Film premieres, gala evenings, Oscar ceremonies or film festivals – there’s no shortage of occasions to look stunning on the red carpet. And to do so, you need an exceptional outfit that only a handful of top designers can pull off. And George Chakra is one such designer.
For winter 2010-2011, the Lebanese designer is bringing formal gowns up to date, drawing inspiration both from Hollywood soirées of yesteryear and 50s silhouettes in a very modern version of a new Gilda. From short strapless gowns to long sheaths, the designer does his utmost to turn every woman into a new diva, contemporary and chic, glamorous in all circumstances. Long or short, George Chakra’s dresses have only one aim: to magnify the woman. The collection alternates very Hollywood sheaths with short dresses in a reinterpreted 50s style that Audrey Hepburn would certainly not have disowned. Walking tall in a showcase dress, the George Chakra woman is a strong, aristocratic woman.
The silhouette is slender, magnified and molded in sheaths that allow for delicacy and a dancer’s head carriage. A few highly slit models delicately reveal a curved hip or knee. Cocktail dresses, which end just above the knee, bring retro silhouettes into the present, while modernizing them. Strapless dresses are a real exercise in style. Pleated, draped, fully embroidered, studded with rhinestones, tulle or sequined flowers, the Lebanese designer offers us a veritable festival of bustiers, where every woman can find the one that suits her best. As for the necklines of these dresses, he imagines them asymmetrical, bateau, fan, stole or even corolla-shaped, the better to showcase these exceptional gowns.
The bow plays a key role in this collection, as the designer’s calling card. It adorns waists to emphasize them, décolletés to sublimate them or to hold up overskirts. The bow is the centerpiece of the collection, but it is also an accessory and can be found throughout practically the entire collection.
On the color side, shades of gold, bronze, plum, purple or blue-gray can sometimes be illuminated with iridescent highlights. Black and white are ideal for chic, minimalist outfits in glitter mode. As for deep green, it remains unforgettable.
A few models stand out from the crowd. Tulle is fanned out in blue-gray and embellished with a burgundy bow for a chic and original cocktail dress, or tutu for Hollywood glamour. The blue-gray strapless dress with blistered flowers on a pleated tulle skirt is a glamorous alternative to the gala dress. The sequinned fringed dress or sequinned fringed skirt in one version shows us that originality need not be synonymous with extravagance, but can also remain chic.
With this collection, George Chakra has once again demonstrated his taste for detail and materials, offering us his personal vision of« architexture« . Flounces, pleats, Hollywood drapes, asymmetrical volutes, arabesques and interlacing brocades and embroideries, overskirts and majestic trains punctuate ultra-glamorous silhouettes. The cuts are precise and meticulous, the draping judiciously placed to highlight the curves of a woman full of life with every movement.
The designer has created a beautiful collection, with an emphasis on formal models, so that we can finally find the dress we need….
Marie-odile Radom