Rosie Assoulin

The most important question of the year appears – which dress should you were for the New Year Eve? Go for non-chalance or simplicity this time? Be the Diana Ross of the night or a femme fatale, let’s say, like the intriguing Mata Hari? Or is the dress-code free for interpretation? Here is the subjective selection of the fantasy dresses you might wear (or dream to wear) on the 31st of December!

Dior spring-summer 1998 couture

Not long after John Galliano’s arrival at Dior, the fashion crowd discovered the designer’s famous over-the-top style – staged in Paris’ Opera Garnier, the fashion show stunned everybody with the backless gowns in Art Nouveau prints, mink coats, avant-garde hats and of course, the gold-thread embroidered Marie Antoinette ball dress. A masterpiece which impresses me until now.

Celine autumn-winter 2013

For those who enjoy comfort and effortless elegance – Phoebe Philo’s chic outing at Celine was all about modern silhouettes and flattering shapes. The outfit with a shoulder exposing top, a midi-lenght skirt and a pillow clutch might be just the right choice for a lounge party with fancy canapés.

Alaia autumn-winter 1991

“Animal magnetism” is how Azzedine Alaia described his collection back in 1991. Indeed, the leopard-print knit dress worn by Claudia Schiffer was all about Parisian sex-appeal. A sure take on a Pink Panther themed party.

Lanvin spring-summer 2016

The last collection designed by Alber Elbaz for Lanvin was all about his signature, over-sized dresses. The one above, all in burgundy and red sequins stole my heart during the fashion week. And the silk scarf, which was worn by the model in a slouchy way gave the overall effect of “my New Eve will be spent with the person I love the most” statement.

Yohji Yamamoto spring-summer 1999

When Malgosia Bela presented this parachute, white dress at Yohji Yamamoto’s show at the end of the last decade, everybody agreed – a white dress is not only worn to a wedding ceremony. I can guarantee you that if you appear in this voluminous piece at the newly opened gourmet restaurant during the New Year Eve – well, then the dinner is yours.

Rochas pre-fall 2016

A bit dramatic, yet minimal – the Rochas maxi-dress styled with a fur stole is Alessandro Dell AcQua’s perfect tip for a last-minute New-Year-new-you-look.

Gucci spring-summer 2016

Alessandro Michele can even make a track suit look brilliant for this special occasion – it’s all about a fair dose of hand-painted florals, a sheer, silk pussy-bow shirt and a pair of killer-hill stilettos. Also, there is a variety of embroidered dresses with ruffles and crotchet jumpsuits – true, these are eclectic and eccentric looks, but there is only one New Year Eve per year!

Alexander McQueen autumn-winter 2010

The aristocratic, meticulously embroidered gown worn with a scarlet red cape – and all the attention is on you. This is how a Royal-looking, custom-made queen dress should look like. I confess that when I examined McQueen’s last collection, which he had finished designing just few days before his tragic death, tears welled up in my eyes. Such a genius is sorely missed.

Haider Ackermann spring-summer 2011

If you are this type of person, who wants to show some skin to the world, then please, please, please – don’t take a Kardashian-esque Balmain dress. Go for this fabulous, yellow Haider Ackermann dress with a leg-exposing cut. I know, it looks too good to be true. But it’s even more than Insta-perfect.

Rosie Assoulin resort 2015

And of course, I cannot not take under consideration Rosie Assoulin’s bold dresses and skirts. These nutritious and fresh-like-an-orange looks from her resort 2015 look-book are flawless, and in a very #IWokeUpLikeThis manner. Not that I am the biggest fan of Beyonce – but I think the word and the hashtag of 2015 fit Rosie’s eveningwear style… on point.

So, obviously you already have a clear vision of your New Year eve outfit, don’t you?

So, 2015 approaches its end, and it’s the perfect time to look back at the fashion designers who really made the cut this year. New York, London, Milan and Paris are full of great minds – but some of them have truly changed the course of trends, or rather the tendency for anti-trends. In my subjective choice, I searched for both, individualism and something more than “fashion”. 2015 is a year of designers, who made their creative vision a contemporary philosophy of everyday dressing and, of course, beauty.

Many designer who do evening-wear think that an excessive amount of Swarovski and flesh-exposing-cuts is just it. But thankfully, Rosie Assoulin is the woman who says a loud “NO” to that nonsense. The New York-based designer creates dresses which are mostly categorised as “evening” ones, but surprisingly look as good with white sneakers as with heels. By looking at her previous collections, it’s easy to conclude, that these simply cut, boldly coloured dresses look at their best with sweatpants and yes, even with hoodies.

AW15 – The stand-out pieces of this collection are the signature, cropped tops worn over white shirts, corduroy pants and of course, the dreamy maxi-gowns. The winter collection went totally against the grey-scale colour palette, giving us a diversity of reds, pinks and greens.

Resort’16 – Ruffles! Everywhere! On trousers, on shirts, on dresses – a ruffle mania. Rosie Assoulin presented a playful collection, which fused her evening attitude with something more R&B. The statement culottes had those huge, hand-made daisy-shaped cut-outs while her classy dresses smartly flipped into a fancy party or a friend’s brunch simultaneously. Also, the Woodstock-like dyed over-sized trousers had a moment. But again, the ruffles were really the stars of this collection – the curcuma coloured top with ruffled sleeves was everything. Just like the pink top which surrealistically reminded an ethereal waterfall made of ruffles.

SS16 – For her spring-summer 2016, the designer took us to one of New York’s public pools, which had its murals painted by Keith Haring. The location had a lot to do with the collection – swimwear was the key, and that was visible by looking at the very first looks. Bikini tops were worn in different configurations, while happy, slightly trippy stripes covered the voluminous flares. The colours were bold and nutritious – intensive colours made me want summer to come back as fast as possible! Assoulin’s signatures gowns are famous among New York fashionistas for their carefree attitude – this season, they had something to do with Diana Ross’ glamour. Ruffles, bows – and beautiful silhouettes are as usual ruling. That’s sure – Rosie truly enjoys her play with fashion! And I wish her the same in 2016!