The Swelle Life

Festival des Métiers: A Rendezvous with Hermès

If you've ever wondered why an Hermès handbag, or any of their other goods, come with such a lofty price tag, Festival des Métiers will illustrate the reasons. The exhibition will showcase 10 different Hermès crafts at London’s Saatchi Gallery, 22 May – 28 May 2013. Working just as they would in the Hermès workshops in France, the craftspeople will be in situ at the exhibition for seven days making a wide selection of Hermès objects by hand.
 
This engaging public exhibition provides a fascinating insight into the traditions and values of Hermès in the crafting of fine objects; a presentation that encourages interaction by giving visitors the opportunity to meet and exchange with the Hermès’ artisans and experience first-hand their unique savoir-faire.
 
Festival des Métiers unlocks the poetic and unique crafts that are the essence of the house of Hermès, as their craftspeople reveal the mastery of their métiers. Visitors will see the famous Hermès silk scarf printed before their eyes and to rhythmic sounds of the artisans’ tools, handbags, saddles, fine-jewellery and other iconic objects from Hermès will be brought to life during the course of the exhibition. 

Festival des Métiers arrives in London from China where it has been exhibited in Beijing and Shenyang, and after London it will travel to Dusseldorf. The exhibition is presented in a contemporary setting designed by acclaimed designer Paola Navone. 
 
Admission is free and open to the public from 22 May – 28 May 2013 at the Saatchi Gallery: Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4RY. Hermès is an Education Patron of the Saatchi Gallery. 

A bit of history: Hermès was founded by Thierry Hermès in Paris in 1837, as a house of master harness-making and later saddle-making. Six generations of enterprising artisans have explored new markets and new skills. Now international in scope Hermès has continued to grow while remaining a family company, with a uniquely creative spirit that blends precision manufacturing with traditional craftsmanship. At the end of 2012 Hermès had 10 118 employees’ worldwide and 346 exclusive stores, and is active in 16 métiers.

Bil Donovan: Seminar, Masterclass at L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival

As part of the L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival programme, revered fashion illustrator Bil Donovan will be presenting a business seminar and teaching a two-day masterclass. In his presentation Bil will talk about the role of fashion illustration in the contemporary marketplace and provide advice on fostering successful collaborations between artists and brands. His presentation will include a live demonstration of his work.

 “The role of fashion illustration in the contemporary marketplace continues to evolve beyond the scope of a single figure gracing a page in a magazine and is visible in markets as diverse as Branding, Package and Website Design, Animation, Merchandise, as well as in a thriving market called Lifestyle.”

The fashion illustration masterclass is an extraordinary opportunity to learn from one of the world's leading fashion illustrators, drawing from a live model. Lecturer in Fashion Illustration at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology and Artist-In-Residence for Christian Dior Beauty, Bil creates artworks for clients worldwide.  He is the author of Advanced Fashion Drawing/ Lifestyle Illustration, and the illustrator of books including Edith Head’s The Dress Doctor, Prescriptions For Style From A to Z and Birds of a Feather Shop Together, Aesop's Fables for the Fashionable Set. 

The masterclass takes place March 22 and 23 and tickets are available to order through the L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival website. 

To see more of Bil's work you can visit his website (you'll be glad you did!)

 

 

The British Library to Host Celebration of Film, Design and Fashion

A section from Julie Verhoeven's new artwork for the British Library's Spring Festival © Julie Verhoeven

Following the success of last year’s Spring Festival, the British Library will again host a star-studded five day celebration of the creative industries from March 1st - 5th. Aiming to inspire creative practitioners from all over the country, this year’s Festival invites industry experts, from Dylan Jones, editor-in-chief of GQ magazine, to leading fashion illustrator and artist Julie Verhoeven, whose portfolio includes Louis Vuitton, Versace and Mulberry, to speak about their sources of inspiration. 

From Russian propaganda to rainforest recordings, the treasures from the British Library’s archives have inspired up-and-coming creatives as well as established artists. This year the Library will reveal a brand new piece of art from Verhoeven to celebrate the Festival and, as a tribute to the Library's incredible collections, a series of postcards from some of the most influential figures in the fashion world, including Gareth Pugh, Alex Fury, Adam Selman and Christopher Kane, telling of their favourite item in the Library will be on display as part of a one-night pop-up exhibition. Also featuring that night will be the Library’s historic issues of fashion magazines, from Vogue to I-D, all part of Late at the Library: Fashion Flashback, an evening of music and fashion co-curated by the Central Saint Martins Fashion History and Theory degree students. The evening will also see GQ's Jones and fashion illustrator Tanya Ling give a special ‘In conversation with…’ talk, an exclusive ‘paper fashion show’ of specially commissioned designs by the Central Saint Martins Print Design course, a styling area where guests can receive makeovers with Chantecaille inspired by iconic looks taken from the Library’s Cecil Beaton archives, live costume drawing and sets by iconic British DJs, Princess Julia and Jeffrey Hinton.  

‘Manhood by Michel Leiris. Find it, read it, it will change your life’ – Gareth Pugh

‘My favourite book is Tokyo Lucky Hole, by Araki Nobuyoshi’ – Christopher Kane

Celebrating new work from budding filmmakers in the UK, the Library and IdeasTap launched an exciting debut film competition during London Film Festival. Filmmakers were asked to produce a new short film using sounds from the Library’s unique wildlife recordings, from haddock to bats. The winning film will be shown during the Festival alongside award-winning shorts from the Future Shorts Festival including the winner of the Grand Jury Prize at 2012 Sundance Film Festival ‘Fishing without nets’.

Designers from all over the country have once again been invited to host a stall at this year’s Spring Market on the Library’s piazza, selling products inspired by the Library’s collections and nurtured to market by its Business & IP Centre. The list of designers can be viewed here, and to watch a video of last year’s market on the piazza see here. 

Spring Festival Market, 2012

For more information about attending the festival and for a listing of events, you can visit The British Library website

London's First British Plus-Size Fashion Weekend

London Fashion Week and the London Fashion Weekend are pretty fabulous and lots of fun - but mostly if you're skinny. Considering that an estimated 60.8% of UK adults are overweight (according to the BBC), that leaves the majority of the nation's women out of the high fashion celebrations. Yes, there are shoes, bags and accessories that everyone can enjoy, but the clothing is clearly made and marketed with tiny women in mind. That's about to change, at least as far as choice: debuting at the same time as LFW is a new fashion event that caters exclusively to plus-size women, thanks to founders Remi Ray and Rianne Ward. Ray, a 25-year-old entrepreneur and owner of Trapped in a Skinny World, a boutique stocking vintage clothing for women of 'shape and size', and Ward, CEO and Creative Director of Evolve Int'l Media Ltd., a lifestyle brand that delivers products and services to the plus-size community, created British Plus-Size Fashion Weekend to give curvy women the opportunity to engage in fashion while the rest of the world does. 

During BPSFW, which runs 15th-16th February in London, plus-size designers, retailers and consumers will come together at Shoreditch Town Hall for a jam-packed schedule that includes:

• Styling Master Class
• Swap Shop hosted by French plus-size fashion blogger Gaelle-Vanessa Prudencio
• Plus-size Models 101 class with Milk Management
• Plus-size panel discussion moderated by plus-size fashion blogger Lauren Ding
• Fashion show with Simply Be, Carolyn Drapiere, Syreeta Badu, Pauline et Julie, Curvissa, Live Unlimited and others
• Marketplace for plus-size fashion

Tickets are available through the BPSFW website. An all-access pass can be purchased for £45.00 - it looks as if the public/consumer events are happening on the Saturday, with a press and blogger day on the Friday - and tickets for some events can be purchased individually.

Just a note as there may be some controversy over the nature of the event, pertaining to the fact that being overweight is bad for your health: Plus-size women encompass all kinds of shapes and sizes, and there are all kinds of reasons as to why these women are those shapes and sizes. And let's not forget that 'plus-size' also includes women who are not fat but simply need specialised clothing to fit their height and build; for many this is their normal, healthy size. Each woman has a unique story. And everyone deserves to look good and feel good about themselves, whatever their size. 

Good luck to Remi and Rianne on their first BPSFW, I hope it's a smash. 

exhibition: when racing and fashion collide

In terms of fashion, the races tend to conjure images of large hats competing for attention, silk tea dresses, and for some, a pivotal scene from Pretty Woman. But a group of fashion students from the prestigious Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design saw beyond this, and, inspired by a day at the races, have created garments for a one-off exhibition in East London titled 'A Day at the Races'. 

The Annexe, part of the renowned Brick Lane Gallery, will host the unique designs from the 13 – 18 June 2012, offering the public the opportunity to see the students’ modern and vibrant take on attire for a day at the races, at this six-day, free-to-view exhibition. Featuring twenty-three designs created by fashion design students specialising in womenswear, the exhibition showcases a range of handmade garments from a futuristic take on a top hat and tails, to traditional tweed, couture dresses, hand-stitched quilting and turf-inspired shoes.

The students on the course - alumni include Stella McCartney, Christopher Kane and Hussein Chalayan - were answering a cut-and-make brief set by Racing for Change, an initiative set up to broaden the appeal of horseracing.

Willie Walters, Course Director of BA (Hons) Fashion at Central Saint Martins describes how the project's designs were developed: “Starting with an exhilarating outing to Newbury Racecourse, students began working on themes which they drew from their experience of the day. They researched equestrian dress, attended a lecture from fashion historian Marie McLoughlin on the development of the riding habit and finally made their decisions on their own particular avenue of research to follow in order to create their fashion silhouette. The results can now be seen at this exhibition.”

I unfortunately am not able to attend, but I do have a few favourites from the exhibition lookbook. Here's a preview, along with the designer's story behind the outfit:

RICHARD MALONE. This design was inspired by Richard’s trip to Newbury Racecourse, when he observed some children who were also at the raceday. They were fully immersed in the day’s activities, and were observed spinning in every direction as they tried to take in all of the excitement. The dress is made of hand-painted panels, each of which represents a scene from the races through a child’s perspective. It has been carefully tailored to flare during movement, based on the children’s original spinning movement.

DAISY COLLINGRIDGE. The inspiration for this garment came from photographs taken at some local riding stables, when Daisy got an insight into the lives of horses and how they are looked after. The horses were all absent from their stables, but their blankets and other gear remained. The quilted numnahs, which sit beneath the saddle, is where the inspiration for this dress has come from; incorporating horse images within a hand-quilted design.

NICOLE WALUGEMBE NABISERE. A trip back to Uganda Kampala reminded Nicole of her home life, which she then compared to the classism of 18th century Britain. This resulting traditional court coat turns into a shower proof jacket – protection against Britain’s rainy weather – and also incorporated Ugandan fabrics to represent the tribes from her home country. The trousers are shaped on the jockey’s breeches.

Photos: Wiglius de Bie

Fashion in the North: The Spring Fashion Show 2012

I was invited to an event today that I'm not able to attend and thought I'd pass on the details to fashion-minded friends in the UK -  I have a soft spot for things Northern. The Spring Fashion Show is an annual fashion event in Manchester showcasing the work of emerging fashion designers and young creatives and it's happening in February. They don't have a date fixed just yet but I imagine the announcement is imminent!

There's a networking party preceding it on 5th January for anyone working or interested in working in fashion. It's 7pm-10pm at Baa Bar Deansgate in Manchester and you can purchase tickets for £5 here.

If you want to be involved in the show, they're looking for everything including designers, models, PR people, makeup and hair, photographers and filmmakers - you can apply here.

A Look at the New LFW Cinema

Inside the BFC Show Space at Somerset House

Spring Summer 2012 is the first season at London Fashion Week for the BFC Cinema, set up in a tiny black hut-style theatre in the BFC Show Space at Somerset House (BFC is British Fashion Council). They did livestreaming as well as show their programme of fashion films on a loop which is what I caught when I popped in after the Jasper Conran show, which I saw thanks to LFW sponsor Vitamin Water (photos coming, I swear. 'Twas a good one, too). 

You can watch some of these films at LFW TV

Here are my favourites of what I caught, starting with House of Flora's film by Ryan Parry. "A playful nod to Grace Jones, Keith Haring pop art and gestures of Josephine Baker", it was an infectiously energetic performance with plenty of colour and striking shapes in the body movements, designs and backdrop.     
 
     

Now this next one was pretty cool. The subject is Sarah Angold 's lighting sculptures which I thought were accessories because this was fashion week, and I kind of wish it was actually possible to wear one of these translucent coloured pieces. However, this film by George Petrou was loooooong. It ran with several minutes of silence and then a soundscape by Danny J Lewis sprung in to remind you there had been no sound until that point. For fashion week especially, when people don't have long to sit and watch, an edited version would have been better received. People got tired of waiting for it to end and left. That's a shame. It would be best played at parties hosted by Timothy Leary, if that were possible.

Charlotte Olympia's To Die For by Jam and featuring Portia Freeman, is a gorgeous, surreal, murder mystery featuring designs from the current AW collection.

First two photos © The Swelle Life

Others shot from films, as previously credited

How To Dress & Groom for Fashion Week in One Piece!

Update: Thanks to Wicked Halo, the mystery of this person's identity is solved! Well, sort of.  Just before she saw this post she read an interview at Stylist which reveals that 'she' (there's no confirmation on the gender as of yet) is a conceptual artist by the name of Pandemonia (so that's what's written on her bag). When I first walked in and saw this startling figure I thought it might be Narcissister, but then abandoned that idea when I realised the figure in front of me was an Amazon and there was no mannequin face mask in sight. I would love to know how many people it takes to remove this at the end of the day. (This just conjured the Friends episode where Ross gets stuck in his new leather pants in a pasty mess...)

You can read the interview here which I have to admit was surprisingly compelling (Gaga has jaded me) ...

Like a sucker I put on tights, a dress, jacket, necklace, blowdried and straightened my hair and did my makeup to attend my London Fashion Week events, when I could have saved all of that time and planning with a latex head-to-toe suit and blow-up hairdo! (Ok, my post-shower getting ready takes a total of about 25 minutes only if I'm being honest. If my skin doesn't look like a plate of meatballs that day.)

On Sunday evening I walked into a presentation at Somerset House - one I was nearly salivating over in anticipation - and saw this real-life cartoon character which had me very confused, I thought it was a major departure for the designer, then realised when I saw the models wearing her jawdroppingly styled outfits that this was not part of the show. I'm not going to mention who, that's coming later. I thought the presence of this person was a bit of a party crasher, a major distraction from what was one of the greatest collections I've seen, ever. So hopefully this was a friend and all part of the fun. Then again, it is Fashion Week...

(I don't know who this is but my guess is it's a man under there. I know my Dad is reading this and asking 'You think that's a guy?!' Yes, I'd put money on it. And how hot must that costume be? I couldn't fight off the sweat moustache and my entire body wasn't cling-wrapped in latex! I have to admit, I was very concerned this person was going to suffocate in the name of fashion!)

Photos © The Swelle Life

Look Good, Do Good: "The Fashion Show" for Africa

A young woman with a huge heart and sharp eye for fashion will be presenting a major charity event that combines fashion, dance, and shopping in September.  The Fashion Show, happening in Gareth Pugh's hometown of Sunderland, is the vision of Nikki Lee who has spent the past year supporting relief efforts in Africa, including seven weeks building and teaching in Malawi for Joshua Orphan & Community Care.

Next year, Nikki will return to Africa to work with Joshua and Save the Children. They will distribute the money from this event to those in need in Malawi and sufferers of the drought in east Africa. To assure those who give that their contribution really counts, Nikki will be emailing pictures and updates from Africa, to each person who donates to The Fashion Show, to illustrate the difference they've made in the lives of the people. She wants you to know your money is not going to admin fees!

The Fashion Show is Sunday 25th September at the Roker Hotel, Sunderland at 4pm. The first 50 guests to arrive receive a Debenhams goodie bag, and everyone will be treated to wine and chocolate covered strawberries.

Retailers will be donating a portion of their sales to the charities. I'll be there with a pop-up Swelle Boutique, so if you're in the north east please come by to say hello and support these very worthy charities.

Tickets are available for £10. To purchase please call Nikki at 07828118191 or visit The Fashion Show: Charity Event on Facebook to find sellers near you.

Want to donate directly? Please go to http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/Nikki.Lee

Save the Children: Registered charity number 213890  Joshua Orphanage: Registered charity number 114727

Tomorrow! Swelle Boutique's Pop-Up Shop

  To celebrate the one year anniversary - yes, already! - of my other labour of love, Swelle Boutique, I'm taking my beautiful collections to the locals where they can see and try the pieces for themselves. It's happening tomorrow at a charming local venue called Salt House which overlooks the North Sea, and there will be all kinds of special treats for the guests. If you live in the Newcastle or coastal area please come by for a browse and to say hello.

I'm extremely proud of, and grateful to, the talented and wonderful people who have contributed their gorgeous and inspired designs to Swelle Boutique. They are an absolute pleasure to work with and this shop couldn't exist without them.  Each offers a unique perspective and together they create a collective of truly original and extraordinary clothing and accessories - I like to think there's a little something for everyone, if 'everyone' is looking for something a little more exclusive and special.

I'd also like to thank Archie Grand for very generously providing a great many of their fantastic notebooks, which will go to each person who leaves with a piece of Swelle.

I am also excited to debut more dresses and my first jackets from the Swelle house label tomorrow. I don't have photos as they have just been finished in time for the event but there will be much more to offer you come autumn. I'm even doing some black!

Here's more that will be there for revellers to drool over (but not on):

And as always you can browse and purchase directly from the Swelle Boutique online shop!

This Weekend in Montreal: Quartier Mode Pops Up

It turns out that 'pop up' is the same in French! At least in Quebecois, there is a difference, you know. Quartier Mode is hosting its first Pop-up shop this weekend in Montreal at Preloved boutique, 4066 Boulevard St. Laurent.

Featured designers are Lady Like, Noir-de-mars, Deborah Adams, LECHAT, Ramonalisa, D FLY and Bijougraphie.

Montreal really has its own unique perspective on fashion, I highly recommend visiting if you haven't been to this vibrant and creative city.

DESIGNS ON LIFE by Judith Frankland

It's good practice to be wary when someone declares that their careers in designing, painting, singing, writing novels, etc.,  began at the age of two, or in some cases just after entering the world! However, sometimes these claims are in fact true. I was two or three years old when I was introduced to fashion and design. Do I remember? Alas no, my dear Mama told me. I do however believe a seed was firmly planted for the future.

Mum would take me almost daily into Newcastle city centre where she would leave me at one of the high end clothing shops she had worked in while she went off shopping. Evidently I would quietly watch as assorted ladies tried on a myriad of garments. These hung neatly in glass cabinets and were treated with the utmost respect and care. After this we would go to Fenwick, which at that time, had the fab carpet with the name on it throughout the store and you were served individually with a very personal touch. Up to the terrace coffee shop next where I would turn into my alter-ego Lila, and in answer to the waitress, "No, the little girl would have a coffee, not pop" and wanted to be treated like a grown up.

Back home Mum would draw ladies and ballerinas for me and encouraged me to draw dresses. Soon I was making countless books of designs, even pricing them. We got Vogue monthly and it was not long before I pawed endlessly through it. Mum made my clothes and I remember vividly a fuchsia cape, pinafore dress and beret. When I would get my hands on Dad's newspaper (The Telegraph) I headed hastily to the fashion page and its usual row of illustrations of the latest looks. From this, the one and only designer I have ever truly been a devoted fan of, was the genius Bill Gibb (See Bill Gibb, Fashion and Fantasy by Iain R Webb), who sadly left us way too soon. His amazing, innovative clothing was a wild and wonderful mix of contrasting fabrics, florals, stripes , tartan, anything and everything. It seemed he took his references from history and the world in all its glory. He was quite simply an inspiration and continues to be.

Designs from then 15-year-old Judith

I have just finished taking part in an exhibition of a mix of artists and designers. My presentation of seven outfits is part of a work in progress to be finished very soon and used for promotional purposes in anticipation of presenting a small collection next fashion week in London. It is the first I have undertaken in eight years. The main reason I took part was a way of dipping my toes back into the water, rather than throwing myself in at the deep end, and to that end it was a worthy experience. The look of the collection is strong - I like to say "for the woman who likes to say hello"-  and bold, lots of colours and textures, using some marvellous school uniform fabrics I chanced upon. Manny More wonderfully illustrated the clothing in his unique and brilliant style that captures the exact feeling of the garments. (Denise will be talking to Manny in depth about his work soon.)

 

Fashion is my life, it always has been, even when I took detours running clubs in Italy and moving to different countries rather than towns. I was still making one-off commisions, and for several years had a line of a more commercial nature than the one I am now working on. I have finally found my niche. My life experiences are vast and varied and time will tell how this lust for adventure past and present influences my work as I enter my grown up period. I'm excited and have found immense pleasure in pattern cutting and want to explore the possibilities this can create in my next pieces. I would love to work with a professional pattern cutter in the future, and frankly, I feel they do not get the applause they deserve. We can all play with and drape fabric, but boy it takes talent to bring that to life. I want to stretch my imagination using the limitations a one woman venture has in a positive way, perhaps combining textures and colours to create my own personal cloth. I want to burst out and let my mind run riot and enjoy every minute, I'm ready.

All in all, the exhibition has made me focus and come to the ultimate conclusion that indeed my passion is for fashion, something I never really doubted in the first place, but a nice nudge is a good thing.

David Johnson at Shapersofthe80s.com has given a detailed account of my work in the exhibition. He also filled me with laughter, sushi and ice cream with his wonderful wit as a fab topping, a super weekend.

Also, see Katherine Wildman's coverage of the exhibition at North East Life - we love  her!

 

Illustrations by Manny More; photos by Denise Grayson; final photo of Judith and slider detail photos by Katherine Wildman

Fashion Friday in Newcastle: Judith Frankland Exhibits

 

Our  fabulous Judith of Frankly Frankland (if you haven't read or at least seen her entertaining bi-weekly Tuesday posts you really must), is showing her latest couture collection in Newcastle, opening this Friday. She has made each piece by hand, and like Judith, they are full of surprises. Her show is part of an exhibition showcasing the work of talented women of the north east in their respective disciplines also including fine art, textiles, jewellery and illustration.

Her space will be like a 'home away from home' - Judith is creating the feel of her extraordinary living room at the gallery which will feature fashion illustations of her collection by Manny More whose vibrant work can be seen above. It's an exciting collaboration; Manny conveys the high fashion energy of Judith's outfits beautifully and chicly.

I'll be covering Judith's collection here, but if you're in the area it's well worth seeing in person - there's so much to explore in a shirt alone! Preview at the Holy Biscuit Gallery in Newcastle (opposite the Biscuit Factory) Friday, 8th April from 6-8pm. Come for a glass of wine and a chat with Judith!

Judith at home in her wonderful living room

Fashion illustration by Manny More; photo by Denise Grayson

Mark your diaries! IFB Evolving Influence Livestream at NYFW

 

It looks like the tireless work of our beloved Jennine Jacob, founder of Independent Fashion Bloggers, has paid off. For the first time, a major fashion week - we're talking about New York here, the kicker-offer of the fashion week season - is hosting a blogger event and it's IFB's Evolving Influence conference on February 10th. The keynote speakers are the boys behind Proenza Schouler, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. That's um, impressive.

Another first - the conference is going to be livestreamed, so if you can't make it to the event, can't afford the registration, or come to The Swelle Life not for fashion but other things and are wondering what this whole nutty fashion blogging world is about, tune in and see! Don't be afraid, most fashion people are actually very nice, thoughtful and intelligent. And we eat. We're the (only) ones eating the food at a fashion week presentation. Well, I am anyway. I eat for everyone. When there is actually something served. (It's really awkward though, especially when people are just standing there talking and they can see if I'm hovering. At one spring presentation in Paris in 2009 they had the best spread I have ever seen, anywhere. And it was right in front of the bar, so people were around. Not a single person even glanced at the table and there I was fixed on it with dilated pupils and drool pooling up in my mouth. They were the neatest little treats, delights of all kinds, so colourful and creatively presented and I thought 'I'll be damned if I can't save at least some of it from being wasted.' I went up about four times which was about a dozen less than I wanted to. But really I had stopped giving a crap what anyone else thought, they were dummies for ignoring the beautiful food. To this day I wonder whether the staff threw it all away without a thought or had a Caligula food orgy in the kitchen. From the looks of them I'd say they were over it before it began, too. It stings.)

Returning to reality now, you can view the conference schedule here but depending where you are, you can pretty much tune in at any point in the day to catch something. Among other things, I hope to see people eating lunch.

Stephen Jones' Glamour on a Budget: The Reveal

 

Yesterday during Showstudio's latest LivesStudio session, Stephen Jones created a floral centrepiece and a beautiful hat trimmed with fresh flowers as his contribution to their latest exhibition, Florist. When Stephen reappeared after changing outfits - I love that he had a setting up outfit and one for working - he greeted us with 'Welcome to Glamour on a Budget' and I thought he was kidding, but apparently that was the title of this project. Which makes perfect sense considering the centrepiece was made of yogurt pots, wire hangers and toilet paper rolls! It's like the coolest nursery school craft time ever. And you'd think I'd have a photo of the final piece but the feed cut out, then they broke for a bit and there's nothing on the site. Just trust me it didn't look like it was made from the contents of your recycle bin!

The piece will be available for sale in the Showstudio Shop, so I'm a bit confused as to how that is pulled off with fresh flowers! An edited version of the session is currently being prepared.

The next Livestudio happens Monday, 6 December 10:00 GMT and it's with Mary Katrantzou!

The model was wearing an incredible John Galliano trench:

And Stephen loved her shoes:

 

Photos are screencaps of the livestream, the trench and final shot is from Showstudio

Pastel Dreams at Dior, Shanghai

John Galliano's cruise collection for Dior, shown in Shanghai, is an absolute treat, a sorbet-hued heaven with a bit of 60s sweetness with the back-combed hairstyles, beribboned and bow-tied waists, those prim and proper collars and references to my favourite 60s girl, Francoise Hardy. It seems that Galliano took 'cruise' to mean 'whatever I feel like doing right now' because these clothes sure aren't made for lounging around in chaise longues or lazy walks on the beach. And who cares? We all know what the extra collections are about anyway.

I love that first dress (below, top left) which is why I included it, but doesn't the look from the shoulders up seem a bit P.H.? (No way I'm mentioning that name and tainting my precious blog.) The ombre in the last dress is one of the most gorgeous ways I've ever seen it done in terms of colour and subtlety.

The finale delivered BIG as we would expect from Galliano:

 

Do you remember those dolls that had the huge, frothy skirts in candy colours? I remember seeing them at carnivals when I was little and thinking they were beautiful (they weren't). I think you could get cakes like that, too, where the skirt was made of an obscene amount of icing:

And, wait for it...

Now that's the stuff.

Photos: WWD.com

Surprises at Chanel Cruise 2011

Nothing out of the ordinary here, 'proper' Chanel

I'm just not sure what to expect when I see what's come off the runway at Chanel these days (and this is fashion so that's probably the point). The fake fur extravaganza for fall and the previous spring hoe-down had me scratching my head. But the spring haute couture was an absolute dream, and I guess that's what I want to see consistently from Chanel, it's just too good not to want it each and every time.

As for the surprises, I know the whole '"Look! They used a 'normal' girl!" is a bit boring, like a girl with curves is a freakshow at the event. But having said that, "Look! Karl used a normal girl!" at his Saint-Tropez resort collection show. Plus-sized model extraordinaire Crystal Renn was one (looking not so plus-sized, actually):

But what is more confounding than Karl's love/hate relationship with body image (but why should that be exempt from his fickle tendencies) is his choice of outfits in some cases. What Crystal is wearing does not whisper 'Chanel, mon cheri' in my ear. It's more like a screeching 'CHANEL??!!' Is it just me? I'm going by my first impression, a reaction which caused me to sit back in my chair. Oh yeah, it was that extreme, it creaked and everything. And what about this one:

So is it just me or does this say early 90s to you? More importantly, would you spend thousands on this outfit? Would this really be the look you would take away from a Chanel boutique if you were about to fly off for a beachy holiday? I imagine one would have to be extremely wealthy to be willing to throw the plastic at stone-washed cropped and cut off denim.

And here we have Eniko Mihalik, who in flats, bikini bottoms and beach dress looks nice and curvy in all her womanly glory - where was she hiding that? She has the most endearing face, she always looks like she's smiling:

And then there was Georgia May Jagger who was tied in with references to Bardot (duh) and her dad. Some guy named Mick. He had some hits. I don't really want to show you but here you go anyway:

I can't not mention the men's outfits which are the gifts that keep on giving:

 

Come on, quit messing around. Just go full pirate.

And Chanel girl Vanessa Paradis who I'm including because, you know.

 

Photos: WWD.com

Rowanjoy's Dreamy, Romantic Dresses at London's Alternative Fashion Week

One of my favourite designers and contributor to the soon to be launched Swelle Boutique, Rowanjoy, will be selling her gorgeous dresses, skirts and new line of handprinted art deco t-shirts - all one-offs! - at London's Alternative Fashion Week, April 19 -23 at Spitalfields market from 11 am - 5 pm. If you're in town, treat yourself to a visit to her lovely stall!

The beautiful image above is from a past collection but gives insight into the dreamy and romantic aesthetic that Rowanjoy consistently delivers each season, using the loveliest vintage fabrics and trims. For Swelle Boutique she's created two dresses with soft peachy silks mixed with contrasting cotton prints and lace panels, and an outfit of a skirt with a polka dot tulle ruched overlay and a grey marl t-shirt handprinted with a green art deco design, printed fabric inserts, with lace and tiny rhinestone embellishments - each piece one of a kind and handmade by the designer. Lookbook photos are imminent and I can't wait to give you a preview!

Old Castles, Spring Gardens and Stella McCartney's Crystal Horse Pt. 2

Carrying on from yesterday's post (hence the 'Pt. 2' in the title), here are more photos of my visit to Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens in Northumberland, north east England.

 The stables at Belsay

Belsay Hall is an early 19th century mansion with a Greek doric style slanted roof. It's not the most gorgeous of exteriors, it's very stark but the interiors were interesting. A family by the name of the Middletons actually lived here until 1962. It is now a proper of English Heritage.  

 

 

These Delft tiles lined both sides of the fireplace in one of its large rooms

Belsay Hall from the rear

The scenery from the side of the mansion:

 

Back to Belsay castle, a 14th century medieval castle. The main structure, a substantial three storey rectangular pele tower with rounded turrets and battlements was constructed about 1370, and was the home of the Middleton family. I cannot believe people lived in this, oh how mighty cold it must have been (see photos below). Future generations of the family resided here until the early 19th century when they built and moved into Belsay Hall. 

I have no idea what this is, it was in the ruins part of the castle. Some kind of oven? Maybe Wendy Brandes will know.

The spiral staircase from beneath

This is the room where Stella McCartney's crystal horse was displayed

You could go out onto the roof by the turret and take in the view of the countryside.

The view from the top. Those white specs on the grass are sheep.

 

 

I am going to have to do those glorious gardens in another post as this one is getting long, but I have to show you more of Lucky Spot, the horse that was conceived of by Stella McCartney as part of English Heritage's project to transform Belsay in 2004. It is made of 8,000 Swarovski crystals and when the light floods in through the medieval windows the crystals produce brilliant prismatic patterns across the walls.

 

 

 

I've gathered some images of the other installations that were commissioned for this project and I'll post those tomorrow. It includes Viktor & Rolf.

Old Castles, Spring Gardens and Stella McCartney's Crystal Horse Pt. 1

Today we took advantage of a gorgeous spring day and went off to explore some of the beautiful Northumberland countryside. We drove to Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens and I think I may have stumbled upon paradise. (I thought I found it when I went to Maui but it seems to exist way up here in the north east of England, too.) I just got a new camera and this was the perfect place to try it out, the gardens were spectacular and flooded with mid-afternoon sunlight. 

  
A room in the cellar of Belsay Hall, an early 19th century mansion

 

Belsay Castle. The turret part of the castle is 700 years old

 

And this image below is a bit of a teaser, I have so much more to show from this piece and the project itself. It's an installation conceived by Stella McCartney as part of a project involving thirteen British creatives that was commissioned by English heritage to transform Belsay in 2004. More on that tomorrow!

All photos by Denise Grayson

Gareth Pugh's One-off Modelled by Raquel Zimmermann Rocking Out to Lady Gaga

Last November I was glued to Showstudio's livestream of Gareth Pugh creating a one-off dress right before our eyes for two long days and I have the posts to prove it. I checked back after the livestreaming had concluded, for days, but couldn't find the finished dress. I'd been dying to see what shape it had taken as it was impossible to tell exactly what it was meant to look like. He and his assistant had cut out countless shapes from the fabric using stencils in what appeared to be a monotonous and backbreaking process. Once in a while Gareth would hold up a piece of exquisitely shredded black angelskin as he was working, an inadvertent tease for those of us who were trying to piece together this couture puzzle.

When I went to Showstudio today to watch Philip Treacy follow suit and create some one-off hats (coming tomorrow) I saw that the dress was for sale in the shop and that they did a little film (of course! it's Showstudio!) to present it. Raquel Zimmermann was the model of choice, but rather than simply pose with the clothes she killed it to Lady Gaga's Pokerface. Awesome. Click the image below to watch.

 

And the price? The dress costs £7,500. Compared to $4,750 for Balmain cargo pants with fake holes in them that are priced that way just so someone like me can't buy them, I'd say that's a bargain. Comes with the film of the dress being made, too. I believe it took at least three full days to complete the dress with both Gareth Pugh and his assistant working at it. If my bum looked awesome in shredded angelskin and I had that kind of money, I wouldn't be wearing pretend beat-up cargo pants.

A Peek at How it's Done: Stitching in the Window With Miss Jacqueline White

During London fashion week We Know What You Did Last Night hosted a pop up showroom and part of the fun was being able to watch Miss Jacqueline White embroider and appliqué her fun and racy T-shirts from her debut collection through a window in a Soho studio. If you aren't familiar with the concept of her expertly embellished T-shirts that cleverly stick it to all of the up-themselves lotharios of East London, you must take a look. 

In addition to creating stage costumes for New Young Pony Club's Tahita Bulmer, Miss Jacqueline White started off her year by designing a dress for Bonnie Tyler, which gave her a total eclipse of composure when she promptly lost it and exploded with glee at the prospect. 

Ossie Clark and Alice Pollock Fashion Show at Revolution, 1968

Ossie Clark and Alice Pollock, the 'pioneers of colossal cleavage and startling see-throughs" (that's how the narrator hilariously described them) liked to show their collections at London's Revolution club in the late 60s. For such a hipster venue and considering the coolness of the people behind the show, much of the audience just didn't match up with what was on display; many looked as if they'd wandered in for some appetizers and instead found themselves stunned, watching floaty polyester whirl around. However, there were exceptions of course: John and Yoko were there as you'll see below. If you want to see how the models got groovy on the dancefloor/catwalk you can watch here.

 

John and Yoko "managed to restrain their enthusiasm" (yes, the narrator said that). That's one way of looking at it. Another way is to say that John was three seconds away from punching the camera guy in the face.

See?

(Um, is that a young Keith Richards behind Yoko?)

 

Like the other models, she was dancing around quite lively and judging by the looks on the faces of some of the women in the audience, they were not so comfortable with the looseness of her top. And here I thought J-Lo started that whole thing. 

At another show, also in 1968, I guess this one being spring, we've got Patti Boyd modelling. At the time she was married to George Harrison who was there with some buds including John Lennon who looked a little more relaxed (well, compared to the last one, anyway).

 

George with 70s 'stache (above) and Patti:

 

 

M·A·C Give Me Liberty or Give Me, Um...Liberty Will Do!

The first photos from MAC's latest collection come courtesy of Temptalia, a collaboration with Liberty of London who have been partnering with all kinds of like-minded giants, and this one is a total treat for the eyeballs. I don't even care so much about the makeup, I just love looking at the mixed Liberty prints of pretty pastel ditsy florals and bold graphics. And the packaging! I'm not sure that what's in those tubs and pans could possibly live up to what their beautifully adorned cases promise but who cares, really. Who doesn't need another pink gloss or purple eyeshadow anyway? 

I was invited to Cacharel's showroom in Paris last spring and saw their entire Liberty collection, a revival based on their first youthful, printed cotton floral pieces from the 70s. Cacharel say they created the Liberty print in the 70s. Yet Liberty fabrics are considered to be quintessentially English. Liberty of London sells Liberty prints and they seem to be an English institution of sorts, fashion-wise. I don't see how they could be two different things considering the look of each is unequivocal and each is called The Liberty Print. Did the French give the English a gift? The Statue of Liberty went to the United States and the Liberty print fabric was maybe a 'hey, you're cool, too' present to the English? Anyone care to explain?

Back to the make-up - the look is inspired by the quintessential London girl and is described as 'cool Britannia.' Oh, the tired buzz phrases PRs are forced to use. I'm a bit crabby. Immigration problems that are no fault of ours and my laptop is burning up my nether regions and it's not a great feeling.

Okay! Let's look at the pretty pictures! And by the way, the collection will be available first in the US on March 11 and internationally April 2010. And it will also include a scarf and a make-up bag. And more cosmetics. That hat is neat-o.

I Can Make You Ice Cream...Dresses

 
This past holiday season Topshop Oxford Circus (is there any other location that matters these days?) initiated Dress Me Up!, a frock borrowing service where girls like us could hire out a dress donated by a slew of fashion icons and designers. One of these fabulous dresses was created by Miss Jacqueline White who was inspired by Tahita Bulmer of New Young Pony Club, for whom she creates stage costumes. You may remember Miss J from the riotous giveaway we did back in October where readers submitted their best (or worst depending on how you see it) 'post-coital clangers.' The winner got hers embroidered on a Miss Jacqueline White original design T-shirt and thus, got to make fashion from one of the most cringe-worthy moments of her life. And so it became good for something!

Leaving the cringe behind but continuing with the fun of her artfully applied communiqués, Miss Jacqueline White used her expert embroidery and appliqué skills to create a new 'lady' with hair of golden sequins and a message, taken from the New Young Pony Club's hit single Ice Cream.

You may have missed your opportunity to rent a great frock but all donated dresses are going to be auctioned for charities Age Concern and Help the Aged. I can't find any details on the Topshop site or blog so I'll assume they don't know the where and when just yet. But I'll be sure to let you know! (And if you know, fill us in!)

 

Here's the yummy Ice Cream video from New Young Pony Club:

Gareth Pugh's Second Day of Live Genius

Gareth Pugh starting off the day by answering some viewer questions

This is the second day of Gareth Pugh's livestream with Showstudio. He's creating a dress, and while I know nothing about making dresses, I'm pretty sure there is a crapload of extra work that is going into this sure-to-be-breathtaking couture creation. The pattern/detail drafting and cutting seems especially involved, he's been doing it for two long days and still going. 

Gareth and his faithful assistant Lucy

He really started to get into it! No, he was just blowing off chalk dust, I think. 

The livestream was supposed to have ended at 6 pm but the trouper that he is, he went until 7:20. And so did Lucy, let's not forget her. Their backs must be breaking.

Considering the amount of intensive labour going into this dress by the esteemed designer himself and the ridiculous going rate for the simplest of designer ready to wear frocks made in Chinese factories, the price tag will end up to be around £1 million. But seriously, I'm dying to see the end result and how all of these little scale-like shapes will figure into it - Gareth said he hopes to be finished on Wednesday - and I'm very curious to find out what it does wind up costing for what is really a piece of art.

If You Happen to be in New York...

 
...you must take the place I would be occupying at the events of two of my favourite bloggers if I wasn't an ocean away. First up is the Boyy Fall 2009 preview on Wednesday. It's hosted by beautiful birthday girl Deanne of Dream Sequins and Boyy's Jesse Dorsey who is offering guests a 15% discount off these To Die For bags. Seriously, these are so cool even Lou Doillon has one - the Slash, which is nearly sold out. (I don't normally care who is carrying what - in fact if something is being touted as a 'celeb favourite' I'm turned off. But come on, it's Lou, not a Gossip Girl. And the bags are awesome.)

Deanne and Jesse invite you to meet them Wednesday, November 18th between 6-7 pm for a casual trunkshow. You will be able to view all styles from Fall, as well as place orders for certain sold-out stock. Merry Christmas to you! If you can't make it but are lusting after one of these bags, don't fret - Boyy is extending the 15% discount to all all purchases made online through November 25th. Use the coupon code: dreamsequins.com. Note that the discount will be a credit back to your card after purchase.

To RSVP and receive further details about the event, email dreamsequins@gmail.com

Source: Wild.Crazy.Beautiful

And then there are three days with our gorgeous jeweller extraordinaire Wendy Brandes! On Thursday she is partnering with her fabulous fashion designer friend Zang Toi (who is apparently serving his famous fried wontons!) for a holiday wear and fine jewelry cocktail party:

The fun continues into the weekend with a two-day pop-up shop on Friday and Saturday featuring Wendy Brandes' truly inspired and original creations. Her designs are based on history's strong women, especially "naughty royal ladies" without whom we wouldn't have such fascinating baubles as the Nefertiti Poison Ring which is ever so cool! I would love to see her pieces in person so please do drop by one of these events if you are able. Marie Antoinette would want you to!

Meet The Glamourai and Shrimpton Couture in New York!

If you're in New York you'd be mad not to stop by the W Hotel Monday evening to see Shrimpton Couture's exclusive presentation of Glamour Wraps by NYC accessories designer The Glamourai. These two amazing fashion forces - Shrimpton Couture having revolutionised the online vintage shopping experience and The Glamourai the creator of some of the most stunning reworked vintage jewellery you've ever seen - are collaborating on their newest fashion venture, reworked kimonos.

I own three Glamourai pieces myself - two neckpieces and a bracelet that were created exclusively for Shrimpton Couture, and I absolutely ADORE them. I even wear them around the house sometimes, for no particular reason other than to be near them!

Okay, so saying you can 'meet Shrimpton Couture' is a bit weird as it's an online boutique and not a person! The vintage-loving dynamo behind it is Cherie Federau. I had the pleasure of meeting Cherie in Toronto when I visited home last summer. She came over for lunch and we had a great girlie afternoon. Both of us would have posted about it had the photos turned out! But I should mention that her outfit was as incredible as you would imagine. And The Glamourai is New York fashion designer and stylist Kelly Framel who I haven't met in person yet, but I do enjoy her amazing self-styled photos.

Here are the Glamourai pieces still available for sale out of a series of exclusive collections for Shrimpton Couture (they tend to sell out immediately!), all modelled and gorgeously styled by Kelly herself:

 

Hmm...I'm just thinking about Cherie and Kelly together at this event - is it possible to have too much style in one room?

Don't Miss Natalia Vodianova's Live Shoot on Showstudio - It's Wrapping Up!

More about the dresses she's modelling later, there's only a few more hours at most to watch Natalia Vodianova's shoot for British Vogue, photographed by Nick Knight on Showstudio. She's is utterly amazing to watch, both for her natural beauty - she's so luminous - and the way she engages the camera. ANTM wannabees need to watch this.

 

 

 
 

Watch the Natalia Vodianova British Vogue Shoot with Nick Knight Live!

Today (right now!) and tomorrow Showstudio is livestreaming Nick Knight's shoot for British Vogue with the stunning Natalia Vodianova, a woman who must have grown her three babies inside a zip-off pouch and simply removed it once they were ready to come out.

I love Showstudio's livestreams - hearing the conversation as Nick Knight et all stand around holding their chins, contemplating options; seeing the hair and make-up artists (in this case, Sam McKnight and Val Garland) doing touch-ups between shots and the stylist (British Vogue's fashion director Lucinda Chambers) perfecting the look, taking in the set from all angles like this dark and beautiful winter scene; and of course watching the models get into position and doing their thing. Natalia is amazing to watch. In case you didn't already know. 

Click any of the images to watch Natalia posing while exquisitely entangled in this tree-like prop.

 

 

Natalia is modelling outfits customised by some of fashions leading designers, which will then be sold at auction with the proceeds going to ‘The Naked Heart Foundation’, a charitable trust which builds and runs playgrounds for disadvantaged children.

More McQueen Show: A Bombardment of Stills!

I finally saw the show, without interruption, and there aren't words to describe the whole of it. What I wrote earlier (see previous post) was skewed to what I saw; it turns out I missed far more than I'd thought! (Not suprising as it was a long show - over 17 minutes.) The clothes were unearthly, divine, sublime. Every last bit. Prints and embellishments galore. Shoulders, silhouettes. The shoes, insane. And the music, as I mentioned I loved it but to hear the tracks start out lighter albeit dimensional, then build up to a progression of hard, tribal beats, well, it took me back to my favourite nights out seeing my favourite superstar DJs.

It was well worth being glued to my computer all night and hard refreshing hundreds of times to finally get a clear feed. You can watch it here.

I couldn't help but go crazy with the screen shots. Some are much clearer than others as this was a stream but the pixelation creates a rather painterly effect that offers something in itself.

 

Alexander McQueen's Paris Show Live Streaming Tonight!

 

Update! If you can't get on the site, don't worry. Showstudio is getting high volume and is trying to sort it out. The good news is there's word from Paris that the show won't start for a bit, I'd check in again at 9 pm Paris time. Hang in there, it will be well worth the wait!

I cannot wait for this. Luckily it's scheduled to start in just over two hours, not taking into consideration the standard half hour delay for fashion shows. But I'm guessing Lee McQueen has everything calibrated to precise measurement to ensure this one is absolutely perfect, for he's treating us to a live stream of his show, Plato's Altantis, in Paris this evening. Filmed under the direction of Nick Knight, this live broadcast aims to capture the essence of an Alexander McQueen show: ‘the witnessing of a unique moment in time’. Streamed  on a joint micro-site alexandermcqueenlive.showstudio.com alongside an exclusive pre-show interview with Alexander McQueen himself, the stream is set to kick-off at 8:15 Paris time this evening.

To get you primed you can watch the absolutely captivating and exhilarating film of McQueen's Iconic Moments by clicking the image above which will take you to the video on Showstudio. (I have to admit I cried a little. I sat with my head in my hands watching it over and over. THIS is fashion.)

 

Geeking Out at Chanel

Sasha Pivovarova with Karmen Pedaru

Earlier this week I was in Paris to attend what was supposed to be two couture shows: Xuan-Thu Nguyen and Alexandre Matthieu. Then I was bumped from the latter by Vogue Italia! I was one of the last confirmed and they made requests after the list was closed and therefore I became the sacrificial lamb. I was disappointed because I really admire the beautiful work of Alexandre Morgando and Matthieu Bureau and this was the first time they were invited to show during haute couture week. However, their people were very apologetic and asked for my understanding. And uh, yeah, I think I can understand why Vogue might have won out there. Turns out I wouldn't have made the show anyway, I got in to Paris too late, so I was saved the frustration of missing it.

Xuan-Thu Nguyen's superb collection deserves a post of its own so this one is about what I saw afterward, outside the Chanel show at Grand Palais. And this is where the geekery comes in. I couldn't care less about celebrities (although I'd love to see Vanessa Paradis who really is more than a celebrity). Haute couture favours the socialites who are the ones who buy from the collection and fashion editors and other big players in the industry, and it's those influential people I'm most interested in. Socialites slide right off my brain, however, but I was looking forward to seeing Daphne Guinness who must have been there but I didn't see her (and she's so much more than a socialite, it must be noted). Her cousin Jasmine was and she looked fantastic with her red lips, red belt and red seamed stockings (she never goes out without something red). And she paused for a photo when she saw me light up at noticing her but the shot blurred. (Ed note: this was before I had my beloved Nikon D-7000.)

It rained while sunny and we got a rainbow over the Petit Palais across the street!

 

Before that, the same thing happened but with Mario Testino. I nearly died. He saw me gasp (I couldn't help it) and stood right in front of me, looked me in the eye and smiled. My heart was racing and my fingers were so shaky that the photo came out completely blurred. But I'm keeping it because you can still see that he was smiling. And what a smile it was. He's quite tall, too. He has a very charismatic presence.

And then it was like my fairy godmother granted all my wishes at once with a parade of style icons, editors, the models from the show and the most gorgeous Chanel haute couture dresses. One young socialite who couldn't have been more than 17 years old was wearing the most exquisitely detailed dress with lace and tulle and camelias which I believe is from the current collection.

The Queen of fashion journalism: Suzy Menkes and her famous quiff.

I was so excited to see Suzy Menkes, then I turned around and Carine Roitfeld, Editor in Chief of French Vogue was right in front of me in a stunningly tailored black jacket with silk satin lapels, and I happened to catch the split second where she smiled. I was expecting Balmain shoulders but she's already done that. Next.

Carine Roitfeld

And to top it off, there was Anna Piaggi looking as no one but Anna Piaggi could. And no one was taking her photo but me! How can you not photograph Anna Piaggi? She was whisked away in a waiting car, which was a Vogue car. Yes, it had 'Vogue' painted on the side. Speaking of Vogue, Vogue Italia's editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani went unnoticed as well. I didn't take a photo because silly me didn't want to appear ravenous like some others out of respect (I must have confused a major fashion event with a funeral). But then the subjects became far too tempting and I remembered that I do write a fashion blog. And they are surely used to being photographed by now!

78 year-old Anna Piaggi. A legend.

And this woman below was something else, she was wearing a sheer dress with nothing underneath on top and had a much younger and very dapper man on her arm. She hammed it up, flashing some leg and dancing around and then she changd her shoes with the help of her date who replaced her heels with ratty flip flops! Awesome.

And now, the models. When Sasha Pivovarova appeared, my favourite of the last few years and the one who filled the void Gemma Ward left but in her own way - people went absolutely apeshit. Imagine this, gasped in the most over-the-top male 'fashion' voice: "She's FANTASTIC!" Gasp. Moan. Gasp. "She's THE BEST!" More gasping and shaking of the head with mouth agape. And a little bit of drool. She was in FULL model mode and with that Chanel cap (see the header photo), the hip-skimming multi-strands a la Coco and her attitude ,she gave everyone exactly what they wanted. Her intensity is really quite surreal. Her signature 'psychotic episode' stare is a force of nature, yet for that brief moment I wasn't sure what was in front of me was actually human. Here's an example if Sasha is new to you:

More girls who just can't help being 'modelly' when off the clock:

She whipped out the cigarette and began smoking in one
fluid, overly-dramatic motion. She still reeked of tobacco, though.


I love this photo, they are still in model mode from the show and every movement seems camera-worthy. Yulia, Tara Jean and I can't tell who is on the left (many do look the same!). Just about everyone but Yulia and Elsa walked out in their wingy eyeliner, the look from the show.


Lara Stone. Her gift bag was bigger than that of a lot of the other models.

Remember, she's considered the 'normal-sized' girl':

Baptiste Giabiconi, who appears in every Chanel show and is Karl Lagerfeld's longtime muse. Apologies to him for the laser eyes.


Elsa Sylvan. She walked out eating a sandwich, likely in response to rumours about her weight.


Magdalena. Stunning.


Shu Pei Qin. I cannot begin to describe just how gorgeous she is in person. Especially when she smiles. She's so tall and she presented as the most impressive out of all the models.

Oh, and I finally got to sit in Ladurée's dreamy bar and have my macaron cocktail. I went for the cassis. And it was only 22 euros! Seriously, it was, but I had to do it once. It was strong, as in alcohol, and that cream at the top while at first seems more fresh and milky than rich and creamy, is deceptive. I got so full that halfway through I had to stop. Maybe I should have had it before I had lunch upstairs. I didn't know how I was going to finish it, but despite feeling very uncomfortable I persevered - it cost 22 euros after all!

I finished all but a couple of sips. As I ventured out on Champs Elysees I thought at one moment I might throw up right there on the street. And if I had, do you know what my next words would have been? "I REGRET NOTHING!"

Lucky LA: Bat for Lashes and Giant Artists

If you're in Los Angeles you may want to head down to the Lucky Brand store in Santa Monica this Sunday for an acoustic performance from Bat for Lashes' Natasha Khan. The Lucky Brand Neighborhood Social will also feature other up and coming musicians and works by LA-based Giant Artists, including William Lemon III who will be handpainting designs on your Lucky denim (I believe he did the artwork on Khan's body in the pic above and he also painted a nude Marc Jacobs for the Louis Vuitton's Sprouse bag ad). Blake E. Marquis will also be silkscreening reusable totes.

This sounds pretty cool for a jeans store. The last time I went shopping for jeans the sales assistant left me waiting with no pants on while she was supposed to be getting me a new size. Turns out she got distracted and forgot. And the only music playing was crappy Top 40 (do we still use that term?) and no one painted my jeans when I finally got the right size.

You can drop by from 3-5 pm but for the Bat for Lashes performance you do need to RSVP to book your spot which you can do here.

Wanna Buy Johnny Depp's Jacket?

Yep, that's the jacket Johnny Depp wore in The Man Who Cried. I bet it smells of rugged manliness and unfiltered cigarettes. You can buy it at the Entertainment Memorabilia auction at Bonhams in London's Knightsbridge where 250 film costume pieces will be up for grabs.

Angels The Costumier is supplying the outfits, many of which are historically significant such as Christopher Lee's iconic black cape from Dracula, a collection of costumes from the James Bond series, and the cloak worn by Omar Sharif in Lawrence of Arabia. There are even some outrageous offerings like the infamous monkey masks from series one of The Mighty Boosh.

The Entertainment Memorabilia auction begins at 11 a.m. on June 16. I can't wait to see how much the monkey masks go for.

L: Belinda Mayne as Delta in Dr. Who, 1987
R: Full outfit of sequined cloak, evening dress, floral hair
ornament and gold brocade court shoes.
Worn by Kate Bosworth in Beyond the Sea

Jarvis Cocker in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire



Rik Mayall and Gabrielle Glaister from Blackadder II, 1986
Doublet of cream brocade, trimmed with gold braid,
embellished with pearl beads

Elsa Shiaparelli Garments to be Auctioned in Paris

According to WWD, forty creations by the late Italian design legend Elsa Schiaparelli will be available to the highest bidder as part of an exceptional sale of vintage couture pieces. Included are the circa-1938 shocking-pink and black striped evening gown shown above, and a rare 1937 Lesage-embroidered jacket made in collaboration with Jean Cocteau. The event will take place July 3 at Drouot-Richelieu auction house in Paris. Dating from the Twenties through the Eighties, designs by Jean Patou, Gabrielle Chanel and Christian Dior will also figure among the lots.

Have you been to the Elsa Schiaparelli website? It's interactive, and really incredible:

 

ADAM's Sweet Puppy Love

Adam Lippes, the creative director and CEO of ADAM is partnering with the Humane Society to open his New York City Meatpacking District boutique for one day of dog adoptions to help the many animals in need find homes. The dogs, ranging in breed and size, will be showcased in the windows of the boutique on Sunday, May 31^st from 2-4PM. Delicious doggy treats and post-brunch Bloody Marys and Mimosas will be served to all guests and animal lovers. Customers, locals and passersby are welcome to bring their pooches by for the fun day of shopping. Ten percent of all the proceeds will be donated to the Humane Society, and “ADAM Loves Dogs” leashes and t-shirts will be given away to all new dog owners.

Adoption gives dog-owner and animal lover Adam the warm fuzzies: “It is so gratifying and rewarding to see the smiles on peoples faces when they take a new dog home.”

How sweet is he? If you're in the city, mark the date, get some new lovely spring clothes and help out our furry friends. 

Adam is one of my favourites, his clothes are so vibrant, fresh and feminine, just gorgeous. Happy clothes!

Here's some temptation from ADAM's S/S 09 collection, which you can also buy at his website (it was so hard to choose just a few):

 

 

 

 

This is available in a gorgeous iris silk charmeuse

Dream and Awake Exhibits in Paris

I wanted to get the news out for anyone in Paris or visiting between now and May 10 that dreamandawake is having an exhibition. I'm thrilled they introduced themselves to me and I'm now trying to find out more about them, I am intrigued (and hugely disappointed that I missed this by two weeks). But for now it's enough to know that they take 'dresses of yesterday' from around the world and redesign them for today, and their photos are like works of art, conveying the feel of the clothes as a hazy, dream-like old memory. Let us know if you're lucky enough to visit them in Paris?

Click image for their website

Sonia Rykiel Exhibit a Reminder of How Cool She is

I caught the Paris retrospective of Sonia Rykiel's 40-year career of changing how women dress (I think she's my new Coco), which I finally saw after my first attempt at seeing it was disrupted by my three year-old daughter who decided she would sing and play butt games where she bends over, sticks her butt out at you, wiggles it and says loudly "It's bum bum time!" and laughs hysterically. It occurred to me this may not be proper museum behaviour, not just because the song was in English but it may be considered distracting to the other patrons so I took her downstairs, handed her off to Dad with a 'good luck to you' and headed back in. (You might think I'm nuts but she's usually very well behaved and she wanted to come along to see the dresses. I had no way of knowing our visit would coincide with Bum Bum Time.)

Anyway, the exhibit features 220 of Rykiel's designs from 1968 to present, all intermingled  according to motif rather than year/era as her themes have appeared again and again throughout her career - like the poorboy sweater, black, stripes, words printed on sweaters and seams on the outside. One of her sketchbooks was on display and laminated so the pages could be browsed which was appreciated as there were others behind glass - it's fascinating to see how ideas are borne, as it is to see the style of one's illustrations. Rykiel's are quite compact and restrained and she seems to press firmly and evenly with her pencil and use concise lines, rather than a flowy kind of loose style - an interesting contrast to the 'freeing' quality that presents itself in her clothes.

A film presentation accompanied the exhibit - a Warhol interview for Warhol's TV in 1981. All in French and sadly, I had to pretend I knew what she was saying as my ear for French just isn't very good. The show footage is from the era of the first wave of supermodels - Jerry Hall and Janice Dickinson were leading the pack and doing these weird dancey moves, you know the kind of old-school runway boogie where the feet do little steps going back and forth with a lot of hip wiggle and the hands are waved about slowly and deliberately at shoulder level as if to conjure up a tray of cocktails which they would surely and quickly consume themselves.

A second part to the exhibit focusses on Rykiel's collaboration with Dominique Isserman who photographed all her publicity shots from 1979 to 1990, an impressive collection which could warrant a solo exhibit.

While watching the Sonia Rykiel interview and pretending to know what she was saying, I couldn't help but notice how thoroughly she embodies the essence of French chic. It's not about having hair just so (hers looks like Rosanne Rosannadanna's) or perfect features. It's about carrying oneself with that cool elegance and an attitude that suggests all is right in their world, regardless of what's going on - this is a woman in control. Now that's a role model. (And being rail thin and having the best clothes doesn't hurt, either.)

 

How great are the knit water wings and ring?

 

 

 

 

 

Dior Goes Flemish Old Masters for Spring Couture

Haute Couture week in Paris has kicked off and what a better collection to begin with than Christian Dior. Galliano says he was influenced by Flemish painters Vermeer and Van Eyck. Whatever it was, the collection is just want we want from haute couture, is it not? Over the top, breathtaking detail and the obviously expert workmanship. As the Telegraph's Hilary Alexander put it, it had the "extraordinary construction, hand-finished seams, painstaking cross-stitching and velvet ribbon bindings which go into the making of an haute couture creation."

I don't quite get some of the collections that are pared down and straightforward. They're absolutely beautiful, but in the context of Haute Couture week, certainly devoid of the pomp and splendor, and I don't understand why they're haute couture, whereas we see ready-to-wear from the likes of Alexander McQueen (A/W 2008 for example) that would seem at home on the haute couture runways (I know there are strict rules dictated by the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Paris, but just sayin'). Is there that much fancy handstitching that can go into a pair of unembellished black trousers? Is the fabric that precious? I imagine you could pay $20,000 (geez, maybe more?) for a pair and can't quite see, literally, why. But there's got to be a reason and I'm happy to be educated - I'm looking to be - so fill me in if you know. (I just recalled Daphne Guinness in The Secret World of Haute Couture describing what she's wearing, called it 'normal' couture. Is what I'm referring to then 'normal couture'? Still, what is that exactly? My head is swimming.)

Back to Dior, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy's breathy, beautiful songs played as the soundtrack (Quelqu'un m'a dit is a must-have album). You can hear and see here, and watch until the end for Galliano's finale strut, one of the best things about the show (it always makes me laugh so hard. With him, of course):

My favourites:

 

 

 

 

 

Photos: Giovanni Giannoni

Christian Louboutin to Design Barbie Shoes

The much-loved Barbie doll is turning 50 years old next year (must be all the plastic in her face keeping her so young looking), and to celebrate, 50 designers were selected to create outfits for a special runway show that Mattel is hosting in February at New York fashion week. We'll have to wait to hear who the designers are, but WWD reports that Christian Louboutin will provide the shoes for all 50 models - each done in Barbie Pantone 219 Pink (that shade we usually try to avoid when doing pinks. Let's leave it Barbie to rock it).

"I guess I always had a little 'girlie side' who liked Barbie," Louboutin said. "Barbie needs to wear great shoes because every girl needs to wear great shoes." Indeed.

From Russia Avec Amour

After Karl Lagerfeld debuted his silent film about the early years of Coco Chanel's life Wednesday night in Paris, models took the runway for Chanel's annual Métiers d'Art show. This year it was a tribute to Russia, a place that was close to Coco's heart and is a source of great inpsiration for Lagerfeld: "I love Imperial Russia, from Catherine the Great to Fabergé. I love constructivism, of course. And I love Russian folklore, which is very special. What was fun was to mix it all."

Chanel collections are always exquisite, but this is almost too much to handle. The detail! It has everything - tulle, brocade, embroidery, fur trims, fluffy knits, metallics, brocades, soft ruffles, folk prints - yet it's unmistakeably Chanel through and through. I looove the shimmery tights in muted metallics. I would kill for the coat dress in the ninth photo below - look at the hem detail and how the sleeves are finished. I could live in sub-zero weather for a while if I could dress like this! (Too bad I'd only be wearing it inside...)

Source: WWD

Karl Lagerfeld Delivers His Fashion Manifesto

Karl Lagerfeld delivered an astute dissection of the fashion industry on Thursday as he introduced Harold Koda - a renowned fashion scholar and the head of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute - at the Fashion Group International’s Night of Stars. WWD provided excerpts from Lagerfeld's handwritten manifesto:

• “There is a strange and invisible borderline when fashion is not only fashion, but becomes the most evident and most easily visible expression of an area.”

• “Fashion as history is beyond fashion, and it is not only limited to clothes.”

• “It is difficult to imagine today that people who shaped the fashion of the first 50 years of the 20th century never had an exhibition in a great museum during their lifetime….Designers (called “couturieres”) were happy to dress people (mostly women of society). They designed with the icons of their times in mind — before that word was used as we use it today. They had muses then….For Chanel, it was simpler. She was only her own inspiration (what I admire).

• “The face of fashion is now in the hands of a small group of big companies and they often own several important and influential fashion brands. They also help to make it possible for museums to stage important shows.”

• “Fashion is today also about big shows like Hollywood productions. In the past, designers made fashion history by dressing people who had a real life in those clothes. We should learn a lot from that. Red carpet (another invention of our times) helps to distort fashion by giving it a fake and too glamorous face.”

• “The great designers of the past were certainly not humble people, but they worked in the days before media buzz. What helps most of us a lot in a way, promotion (and self-promotion), did not exist before. It’s also something that makes our approach to fashion different (too different?). But what will survive from all that?”

• “Fashion is about the harmony between utility and beauty. But the sense of beauty in fashion changes quickly — nearly as quickly as fashion itself. Some people tell us that utility is itself the essence of beauty. That may be OK for sportswear (such an important part of fashion today and not always the best). I think there has to be another dimension to it, and Harold is our visionaire in that area. You don’t design a dress only because it’s easy to wear. It should be — but that reason alone could make fashion a bore.

• “A new fashion can appear having the same origins in inspiration and admiration in the past of fashion. The danger is for us designers to be too exposed to the seduction of the past.”

• “It is difficult to work out your own vision of fashion without being haunted by the beauty of the work of the people before us — even if they were also not immune to all kind of influences and inspirations to achieve a strong vision and a unique style.”

Photo: Kristen Somody Whalen

Fashion Fringe Presents Britain's Next Top Designers?

Fashion Fringe is an annual project, launched to find and nurture undiscovered British designers. This past May, 10 semi-finalists were invited to London to have their abilities tested in a technical day at the London College of Fashion before being interviewed by a panel of fashion industry heavy-weights and business experts (the advisory panel includes Anna Wintour, Miuccia Prada, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, and John Galliano, among others). Erdem, Basso & Brooke and Sinha-Stanic are all Fringe alumni; so far the five year-old project is achieving what it intended.

Four finalists were chosen, and they spent the next 3 months working on their collections, with the support of Fashion Fringe, to create 12 looks for their Fashion Fringe capsule collection to show in London as part of the official September Fashion Week.

Here are selected looks from the winning designers at the Fashion Fringe show, beginning with Eun Jeong Hong, of the label Go By A Secret Path (and above):

Print designer Sarah Easom:





Elizabethan costume-inspired LF Markey:





and, William Tempest:





Will we see them again? Watch this space!

Photos: Style.com

D'oh! I Missed The Simpsons at Colette

Let me clarify - I missed The Simpsons at Colette by about a year. So I'm not breaking any news here (unless you're easy on "currentness" being the criteria for news). I stumbled upon these photos of Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Jacobs and Alber Elbaz posing with Simpsons illustrations and immediately panicked, asking the world in general "How? How? How did I miss this episode of the Simpsons?" I was going to blame it on UK TV being a bit behind Fox's scheduling as very few U.S. shows run simultaneously in Brit-land (hmm... although I would have been in Canada then, as I am here now, as we are for the good part of every summer). 

Anyway, I was relieved to find out this was from from an exhibit at Paris' Colette (you must look at their website, it's so French in the way that Daft Punk is French - I guarantee you haven't seen anything quite like it). The illustrations were from a Harper's Bazaar feature from August 07 called The Simpsons Go to Paris with Linda Evangelista (illustrations by Matt Groening and artwork by Julius Priete). Incredible model she was, don't you think? One of the best ever? (And she's nabbed a most-coveted Prada campaign at 43!) She went to my high school in St. Catharines. I didn't know her, though - she left grade 13 when I was coming into grade 9. In the yearbook she had massive, frizzy hair. Look who's laughing now.

So then I was left feeling dumb and out of the loop for missing that issue. I really must pay more attention to Harpers Bazaar - though I have to say I'm really tired of US magazines putting over-exposed, American actresses on their covers, photoshopped to a level of flawless smoothness my almost three year-old daughter can't rival, and trying to look all modelly. (Like, their current cover is Jessica Biel. I'm not buying that!)

 

This display isn't creepy at all:

Source

Costume Institute Gala: Superheroes and Super Duds

The theme for Monday night's Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala was one for indulging in childhood reverie. However, Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy saw fashion and Hollywood's top figures mixing on the red carpet, displaying both extremes of the style spectrum and varying participation in the theme. Some had fun and played along but most simply appeared dressed in fabulous gowns, not all that different from any other prestigious red carpet event. (Why be so timid of costume, it's right there in the name!)

Then there were The Others. Whatever is the opposite of fabulous, they were it. Shockingly, many of the offenders were the designers themselves. And there were some who deserved their own category for their erm, interesting looks.

So, starting with some of the best frocks of the night we have a super-svelt Christina Ricci (top left) doing superhero to perfection, courtesy of Givenchy Haute Couture's fresh and lovely take on Wonder Woman's evil-fighting gear. Now on to the rest, up, up and away:

Anna Wintour in Chanel Haute Couture (what else?) channeling the X-Men's character Storm, brilliantly capturing the spirit of the event. (Her hair is always as smooth as glass. She's not human and her hair stylist can't be either.)

Anna's Wintour's daughter Bee Schaffer in Nina Ricci

Daphne Guinness and L'Wren Scott, in L'Wren Scott (I just love L'Wren's skin-tight black sequins on her 6'3" frame, she's today's Wonder Woman.)

Raquel Zimmerman in Thakoon Panichgul, with the designer

Now for the worst (assuming, I think correctly, that these are not just unflattering angles). We have Donna Karan in her own design (left). Her face says it all. And Vera Wang also in her own design. With that sagging saddlebag of fabric this dress truly does wang.

 

We know what the real crime here is but Melania Trump's Vera Wang flouro-magenta nightmare would even be too much for Barbie, it's total WAG territory. Karen Elson had to get Jack White (in Marc Jacobs) home before the sun came up:

And lastly, the solo categories:

Dress mostly likely to do it for Axl Rose: Stephanie Seymour (no designer credit given, hmmm...)

Most literal interpretation of the Superhero theme: Max Azria (bless)

Coolest: Lou Doillon in Marni (because she just is)

Real-life Superhero (if TV is considered 'real life'): Lynda Carter/Wonder Woman in Carolina Herrera, deflecting imaginary bullets with her golden cuffs of fury (I bet her hair would have done an equally good job):

The No one should be allowed to look like this in a dress category: Tom Brady (in Leonardo Dicaprio's hair) with Gisele Bunchen in Atelier Versace (like it matters who did the dress)

And finally, Most Karl Lagerfeld: Karl Lagerfeld

Highlights of Hyères

The Festival International de Mode et de Photographie à Hyères has now wrapped up its public program (including fashion shows and awards ceremony) after what appears to have been a mind-blowing event. If you're not familiar, it was established in Hyères (in the south of France) 22 years ago to unveil 10 young fashion designers and 10 young photographers from all over the world, under the patronage of an international jury. I'm going to look into the new talent when I get the time to give it my full attention and hopefully I'll see a more varied approach than the draped black fabric and stark (though beautiful) images caught in a few quick glances.

One of the best parts of the festival is the exhibition which showcases a selection of the world's most fascinating photographers and their works. The Sartorialist was one, who as you may know is the man behind the #1 most influential fashion blog of the same name, snapping street fashion as he finds it. The results are often times stunning portraits of his random subjects.  I've just checked his blog and naturally it features some shots taken within the last few days in Hyères (see below). Simply gorgeous, gives you even more reason to wish you'd been. No need to fret, however! The exhibition runs until June 1, so if you're going to be in France between now and then you'd be mad not to go, and it's free.

 

For me, the exhibition draw would be the works of Melvin Sokolsky, photographer for Harper's Bazaar in the 1960s who created fashion classics with his Bubble and Flying series. One look and you can see why he's known for his portrayal of a light and playful world of enchantment, as illustrated in the first photo shown above, from the Chairs series, 1963. I don't mean to ruin what was almost a proper post, but I can't help but be reminded of Lily Tomlin's Sesame Street guest character Edith Anne who sat in that enormous rocking chair, fiddling with her feet while describing in that snot-nosed kid voice a disgusting sandwich made of peanut butter, salami, raisins, pickles, mustard, tuna... you get the point. Oh, what a beautiful post this could have been.

To the rescue, more of the astounding Melvin Sokolsky (photos from Style Bubble, photographed on exhibit in Hyères):

Cover of Donna magazine, 1964 (What do we have now? Airbrushed and Photoshopped actresses. Sigh.)

Bubble series. On The Seine, Paris with Simone d'Aillencourt, 1963

Simone d'Aillencourt on a labryinth, 1961