The Swelle Life

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

A Giant Helping of Sweet Fashion Week Leftovers

 

 

I spend so much time going through the collections gathering up images that get my adrenaline pumping but I don't have full days to sit and post all of them (there's so much in so little time!). But New York is so generous when it comes to giving the adorable-cool in countless incarnations that I couldn't just let these sit idle as this is my style. (I even have some London fashion week events to post still, ones that I was actually at. For shame, I know. There was just too much and as you can see under my banner I've got a little project I'm working on...)

And I added a little side helping of stunning at the end...

  

My daughter wears a grey pinafore to school but it can be bought anywhere and there are many different styles available. So that means I can make one for her. Considering she's only four and has many years of wearing grey Teflon-coated dresses ahead of her (really, they coat them in Teflon to make them stain-resistant), I think we need to make things as cute as possible and I'll definitely be referring back to this Cynthia Steffe collection for her custom uniform. (Whether I actually get around to that is another matter.) If only we'd had choices when I had to wear a uniform at my Catholic high school in Canada. Well, we did at first. They tried a colour code but white became cream, navy become light blue and grey became black denim. We blew it. And boy did they punish us. To this day I feel ill whenever I see burgundy and grey together in clothes - and guess what colours my daughter has to wear?

 

(Not exactly what you'd call 'adorable' but most certainly a cool femininity from Frank Tell)

Now, I don't believe I've ever uttered the words 'I can't wait to see the new DKNY collection!' before, but the latest is making me pay attention (and to be fair, the last two were quite good as well). And I'm pretty sure I've never been chuffed about black and brown together but add the baby blue floral prints and you get a striking combination that's totally fresh. I love these outfits.

 
This dress blows my mind.

How fun is Peter Jensen's set?

And now for the stunning I promised (many have already seen but I know others have not and it's too good not to share):

This collection makes me yearn for Christian Lacroix. Mary Katrantzou has outdone herself - yes, I do like the direction she's taking with her prints with the adding of ruffles and lace and mixing prints and textures while keeping things quite civilised.

I do love Basso and Brook (and am still stinging over missing out on an £85 t-shirt dress in a Cocosa sale last month). The outerwear in this collection is so cozy and lush, I can't imagine anything more indulgent on a brisk winter's day.

Photos: WWD.com, Style.com and SunoNY.com

Paris Fashion Week: A Pretty Parade

Marc Jacobs conjured his proper ladies once again for Louis Vuitton in full, swishing skirts and some intriguing jackets of leather that appeared to be moulded onto the models. The floral prints were so fresh and spring-like I had forgotten that this collection is for autumn. And who cares? When would you not want to wear these clothes?

He also made some interesting model choices - the bikini babes were out in full force and might I say they blended perfectly (though I thought Bar Rafaeli looked a bit lost in clothes): Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Noemie Lenoir, Karolina Kurkova and Laeticia Casta (though the latter two began their careers in high fashion). And surprise! Elle Macpherson, who wore the final look:

 

Ruffles both structured and delicate and lots of lace appliques from Valentino:

 

And Miu Miu's acid hues of vivid purple and orange make me long for Luella:

Photos: WWD.com and Style.com

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.

Milan Fashion Week - Swelle Favourites

Pollini

 

No, I didn't go to Milan as well. London was to be my one and only fashion week as my passport is with the UK home office with yet another application to stay here and I don't think they make exceptions for international fashion shows. (But they should. I wonder if my MP would be sympathetic?)

While Milan doesn't thrill me as much as some other cities there are a handful of shows that I get completely giddy about seeing once London is all packed up and gone, the ones that deliver what they do best season after season in fresh new pretty packages. Yes, I'm very set in my ways and I like what I like. Change just enough to keep things interesting but please don't betray my aesthetic hardline tendencies.

First up, Pollini. I was kind of expecting and hoping for more contrasting, fun prints from Jonathan Saunders, that's what I love about what he does for Pollini. But I find that whatever he winds up doing it's always a tight collection that I like no matter what, the outfits are always interesting and demand a long stare. The harsh-pretty bottle blonde with huge crimson lips was a surprise choice for autumn's Pollini girl but it works in the Milanese context and I kind of like it. These are cool clothes and I want that metallic blazer.

Albino

Give me a Peter Pan collar with ties straight out of Rosemary's Baby with stained glass window prints on trapeze style dresses with contrasting textured underskirts peeking out and I'm happy. Albino D’Amato proves here that girlie styles with retro roots have endless possibilities and to write them off as banal is just plain foolish!

Antonio Marras

Antonio Marras' spring 2010 vintage lingerie-inspired collection was one of my favourites of all time and for fall he carries through those feminine sensibilities for cooler weather. His thing is layering multiple textures and mixing raw edges with refinery to stunning effect, it always looks beautiful and feminine and never as if you just decided to wear everything in your closet at once. He does a great print, too. 

Luisa Beccaria

Luisa Beccaria is so dreamy. While I see her clothes as belonging in an angel's wardrobe (and I like that), sometimes a few dresses here and there can be a touch too precious, even for a romantic like myself. Not this time. The frou frou was replaced with clever pleating and ruching and any ruffles present were understated and delicate. The first third or so of the looks were done in dusty pale blues and that's all I needed to know. How gorgeous are those coats??

 

Marni

Marni. Come on, how could Marni not be here? Consuelo Castiglioni dishes out the fun every time. Most of the prints I skipped by after being temporarily blinded (busy!) but I threw in some of the more bearable for good measure (what's Marni without graphic prints?) She also used some of Gary Hume’s paintings on tops as a lighter alternative to the full body print look and ended with outfits in black that were like a whole bunch of textures having a party but still relatively well behaved. As with last fall she went big with the gloves, kind of like a chic version of a work glove - they look like you could fit both hands in there.

And one last thing...these two looks from Blugirl, Blumarine's little sister, are bordering on 'too precious' but stop just before they go over the edge, especially the second look with bouquet and all. But I still think it's sweet and charming. And it was nice to see furry without the fur. (And Missoni is amazing - who doesn't want to own a Missoni knit? - but I wasn't blown away by any one piece despite the incredible technical quality of some - so honourable mention it will have to be.)

 

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.

Alexander Wang and Showstudio Play Well Together

Nick Knight makes even the interview beautiful

Every designer should aspire to a collaborative partnership with Showstudio. They're kind of the future, eh? I'm not sure anything can beat Alexander McQueen's livestreamed, Showstudio produced Plato's Atlantis, especially as it is now consigned to posterity, but the Nick Knight et al touch is magic no matter who the star may be.

I missed the Alexander Wang livestream last night because I was busy trying to sort out my LFW schedule while pushing through a stubborn melancholy that has been with me since I first saw that hideous subject line in my inbox on Thursday.

But tonight I had a look. What a cool production. And I actually liked this collection. Alexander Wang is an adorable creature and I've really wanted to like his clothes because he himself is just so likeable, but I just didn't. They reminded me of what the teenage girls who smoked would wear at the playground when I was growing up. That actually sounds like a concept that would work but crop tops and sexy sweats just weren't my thing and weren't ever going to be. 

And now he's added velvet and a bit of lace to his love of leather, and when you see those luxurious textiles in navy and black made into dresses that are like what a goth vixen would wear to the prom make an entrance against a soundtrack of The Presets on Nathalia Vodianova's body, you kind of have to pay attention.

 

Does this mean I can get away with bedhead from now on? It's like the scene from Something About Mary gone turbo.

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....

Chanel Haute Couture: The Details

What can I say? As we anticipated, Karl Lagerfeld delivered what we love about Chanel - the tweed suits; lots of tulle and lush boucle; feminine pastels in pale pink, lilac, greens and blues; odd hairstyles (adorning the centre part of an unusual updo); opulent embellishments; and froth galore - all wrapped up in the usual youthful, pretty package.

The difference this time was jackets paired with shorts rather than skirts and trousers - which isn't my favourite look but it keeps things fresh (though I wasn't complaining) - and liquid metal leather shoes with carved heels over high-sheen opaque tights and matching racing gloves that could have come from Karl's personal collection. However, monochrome was absent. I was going to say 'noticeably' absent but it just dawned on me. I don't miss it. He'll probably send out a parade of models in black and white for A/W  RTW, so if that's what you want to see you only have to wait until March.

I want to drown in those boucle pastels.

Oh! And camellias! I didn't see any. I think maybe the fingers are still sore at Lemarié after last year's spring camellia extravaganza. There were no multistrands of pearls and chain, and the double Cs seemed to be banished as well in favour of a more elegant image.The accessories were for the hair and hands only, with the exception of some sweetly tulle-wrapped necks. 

And the ever-present groom, Baptiste Giabiconi, looked a bit like C-3PO in his gold suit.

 

Haute Couture Day 1 - Dior et al, We Miss Lacroix

I still can't believe we have haute couture week without Christian Lacroix, but there it is. The last I heard, there was a bid from a Sheikh that was about to become a sale but the paperwork wasn't submitted by the early December deadline. It was going to be some kind of massive licensing deal and from the sounds of it the Lacroix name would be on everything from your clothes to your spoon rest. Something like that. Last reports said it was still going to happen, but do we really care as this proposed incarnation is not the Lacroix we miss dearly? I guess time will tell. But if the deal supports the revival of the haute couture then I don't care if they put the name on toilet paper. I just want to see those ridiculously lush dresses whose details even have little details. In the meantime, the man himself is busy designing costumes in Paris so he's not sitting at home staring at an empty sketch pad.

On to Christian Dior. I know Galliano likes his makeup more severe than Joan Crawford wearing a Croydon face lift but I can never get used to seeing these lovely, fresh faces made harsh to the point of being almost unrecognisable. These eyebrows could not be more Dietrich and even border on an homage to Divine (I'd give a link for those unfamiliar but you'd be mad at me for showing you). We have the Little Bo Peep-type looks, some ladies who want to whip you into shape and of course those gorgeous, massive gowns (though a wee bit less massive than we've seen before).

 

 

And arguably the most entertaining part of any Dior show, the finale where Galliano fights his chronic shyness and inferiority issues and somehow manages to squeak out a bow:

 

 

 

Alexis Mabille went full-on with the two-tone - hair and all, and presented a bride in a 2-in-1 dress with attached sheer veil. Good for holiday weddings where malaria might be an issue:

 

Anne Valérie Hash gave us looks that couldn't quite be defined in a quick and easy Grazia way (thank you for that) and that's because according to Style.com they are made up of pieces of clothing given to her by the people she most admires, at her request, to create a collection about personal clothing, memory and identity. These include Alber Elbaz's pyjamas, Tilda Swinton's Vivienne Westwood tee, Jean Paul Gaultier's Breton shirt, Pete Doherty's frogged drummer-boy jacket (someone still admires him? You have to love the French, they don't let a thing like crack and heroine addiction and open facial sores taint the enchanting allure of a poet's soul), a veil from Diane Pernet, a Chanel jacket from Daphne Guinness, and a spencer belonging to Charlotte Rampling. She made copies of the elements of the garments and included some pieces of the original items in her designs as well. 

I wonder if she's going to use any of the original pieces for the orders?

Here's Gaultier's Breton shirt worked into a sequin all-in-one:

I'm not sure whose clothes these are composed of but they are just so cool:

 

 

 

 

This is Thimister (is it just me or do you read that as 'Thighmaster', too?). He took a decade's hiatus from haute couture and chose to show his Fall 2010 collection rather than spring. I didn't know you could do that! I think there are special considerations for haute couture. These dresses aren't particularly representative of his minimal 90s military collection that featured lots of bloodshed red but, well, I just like them better than blood spattered white jodphurs:

And finally, Armani Privé, a name I now cannot hear without thinking of Rachel Zoe. If you watch The Rachel Zoe Project you'll know I'm talking about Season 2 where she had the Armani team fly in that gorgeous beaded ivory strapless dress for Anne 'Annie' Hathaway to wear to the Oscars and asked for a train to be added and they gave her two. Then she went with the train-less dress. That takes guts. 

These remind me of that dress and I'm betting she's got her eye on a few of them for one of her girls - the one Karlie Kloss is wearing (bottom left) is pretty special - but will she have to Americanize it? Did anyone else wish she had kept the Chanel haute couture dress for Cameron Diaz as it was? I'd like to see her use her influence to push what the public deems 'acceptable', and then maybe Maggie Gyllenhaal wouldn't have to take so much flack for her educated fashion choices! But I suppose when an actress' career hinges on her success on the red carpet, one can't take these chances. Crazy, I tell ya.

All images from Style.com

The Utterly Intense and Time Consuming Cropped Layered Rectangle Jacket

Hand made knit fabric, felted and cut into rectangles of 11 different sizes, all layered on top of each other from small to large, then stitched down to a hessian base that is lined in broderie anglaise. Jacket is cropped. Detachable handmade knit fringe collar can be worn separately as a scarf.

Dry Clean only.
One size.

Ingredients:
Approx 2 kilograms of 100% Lambswool
5 metres of interfacing
black broderie anglaise
hessian
2 boxes of black dye for the hessian
1 knitter
2 weeks of hand machine knitting
3 weeks of hand stitching and jacket assembly
2 weeks of cutting fringe
4 washing machine loads of felting
proverbial blood
sweat
tears

This jacket is a one of a kind piece, when you purchase it you will be the only person in the world to own one! So once it's gone, it's gone! I won't even own one!

**********************************************************************

That was a listing from Etsy for a spectacular knitted and felted couture jacket and scarf by Glasgow's Isobel and Cleo. I included it verbatim as an example of how to demonstrate why your superior garment is in fact a superior garment (read more on that here). I love her listing title, I've used it as the title of this post. There is absolutely no reason to be modest when you have put what I count as seven accumulative weeks of intense handwork, in addition to a heaping pile of materials and sundries, into creating something exquisite that can't be found anywhere else. The price tag of $1,250 seems a bargain now, doesn't it? Regardless of whether we can actually afford it is beside the point; the value has proven to be inherent.

I recently saw a listing, also on Etsy, for an $8,000 dress that told me virtually nothing about it in the description. Let's say it was the most gorgeous dress I had ever seen, and $8,000 was pocket money to me. I wouldn't buy it because, well, it was missing the love. The designer didn't care to tell me why it was special and it made the whole thing seem a bit sterile and one-dimensional. I had no doubt that the price reflected an obscene number of hours, specialised techniques and premium fabrics, because it not only looked that way but the other items in her shop were priced in the $150 and under range - it wasn't as if she was just throwing the $8,000 figure out there to see what happened. Shame, isn't it?

Update: A reader (see comments) thought I was saying that $8,000 IS pocket money to me and was greatly offended. It's a hypothetical I used to illustrate how I would approach this situation should money be no object. Let me just clarify that me having $8,000 burning a hole in my pocket is laughable to me as I can't see that ever happening! Fiction, friends. Fiction.

Tonight I Was Seduced By a Coat

There I was, innocently tapping and clicking away at my keyboard, when a garment of many fabrics revealed itself through the ether, enveloped in the rhythm of my keystrokes. It must have sensed I was in the mood for a late-night rendezvous from the aroma of far away spices on my breath (tonight we had Indian take-away), and I don't know if it was my rapid heartbeat and runny nose brought on by the sultry heat of the vindaloo, but I was ripe for seduction.

I can't go on like this, my silliness is going to turn into jibberish, it's late here. But seriously, I was taken aback - I gasped and made some funny noises and my face probably looked funny - when I saw this stunning Couture Evening Coat by RSVP on Shrimpton Couture. Now, this is not something you see every day. It transcends those horrible words, "on trend" (in my humble opinion) and unites us all through our love of truly exquisite clothing. A piece like this creates its own context, taking bits from the past and infusing it with new energy. And RSVP designer and visual artist Christine Davis had a little something to do with it, too. I'm happy that Christine chose to reveal herself; until recently she was anonymously reworking vintage into extraordinary garments for Shrimpton Couture. And while her unclaimed work created an air of mystery about the person behind it, it's also nice to have a name to put with the dress, especially when it is imbued with a touch that is undoubtedly personal.

The style is based on a captain's great coat and made of almost entirely of vintage fabrics, ranging from the Victorian era to the 1970s; Cherie (Ms. Shrimpton Couture) says she counted at least a dozen different fabrics altogether.

And the details. The details!:

I want to live in the lining of this coat. While I hate to draw comparisons when a garment is so utterly unique, the 70s patterned fabric and azure blue silk makes me think of McQueen's Plato's Atlantis. Yet the exterior tells a different story with its mélange of textures and florals. The blues are breathtaking, like a mix of winter lakes and summer oceans. 

You can find out more about this coat at Shrimpton Couture. And the kind of 'responsibility' I was talking about in my previous post - giving a handmade piece of work proper credit and informing potential buyers about its special attributes? Cherie is a shining example.

Noughties Retrospective: The Best of Haute Couture, Pt. 1 - Chanel 2001

It only dawned on me a few weeks ago that we're coming to the end of a decade, those consecutive 10 years that are supposed to be marked by some common thread and fascinating highs and lows. Seems like such an obvious thing but sometimes I don't see the big picture, I'm too busy dissecting the minutiae of the things around me. What that common thread may be, I have no idea yet. Well, actually I did come up with something about how the internet/blogging/social media has revolutionised communication and created previously unattainable opportunities for us keyboard jockeys, but after a long paragraph on the subject I bored myself nearly to tears and so deleted it. I can see you nodding your head in agreement. And anyway, you can read that kind of thing a million other places and it will be a far better read.

Besides, what I really wanted to look at from the past decade - the 'noughties' - is the haute couture collections. The expert craftsmanship from the ateliers of Lesage, Lemarie, Michel, Desrues and Massaro - and the independent designers whose contributions go uncredited - are instrumental in making the creations of our biggest and best fashion houses the exquisite and extraordinary works of art that get our hearts all a flutter. It's the details that I live for and nothing gives the goods like haute couture.

Since documentation of the shows from 2000 are proving to be elusive I'm starting with 2001. And the first is Chanel. Throughout the past decade the beloved Paris fashion house continued to operate as a private entity owned by the Wertheimer family which means they warded off LVMH, Gucci Group, Richemont and Prada (though whether there was actually movement on that front I have no idea). Good for them, good for us.

I took screencaps from grainy video for both the winter and summer collections, it really was all I could find, and the summer is far better looking than the winter. The caps are far from crisp but I think it worked in the summer show with its dusty blue background - the images look rather painterly. I concentrated on the details such as the lushness of the textures all mixed together and of course, the accessories. And it was fun seeing the faces from 2001, the models who are mostly retired now except for Carmen Kass who has found a rare longevity in her runway career - or maybe it's mostly a willingness to get out there again and again?

The hair for winter was very Desperately Seeking Susan with the scrunchy bobs and bow hairbands, though I'm quite certain it wasn't a direct reference to the Madonna movie. I mean, come on.

 

At first I thought the summer show was held in one of the oval rooms of Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris where many of Monet's water lilies paintings are displayed - this was before the Grand Palais became the Chanel venue of choice - but the pillars that appear behind the seats don't exist, at least not in the renovated version I visited earlier this year. Anyone?

 

 

 

 

 

The Pretty, Friendly Adornments of Dos Puntos

Last month a charming email in broken English landed in my inbox from the designer of Venezuela's Dos Puntos, telling me about her earth-friendly hair accessories, rings, necklaces and belts. I looked at her cute Flash website of whimsical drawings that take you around and instantly loved the lookbook photos of her headbands and other pieces. The feel of the book - this being a virtual book with pages you can turn - is youthful, vibrant and playful and it's fun to look through (I like). The entire collection is handmade using materials made of recycled plastic bags, straws, and buttons in addition to scraps of recycled fabrics. Total guilt-free sweetness.

Vintage Beaded Dresses and Parking Violations

I visited The Cat's Meow when I was home visiting Toronto in the summer, it's my favourite brick and mortar vintage shop. And here's why. It was one of the few things I got to do between getting strep throat twice while home. I popped in to see what was new and gorgeous (everything) and found myself obsessing over several dresses and two hats. And a beaded bag. And some 1930s silk camisoles with crochet necklines of which I bought two. Never mind the jewelry which I didn't even have time to ogle. Why? Because I mentioned to the lovely Louise, the gracious owner of the boutique, that my parking pass had probably run out and she informed me that they tow everyone at the stroke of 3. And it was well after 3 pm. I looked out and saw that Avenue road had been cleared of all parked vehicles, including mine. And that sucked so hard. Especially as my mother-in-law's house was just a five minute walk up the street. But it was so hot outside it was gross. Like if you exert yourself for 10 seconds your armpits turn into sprinklers and you're sporting a sweat moustache. You can see why I drove. But Dunce of the Year me forgot to check the signs, probably because I thought I would only be there for about 20 minutes, not the hour + I actually was (as if, I'm never quick with anything. Case in point - this took me four months to post).

Anyway, there were loads of enchanting dresses with beading or sequins or adornment of some kind and I had to take pictures. For a preview of what's new now (rather than four months ago) you can follow The Cat's Meow blog for some serious vintage lusting. And if you're in Toronto and haven't been - a visit is a must!

WhiteFly Casts the Past in Precious Metals

WhiteFly takes delicate and beautiful things like vintage lace and satin ribbon bows and flowers and casts them in solid gold or sterling silver to make gorgeous one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry. The Los Angeles jewelry maker cuts and finishes each piece by hand, creating a soft and elegant handworked effect that can be seen and felt. I'm totally smitten with the lace cuffs - how stunning are they?

You can view the entire collection which also includes several styles of beautiful earrings in WhiteFly's Etsy shop. Until the end of today only (Sunday) you can get free shipping by entering FREESHIP in the 'note to seller' at checkout.

 

And these are so simple yet so gorgeous - a bow bracelet and forget-me-knot ring in solid sterling silver cast from a piece of string. They can also be done in 18k gold vermeil or solid 14K gold.

 

Let's Take a Magic Carpet Bag Ride!

I am so in love with these luxury carpet bags by Mary Kaiser - they're such happy, happy bags! They've got it all: the lushness of gros point, cut velvet and tapestry fabrics from Clarence House, Lee Jofa, and Scalamandre; the interior boasts silk lining and two roomy pockets; finishings include leather handles, Italian lock and key and brass feet; and they're embellished with vintage ribbons and braids, velvet flowers, rhinestones, French jacquard trims and buttons. They come in full and petite sizes in two shapes.

I think my favourite is the green and white petite with the black and white striped bow. It's just so fresh and pretty but I think all of them are absolutely droolworthy. 

Mary Kaiser sells her bags and other lovely items through her Etsy shop, including these precious coussin pin cushions of silk atop a French gilt tole stand, embellished with ribbons and jewels (I dare you to stick a pin in it!):

Anita Quansah's Textural Music

A stunner of a jacket floats down the runway of an haute couture show in Paris. No ordinary garment, this adeptly tailored piece has been invested with an exquisite patch of embroidery, applied with an inspired and skillful hand, and all eyes are upon it. It's this very kind of adornment – the fruits of superior craftsmanship - that elevates mere apparel to a coveted and exclusive artisanal creation and sustains the reputation of the most prestigious fashion houses.

Just who are these gifted individuals who make fashion so beautiful and endlessly intriguing, just the way we like it? Many are trained to work for Lesage and Lemarié for example - the Paris embroidery and plummasier maisons, respectively. And then there are the others, passionate individuals who hone their craft through self direction and experimentation.

One of these extraordinary talents is Anita Quansah, a British fashion designer who uses vintage and recycled fabrics with hand and machine embroidery to create gorgeous textures for clothing, jewellery and interiors.

I had the pleasure of having a conversation with Anita about her work:

Your work is so lushly textured, built up with layers upon layers of rich fabrics, colour and various levels of opacity - it's not hard to see the influence Monet and Klimt's paintings have leant to your techniques. Did your style evolve to become this through experimentation or experience, for example; or is this approach your natural inclination and so you were drawn to their work which guided you further in that direction?

I love to paint, I love art and painting of different genres, but I was particularly drawn to these painters because of the way colour, texture and nature played a vital role in their work. I sought inspiration from nature and looked for artists that used this theme and how this was conveyed in their work.

When I first started experimenting with this technique I was very much guided by nature and the ever changing beauty that surrounds it, the colour, texture, the shapes, patterns, tone, placements and proportion, then as time went on every aspect of that change was depicted in my work. I tried to emulate and capture that essence of beauty in my designs by combining the unexpected with various textile techniques such as fabric manipulation, appliqué, hand and machine embroidery to create undulating raised floral textures that seem to float on the fabric. I would say this happened naturally, as each placement of fabric was not planned, neither is the colour nor the build up of texture, so natural inclination took over.

Isn't the unconscious the most intriguing part of creativity? It's interesting you say that nature is such an influence on your work; some of your textures remind me of newly fallen autumn leaves after the rain, when they're wet and kind of fused together in richly coloured layers and really beautiful.

You create your textures using mostly recycled fabrics - what lead you to forsake the new for the abandoned?

Whilst at university in London, I started to gather and experiment with recylced, vintage and reclaimed textiles. There were too many discarded textiles that needed to be reused and reworked on. Once I graduated, my love of transforming found textiles increased. Some of my finds were damaged, worn out pieces from the vintage and charity shops and flea markets which I mixed with the new to create rare treasures which are totally one of a kind, innovative, colourful and abstract work of art which can be worn as a garment or used in an interior space. 

Also, I believe that by working with recycled and reclaimed cloths and materials, I am doing my bit for the planet.

My use of felt stems from my time at university, too. Whilst there I was taught how to hand make felt. Because some of my pieces require a lot of felt, I couldn't make my own any more, so I resorted to using ethically handmade felt by a company here in England.

It's that kind of fearless indulgence with texture that makes Christian Lacroix such a beloved designer. You created an haute couture jacket for his Spring/Summer 2004 collection. Can you tell us more about that piece and your experience collaborating with such a highly regarded Paris fashion house?

Designing the jacket for Christian Lacroix was a joyful experience. It came about when I took part in Indigo Paris and was selected as a winner of an exhibition stand at Premiere Vision and Indigo, a big textile show in Paris. At the show, one of the buyers from Christian Lacroix visited my stand, loved the collection and on the spot scheduled an appointment for me to come back to their Paris design house to show them my collection. On the day I showed my collection they took quite a few design swatches, which they finally narrowed down to one that they really wanted to use. This design was then sold to them and became an exclusive piece, which shall not be repeated and then sold to anyone else. Then a cut of the jacket was sent to me in my studio, for me to apply my design. Once that was completed, I was then told that I shall be reproducing that same design again, for a client who saw the design on the runway and wanted it.

The whole experience was fun. They were good clients to work with, they were precise with what they wanted and how they wanted it. You are made to feel welcomed when in the design house. The people are lovely. I was mesmerised by the beautiful creations in the showroom in Paris. The colours, details, and most amazingly the final piece which I worked on was right there amongst other beautiful creations. Monsieur Lacroix himself was very kind and understanding. I occasionally visit them with my new collections in Paris.

What a dream experience. Christian Lacroix is my favourite couturier and I'm so happy to hear the fantasy doesn't begin and end on the runway. It must have been such a validation of your talent to be considered on par with the Houses's extremely high standards – Lesage, even - and to contribute a piece that was sold to a Lacroix client. How did this change your perspective of your own work?

It changed a lot. I learnt to appreciate my work a lot more. It made me realise that my designs can also be appreciated by high end couturiers. If buyers from Carven and Lacroix and other textile design houses can approach my stand at the trade show and love and appreciate my work, then I am very happy and delighted. I have always feared people’s reactions to my work and getting very positive feedback has encouraged me to work harder to develop my technique. Working on this piece for Lacroix allowed me to push my creative level to the extreme, it allowed me to be freer, yet structured in my design style creating a sumptuous piece for him that is textural with a contemporary edge.

There seems to be a rule that self-doubt must be in inverse proportion to talent. Now that you're free to create as you wish, do you have a particular path in mind in terms of what you want to achieve?

I want to continue developing my technique to make my designs even better. Currently I am developing a jewellery line as well as a fashion line. I have in the past experimented with the idea of having my designs applied to interiors, but I think I shall be focusing on these projects for now. Of course you want to reach that certain goal which is to have your designs in high end boutiques and stores across the world, but people are becoming more aware of me now and in time I shall be approaching the big stores. So watch out!

swelle.

Watch out indeed! You can view a selection of Anita's work at her website and buy her jewellery via her Etsy shop and her fashion collection at Shrimpton Couture.

The following dresses and tops can be purchased from Shrimpton Couture, as can that dreamy concoction in the header photo:

 

Christian Louboutin, why must you tease me so?

This is getting me in the Christmas spirit. While I'm not sure I actually like this as a bag I would carry, I do adore the idea and the execution. It's just like the old-school gift bow! The kind you buy in bags of 50 and some always get squished. The same ones your grandmother has popped onto your Christmas presents (or sometimes on just a card with a tenner in it) since you were born. You'd peel the back off the sticker and there was always that staple that you had to work around. It still needs perfecting, that tacky Christmas bow.

On second thought, the black is gorgeous. And there's something about navy blue velvet that is very appealing. I had a blue velvet fancy dress when I was really little and I'll never forget it. It had a white bib front trimmed with lace and I think elastic cuffs. And that velvet was THICK. (I can tell you're jealous.) Back to the bags...liking the blue and black is quite unfortunate. Why? Because I can't afford to spend $1000 or near the same in £ on a tiny little bag so it's best I not covet it!

Then again...Christian Louboutin's Viola nappa clutch in blue denim and gunmetal are just amazing (though that python metallic gold is a bit blech). I'm a sucker for anything textural or sculptural and I really want to touch this one:

 

Do you see the clasp? Kissing high heels. With a red sole, of course. If only Santa were real...

Passionate about Linen: An Interview with Mayumi Maeda

 

You know that you like the look of a nice, crisp cotton, or maybe the way a smooth, slippery silk feels against your skin. A thick, scratchy wool on the other hand may be something you avoid at all costs. For many of us that’s the beginning and the end of any thought on what our clothes are made of. But there's more to the fabrics we wear than meets the eye, and an unassuming, understated textile would demand closer inspection if the work of one designer is anything to go by.

When it comes to linen, Japanese designer and artist Mayumi Maeda can’t get enough of writing about it, talking about it, and creating with it. She’s even published books on the subject and one in particular, Every Day with Linen, served as a passionate plea to her then linenless country to the embrace the virtues of this natural, versatile, finely textured textile. And it worked.

I was introduced to the wonderful Mayumi through couture feltmaker and textile artist Liz Clay, who brought together four English and Japanese artists, inclulding Mayumi, for the Connections II exhibit at her Sommerset, UK studio as part of Somerset Art Weeks last month.

Here Mayumi describes what it is about linen that endears her so and how she singlehandedly created a new market within Japan’s textile industry:

Can you tell us what it was about linen that first attracted you and made you want to work with it over other textiles?

Flax, which is the raw material of linen, was initially one of my favourite plants as a flower motif to illustrate. It is not native in Japan, so it had been categorized as 'herbs and spices from overseas'. Actually it is easy to raise, so I grew it from seeds. However, at the time I did not have much knowledge about linen and how flax becomes linen. But one day I fell in love with flax and linen; the charm was 'doubled'. That was when I began working with linen.

How does linen compare to cotton - what makes them different?

As a fabric, I love linen's elegant texture while I also adore the softness of cotton. For me, linen is reassuring because of its durability. When we use high quality linen it will last decades which decreases excessive consumption. In this modern age, many things are changing so rapidly. But with linen, I feel I can have something that will stay long in my life and is not easily changed. That gives me peace.

 
Your 2002 book, Every Day with Linen, raised the profile of linen in Japan by exploring its virtues as a natural fabric, which then lead to the creation of a new market for linen in the country. Why do you think linen was overlooked before your book made its impact; and how has the introduction of linen changed Japan's textile industry?

As I mentioned previously, in Japan, there had been little knowledge about linen. In Japanese, we have a term called 'asa' which covers all fibers and fabrics made from plant stalks. Hemp, ramie and linen are all categorized as 'asa'. So my project for the book was to clarify what linen really is and to distinguish it from the other 'asa', and also to highlight its environmental virtues. The chapter about linen being a durable and sustainable material has been embraced by the readers; it has garnered very enthusiastic reactions.

 I also talk about the holy image that linen has in western culture and the role it plays in religious rituals, and the culture of white house linens with monograms which is something that appealed to the readers. Actually, in the past hemp was regarded as a divine fabric in Japanese traditional religion, but now production is now strictly limited to licensees (mainly shrines) by regulation of 'Cannabis control law'. So, linen could be regarded as a suitable substitute for the divine fabric, hemp.

Once the public was given a new context for linen through my book, it became an icon of pure, natural and sustainable lifestyle. Linen is now featured heavily in magazines and I play a big part in that. Due to public demand, we began supplying linen products through our company LINNET in 2002. Until then there was no distribution of linen in Japan.

Following this, many small stores began to carry linen fabrics and linen products which activated the market for linen and brought innovation to the country’s textile industry. Now, linen is a very popular and indispensible fabric in Japan.

Your husband and partner in LINNET is an architect. Can you describe how his architectural view influences the direction of your company?

When I expressed my special interest toward linen to my husband Satoshi Maeda, he shared it from the very beginning because he was also fond of fabrics for furnishing. Currently he is charge of planning fabrics as well as managing the company. I think his approach is very constructive, especially in the way we work with yarns, such as creating processes for how to finish the woven fabric. He also designs top dyed simple checks and stripes, using some geometric ideas. This kind of approach is quite different from mine which is more emotional. Satoshi is now leading a project focussing on the creation of a special soft and light linen yarn.

Through LINNET you are releasing patterns - do you design clothes yourself? If so, do you have plans to develop a special line of linen clothing?

Yes, I am also designing all the patterns for LINNET. We are mainly focusing on releasing the patterns for sewing but we’re also trying to establish some lines of simple clothes as well.

I had not been a design professional. I just learned how to pattern from my mother, who was a seamstress and the owner of a dressmaking boutique. For me, the clothes are also a kind of "container of one's mentality". I make the patterns which I like to wear, to be comfortable, natural, healthy and relaxed, both physically and mentally. For me, designing clothes is not my 'art', but the work that's indispensable in my life, like cooking, gardening, cleaning etc.

In that way, I would like to introduce how it can be fulfilling and enriching to spend time sewing the clothes ourselves, quietly with nice music in the background, rather than being worn out and tired after long walks searching for clothes around the shops located in tthe city center, on some occasions. However I know, too, that simple and good quality ready-made clothes can be also very inspiring and refueling for our mind. So, I would like to continue producing small collections of ready-made linen garments from my patterns for LINNET. We would like to take a long-term approach to the production of our designs, rather than introducing new designs every season like the fashion industry.

The tactile nature of making clothes, especially for ourselves and our family is indeed good for the soul. Do you see yourself working with linen indefinitely? And what do you think of the newer innovations in natural textiles such as bamboo, hemp and soy blends?

I am sure that we will work with linen forever, but also we are seeking a way to work with hemp in future, together with linen. Hemp is a traditional, holy plant in our culture, and is said to be very ecological. It has a number of uses including making fabric, paper, building materials, etc. In Japan, there are techniques to make hemp as soft as linen. When it is as soft as linen, hemp feels slightly lighter and more airy than linen. I adore the quality as well.

What's next for you and LINNET?

LINNET will soon release the new collection of linen fabrics dyed with complete natural dye stuffs (such as madder plants, etc) and I am working on a new picture book of Japanese wildflowers in autumn and winter.

We aim to remain a small, independent company. We appreciate production based on the necessity. The happiest future for us is to continue as we are doing today. Loving linen, plants, arts and working with nice people!

swelle.

How refreshing is that for a company mission? You can visit Mayumi's shop LINNET and read her blog at www.lin-net.com

Linen ribbons, tapes, and yarns

 

A hand crocheted scarf of organic linen

Crocus painting by Mayumi Maeda

Mayumi was asked to design and produced uniforms for Kurosaka Pediatric Clinic in Himeji, Japan. She was delighted to receive the lovely request, especially as they asked to put some small bunnies or birds among the large flower patterns for the children. In Japan cheerful uniforms are not the norm. But when Dr.Kurosaka was working in Britain he saw in a hospital a beautiful curtain with a large flower pattern and wanted something similar to create happy atmosphere in his own clinic.  So, this apron which we made is already 3rd generation of what they adopted.

"I am just so happy to have been involved in this work, and also very honored that my artwork is used for a place where people can be ‘cured’," says Mayumi.

Isn't she something special?

And my favourite piece of hers, a gorgeous linen corsage that was part of the Connections II exhibit:

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

You've Got Me All Ruffled

 

I have to admit this post is a major tease. The reason? I collect images constantly and sometimes they don't get blogged about straight away which is a huge no-no when it comes to Etsy shops. Case in point: These deliciously exquisite ruffled capes, dresses, and neckpieces from Kate Towers - if you don't get on it immediately all of those pretty things are going to be gone well before you hit the Publish button. Sold to a lucky buyer. But maybe drooling readers can request that another of a love-at-first-sight item be made? Etsy is great for custom orders, no? It is. But what if the super talented designer has got some precious little lambs at home to take care of and can't keep up a constant churning out of breathtaking, one-off pieces? So what I'm saying here is, you can look but can't touch. Everything's gone (but one striking red-orange chiffon cape). Unless you live or find yourself in Portland, Oregon where you can buy Kate Towers at what must be the most heavenly boutique, called Seaplane.

Doing a little reading about Kate I found out that she opened Seaplane in 2000 before selling it last year and that her partner was Holly Stalder, a like-minded designer whose dreamy vintage shrugs I featured last March and whose newer pieces are well worth a gander. I've been mentally planning a post focussing on Portland designers. I don't know what it is about the U.S.'s most environmentally friendly city but it is exploding with independent fashion talent, its most famous export thus far being Leanne Marshall who you know as the winner of Project Runway season 5.

If you've fallen in love (like I have), don't fret. Kate Towers is still doing what she does best and is working on her next collection which will be for sale in her Etsy shop mid-November. And despite what your eyes tell you, her prices are ridiculously inexpensive.

I'm not so bad after all, am I?

Here's a glorious helping of eye candy from Kate Towers' past collections:

 

 

 

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

Fashion Week Catch-up: A Total Romantic, Pretty, Dreamy Overload!

I've been collecting images from New York, London and Milan fashion weeks and they've been building up. I can't believe how plentiful the pretty has been at all three. So I've taken the most romantic looks not covered thus far so we can get a real eyeful of the nudes, faded pastels and that irresistible styling drawn from the earlier part of the last century. (The Julian Louie girls above look like they got 'floured' by PETA, only I see no fur!)

I'm off to bed to rest up for my 'Living in the UK' test first thing in the morning which is essentially a citizenship test. Maybe this time I will show up on the right day, and maybe it won't be cancelled on me like it was on Tuesday. Wish me luck!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos: Style.com

Beautiful Vintage Lingerie Will Never Get Old

 

One of the most gorgeous things to look at is vintage lingerie in delicate, dusty pastels and nude shades. And if layers upon layers of embroidered silk and tulle are involved and finished with slouchy stockings and floral garland neckpieces then I do believe I have been given a glimpse of heaven. I'm not alone, right? Even paint manufacturers have caught on - just today I was looking through a Crown catalogue and saw that their 'Flawless Powders' collection of shades is inspired by 'delicate female tailoring' with names such as Corset, Gentle and Etiquette. 

Milan fashion week has barely begun and already I think Antonio Marras' collection based on this timeless and most feminine and sultry way of dressing will be my favourite of the week, if not the whole shebang.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fashion's Future Looks Bright and Shiny: Academy of Art University Show

Seven MFA candidates from San Francisco’s Academy of Art University were chosen to show their collections at NY fashion week. And dare I say, that while I've immensely enjoyed the collections from NY to the extreme this season, it's refreshing to see each of these student designers doing something distinctly different from one another, which you can't say about the rest of the collections, in general, at each of the four major fashion weeks. I can't see a single detail that is derivative of Rodarte! I wish I could have seen Richelle Valenzuela's lushly panelled dresses move down the runway; I bet they washed back and forth like waves and made a soft swishing noise. (Okay, we've seen this done before - Leanne Marshall did it with thicker panels but his execution is beautiful and you would never get the two confused. I'm just not going to go sour on these guys.)

And I knew there was a reason Kara Sennett's happy hues and clean, white linear details hit me in the heart - her collection was inspired by David Hockney's Beverly Hills Housewife. And no one's paintings lift my spirits the way Hockney's do. They are pure joy, especially those that feature the mid-century California ranch houses that I've always wanted to live in.

Here's Marina Nikolaeva Popska explaining what her collection of richly detailed knitwear is about. She's so sweetly passionate about the meaning of this work but it's a bit hard to follow her statement. Essentially, these are 'happy' clothes (I love that) and there seems to be something about humans and trees becoming 'one'. But not like in Poltergeist.

Sawanya Jomthepmala's crisp, geometric, sculptured pieces are just freaking gorgeous. And so cool.

More happy. These are happy plaids. In lightweight taffeta. I love them.

NY Fashion Week: The Romantic One

If you can't be at fashion week in person and have to rely on photos to preview a collection, sometimes a lookbook or a presentation beats the runway. Designers can use a set to create a mood and convey the spirit of the collection sometimes in ways that are not possible on the catwalk - even if it's a crude backstage area and your only props are a smoke machine, a wooden stool and a lighted make-up mirror. It's almost as if these photos were taken before a runway show that never happened.

However it all came about, Gary Graham used what he had available to tell a romantic story through his collection of Victorian-influenced dresses and Barfly Bukowski suits as Graham described them (a must-see film). He loosed up on the defining details such as petticoats and corsets to create a more relaxed look than the straight-up Victorian costume he referenced.

I'm in love. Are you?

 

NY Fashion Week: Marc Jacobs Takes His Girls to the Ballet

After his show, Marc Jacobs said he's tired of seeing young girls wearing black and studs according to Nicole Phelps at Style.com. "It's not such an individual expression." And so his anti-trend solution for his girls was to "take a trip to the theater, the ballet, the opera" in ultra-feminine dresses covered in ruffles upon ruffles in soft shades and virginal whites. Done up in Kabuki make-up. So maybe they were performers rather than spectators?

I'm not quite sure how many young girls are wearing Marc Jacobs, it's very expensive. Maybe the sister line. Are they? Are young girls wearing Marc Jacobs? Because if they are, that's just not fair. 

 

And it looks like Marc also went to a Madonna concert in the 80s (or was it the 90s? Anyway, very Jean Paul Gaultier) and maybe a Vivienne Westwood show as well (though this would be a symmetrical homage to the Dame):

NY Fashion Week: The Cynthias' Summertime Blues

The looks from 'The Cynthias' immediately grabbed me, they appeal to my feminine-floral-youthful-cool-loving self. However, while Cynthia Rowley still designs her namesake label, Cynthia Steffe's sweet-casual collection is from Shaun Kearney.

Each favoured gorgeous shades of blue. While Rowley (above and below) played with shades of moody indigo in both solids and painterly floral prints, Kearney brought out the fresh-air hues of bright cornflower, minty turquoises and lilac in floaty fabrics. For me it creates the same feeling as walking outside into a warm, sunny, summer day. It doesn't last long enough, does it?

 

 

That was Cynthia Rowley.

And this is Cynthia Steffe:

 

 

 

NY Fashion Week: Day 1 Faves

How I would love to be in New York taking in the spring collections right now. Not only for the heart-racing shows but for IFB's Dress Up Soiree, the party that Susie Bubble is hosting with Seven New York and Nicholas Kirkwood tomorrow night, and I'd love to finally meet the lovely Deanne from Dreamsequins who is reporting on some amazing shoes (typo but it fits) and hosted a pre-fashion week meet-up. Same goes for the the riotous Wendy Brandes and her party.

But alas this season it is not to be. I won't be able to travel to my beloved Paris in October, or even attend London fashion week because of our impending move into our new house. But I won't cry in my cashmere, it's never long until the next one. Besides, it's such a treat to browse the photos that it's easy to forget that we're not actually there. And we can do it while eating pizza, even staining our clothes with errant sauce without a care and enjoying our Spanx-free buttocks and pain-free feet. GDammit I wish I was there. 

This is Lyn Devon, above and in the header photo, whose last collection I fell in love with. While many collections strive to cover all the essential pieces in a wardrobe, Lyn Devon is the one who shows the perfect number of looks that are varied yet all feel distinctly refined yet youthful. That sounds like fashion editor lingo but I actually thought hard about why I love her clothes as much as I do! They resonate with me, this I know!

 

This look from Elie Tahari is just so cool. It's comfy and looks amazing. I want that every day.

 

Organic by John Patrick is another collection I was hoping would have the same feel as what we saw for fall, and it does. There's that clean freshness you'd expect from an eco-focussed designer yet it's never bland. The men's pyjama-style dress in the first look is just fantastic - the PJ look works brilliantly in this context. It makes doing it up glam a la Dolce & Gabbana last season seem even more a ridiculous idea.

I'm not sure if this Vena Cava outfit is a top and pants or a one-piece, but I'm going to pretend it's an all-in-one because for some reason that's what holds the appeal. That great silhouette it creates doesn't interest me nearly as much if it's pieces pulled together by a belt. Is that just me?

This was my introduction to new designer Prabal Gurung. The first dress is intriguing; its bondage- like strips of fabric wrapped around the bust, hips and shoulder have the appearance of being restrictive, but on closer inspection those strips are a delicate chiffon and aren't so much wrapped as they are laid upon the dress. It's gorgeous.

The second dress looks texturally lush. It appears to have the thick softness of felt but I doubt it, especially for spring. It's possibly a double-layer silk that appears dimensional due to the subtle variations of the indigo dye. I love it.

And the last look which must be a one-piece: how can you resist it? The colour blocking, the gorgeous cobalt blue and huge black-trimmed bow - she's all wrapped up like a present!

Photos: Marcio Madeira

Connections II: English Ecclectic Meets Japanese Aesthetic

Connections II is a studio exhibition presenting exquisite textile design from England and Japan and it features my most favourite textile artist, renowned feltmaker Liz Clay. She will be joined at her studio by English knitwear designer Annie Fewlass and Japanese artists Mayumi Maedi who works in linen, and Kazuko Yamanaka who creates with metal.

Each have contributed stunning creations that explore modern aesthetics in English and Japanese textiles and concepts of craft and art forms celebrating fabric, form and function. 

The exhibition is part of Somerset Art Weeks which began Friday and features a huge variety of events at nearly 100 venues. If you are in the south west of England you'd be mad not to go! I can't and I'm trying not to drag my lower lip on the floor about it.

And there's a chance you could learn feltmaking techniques from Liz Clay herself! I say 'a chance' because her workshops are extremely popular and always sell out. Workshop sessions are two hours and are available Monday, 21 and 28th of September and cost only £40, including materials and equipment. This is a steal. Contact Liz at the number or email above if you're interested. And know that I envy you. 

I'll be featuring more of Liz Clay's work soon, including her latest collection of her beyond exquisite couture felt boas. You will melt when you see them.

You Can Have Your Cake Vault and Eat it Never

This is the Cake Vault, a sickly sweet-looking piece of cake art created by artist Scott Hove that isn't as innocent as it looks at first glance. And as much as you want to, you can't eat it. The Vault is made from acrylic media, paint, wood, and cardboard. You'd still like to bite it just a bit, and maybe lick it once thought, wouldn't you? Well, I would, if no one was looking.

So what's it about? From the Cakeland Artist Statement:

Cakeland is a sculptural installation resembling a collection of perfect delicious cakes-- wall mounted, hanging and standing-- a walk-through cake environment complete with its own lighting.  It is a sweet refuge, an endless kaleidoscopic landscape of cake, a respite from the grinding realities of the outside world.

The sculptures have all of the appeal of the best cake you have ever tasted, but can never be eaten.  Whereas the nature of edible cake is fleeting, lasting only as long as the brief celebration it was made for, these cakes last as long as the artist or society have the wherewithal to preserve them, in order that they remain a place of pilgrimage, a seemingly idyllic oasis.

"Being such a place of beauty, Cakeland requires that it be equipped with its own defense, because the reality of beauty and perfection is that people want to possess it. So for their own protection, the sculptures and installations have evolved strategically placed sharp teeth and horns. Without this aggressive aspect-- call it the anti-cake-- the beauty is vulnerable, transitory, and not to be respected. Cakeland represents a temporary defence against time, a place where you can always go to celebrate and experience the ephemeral essence of life":

 

  

 

And I found this on the Hove's website, it appears he also makes tasty feet. There was no artist statement but I think we may be able to come up with a meaning on our own:

 If you want to take a virtual tour of the Cake Vault you can do so on High Fructose - just click the image to get to it:

Source: Boing Boing

Watch a Chanel Haute Couture Garment Being Made

There is nothing more exhilarating in fashion than laying your eyes on an exquisite, artisan crafted haute couture garment of spectacular beauty. I'm endlessly fascinated by the techniques employed by the plumassiers at Lemarie and the embroiderers at Lesage and when I find footage of them at work I nearly explode with glee.

Chanel gave The Cut exclusive video of its seamstresses turning a Karl Lagerfeld sketch into a finished dress and jacket. "Each pattern is made and cut by hand. Each sequin is painstakingly sewn on by hand. Every inch of piping and each seam is hand-pinned." It's barely more than a four minute video but it's a delight to watch. Enjoy.

To read more about haute couture including how a Chanel jacket is made see here (scroll down).

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.

 

Xuan-Thu Nguyen's Blooming, Foxy Haute Couture

I've taken a bit long to follow-up my interview with Xuan-Thu Nguyen with looks from her haute couture show in January, but the timing is just right as I'm leaving for Paris tomorrow to attend her Fall/Winter haute couture show on Tuesday (and yes, I'm stupid with excitement) and this makes for a nice teaser/prelude.

If you read the interview you know what makes Thu's garments so special is the detail, which goes beyond simple embellishment. Many of the looks she sent down the runway for her spring/summer show began as one thing and transformed into another - specifically, jackets and dresses that bloomed when unsnapped. And then there's the fox stole made entirely of flowers:

When I think of haute couture I think of exquisite detail upon exquisite detail, a piece of clothing that at first glance blurs the eyes and leaves you compelled to stare in the hopes of unravelling the glorious chaos. Xuan-Thu Nguyen delivers this with an undeniable joy.

These colours combined with the various smocking techniques
and those strippy bows is just delicious





 


A 'fox' capelet


I love how the shoes give a hint as to what's
hidden beneath the snaps of the dress (header photo)


Notice the subtle embroidery on the top.
The print on that skirt is a dream.


What a stunner. Both the front and back offer something
beautiful and unique with the elegant ruching and those
strips that are somehow chaotic and sublime at once:

 

Here's the video of the show where you can see some of the detail a bit better and watch the clothes transform:

When I visited Thu's boutique in the Marais in April I got to see her couture necklaces which look fun at first glance but they are much more than that. They take four days to make - each 'bead', like an exquisite ball of twine, is created by hand and the technique is the designer's secret. In fact, a major retail chain copied Thu's design but made them cheaply and no surprise, they fell apart and had to be recalled after a week. H. and. M.

The metallic fibres and the thick, wooly yarn each offer their own
wonderful texture, and they feel lovely on

Little fabric dolls that are fun as brooches


Those shoes - the ones I love so much I asked Thu
if I could use them for my banner!




A jacket with exquisite broderie anglaise

I'll report back fromt the show Tuesday night, hopefully with some good photos! Bisous!

Designer Profile Paris: Xuan-Thu Nguyen

When I was in Paris I had the opportunity to meet and interview Xuan-Thu Nguyen (pronounced Swan-Toe nuh-WEN), an extraordinary haute couture and prêt-à-porter designer whose approach to each isn't altogether different; when it comes to materials and execution she spares nothing to perfectly produce the design in her head, at times closing that typically wide divide between couture and ready to wear. Her mix of Old World skill and care with innovative techniques results in garments and accessories that are at once exquisitely crafted and fashion-forward.

The interview originally ran at Amelia's Magazine and here I'm able to say a bit more about Thu and her creations. During my visit to her boutique in the Marais I got to see first-hand her incredible couture colliers, or neckpieces, and her unique brand of detailing that ranges from the beautifully decorative and delicate to her ingenious modifications to functional elements like button holes on shirts and pocket placement on coats. (I'll have to show those in a follow-up post, there's just too much amazingness for one. And those are her shoes in my banner!)

What puts Thu over the top for me is just how committed she is to creating truly special garments with no compromise in their quality at any point in the process. In a world of fast fashion and cheap labour for inflated profit margins it's both a relief and a treat to meet a person who is wholly true to her craft.

I'll be attending her show at Paris Haute Couture week in July and I am excited to bits to see what she's created for the fall season, so to speak - read on to see how Thu doesn't really care for seasonal constraints like 'appropriate' fabrics and colours (I just adore her!):

Tell us a bit about yourself, Thu?

I was born in Vietnam and grew up in Holland. When I was 10 years old I wanted to become a florist, but I always wanted to design, so I decided to go fashion design school. Upon graduating in 1999 I started my own label in Amsterdam before coming to Paris to open my boutique four years later, in 2005. I began showing my prêt-à-porter collections at Paris fashion week then added the haute couture, which I've been showing since July, 2008.

Can you take us through your creative process?

I design in my head, see the pattern and work out the adjustments before I begin putting anything together. In school I would do up the sketches after I'd made the garment! I have so many ideas, it can be difficult to focus on one thing and I have to separate my ideas and choose one direction. Sometimes the starting point is something as simple as a colour, a shape or a technique.  My creations are a mixture of modern and geometric pleated shapes with fragile and delicate accents like handmade embroideries. I use natural fabrics like 100% cotton, silk or wool which give the garment even more of a delicate expression. 

Do you work with a design team?

 

No, I design everything myself.

Where is your prêt-à-porter made?

Some pieces, like the accessories, are made here in Paris. I do the first few myself. The prêt-à-porter is made in Holland. My parents own a textile factory there and the numbers I need are small enough that I'm able to produce there.

Do you find that allows you to control the production?

Yes, I have some unique finishing processes that I've had to work hard to get right on the production side, but in the end I've gotten things made as I want them. I could have my clothes made in China, but for me, it's not about bigger profits.

With that kind of commitment to detail in your prêt-à-porter it seems you blur the lines a bit between that and your haute couture collection, would you agree with this?

You could say that. I will do some prêt-à-porter pieces like haute couture, like if I really want to use an expensive fabric or trim I will, or I might spend a lot of time to get the detail just right. Many of my pieces look very simple from the outside but have a lot of work on the inside. It's not about making a big show of it; these are likely things that just the wearer and I will know. (Ed. note: While browsing Thu’s Paris boutique I noticed some examples of this understated yet significant detailing: her placement of jacket side pockets, invisible button holes on shirts and the extensive finishing on the underside creates clean lines and gives the garment a polished simplicity. Truly chic.)

Your Fall/Winter 2009 collection is very light and summery; what was your thinking behind that?

I don't really follow the seasons; I design what I want to at that time. Also, many people live in places where they don't have winter or they need clothes for warm holidays, and I don't want to restrict myself to working in just wools and dark colours or be dictated by a season. And we could all use some brightening up during the winter!

What's next for Xuan-Thu Nguyen?

We're working on launching the brand in Asia for 2010...

 swelle.

 

What I've shown here are pieces from her F/W 2009 RTW collection (I'm coming home from Paris with that silver blue blazer, I fell for it from the photos and then happened to run into Thu on the metro and she was wearing it with one of her couture colliers in red and that sold it for me, it looked amazing. (Though I noticed she hadn't 'roughed up' the panels on the sleeves as they were styled in the photos. Will I??)

Watch for the follow-up post with photos and the story behind those colliers, plus looks from her spring 2009 Haute Couture collection - including the 'fox' stole made entirely of handmade flowers. 

 

Fashion Food for Thought

Here's a quote that smacked me in the face from an interview with textile artists Elif Saydam and Katie Jung in Worn Journal, contained in the middle of their answer to Tessa Smith's question "Do you see clothing as having a role in your art?" (Saydam and Jung use themselves as subjects in their photorealist weavings):

..."It's irksome to hear people claim that what they've put on the morning is meaningless, but it's equally irksome, if not more, to hear claims that clothing is a simple means of expressing oneself. Both standpoints assume that there's a finite notion of identity that can be hidden or disclosed so easily, but as we all know, things are a bit more complicated than that."

Brilliantly put. So I won't ruin it by commenting.

The Toronto-based Worn Journal is an exceptionally well researched and written, thoughtful compilation of fashion topics with none of that useless irritant, the dreaded 'Too Cool for School' hipster vibe. For those more interested in the history of fashion elements and the processes behind the more substantially creative (and therefore at times more obscure) endeavors than simple adoration and trend following, you'll want to look into this bi-annual publication. And they're not strictly academic; they have a sense of humour and they're fun, too, as their editorial features such as 'Inexpliqué' reveals. (And thank you for titling it that way so I'm not wasting time trying to decipher some clandestine meaning that isn't there and hurting my brain.)

Psycho Girlfriends, Pool Noodles and Sporks

Plastic sporks, monofilament, cloth, wire, fur
Photo by Kevin Rolly

Continuing a post from yesterday about the conceptual art collaborative Psycho Girlfriend and their talent for creating wearable art using unusual objects, here are some of my favourite examples of their extraordinary work (which goes to prove that sporks are good for something!):

Pool Noodle dress: foam, steel, airline cable, vinyl.
Photo by Dale East


Red fringe skirt: foam, steel, leather
Photo by Kevin Rolly


Binder clip dress: steel, titanium, monofilament
Photo by Kevin Rolly


Bluegrass skirt: aluminum, steel, foam
Photo by Kevin Rolly


Cage dress: aluminum, leather
Photo by Kevin Rolly


Spider dress: aluminum, steel, leather, fabric
Photo by Kevin Rolly

Look What My Psycho Girlfriend Made

No, I don't really have a colourful and chaotic personal life. Psycho Girlfriend is a conceptual art collaborative with 2 +1 members of equally varied and intriguing backgrounds who together produce 'wearable art'. Vanessa Bonet and Kasey McMahon create the work-intensive and highly detailed pieces and Juli Gudmunsen directs the performance element of the duo and facilitates audience interaction using playful vaudeville style vignettes.

Their latest work, attributed to Kasey McMahon who announced it via her fans at Boing Boing is this exquisitely crafted birdcage dress, fully functional as it actually houses little birdies. I don't see any newspaper lining it, however; I think the model may have ruined her shoes.

Does she work in her livingroom? Awesome.

If you're interested in creating your own birdcage dress 'in 25 easy steps' (HA!) or you want to exhaust yourself by simply skimming a web page, see here.

The dress will be on display at the Brewery Artwalk April 18 & 19 in downtown Los Angeles. I envy anyone who is able to see it in person.

And I can't not mention Kasey's website A-Typical Art featuring her Compubeaver which is a taxidermied beaver-computer. That's right. Check it out. You can talk to it during those late work nights.

More on Psycho Girlfriend in the next post, there's too many cool things to mention here!

I Love Libertine

I have a whole bunch of loves from NY fashion week that I didn't get a chance to post, and I find that when you go back to your favourites you sometimes find you're not sure what the appeal was in the first place. Libertine's Fall 09 collection isn't one of those and surely warrants mention for standing out against all of the black and the trends and doing their own thing.

Johnson Hartig and Cindy Greene started Libertine in 2001, creating one-of-a-kind high fashion pieces out of their vintage finds that reflect their affinity for Romantic literary icons, punk culture and Brooks Brothers. Since 2005 they've been producing their own garments which are inspired by the best of their previous collections. And their latest include some of the happiest and endearing coats I've seen, with yarn rosettes - there's a home-project quality about them, albeit one with expert construction and finishing (many pieces from this collection are one-offs). As for the Queen Elizabeth II printed skirts (drawn by California artist Eric Ernest Johnson), mumsy faux fur cape with random, huge eagle patch and the school-boy blazer with, um, a wang on the crest, it's the 'proper' mixed with a bit of sartorial sass-mouth that makes them so cool.

Photos: Marcio Madeira

The Magical Knits of Everlasting Sprout

Is it any wonder I'm so taken with knitwear when the possibilities to sculpt, texturise and embellish are endless and ultimately so enchanting? My latest crush is Japan's Keiichi Muramatsu, the designer behind Everlasting Sprout. The Bunka Fashion College grad showed his fall 2009 collection at Japan Fashion week and is getting lots of attention for his lampshade skirts. But go back a few years and you'll find more exciting treats, such as these exquisitely crafted pastel bustiers (tail optional):

The lampshade skirt (that's what I'm calling it) first showed up in Muramatsu's Spring 2009 collection, attached by single strands of yarn to pretty bibs, essentially creating a dress.

Muramatsu had other plans for that skirt and reworked the idea for his fall 2009 collection, making more skirts and creating a large cape-like bib that bunches around the neck like a sculptural paper bag. Love the thick, embellished socks and what appears to be an avant-garde bunny slipper!

Fall 2009 photos: Yuko Isobe

More Things Seen Around Paris

That headline is a sure sign I'm too tired to be posting. But here I am anyway...

Somewhat disturbing sculptures of a skeletal Mickey Mouse and Tintin




These two images are of the walls opposite each other in the gated
entrance to this office building in the Rive Gauche:




The Seine view of Notre Dame


Me, right now


The town hall (don't ask me what it is in French right now)


The (very expensive) carousel near the town hall

You know what's funny? Seeing guys 'roller dancing' on the sidewalks in Paris. Grown men cruising by, then flipping so they're backwards and doing these little dancey moves. And they always look quite proud of themselves.

Galliano's World

 

What would a John Galliano show be without, well, the show? His fairy-tale theatrics, full-on costume and love of make-up that renders the models almost unrecognisable are a highlight of Paris fashion week. Whether it's relevant or not doesn't seem to be of concern to Galliano, he's in his own world and his shows are about bringing us into it.

This time he beckoned us into a snowy winter wonderland of Russian-Balkan folklore, its heavily clothed and adorned characters looking as if they'd walked out of a painting and onto the catwalk, then mellowed out with long and sheer chiffon dresses, as seen above.

And, the best part of any Galliano show: Galliano himself, as he takes his most humble, figurative bow (I think he may have got confused and thought the runway was the Potomac):

You can see more great Galliano finale moments here

Photos: Marcio Madeira

Reinventing the Puffer Jacket

 

For the Moncler Gamme Rouge fall RTW collection which showed in Paris, Giambattista Valli took what's become a bit of a groaner of a coat style and made the puffer, the puffy, or the puffa (depending on where you're from) into elegant satin coat dresses, ball gowns and egg-shaped bombers, some adorned with jewels or embroidered insignias (belonging to whom I don't know), with emphasis on the shoulders and waist. For the Russian ice princess hiding within you.

See below for Junya Watanabe's ingenious take on the puffer.

 

Photos: Francois Goize

Junya Watanabe was also inspired by the puffer's tubular forms and worked the quilted nylon into just about every kind of jacket and coat style (cape, peacoat, peplum jackets, trenches, etc.) using a variety of approaches (bunched up, flattened, wrapped), but my favourites are these sculptural, cascading short-sleeved styles that somehow, even outside of the context, seem chic to me:

Photos: Giovanni Giannoni

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Textures from Paris Fashion Week

Viktor &  Rolf

Clothes that make you want to run your fingers over them to see if the surface feels as it looks, like Sonia Rykiel's spackled wools; a bumpy wonderland that compels you to give it a good tactile once over (or two or three), from Zucca; and that which must be felt to confirm what the eye is telling you, courtesy of Viktor & Rolf.

(I was at Dior after the OMELA presentation on Thursday and I was feeling almost everything, including a particularly beautiful fur cape - I don't like how fur is obtained but I am a huge texture freak and curiosity got the better of me, I wanted to see what a 29,000 euro cape felt like - and it was so incredibly soft, I mean it was a level of softness that I didn't know existed. Seriously. I was transfixed, I think my mouth actually fell open as I was running my hand over it and I heard weird whispery 'oohs' escaping from my mouth until a sharp European accent from a woman trying on an evening gown broke my trance. If they had given me a swatch of this fur to take home I would be catatonic in the corner petting this thing all day, forgetting to feed my daughter and bathe myself.)

If you put something in parentheses it doesn't really count and therefore isn't embarrassing, right? I like to hide behind punctuation.()

Sonia Rykiel

Zucca

Photos: Davide Maestri

Marc Jacobs' Got Frills, They're Multiplyin'

And he's losing control - well, almost! Marc Jacobs took all the ruffles and bubbles, ruching and shirring, and lace and bows from the 80s and put them into his F/W collection for Louis Vuitton, which fell just on the shy side of 'too much.' A couple of the first looks were a bit 80s Parisian brothel with their sheer black lace tops but many others were fun (well, I guess a Parisian brothel could be considered fun) and there were lots of sculptural silhouettes that were a bit punky and pretty all at once.

Did you notice the black leather thigh-high boots with the thick velvet ribbon corset-style lacing and ruffled tops? Awwhhhhoooooh. (That's a good noise if you sound it out.)

Altogether it was like Marc and his team just went nuts with all kinds of fabric and techniques, but the key factor is that when he's in a playful spirit he still knows how to reign it in and make a statement before it looks like Bruno's debut collection. And that's why we love him.

Photos: Marcio Madeira

More Paris Window Gazing

Last week I was walking along rue de la Légion d'Honneur where there are dozens of antique shops and found some breathtaking sights behind their storefront windows, such as this re-created (17th century?) room, above. Unfortunately, I have no idea what I'm talking about when it comes to French (or any other) antiquities so I don't have the details to accompany these photos (other than what's obvious). Still, informed or not, I found myself envying those who have the obscene amount of money it takes to acquire and live amongst such beautiful and soul-enriching things. Jerks.

An antique orrery

Cacharel Liberty Prints and Other Goodies at Colette

I finally made it to Colette today - Wednesday's mission - after taking about 2.5 hours to find it. It was a very straightforward walk from my apartment, but Rue Saint-Honoré must split and start over with the numbers because it took me about another half hour of walking to find 213 when I was already at 153. And several people I asked didn't know where it was (how can you not??). But it was MUCH needed exercise and there really is no such thing as wasted time while walking around Paris.

Back to Colette (where did their super-cool website go?), the second floor where the women's clothes are - heart stopping. Everything is on busts like you see above in their special Cacharel section and they had some of the best picks of the season - Luella's lilac tweed and lace jacket, Hussein Chalayan's speed print dresses, a red rosette covered jacket from Fendi, those dresses from Mary Katrantzou (but no Rodarte yet, which I found out is pronounced Rodartay - I didn't realise, did you? Am I the last to know?) and the piece I was drooling over most - the lurex tweed jacket from Marc Jacobs. This one:

I've been dying to see what the individual pieces look like and while the jacket looks great in the photo, it isn't even close to how gorgeous it really is. There's so much texture and detail I couldn't stop putting my hands over it and even found myself feeling like a naughty girl when a security guard came up - I went into museum/gallery mode and thought I wasn't supposed to be touching the artwork! He just asked if I needed help getting the price tag out, it was hidden in the collar. I said 'Qui, merci' and practiced my best 'I'm not shocked at all face' which came in handy when I found out it was about 2400 euros. It was also the tiniest size ever. Otherwise, a no-brainer, of course. (Come, daydream with me. It's fun.)

As for the Cacharel Liberty collection, it featured the pieces from the re-edit they did with the Liberty prints they created in 1970 for their spring 09 show, to mark their 50th anniversary. The dresses were quite cute but the ones on the mannequins were either one-offs or they'd already been bought - they were not to be found on the racks (I love the buckled strapless in the GIF at the right). There were also adorable brooches, keychains and totes by Anne-Marie Herckes for Cacharel, with Liberty prints of course and I had to buy one of the bags, they're just so pretty and simple, and I love the mixing of the prints with the bow and strap. They look like your mum made it for you. It was so hard to choose, there were about seven combinations so I let my daughter pick the winner (we're going to share it):

How great are the brooches? I would have gone for one for us to share but they're a massive 90 euros and you know that means it would fall off within the first five minutes of wearing it, never to be seen again (I've scoured sidewalks for weeks after losing something I loved. Kind of pointless as it would have been trampled beyond recognition, likely with several people's gum stuck all over it - or worse).

As I was paying for the bag and doll (yes, got one of those, too, for my daughter - they were cheap) I saw the most gorgeous silk scarves being folded and I had to see one. They're Forget-Me-Not and they're huge, you can wear it as a wrap and tie it in a bow in front, with watercolour flowers, butterflies, graphic drawings of gems and a model's face on the palest blue colourway. I had to: