Going Out On The Town Couture Style- What to wear to London's hottest events this July.

By Coral Turner, Couture Designer

One of the many privileges of living in London is that it is a cultural hub for the arts with a wonderful offering of galleries, plays, music events and exhibits. The question becomes, which one to visit first?

Because the options are so diverse and so many, I decided to provide a short list of my favourite events for the month of July, along with my recommendations in terms of fashion picks for each occasion. Here we go . . .

La Rondine, at the Royal Opera House. Who doesn’t love a love-triangle drama? Giacomo Puccini’s opera La Rondine relates the story of the beautiful Magda, who falls in love with the younger, handsome and naive Ruggero at the same time she remains indebted to her older lover, Rambaldo.

Russian Doll

You will have to get tickets to see what happens to Magda, but my Russian Doll dress is a ravishing choice for the event. The Russian Doll, set on a pale blue background, features deep blue rose flowers that come to life with Russian dolls thrown into the mix, complemented by tiny flecks of gold jersey fabric for great stretch and structure. The dress has a high neck with scarf detail that can be tied as a pussy bow or left free as a scarf. Hand-finished edging and glass turquoise beads add the finishing touch to the scarf detail. A high thigh slit gives the Russian Doll high-fashion appeal. Add a fabulous pair of shoes and matching handbag, and you will surely be a stunner at the event. Further, no one else will be wearing it––the Russian Doll is a one-of-a-kind, exclusive couture dress from my online store!

La Rondine is playing until July 21.

Eastern Promise

A Season in the Congo, at the Young Vic. This play is about the Congo’s 1960 rebellion against Belgian rule. Award-winning director Joseph Wright (Anna Karenina, Atonement, Pride & Prejudice) directs this electrifying and critically acclaimed musical. According to The Guardian, “Joe Wright is the hottest property in Hollywood” and “[o]ne of the best British actors of his generation. . . . Chiwetel Ejiofor has the acting world at his mercy.” This is a must-see!

The high drama of this musical calls for a dress with a significant daring factor.  The Eastern Promise fits the bill. This jersey mini-dress is sleek, bold and sexy. For a more demure look, it combines swimmingly with a great pair of my cigarette pants as a tunic blouse. This mini-dress is an elegant mix of bold colours––lime green, sky blue and yellow––set on a white background with a distinctive detail fitted with mock snakeskin basque, metal eyelets and a suede ribbon tie front that cinches at your waistline. The shrug’s billowing kimono sleeves add dynamism to the dress, and the tapered, lined skirt provides additional support.

Again, the Eastern Promise is an exclusive, one-of-a-kind dress perfect for you and this fantastic play.

Floral Infusion

Mexico: A Revolution in Art, at the Royal Academy of Arts. Mexico underwent significant political changes from 1910 to 1920, which have been reflected in the country’s art. The Royal Academy is currently hosting an exhibit of this period’s art, including pieces from the famed Diego Rivera. A visit to the exhibit would make for a great afternoon outing that could only be followed by a fabulous dinner.

This type of occasion requires a dress that is both glamorous and sophisticated—the Floral Infusion certainly fits this description. The Floral Infusion, designed of floral greens that create the illusion of camouflage, features a drop shoulder and stand collar. It sensually skims the body in all the right places; the skirt falls just above the knee to reveal a peek of legs, which are quickly hidden again by a waterfall hem detail.

Combined with a great pair of strappy, neutral heels, the Floral Infusion is a sure bet. Mexico: A Revolution in Art is on until September 29.

Happiness

Club to Cat Walk: London Fashion in the 1980’s at the Victoria and Albert Museum. I’m sure a fashion exhibition on the list comes as a surprise! This great exhibition pays homage to the 1980s in all aspects from big shoulder pads to leotards. The Guardian describes it as “a period of creativity, eccentricity and outlandish looks.” Club to Cat Walk is a fun exhibit and––for some us––a trip down memory lane.

So what’s the best pick to wear to such an exhibit? Happiness!

This dress, featuring an abstract jersey print of flowers set on a white background, just exudes the feeling that inspires its name. Beautiful to the touch, it has a hand-finished fitted V-neck that makes statement jewelry come alive. The white background emanates sheerness, but the basque and sexy tapered skirt is lined, for an uber chic look. The illusion doesn’t stop there––more drama is created with Kimono-style shrug sleeves.

This one-of-a-kind dress is sure to please any ’80s-inspired fashionista and is ideal for an evening visit to the exhibit followed by a late-night dinner at a favourite restaurant.

Well, there you have it—my short list of fun events and great couture designs to complement an afternoon or evening out.

Handwoven silk scarves

And don't forget to add one of my handwoven silk scarves to compliment any of your style pics.

As always, I would be thrilled to meet with you and design and create a one-of-a-kind couture garment for any occasion you may have on your calendar.

A Pure Silk Scarf

Biscuit Coloured Silk Scarf with Brown Silk

By Coral Turner, Couture Designer

Silk is nature’s tribute to beauty. Soft, sensual, exotic, a delight for the designer, it makes every woman feel beautiful; within herself, and for the beholder.

Silk a luxurious fibre that has been synonymous with status and wealth; produced through the wonders of nature, by the humble silk-worm in 18^th century Britain a man’s dress sense was equally as flamboyant as his female counterpart and  bright coloured silks were considered the norm. 

Blue Silk Scarf

Legend has it, that silk was discovered 4,000 years ago by a Chinese princess when a cocoon dropped from a mulberry tree into her tea, and as it softened she was able to reel off a strong fibre from the cocoon, that fibre was silk.  It has been the choice of many Imperial subjects throughout the centuries, and is still one of the fabrics of choice today.

Throughout varying countries, in days of old the transformation of silk fibres into fabric through the process of hand-weaving on looms has been an artisan craft, handed down from generation to generation, one such country is India.

Red Silk Scarf

Whilst a lot of silk is manufactured in factories, there are still villages where silk is produced in the home in particular silk scarves which can take weeks to produce one single scarf.

With my love for fine fabrics I applaud such dexterous work, and the finished results always leave me in awe of the maker.  I have recently had the good fortune to be working with someone who brings nature’s bounty to us in the spirit of fair practices and with the belief that nature meant that its riches be shared by all. It's also a tribute to the skills of the craftsmen that they have passed on their art over the centuries; they believed that their reward lay in the beauty of what they had designed.  

Silk Latte Colour and Brown Silk Scarf

It’s not just the lustrous beauty of a silk scarf, but also its practicality in both warm and cold weather, and universal appeal to both the sexes.  The silk scarf draped around a man’s jacket whether for a night out at the theatre or as part of his general attire, is also the same protector worn as a stole over a woman’s shoulder’s whilst wearing a couture garment (by of course yours truly Coral Turner), the gentle drape of the silk scarf adds to the overall look of a garment.  

Tied in a variety of fashions, coupled with its spectrum of rainbow colours the silk scarf is a staple wardrobe piece that everyone can experience, it’s one of the simplest of ways to look and feel sensational.

You can view 100% silk scarves on my website http://www.coralturner.co.uk, under Accessories.

 (Photography of silk scarves by Minna Rossi http://www.minnarossi.com) 

Fashion with a Conscious

Coral Turner Couture Original

By Coral Turner

By this time, you have all heard of the tragedy that took place in Bangladesh where a clothes manufacturing building collapsed, killing 1,129 people. The tragedy sparked worldwide condemnation about the shoddy business practices that ultimately led to the deaths of so many innocent people. But, in the aftermath, this incident has also sparked questions regarding the link between cheap fashion and worker safety.

Coral Turner Couture Original

There are many who love the thrill of bargain shopping. They are the great hunters who find the best deals on pickles, socks and all other things consumable; nothing wrong with that in theory, who doesn’t love a bargain?  But the question now becomes ‘who is really paying the price so you can get an £8.00 hoodie for your teenage son?’

I’m not a huntress. But that goes with the territory of being a couture designer—and working in the fashion houses, I began to realize that a deal is not actually a deal. It really means that someone else is not getting paid or is working in deplorable conditions.

Coral Turner Couture Original

The United Kingdom was once infamous for garments made to a high standard, in terms of workmanship, fabrics and finish. You only had to mention the names of certain key players and they were synonymous with workmanship of pedigree.

Coral Turner Couture Original

I appreciate that it is just not UK retailers that outsource their garment manufacturing to developing countries—the United States, Canada, France and many more do as well, but as a consumer, you do have a say on whether or not you will support substandard working conditions for those who work in developing countries. It is a question for your conscience. It is question for all of us because these people also manufacture our Smartphones, furniture, golf clubs, etc.

Coral Turner Couture Original

My heart goes out to those families who are left to pick up the pieces from a tragedy that was based on profit first, people somewhere down the line - eventually.  It is a shame it took the lives of so many people before it became an issue.

Coral Turner Couture Original

I want to assure you that my clothes are handmade by me, including all the embellishment work. I source my fabrics from ethical manufacturers. My clothes have a price attached to them to reflect the quality of workmanship, the fabric and the couture design. In my time on this planet and in good conscious I  work at being part of the solution to those things I see that ail humanity, equally I have strong beliefs in providing a luxury product that will last forever.

My Inspiration to be a Couture Designer

By  Coral Turner

If you follow my social media channels, you have seen pictures of both my mother and father, accompanied by various quotes that capture both their spirits and their impact on me. My parents inspired me to go out there and start my couture business.

The fashion industry is a crowded marketplace.  Customers have all sorts of options when it comes to buying clothing, from cheap and cheerful, to haute couture and pricey, and everything in between.  I am often asked why I did it: Why did I leave a “real” job in which other people take the risks and instead go out on my own?  There is no one reason but several.

I have had the fortune of working for some of the top fashion houses in the United Kingdom.  These experiences were enlightening and essential for me to develop my skill set to carry off my work as a couture designer.  But the work wasn’t satisfying.  If you worked at a design house,  you would notice a few things when producing designs intended for the mass audience:

1. Material is maximized to reduce cost,
2. The amount of labour used to create a garment is often reliant on off-shore, sub-standard factories that pay their labourers extremely low wages, unlike Western countries that offer wages at union rates; and, 
3. Everyone copies each other!

Thus, quality and uniqueness suffer to maximize profits in this very competitive industry.

I wasn’t impressed.  In fact, I was horrified when I bought a coat and then saw another woman on the street in one just like it.  I felt cheated in some way because I had spent a great deal of my hard-earned money on a coat that wasn’t uniquely mine.  I figured I wasn’t the only one who felt that way when seeing someone else wearing something coveted.

Therefore, I decided to create my online couture fashion business, producing one-of-a-kind, never to be repeated, perfectly tailored fashions for the modern woman.

I was raised by parents who taught me there are no limits and that I have the power to decide what I want to do.  They gave me the option to explore my talents and dreams—I went for it.

I create fashions that can be for every woman who wants to wear something bold and creative.  I don’t have any desire to mass produce anything that I design.  I want to ensure that women experience pieces of fashion that are luxurious, original, and tailored for them.

It is my desire to help women find their unique style that sets them apart from others in the crowd.

I would be happy to meet with you in person or by Skype to create a piece that is one-of-a-kind and just for you.

Fashion, Television - Dressing the Celebrity in 'YOU'

Day to Evening Wear

There is a lot to be said for dressing up, standing out from the crowd, being the special individual you are born to be.

At the moment, I am in love with the unique glamour dresses as worn by the characters in the television series 'Suits' 

The Cast from Suits

For those not familiar with the series it's all about the power struggles, and lawsuits at a high profile law firm, composed of secrets, intrigue, and cliff hangers, all set to the background of men's tailored sharp fitting suits; hot dresses that speak of luxury, high end designer looks!

With the added bonus that a lot of the garments are in one of my favourite fabrics  'jersey', I am a very happy lady!  You have the cling, fit, shaping and the pertness of the derriere, that gives you a knock-out look, the view is great from all directions, and all of this set in an office environment for our female characters.

The character of Jessica Managing Partner

The character of Donna Harvey's PA

Dressing the celebrity in you, boils down to a) how you see yourself, and b) the message you want your clothes to convey about you.  For example how do you feel about a little cleavage exposure?  The above image of the character Donna, you know will achieve admiring looks from your male counterparts, however, what about your female colleagues, and more importantly, do you care?

Your day to day environment does play a part, and you may prefer the subtly of Jessica's style,  however, both garments are great for day to evening dressing. There is also the question of jewellery, big statement pieces or soft and delicate.  Personally, I would say the simplicity of a fine delicate necklace with a very low cleavage in the case of Donna's dress, and a bold unusual design where there is nothing on show, as with Jessica's dress.

If you've been wearing a jacket in the office all day, then for the evening, this is the perfect opportunity to show off that dynamic silk or wool patterned scarf, draping it elegantly around the shoulders.

Celebrities exude an air of sophistication that many of us would like to emulate, some of it is acting, but mostly it's confidence.  As with children when they play 'dressing up' it's about play acting (do you remember those times)?  Having fun is the key, if your didn't play dress up, now is your chance to embrace a bit of that childhood spirit, added to that a pinch of acting skills, authenticity of character, great looking and feeling clothes; camera, action... it's now your turn to be in the spotlight!

Rosetta day to evening chic dinner dress by Coral Turner