Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
TWO new heavy hitters have joined the array of designer stores at Moda Mall in the shape of Christian Lacroix and Kenzo.
VIP guests including Shaikha Thajba bint Salman Al Khalifa sipped exotic fruit cocktail juices at the Christian Lacroix opening and took the opportunity to look over the autumn winter ready to wear collection including cocktail dresses in silk printed organza, velvet georgette and sheer silk satin.
Lacroix presented a highly graphic and totally 'up-town' pre-winter collection with a sharp but at the same time soft silhouette combining the lines, cuts and shapes of suits throughout history with modern graphics.
The season's dresses are tapered or sculptured at the waist, the skirts flare in a tamed corolla or A-line style and coats have voluminous details with knit collars, slightly emphasised sleeves and ornaments adorning shoulders and necklines.
Though the primary colour is black there are bursts of various shades from crimson and gold to yellows, purples and blues with the prints diluted and hazy or brushed like paintstrokes.
Lacroix also offers a range of accessories from beaded tassels to giant hearts and brooches with antique gold openwork and from gloves to high boots for the winter.
Meanwhile, at nearby Kenzo, models mixed with mannequins to show off an autumn winter collection inspired by Kenzo's heritage collection.
There are elaborate reworkings of classic shapes using various materials from solid and printed duchess satin and wool jacquard to taffeta, tweed, printed shantung and herringbone broadcloth.
The collection, with its applications of beads and sequins and kimono knots over volumes of angora and satin, is a tribute to Japan's only true supermodel Sayoko Yamaguchi, the iconic muse of the Kenzo house during the 70s, who died last year at the age of 56 of acute pneumonia.
Kenzo designer Antonio Marras said: "My first image of Kenzo was Sayoko. She used to say 'to walk down the runway you need three key elements: kimochi (emotion), katachi (style) and ugoki (movement).
"Sayoko had all this and so much more. She was an icon, an artist, a dancer, an actress and a muse."
