Fashion Rio - Acquastudio FW 2010

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I must admit that I did not know much about Brazilian fashion until recently, but those are my first steps in self-education. :)

Rio de Janeiro fashion week happened earlier this month, and I finally went over the collections. I love the fact that with just a few clicks I have the whole season in front of me. Although I do not speak the language, I managed to navigate the extensive Portuguese fashion site to find pictures and video of the Rio FW 2010 collections. I enjoyed the shows very much, and I learned a few words in Portuguese too. "Desfiles" means "Shows"! "Temporada" means "Season"! "Inverno 2010" means "Winter 2010"!

This illustration is of two looks by Acquastudio FW 2010. This label really stood out. I was amazed by the creativity and imagination of the brand designer, Esther Bauman. The gowns and cocktail dresses have wonderfully creative silhouettes - each dress is unique and complex. But despite the avant-garde construction, the dresses look easy, fresh and almost-wearable :). I love the romantic and soft feel of those dresses. Another thing that I love about this collection is that the clothes look fantastic on the runway and move beautifully with the models. Check them out in video here.

I chose to illustrate a soft pink bubble dress with black string detail, and the black asymmetrical sculpted dress with glistening lines.


My Brazilian readers, please help me with my discovery: What are your favorite fashion designers in Brazil?

Straight from Berlin - Schumacher FW 2010

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I was following the Berlin fashion shows, which finished on Saturday, and I really enjoyed the collections! This is the first time I check out the Berlin shows, and I loved finding out about the talented German designers and their collections. The Schumacher collection was amongst my favorites - it is so elegant and beautiful, with fine fabrics and exquisite contraction. See the fashion show here.

Illustrated here is the finale dress from the Schumacher FW 2010 show. I love the deep emerald colour and the modern style of this dress. I took a romantic twist by accessorizing this feminine dress with beige Moschino Cheap And Chic Vertigo clutch and shimmery platform pumps from Elizabeth and James. My model is wearing an amazing headband from Toronto based brand cocoboudoir, available on Etsy. It is made of white satin rosettes, accented with vintage black crystal beads. Absolutely lovely!

The Kaffiyeh and The Tutu - Givenchy SS 2010

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The beautifully geometrical Givenchy SS 2010 collection got rave reviews from critics this season. I am not a critic, but I am in-love!

I am always drawn to prints and patterns, so of course my favorite designs in this collection are the original Arabic kaffiyeh prints - like the softly draped pantsuit on the left.

And I never realized that I can like a tutu as much as I like it here, on the right! It is not childish or overly girly, it is tough and edgy and sophisticated. Always innovative!

Illustration for your Donations to Haiti Relief Fund

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What can you do to get your hands on this specially made illustration dedicated to the Haitian people affected by the earthquake?

The first 15 people, who starting today will donate any amount to an authorized Haiti Relief Fund, will receive a high quality print, signed and matted. Just send me a note to help@stylishgoose.com with your donation receipt and your mailing address. This is my Thank You to you for showing support.

The model is wearing a long printed dress by Nicole Miller from her Spring Summer 2009 collection, inspired by her travels to Haiti.

xo

Genya

Illustration for Help - Haiti Earthquake

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My Dear Friends,

I was so touched and heartbroken by the images of the Haiti Earthquake on the news. I wanted to extend my thought to the Haitian people and their worried family and friends in Canada and around the world.

I have just made a donation to the Salvation Army to assist with the immediate rescues operations.

I encourage all of my Stylish Goose readers to donate to your local authorized support organization. For a Canadian list, please see here.

As a great Thank You for your Help, anyone who donates at least $50 CAD (or equivalent in your currency), will receive a specially made illustration which I will prepare in the next few days (you know it will be a fantastic one!), printed on quality 8x10 paper, matted and signed by me. Please email me at help@stylishgoose.com with a proof of donation (email confirmation of donation) and your mailing address by Sunday, January 17, 2010 - 24:00 Eastern Standard Time. I will be sending your special illustration shortly after.

I Thank You All!

xo

Genya

PS. This is the illustration I did for Thakoon Pre-Fall 2010 collection. I love the neutral champagne colours and the innovative folds of this look.

Bandaged Haroine - SS 2010 from Lucian Matis

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I am a big fan of Lucian Matis, who is an adorable, talented and hardworking Canadian designer. He has a sense of showmanship, drama and romance which translates to his clothes.

The Lucian Matis SS 2010 collection, presented during Toronto fashion week, includes beautiful textures and light reflecting fabrics, but has some heavy undertones. Despite the soft colour palette, it is dark, mysterious and slightly deranged (the opening music theme gives me the creeps). The clothes are divine, full of delicate details. The styling is strong and dramatic and makes the show so much more interesting. The oversized medieval jewelery was custom created by a Canadian couture jewelery designer Karen McFarlane. Stream the Lucian Matis show here.

PS. I must confess that my girlfriends and I completely fell head over heels for Lucian after we met him briefly last year during his Ottawa trunk show... :)

Behind the Scenes - Illustrating the Stylish Goose Banner

I wanted to show you the behind-the-scenes look of what goes into making my illustrations. I am hoping to make this into a regular post on my blog.

So this is the banner for Stylish Goose. It is also the first illustration I've ever created using my tablet and Corel Painter 11 software. I totally love Painter 11 now, but going digital was a bit of a learning curve for me. I was mostly using pens, markers and coloured pencils before.

In this first illustration, I did everything digitally, including the initial sketch. Then I was layering colours and details. It took me a long time. I am always refining the process, and now I found that sketching by hand and colouring digitally works best for me.

I really love drawing. :)