Jonathan Saunders AW12 is shown against the backdrop of the London skyline (image from magazine.motilo.com)
It began in London on the Sunday afternoon of fashion week when most people were probably at home enjoying the final remnants of the weekend. For the fashion crowd, it was time to work and Jonathan Saunders underscored this by ushering us up sleek escalators and speedy lifts to the the 20th floor of the Broadgate tower to watch his AW12 show. It may as well have been Monday morning, had it not been for the setting sun which greeted us upon arrival in the floor-to-ceiling-glazed showspace. As we waited for the show the to begin, the sky was a soft orange and London’s skyline clearly visible from within the clean, corporate surroundings. A stunning venue.
Berenice Abbott's City Arabesque, 1936 (from Flickr.com) Her images encompass all that is evocative about the huge buildings which tower over us in cities
The very next day, Saunders’ contemporary, Christopher Kane, also chose a shiny modern office building as the location for his show. Fashion is not akin to associating itself with these almost spaceship like behemoths of capitalism, but it seemed like Saunders and Kane were interested in introducing them to their fashion equation. Maybe some of their biggest customers work in these places?
Chloe AW12
In fact, the overarching theme of the Paris collections that designers clearly more concerned with dressing the working woman, as opposed to the socialising women - though of course party dressing is always a bit part of fashion. Over Paris Fashion Week, the big players have been showing collections aimed directly to the heart of professional women and her wardrobe including Lanvin, YSL, Stella McCartney and Celine to name a few.
Stella McCartney AW12
Yves Saint Laurent AW12
Balenciaga's uniformed ushers (image from Jessica Michaults' Twitter)
In Paris last Thursday, Balenciaga overtook a space on the 27th floor of a tower in the Beaugrenelle area for their AW12 show. The vision of kane and Saunders was this time extended; attendants in Balenciaga uniforms guarded the entrance to the venue, as if to ensure that no spies from rival corporations were allowed through. Nicholas Ghesquière had apparently spent months with his in-house artist Dominique Gonzalez- Foerster to perfect his reimagination of the historic French house as a corporate machine.
The fogged up view across Paris from the Balenciaga venue (from Emily Sheffield's twitter)
Suited, booted and gloved corporate clones (Image from Vogue Turkey's Twitter)
He told Style.com that he has become obsessed with the time in the late seventies and early eighties when ‘France became Modern’. Perhaps when the private sector is promised as our only hope for economic recovery, there is a renewed fascination with how vast companies operate, both now and in the past, and the aesthetic which their hugeness entails- the uniforms, the logos, the company colours and dress codes. I know from friends who work in the city that they often end up wearing the same clothes and eating the same food as their colleagues, simply because of the culture which exists in their companies.
The corporate mood ran right through into the clothes, where Ghesquière used concrete grey, cobalt blue and black as the colour anchors. The shapes were sharp, futuristic and, all importantly, architectural. There were also sweatshirts with superhero cartoons emblazoned on the front, these emphasised the fantasy element of Balenciaga Inc.
Balenciaga AW12
Balenciaga AW12
Balenciaga AW12 (All catwalk images from catwalking.com)
Whilst in Paris this weekend, I found time between shows and showroom appointments to visit the Berenice Abbott exhibition which is currently on show at the Jeu de Paume (a mere hop, skip and a jump from the Tuileries show venue used by numerous designers).
Canyon Broadway and Exchange Place by Berenice Abbott, 1936 (image from www.artblart.wordpress.com)
Abbott, a photographer who died in 1991, has a varied repertoire which reflects her desire to show ‘the whole American scene’. Some of her best and most fascinating photography was done in New York in the 1930s. She undertook an almost decade long project to document how the city was changing during this time. Her images sum up what is really awesome about the huge sky scrapers which are now familiar sites in most major cities- the precise architectural thought plus the end purpose of providing a place from which hundreds of people gather with the collective goal of making insane amounts of money.
Broadway to the Battery by Berenice Abbott, 1938 (image from lalettredelaphotographie.com)
The Flatiron building, 1938 by Berenice Abbott (from www.photographersgallery.com)
Abbott said that 'New York is the most phenomenal gesture ever made'. Arguably, the period in French history which Ghesquière looked back to would have been quite different without New York's sky scraper prototypes. Right now is not so different- we may not be building these towers in the quantities of previous decades, but they are symbols of what got us into the financial crisis and what will probably end up getting us out of it too. In fashion specifically, there is now more than ever, a kind of admiration for designers who turn their creativity into good business. So who can blame them for having that on their mind when they pull a show together? There aren't many better ways of getting the message across than by holding your show in an elegant, corporate space rather than an old car park. Plus, as Abbott's work shows, these places are really quite beautiful.
Happy Friday Fashion lovers and welcome to the first Week in Fashion of the year. It's certainly no slow start to 2012...
Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty is up for a design award (image from Alexander McQueen)
It will be the resounding fashion image of 2011 and this week Sarah Burton's design for Kate Middleton's wedding dress was among the nominees on The Design Museum's longlist for its Design of the Year award. In further recognition for Alexander McQueen, the Savage Beauty exhibition (which is still on track to come to London in the not-too distant future) also appears among the contenders.
Miu Miu SS12 (image from fashiongonerogue.com)
A few interesting announcements on new brand faces this week. We're loving Mia Wasikowska for Miu Miu. The star of 'Jane Eyre' and 'Alice in Wonderland' fits perfectly with the dark kookiness of their SS12 collection. Not so cool though is this morning's news that Kristen Stewart (yes, she of Twilight megastardom) will be the face of Balenciaga's as yet unnamed perfume which will be released in the Summer. It's not that I actively dislike Kristen, it's just that she doesn't Wow. She follows in the footsteps of the aspirationally chic Charlotte Gainsbourg which kind of makes it worse.
Charlotte Gainbourg for Balenciaga (image from lafascination.com)
While us fashion press might have our opinions about Crocs, the ultimate 'ugly' shoe, it seems the world's love affair goes on. It was reported this week that the plastic clog company has raked in $1 billion revenue this year, a peak in its ten year existence. If any of us were sort of hoping they might quietly disappear then then we will be sorely disappointed to hear that they have gone from 'a casual fashion trend to a phenomenon with staying power'.
Rick Santorum is claiming the sweater vest as his 'thing' (image from latimes.com)
For Britain, 2012 will be the year of the Olympics and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. In the US, it's election year and Barack Obama is seeking a second Presidential term. Just a week into election year and we already have TWO fashion stories to report. First up is Republican candidate Rick Santorum who is responsible for reintroducing 'the sweater vest' back into the collective consciousness. He has hailed the sleeveless jumpers as central to people starting to notice him, he claims they give him 'power'. And should you be inspired to follow Santorum's sartorial lead, then you can purchase your own sweater vest from his website. Unfortunately, this also means you'll be contributing to his campaign, hence I'm not posting a link.
A cute photo of the Obamas on their wedding day (from instyle.com)
Karen Gillan and Aneurin Barnard in We'll Take Manhattan (image from dailymail.co.uk)
Shrimpton and Bailey (image from dailymail.co.uk)
On January 26th, a new film, We'll Take Manhattan, about the relationship between David Bailey (played by Aneurin Barnard) and Jean Shrimpton will be shown on BBC4. Shrimpton is played by Dr Who star Karen Gillan and there is thus plenty of buzz about its screening. From the images released this week, it looks set to be a visual delight. As part of the renewed interest in 'The Shrimp's' career, images taken by Ronald Falloon- a friend of Bailey's- have gone on sale here and they are quite gorgeous.
Jean Shrimpton by Ronald Falloon (image from vogue.co.uk)
It's hardly unusual for celebrity offspring to venture in their parents' footsteps- see the Geldofs and Jaggers for prime examples- but the moment when transformation from child to it-teenager takes place is quite intriguing. This week, Meg Matthews tweeted a photo of her daughter Anais, whose Daddy is Noel Gallagher, taken by Mario Testino. Although she's only 11, the image will surely get model agencies excited at the prospect of the dynamite combination of beauty and famous genes. Watch out Anais and enjoy being a little girl a while longer, however hard that may be when you have Mario Testino taking casual snaps of you. We suspect Noel was a bit pissed off.
Anais Gallagher by Mario Testino (image from Meg Matthews via Daily Mail)
As big fans of anyone who take it upon themselves to support young design talent, FEAL was happy to hear about the new H&M Design Award, details of which have been announced this morning. The winner of the International Award will receive a very helpful 50,000 euros plus the chance to show at Stockholm Fashion Week which, as judge Hilary Alexander says will 'catapult them straight to the front line of fashion'. Other judges include London design genius Christopher Kane and Head of Design at H&M, Ann-Sofie Johannson. You can follow the progress of the designers from Europe's most prestigious design schools (including London College of Fashion and St Martins) at the project's site. The winning designer will be announced on February 1st.
The awards season is getting under way already.Last night, the Critics Choice Awards took place and The Artist, my cinema choice for this weekend, swept the floor. Nevertheless, Meryl Streep is set to be the actress of the season and so all eyes will be on her designer choices- she's been loving Stella McCartney thus far. Yesterday, the FashEd bumped into Christopher Di Pietro of Vivienne Westwood, who revealed that the brand was in the final two for Meryl's Golden Globes dress. We'll be keeping our eyes peeled. And before you ask, Meryl is sorted for the Oscars apparently.
Christopher Kane styled by Francesca Burns for SS12
New season Jil Sander styled by Francesca Burns for British Vogue
We are loving some of the fresh approaches to showing the SS12 collections. Two standout favourites this week are British Vogue's 'Spring Forward' SS12 Spring Collections story by new Fashion Editor Francesca Burns, which is fresh with just the right smattering of quirks, and Steven Meisel's IVC film (a pun on QVC) for Italian Vogue. You can see it for yourselves below, but I completely love how they take a tired, outdated yet consistently cheesy and hilarious form of shopping and pop in the coolest, most desired new pieces in place of fish poachers and slankets.
A sale tip-off now: Hermes are having sales today and tomorrow of their Men's and Women's collections plus accessories. It's taking place at: Music Room, 26 South Molton Lane, London, W1K 5AB until 7 today and 8 til 6 tomorrow. Judging by Francesca Burns' twitter pic this morning, most of you are already there.
The Hermes queue, courtesy of Francesca Burns' Twitter
On Wednesday evening, I went along to the launch of Smile for London's new project for London Underground, Words in Motions. They've teamed up poets and animators to create short films which will be shown from Monday in tube stations. They were some brilliant performances from London poets, particularly fab were Salena Godden and Musa Okwonga. If you're not in London, or just fancy a sneak peek then press play below...
A random post for a random but good day. #Random 1. I bought a handbag! The first luxury handbag I have purchased in over three years. I first saw it on Saturday at Browns, and it kept calling to me. It is by Balenciaga and is a twist on my favourite Lariat bag from the mid-noughties. When I bought the original in 2006, it was the most I had ever spent on a handbag in my life. My new one is called the "Work" bag, and is larger in dimension than the original Lariat but has the same proportions. The deciding factor for me (there was much humming and hawwing, this is expensive even with my lucky press discount) was that this specimen does not have the blingy glittery gold studs all over them that the Balenciaga bags of the last few years have been emblazoned with. Also it looks modern yet timeless, the requirement for any really good handbag.
#Random 2. I would like to buy this. It was created in a collaboration between Kristin Knox of The Clothes Whisperer blog and Laure Pariente of Americanretro.fr. Though I think I have both items at home and could create my own.
American Retro/Kristin Knox
#Random 3. I'm liking zig-zags as a trend for next spring. I loved this print seen at the Loewe showroom in Paris. And Carven (one of my favourite collections for next season) was a zig-zag moment too.
Happy Friday and welcome to our round-up of the week's fashion news. Our aim is to provide you with some relatively light relief from the horrid stories making the headlines this week.
First of all, can I remind you to support our campaign to #bringmcqueenexhibitionhome. Please sign the petition, comment on the blog about why you want to see Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty brought to London and use the hashtag to spread the word on Twitter.
Christian Louboutin have lost their case against YSL. The Judge decided that a colour cannot be monopolized as a trademark by a single brand, especially in an industry like fashion which depends on the freedom to use colour innovatively. Of course, most people who see a red-soled shoe now automatically associate this with the Louboutin brand. Thus we wonder if any designer now choosing to use a red sole will not confuse the customer anyway, or engender an immediate link with the Louboutin branding. Although you might expect to go a high street shop and buy red soled shoes to imitate the Louboutin look, what would be the motivation to buy a red soled YSL?
Balanciaga's red soles for men (Image from oo0oo.blogspot.com)
The fashion musical chairs saga continues. Now Marc Jacobs' name has been thrown in the hat as a possible contender for the Dior job. The mutterings began after Brazialian site Glamurama claimed that Jacobs has been in talks with Bernard Arnault for a while now and that he may be set to make a choice between his current position at Vuitton and the Dior job. Watch this space... (we wonder when we'll be able to stop saying that?!)
If he moves to Dior, he'll have to scrub that Louis body art right off! (Image from www.johnnyikon.com)
It was worth the wait. The pictures of Kate Moss' wedding are finally in and they are A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. If you haven't seen them for yourself yet then we suggest that you get a a cup of tea and set aside ten minutes to pore through the ultimate wedding album and read Hamish Bowles' report. According to the interview, it was watching 'My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding' which finally inspired Kate to say Yes to Jamie. We're hoping that the happy couple might make a cameo appearence in the next series!
Kate with her gaggle of flower girls. The new issue of American Vogue contains even more images
Kate and Jamie do Mick and Bianca (Images from Vogue.com)
The latest issue of LOVE magazine features an absolutely breathtaking shoot entitled 'What Lies Beneath', which is by far the highlight of the issue. The setting is a dark and eerie lake. The ensemble of models Lara Stone, Mariacarla Boscono, Saskia De Brauw, Kristen McMenamy, Paul Boche, Anais Pouliot, Jed Texas, Guinevere Van Seenus, Xiao Wen Ju and Angus Whitehead pose amphibiously in and around the water world styled by Katie Grand. It has come to our attention that the shoot bears more than a passing resemblance to art photograher Jeff Bark's WoodPecker series. While the LOVE shoot features more acid colours, the shoots share their use of cars and birds as props for their scantily clad models to entwine themselves around. Bark's photos feel more classical and ethereal but the similarities between the two shoots are undeniable. Not sure whether Katie, and the photographers Mert & Marcus intended it as an homage to Barks work, or not. As was asked on beautifully-invisible.com is this inspiration or plagiarism? We're plumping with the former.
LOVE magazine's editorial, shot by Mert and Marcus (Images from www.touchpuppet.com)
A shot from Jeff Bark's Woodpecker series. See more of his work at www.jeffbark.com (Image from dreamersofthedream.blogspot.com)
A car comparison- the Mert and Marcus shot
Jeff Bark's use of the car/ woodland dichotomy (Image from spreadartculture.com)
Yesterday, the Fash Ed and I popped over to Soho to have a peek at Sarah and Lily Allen's new Lucy In Disguise shop on Lexington Street. Sarah and her Mum, Alison were working their socks off to get everything ready in time for today's opening. The shop has its own hair salon and private shopping area for a more exclusive vintage and Lucy In Disguise own-collection experience. We heartily recommend that you pop down for a browse. You can't miss it as the front is covered in gold sequins so shiny that you really don't need to be a magpie to be drawn in!
Sarah and Lily are embarking on a new era in their Lucy in Disguise project (Image from wardrobemag.wordpress.com)
We have been highly entertained by the Twitter account @condeelevator this week which delivers delicious snippets from inside the offices of Conde Nast magazines, notably American Vogue. Highlights include-
'Vogue Asst &; AW in packed elevator. VA: Blah blah Duke & Duchess of Windsor-- AW: Cambridge. Duke & Duchess of CAMBRIDGE. VA: I'm sorry.'
[SILENCE] [SILENCE] [SILENCE] (Image from www.matthewstasoff.com)
The account gained a whopping 66,400 followers after just 36 tweets and five days. However, we are devastated to report that the account is already no more. Despite the writer's clear amusement at the goings on in the Conde Nast New York elevator, the Tweeter still 'loves their job' and so decided to stop tweeting. Devastating yes, but understandable given that the powers at Conde Nast were on the hunt for -and closing in on - the culprit.
NEWS JUST IN: Kate Bosworth is starring in Vanessa Bruno's beautiful new campaign video. I'm not sure whether Kate, the clothes or the horses are more stunning. The FashEd is a big fan of director Stefanie di Gusto.
The arrival of the BIG September issues has finally brought together the slow trickle of campaign images which have been released throughout the Summer. The excitement these ads create is a sensation in itself, especially if they feature a notably young/ famous/ odd person (delete as appropriate). They also bring the brand's new fashion message to the masses. Basically, they're kinda significant, but you knew that already, right? But which ones are actually doing their job and drawing us in? Here are our top picks.... 1. MIU MIU Miu Miu's decision to use fourteen year-old Hailee Steinfeld provoked rather a lot of debate when it was announced. Although using very young models or actresses is by no means confined to Miu Miu, we were interested to see the direction they would take with the pictures - would they try to make her look like an adult? Or, would the brand play it charmingly tongue-in-cheek and show Hailee simply enjoying the best game of dressing- up EVER? Judging by the latest Bruce Weber shots to be released, they went for the utterly charming approach...
Miu Miu sequins- just what every young girl wears to pop out for a pizza.
Awwww. Not so much a snow angel, as a shoe angel
This is rather sad. Like nobody will play any more.
I am no photography expert, but to my amateur eye these images look just a touch soft at the edges, which gives them an even more innocent allure. It's almost as if they were taken spontaneously to capture a precious moment of a little girl growing up, by a parent or relative. In reality, they are the result of careful styling, will create millions in revenue and appear in some of the most expensive advertising spaces on the planet. So, I am taking my proverbial fedora off to Miu Miu for creating this adorable effect.
2. MULBERRY Mulberry continues the slightly whimsical, childish theme with its Fantastic Mr Fox themed campaign. This is unmistakably the work of Tim Walker, tricking the eye as the page is turned to reveal bemused models and their Mulberries dwarfed by giant foxes and owls and other woodland curiosities. To recreate this effect for yourself, simply get you and your favourite bag down to the Southbank Centre where the supersized straw fox will provide the perfect prop!
A Taylor bag - seen above in large and small versions - and a pretty pleat is all you need for Mulberry themed country high jinks
3. PROENZA SCHOULER Proenza Schouler have chosen to underline their particular take on the print story which continues into this season by framing Zuzanna Bijoch's poses for Willy Vanderperre with graphic, simplified echoes of the patterns on the clothes. I love that this campaign is really just all about the clothes and the ideas behind them. Pared back and stark.
An exquisite autumnal palette
4. BALENCIAGA Balenciaga, shot by Steven Meisel, gives us the juxtaposition of old and new- Nicholas Ghesquiere's sharp, modern pieces are worn in a convent- like setting, and then in a super futuristic, pristine cube. We are particularly seduced by the smokey surrounds and sharp architecture of the 'old' images. Balenciaga's subliminal message seems to be 'these clothes can worn anywhere, as long as it's as chic as they are'.
Balenciaga looking sharp
5. CHANEL How could we not include these mega-cute Chanel images- a collaboration between a trio of the most-wanted people in fashion, Carine Roitfeld, Freja Beha Erichssen and King Karl himself (who took the photos). The FashEd is particularly enamoured by the shot of Freja looking a little dishevelled with a message scribbled in eyeliner across her forehead. My favourite is the extremely feline whisker and flowers-for-ears combination. Again you can recreate the look for yourself by popping to your local photobooth armed with eyeliner and/or some cat ears, easy!
6. GIVENCHY While Mulberry takes us on a woodland romp, Givenchy prefers a more exotic rainforest-esque setting. Mariacarla Boscono is cast as a kooky bird of paradise, holding court in her den of sumptuous print and colour.
Givenchy shot by Mert and Marcus
7. MARC JACOBS
This post would not be complete without a mention of our unmitigated delight at Helena Bonham Carter's teaming up with Marc Jacobs and his long-time collaborator Juergen Teller. An absolute stellar choice of ambassador for Marc's AW dottiness.
A lesson from Helena- You don't have to be a 14 year-old to make fashion fun.
And last but not least, we love this slightly skinny, suitably stubbly indie boy, with his luscious mop of hair, hanging out in his Diesel pants.
