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| A Lanvin dress (from Spring 2012) with snake-effect embellishment. |
Sunday February 10th marks the start of the Chinese New Year…capturing the feel of Chinese New Year in your wardrobe is simple: stick to a colour palette of black, red, gold and orange. An all black ensemble with a shot of gold and a red lip and nail is a subtle approach. The more daring can incorporate Eastern influences like a mandarin collar, clean lines and capped sleeves or sleeveless uppers(calling to mind the style of a classic cheongsam).
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| From left: Kate Moss celebrated Chinese New Year last week at The Dorchester’s China Tang in a black Stella McCartney jumpsuit, a black velvet jacket and a gold “serpent” belt; Actress Zhang Ziyi wears Asian-influenced Mary Katrantzou in March’s Vogue Taiwan; actress Gemma Chan in sombre Dolce & Gabbana pops a red lip. |
For 2013-2014 we say goodbye dragon, hello snake. Actually it’s the water snake this go round, but we’re not particular about that. As long as we meld some reptile into our closet we’ll be feeling right on track. Beyonce had it going on when she rocked a python bodysuit for her Superbowl performance…and many designers for S/S2013 are continuing their love affair with python in both clothing and accessories. For those who are squeamish or altogether oppose the wearing of skins of any kind (reptile or other) a belt with a serpent motif, a reptile print on a fabric, or a leather “stamped” to read python, will do very nicely, thank you.
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| Clockwise from top left: Giambattista Valli snakeskin print dress at www.mytheresa.com; Kara Ross python clutch atwww.neimanmarcus.com; Giuseppe Zanotti snake effect sandal at www.farfetch.com; Made Her Think open serpent ring atwww.shopbop.com; Essie Repstyle nail Polish in Sssssexy. |
In the Western culture, snakes have a bad rap, but in the East, the snake is actually regarded as a “little dragon” and is associated with happiness and wealth. Good thing for that…have you priced a python bag lately? Ouch!
