Dressful

This morning I had the honor to be among the first guests of the Sens(n)ation exhibition showcasing a historic overview of Maison Martin Margiela's first line (défilé) collection from 1989 to 2011 (23 looks), as well as garments and accessories by renowned Slovenian designers. The exhibition, a joint effort of multibrand designer store Wolfova 5 and Projekt27, is curated absolutely comme il faut; fashion-wise, this is the event that finally put Ljubljana on a global scale.

There's quite a Margiela cult in Slovenian fashion circles, making Sens(n)ation even more sens(n)ational. In a way – though if you asked people in the street who Margiela was, I don't think you'd get many sensible replies – this exhibition will cater to the widest of tastes. Fashion people will love it (or at least appreciate it as usually you'd have to go to another country to see an exhibition on this level), passers-by (i.e. the uninitiated into the Noble Art of Conceptual Fashion) will be provoked by what fashion can be – fashion that is not stripped to strict functionality, fashion beyond trends.

I should note that the historic overview is actually very general public-friendly. There are no covered faces and other more or less bizarre facets that often alienate people from the complex world of Margiela; it's more about playing with sizes, materials, inspirations and humor. When you see the exhibition, I suggest you pick up the little booklet with details about each look so you won't miss out on Margiela's clever tricks.

1. Polka dot print dress, S/S 2006
2. Setup
3. Shirt with front made out of leather gloves, S/S 2001
4. Theater costume-inspired jacket, S/S 1993
5. Sleeveless "tailor dummy" jacket, S/S 1997
6. Setup
7. Size 78 coat and jeans, F/W 2000
8. Pink shouldered jacket, "destroyed" jeans, S/S 2008
9. Velvet dress, mohair cardigan, F/W 1995
10. Double-breasted sleeveless jacket, S/S 2004

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Regarding the second part of the exhibition, I cannot help but wonder how (Slovenian) designers feel about their work being displayed in the same space as Margiela's; it's an enormous challenge, yet the selection is careful enough that the Slovenian designers' part feels like a logical continuation of the Margiela part. Each designer has contributed two looks, the dominant color being black. Three accessories collections have been designed especially for Sens(n)ation: bags-sculptures by Marjeta Grošelj, jewelry by Srečko Molk and glass hats by Ana Lazovski.

1. Dress by JSP Jelena and Svetlana Proković
2. Dresses by Sanija Reja
3. Bag by Marjeta Grošelj
4. Sweater and dress by Dajana Ljubičić

Most of the designers are part of the younger generation; I miss humor in their otherwise beautiful, well-constructed garments, the same humor Margiela has in his little finger. On the other hand, I understand that creative insouciance can only be achieved after you have fallen and risen again a thousand times. A quality of the masters.

The exhibition will be open from November 25 to December 4. Free admission.
Galerija Jakopič, Slovenska 9, Ljubljana.

I've written about how excited I am to wear coral red in summer; for me, coral red is mostly a seasonal fascination, though I think it complements sailor chic and white and dark blue stripes like no other color and should therefore be in at all times. The one idea that inevitably does come back to me every summer is wearing all white. Since I've been looking for people in such attire with a magnifying glass, I'll suppose all white takes a bit more guts than all black (though doing all black well - not because you want to hide or think it'll instantly make you look like you're Serious Business - is a science. Learn from the best: The Divinitus). Of course, the very practical reason behind us not wearing more white might just be that you get your white clothes dirty in one, two, three.

Here's my little prelude to summer. I'm going to resurrect this dress after it's been dormant in my closet for several years. Linen is funny, you iron your dress and then you realize it's most beautiful with wrinkles anyway. White suggests perfection and wrinkles break it. A contrast in a single garment.

Dress: Sisley
Bag: Marjeta Grošelj

At Mojca Makuc, Gregorčičeva, Ljubljana

The world of fashion thrives on change. The opposite can be said for my personal fashion world.

When I was about 15, I noted in my moleskine (it was when moleskines were just becoming cool, not that I harbor too much resentment when what I'm into becomes mainstream though) that I liked my clothes and accessories to be eccentric, cute and practical. I've since worn a fair share of pieces that can be described with entirely different adjectives. However, is it a coincidence that even after all this time "eccentric, cute and practical" is still an ongoing theme in most of my favorite pieces?

My fashion places of fascination remain the same for years as well. There are four: Mojca Makuc (clothes) and Marjeta Grošelj (bags) shops in Ljubljana, Kobali (hats) shop in Zagreb (all of which I'd like to write about some more in the future) and Giorgio Armani headquarters in Milan, Via Borgonuovo. (Like many other buildings in the center of Milan, the headquarters have such a mysterious feeling to them you cannot imagine people actually go inside every day and work there. It's too ordinary. The walls and doors inevitably make you think of secret courtyards, marble, gardens and fountains and suddenly you catch yourself wishing you were a part of that world too.)

Sometimes I think still enjoying wearing things I bought in my mid-teens and getting the same thrill about my favorite places is kind of sentimental, but really it's an anchor. It's how fashion doesn't get overwhelming for me though it's changing at the most frenetic pace.

I saw my first runway show at Milan Fashion Week last weekend. Emporio Armani Fall/Winter 2011/2012 was a dark hodgepodge of Armani's signature no-nonsense aesthetic and pure magic. Like I said in my previous post, it was also one of the most beautiful experiences in my life.

Moments before the start of Emporio Armani F/W 11/12

I arrived to Milan by train from Trieste on Friday afternoon. Being exorbitantly excited probably had everything to do with me not remembering anything before the show, save for the last minute glitch with my invite. On Friday morning I received an email from the Emporio Armani international office asking me for my Milan address so they could send me the (physical) invite. I replied, but when I checked with the reception desk in my hotel late in the evening, the invite still hadn't arrived.

I was more than a bit worried because being a fashion show neophyte, I didn't know if the physical invite was absolutely mandatory to go in or your name on the list was enough. Thankfully, it turned out to be the second.

The show took place at Teatro Armani, a wonderfully minimalist and spacious Tadao Ando building in Via Bergognone. I got there with my friend 10 minutes before the show (I was attending the first show at 10:30 and she the second one hour later), carrying a bag full of extra heavy photo equipment plus my Galaxy Tab with the email I'd received the day before.

Although someone had told me security was a lot more strict now compared to previous years, the number of security guards at the entrance still came as a surprise. I had to show my email to different security personnel 3 times until I reached the girls in charge of the guest list inside. I explained that I was invited but didn't receive the invitation. They checked the list, found my name and gave me a show pass.

I was in!

My show pass. ST stands for standing. 10:30 is when the show was supposed to begin.

I passed through a long hallway and found myself in a large room where people were already waiting in line for standing spots. I left my coat in the wardrobe and joined the queue (how British!). Some people had the pretty white invites, but some had been given the same passes as I (I later found out we hadn't received our invites because there simply wasn't enough time to send all of them).

Waiting to enter the venue. The space on the left is where guests were coming in to be seated.

In the above photo, the space on the left is where I saw Anna Wintour for the first time. She (and her bodyguard) was among the first to arrive to the show when most people were still outside. I think I started shaking when I saw her, it was just so unbelivable. Although I don't always like or agree with what she does, the amount of respect I have for this woman is tremendous.

The show was late, but I didn't care because I was so happy to be there. After the VIPs had arrived, they let us in as well. The venue was dark with just a little bit of light, some chilling music and a lot of chatter.

Photographers at the end of the runway

Then the show began. It was an amazing sensory experience: music blasted to the max, unbearable heat, super strong lights, everything I'd usually run away from, but it fit the occasion like a glove. When I saw Anna Dello Russo standing on the opposite side of the venue, I realized how damn perfect everything was and how I'd been wishing and waiting for this for so long. A few discreet tears rolled down my cheeks (they didn't even mess up my non-waterproof mascara), accompanied by a huge smile.

The best thing about the show was that I loved the collection. Imagine the horror of seeing your first runway show and not liking the very reason it was organized for? The collection is more serious than the usual Emporio Armani, which was brilliantly executed. All the clothes were black and accessories mostly colorful. I could relate to it well because I've been dressing this way (all black + one colorful accessory) for years.

Can you spot Anna Dello Russo?

This little dog had the honor to close the show.

As soon as the show was over, Anna Wintour was the very first to stand up and leave. The exit was on the opposite side from where she sat, so by the time she got there, a group of people had already amassed. Her bodyguard paved her way through the crowd and poof!, she was gone, just like Cinderella.

Most people left their invites on the seats or on the floor.

On my way out I bumped into Anna Dello Russo giving a quick interview. I love her vibrant fashion week outfits, she truly takes the art of standing out to the next level.

In the meantime, a ton of people had gathered outside - those waiting for the second show as well as photographers wanting to catch people leaving the first show.

Busy entrance before the second show.

The police outside Teatro Armani during the second show. The street was closed for all traffic unrelated to the shows.

I stayed outside until the end of the second show (I was waiting for my friend). It was mostly uneventful, except for a fascinating flash mob - about 15 people showed up on their bicycles and started ringing the bells. They did this for about 5 minutes and I thought we'd all go deaf. Then a boy came up to me and randomly asked me how to get into the show.

When I heard the loud music signaling the start of the second show, it hit me that "my" show was already over. I wasn't in an "I can't believe I was there!" mood because I knew I belonged there, it was just that the show had been my number one thought for so long and now that it was over I didn't have a clear idea what to do next.

On our way back to the center, my friend and I saw the super nice girls who had given me the show pass earlier at the metro station. They asked me how I liked the show and the only thing I could say was "amazing" because it was impossible to put all my feelings into one or two cultured sentences.

I hope I managed to say more with this post.

This was my outfit. I wore a Tadashi dress (bought on a very cold December evening in Gorizia), Marjeta Grošelj belt and Zara over-the-knee boots.

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Big thanks to:

- Everyone I've been in touch with at Armani in the past month (Ms P, Ms S, the girls at the show ...) - for being incredibly nice and professional.

- My mom - for going to Milan with me, and everything else.

- My brother - for lending me his photo equipment.

- My dad - for nothing in particular this time (I probably just can't remember), but it'd be wrong to leave you out.

- Most of all, Rosa.

I'm also very happy to say this is not the end of the fashion month for me. I'm flying to Paris on Friday for another event. I haven't been to Paris since I was 9, but for the past 6 months my sixth sense was telling me I'd end up there soon. As always, it was one hundred percent right.

Skirt & jacket: Stefanel / Belt: Marjeta Grošelj / Shirt: D&G

I'll never be a businesswoman, but at least I can dress like one. The thought first crossed my mind last fall and resulted in buying this skirt and jacket in Trieste (the shirt I've had for years, it's a staple) soon thereafter. When I'm in Trieste, I sometimes avoid Stefanel on purpose because they have too many great clothes. You can't take everything home, can you? #wishfulthinking

(Yes, I totally did just use a Twitter hashtag in a blog post!)

If you love clothes, it kind of sucks when you think up an awesome outfit that you can't wear anywhere because your lifestyle is so different. I jumped on the possibility last week when I accompanied my dad to a meeting. I was completely overdressed, but to be honest, that was the point.

The next step is to start wearing this to university (on the rare occasions when I actually show up).

P.S. Forgive me for looking like a zombie, exam season is starting to take its toll on me although officially it hasn't even started yet.