The Swelle Life

Florals + Men at 7th Man Magazine

It's been ages since I've featured anything on men's fashion, then this editorial from 7th Man Magazine caught my eye. The floral and shell neckpieces from Pebbles jumped out, as did the soft and vivid spring colours. I love the styling which is by In-Fashion Editor Dan Blake. It may not be what you'd see on men walking down the street, but that's the beauty of editorial, it's inspirational - and largely aspirational - fantasy that you can take a cue or two from for yourself. As a side note, I was so taken by the Wooyoungmi knitwear in this editorial that I had to know more, and just watched the Korean designer's show for her AW13 collection which is the first time I've actually enjoyed watching a men's fashion show; to be genuinely excited about clothes I can not actually wear is a first! More on her to come, I'm intrigued. (I also tried to find more on Pebbles but can't find them - it's tough when a brand name is also a generic word, but no amount of clever searching has turned anything up - if you know where to find them, please tell!) 

Kids Today are Having all the Fashion

Even head-to-toe plaid can be made to look cool on a kid these days (right, obviously)

As the mother of a young daughter, I am endlessly amazed (and maybe a bit envious) at the options that children, especially girls, have in terms of fashion today, and every conceivable category therein. The era I grew up in gave us a generous helping of polyester, and not the cool techno fabrics made from synthetics like we have today, but that thick, skin-suffocating poly that had an unnatural sheen, usually decorated with an unsightly pattern (the school class photos were sometimes so busy it took parents several times of looking, then looking away and back again before their eyes refocussed and they could spot their child amongst the group). Elastic waistbands and cuffs were a given. Today, you can buy cashmere sleepsuits for babies, silk dresses with couture embellishments for 2 year-olds, and mini versions of It bags for five-year-olds. And the most astounding advancement of all: 100% cotton! Organic of course. In other words, your little girl can have a wardrobe that represents the pinnacle of style and quality and one that rivals your own, or maybe even puts it to shame. Things have changed, and then some. 

This little girl looks every bit the fashionista, yet remains sweet and age-appropriate.

Precious, impractical luxury fabrics aside, what's so wonderful about dressing kids today is that no matter what you buy, or how much or little you spend, your child will look good. Bad style is actually hard to come by, something that unfortunately cannot be said for adult fashion. There are fashion chains where their kids' clothes are superior to their adult ranges which is odd, considering we won't grow out of our clothes and our kids will! My daughter has jackets I would die to have in my size. (Here's a tip - if you're very petite, you can probably fit into the larger sizes of the designer children's lines that go up to age 16 - especially useful for finding high end coats and jackets at a fraction of the price of their adult lines, but of equal quality.)

Online shopping for clothes has become so prevalent in our house, not just because it's convenient, but for the selection that we just can't get where we live. I don't think I've ever had to return something I've ordered for my daughter so there's been no downside, and the customer service just keeps getting better because competition is so fierce for the children's designer fashion market. Because of this, my little one doesn't really understand the concept of traditional shopping, she's used to clothes showing up at the house, she tries them on, and then she goes back to playing. Could it be that we're creating a generation of girls who don't get a thrill of hitting the shops? One thing I do know for sure, these girls will not be writing blog posts 15 years from now relaying tales of how unfortunate their wardrobes were growing up!

Candy Hearts, Cakes and Elle Fanning by Will Cotton

Headpiece by Will Cotton, based on Alexander McQueen

This was initially supposed to be a Valentines post...obviously that did not happen. It was too soon after my first post of Will Cotton's works anyway, and that is a lot of sugar to consume at once (no complaints here though).  New York magazine's spring fashion issue featured a cover and spread of Elle Fanning as Will Cotton's latest muse, wearing designs from the spring runway accessorised with sweets and icing against candy land backgrounds that are blowups of Cotton's paintings. I haven't actually seen Fanning in any films so I have no opinion of her as an actress (though I hear she's talented), but I do like her as the human embodiment of sweetness in Cotton's paintings; it rings genuine. (Those Fanning girls really buck the child actor stererotype, don't they?)

Cotton reworked the clothes into "something even more perfect for the environment", adorning them with all kinds of dainty designs made from icing, and 'Cottonised' a brand new Reed Krakoff bag by shoving a couple of big squishy cakes into it!

You can watch the behind-the-scenes video featuring Will Cotton and Elle on The Cut:

Elle pipes the icing corset Will Cotton created to be worn over a Dolce & Gabbana bodysuit. Cotton made the earrings and headpiece, too. 

Elle Fanning wears a Marchesa gown in front of Will Cotton's Pastoral, 2009

Will Cotton hand piped this Erdem dress with icing to create sugar appliques

Eyes by Will Cotton, based on Dior

Will Cotton based this dot candy detailed bag on a Fendi design

This Thom Browne skirt reminded Will Cotton of a tea tray, so he decorated it with petits fours "because what a nice thing would that be?"

Elle wears a Marc Jacobs dress in front of a version of Will Cotton's Insatiable, 2008

And you thought your purse was messy. Will Cotton stuffed cakes into this Reed Krakoff bag!

Elle wears Reem Acra in front of one of Will Cotton's gingerbread house paintings

An ink on paper rendering of Elle in a Louis Vuitton romper by Will Cotton

Elle lounges on sugar crystals wearing Valentino's 'glass slippers'

Photos: NY magazine/The Cut

Nick Knight Explores Illustration with Karlie Kloss

"Karlie Kloss dies an elegant death in Nick Knight and Edward Enninful's arresting couture editorial for W magazine. The pair draw inspiration from the kind of macabre, nightmarish illustrations that litter childhood fiction, offering up a vision which is part Grimm's fairy tale part mature Parisian opulence. The final images - which see Kloss clad in the best haute couture from A/W 2012, including pieces by Dior, Givenchy, Chanel and Iris Van Herpen - straddle dark and light, combining symbolism that is both sweet and sinister.

"Continuing his exploration of contrasts, Knight juxtaposes the delicate vintage-look images with pithy modern 'death app' films that see Kloss suffer various violent deaths, all while clad in couture. The striking images in this editorial mark of the start of Knight's investigation into fashion illustration."

The story behind this extraordinary collection of images was summed up so succinctly on the Showstudio site, I just quoted it. Nick Knight never ceases to amaze, constanty exploring new ways to create stunning and compelling imagery, using high fashion garments and fashion's most inrtiguing muses to deliver his aesthetic message - this time blending photography with illustration and yet again achieving something new and exciting. As always, I am in awe!

There's also a bizarre accompaniment to the images. You can see it here

 

 

 

Click either  image to watch the Livestream on the Showstudio site of the photoshoot with Karlie Kloss. You get to see every detail that went into creating the images - well worth a look!

Images from Showstudio

Fred Butler SS12: Our Summer Sun Has Arrived!

The reception was hosted by Susie Bubble, seen studying one of the textural sorbet outfits

Last autumn I saw some of Fred Butler's SS12 presentation at London Fashion Week. I had to be quick despite this being the collection I was looking most forward to, because my evening train back to Newcastle was leaving across town in just over an hour. To walk into the Portico Rooms at Somerset House,  see this thing of pure joy, and have to rush through it was just cruel. I took photos of the three outfits being modelled, after stopping to take in each one in - you can't not smile when doing this! - then ran off just as more models appeared in high-inducing oufits, but I was already late and I left with a whimper (and I mean literally, people looked at me). So I tried to take a shortcut to Kings Cross which wound up being a longer way, and missed my train by 20 seconds. Swearing and some self-flagellation followed. When I returned home I was so excited about the photos and posted a teaser for the presentation, then my hard drive crashed a few days later, obviously a punishment for not getting onto the main post sooner. After five days in the IT hospital and being told to write a eulogy for my laptop, our local guy saved it and the hard drive was recovered, but there was no guarantee that everything would be there. This drawn-out tale leads me to today, when I finally, and purely by chance, found my lost Fred Butler and Craig Lawrence photos which I thought were gone forever, my record of the best of what I saw for spring at  LFW.

And technically it's still summer, eh? Not that it matters, Fred's clothes and accessories aren't bound by seasonal restraints; colour is celebrated simply because it's a new day and one must get dressed in something, so why not make it happy? Her palette takes shape though unusual forms that must be the result of manipulation, playing around with soft textiles and rigid materials like perspex, and whatever she can sculpt to create things that are joyful, sunny, and different, but not simply for the sake of it. Her style is tightly honed and elegant in its own way. I took a pass on the last LFW as it wasn't a good time to be away from my family, and when I saw what I missed, a salon showing of her AW12 collection, it just stung. If you love pastel harmonies, you will melt like blue bubblegum ice cream on a summer day (that is, unless you're in England!!)

This is the video for Fred Butler SS12 followed by the photos, and it's well worth clearing an hour to watch her videos on Vimeo, they are one of my few go-tos for daydreaming and you can see why:

 

 

Fred has a knack for making things that leave you desperate to run your fingers over them. But I didn't touch the model's feet or forearms.

She must not have seen what she was wearing, otherwise she'd be smiling.

 

Photos © The Swelle Life

LFW: Fred Butler SS12 Teaser

It's going to take me a few more days to edit the rest of the shots I took at Fred Butler's mindblowing SS12 presentation at LFW on Sunday, but I couldn't wait to show one of my favourites - a head piece or hat, lilac-pink (one of the best colours ever) hexagonal sunglasses and fabric earrings that follow through on the sorbet softness of the voluminous scarf/top/jacket (in the full shot it's like a longer bolero style). The fact that I can't quite define it exactly is one of the reasons I love Fred Butler.

More to come!

Photos © The Swelle Life

  Judith Frankland wears a top, skirt and earrings of her own design. The perfect transition outfit for busting out of the convent.

BALENCIAGA HEARS THE SOUND OF MUSIC, Act 1

That was the description given to my graduation collection by a very generous journalist  back in 1980. My name in the same breath as the Spanish genius Cristobal Balenciaga (1895-1972) and my beloved "I want to be a nun when I grow up" film The Sound of Music - how fabulous! I accepted the comparison and compliment with delight - after all, I'm only human! My graduation show at The Cafe Royale in London was attended by some of the most glamourous faces from the Blitz and the Head honcho himself, Steve Strange. Thanks to them it was received with an enthusiastic cheer! I was told years later that Vivienne Westwood was there, this was before the McClaren-Westwood Worlds End collection had been unleashed on an awestruck London.

My small collection was predominantly black and white taffeta, brocade, velvet and satin.The black and white striped satin had embossed polka dots in turquoise and yellow in two different sizes and widths; it also came with a tale or perhaps a tall story . The delighted salesman who brought the bolts up from the basement of the shop in London "especially for me" proceeded to tell me that this fabric had been created for the Rolling Stones some years back for a tour and this was the last remaining yardage. With glee I didn't hesitate to say "I'll take it all" and the story, to this day I don't know the truth, but then again I still believe in Father Christmas!

THE VEIL AND STEPHEN JONES

 On the day of the show, my Mum who had travelled down from the Lake District with her friend was backstage with me while I nervously put the finishing touches to the frocks. Today, at 81 years old, she still recalls seeing a rather unusual looking young man coming towards us. He was wearing a suit complete with knickerbockers and ballet style shoes with bows, carrying what turned out to be the crowning glory of my ultimate piece, the black Wedding Dress. This gracious and polite young man was Stephen Jones who had kindly created this architectural wonder for me. This veil headdress was made of stiffened lace on a metal frame and was simply amazing. Who would have thought at that moment that a few years later he would be hailed as one of the world's greatest milliners? Hmm...actually anyone who came into contact with him or his work knew, it was so obvious. The dress and veil was to be worn by the beautiful statuesque model Sheila Ming, possibly best remembered now for her role in the Duran Duran video for Hungry like the Wolf.

After the show, Steve Strange contacted me and bought the dress and veil along with a couple of other pieces. One was a medieval-style taffeta jacket he later wore on the cover of the Visage single Fade to Grey. One of Steve's friends Vivienne Jagger bought the opera coat with striped polka dot lining and a huge stand up collar.

THE BLITZ, DAVID BOWIE AND ASHES TO ASHES

The icing on the cake however was the night David Bowie came to The Blitz searching for extras for his new single which would be named Ashes to Ashes. In a wonderful twist of fate, Steve was resplendent in the wedding outfit that night and was chosen straight away. He was also asked to select people he felt could be right. I believe designer Stephen Linard had been asked but due to pressing circumstances was unable to partake. I was invited as was Darla Jane Gilroy over to the table where David Bowie and his P.A. Coco were sitting and offered a glass of champagne. Darla and I were both dressed in a similar ecclesiastic style and were also asked to take part for what at that time was a decent sum of money for penniless, decadent students. We were told Coco would call us the following day with the details. I awoke with a jolt, seriously wondering if this had all been a dream. I chose to believe not and sat at the door of the "palatial" bedsit for hours waiting for the communal upstairs phone to ring so that I could sprint up in time to catch it. When the call finally came, I was instructed to be outside The Hilton the next day at some ungodly hour, fully dressed and made up the same way I had been at The Blitz, and to get the coach to a secret location.

  That wedding dress from Judith's graduate collection with the veil made by Stephen Jones

 

Judith performed in David Bowie's iconic Ashes to Ashes video along with three of her Blitz friends, including Steve Strange who wore her wedding dress and veil in some of the scenes. Judith is on the far right in the first screen cap.

When we arrived at the beach near Hastings, the crew was set up and David Bowie greeted us dressed in the Lindsay Kemp outfit he would wear that day. He coached us for a few minutes on the words we were to mime and then the day was spent in sinking sand and mud. We had "done well" we were told at the end of the day and asked to come to the studios in Wandsworth to shoot another scene. May I add that at the studios David Bowie had lunch with us mere mortals in the canteen. Yummy. The scene we were to do at the studio involved an explosion and I was at the back. In fact if you look at the video you can see my crucifix swing in. We were told to duck out and run after we had mimed our piece or we could be hurt. This was difficult in a hobble dress, so I hoisted it up as high as I could and got ready to run. Quite a sight for the superstar sat behind me. It took about three takes and we were done and told we could stay to watch the rest of the filming and that we should tell no one about the details of the video. It was all very hush hush.

The night it aired on Top of the Pops I was working at Hell (another Steve and Rusty club - more about that next week). As I had to get there early I would take the tube alone, a daunting affair. However, this particular Thursday I was wearing the outfit I had worn in the video, totally unintentionally. I was recognised by some people who had seen Top of the Pops and ridiculed by others, as usual. But it was worth it. To this day that video still interests and intrigues lots of folk. It was at the time the most expensive video ever made and the song went to Number 1, perhaps we should have bartered for more money. The mileage I got out of that collection had only just begun and I was an established New Romantic.

Adieu for now from this Old Romantic who will never be a nun.

Judith, who was known as Judi back then, had pieces from her graduated collection featured in Viz magazine where it was described as '"Balenciaga hears the Sound of Music'"

Special thanks from Judith to David Johnson for "reviving the mucky 30-year-old slides and bringing them back to life." The photographer who shot them was Niall McInerney.

Header photo of Judith by Denise Grayson.

Come back next Tuesday for Act. 2 - with more delightful (and some bitchy) surprises!

Judith Frankland's Wonderful Car Boot & Museum Living Room

Judith's mother and aunt in 1955.

The first time I walked into Judith Frankland's living room I was taken aback. I had never seen a room like hers, ever. There are knick-knacks, or tchotchke as Judith likes to call them, everywhere you look - rainbow colour, texture galore, kitsch - and personal photos and artefacts from moments in fashion history I've only read about. I was in awe. I was just getting to know Judith, we'd only spoken on the phone before that day and the sight of her flat told me there was a heck of a lot to explore with my new (then) platinum-haired fashion designer friend, and it wasn't going to be done in one afternoon. It took about thirty minutes before I'd absorbed enough of my surroundings to be able to settle into it, I could not stop looking around. I found it a challenge to engage in conversation which says a lot as Judith is so full of fascinating stories.  A year and many visits later I'm still noticing curiosities on the tables, the walls and the shelves. And I'm still hearing new stories.

She has a pink microvave. She doesn't use it. Her kitchen is a bit like a 1950s version on acid, and the bathroom is lushly decorated with marine-themed objects. Of course it is.

There's a method to the madness. A quick glance around might have you thinking 'A crazy lady lives here' if you're devoid of imagination. Take a closer look and you'll see that's it all arranged quite meticulously and is dust-free. These are all things that she or someone who well knows her aesthetic leanings has picked up at flea markets and car boot sales, including her TV. She loves nuns and The Sound of Music. She has an original Sex Pistols t-shirt from Seditionaries, they were printed inside out, as well as the handkerchief. Not the fake kind Damien Hirst unwittingly paid thousands for, poor chump. These were made by Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood on their kitchen floor and somehow they remain in her possession; Judith's had many things stolen and even left some at John Lydon AKA Johnny Rotten's flat one time. Considering how much Judith has moved around in the last 30 years it's really a wonder anything's left.

And in case you're asking 'Who is this Judith character?' see her blog Frankly Frankland here or in the sidebar for a closer look.

  Judith has the first issue of Anarchy in the UK, pubished in 1976. That's the whole newspaper in there and she's offered to let me have a look and take some pictures of what's inside. Oh yes, please! You can't see this and not ask 'Who's that on the cover?' It's Soo Catwoman, a well-known figure from the London scene of 1976-77, the period we now know as punk, although as Soo says on her website it "defied description and didn't get its name for quite some time, having taken everyone by surprise." And as you can see, Judith is a fan of Tupac. Yep, she loves him. That's what great about Judith, you can't shoehorn her into a label!

The original Sex Pistols handerchief. I didn't ask Judith if she ever blew her nose on it.

There's the Sex Pistols t-shirt, among other items. That terrifying looking thing on the shelf is a form for making ventriloquist dummies. She sometimes helps out a friend who makes them by creating tiny little outfits with matching hats.

 
That's Judith in one of her designs, that fantastic skirt.

 

Judith designed and made the outfit featured on Visage's Fade to Grey single cover, worn by her good friend Steve Strange. The blond man with the glasses was also a friend, I believe he was in an 80s band and I'll check on that. He passed away. Judith lost a lot of friends to AIDS in the 80s.

  One of Judith's many abilities includes incredible flexibilty. Or maybe they're mannequin legs.

Her coffee table. It is under there.

 

 
 "Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the pinkest of them all?"

 
 
 
 

Photos by Denise Grayson

 Judith in her wonderful living room. When we shot, she felt the decor may not be 'enough'! Skirt and tie by Judith Frankland; jacket, shirt, and shoes are charity shop finds. Photo: Denise Grayson

Style guru, self appointed expert, critic, preacher? No way! I'm an upstart and a woman like many who loves - and in my case 'lives' - fashion and the world that lurks around it, a world I have stepped in and out of all my life living in London, Vancouver, Milan, Los Angeles and my beloved Paris. I have an excitable, excruciatingly inquisitive mind; I never stop thinking, plotting and some would say talking!

I am not a lover of the term "On trend"; I like to say "On form". Micro mini to maxi. If it feels right on the day I'll wear it - no sheep mentality for me. The only thing I follow is the weather - a hard job in Olde England. I, like zillions of others, love to wear clothes, dress up and be noticed, and I shall be incorporating a weekly look alongside my banter. I mix bargain buys, charity shop finds and my own creations. I'll be begging a hairstylist friend once in a while to do me a 'do as I'm not good with tongs unless provoked.

When Denise offered me this weekly spot on The Swelle Life I was so flattered and jumped at the chance to let off some creative steam and share my experiences, past and present. And we'll have a good old romp through my ever-expanding wardrobe, so come join me every Tuesdsay as I throw myself back into the lion's den to launch a new collection later this year.

Judith in one of her fantastic creations, a two-tiered skirt in a bubble of 'school boy' fabric over plaid ruffles in pink and purple.  Photos: Denise Grayson

A Brief History

My life so far has been full of surprises and more than my share of drama, which I seem to attract! My roots - well, the ones on my head are grey now - but the ones from my past were very colourful, from punk to New Romantic and a lot more along the way. Now you may think "Aha - trends!" but at the time they were fresh. I was in the right place at the right time at the right age. These were groundbreaking times, full of self expression and the desire to have a unique look. Often peoples' perception of punk is different from mine. In the early days, the look was bright, not just black, ripped and safety pinned. One of my outfits was an orange lurex two-piece, purple tights, odd dayglo socks, pink kitten heels. Bows all over my head, a plastic mac with small kids' toys attached (ok, with safety pins). That was one way I would troll up on Bromley high street on my way to college. I loathed college, and it wasnt keen on me either, at least the boring head honchos weren't. We would buy boiler suits and dye them bright colours, all very DIY and inexpensive. As my mood darkened mainly due to my dislike of that dreaded place, I started to embrace the all-black and tartan style and a bit of a bad attitude that was to become the punk stereotype.

 Judith in the mid-80s with friend and artist Tim Southall. Photo: Richard Sawdon Smith

The Blitz

Then the Blitz and Steve Strange came hurtling into my life where weekly we paraded around proud as peacocks. It was out and out glamour as we danced to the brilliant DJ Rusty Egan. Steve and Rusty started this night in the small wine bar in Holborn that held around 250 people. Lucky fashion plates, it changed the course of my life and gave chances to many others. I had met Steve through my degree show which was later labelled New Romantic and he bought several pieces from this collection.

Every week in the (less than) palatial South Kensington bedsit I shared with my friend, designer Richard Ostell, we would spend hours coming up with what to wear. Poor Richard had the labourious task of using a can of Elnette and a lot of elbow grease to create a bouffant for me without a hair extension in sight; in fact I'm not sure they existed then. We were optimistic, fame hungry, party animals with a fondness for cocktails and the fine things in life, but booted back to reality when the bank statement came as the majority of us were students. Apart from that it was a fantastic time!

At the Blitz you would rub shoulders with luminaries from the world of art, music, fashion, journalism and photography: Gilbert and George, Brian Clarke, model Marie Helvin, even John Lydon AKA Johnny Rotten, and many others. But not Mick Jagger. Steve Strange famously denied him entry one night - his look didn't pass! And then of course there were the stars of the near future strutting their stuff: Sade, Spandau Ballet, George (later to become Boy), and Midge Ure to name a few.

I had my "15 minutes" when I was handpicked to appear in David Bowie's Ashes to Ashes video. I followed this with a video for Visage's Mind of a Toy single, designing and making the costumes - more on both in a future post. The site Shapers of the 80s gives a very accurate look into this era with some great pictures. A few colourful if somewhat chaotic fashion shows were next and then off I was on my travels.

 

Milan and Onward

After a few moves I settled into running clubs in Milan and one-nighters throughout Italy. We brought from London the fabulous Gerlinde Costiff and hubby Michael with the "girls" and DJs from their legendary club, Kinky Gerlinky. Leigh Bowery hosted a night sporting two pairs of shoes at once and a toilet seat around his neck for starters. Showcases followed for Seal, Right Said Fred, Dee-Lite, Ru Paul, Lahoma van Zandt and super DJ Larry Tee from New York. Fashion shows, parties for MTV, the list is long. It was a crazy, fast time.

After some years in Milan I flew the nest to LA where I started a clothing label selling in various shops around the city. Next it was Paris where I happily started to export to Japan. A busy, satisfying life with lots of work and all rather glam in the way only Paris can be.

These days I'm treating my mind and body with respect, and as a friend brilliantly put it after his abstinence over the holidays, "My liver loves me." I'm channelling all my energy and my retirement from the wilder side of life into creativity. I have many frocks to make, places to see, people to meet, and things to learn - writing well being one of them. Be gentle with me, please! I'm full of surprises and hope you can be lured back even just to look at the pictures!

Join us next Tuesday for Balenciaga Hears the Sound of Music - how a journalist described Judith's graduate collection. She'll share photos of her fantastic creations and tell the story of that fateful night when David Bowie came into the Blitz and chose her, three friends and the fabulous black lace wedding dress from her collection to appear in the Ashes to Ashes video. A great story all around - and as promised, there will be surprises!

Anrealage's Totally Unwearable Beauty

'Does this dress make me look fat?' Yes, and that's kind of the point, at least peripherally.

 

Usually, unrealistic interpretations of how women should look draw criticism. We should all be tall, skinny and eternally wrinkle-free, etc. But in the case of Kunihiko Morinaga, the Japanese conceptual designer behind the label Anrealage, the impossible manifests in ways that challenge conventional notions about the human body and how we dress it. We're too stunned for harsh words.

Plastic inflatables as a material fly in the opposite direction of a shape that offers that svelt look and feel we endlessly pursue, so at first sight we ask, 'Why?' But Morinaga's designs aren't derived from that myopic ideal of looking long, lean and chic. In fact, in many of his previous collections, he ignored the body altogether. The 'clothes' were structured objects that had absolutely to do with the human form. Morinaga likes shapes. Basic, three-dimensional shapes like the sphere, cube and pyramid. He may be an avant-garde designer whose followers likely include the Kawakubo and Margiella set, but he never intended for anyone to try to wear his pyramind hoodie or trenchcoat cube. It's just not possible, no matter how broad the mind:

Photo credit: Paul Barbera of Where They Create

When Morinaga does decide to welcome back established patterns and consider his creations as things people might actually wear, he does so beautifully, with couture attention to detail. His SS 11 collection is a hybrid of the two, in that you can actually put these clothes on, but very few would.

As much as I love feminine, figure flattering dresses with pretty details, I always give time to hearing someone's alternate view of our reality. Isn't it more fun and enriching to try to understand something so incongruent with our beliefs than to dimiss it? (But I hope Tom Cruise isn't reading this.)

These angel wing sleeves really are divine. They also come in handy on long flights.

The third one is more practical than it looks - you wouldn't have to wear a bra.

 

Show photos: WWD.com

Boo! Happy Halloween!

 

Enjoy your sweets but don't do as I did and go nuts on pre-Halloween jumbo Haribos - I'm still dealing with the self-loathing and the feeling that I've got a 1kg wad of gelatin in my stomach. 

Happy Halloween! Are you dressing up? I'm not but figure having to do a full-on Bride of Frankenstein costume with wig, makeup and custom-made dress (thanks Judith!) for Baby Swelle's FOUR parties is adequate commitment to promoting the Halloween spirit!

If anyone has any miracle scar treatments for children please share - that cut on her face ain't makeup.

Curiosities from London Fashion Week

 

Fred Butler in blue at the Cooperative Designs presentation at Groucho Club

These are some photo bits and bobs from London Fashion Week, interesting things beyond the shows, presentations and exhibitions - more to come on those, I'll wrap it up eventually!

Eley Kishimoto's event Flash On Week at Shoreditch Studios showcased product collaborations using various incarnations of the print duo's iconic 'Flash' design, first seen in 2001. Looks like I arrived too late and missed Mark Eley speaking about this project, but there's a great synopsis of the event at Amelia's Magazine.

 

I couldn't help but notice these two fabulous friends paying homage in head-to-toe Eley Kishimoto:

 

It's not every day you get sprayed by giant, walking fragrance cannisters:

 

More Fred Butler being her awesome self. It was a blue day as you can see. Update from Fred's blog: She wore a blue cord bustier and circle bag by threeASFOUR worn over vintage dress and Alistair Carr padded bomber jacket. 

And the following photos were taken before or after the Felder Felder and Hannah Marshall shows, starting with one that's a bit blurry due to me spinning around to catch the noisy, frenzied exit by Paloma Faith and pals:

 

I'm getting a Centurion-Cleopatra-Xanadu vibe here. Come on, you know the one.

Kanye West's ex-front-row companion, Amber Rose, made her exit through the backstage door. I'm not sure why since you wind up in the same place as the people who left from the front. And she was only too happy to pose, as you can see. Does anyone know what she does? Just curious. The chain belt is current season Felder Felder, by the way.

 

 

And Erin O'Connor, who was one of the very few who could pull off flats at Fashion Week, and willingly at that (you get the feeling most would rather die than be seen walking and standing comfortably):

Photos by Denise Grayson @ The Swelle Life

Regretsy: Making Fun For Good

If Rodarte's second mistake was to collaborate with MAC on a makeup collection named after the notorious Mexican city of Juarez, their first was to create a pair of webby yarn tights that inspired these knock-offs.

Regretsy. Heard of it? Probably. But if not, you know those movies or novels where there's a horrific torture scene and you wonder of the writer, 'How could anyone conceive of such a depraved and hideous act? What is wrong with you?' Well, imagine that person took that idea and instead of writing it down, they looked around their house (or dump, compost heap or graveyard) and made it into an equally disturbing object. And tried to sell it on Etsy or some other kind of DIY online marketplace. Regretsy's April Winchell, AKA Helen Killer, finds these WTF? offenders, along with an endless selection of just simply bad ideas, or nasty executions of these ideas (see above) and brings them to us daily, in hilarious blog form. What makes it so funny is Killer's astute and creative responses to the items, as seen above (that's the kind of creativity we want, folks!), including the contributions of her readers - a winning bid for an Etsy Alchemy project to paint Lady Gaga devouring a unicorn while paparrazi snap shots has to be the ultimate.

Now, I love Etsy. The great thing about them is they provide anyone and everyone the means to sell their handmade creations. The bad thing about them is they provide anyone and everyone the means to sell their handmade creations. Sometimes democracy backfires. Stalin is grinning smuggly somewhere. See:

Yes, after I included Stalin in my post I searched his name on Etsy and not to my surprise, I found a short list of Stalin-related things, such as this matryoshka doll set of Russian leaders. (Does anyone know what that first one says? That splotchy head couldn't belong to anyone but Gorbachev - I loved that guy! - but that sure is a funny spelling of his name. And Stalin's. I'm obviously missing something here. And FYI: if you search Google images for pictures of Mikhail Gorbachev you'll find Ashton Kutcher in a camel coat.)

The point of this post was to highlight something that we don't usually get alongside our fun-makers: good-hearted compensation. Regretsy gives back to those who provide the unintentional humour, or horror. Well, maybe not to the person who thought a fascinator made with the real skull of a cat was a desirable item to add to one's accessory drawer (though the seller may feel proud that it's been filed deep in my subconcious, awaiting a guest appearance in one of my upcoming nightmares. Oh geez, I just heard a cat meowing outside. That nightmare is happening tonight).

All profits from Regretsy's merchandise go toward helping charities - over $10,000 so far and counting - and directly to Etsy sellers in need, such as Veronica of Ronnie’s Tender Heart (her Etsy shop is here) who is battling leukemia for the third time at age 22. Her friends have set up a shop to sell bracelets to help fund her medical bills not covered by insurance. She is currently in ICU fighting pneumonia.

Regretsy is running two auctions of bags that include fun and goofy Etsy merchandise as well as Regretsy, the book. Get the full details here.

April Winchell: I have added you to my list of smart and funny chicks that make me blow snot.

Judy Blame's Monochrome Day at Showstudio

Judy Blame is the latest resident at Showstudio to spend a day being filmed and livestreamed while making original, one-off creations. An absolute treat of a feature, I think. It's a wonderful thing to see the creative process in action and it's fascinating to watch the individual's face as they do their thing, all the subtleties of expression that can range from satisfaction to frustration (Gareth Pugh was giving his sewing machine the business at one point) and everything in between. Which makes it a real burn that I forgot to watch today! (Been just a little busy).

The legendary London-based stylist, jeweller and accessory designer who has it bad for buttons and badges contributed two pieces to Showstudio's Blackwhite exhibition. Viewers watched him "stitch and adorn a pearly king's titfer" - that's not something you hear every day - and rework and develop a rather extreme neckpiece that would require a great deal of inspection to fully take in everything happening within the black and white curiosity. (My silly tendency to identify things as offspring of incongruent parents has me thinking the necklace could be the result of a collaboration between Mr. T and Karl Lagerfeld.)

 

Now that's a cool looking man. The neckpiece and adorned cap will be soon be available in the Showstudio SHOP. And if you're into Gaga you might want to head over to the site, she's practically lived there for the past month.

The Dream State Fashion of Salvador Dalí

 
Mae West lips sofa, Salvador Dalí, 1937
 

 

I wrote this article last week for Models and Moguls and I'm quite surprised it's taken me this long to do so. I was a full-on freak for Surrealism when I discovered it in high school, the idea of this collective of European adults doing things that seemed juvenile but were actually challenging conventional notions of what is art, what is good taste, what is reality, how long and stiff can one guy's moustache get before it pokes another's eye out, validated me as the 16 year-old who fit in but never felt like it. There was something more to things than meets the eye, I knew and they knew it. But no around me seemed to care about that and they wondered why I did. The synaesthesia must have played a major role in this but at the end of the day we all need to connect with something. I don't know exactly why strange juxtapositions are so intriguing, maybe some of us want to live in a perpetual dream state, but if university dorm room walls are any indication, people love a melting clock. 

The following article is a superficial rundown of Salvador Dalí's contribution to fashion. Dalí is a favourite of mine (though the teenage thrill is now gone), as he is a favourite of many for his incredible technical ability with painting and his intriguing dreamscapes. And undoubtedly he is loved for his larger-than-life personality and his other ventures - artistic and commercial pursuits for which the scope became increasingly broad, as hilariously illustrated by his appearance on What's My Line? in the 1950s:

 

The most notorious, prolific and ultimately commercial of the Surrealists – that revolutionary group of artists, poets and provocateurs that grew out of Dadaism in 1920s Paris – was undoubtedly Salvador Dalí. The Spanish Catalan best known for his masterly technical skill as a painter and perversely sexualized subjects had his hand in just about anything he could put his name on, due in part to the push from his wife Gala who was keen to collect a paycheck and not so bothered by the virtue of integrity. However, the signed blank lithographs and commercials for Alka Seltzer aside, most of Dalí’s forays into ventures outside of his main discipline were inspired, original, and hugely influential.

Case in point: anything we see with lips these days could be considered a direct reference to Dali’s iconic Mae West Lips Sofa from 1937 and his Ruby Lips brooch, created in 1949, also based on the sexy actress’ famous bouche. British designer Lulu Guinness is one who owes him her trademark padded lips clutch.

The wildly eccentric artist brought his most famous, Freudian-inspired and dreamlike motifs to life as three dimensional objects through sculpture, furniture, jewellery and fashion. Dali loved fashion and displayed his flamboyant style in his dress and the way he wore his moustache – long, black, waxed straight out to the sides and curled at the ends. He was friends with two of fashion’s most legendary designers, Paris-based rivals Coco Chanel, who inspired him to design clothes, and the avant-garde Elsa Schiaparelli. It was even rumoured that Chanel had an affair with the young Dali, in the days when his facial hair was still neat and understated (one couldn’t imagine the fuss-free designer dealing with the impractical thing that moustache was to become).

The Italian Schiaparelli was hugely influenced by Dada and Surrealism and incorporated the bizarre juxtapositions that were characteristic of these movements into her designs. One can see why Chanel referred to her as ‘that Italian artist who makes clothes’, though this was likely not meant to be a complement from the outspoken and fiercely competitive designer. Dali’s influence has been identified in Schiaparelli designs such as the lamb-cutlet hat and a 1936 day suit with pockets simulating a chest of drawers, based on his painting The Anthropomorphic Chest of Drawers, which was later referenced in a dress he created with Christian Dior in 1950.

 

Skeleton dress. Elsa Schiaparelli collaboration with Salvador Dalí, 1938.

Collaborations between Schiaparelli and Dali produced four iconic pieces that were clearly influenced by the artist:

Lobster Dress, 1937. This simple white silk evening dress with a crimson waistband featured a large lobster painted by Dali onto the skirt. The lobster is one of Dali’s best known motifs which he began incorporating into works from 1934, most notably New York Dream-Man Finds Lobster in Place of Phone, 1935,  and the mixed-media Lobster Telephone, 1936. His design for Schiaparelli was interpreted into a fabric print by the leading silk designer Sache. It was famously worn by Wallis Simpson in series of photographs by Cecil Beaton before her marriage to Edward VIII.

Tears Dress, 1938. A slender pale blue evening gown printed with a Dali design of trompe l’oeil rips and tears was worn with a thigh-length veil with real tears carefully cut out and lined in pink and magenta. The print was intended to give the illusion of torn animal flesh, the tears printed to represent fur on the reverse of the fabric and suggest that the dress was made of animal pelts turned inside out. Figures in ripped, skin-tight clothing suggesting flayed flesh appeared in three of Dali’s 1936 paintings. This puts to rest any notion that the ‘ripped' trend is a relatively recent innovation.

Skeleton Dress, 1938. Designed for the Circus Collection, this stark black crepe dress used trapunto quilting to create padded ribs, spine and leg bones. Many designers today have referenced this dress in their designs.

Shoe Hat, 1937. In 1933, Dali was photographed by his wife Gala with one of her slippers balanced on his head. In 1937 he sketched designs for a shoe hat for Schiaparelli which she featured in her Fall-Winter 1937-38 collection. The hat, shaped like a woman’s high heeled shoe, had the heel standing straight up and the toe tilted over the wearer’s forehead. This hat was worn by Gala, Schiaparelli herself, and by the Franco-American editor of the French Harpers Bazaar, heiress Daisy Fellowes, who was one of Schiaparelli’s best clients.

Dali also designed the Aphrodisiac Jacket of 1936 and several pieces of jewellery for women. In 1981 he drew upon his painting Apparition of the Face of the Aphrodite of Knidos in a Landscape to create bottles for the perfume Salvador Dali Homme et Femme. Dali had evolved (for lack of a better word) from artist to one of the most intriguing and influential brands of the 20th century, and the reverberations of his work will likely continue indefinitely – if our endless fascination with melting clocks is any indication.

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

Tokyo Fashion Week: It Wasn't All Bad

 

I read that the buyers and press weren't falling all over what they saw on the runways at Japan Fashion Week in Tokyo. What they were hoping for and where it fell short wasn't explained, but hey - if it helps, I liked a heck of a lot of what I saw, if this exceptionally long post is anything to go by! There were plenty of references to the types of styles we've just seen in New York, such as fur-trimmed 'proper lady' wool and cashmere coats, the lingerie-inspired, and 1920s - 40s shapes and cuts, but always with that distinctly Japanese cut and detail that's a bit outside of what we know beyond of Japan. And then there's the stuff that is just out of this world, which whether you like it or you don't, always makes for a nice change from the sometimes identikit collections we see at certain fashion weeks - these designers do their own thing.

 

 

 

 

 

And last but not least, Everlasting Sprout, who never pass up the opportunity to make knitwear something unexpected. Like cat head hats. And their own little house with knitted roof shingles. The collection itself doesn't rank as one of my favourites but this one is one of my all-time loves of anything I've ever seen - see here.

Scenes from Bristol, the Pastel Painted City

After three posts about Bath (here for an adorable cupcake shop, here and here) I finally get to my shots of Bristol, from my trip down to the south west of England last weekend to visit my brave friend Sophie. I call her 'brave' not only because she shared a room with me for three nights but because she just posted and tagged me in a photo on Facebook of me riding a mosaic pig in Bath. I don't recall signing a waiver!

Anyway, Bristol is a really cool city. It's very diverse ethnically (for a British city) and it's got a buzzing kind of energy. It's very green and on our way to brunch on my last day Sophie took me through a forest  across the street from her house that was just magical. It had wildflowers all over and a stream flowing through it and I swear I saw fairies fluttering by and everything, singing in Bristolian accents. Of course my camera was packed away tightly in my suitcase as I was on my way back home and hadn't a clue of what earthly delights lay ahead of me (and I was trying not to be annoying with my camera on my last day, the other person always has to wait while you get your shots), but I have a project for next time. 

I especially loved all of the pastel-painted houses. Every city should have pink, yellow and baby blue buildings. It's the right thing to do. Who doesn't want to live in the land of Edward Scissorhands?

 

 

A Banksy left over from his exhibition

Definitely Banksy, but with paint splatters of unknown origin added fairly recently:

I thought the splats looked stylised and intentional - look at the blue one in the hanging guy's armpit. That's not random. Not sure who put them there (why would Banksy do this?) but care was taken, this wasn't some wiener shooting paint balls from the street. Some wiener with a ladder, maybe? 

 

 

(Banksy's tag beneath. But NOT Banksy in the lower right. Maybe THAT'S the wiener!)

 

 

 

 

 

We saw these two girls in costumey hats, struggling with their big old suitcases down the street. As they were fumbling they rambled on with a curious drone like two Marlas from Fight Club,that nutter of a character that Helena Bonham Carter played. I knew I had to take a photo. After I said 'thanks' and began to walk away one of them said "Make tea not war." Good thing she did, I've now cancelled my cruise missile testing in favour of a nice cup of Earl Grey.

 

I tripped right about here, nearly took a header. In front of a group of people, of course. I've lived here for years now and still those uneven stones get me every time I go out of the house, they're all over England! I consider them a threat to national security, something must be done! 

The breathtaking view of the suspension bridge from the back patio of a bar in Clifton, the most beautiful part of Bristol. 

Drinks and scenery.

 

 

Making Up the Beauty Shot: Trine Marie Skauen

An artfully conveyed fashion or beauty photograph requires much more than a pretty face and gorgeous clothes. A team of highly skilled people – photographers, art directors, stylists,  makeup artists and hair stylists – are called on to bring their complementary talents together for the purpose of creating magical and compelling images.

Trine Marie Skauen is a Norwegian make up artist, photographer and art director who works alongside her fashion photographer fiance Marco Di Fillipo to create memorable fashion and beauty images. Currently based in Rome and Norway, the adept duo also works frequently in New York.  Their work includes fashion and beauty editorial for magazines, projects for production companies and artwork for CDs and books.

I had the opportunity to talk to Trine about the role she plays as a makeup artist and art director on fashion and beauty shoots with Marco:

Do you ever do the makeup for shoots you photograph or is that too much to focus on at once?

I used to, but I was never a “fashion photographer”. I love photography, I have since my father gave me my first camera at the age of ten.  So I always used to play around with it, I was more into texture, colors, lines and moments, capturing what my eyes saw. It could be things laying around or people. But one day, I was asked to do some photos for a hair dresser friend of mine, she needed some images for her portfolio. So that is when I got the idea to go to makeup school, to learn to do the makeup on the images I was taking of people. Today I leave the fashion photography up to Marco, my fiance.

With the more avant-garde makeup looks, do you have something in mind when you come in for the shoot or do you ever create a look on the spot?

It depends actually, if it is a job where the client wants something in particular, I usually do mood boards, so I can be sure we are on the right track. If it is a test, I sometimes go without. But I normally do research before the shoot and Marco and me discuss what we want to do.

Do you typically have full reign on what kind of look you create or is there a certain amount of direction given?

I don’t know how it is for others, but the photographer decides in the end, so in my case if Marco sees that the look is not photogenic, I will change it.

Do you have a favourite kind of look that you prefer to do?

I love the “doll look”, pink / reddish lips, pink cheeks, long lashes, bright eyes, but is not only the makeup, it’s  the whole look. I love clothing in pastel colours, like that of vintage lingerie.

Are you adventurous when doing your own makeup?

I wish I could say yes, but I am not. I feel very privileged to be able to make others beautiful, and it is so fun to see a model come in with a clean face and I can transform her  with different looks. When I do makeup on myself sometimes, it is usually just bright eyes, a little blush, mascara, a little colour on the brows, and gloss. Not too much, just to look fresh.

And I can tell you my little secret: Sometimes when I have a breakout I put some freckles on my face. I find it takes the attention from it and it makes a kind of a “cute” look, I think! And to be honest, there is always something to do, so I feel like there is never any time to sit down and be adventurous. If I have time off, I’d rather watch a good movie and just relax.

Can you offer any expert advice for bloggers to use when doing their own makeup for styled shots on their blogs?

I think just play with it, try different looks and colours, but never go too far…unless it is a drag queen look you are going for!

Many people don’t quite understand the role of an art director. Can you explain what you do on a shoot?

For me, since I also do layouts sometimes for the client, I think about what the image will look like in the advertisement, for example, and I try to visualize my thoughts to the photographer.

How do you find working with your fiance ?

It’s very convenient, we know each other well now, so that makes it easier to understand what we want from the different shoots. And it makes travelling better.

I notice you like to explore textures in your photographs. Do you prefer to shoot scenes and the detail found within them as opposed to photographing people?

It comes back to the fact I just like to capture what I see, it can be people too, but sometimes I can be too shy to just click the camera in somebody’s face. You never know how they will react, but I have taken many snapshot without people noticing though. But I think I prefer textures, details, colours and shape. The best is when you capture something the eye does not see.

Can you tell us what kind of equipment you use, and give any advice for a novice who wants to get more serious about photography?

Marco is the technological one, he likes a variation of camera equipment, today he using the Canon Reflex 35 mm, but he changes a lot. Me, I have a small canon digital camera, that I carry with me almost everywhere, and then I have a Canon EOS 300D  when I need to take images with better colors and resolution.

Do you have a favourite makeup artist and photographer?

Yes, my favourite makeup artist is Pat McGrath, a true genius. My  favourite photographer, well, among many I would say today it is Miles Aldridge and Sølve Sundsbø.

What’s next for you and Marco?

We would love to launch our UNISEX magazine tomorrow, but unfortunately we lost a big investor due to the crisis, so we have to wait for the right moment. The new thing these days is filming small movies, a new field for us to explore, and that is always fun!

swelle.

You can see more of Trine’s work on her beauty website, art direction website, and view Marco’s photographs for beauty, men and women’s fashion here.

All photos by Marco Di Filippo. Makeup and art direction by Trine Marie Skauen

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Shatteringly Beautiful: The Glass Dresses of Diana Dias-Leão

Diana Dias-Leão combined her fashion design and glass making skills to create couture dresses made of glass, ceramics, wire and silken yarns to stunning effect. Beautiful, but how do you wear a breakable dress? Well, you don't. These were created as art pieces to explore serious issues around personal identity, beauty and human behaviour. The artist believes that anorexia, bulimia, self harm and body dysmorphic disorder are connected with issues relating to image and lack of confidence.

“The main message I wish to convey in my work is the fact that even though the image is glittering, it is the person inside who is precious,” says Diana. Well, that is very sweet.

Her collection of 14 glass dresses and two barbed wire corsets are currently on display at Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool until September 30, 2011. 

 

 

Photos: National Museums Liverpool's Flickr

The Sublimely Exaggerated Knitwear of Kevin Kramp

Knitwear is arguably the most exciting thing happening in fashion right now. Innovative designers are taking the simple, traditional method of looping yarn and turning it on its head to create extraordinary sculptural shapes and complex and beautiful textures. Ultimately, they are reinventing knitwear and redefining what it means to us and how it relates to our bodies; much of it could easily be considered wearable art.

Kevin Kramp is one of these exciting and richly talented young designers who found himself intrigued with knitting well before the knitwear phenomenon exploded. The Minneapolis native began in the menswear program at London’s prestigious Central St. Martins, but found himself designing knitwear for each project. However, he couldn’t realize any of his designs as he didn’t know how to knit! After careful consideration he bravely made the jump to the knitwear program, having never knitted a thing in his life. Fast forward a few years to his graduation collection which caused a stir in the global fashion industry. Today he boasts several awards, sponsorships from the best of the Italian yarn manufacturers and has worked with many influential designers around the world including Richard Tyler and Carlos Miele. How’s all that for inspiration?

Over the course of our interview, Kevin relocated back to his native home of Minnesota - a move he had never, ever anticipated after working all over the world - to take on the prestigious role of Men’s Knitwear and Collection Designer for the upscale men’s label St. Croix Collections.

Here are our conversations:

One of the things that jumped out at me when I saw your work is that you’re of the ‘more is more’ ethos. Is this a part of a signature style or is volume something you explored with this particular collection?

Yes, it’s true! I do often max things out to the extreme, more IS more! This applies to my daily life as well! I can’t help but gravitate to more pattern, more colour, more shape, more more more, so the presence of all this consideration definitely is a signature of my work. However, your specific question to volume is a bit different – certainly I explore and push shapes to new areas, but they are not necessarily always voluminous, nor do I associate ‘volume’ with ‘more.’ Obviously we have seen form-fitting tops that are extremely maximal, and billowy tops which are plain and minimal. And to be honest, much of this collection is quite balanced to me, because I had pulled myself back from greater extremes in order to arrive at these ‘less extreme’ versions. This collection does not represent the outer limits of my capabilities of maximalism, but rather the satisfactory compromise I reached between my cuckoo tendencies and beauty.

 

I love that, ‘cuckoo tendencies’! Something every truly exciting designer must have! So, within the context of your own body of work this collection is a balance between the full-on and an honest consideration of what beauty represents. Do you think you were willing to look for that compromise because you’ve been able to experiment with your maximal approach as you say ‘to your outer limits of capabilities’? Or is there more work to be done there, more boundaries to be pushed? What was it that made you pull it back? I’m sensing it’s something about the maximalism that is that root of what drives you.

Well, I think that I have always balanced my full-on approach with what is beautiful, and that is not because I have already exhaustively explored my maximalist ideas and therefore must now limit them, but simply because many of my ideas and initial maximal work is hideously awful and ugly! I (happily) lose myself in experimentation, boundary-pushing, technique investigation, materials…to the neglect of beauty. After a good spell of stirring up my idea pot (many of which are ugly and hard to understand,) only then do I attempt to contextualize my ideas with what already exists in the rest of the world and the history of creation. This contextualization, or ‘compromise,’ is when I understand what of my work is very good, is beautiful, and what of my work should be hidden forever! Beautiful ideas often do not manifest into beautiful physical realities. It is my job, in the process of creation, to carefully consider the physical reality and honestly evaluate it regardless of its ideological inception. That is the hardest part…being honest with yourself.

Of course there is always, always more to be done in ‘pushing limits,’ in maximizing ideas and concepts (even if ‘maximizing’ means taking away.) I cannot imagine a point in my life when I will ever feel that I have satisfied all the exploration that is to be done, that I have ‘maxed out’ my maximalism.

That’s the beauty of creating, isn’t it? There’s no end to what’s possible. But as you indicate it’s also a challenge in knowing where to draw your own limits. It must be extremely frustrating to have a beautiful idea that doesn’t translate in reality. Have you ever taken an ‘ugly’ idea and made something beautiful out of it?

Well of course! So many ideas start with such promise, but then very quickly become ugly or lose their potential. This is just yet another part of  the  process that then requires careful thinking and strong decision making. Besides, life is often ugly, and undoubtedly I would not survive without rooting out the beautiful and focusing all attention on it! This ‘transformation’ process is inherent in living for all of us I think.

In the past decade we’ve seen a metamorphosis in what knitwear can be, it’s taken on a sculptural quality through the work of Sandra Backlund and Craig Lawrence and others, and your work in playing with proportion offers a new take on knitwear’s relationship to the body. I can’t think of a more exciting and innovative facet of fashion at the moment. What do you see for the future of knitwear?

I agree, knitwear is hot hot hot at the moment, I don't know why this bonanza of knit innovation occurred now, but it has and it’s damn exciting. But I honestly began (and continue) my work totally ignorant of the wider phenomenon of the growing sexiness of knitwear in fashion. I am just bizarrely excited by knitwear and all its potential…whether or not knit is hot on the runway, it’s going to be hot for me for a good long time. I never stop thinking about it! Ideas are a constant flow. There’s never enough, and always more. This knit frenzy will grow to be quite mainstream in the next ten years, of this there is no doubt. Knit is, or can be, simultaneously comfortable, casual, sporty, luxe and ultra high fashion. It’s easy, and immediately understandable. And much more difficult for the average person to make than is cutting and sewing basic fabric. Many people won’t wear oversized structured woven shoulders, but they will wear oversized piles of knit on their shoulders. Knit is intuitive, organic, much closer to the feeling of human experience. Wovens are forced, hard to understand, uncompromising. I can’t face those qualities in life anymore, I too easy crumble emotionally. I need the flexible, the sympathetic, the easy, for survival.

I think we can all survive - and flourish - on that! 

swelle.

All images courtesy Kevin Kramp

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.

Macho Bears and Butterflies: The Wonderful Shoes of Tetsuya Uenobe

  

'Water imp drowns in river'

The designer shoes we’re offered each season are becoming bigger and badder and are continually pushing the boundaries of how crazy cool our feet can look, yet it’s still a fairly narrow view of what shoes can be. And if we’re honest, some of us can’t even walk in them. I have a few pairs of shoes I love the look of, they’re gorgeous and sexy heels, but I can’t leave the house wearing them unless I do like Lady Gaga and have someone push me around in a wheelchair.

What we put on our feet can be so much more than what we’ve come to regularly expect of our footwear, if we allow ourselves to think a little differently. Japanese shoemaker Tetsuya Uenobe is a sparkling example of how superior craftsmanship and the desire to impart some personality in our shoes can marry to produce works of wearable art – for our feet!

When I first laid eyes on Tetsuya’s work I was at once charmed by his playful and humourous approach to shoemaking – he draws inspiration from anything and everything around him from boats to monkeys to hot dogs. While Tetsuya says he isn’t adverse to drawing elegant and beautiful designs like Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin and the team at Salvatore Ferragamo, his primary motivation is to make people smile. I challenge you to not crack one while looking at these ‘Macho Bear’ shoes, complete with bear’s own leather moccasins:

'Macho Bear' (with support insert)

Tetsuya designs and makes his shoes in Japan under his namesake label Uenobe. His interest in creating his own shoes came from meeting several craftsman while working in the fashion industry and he soon found himself becoming immersed in their world. He left his job in 1999 and enrolled in the shoe making program at London College of Art, then further honed his craft working alongside a bespoke shoemaker. Upon returning to Japan to launch Uenobe in 2003 he made an impression on Japanese couturier Mrs. Hanai Mori, who offered him the opportunity to show his works at Open Gallery Omotesando in Tokyo. Tetsuya’s influences include Tokio Kumagai and Jan Jansen, who are known for their unconventional approach to shoe design.  

He admits he has a tough time letting the shoes go once they are finished. (How sweet!)

I had the opportunity to talk to Tetsuya about his shoes and his process:

What kind of reaction do your shoes elicit? And do you have people asking for your art styles or do they usually opt for the more traditional shoe?

My art line was designed as an eye catcher at trade shows at the beginning. I realized these shoes got attention so I decided to develop this line. Actually, I mainly sell my shoes via retail shops so I do not know what customers feel exactly. People prefer to order the main line to the art line; however, many purchased the Koala and some customers bought the Bird from the art line. I have stopped producing the pumps line as the fit wasn't sufficient.

An owner of one of the retailers that deal in my works said customers love my shoes. They enjoy wearing them and appreciate the craftsmanship. I know a woman who is a merchandiser in the fashion industry who purchased the Bird (see right) and wears them at the office. She says she enjoys people noticing them.

I think people understand that my works are unusual. And they love such unusual style. Basically they are fashionistas so they are always looking for a new or rare style. Sometimes customers order traditional styles but the right foot is in red and the left one is in black, via the retailers. The retailers who deal in my works also appreciate individuality. My works are supported by such unique people.

Do you wish to see people wearing your more unusual shoes as an every day footwear choice – an alternative to the ‘usual’ types of shoes we wear, or do you see them as special and meant more for those who appreciate art in their garments?

It depends on the situation. If a philosopher, a doctor or a member of Parliament wears my shoes from my art line at their work place, they will lose credibility. However, wearing them for going out with a lover or to a party would be fine. Actually, I do not mind how people wear my work. My shoes are wearable but also decorative. The important thing is how much people love them.

Your leather sometimes looks as if it has been handpainted with watercolours. How do you achieve that effect?

I dye leather to look like marble. I pour water in a pan and make a a whirlpool, then add a few drops of ink to make the dye then I add the leather.

 

'Swan'

Do manufacturers actually know how to construct a good shoe? Is it possible to get true quality from a factory?

I think everyone who works in the shoe industry knows how to make a good shoe. The difference between me and others is handmade or factory made. Most workers in this industry do not know how to make them by hand. However, I believe they try to make good quality shoes by using machines. Low price shoe companies have to sell their products at lower prices, so they make chunky shoes, shapes that everyone can wear and this way they can cut costs. These can be seen as good shoes when you look at it from that angle.

What are the most important aspects of constructing a shoe, and what should we look for when buying?

Every single shape of the bare foot is slightly different. The shape of one person’s foot will be altered due to changes in body weight or simply from ageing. So people find it difficult to find the perfect pair at the shoe shop. I think the problem is people do not know much about the shape of their foot. They know and care about the shapes of their body but not the foot. Shoes should be attractive but also have to be practical. If you wear disastrous fitting shoes, even from a respected and famous brand, they are bad shoes for you. Bespoke shoes are ideal but very expensive. When you purchase your shoes, you should check the balance of the shoe and fitting, avoid rough finishing and not put whether they are a big designer brand as your first priority.

swelle.

For those interested in how Tetsuya constructs his shoes (I know I am!), here's a look into the process of making them by hand:

Insole: cut off extras and adjust the edge

 

Stiffener: make it thin and flat

 

Lasting: wrap a shoe form with an upper to fix the shape

 

Outsole: perfecting the shape

 

Sewing: securing the outsole on the upper

 

Tetsuya's art line is inspired by animals and plants:

 

'Flower'

'Panda'

'Panther' (the front detail is a view of the tail end of the panther)

 

'Hatch Out'

You can view the Uenobe collection including all of Tetsuya’s fantastical creations at his website.

Bjork Wore a Lot of Alexander McQueen, Pays Tribute

I visit Bjork's website every now and then, she's had a great online presence for many years, was innovating in binary before other artists, and now a blog takes centre stage (naturally) with all the other bits off to the side, in pretty much the same look and format as when she started. (But I find it laughable or infuriating, depending on my mood, that HER videos listed in her video gallery are blocked from broadcast as they originated from YouTube because it 'contains content from WMG who has blocked it on copyright grounds'. That's Warner Music Group. But the publisher is credited as Universal so I don't know what WMG has to do with it but I really hate it when the record companies block videos or disable embedding. Insert whatever swears you think are nastiest *here*. I go to her videos for inspiration (Bachelorette is the best), daydreaming, and to sing at the top of my lungs along with her if no one is home. So I wasn't best pleased when I discovered I could no longer see the videos I was watching for years. HOWEVER, there is a download button that will play an M4V of the videos in iTunes and the picture is huge and much more effective anyway. Sorry, but I had to rant.)

Getting back on track...Last month she paid tribute to her long-time friend and collaborator, Lee Alexander McQueen. In her very Bjork-like tribute, she said she was 'grateful' to have the chance to work with him and his team and that it was 'vital' to her development. No doubt. You can read it all here.

I recently contributed some thoughts on McQueen's passing and his career to a collaborative article by Alexis J. at iamonlinemag.com, and the day after he died I wrote a piece for Models and Moguls which you can read here. It still stings and I think it will for a long time.

Here are some of the stunningly beautiful dresses worn by Bjork throughout her career which are undeniably quintessential McQueen:

LFW - Rachel Freire's Liberated Restraint

 

I'd better explain that title. But first a little background. I wasn't able to make London designer Rachel Freire's show Future Noir last Tuesday - part of Vauxhall Fashion Scout and a designer deserving of the attention she's commanding - as I was only in town until Sunday. However, I had the opportunity to see many pieces from her A/W 2010 collection up close and personal (the rest were still on their way) at the London a la Mode Pop Up Showroom which was heaving with amazing, diverse, independent talent. More to come on that...

A quick glance at the rack and the dress form beside it was enough to clue in that these were special, impeccably detailed, handmade pieces that needed my eyeballs and fingertips all over them to see exactly what was going on here. Rachel Freire's costume design background was evident in the pieces, they displayed elements of costume in that they made you pay attention and were almost other-worldly, yet they were rooted in the kind of clothes you would wear to a really cool club. Or to dance with a lobster around your living room. The point is, the woman (or man) who wears these clothes is someone who does whatever they please!

This tulle ruffle collar leather vest was amazing from the back but I didn't get a shot. However, this screencap from the show exhibits its peacock-like effect. Funny, it's the male peacock that has the pretty tail feathers and fans them to show them off and attract females and I'm pretty sure that's a guy wearing it in the show. Rachel explores the dark sexuality of the androgynous form with this collection and had both male and female models presenting the clothes.

Now for that paradoxical title! Rachel has a thing for garments of restraint such as straight-jackets and corsetry. She incorporates zippers, ties and intricate lacing into her many of her pieces, or uses a second-skin thick latex to craft a catsuit, among other crafty tricks. Yet there's this explosion of texture worked into some of her creations that whether it be an erect spread of tulle ruffles or shredded leather all entwined and reaching out from the body, there's a distinct feeling of uncontained, wild energy emanating from the source.

 

 

This catsuit was made with reflective strips that glowed when I used my flash:

The ribbons can be arranged any way you please by using the little rubbery loops:

 

A little raw-edged ruffle jacket that offers the apocalyptic feel that Rachel explores in relation to organic elements. She uses salmon skin and stingray in her work which offers a naturally derived texture that sits mysteriously next to the more ornate surfaces she painstakingly builds with her hands.

 

This suit made of thick latex was intriguing, it zips all the way down the front and under so you can get in and then seal yourself inside:

You can view Rachel Freire's current spring collection at her website. 

LFW - Martin Lamothe's Collaborations in Sculpted Leather and Crocheted Chain

This may look like someone messing around with leather, making it spiky for some reason and leaving it up to you to make sense of it or just keep on going. But take another look at what a collaboration between Martin Lamothe and leather sculptor Sebastian Vecchio actually produced:

 

right sleeve

left sleeve

Isn't that incredible? I wanted to touch the horses heads but I couldn't bring myself to, as if they would collapse if I laid my fingers on them. They wouldn't have of course but they appeared so delicate despite their substance.

Here's how they were made by Sebastian Vecchio:

 

And two other pieces that were stunning examples of hand workmanship:

 

This piece was so heavy, it was essentially made with rope of varying thickness

Mercedes Fernandez Mesa crocheted silver, gold and copper chain which was then handstitched into pleated tulle. I was in awe after seeing these pieces.

Craig Lawrence A/W 2010 Film Presentation

As the title here suggests, Craig Lawrence presented his A/W 2010 collection in film at Somerset House during London fashion week. I had actually taken a video of it myself in the darkened room which was rather unsteady and had some guy's head that was in the way for about a minute, so I was glad to see an official version of the film on YouTube and spare you the amateur version. Not having seen any of the clothes in person it's tough to comment, but we can see that outrageous knitwear is still a love of Lawrence's as his 'pompom' girl would suggest (that's what that giant shrug made of metallic strips reminds me of) as is beautifully worked, intricately lush textures. All of his pieces are handknit and Cynthia F. of The Swelle Life's Designer Series, Knitwear had a hand in assisting with the collection. I'm hoping she can fill us in the materials used, there looks to be a complementary mix of all kinds of textures and fabrics.

(Email subscribers will need to click the the title of this post to view the videos directly from the blog.)

I was going to tell you more about Craig Lawrence but this interview from last summer with Lady Gaga will give you an idea about where his work comes from, and it's more entertaining:

London Fashion Week: Fred Butler Style in the Flesh

 

I spent three (very) full days at London fashion week and naturally I saw many fashion spectacles. I didn't take any photos, however, as the people in the more outrageous outfits kind of let the clothes do all the work, if you know what I mean (with the exception of Susie Bubble who is the first person I saw when I came into Somerset House on Friday, she has a presence beyond the spectacular shell - but no photo, I was in a rush). And then as I was heading out of Somerset House to get lunch on Saturday I saw this amazing vision in red that broke through the dull, heavy sea of black wool, lycra and jersey like a firecracker in the night sky - it had to be Fred Butler. The accessories designer and prop stylist extraordinaire is known for choosing one colour each day and going with it full on. I've said that I wish I lived on her street so I could watch her head out each morning, that would be my guaranteed dose of daily sunshine. (That was not meant to sound creepy.)

I had to capture her look which she completed with her signature full-spectrum accessories and she was happy to oblige. Look at her - how wonderful is she? This is happy, happy fashion.

'The Shoes of Tomorrow' - London, 1957

Narration from the intro to a 1957 film about The Shoes of Tomorrow (read in a Terrance and Philip voice):

"To find a possible answer to the controversy as to who dictates fashion - designers or the women who wear them (Ed. note: we know the answer to that one and it ain't us) - we go behind the scenes now to a leading shoe store where the shoes of tomorrow are created. Here ideas that are either borrowed from the past and adapted to modern requirements or others that are products of their own vivid imaginations are actually brought to life.

"Designers are given free reign to their ideas without thought of what will eventually go into the shop window. Consequently, we find that some of these creations might go straight into production while others remain as they are for years, until it's thought that the public taste is right for it."

I wonder if there are still boxes of shoes sitting there in a back room waiting for us to finally deem them 'right'?

I think these ones are still collecting dust.

The designer sketching, using books for reference

I like her bracelet.

The Concorde of shoes.

Putting on old-style Victorian high button boots that require a button hook to fasten them:

"In contrast, the modern version with mock buttons"

"Punchinello - a direct copy of the court jester's shoe of the Middle Ages"

'Swan Lake'

"Mitsouko - a Japanese style for indoors, likely to go into production in the near future"

What are those weird seamed stockings on her feet?

 

"For glamourous special evenings, a sandal called Rose Petal..."

"...If they were awkward to walk in, what about these Chinese shoes of the last century?"

 

Getting ready for a night out she accessorises her ears...

 

...and her shoes

Pretty shoes!

My Fun Afternoon Playing 'Victim' in East London

Last Friday I spent the most wonderful afternoon at the east London studio of Victim with the woman behind the label, Mei Hui Liu. From the moment she opened the door to greet me – living up to her designation in a fitted black and white floral print dress, a killer pair of rubber knee-high platform boots and heavy wing-flicked eyeliner – we became engaged in an enthralling conversation that lasted nearly two hours. By that time I felt like I had known Mei Hui forever, and then for the next hour or so she was sat at her machine sewing some Victorian lace onto a top while I tried on some dresses with several pairs of incredible boots and shoes she showed me – more on that later. I had some interview questions that I’d prepared beforehand, but by then just about every query had been answered. And if anything was left unaddressed it was because this previous curiosity had pretty much been deemed banal after the fascinating stories Mei Hui had just treated me to.

Victim is a 10 year-old label of one-off reconstructed dresses and skirts made from vintage and limited edition fabrics that are sometimes handprinted and typically heavily embellished with Victorian lace that is hand-dyed by Mei Hui. Raw stitching and haphazard hems are elements of her signature style. Her collections can range from fitted and structured pieces with more tightly appliquéd trims to looser styles with embellishments that hang from all over in layers upon layers.

I had wondered what Mei Hui thought of Christian Lacroix since I see similarities in the unapologetic mixing of textures and fabrics and building up surfaces with trims upon trims. So I asked her, but Mei Hui just shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. “I’ve been told that before” she said, and then I got why she didn’t identify with his aesthetic. As the creator only you know exactly where your clothes are coming from and you’re not likely to identify the same origin in someone else’s work; it’s too personal, too singular. I didn’t ask who she does like because Mei Hui is established, strong minded and focussed, and is exactly where she wants to be – she doesn’t define success as being a household name or being commercially viable as a brand, or establishing a position based on celebrity endorsement (oh, how I love her) because, as we discussed, what appears to be success is usually an illusion. So it seemed insulting to ask, as if to do so would imply she was influenced by another designer or had aspirations to be like someone else.

In fact, she stopped showing Victim’s seasonal collections last year at London fashion week after putting out her A/W 2009 line. “I did the shows for 10 years, then I didn’t need to do them anymore. I already had my customers,” Mei Hui told me. “The money goes right back into the shows. The more you produce, the more you need to invest, and it never ends.” Now that she no longer shows she doesn’t need to create seasonal collections; her pieces can be worn any time of year and she simply supplies according to demand – which is plentiful. In addition to seeing a steady stream of private clients her clothes are stocked in boutiques in Japan, Hong Kong, Spain, New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, Dubai, and of course, London. (A little factoid: Topshop twice asked Mei Hui to produce a range of exclusive one-offs which she did - first in 2002 under the label My Secret and in 2005 as Victim Fashion Street for Topshop. There are many other accolades too numerous to mention here including profiles in Vogue and WWD.)

At the same time she left the catwalk behind Mei Hui had also finished with PRs and opted to handle the business contact herself. This is the way she would have preferred to deal with the publicity for her shows had she been able. The idea of working non-stop on a collection for six months only to have 200-300 people at the show, people who are vetted by the PR, didn’t sit well with her. It was obvious the prevalence of this false hierarchical - or what we can simply call ‘snotty’-  practice got Mei Hui really fired up. “And to have a fashion student with a clipboard giving attitude at the door, telling people who can and can’t come in?” Finally, someone in the industry sees a problem with this!

It’s Mei Hui’s democratic approach to fashion that makes her even more admirable. I mentioned that it seems the people who create with their hands, whether they be knitters, felt makers, jewellers or one-off dress makers like her, have the ability and the desire to maintain that closeness to their work and to their audience; there must be something in the tangible quality of what they do that keeps them connected. And that it perplexes me that a fashion student who works so hard for years sketching designs, selecting fabrics and creating the pieces on their own machine – anything their imagination conjures - would want today’s definition of success. “Someone does the sketches, another sources the fabrics, another makes the clothes...and it all must be commercial,” says Mei Hui. And so it’s a question of what these allegedly successful designers are getting out of it. They may be living the life, but typically they’re not the ones receiving the money from their sales. They may be famous, but they’re distanced from the work that bears their name. That's success?

“In the 50s it used to be that you would go to the shops – the streets were full of them - and have all of your clothes made for you. That’s the way it was done," says Mei Hui, who is continuing this tradition in her Brick Lane studio where she regularly sees clients for fittings. She doesn’t view this as something to one day get away from, to evolve beyond; it’s not a necessary evil she must perform to maintain her business. She once tried a production line but it wasn’t her, so she returned to creating one-offs exclusively. For Mei Hui this manner of doing business is a choice and she wouldn’t have it any other way – she’s doing what she loves. She has assistants to help her but at the time I visited her they had all gone home and wouldn’t be back until March. And so an order for 200 tops going to Japan, all similar in style but each requiring a generous application of those Victorian trims that sit in huge piles in her studio, are all going to be completed by her alone within the month (and yet she still gave me her time).

This kind of personal attention is rare in high fashion but that doesn’t mean this designer is without her counterparts. When Taiwan-born Mei Hui settled into east London – Fashion Street in fact, where she got the name Victim as in Fashion Victim – after graduating fashion school in Paris and doing a stint in Italy, she found herself in an electrifying time and place which revolved around the city’s most exuberant young creatives. Fashion students, artists, DJs and the requisite eccentrics and club kids congregated at each others’ studios and the club of the moment, which was 333 on Old Street, at least until 2002 (hotness is so fleeting) and then Cash Point. Mei Hui worked and partied alongside Gareth Pugh who as we know has become a fashion sensation (and despite this still a very nice guy, that’s how they grow ‘em here in the north east) but reaching those aspirations doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve eclipsed the friends still doing their own thing in their tiny studios. There's a lot of big things happening behind those big steel doors.

And that brings us back to those shoes. Models of hand craftsmanship at its finest, each pair that sat on an unassuming shelf in the corner was made by Mei Hui’s friend, London shoe designer and maker Natacha Marro. Natacha is but one of the like-minded, skilled and passionate masters of their trade that Mei Hui collaborates with on projects from time to time. She is regularly called on to make shoes for fashion week shows and has a clientele that includes Daphne Guinness, David Bowie and other bonafide fashion icons – yet you (yes you!) can request a bespoke pair on her website.

Natacha Marro shoes in the Victim studio and from the last Victim fashion week show. That's me with the double-strap red Mary Jane. There's only one leg because my other shoeless one said 'I can't compete with that' and ran out of the room. And excuse the hot pink socks, I didn't know my piggies would be on display that day, I came in wearing over-the-knee boots. Flat ones.

Mei Hui told me to forget about how uncomfortable these shoes look and to try them on so I could see for myself just how good they feel. They are super high – a red leather Mary Jane had to be 7 inches - but there is a substantial platform and a lot of thick padding under the insole which actually did make them feel easy to wear, once you’ve trained yourself to walk in them - if you’re not used to a heel quite so steep, which I admit I am certainly not. (But I wish I were.) There’s a distinct, measurable difference in the feel, fit and look of a handmade shoe and I’m afraid should I indulge just once in a custom pair I may never be able to go back.

I tried on a lace handprinted dress with the shoes and the fabric was so soft and worked in it felt like an old favourite I’d dug out of my closet. (Not that I’d hide it away if I owned it – this would certainly be a key piece in the weekly rotation.)

As for the gorgeous neckpieces that I’d seen in the photos of the runway looks, I’d just missed them, as well as a good part of the dresses that had occupied the racks. Every piece that had been in the studio was now in Barcelona. Just as with her clothes these pieces convey Mei Hui’s novel way of making romantic sweetness a bit dirty. She takes aesthetically refined elements like the laces and pearls and buttons and through her somewhat irregular arrangements and techniques removes the preciousness, which adds a playful quality that anyone with a sense of adventure can appreciate.

I got so much out of the time I spent with Mei Hui. It was fun, hugely inspirational and I got an education in the way things work both in how a designer like her does her job, as well as certain unpalatable truths about the industry, about which I already had a hunch. And now, I’m more convinced than ever that it’s our independent fashion talent that is generating what we perceive as the creative energy of the high fashion industry, that it’s their ideas that drive the innovation and translate what’s happening on the street into meaningful and invigorating fashion. Meeting Mei Hui made me love fashion even more than I did before I knocked on her studio door. And if your impression of fashion is that it’s an exclusive club for the cool kids? Well, that’s one version. I prefer Mei Hui’s. Fashion victim she is not.

And neither are we.

You can read my column Accessorize This: No Fashion Victim Here at Dream Sequins which features more delish Victim accessories and those amazing Natacha Marro shoes.

 

This will be the wedding dress for a very lucky friend of Mei Hui. She told me there's going to be 'lace all over' and I really hope she'll send me a photo once it's all done. 

Detail of the dress in the header photo

And more of my favourite looks from past Victim fashion week shows:

I'd better stop here, this could go on forever....

Fashion Can be Fun(ny): Teddy Tinling's South Pacific Show, 1956

Last summer I did a piece on British designer and spy (you read right) Teddy Tinling, specifically his tennis couture back in the day when the stars of ladies' tennis didn't have Adidas and Nike sponsorship but rather had custom costumes made for each event. And Teddy was the man to go to.

Our Teddy, when not clandestinely gathering intelligence for the British government or making frilly panties to wear under tennis skirts (I'm SO serious!) was creating themed sportswear collections. And this is one of them.

Here we have some highlights from Tinling's 1956 South Pacific resort wear show in London, complete with accompanying narration that will seriously make you blow snot, especially when you hear it for yourself (the narrator could be an ancestor of South Park's Terrance and Philip).

"These two outfits give us food for thought for the tasty flavour":

Tasty flavour!!

"Even the sequins on Marianne’s playsuit are waterproof so that she can ride the surf in style, or hook her fisherman":

 

This outfit is called 'The Midnight Stranger' - not creepy at all!

"For couples who want to make sure everyone knows they are going out together, this double harlequin set makes it plain to see - though plain is not the word for the effect."

This is a great alternative for couples who are getting bored of their matching nylon windsuits:

 

"Fijian beach pyjamas like Shirley’s could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and makes the boyfriend throw in the towel."

To the ladies who have been patiently waiting for their feet shuffling boyfriends to propose: You just haven't let him see you in the right island-themed pyjamas, you silly goose!

I have to admit this heart shaped swimsuit is just so cute!

 

Oh my, how the front row has changed. No Anna Wintour, no Kanye, no starlet of the moment. But that one woman is a ringer for the Queen:

There's more fun(ny) fashion to come with even worse chauvinistic narration. Way worse!

This Dog Knows He's Better Than Us

This is Bobby Gorgeous, the cutest dog on the planet (except for yours, of course). He was just named Hot S*** of the Day at Dlisted (if you have tender sensibilities don't click!) a most prestigious award that has absolutely nothing to do with easy virtue but is a compliment nonetheless.

His bespectacled staredown seemed familiar and Dlisted's Michael K nailed it: Scott Storch. Yes, it's Scott Storch in dog form, minus the watch. Funny how something can work so well for a dog but not so much for a Miami-based music producer. I think it's because to be a dog and be laughed at is a good thing, but to be a human guy and evoke the same reaction? Not so much.

You can see Bobby Gorgeous in action here. Style-wise, I think he's stiff competition for Karl Lagerfeld's mini-mich teddy.

Photo source

This is a shoe. A high heeled one. Really!

It took me a few minutes to figure out how this is, first, a shoe; and second, how it's a high heeled style. It wasn't shown with a foot actually in it and that nearly broke my brain. Once I realised it wasn't meant to be wrapped around the ankle or manipulated in any way to fit the shape of the foot, I could see that the ball of the foot goes on the flat part in the front, and the heel sits on that little ledge with the back and side panel. Seems so obvious when I describe it that way.

So what is it? It's the Mojito, a prototype made by Julian Hakes, a British architect who wanted to challenge our perception that shoes should look a certain way. "Most shoes are designed from the outside in - they are designed to look good on the foot," says Hakes. "'As an architect I did the opposite and designed them from the inside out - I looked at how the foot moves, how it transfers the body's load. For me, it wasn't much different from designing a bridge." I bet it was quicker, though.

The first thing we notice is there is no foot plate. The shoe supports only the ball and heel which Hakes says is perfectly functional and makes the wearer feel like she's walking on air. It protects the ball and the heel, "that's where the load is transferred when you walk."

The final design is made of carbon fibre, leather and rubber - are you also wondering how the heel of the shoe supports the heel of the foot and whether that's good for it? Not to worry. Hakes says "It's not artificially supporting your foot where it doesn't need support so it's good for core stability." I believe it but I'd love to see it. Better yet - take a pair for a little trot around the house.

There are currently no plans to mass produce the shoe but Hakes is making them on a one-off basis to meet individual requests. Too bad, it would be a nice change to the chunky, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink styles dominating right now. (I'm not complaining, I love those. Just sayin'. Contrast is good.)

Source: The Daily Mail

 

The Greatest 80s Guy Look Ever, Courtesy Robert Downey Jr.

I know these pictures are the worst and that usually renders them banned from The Swelle Life but there is nothing good on the internets and I had to take my own from TV. And when I say "I had to" I mean I had to. Look. Look what Robert Downey Jr. is wearing in Weird Science, that 80s magnum opus from John Hughes (don't you still miss him?). I must have watched it 100 times since it came out. RDJ has mastered the preppy-dandy look which I just can't believe didn't catch on. That one yellow sock pulled high, khaki shorts with a studded belt and wait - do I see a fanny pack peeking out? - the neck all nicely wrapped up in supple white cotton, and nothing says 'Do me' like an abundance of brooches, especially on a guy. Still, was there ever anyone cuter?

And that reminds me of a man I saw on the streets of Torino a couple years ago. I wish you could see his purple silk ascot but I had to be discreet when I was taking this photo. As you can see he saw me and I just looked at the ground and coughed because I'm slick like that. That is one wicked look. You don't see that in England.

Noughties Haute Couture Pt. 2: Oh Balmain, How You've Changed

This is Balmain haute couture, spring 2001. So bland it hurts. It hurts bad.

In 2001, the house of Pierre Balmain was showing haute couture with Oscar de la Renta at the helm. Oscar's Ladies Who Lunch must have been dining on clear broth and water, holding the lemon for it's got too much zing. And why accessorise when the beige is already carrying the outfit into the outer limits of thrillsville? And the hair. The hair! This was 2001, not 1991. Hard to believe, eh? 

Look what they did to Raquel Zimmermann, who was 18 at the time:

And Raquel in a look from Balmain spring RTW 2009:

What a difference the choice of creative director makes. Christophe Decarnin has revived the struggling brand with too cool for school ready to wear but the prices are in serious need of review. It's all a bit silly and even insulting. You can't buy the shoes in the pic above anymore but they came with a price tag of around $2300. But that's a lot of bang for your buck considering it'll cost you $3000 for a glittery cotton t-shirt. It's got glitter!! 

Mini Fashion Icons: Have We Lost Our Minds?

Here's my latest article for Models and Moguls. I chose not to show many photos of the kids as they aren't old enough to consent and I find it creepy that there are so many available to browse in the first place. I don't think fashion is an excuse to ogle other people's children.

Suri Cruise is one of the most photographed celebrities at the moment and is considered a fashion icon. She is three years old. The toddler daughter of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes even boasts a signature style – she loves to wear kitten heels, which have become a point of controversy considering a child who is barely out of diapers should probably not have to worry about getting a podiatrist on Mommy’s speed dial. Holmes defends her decision to allow her daughter to wear the shoes, telling US Weekly, "They are actually ballroom dancing shoes for kids. I found them and she loves them." Alright, then. If it’s for ballroom dancing the heels make perfect sense. How else would she execute a respectable progressive sidestep while performing the tango?

Baby Cruise is reported to have a designer wardrobe worth $3 million, although, while her fancy clobber is surely worth its weight in gold binkies, one might suspect that figure has been slightly exaggerated. And boy, do we hope so. Almost exclusively appearing in adorable dresses in her relentlessly documented outings - why her parents allow this is a bit of a mind bender, though I suspect in father Tom’s eyes it’s the greatest distraction/PR tactic a volatile celebrity desperately clinging to relevance could dream of - Suri style has become a fascination for mothers around the world who want their daughters to create the same kind of frenzied raucous when they walk down the street picking their noses. So don’t be surprised if when your neighbourhood daycare lets out you're presented with a parade of slightly elevated kiddy fashionistas prancing to their Land Rovers. Logical thinking would tell us, however, that if you’re small enough to need a car seat, you’re not old enough to hip-wiggle when you walk.

And there are lists. Because we, the public, loves lists. Who’s the “most”, the “best”, who’s on top, who didn’t make it on. And celeb children under the age of eight are no exception. In fact, they are hot these days. So much so that they are being ranked according to who has the better style, by adults who should have better things to do. And so far, Suri is the undisputed princess of the fashionable tots and that’s how her parents seem to like it. There are also blogs galore dedicated to celeb baby bumps and kids. Come on guys, get a life. It's not cute, it's creepy. And so are you.

Once up, the only place to go is down, and the angel-faced brunette has competition. It seems Jessica Alba, who is notorious for Medusa-facing the paparazzi’s cameras when she is snapped getting a coffee or walking to her car, has just recently curbed the venom-spewing in favour of playing with her daughter in full view of the lenses. Two year-old Honor (look out Suri, she’s got the youth advantage) is getting double-page spreads in glossy weeklies detailing where the pieces in her outfit are from. But are we fascinated? Someone wants us to be.

Then we have Shiloh Pitt-Jolie. Many say the three year-old is the most generously DNA-endowed celebrity child we’ve seen yet. But mom takes the tomboy approach and kits out her girls mostly in loose pants in dark colours, usually black. Aside from matching white leather Valentino handbags – one for mom, one for older adopted daughter Zahara, as papped two years ago – Jolie hasn’t given the public what it wants as far as her children are concerned – gorgeous faces matched by equally gorgeous clothes and plenty of photo ops. And therefore Shiloh barely makes the Most Stylish Child lists but has to be there because, well, she’s Shiloh Pitt-Jolie.

Let’s not forget the boys. The Beckham clan – Cruz, Brooklyn and Romeo – are dressed by their mother Victoria Beckham, now a successful fashion designer, who wears tight pencil skirts and five inch stilettos for a transatlantic flight and loves for you to know it. Naturally she is concerned with showing the same commitment in how her boys are presented – have you seen some of the getups she’s convinced husband David to wear?  Imagine if Posh had even one girl? One could easily predict the fierce rivalry that would emerge with her friends, the Cruises. Tom and Victoria battling it out like two divas for who’s precious angel gets the most column inches. Now that I’d love to see, but it’s children we’re talking about here – and I don’t mean the parents.

And then we have Kingston Rossdale, another lucky kid in the gorgeous parents club. Gwen Stefani is one of the most stylish celebrities, period. And little Kingston with his big brown eyes and mischievous smile looks just like his dad, Bush front man Gavin (though what he’s up to these days beyond cheering on Roger Federer at Grand Slam events is a mystery to me). His wardrobe, like the Beckham boys’, is impeccable yet still suggests he’s not afraid to get into things as only a boy would. It seems Gwen calmed down with the over-the-top designer flaunting she was known for when Kingston was an infant –she was regularly seen toting him around in a Gucci logo-print Baby Bjorn-like carrier. I’d feel better knowing Daddy took issue with that; there was just something not quite right about a baby who poops his pants while clad in Italian designer accessories.

So what’s this all about? Surely parents with the means and the profile are going to want their enchanted offspring to represent in a way that’s befitting of their pedigree. And any stylish parent, including us civilians, knows that it’s fun to dress your kid up all smart and indulge in the fabulous fashion available for tots these days, both bank-breaking and cheap. But the regular parading of them in front of the paparazzi’s cameras – the paps go where they are wanted, more so than most realize – and the arranging of covers and features in the weekly glossies, reflects more on the attention mongering and ego-feeding tendencies of these parents  than their taste in ruffle dresses and mini handbags. If that assertion seems harsh, take Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis. The very few photos of their son Jack and daughter Lily Rose – who are, as you can imagine, sublimely gorgeous with the cheekbones of their parents, the most finely chiselled couple around – are privacy-invading ambush snaps. Depp and Paradis are extremely careful in guarding access to their children and have never offered up a photo op.

Imagine, gorgeous celeb kids who are allowed to be kids, with parents who not only resist the urge to flaunt them but are fiercely opposed to the idea. Novel concept, eh?

Deciphering Fashion’s Infatuation with Lindsay Lohan

 

Lindsay Lohan looking as 'radiant' and fresh as the McDonald's hamburger pickle that fell into our kitchen vent and my brother ate when he found it six months later. When he was little. Not last year.

I wrote this article for Models and Moguls last week and decided to share it here as well. I want to be clear that this isn’t a mean-spirited attack of a young woman who, denial aside, is a mess. Rather, I see a girl who is dying – emotionally, from a string of failed relationships and a lack of meaningful family support (I'm being exceptionally easy with that description); and physically from drug and alcohol abuse which one can only assume is an ongoing problem simply by looking at her otherwise inexplicably ravaged face. It’s the overlooking of these questions by those who hire her for image enhancing purposes that I take issue with. I just don't get it, but here I tried to figure it out.

Also, since I wrote this, Ungaro CEO Mounir Moufarrige has resigned while Lohan is to stay on for another season, at least. My head just exploded.

This week we’ve been treated to, or visually assaulted by – depending on which way you lean – a photo spread in Italian magazine Muse, featuring a raunchy Lindsay Lohan. According to photographer Yu Tsai the struggling actress – her latest film Labor Pains went straight to cable – was channelling Kate Moss in a threesome scenario with a Johnny Depp look-a-like – Moss and Depp had a turbulent, four-year relationship in the late 1990s – and another woman. Tsu said of Lohan’s performance for the camera: “She is stunning and radiates in the pictures. Lindsay is incredibly focused where it comes to her career and fashion is her passion. It’s raw, it’s exposed, this is her at her best.”

Fashion may very well be Lohan’s passion, but stunning and radiant? Really? Are we looking at the same pictures? Because what I see – and according to a blitz of blog articles and commenters I’m not the only one – is an under-fed, hard-faced, inflated-lipped girl who looks at least a decade older than her 23 years. Further, what we’ve observed of Lohan’s behavior beyond this photospread – arrests for DUIs and cocaine possession; three stints in rehab; being photographed sans underwear; receiving a public spanking via open letter by her Georgia Rule director in 2007 for “discourteous, irresponsible and unprofessional” behavior on set; public rows with her on-off girlfriend; rambling Twitter messages about her on-off girlfriend; theft; and showing up 12 hours late for an Elle UK cover shoot this year – resembles nothing that could even loosely indicate a “focused” career woman. It makes one wonder if Tsai had any knowledge at all of Lohan before they met for the shoot. (Then again, fashion is about being in the moment and one can't take responsibility for an opinion they expressed five minutes ago, can they?)

The editorial spread and subsequent risqué video of the shoot follows the astonishing appointment of Lohan as “artistic advisor” of French fashion house Ungaro, a heritage brand that has been struggling since the house’s founder Emanuel Ungaro retired in 2004. Lohan was the shocking choice to oversee the work of creative director Estrella Archs, the replacement for Esteban Cortazar who left the brand in protest of the tabloid fixture’s hiring. At the time, Lohan’s fashion experience was limited to a line of leggings that included a style called the Mr. President – complete with quilted leather knee pads – and spray tan.

The idea to hire the controversial actress and sometime pop singer came from Ungaro CEO Mounir Moufarrige who was keen to revive the label with a celebrity face. Despite the fashion editors’ punishing reviews of Lohan and Archs’ debut collection for spring 2010 – WWD called it an “embarrassment” – Moufarrige stood by his choice to keep Lohan on his team, saying “There are some girls out there that whenever they move, whatever they wear, they attract attention, even if they make mistakes. It’s all publicity.” Now she knows what to put on her CV.

Aside from a guest-star spot on Ugly Betty last year and a role in Robert Rodriquez’s upcoming film Machete – far from a full schedule for a once promising actress – it would appear that her future lies in fashion. And it seems most likely to flourish in Europe and the UK, as the general perspective of her image abroad is far more favourable than it is at home where she’s become somewhat of a joke, thanks to her inability to stay out of trouble and her attention-whoring parents. Before her appointment at Ungaro, the youthful Italian luxury brand and little sister to Prada, Miu Miu, hired her to front their spring/summer 2007 ad campaign, and this year she’s the face of another Italian clothing brand, Fornarina. She donned black leather thigh-high boots for the sexy cover and editorial spread for Elle UK’s September fashion issue, shot by British photographer Rankin. And to be fair, she doesn’t do a bad job moving like a model. Rankin even compared her to Gisele and Angela Lindvall, saying “she works it.”

As Americans seem to have a thing for Europeans, so do Europeans sometimes find fascination with Americans, especially young actresses, and they are far less critical of personal troubles and love a bit of edge – Kate Moss, anyone? So maybe Lohan is a natural fit with their “let’s go with it” attitude (though their more astute fashion observers have made it explicitly clear they’re not buying what she’s selling). But can we, who know all of the dirt, separate fact from fiction and find inspiration in the hard-faced fantasy presented to us?

Lohan told Tsai on the Muse shoot “I want it to be iconic.” And maybe that’s what her fashion bosses are hoping for when they take her on. I’m hoping one day she’ll instead give us “ironic” and deliver the opposite of what we’ve come to expect – that focused, radiant young woman we’ve been promised. Because until then, I don’t think I can take anymore.

Rain on Me, Rain on Me, So I Can Be Like Watanabe

The second I laid my eyes upon this photo of my friend Sachiko, wrapped up in a garbage bag to keep dry when it started raining down in Argentina's Iguazu Falls (taken by her boyfriend and my friend Brendyn) I thought 'Junya Watanabe!' His sleeping bag-like, or garbage bag-like fabrications depending what his slick black, arm restraining, puffy coats conjure for you, would likely also come in handy in a storm, or in the wilderness on a flattened patch of grass. Fashion cred while roughing it is the only way to go. That's what Grizzly Adams was lacking.

I think Sachiko rocks the black garbage bag as a hooded dress - way to work the inclement weather, Sachi!

Mercibeaucoup for the Panda Fun Fun Outfits

This one is for our Designer Series: Knitwear's Cynthia F. who loves the Japanese designer Eri Utsugi's label mercibeaucoup, but due to all of her knitting and design duties at Central Saint Martins she hasn't had a chance to look for photos of their Spring 2010 collection. I'm not sure whether she showed at Tokyo fashion week - I can't find anything for the latest - but she certainly has been busy making pieces with her signature kawaii (cute) look of bright colours and mixed prints that is often characterised by sweet little drawings and freaky-styley animals.

These clothes are larger than life. Or at least larger than you. With the exception of one or two fitted jackets and trousers everything is oversized and easy and made to be noticed. And they're FUN! Their latest womenswear and menswear collections are panda-centric - in addition to the clothes, the models' faces, heads and even fedoras have been made up to look like the giant and adorable Chinese bear. With their ecstatic smiles they make you want to give them a great big panda bear hug. 

You can see why Cynthia F. likes them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tokyo Fashion Week: Fresh Prints, Messy Rooms and Supreme Beings

I love Tokyo fashion week. Well, any fashion week that represents a cultural perspective that is distinctly different from our own. Here we see some elements from the four main fashion weeks such as flowy and romantic dresses, 20s/30s styling and bold prints, but there's a feel that is outside of what we know that makes the clothes exciting, intriguing and fun.

How can you not be taken in by the fresh, fresh prints of Matoho, above? Those shades of blue, the way the prints are mixed, and the clean cuts of the clothes free of superfluous stitching are like a breath of fresh air.

Dress & Co's pretty Victorian lace and layers and layers of flowy fabric were made more casual with waistcoats and cardigans:

Ha, this is so weird...I have no idea how this happened but the Fur Fur show seems to have been staged in my current teenage bedroom!

This long chiffon top and trench with stunning prints from Tiny Dinosaur stand out as the very type of pieces that let us know we're not at home anymore and that it's a good thing:

Mint Designs used gorgeously textured and printed fabrics to create their sweet and easy dresses:

Somarta's ruffles galore were represented in everything from neutrals to whites to mauves and claret - all shown with elaborate petal-like hats:

 

And it seems that God had had enough amusement from the debates amongst us mortals throughout the ages and decided to finally set the record straight by appearing on the runway during the writtenafterwards show:

Photos: WWD

A Gossipy Swelle Giveaway: Win a Custom Embroidered T-shirt from Miss Jacqueline White!

I am so excited about this giveaway, it couldn't be more fun. Or more racy. It's based on a scenario that it is all too familiar for so many of us girls: You meet a guy, sparks fly and one thing leads to another. A magical encounter ensues and the world is all rainbows, sunshine and bluebirds singing sweet songs. Until the next words out of Mr. Wonderful's mouth are "Did you used to be a bit of a slag?"

The horror! Ring any bells? For Miss Jacqueline White, a London-based fashion and costume designer and stylist who can create just about anything, it was these very pitfalls of dating that provided her lightbulb moment. After enduring the unthinkable and listening to her friends' own shocking tales of pillow talk faux pas she began collecting these 'post-coital clangers' (love that) and embroidering them on T-shirts along with the date and location of the love crime, which became her debut collection. This saucy siren will not suffer in silence.

Other wicked utterings include "Spare me the lifestory"; "Just don't fall in love with me"; "I run with a pretty sexy crowd" (that one is highly laughable) and gasp "As a woman you have nothing to offer the world." Oh no he didn't. Oh yes, he did. 

In summer I received an invite to 'Naughty Launderette', the launch of the collection which was held in - you guessed it - a launderette, perfectly befitting the theme of airing one's dirty laundry. But unfortunately I couldn't attend as I was in Canada. However I couldn't let it end there when I saw what it was all about. I thought the concept behind the collection was an absolute riot and the T-shirts beautifully crafted; I knew I had to feature this precocious and intriguing designer. We discussed a contest and then Miss Jacqueline White generously offered to embroider the winning clanger on one of her original appliquéd woman-in-the-throes-of-passion T-shirts. Brilliant!

So, if you're willing to share/confess/blubber the cocky communiqué that put the passion in the crapper, you could win your very own bespoke Miss Jacqueline White piece!

Now, certainly this behaviour is not limited to girl/guy relationships as nastiness in intimate situations knows no bounds, so this contest is open to anyone who has done the shame walk home shaking their and asking the world in general "Did he/she really say that to me??"

To enter, give us the dirt in the comments section of this post - and feel free to use an alias if you feel you need to! Anyone, anywhere, can enter. The contest will run until midnight of Sunday, November 8, London time. The super lucky winner will be drawn at random, and announced on Monday.

For an extra entry for each, you can:

• Follow Jacqueline White on Twitter; 
• Become a fan of The Swelle Life on Facebook;
• Follow The Swelle Life on Twitter;
• Re-tweet this announcement.

So, do all four - be sure to tell me! - and you get four extra entries! And be sure to check out Miss Jacqueline White's website to shop and see photos from the Naughty Launderette and her creative styling.

Read on to learn more about the fabulous Miss Jacqueline White - she gives great interview:

While your debut collection is far more than just another range of T-shirts, did it feel more restrained than the other side of your work, as in the over-the-top styling and costume for bands?

It certainly did feel different. I had collected a lot of material/stories, many of which had to be discarded because I thought the language was too strong, or they were simply too sad or nasty. The practicalities of designing and producing a viable collection I found challenging, rather than restraining. I had to think about a range of body shapes, rather than just one client, that is why each of the women's is a different cut. I also had to consider durability, washing, and of course the dreaded budgeting - for example: Are individually laser cut perspex size labels justified? YES.

You're very talented with print, embroidery and appliqué, three techniques that make our hearts beat faster. Will you be applying your skills to your next collection?

Yes. There will also be embroidery on the men's, without appliqué, and with less colour. Lots of men have requested I make versions of the women's for them. The material for the next collection is proving very difficult to gather. I can't really say anymore without spoiling the surprise...

Ooh, the anticipation! So, it seems you're a heroine of sorts for exposing such naughty behaviour and turning it back on these callous culprits. How does it feel to be the liberator of the heinous memories these East London girls have been carrying around for years?

I love it, actually. I am something of a naughty heroine amongst the girls, and the boys just seem to think I'm even naughtier than they did before. I don't think I have been to a dinner party in the last year without the whole thing pouring out, followed by lots of drunken reminiscing or confessions. It feels good to 'out' these men, because really we are having the last laugh.

Good work! Has there been any backlash from the outed 'acquaintances?'

Hmm...Some of them know, some don't. The ones who do know actually love it, and see it as an affirmation of their bachelorness. One past fling seemed genuinely disappointed when he did not make the final cut.

I thought the collection might affect my love life in a negative way but instead the opposite happened. A recent lover made me laugh so much when his first post-coital comment was 'What do I have to say to get on a T-shirt?"

Ha! Well, that's one way for a girl to gain the upper hand! What's next for Miss Jacqueline White?

Apart from boshing out loads of Ts for Christmas...I have a couple of massive commercials, just finished one for an airline, about to start a crazy one involving animatronics in the costumes, which is a first for me so it will be pretty interesting. I move into my new studio in three weeks which I cannot wait for. It is a very unusual space, a glass box inside an old office block at London Fields. But my mind and time are completely preoccupied with Miss Tahita Bulmer at the moment, in the build up to the launch of the second album from New Young Pony Club. We are shooting the cover in three weeks, and the album launches in January 2010. I am very excited about the new looks we have created, and quietly confident that we will wipe the floor without joining in the freakshow which seems to be going on in female pop star styling at the moment. It's not sexy, is it?

swelle.

Sexy? I'd have to agree and say not. I cannot wait to see what she's got in the works. 

Branded.

Viktor & Rolf are a Couple of Giant Tulles

Wow. A Viktor & Rolf show is always a guaranteed spectacle but I actually laughed out loud at this one! I'd like to say it was because their unbridled playful experiment with tulle made me happy, but I'm not quite sure I can convince myself it's a matter of laughing with them. Or maybe I am? It's okay to feel confused when presented with clothes that are the tulle equivalent of Edward Scissorhands' handiwork on the neighbourhood shrubs.

I have to say though that I'm finding myself quite fascinated with the cross-section of those precision cut-outs in the skirts. How many layers must there be? The compulsion to touch it is almost unbearable. (And I kind of want to eat it, too. Is that weird? If you have to ask, yes. Yes it is.)

However, not all was taken from a ballerina's acid trip. There were some very beautiful and wearable looks among the curiosities:

 

Photos: WWD

Head to Toe Denim: Can it Be Done?

Or maybe a more apt question would be: Should it be done? Because I figure if some of the most accomplished designers of our time have attempted to put a top to bottom denim look together, such as Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana (for D&G, left) and Ralph Lauren, then that's likely as good as it's going to get. And if this is the case, would you wear it?

The D&G look is way too dirty for me but I like the idea of Ralph Lauren's depression era newsboy look. But there's no way in the world I would go out the door wearing it. For otherwise I would forever be known to everyone who saw me as 'Denim Girl'.

And as for lace and denim? It was a hideous idea in the 80s and it's downright unforgiveable now. Is this really from Dolce and Gabbana, their main line? I'd even take the men's pajama top and ball gown skirt combo over this!

Photos: WWD

Gareth Pugh's Colourful Fantasy 'Frieze'

Click the image to watch

Nick Knight doesn't waste anything. The latest Showstudio collaboration between Nick Knight and Gareth Pugh, Frieze, draws on archive video recorded on the set of Nick Knight's shoot for the October 2006 issue of i-D.The footage provided the foundation for "an escape into a madcap post-produced fantasy of metallic foil, multicoloured balloons, and swirling neon catherine wheels - a cinematic reverie that expresses all the unbridled innovation and invention both of this shoot, and of Pugh's stratospheric career to date."

Watch for a shirtless Gareth Pugh ascend into the psychedelic heavens at the finale.

The soundtrack came as a complete shock. A total departure from the usual dark and atmospheric electronica his Showstudio collaborations usually use, this would be more apt as an accompaniment to the lost hoe-down scene in Deliverance.

But would Nick Knight or Gareth Pugh let us settle into a predictable mood, a look, a concept? No way, man. 

Summer Re-run: Steampunk: Mr. Technology Meet Ms. Romance

Originally posted May 14, 2008

This is the last of the Summer Re-Runs. I'm back on terra firma Brittania, jet lagged and in need of a shower. I look forward to being lucid in the near future.

Love your iPOD and flat-screen TV but have fantasies of gearing up in Victorian corsets and crinolines, maybe throwing on some old aviator goggles? If that mix of antiquity and cutting edge feels incongruent, don't shy away just yet - you don't have to make a choice for fear of appearing hypocritically ingenuous. You may in fact be an ideal recruit for the Steampunk movement.

Steampunk is, most simply defined by one enthusiast, as 'the intersection of technology and romance.' A more encompassing description according to Ruth LaFurla of The New York Times, states it is "a subculture that is the aesthetic expression of a time-traveling fantasy world, one that embraces music, film, design and now fashion, all inspired by the extravagantly inventive age of dirigibles and steam locomotives, brass diving bells and jar-shaped protosubmarines." Wow. I love my tea dresses but now realise they are sadly devoid of protean context.

Hmmm, one of these groups seems a bit cooler than the other...

Steampunk arrived on the scene in the late 1980s and now thanks to the internet is seeing its popularity increase exponentially. Using the web as a show-and-tell venue, steampunk inventors are taking the technology of today and by adding elements of the past, creating new/old hybrids that are taking design aesthetics to an exciting new level. One especially impressive specimen is a computer with a brass-frame monitor and vintage typewriter keys, built by Jake von Slatt (shows sleek and minimalist isn't the only way to move forward):

Giovanni James steampunked his LCD television by wrapping it in burlap:

While steampunk fashion draws on the styling and detail of the Edwardian and Victorian eras as well as pre-20th century military uniform, some of today's most exciting and respected designers are supplying inspiration for the steampunkers' DIY approach to dressing. Nicolas Ghesquiere of Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and even Ralph Lauren (falling into the 'respected', rather than 'exciting' category) make for worthy idols with their interpretations of period-costume elements such as bustles, crinoline and puff sleeves, figuring prominently in their designs.

These references are clearly visible in Alexander McQueen's exquisite, British colonial-inspired collection for Fall 2008 RTW (said to be his greatest collection in his 14 years of shows):

If you're interested in hearing what the influential von Slatt has to say about the movement, you can read this interview at Bostodelphia (try not to be hypnotised by his intense portrait - look quickly, then look away).

Altogether I find steampunk quite endearing: its love for treasured items from a distant past, the celebration of craftsmanship and detail not universally cheriched in our time, and its inclusiveness - the capacity to not only avoid shunning modern advances but find room to embrace what our technology provides us.   

von Slatt sums it all up beautifully when asked to compare the cultures of steampunk and cyberpunk: "In many ways I think Steampunk is a reaction to Cyberpunk, its a desire to inject an element of humanity and passion into something cold and virtual." We too, welcome that.   

Photos of Steampunkers: Robert Wright for The New York Times

Cupcake Monday! The Wearable Edition

You can't eat this one, but it's still delish. It's the Cupcake Clutch from Judith Leiber's crystal-paved collection of unusual 'bags'. I found it at Net-a-porter UK priced at £3,920. And it's sold out. What recession? Judith Leiber creations are like precious little pieces of functional art and are collected by those who prefer their accessories on the fun side. And don't mind paying for it. There's also a parrot (also sold out at £4860), jaguar, owl and heart. You can see them here

As sweet as these are, I'm going to have to stick to the kind I can make in the oven.

I Was a Three Year-Old Austin Powers

 

Today is my birthday. And as a weird homage to myself I'm sharing this photo taken when I was three years-old in which I bear a striking similarity to Austin Powers. Of course that goofiest of characters didn't exist then but the likeness is undeniable, right down to the teeth. Good thing those fell out. 

In what is an act of mere vanity, I'm showing a photo from the following year when I was four, and looked more normal - a 'proper' little girl in a cute dress. Does this redeem me? (I must admit the makeover was fleeting. Soon after my mom bought me polyester tartan jumpsuit - enter the Bay City Rollers phase.)

Xuan-Thu Nguyen's Exquisite Strip Show

No, I haven't resorted to reviewing the costumes of exotic dancers for blog content, though that would be hilarious. It would certainly be a unique front row experience. Funny, I'd actually get to see the clothes longer than I would at an actual collections show! (Not sure there's value in that, however...)

Ahem. I had the absolute pleasure of attending Xuan-Thu Nguyen's couture show in Paris a little while back. You may be familiar with her if you've read this and this. And I already talked about my evening at her Paris atelier and boutique the night before her show here. So let's get right into the collection!

Thu is known for her detail which can be both exquisite and whimsical. She uses lots of pleats, specially designed and placed pockets, hand embroidery, stoles made not of fur but handcrafted flowers (see first photo below), and her signature feature at the moment is a layering and intermingling of strips of silk to create luxuriously textured and dimensional dresses, skirts and jackets.

Some of these photos I took, and the straight-on runway shots are from Vogue Paris. The Vogue site allowed for zooming in on detail (a great feature for a show like Thu's!) so I'm able to show the fantastic shoes, all of which are designed by Xuan-Thu Nguyen. I got a shot of two flower-embellished pairs backstage (I was so entranced with the clothes I hadn't noticed the shoes until after) but most of the girls were changed within a few minutes, so I was lucky to get anything!

The ribbons on the dress and the overlapping strips on the shoes look like some kind of exquisite exo-skeleton:

The way this skirt moves is incredible to watch. I'm not sure how many layers it took to build it up but it's quite weighty and is an entity unto itself - it commands absolute attention as it floats by.

These pants might appear to make the model look terribly hippy in the photo, but they are divine in person, I swear to you. One of Thu's signature features from this and recent collections is extended pockets that give the pants a clean, sculptural quality. I love her ribbon treatment on the shoes:

Again, the photo below does not do this outfit justice. When I was at Thu's atelier the night before, a model was being filmed walking in it. It was the first piece I saw from her collection and it was so chic and so original I wanted to cry. The fabric is some kind of nubby knit with metallic threads running through it - so gorgeously textured. The outfit prompted a standing ovation at the show. I wish I had photos of the pants from behind, they are very sculptural and created a shape that is quite odd yet extremely feminine and flattering. Sounds like those two elements can't co-exist? That's why it got an ovation.

Isn't this jacket amazing? It was sans sleeves the night before the show (it works just as brilliantly as a vest) and I was watching one of Thu's knitters working on it. It's hand-knitted using linen ribbon with soft metallic threads which looked fairly delicate when just lying there but when it's all woven together it takes on the appearance of raffia.

 

 

I had to snap these two. Although they were engaged in polite after-show conversation, it appears that they are about to have a 'style-off' where I imagine that umbrella would come in handy for posing - double points. I declare a fabulous tie!

  

And here's me and Thu. Have I mentioned she's awesome? Since this is as close to a styled post as it's going to get for a while, here goes: next season Xuan-Thu Nguyen jacket (from her RTW Fall 2009 collection), Cacharel silk dress and Wendy Brandes SmacEnroe necklace.

 

Vagaries of Fashion: Harmless Fun or...Gasp!

Okay. This controversial editorial from Vogue Italia seems to have been getting a bit of attention in the past few months. A link to a site talking about The Vagaries of Fashion editorial, shot by Miles Aldridge, was recently sent to me by Other Half who is always trying to help with a blog idea when he can (thanks, Sweet) and I recognised it immediately. It's from the September 2007 issue of Vogue Italia and I know that because I was in Torino at the time and brought a copy home with me.

I liked the editorial a lot because of the aesthetics. Never mind the glamorous dresses and how great Anja Rubik looks; there's just something about that opulent hotel suite and its yellowed decor that could really use an update. I'm not exactly joyous when I see an image of a mother smoking and drinking around her children; in fact I see mothers and fathers smoking around their children every day where I live in England and I want to put those fags out on their foreheads. But then do we look to fashion for social discourse? Should fashion be taken so seriously and does it wield any real power? (That sound you hear is a can of worms opening. See here.) However, I must admit that as a mother I feel my tear ducts erupt when I see this:

 

I mean you just want to pick up that baby and cuddle it and love it. Neglect is the most disturbing idea for me when it comes to the imagery with the children. But still it's fashion, and an editorial spread wasn't going to keep me up at night. The reality is this is staged.

But not so fast. Look at this:

This one doesn't slide off the brain so easily. Because oppression and racism are more serious issues than child welfare? No, each are equally critical. The comments sections of the originating post was filled with outraged readers who raised all kinds of concerns about the content of the photo. But for me, it goes back to the staging of this shoot.

It's a compelling shot, visually. The focal point is the black maid whose dark skin is starkly contrasted by the nearly translucent white baby she's holding. Anja almost blends into the wallpaper with her gaudy-bodiced dress. Strong compositional elements aside, the immediate perception is that this is wrong. The white mother takes a domineering pose over the maid who looks on for approval/next order, etc. So back to the staging of this shoot, I feel for the woman who is playing the maid. How must she have felt being dressed up this way to convey this type of image? I know that if I were asked to be the subserviant secretary sitting at a desk looking up admiringly at my smug and vacant male boss standing over me my first reaction would be "Screw you, Bud-day." We've come too far and we've still got a long way to go.

Those are my thoughts (condensed - otherwise this could go off on tangents for an eternity.) So, what do you think of these pictures?

 

 

 

Is the rich mommy not such a bad mommy after all? Was it just a misunderstanding?

Thanks for the scans

Wanna Buy Coco Rocha's Miniature Greenhouse?

Victorian miniature greenhouse by Simon Costin. £6,000.
Model Coco Rocha. Albion Cosmetics A/W 2009 campaign.
Photographed by Tim Walker.

Have you ever wondered what happens to those cool and unusual props made for editorial shoots and campaigns? Well, some of them now go Showstudio's new curated shop. It was established to sell an exclusive selection of one-of-a-kind creations that will appeal to collectors eager to own a piece of fashion history. Showstudio's got the inside track in that renowned British fashion photographer Nick Knight is the creator of the site and the shooter of many of the spreads from which the items came. Others are from Tim Walker's fantastical and dreamy editorial so if you have the cash to scoop up the greenhouse please know that I hate you. Just a little bit.

Cherries by Simon Costin. Edition of 9.
Albion Cosmetics A/W 2009 campaign.
Photographed by Tim Walker.


Taxidermied Belgian tiger on painted wooden base, £50,000
Alexander McQueen S/S 2010 PUMA campaign
Crane Vs. Tiger, photographed by Nick Knight.

I'm uh, assuming it died of natural causes...


Poodle marionette by Shona Heath, £6,000
British Vogue, April 2008. Model Karen Elson.
Photographed by Tim Walker.


Eyeballs by Shona Heath. 6 pieces, £3,000.
British Vogue, December 2008.
Photographed by Tim Walker.



Life-size Toy Soldier costume by Shona Heath, £5,000.
‘Soldier, soldier, won't you marry me?’ British Vogue, April 2008.
Photographed by Tim Walker.

Now here's something interesting. It's a pirate flag made from a Union Jack, created by John Galliano for a 2001 portrait shot by Nick Knight. Price, £25,000. That's a lot of sterling for a piece of distressed cotton with a stencil spray-painted on it. So, the perceived value must be in the idea that Galliano made it with his own hands (I'd want proof) to serve as the backdrop for an iconic photograph of himself. Surely many of his fashion designs, particularly haute couture, sell at a price even higher than this. It could be argued that his dresses, embellished by artisans at Paris' last remaining specialty ateliers and the product of hundreds of hours of work should be considered works of art. And I'd agree. But the flag? And to the extent that a price tag of £25,000  is justified, even to the least objective of fans? What do you think?

‘John Galliano’. Design Museum London, 2001
Photographed by Nick Knight