filiz'ish: Halston

I had the great opportunity of attending an amazing fashion show this week. It was a benefit for SF Ballet and the whole staff of Italian born French designer Giambattista Valli flew from Paris to show his Fall’11 RTW collection at SF’s historic Fairmont Hotel.

Before the show, there was a cocktail reception to mingle and of course to check out everyone's outfits. While sipping on my white cosmo I was scanning all the ladies and their designer dresses & shoes with my eyes wide open. I call that the primary fashion show because everyone looked so so fabulous! I was debating for what to wear days in advance and finally decided on my mini white Halston dress to keep it simple.

GV showed his very same collection of Fall’11 with the same hair, make up as he did in March in Paris Fashion Week. The color palette was mostly neutrals, black, white & gray and he had some pop up colors such as red, pink ad acid yellow. The silhouettes were simple, tailored & conservative and most of the looks were combined with oxford shoes. I loved the capes, goat fur jackets, peplum jackets and skirts and both of his gorgeously designed closing gowns. (I wrote about the red gown on a previous post – Red Glamour, and it was über cool to see it very close.) Right before the fashion show started, they announced that he will be showing his very first Haute Couture collection in Paris this coming July. That is huge considering that this is only his 5^th year on his own, previously he was the creative director at Emanuel Ungaro. At the end of the show when GV came to the runway to do his bow in his all black ensemble, the lady sitting next to me was applauding him with admiration and saying “ohh he is a youngster”.. :)

Some of my favorite looks from the fashion show are below. Those images are from Drew Altizer. I tried to take some pictures but it was too bright with the lighting on the runway. I put couple of my pics and a video I took at the end of the show. Enjoy!

This was the invitation I received in the mail..It said that GV took this picture himself

Here I am sitting at the patio of Free Speech Cafe on Berkeley Campus (my fave cafe in Berkeley) on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Cal students sitting next to my table are staring at their biology, chemistry and culture textbooks while I am staring at my "Sex and the City 2" book that I bought yesterday. I have always been a fan of this show then the movies they made and who knows how many times I watched the TV episodes over and over again. Actually I watched the SATC 2 movie twice on the same day (i know it is crazy) last weekend on HBO.
Ok back to my book, I am still looking at the cover page with a smile on my face, where Carrie Bradshaw is wearing a white Halston dress with gold Louboutin pumps, a Chanel clutch, gold aviator sunglasses and a beautiful necklace looking absolutely gorgeous - it is the same outfit for the movie's opening shot. I have a smile on my face because I have the very same white Halston dress in my shopping bag sitting next to me right now that I bought an hour ago and wondering how did it happen while I had no intention of shopping this weekend .. I think I know, it was the "law of attraction"!
let me backtrack and tell you how I got here..

I decided to have a weekend all by myself since hubby was leaving for his triathlon for the weekend. Having a mild cold and not having a quiet time all alone in the last months, I didn't make any plans so I could have the whole weekend to myself and do whatever I want to do or simply do nothing. On Saturday, while I was enjoying my day at home I had tons of carbs accompanied with my cold medicines, watched couple of Woody Allen movies, had more carbs and watched more TV and eventually I was bored and ready to go out at least to take a walk.
A quote " how quick and fragile existence is" from the Woody Allen movie I just saw (You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger) was echoing in my mind while I was walking and it was making me think all the years I spent in Berkeley.
I was walking thru the beautiful campus with that piece of nostalgia and I found myself at Urban Outfitters, a store that always make me feel like I am 20 again. They carry a lot of fun books, college games, and bohemian clothes. While I was checking out the books, I came accross with Carrie shining on the glitzy cover ..It was a SATC 2 book. the stories. the fashion (compliments to Patricia Field). the adventure.and of course I had to buy it.

And the next day which is today, a very sunny & lovely Sunday, after I had enough laziness, despite my cold I decided to go for a lunch with my new SATC 2 book in my bag. Who knows how it happened :) but I found myself in one of the stores I like in Berkeley. (I wonder if my subconscious aimed that store when I decided to go for lunch). When I entered the crowded store there it was, the white Halston dress Carrie wearing on the cover, winking at me with a sale tag. I made a very quick run to the fitting room to try it on and of course I loved it and bought it, already knowing which event I will wear it to..
BTW I totally forgot about eating with the joy of my accomplishment and wanted to enjoy the rest of the nice afternoon and decided to land on the Free Speech Cafe in the campus. And now I am sitting next to a college student complaining " i am so bored of studying, who cares about culture". I so want to tell her that graduating from college will help her to study what ever she wants to study later in life and she should enjoy the college years with no responsibility..But I shut up.

I am back to thinking about my interesting story and how related things happened back to back, and I find the explaination. It is "Law of Attraction". Similar attracts similar..You attract yourself whatever you give your focus, attention or energy whether wanted or unwanted. I believe this was what exactly happened to me this weekend, it was not buying the book or the dress but the path of the things happened.

I gotta go now, I have a lot of visualizing to do! I'd love to have the complete Jason Wu & Prabal Gurung fall'11 collections.. :)