2013 at Paris '99: What a fabulous year!! Onto the next! xx

Hello darling '99ers!
Last time we caught up 'Fashion Month' had just finished and I was telling you my favourite picks of the collections, and wow a lot has happened since then!
But, as the year draws closer to an end and Christmas is replaced by Easter and Christmas again, I wanted to share with you the highlights of Paris '99 in 2013!

It started with a gorgeous NYE celebration at the beach, and almost the next day my dear friend Cecilia and I viewed the startling 'The Eye Has To Travel'; simply the most divine documentary about the larger than life Diana Vreeland. It almost brought me to tears of happiness; the ideas and scope and vision of Vreeland was truly inspiring, from Bazaar to Vogue to the Met exhibitions and Ball, DiiViinnn!

2013 was the year of few but specific musical interludes; groups that I had never had a chance but always wanted to see. On a wonderfully temperate February evening at the Myer Music Bowl I had the incredible experience of seeing Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds perform a spectacular two part set. As luck would have it, on a whirlwind trip for my cousin's wedding I saw Depeche Mode open their Delta Machine tour in Tel Aviv, definitely a top 4 concert of my entire life, the energy, the atmosphere, amazing! Frank Ocean at the O2 Brixton was soulful, intense, sexy and unmissable, and even sweeter as he seems to have a tendency to cancel concerts in Australia :S.

In March as part of the then LMFF L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival Cultural Program I hosted a series of events entitled 'The Highest End Of Green', discussing and story-telling about my commitment to sustainable luxury fashion both in my own work and relating to the re-invigoration of gorgeous designer clothes in a luxe salon setting (ie Paris '99!). I was completely floored and flattered at the response, as what was intended to be a one night event became 4 nights of interested Melbourne fashion loving folk!

This set my own designing back on track, and I went back to the horde of beautiful fabrics that I have collected over the years, wonderful wools, silks, linens and cottons (no synthetics here sir!). Many a late night design/drape/sewing sessions resulted in a number of one off Yahav Ron capsule pieces being hung around the salon among my ever changing collection of international designer yummies.

Just after my birthday I had the privilege of meeting and hosting at Paris '99 one of my teenage dreams and favourite actresses, now one of my favourite people, the fabulous Rose McGowan. Rose is super awesome, short, sharp, witty, smart and a fellow lover of beautiful fashion! Through her and that same night I met Greg Cipes, actor, surfer, musician multi-tasking cool dude with whom a strong bond creative bond formed and remains to this moment, thank you G for all the love and looking forward to more collaboration!

The fabulous birthday party of my fabulous friend Nathan saw Paris '99s first fashion show presentation. At the eccentric House Of Pan in Brighton we planned and staged an entertaining and exhilarating runway for both Yahav Ron Originals and designer resale goodies to acclaimed applause and it was a roaring good party to follow.

Of course just like America in 2012, the return to Europe this year was nothing short of incredible! My beautiful friend Maria was the perfect company through Paris, where we wined and dined our way through the arrondisements and monuments. The Haute Couture Paris exhibition, Atelier Martin Grant, where we were graciously greeted by Martin himself and enjoying our own Sex and The City moment at the Galleries of the Plaza Athenee, with a cameo from Gina Rinehart in a white kaftan amongst all the Louboutins and black croc Birkin bags were simplement unforgettable.

Other exhibitions that stuck with me were Dream The World Awake, the Walter Van Beirendonck retrospective at RMIT. Read the blog post from September to find out more, and certainly get your hands on a copy of the accompanying catalogue if you missed it in 3D. A quiet and serene yet enchanting exhibition was the Yohji Yamamoto and Christian Dior, a small comparison of the two different masters of the female form at the NGV. The Edward Steichen and Art Deco Fashion exhibition also at the NGV, where I was lucky enough to attend opening night thanks to beautiful Claire, was a visual of feast of 1920s and '30s fashion; beads, fringing, Vionnet and monkey fur. It was a fabulous evening full of Melbourne's finest and a pleasure to behold!

In order to spread the Paris '99 fashion love in Sydney I visited the Harbour City twice this year, and it was just wonderful fun! Seeing old friends and meeting lovely new ladies to introduce the concept of the roaming salon of course meant copious amounts of Champagne, Fromage and a new addition to the alcoholic arsenal, Hendrick's Gin, now a lasting favourite! Sydney girls, there is plenty more fun to be had and I am truly excited to be heading back to say hello soon in the new year, hooray!

Speaking of Hendrick's and Scotland, a big highlight came in the form of Lara Reynolds! The organiser of the wonderful Spring Fashion Lunch which this year was held at the incredible KPMG Banking Chambers. Lara invited me to assist on the runway show and we had a ball doing the run throughs, pulling pieces, organising and laughing all the way. The event came together to a tee with beautiful clothing, delicious food and wonderful entertainment, can't wait for next year my dear!

I of course have to thank all of you that have supported the salon in 2013, the writers, the press, the people of influence; I am grateful for having you behind me spreading the message that amazing fashion is available in a long gone luxury setting, where privacy, discretion and comfort are key. Lastly and certainly mostly, thank you to all my glorious visitors, each and every one of you know how much fun we have together and how wonderfully lucky I am that you let me share my love of fashion and amazing, fantastic clothes with you all. Here's to our little couture secret!

Looking forward immensely to sharing the fun of 2014, fabulous new designer goodies to enjoy for sure, not to mention more experimental arrangements on the marble board! May all your different denominational holidays be wonderful, have a fabulous New Year, and remember that the Paris '99 balcony is now open for drinks throughout summer time and I can't wait to see you all tres soon indeed!!

xxx
Yahav

Oh and thank you to all of you who have let me nab your photos for this post, Paper Doll and Elenie Zahariou.

Paris '99 picks of Paris Fashion Week Spring 2014!

Et voila! C'est ca! Paris a fini! I realise there are some crucial accents and that missing to make my French parfait, but I never learnt which CNTRL * # keys I must press to make these appear.
Anyway, back to the point...Paris Fashion Week is over, Marc Jacobs has left Vuitton after 16 years, fashion month comes to a grinding halt and every product developer is busily peering over hundreds of print outs from http://www.style.com to decide which shapes will be delivered into countless high street stores worldwide with inferior fabrics and finishes and about 6 months earlier than the designers can deliver it themselves! This season might be harder to do this as things were just so damn amazing! Here are my top picks for Paris, it's longer than the other 3, ready yourselves and enjoy as much as I did!! xxx


Christian Dior!
Instead of giving the world the minimalism we thought he would, Raf Simons has consistently surprised by splicing the history and heritage of Dior with a new found modernity and technology. This was no different! I loved the splitting and wrapping of the jackets, the front/back play of  inserting a loud colourful print into an otherwise quiet jacket. The metallic set at the end which was almost an entire show in itself juxtaposed classic 'feminine' shape with surely the future of fabric, fantastic!

Dries Van Noten!
Dries is on fire! The florals were amazing, big, small, blurred and straight up. Ruffles aplenty. Layering, garments that should have been heavy (read coats/bombers) floated and bounced with decorative techniques. Metallics abound, love.

Iris Van Herpen!

The Dutch designer showed her first RTW presentation this season. A toning down of her couture still meant incredible construction techniques in leather. A review I read mentioned that the garments made sounds when they were rubbed by their wearer; to find a video would be grand!

Lanvin!
Shield your eyes ladies, this is an ode to shine! Of course there is nothing to be said for viewing a 3D moving object in a 2D static image; but in saying this every time I clicked the next arrow during this slideshow I squealed with excitement! I can picture the feeling of these liquid draped fabrics, the golden aviator suit would just melt on the body! Unabashed luxe, toda raba Alber!

Alexander McQueen!
Tribal clashes and African inspirations have been a prominent feature for next spring. My favourite iteration is here, with a tribe for the intergalactic future. I haven't (obviously) had the pleasure and privilege of touching these clothes or even seeing them in person, but thanks to the atmosphere shots on style.com, please check them out for yourselves, you can't not be gobsmacked at the detail and quality that has been put into them. Hand beading, feathering, weaving of a check, tiering of micropleated laser cut skirts, all spectacular!

Rochas!
The Zanini zaniness and prettiness of this collection won me over. The treatment over treatment of fabrics; colour and texture clashing in one outfit, the 'wetlook' velvet and sugary pastel palette is just so super sweet!

Sacai!
The queen of hybrid dressing; shirt becomes skirt becomes cardigan becomes dress becomes entire outfit; Chitose Abe, showed a vibrantly coloured collection which combined utility and couture. Sport-like fabrics with swinging cape backs and gown lengths, feathers and mesh, oxymoron perhaps?, but tres cool.

Valentino!
Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli showed an absolute stunner at Valentino. I luckily happened to look online just as the show was about to start and got to watch it live (as I'm sure tens if not hundreds of thousands of others around the world did too). But the 70-odd look collection never lost pace for me. The indefinable references; medieval, bohemian, Eastern Europe, a hint of North Africa, showed the internationality and inter-periodity that fashion gives us. To die for embroidery on 'cocktail' dresses and full length gowns, many with the monastic flavour of this Valentino. Suede galore, in black and burnt burgundy with fringes. Jumpsuits aplenty, plain and patterned. Even leopard print made it in there, with the 'chambrayesque but for more elegant' tie neck blouse that was about the most modern item on show.

Yohji Yamamoto!
I love the Japanese. Miyake's collection, great. Comme, well, we shall have to see the actual collection, the sculpture was interesting indeed. Junya for me was so disappointing. Look, I don't wear women's clothing (unless its a dressup party then out come the legs), but of course I look at the clothes and think, would I wear this. And as much as I love love love Junya, about 80% of the collection didn't resonate with me. Others loved it, I wouldn't wear it :(. Review in review, brings us to Yohji! The exploration of sleeve joinings on black jackets was lovely and Yohji as usual and then BANG! Fluoro Yohji! Camo Yohji! Saturated brights Yohji! Of course he has used colour before, but for a long time I couldn't remember such a startling effect on my viewing self. It just made me smile, hope you did too!