorned with pops of colour.

Red and blue stood out predominantly, colours usually associated with air stewards uniforms, while gingham as seen at Stella McCartney was a key feature. Smart blazers came with layers of necklaces, something Lagerfeld really plays on seeing as Gabrielle Coco Chanel basically invented costume jewellery. While there were also 80's influences in the form with jackets tied around the waist, baseball hats and clashing prints piled against each other.

Mini skirts were swinging and transparent, silver shoes did all the walking, literally done the super long runway staged at the normal Chanel venue, the Grand Palais. Kendall Jenner made an appearance, which got Twitter talking, in a blue midi skirt and matching tweed jacket while models strolled through check in with ease and style. There were a couple of really lovely lady like looks, such as a v-neck pastel pink mini dress which was worn with a flat hat and sunglasses. Or maybe you fancied the white Peter Pan collared dress, which was slightly see-through but pretty enough to pass as a luxury day dress. And then came the finale, which featured Cara Delevingne, even though she didn't walk in show but is still an ambassador of the brand, however much she tries to distance herself away from modelling. Other models pretended to check out at the desks, while others filed through the departure lounge all head to toe in Chanel. What fun!

I know there are some who don't like King Karl, as I like to call him, and feel that his work at Chanel is dated and completely boring compared to the other amazing designers out there. But the truth is, I can't think of anyone who can possibly take his place at Chanel. his vision and design talent have built this fashion house into the mighty luxury brand it is today, and his crazy spectacles of a show are something which will have magazines and the press talking for months. I loved this Chanel collection, and respect such a talented designer such as Karl Lagerfeld. Now, please excuse me, I have to go and catch my flight on Chanel Airlines...

A Trip to Africa with Valentino 
Today's Valentino spring/summer 2016 collection was a million miles away from the Chanel show staged earlier today. There was no giant airport to distract you from the clothes, no gimmicks, no over the top craziness. It was just the clothes, and the craftsmanship and beauty that did all the talking, in what was a fantastic collection, and one of the finest I think Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paulo Picciolo have produced.

The collection opened with scuptural black evening and day dresses, some falling to the ground and others sitting comfortably on the knee. Picciolo and Chiuri now practically own the whole 'make the models look like angel' look, and this show was no different, yet models sported tightly braided hair which gave way to messy buns at the back of the head. An ode to African culture. Of course, there were still plenty of signature, Valentino, Italian pieces, such as the leather mini dresses, Victorian-esque blouses with high neck collars, pre raphaelite looking maxi dresses and decadent embroidery on silk tops and jackets. As well as black, there were earthy colours mirroring the landscape of Africa, such as browns, orange, yellow and beige which were sublime and beautiful.

I loved the Masai warrior style dresses, which looked like a fierce harness on the top and then gave way to black mesh skirts, as well as the fringing details and bright orange and white prints on jackets and shorts. The geometric patterns printed on sheer silk dresses were also impressive, worn with statement necklaces and flat gladiator sandals - footwear which has been the top choice for shoes so far at PFW. Long skirts came layered with flowing coats, decorated with pattern along the hem and the lapels while the white feathers which sprouted from shoulders and around the neck looked highly luxurious but also very African.

To be honest, there was Africa everywhere, southern Africa to be exact and the plains of country which are full of tribes, animals and wildlife. Dresses looked like old shields and spears that are usually hand painted by tribesmen and wonderful animal prints such as elephants and giraffes were printed onto sweeping maxi dresses in such beautiful colours like dark green, dusky orange and chocolate brown.

Valentino are known for their fluid, long, lean lines and this collection featured many of those classic shapes. I personally loved the white looks seen at the end of the collection, which were highly embroidered, embellished show stoppers which tastefully did not show off any flesh, covering the arms, the body and the chest. It just shows you can look elegant and beautiful without flashing your legs, or your cleavage and Valentino proved that mythical beauty can shine through anything any day with one of their gorgeous angel-like creations. The whole collection was amazing; so rich with cultural influences and beauty that you felt as though you were watching a couture show rather than ready-to-wear. This is one of my favourite shows so far of PFW, and we now only have one more day to go. Louis Vuitton and Miu Miu are the big names showing on the final day of Paris fashion week, and they will surely be collections you won't want to miss. Check back here for the full reviews and images.