I love Behnaz Sarafpour

I think the first time I started paying attention to Behnaz Sarafpour was when one of my fave actresses, Selma Blair, wore this gray sabrina-cut dress by the designer to a movie premiere.



The reaction in my head went like this: "ooooh, this dress is gorgeous!!! It was made by beeh-noz saraf...? sara.. saraf.. sara-pouz?" hahaha! I couldn't figure out how to pronounce it. Turns out it's simply read as ben-oz sah-rafpoor. (Yes, I can sometimes be a stuttering loon) I guess having a fancy name can either make a person remember you distinctly or help them forget you alot faster. In my case it was easy. Selma + pretty dress + fancy name = *ding ding ding ding!* long term memory name storage!

In case you have not heard, Behnaz Sarafpour is an Iranian-born girl who grew up in Europe and graduated with flying colors at the Parsons School of Design. She launched her own line in 2001 with strong support from a number of fashion's most influential names such as Vogue's Anna Wintour and Barneys' VP Merchandising Julie Gilhart (to name a few) and is becoming quite known for her refreshing take on classic feminine pieces.

Behnaz w/ one of her models in Town & Country Feb 2006

Here are some of her past pieces that I adore:


An ad in Cosmopolitan May 2006 issue

You all remember ashley's pretty dress from the previous post?

Whilst I would kill to own her whole spring 2007 runway collection (uh-huh, every woven thread of those darn clothes), I am quite content with the fact that she is target's latest darling to design for their GO International collection! This makes it a bit easier for us poor girls who have yet to afford hoarding runway dresses on a whim. hehehe! (I guess you already know that this post is leading somewhere about a certain someone buying something for her naughty little heart's desire. right? haha.)

Here is the opening image for the GO International flash ad at the target site:



The first time I had a look-see at the behnaz collection for target, I couldn't help but fall in love with the items. It was indeed very 'behnaz'! The whites, blacks, grays, bows, brocade, lace, and other pretty little details were very classy and timeless... the characteristics of high-end couture. I just really love her concept and I love the fact that she made an effort to make this collection identify with her more expensive line. So far this is my fave GO International collection.

Some looks from the target collection, Kristin Bell was actually photographed sporting the tafetta dress with grossgrain waist to an event!

I also couldn't help but compare some of the behnaz for target ensembles with the ones from her recent spring 2007 runway collection. Take these for example.





Don't you think they 'feel' a bit similar? (The price difference is quite dramatic though! *wink*)

However, the one dress from the runway that literally made my jaw drop was this gorgeous reinvented flapper-style silver dress which did not have a cheaper target counterpart. *pout*



There was something very magical and pixie-like about it and the muted silver color was very pretty. There really wasn't anything like this at all from her target collection (it would turn out to be too fancy!) but she had incorporated this silvery brocade material in her collection that I find attractive just the same.


According to my DM, the brocade material is even prettier in person because it is more of a rich dull gray with shiny silvery thread incorporated in the cloth. (I am definitely going to get the bag and one matching piece. either the skirt or the top! decisions decisions.. hehehe)

I also really adore the accessories in the collection. (I wonder why they are so few in number...) I really found the charm stuff cute! very chic and very new york, plus its made of 100% brass too which rarely discolors. I also liked the lace duffle.





At first I wondered how big the charms were, and then I found this picture by a seller in ebay.com:



Look, the charms are quite big! They will really make a statement for sure. I love it!

Here are more pics of the collection. :)







All I can say is, uptown chic has never been this cheap and effortless. All the pieces are very easy to wear while frolicking about in the city. Thank you behnaz and target! ;) I am definitely going to order a few pieces from this line. Will just update this after I have done so! *wink*

Couture wearing comparison: a fashion "wear-off"

One thing I look forward to each month is the arrival of new magazine issues. Aside from my US mag subscriptions (which is sent to me monthly), I also pick up at least one or two local fashion magazines from the bookstore. I just love reading them whenever I am taking a break from reading my med books! Lately though, I've been noticing a magazine trend that quite disturbs me albeit only very mildly as opposed to a number of consumers who are appalled by the whole "issue" (no pun intended hehe). It seems that the typical run-of-the-mill magazine cover nowadays is that of one graced by a mainstream celebrity (ie. a highly publicized actress, actor or teenybopper). Whilst that is actually perfect for more well-rounded women's magazines (such as marie claire or metro), I am thinking that the more fashion-oriented ones probably should at least feature professional models on the cover more often instead of only putting them in fashion spreads. Besides, fashion mags are basically all about couture and as far as I know, ramp models are closest at work with couture.

HOWEVER, this got me thinking... There is a business-tainted reason for this and that is perhaps because mainstream or "masa" celebrities have more selling power. I mean, more people know them hence identify with them. Well, they see and hear about them practically everywhere! And when you compare that to the silent mysterious long-limbed muses of the runway, familiarity is on the models' losing end. I guess I just really miss classic fashion covers with models on them. (My feb 2006 teen vogue ish though has gemma ward on the cover.)

To further elucidate this point, I made a mini gallery which is a sort of couture "wear-off" between models and starlets. hehehe! In these pics a model and a celebrity is wearing the same couture creation by some notable designer side by side. Who do you think carries the dress better?

Zac Posen



Behnaz Sarafpour
(btw, her GO international collection for target is now out!)



Calvin Klein



Magda Berliner



Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton



This actually convinced me that celebs are perhaps the real models (moneymakers) of designers since 1.) the dresses look more approachable when worn in actual occasions than when it is seen in the catwalk with all the lights and accoutrements, and 2.) people/potential buyers notice a dress more when it is worn at a special event by a highly marketable person ie. a celeb. Besides, casting those sensible reasons aside, the celebrities in my opinion did a better job at carrying the designer ensembles with a score of 4:1.

As to which celeb I think did not beat the model, try to guess who it was. She actually lost because of her poorly applied fake tan. (But I usually love her fashion choices. and her bags!)