The Swelle Life

Forces of Nature: Steffi Crown & Angela Hooker

I came to know the textile designer, Angela Hooker, in 2010 after I reviewed the Felder Felder SS11 show at London Fashion Week. Angela had collaborated with the Felders to produce the textile designs for some of their most iconic printed pieces, spanning two consecutive seasons. The London-based, Paris-born creative is now working with Steffi Crown,  a new high-end London fashion, swimwear and accessories brand which, despite its youth (it just launched in 2011) has already received praise in Harper's Bazaar as "Best Newcomer", named Madame Figaro's "Trendspotting Face", and has won celebrity fans including The Artist's Berenice Bejo and Missy Pyle.  Limited edition collections feature sharp geometry with a bit of playful flair, printed with a high quality digital process on the best silks, cotton, Lycra and stretch Napa leather sourced in France.

Angela speaks about her collaborations with infectious enthusiasm - she has an endearing passion and reverence for the fashion talents she works with, and a knack for finding such fertile alliances which spark what would seem to be an endless stream of inspiration.

This is a new collaboration for you - what's it like to work with Steffi Crown?

It’s exciting designing digital prints with Stephania Ayiotou, the designer of the brand. Stephania has a strong idea of what she wants to start with which makes our collaboration more powerful. From a creative point of view, this has been the most exciting project - she really pushes the boundaries and does not compromise creativity to look “commercial”.

 

How did you meet Stephania?

I met Stephania in London two years ago, in a pop up shop near Notting Hill. A couple of months later she called me up from Cyprus and asked me to collaborate on a brand new fashion collection she was working on. I happily took the project on board.

She's very talented, fashion being just one of the ways she expresses herself...

Yes, she's a multi-disciplinary artist and filmmaker, her directorial debut, Mad Dame, was selected at Cannes 2011. She is now shooting an exciting fashion film featuring her new collection which will show first in New York and then LA in July.

Still from Stephania Ayiotou's 2011 film Mad Dame
 

Can you tell us about your creative process in designing textiles for the brand?

Before we start a print collection, Stephania will send me a detailed email that will include inspiring photographs, sometimes YouTube links of documentaries, for example, along with inspiring words  and photos. She describes what she likes about each one and how she feels it will relate to her collection. It’s a pretty complete brief, a very solid starting point.

Is this an "opposites attract", complementary type of collaboration, or more of a "meeting of the minds"?

We have a similar approach to fashion; we are both inspired by the power of nature. That’s the main reason this collaboration is very successful for me. Nothing is more original than nature, I will never grow bored of this topic.
 
Stephania is also happy to explore the different possibilities digital printing has to offer, making the textile design process a lot more flexible and exciting.

Can you explain a bit about the digital print process?

Traditional printing, or screen printing, uses limited colours - a maximum of 18. However, there are no limitations with regards to colour and design in digital printing. The colours in digital printing are also more vivid, and you can print on more sophisticated, high-tech fabrics as well.

Do you have an especially favourite print from this collection?

My favourite print is the Midnight Garden.  The palette is inspired by the colours of a garden under the moonlight, and the pattern of the print is inspired by life in the underwater world, such as coral.
I also love the Black Lava jeans which are low-waisted and so easy to wear and flattering.


Steffi Crown's Stephania Ayiotou with The Artist's Bérénice Béjo wearing the Midnight Garden scarf; Black Lava jeans. Above right is Missy Pyle, also from The Artist, wearing the Blue Coral Silk Chiffon Dress

How would you describe the Steffi Crown woman?

I believe the wearer of Steffi Crown is a modern woman, she will feel very unique and powerful and in harmony with nature.

We look forward to the new collection and film! You can view and purchase the Steffi Crown SS12 collection at www.stefficrown.com

Steffi Crown collection photos by Rob Jarvis

Artist Series: Pop Fantastic's Susan Canaday Henry

Late last year I received a scrumptious surprise package containing two beautiful art prints from New York-based multi-media graphic artist Susan Canaday Henry. She knew just what to send - one was a lovely pastel-hued scene with a rendering in her own style of Marie Antoinette languishing on a chaise longue. I love the shades of blues, pinks and purples she used and would be happy to live forever in this room. (Especially if I had Ladies in Waiting as seen in the shadows. Oh wait, that would be weird, wouldn't it? I like to get dressed by myself. Maybe one to bring me tea and macarons every afternoon, that would work.)

The other is the Empress Wu Zetian, the only woman in Chinese history to rule as emperor.  The composition is gorgeously coloured in saturated blush, flame hues and crimson. Susan has outfitted her in long, dramatic stripes and an intriguing headdress. Her commanding presence against a backdrop of hazy dawn-lit mountains creates a portrait of power and serenity.

What  struck me first about Susan's works was the harmony of the beautiful colours in each, and what looked to be delicately hand drawn detail and watercolour layering in Marie Antoinette and painterly brushstrokes in  I didn't want Susan to give away any secrets but was curious how she created these images, and lucky for us she was willing to talk about it!

"The drawings all start as pencil/watercolor and then are oomphed digitally--- I think that's what gives them a sort of dreamy look.

"I get a lot of feedback that the colors in my illustrations are very bright, yet nuanced. I don't want to give secrets, but I think the watercolor base gives a weird glow to anything digital, and I aim to make sure you can still see the hand drawn beginnings of my illustrations. I think so much today is too digitized, too clean. I approach Photoshop like makeup: not too heavy, but enough to add distinction. And layer, layer, layer! Add to that a background in traditional animation (I studied a lot of Golden Age Disney, UPA & Warner Brothers at Pratt Institute) and numerous visits to the Metropolitan to gaze at classics... mix it all together, and these are the results. It took a long time to get comfortable with my style because there's a natural inclination to want to produce what is popular, but I've also found that this is what makes me unique, and have learned better to embrace it.

"The Marie Antoinette print really helped me with that. So many people responded to it, that I finally made it available as a print, and it's my best selling image. Marie Antoinette is my favorite, but so is the Empress Wu Zetian. Like many powerful female leaders, she has such a fascinating (and ruthless) story behind her rise. I am hoping to continue the portrait series of Empresses and Queens in the new year."

Susan is such a faceted, talented creative - and she's fun, too! - so  I'll be featuring more of her work on Swelle and talking to her about it.

If you can't wait - and you shouldn't! - see Susan's website Pop Fantastic which showcases her illustration and animation work. I just love her And, Darling...conversations films. Zing!

To see the range of Susan's art prints including Marie Antoinette and Empress Wu Zetian, you can visit her shop on Society 6

Marie Antoinette art print detail by Susan Canaday Henry

Empress Wu Zetian art print by Susan Canaday Henry

Reflecting on Paris at Lost in Cheeseland

When I was in Paris in April I met up with Philly expat Lindsey from Lost in Cheeseland, a well written and beautifully photographed blog about our favourite and most exhilarating city. During our easy and interesting conversation - the kind that makes two hours feel like 20 minutes and makes you late for dinner in Versailles! - at a cafe on Rue Montorgueil, Lindsey told me she'd like to interview me for Franco File Friday. It's a very popular weekly feature and I was too happy to talk about Paris  and share the company of her wonderfully inspiring previous subjects.

You can read the interview here.  I'll be featuring Lindsey later this summer with my own questions about her (heartbreakingly) covetable life in Paris.

Is it just me, or do you also crave French cheese when you see 'Lost in Cheeseland'?

Versailles Series: Marie Antoinette's Chateau, the Petit Trianon Pt. 2

 

This is the salon in the Petit Trianon, the grandest room in the chateau. Some of the photos are a bit dark; however, the duskiness does convey the hazy, 'frozen in time' feel of the room at that moment. The berry saturated embroidered silk textiles that carry throughout the room complement the pale green and white painted boiseries gorgeously, and serve as a teaser for the more vivid acid hues we're about to see in the Grand Trianon.

If you notice dark smudges in some of the mirrors, fear not, it's no ghost (though that sure would be cool). I could pretend it's a patina belying the age of the 18th century artefacts as  seen in some of the other rooms, but really it's my poor attempt to erase the reflections of the crowd. A big guy in an electric blue t-shirt with a giant Nike swoosh on it kinda blows the scene.

Watch next week for a small but charming bedroom that I can't believe Marie Antoinette slept in, with its own awkwardly placed salon, and her toilet!

You can see the previous posts in the Versailles Series here

 

    
 
 

     
 
 
 
 

   

 
 

Photos © The Swelle Life

Versailles Series: Marie Antoinette's Chateau, the Petit Trianon Pt. 1

Originally built by Louis XV between 1762-1768 for his long-term mistress, Madame de Pompadour (who did not wear a pompadour), the Petit Trianon was eventually given to Marie Antoinette by Louis XVI when he became the King of France (and let's not forget Navarre) in 1774. Unlike the elder mistress of his grandfather who died four years before its completion, Queen Marie actually did live in it.

At 19, she'd already been married for five years after being shipped off from Austria by her mother to marry the future king of France and didn't care much for her royal duties.  She spent much of her time in the (relatively) little chateau and its gardens with her few friends, and later with her children.

It is said that even King Louis wasn't allowed to enter his wife's domain without her permission (impressive) and that he really didn't mind. (You can take that both literally and figuratively - he was more into his hobbies than his wife and they didn't consummate their marriage until 1777, according to a letter Marie Antoinette wrote to her mother. However, considering they were 15 and 14 years old when they married it makes the whole thing far less gross. )

And our tour continues! (The really cool rooms start with the next post.) As you walk into the grounds of the Petit Trianon you see...

 
 

 

     

  

 

Have you seen that Seinfeld episode where George's dad puts a pool table in a tiny room and every time someone goes to shoot they slam their cue into the wall, themselves or someone else? This room reminds me of that.

 
 

 

  

 

 

 

 
  

Everything must be gold!

 

 

 
   
 
 

 
 

 

Lots more to follow and it gets better. This tour is a slow burner!

Photos © The Swelle Life

Paris, in lieu of Cupcake Monday (coming later!)

Sunday was our first full day in Paris after arriving late Saturday (and gorging on crepes for both dinner and dessert - savory + sweet = regret sometimes). Now, I was aware it was Sunday, and that Monday tends to follow, but my responsibilities around Cupcake Monday completely eluded me. Somehow, in the 403 photos I've taken so far, none of them are of cupcakes, pastries, macarons or food of any kind. I had great food today but it was not photogenic. In fact, it would have looked gross had I shown you and you would have asked why I was doing that to you. Cream sauces. However, I did see some great Easter windows at the many chocolatiers on St-Germain where we're staying, but I have a habit of being either in observer/photographer mode or shopping mode, the latter of which I was doing as the Easter Bunny, and I really have to try to merge those modes. (Admittedly I have one of those brains where a new thought pushes out an old one.)

So for now, here are photos from my day, and I promise I will bring you the sweet, pretty things later today and throughout the week because as sure as Sarkozy is horny I will eat a lot of them.

This is the view taken our first night from our hotel balcony, you can see Notre Dame and the Centre Pompidou:

  
 

 

  
  

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

Photos © The Swelle Life

Interview: Textile Designer Angela Hooker

  Owl feather print textiles by Angela Hooker in collaboration with Felder Felder, AW11

Prints are bringing fashion to life in a way not seen since the 1960s, and textile innovation has opened up exciting new concepts in garment design. Getting dressed is now even more fun! London-based design duo Felder Felder have established their brand as the go-to for a rock n' roll look with a sophisticated twist, their last two collections bursting with textural techniques on dyed leather and layered prints on an array of fabrics and opacities. This dynamic new dimension to their signature edgy look is the result of their collaboration with brilliant young textile designer Angela Hooker.

I wanted to know more about Angela and how she works so we had a conversation - lucky for us she doesn't spare any details!

So you're from Paris?

Yes, I was born in Paris 14e. My mother is French and my father is English. I came to live in London when I was 17, to study at the Central Saint Martin's and never left. I used to go often to Paris while a student especially, to visit family and friends. These days I go less often, only once a year for a few days during Paris fashion week at the moment.

Parisian and London style are quite different, Paris being about easy elegance while London nurtures individual expression. Your techniques with slashed leather, bright hues like cobalt and fuschia, and textural richness created through digital prints as seen in your work with Felder-Felder for their Spring 2011 collection, would suggest that the London style got into your head. Or did you arrive with these kinds of ideas and develop them in your time at CSM?

While living in Paris I was designing fashion for myself and also worked for a little while at Malhia Kent's workshop. The company is well known for designing "fantasy tweeds" for which Coco Chanel is famous worldwide. They mainly do weaving and traditional textiles. I was 15 years old; it was my first paid job.

Central Saint Martin’s was a splendid eye opener. We had lectures and projects at college with designers and artists such as Gilbert & Jorge, Grayson Perry, Eley Kishimoto, John Galliano’s assistant Elisa Palomino, to name a few. Their advice and opinions really opened my eyes on all the opportunities and directions I could take as a designer, a real confidence boost and inspiration. I learned to think outside the box. My goal as a fashion and textile designer is to create original pieces, fresh textiles - London is the best place to embrace such projects in my opinion.

How wonderful to work with the tweeds at such a young age! How much were you taught in school regarding techniques? Did you find your style largely through experimenting on your own?

At college we were given the facilities/equipment to create, such as a great library, a print studio and a design studio. We were trained on the basics of pattern cutting and we also learned the basics of dying and printing. Then it was all up to us, we were free to do pretty much what we wanted with no commercial restrictions. I learned the most from my fellow classmates. The school is mainly there to teach you that you can do whatever you want, just get your hands in there. Central Saint Martins taught me to open up and build confidence in my creating process. Before I went there I had piles of designs on paper and I was never sure what to do with them. At Central Saint Martins I actually executed them 3D, all my ideas became real and achievable.

Angela Hooker's dyed, slashed and twisted leather in collaboration with Felder Felder, SS11

So it was at CSM that you met Daniela and Annette Felder and you collaborated after you graduated. What were your plans before you began to work together?

Daniela and I were in the same class for three years during our BA Fashion Print at Central Saint Martins. Annette did a fashion journalism/marketing-oriented BA course, nonetheless she was around all the time with us on the second floor of the Charing Cross Road building, where fashion print students hang out for breaks next to the print room. They are always together so if you meet one you’ll meet the other.

After I graduated I started working as an assistant designer for Manuel Vadillo and then became a brand specialist at Selfridges for Balenciaga. Nicolas Ghesquiere, Balenciaga’s head designer, is for me the top designer of our generation, an inspiration. I love his androgynous silhouettes and classic Spanish tailoring. As a brand specialist I got to assist the buyer on a trip to Paris for the Spring/Summer 2008 laser cut collection, one of their best. My favourite piece was the robotic metallic trouser-suits.

Felder Felder stocked one of their early collections in Selfridges. It was a wonderful surprise when they came to the shop to give the staff a brief lecture on their collection; this is when I discovered that they were already established as a brand. Later on I asked them if they needed help for textile designs and printing and that is how we began working together.

Where did your palette and print inspiration for Felder Felder AW11 come from?

The inspiration for this textile collection comes from the uncontrollable beauty and breathtaking power of nature; from a barn owl in mid air to thunder in a midnight blue sky. This was applied to create the the "owl feather" digital print, printed on silk and canvas - we did a petrol green version as well as a warm grey; the goat hair, hand dyed in petrol green; and the thunder blue leather which was hand tie-dyed.

How do your currently create your print samples?

I either take fabric and leather from Felder Felder's studio or I go and buy my own around Brick Lane, Dalston and sometimes Shepherds Bush. I also go and buy a few dyes and spray paints from art shops. I’ll then create a few textile ideas, three to seven samples I already have in mind and want to try out. The next step is to go and do some research for my colour palette and textures by going to exhibitions, libraries and on the Internet. I then start experimenting and developing my textile ideas in 3D. Once I’m happy with the samples I will start designing digital prints in the same style.

Are you interested in creating your own designs to apply your prints and textiles techniques, under your own label?

I believe teamwork works best for me. At the present time I am interested in working on digital textiles and embroidery in collaboration with more fashion labels. I'm also looking to do a lot more work with soft furnishings textiles. If I ever were to have my name in a label it would be in partnership with another one I believe - needless to say that individuality counts but teamwork is dynamite!

So how does your creative process work in a collaborative project? Do you see the designs and hear the concept of the collection first and then go to it? Or do you all sit down first and brainstorm that way?

With Felder Felder we work in collaboration. We have a first meeting regarding the inspirations for the new collection, silhouettes, fabrics and colours. I will take notes and contribute to the first stage of the creation in our brainstorm meeting.

From there I create new textile samples especially for the Felder twins label - I have a week or two to come up with six to twelve new textile creations and up to a hundred digital prints. They might choose three to four textile samples and one digital print. The twins develop a new collection from there. We have weekly meetings during that stage too as the textiles and the collections grow together. The samples will merge with the designs and change slightly during the process; for example the colour of dyes might slightly vary. It gives me the time to perfect the textile production sides of things, too.

With the lightning fast pace of fashion and the very short timelines to come up with brilliant textiles and prints, there's no time to wait for inspiration. Are you able, each time, to leave a meeting and go right into creating for the collection? What would you do to faciliate the process if it didn't come together instantly?

I am always up to date on fashion trends and am looking for inspiration non-stop on a daily basis, as I really enjoy it. I always have my A6 sketchbook with me in my back pocket, so if I have an idea walking down the street, on the bus, in an art gallery, I can sketch them straight out and go home to sample them.

By the time the meeting for the new collection comes I already have a selection of ideas and mood board of my own. A first meeting with Felder-Felder develops my ideas and finalizes them towards one strong direction. I will sketch during our meeting, take photographs; translate visually what they expect for their next season and make sure I understand their vision accurately after our first meeting. I get started straight away on samples the same day.

Right now, for example, I’m already sampling for next season, sketching and brainstorming ideas that I will finalize after this week’s show. I always try to be ahead, it’s more exciting that way. The only thing that would facilitate the creating process would be for me to have 24-hour access to a print workshop, ideally my own!

We hope you will one day, Angela!  You can follow Angela Hooker's work at her blog

 

Photos: Header by Felder Felder, Mahlia Kent by Angela Hooker, the rest by Denise Grayson

Ice and Snow: Xuan-Thu Nguyen Couture Winter 2010/11

When I saw the video of Xuan-Thu Nguyen's Winter Couture 2010/11 show, my heart soared and sunk all at once. It soared due to the abundance of exquisiteness and it sank because I was supposed to have been there taking it all in firsthand. (I had to renew my Canadian passport and it didn't come back in time to make the trip from England to Paris. The pity party I threw for myself was a rip-roaring good time.) Thu - she goes by the second part of her first name - is a friend; we met when I lived in Paris and I became an instant, rabid fan of her work which revolves around elegant and whimsical shapes and textures that are couture quality even in her prêt-à-porter. This couture collection is my favourite and that's saying a lot considering my smitten-ness was already sealed in concrete.

Thu's concept for winter centres around change, and in the spirit of physical transformation takes inspiration from ice - big chunks contrasted with the softness of snow and melting ice, which unlike a lot of inspirational reference points can be inferred without explanation at first glance of its key pieces.

A Xuan-Thu Nguyen collection wouldn't be complete without something that isn't quite what it seems. In the past we've seen fox 'fur' stoles made out of flowers and here we have 'fur' sculptures in the form of a lush wrap and a skirt made entirely of linen fibres. The details appear as icy flowers, drops of crystal and shifted layers.

As the models walked right up to the front row so guests could have a close look at the details, no doubt hearts were melting, too.

 

 

 

Watch what happened 'avant' the show:

 

 

And here's the show:

 

Cupcake Monday! The Marie Antoinette Edition

How perfect is this scene from Sofia Coppola's stunningly gorgeous film Marie Antoinette? It's every girlie girl's dream to lounge on a silk damask chaise longue in an 18th century gilded French palace surrounded by pink iced cakes while being pampered with a pedicure. With your shoes on. I prefer mine off for the full effect but maybe that's just me.  

I went nuts with images from the film a while back, so if you'd like more drool fodder take a look here.

And now, let us eat cupcakes:

Gorgeous! From I Love Muffins

Gilded, from Peggy's Cupcakes

Tower of yum! From Yummy Piece of Cake

Look at what's on those plates and notice the macaron tree beside her. They used Ladurée in the film but the French pastry maker wasn't established until 1862. Oh how I hope those didn't go to waste.

A Peek at Vanessa Paradis' Chanel Commercial

If you've been reading The Swelle Life for a while you know that I adore Vanessa Paradis (yes, she has her own category here) and have for about 20 years, so I jump all over any news, even if it's just a peek at an upcoming commercial. Last year she signed on with Chanel to be the face of Coco Rouge, a new lipstick collection from everyone's dream fashion house. And it may not be the most exciting imagery, but it's Vanessa and she looks fanatstic and that's good enough for me. And can I have that top, please?

The whistling is an homage to her songbird in a gilded cage advert for Coco in 1992 (which many people had a problem with. Please.):

Images from Grazia and Vogue UK

Where Marie Antoinette Slept

My time as of late has been spent packing, cleaning, worrying about our house being done enough to live in come tomorrow, and making decisions about how to decorate. I'm having the most fun with my daughter's room, looking for dressing tables, small and pretty chandeliers and anything that will help it look like the kind of room I would have loved to have growing up (or at least what the adult me thinks would have been awesome).

I've had these images of Marie Antoinette's bedroom at Versailles for some time and it's about time they made an appearance. There are two views here which look quite different as they come from two sources. In all the time I spent in Paris I unfortunately did not get a chance to visit Versailles (oh, how it stings!) because the queues were just ridiculous from before 9 a.m. I vowed to go back in off-season so I didn't have to take in what must be the most breathtaking spectacle of architectural opulence on this planet amidst packs of smelly tourists. Like me.

Looking at these images I can't help think 'But what more could they have done?' Ha.

I would love to chat more about this but the rest of the cleaning awaits. See below for more French/romantic bedrooms. Even the most beautiful of them will seem plain after your brain has adjusted to Marie's!

This one is kind of funny to me. I can't help but think this is what Fabio's bedroom looks like:

Okay, not a bedroom but I am so in love with this cabinet and this whole look. It's from The French Bedroom Company in England and I want it so bad but it's too wide for the space in our bathroom. I could just vomit with rage.

Oui! Oui! Oui!

Sonia Rykiel's Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (Most of Them)

Sonia Rykiel's show was all about girls having fun, and also underwear. She must have been one of the rather expansive group who got the memo that Jean-Paul Gaultier's old Madonna costume of pointy bra and high waisted panelled briefs of some kind were to figure into the show somehow.

It's so nice to see the models smiling and acting flirtatious in their bright, happy hued outfits and little disc hats, rather than stomping along sour-faced as if is a mandatory bacon double cheeseburger buffet is waiting for them at the end of the runway. I don't mean to sound bitchy. I think I may just be hungry.

But not everyone played along. This girl at least managed an open mouth even if the corners wouldn't turn up:

"I find all of this 'happy' talk amusing. But I'm not about to show it":

"Will this do? It's all I got."

"I'm wearing sunglasses so no one can see me anyway."

 
"I don't get paid enough to show emotion. Wait, I do. But I'm still not doing it.":

Photos: WWD

Summer Re-run: Francoise Hardy: Style as Inspiring as Her Music

It's time to leave my family and friends in Canada and fly back to England, so I'm posting another article from when The Swelle Life was a baby, about my favourite style icon, Francoise Hardy.

Let's go back about 40 years or so to the heyday of Francoise Hardy - 'The Yeh-Yeh Girl from Paris' - French singer, actress and muse. A strong yet beautiful voice (still) with looks and style to match (still), making her one of the most influential French style icons to date. Her sideswept, eye-grazing fringe, well-defined features and Courreges wardrobe (Andre Courreges was apprentice to Cristóbal Balenciaga in 1950, while Hardy is muse to Nicolas Ghesquiere, current creative director of the Balenciaga brand) created the look that designers and fashionistas are continuing to emulate today.

Ah, isn't that true style? How many of us can look back to when we were younger and not cringe? And let's see how many of today's Hollywood 'icons' will be identified as such in even five years' time. So few are able to endure to become legendary icons; it's that extraordinary combination of innate coolness, raw talent, unique beauty and that certain 'je ne sais quoi' that makes others follow so faithfully. And that's why we love them.

Francoise Hardy most certainly possesses that irresistable spirit, it comes through in her music and her images and bang, you're hooked. Yet another reason I adore French culture, Paris is the mother of the enigmatic woman.

Here's a live version of Voila from 1967 (she was 23). Francoise looks incredible as she finishes the song, stands there for a few seconds then skips coyly off the stage (and her look is over 40 years old yet hasn't dated whatsoever, I'm in awe):

 

 

Marie-Antoinette Visual Overload

I'm not really sure that Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette was a good film but this is one occasion where it matters not a whit. For it is a tasty feast for the eyes with breathtaking costumes from Milena Canonero and set design so enchanting that it could tempt you to trade places with Marie Antoinette, if only a spaceship could come rescue you sometime down the road from, well, you know.

For me, these pictures never get old.

 

   

 

 

 

 

Geeking Out at Chanel

Sasha Pivovarova with Karmen Pedaru

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

Carine Roitfeld

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

78 year-old Anna Piaggi. A legend.

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

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

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

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


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


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

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

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


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


Magdalena. Stunning.


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

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

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

Coco Avant Chanel: The Trailer

It looks like Coco Avant Chanel is going to be released in the UK on July 31 and word has it September 25 is the US date.

I noticed that the supporting quote at the end comes from Grazia. Not UK Vogue. Interesting...

Luckily it opened in France the day before I left Paris - I so wanted to see it in Paris - and I caught a matinee which I wrote about here, or more accurately I blubbered all over my blog (I was a bit emotional about having to leave).

I highly recommend it. Well, duh!

(Email subscribers: click the header to get to the site and view the video!)

The Lady Noir Affair

Film seems to be the new medium for selling luxury goods these days and the latest is a series for Lady Dior handbags 'starring' Marion Cotillard. It begins with Chapter 1, The Lady Noir Affair. I don't really care what it's selling or what the story line is (they're all a bit goofy in their fashion à propos OTT style), I just like the look of it (deja vu from yesterday?). John Galliano co-art directed this 1940s-styled short film noire and of course is responsible for Cotillard's femme fatale look.

When she was going through her bag I couldn't help but think of that maxi-pad commercial from the 90s (I saw it in Canada, maybe it ran in the US too?) where the idea of concealing them in individual packages in your purse was introduced in a (bad) spoof of an international spy film where they were confused with clandestine information and referred to as "zee microfeelm'.

Sorry, John and Marion. I can't help the awful things that are forever etched in my brain. 

My reason for posting about this: scenes from around Paris and the interiors are drenched in art deco furnishings. This is how I imagine heaven is decorated:

 

 

Thanks to Reanna at Reanna Time for the heads up about the film!

 

 

Audrey Tautou in Short Film for Chanel

Audrey Tautou has appeared in a short film (or long commercial) as the face of Chanel No. 5 (good timing but she was still overdue her turn), directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet who gave us Amélie (thank you). Billie Holiday's I'm a Fool to Want You kicks in near the end. Parfait.

Filmed in a railway station in Nice and on the Bosphorus in Istanbul, it was inspired by a scene in the Oscar-nominated film A Very Long Engagement. 

Despite playing Coco Chanel herself in the film Coco Avant Chanel, she finds herself overwhelmed by her appointment as the face of the world's most famous perfume: "It hasn't really sunk in yet. The fact that the film has been directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the fact that it is Chanel No.5, which for me is a legend in itself. Even now, I find it hard to believe." 

Don't you love her?

(Email subscribers - click the header to go the blog and watch the film)

Toi, tu me plais, Garance Doré

 

My last days of my (heartachingly good) two-month stay in Paris could not have wrapped up more perfectly, for I had the genuine pleasure of interviewing Garance Doré. For many, the Paris-based blogger extraordinaire needs no introduction, and if you don't know the beloved photographer, illustrator and storyteller who can transform a monitor into a wonderful, fashion dreamworld that feels both fantastical and attainable all at once, today is your lucky day.

Garance is such a delight, she speaks so freely about her life and her work as you would expect from her diary-like blog posts. And she embodies exactly those qualities that compose the quintessential French woman whom I so adore: confident, clever, chic, gifted, gorgeous. (I could go on but it would cross over to sycophantic and embarrass everyone involved.)

Here is the story of how Garance turned a blog into a jetsetting career documenting fashion as it happens around the world:

How did this all start for you?

I never studied art, I studied communications. I started as a PR for cinema in the south of France. I liked it; I went to Cannes for the film festival. After a few years I felt the artistic part wasn't being used. But I was young and I knew it wouldn't be a risk to try. I trained myself and took my book to some art directors. But the job was different, I found myself at home so much, there were no people. I was frustrated having to stay home and the commissions were not that interesting. So this is why I opened my blog, to open a conversation about that. I realised I also liked to write. I was the first in France to talk about fashion and illustration this way. I did that for a while but fashion goes with photography, so I picked up my camera. I never thought years ago this would be big, it was just something I thought was different.

And now you're famous. How do you feel about that?

Yes, well because of my boyfriend, Scott, the press photographs me and sometimes I'm even recognised in the street in New York. I don't really show myself on my blog. (Ed. note: The photo above is Garance, as shot by Scott Schuman, 'The Sartorialist'. And yes, they are a couple. A fashion match made in heaven.)

Do you have a favourite city for capturing people?

I really love Paris and New York but no, each time I move somewhere it gives me inspiration. It's difficult the first day because you don't know the light. But then you see the romance of the city.

At a Paris fashion week show I witnessed a very well dressed photographer endure a horribly rude dismissal when he asked a man, someone unknown, if he could photograph him. Do you ever find yourself confronted with an unwilling subject?

It never happens. Usually I can feel when not to ask.

Your illustrations are so simple yet they convey vitality, playfulness and beauty. Has your style remained relatively constant or has it evolved over the years?

It's evolved a lot and evolving more every day,  I try to get more simple, convey emotions. I like to evolve all the time, it's still me. I think it's good when illustrators keep their style but for me I like it to change.

Do you use a model or a photograph when you sketch? 

I just draw instinctively, I don't rely on something. Maybe I should use something.

No! What I love about your illustrations or your 'girls' as I call them is they aren't recognisable, they are characters that you have created. Do you ever find yourself designing when you 'dress' your girls?

Yes, usually I like to dress them with clothes I like, usually they are things I want or admire. It's a way for me to show clothes, it's like an homage to those who make clothes. I've had proposals to design clothes, maybe one day I will if I find the right partner.

Wow, I hope you do. Your illustrations are the perfect companion to your photographs; you have the person in the flesh and also a bit of fantasy where you can convey whatever you wish.

It's like a movement between illustrations and photography, it creates a movement.

Where do you think your career would be without the internet?

I really don't know, it opened me to a lot of new medias. I never thought I could do a picture, it gives me the opportunity to do different things and meet new people. I think it's my destiny that I fell for the internet. 

 

One of my fondest memories of my Paris adventure is a moment where I looked out the window of the bus I was on, it was stopped at a light along the Seine, and I saw the most precious woman sitting on a bench, clutching her handbag on her lap with both hands together in the most ladylike way. She was about 60 years old, with brown chin-length hair parted at the side in two pretty barrettes, bright red lipstick and a matching coat over a soft, floral dress. She was so chic and so sweet all at once, and I couldn't help but smile and she smiled back. It sounds silly but the way she smiled at me, I know she recognised what seeing her did for me and that she appreciated it. I thought 'This is Paris.'

There's something in that experience that parallels closely the reaction one feels when looking at your photographs. Can you put into words what it is you are capturing?

I think what you're capturing is a moment more than clothes, of course I feel that it's a great way to get in touch with people.

Further to my story, I had been taking photos out of the window and although I would have so cherished a photograph of this woman, I just couldn't ruin the moment by raising my camera and clicking away. Do you ever find yourself in a situation where you prefer to experience the moment away from your camera?

Yes, it happens sometimes. Once with a great fashion editor, I would have loved to take pictures, but she was opening to me and it's a question of feeling what's right or wrong.

Do you see yourself doing this for the rest of your life?

I don't know, I like what I do but I'm not closesd, I like to be open minded. I have a lot of ideas about my future but I want to do what feels right at the moment.

swelle.

And that's what it's all about, isn't it? Thanks for these moments, Garance. 

We also spoke a little about Paris and its women - Garance was interested in what it is about Paris that means so much to me and how the women stand out. It was a lovely conversation and I'm happy knowing that although I'm not in Paris anymore, I can go to garancedore.com and feel the essence of the city. No matter where in the world Garance may be, her photos, illustrations and the little peeks she offers into her day bear that most irresistable je ne sais quoi that only French women have. J'adore. 

Coco Avant Chanel: Audrey, You're Killing Me

I just got home from a matinee showing of Coco Avant Chanel, it opened today in Paris. I settled into my comfy seat in the theatre (not anywhere near) full of people on their own, like me, and took off my heavy knee-high boots, undoing all six of the buckles so I could relax.

If you didn't already know, it's a French language film. And not subtitled for showing in France, naturallement. I didn't understand much of the dialogue. All of my elementary school French classes and two attempts at improving my skills in the past six years just didn't prepare me for that most important part of learning another language - hearing it as the native tongued speak it, and thus, understanding it.

Anyway, none of that mattered. The acting was superb and it's a truly gorgeous looking film. As the title suggests it focuses on Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel's life before she became a famous designer - specifically, her relationships with the two significant men in her life at that time. How her influences and future trend-making ideas were shaped was introduced with subtlety - a quick snip with the scissors for a crude refashioning of her performance partner's tightly corsetted costume to allow her to move more freely while dancing, admiring the society ladies' bold black and white outfits and their wearing of two or three long strings of pearls instead of the usual one, the white camellia boutonnière on her date's tuxedo lapel, her enchantment with the boatneck nautical striped shirt worn by um, some guys in the water (crap, I can't remember what they were doing) which she promptly recreated at home, and her act of going into her male friend's wardrobe and cutting up his shirts, vests and trousers for her own daily wear and to help her ride the horses with ease (he was rich, he didn't mind). I've always wondered how such a dramatic transition in dressing occurred - these were women who still wore corsets and heavy petticoats so how were they so quickly convinced to forget it all and in favour of what were deemed men's clothes?

There is a scene where Coco is wearing a man's outfit, tailored to fit, while standing next to some society ladies in bustles and hats with heavy plumage. The first time she appeared in her new look she seemed awkwardly out of place and was subject to some ridicule, but now it was the over-done ladies who were embarrassed, and soon enough the excess undergarments were shed in favour of a natural silhouette, and Coco was only too happy to lend her expertise and award them their freedom.

The film wraps up with a most stunning scene: It's Coco's first show - which took place in the original Rue Cambon boutique - and her models descend the staircase one by one in dresses and suits which could easily pass for current season today (I'm curious how accurate a reproduction this collection is though I think it must be fairly so). It's a breathtakingly shot scene that looks almost ethereal, without dialogue and only the music, the beauty of the girls in their clothes and, if you've seen film footage of Coco Chanel who was known to be stern, you'll recognise Audrey Tautou's performance as the most unnervingly accurate portrayal of the designer I think anyone could pull off. She watches the show seated on the staircase with her legs pulled in, wearing the prototypical tweed suit you see in the header photo, resting against the mirrored walls. She holds in her emotion during the ovation until she's overwhelmed with pride and out it comes, just enough to pull at our heart strings yet remain 'Coco'.

And then something happened to me. Yes, it was a wonderful film and the ending was so lovely and perfect, and some kind of an emotional reaction might be expected. But I started to cry, and I felt like I just needed to wail. Of course I didn't, and the lady who decided to sit right next to me despite 80% of the seats being empty didn't help matters.

I have been living in Paris for the past two months. And I leave tomorrow. And I don't want to. I have completely fallen in love with this city as if it were a person. The film depicted through its landscapes, interiors, and its characters the essence of French life, its people and its history, which is alive today and can be experienced by simply being in the city. It's not just in the buildings with their magnificent architecture and the museums with their masterworks, it's in the air. And I will miss it dearly.

Once I got myself together, I bent down over my knees to put on my boots and laboriously fastened the three buckles up the back of each one, and smiled to myself knowing how silly Coco would think I was for dressing in such a complicated fashion.

Sonia Rykiel Exhibit a Reminder of How Cool She is

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

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

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

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

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

 

How great are the knit water wings and ring?

 

 

 

 

 

A Perfect Day in Paris

I leave for Paris in two weeks for my two-month stint and this commercial for Miss Dior Chérie is setting the tone for where my mind is going (although it will still officially be winter when I arrive but I can hope and wish for the early arrival of spring). Sofia Coppola shot it with model Maryna Linchuk and the song is from Brigitte Bardot, the perfect soundtrack for flowers, pastries, beautiful clothes and walking around Paris on a beautiful afternoon - parfait!

 If you've already seen it, I think this is one that could stand another look!

And I keep hearing that the perfume smells like European strawberries, which I love, so I may have to follow this up and for the first time ever buy myself a bottle (I just don't wear the stuff), which in itself is one of the sweetest and prettiest designs I've seen.

Here's the full length version of the commercial:

 

 

 

Vanessa Glows in Pink

I love this pale pink Sonia Rykiel dress on Vanessa Paradis (and I love Vanessa), she wore it for the Sidaction gala recently in Paris (in support of AIDS prevention and research), also attended by Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and Lou Doillon. The colour and texture of the satin reminds me of a jacket and shorts I had when I was about seven years old. I loved them so much, they didn't look like that cheap acetate that was everywhere and I thought they were so pretty. Looking back, I'm thinking they may not have been quite as nice as I'm remembering them, but I choose to preserve the memory as it has evolved in my mind!

Vanesssa looks to be in her element here, all smiles and glowing. She says she hates the red carpet but me thinks that's just in Hollywood.

Vanessa and Carla in Yves St. Laurent


Lou Doillon in Nina Ricci with Olivier Theyskens
Photo: BENAROCH/SIPA

More Audrey as Coco...

As everyone now knows, Coco Avant Chanel is coming out this year. We're not sure where and when exactly or who gets to see it first, but the fashion freaks and the Audrey Tatou fanatics (the groups tend to overlap) are getting antsy (I still haven't seen Priceless so first things first). Keeping that fire stoked are two more shots from the set, one at the atelier it seems (that is one awesome hat) and at  dinner. Those cigarettes sure do look delicious. ~cough cough~

I'm enjoying some of the comments on other blogs about the film. Among the usual "I love Audrey, she is so adorable and beautiful and has redeemed the French in the eyes of the American people" declarations are these heavy statements:

"This film looks like it will be a snooze fest" - nvcameron (straight guy, possibly my Dad)

"Didn't they already do this with Shirley what's her name?" - bumblebee7 (it's MacLaine and one really has nothing to do with the other)

"Aww damn that cig looks good" - EddieTheHead1975 (guess what his New Years resolution is?)

Via The Bad and Ugly

Canadians Make the Best Coats

I'm now in Canada for Christmas, we got into Toronto last night after an 11+ hour flight. Or rather an eight hour flight and a three hour sit on the tarmac. There was a problem with the plane that required a parts. But we got here fine, no luggage was lost (phew! I do so worry about my beloved dresses) and all things considered, we fared far better than the poor souls whose flights were cancelled today thanks to the snow storm. The thick snow covering everything in sight makes me think of White Christmases, and fabulous winter coats. And that reminds me of Mackage, who I don't believe I've mentioned, except in passing, in my very first post!

If you haven't heard of Mackage and you consider yourself a coat girl or guy, you need to get to know them. Their coats are incredible - gorgeous detailing (look at that belt - yes, it comes with the coat - and the pleated sleeve styling on the Juju above and right), excellent workmanship and high quality materials combine with the most flattering shape and fit. You can also wear the collars several different ways. And the best thing is, they are still, somehow, bargain priced for what they are. If you buy in Canada or the US from their online shop, their winter coats run from $496 to $760, with most falling in the low to mid-range. And the prices have remained the same since I bought mine four years ago, despite them being a 'celeb favourite' from the beginning and being seen all over the most fashionable TV shows. How refreshing. However, I saw a Mackage coat featured in Grazia last year and it was the same in pounds. So there's an advantage to buying on their home turf (they're Canadian. Me so proud).

As for mine, I don't plan on ever getting rid of it. But I do plan to add to the collection. Hmm...I don't have one of their spring jackets...

And I love the story behind the brand. Mackage is a fashion outerwear label run by childhood friends Eran Elfassy and Elisa Dahan who started sketching at age 12 and had a hit label at just 22. A few highly successful years later, it's still a family-run business based in Montreal, Quebec. And in their photos they're always smiling and look so happy and cute. I love them.

 

   

 

  How adorable is this, they can even make the puffa jacket look fab:

 

How cosy and beautiful are the chunky knit neck and cuffs:

   

And more details...

Leather trim is their trademark:

 

Perfect pleats:

 

I love how the bottom looks like a tennis skirt, sigh: 

 

Beautiful buttons:

 

How good would you feel wearing this:

 

And that is the Tessy, which looks like this worn with the collar done up:

That's like two coats! And that belt! And those sleeves!

Now, tell me - are you convinced??

 

Marion Cotillard's First Lady Dior Ad

Here's the first first look at the new "cinematic" Lady Dior handbag campaign starring Oscar winner Marion Cotillard. Wasn't it just last week we heard she was "in talks" with the fashion house? WWD describes Cotillard as being "perched on top of the Eiffel Tower, its intricate metalwork echoing the canework pattern on the iconic tote" - they're not saying she's really up there, are they?? When I saw it for the first time in April, I was stunned at the enormity of the structure. It's huge. I had anticipated an anti-climatic moment, like most experience when they first see the Statue of Liberty - "Huh? That's it?? She's so puny!"

Like her dress? It's John Galliano from his Spring 09 collection.

The campaign will first appear end of month in France and the UK and consists of four parts, with Paris being the first city and chapter. Further details will be revealed on a forthcoming website: LadyDior.com.

Photo: Politics in the City

First Look at Audrey Tautou as Coco Chanel

Photo: Chantal Thomine-Desmazures

The first peek at Audrey Tautou as Coco Chanel has been released now that filming for the biopic Coco Avant Chanel is underway in France. The film focusses on the legendary designer's early years and is loosely based on L'irreguliere, a biography of Chanel by Edmonde Charles-Roux. Look for it in 2009.

I know what you're thinking - it's not that exciting a photo, is it? There will be more, they're easing us into the fashion frenzy-inducing looks that will be soon unleashed upon us. I hope. But the costume is kind of steampunk - or rather, part of what influenced the movement. So that's something.

Via The Age

Carla Bruni, You're the Coolest!

That's what the Brits say. Carla Bruni topped the 'Alternative Cool List' (how uncool does that sound) in a poll to identify the favourite celebrity personality. It's probably due to her appearance on Jools Holland which won over the UK population - they fell in love, as they all do when Carla sings.

But let's hold on just for a minute, who's behind her? Well, there's Girls Aloud at #3 (like them if you must, love them even - but COOL??) and CLIFF RICHARD is #8! COOL????? Jay-Z makes sense on the list, though at #11 he's deemed less cool than Cliff Richard and his wife Beyonce who came in at #4. Well, she is cooler than Cliff Richard, I'll give her that. But isn't everybody?

Too bad, Carla, I think this list is a bit rubbish. Funny, she'd care the least about something like this, probably finding it très amusant. Give the top honour to Sir Cliffy, he needs it most. 

Via Telegraph

Oscar Winner Cotillard to Become a Bag Lady

One of France's lovely gifts to the rest of the world, actress Marion Cotillard, is in talks with Dior to be the face for the Lady Dior bag campaign. The bag has been around since 1995 and was made famous when Princess Diana carried it on a day out. (Wouldn't we kill to know what was in it. Do you think there just might have been a half-unwrapped hard candy stuck to the lining?).

I tend to cringe when I see actresses and singers doing clothing and cosmetics ads, but this aversion doesn't apply to those from France. These goddesses are from a different world and flutter high above their stateside counterparts. In my humble opinion. Except for Maggie Gyllenhaal. Her doing Miu Miu made sense. Eva Longoria - I don't need to see her anymore in anything relating to fashion or beauty. She's even on TV here in the UK doing adverts.

What it is funny, though, is that here the advertising standards are far stricter than North America with regards to claims. So when we see the Desperate Housewife in a L'Oreal mascara commercial with lashes that look as if two hedgehogs have rested on her eyelids, there's a statement along the bottom of the screen - that is actually large enough to be legible - admitting that there has been some post-production enhancement. We all know this of course, but it sure is nice to be let in on the 'secret'.

Vanessa Paradis Rocks the Cover of French Vogue

Trés jolie, Mlle Paradis. Naysayers, please shove it, now.

Let the Anticipation Begin: Lou Doillon to Open a Shop in Paris

Photo: Ed Alcock for The New York Times

Finally, an excuse to write about Lou Doillon: The actress, model, daughter of Jane Birkin and hat-loving, all-round cool chick who doesn't comb her hair will open a shop in Paris in the new year. She announced the exciting venture to WWD at John Galliano's show in Paris last weekend, and is currently searching for the perfect space.

Doillon also designed a line for British brand Lee Cooper, out earlier this year, though you may have missed that. Did they depend on word of mouth to promote it, or what? I think I saw one ad. Over-promotion is irritiating but under-promotion is a bit daft. They did release a cool video promo, however (below). She certainly has a lot to say, especially in French! I love how you can pick up her mother's Brit accent in her English. I have to say, after watching the first episode of Britain's Style Genius on BBC Two last Tuesday, which heavily promoted Topshop and spent a good portion of that on Kate Moss and 'her' collection, that it was evident that all she does is show up to see what they've produced and say 'Oh, I love that', and 'No, I hate that.' To the contrary, our Lou appears heavily invested in that which bears her name:

Vanessa Paradis fears the red carpet, appreciates being spat on

Elle UK interviewed Vanessa Paradis for their November issue, and it was an easily digestible, enjoyable read about the singer, actress, sometime model and girlfriend of the man at the top of nearly every woman's 'freebie' list.

Let's see...what is there that we don't already know (although she is a private person, there are few secrets to reveal when you are a genuinely family-oriented, non-Hollywood-type star and your only vice being a nicotine addiction and penchant for Chanel).

To start, Paradis seriously dislikes the red carpet. She finds it "stressful" and "weird". That makes her normal. (I find it strange that people get dressed up after a week's worth of beauty prep to walk down a rug of pre-determined hue to pose for mobs of photographers while pulling shapes they practice at home in the mirror. I would laugh my Neil Lane earrings off if, in another life, I had to perform such a ritual.) She goes on to say, "The red carpet is really not something that I know how to work. It intimidates me. I feel very tiny."

And you can tell - she does, at times, seem to be shrinking into herself when you see the photos that she dreads posing for. Which is quite endearing, considering she is likely one of the few people at these events who actually has reason to stand tall and proud.

Paradis also revealed that her and Johnny Depp have never set a wedding date (where do these rumours come from, they have menus and everything!). And while it's something they may do one day, she considers herself "more married than one can be" and that "when things are so perfect" it's something they can "really do without."

After finding stardom at the tender age of 14 with her hit Joe le Taxi, she tells how random people shouted at her in the streets of Paris, pulled her hair, and actually spat at her. The French must have a serious intolerance of over-exposure. (In case you didn't know - 'le taxi' refers to both the taxi and the driver in French, she's not actually singing about a taxi, which is what I thought for some time. It makes more sense now.) But it's all good, she rationalises that "maybe the people insulting me and spitting on me prevented me from being all sure of myself and rude and the rest of it." Now that's a well-adjusted human being.

Karl Lagerfeld found his way into the conversation, the entrance being the Chanel commercial for Coco where she played a bird in a guilded cage, and the accompanying print ad where they elongated her tiny legs so much they wound up being more than twice the length of her torso. About KL - she says he's "just so much fun." And apparently he's quite a story-teller. No doubt he has an endless supply.

As for home-grown fashion, she says, "If I could give every woman a piece of Chanel, I would - we should all know the excitement of it." I agree. And there's no reason you can't try, starting right here. She also "loves the clothes, accessories and the imagery" of the Miu Miu campaigns so it was a no-brainer when they asked her to be the new face for fall. And she does turn a lot of work down (like the Calvin Klein campaign that in the end went to a then unknown Kate Moss) - this isn't sycophantic praise.

She's also a collector of vintage clothing - her and Johnny share a love of fashion from 1910 to 1940 - evident by the stunning red carpet appearances she manages to endure for Johnny's sake. She also "adores" Vanessa Bruno, Antik Batik and Marc Jacobs. Naturellement. Surprisingly, she's a huge fan of Betsey Johnson. I didn't see that one coming. Hmmm...but if you remove the voluminous tulle-skirted prom dresses and keep the Victorian jackets and corsets, maybe it does make sense.

Don't ever change, Vanessa.

Carla Bruni and Jools Holland Certainly Didn't End up Doing It

Carla Bruni performed on Later with Jools Holland Tuesday evening to promote her latest album, Comme si de rien n’etait in the UK. On the set that consists of individual stages for each performer, hers was positioned beside Metallica, which I guess was supposed to be ironic or something. When Holland sat down beside the French First Lady and former supermodel to ask her a few questions, she was her usual ultra-cool self, while he was speaking as if his tongue was falling down a flight of stairs. His inability to match her in the poise department made for a totally awkward exchange, where each began to speak over the other, followed by a pause, then the polite 'you go' smile and nod. She handled it brilliantly and went on to perform two songs beautifully, in her breathy, hypnotic style. I'm guessing poor Jools went backstage to sob quietly.

Apparently since the show, her lagging sales have had a healthy boost as Brits have rushed to pick up the CD. The terrible discomfort was all worth it, then.

Carla Bruni's First Video For Her New Album Will Disappoint Men

The video for L'Amoureuse from Carla Bruni's latest album Comme si de rien n'était has just been released, and it's one that will likely leave the men who watch it bitterly disappointed. It's a pretty video (if not a bit like a tampon commercial), but the former supermodel (or are you always a supermodel once achieving that status?) and current First Lady of France is represented by an animated line drawing throughout the clip, except for one brief moment near the end where she is seen from above, in the flesh (but none showing), lying on the grass. As for the song, it's classic Carla Bruni, with the zippy French lyrics, breathy vocals and gentle, upbeat, guitar.

The Sarkozys Meet the Pope, Avoid Exploding into Flames

The three-times married French President Nicholas Sarkozy and wife Carla Bruni, who has had some un-saint-like fun in her day, went beyond protocol requirements to personally meet Pope Benedict, who began a three-day tour of France yesterday.

The Pope is hoping to boost declining Catholicism in the French republic which has a policy of strict separation of church and state.

As for dressing for the occasion, Carla Bruni was in her prim and proper First Lady guise, and Pope Benedict - possibly to impress the former super-model - was rocking some cool red loafers:

And, did Carla need some cajoling to shake the Pope's hand? She's eyeing it like he was just holding dog poop ('Come on, mon petite, it's just a bit of poop, non?):

Photos: Yahoo Italia

Audrey Tautou Gets the Ellen von Unwerth Treatment

These photos of Audrey Tautou shot by Ellen von Unwerth are making the rounds on the blogosphere right now, but they seem to be a few years old - though I can't find the date to confirm, or where they were originally published. Anyway, according to the comments, many people don't like how Audrey looks - some think von Unwerth has made the natural beauty look 'cheap', even 'ugly', and that her 'snapshot' treatment doesn't work here. The German photographer is known for her highly erotic photos, so it would appear she applied significant restraint with the doe-eyed actress whom we all seem to want to believe is as sweet and innocent as she looks. With the exception of the outfit in the last photo which is just hideous, I can't see the 'cheap', and certainly not the 'ugly'. You?

 

Source

Vanessa Paradis To Play Midwife in New Film

For you Vanessa Paradis fans who are challenged by subtitles (I know, they're especially hard to follow when you're trying to eat a hard-shell taco at the same time) - good news! ScreenDaily.com reports she's been signed on to play the lead in her first English-language film, Midwife Crisis. The 'offbeat, romantic comedy' is about a strange love affair between a midwife and a loan shark. Mabrouk El Mechri of JVCD fame will direct, so it could be interesting. Shooting starts in spring 2009 in New York City.

Image: scan from Italian Vanity Fair, October 2007

Yes! Audrey Tautou WILL Play Coco Chanel

It turns out the rumours were true: our favourite French gamine, Audrey Tautou, will play the role of Gabriel 'Coco' Chanel in the Warner Bros. (huh?) biopic Coco Avant Chanel. The French language film starts shooting September 15th with a release date of 2009. (Above is a first look at the trade ad for the film.)

Karl Lagerfeld, art director for the House of Chanel, will be supervising recreations of the designer's groundbreaking attire. Of course, who else?

I am really looking forward to this. Somehow, it appeals to me a bit more than Shirley MacLaine playing the legendary designer in the Lifetime production (in her later years, obviously). So, would that be Coco Après Chanel? Actually, no. Just Coco Chanel. Apparently it stank. I really expected more from Lifetime - Unwed Father starring Brian Austin Green and Student Seduction with Elizabeth Berkley were really first rate.

It's a bit hard to rubbish this idea altogether, however - when MacLaine was young her good friend Audrey Hepburn gave her some advice, "You should think about doing Coco Chanel when you're older." To be fair, I don't think Ms. Hepburn was envisaging a Lifetime production.

Photo: Hpod.com

This Paris Apartment Was Not Decorated with Items from HSN

Speaking of Loulou de la Falaise (see previous post), she happens to live in a fabulous Paris apartment overlooking the city (as we would expect from the influential designer/muse) - one that most of us might even wear fur for if it meant waking up it in every morning. From the looks of things, I don't think she'll be nicking decor items from her new workplace, the Home Shopping Network:

"I like cotton, velvet and handmade fabrics such as kilims and blankets from the Atlas mountains."

"My favourite materials are painted or gilded wood, lacquered objects, decorative paintwork and ceramics with a cracked surface.

I like blends of styles and things that have nothing to do with each other. I like surprises, things that clash, are unexpected, break unity, disrupt monotony - modern paintings with Louis XV furniture, for example. Mixtures of different periods are very interesting. For example, Cezanne's Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses juxtoposes nicely against my Hannah Montana guitar-style lamp from HSN." (Okay, I'm being a goof, she obviously didn't say that last thing.)

A collection of bracelets and bangles so fabulous they serve as decor. This photo was taken before she introduced her two-tone black and purple bangle on HSN, otherwise I'm sure it would be here.

"I have a strong attraction to combinations of red. It is a colour that recurs constantly in my designs and my apartment. My shop is adorned with red furniture and a red carpet."

Quotes extracted by Claire Coleman from Fashion Designers At Home by Marie Bariller

Photos from MailOnline

Loulou de la Falaise and Tori Spelling are Now Co-workers (sort of)

From the files of What the Lagerfeld?! comes this hard-to-believe item, albeit one that is getting easier to digest each day, considering the seemingly endless channels for lucrative deals based on name recognition.

What? Get on with it! Okay. Loulou de la Falaise, muse and collaborator of the dearly departed Yves St. Laurent and creator of jewelry for his haute couture and ready-to-wear collections, is now peddling her designs on HSN - the Home Shopping Network.

Who would've thunk it but she now has something in common with Tori Spelling, Beyonce's mum Tina Knowles and Suzanne Somers, who are selling everything from shoes to shrugs via the TV and online retailer.

de la Falaise, whose line includes women's shoes, jewelry, handbags and accessories, was described by WWD.com as "sounding like someone’s fashionable Parisian aunt as she instructed women on how to put looks from her collection together" during her HSN appearance Thursday morning.

I watched a clip of her bangles spot on the HSN website. The host repeatedly pronounces her name 'Fa-leeze'. The interaction between Loulou and this host is like Karl Lagerfeld making small talk with the check-out lady at Wal-Mart. Worlds are colliding.

Karl Lagerfeld's Muse To Get the Légion d'honneur

Inès de La Fressange, one-time muse to Karl Lagerfeld, occasional designer and now spokesperson for Roger Vivier, will be receiving the Légion d'honneur in Paris next week. The award was instituted in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte as the highest honour the Republic could bestow. Who else but France would choose a style icon as its most worthy recipient?

You have to love de la Fressange, who at 50 takes an endearing and refreshing view on older women's obsesssion with looking 30. As told to Lisa Armstrong of Times Online: “A lot of women stick with that because it was their favourite age for some reason. I don't really think like that. I mean, when a man tells you you look good, it's not because you don't have any wrinkles.” I think that's true. But women do that to themselves not to impress men so much as other women, non? Hence the importance of being comfortable in your own skin, which she obviously is - she's not competing with any woman.

And only an icon so deserving of her status could dispense such sensible fashion advice (she knows exactly what she's doing):

Keep an element of punk in your wardrobe - always. Even Chanel was a bit punk; the way she wore jersey and fake jewellery was a rebellion in her day.

Don't be afraid to make mistakes. If you have never put a foot wrong, you're probably too set in your ways.

Look for alternative ways of expressing what you feel: you may not want to wear a fluorescent dress, but how about a pair of tangerine patent shoes?

Dressing head-to-toe in expensive clothes can be as big a mistake as always wearing cheap ones. At every age it's far more effective to mix things up. I like it best when it's not obvious where my clothes come from.

Be open-minded about new labels. It's great to have tried-and-tested ones, but thanks to my two daughters I'm also a regular at H&M, Gap, Isabel Marant, Aspesi and Vanessa Bruno.

Can I be so bold as to add one? Smile. Inès has the most infectious smile - it's not at all 'modelly', it's from the inside out, through her eyes. And thanks to that, she'll endure indefinitely.  

Photo: Stéphane Feugère/Oeil de Vogue (France)

France's First Lady Carla Bruni Still Committed to Her Music

Former supermodel and singer-songwriter Carla Bruni, wife of French president Nicholas Sarkozy is set to release a new album in July, as reported by Vogue. The press is treating the news as a bit of shocker that she would continue to record her music, rather than 'just be' First Lady.

But please, would the woman who posed for a Spanish magazine wearing nothing but thigh-high black leather boots and a wedding band, while engaged to Sarkozy, be content with accompanying her husband on state tours, smiling politely, muting her personality and dressing ambassador-appropriate? She's no Jackie O (well, she did channel her look when they came to the UK but that's where the comparison ends!). Carla Bruni has always done what (and who) she wants and she's not stopping any time soon (referring to the 'what' only here of course).

According to The Guardian, the album will be called Comme Si de Rien n'Etait (As if Nothing Had Happened) after a picture by Carla's photographer brother who died two years ago. Her agent, Bertrand de Labbey, told Vogue that "Ninety-five per cent of the songs on the album were written before she met the president," which may be handy knowledge considering she sings about her 'dope' or 'junk' (so it's not referring to Sarkozy but drugs, apparently. He he).

I can't wait. I've noticed the North American press seems to be naming song titles in English but after looking into it I've (gleefully) found this will indeed be a French-language album, as was her first and absolutely beautiful 2002 release Quelqu'un m'a dit. My two year-old daughter falls to sleep with it every night (she calls her Carla Bloonie). Her second, 2007's No Promises was recorded in English as she wrote the music for lyrics taken from the famous works of American and British poets. Still well worth checking out (see the You Tube promo here) but there's nothing more lovely to listen to than songs in French. See the sidebar for her Tout Le Monde video.

The shot used for the cover of No Promises:

  

Bienvenue Vanessa Paradis, So Long Kirsten Dunst

 

According to Women's Wear Daily, Vanessa Paradis is the new face of Miu Miu (YES!), replacing Kirsten Dunst. Vanessa will appear in the brand's upcoming fall campaign. Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott will be back to photograph the ads.

After having to endure Lindsay Lohan's mug in my favourite mags (never mind that Jessica Simpson was rumoured to have been the original, shocking choice for that campaign so we were screwed either way), I loudly applaud Miu Miu's return to collaborating with the innately and enduringly stylish, not to mention actually talented (does that matter any more?).

Vanessa has many times been the face of Chanel beginning at age 18 and more interestingly, was Calvin Klein's first choice for the 1992 campaign that made Kate Moss famous. Vanessa turned it down, and who knows if the name Kate Moss would mean anything to us today, had she not. She even got Johnny Depp in the end after Kate blew it. (Rumour has it she's still not over losing him. Ouch. I'm sorry but if she thinks hoovering lines with Pete Doherty, in her thirties, with a young daughter at home is time well spent, she never deserved him in the first place. There, I said it and I'll never mention it again).

Can't wait to see the new photos, I can read now my magazines without having to peer cautiously at the next page through my fingers.

Vanessa with good friend and occasional employer Karl Lagerfeld, creative director of Chanel (any opportunity to include a photo of Karl Lagerfeld should be eagerly seized upon):

Inside Coco Chanel's Paris Apartment

If you've ever wondered how Gabrielle Bonheur 'Coco' Chanel lived, it is as incredible as you may have imagined.

To promote Chanel's latest scent, Coco Mademoiselle, the fashion house has created a fantastic website befitting its reputation. It includes a virtual tour of Coco's famous Paris apartment, the backdrop for the campaign's films and advertisements. Also featured is a download of the film (the long version of the commercial), behind-the-scenes look into the making of the film as well as the styling, choosing the jewelry, setting up the apartment and the launch party. Heavy daydream territory.

Keira Knightly is the face of the parfum, playing the role of Coco herself. So if you don't like her all that much, just concentrate on the scenery.

Click here for the website, and try not to get caught in the 'Keira as Coco' reflections in the mirrors, just click in the middle of the screen to start the tour.

Celia Walden of The Telegraph was enviably granted access to Coco Chanel's time-locked apartment and found a lifetime of treasures (I would have been paralyzed with awe and then asked to leave):

The entrance to her apartment

Glass and guilded wheat coffee table

Chinese urn and coromandel screens



The anteroom with silk bergere chair



The sitting room



Venetian mirrors in the dining room



See the sidebar for facts about Coco Chanel!

Don't Do It, Carla Bruni

The French have everything, do they not? The finest wines and cheeses, breathtaking architecture, the riviera, the Louvre, inherent style. And now the most fashionable and beautiful First Lady the world has ever seen. President Nicolas Sarkozy married former supermodel Carla Bruni in February after a brief three month courtship and even briefer divorce proceedings from his second wife.

The Sarkozys created a media frenzy when they came to the UK in March for a state visit (it was Bruni's highly fashionable yet appropriately demure wardrobe that got the most press), and now The Telegraph reports that Bruni is being courted to be the new face of Asda for their low-budget fashion range, George. If you're not familiar, Asda is the WalMart of the UK, owned by the same company. Seem a bit incongruent an association? The equivalent of eating caviar with fried spam, I'd say.

Asda's current contract with Coleen McLoughlin won't be renewed and it is said that Bruni tops the list of most desired replacements. (Coleen is a WAG, the fiancee of star footballer Wayne Rooney. And if that means nothing to you, you really aren't missing anything. Good for you, really. Well done.)

The Italian-born, French-bred (mmm....French bread) Bruni launched a career as a singer/songwriter after leaving modelling in 1997, with great success in francophone countries. She's been known to steal many husbands, even sons, but to look at her and listen to her she's as sweet as creme brulee. Although the breathy singing voice does allude to some seductive potency within. (Still, I can't imagine she needed to summon it with Sarkozy. Powerful yes, but he looks like the SLIGHTLY more attractive younger brother of Jean Chretien.)

If you want to get to know Carla Bruni, here's your introduction. It's a promo (though fairly non-promo feeling) for 2007 album, No Promises:

If you're a fan of the Richard Linklater films Before Sunrise and Before Sunset (you must see them), here's a clip from the latter which featured Carla Bruni's song Quelqu'un m'a dit:

Vanessa Paradis Does Not Need Our Pity

Over the past few days I've borne witness to the online blogger/message board beatdown that is relentlessly being inflicted on Vanessa Paradis, French chanteuse, actress and occasional Chanel model, and most famously (outside of Europe), the woman who shares toilet paper with Johnny Depp. I felt compelled to respond.

I don't want to perpetuate the mindless mockery aimed at Vanessa so I won't reiterate what's being said, but let's keep it polite and say that people don't think she looks good and therefore doesn't deserve Johnny Depp. Most were unaware of her until Johnny started dating her ten years ago, and she's since flown low on the radar in terms of their infrequent appearances in the U.S. So it hasn't really been until now, as rumours abound about an impending wedding, that she's been the keyboard jockeys' focus of negative attention. And I'm at odds with that, in a big way.

I first became aware of Vanessa Paradis in 1992 when I picked up the latest issue of Details magazine. She was one of the features as she had just completed an album, produced by a still dreadlocked Lenny Kravitz, and there were a few full-page photos of her that made me stop dead. I was 21 at the time, a year older than her and I was awestruck by her doll-like beauty. I guess you could call it a girl-crush, my first thought was 'I'll trade you.' She jumped off the page, she really had something that was lacking on our side of the pond.

There was only one other time, when I loved Olivia Newton-John. (Warning - embarking on a tangent so if you want to hear it click here.)

Right, so...Vanessa Paradis. She was unbelievably gorgeous and so she's started aging and she never fixed the gap in her teeth. Refreshing, is it not? To be comfortable in your own skin? To not mutilate oneself in a Presley-esque manner in a desperate effort to hang on to your 20 year-old face? It's not a mystery what Johnny sees in her - he's obsessed with 1920s Paris and she's French, his passion is music and she's a singer, and since he's been with her there's been no tearing up hotel rooms and punching out paparazzi (though you couldn't blame him for the latter).

Think of their children's cheekbones. That's more than enough reason to bless their union.

*These were scanned, they're from the early 90s. And look in the sidebar for her latest video.