fashion + class & jet lag | A Luxury Portfolio

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week NYC: Jason Wu – Autumn|Winter 2013

From the moment you entered the venue, the message was abundantly clear: this would be a very elegant collection. Jason Wu delivered on the message in spades! Depending on how you read signals, the message might have also been grander, but this was not about spectacle; this was about a collection that was modern, flirty, feminine and…

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week NYC: Heather Lawton – Autumn|Winter 2013

I don’t blame neither the designers nor the retailers. I blame the consumers. In a world where we’ve grown accustomed to gravitate towards the safe, most notably in fashion, we’ve also stagnated our desire to be creative, to be singular. To step out of our perceived comfort zones and try something “different” is a feat…

Magical Montenegro

Arriving in Montenegro for the first time is like entering one of those secret walled gardens. You feel a real sense of adventure as your adrenaline perks up. The land feels like it has not quite yet been discovered; there are no eight lane highways like the French Riviera or bullet trains which the movie Casino…

A Railroad Rendezvous Avec The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

For anyone who is a history devotee or just has an affinity for the transformations of travel, the Orient Express has always been one of the many highlights. Known for being the epitome of prestige & intrigue, it was the primary carrier of kings & celebrities voyaging throughout Europe in the early 1900s. Then in…

Zuhair Murad – Haute Couture Spring 2013

Let’s state the obvious here: Zuhair Murad’s collection is unabashedly, unapologetically, unmistakably, and overtly provocative. These are not the clothes for the faint of heart or for the shy retiring wallflower; these are the clothes that demand and receive attention. Mr. Murad is pretty much shocking as a designer as these clothes are beyond the pale when…

Rami Kadi – Haute Couture Spring 2013

Rami Kadi, this is the name of a new designer from Lebanon who has entered the world of Haute Couture. As a neophyte in this rarefied world, Mr. Kadi demonstrates extraordinary skills but requires some restraint as this collection is at times pitch perfect and then at times, way too over the top in every way….

Jean Paul Gaultier – Haute Couture Spring 2013

This man is far from finished! One can’t help but be amazed, overwhelmed, and impressed when a veteran designer and somewhat a neophyte at haute couture turns out a collection of this caliber. It was exciting, modern, true to the designer’s DNA, and best of all, it is so far from a me too collection that Mr….

Elie Saab – Haute Couture Spring 2013

Here’s the thing about Elie Saab, he makes beautiful tasteful dresses that are runway worthy yet not flashy and vulgar. Mr. Saab is known for his embroidered dresses and gowns and he remains true to the DNA that he has created. This season his “loyalty” is all about these tone-on-tone embellishments and the illusion that all the…

Christian Dior – Haute Couture Spring 2013

What a pleasure it is to say I prejudged the talents of Raf Simons. The first collection was certainly not the excitement that the hype led me to hope for but then he went and did it with this collection. Raf Simons delivered a discreetly spectacular collection that reeked of the Dior DNA as well…

Norman Ambrose – Spring|Summer 2013

There’s something to be said about Norman Ambrose‘s collections every season. And it’s not that he’s getting better with each passing collection, but it’s more like we’re privileged with him choosing to reveal more of these innate secrets of his. Precision done with such ease, such perfection. His work is that of a timeless couturier….