Yigel Azrouel

Right around last fashion week, I clipped out a small article about a designer called Yigel Azrouel. I was captivated by the 2 outfits it showed, particularly the shoes - curved-toe wonders with an Asian flare and western sensibility. I prowled around for some more info, and coming up with little I put it away to gather dust in some small, forgotten corner of my office.

Fortunately for me, Queen Michelle jogged my memory with a feature on her blog about the designer. Once again feeling the exploratory pangs, I went hunting online again for more information. This time, I was a bit more lucky - and got my hands on the SS09 look book.







Looking through his pieces, I have fallen madly, madly in love with Azrouel's work. His design aesthetic is obviously similar to my own: casual drapery to elegant effect. There is such a love to these pieces that I can't put it to words: a crafted carelessness in their beauty that to me embodies the goal of all good design.

The crafted embellishments are the perfect partner to the draping fabric, and maintain a feeling of being both homespun but also elegantly couture. In other pieces, nartive fabrics give just the right amount of zing to spice up the lazy elegance into a fun summer vibe - and has me foreseeing a summer digging up tribal print scarves to wear as skirts and tops.







All in all, Azrouel's Look Book shows us someone at the top of his game, and a genius when it comes to hanging fabric - a designer who is truly unafraid to allow the beauty of the material take a bow, without abandoning his own control throughout.





And THESE little beauts are my new favorite shoe - though having finally gotten hold of a side-view of them, I am seriously concerned about that slim high little heel...better start practicing my trapeze...