TAKE ME TO THE PLAYGROUND

I'm happy to share with you a series of photographs I took of my dearest friends wearing my designs. This dress is part of a small collection I presented last month in a local runway, I designed it in January (before Anne Hathaway's faux pas at the Oscars...) and I was inspired by the Bauhaus movement. Following the "minimal" path that fashion is going over, this dress is a modern interpretation of the cocktail dress.  

G.F. MARTI

PROENZA SHOULER SPRING SUMMER 2013 COLLECTION

The first time I heard about Proenza Schouler was in 2007, when Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough were the "new kids on the block" of fashion scene and I was learning about fashion at Vogue and style.com. Five years have passed and now those kids are global trendsetters. When everybody is looking at the past they invite us to think about the present and dream about the future with their collections and this one wasn't the exception. At fashion, "everything" is already done but they can take last century art movements like Bauhaus and create something totally new, even futuristic, yet wearable (like their "professor" Nicolas Ghesquière) and easily recognizable. At this season they mainly used bright green (as seen in other collections) red, black, grey and blue mixing graphic patterns and the 2011 fashion star: Snake print. A fantastic collection that certainly will be seen next year at the streets, Tommy Ton's camera must be prepared! 

P.S To be honest I was a little impressed about the first and third outfit cause the stilism was similar to the one I sketched one year ago and upload last January (inspired by a Vogue Spain editorial) and the cut of the coats is alike to the one I used for the raglan coat that I designed for the runway show in which I participated this summer! This is not the first time it happens, Two years ago I thought about pleated skirts, light blue and bare crop tops and Ms. Prada showed something similar at her spring '12 collection. My mother tried to support me by saying: "Great minds think alike" so I guess these kind of things encourage me to continue preparing myself, studying, reading, watching, designing and dreaming. I'm sure I took the right path so I keep on walking! In Gucci moccasins of course! ;) 

G.F. MARTI

The collage I did for last year homework and posted this January. 

OSCAR DE LA RENTA SPRING 2013 COLLECTION

 

The words that best define this Spring collection from Oscar de la Renta could be "Spring Romance", one of those we had and lived intensely so everytime Spring comes and Winter Drama goes (this year Hollywood is making a bet on the new adaptation of two classic dramatic stories: Anna Karenina and The Great Gatsby, now filmed by Joe Wright and Baz Luhrmann respectively) we remember it with nostalgia. But it's a different kind of nostalgia, a happier one, well-represented by a bright colours palette and luxurious fabrics such as Lace, guipure and different kind of silks like duchess satin and the one used at the 3-D flowers tops. 

The main silouette evoke early 60's and a re-interpretation of The Robe de Style (popularized by Jeanne Lanvin at the first decades of last century) was introduced at the show. This is one of the most beautiful collection I've seen from "El maestro" cause he makes modern and desirable something that Holly Golightly or MAD MEN heroines could have worn and now high society ladies from all around the world surely will be wearing (or craving to wear) in some months.  

G.F. MARTI

Oscar de la Renta SS '13 dress inspired by Hubert de Givenchy dress wore by Audrey Hepburn at Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly

CHRISTIAN DIOR HAUTE COUTURE A/W '12-'13

I've been really inspiring today, reading a new book of fashion I got from the library of my University and searching "Haute Couture techniques" videos on youtube. Haute Couture and it's techniques is one of the main topics I've been investigating recently cause, to be honest, I didn't use to care about it when I was younger. When I get involved with fashion I learn from Vogue and style.com at the beggining, watching the pret-à-porter shows and some HC ones but didn't pay attention. 

Five years later, when I started studying fashion as a former career I learn sewing and that was the beggining of my love with Haute Couture! It's amazing how couturiers create magic from a piece of fabric and how much work (specially hand-made details) a dress needs to be considered Haute Couture.  

One year ago I posted doccumental named "The secret world of Haute Couture" and the moment I watched it I felt like if someone forced me to open my eyes and see what I've been missing. I know it's really difficult to be part of this selected "club" but as an upcoming designer I have the freedom to experiment and get the more information I could get about it, starting with it's history and then with couture sewing techniques. Someone once said: If you could do the hardest, everything will be easier so that will be my personal challenge: Create Haute Couture (unless I couldn't name it or sell it like HC cause it's regularized by the Chambre syndicale de la Haute Couture and I still don't meet the requirements ). And about Dior collection, I have no words enought cause it is fantastic, a new era begins and what I see is the return of the real essence of Christian Dior, I know Raf is more pre-à-porter designer and less couturier but his doing his best effort and having an amazing an amazing team like the one he has, I predict a good future for the house.

P.S. I'll share you two funny captures I made from Anna Wintour at the show, She also get impressed by the dresses and almost remove her sun glasses to see better, something she NEVER do! (Is this the sign real-life "Miranda Priestley" do when she likes something?) I just love her!

RUNWAY SHOW

Many things happened since i wrote for the last time and a runway show participation was one of them. I wanted to show something feminine and actual using a colour block from pastel palette , a Katy Perry picture and Louis Vuitton last spring collection as a reference. The first outfit is conformed by three pieces: a silk crepe de chine blouse in a butterscotch colour, a pencil skirt with volume at the hips (kind of tulip shape) and a embellished lace border. The coat has a raglan cut and it was made of giving it a sporty, minimal and luxury look. The second gown, a romantic printed dress, has a boat neck at the front, a sexy V neck at the back and a pleated cut at the hips. The ruffled cuffs of the sleeve give a romantic addition to the dress. I'm planning to do a photoshoot with my "creations" as protagonist so as soon as i take and edit the photos i'll share them.

G.F. MARTI

THE BLACK LACE DRESS

Hello again! as always, i'm posting too late, that's something i recognize i have to change cause new followers won't wait three months for a new post :( but I prefer quality than quantity so now i present to all of you this new post: THE BLACK LACE DRESS. 

Last '11 Fall we saw a lot of lace dresses, in many colours and different shapes but the star was the black dress, Dolce & Gabbana was the major responsible of trend with the sicilian look so i wanted to do my own design. I take my sketchbook and my scissors and made what you see in the pictures, taken by myself. The top is made of elastic lace, and the skirt is satin, simple, ellegant and a classic that never fails!

G.F. MARTI

PROJECT GUCCI

        

       

Procrastination is maybe the best word that describe myself recently (and not so recently cause i've always been a mess) but believe me, study fashion design, no matter what university, is a BIG deal... no time for anything if you want to present your homework on time, no time for friends, no time for boyfriends, even eating! ok, maybe I'm exagerating but this career is so demanding sometimes i feel a little frustrated but my love for fashion encourages me to give more, no matter how many hours of sleeping I lost in the way!

Now, speaking about the photoshoot and the dress in it, it's an idea i've been thinking about for several months, in fact, since last year when the colour fever was emerging and color block Gucci dress and Jil Sander amazing collection was everywhere. I felt in love with this Gucci dress (as many woman including royals like Charlotte Casiraghi were) and recognize Frida Giannini's work since her earlier collections for the house, but for mortal people, it seems impossible to find it at stores, and despite it's appeal, my girl friends didn't want to invest for this iconic dress for many reasons: one, the dress is amazing but quite hard to wear it if you're not a reaaaally confident woman cause it talks by itself and everyone will see you, two, it's the kind of dress you only wear once and three, if you have no place to wear it, will be a shame that the only person will see it is you hanging on the closet. 

Please don't get me wrong, as a fashion lover, and if i were a woman I will buy it but due to the difficulties i decided to... do it by myself :) 

It was HARD work, my sewing teachers and I went crazy for about 4 months, yes, 4 months. Considering I was new at sewing and had no practice, it was really difficult for me, but thanks to my teachers and their pattience, and inspecting every detail of the dress at photographs (I wanted to see it personal but neither Sak's had it!) we try to do it a 90% similar to the original. I must admit i HATE piracy and fake stuff, everytime I recognize one it irritates me but as i'm not selling copies (despite some friends asked me to do it for them) and this is the only one not official "GUCCI by G.F Marti" dress (my dream is to work one day at the creative Gucci team and why not, be the director) I do it as a personal love proof for the brand, Frida and this iconic collection. 

The story of the photoshoot is funny cause i wanted initially to do it at Cancun, I called my best friends Estefania (one of my muses and future representative of my brand) and Patricia (my most beloved and fabolous biAtch) and we went there in July but the first days were TOTALLY cloudy! a dissaster! and the last days were better but didn't have the time so I go back home quite dissapointed and had to wait until January when Estefania visited me and agree with doing it at the local beach, the result left me very satisfied and proud of my work and when i receive good comments about what i create, what i picture or what i write, the pain worth it! So... I hope you enjoy the pictures and i invite you to dream with me, cause dreaming is priceless :)

G.F. MARTI